tness the sight
for which they were assembled.

The time was now approaching the hour of noon. The crowd became
restless at the long delay, and manifested an increased impatience, by
pressing and pushing upon each other in rather a turbulent manner;
whilst here and there, tired of standing, several of the more sober
members of the trades seated themselves on the ground. When, however,
the report of three guns, fired from the fort on the hill on the
furthermost side of the river, and the sound of the cathedral bells in
deep tones began to echo over the town, order was speedily restored
throughout the anxious ranks.

"They are coming, Bertha, they are coming!" said the fair girl in the
balcony window, and put her arm around the waist of her companion, as
she stretched out her neck to the utmost.

The house of the Herrn von Besserer formed the corner of the forenamed
street, having a window on one side of it looking towards the Danube
gate, and another on the other side commanding a view of the town hall,
by which means the party were in a good position to see the expected
sight.

The space between the two rows of the people was, in the meantime, with
difficulty kept sufficiently open by the town guards. Anxious stillness
now reigned throughout the immense crowd, whilst the deep tolling of
the bells alone broke the silence.

The deadened sound of drums, blended with the shrill clang of trumpets,
was shortly after heard, and a long brilliant train of horsemen moved
slowly through the gate. The appearance of the town drummers and
trumpeters, and the mounted body of the sons of the patricians of Ulm,
was too much of an everyday occurrence to excite any great sensation on
the present occasion; but when the black and white banners of the town,
emblazoned with the imperial eagle, accompanied by flags and standards
of all sizes and colours, came floating in the breeze through the gate,
the spectators then became sure that the long wished-for moment was
arrived.

The curiosity of our two young beauties in the balcony became doubly
excited when they observed the crowd in the lower part of the street
respectfully take off their caps.

Mounted upon a strong bony horse a man approached, whose stately
carriage, affable and open countenance, contrasted strangely with a
deep stern brow, and whose hair and beard were slightly tinged with
grey. He wore a hat pointed at the crown, adorned with many feathers, a
cuirass over a close