g grin made his
yellow crampt face still uglier than before.

"So you really meant what you said!" exclaimed the old miner: "well!
the revelations of the spirit of the earth are in better keeping under
the guard of that sickly gentleman, than with such a merry
care-for-nought." He then turned down the hill on the side opposite to
that which led toward the town, to betake himself to his mine; while
Eleazar seemed buried in thought as he read with great eagerness in
his newly acquired treasure.

Meanwhile Edward was watching a carriage that was toiling up the hill
from the valley, and had just come through the wood. "Are we to have a
visit?" he exclaimed with some surprise.

"Heyday! what!" returned Eleazar: "it is our old master's carriage to
be sure, which he has again been lending to the folks over yonder for
a wedding; and his other coach has been sent off to a christening in
the village at the further end of the mountains. Two such equipages!
and he never uses either himself, since he never stirs out of the
house; and coachmen and lacquies always on their legs to wait on some
beggarly strangers, who don't even thank him when his carriages and
horses go to wreck, and new ones are to be bought at the end of every
four years."

"Can you really find fault with this bountiful kindness?" replied
Edward: but Eleazar relieved him from the trouble of prolonging the
dispute, by carrying off his book in great haste, without once looking
at him. Edward breathed more freely when delivered from the presence
of this odious misanthrope, who took every opportunity of loading his
benefactor with the bitterest abuse.

The coach meanwhile was labouring up the second hill; and from the
slow and unsteady footing of the horses it was evident they must have
come out of the plain. The carriage too, Edward now saw clearly, was a
strange one, and must probably be bringing some unexpected visitant.
With much panting and straining at length the horses dragged the coach
up the last slope; and an elderly lady got out at the door of the
great house, and sent her maid and servant with the carriage to the
inn in the town.

Edward was surprised; for the lady, whose face still betrayed that she
had once been handsome, was entirely unknown to him. "You will allow
me," she said with a sweet-toned voice, "to rest here under the
portico for a moment; after which I should wish to speak to Herr
Balthasar."

Edward felt at a loss what to do, and led