HINTS of OCCURRENCES , &c.

37

agreeable conclufion of the commotions of the day, which had very much difcompofed me, I retired to reft in bet-ter fpirits, and in a better humour with my fttuation than I perhaps fhould have felt, if nothing had arifen to dis-turb me.

Having Iketched in idea feveral views from the environs of Ober-Lahnftein, which might take fome days tocompleat, I determined that nothing refpe&ing our table or accommodations fhould difconcert me; and was there-fore perfectly free from the apprehenfton of giving or receiving offence from any other caufe. But in this I pre-fumed too much upon my good fortune. The next day, being Sunday, I walked out pretty early; and meetingthe perfon who had negociated for us with the landlady when we firft arrived, prevailed on him to return withme to breakfaft. The good woman took the opportunity of his affiftance, to acquaint me that a great number ofpeople reforted to her houfe on Sundays, who were always entertained in the room we occupied; and to requeftthe ufe of it for that day. I readily confented, and immediately ordered my baggage, See . to be removed to anapartment up-ftairs, which fhe faid was at my fervice.

The little buftle occaftoned by this operation, had a wonderful effeft on the temper and nerves of our corref-pondent, the reafon of which I did not then underftand. He was enraged beyond meafure at our daring to in-trude upon him, after the pofitive declaration he had made in his original treaty with us, that no perfon but thepeople of the houfe fhould approach him. For he conftdered our taking poffeffion of an adjoining room on thefame floor with him, as an invafion of his territory; or at leaft, a breach of the conditions on which he confentedto correfpond with us. He would liften to no explanation, nor be fatisfied with any thing but our inftantly re-turning to the ground-floor, and intimated that he would otherwife have no further communication with us. Wewere too dependent on his fervices to give any oppofition to his humour. The perfon who had breakfafted withus, being a witnefs to this tranfa&ion, I indulged a curiofity (very natural under the circumftances of the moment)to learn fomething of the chara&er and fttuation of our neighbour. His account perfe£tly reconciled us to themyfterioufnefs and feeming oddity of his behaviour. His affairs, he faid, were much embarraffed, and the extremecaution he had ufed in his intercourfe with us, was owing to the apprehenfton of being arrefted ; as the bailiffswere pra&iftng every ftratagem in their power to take him; and that the landlady having neglc&ed to acquainthim with her intention to remove us for that day, he actually concluded we were myrmidons of the law who hadfolicited his affiftance under a feigned diftrefs, for the inftdious purpofe of entrapping him.

Our vifttor having taken his leave, and no place but the kitchen being open to us, we again ftrolled out. Whilftwe were contemplating the remains of a large building, the original ufe of which we did not comprehend, a Gen-

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