of the castle stand out like an offering to some Deity, was at
that date but a bare glacis, surmounted by massive turrets and angular
fortresses, the palace of the Kurfuersts of the Palatinate looming out
severe and threatening over the smiling valley of Heidelberg, as does
at the present time the gloomy residence of the Popes over Avignon, or
the menacing Ehrenbreitstein over the green Rhine. Between the
octagonal belfry and the "thick Tower" of which at the present time
only the inner walls are visible, the gorgeous palaces of Frederic IV.
and Frederic V. did not exist, but on the right the peaky gables of the
Chapel and of the roof of the old castle reared above the scarped
fortress wall; "the new court," erected by Frederic II., was built
against the octagonal tower.

In the low but spacious halls of the building which by its mixture of
the Gothic and Renaissance schools recalls to the memory the Flemish
architecture of the period, a numerous throng crowded together seeking
an audience of the Kurfuerst, in the latter part of a spring afternoon
of the year 1570. Before the door of the Prince stood the portly
court-servant Bachmann, attired in the resplendent livery of a Heiduck
of the Pfalz, his jovial expression forming a pleasing contrast to the
grim heraldic lions ornamenting his breast. Solemnly did he call out
the names of those to whom an audience was granted. Huguenots from
France begging for aid. Theologians warmly recommended to the notice of
the Kurfuerst, wandering Scots eager for service, Italian artists who
had obtained commissions were received in order, and dismissed.
Finally, there remained but two couples, widely differing in
appearance, representatives of the two classes which everywhere throng
the ante-chambers of sovereigns, resembling in their demeanour Grief
and Hope.

The two "Hopefuls" paced up and down the now empty hall in lively
discussion, whilst the two sorrowful guests sat sullenly in a corner.
One of these, addressed as Your Reverence, was an undersized well fed
man with fresh ruddy complexion and coarse features. His companion, on
the other hand, was a small dwarf-like being, whose dark costume stood
out in marked contrast to his fiery-red-face, one of those figures only
to be met with at the interment of a circus-rider. With a deep sigh the
dwarf addressed his reverend companion: "Yes, yes. Your Reverence. How
often have I, as counsellor of our beloved ruler, shortened with my
time