doubtless, where, once on a time, the burghers
took the water and went out a pleasuring with
fat fraus and fräuleins. I had reached the end,
and was about to turn back again, when I caught
sight of a man seated on one of the lower steps,
employed in watching two little toy ships which
he had just launched. Now this seemed to me
the very climax of indolence, and I sat myself
down on the parapet to observe him. His
proceedings were indeed of the strangest, for as
there was no wind to fill the sails and his
vessels lay still and becalmed, he appeared to
have bethought him of another mode to impart
interest to them. He weighted one of them
with little stones till she brought her gunwale
level with the water, and then pressing her
gently with his hand he made her sink slowly
down to the bottom. I'm not quite certain
whether I laughed outright, or that some
exclamation escaped me as I looked, but some
noise I must unquestionably have made, for he
started and turned up his head, and I saw
Harpar, the Englishman whom I had met the
day before at Constance.

"Well, you're not much the wiser after all,"
said he, gruffly, and without ever saluting me.

There was in the words, and the fierce
expression of his face, something that made me
suspect him of insanity, and I would willingly
have retired without reply had he not risen, and
approached me.

"Eh," repeated he, with a sneer, "ain't I
right? You can make nothing of it?"

"I really don't understand you!" said I. "I
came down here by the merest accident, and
never was more astonished than to see you."

"Oh, of course; I am well used to that sort
of thing," went he on in the same tone of scoff.
"I've had some experience of these kinds of
accidents before; but, as I said, it's no use, you're
not within one thousand miles of it, no, nor any
man in Europe."

It was quite clear to me now that he was
mad, and my only care was to get speedily clear
of him.

"I'm not surprised," said I, with an assumed
ease—"I'm not surprised at your having taken
to so simple an amusement, for really in a place
so dull as this any mode of passing the time
would be welcome."

"Simple enough when you know it," said he,
with a peculiar look.

"You arrived last night, I suppose?" said I,
eager to get conversation into some pleasanter
channel.

"Yes, I got here very late. I had the
misfortune to sprain my ankle, and this detained
me a long time on the way, and may keep me
for a couple of days more."

I learned where he was stopping in the town,
and seeing with what pain and difficulty he
moved, I offered him my aid to assist him on
his way.

"Well, I'll not refuse your help," said he,
dryly; " but just go along yonder, about five
and-twenty or thirty yards, and I'll join you.
You understand me, I suppose?"

Now, I really did not understand him, except
to believe him perfectly insane, and to suggest
to me the notion of profiting by his lameness to
make my escape with all speed. I conclude
some generous promptings opposed this course,
for I obeyed his injunctions to the very letter,
and waited till he came up to me. He did so
very slowly, and evidently in much suffering,
assisted by a stick in one hand, while he carried
his two little boats in the other.

"Shall I take charge of these for you?" said
I, offering to carry them.

"No, don't trouble yourself," said he, in the
same rude tone. "Nobody touches these but
myself."

I now gave him my arm, and we moved slowly
along.

"What has become of the vagabonds? Are
they here with you?" asked he, abruptly.

"I parted with them yesterday," said I,
shortly, and not wishing to enter into further
explanations.

"And you did wisely," rejoined he, with a
serious air. "Even when these sort of creatures
have nothing very bad about them, they are bad
company, out of the haphazard chance way they
gain a livelihood. If you reduce life to a game,
you must yourself become a gambler. Now,
there's one feature of that sort of existence
intolerable to an honest man: it is, that to win
himself, some one else must lose. Do you
understand me?"

"I do, and am much, struck by what you say."

"In that case," said he, with a nudge of his
elbow against my side—"in that case you might
as well have not come down to watch me!—
eh?"

I protested stoutly against this mistake, but
I could plainly perceive with very little success.

"Let it be, let it be," said he, with a shake
of the head. "As I said before, if you saw the
thing done before your eyes you'd make nothing
of it. I'm not afraid of you, or all the men in
Europe! There now, there's a challenge to the
whole of ye! Sit down every man of ye, with
the problem before ye, and see what you'll make
of it."

"Ah," thought I, "this is madness. Here
is a poor monomaniac led away into the land of
wild thoughts and fancies by one dominating
caprice; who knows whether out of the realm
of this delusion he may not be a man acute and
sensible."

"No, no," muttered he, half aloud; "there
are, maybe, half a million of men this moment
manufacturing steam-engines; but it took one
head, just one head, to set them all a working,
and if it wasn't for old Watt, the world at this
day wouldn't be five miles in advance of what it
was a century back. I see, added he, after a
moment, "you don't take much interest in these
sort of things. Your line of parts, is the walking
gentleman, eh? Well, bear in mind it don't
pay; no, sir, it don't pay! Here, this is my
way; my lodging is down this lane. I'll not
ask you to come further; thank you for your
help, and good-by."