The University of Strasburg changed its nationality as often as the town, but not at the same time.  In one of its German periods Goethe graduated there as doctor of laws—­which fact ought to be better known.  At least I didn’t know it.  But Bee says that doesn’t signify, because I know so little.  But Bee only says that when she has asked me some stupid date that nobody ever knows or ever did know except in a history class.

The next day after our evening at the Orangerie, at half after eleven, we went to the Cathedral to see the clock.  It only performs all its functions at noon, and as there is always a crowd of tourists about it, we went early.

The most wonderful feature of this clock to Jimmie is that it regulates itself and adapts its motions to the revolutions of the seasons, year after year and year after year, as if it had a wonderful living human mind somewhere in its insides.  Its perpetual calendar, too, is a marvel!  How can that insensate clock tell when to put twenty-eight days and when to give thirty-one, when I can’t even do it myself without saying: 

    “Thirty days hath September,
    April, June, and November,
    All the rest have thirty-one,
    Except February alone,
    Which has but twenty-eight in fine
    Till leap-year gives it twenty-nine.”

And who tells that clock when leap year comes, and when the moon changes, and when it’s going to rain, and when hoop-skirts will be worn again?  Wonderful people, these Germans.

We were there on Monday when the clock struck noon.  Monday is the day when Diana steps out upon the first gallery.  Each day has its deity—­Apollo on Sunday, Diana on Monday, etc.

On the first gallery an angel strikes the quarters on a bell in his little mechanical hand.  Then a gentleman who has nothing else to do the whole year round reverses an hour-glass each hour in the twenty-four; so that you can tell the time by counting the grains of sand or by glancing at the face of the clock,—­whichever way you have been brought up to tell time.

Above this there is a skeleton, which strikes the hours, and evidently cheerfully reminds us what our end will be, around which are grouped the quarter-hours, represented by the four figures, boyhood, youth, manhood, and old age.

But the two most remarkable things are those which crown the clock.  In the highest niche, at noon, the twelve apostles, also representing the hours, come out of a door and march around the figure of the Saviour.  Judas hangs his head, and the eyes of the Christ follow him until he disappears.  Then on the highest pinnacle of all, a cock comes out, preens himself, flaps his wings, and gives such an exultant crow that Peter pauses in his walk, then drops his head forward on his breast, and so passes out of sight.

When the performance is over, the crowd melts away.  Some few stay to do the Cathedral, but we went to luncheon.  At luncheon it was decided to go to Baden-Baden.  Jimmie and I compromised on three days of it.