either this unhappy affair will be
broken off or Jonathan snatched from the pit of destruction. It would
be rash temerity, nay, perhaps a ruinous piece of mischief, producing
the exact contrary of what was wished, if with my feeble hand I were to
attempt to control the fly-wheel of Destiny."

It is hard to credit what miserable, nay, often what absurd reasons a
man will hunt up in order to represent the approaching misfortune as
avertable. So there were moments in which Wacht built his hopes upon
the arrival of wild Sebastian, whom he pictured to himself as a
stalwart young fellow in the full flush and pride of youth, just on the
point of attaining to manhood, and that he would bring about a change
of direction in the drifting of circumstances, and make things
different from what they then were. The very common, and alas! often
too true idea came into his head, that woman is too greatly impressed
by strong and striking manliness not to be conquered by it at last.

When the sun began to go down, Monsieur Pickard Leberfink invited the
family to go into his garden, which adjoined their own, and take a
little refreshment. Beside Wacht's new possession the noble decorator
and gilder's garden formed a most ridiculous and extraordinary
contrast. Whilst almost too small in size, so that the only thing it
could perhaps boast in its favour was the good height at which it was
situated, it was laid out in Dutch style, the trees and hedges clipped
with the shears in the most scrupulous and pedantic fashion. The
slender stems of the fruit-trees standing in the flower-beds looked
very pretty in their coats of light blue and rose tints, and pale
yellow, and other colours. Leberfink had varnished them, and so
beautified Nature. Moreover they saw in the trees the apples of the
Hesperides.[17]

But yet several further surprises were in store. Leberfink bade the
girls pluck themselves a nosegay each; but on gathering the flowers
they perceived to their amazement that both stalks and leaves were
gilded. It was also very remarkable that all the leaves which Rettel
took into her hands were shaped like hearts.

The refreshment upon which Leberfink regaled his guests consisted of
the choicest confectionery, the finest sweetmeats, and old Rhine wine
and Muscatel. Rettel was quite beside herself over the confectionery,
observing with special emphasis that such sweetmeats, which were for
the most part splendidly silvered and gilded, were not,