RHEINSTEIN.
Rollo determined to ask his uncle George at breakfast if he might invite
Minnie to accompany them on their visit to the castle of Rheinstein. He
was sorry, however, when he came to reflect a little, that he had not
first asked his uncle George, before mentioning the subject to Minnie at
all.
"For," said he to himself, "if there _should_ be any difficulty or
objection to prevent her going with us, then I shall have to go and tell
her that I can't invite her, after all; and that would be worse than not
to have said any thing about it."
When, at length, Rollo and Mr. George were seated at table at breakfast,
Rollo asked his uncle if he was willing that Minnie should go with them
to the castle.
"I told her," said he, "last night, that we were going, and I said I
intended to ask you if she might go with us. But I thought afterwards
that it would have been better to have spoken about it to you first."
"Yes," said Mr. George, "that would be much the best mode generally,
though in this case it makes no difference, for I shall be very glad to
have Minnie go."
So Rollo immediately after breakfast went to renew his invitation to
Minnie, and about an hour afterwards the party set out on their
excursion. They went in a fine open barouche with two horses, which Mr.
George selected from several that were standing near the hotel, waiting
to be hired. Mr. George took the back seat, and Rollo and Minnie sat
together on the front seat. Thus they rode through the streets of the
town, and over the old stone bridge which led across the Nahe near its
junction with the Rhine.
From the bridge Rollo could see the little green island on which stood
Bishop Hatto's Tower.
"There is Bishop Hatto's Tower," said Rollo, "and you promised, uncle
George, to tell me the story of it."
"Well," said Mr. George, "I will tell it to you now."
So Mr. George began to relate the story as follows:--
"There was a famine coming on at one time during Bishop Hatto's life,
and the people were becoming very destitute, though the bishop's
granaries were well supplied with corn. The poor flocked and crowded
around his door. At last the bishop appointed a time when, he told them,
they should have food for the winter, if they would repair to his great
barn. Young and old, from far and near, did so, and when the barn could
hold no more, he made fast the door, and set fire to it, and burned them
all. He then returned to his palace, congratulating himself that the
country was rid of the 'rats,' as he called them. He ate a good supper,
went to bed, and slept like an innocent man; but he never slept again.
In the morning, when he entered a room where hung his picture, he found
it entirely eaten by rats. Presently a man came and told him that the
rats had entirely consumed his corn; and while the man was telling him
this, another man came running, pale as death, to tell him that ten
thousand rats were coming. 'I'll go to my tower on the Rhine,' said the
bishop; ''tis the safest place in Germany.' He immediately hastened to
the shore, and crossed to his tower, and very carefully barred all the
doors and windows. After he had retired for the night, he had hardly
closed his eyes, when he heard a fearful scream. He started up, and saw
the cat sitting by his pillow, screaming with fear of the army of rats
that were approaching. They had swum over the river, climbed the shore,
and were scaling the walls of his tower by thousands. The bishop, half
dead with fright, fell on his knees, and began counting his beads. The
rats soon gained the room, fell upon the bishop, and in a short time
nothing was left of him but his bones.
"There is an account of it in poetry too, in my book," said Mr. George.
"Read it to us," said Minnie.
So Mr. George opened his book, and read the account in poetry, as
follows:--
BISHOP HATTO.
The summer and autumn had been so wet,
That in winter the corn was growing yet;
'Twas a piteous sight to see all around
The grain lie rotting on the ground.
Every day the starving poor
Crowded around Bishop Hatto's door,
For he had a plentiful last year's store;
And all the neighborhood could tell
His granaries were furnished well.
At last Bishop Hatto appointed a day
To quiet the poor without delay:
He bade them to his great barn repair,
And they should have food for the winter there.
Rejoiced at such tidings good to hear,
The poor folk flocked from far and near;
The great barn was full as it could hold
Of women and children, and young and old.
Then, when they saw it could hold no more,
Bishop Hatto he made fast the door;
And while for mercy on Christ they call,
He set fire to the barn, and burned them all.
"I' faith 'tis an excellent bonfire!" quoth he,
"And the country is greatly obliged to me
For ridding it, in these times forlorn,
Of rats that only consume the corn."
So then to his palace returned he,
And he sat down to supper merrily,
And he slept that night like an innocent man;
But Bishop Hatto never slept again.
In the morning, as he entered the hall
Where his picture hung against the wall,
A sweat like death all o'er him came,
For the rats had eaten it out of the frame.
As he looked there came a man from his farm;
He had a countenance white with alarm.
"My lord, I opened your granaries this morn,
And the rats had eaten all your corn."
Another came running presently,
And he was pale as pale could be:
"Fly, my lord bishop, fly," quoth he;
"Ten thousand rats are coming this way;
The Lord forgive you for yesterday."
"I'll go to my tower on the Rhine," replied he,
"'Tis the safest place in Germany;
The walls are high, and the shores are steep,
And the stream is strong, and the water deep."
Bishop Hatto fearfully hastened away,
And he crossed the Rhine without delay,
And reached his tower, and barred with care
All the windows, doors, and loopholes there.
He laid him down and closed his eyes;
But soon a scream made him arise.
He started, and saw two eyes of flame
On his pillow, from whence the screaming came.
He listened and looked: it was only the cat:
But the bishop he grew more fearful for that;
For she sat screaming, mad with fear
At the army of rats that were drawing near.
For they have swum over the river so deep,
And they have climbed the shores so steep,
And now by thousands up they crawl
To the holes and windows in the wall.
Down on his knees the bishop fell,
And faster and faster his beads did he tell,
As louder and louder, drawing near,
The saw of their teeth without he could hear.
And in at the windows, and in at the door,
And through the walls by thousands they pour,
And down through the ceiling and up through the floor,
From the right and the left, from behind and before,
From within and without, from above and below;
And all at once at the bishop they go.
They have whetted their teeth against the stones,
And now they pick the bishop's bones;
They gnawed the flesh from every limb,
For they were sent to do judgment on him.
"I'm glad they ate him up," said Minnie, as soon as Mr. George had
finished reading the poetry. "I am very glad indeed."
"Yes," said Rollo, "so am I."
"What a pleasant ride this is!" said Rollo, after a little pause. It
was, indeed, a delightful ride. The road was carried along the bank of
the river a short distance above the level of the water. It was very
hard, and smooth, and level; and on the side of it opposite to the
water, the land rose abruptly in a steep ascent, which was covered with
forest trees. At the distance of about a mile before them, down the
river, they could see the towers and battlements of the castle which
they were going to visit, rising among the tops of the trees, on a
projecting promontory.
"I like the ride very much," said Rollo; "but I don't care much about
the castle. I'm tired of castles."
"So am I," said Mr. George; "but this is different from the rest. This
is a castle restored."
"What do you mean by that?" said Rollo.
"Why, nearly all the old castles on the Rhine," replied Mr. George,
"have been abandoned, and have gone to decay; or else, if they have been
repaired or rebuilt, they have been finished and furnished in the
fashion of modern times. But this castle of Rheinstein, which we are now
going to see, has been restored, as nearly as possible, to its ancient
condition. The rooms, and the courts, and the towers, and battlements
are all arranged as they used to be in former ages; and the furniture
contained within is of the ancient fashion. The chairs, and tables, and
cabinets, and all the other articles, are such as the barons used when
the castles on the Rhine were inhabited."
"Where do they get such things nowadays?" asked Rollo.
"Some of the furniture which they have in this castle," said Mr. George,
"originally belonged there, and has been kept there all the time, for
hundreds of years. When they repaired and rebuilt the castle, they
repaired this furniture too, and put it in perfect order. Some other
furniture they bought from other old castles which the owners did not
intend to repair, and some they had made new, after the ancient
patterns. But here we are, close under the castle."
A few minutes after this, the carriage stopped in the road at the
entrance to a broad, gravelled pathway, which diverged from the road
directly under the castle walls, and began to ascend at once through the
woods in zigzags. Mr. George and his party got out, and began to go up.
The carriage, in the mean time, went on a few steps farther, to a smooth
and level place by the roadside, under the shade of some trees, there to
await the return of the party from their visit to the castle above.
"Now, children," said Mr. George, "we will see how you can stand hard
climbing."
Rollo and Minnie looked up, and they could see the walls and battlements
of the castle, resting upon and crowning the crags and precipices of the
rock, far above their heads.
The road, or rather the pathway,--for it was not wide enough for a
carriage, and was besides too steep, and turned too many sharp corners
for wheels,--was very smooth and hard, and the children ascended it
without any difficulty. They stopped frequently to look up, for at every
turn there was some new view of the walls or battlements, or towers
above, or of the crags and precipices of the rock on which the various
constructions of masonry rested. The cliffs and precipices in many
places overhung the path, and seemed ready to fall. In fact, in one
place, an immense mass had cracked off, and was all ready to come down,
but was retained in its place by a heavy iron chain, which passed around
it, and was secured by clamps and staples to the more solid portion of
the rock behind it. Rollo and Minnie looked up to this cliff, as they
passed beneath it, with something like a feeling of terror.
"I should not like to have that rock come down upon our heads," said
Minnie.
"No," said Rollo, "nor I; but I should like to see it come down if we
were out of the way."
At length the road, after many winding zigzags and convolutions, came
out upon a gravelled area in front of a great iron gate at an angle
between two towers.
A man came from a courtyard within, and opened a small gate, which
formed a part of the great one. He seemed to be a servant. Mr. George
asked him in French if they could come in and see the castle. The man
smiled and shook his head, but at the same time opened the door wide,
and stood on one side, as if to make way for them to come in.
"He says no," whispered Rollo.
"No," replied Mr. George, "his _no_ means that he does not understand
us; but he wishes us to come in."
As Mr. George said these words, he passed through the gate, leading
Minnie by the hand, and followed by Rollo.
The man shut the gate after them, and then began to say something to
them, very fluently and earnestly, pointing at the same time to a door
which opened upon a gallery that extended along the wall of a tower near
by. As soon as he had finished what seemed to be some sort of
explanation, he left the party standing in the court, and returned to
his work.
"He says," remarked Mr. George, "that there is a man coming to show us
the castle."
"How do you know?" asked Rollo.
"I know by the signs that he made," replied Mr. George. "Besides, I
heard him say _schloss-vogt_."
"What is _schloss-vogt_?" asked Rollo.
"That was the ancient name for the officer who kept the keys of a
castle," replied Mr. George, "and in restoring this castle they thought
they would reestablish the old office. So they call the man who keeps
the keys the _schloss-vogt_."
In a few minutes the _schloss-vogt_ came. He was dressed in the ancient
costume. He wore a black velvet frock coat, and green velvet cap, both
made in a very antique and curious fashion, after the pattern of those
worn, in ancient days, by the officers who had the custody of the keys
in the baronial castles.
The _schloss-vogt_ conducted his visitors all over the edifice that was
under his charge. It would be impossible to describe the variety of
halls, corridors, courts, towers, ramparts, and battlements which Rollo
and Minnie were led to see. They went from one to another, until they
were at length completely bewildered with the intricacy, as well as
dazzled by the magnificence, of the place. There were suites of most
beautiful apartments, with polished floors, and painted walls, and
furniture of the most curious and antique description. The chairs, the
tables, the cabinets, and the beds of these rooms were all of the
strangest forms; and though they were of very elaborate and splendid
workmanship, being richly carved and inlaid with mosaic work, and often
ornamented with mountings of silver, they all wore a very antique and
venerable air, which was extremely imposing. The rooms were of all
shapes and sizes, and were arranged and connected with each other in the
most odd and singular fashion, as the external walls which enclosed them
were extremely irregular in plan, being conformed in a great measure to
the shape of the rocks on which the castle was founded. The
_schloss-vogt_ was continually leading his party, as he guided them
through the rooms, into some unexpected and curious place--a little
cabinet, built on an angle of the wall; a winding staircase, opening
suddenly in a corner, and leading up to a watchtower, or down to a
court; a balcony overhanging a precipice, and commanding a most
magnificent view up and down the river; or some other curious nook or
corner, which in the snugness and coziness of its seclusion, and the
beauty of its adornments, filled the hearts of Rollo and Minnie with
delight.
There were a great many specimens of ancient arms and armor, hung up in
various halls in the castle, all of the most quaint and curious forms,
but yet of the most elaborate and beautiful workmanship. There were
swords, and daggers, and bows and arrows, and spurs, and shields, and
coats of mail, and every other species of weapons, offensive and
defensive, that the warriors of the middle ages were accustomed to use.
Rollo was most interested in the bows and arrows. They were of great
size, and were made in a style of workmanship, and ornamented with
mountings and decorations, which Rollo had never dreamed of seeing in
bows and arrows. Among the other articles of armor, the _schloss-vogt_
showed the party a _gauntlet_, as it is called; that is, an iron glove,
which was worn in ancient times to defend the hand from the cuts of
swords and sabres. The inside of the glove--I mean the part which
covered the inside of the hand--was of leather; but the back was formed
of iron scales made to slide over each other, so as to allow the hand to
open and shut freely, without making any opening in the iron. Mr. George
tried this glove on, and so, in fact, did Rollo and Minnie. They were
all surprised to find how well it fitted to the hand, and how freely
the fingers could be moved while it was on. The _schloss-vogt_ said that
a man could write with it; and Mr. George placed his hand, with the
glove upon it, in the proper position for writing, and then moved his
fingers to and fro, as if there had been a pen between them.
"Yes," said he, "I think I could write with it very well."
All the furniture of the rooms was of a very quaint and curious
description, while yet it was very rich and magnificent. There were
elegant bedsteads of carved ebony surmounted with silken curtains and
canopies of the most gorgeous description. There were cabinets inlaid
with silver and pearl, and elegant cameos and mosaics, and a profusion
of other such articles, all of which Rollo had very little time to
examine, as the _schloss-vogt_ led the party forward from one room to
another without much delay.
The rooms themselves, in respect to form and arrangement, were almost as
curious as the articles which they contained. Every one seemed different
from the rest. You were constantly coming into the strangest and most
unexpected places. There were cabinets, and wide halls, and intricate
winding corridors, and open courts, and vaulted passages, and balconies,
paved below and arched over above. At one place there was a light iron
staircase built on the outside of a round tower, and as the tower itself
was built on the pinnacle of an overhanging rock, you seemed, in
ascending the staircase, to be poised in the air, with the rocks that
lined the shore of the river beneath your feet, hundreds of feet below.
After rambling about the castle for half an hour, the party returned to
the gate where they had come in, and the _schloss-vogt_ bade them good
by. He gave Minnie a little bouquet of flowers as she came away. They
were flowers which he had gathered for her, one by one, from the plants
growing in the various balconies, and in little parterres in the
courtyards, which they passed in going about the castle. Minnie was very
much pleased with this bouquet.
"I mean to press some of the flowers," said she, "and keep them for a
souvenir."
"Yes," said Rollo, "I'll help you press them. I've got a pressing
apparatus at home."
"Well," said Minnie, in a tone of great satisfaction. "And then, when
they are pressed, I'll give you one of them."
So the party went down the zigzag path till they came to the main road
at the bank of the river, and there getting into their carriage again,
they rode home to the hotel.
CONCLUSION.
Our travellers had now passed through all that portion of the Rhine
which contains the castles and the romantic scenery. Above Bingen the
valley of the Rhine widens; that is, the mountains, instead of crowding
in close to the river, recede from it many miles, enclosing a broad and
level, but very fertile plain, through the midst of which the river
flows between low banks, and with endless meanderings. The level country
through which the river thus flows is inexpressibly beautiful, being
divided into magnificent fields, and cultivated every where like a
garden. It presents to the view a broad expanse of the richest verdure
and beauty, but it cannot be seen from the steamboats on the river.
Travellers are, accordingly, accustomed to leave the river at Mayence, a
short distance above Bingen, and to go on up to Strasbourg by the
railway. This was the plan which Mr. George and Rollo pursued.
From Strasbourg, Mr. George took passage for Paris by a railway train
which left Strasbourg in the afternoon, so that they travelled all
night. This was Rollo's plan. He wished to see how "it would seem," he
said, to be travelling in the cars at midnight.
[Illustration: THE NIGHT JOURNEY.]
He, however, fell asleep soon after dark, and slept soundly all the
way.
* * * * *
TAGGARD & THOMPSON PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING POPULAR JUVENILE BOOKS.
ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE.
Ten volumes, 16mo, cloth. Being a new series of Rollo Books. By REV.
JACOB ABBOTT. Beautifully illustrated. Rollo on the Atlantic--Rollo in
Paris--Rollo in Switzerland--Rollo on the Rhine--Rollo in London--Rollo
in Scotland--Rollo in Geneva--Rollo in Holland--Rollo in Naples--Rollo
in Rome. Price per vol. 50 cts.
MY UNCLE TOBY'S LIBRARY.
By FRANCIS FORRESTER, ESQ., consisting of twelve volumes, elegantly
bound, and illustrated with upwards of SIXTY beautiful engravings. Each
book is printed in large and splendid type, upon superior paper. Price
per vol. 25 cts.
THE SUMMER HOUSE STORIES.
By the author of "Daisy," "Violet," &c. Elegantly illustrated by
Billings. Six volumes. Price per vol. 63 cts.
This series is designed to sketch attractively and simply the wonders of
reptile and insect existences, the changes of trees, rocks, rivers,
clouds, and winds. This is done by a family of children writing letters,
both playful and serious, which are addressed to all children whom the
books may reach.
THE MARTIN AND NELLIE STORIES.
By JOSEPHINE FRANKLIN. Twelve volumes, 16mo, cloth. Illustrated by
Billings and others. Price per vol. 50 cts.
The object of these stories is the inculcation, in a quiet, simple way,
of the principles of good nature, kindness, and integrity among
children. They consist of the usual pathetic and mirthful incidents that
constitute boy and girl life.
THE GLEN MORRIS STORIES.
By FRANCIS FORRESTER, author of "My Uncle Toby's Library." Five vols.
16mo, cloth. Beautifully illustrated. Price per vol. 63 cts.
The purpose of the "Glen Morris Stories" is to sow the seed of pure,
noble, manly character in the mind of our great nation's childhood. They
exhibit the virtues and vices of childhood, not in prosy, unreadable
precepts, but in a series of characters which move before the
imagination, as living beings do before the senses.
PICTURES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE SWISS.
One volume, 16mo. Price 67 cts.
A very instructive and entertaining Juvenile, designed for children from
ten to fifteen years of age.
PICTURES FROM THE HISTORY OF SPAIN.
By the author of "Pictures from the History of the Swiss." A new volume
just published. Price 67 cts.
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF WHITENOSE WOODCHUCK.
One volume, 16mo. Price 38 cts.
Intended especially for younger children, and illustrated with numerous
engravings, by Billings.
In addition to the above, B. & T. publish a great variety of Toy and
Juvenile Books, suited to the wants of children of all ages.
* * * * *
AN INTERESTING BOOK FOR SCHOLARS.
The Boys have long desired such a Book.
THE UNIVERSAL SPEAKER:
CONTAINING A COLLECTION OF
SPEECHES, DIALOGUES, AND RECITATIONS,
ADAPTED TO THE USE OF SCHOOLS, ACADEMIES, AND
SOCIAL CIRCLES.
Edited by N. A. Calkins and W. T. Adams.
The excellences of this work consist, in part, of its entire
originality, of its more than usual adaptation to the wants of our High
Schools and Academies, and of the systematic arrangement of its
selections for declamation and for elocutionary practice. Those in Part
Second were prepared by Prof. WM. RUSSELL, the eminent elocutionist,
expressly for this work. The publishers feel assured that in presenting
this work to Teachers and Scholars, they are offering them no revision
of old matter with which they have long been familiar, but an original
work, full of new, interesting, and instructive pieces, for the varied
purposes for which it is designed.
In 1 vol. 12mo. Price $1.
The instructions in declamation are so complete and accompanied by such
ample illustrations relative to position and gestures of the student,
that the "Universal Speaker" needs only to be seen to become what its
name indicates--universal.--Rochester Repository.
The pieces are judiciously selected, and the book is very attractive in
its appearance--Connecticut School Journal.
We find, upon close inspection, that the work contains much fresh
matter, which will be acceptable to schools and students, particularly
in the department of dialogues of which there is a great dearth of
really good and FIT matter in most speakers.--United States Journal.
They are all school-like, the dialogues being illustrative of scenes in
common life, including some first-rate conversations pertinent to
school-room duties and trials. The speeches are brief and energetic. It
will meet with favor.--R. I. Schoolmaster.
The selection has been made with a great deal of foresight and taste, by
men who are highly esteemed as elocutionists, writers, or teachers. The
notation, the directions and cuts appended to the pieces, will be found
useful to those who use them.--Mass. Teacher.
Looking it over hastily, we notice many admirable selections from the
best authors, and as the book is entirely fresh, the matter never having
appeared in previous readers or speakers, it cannot fail to be a welcome
addition to the books of its class.--Springfield Republican.
In this they have succeeded, and have also been fortunate in the
selection. The book contains a larger number of dialogues than any we
have seen, and they are mostly relative to school children and school
affairs.--Penn. School Journal.
* * * * *
INSTRUCTION AND AMUSEMENT.
PICTURES
FROM THE
HISTORY OF THE SWISS.
In 1 vol. 16mo. 262 pages. Price 75 cents.
WITH CHARACTERISTIC ILLUSTRATIONS,
DESIGNED BY HAMMETT BILLINGS.
It is not generally known that the early history of the Swiss abounds in
the most thrilling and interesting stories, of which that of Wm. Tell
shooting the apple from the head of his son, by order of the tyrant
Gessler, so familiar to every child, is but a specimen. The present
volume, while it introduces the youthful reader to many of the scenes
through which the brave Swiss passed in recovering their liberty, also
narrates many stories of peculiar interest and romance, every way equal
to that of Tell. Among these we may name,
The Thievish Raven, and the Mischief he caused.
How the Wives and Daughters of Zurich saved the City.
How the City of Lucerne was saved by a Boy.
The Baker's Apprentice.
How a Wooden Figure raised Troops in the Valois.
Little Roza's Offering.
A Little Theft, and what happened in consequence.
The Angel of the Camp.
With twenty-one other similar stories.
* * * * *
A NEW SERIES OF JUVENILES.
THE SUMMER-HOUSE SERIES.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "VIOLET," "DAISY," ETC.
The first volume of what the publishers sincerely believe will be the
most popular series of Juvenile Books yet issued, is now ready, entitled
OUR SUMMER-HOUSE, AND WHAT WAS SAID AND DONE IN IT.
In 1 vol. 16mo. Price 62 cents.
Handsomely Illustrated by HAMMETT BILLINGS.
From the author's Preface:--
"The Summer-House Series of children's books, of which the present
volume is the first, is an attempt to sketch attractively and simply the
wonders of reptile and insect existence, the changes of trees, rocks,
rivers, clouds and winds.
"To this end a family of intelligent children, of various ages, collected
in a garden summer-house, are supposed to write letters and stories,
sometimes playful, sometimes serious, addressing them to all children
whom the books may reach.
"The author has hoped, by thus awakening the quick imagination and ready
sympathies of the young, to lead them to use their own eyes, and hearts,
and hands, in that plentiful harvest-field of life, where 'the reapers
indeed are few.'"
Among the stories in the present volume are the following:--
Bessie's Garden.
One of the most touching and affecting stories we have read for many a
day.
The Lancers.
A most humorous story, with a never-to-be-forgotten moral, inculcating
contentment.
The Working Fairies.
In this story Industry is held up for attainment, and Idleness receives
a severe rebuke. The style and language, though perfectly intelligible
to children, are worthy of a Beecher.
The Princess.
A story of wrong and suffering.
Little Red-Head.
A true story of a bird.
The Little Preacher.
A sweet story, introducing bird and insect life, and conveying more
truth and instruction to children, than can be found in a dozen ordinary
sermons.
TAGGARD & THOMPSON, Publishers,
29 CORNHILL, BOSTON.