Chapter 65
The Old Church Bell(WRITTEN FOR THE SCHILLER ALBUM)
IN the country of Wurtemburg, in Germany, where the
acacias grow by the public road, where the apple-trees and the
pear-trees in autumn bend to the earth with the weight of the
precious fruit, lies the little town of Marbach. As is often the
case with many of these towns, it is charmingly situated on the
banks of the river Neckar, which rushes rapidly by, passing
villages, old knights' castles, and green vineyards, till its
waters mingle with those of the stately Rhine. It was late in the
autumn; the vine-leaves still hung upon the branches of the vines,
but they were already tinted with red and gold; heavy showers fell
on the surrounding country, and the cold autumn wind blew sharp and
strong. It was not at all pl
