h
diamond nail-heads, which some friend has given her as a "charm" to
secure "good luck." These are simply remnants of the old pagan
Woden-worship which we inherit from our English ancestors, who are
partly descended from the Saxons, as you have probably learned from your
school history. And the word Wednesday is a corruption of Woden's-Day, a
name given by our Saxon ancestors to the fourth day of the week in honor
of their god.

When I was recently in Germany, I noticed upon the gable-end of every
cottage and farm-house in Brunswick and Hanover a curious ornament,
consisting of two horses' heads, roughly carved in wood, mounted upon
poles, and placed above the entrance-doors, in the form of a cross. This
was first done by order of Wittikind, who, upon professing Christianity,
changed the pagan symbols above the doors of dwellings to the sign of
Christianity--the cross. The ignorant peasants do not know the origin of
the custom, but will tell you that the crossed-heads are placed there
"to keep out evil spirits, and to bring good luck to the house."

[Illustration: ENTRANCE GATE TO THE OLD CASTLE OF THE DUKES OF
BRUNSWICK.]

I saw in Brunswick the great stone lion which Henry Guelph placed there
seven hundred years ago; and in Hanover, the old palace in which George
the First was born, with the lion and the horse above the entrance.
Once, too, in the Hartz mountains, I visited a grand-looking ancient
castle of the old dukes of Brunswick, in which was born the wife of
George the Second of England. It stood on the summit of a lofty
precipice, up which we had to climb; then crossing a deep moat by a
narrow bridge, we entered through a great arched gate-way, surmounted by
the Brunswick coat-of-arms, cut in the stone wall. The moat was dry, and
ivy and tall trees growing in it far below, thrust the tips of their
branches over the walls. I stopped and took a sketch of the old
gate-way, which I here present my young readers.

UNDER THE LILACS.

BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT.

CHAPTER IV.

HIS STORY.

"I ran away from a circus," began Ben, but got no further, for Bab and
Betty gave a simultaneous bounce of delight, and both cried out at
once--

"We've been to one! It was splendid!"

"You wouldn't think so if you knew as much about it as I do," answered
Ben, with a sudden frown and wriggle, as if he still felt the smart of
the blows he had received. "We don't call it splendid; do we, Sancho?"
he added, making a quee