Page:Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842, and 1843 - Volume 1.djvu/192

 it to a lady on board, who had paid hers, and had mentioned the moderation of the charges. I found that the man had charged us each half a florin too much for dinner. Again the bill was taken to him. This time he was longer in being convinced; but when our authority was mentioned, with a look of sudden enlightenment, he exclaimed:—"Madame, vous avez parfaitement raison," and refunded. But this was not all: my maid came to me, to say she hoped I had not paid for her, as she had paid for herself. True enough, she was charged for in our bill. We were almost ashamed to apply again; but a sense of public justice prevailed, and again we asked for our money back. In this instance, the man yielded at once. Clasping his forehead, he exclaimed:—"Mon Dieu! que je suis bête!" and repaid us. In the evening of this day, as K was gazing on the splendour of the setting sun, the false steward stood beside him, sharing the rapture, and exclaimed:—"N'est ce pas, Monsieur, que c'est magnifique!"

We passed the junction of the Moselle with the Rhine, and under the rock of Ehrenbreistein; and, landing, proceeded to the Hotel of Bellevue, where we had lodged for a night, very comfortably, two years before.

You know the fair town of Coblentz—its wide, white, clean, rather dull-looking streets: you know