“No sooner said than done.  Out of bed jumped Mr. Franz, and went groping about for the table to find matches to light the candle.  But, unluckily, he had forgotten how the furniture stood, so he got to the door by a mistake, and went stumbling up against it, just as the waiter with the coffee opened it on the other side.

“There was a plunge, a shout, a shuffling of feet, and then both were on the floor, as was also the hot coffee, which scalded Franz’s bare legs terribly.

“The waiter got up first, and luckily it was the ‘officious fellow’ with the smiling face.  And said he:-

“’What a miserable young man you must be, to be sure!  Why, you’re never out of the way, not even when you’re gone to bed!’

This last anecdote caused an uproar of delight in the fly, and so much noise, that Aunt Judy had to call the party to order, and talk about the horses being frightened, after which she proceeded:-

“I am sorry to say Mr. Franz did not get up next morning as much wiser as the waiter had expected, for he laid all the blame of his misfortunes on his nose instead of his impertinence, and never thought of correcting himself, and being less intrusive.

“On the contrary, after practising holding his head down for ten minutes before the glass, he went out to the day’s amusements, as saucy and confident as ever.

“Now there is no time,” continued Aunt Judy, “for my telling you all Mr. Franz’s funny scrapes and adventures.  When we get to the end of the journey, you must invent some for yourselves, and sit together, and tell them in turns, while we are busy unpacking.  I will only just say, that wherever he went, the same sort of things happened to him, because he was always thrusting himself forward, and always getting pushed back in consequence.

“Out of the public gardens he got fairly turned at last, because he would talk politics to some strange gentlemen on a bench.  They got up and walked away, but, five minutes afterwards, a very odd-looking man looked over Franz’s shoulder, and said significantly, ’I recommend you to leave these gardens, sir, and walk elsewhere.’  And poor Franz, who had heard of such things as prisons and dungeons for political offenders, felt a cold shudder run through him, and took himself off with all possible speed, not daring to look behind him, for fear he should see that dreadful man at his heels.  Indeed, he never felt safe till he was in his bed-room again, and had got the waiter to come and talk to him.

“‘Dear me,’ said the waiter, ’what a very silly young gentleman you must be, to go talking away without being asked!’

“‘But,’ said Franz, ’you don’t consider what a superior education I have had.  I can talk and make myself heard—­’

“‘Oh, pooh! bother talking,’ interrupted the waiter; ’what’s the use of talking when nobody wants to listen?  Much better go to bed.’