a
convulsive state by touching gray paper. This cannot be explained; it
is one of the riddles of Nature. A similar relaxing sensation Otto
experienced when he, for the first time, heard himself addressed as
"thou" by Wilhelm. It seemed to him as though the spiritual band which
encircled them loosened itself, and Wilhelm became a stranger. It was
impossible for Otto to return the "thou," yet, at the same time, he
felt the injustice of his behavior and the singularity, and wished to
struggle against it; he mastered himself, attained a kind of eloquence,
but no "thou" would pass his lips.

"To thy health, Otto," said Wilhelm, and pushed his cup against Otto's.

"Health!" said Otto, with a smile.

"It is true," began the cousin, "I promised you the other day to bring
my advertisements with me; the first volume is closed." And he drew
from his pocket a book in which a collection of the most original
Address-Gazette advertisements, such as one sees daily, was pasted.

"I have one for you," said the lady; "I found it a little time since. 'A
woman wishes for a little child to bottle.' Is not that capital?"

"Here is also a good one," said Wilhelm, who had turned over the leaves
of the book: "'A boy of the Mosaic belief may be apprenticed to a
cabinet-maker, but he need not apply unless he will eat everything that
happens to be in the house.' That is truly a hard condition for the poor
lad."

"Almost every day," said the cousin, "one may read, 'For the play of
to-day or to-morrow is a good place to be had in the third story in the
Christenbernikov Street.' The place is a considerable distance from the
theatre."

"Theatre!" exclaimed the master of the house, who now entered to take
his place at the tea-table, "one can soon hear who has that word in
his mouth; now is he again at the theatre! The man can speak of nothing
else. There ought, ready, to be a fine imposed, which he should pay each
time he pronounces the word theatre. I would only make it a fine of two
skillings, and yet I dare promise that before a month was over he would
be found to pay in fines his whole pocket-money, and his coat and boots
besides. It is a real mania with the man! I know no one among my young
friends," added he, with an ironical smile at Wilhelm,--"no, not one,
who has such a hobby-horse as our good cousin."

"Here thou art unjust to him!" interrupted his wife; "do not place a
fine upon him, else I will place thee in a vaudeville! Thy life i