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the complete writings-2-第35章

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 journal。 Every German town of any size has three or four of these little journals of flying leaves; which are excellent papers in every respect; except that they look like badly printed handbills; and have very little news and no editorials worth speaking of。  An exception to these in Bavaria is the 〃Allgerneine Zeitung〃 of Augsburg; which is old and immensely respectable; and is perhaps; for extent of correspondence and splendidly written editorials on a great variety of topics; excelled by no journal in Europe except the London 〃Times。〃  It gives out two editions daily; the evening one about the size of the New York 〃Nation;〃 and it has all the telegraphic news。 It is absurdly old…grannyish; and is malevolent in its pretended conservatism and impartiality。  Yet it circulates over forty thousand copies; and goes all over Germany。

But were we not saying something about moving?  The truth is; that the best German families did not respond to our appeal with that alacrity which we had no right to expect; and did not exhibit that anxiety for our society which would have been such a pleasant evidence of their appreciation of the honor done to the royal city of Munich by the selection of it as a residence during the most disagreeable months of the year by the advertising undersigned。  Even the young king; whose approaching marriage to the Russian princess; one would think; might soften his heart; did nothing to win our regard; or to show that he appreciated our residence 〃near〃 his court; and; so far as I know; never read with any sort of attention our advertisement; which was composed with as much care as Goethe's 〃Faust;〃 and probably with the use of more dictionaries。  And this; when he has an extraordinary large Residenz; to say nothing about other outlying palaces and comfortable places to live in; in which I know there are scores of elegantly furnished apartments; which stand idle almost the year round; and might as well be let to appreciative strangers; who would accustom the rather washy and fierce frescoes on the walls to be stared at。  I might have selected rooms; say on the court which looks on the exquisite bronze fountain; Perseus with the head of Medusa; a copy of the one in Florence by Benvenuto Cellini; where we could have a southern exposure。  Or we might; so it would seem; have had rooms by the winter garden; where tropical plants rejoice in perennial summer; and blossom and bear fruit; while a northern winter rages without。  Yet the king did not see it 〃by those lamps;〃 and I looked in vain on the gates of the Residenz for the notice so frequently seen on other houses; of apartments to let。  And yet we had responses。  The day after the announcement appeared; our bell ran perpetually; and we had as many letters as if we had advertised for wives innumerable。  The German notes poured in upon us in a flood; each one of them containing an offer tempting enough to beguile an angel out of paradise; at least; according to our translation: they proffered us chambers that were positively overheated by the flaming sun (which; I can take my oath; only ventures a few feet above the horizon at this season); which were friendly in appearance; splendidly furnished and near to every desirable thing; and in which; usually; some American family had long resided; and experienced a content and happiness not to be felt out of Germany。

I spent some days in calling upon the worthy frauen who made these alluring offers。  The visits were full of profit to the student of human nature; but profitless otherwise。  I was ushered into low; dark chambers; small and dreary; looking towards the sunless north; which I was assured were delightful and even elegant。  I was taken up to the top of tall houses; through a smell of cabbage that was appalling; to find empty and dreary rooms; from which I fled in fright。  We were visited by so many people who had chambers to rent; that we were impressed with the idea that all Munich was to let; and yet; when we visited the places offered; we found they were only to be let alone。  One of the frauen who did us the honor to call; also wrote a note; and inclosed a letter that she had just received from an American gentleman (I make no secret of it that he came from Hartford); in which were many kindly expressions for her welfare; and thanks for the aid he had received in his study of German; and yet I think her chambers are the most uninviting in the entire city。  There were people who were willing to teach us German; without rooms or board; or to lodge us without giving us German or food; or to feed us; and let us starve intellectually; and lodge where we could。

But all things have an end; and so did our hunt for lodgings。  I chanced one day in my walk to find; with no help from the advertisement; very nearly what we desired;cheerful rooms in a pleasant neighborhood; where the sun comes when it comes out at all; and opposite the Glass Palace; through which the sun streams in the afternoon with a certain splendor; and almost next door to the residence and laboratory of the famous chemist; Professor Liebig; so that we can have our feelings analyzed whenever it is desirable。 When we had set up our household gods; and a fire was kindled in the tall white porcelain family monument; which is called here a stove; and which; by the way; is much more agreeable than your hideous black and air…scorching cast…iron stoves;and seen that the feather…beds under which we were expected to lie were thick enough to roast the half of the body; and short enough to let the other half freeze; we determined to try for a season the regular German cookery; our table heretofore having been served with food cooked in the English style with only a slight German flavor。  A week of the experiment was quite enough。  I do not mean to say that the viands served us were not good; only that we could not make up our minds to eat them。  The Germans eat a great deal of meat; and we were obliged to take meat when we preferred vegetables。  Now; when a deep dish is set before you wherein are chunks of pork reposing on stewed potatoes; and another wherein a fathomless depth of sauerkraut supports coils of boiled sausage; which; considering that you are a mortal and responsible being; and have a stomach; will you choose?  Herein Munich; nearly all the bread is filled with anise or caraway seed; it is possible to get; however; the best wheat bread we have eaten in Europe; and we usually have it; but one must maintain a constant vigilance against the inroads of the fragrant seeds。  Imagine; then; our despair; when one day the potato; the one vegetable we had always eaten with perfect confidence; appeared stewed with caraway seeds。 This was too much for American human nature; constituted as it is。 Yet the dish that finally sent us back to our ordinary and excellent way of living is one for which I have no name。  It may have been compounded at different times; have been the result of many tastes or distastes: but there was; after all; a unity in it that marked it as the composition of one master artist; there was an unspeakable harmony in all its flavors and apparently ununitable substances。  It looked like a terrapin soup; but it was not。  Every dive of
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