here."

"And yet," said an old woman, with longing in her pale eyes, "I have
stood many things."

Leighton turned to Lewis.

"All old, eh?" he repeated. "Young ones all gone. Do you remember what I
said about this being the best-regulated state on earth?"

Lewis nodded.

"Well," continued Leighton, "a perfectly regulated state is a fine
thing, a great thing for humanity. It has only one fault: nobody wants
to live in it."

Two days later they reached Heidelberg and, on the day following,
climbed the mountain to the Königstuhl. They stood on the top of the
tower and gazed on such a sight as Lewis had never seen. Here were no
endless sands and thorn-trees, no lonely reaches, no tropic glare. All
was river and wooded glade, harvest and harvesters, spires above knotted
groups of houses, castle, and hovel. Here and there and everywhere,
still spirals of smoke hung above the abodes of men. It was like a
vision of peace and plenty from the Bible.

Lewis was surprised to find that his father was not looking at the
scene. Leighton was bending over such a dial as no other spot on earth
could boast. Its radiating spokes of varying lengths pointed to a
hundred places, almost within the range of sight--names famous in song
and story, in peace and in war. Leighton read them out, name after name.