suppose he was just learning it, for he made ever so many mistakes.
I could hardly tell what he was trying to say."

"What did his mother answer?" asked Bertha.

"She nodded her head, and then pointed out some of the finest
carvings and statues. But she and her son moved away from me before
long, and then I found myself near some children of our country.
They must have been rich, for they were dressed quite grandly. Their
governess was with them. She told them to notice how many different
kinds of buildings there were, some of them richly carved, and some
quite plain. 'You will find here palaces, towers, and fortresses,
all together,' she said. 'For, in the old days, it was not only a
grand home, but it was also a strong fortress.'"

[Illustration: Courtyard of Heidelberg Castle.]

"You know father told us it was not built all at once," said
Gretchen. "Different parts were added during four hundred years."

"Yes, and he said it had been stormed by the enemy, and burned and
plundered," added Bertha. "It has been in the hands of those horrid
Frenchmen several different times. Did you see the blown-up tower,
Hans?"

"Of course I did. Half of it, you know, fell into the moat during
one of the sieges, but linden-trees have grown about it, and it makes
a shady nook in which to rest one's self."

"You did not go inside of the castle, did you, Hans?" asked Gretchen.