"You must go and ask her first," said Mr. George. So, while Mr. George and Rollo walked slowly up towards the hotel, Minnie ran before them to ask her mother. Mr. George explained to Rollo in walking through the garden, that there were two ruins that he wished to see while he was at Bingen. One was the famous castle of Rheinstein, which stood on the bank of the river, a few miles below the town. "But it is too late to go there to-night," said Mr. George. "We will take that for to-morrow. But there is an old ruin back here in the village, which I think we can see to-night." When they reached the door of the hotel, Minnie met them, and said that she could go; and so they walked along together. Mr. George groped about a long time among the narrow streets and passage ways of the town, to find some way of access to the ruin, but in vain. He obtained frequent views of it, and of the rocky hill that it stood upon, which was seen here and there, by chance glimpses, rising in massive grandeur above the houses of the town; but he could not find any way to get to it. "It is in a private garden," said Mr. George, "I know; but how to find the way to it I cannot imagine." "Perhaps it is here," said Minnie. So saying, Minnie ran up to a gate by the side of the street, which led into a very pretty yard, all shaded with trees and shrubbery, and having a large and handsome house by the side of it. The gate was shut and fastened, but Minnie could look through the bars. There was a woman standing near one of the doors of the house, and Minnie beckoned to her. The woman came immediately down towards the gate. Minnie pointed in towards a walk which seemed to lead back among the trees, and said to the woman,-- "_Schloss?_" _Schloss_ is the German word for _castle_. Minnie could not speak German; but she knew some words of that language, and the words that she did know she was always perfectly ready to use, whenever an occasion presented. "_Ja_, _Ja_," said the woman; and immediately she opened the gate. By this time Minnie had beckoned Mr. George and Rollo to come up from the road, and they all three went in through the gate. The woman called to a man who was then just coming down out of the garden, and said something to him in German. None of our party could understand what she said; but they knew from the circumstances of the case, and from her actions, that she was saying to him that the strangers wished to see the ruins. So, the man leading the way, and the three visitors following him, they all went on along a broad gravel walk which led up into the garden. Mr. George asked the guide if he could speak English, and he said, "_Nein._" Then he asked him if he could speak French, and he said, "_Nein._" He said he could only speak German. "He can't explain any thing to us, children," said Mr. George; "we shall have to judge for ourselves."