les; and I am going to
be your guide," continued she, playfully.

"I am afraid your health will not permit you to do so much," suggested
Sir William.

"O, I feel quite strong now."

The conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Feodora's father
and mother, who extended to Shuffles a cordial and hearty greeting. Mr.
Lowington and the party were warmly welcomed by the earl's family. The
business of sight-seeing required immediate attention, and Shuffles was
taken into a carriage with his English friends; for the daughter
insisted upon redeeming her promise. Sir William evidently did not
enjoy the excursion; but he was apparently unwilling to be left at the
hotel.

Heidelberg is beautifully located on a narrow strip of land between the
River Neckar and the vast, high rock on which the castle stands. It has
one principal street, nearly three miles long, and contains a
population of about seventeen thousand. It is situated in the midst of
some of the finest scenery in Germany; and all tourists agree in
calling it one of the most delightful residences in Europe. The
students walked through the principal street and along the banks of the
Neckar until dinner time, when Professor Mapps found an opportunity to
say something about the place.

"Heidelberg was once the capital of the Palatinate established here by
the Emperor Otto of Germany in the tenth century. The Palatines were
sub-rulers, whose duty it was to look after the interests of the
emperor. This palatinate, including the northern portion of Baden and a
part of Bavaria, became the most powerful in the empire, and was
divided into the Upper and Lower Palatinates."

"What does _palatinate_ mean, sir?" asked a student.

"It means merely the territory of a sub-ruler, who was called a
_palatine_, from the Latin word _palatium_, a palace. When the throne
of Germany became elective, these palatines chose the emperor, and for
this reason were called electors-palatine, or simply electors. The
castle here was the residence of the elector of this division. The town
has suffered more from the ravages of war than almost any other in
Europe. It has been bombarded five times, burned twice, and captured
and pillaged three times.

"The university is one of the most noted in the world, as well as one
of the oldest in Germany, having been founded in 1386. It has had at
one time nearly nine hundred students, and generally has seven or eight
hundred. It employs the most c