drew together, when a royal official removed a plank from beneath his
feet.

Tall Kunz told us that there was no school today on account of the
ceremonies connected with taking the oath of allegiance. We had to wait
a long time ere these commenced. Finally, the balcony of the City Hall
was filled with gaily dressed gentlemen, with flags and trumpets, and
our burgomaster, in his celebrated red coat, delivered an oration, which
stretched out like Indian rubber, or like a knitted nightcap into which
one has thrown a stone--only that it was not the philosopher's
stone--and I could distinctly understand many of his phrases--for
instance, that "we are now to be made happy;" and at the last words the
trumpets sounded out, the flags were waved, the drums were beaten, the
people cried, Hurrah! and while I myself cried hurrah, I held fast to
the old Prince Elector. And it was really necessary that I should, for I
began to grow giddy. It seemed to me as if the people were standing on
their heads, because the world whizzed around, while the old Prince
Elector, with his long wig, nodded and whispered, "Hold fast to me!" and
not till the cannon reechoed along the wall did I become sobered, and
climbed slowly down from the great bronze horse.

As I went home, I saw the crazy Aloysius again dancing on one leg, while
he chattered the names of French generals, and I also beheld crooked
Gumpertz rolling in the gutter and growling, "Ça ira, ça ira," and I
said to my mother, "We are all to be made happy; on that account there
is no school today."

II

The next day the world was again all in order, and we had school as