appointed time. I am
delighted to see you looking so well."

"Your obedient servant," answered the other; "but that is not the
question. What has become of my stairs?"

"Stairs! were there any stairs here?" said Henry. "Indeed, my friend, I
go out so seldom, or rather not at all, that I take no notice of any
thing out of my own chamber. I study, I work--I concern myself about
little else."

"Herr Brand," said the landlord, half choking with rage, "we must speak
about this in another tone! You are the only lodger. You shall give an
account before a court of justice"--

"Be not overwroth," replied Henry. "If you really contemplate legal
proceedings, I think I can be of use to you; for, now I think of it, I
perfectly remember that there _were_ stairs here, and have a vivid
recollection of having, in your absence, used them."

"Used them!" cried the old man, stamping with his feet; "and how used
them? You have destroyed them--you have destroyed the house."

"Nay, do not exaggerate, Herr Emmerich. I cannot ask you to walk
up-stairs, or you might see that these rooms we inhabit are in a perfect
state of preservation. As to this ladder, which was but an asses' bridge
for tedious visitors and bad men, I removed it with great difficulty, as
being superfluous."

"But these steps," cried Emmerich, "with their noble banister, these
two-and-twenty broad, strong oaken steps, were an integral part of my
house. Old as I am, I never heard of a lodger who dealt as he pleased
with the stairs of a house."

"Be patient," said Henry, "and you shall hear the real connexion of
events. The post failed in bringing our necessary remittances; the
winter was unusually severe; all ordinary means of procuring fuel were
wanting; I had recourse to this sort of forced loan. At the same time I
did not think, respected sir, that you would return before the warm
summer weather."

"Nonsense!" said the landlord. "Summer weather! Do you think that these
my stairs will sprout out again, like asparagus, when the summer comes?"

"Really," said Henry, "I am not sufficiently acquainted with the growth
and habits of the stair-plant to determine."

"Ulric!" cried the wrathful landlord, "run for the police. You shall
find this no jesting matter."

The police arrived. The inspector was scandalized at the outrage which
had been committed, and summoned the delinquent to surrender.

"Never!" said Henry. "An Englishman says well that his house is his
cas