med to break.

In wild anguish Peregrine caught at his neckcloth, from which Master
Flea now leapt, of his own accord, upon the white neck of the
little-one, exclaiming, in a tone of the deepest grief--"I am lost I!"

Peregrine stretched out his hand to catch the Master, but suddenly it
seemed as if some invisible power held back his arm; and far other
thoughts ran through his head than those which till now had occupied
it.

"How!" thought he--"because you are a frail man, and influenced by a
mad passion, will you therefore betray him, to whom you have promised
your protection? Will you therefore plunge a free, harmless people into
eternal slavery, and utterly ruin the friend whose thoughts and words
agree?--No--no--recollect yourself, Peregrine!--Rather die than be a
traitor!"

"Give--up--the prisoner--I am dying!" stammered the little one, with
failing voice.

"No!" cried Peregrine, while in despair he caught her in his
arms--"No! never! But let me die with you!"

And now a fine, penetrating harmony was heard, as if little silver
bells were struck. Doertje, with fresh roses on her lips and cheeks,
started up suddenly from the sofa, and, breaking into a convulsive
laughter, skipt about the chamber. She seemed to have been bit by the
tarantula.

Peregrine gazed in terror on the strange spectacle, and the same did
the physician, who stood at the door quite petrified, keeping out Mr.
Swammer, who had followed him.

Sixth Adventure.

Strange behaviour of strolling jugglers in a tavern, together
with a tolerable buffeting.--Tragical history of a tailor at
Sachsenhausen.--How George Pepusch astonished some honest folks.--The
horoscope.--Pleasant battle of some well-known people in Leuwenhock's
apartments.

All the passers-by stopt, stretched out their necks and peeped through
the window into the coffee-room. With every moment the crowd grew
greater, the pressure more violent, and the noise louder. All this was
occasioned by two strangers, who, besides that their form, their dress,
their whole manner had something extraordinary about it, that was
repulsive and ridiculous at the same time, played off many wonderful
tricks, such as had never been seen before. The one, an old man, of a
dirty, disagreeable appearance, was dressed in a surtout of shining
stuff. Sometimes he made himself thin and long, sometimes he would
shrink himself up to a short fat fellow, winding about all the