Page:Specimens of German Romance (Volume 3).djvu/11

 my giving out; the clerk asked for my pass, and, on finding that I had none, shrugged his shoulders most mysteriously, when, as luck would have it, the letter-carrier entered. I gave him a wink, as I called out to him, “You are the very person! You know me well, and can testify for me that I am Doctor Klep?” The postman, moved no doubt by the recollection of past Christmas-boxes, and the hope of those in future, did not hesitate to say, “You may book that gentleman without fear, sir; I know him well.”

In a few minutes I was seated between the two uglies—we say, beauties, and why not uglies?—in a few minutes I was seated between the two uglies, who proved to be excessively polite,—nay, so polite, that for the sake of their character as well as my own, I determined to leave the coach at the next stage. The fates, however, had settled the matter otherwise, and seemed to be inclined for once to indulge my whim for odd adventures.

We had scarcely got quit of the town, when 2