n. There is a
rough building resembling a stable, at the other end of the yard; and, in
one corner, a steep ladder, with a handrail, which leads to a chamber
above. They ascend, and enter a long, low loft, so completely crowded
with rough bedsteads that there remains but a narrow alley between them,
just sufficient to allow a single person to pass. Eight double beds, and
the ceiling so low that the companion of Hans can scarcely stand upright
with his hat on.

"New-comers this way," shouts the conductor.

"What's the matter, now?" inquires Hans of his comrade.

"Take off your coat," is the answer in a whisper; "undo the wristbands,
and throw open the collar of your shirt."

"What for?"

"To be examined."

So they are examined; and, being pronounced sound, are allowed to sleep
with the rest of the flock. In this loft, each bed with at least two
occupants, and the door locked--without consideration for fire, accident,
or sudden indisposition,--Hans passes the first night in Berlin.

But there is no work in Berlin, and Hans must pursue his journey. He
waits for hours at the police-office, as play-goers wait at the door of a
London theatre. By and by, he gets into the small bureau with a
desperate rush. That business is settled, and he is off again. Time
runs on; and, after a further tramp of good two hundred miles, Hans gets
settled at last in the free city of Hamburg.

With the exception of a few factories, such as the silk-works at
Chemnitz, in Saxony, and the colony of goldsmiths at Pfortzheim, in
Wurtemburg, there are few extensive manufactories in Germany. Trade is
split up into little masterships of from one to five or six men. This
circumstance materially affects the relation between the employer and
employed.

The master under whom Hans serves at Hamburg is a pleasant, affable
gentleman; his apprentice Peter may be of a different opinion, but that
is of no consequence. The master has spent the best years of his life in
England and France; has learned to speak the languages of both countries
with perfect facility, and is one of the lucky monopolists of his trade.
He employs three workmen; one of them, who is possessed of that peculiar
cast of countenance generally attributed to the children of Israel, has
been demurred to by the Guild,--and why? Because a Jew is legally
incapable of working in Hamburg. He is, however, allowed the usual
privileges on attesting that he is not an Israelite.

O