afterwards, when a servant of another Prussian recruiting officer ran away and robbed him of over eighty florins, my master said to me: "Will you one day serve me so, Ollrich?" I replied, laughing, that if he had any misgivings of that kind, he had better dismiss me at once. I had indeed gained his confidence to such a degree that all through that winter he would leave the keys of his sitting-room and bed-chamber with me, whenever he made any short journeys unattended. I in my turn respected and loved him like a father. Moreover, he was kind and indulgent. I had all too many opportunities to stroll about idly, especially in the autumn, I crossed the Rhine by ferry to Feuertalen for the grape harvesting (for the old bridge had collapsed not long before, and the contract for the new one had just been assigned to Herr Grubenmann

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of our inn). There I helped the young people to eat the grapes until we were full to the chin.

One day, when I was making this crossing, someone said to me: "Well, how goes it with you, Ulrich? Do you know that your master is a Prussian officer?" I: "Yes, and in my opinion he is a very kind master". - "Yes, yes," said he, "but just wait until you get to Prussia, then they will make a soldier of you and beat your shoulders black and blue. I wouldn't be in your shoes for a thousand thalers". I looked the lad hard in the face, thinking only that the fellow spoke thus out of malice or envy, then I went quickly home and told my master every word that had passed, whereupon he replied: "Ollrich, Ollrich! You must not lend an ear to every silly bumpkin that you meet with. Yes, it is true that I am an officer in the Prussian service - and what of it? By birth I am a Polish nobleman, and - just to get the whole story straight - my name is Johann Markoni. Until now you have been addressing me as "Herr Leutnant", but now, on account of those same clodhoppers, you may in future give me the title of "Your honour!"

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But anyway, take comfort and be of good cheer, for on the word of a nobleman you shall lack nothing, so long as you are an honest lad. You become a soldier? No! Upon my soul, no. I could indeed have done so by you, your two honest countrymen would have sold you for a few bad louis d'ors. But you are a little too short for that business, they are not yet taking men of your height, and I was keeping something better in store for you." Now, thought I, my life and goods are safe. Ah, my good master! He could have fooled me. The scoundrels, they were for selling me, were they? May they be hanged for it! But if I meet with one of their like again, I'll stop his mouth with dirt! Yes indeed, what a noble master Markoni must be, and so kind to me as well! In short, thenceforward I believed his every word as if it were gospel.

Soon after this Markoni made a journey to Rottweil on the Neckar

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, twelve hours' distance from Schaffhausen. I had to go with him, and in the chaise, too. I had never in all my life sat inside such a thing. The coachman drove at a gallop down through the town to the Swabian Gate, so that it echoed like thunder. I thought at every moment that we must overturn, and tried to hold on by the sides. Markoni split his sides with laughing: "You won't fall, Ollrich! Sit up straight!" I soon became accustomed to it, and the vehicle and the whole expedition gave me much pleasure.