f articles for the feet; the
tables themselves were laden with heavy shoes and thick-soled boots.
Behind these stood the skillful workman in his long Sunday coat, and
with his well-brushed felt-hat upon his head.

Where the shoemakers' quarter ended that of the hatters' began, and with
this one was in the middle of the great market-place, where tents and
booths formed many parallel streets. The booth of galanterie wares, the
goldsmith's, and the confectioner's, most of them constructed of canvas,
some few of them of wood, were points of great attraction. Round about
fluttered ribbons and handkerchiefs; round about were noise and bustle.
Peasant-girls out of the same village went always in a row, seven or
eight inseparables, with their hands fast locked in each other; it was
impossible to break the chain; and if people tried to press through
them, the whole flock rolled together in a heap.

Behind the booths there lay a great space filled with wooden shoes,
coarse earthenware, turners' and saddlers' work. Upon tables were spread
out toys, generally rudely made and coarsely painted. All around
the children assayed their little trumpets, and turned about their
playthings. The peasant-girls twirled and twisted both the work-boxes
and themselves many a time before the bargain was completed. The air
was heavy with all kinds of odors, and was spiced with the fragrance of
honey-cake.

Here acquaintances met each other-some peasant-maidens, perhaps, who had
been born in the same village, but since then had been separated.

"Good day!" exclaimed they, took each other by the hand, gave their arms
a swing, and laughed.

"Farewell!"

That was the whole conversation: such a one went on in many places.

"That is the heather!" exclaimed Otto, as he approached the quarter
where the Jutland potters had their station; "how refreshing is the
odor!" said he, and stooping down seized a twig fresh and green, as if
it had been plucked only yesterday.

"Aye, my Jesus though! is not that Mr. Otto!" exclaimed a female voice
just beside him, and a young Jutland peasantwoman skipped across the
pottery toward him. Otto knew her. It was the little Maria, the eelman's
daughter, who, as we may remember at Otto's visit to the fisher's,
had removed to Ringkjoebing, and had hired herself for the hay and
cornharvest--the brisk Maria, "the girl," as her father called her. She
had been betrothed in Ringkjoebing, and married to the rich earthenware