82 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



this coy girl to eat with me, or drink out of my cup. 

 It was not fitting that she should do so, she an- 

 swered ; yet when my companion made her the same 

 offer, she at once accepted it, and laughed and chatted 

 with him right merrily. If I could only have made 

 her believe that I too was an assistant forester; or, 

 by my faith, have really become one for that modest 

 lassie's sake ! 



The eldest of the sisters was no beauty, but there 

 was an open honesty about her indeed this they all 

 had and she possessed a store of such genuine, 

 healthy, sound common sense, that I always liked to 

 talk with her. She was a famous knitter ; and many 

 of the peculiar sort of stockings, richly ornamented, 

 worn by the young foresters both far and near, have 

 been produced by her skilful fingers. 



The three sisters lived here together with an old 

 aunt a Solacher, in whose withered features lines were 

 still to be seen which proved that, in bygone days, she 

 might have been counted among the fairest of the dale. 

 She was tall, and still walked erect ; she spoke little, 

 and all her household duties were done in stern silence. 

 The elder brother, the chief of the family, was not at 

 home : he had gone to Munich to be present at the 

 great annual shooting-match, and was expected back 

 on the morrow. In former days, when game was 

 abundant on the hills, the gentlemen who came here 

 to shoot would take up their quarters in the dwelling 

 of this respectable family. Prince L * * * was con- 

 stantly here, and the Princess too would accompany 



