discovered that
Karl was lost.

"Ka--rl, Karl--chen!" we cried. No response.

"But he was here one moment ago," said Herr Langen, a tired, pale youth,
who was recovering from a nervous breakdown due to much philosophy and
little nourishment. "He was sitting here, picking out the works of his
watch with a hairpin!"

Frau Kellermann rounded on him. "Do you mean to say, my dear Herr
Langen, you did not stop the child!"

"No," said Herr Langen; "I've tried stopping him before now."

"Da, that child has such energy; never is his brain at peace. If he is
not doing one thing, he is doing another!"

"Perhaps he has started on the dining-room clock now," suggested Herr
Langen, abominably hopeful.

The Advanced Lady suggested that we should go without him. "I never
take my little daughter for walks," she said. "I have accustomed her to
sitting quietly in my bedroom from the time I go out until I return!"

"There he is--there he is," piped Elsa, and Karl was observed slithering
down a chestnut-tree, very much the worse for twigs.

"I've been listening to what you said about me, mumma," he confessed
while Frau Kellermann brushed him down. "It was not true about the
watch. I was only looking at it, and the little girl never stays in the
bedroom. She told me herself she always goes down to the kitchen, and--"

"Da, that's enough!" said Frau Kellermann.

We marched en masse along the station road. It was a very warm
afternoon, and continuous parties of "cure guests", who were giving
their digestions a quiet airing in pension gardens, called after us,
asked if we were going for a walk, and cried "Herr Gott--happy journey"
with immense ill-concealed relish when we mentioned Schlingen.

"But that is eight kilometres," shouted one old man with a white beard,
who leaned against a fence, fanning himself with a yellow handkerchief.

"Seven and a half," answered Herr Erchardt shortly.

"Eight," bellowed the sage.

"Seven and a half!"

"Eight!"

"The man is mad," said Herr Erchardt.

"Well, please let him be mad in peace," said I, putting my hands over my
ears.

"Such ignorance must not be allowed to go uncontradicted," said he, and
turning his back on us, too exhausted to cry out any longer, he held up
seven and a half fingers.

"Eight!" thundered the greybeard, with pristine freshness.

We felt very sobered, and did not recover until we reached a white
signpost which entreated us to leave the road and walk through