THE SPHINX.
AN EXTRAVAGANZA, ETCHED IN THE MANNER OF CAI.I.OT.
" Oi.D-fashioned sticks ! Rational sticks ! Sticks for sober citizens !" ex- claimed an old woman, standing with a bundle of sticks before her, on that pleasant public walk in Hamburg, called the Jungfern-stieg. Her stock in trade comprised canes and walking- sticks in endless variety, and many of them were adorned with knobs of ivory and bone carved into grotesque heads and animal forms, abounding in gri- mace and absurdity. It was early in the day, the passengers were all hur- rying in the eager pursuit of business, and for a long time the old woman found no customers.
At length, she observed a pedes- trian, of a different and more promi- sing class, striding along the avenue. He was a tall and well-grown youth, and attired in that old Teutonic cos- tume which it has pleased the enthu- siastic students of Germany to revive in the nineteenth century. His step was the light bound of youth and happiness, and there was a kindling glance in his deep blue eye, and an involuntary smile at play upon his lip and cheek, which indicated that the cares of life were yet unknown to him, and that he was enjoying the brief and delicious interval between ,the close of academical studies and the commencement of professional labours and anxieties. Soon as the keen orbs of the old woman discerned him, she screamed, with renewed energy, " Rare sticks ! Noble sticks ! Knob and club-sticks for students ! Canes for loungers ! Fancy sticks ! Poetical sticks ! Romantic sticks ! Mad sticks ! and sticks possessed with a devil !"
" The devil, you have, Mother He- cate!" exclaimed our student, as he approached her ; " then I must have one of them ; so look out the maddest stick in your infernal collection."
" If you choose the maddest stick in my stock, you must pay a mad price for it," said the old woman. " Here is one with a devil in it, and mad enough to turn the brain of any one who buys it ; but the lowest price is a dollar."
With these words, she held up to his inspection a knotted stick, on which was carved in bone the withered and skinny
Vol.. XXIV.
visage of an old woman, with hollow eyes and cheeks, a hook- nose, and chin as sharp as hatchets, and tending towards each other like a pair of pin- cers : in short, the very image of the old hag before him.
" Buy that stick, I'll warrant it a good one," whispered a friendly and musical voice in his ear. Arnold turned quickly round, and saw a youth of fifteen, of slender and graceful fi- gure, and clad in the fancy costume of an English jockey, who nodded to him smilingly, and disappeared in the crowd. While Arnold was gazing in silent wonder at the stranger youth, the old woman, who had also observed him, renewed her vociferations, with " Sticks a-la-mode ! Whips for jock- eys ! Canes for fops and dandies, fools and monkeys !"
" Good Heaven !" exclaimed the startled student ; " this poor creature must be madder than her whole col- lection. 'Twill be charity to pur- chase."
With mingled feelings of pity and disgust, he threw down a dollar, sei- zed the stick, and hastened from her unpleasant vicinity. Soon as his back was turned, she saluted him with piercing screams of " Spick-and-span new sticks ! Rods for treasure-seek- ers ! Wands for harlequins and con. jurors ! Sticks for beggars to ride to the devil on ! Broomsticks for witches and warlocks ! Crutches for the devil and his grandmother !" and concluded with a laugh so horribly unnatural, that the astonished youth turned round in dismay, and beheld the gaunt fea- tures of the old woman distorted with scorn and laughter, and her small grey eyes, protruding like fiery meteors from their sockets, glared upon him with an expression so truly maniacal, that he sprung forward in alarm, and was on the point of throwing away his stick to banish the hateful resem- blance from his thoughts, when rai- sing his hand for the purpose, instead of that horrid mask, he beheld with astonishment the smiling features of a nymph. Looking more intently, he discovered that the knob represented a Sphinx carved in the purest ivory. The pouting and beautiful lips were 3K
