CHAPTER XIV.
PERCY, BEAUTY, AND JACK.
Mr. Van Rasseulger decided to take the boys to Heidelberg, and there await Dr. Ward. It was inconvenient for him to do this, but he was unwilling to let them travel alone with the monkey again, for Froll was certainly a serious trouble.
So on the morning of the following day they took the steamer for an eighty mile sail down the Rhine.
The landlord, Mr. Lacelle, and Count D’Orsay bade them an affectionate adieu, after the two former had been sincerely thanked for their kindness to the young strangers, and the latter had begged them to renew their promise of a visit before they returned to America. To Mr. Van Rasseulger he extended an urgent invitation to visit him, whenever it should be convenient to him.
Just before they left, Mr. Lacelle requested Eric’s address, saying that he had written to Mr. Montgomery about the box of money, and would forward his reply to Eric.
The boys were not sorry to leave Strasbourg, because Mr. Van Rasseulger had told them he should propose to the doctor to obtain horses there, and travel on horseback through the Black Forest, and over the mountains, to Munich, in Bavaria.
They were enchanted with this idea, and during their sail down the Rhine lost much of the beautiful scenery about them in mutual conjectures as to whether uncle Charlie would like the proposition. When they reached Heidelberg, the doctor was already there, waiting for them.
He was quite well satisfied with the plan, and said he would give the boys two days to explore Heidelberg, and would meantime be making the necessary arrangements.
The boys did not like Heidelberg particularly, and Eric’s shoulders were shrugged expressively when his uncle told him he was to be a student in the university, after his school course was completed.