84 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



We cooked the liver of our chamois, roasted a piece of 

 venison that was luckily in the house, and with our 

 dumplings and potatoes served up a right famous 

 supper. And how we enjoyed it ! If anything were 

 wanted besides my wolfish appetite to give it a zest, 

 this was furnished by Berger's fun and merriment. 

 How he contrived to satisfy his hunger as he did, and 

 yet to talk so much, was to me a mystery. Now he 

 would play Marie some trick, who would give him a 

 gentle pat as a punishment, while her laughing mouth- 

 laughing in spite of herself would threaten a severer 

 penalty -, then Lisl, the elder one, would be tried with 

 some satirical question, but she was clever enough to 

 turn the intended joke against the questioner, and 

 cause a hearty laugh at his discomfiture. Now would 

 come a sly innuendo about a lover, or a tale told me 

 with the utmost gravity of how Nanny had promised 

 she would marry him, and how he had refused for 

 which unparalleled effrontery he was of course duly 

 made to suffer. But nothing could stop his good 

 humour and his flow of spirits; on he went in the 

 fullest joyousness, and seldom, I think, have heartier 

 peals of merriment resounded in the cottage than on 

 that pleasant evening. 



Hardly was supper over when Berger took down a 

 guitar which was hanging up in a corner, and playing 

 upon it challenged the girls to accompany him in a 

 song. At first they would not ; but it was not likely 

 he was to be disconcerted by a refusal, so he began 

 alone, now some song about the chamois-hunter, now 



