TheMarchesescapedfromthepresent，whentheyenteredthecathedral，aswhollyasiftheyhadtakenholdofthehornsofthealtar，thoughtheywerefarfromliterallydoingthisinaninteriorsograndiose。ThereareafewrococochurchesinItaly，andperhapsmoreinSpain，whichapproachtheperfectionachievedbytheWurzburgcathedralinthebaroquestyle。Foronceoneseeswhatthatstylecandoinarchitectureandsculpture，andwhateveronemaysayofthedetails，onecannotdenythatthereisaprodigiouslyeffectivekeepinginitall。Thisinteriorcametogether，asthedecoratorssay，withaharmonythatthetravellershadfeltnowhereintheirearlierexperienceoftherococo。Itwas，unimpeachablyperfectinitsway，“Just。”Marchmurmuredtohiswife，“asthesocialandpoliticalandscientificschemeoftheeighteenthcenturywasperfectedincertaintimesandplaces。ButtheoddthingistofindtheapotheosisoftherococoawayuphereinGermany。Iwonderhowmuchtheprince-bishopsreallylikedit。Buttheyhadbecomerococo，too！Lookatthatrowoftheirstatuesonbothsidesofthenave！Whatmagnificentswell！HowtheyabashthispoorplainChrist，here；hewouldliketogetbehindthepillar；heknowsthathecouldneverlendhimselftothebaroquestyle。Itexpressestheeighteenthcentury，though。Buthowyoulongforsomelittlehintofthethirteenth，oreventhenineteenth。”
“Idon’t。”shewhisperedback。“I’mperfectlywildwithWurzburg。
Iliketohaveathinggoasfarasitcan。AtNurembergIwantedalltheGothicIcouldget，andinWurzburgIwantallthebaroqueIcanget。
Iamconsistent。”
Shekeptonpraisingherselftohisdisadvantage，aswomendo，allthewaytotheNeumunsterChurch，wheretheyweregoingtoreverethetombofWaltheryonderVogelweide，notsomuchforhisownsakeasforLongfellow’s。Theolderpoetliesburiedwithin，buthismonumentisoutsidethechurch，perhapsforthegreaterconvenienceofthesparrows，whichnowrepresentthebirdsheloved。Thecenotaphissurmountedbyabroadvase，andaroundthisarethicklyperchedtheeffigiesoftheMeistersinger’sfeatheredfriends，fromwhomthecanonsofthechurch，asMrs。MarchreadaloudfromherBaedeker，longagodirectedhisbequesttothemselves。Inrevengefortheirlawlessgreedthedefraudedbeneficiarieschoosetoburlesquetheaffairbylookinglikethefour-
and-twentyblackbirdswhenthepiewasopened。
SheconsentedtogoforamomenttotheGothicMarienkapellewithherhusbandintherevivalofhismediaevaltaste，andshewasrewardedamidstitsthirteenth-centurysinceritybyhisrecantation。“Youareright！BaroqueisthethingforWurzburg；onecan’tenjoyGothichereanymorethanonecouldenjoybaroqueinNuremberg。”
Reconciledintherococo，theynowcalledacarriage，andwenttovisitthepalaceoftheprince-bishopswhohadsowellknownhowtomaketheheavenlytaketheimageandsuperscriptionoftheworldly；andtheywerejointlyindignanttofinditshutagainstthepublicinpreparationfortheimperialitiesandroyaltiescoiningtooccupyit。Theywereintimeforthenoonguard-mounting，however，andMrs。MarchsaidthatthewaytheretiringsquadkickedtheirlegsoutinthehighmartialstepoftheGermansoldierswasaperfectexpressionoftheinsolentmilitarismoftheirempire，andwasofitselfenoughtomakeonethankHeaventhatonewasanAmericanandarepublican。Shesoftenedalittletowardtheirsystemwhenitprovedthatthegardenofthepalacewasstillopen，andyetmorewhenshesankdownuponabenchbetweentwomarblegroupsrepresentingtheRapeofProserpineandtheRapeofEuropa。Theystoodeachinagravelledplot，thicklyoverrunbyagrowthofivy，andthevineclimbedthewhitenakedlimbsofthenymphs，whowerepresentonapretenceofgatheringflowers，butreallytoposeatthespectators，andcladthemtothewaistandshoulderswithaneffectofmodestynevermeantbythesculptor，butnotdispleasing。Therewasanoldfountainnear，itsstonerimandcentreofrock-workgreenwithimmemorialmould，anditsbasinquiveringbetweenitswater-plantsunderthesoftfallofspray。Atawaftoffitfulbreezesomeleavesofearlyautumnfellfromthetreesoverheadupontheelderlypairwheretheysat，andalittlecompanyofsparrowscameandhoppedabouttheirfeet。Thoughthesquarewithoutwassoallastirwithfestiveexpectation，therewerefewpeopleinthegarden；threeorfourpeasantwomenindenselyflutedwhiteskirtsandredapronsandshawlswanderedbyandstaredattheEuropaandattheProserpine。
Itwasapreciousmomentinwhichthecharmofthecity’spastseemedtoculminate，andtheywereloathtobreakitbyspeech。
“Whydidn’twehavesomethinglikeallthisonourfirstweddingjourney？”shesighedatlast。“TothinkofourbatteningfromBostontoNiagaraandback！AndhowhardwetriedtomakesomethingofRochesterandBuffalo，ofMontrealandQuebec！”
“Niagarawasn’tsobad。”hesaid，“andIwillnevergobackonQuebec。”
“Ah，butifwecouldhavehadHamburgandLeipsic，andCarlsbadandNuremberg，andAnsbachandWurzburg！Perhapsthisismeantasacompensationforourlostyouth。ButIcan’tenjoyitasIcouldwhenI
wasyoung。It’swastedonmysereandyellowleaf。IwishBurnamyandMissTriscoewerehere；Ishouldliketotrythisgardenonthem。”
“Theywouldn’tcareforit。”hereplied，anduponadaringimpulseheadded，“KenbyandMrs。Addingmight。”Ifshetookthissuggestioningoodpart，hecouldtellherthatKenbywasinWurzburg。
“Don’tspeakofthem！They’reinjustthatbesottedearlymiddle-agewhenlifehassettledintoaself-satisfiedpresent，withnopastandnofuture；themostphilistine，themostbourgeois，momentofexistence。
Betterbeelderlyatonce，asfarasappreciationofallthisgoes。”
Sheroseandputherhandonhisarm，andpushedhimawayintheimpulsivefashionofheryouth，acrossalleysofoldtreestowardabalustradedterraceinthebackgroundwhichhadtemptedher。
“Itisn’tsobad，beingelderly。”hesaid。“Bythattimewehaveaccumulatedenoughpasttositdownandreallyenjoyitsassociations。
Wehavegotallsortsofperspectivesandpointsofview。Weknow？
whereweareat。”
“Idon’tmindbeingelderly。Theworld’sjustasamusingasever，andlotsofdisagreeablethingshavedroppedout。It’sthegettingmorethanelderly；it’sthegettingold；andthen——“
Theyshrankalittleclosertogether，andwalkedoninsilencetillhesaid，“Perhapsthere’ssomethingelse，somethingbetter——somewhere。”
Theyhadreachedthebalustradedterrace，andwerepausingforpleasureinthegardentopsbelow，withthefloweryspaces，andthestatuedfountainsallcomingtogether。Sheputherhandononeofthefatlittleurchin-groupsonthestonecoping。“Idon’twantcherubs，whenIcanhavetheseputti。Andthoseoldprince-bishopsdidn’t，either！”
Idon’tsupposetheykeptaNewEnglandconscience。”hesaid，withavaguesmile。“Itwouldbedifficultinthepresenceoftherococo。”
TheyleftthegardenthroughthebeautifulgatewhichtheoldcourtironsmithOegghammeredoutinlovelyformsofleavesandflowers，andshapedlaterallyupward，aslightlyasifwithawaftofhishand，ingraciousLouisQuinzecurves；andtheylookedbackatitinthekindofdespairwhichanyperfectioninspires。Theysaidhowfeminineitwas，howexotic，howexpressiveofaluxuriousidealoflifewhicharthadpurifiedandlefteternallycharming。TheyrememberedtheirRuskinianyouth，andtheconfidencewithwhichtheywouldoncehavecondemnedit；
andtheyhadasenseofrecreanceinnowadmiringit；buttheycertainlyadmiredit，anditremainedforthemthesupremeexpressionofthattime-
soul，mundane，courtly，aristocratic，flattering，whichonceinfluencedtheartofthewholeworld，andwhichhadheresocuriouslyfounditsapotheosisinacityremotefromitsnativeplaceandunderarulesacerdotallyvowedtoausterity。Thevastsuperbpalaceoftheprincebishops，whichwasnowtohouseawholetroopofsovereigns，imperial，royal，grandducalandducal，swelledaloftinsuperbamplitude；butitdidnotrealizetheirhistoricpridesoeffectivelyasthisexquisiteworkofthecourtironsmith。ItrelateditselfinitsaerialbeautytothatoftheTiepolofrescoeswhichthetravellersknewwereswimmingandsoaringontheceilingswithin，andfromwhichitseemedtoaccenttheirexclusionwithadelicateirony，Marchsaid。“Oriron-mongery。”hecorrectedhimselfuponreflection。
HehadforgottenKenbyintheseaestheticinterests，butherememberedhimagainwhenhecalledacarriage，andordereditdriventotheirhotel。ItwasthehouroftheGermanmid-daytabled’hote，andtheywouldbesuretomeethimthere。ThequestionnowwashowMarchshouldownhispresenceintimetopreventhiswifefromshowingherignoranceofittoKenbyhimself，andhewasstillturningthequestionhopelesslyoverinhismindwhenthesightofthehotelseemedtoremindherofafactwhichsheannounced。
“Now，mydear，Iamtiredtodeath，andIamnotgoingtositthroughalongtabled’hote。Iwantyoutosendmeupasimplebeefsteakandacupofteatoourrooms；andIdon’twantyoutocomenearforhours；becauseIintendtotakeawholeafternoonnap。Youcankeepallthemapsandplans，andguides，andyouhadbettergoandseewhattheVolksfestislike；itwillgiveyousomenotionofthepartthepeoplearereallytakinginallthisofficialcelebration，andyouknowIdon’tcare。
Don’tcomeupafterdinnertoseehowIamgettingalong；Ishallgetalong；andifyoushouldhappentowakemeafterIhaddroppedoff——“
Kenbyhadseenthemarrivefromwherehesatatthereading-roomwindow，waitingforthedinnerhour，andhadmeanttorushoutandgreetMrs。
Marchastheypassedupthecorridor。Butshelookedsotiredthathehaddecidedtosparehertillshecamedowntodinner；andashesatwithMarchattheirsoup，heaskedifshewerenotwell。
Marchexplained，andheprovisionallyinventedsomeregretsfromherthatsheshouldnotseeKenbytillsupper。
KenbyorderedabottleofoneofthefamousWurzburgwinesfortheirmutualconsolationinherabsence，andinthefriendlinesswhichitspromotedtheyagreedtospendtheafternoontogether。Nomanissoinveterateahusbandasnottotakekindlyanoccasionalreleasetobachelorcompanionship，andbeforethedinnerwasovertheyagreedthattheywouldgototheVolksfest，andgetsomenotionofthepopularlifeandamusementsofWurzburg，whichwasoneofthefewplaceswhereKenbyhadneverbeenbefore；andtheyagreedthattheywouldwalk。
