en I asked in the neighbourhood about my friends and their doings,
I learned from every one that there was nothing further to say against
"the heretics," than that they were heretics. A few peasant children
from the neighbourhood had found their way to them, but no one came to
them from any distance, as had been reckoned upon from the first by
Froebel as a source of income. The ill-will of the clergy, which began
to show itself immediately the institution was founded, and which became
stronger as the footing of our friends grew firmer, was able to gather
to itself a following sufficient to check any quick growth of our
undertaking. Besides, the basis for such an establishment was not to be
found at Wartensee. Schnyder had, indeed, with a generosity never too
greatly to be admired and praised, made over to us his castle and all
its furniture, his plate, his splendid library,--in short, all that was
in or around the castle was fully at our disposition; but he would
permit no new buildings or alterations of any sort, and as the rooms
assigned to us were in no way suitable for our use, it was evident that
his generous support must be regarded as only a temporary and passing
assistance. We perceived the evil of our situation in all its keenness,
but we saw no way out of the difficulty.

In a most remarkable way there dawned upon us a new prospect at the very
moment when we least expected it. We were sitting one day in a tavern
near Wartensee, and talking of our struggles with some strangers
who happened to be there. Three travellers were much interested in
our narrative. They gave themselves out as business people from
Willisau,[135] and soon informed us that they had formed the notion of
trying to get some assistance for us, and our enterprise for their
native town. This they actually did. We received an invitation from
twenty associated well-to-do families in Willisau to remove our
school there, and more fully to work out our plans amongst them. The
association had addressed the cantonal authorities, and a sort of castle
was allotted provisionally to us. About forty pupils from the canton at
once entered the school, and now we seemed at last to have found what we
had so long been seeking. But the priests rose up furiously against us
with a really devilish force. We even went in fear of our lives, and
were often warned by kind-hearted people to turn back, when we were
walking towards secluded spots, or had struck along the o