ng breeze was blowing in at the open window, quickly
dispersing the blue smoke from the cigar.

"Smoking already? then you will have nothing more to eat," said a girl,
entering from an adjoining room. She wore a fresh white apron made with
a stomacher, and was peculiarly neat and nice in her whole dress. Her
figure was slender and supple; her face oval yet full, with bright,
intelligent brown eyes; and three tiers of heavy brown braids were
wound like a crown about her head.

With a ready flow of words she continued: "You must excuse us; we had
done expecting you to dinner, it was so late."

"Everything was excellent. Come and sit down by me a little while,
sister-in-law."

"In a minute; as soon as I have cleared up. I cannot sit down with the
things all standing about so."

"You must have everything as neat and orderly as yourself."

"Thank you for the compliment. I am glad you have not spent them all at
the doctor's."

"Come back as soon as you can; I've ever so much to tell you."

After leaving the guest alone again for a while, the landlord's
daughter returned with a piece of knitting-work in her hand, and took a
seat opposite him at the table. "Well, let me hear," she said.

The engineer told her how he had been accompanying the doctor on his
daily round over the mountains, and could not sufficiently praise his
wondrous insight into the life of the people. He found them as the
doctor had described, industrious and pious, yet without bigotry.

"We have been into three or four inns to-day," he said. "Generally,
when you enter a country tavern of a summer's noon, you find some
miserable creature besotting himself on a bench behind the table,
half asleep over his stale beer or schnapps, who will stare at every
new-comer, and brag and rail in some unintelligible fashion. It is a
very common sight in other places, but I saw nothing of the sort here."

"Our mayor, the doctor," said Annele, "shows no mercy to drunkards, and
we are principled against giving to one."

The engineer entered with enthusiasm into a description of the doctor's
character. Wherever he went, the day seemed to grow brighter. His
honest sympathy brought something like contentment even into the huts
of the poor, while the confidence which his character as well as his
words inspired everywhere imparted fresh courage.

The girl listened in some embarrassment to this glowing description,
and only answered as she pressed a knitting-needle to