REMINISCENCES OF GERMAN CHILDHOOD. 167

them being like slits cut in the thick walls. Musty
old volumes stood in the heavy shelves, mostly in vel-
lum, and some of them were fastened with clasps of
brass, which we youngsters often tried in vain to undo.

“My grandfather dressed in antique style; indeed,
he seemed to pride himself on old customs. At certain
feasts, such as Easter and Michaelmas, he took. great
pains to have certain flowers stuck up which bloomed
about those times of the year. At the winter holidays
he always secured a Christmas-tree, which reached to
the very beams of the vaulted hall, and was laden on
every branch with trinkets, toys, confectionery, and
tapers. It has made a deep impression on my memory.
The good old gentleman carried a grave face to most
people, and was thought to be cross, but I believe this
was more from his gout than anything else. To us he
was always as gentle as could be; and we longed for
Sunday to come round that we might dine at grand-
papa’s, and look at the pictures in the old books. Of
these he had a great store, and I remember as if it were
yesterday how he would sit in his great carved arm-
chair, in what he called his book-closet, which was a
small room cut off from his office. Placing me by his
side, he would open one after another of those pon-
derous volumes, and descant upon the cuts, which were
from designs of Albert Durer and Hans Holbein. One
of these books I now possess. It was printed at Nur-
emburg in the year 1608. But this was by no means