He contemplated her through half-closed eyes and gave her in fancy the tariffing furbelows of a woman of fashion; she would have been beautiful.
"How old are you, Gretchen ?" "I do not know," she answered, "perhaps eighteen, perhaps twenty." Again they went forward in silence.

By the time they reached the gates the sun was no longer visible on the horizon, but it had gone down ruddy and uncrowned by any cloud, giving promise of a fair day on the morrow.
The afterglow on the mountains across the valley was now in its prime glory; and once the two wayfarers paused and commented upon it.

Once more the mountaineer was agreeably surprised; the average peasant is impervious to atmospheric splendor, beauty carries no message.
Arriving at length in the city, they passed through the crooked streets, sometimes so narrow that the geese were packed from wall to wall.

Oft some jovial soldier sent a jest or a query to them across the now gray backs of the geese.

But Gretchen looked on ahead, purely and serenely.
"Gretchen, where shall I find the Adlergasse ?" "We pass through it shortly.