The Initials: A Story of Modern Life

“I have continued to take notes most carefully of everything I have seen or heard since I left you; but I fear, my dear sister, the travels or wanderings, or sketches with which...

HAMILTON thought there were few things so disagreeable as going to bed, excepting, perhaps, getting up again. He was incorrigibly indolent in this respect, and nothing but the m...

AS Hamilton was on his way to his room to procure his credentials, viz., A. Z.’s letter, he chanced to meet one of the chambermaids, who offered to conduct him to Baron Z—’s apa...

“I merely wish to explain to you, that if you wish to smoke now, you had better mount up here,” he said, seating himself on the front seat of the carriage. “My wife is quite Ger...

TO Berchtesgaden they went. We shall not follow Hamilton, either when he inspected the salt-works, or visited the beautiful lakes in its immediate neighbourhood; nor would we ac...

WHEN Hamilton returned to Seon he found there an addition to the guests he had left, in the person of Count Zedwitz’s son, a young officer who had come to spend part of his leav...

MADAME ROSENBERG “wondered” unceasingly, the next morning, why Crescenz was not well enough to appear at breakfast. Zedwitz looked at Hamilton, and Hamilton looked at Zedwitz, a...

THE next evening Madame Rosenberg invited Major Stultz and Crescenz to join her in a walk to meet her husband. Hildegarde was desired to remain behind, and take care of the chil...

WHILE waiting for dinner at the hotel, Hamilton amused himself turning over the leaves of the “strangers’ book,” and saw among the latest arrivals the name of an uncle he had wi...

HAMILTON’S journey to Munich proved more agreeable than the commencement had promised. Hildegarde, the maid, Peppy, and Fritz were his companions; the others occupied the second...

THE afternoon of the next day the betrothal took place. Hamilton had expected an imposing ceremony, but not one of the many persons assembled appeared to consider it as anything...

HAMILTON had gone out early to visit Zedwitz, and look at a horse recommended by Major Stultz. On his return, when walking towards his room, he heard some one singing so gayly i...

“He never drinks his beer or reads the papers at home,” she continued; “but you can go out with him whenever you like—I wonder you do not, for it is very natural that you should...

ONE day Madame Berger proposed spending the afternoon with the Rosenbergs, as her husband was to be absent until late in the evening: the offer was of course accepted, and she w...

IT was the first Sunday in October, and Major Stultz had just driven up to the door in a carriage, which he had hired to take his betrothed and her family to the October fête. I...

“One of the suburbs—at the other side of the Isar. There is a beautiful Gothic church there, which you can look at while I buy ticking to make Crescenz a mattress.”

THE moon was shining brightly on their house, as they lingered in the street to speak a few parting words. Mademoiselle de Hoffmann sat at an open window, and gazed pensively up...

HAMILTON experienced a sort of satisfaction in avoiding both sisters for some time—the idea that he was endeavouring to cure Crescenz of her too evident partiality was almost su...

HAMILTON was taken up senseless. Zedwitz rushed to his assistance. Madame Rosenberg could not leave her children, but was obliged to hold them fast by their hands. Major Stultz...

HAMILTON prided himself upon being an excellent skater; it was, therefore, with no little satisfaction that he perceived, the next day, that he had been followed to the lake by...

THE following Sunday Hamilton saw the whole Rosenberg family, with the exception of Hildegarde, walking in the English Gardens. It appeared odd that she should have remained at...

HILDEGARDE did not appear the next morning, and Hamilton breakfasted with Madame Rosenberg sitting opposite to him in a striped red and white dressing-gown; her hair, as usual,...

HAMILTON could not help feeling flattered at the evident pleasure which his return caused to every member of the Rosenberg family. The two little boys began immediately to tell...

THE Hoffmanns arrived, and with them Count Raimund. Hamilton watched Hildegarde’s reception of the latter, and forgetting the three weeks he had passed at Edelhof, was surprised...

“STOP, stop, if you please,” cried Zedwitz’s servant to Hamilton, who was beginning to run down the street, “Count Max is not in his own house—he is here just opposite—at the br...

“OH, Hildegarde!” cried Crescenz, pushing back her work-table in order to be able to see better from the window. “Oh, Hildegarde—look, look! There is Mr. Hamilton driving such a...

HAMILTON’S sledge was the subject of discussion the very first evening of his return—he of course proposed their making use of it, and assured Madame Rosenberg that she might tr...

“I HOPE we shall have no visitors,” said Crescenz the next day, after having examined herself for some time attentively in the glass which was between the windows in the drawing...

SOME days passed over remarkably tranquilly. Crescenz’s marriage was to take place in a fortnight, and she and Hildegarde had promised to be bridesmaids to Marie de Hoffmann the...

FOUR muffled figures quitted the Rosenbergs’ apartments about six o’clock in the evening, and not long after, a light figure bounded up the stairs, and knocked with closed hand...

HAMILTON’s slumbers were disturbed by confused dreams of Hildegarde and Raimund; but towards morning he fell into a heavy sleep, from which he was awakened by the return of Mr....

SEVERAL days passed over. Count Raimund’s death had been much discussed among his acquaintance, who almost unanimously agreed in thinking he had committed the rash act to avoid...

HAMILTON was wakened about three o’clock in the morning by Hildegarde rushing into his room, and exclaiming, “For heaven’s sake, get up—get up, and come to my father—I am afraid...

AFTER the interment of Mr. Rosenberg, some time passed over in melancholy monotony. Madame Rosenberg employed herself principally in the inspection and arrangement of papers; Hi...

IT was late in the evening, and Hamilton had not yet returned. Madame Rosenberg began to get a little uneasy, and very impatient, when fortunately Madame Berger arrived to compl...

IN a few days, Hildegarde, the children, and Hamilton were established at the Iron Works; her recollections proved tolerably correct, the noise of the hammers was almost incessa...

MADAME ROSENBERG took possession of her father’s house more quietly than had been expected; he resigned his keys and authority with a solemnity which quite subdued her, and a wh...

THE morning was bright and still cool, though promising a sultry day, as Hamilton prepared to leave the Iron Works. To the astonishment of Madame Rosenberg, it was so early, tha...

ABOUT a fortnight after the foregoing events, as Hamilton was one morning sitting listlessly in the arbour at the end of the garden, Hildegarde came towards him carrying a large...

IT was late on the evening of the ensuing day when Hamilton reached Hohenfels, a moderate-sized, high-roofed dwelling-house, having two dark-coloured massive square towers as wi...

BARON Z— returned the next day, was delighted to see Hamilton, and went about with him everywhere, showing and explaining whatever he thought likely to interest him. One of thei...

THERE had been a thunder-storm during the night, and the rain descended the next morning in torrents. “I fear, Hamilton, our party must be put off for a short time!” observed Ba...

TWENTY-FOUR hours afterwards, Hamilton was in Munich on his way to Major Stultz’s. He had not yet taken leave of Crescenz, and hoped, when ostensibly doing so, to obtain from he...

HAMILTON left Munich the next day in the mail for Frankfort; he had secured the place beside the conductor in the front part of the coach, which formed a kind of open carriage,...

THE next day after dinner, while Hamilton went to his banker’s, Hildegarde looked out of her window, and watched, with a sort of quiet indifference, the arrival of two travellin...

IT was still early when Hildegarde and Hamilton reached Mayence; so early, that, after lingering over their breakfast an unusually long time, the latter said he would make some...

THERE may be some, there may be many of my readers who would think that Hamilton had been a “confounded fool,” were they to hear that, at the appointed time, he braved the threa...