"But one of them is sealed," said Helldorf; "perhaps it contains private matter, and may be of much interest to the party to whom it is addressed." "I think not; the writer of it, an old uncle of mine, read the contents to me, and then sealed it in my presence; it is just an introduction like the rest, and for a quondam Doctor of Medicine too, who is said now to have turned farmer, somewhere in the southern part of Missouri; he wont be able to help me much." "Well, don't say that," replied Helldorf, with a dissentient shake of the head; "perhaps, more than all these traders and merchant gentry here, who look upon an emigrant as a piece of goods, as perishable goods merely, if they can get any benefit out of him, but entertain a holy horror of him if such be not the case, or they even fear that he may become burthensome to them. But come, we will look up an old friend of mine, who keeps school here in Poydras-street--a college friend." "And he has turned schoolmaster?" "Lord! what does one not turn to in America, if an opportunity occurs or a good prospect offers. As he writes to me, he is doing very well. This is the number of the house. I think we may as well go in at once." "But shall we not disturb him?" "Oh, they're not so particular about that here; besides, the school will probably be thinly attended in summer, and I shouldn't wonder if the holidays had already commenced. But we can soon convince ourselves." They mounted a narrow, steep staircase to the second floor, and, when arrived there, found themselves without any necessity for tapping at the door, in the middle of the school as it were. The door of the room, which was not a large one, stood open, on account of the heat; the windows likewise; and scholars and teacher sat, mostly in their shirt sleeves, in the cool draught which streamed through the house. "Helldorf!" exclaimed the schoolmaster, a handsome young man, with dark curly hair, jumping up, surprised, from the two chairs on which, half extended, he had made himself up a very comfortable seat. "Helldorf! where the deuce do you drop from?" "Do we disturb you?" asked the other. "How can you think of such a thing!" was the laughing answer. "Well, the holidays commence next Friday, and to-day is Monday, and then the vexed soul will rest!" "And where shall you go to?" "Up the river, of course!" "Why, that's just the thing--we shall travel together, at all events, a part of the journey. But stay, I must first of all introduce my friend Werner to you--a German, just arrived, who thinks of settling in the West. I trust that you'll be good friends." The two young men shook hands; and the scholars--a mixed company of French, Creole, German, and English--nudged each other, and tittered at the German, or "Dutch" as they termed it, that was spoken.