other, and when they came up to the boy they stopped and
stared at him in undisguised amusement. Quick color sprang to his
cheeks, he hesitated, and then came to a full stop. It was not pleasant
to be singled out as a laughing-stock in the main street of Goettingen.

"Well, what are you laughing at?" he demanded, looking squarely at the
group of boys.

One of them waved his hand airily in answer. "At the magnificence of our
new little Brunswicker," he answered mockingly.

"So? And are you accustomed to laugh at magnificence?" The boy's brows
were bent and his lips had set in a very stern line.

"When it amuses us we laugh," put in one of the others.

"Then I'd have you know it's ill manners to laugh, and I'll teach you
better as soon as we get schlaegers in our hands."

"And who may you be?" asked the one who had spoken first.

"My name is Otto von Bismarck. I come from Prussia, and I'm a new
student here."

"And which of us will you fight?"

"I'll fight you all. Send your man to me at my room, and I'll agree on
any time and place." Then, with his head held very high the boy walked
on, and the great Dane followed at his heels.

"Bismarck?" said one of the Hanover boys to the others. "It seems to me
I've heard of him. They say he's splendid company."

"He's surely got pluck enough," agreed another. "I like the way he faced
the lot of us." So they went on down the street, discussing the new
student.

Otto, no whit daunted by his adventure, shortly after returned to his
room. He lighted a big china-bowled pipe, and was smoking and reading
when the messenger from the boys he had challenged came to see him. Otto
offered him a pipe, and the two were soon eagerly discussing horses and
dogs and telling about the fine hunting there was to be had in the
different parts of Germany in which their homes lay. They got on
together famously, and finally the visitor, who was the chief of his
corps, said, "What a shame we got into this trouble over nothing. You're
too good a fellow for any of us to fight. We shouldn't have guyed you
that way. Let me see if I can't fix matters up."

"I'm quite ready to fight them all," said Otto stoutly. "I told them so,
and I always stand by my word."

"I know," said the other, who by now had taken a great liking to the
young Prussian. "But you're not the sort to get really angry at such a
little thing, and I like you too much to want to cross swords with you."

"And I like you," answer