er their long ramble in the forenoon, were glad to use the camp
stools on the deck of the steamer. Village after village was passed,
but the scenery was less grand than that seen the day before. There
were fewer castles to be seen on the heights, though Dr. Winstock could
hardly tell the story of one before another required attention. The
railroads which extend along each side of the river, in several
instances, passed under castles, towers, and ruins, whose foundations
have been tunnelled for the purpose. At Andernach, the mountains on
both sides come close to the river again, and the water flows through a
kind of gorge between them.

"At Brohl, which you see on the left, a peculiar kind of stone is
found, which has the property of hardening under water, and is,
therefore, in great demand for the manufacture of cement," said Dr.
Winstock. "The ancients used it for coffins, because the stone absorbed
the moisture from the bodies. These quarries were worked by the Romans,
who had a road to Cologne on the left bank of the river."

"There are mountains on the right," said Grace, some time afterwards.

"Those are the Siebengebirge, as they are called. Though the name
indicates seven mountains, there are thirty summits. They are very
picturesque, but they are only ten or fifteen hundred feet high,"
continued the doctor.

"There is a beautiful island in the middle of the river," added Paul.
"It has an old building on it, and is covered with trees."

"That is Nonnenwerth, and the building is a convent. Do you see the
castle on the left bank, opposite the island?"

"I see it."

"You must read Herr Bernard's Legends of the Rhine. You will find the
book in Cologne, both in German and in English, though the English of
the latter is execrable. You will find in it the story of Rolandseck,
the castle on the left, and Nonnenwerth. Roland was the nephew of
Charlemagne. He was engaged to a daughter of the Lord of Drachenfels,
whose castle you see on the opposite side of the river. He went away to
the wars, and during his absence, a false report came back that he was
killed at Roncesvalles. His betrothed, in despair, entered the convent
on the island, and took the black veil. Roland returned, but could not
reclaim the bride. He built the castle on the left, where he could
overlook her retreat, and lived the lonely life of a hermit. One
evening, while he was gazing down upon the convent, he heard the bell
toll, and saw a processio