I have tried every thing--I have been every where, but in vain. In the country there was no relaxation--in society no pleasure--at home no relief. England was disjointed, never to be united until it was dismembered--and there was no repose. I had my choice, either to go abroad, or to go mad; and, upon mature deliberation, I decided upon the former, as the lesser evil of the two. So I gave--I sold--I discharged--I paid--I packed up, and I planned. The last was the only portion of my multifarious duties not satisfactorily arranged. I looked at the maps, plied my compasses that I might compass my wishes, measured distances that I might decide upon my measures--planned, looked over the maps--and planned again. CHAPTER TWO. Well, as I said in my last chapter, I planned--and planned--but I might as well conjugate it, as many others assisted--it was I planned, thou plannedst, he planned, we planned, ye planned, and they planned--and what annoyed me was, that I could not help considering that "the whole house was in a committee," and without being able "to report progress." At first it was _decided upon_ that we should proceed up the Rhine, and not leave off paddling until we had arrived at Manheim, at which town I fancied that I should at least be out of political distance. We read all about Manheim, found out that it was a regular-built town, with a certain number of inhabitants--with promenades, gardens, and a fine view of the Rhine. "So you're going abroad--where?" Manheim, was the reply, and all the world knew that we were bound to Manheim; and every one had something to say, or something that they had heard said, about Manheim. "Very nice place--Duchess Dowager Stephanie--very cheap--gay in winter-- masters excellent"--were the variety of changes rung, and all was settled; but at last one unlucky observation raised a doubt--another increased--a third confirmed it. "A very dull place--German cookery bad for children--steam-boats from Rotterdam very bad, and often obliged to pass two nights on deck." A very influential member of the committee took alarm about the children being two nights on deck, and it was at last decided that to go up to Manheim by steam-boat at 4 pounds, 9 shillings a-head, and children at half-price was not to be thought of. "I wonder you don't go to Bruges," observed a committee man; "nice quiet place--excellent masters--every thing so cheap--I once bought eighty large peaches there for two francs." And all the children clapped their little hands, and cried out for Bruges and cheap peaches. It was further submitted that it was convenient--you might go the whole of the way by water--and Bruges was immediately under consideration. "If you go to Bruges, you will find it very dull," observed another; "but you'll meet Mrs Trollope there--now Brussels is very little farther, and is a delightful place;" and Brussels was also referred to the committee.