o his home in
Spain when she was a very tender maid, and there she settled, and
naturally took his family name. But she preserves with the Spanish
sweetness much of the true German character, especially in colour and
scent.' 'Long life to her, then,' cried they all, 'if she really is
Rosie's cousin.' Rosa did not seem quite satisfied with her
sweetheart's cunning mode of extricating himself from the scrape, so
she changed the subject by turning round to the others and rallying
them each in turn on the way in which the years had treated or spared
them. One looked pale, she said, another was but half awake, a third
had grown fat, almost too lazy to drink, a fourth was as ready for a
joke as ever, and so on--'but hallo, why there are thirteen of you.
Who's that in the strange clothing over there? who brought him in?'

_Was I frightened or not?_ None of them looked pleased at my presence:
but I said, 'I present my compliments to this worthy assemblage; I am
really nothing but a man, who has taken a degree of Ph.D., and at
present my residence is at the Frankfurt hotel in this city.'

'But, oh man who hast taken a degree, how camest thou here, man?'
'Apostle,' I answered--it was Peter whose eyes flashed fire on me as he
spoke--'I'll trouble you not to call me man till we're better
acquainted. And as for this society into which you say I have come, you
are quite in error; it came to me, not I to it, for I had been sitting
in this very room nearly an hour past' (I don't know whence I got the
courage to say this--probably from the 'Special '22'). 'But what were
you doing in the cellar at this time of night, sir?' said Bacchus
rather more gently; 'you ought to be asleep.' 'Your Honour,' says I, 'I
had excellent reasons for being here. I am a particular friend of the
noble drink that is stored here, and, by favour of the not less noble
Senate, I received permission to pay you all a visit--time and place
not specified.'

'So you like to drink Rhine wine,' said Bacchus; 'that's a good liking
to have in these days, when most men have grown so cold towards the
golden spring,' 'Yes,' growled out the man in the red coat, 'no one
will drink us now except here and there a travelling doctor, like this
fellow, or a schoolmaster out for a holiday; and most of them water it
first.' 'I beg most respectfully to contradict you, Mr. Jude,' said I.
'I have already tried you all round, and had but recently sat down to a
few modest bottles of a