"Butter?"

"Yes, a woman keeps a cow, a mile
away, and sells butter when she has it, and
milk when she does not use it; but one
can send every week to Schandau for what
one wants."

Frau Lischel keeps a goat, and offers us
goat's milk instead of cow's whenever we
wish it.

We think we will have tea and bread-
and-butter, as our walk has made us tired
and hungry. Frau Lischel offers to send
Olymp, a pale-faced inanimate-looking
girl who had been listening to our
conversation, for butter and bread; but we must
engage milk beforehand.  Olymp will tell
the woman to bring an extra supply in the
morning.  To-night we can try the goat's
milk.

We had some nice Russian tea with us,
and Bella brought it in, while I watched
Frau Lischel set out some cups and saucers
on one of the tables on the terrace.  It
was a pleasant place. Fraülein Zartoff's
windows looked out upon it; flowers in
pots, and plants in tubs, ornamented its
stone pavement; benches and wooden
chairs were set around the small tables.
Above, was the evening sky, rosy with
bright fleecy clouds floating over the crags
and the outspringing pine trees, that
loomed dark against the golden light.
A new moon of promise dipped, ready to
disappear in the branches, as we sat down
to take our tea.

Did any one ever drink goats' milk for
the first time and like it? I drank my
tea milkless; and a degenerate little black
kitten that rubbed against Bella's dress
got a surreptitious supply of milk that Bella
slyly slipped down to her, when the Frau
was out of sight. I like black bread,
and the butter was not bad, and I was
hungry.

We were up early next morning. The
milk-woman had left our milk, and Olymp
had been to the baker's for white rolls.
Our sugar and coffee we had taken the
precaution to bring with us from Dresden,
and very good it tasted, we sitting on the
terrace at our little table, in the fresh morning air.
The Zartoffs had already breakfasted
at another table. Herr Zartoff appeared at
the door just as we were ready to
start for the Edmond's Grund, and
accompanied us.

What a pleasant day we passed in the
shady glen, with the music of the waters
and the song of birds all day in our ears!
Herr Zartoff painted within a few minutes'
walk from us, and came to see us once or
twice, in his resting minutes, smoking his
cigar.  When the sunlight left the Grund,
we put away our brushes and colours, and,
as we did so, Fraülein Zartoff came up.

"Quite ready for dinner, I am sure,"
said she.  "I've come for my brother.  He
would never remember that he must eat, if
it were not for me.  He often neglects it
when he is busy, and frequently when I
don't come for him, he returns so weary,
and I say to him, 'Why art thou so tired?
I am sure thou hast forgotten to eat thy
dinner.'  And he says, 'Ah! perhaps that
is it.'  He is dreadfully absent minded.  I
wonder if all painters are! It was only
last night that he took his bedroom candle
to look for something in his closet, and left
it there, shut the door on it, and called
to me to know what I had done with the
candle.  Will you not go with us to dinner
to-day? We dine when we like, and of
course you will; but perhaps on your first
day you would like company."

We thanked her gladly, and we made
a merry party at the Herrenhaus.  While
we sat at dinner, some Dresden artists came
into the room, laden with paint boxes and
sketching umbrellas, and were very
joyfully received.  They had only come that
morning, and had been sketching all day
in another Grund.

We left the gentlemen with their cigars
and their beer, and strolled out to walk by
the Elbe with Fraülein Zartoff.  A pleasant
path led by picturesque houses, with
friendly eye-like windows in their deep
slanting roofs.  One roof was a Cyclops, but
yonder was a six-eyed one; and that was
the Forest-Controllers daughter's dwelling:
the bride of yesterday. They were taking
their supper in a pretty rustic summer-
house, commanding a fine view of the Elbe
and the cliffs above, touched with the last
rosy rays of the setting sun.

And so the weeks went by.  Early rising,
delightful walks, and pleasant work all
day, while the birds sang and the waters
flowed.  Now and then a nimble squirrel
would cross our path or dash up the tree
before us.  Every day tourists passed us,
papas and mammas and children: many
of whom were going over the Saxon
Switzerland on foot. They concluded their
excursion with climbing to the wonderful
rocky Prebischthor, which is only a short
distance from Herrneskretchen; and then
after a walk through the Edmond's Grund,
and a supper at the Herrenhaus, they took
the boat for Dresden, or the rail further