148

THE " SEVEN MOUNTAINS.'

in the drama of "The Sergeants Wife," that was adapted fromit; and Üben we feit a strong desire to ascertain howmany people there were about the Gasthof zum Drachenfels;for thougli we had seen merely the son, who acted as waiter,we had heard men's voices in the out-houses. What wasthe old man like, we wanted to know ? and how f'ar offwas the nearest house? and would it be possible to make any

at the Castle of Drachenfels tili Apollonie was widowed, when they hoth retiredto the solitude of the old monastery on the summit of Petersberg, wherethey live secluded froni the World for sorne years. At length, however, Agnes(the history continues), accompanied by her faithful friend Apollonie, fled toEngland, to seek the protection of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. There,however, she raet the intriguing Lady Gordon, who, observing the likeness ofAgnes to the unfortunate Mary Stuart, persuaded her to dress herseif after thepeculiar fashion of the Queen of Scots, and in that costume the fugitive andsuppliant Countess was introduced to the Queen. Elizabeth, the story runs,thought she belield her murdered cousin once more kneeling before her, andhurried from her presence. Lord Leicester, who had become smitten with thebeauty of Agnes, then prevailed upon her, under pretext that during herabsence he would pacify the resentment of the Queen, to retire to the Highlandsof Scotland. There she and her constant friend Apollonie were received by theLady Douglas, with whom the Countess dwelt tili death put an end to hergrief. For after the sad end of her husband, the deposed Archbishop, CountGuebhard, the Rhine had too many melancholy associations connected with it tomake Agnes desirous of returning to its shores.

The relative situations of the Seven Mountains are shown in the followingdiagram:—

Nonnen-Strom-

BERG.

LOEWEN-BCRG.

Peters-berg.

I Wolken-bubg.

IDraciien-eels. I

\s\s~^r\sts\y'-.

TUE K111NE.