Let there be little said, good Michael: not so much as an imprudent look
of the eye;--and now, o' Heaven's sake, thy glass of kirschwasser!"
They were at the door of the refectory, and the conversation ceased. On
entering, Peterchen found his friend the baron, the Signor Grimaldi, and
the chatelain of Sion, a grave ponderous dignitary of justice, of German
extraction like himself and the Prior, but whose race, from a long
residence on the confines of Italy, had imbibed some peculiarities of the
southern character. Sigismund and all the rest of the travellers were
precluded from joining the repast, to which it was the intention of the
prudent canons to give a semi-official character.
The meeting between Peterchen and those who had so lately quitted Vevey
was not distinguished by any extraordinary movements of courtesy; but
that between the bailiff and the chatelain, who represented the
authorities of friendly and adjoining states, was marked by a profusion of
politic and diplomatic civilities. Various personal and public inquiries
were exchanged, each appearing to strive to outdo the other in manifesting
interest in the smallest details on those points in which it was proper
for a stranger to feel an interest.
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