78 GRAPE CULTURE AND WINE-MAKING. 



cd very much puzzled, and asked me wlietlier they belonged to an 

 opera troupe traveling to some interior town. Time was scarce. 

 He looked into the car, calculating how many seats the luggage 

 would occupy. Finding that, even if one half the car was vacated, 

 there would be scarcely room enough, he put the two ladies into 

 the car, and, with the help of two of his companions, who came to 

 see what was the matter, gathered up the packages and bundles, 

 and threw them into the post-wagon. The whistle sounded, and 

 away we went. 



I knew from my travels in old times that Russian ladies were 

 fast talkers, but I never had the least idea of the rapidity exhib- 

 ited by these two ; and I believe that as Russia is improving rap- 

 idly in all its movements, these two ladies endeavored to imitate 

 the speed of the telegraph. The mistress accused the maid of 

 slowness in not taking in the bundles quick enough, saying, " Now 

 all is lost, and never will be recovered again." The maid defend- 

 ed herself, saying how impossible it would have been to have 

 taken them all in, adding, " I told you so, madam. How lucky 

 it was that young master sent the greater portion of the baggage 

 as freight, by steamer, up the Rhine !" This remark by the maid 

 raised a smile on my countenance which I could not suppress. I 

 told the lady not to be worried, that the baggage was all safe, 

 that the conductor had put them in the post-car, and when they 

 stopped all would be delivered to them. This information seem- 

 ed to relieve them. 



I wanted to ask her how many years she had spent in this part 

 of Germany. This question the reader would justify if he had 

 seen the number of boxes and packages, the fourteen tickets for 

 trunks, and had heard the remark of the maid that her young 

 master had sent the bulk of the baggage as freight. The lady 

 kindly informed me that she came for her health to the several 

 watering-places, and had been here for two months, and was now 

 returning home. I congratulated her on her speedy recovery of 

 health, as she looked a picture of good health. But she differed 

 very much with me in that respect, stating that she was very del- 

 icate, and continued so much so that she even refused to go with 

 her brother to Paris, though she did need dresses very much. She 

 was a widow. 



Thanking mc for my aid in making the conductor understand 

 their embarrassment, she asked me what part of Germany I was 

 from. My answer that I was a Californian seemed to astonish 



