was the inquiry on all sides."He speaks French as it is spoken in the Swiss cantons."
  "And makes himself understood very well when he speaks German,"said some.
  "He lived here, when a child, with his grandfather, in a houseon the road to Grindelwald," remarked one of the sportsmen.
  And full of life was this young stranger; his eyes sparkled, hisglance was steady, and his arm sure, therefore he always hit the mark.Good fortune gives courage, and Rudy was always courageous. He soonhad a circle of friends gathered round him. Every one noticed him, anddid him homage. Babette had quite vanished from his thoughts, whenhe was struck on the shoulder by a heavy hand, and a deep voice saidto him in French, "You are from the canton Valais."
  Rudy turned round, and beheld a man with a ruddy, pleasant face,and a stout figure. It was the rich miller from Bex. His broad, portlyperson, hid the slender, lovely Babette; but she came forward andglanced at him with her bright, dark eyes. The rich miller was verymuch flattered at the thought that the young man, who was acknowledgedto be the best shot, and was so praised by every one, should be fromhis own canton. Now was Rudy really fortunate: he had travelled allthis way to this place, and those he had forgotten were now come toseek him. When country people go far from home, they often meet withthose they know, and improve their acquaintance. Rudy, by hisshooting, had gained the first place in the shooting-match, just asthe miller at home at Bex stood first, because of his money and hismill. So the two men shook hands, which they had never done before.Babette, too, held out her hand to Rudy frankly, and he pressed itin his, and looked at her so earnestly, that she blushed deeply. Themiller talked of the long journey they had travelled, and of themany towns they had seen. It was his opinion that he had really madeas great a journey as if he had travelled in a steamship, a railwaycarriage, or a post-chaise.
  "I came by a much shorter way," said Rudy; "I came over themountains. There is no road so high that a man may not venture uponit."
  "Ah, yes; and break your neck," said the miller; "and you looklike one who will break his neck some day, you are so daring."
  "Oh, nothing ever happens to a man if he has confidence inhimself," replied Rudy.
  The miller's relations at Interlachen, with whom the miller andBabette were staying, invited Rudy to visit them, when they found hecame from the same canton as the miller. It was a most pleasant visit.Good fortune seemed to follow him, as it does those who think andact for themselves, and who remember the proverb, "Nuts are given tous, but they are not cracked for us." And Rudy was treated by themiller's relations almost like one of the family, and glasses ofwine were poured out to drink to the welfare of the best shooter.Babette clinked glasses with Rudy, and he returned thanks for thetoast. In the evening they all took a delightful walk under thewalnut-trees, in front of the stately hotels; there were so manypeople, and such crowding, that Rudy was obliged to offer his arm toBabette. Then he told her how happy it made him to meet people fromthe canton Vaud,- for Vaud and Valais were neighboring cantons. Hespoke of this pleasure so heartily that Babette could not resistgiving his arm a slight squeeze; and so they walked on together, andtalked and chatted like old acquaintances. Rudy felt inclined to laughsometimes at the absurd dress and walk of the foreign ladies; butBabette did not wish to make fun of them, for she knew there must besome good, excellent people amongst them; she, herself, had agodmother, who was a high-born English lady. Eighteen years before,when Babette was christened, this lady was staying at Bex, and shestood godmother for her, and gave her the valuable brooch she now worein her bosom.
  Her godmother had twice written to her, and this year she wasexpected to visit Interlachen with her two daughters; "but they areold-maids," added Babette, who was only eighteen: "they are nearlythirty." Her sweet little mouth was never still a moment, and all thatshe said sounded in Rudy's ears as matters of the greatest importance,and at last he told her what he was longing to tell. How often hehad been at Bex, how well he knew the mill, and how often he hadseen Babette, when most likely she had not noticed him; and lastly,that full of many thoughts which he could not tell her, he had been tothe mill on the evening when she and her father has started on theirlong journey, but not too far for him to find a way to overtakethem. He told her all this, and a great deal more; he told her howmuch he could endure for her; and that it was to see her, and notthe shooting-match, which had brought him to Interlachen. Babettebecame quite silent after hearing all this; it was almost too much,and it troubled her.
  And while they thus wandered on, the sun sunk behind the loftymountains. The Jungfrau stood out in brightness and splendor, as aback-ground to the green woods of the surrounding hills. Every onestood still to look at the beautiful sight, Rudy and Babette amongthem.
  "Nothing can be more beautiful than this," said Babette.
  "Nothing!"