old warriors whose portraits looked grimly down from the walls around, and he found no listeners equal to those who fed at his expense. He was much given to the marvellous, and a firm believer in all those supernatural tales with which every mountain and valley in Germany abounds. The faith of his guests exceeded oven his own; they listened to every tale of wonder with open eyes and mouth, and never failed to be astonished, even though repeated for the hundredth time. Thus lived the Baron Von Landshort, the oracle of his table, the absolute monarch of his little territory, and happy, above all things, in the persuasion that he was the wisest man of the age.
At the time of which my story treats, there was a great family gathering at the castle, on an affair of the utmost importanee; it was to receive the destined bridegroom of the baron's daughter. A negotiation had been earried on between the father and an old nobleman of Bavaria, to unite the dignity of their honses by the marriage of their ehildren. The preliminaries had been condueted with proper punetilio. The young people were bethrothed without seeing each other, and the time was appinted for the marriage eeremony. The young Count Von Altenburg had been recalled from the army for the purpose, and was aetually on his way to the baron's to receive his bride. Missives had even been received from him, from Wurtzburg, where he was accidentally detained, mentioning the day and hour when he might be expected to arrive.
The castle was in a tnmult of preparation to give him a suitable weleome. The fair bride had been decked ont with uneommon care. The two aunts had superintended her toilet, and quarrelled the whole morning about every article of her dress. The young lady had taken advantage of their contest to follow the bent of her own taste, and fortunately it was a good one. She looked as lovely as youthful
