"Will you have the condescension to direct me to the old Starosty ?" I have no time. Go with him, Peter."

Peter accordingly went with me. The postmaster, who had no time to give me an answer, stood at the window, with a pipe in his mouth, gaping up the street after me. In spite of all my native politeness, I was in my heart not a little incensed at this unceremonious treatment. I clenched my fist menacingly in my coat-pocket. Wait a little, Mr. Postmaster," said I to myself, and only get

once within the clutches of Justice, of which I have the honour to be his Majesty's royal commissary, and you shall pay smart for your insolence. I'll take good care that you shall remember me as long as you live."

Peter, a ragged Pole, who acted as my guide, had very little knowledge of the German language. My conversation with him was so incoherent and so alarming, that I shall never forget it. And then the fellow's look, with his sharp face, sallow complexion, and black bushy hair, was quite horrible.

My friend," said I, after we had slowly waded for a while through the deep mud, "do you know Mr. Burkhardt ?"

"The old Starosty," replied Peter.

'You know, my good fellow, that I wish to be taken to the receiver-general's ?"

"The old Starosty."

"Well; but what am I to do at the old Starosty?" "Die."

"I have no such intention, I assure you."

66

Dead as mouse-die."

"Why so?"

"Prussian!-No Polack!"

"I am a Prussian."

"Well know."

"Why die then ?”

'So, and so, and so."-The fellow made thrusts, as though he had a dagger in his fist. He then pointed to his heart, groaned, and rolled his eyes in a frightful manner. A qualm came over me. I was satisfied that Peter was not deranged; a postmaster would never think of employing a lunatic: on the contrary, he appeared to be rather intelligent.

"My good friend," I at length began again, "we surely misunderstand one another. What do you mean by dying?"

"Make dead," said he, at the same time eyeing me strangely askance. "What dead? Why? When?"

"When night is."

Night? To-night? You cannot be in your right senses !” "Yes, yes, Polack, but not Prussian.”

I shook my head, and said no more. It was evident that neither of us understood the other. And yet there was something frightful in the expressions of the savage-looking fellow. I was but too well aware of the hatred of the Poles to the Germans, in which name the Prussians were included. This hatred had here and there produced fatal consequences. The man might wish to give me a warning.

Was it not possible that in his stupidity he might have betrayed a plot for murdering all the Prussians?—I became thoughtful. I resolved to communicate this conversation to Burkhardt, my friend and countryman, and was heartily glad when we at length arrived at the old Starosty, as they called it. It was an ancient, lofty, stone building, situated in a quiet, retired street. I observed before we reached it that persons passing the house cast stolen glances at the dark gray massive edifice. My guide did the same. He uttered not another word, pointed with his finger to the door, and, without salutation of any kind, shuffled away.

In truth, my entrance and reception at Brczwczmcisl had not been the most agreeable and the most flattering. The first persons whom I had here encountered, had quite disgusted me as well with my new place of abode as with my official appointment. I congratulated myself on having at length reached the dwelling of a man who had at least once breathed the same air with me. To be sure Mr. Burkhardt had not had the best of characters in his own country: but how much men alter with change of circumstances! What else is the disposition of the mind but the work of surrounding objects! The coward placed amid the perils of battle is transformed into a hero, and Hercules among women into a flax-spinner. And admitting that my receiver-general had faithfully served his king, though he might not have adopted stricter principles for himself personally, still it was far better to have for a companion a good-natured toper than a noseless anatomy, a thoughtless gamester than an affectedly coarse postmaster, and a spirited duellist than discontented Poles. Indeed, whatever might once have been my sentiments respecting the lastmentioned vice, it now served to raise Burkhardt very high in my estimation; for-between ourselves-my gentle, mild, modest, disposition, which mamma had so often extolled, was not likely to be of much service to me among the Poles in case of an insurrection. There are virtues which at times may be vices, and vices which may be virtues. A thing is not the same on all occasions, though it remains intrinsically the same.

Having entered the lofty portal of the old Starosty, as it was called, I began to fear that I should be puzzled to find my dear friend, Burkhardt. The house was large. The creaking of the door on its rusty hinges resounded through the building, but not a creature was induced by it to see who was coming. I ascended the broad, stone stairs.

Observing on the left the door of an apartment, I rapped gently at it. Not a creature answered. I rapped louder. Still all was silent. My knocking was re-echoed in the second and third story of the house. I became impatient. I longed to grasp the hand of my beloved friend, Burkhardt, to press him to my heart. I opened the door, entered, and in the middle of the room I beheld-a coffin.

I am naturally very polite to the living, but still more so to the dead. I would have retired as softly as possible, but at the moment I perceived that the tenant of the coffin was no other than Mr. Receiver-general Burkhardt himself, from whom Death had now exacted his last tribute. There he lay, reckless of his bottle and his cards,

and looking so grave and so solemn, that I durst scarcely think of his favourite pursuits. His countenance had an expression as much at variance with human life as if he had never had any thing to do with it.

As soon as I had recovered from the surprize into which this sight threw me, I hastily retreated from the apartment, and found myself in a dark, solitary passage. I was now seized with that horror which the living feel in the presence of the dead, and could scarcely conceive how I had found courage to look the corpse so long in the face. The embarrassments of my situation now fell with ten-fold force upon my mind. There was I, five hundred good miles from my dear native place, from my mother and my home, in a town the name of which I had never heard till I was appointed to assist in the duty of unpolacking its inhabitants. My only acquaintance had left me in the lurch, without counsel or consolation. Where was I now to lay my head? Where was the lodging which my deceased friend had provided for me?

At this moment the hinges of the house-door screeched with a harsh discordance, that almost shattered my nerves. A smart, nimble fellow, in livery, skipped up stairs, gazed at me in astonishment, and at length accosted me. I suffered him to talk as long as he pleased, for the fright deprived me for some minutes of the power of answering. Besides, I understood not a word that he said—it was Polish.

Seeing me stand without attempting to reply, he addressed me in German, which he spoke with the fluency of a native. I now mustered courage to mention my name and my office, and to relate all my adventures since I had entered the accursed town, the name of which was enough to choke one. Suddenly assuming a respectful demeanour, he took off his hat, and related to me, in minute detail, the circumstances which I shall communicate to the reader as briefly as possible.

He told me that his name was Lebrecht, that he had been Mr. Receiver-general's intrepreter and faithful servant till the preceding night, when it had pleased Heaven to remove his worthy master from this world to a better. This removal had indeed been quite contrary to the inclination of the deceased, who would rather have continued at his post : but, being the day before at play with some Polish gentlemen over a bottle, something occurred to awaken his Prussian pride and the Sarmatian patriotism of the Poles. A violent altercation ensued; blows were exchanged, and then the Sarmatians gave his master three or four stabs, though any one of them would have sufficed to dispatch him. To avoid unpleasant consequences from the interference of justice, the conquerors had immediately retreated without beat of drum, and gone nobody knew whither. Shortly before this unfortunate catastrophe, his master had taken apartments for the expected commissary of justice, that is to say for me, bought furniture of all sorts, and even hired an experienced German cook, who was ready to enter into my service immediately, so that I was well provided for. The narrator observed by the way that the Poles were sworn enemies to the Prussians, and, therefore, I must accustom myself to trifles, such as the silent eloquence of the

lady at the town-gate. Peter, he said, was upon the whole a goodnatured fellow, who no doubt only designed to acquaint me with the death of his master, but wanted words to express his meaning; and hence probably arose our mutual misunderstanding. He would,

nevertheless, advise me to be upon my guard, because the rage of the Poles was vehement, though smothered. For his own part, he was determined to leave the town immediately after the funeral of his unfortunate master.

After this explanation, he conducted me down the broad, stone stairs, to my new lodging. He led me through a suite of large, lofty, empty, rooms, to a spacious apartment, containing a bed with old yellow damask hangings, an ancient table with gilt legs, and half a dozen dusty chairs. A prodigious, old-fashioned, highly-ornamented gilt frame, without mirror, hung against one of the walls, which were covered with tapestry, representing incidents in the Old Testament, but which, being half decayed by age, hung down in tatters in several places: King Solomon, seated upon his throne to give judgment, had lost his head; and the guilty hands of the elders in Susannah's bath had dropped off.

In this dreary place I felt far from comfortable. I would rather have taken up my quarters at an inn-would to heaven I had done so!--but I said nothing, partly out of bashfulness, and partly to shew that I was not afraid to be so near a corpse. I had not the least doubt that I should have Lebrecht, and most likely the experienced cook too, in the house with me during the night. Lebrecht speedily lighted a couple of candles, which stood ready on the table with gilt legs. It began to be dark. He then advised me to have something fetched for supper, with wine and other necessaries, and my trunk brought from the post-house, and also to apprize the cook of my arrival, and to require her attendance. The trunk arrived, and so did the supper; but Lebrecht, as soon as I had repaid him what he had expended, wished me good night, and retired.

So rapid were the fellow's movements after he had picked up his money, that he was gone before I was aware of his intention. I sprang up in alarm to follow him, and to entreat him not to desert me: but again shame held me back. How could I make this menial a witness of my timidity! Besides, I had no doubt that he would pass the night up stairs, in some of the apartments of his murdered master. At that moment the creaking of the house-door again thrilled through marrow and bone. I hastened to the window, and saw the fellow flying along the street, as if the very devil was at his heels. Darkness soon shrouded him from my sight-and there was I left alone with the corpse in the old Starosty.

I am not a believer in ghosts, but yet at night I cannot help being afraid of them. This is natural enough. What sensible person would believe all that may be? and yet how ready are we all to hope and to fear what we consider as not absolutely impossible!

The death-like silence, the old tattered tapestry in the great chamber, the corpse over my head, the strangeness and dismal appearance of the place, the national enmity of the Poles-all concurred to depress my spirits. Though hungry I could not eat; though tired to death

I could not sleep. I stepped to the window to examine whether, in case of emergency, I could get out that way into the street, for I was afraid of losing myself in the labyrinth of passages and apartments in the vast house before I could reach the door: but, alas! that chance of escape was cut off by strong iron bars.

At that moment a great bustle commenced in the old Starosty. I heard doors open and shut; I heard the sound of near and distant foot-falls, and the faint tones of voices. I could not conceive the cause of these sudden evidences of life and activity. But it is precisely what we cannot conceive that we comprehend the soonest. An internal monitor warned me and said :-" It is you they seek. Did not the stupid Peter betray the murderous designs of the Poles ? Save yourself!"-A cold shiver thrilled my nerves. I beheld the bloodthirsty wretches concerting the manner of my death. I heard them come nearer and nearer. Presently they were in the ante-rooms which led to my apartment. Their voices were lowered almost to a whisper. I leaped up and locked the door, and the next moment some one tried to open it on the outside. I durst scarcely breathe lest I should betray myself. The voices were loud enough for me to distinguish by the language that my disturbers were Poles. Unluckily, as soon as I had received my appointment, I had learned Polish words enough to be able to make out that they were talking of blood, death, and Prussians. My knees shook-cold perspiration trickled from my brow. They attempted a second time to open the door of my room; but it seemed as if they wished to avoid making a noise. I heard the people retire, or rather creep away.

Whether these Poles had designed to take my life, or only my money; whether they meant to execute their purpose without making any alarm, or to renew the attempt in some other manner, I could not tell: I resolved, however, to extinguish my lights immediately, lest they should be seen from the street, and discover to them where I was. How did I know but that some of those fellows, if they perceived me, might take aim at me and shoot me through the window?

Night is no friend to man; man is therefore a natural enemy to darkness, and the very children, who have never heard of ghosts and apparitions, are afraid in the dark of they know not what. No sooner had I put out the lights, and sat down to await the further incidents of this dreadful night, than my affrighted imagination conjured up the most agonizing apprehensions. An enemy that we can see, or a misfortune that we know the extent of, is not half so terrible as one which we have to encounter unseen, or the nature of which is unknown to us. In vain did I strive to divert my thoughts from the subject; in vain did I throw myself on the bed and endeavour to sleep: no where could I find rest. The bed had a disagreeable, musty, sepulchral, smell, and, as I sat in the room, I was startled from time to time by a cracking, as if there was some living being near me. I was haunted by the figure of the murdered receiver-general. His fixed, motionless, features became so horribly eloquent, that I would have given all I possessed in the world to be out of the cursed house, and among honest, sociable people.