1 files changed, 16191 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/5551.txt b/5551.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46f4ffd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/5551.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,16191 @@
+Project Gutenberg's In The Fire Of The Forge, Complete, by Georg Ebers
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: In The Fire Of The Forge, Complete
+
+Author: Georg Ebers
+
+Last Updated: March 10, 2009
+Release Date: October 17, 2006 [EBook #5551]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE, COMPLETE ***
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE, Complete
+
+A ROMANCE OF OLD NUREMBERG
+
+By Georg Ebers
+
+
+Translated from the German by Mary J. Safford
+
+
+
+
+IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE--PART I.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+On the eve of St. Medard's Day in the year 1281, the moon, which
+had just risen, was shining brightly upon the imperial free city of
+Nuremberg; its rays found their way into the street leading from the
+strong Marienthurm to the Frauenthor, but entrance to the Ortlieb
+mansion was barred by a house, a watchtower, and--most successfully
+of all--by a tall linden tree. Yet there was something to be seen here
+which even now, when Nuremberg sheltered the Emperor Rudolph and so many
+secular and ecclesiastical princes, counts, and knights, awakened Luna's
+curiosity. True, this something had naught in common with the brilliant
+spectacles of which there was no lack during this month of June; on the
+contrary, it was very quiet here. An imperial command prohibited the
+soldiery from moving about the city at night, and the Frauenthor,
+through which during the day plenty of people and cattle passed in and
+out had been closed long before. Very few of the worthy burghers--who
+went to bed betimes and rose so early that they rarely had leisure to
+enjoy the moonlight long--passed here at this hour. The last one, an
+honest master weaver, had moved with a very crooked gait. As he saw the
+moon double--like everything else around and above him--he had wondered
+whether the man up there had a wife. He expected no very pleasant
+reception from his own at home. The watchman, who--the moon did not
+exactly know why--lingered a short time in front of the Ortlieb mansion,
+followed the burgher. Then came a priest who, with the sacristan and
+several lantern bearers, was carrying the sacrament to a dying man in
+St. Clarengasse.
+
+There was usually more to be seen at this hour on the other side of the
+city--the northwestern quarter--where the fortress rose on its hill,
+dominating the Thiergartenthor at its foot; for the Emperor Rudolph
+occupied the castle, and his brother-in-law, Burgrave Friedrich von
+Zollern, his own residence. This evening, however, there was little
+movement even there; the Emperor and his court, the Burgrave and his
+train, with all the secular and ecclesiastical princes, counts, and
+knights, had gone to the Town Hall with their ladies. High revel was
+held there, and inspiring music echoed through the open windows of the
+spacious apartment, where the Emperor Rudolph also remained during the
+ball. Here the moonbeams might have been reflected from glittering steel
+or the gold, silver, and gems adorning helmets, diadems, and gala robes;
+or they might surely have found an opportunity to sparkle on the ripples
+of the Pegnitz River, which divided the city into halves; but the
+heavenly wanderer, from the earliest times, has preferred leafy hidden
+nooks to scenes of noisy gaiety, a dim light to a brilliant glare. Luna
+likes best to gaze where there is a secret to be discovered, and mortals
+have always been glad to choose her as a confidante. Something exactly
+suited to her taste must surely be going on just now near the linden
+which, in all the splendour of fullest bloom, shaded the street in front
+of the Ortlieb mansion; for she had seen two fair girls grow up in the
+ancient dwelling with the carved escutcheon above the lofty oak door,
+and the ample garden--and the younger, from her earliest childhood, had
+been on especially intimate terms with her.
+
+Now the topmost boughs of the linden, spite of their dense foliage,
+permitted a glimpse of the broad courtyard which separated the patrician
+residence from the street.
+
+A chain, which with graceful curves united a short row of granite posts,
+shut out the pedestrians, the vehicles and horsemen, the swine and other
+animals driven through the city gate. In contrast with the street, which
+in bad weather resembled an almost impassable swamp, it was always kept
+scrupulously clean, and the city beadle might spare himself the trouble
+of looking there for the carcasses of sucking pigs, cats, hens, and
+rats, which it was his duty to carry away.
+
+A young man with an unusually tall and powerful figure was standing in
+this yard, gazing up at a window in the second story. The shadow of the
+linden concealed his features and his dress, but the moon had already
+seen him more than once in this very spot and knew that he was a
+handsome fellow, whose bronzed countenance, with its prominent nose and
+broad brow, plainly indicated a strong will. She had also seen the
+scar stretching from the roots of his long brown locks across the whole
+forehead to the left cheek-bone, that lent the face a martial air. Yet
+he belonged to no military body, but was the son of a noble family of
+Nuremberg, which boasted, it is true, of "knightly blood" and the right
+of its sons to enter the lists of the tournament, but was engaged
+in peaceful pursuits; for it carried on a trade with Italy and
+the Netherlands, and every male scion of the Eysvogel race had the
+birthright of being elected a member of the Honourable Council and
+taking part in the government of Nuremberg.
+
+The moon had long known that the young man in the courtyard was an
+Eysvogel, nor was this difficult to discover. Every child in Nuremberg
+was familiar with the large showy coat of arms lately placed above the
+lofty doorway of the Eysvogel mansion; and the nocturnal visitor wore a
+doublet on whose left breast was embroidered the same coat of arms, with
+three birds in the shield and one on the helmet.
+
+He had already waited some time in vain, but now a young girl's head
+appeared at the window, and a gay fresh voice called his Christian name,
+"Wolff!"
+
+Waving his cap, he stepped nearer to the casement, greeted her warmly,
+and told her that he had come at this late hour to say good-night,
+though only from the front yard.
+
+"Come in," she entreated. "True, my father and Eva have gone to the
+dance at the Town Hall, but my aunt, the abbess, is sitting with my
+mother."
+
+"No, no," replied Wolff, "I only stopped in passing. Besides, I am
+stealing even this brief time."
+
+"Business?" asked the young girl. "Do you know, I am beginning to be
+jealous of the monster which, like an old spider, constantly binds you
+closer and closer in its web. What sort of dealing is this?--to give
+the whole day to business, and only a few minutes of moonlight to your
+betrothed bride!
+
+"I wish it were otherwise," sighed Wolff. "You do not know how hard
+these times are, Els! Nor how many thoughts beset my brain, since my
+father has placed me in charge of all his new enterprises."
+
+"Always something new," replied Els, with a shade of reproach in her
+tone. "What an omnivorous appetite this Eysvogel business possesses!
+Ullmann Nutzel said lately: 'Wherever one wants to buy, the
+bird--[vogel]--has been ahead and snapped up everything in Venice and
+Milan. And the young one is even sharper at a bargain,' he added."
+
+"Because I want to make a warm nest for you, dearest," replied Wolff.
+
+"As if we were shopkeepers anxious to secure customers!" said the girl,
+laughing. "I think the old Eysvogel house must have enough big stoves to
+warm its son and his wife. At the Tuckers the business supports seven,
+with their wives and children. What more do we want? I believe that we
+love each other sincerely, and though I understand life better than Eva,
+to whom poverty and happiness are synonymous, I don't need, like the
+women of your family, gold plates for my breakfast porridge or a bed
+of Levantine damask for my lapdog. And the dowry my father will give me
+would supply the daughters of ten knights."
+
+"I know it, sweetheart," interrupted Wolff dejectedly; "and how gladly I
+would be content with the smallest--"
+
+"Then be so!" she exclaimed cheerily. "What you would call 'the
+smallest,' others term wealth. You want more than competence, and I--the
+saints know-would be perfectly content with 'good.' Many a man has been
+shipwrecked on the cliffs of 'better' and 'best.'"
+
+Fired with passionate ardour, he exclaimed, "I am coming in now."
+
+"And the business?" she asked mischievously. "Let it go as it will," he
+answered eagerly, waving his hand. But the next instant he dropped it
+again, saying thoughtfully: "No, no; it won't do, there is too much at
+stake."
+
+Els had already turned to send Katterle, the maid, to open the heavy
+house door, but ere doing so she put her beautiful head out again, and
+asked:
+
+"Is the matter really so serious? Won't the monster grant you even a
+good-night kiss?"
+
+"No," he answered firmly. "Your menservants have gone, and before the
+maid could open----There is the moon rising above the linden already.
+It won't do. But I'll see you to-morrow and, please God, with a lighter
+heart. We may have good news this very day."
+
+"Of the wares from Venice and Milan?" asked Els anxiously.
+
+"Yes, sweetheart. Two waggon trains will meet at Verona. The first
+messenger came from Ingolstadt, the second from Munich, and the one from
+Landshut has been here since day before yesterday. Another should have
+arrived this morning, but the intense heat yesterday, or some cause--at
+any rate there is reason for anxiety. You don't know what is at stake."
+
+"But peace was proclaimed yesterday," said Els, "and if robber knights
+and bandits should venture----But, no! Surely the waggons have a strong
+escort."
+
+"The strongest," answered Wolff. "The first wain could not arrive before
+to-morrow morning."
+
+"You see!" cried the girl gaily. "Just wait patiently. When you are
+once mine I'll teach you not to look on the dark side. O Wolff, why is
+everything made so much harder for us than for others? Now this evening,
+it would have been so pleasant to go to the ball with you."
+
+"Yet, how often, dearest, I have urged you in vain----" he began, but
+she hastily interrupted "Yes, it was certainly no fault of yours, but
+one of us must remain with my mother, and Eva----"
+
+"Yesterday she complained to me with tears in her eyes that she would be
+forced to go to this dance, which she detested."
+
+"That is the very reason she ought to go," explained Els. "She is
+eighteen years old, and has never yet been induced to enter into any of
+the pleasures other girls enjoy. When she isn't in the convent she is
+always at home, or with Aunt Kunigunde or one of the nuns in the woods
+and fields. If she wants to take the veil later, who can prevent it, but
+the abbess herself advises that she should have at least a glimpse of
+the world before leaving it. Few need it more, it seems to me, than our
+Eva."
+
+"Certainly," Wolff assented. "Such a lovely creature! I know no girl
+more beautiful in all Nuremberg."
+
+"Oh! you----," said his betrothed bride, shaking her finger at her
+lover, but he answered promptly,
+
+"You just told me that you preferred 'good' to 'better,' and so
+doubtless 'fair' to 'fairer,' and you are beautiful, Els, in person and
+in soul. As for Eva, I admire, in pictures of madonnas and angels, those
+wonderful saintly eyes with their uplifted gaze and marvellously long
+lashes, the slight droop of the little head, and all the other charms;
+yet I gladly dispense with them in my heart's darling and future wife.
+But you, Els--if our Lord would permit me to fashion out of divine clay
+a life companion after my own heart, do you know how she would look?"
+
+"Like me--exactly like Els Ortlieb, of course," replied the girl
+laughing.
+
+"A correct guess, with all due modesty," Wolff answered gaily. "But take
+care that she does not surpass your wishes. For you know, if the little
+saint should meet at the dance some handsome fellow whom she likes
+better than the garb of a nun, and becomes a good Nuremberg wife, the
+excess of angelic virtue will vanish; and if I had a brother--in serious
+earnest--I would send him to your Eva."
+
+"And," cried Els, "however quickly her mood changes, it will surely do
+her no harm. But as yet she cares nothing about you men. I know her, and
+the tears she shed when our father gave her the costly Milan suckenie,
+in which she went to the ball, were anything but tears of joy."
+
+   [Suckenie--A long garment, fitting the upper part of the body
+   closely and widening very much below the waist, with openings for
+   the arms.]
+
+"I only wonder," added Wolff, "that you persuaded her to go; the pious
+lamb knows how to use her horns fiercely enough."
+
+"Oh, yes," Els assented, as if she knew it by experience; then she
+eagerly continued, "She is still just like an April day."
+
+"And therefore," Wolff remarked, "the dance which she began with tears
+will end joyously enough. The young knights and nobles will gather
+round her like bees about honey. Count von Montfort, my brother-in-law
+Siebenburg says, is also at the Town Hall with his daughter."
+
+"And the comet Cordula was followed, as usual, by a long train of
+admirers," said Els. "My father was obliged to give the count lodgings;
+it could not be avoided. The Emperor Rudolph had named him to the
+Council among those who must be treated with special courtesy. So he
+was assigned to us, and the whole suite of apartments in the back of the
+house, overlooking the garden, is now filled with Montforts, Montfort
+household officials, menservants, squires, pages, and chaplains.
+Montfort horses and hounds crowd our good steeds out of their stalls.
+Besides the twenty stabled here, eighteen were put in the brewery in
+the Hundsgasse, and eight belong to Countess Cordula. Then the constant
+turmoil all day long and until late at night! It is fortunate that they
+do not lodge with us in the front of the house! It would be very bad for
+my mother!"
+
+"Then you can rejoice over the departure all the more cordially,"
+observed Wolff.
+
+"It will hardly cause us much sorrow," Els admitted. "Yet the young
+countess brings much merriment into our quiet house. She is certainly a
+tireless madcap, and it will vex your proud sister Isabella to know that
+your brother-in-law Siebenburg is one of her admirers. Did she not go to
+the Town Hall?"
+
+"No," Wolff answered; "the twins have changed her wonderfully. You saw
+the dress my mother pressed upon her for the ball--Genoese velvet and
+Venetian lace! Its cost would have bought a handsome house. She was
+inclined, too, to appear as a young mother at the festival, and I assure
+you that she looked fairly regal in the magnificent attire. But this
+morning, after she had bathed the little boys, she changed her mind.
+Though my mother, and even my grandmother, urged her to go, she insisted
+that she belonged to the twins, and that some evil would befall the
+little ones if she left them."
+
+"That is noble!" cried Els in delight, "and if I should ever---. Yet
+no, Isabella and I cannot be compared. My husband will never be
+numbered among the admirers of another woman, like your detestable
+brother-in-law. Besides, he is wasting time with Cordula. Her
+worldliness repels Eva, it is true, but I have heard many pleasant
+things about her. Alas! she is a motherless girl, and her father is an
+old reveller and huntsman, who rejoices whenever she does any audacious
+act. But he keeps his purse open to her, and she is kind-hearted and
+obliging to a degree----"
+
+"Equalled by few," interrupted Wolff, with a sneer. "The men know how
+to praise her for it. No paternoster would be imposed upon her in the
+confessional on account of cruel harshness."
+
+"Nor for a sinful or a spiteful deed," replied Els positively. "Don't
+say anything against her to me, Wolff, in spite of your dissolute
+brother-in-law. I have enough to do to intercede for her with Eva and
+Aunt Kunigunde since she singed and oiled the locks of a Swiss knight
+belonging to the Emperor's court. Our Katterle brought the coals. But
+many other girls do that, since courtesy permits it. Her train to the
+Town Hall certainly made a very brave show; the fifty freight waggons
+you are expecting will scarcely form a longer line."
+
+The young merchant started. The comparison roused his forgotten anxiety
+afresh, and after a few brief, tender words of farewell he left the
+object of his love. Els gazed thoughtfully after him; the moonlight
+revealed his tall, powerful figure for a long time. Her heart throbbed
+faster, and she felt more deeply than ever how warmly she loved him. He
+moved as though some heavy burden of care bowed his strong shoulders.
+She would fain have hastened after him, clung to him, and asked what
+troubled him, what he was concealing from her who was ready to share
+everything with him, but the Frauenthor, through which he entered the
+city, already hid him from her gaze.
+
+She turned back into the room with a faint sigh. It could scarcely be
+solely anxiety about his expected goods that burdened her lover's mind.
+True, his weak, arrogant mother, and still more his grandmother, the
+daughter of a count, who lived with them in the Eysvogel house and still
+ruled her daughter as if she were a child, had opposed her engagement to
+Wolff, but their resistance had ceased since the betrothal. On the
+other hand, she had often heard that Fran Eysvogel, the haughty mother,
+dowerless herself, had many poor and extravagant relations besides
+her daughter and her debt-laden, pleasure-loving husband, Sir Seitz
+Siebenburg, who, it could not be denied, all drew heavily upon the
+coffers of the ancient mercantile house. Yet it was one of the richest
+in Nuremberg. Yes, something of which she was still ignorant must be
+oppressing Wolff, and, with the firm resolve to give him no peace until
+he confessed everything to her, she returned to the couch of her invalid
+mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Wolff had scarcely vanished from the street, and Els from the window,
+when a man's slender figure appeared, as if it had risen from the earth,
+beside the spurge-laurel tree at the left of the house. Directly after
+some one rapped lightly on the pavement of the yard, and in a few
+minutes the heavy ironbound oak doors opened and a woman's hand beckoned
+to the late guest, who glided swiftly along in the narrow line of shadow
+cast by the house and vanished through the entrance.
+
+The moon looked after him doubtfully. In former days the
+narrow-shouldered fellow had been seen near the Ortlieb house often
+enough, and his movements had awakened Luna's curiosity; for he had been
+engaged in amorous adventure even when work was still going on at the
+recently completed convent of St. Clare--an institution endowed by the
+Ebner brothers, to which Herr Ernst Ortlieb added a considerable sum. At
+that time--about three years before--the bold fellow had gone there to
+keep tryst evening after evening, and the pretty girl who met him was
+Katterle, the waiting maid of the beautiful Els, as Nuremberg folk
+called the Ortlieb sisters, Els and Eva. Many vows of ardent, changeless
+love for her had risen to the moon, and the outward aspect of the man
+who made them afforded a certain degree of assurance that he would
+fulfil his pledges, for he then wore the long dark robe of reputable
+people, and on the front of his cap, from which a net shaped like a bag
+hung down his back, was a large S, and on the left shoulder of his
+long coat a T, the initials of the words Steadfast and True. They bore
+witness that the person who had them embroidered on his clothing deemed
+these virtues the highest and noblest. It might have been believed
+that the lean fellow, who scarcely looked his five-and-thirty years,
+possessed these lofty traits of character; for, though three full years
+had passed since his last meeting with Katterle at the building site,
+he had gone to his sweetheart with his wonted steadfastness and truth
+immediately after the Emperor Rudolph's entry.
+
+He had given her reason to rely upon him; but the moon's gaze reaches
+far, and had discovered the quality of Walther Biberli's "steadfastness
+and truth."
+
+In one respect it proved the best and noblest; for among thousands of
+servitors the moon had not seen one who clung to his lord with more
+loyal devotion. Towards pretty young women, on the contrary, he
+displayed his principal virtues in a very singular way; for the pallid
+nocturnal wanderer above had met him in various lands and cities, and
+wherever he tarried long another maid was added to the list of those to
+whom Biberli vowed steadfastness and truth.
+
+True, whenever Sir Long Coat's travels led him back to any one to whom
+he had sworn eternal love, he went first to her, if she, too, retained
+the old affection. But Katterle had cause to care for him most, for he
+was more warmly devoted to her than to any of the others, and in his own
+fashion his intentions were honest. He seriously intended, as soon as
+his master left the imperial court--which he hoped would not happen too
+soon--and returned to his ancestral castle in his native Switzerland,
+to establish a home of his own for his old age, and no one save Katterle
+should light the hearth fire. Her outward circumstances pleased him, as
+well as her disposition and person. She was free-born, like himself--the
+son of a forest keeper--and, again like him, belonged to a Swiss family;
+her heritage (she was an orphan), which consisted of a house and arable
+land in her home, Sarnen, where she still sent her savings, satisfied
+his requirements. But above all she believed in him and admired his
+versatile mind and his experience. Moreover, she gave him absolute
+obedience, and loved him so loyally that she had remained unwedded,
+though a number of excellent men had sought her in marriage.
+
+Katterle had met him for the first time more than three years before
+when, after the battle of Marchfield, he remained several weeks in
+Nuremberg. They had sat side by side at a tournament, and, recognising
+each other as Swiss-born by the sharp sound of the letters "ch" and the
+pronunciation of other words, were mutually attracted.
+
+Katterle had a kind heart; yet at that time she almost yielded to the
+temptation to pray Heaven not to hasten the cure of a brave man's wounds
+too quickly, for she knew that Biberli was a squire in the service
+of the young Swiss knight Heinz Schorlin, whose name was on every lip
+because, in spite of his youth, he had distinguished himself at the
+battle of Marchfield by his rare bravery, and that the young hero would
+remain in Nuremberg only until his severe injuries were completely
+healed. His departure would bring to her separation from his servant,
+and sometimes when homesickness tortured her she thought she would be
+unable to survive the parting. Meanwhile Biberli nursed his master with
+faithful zeal, as if nothing bound him to Nuremberg, and even after his
+departure Katterle remained in good health.
+
+Now she had him again. Directly after the Emperor Rudolph's entrance,
+five days before, Biberli had come openly to the Ortlieb house and
+presented himself to Martsche,--[Margaret]--the old house keeper, as the
+countryman and friend of the waiting maid, who had brought her a message
+from home.
+
+True, it had been impossible to say anything confidential either in
+the crowded kitchen or in the servants' hall. To-night's meeting was to
+afford the opportunity.
+
+The menservants, carrying sedan chairs and torches, had all gone out
+with their master, who had taken his younger daughter, Eva, to the
+dance. They were to wait in front of the Town Hall, because it was
+doubtful whether the daughter of the house, who had been very reluctant
+to go to the entertainment, might not urge an early departure. Count
+von Montfort, whose quarters were in the Ortlieb mansion, and his whole
+train of male attendants, certainly would not come back till very late
+at night or even early morning, for the Countess Cordula remained at a
+ball till the close, and her father lingered over the wine cup till his
+daughter called him from the revellers.
+
+All this warranted the lovers in hoping for an undisturbed interview.
+The place of meeting was well chosen. It was unsatisfactory only to the
+moon for, after Biberli had closed the heavy door of the house behind
+him, Luna found no chink or crevice through which a gliding ray might
+have watched what the true and steadfast Biberli was saying to Katterle.
+There was one little window beside the door, but it was closed, and
+the opening was covered with sheepskin. So the moon's curiosity was not
+gratified.
+
+Instead of her silver rays, the long entry of the Ortlieb house, with
+its lofty ceiling, was illumined only by the light of three lanterns,
+which struggled dimly through horn panes. The shining dots in a dark
+corner of the spacious corridor were the eyes of a black cat, watching
+there for rats and mice.
+
+The spot really possessed many advantages for the secret meeting of two
+lovers, for as it ran through the whole width of the house, it had two
+doors, one leading to the street, the other into the yard. In the right
+wall of the entry there were also two small doors, reached by a flight
+of steps. At this hour both closed empty rooms, for the office and the
+chamber where Herr Ernst Ortlieb received his business friends had not
+been occupied since sunset, and the bathroom and dressing-room adjoining
+were used only during the day.
+
+True, some unbidden intruder might have come down the long broad
+staircase leading to the upper story. But in that case the lovers had
+the best possible hiding-place close at hand, for here large and small
+boxes, standing side by side and one above another, formed a protecting
+wall; yonder heaps of sacks and long rows of casks afforded room for
+concealment behind them. Rolls of goods packed in sacking leaned against
+the chests, inviting a fugitive to slip back of them, and surely no
+one would suspect the presence of a pair of lovers in the rear of these
+mountains of hides and bales wrapped in matting. Still it would scarcely
+have been advisable to remain near them; for these packages, which the
+Ortlieb house brought from Venice, contained pepper and other spices
+that exhaled a pungent odor, endurable only by hardened nerves.
+
+Valuable goods of various kinds lay here until they could be placed in
+cellars or storehouses or sold. But there was many an empty space,
+too, in the broad corridor for, spite of Emperor Rudolph's strictness,
+robbery on the highroads had by no means ceased, and Herr Ernst Ortlieb
+was still compelled to use caution in the transportation of costly
+wares.
+
+After Biberli and his sweetheart had assured themselves that the ardour
+of their love had by no means cooled, they sat down on some bags filled
+with cloves and related to each other the experiences through which they
+had passed during the period of separation.
+
+Katterle's life had flowed on in a pleasant monotony. She had no cause
+to complain of her employers.
+
+Fran Maria Ortlieb, the invalid mistress of the house, rarely needed her
+services.
+
+During a ride to visit relatives in Ulm, the travellers, who were under
+the same escort of men at arms as a number of Nuremberg freight waggons,
+had been attacked by the robber knights Absbach and Hirschhorn. An
+arrow had struck Frau Ortlieb's palfrey, causing the unfortunate woman
+a severe fall, which produced an internal injury, from which she had not
+yet recovered. The assault resulted unfortunately for young Hirschhorn,
+who led it; he met with a shameful death on the gallows.
+
+The information enraged Biberli. Instead of feeling any sympathy for the
+severely injured lady, he insisted that the Nuremberg burghers had
+dealt with Hirschhorn in a rascally fashion; for he was a knight, and
+therefore, as honest judges familiar with the law, they ought to have
+put him to death by the sword instead of with the rope. And Katterle
+agreed with him; she never contradicted his opinions, and surely
+Biberli must know what treatment befitted a knight, since he was the
+foster-brother of one.
+
+Nor did the maid, who was in the personal service of the daughters of
+the house, make any complaint against them. Indeed, she could not praise
+Els, the elder, sufficiently. She was very just, the careful nurse of
+her invalid mother, and always unvarying in her cheerful kindness.
+
+She had no fault to find with Eva either, especially as she was more
+religious than any one in the whole house. Spite of her marvellous
+beauty--Katterle knew that there was nothing false about it--she would
+probably end by joining the nuns in the convent. But her mood changed
+with every breath, like the weathercock on the steeple. If she got out
+of bed the wrong way, or one did not guess her wishes before they
+were uttered, she would fly into a rage at the least trifle. Then she
+sometimes used very unkind words; but no one could cherish anger against
+her long, for she had an indescribably lovely manner of trying to atone
+for the offences which her hasty young blood made her commit. She had
+gone to the ball that night as if it were a funeral; she shunned men
+like poison, and even kept out of the way of her sister's friends.
+
+Biberli laughed, as if there could be no doubt of his opinion, and
+exclaimed: "Just wait a while! My master will meet her at the Town Hall
+tonight, and if the scrawny little squirrel I saw three years ago has
+really grown up into such a beauty, if he does not get on her track and
+capture her, my name isn't Biberli."
+
+"But surely," replied Katterle doubtfully, "you told me that you had
+not yet succeeded in persuading him to imitate you in steadfastness and
+truth."
+
+"But he is a knight," replied the servant, striking himself pompously
+under the T on his shoulder, as if he, too, belonged to this favoured
+class, "and so he is as free to pursue a woman as to hunt the game in
+the forest. And my Heinz Schorlin! You saw him, and admitted that he was
+worth looking at. And that was when he had scarcely recovered from his
+dangerous wounds, while now----The French Knight de Preully, in Paris,
+with whom my dead foster-brother, until he fell sick-----" Here he
+hesitated; an enquiring look from his sweetheart showed that--perhaps
+for excellent reasons--he had omitted to tell her about his sojourn in
+Paris.
+
+Now that he had grown older and abandoned the wild revelry of that
+period in favour of truth and steadfastness, he quietly related
+everything she desired to know.
+
+He had acquired various branches of learning while sharing the studies
+of his foster-brother, the eldest son of the old Knight Schorlin, who
+was then living, and therefore, when scarcely twenty, was appointed
+schoolmaster at Stansstadt. Perhaps he might have continued to
+teach--for he promised to be successful--had not a vexatious discovery
+disgusted him with his calling.
+
+He was informed that the mercenaries in the Schnitzthurm guard were paid
+five shillings a week more than he, spite of the knowledge he had gained
+by so much toil.
+
+In his indignation he went back to Schorlin Castle, which was always
+open to him, and he arrived just at the right time.
+
+His present master's older brother, whose health had always been
+delicate, being unable to follow the profession of arms, was on the
+eve of departing to attend the university at Paris, accompanied by the
+chaplain and an equerry. When the Lady Wendula, his master's
+mother, learned what an excellent reputation Biberli had gained as a
+schoolmaster, she persuaded her husband to send him as esquire with
+their sickly son.
+
+In Paris there was at first no lack of pleasures of every description,
+especially as they met among the king's mercenaries many a dissolute
+Swiss knight and man at arms. His foster-brother, to his sorrow, was
+unable to resist the temptations which Satan scatters in Paris as the
+peasants elsewhere sow rye and oats, and the young knight was soon
+attacked, by a severe illness. Then Biberli's gay life ended too. For
+months he did not leave his foster-brother's sick bed a single hour, by
+day or night, until death released him from his suffering.
+
+On his return to Castle Schorlin he found many changes; the old knight
+had been called away from earth a few days before his son's death, and
+Heinz Schorlin, his present master, had fallen heir to castle and
+lands. This, however, was no great fortune, for the large estates of the
+Schorlin family were burdened by heavy debts.
+
+The dead lord, as countryman, boon companion, and brother in arms of
+the Emperor Rudolph, had been always ready to place his sword at his
+service, and whenever a great tournament was held he never failed to be
+present. So the property had been consumed, and the Lady Wendula and
+her son and three daughters were left in moderate circumstances. The
+two older girls had taken the veil, while the youngest, a merry little
+maiden, lived with her mother.
+
+But the Emperor Rudolph had by no means forgotten the Lady Wendula and
+her dead husband, and with the utmost kindness requested her to send
+him her only son as soon as he was able to wield a sword and lance. He
+intended to repay Heinz for the love and loyalty his father had shown
+him through his whole life.
+
+"And the Hapsburg," Biberli added, "had kept his word."
+
+In a few years his young lord was ready for a position at court.
+
+Gotthard von Ramsweg, the Lady Wendula's older brother, a valiant
+knight, went to his sister's home after her husband's death to manage
+the estate and instruct his nephew in all the exercises of knighthood.
+Soon the strong, agile, fearless son of a brave father, under the
+guidance of such a teacher, excelled many an older youth. He was barely
+eighteen when the Lady Wendula sent him to his imperial master. She had
+given him, with her blessing, fiery horses, the finest pieces of his
+father's suits of mail, an armour bearer, and a groom to take with him
+on his journey; and his uncle had agreed to accompany him to Lausanne,
+where the Emperor Rudolph was then holding his court to discuss with
+Pope Gregory--the tenth of the name--arrangements for a new crusade. But
+nothing had yet been said about Biberli. On the evening before the young
+noble's departure, however, a travelling minstrel came to the castle,
+who sang of the deeds of former crusaders, and alluded very touchingly
+to the loneliness of the wounded knight, Herr Weisenthau, on his couch
+of pain. Then the Lady Wendula remembered her eldest son, and the
+fraternal tendance which Biberli had given him.
+
+"And so," the servant went on, "in the anxiety of a mother's heart she
+urged me to accompany Heinz, her darling, as esquire; and watch over his
+welfare."
+
+"Since I could use a pen, I was to write now and then what a mother
+desires to hear of a son. She felt great confidence in me, because she
+believed that I was true and steadfast. And I have kept in every respect
+the vow I then made to the Lady Wendula--that she should not find
+herself mistaken in me. I remember that evening as if it were only
+yesterday. To keep constantly before my eyes the praise my mistress had
+bestowed upon me, I ventured to ask my young master' sister to embroider
+the T and the S on the cap and the new coat, and the young lady did so
+that very night. Since that time these two initials have gone with me
+wherever our horses bear us, and as, after the battle of Marchfield,
+Biberli nursed his master back to health with care and toil, he thinks
+he can prove to you, his sole sweetheart, that he wears his T and S with
+good reason."
+
+In return for these words Katterle granted her friend the fitting reward
+with such resignation that it was robbing the moon not to permit her to
+look on. Her curiosity, however, was not to remain wholly ungratified;
+for when Biberli found that it was time for him to repair to the Town
+Hall to learn whether his master, Heinz Schorlin, needed his services,
+Katterle came out of the house door with him.
+
+They found much more to say and to do ere they parted.
+
+First, the Swiss maid-servant wished to know how the Emperor Rudolph had
+received Heinz Schorlin; and she had the most gratifying news.
+
+During their stay at Lausanne, where he won the victory in a tournament,
+Heinz was knighted; but after the battle of Marchfield he became still
+dearer to the Emperor, especially when a firm friendship united the
+young Swiss to Hartmann, Rudolph's eighteen-year-old son, who was now
+on the Rhine. That very day Heinz had received a tangible proof of the
+imperial favour, on account of which he had gone to the dance in an
+extremely cheerful mood.
+
+This good news concerning the knight, whom her young mistress had
+perhaps already met, awakened in the maid, who was not averse to the
+business of matchmaking, so dear to her sex, very aspiring plans which
+aimed at nothing less than a union between Eva and Heinz Schorlin. But
+Biberli had scarcely perceived the purport of Katterle's words when he
+anxiously interrupted her and, declaring that he had already lingered
+too long, cut short the suggestion by taking leave.
+
+His master's marriage to a young girl who belonged to the city nobility,
+which in his eyes was far inferior in rank to a Knight Schorlin, should
+cast no stone in the pathway of fame that was leading him so swiftly
+upward. Many things must happen before Biberli could honestly advise
+him to give up his present free and happy life and seek rest in his own
+nest.
+
+If Eva Ortlieb were as lovely as the Virgin herself, and Sir Heinz's
+inflammable heart should blaze as fervently as it always did, she should
+not lure him into the paralysing bondage of wedlock so long as he was
+there and watched over him.
+
+If he must be married, Biberli had something else in view for
+him--something which would make him a great lord at a single stroke. But
+it was too soon even for that.
+
+When he crossed the Fleischbrucke in the market place and approached the
+brilliantly lighted Town Hall, he had considerable difficulty in moving
+forward, for the whole square was thronged with curious spectators,
+servants in gala liveries, sedan chairs, richly caparisoned steeds,
+and torchbearers. The von Montfort retinue, which had quarters in the
+Ortlieb house, was one of the most brilliant and numerous of all,
+and Biberli's eyes wandered with a look of satisfaction over the
+gold-mounted sedan chair of the young countess. He would rather have
+given his master to her than to the Nuremberg maiden whom Katterle
+compared to a weathercock, and who therefore certainly did not possess
+the lofty virtue of steadfastness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Sir Heinz Schorlin's servant was on intimate terms with many of the
+servitors of the imperial family, and one of them conducted him to the
+balcony of the city pipers, which afforded a view of the great hall. The
+Emperor sat there at the head of the banquet table, and by his side, on
+a lower throne, his sister, the Burgravine von Zollern. Only the most
+distinguished and aristocratic personages whom the Reichstag attracted
+to Nuremberg, with their ladies, shared the feast given by the city in
+their honour.
+
+But yonder, at a considerable distance from them, though within the
+space enclosed by a black and yellow silk cord, separated from the
+glittering throng of the other guests, he perceived--he would not trust
+his own eyes--the Knight Heinz Schorlin, and by his side a wonderfully
+charming young girl.
+
+Biberli had not seen Eva Ortlieb for three years, yet he knew that
+it was no other than she. But into what a lovely creature the active,
+angular child with the thin little arms had developed!
+
+The hall certainly did not lack superb women of all ages and every style
+of figure and bearing suited to please the eye. Many might even boast of
+more brilliant, aristocratic beauty, but not one could vie in witchery
+with her on whom Katterle had cast an eye for his master. She had only
+begun a modest allusion to it, but even that was vexatious; for Biberli
+fancied that she had thereby "talked of the devil," and he did not wish
+him to appear.
+
+With a muttered imprecation, by no means in harmony with his character,
+he prepared to leave the balcony; but the scene below, though it
+constantly filled him with fresh vexation, bound him to the spot as if
+by some mysterious spell.
+
+Especially did he fancy that he had a bitter taste in his mouth when his
+gaze noted the marvellous symmetry of Heinz Schorlin's powerful
+though not unusually tall figure, his beautiful waving locks, and the
+aristocratic ease with which he wore his superb velvet robe-sapphire
+blue on the left side and white on the right, embroidered with silver
+falcons-or perceived how graciously the noblest of the company greeted
+him after the banquet; not, indeed, from envy, but because it pierced
+his very heart to think that this splendid young favourite of fortune,
+already so renowned, whom he warmly loved, should throw himself away on
+the daughter of a city merchant, though his motley wares, which he had
+just seen, were adorned by the escutcheon of a noble house.
+
+But Heinz Schorlin had already been attracted by many more aristocratic
+fair ones, only to weary of them speedily enough. This time, also,
+Biberli would have relied calmly on his fickleness had Katterle's
+foolish wish only remained unuttered, and had Heinz treated his
+companion in the gay, bold fashion which usually marked his manner to
+other ladies. But his glance had a modest, almost devout expression when
+he gazed into the large blue eyes of the merchant's daughter. And now
+she raised them! It could not fail to bewitch the most obdurate woman
+hater!
+
+Faithful, steadfast Biberli clenched his fists, and once even thought
+of shouting "Fire!", into the ballroom below to separate all who were
+enjoying themselves there wooing and being wooed.
+
+But those beneath perceived neither him nor his wrath--least of all his
+master and the young girl who had come hither so reluctantly.
+
+At home Eva had really done everything in her power to be permitted to
+stay away from the Town Hall. Herr Ernst Ortlieb, her father, however,
+had been inflexible. The chin of the little man with beardless face
+and hollow cheeks had even begun to tremble, and this was usually the
+precursor of an outburst of sudden wrath which sometimes overpowered him
+to such a degree that he committed acts which he afterwards regretted.
+
+This time he had been compelled not to tolerate the opposition of his
+obstinate child. Emperor Rudolph himself had urged the "honourable"
+members of the Council to gratify him and his daughter-in-law Agnes,
+whom he wished to entertain pleasantly during her brief visit, by the
+presence of their beautiful wives and daughters at the entertainment in
+the Town Hall.
+
+Herr Ortlieb's invalid wife could not spare Els, her older daughter and
+faithful nurse, so he required Eva's obedience, and compelled her to
+give up her opposition to attending the festival; but she dreaded the
+vain, worldly gaiety--nay, actually felt a horror of it.
+
+Even while still a pupil at the convent school she had often asked
+herself whether it would not be the fairest fate for her, like her Aunt
+Kunigunde, the abbess of the convent of St. Clare, to vow herself to
+the Saviour and give up perishable joys to secure the rapture of heaven,
+which lasted throughout eternity, and might begin even here on earth,
+in a quiet life with God, a complete realisation of the Saviour's loving
+nature, and the great sufferings which he took upon himself for love's
+sake. Oh, even suffering and bleeding with the Most High were rich in
+mysterious delight! Aye, no earthly happiness could compare with the
+blissful feeling left by those hours of pious ecstasy.
+
+Often she had sat with closed eyes for a long time, dreaming that she
+was in the kingdom of heaven and, herself an angel, dwelt with angels.
+How often she had wondered whether earthly love could bestow greater
+joy than such a happy dream, or the walks through the garden and forest,
+during which the abbess told her of St. Francis of Assisi, who founded
+her order, the best and most warmhearted among the successors of Christ,
+of whom the Pope himself said that he would hear even those whom God
+would not! Moreover, there was no plant, no flower, no cry of any animal
+in the woods which was not familiar to the Abbess Kunigunde. Like St.
+Francis; she distinguished in everything which the ear heard and the
+eye beheld voices that bore witness to the goodness and greatness of the
+Most High. The abbess felt bound by ties of sisterly affection to every
+one of God's creatures, and taught Eva to love them, too, and, as a
+person who treats a child kindly wins the mother's heart also, to obtain
+by love of his creatures that of the Creator.
+
+Others had blamed her because she held aloof from her sister's friends
+and amusements. They were ignorant of the joys of solitude, which her
+aunt and her saint had taught her to know.
+
+She had endured interruptions and reproaches, often humbly, oftener
+still, when her hot blood swept away her self-control, with vehement
+indignation and tears; but meanwhile she had always cherished the secret
+thought that the time would come when she, too, would be permitted, at
+one with God and the Saviour, to enjoy the raptures of eternal bliss.
+She loved her invalid mother and, often as his sudden fits of passion
+alarmed her, she was tenderly attached to her father; yet it would have
+seemed to her an exquisite delight to be permitted to imitate the saints
+and sever all bonds which united her to the world and its clogging
+demands. She had long been yearning for the day when she would be
+allowed to entreat the abbess to grant her admittance to the convent,
+whose doors would be flung wide open for her because, next to the
+brothers Ebner, who founded it, her parents had contributed the largest
+sum for its support.
+
+But she was obliged to wait patiently, for Els, her older sister, would
+probably soon marry her Wolff, and then it would be her turn to nurse
+her invalid mother. Her own heart dictated this, and the abbess had
+said: "Let her enter eternity clasping your hand before you begin, with
+us, to devote all your strength to securing your own salvation. Besides,
+you will thereby ascend a long row of steps nearer to your sublime
+goal."
+
+But Eva would far rather have given her hand now, aloof from the world,
+to the Most High in an inviolable bond. What marvel that, with such a
+goal in view, she was deeply reluctant to enter the gay whirl of a noisy
+ball!
+
+With serious repugnance she had allowed Katterle and her sister to adorn
+her, and entered the sedan chair which was to convey her to the Town
+Hall. Doubtless her own image, reflected in the mirror, had seemed
+charming enough, and the loud expressions of delight from the servants
+and others who admired her rich costume had pleased her; but directly
+after she realized the vanity of this emotion and, while approaching the
+ballroom in her chair, she prayed to her saint to help her conquer it.
+
+Striving honestly to vanquish this error, she entered the hall soon
+after the Emperor and his young daughter-in-law; but there she was
+greeted from the balcony occupied by the city pipers and musicians,
+long before Biberli entered it, with the same fanfare that welcomed the
+illustrious guests of the city, and with which blended the blare of
+the heralds' trumpets. Thousands of candles in the chandeliers and
+candelabra diffused a radiance as brilliant as that of day and, confused
+by the noise and waves of light which surged around her, she had drawn
+closer to her father, clinging to him for protection. She especially
+missed her sister, with whom she had grown up, who had become her second
+self, and whom she needed most when she emerged from her quiet life of
+introspection into the gay world.
+
+At first she had stood with downcast lashes, but soon her eyes wandered
+over the waving plumes and flashing jewels, the splendour of silk and
+velvet, the glitter of gold and glimmer of pearls.
+
+Sometimes the display in church had been scarcely less brilliant, and
+even without her sister's request she had gazed at it, but how entirely
+different it was! There she had rejoiced in her own modest garb, and
+told herself that her simplicity was more pleasing to God and the saints
+than the vain splendour of the others, which she might so easily have
+imitated or even surpassed. But here the anxious question of how she
+appeared among the rest of the company forced itself upon her.
+
+True, she knew that the brocade suckenie, which her father had ordered
+from Milan, was costly; that the sea-green hue of the right side
+harmonised admirably with the white on the left; that the tendrils and
+lilies of the valley wrought in silver, which seemed to be scattered
+over the whole, looked light and airy; yet she could not shake off the
+feeling that everything she wore was in disorder--here something was
+pulled awry, there something was crushed. Els, who had attended to
+her whole toilet, was not there to arrange it, and she felt thoroughly
+uncomfortable in the midst of this worldly magnificence and bustle.
+
+Notwithstanding her father's presence, she had never been so desolate as
+among these ladies and gentlemen, nearly all of whom were strangers.
+
+Her sister was intimate with the other girls of her age and station,
+few of whom were absent, and if Eva could have conjured her to her side
+doubtless many would have joined them; but she knew no one well, and
+though many greeted her, no one lingered. Everybody had friends with
+whom they were on far more familiar terms. The young Countess von
+Montfort, a girl of her own age and an inmate of her own home, also gave
+her only a passing word. But this was agreeable to her--she disliked
+Cordula's free manners.
+
+Many who were friends of Els had gathered around Ursula Vorchtel, the
+daughter of the richest man in the city, and she intentionally avoided
+the Ortliebs because, before Wolff Eysvogel sued for Els's hand, he and
+Ursula had been intended for each other.
+
+Eva was just secretly vowing that this first ball should also be
+the last, when the imperial magistrate, Herr Berthold Pfinzing, her
+godfather, came to present her to the Emperor, who had requested to see
+the little daughter of the Herr Ernst Ortlieb whose son had fallen in
+battle for him. His "little saint," Herr Pfinzing added, looked no
+less lovely amid the gay music of the Nuremberg pipers than kneeling in
+prayer amid the notes of the organ.
+
+Every tinge of colour had faded from Eva's cheeks, and though a few
+hours before she had asked her sister what the Emperor's greatness
+signified in the presence of God that she should be forced, for his
+sake, to be faithless to the holiest things, now fear of the majesty of
+the powerful sovereign made her breath come quicker.
+
+How, clinging to her godfather's hand, she reached the Emperor Rudolph's
+throne she could never describe, for what happened afterwards resembled
+a confused dream of mingled bliss and pain, from which she was first
+awakened by her father's warning that the time of departure had come.
+
+When she raised her downcast eyes the monarch was standing before the
+throne placed for him. She had been compelled to bend her head backward
+in order to see his face, for his figure, seven feet in height, towered
+like a statue of Roland above all who surrounded him. But when, after
+the Austrian duchess, his daughter-in-law, who was scarcely beyond
+childhood, and the Burgrave von Zollern, his sister, had graciously
+greeted her, and Eva with modest thanks had also bowed low before the
+Emperor Rudolph, a smile, spite of her timidity, flitted over her lips,
+for as she bent the knee her head barely reached above his belt. The
+Burgravine, a vivacious matron, must have noticed it, for she beckoned
+to her, and with a few kind words mentioned the name of the young knight
+who stood behind her, between her own seat and that of the young Duchess
+Agnes of Austria, and recommended him as an excellent dancer. Heinz
+Schorlin, the master of the true and steadfast Biberli, had bowed
+courteously, and answered respectfully that he hoped he should not prove
+himself unworthy of praise from such lips.
+
+Meanwhile his glance met Eva's, and the Burgravine probably perceived
+with what, ardent admiration the knight's gaze rested on the young
+Nuremberg beauty, for she had scarcely stepped back after the farewell
+greeting when the noble lady said in a low tone, but loud enough for
+Eva's quick ear to catch the words, "Methinks yonder maiden will do well
+to guard her little heart this evening against you, you unruly fellow!
+What a sweet, angelic face!"
+
+Eva's cheeks crimsoned with mingled shame and pleasure at such words
+from such lips, and she would have been only too glad to hear what the
+knight whispered to the noble lady.
+
+The attention of the young Duchess Agnes, daughter of King Ottocar of
+Bohemia and wife of the Emperor's third son, who also bore the name of
+Rudolph, had been claimed during this incident by the Duke of Nassau,
+who had presented his ladies to her, but they had scarcely retired when
+she beckoned to Heinz Schorlin, and while talking with him gazed into
+his eyes with such warm, childlike pleasure that Eva was incensed; she
+thought it unseemly for a wife and a duchess to be on such familiar
+terms with a simple knight. Nay, her disapproval of the princess's
+conduct must have been very deep, for during the whole time of her
+conversation with the knight there was a loud singing in the young
+girl's ears. The Bohemian's face might be considered pretty; her dark
+eyes sparkled brightly, animating the immature features, now slightly
+sunburnt; and although four years younger than Eva, her figure, though
+not above middle height, was well developed and, in spite of its
+flexibility, aristocratic in bearing. While conversing with Heinz
+Schorlin she seemed joyously excited, unrestrainedly cordial, but her
+manner expressed disappointment and royal hauteur as another group of
+ladies and gentlemen came forward to be presented, compelling her
+to turn her back upon the young Swiss with a regretful shrug of her
+shoulders.
+
+The counts and countesses, knights and ladies who thronged around her
+concealed her from Eva's eyes, who, now that Heinz Schorlin had left the
+Bohemian, again turned her attention to the Emperor, and even ventured
+to approach him. What paternal gentleness Rudolph's deep tones
+expressed! How much his face attracted her!
+
+True, it could make no pretensions to beauty--the thin, hooked nose was
+far too large and long; the corners of the mouth drooped downward too
+much; perhaps it was this latter peculiarity which gave the whole face
+so sorrowful an aspect. Eva thought she knew its source. The wound dealt
+a few months before by the death of his faithful wife, the love of his
+youth, still ached. His eyes could not be called either large or bright;
+but how kindly, how earnest, shrewd and, when an amusing thought passed
+through his mind, how mischievous they could look! His light-brown hair
+had not yet turned very grey, spite of his sixty-three years, but the
+locks had lost their luxuriance and fell straight, except for a slight
+curl at the lower ends, below his neck.
+
+Eva's father, when a young man, had met Frederic II, of the Hohenstaufen
+line, in Italy, and was wont to call this a special boon of fate. True,
+her aunt, the abbess, said she did not envy him the honour of meeting
+the Antichrist; yet that very day after mass she had counselled Eva to
+impress the Emperor Rudolph's appearance on her memory. To meet noble
+great men elevates our hearts and makes us better, because in their
+presence we become conscious of our own insignificance and the duty of
+emulating them. She would willingly have given more than a year of her
+life to be permitted to gaze into the pure, loving countenance of St.
+Francis, who had closed his eyes seven years after her birth.
+
+So Eva, who was accustomed to render strict obedience to her honoured
+aunt, honestly strove to watch every movement of the Emperor; but her
+attention had been continually diverted, mainly by the young knight,
+from whom--the Emperor's sister, Burgravine Elizabeth, had said so
+herself--danger threatened her heart.
+
+But the young Countess Cordula von Montfort, the inmate of her home,
+also compelled her to gaze after her, for Heinz Schorlin had approached
+the vivacious native of the Vorarlberg, and the freedom with which she
+treated him--allowing herself to go so far as to tap him on the arm with
+her fan--vexed and offended her like an insult offered to her whole sex.
+To think that a girl of high station should venture upon such conduct
+before the eyes of the Emperor and his sister!
+
+Not for the world would she have permitted any man to talk and laugh
+with her in such a way. But the young knight whom she saw do this was
+again the Swiss. Yet his bright eyes had just rested upon her with such
+devout admiration that lack of respect for a lady was certainly not in
+his nature, and he merely found himself compelled, contrary to his wish,
+to defend himself against the countess and her audacity.
+
+Eva had already heard much praise of the great valour of the young
+knight Heinz Schorlin. When Katterle, whose friend and countryman was in
+his service, spoke of him--and that happened by no means rarely--she
+had always called him a devout knight, and that he was so, in truth, he
+showed her plainly enough; for there was fervent devotion in the eyes
+which now again sought hers like an humble penitent.
+
+The musicians had just struck up the Polish dance, and probably the
+knight, whom the Emperor's sister had recommended to her for a partner,
+wished by this glance to apologise for inviting Countess Cordula von
+Montfort instead. Therefore she did not need to avoid the look, and
+might obey the impulse of her heart to give him a warning in the
+language of the eyes which, though mute, is yet so easily understood.
+Hitherto she had been unable to answer him, even by a word, yet she
+believed that she was destined to become better acquainted, if only to
+show him that his power, of which the Burgravine had spoken, was baffled
+when directed against the heart of a pious maiden.
+
+And something must also attract him to her, for while she had the honour
+of being escorted up and down the hall by one of the handsome sons of
+the Burgrave von Zollern to the music of the march performed by the city
+pipers, Heinz Schorlin, it is true, did the same with his lady, but he
+looked away from her and at Eva whenever she passed him.
+
+Her partner was talkative enough, and his description of the German
+order which he expected to enter, as his two brothers had already done,
+would have seemed to her well worthy of attention at any other time, but
+now she listened with but partial interest.
+
+When the dance was over and Sir Heinz approached, her heart beat so
+loudly that she fancied her neighbours must hear it; but ere he had
+spoken a single word old Burgrave Frederick himself greeted her,
+inquired about her invalid mother, her blithe sister, and her aunt, the
+abbess, who in her youth had been the queen of every dance, and asked if
+she found his son a satisfactory partner.
+
+It was an unusual distinction to be engaged in conversation by this
+distinguished gentleman, yet Eva would fain have sent him far away, and
+her replies must have sounded monosyllabic enough; but the sweet shyness
+that overpowered her so well suited the modest young girl, who had
+scarcely passed beyond childhood, that he did not leave her until the
+'Rai' began, and then quitted her with the entreaty that she would
+remove the cap which had hitherto rendered her invisible, to the injury
+of knights and gentlemen, and be present at the dance which he should
+soon give at the castle.
+
+The pleasant old nobleman had scarcely left her when she turned towards
+the young man who had just approached with the evident intention of
+leading her to the dance, but he was again standing beside Cordula von
+Montfort, and a feeling of keen resentment overpowered her.
+
+The young countess was challenging his attention still more boldly,
+tossing her head back so impetuously that the turban-like roll on her
+hair, spite of the broad ribbon that fastened it under her chin, almost
+fell on the floor. But her advances not only produced no effect, but
+seemed to annoy the knight. What charm could he find in a girl who, in
+a costume which displayed the greatest extreme of fashion, resembled
+a Turk rather than a Christian woman? True, she had an aristocratic
+bearing, and perhaps Els was right in saying that her strongly marked
+features revealed a certain degree of kindliness, but she wholly lacked
+the spell of feminine modesty. Her pleasant grey eyes and full red lips
+seemed created only for laughter, and the plump outlines of her figure
+were better suited to a matron than a maiden in her early girlhood. Not
+the slightest defect escaped Eva during this inspection. Meanwhile she
+remembered her own image in the mirror, and a smile of satisfaction
+hovered round her red lips.
+
+Now the knight bowed.
+
+Was he inviting the countess to dance again? No, he turned his back to
+her and approached Eva, whose lovely, childlike face brightened as if a
+sun beam had shone upon it. The possibility of refusing her hand for the
+'Rai' never entered her head, but he told her voluntarily that he had
+invited Countess Cordula for the Polish dance solely in consequence of
+the Burgravine's command, but now that he was permitted to linger at her
+side he meant to make up for lost time.
+
+He kept his word, and was by no means content with the 'Rai'; for, after
+the young Duchess Agnes had summoned him to a 'Zauner', and during
+its continuance again talked with him far more confidentially than
+the modest Nuremberg maiden could approve, he persuaded Eva to try
+the 'Schwabeln' with him also; and though she had always disliked such
+dances she yielded, and her natural grace, as well as her quick ear for
+time, helped her to catch the unfamiliar steps without difficulty.
+While doing so he whispered that even the angels in heaven could have
+no greater bliss than it afforded him to float thus through the hall,
+clasping her in his arm, while she glanced up at him with a happy look
+and bent her little head in assent. She would gladly have exclaimed
+warmly: "Yes, indeed! Yet the Burgravine says that danger threatens me
+from you, you dear, kind fellow, and I should do well to avoid you."
+
+Besides, she felt indebted to him. What would have befallen her here in
+his absence! Moreover, it gave her a strange sense of pleasure to gaze
+into his eyes, allow herself to be borne through the wide hall by his
+strong arm, and while pressed closely to his side imagine that his
+swiftly throbbing heart felt the pulsing of her own. Instead of injuring
+her, wishing her evil, and asking her to do anything wrong, he certainly
+had only good intentions. He had cared for her as if he occupied the
+place of her own brother who fell in the battle of Marchfield. It
+would have given him most pleasure--he had said so himself--to dance
+everything with her, but decorum and the royal dames who kept him in
+attendance would not permit it. However, he came to her in every pause
+to exchange at least a few brief words and a glance. During the longest
+one, which lasted more than an hour and was devoted to the refreshment
+of the guests, he led her into a side room which had been transformed
+into a blossoming garden.
+
+Seats were placed behind the green birch trees--amid whose boughs hung
+gay lamps--and the rose bushes which surrounded a fountain of perfumed
+water, and Eva had already followed the Swiss knight across the
+threshold when she saw among the branches at the end of the room the
+Countess Cordula, at whose feet several young nobles knelt or reclined,
+among them Seitz Siebenburg, the brother-in-law of Wolff Eysvogel, her
+sister's betrothed bridegroom.
+
+The manner of the husband and father whose wife, only six weeks before,
+had become the mother of twin babies--beautiful boys--and who for
+Cordula's sake so shamefully forgot his duties, crimsoned her cheeks
+with a flush of anger, while the half-disapproving, half-troubled look
+that Sir Boemund Altrosen cast, sometimes at the countess, sometimes
+at Siebenburg, showed her that she herself was on the eve of doing
+something which the best persons could not approve; for Altrosen, who
+leaned silently against the wall beside the countess, ever and anon
+pushing back the coal-black hair from his pale face, had been mentioned
+by her godfather as the noblest of the younger knights gathered in
+Nuremberg. A voice in her own heart, too, cried out that this was no
+fitting place for her.
+
+If Els had been with her, Eva said to herself, she certainly would
+not have permitted her to enter this room, where such careless mirth
+prevailed, alone with a knight, and the thought roused her for a short
+time from the joyous intoxication in which she had hitherto revelled,
+and awakened a suspicion that there might be peril in trusting herself
+to Heinz Schorlin without reserve.
+
+"Not here," she entreated, and he instantly obeyed her wish, though the
+Countess Cordula, as if he were alone, instead of with a lady, loudly
+and gaily bade him stay where pleasure had built a hut under roses.
+
+Eva was pleased that her new friend did not even vouchsafe the young
+countess an answer. His obedience led her also to believe that her
+anxiety had been in vain. Yet she imposed greater reserve of manner
+upon herself so rigidly that Heinz noticed it, and asked what cloud had
+dimmed the pure radiance of her gracious sunshine.
+
+Eva lowered her eyes and answered gently: "You ought not to have taken
+me where the diffidence due to modesty is forgotten." Heinz Schorlin
+understood her and rejoiced to hear the answer. In his eyes, also,
+Countess Cordula this evening had exceeded the limits even of the
+liberty which by common consent she was permitted above others. He
+believed that he had found in Eva the embodiment of pure and beautiful
+womanhood.
+
+He had given her his heart from the first moment that their eyes met. To
+find her in every respect exactly what he had imagined, ere he heard a
+single word from her lips, enhanced the pleasure he felt to the deepest
+happiness which he had ever experienced.
+
+He had already been fired with a fleeting fancy for many a maiden, but
+not one had appeared to him, even in a remote degree, so lovable as this
+graceful young creature who trusted him with such childlike confidence,
+and whose innocent security by the side of the dreaded heart-breaker
+touched him.
+
+Never before had it entered his mind concerning any girl to ask himself
+the question how she would please his mother at home. The thought that
+she whom he so deeply honoured might possess a magic mirror which showed
+her her reckless son as he dallied with the complaisant beauties
+whose graciousness, next to dice-playing, most inflamed his blood, had
+sometimes disturbed his peace of mind when Biberli suggested it. But
+when Eva looked joyously up at him with the credulous confidence of
+a trusting child, he could imagine no greater bliss than to hear his
+mother, clasping the lovely creature in her arms, call her her dear
+little daughter.
+
+His reckless nature was subdued, and an emotion of tenderness which he
+had never experienced before thrilled him as she whispered, "Take me to
+a place where everybody can see us, but where we need not notice anyone
+else."
+
+How significant was that little word "we"! It showed that already she
+united herself and him in her thoughts. To her pure nature nothing could
+be acceptable which must be concealed from the light of the sun and the
+eyes of man. And her wish could be fulfilled.
+
+The place where Biberli had discovered them, and where refreshments had
+just been served to the Emperor and the ladies and gentlemen nearest to
+his person, who had been joined by several princes of the Church, was
+shut off by the bannerets, thus preventing the entrance of any uninvited
+person; but Heinz Schorlin belonged to the sovereign's suite and had
+admittance everywhere.
+
+So he led Eva behind the black and yellow rope to two vacant chairs
+at the end of the enclosed space where the banquet had been swiftly
+arranged for the Emperor and the other illustrious guests of Nuremberg.
+
+These seats were in view of the whole company, yet it would have been as
+difficult to interrupt him and his lady as any of the table companions
+of the imperial pair. Eva followed the knight without anxiety, and took
+her place beside him in the well-chosen seat.
+
+A young cup-bearer of noble birth, with whom Heinz was well acquainted,
+brought unasked to him and his companion sparkling Malvoisie in Venetian
+glasses, and Heinz began the conversation by inviting Eva to drink to
+the many days brightened by her favour which, if the saints heard his
+prayer, should follow this, the most delightful evening of his life. He
+omitted to ask her to pour the wine for him, knowing that many of the
+guests in the ballroom were watching them; besides the saucy little
+count came again and again to fill his goblet, and he wished to avoid
+everything which might elicit sarcastic comment. The young cup-bearer
+desisted as soon as he noticed the respectful reserve with which Heinz
+treated his lady, and the youth was soon obliged to leave the hall
+with his liege lord, Duke Rudolph of Austria, who was to set out for
+Carinthia early the following morning, and withdrew with his wife
+without sharing the banquet. The latter accompanied her husband to the
+castle, but she was to remain in Nuremberg during the session of the
+Reichstag with the lonely widowed Emperor, who was especially fond of
+the young Bohemian princess. Before and during the dance with Heinz the
+latter had requested him to use the noble Arabian steed, a gift from
+the Sultan Kalaun to the Emperor, who had bestowed it upon her, and also
+expressed the hope of meeting the knight frequently.
+
+In the conversation which Heinz began with Eva he was at first
+obliged to defend himself, for she had admitted that she had heard the
+Burgravine's warning to beware of him.
+
+At the same time she had found opportunity to tell him that her heart
+yearned for something different from worldly love, and that she felt
+safe from every one because St. Clare was constantly watching over her.
+
+He replied that he had been reared in piety, that he knew the close
+relations existing between her patron saint and the holy Francis of
+Assisi, and that he, too, had experienced many things from this man of
+God. Eva, with warm interest, asked when and where, and he willingly
+told her.
+
+On the way from Augsburg to Nuremberg, while riding in advance of the
+imperial court, he had met an old barefooted man who, exhausted by the
+heat of the day, had sunk down by the side of the road as if lifeless,
+with his head resting against the trunk of a tree. Moved with
+compassion, he dismounted, to try to do something for the greybeard.
+A few sips of wine had restored him to consciousness, but his weary,
+wounded feet would carry him no farther. Yet it would have grieved the
+old man sorely to be forced to interrupt his journey, for the Chapter
+General in Portiuncula, in Italy, had sent him with an important message
+to the brothers of his order in Germany, and especially in Nuremberg.
+
+The old Minorite monk was especially dignified in aspect, and when he
+chanced to mention that he had known St. Francis well and was one of
+those who had nursed him during his last illness, a dispute had arisen
+between Heinz Schorlin, the armor bearer, and his servant Walther
+Biberli, for each desired to give up his saddle to the old man and
+pursue his journey on foot for his sake and the praise of God.
+
+But the Minorite could not be persuaded to break his vow never again
+to mount a knight's charger and, even had it not been evident from his
+words, Heinz asserted that the aristocratic dignity of his bearing would
+have shown that he belonged to a noble race.
+
+Biberli's eloquence gained the victory in this case also, and though the
+groom led by the bridle another young stallion which the ex-schoolmaster
+might have mounted, he had walked cheerily beside the old monk, sweeping
+up the dust with his long robe. At the tavern the knight and his
+attendants had been abundantly repaid for their kindness to the
+Minorite, for his conversation was both entertaining and edifying; and
+Heinz repeated to his lady, who listened attentively, much that the monk
+had related about St. Francis.
+
+Eva, too, was also on the ground dearest and most familiar to her. Her
+little tongue ran fast enough, and her large blue eyes sparkled with an
+unusually bright and happy lustre as she completed and corrected what
+the young knight told her about the saint.
+
+How much that was lovable, benevolent, and wonderful there was to relate
+concerning this prophet of peace and good-will, this apostle of poverty
+and toil who, in every movement of nature, perceived and felt a summons
+to recognise the omnipotence and goodness of God, an invitation to
+devout submission to the Most High!
+
+How many amusing, yet edifying and touching anecdotes, the Abbess
+Kunigunde had narrated of him and the most beloved of his followers!
+Much of this conversation Eva repeated to the knight, and her pleasure
+in the subject of the conversation increased the vivacity of her active
+mind, and soon led her to talk with eager eloquence. Heinz Schorlin
+fairly hung on her lips, and his eyes, which betrayed how deeply all
+that he was hearing moved him, rested on hers until a flourish of
+trumpets announced that the interval between the dances was over.
+
+He had listened in delight and, he felt, was forever bound to her. When
+duty summoned him to attend the Emperor he asked himself whether such a
+conversation had ever been held in the midst of a merry dance; whether
+God, in his goodness, had ever created a being so perfect in soul and
+body as this fair saint, who could transform a ballroom into a church.
+
+Aye, Eva had done so; for, ardent as was the knight's love, something
+akin to religious devotion blended with his yearning desire. The last
+words which he addressed to her before leading her back to the others
+contained the promise to make her patron saint, St. Clare, his own.
+
+The Princess of Nassau had invited him for the next dance, but she found
+Heinz Schorlin, whom the young Duchess Agnes had just said was merry
+enough to bring the dead to life, a very quiet partner; while young
+Herr Schurstab, who danced with Eva and, like all the members of the
+Honourable Council, knew that she desired to take the veil, afterwards
+told his friends that the younger beautiful E would suit a Carthusian
+convent, where speech is prohibited, much better than a ballroom.
+
+But after this "Zauner" Heinz Schorlin again loosed her tongue. When he
+had told her how he came to the court, and she had learned that he had
+joined the Emperor Rudolph at Lausanne just as he took the vow to take
+part in the crusade, there was no end to her questions concerning
+the reason that the German army had not already marched against the
+infidels, and whether he himself did not long to make them feel his
+sword.
+
+Then she asked still further particulars concerning Brother Benedictus,
+the old Minorite whom he had treated so kindly. Heinz told her what he
+knew, and when he at last enquired whether she still regretted having
+met him whom she feared, she gazed frankly into his eyes and, smiling
+faintly, shook her head.
+
+This increased his ardour, and he warmly entreated her to tell him where
+he could meet her again, and permit him to call her his lady. But she
+hesitated to reply, and ere he could win from her even the faintest
+shadow of consent, Ernst Ortlieb, who had been talking with other
+members of the council in the room where the wine was served,
+interrupted him to take his daughter home.
+
+She went reluctantly. The clasp of the knight's hand was felt all
+the way to the house, and it would have been impossible and certainly
+ungracious not to return it.
+
+Heinz Schorlin had obtained no assent, yet the last glance from her eyes
+had been more eloquent than many a verbal promise, and he gazed after
+her enraptured.
+
+It seemed like desecration to give the hand in which hers had rested to
+lead any one else to the dance, and when the rotund Duke of Pomerania
+invited him to a drinking bout at his quarters at the Green Shield he
+accepted; for without Eva the hall seemed deserted, the light robbed of
+its brilliancy, and the gay music transformed to a melancholy dirge.
+
+But when at the Green Shield the ducal wine sparkled in the beakers,
+the gold shone and glistened on the tables, and the rattle of the
+dice invited the bystanders to the game, he thought that whatever he
+undertook on such a day of good fortune must have a lucky end.
+
+The Emperor had filled his purse again, but the friendly gift did not
+cover his debts, and he wanted to be rid of them before he told his
+mother that he had found a dear, devout daughter for her, and intended
+to return home to settle in the ancestral castle, his heritage, and
+share with his uncle the maintenance of his rights and the management of
+fields and forests.
+
+Besides, he must test for the first time the power of his new patroness,
+St. Clare, instead of his old one, St. Leodegar. But the former served
+him ill enough--she denied him her aid, at any rate in gambling. The
+full purse was drained to its last 'zecchin' only too soon, and Heinz,
+laughing, turned it inside out before the eyes of his comrades. But
+though the kind-hearted Duke of Pomerania, with whom Heinz was a special
+favourite, pushed a little heap of gold towards him with his fat hands,
+that the Swiss might try his luck again with borrowed money, which
+brings good fortune, he remained steadfast for Eva's sake.
+
+On his way to the Green Shield he had confessed to Biberli--who, torch
+in hand, led the way--that he intended very shortly to turn his back
+on the court and ride home, because this time he had found the right
+chatelaine for his castle.
+
+"That means the last one," the ex-schoolmaster answered quietly,
+carefully avoiding fanning the flame of his young master's desire by
+contradiction. Only he could not refrain from entreating him not to
+burn his fingers with the dice, and, to confirm it, added that luck in
+gambling was apt to be scanty where fortune was so lavish in the gifts
+of love.
+
+Heinz now remembered this warning. It had been predicted to his darling
+that meeting him would bring her misfortune, but he was animated by the
+sincere determination to force the jewel of his heart to remember Heinz
+Schorlin with anything but sorrow and regret.
+
+What would have seemed impossible to him a few hours before, he now
+realised. With a steady hand he pushed back the gold to the duke, who
+pressed it upon him with friendly glances from his kind little eyes and
+an urgent whispered entreaty, and took his leave, saying that to-night
+the dice and he were at odds.
+
+With these words he left the room, though the host tried to detain him
+almost by force, and the guests also earnestly endeavoured to keep the
+pleasant, jovial fellow. The loss, over which Biberli shook his head
+angrily, did, not trouble him. Even on his couch Heinz found but a short
+time to think of his empty purse and the lovely maid who was to make the
+old castle among his beloved Swiss mountains an earthly paradise, for
+sleep soon closed his eyes.
+
+The next morning the events of the evening seemed like a dream. Would
+that they had been one! Only he would not have missed, at any cost, the
+sweet memories associated with Eva. But could she really become his own?
+He feared not; for the higher the sun rose the more impracticable his
+intentions of the night before appeared. At last he even thought of the
+religious conversation in the dancing hall with a superior smile, as
+if it had been carried on by some one else. The resolve to ask from her
+father the hand of the girl he loved he now rejected. No, he was not yet
+fit for a husband and the quiet life in the old castle. Yet Eva should
+be the lady of his heart, her patron saint should be his, and he would
+never sue for the love of any other maiden. Hers he must secure. To
+press even one kiss on her scarlet lips seemed to him worth the risk of
+life. When he had stilled this fervent longing he could ride with her
+colour on helm and shield from tourney to tourney, and break a lance for
+her in every land through which he passed with the Emperor. What would
+happen afterwards let the saints decide. As usual, Biberli was his
+confidant, and declared himself ready to use Katterle's services in his
+master's behalf.
+
+He had his own designs in doing this. He could rely upon the waiting
+maid's assistance, and if there were secret meetings between Eva Ortlieb
+and his lord, which would appease the knight's ardour, even in a small
+degree, the task of disgusting Heinz with his luckless idea of an early
+marriage would not prove too difficult.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+Eva Ortlieb had been borne home from the ball in her sedan chair with a
+happy smile hovering round her fresh young lips.
+
+It still lingered there when she found her sister in their chamber,
+sitting at the spinning wheel. She had not left her suffering mother
+until her eyes closed in slumber, and was now waiting for Eva, to hear
+whether the entertainment had proved less disagreeable than she feared,
+and--as she had sent her maid to bed--to help her undress.
+
+One glance at Eva told her that she had perhaps left the ballroom even
+more reluctantly than she entered it; but when Els questioned her so
+affectionately, and with maternal care began to unfasten the ribbon
+which tied her cap, the young girl, who in the sedan chair had
+determined to confess to no one on earth what so deeply moved her heart,
+could not resist the impulse to clasp her in her arms and kiss her with
+impetuous warmth.
+
+Els received the caress with surprise for, though both girls loved each
+other tenderly, they, like most sisters, rarely expressed it by tangible
+proofs of tenderness. Not until Eva released her did Els exclaim in
+merry amazement: "So it was delightful, my darling?"
+
+"Oh, so delightful!" Eva protested with hands uplifted, and at the same
+time met her sister's eyes with a radiant glance.
+
+Yet the thought entered her mind that it ill beseemed her to express so
+much pleasure in a worldly amusement. Her glance fell in shame, and she
+gently continued in that tone of self-compassion which was by no means
+unfamiliar to the members of her family. "True, though the Emperor is
+so noble, and both he and the Burgravine were so gracious to me, at
+first--and not only for a brief quarter of an hour, but a very long
+time I could feel no real pleasure. What am I saying? Pleasure! I
+was indescribably desolate and alone among all those vain, bedizened
+strangers. I was like a shipwrecked sailor washed ashore by the waves
+and surrounded by people whose language is unfamiliar."
+
+"But half Nuremberg was at the ball," her sister interrupted. "Now you
+see the trouble, darling. Whoever, like you, remains in seclusion and
+mounts a tall tree to be entirely alone, will be deserted; for who would
+be kind-hearted enough to learn to climb for your sake? But it seems
+that afterwards one and another----"
+
+"Oh!" Eva interrupted, "if you think that any of your friends gave me
+more than a passing greeting, you are mistaken. Not even Barbel, Ann,
+or Metz took any special notice of your sister. They kept near Ursel
+Vorchtel, and she and her brother Ulrich, of course, behaved as if
+I wore a fern cap and had become invisible. I cannot tell you how
+uncomfortable I felt, and then--yes, Els, then I first realised
+distinctly what you are to me. Obstinate as I often am, in spite of all
+your kindness and care, ungraciously as I often treat you, to-night I
+clearly perceived that we belong together, like a pair of eyes, and
+that without you I am only half myself--or, at any rate--not complete.
+And--as we are speaking in images--I felt like a sapling whose prop
+has been removed; even your Wolff can never have longed for you more
+ardently. My father found little time to give me. As soon as he saw me
+take my place in the Polish dance he went with Uncle Pfinzing to the
+drinking room, and I did not see him again till he came to bring me
+home. He had asked Fran Nutzel to look after me, but her Kathrin was
+taken ill, as I heard when we were leaving, and she disappeared with
+her during the first dance. So I moved forlornly here and there until
+he--Heinz Schorlin--came and took charge of me."
+
+"He? Sir Heinz Schorlin?" asked Els in surprise, a look of anxious
+suspense clouding her pretty, frank face. "The reckless Swiss, whom
+Countess Cordula said yesterday was the pike in the dull carp pond of
+the court, and the only person for whom it was worth while to bear the
+penance imposed in the confessional?"
+
+"Cordula von Montfort!" cried Eva scornfully. "If she speaks to me I
+shall not answer her, I can tell you. My cheeks crimson when I think of
+the liberty----"
+
+"Never mind her," said her sister soothingly. "She is a motherless
+child, and therefore unlike us. As for Heinz Schorlin, he is certainly a
+gallant knight; but, my innocent lambkin, he is a wolf nevertheless."
+
+"A wolf?" asked Eva, opening her large eyes as wide as if they beheld
+some terrible object. But she soon laughed softly, and added quietly:
+"But a very harmless wolf, who humbly changes his nature when the right
+hand strokes him. How you stare at me! I am not thinking of your beloved
+Wolff, whom you have tamed tolerably well, but the wolf of Gubbio, which
+did so much mischief, and to which St. Francis went forth, accosted him
+as Brother Wolf, and reminded him that they both owed their lives to
+the goodness of the same divine Father. The animal seemed to understand
+this, for it nodded to him. The saint now made a bargain with the wolf,
+which gave him its paw in pledge of the oath; and it kept the promise,
+for it followed St. Francis into the city, and never again harmed
+anyone. The citizens of Gubbio fed the good beast, and when it died
+sincerely mourned it. If you wish to know from whom I heard this
+edifying story--which is true, and can be confirmed by some one now in
+Nuremberg who witnessed it--let me tell you that it was the wicked wolf
+himself; not the Gubbio one, but he from Switzerland. An old Minorite
+monk, to whom he compassionately gave his horse, is the witness I
+mentioned. At the tavern the priest told him what he had beheld with his
+own eyes. Do you still inveigh against the dangerous beast, which acts
+like the good Samaritan, and finds nothing more delightful than hearing
+or speaking of our dear saint?"
+
+"And this in the Town Hall during the dance?" asked Els, clasping her
+hands as if she had heard something unprecedented.
+
+Eva, fairly radiant with joy, nodded assent; and Els heard the ring of
+pleasure in her clear voice, too, as she exclaimed: "That was just what
+made the ball so delightful. The dancing! Oh, yes, it is easy enough
+to walk and turn in time to the music when one has such a knight for a
+partner; but that was by no means the pleasantest part of it. During the
+interval--it seemed but an instant, yet it really lasted a considerable
+time--we first entered into conversation."
+
+"In one of the side rooms?" asked Els, the bright colour fading from her
+cheeks.
+
+"What are you thinking of?" replied Eva in a tone of offence. "I believe
+I know what is seemly as well as anybody else. True, your Countess
+Cordula did not set the most praiseworthy example. She allowed the whole
+throng of knights to surround her in the ante-room, and your future
+brother-in-law, Siebenburg, outdid them all. We--Heinz Schorlin and
+I--sat near the Emperor's table in the great hall, where everybody could
+see us. There the conversation naturally passed from the old Minorite to
+the holy founder of his order, and remained there. And if ever valiant
+knight possessed a devout mind, it is Heinz Schorlin. Whoever goes into
+battle without relying upon God and his saints,' he said, 'will find his
+courage lack wings, and his armour the surest defensive 'weapon.'"
+
+"In the ballroom!" again fell from her sister's lips in the same tone of
+amazement.
+
+"Where else?" asked Eva angrily. "I never met him except there. What do
+you other girls talk about at such entertainments, if it surprises you?
+Besides, St. Francis was by no means our only subject; we spoke of the
+future crusade, too. And oh!--you may believe me--we would have been
+glad to talk of such things for hours. He knew many things about our
+saint; but the precise one which makes him especially great and lovable,
+and withal so powerful that he attracted all whom he deemed worthy to
+follow him, he had not understood, and I was permitted to be the first
+person to bring it clearly before his mind. Ah! and his wit is as keen
+as his sword, and his heart is as open to all that is noble and sacred
+as it is loyal to his lord and Emperor. If we meet again I shall win
+him for the white cross on the black mantle and the battle against the
+enemies of the faith."
+
+"But, Eva," interrupted her sister, still under the spell of
+astonishment, "such conversation amid the merry music of the pipers!"
+
+"'Wherever three Christians meet, even though they are only laymen,
+there is a church,' says Tertullian," Eva answered impressively. "One
+need not go to the house of God to talk about the things which ought to
+be the highest and dearest to every one; and Heinz Schorlin--I know it
+from his own lips--is of the same opinion, for he told me voluntarily
+that he would never forget the few hours which we had enjoyed together."
+
+"Indeed!" said her sister thoughtfully. "But whether he does not owe
+this pleasure more to the dancing than to the edifying conversation----"
+
+"Certainly not!" replied Eva, very positively. "I can prove it, too;
+for later, after he had heard many things about St. Clare, the female
+counterpart of Francis, he vowed to make her his patron saint. Or do
+you suppose that a knight changes his saints, as he does his doublet and
+coat of mail, without having any great and powerful motive? Do you think
+it possible that the idle pleasure of the dance led him to so important
+a decision?"
+
+"Certainly not. Nothing led him to it except the irresistible zeal of my
+devout sister," answered Els, smiling, as she continued to comb her fair
+hair. "She spoke with tongues in the ballroom, as the apostles did at
+Pentecost, and thus our 'little saint' performed her first miracle: the
+conversion of a godless knight during the dancing."
+
+"Call it so, if you choose," replied Eva, her red lips pouting
+scornfully, as if she felt raised above such pitiful derision. "How you
+hurt, Els! You are pulling all the hair out of my head!"
+
+The object of this rebuke had used the comb with the utmost care, but
+the great luxuriance of the long, fair, waving locks had presented
+many an impediment, and Eva seemed unusually sensitive that night. Els
+thought she knew why, and made no answer to the unjust charge. She knew
+her sister; and as she wound the braids about her head, and then, in the
+maid's place, hung part of her finery on hooks, and laid part carefully
+in the chest, she asked her numerous questions about the dance, but was
+vouchsafed only monosyllabic replies.
+
+At last Els knelt before the prie-dieu. Eva did the same, resting her
+head so long upon her clasped hands that the patient older sister could
+not wait for the "Amen," but, in order not to disturb Eva's devotion,
+only pressed a light kiss upon her head and then carefully drew the
+curtains closely over the windows which, instead of glass, contained
+oiled parchment.
+
+Eva's excitement filled her with anxiety. She knew, too, what a powerful
+influence the bright moonlight sometimes exerted upon her while she
+slept, and cast another glance at the closely curtained window before
+she went to her own bed. There she lay a long time, with eyes wide open,
+pondering over her sister's words, and in doing so perceived more
+and more clearly that love was now knocking at the heart of the child
+kneeling before the prie-dieu. Sir Heinz Schorlin, the wild butterfly,
+desired to sip the honey from this sweet, untouched flower, and then
+probably abandon her like so many before her. Love and anxiety made the
+girl, whose opinion was usually milder than her sister's, a stern and
+unwise judge, for she assumed that the Swiss--whose character in reality
+was far removed from base hypocrisy--the man whom she had just termed
+a wolf, had donned sheep's clothing to make her poor lambkin an easier
+prey. But she was on guard and ready to spoil his game.
+
+Did Eva really fail to understand the new feeling which had seized her
+so swiftly and powerfully? Did she lull herself in the delusion that she
+cared only for the welfare of the soul of the pious young knight?
+
+Yes, it might be so, and prudent Els, who had watched her own little
+world intently enough, said to herself that it would be pouring oil upon
+the flames to tease Eva about the defeat which she, the "little saint,"
+had sustained in the battle against the demands of the world and of the
+feminine heart. Besides, her sister was too dear for her to rejoice in
+her humiliation. Els resolved not to utter a word about the Swiss unless
+compelled to do so.
+
+Eva's prayers before retiring were often very long, but to-night it
+seemed as if they would never end.
+
+"She is not appealing to St. Clare for herself alone, but for another,"
+thought Els. "I spend less time in doing it. True, a Heinz Schorlin
+needs longer intercession than my Eva, my Wolff, and my poor pious
+mother. But I won't disturb her yet."
+
+Sighing faintly, she changed her position, but remained sitting propped
+against the white pillows in order not to allow herself to be overcome
+by sleep. But it was a hard struggle, and her lids often fell, her head
+drooped upon her breast.
+
+Dawn was already glimmering without when the supplicant at last rose and
+sought her couch. Her sister let her lie quietly for a while, then she
+rose and put out the lamp which Eva had forgotten to extinguish. The
+latter noticed it, turned her face towards her and called her gently.
+"To think that you should have to get up again, my poor Els! Give me a
+good-night kiss."
+
+"Gladly, dearest," replied the other. "But it is really quite time to
+say 'good-morning."'
+
+"And you have kept awake so long!" replied Eva compassionately, as she
+threw her arms gratefully around her sister's neck, kissed her tenderly,
+and then pressed her hot cheek to hers.
+
+"What is this?" cried Els, with sincere anxiety. "Are you hurt, child?
+Surely you are weeping?"
+
+"No, no," was the reply. "I am only--I only thought that I had adorned
+myself, decked myself out with idle finery, although I know how many
+poor people are starving in want and misery, and how much more pleasing
+in the sight of the Lord is the grey robe of the cloistered nun. I could
+scarcely leave the hall in my overweening pleasure, and yet it would
+have beseemed me far better to share the sufferings of the crucified
+Saviour."
+
+"But, child," replied Els, striving to soothe her sister, "how often
+I have heard from you and our aunt, the abbess, that no one was so
+cheerful and so glad to witness the enjoyment of human beings and
+animals as your St. Francis!"
+
+"He--he!" groaned Eva, "he who attained the highest goal, who heard
+the voice of the Lord wherever he listened; he who chose poverty as his
+beloved bride, who scorned show and parade and the trappings of wealth,
+as he disdained earthly love; he who celebrated in song the love of the
+soul glowing for the highest things, as no troubadour could do--oh, how
+ardently he knew how to love, but to love the things which do not belong
+to this world!"
+
+Els longed to ask what Eva knew about the ardent fire of love; but
+she restrained herself, darkened the bed as well as she could with the
+movable curtain which hung from the ceiling on both sides above
+the double couch, and said: "Be sensible, child, and put aside such
+thoughts. How loudly the birds are twittering outside! If our father is
+obliged to breakfast alone there may be a storm, and I should be glad
+to have an hour's nap. You need slumber, too. Dancing is tiresome. Shut
+your eyes and sleep as long as you can. I'll be as quiet as a mouse
+while I am dressing."
+
+As she spoke she turned away from her sister and no longer resisted the
+sleep which soon closed her weary eyes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+As her father had ordered the servants not to disturb the young girls,
+Els did not wake till the sun was high in the heavens. Eva's place at
+her side was empty. She had already left the room. For the first time
+it had been impossible to sleep even a few short moments, and when she
+heard from the neighbouring cloister the ringing of the little bell that
+summoned the nuns to prayers, she could stay in bed no longer.
+
+Usually she liked to dress slowly, thinking meanwhile of many things
+which stirred her soul. Sometimes while the maid or Els braided her hair
+she could read a book of devotion which the abbess had given her. But
+this morning she had carried the clothes she needed into the next room
+on tiptoe, that she might not wake her sister, and urged Katterle, who
+helped her dress, to hurry.
+
+She longed to see her aunt at the convent. While kneeling at the
+prie-dieu, she had reached the certainty that her patron saint had led
+Heinz Schorlin to her. He was her knight and she his lady, so he must
+render her obedience, and she would use it to estrange him from the
+vanity of the world and make him a champion of the holy cause of the
+Church of Christ, the victorious conqueror of her foes. Sky-blue, the
+Holy Virgin's colour, should be hers, and thus his also, and every
+victory gained by the knight with the sky-blue on his helmet, under St.
+Clare's protection, would then be hers.
+
+Heinz Schorlin was already one of the boldest and strongest knights; her
+love must render him also one of the most godly. Yes, her love! If St.
+Francis had not disdained to make a wolf his brother, why might she not
+feel herself the loving sister of a youth who would obey her as a noble
+falcon did his mistress, and whom she would teach to pursue the right
+quarry? The abbess would not forbid such love, and the impulse that
+drew her so strongly to the convent was the longing to know how her aunt
+would receive her confession.
+
+The night before when, after her conversation with Els, she began to
+pray, she had feared that she had fallen into the snare of earthly love,
+and dreaded the confession which she had to make to her aunt Kunigunde.
+Now she found that it was no fleshly bond which united her to the
+knight. Oh, no! As St. Francis had gone forth to console, to win souls
+for the Lord, to bring peace and exhort to earnest labour in the service
+of the Saviour, as his disciples had imitated him, and St. Clare had
+been untiring in working, in his spirit, among women, she, too, would
+obey the call which had come to her saint in Portiuncula, and prove
+herself for the first time, according to the Scripture, "a fisher of
+souls."
+
+Now she gladly anticipated the meeting; for though her sister did not
+understand her, the abbess must know how to sympathise with what was
+passing in her mind. This expectation was fulfilled; for as soon as
+she was alone with her aunt she poured forth all her hopes and feelings
+without reserve, eagerly and joyfully extolling her good fortune that,
+through St. Clare, she had been enabled to find the noblest and most
+valiant knight, that she might win him for the Holy War under her
+saint's protection and to her honour.
+
+The abbess, who knew women's hearts, had at first felt the same fear
+as Els; but she soon changed her opinion, and thought that she might be
+permitted to rejoice over the new emotion in her darling's breast.
+
+No girl in love talked so openly and joyously of the conquest won, least
+of all would her truthful, excitable niece, whom she had drawn into her
+own path, speak thus of the man who disturbed her repose. No sensitive
+girl, unfamiliar with the world and scarcely beyond childhood, would
+decide with such steadfast firmness, so wholly free from every selfish
+wish, the future of the man dearest to her heart. No, no! Eva had
+already attained her new birth, and was not to be compared with other
+girls She had already once reached that ecstatic rapture which followed
+only a long absorption in God and an active sympathy with the deep human
+love of the Saviour and the unspeakable sufferings which he had taken
+upon himself. Little was to be feared from earthly love for one who
+devoted herself with all the passion of her fervid nature to the divine
+Bridegroom. Among the many whom Kunigunde received into the convent as
+novices, she was most certainly "called." If she felt something which
+resembled love for the young knight--and she made no concealment of
+it--it was only the result of the sweet joy of winning for the Lord, the
+faith, and her saint a soul which seemed to her worthy of such grace.
+
+Dear, highly gifted child!
+
+She, the abbess Kunigunde, was willing it should be so, and that Eva
+should surpass herself. She should prove that genuine piety conquers
+even the yearning of a quickly throbbing heart.
+
+True, she must keep her eyes open in order to prevent Satan, who is
+everywhere on the watch, from mingling in a game not wholly free from
+peril. But, on the other hand, the abbess intended to help her beloved
+niece to reap the reward of her piety.
+
+It was scarcely to be doubted that Heinz Schorlin was fired with ardent
+love for Eva; but, for that very reason, he would be ready to yield her
+obedience, and therefore it was advisable to tell her exactly to what
+she must persuade him. She must win him to join the Order of Malta, and
+if the famous champion of Marchfield performed heroic deeds with the
+white cross on his black mantle, or in war on his red tunic, he, the
+Emperor's favourite, would be sure of a high position among the military
+members of the order.
+
+The young girl listened eagerly, but the elderly abbess herself became
+excited while encouraging the young future "Sister" to her noble task.
+The days when, with the inmates of the convent, she had prayed that the
+Emperor Rudolph might fulfil the Pope's desire, and in a new crusade
+again wrest the Holy Land from the infidels, came back to her memory,
+and Heinz Schorlin, guided by the nuns of St. Clare, seemed the man to
+bring the fulfilment of this old and cherished wish.
+
+It appeared like a leading of the saints and a sign from God that Heinz
+had been dubbed a knight, and commenced his glorious career at Lausanne
+while the Emperor Rudolph pledged himself to a new crusade.
+
+She detained Eva so long that dinner was over at the Ortlieb mansion,
+and her impatient father would have sent for her had not the invalid
+mother urged him to let her remain.
+
+True, she longed to have a talk with her darling, who for the first time
+in her life had attended a great entertainment, and doubtless it grieved
+her to think that Eva did not feel the necessity of pouring out her
+heart to her own mother rather than to any one else, and sharing with
+her all the new emotions which undoubtedly had thrilled it; but she knew
+her child, and would have considered it selfish to place any obstacle in
+the pathway to eternal salvation of the elect whom God summoned with so
+loud a voice. Formerly she would rather have seen the young girl, whose
+charms were developing into such rare beauty, wedded to some good man;
+but now she rejoiced in the idea that Eva was summoned to rule over the
+nuns in the neighbouring cloister some day as abbess, in the place of
+her sister-in-law Kunigunde. Her own days, she knew, were numbered, but
+where could her child more surely find the happiness she desired for
+her than with the beloved sisters of St. Clare, whose home she and her
+husband had helped to build?
+
+Els had concealed from her parents what she fancied she had discovered,
+for any anxiety injured the invalid, and no one could anticipate how her
+irritable father might receive the information of her fear. On the
+other hand, she could confide her troubles without anxiety to Wolff, her
+betrothed husband. He was wise, prudent, loved Eva like a sister, and in
+exchanging thoughts with him she always discovered the right course to
+pursue; but though she expected him so eagerly and confidently, he did
+not come.
+
+When, in the afternoon, Eva returned home, her whole manner expressed
+such firm, cheerful composure that Els began to hope she might have been
+mistaken. The undemonstrative yet tender affection with which she met
+her mother, too, by no means harmonised with her fears.
+
+How lovely the young girl looked as she sat on a low stool at the head
+of the invalid's couch and, with her mother's emaciated hand clasped in
+hers, told her all that she had seen and experienced the evening before!
+To please the beloved sufferer, she dwelt longer on the description of
+the gracious manner of the Emperor Rudolph and his sister to her and her
+father, the conversation with which the Burgrave had honoured her, and
+his son's invitation to dance. Then for the first time she mentioned
+Heinz Schorlin, whom she had found a godly knight, and finally spoke
+briefly of the distinguished foreign nobles and ladies whom he had
+pointed out and named.
+
+All this reminded the mother of former days and, in spite of the warning
+of watchful Els not to talk too much, she did not cease questioning or
+recalling the time when she herself attended such festivals, and as one
+of the fairest maidens received much homage.
+
+It had been a good day, for it was long since she had enjoyed so much
+quiet in her own home. The von Montforts, she told Eva, had set
+off early, with a great train of knights and servants, to ride to
+Radolzburg, the castle of the Burgrave von Zollern. Her father thought
+they would probably have a dance there, for the young sons of the
+Burgrave would act as hosts.
+
+Eva asked carelessly who rode with Cordula this time to submit to her
+whims, but Els perceived by her sister's flushed cheeks and the tone of
+her voice what she desired to know, and answered as if by accident that
+Sir Heinz Schorlin certainly was not one of her companions, for he had
+ridden through the Frauenthor that afternoon in the train of the Emperor
+Rudolph and his Bohemian daughter-in-law.
+
+Twilight was already beginning to gather, and Els could not see whether
+this news afforded Eva pleasure or annoyance, for her mother had taken
+too little heed of her weakness, and one of the attacks which the
+physician so urgently ordered her to avoid by caution commenced.
+
+Els and the convent Sister Renata, who helped her nurse the invalid,
+were now completely absorbed in caring for her, but Eva turned away from
+the beloved sufferer--her sensitive nature could not endure the sight of
+her convulsions.
+
+As soon as her mother again lay weak but quiet on the pillows which Els
+had rearranged for her, Eva obeyed her entreaty to go away, and went
+to her own chamber. When another attack drew her back to the invalid,
+a sign from her sister as she reached the threshold bade her keep away
+from the couch. Should it prove necessary, she whispered, she would call
+her. If Wolff came, Eva was to tell him that she could not leave her
+mother, but he must be sure to return early the next morning, as she had
+a great deal to say to him.
+
+Eva then went to her father, who was dressing to attend a banquet at
+the house of Herr Berthold Vorchtel, the first Losunger--[Presiding
+Officer]--in the Council, from which he would be loath to absent himself
+for the very reason that his host's family had been hostile to him ever
+since the rumour of the betrothal of Wolff Eysvogel, whom the Vorchtels
+had regarded as their daughter Ursula's future husband.
+
+Nevertheless, Herr Ernst would not have gone to the entertainment had
+his wife's condition given cause for anxiety. But he was familiar with
+these convulsions which, it is true, weakened the invalid, but produced
+no other results; so he permitted Eva to help him put the last touches
+to his dress, on which he lavished great care. Spick and span as if he
+were just out of a bandbox, the elderly man, before leaving the house,
+went once more to the sick-room, and Eva stood near as, after many
+questions and requests, he whispered something to Els which she did not
+hear. With excited curiosity she asked what he had said so secretly,
+but he only answered hurriedly, "The name of the Man in the Moon's dog,"
+kissed her cheek, and ran downstairs.
+
+At the foot he again turned to Eva and told her to send for him if her
+mother should grow worse, for these entertainments at the Vorchtels
+usually lasted a long time.
+
+"Will the Eysvogels be there too?" asked the girl.
+
+"Who knows," replied her father. "I shall be glad if Wolff comes."
+
+The tone in which he uttered the name of his future son-in-law
+distinctly showed how little he desired to meet any other member of
+the family, and Eva said sympathisingly, "Then I hope you will have an
+opportunity to remember me to Wolff."
+
+"Shall I say nothing to Ursel?" asked the father, pressing a good-night
+kiss upon the young girl's forehead.
+
+"She would not care for it," was the reply. "It cannot be easy to forget
+a man like Wolff."
+
+"I wish he had stuck to Ursel, and let Els alone," her father answered
+angrily. "It would have been better for both."
+
+"Why, father," interrupted Eva reproachfully, "do not our lovers seem
+really created for each other?"
+
+"If the Eysvogels were only of the same opinion," exclaimed Ernst
+Ortlieb, shrugging his shoulders with a faint sigh. "Whoever marries,
+child, weds not only a man or a woman; all their kindred, unhappily,
+must be taken into the bargain. However, Els did not lack earnest
+warning. When your time comes, girl, your father will be more careful."
+
+Smiling tenderly, he passed his hand over the little cap which covered
+her thick, fair hair, and went out.
+
+Eva returned to her room and sat down at the spinning-wheel in the bow
+window, where Katterle had just drawn the curtains closely and lighted
+the hanging lamp. But the distaff remained untouched, and her thoughts
+wandered swiftly to the evening before and the ball at the Town Hall.
+Heinz Schorlin's image rose more and more distinctly before her mind,
+and this pleased her, for she fancied that he wore on his helm the blue
+favour which she had chosen, and it led her to consider against what
+foe she should first send him in the service of his lady and the Holy
+Church.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+Eva had gazed into vacancy a long time, and beheld a succession of
+pleasing pictures, in every one of which, Heinz Schorlin appeared. Once,
+in imagination, she placed a wreath on his helmet after a great victory
+over the infidels.
+
+Why should not this vision become a reality? Doubtless it owed its
+origin to a memory, for Wolff Eysvogel had been fired with love for her
+sister while Els was winding laurel around his helmet.
+
+After the Honourable Council had resolved that the youths belonging to
+noble families, who had fought in the battle of Marchfield and returned
+victorious, should be adorned with wreaths by the maidens of their
+choice, Fate had appointed her sister to crown Eysvogel.
+
+At that time Wolff had but recently recovered from the severe wounds
+with which he had returned from the campaign. But while he knelt before
+Els and his eyes met hers, love had overmastered him so swiftly and
+powerfully, that at the end of a few days he determined to woo her.
+
+Meanwhile his own family resolutely opposed his choice. The father
+declared that he had made an agreement with Berthold Vorchtel to marry
+him to his daughter Ursula, and withdrawal on his son's part would
+embarrass him. His grandmother, the arrogant old Countess Rotterbach,
+agreed with him, and declared that Wolff ought to wed no one except
+a lady of the most aristocratic birth or an heiress like Ursula. Her
+daughter Rosalinde Eysvogel, as usual, was the echo of her mother.
+
+Herr Ernst Ortlieb, too, would far rather have seen his Els marry
+into another home; but Wolff himself was a young man of such faultless
+honour, and the bride he had chosen was so eager to become his, that he
+deemed it a duty to forget the aversion inspired by the suitor's family.
+
+As for Wolff, he had so firmly persisted in his resolve that his parents
+at last permitted him to ask for his darling's hand, but his father had
+made it a condition that the betrothal, on account of the youth of
+the lovers, should not be announced till after Wolff had returned from
+Milan, where he was to finish the studies commenced in Venice. True,
+everyone had supposed that they were completed long ago, but Eysvogel
+senior insisted upon his demand, and afterwards succeeded in deferring
+the announcement of the betrothal, until the resolute persistence of
+Wolff, who meanwhile had entered the great commercial house, and the
+wish of his own aged mother, a sensible woman, who from the first had
+approved her grandson's choice and to whom Herr Casper was obliged
+to show a certain degree of consideration, compelled him to give it
+publicity.
+
+A few days later Herr Casper's brother died, and soon after his
+estimable old mother. He used these events as a pretext for longer
+delay, saying that both he and his wife needed at least six months'
+interval ere they could forget their mourning in a gay wedding festival.
+Besides, he would prefer not to have the marriage take place until after
+Wolff's election to the Council, which, in all probability, would occur
+after Walpurgis of the coming year.
+
+Ernst Ortlieb had sullenly submitted to all this. Nothing but his love
+for his child and respect for Herr Casper's dead mother, who had taken
+Els to her heart like a beloved granddaughter, would have enabled him
+to conquer his hasty temper in his negotiations with the man whom
+he detested in his inmost soul, and not hurl back the consent so
+reluctantly granted to his son.
+
+The friends who knew him admired the strength of will with which he
+governed his impetuous nature in this transaction. Some asserted that
+secret obligations compelled him to yield to the rich Eysvogel; for
+though the Ortlieb mercantile house was reputed wealthy, the business
+prudence of its head resulted in smaller profits, and people had not
+forgotten that it had suffered heavy losses during the terrible period
+of despotism which had preceded the Emperor Rudolph's accession to the
+throne.
+
+The insecurity of the high-roads had injured every merchant, but in
+trying to find some explanation for Herr Ortlieb's submission the
+attacks which had cost him one and another train of wares were regarded
+as specially disastrous.
+
+Finally, the dowry which Els was to bring bore no comparison to the
+large sums Ernst Ortlieb had lavished upon the erection of the St.
+Clare Convent, and hence it was inferred that the wealth of the firm had
+sustained considerable losses. This found ready credence, owing to the
+retired life led by the Ortliebs,--whose house had formerly been one
+of the most hospitable in the city,--ever since the wife had become an
+invalid and Eva had grown up with an aversion to the world. Few took the
+trouble to inquire into the very apparent causes for the change.
+
+Yet this view of the matter was opposed by many-nay, when the
+conversation turned upon these subjects, Herr Berthold Vorchtel, perhaps
+the richest and most distinguished man in Nuremberg, who rented the
+imperial taxes, made comments from which, had it not been so difficult
+to believe, people might have inferred that Casper Eysvogel was indebted
+to Ernst Ortlieb rather than the latter to him.
+
+Yet the cautious, prudent man never explained the foundation of his
+opinion, for he very rarely mentioned either of the two firms; yet prior
+to the battle of Marchfield he had believed that his own daughter Ursula
+and Wolff Eysvogel would sooner or later wed. Herr Casper, the young
+man's father, had strengthened this expectation. He himself and his
+wife esteemed Wolff, and his "Ursel" had shown plainly enough that she
+preferred him to the other friends of her elder brother Ulrich.
+
+When he returned home the two met like brother and sister, and the
+parents of Ursula Vorchtel had expected Wolff's proposal until the day
+on which the wreaths were bestowed had made them poorer by a favourite
+wish and destroyed the fairest hope of their daughter Ursula.
+
+The worthy merchant, it is true, deemed love a beautiful thing, but in
+Nuremberg it was the parents who chose wives and husbands for their sons
+and daughters; yet, after marriage, love took possession of the newly
+wedded pair. A transgression of this ancient custom was very rare,
+and even though Wolff's heart was fired with love for Els Ortlieb, his
+father, Herr Vorchtel thought, should have refused his consent to the
+betrothal, especially as he had already treated Ursel as his future
+daughter. Some compulsion must have been imposed upon him when he
+permitted his son to choose a wife other than the one selected.
+
+But what could render one merchant dependent upon another except
+business obligations?--and Berthold Vorchtel was sharp-sighted. He knew
+the heavy draft which Herr Casper had made upon the confidence reposed
+in the old firm, and thought he had perceived that the great splendour
+displayed by the women of the Eysvogel family, the liberality with which
+Herr Casper had aided his impoverished noble relatives, and the lavish
+expenditure of his son-in-law, the debt-laden Sir Seitz Siebenburg, drew
+too heavily upon the revenues of the ancient house.
+
+Even now Casper Eysvogel's whole conduct proved how unwelcome was his
+son's choice. To him, Ursula's father, he still intimated on many
+an occasion that he had by no means resigned every hope of becoming,
+through his son, more nearly allied to his family, for a betrothal was
+not a wedding.
+
+Berthold Vorchtel, however, was not the man to enter into such
+double-dealing, although he saw plainly enough how matters stood with
+his poor child. She had confided her feelings to no one; yet, in
+spite of Ursula's reserved nature, even a stranger could perceive that
+something clouded her happiness. Besides, she had persistently refused
+the distinguished suitors who sought the wealthy Herr Berthold's pretty
+daughter, and only very recently had promised her parents, of her own
+free will, to give up her opposition to marriage.
+
+Ever since the betrothal, to the sincere sorrow of Els, she had
+studiously avoided Wolff's future bride, who had been one of her dearest
+friends; and Ulrich, Herr Vorchtel's oldest son, took his sister's part,
+and at every opportunity showed Wolff--who from a child, and also in the
+battle of Marchfield, had been a favourite comrade--that he bore him a
+grudge, and considered his betrothal to any one except Ursula an act of
+shameful perfidy.
+
+The fair-minded father did not approve of his son's conduct, for his
+wife had learned from her daughter that Wolff had never spoken to her of
+love, or promised marriage.
+
+Therefore, whenever Herr Berthold Vorchtel met Els's father--and this
+often happened in the Council--he treated him with marked respect, and
+when there was an entertainment in his house sent him an invitation,
+as in former years, which Ernst Urtlieb accepted, unless something of
+importance prevented.
+
+But though the elder Vorchtel was powerless to change his children's
+conduct, he never wearied of representing to his son how unjust and
+dangerous were the attacks with which, on every occasion, he irritated
+Wolff, whose strength and skill in fencing were almost unequalled in
+Nuremberg. In fact, the latter would long since have challenged his
+former friend had he not been so conscious of his own superiority, and
+shrunk from the thought of bringing fresh sorrow upon Ursula and her
+parents, whom he still remembered with friendly regard.
+
+Eva was fond of her future brother-in-law, and it had not escaped her
+notice that of late something troubled him.
+
+What was it?
+
+She thoughtfully gave the wheel a push, and as it turned swiftly she
+remembered the Swiss dance the evening before, and suddenly clenched her
+small right hand and dealt the palm of her left a light blow.
+
+She fancied that she had discovered the cause of Wolff's depression, for
+she again saw distinctly before her his sister Isabella's husband, Sir
+Seitz Siebenburg, as he swung Countess Cordula around so recklessly that
+her skirt, adorned with glittering jewels, fluttered far out from her
+figure. In the room adjacent to the hall he had flung himself upon his
+knees before the countess, and Eva fancied she again beheld his big,
+red face, with its long, thick, yellow mustache, whose ends projected on
+both sides in a fashion worn by few men of his rank. The expression of
+the watery blue eyes, with which he stared Cordula in the face, were
+those of a drunkard.
+
+To-day he had followed her to the Kadolzburg, and probably meant to
+spend the night there. So Wolff had ample reason to be anxious about his
+sister and her peace of mind. That must be it!
+
+Perhaps he would yet come that evening, to give Els at least a greeting
+from the street. How late was it?
+
+She hastily tried to draw the curtains aside from the window, but this
+was not accomplished as quickly as she expected--they had been care
+fully fastened with pins. Eva noticed it, and suddenly remembered her
+father's whispered words to Els.
+
+They were undoubtedly about the window. According to the calendar,
+the moon would be full that day, and she knew very well that it had a
+strange influence upon her. True, within the past year it appeared
+to have lost its power; but formerly, especially when she had devoted
+herself very earnestly to religious exercises, she had often, without
+knowing how or why, left her bed and wandered about, not only in her
+chamber but through the house. Once she had climbed to the dovecot in
+the courtyard, and another time had mounted to the garret where, she did
+not know in what way, she had been awakened. When she looked around,
+the moon was shining into the spacious room, and showed her that she
+was perched on one of the highest beams in the network of rafters which,
+joined with the utmost skill, supported the roof. Below her yawned
+a deep gulf, and as she looked down into it she was seized with such
+terror that she uttered a loud shriek for help, and did not recover her
+calmness until the old housekeeper, Martsche, who had started from her
+bed in alarm, brought her father to her.
+
+She had been taken down with the utmost care. No one was permitted to
+help except white-haired Nickel, the old head packer, who often let a
+whole day pass without opening his lips; for Herr Ernst seemed to lay
+great stress upon keeping the moon's influence on Eva a secret. There
+was indeed something uncanny about this night-walking, for even now it
+seemed incomprehensible how she had reached the beam, which was at least
+the height of three men above the floor. A fall might have cost her
+life, and her father was right in trying to prevent a repetition of such
+nocturnal excursions. This time Els had helped him.
+
+How faithfully she cared for them all!
+
+Yes, she had barred out even the faintest glimmer. Eva smiled as she saw
+the numerous pins with which her sister had fastened the curtain, and
+an irresistible longing seized her to see once more the wonderful light
+that promoted the growth of the hair if cut during its increase, and
+also exerted so strange an influence upon her.
+
+She must look up at the moon!
+
+Swiftly and skilfully, as if aided by invisible hands, her dainty
+fingers opened curtain and window.
+
+Drawing a deep breath, with an emotion of pleasure which she had not
+experienced for a long time, she gazed at the linden before the house
+steeped in silvery radiance, and upward to the pure disk of the full
+moon sailing in the cloudless sky. How beautiful and still the night
+was! How delightful it would be to walk up and down the garden, with her
+aunt the abbess, with Els, and perhaps--she felt the blood crimson her
+cheeks--with Heinz Schorlin!
+
+Where was he now?
+
+Undoubtedly with the Emperor and his ladies, perhaps at the side of the
+Bohemian princess, the young Duchess Agnes, who yesterday had so plainly
+showed her pleasure in his society.
+
+Just then the watch, marching from the Marienthurn to the Frauenthor,
+gave her vagrant thoughts a new turn. The city guard was soon followed
+by a troop of horse, which probably belonged to the Emperor's train.
+
+It was delightful to gaze, at this late hour, into the moonlit street,
+and she wondered that she had never enjoyed it before. True, it would
+have been still pleasanter had Els borne her company; and, besides, she
+longed to tell her the new explanation she had found for Wolff's altered
+manner.
+
+Perhaps her mother was asleep, and she could come with her.
+
+How still the house was!
+
+Cautiously opening the door of the sick-room, she glanced in. Els was
+standing at the head of the bed, supporting her mother with her
+strong young arms, while Sister Renata pushed the cushions between the
+sufferer's back and the bedstead.
+
+The old difficulty of breathing had evidently attacked her again.
+
+Yes, yes, the dim light of the lamp was shining on her pale face, and
+the large sunken eyes were gazing with imploring anguish at the image of
+the Virgin on the opposite wall.
+
+How gladly Eva would have afforded her relief! She looked with a faint
+sense of envy at her sister, whose skilful, careful hands did everything
+to the satisfaction of the beloved sufferer, while in nursing she failed
+only too often in giving the right touch. But she could pray--implore
+the aid of her saint very fervently; nay, she was more familiar with
+her, and might hope that she would fulfil a heartfelt wish of hers more
+quickly than for her sister. It would not do to call Els to the window.
+She closed the door gently, returned to her chamber, knelt and implored
+St. Clare, with all the fervour of her heart, to grant her mother a good
+night. Then she again drew the curtains closely over the window, and
+went to call Katterle to help her undress.
+
+But the maid was just entering with fresh water. What was the matter
+with her?
+
+Her hand trembled as she braided her young mistress's hair and
+sometimes, with a faint sigh, she stopped the movement of the comb.
+
+Her silence could be easily explained; for Eva had often forbidden
+Katterle to talk, when she disturbed her meditation. Yet the girl must
+have had some special burden on her mind, for when Eva had gone to bed
+she could not resolve to leave the room, but remained standing on the
+threshold in evident embarrassment.
+
+Eva encouraged her to speak, and Katterle, so confused that she often
+hesitated for words and pulled at her ribbons till she was in danger of
+tearing them from her white apron, stammered that she did not come
+on her own account, but for another person. It was well known in the
+household that her betrothed husband, the true and steadfast Walther
+Biberli, served a godly knight, her countryman.
+
+"I know it," said Eva with apparent composure, "and your Biberli
+has commissioned you to bear me the respectful greeting of Sir Heinz
+Schorlin."
+
+The girl looked at her young mistress in surprise. She had been prepared
+for a sharp rebuke, and had yielded to her lover's entreaties to under
+take this service amid tears, and with great anxiety; for if her act
+should be betrayed, she would lose, amid bitter reproaches, the place
+she so greatly prized. Yet Biberli's power over her and her faith in him
+were so great that she would have followed him into a lion's den; and it
+had scarcely seemed a more desirable venture to carry a love-greeting
+to the pious maiden who held men in such disfavour, and could burst into
+passionate anger as suddenly as her father.
+
+And now?
+
+Eva had expected such a message. It seemed like a miracle to Katterle.
+
+With a sigh of relief, and a hasty thanksgiving to her patron saint, she
+at once began to praise the virtue and piety of the servant as well as
+his lord; but Eva again interrupted, and asked what Sir Heinz Schorlin
+desired.
+
+Katterle, with new-born confidence, repeated, as if it were some trivial
+request, the words Biberli had impressed upon her mind.
+
+"By virtue of the right of every good and devout knight to ask his lady
+for her colour, Sir Heinz Schorlin, with all due reverence, humbly prays
+you to name yours; for how could he hold up his head before you and
+all the knights if he were denied the privilege of wearing it in your
+honour, in war as well as in peace?"
+
+Here her mistress again interrupted with a positive "I know," and, still
+more emboldened, Katterle continued the ex-schoolmaster's lesson to the
+end:
+
+"His lord, my lover says, will wait here beneath the window, in all
+reverence, though it should be till morning, until you show him your
+sweet face. No, don't interrupt me yet, Mistress Eva, for you must know
+that Sir Heinz's lady mother committed her dear son to my Biberli's
+care, that he might guard him from injury and illness. But since his
+master met you, he has been tottering about as though he had received a
+spear-thrust, and as the knight confessed to his faithful servitor that
+no leech could help him until you permitted him to open his heart to you
+and show you with what humble devotion----"
+
+But here the maid was interrupted in a manner very different from her
+expectations, for Eva had raised herself on her pillows and, almost
+unable to control her voice in the excess of her wrath, exclaimed:
+
+"The master who presumes to seek through his servant----And by what
+right does the knight dare thus insolently----But no! Who knows what
+modest wish was transformed in your mouth to so unprecedented a demand?
+He desired to see my face? He wanted to speak to me in person, to
+confess I know not what? From you--you, Katterle, the maid--the knight
+expects----"
+
+Here she struck her little hand angrily against the wood of the bedstead
+and, panting for breath, continued:
+
+"I'll show him!----Yet no! What I have to answer no one else----From me,
+from me alone, he shall learn without delay. There is paper in yonder
+chest, on the very top; bring it to me, with pen and ink."
+
+Katterle silently hurried to obey this order, but Eva pressed her hand
+upon her heaving bosom, and gazed silently into vacancy.
+
+The manservant and the maid whom Heinz Schorlin had made his messengers
+certainly could have no conception of the bond that united her to him;
+even her own sister had misunderstood it. He should now learn that
+Eva Ortlieb knew what beseemed her! But she, too, longed for another
+meeting, and this conduct rendered it necessary.
+
+The sooner they two had a conversation, the better. She could
+confidently venture to invite him to the meeting which she had in view;
+her aunt, the abbess, had promised to stand by her side, if she needed
+her, in her intercourse with the knight.
+
+But her colour?
+
+Katterle had long since laid the paper and writing materials before
+her, but she still pondered. At last, with a smile of satisfaction, she
+seized the pen. The manner in which she intended to mention the colour
+should show him the nature of the bond which united them.
+
+She was mistress of the pen, for in the convent she had copied the
+gospels, the psalms, and other portions of the Scriptures, yet her hand
+trembled as she committed the following lines to the paper:
+
+"I am angered--nay, even grieved--that you, a godly knight, who knows
+the reverence due to a lady, have ventured to await my greeting in front
+of my father's house. If you are a true knight, you must be aware that
+you voluntarily promised to obey my every glance. I can rely upon this
+pledge, and since I find it necessary to talk with you, I invite you to
+an interview--when and where, my maid, who is betrothed to your servant,
+shall inform him. A friend, who has your welfare at heart as well as
+mine, will be with me. It must be soon, with the permission of St.
+Clare, who, since you have chosen her for your patron saint, looks down
+upon you as well as on me.
+
+"As for my colour, I know not what to name; the baubles associated with
+earthly love are unfamiliar to me. But blue is the colour of the pure
+heaven and its noble queen, the gracious Virgin. If you make this colour
+yours and fight for it, I shall rejoice, and am willing to name it
+mine."
+
+At the bottom of the little note she wrote only her Christian name
+"Eva," and when she read it over she found that it contained, in apt and
+seemly phrases, everything that she desired to say to the knight.
+
+While folding the paper and considering how she could fasten it, as
+there was no wax at hand, she thought of the narrow ribbons with which
+Els tied together, in sets of half a dozen, the fine kerchiefs worn over
+the neck and bosom, when they came from the wash. They were sky-blue,
+and nothing could be more suitable for the purpose.
+
+Katterle brought one from the top of the chest. Eva wound it swiftly
+around the little roll, and the maid hastily left the room, sure of the
+gratitude of the true and steadfast Biberli.
+
+When Eva was again alone, she at first thought that she might rejoice
+over her hasty act; but on asking herself what Els would say, she felt
+certain that she would disapprove of it and, becoming disconcerted,
+began to imagine what consequences it might entail.
+
+The advice which her father had recently given Wolff, never to let any
+important letter pass out of his hands until at least one night had
+elapsed, returned to her memory, and from that instant the little note
+burdened her soul like a hundred-pound weight.
+
+She would fain have started up to get it back again, and a strong
+attraction drew her towards the window to ascertain whether Heinz
+Schorlin had really come and was awaiting her greeting.
+
+Perhaps Katterle had not yet delivered the note. What if she were
+still standing at the door of the house to wait for Biberli? If, to
+be absolutely certain, she should just glance out, that would not be
+looking for the knight, and she availed herself of the excuse without
+delay.
+
+In an instant she sprang from her bed and gently drew the curtain aside.
+The street was perfectly still. The linden and the neighbouring houses
+cast dark, sharply outlined shadows upon the light pavement, and from
+the convent garden the song of the nightingale echoed down the quiet
+moonlit street.
+
+Katterle had probably already given the note to Heinz Schorlin who,
+obedient to his lady's command, as beseemed a knight, had gone away.
+This soothed her anxiety, and with a sigh she went back to bed.
+
+But the longing to look out into the street again was so strong that she
+yielded to the temptation; yet, ere she reached the window, she summoned
+the strength of will which was peculiar to her and, lying down, once
+more closed her lids, with the firm resolve to see and hear nothing. As
+she had not shut her eyes the night before and, from dread of the ball,
+had slept very little during the preceding one, she soon, though the
+moon was shining in through the parted curtains, lapsed into a
+condition midway between sleep and waking. Extreme fatigue had deadened
+consciousness, yet she fancied that at times she heard the sound of
+footsteps on the pavement outside, and the deep voices of men.
+
+Nor was what she heard in her half-dozing state, which was soon followed
+by the sound slumber of youth, any delusion of the senses.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+The moon found something in front of the Ortlieb house worth looking at.
+Rarely had she lighted with purer, brighter radiance the pathway of the
+mortals who excited her curiosity, than that of the two handsome young
+men who, at a moderate interval of time, passed through the Frauenthor,
+and finally entered the courtyard of the Ortlieb residence almost at the
+same instant.
+
+Luna first saw them pace silently to and fro, and delighted in the
+resentful glances they cast at each other. This joy increased as the one
+in the long coat, embroidered on the shoulder with birds, and then the
+other, whose court costume well became his lithe, powerful limbs, sat
+down, each on one of the chains connecting the granite posts between the
+street and the courtyard.
+
+The very tall one, who looked grave and anxious, was Wolff Eysvogel; the
+other, somewhat shorter, who swung gaily to and fro on the chain as if
+it afforded him much amusement, Heinz Schorlin.
+
+Both frequently glanced up at the lighted bow-window and the smaller
+one on the second story, behind which Eva lay half asleep. This was the
+first meeting of the two men.
+
+Wolff, aware of his excellent right to remain on this-spot, would have
+shown the annoying intruder his displeasure long before, had he not
+supposed that the other, whom at the first glance he recognised as a
+knight, was one of Countess Cordula von Montfort's admirers. Yet he soon
+became unable to control his anger and impatience. Yielding to a hasty
+impulse, he left the chain, but as he approached the stranger the latter
+gave his swaying seat a swifter motion and, without vouchsafing him
+either greeting or introductory remark, said carelessly, "This is a
+lovely night."
+
+"I am of the same opinion," replied Wolff curtly. "But I would like
+to ask, sir, what induced you to choose the courtyard of this house to
+enjoy it?"
+
+"Induced?" asked the Swiss in astonishment; then, looking the other in
+the face with defiant sharpness, he added scornfully:
+
+"I am warming the chain because it suits me to do so."
+
+"You are allowed the pleasure," returned Wolff in an irritated tone;
+"nay, I can understand that night birds of your sort find no better
+amusement. Still, it seems to me that a knight who wishes to keep iron
+hot might attain his object better in another way."
+
+"Why, of course," cried Heinz Schorlin, springing swiftly to his feet
+with rare elasticity. "It gives a pleasant warmth when blade strikes
+blade or the hot blood wets them. I am no friend to darkness, and it
+seems to me, sir, as if we were standing in each other's light here."
+
+"There our opinions concur for the second time this lovely night,"
+quietly replied the patrician's son, conscious of his unusual strength
+and skill in fencing, with a slight touch of scorn. "Like you, I am
+always ready to cross blades with another; only, the public street is
+hardly the fitting place for it."
+
+"May the plague take you!" muttered the Swiss in assent to Wolff's
+opinion. "Besides, sir, who ever grasps iron so swiftly is worth a
+parley. To ask whether you are of knightly lineage would be useless
+trouble, and should it come to a genuine sword-dance.
+
+"You will find a partner in me at any time," was the reply, "as I, who
+wear my ancient escutcheon with good right, would gladly give you a
+crimson memento of this hour--though you were but the son of a cobbler.
+But first let us ascertain--for I, too, dislike darkness--whether we
+are really standing in each other's light. With all due respect for
+your fancy for warming chains, it would be wise, ere Sir Red Coat--[The
+executioner]--puts his round our ankles for disturbing the peace, to
+have a sensible talk."
+
+"Try it, for aught I care," responded Heinz Schorlin cheerily.
+"Unluckily for me, I live in a state of perpetual feud with good sense.
+One thing, however, seems certain without any serious reflection: the
+attraction which draws me here, as well as you, will not enter the
+cloister as a monk, but as a little nun, wears no beard, but braids her
+hair. Briefly, then, if you are here for Countess Cordula von Montfort's
+sake, your errand is vain; she will sleep at Kadolzburg to-night."
+
+"May her slumber be sweet!" replied Wolff calmly. "She is as near to me
+as yonder moon."
+
+"That gives the matter a more serious aspect," cried the knight angrily.
+"You or I. What is your lady's name?"
+
+"That, to my mind, is asking too much," replied Wolff firmly.
+
+"And the law of love gives you the right to withhold an answer. But,
+sir, we must nevertheless learn for the sake of what fairest fair we
+have each foregone sleep."
+
+"Then tell me, by your favour, your lady's colour," Wolff asked the
+Swiss.
+
+The latter laughed gaily: "I am still putting that question to my
+saint."
+
+Then, noticing Wolff's shake of the head, he went on in a more serious
+tone: "If you will have a little patience, I hope I may be able to tell
+you, ere we part."
+
+This assurance also seemed to Wolff an enigma. Who in the wide world
+would come from under the respectable Ortlieb roof, at this hour, to
+tell a stranger anything whatsoever concerning one of its daughters?
+Neither could have given him the right to regard her as his lady, and
+steal at night, like a marten, around the house which contained his
+dearest treasure. This obscurity was an offence to Wolff Eysvogel, and
+he was not the man to submit to it. Yonder insolent fellow should learn,
+to his hurt, that he had made a blunder.
+
+But scarcely had he begun to explain to Heinz that he claimed the right
+to protect both the daughters of this house, the younger as well as the
+older, since they had no brother, when the knight interrupted:
+
+"Oho! There are two of them, and she, too, spoke of a sister. So, if it
+comes to sharing, sir, we need not emulate the judgment of Solomon. Let
+us see! The colour is uncertain, but to every Christian mortal a name
+clings as closely as a shadow and, if I mention the initial letter of
+the one which adorns my lady, I believe I shall commit no offence that
+a court of love could condemn. The initial, which I like because it is
+daintily rounded and not too difficult to write-mark it well--is 'E.'"
+
+Wolff Eysvogel started slightly and gripped the dagger in his belt,
+but instantly withdrew his hand and answered with mingled amusement
+and indignation: "Thanks for your good will, Sir Knight, but this, too,
+brings us no nearer our goal; the E is the initial of both the Ortlieb
+sisters. The elder who, as you may know, is my betrothed bride, bears
+the name of Elizabeth, or Els, as we say in Nuremberg."
+
+"And the younger," cried Heinz joyously, "honours with her gracious
+innocence the name of her through whom sin came into the world."
+
+"But you, Sir Knight," exclaimed Wolff fiercely, "would do better not to
+name sin and Eva Ortlieb in the same breath. If you are of a different
+opinion----"
+
+"Then," interrupted the Swiss, "we come back to warming the iron."
+
+"As you say," cried Wolff resolutely. "In spite of the peace of the
+country, I will be at your service at any time. As you see, I went out
+unarmed, and it would not be well done to cross swords here."
+
+"Certainly not," Heinz assented. "But many days and nights will follow
+this moonlight one, and that you may have little difficulty in finding
+me whenever you desire, know that my name is Heinrich--or to more
+intimate friends, among whom you might easily be numbered if we don't
+deprive each other of the pleasure of meeting again under the sun--Heinz
+Schorlin."
+
+"Schorlin?" asked Wolff in surprise. "Then you are the knight who, when
+a beardless boy, cut down on the Marchfield the Bohemian whose lance had
+slain the Emperor's charger, the Swiss who aided him to mount the steed
+of Ramsweg of Thurgau--your uncle, if I am not mistaken--and then took
+the wild ride to bring up the tall Capeller, with his troops, who so
+gloriously decided the day."
+
+"And," laughed Heinz, "who was finally borne off the field as dead
+before the fulfilment of his darling wish to redden Swiss steel with
+royal Bohemian blood. This closed the chronicle, Herr--what shall I call
+you?"
+
+"Wolff Eysvogel, of Nuremberg," replied the other.
+
+"Aha! A son of the rich merchant where the Duke of Gulich found
+quarters?" cried the Swiss, lifting his cap bordered with fine miniver.
+"May confusion seize me! If I were not my father's son, I wouldn't
+mind changing places with you. It must make the neck uncommonly stiff,
+methinks, to have a knightly escutcheon on door and breast, and yet be
+able to fling florins and zecchins broadcast without offending the devil
+by an empty purse. If you don't happen to know how such a thing looks, I
+can show you."
+
+"Yet rumour says," observed Wolff, "that the Emperor is gracious to you,
+and knows how to fill it again."
+
+"If one doesn't go too far," replied Heinz, "and my royal master, who
+lacks spending money himself only too often, doesn't keep his word
+that it was done for the last time. I heard that yesterday morning, and
+thought that the golden blessing which preceded it would last the dear
+saints only knew how long. But ere the cock had crowed even once this
+morning the last florin had vanished. Dice, Herr Wolff Eysvogel--dice!"
+
+"Then I would keep my hands off them," said the other meaningly.
+
+"If the Old Nick or some one else did not always guide them back! Did
+you, a rich man's son, never try what the dice would do for you?"
+
+"Yes, Sir Knight. It was at Venice, where I was pursuing my studies,
+and tried my luck at gambling on many a merry evening with other sons of
+mercantile families from Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Cologne."
+
+"And your feathers were generously plucked?"
+
+"By no means. I usually left a winner. But after they fleeced a dear
+friend from Ulm, and he robbed his master, I dropped dice."
+
+"And you did so as easily as if it were a short fast after an abundant
+meal?"
+
+"It was little more difficult," Wolff asserted. "My father would have
+gladly seen me outdo my countrymen, and sent me more money than I
+needed. Why should I deprive honest fellows who had less?"
+
+"That's just the difficulty," cried his companion eagerly. "It was easy
+for you to renounce games of chance because your winnings only added
+more to the rest, and you did not wish to pluck poorer partners. But I!
+A poor devil like me cannot maintain armour-bearer, servants, and steeds
+out of what the dear little mother at home in her faithful care can
+spare from crops and interest. How could we succeed in making a fair
+appearance at court and in the tournament if it were not for the dice?
+And then, when I lose, I again become but the poor knight the saints
+made me; when I win, on the contrary, I am the great and wealthy lord I
+would have been born had the Lord permitted me to choose my own cradle.
+Besides, those who lose through me are mainly dukes, counts, and
+gentlemen with rich fiefs and fat bourgs, whom losing doubtless
+benefits, as bleeding relieves a sick man. What suits the soldier does
+not befit the merchant. We live wholly amid risks and wagers. Every
+battle, every skirmish is a game whose stake is life. Whoever reflects
+long is sure to lose. If I could only describe, Herr Eysvogel, what it
+is to dash headlong upon the foe!"
+
+"I could imagine that vividly enough," Wolff eagerly interposed. "I,
+too, have broken many a lance in the lists and shed blood enough."
+
+"What a dunce I am!" cried Heinz in amazement, pressing his hand upon
+his brow. "That's why your face was so familiar! By my saint! I am no
+knight if I did not see you then, before the battle waxed hot. It
+was close beside your Burgrave Frederick, who held aloft the imperial
+banner."
+
+"Probably," replied Wolff in a tone of assent. "He sometimes entrusted
+the standard to me, when it grew too heavy for his powerful arm,
+because I was the tallest and the strongest of our Nuremberg band. But,
+unluckily, I could not render this service long. A scimitar gashed my
+head. The larger part of the little scar is hidden under my hair."
+
+"The little scar!" repeated Heinz gaily. "It was wide enough, at any
+rate, for the greatest soul to slip through it. A scar on the head
+from a wound received four years ago, and yet distinctly visible in the
+moonlight!"
+
+"It should serve as a warning," replied Wolff, glancing anxiously up the
+street. "If the patrol, or any nocturnal reveller should catch sight
+of us, it would be ill for the fair fame of the Ortlieb sisters, for
+everybody knows that only one--Els's betrothed lover--has a right to
+await a greeting here at so late an hour. So follow me into the shadow
+of the linden, I entreat you; for yonder--surely you see it too--a
+figure is gliding towards us."
+
+Heinz Schorlin's laugh rang out like a bell as he whispered to the
+Nuremberg patrician: "That figure is familiar to me, and neither we nor
+our ladies need fear any evil from it. Excuse me moment, and I'll wager
+twenty gold florins against yonder linden leaf that, ere the moonlight
+has left the curbstone, I can tell you my lady's colour."
+
+As he spoke he hastened towards the figure, now, standing motionless
+within the shadow of the door post beside the lofty entrance.
+
+Wolff Eysvogel remained alone, gazing thoughtfully upon the ground.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+The silent wanderer above had expected to behold a scene very unlike
+an interview between two men. The latter required neither her purest,
+fullest light, nor the shadow of a blossoming linden.
+
+Now Luna saw the young Nuremberg merchant gaze after the Swiss with an
+expression of such deep anxiety and pain upon his manly features that
+she felt the utmost pity for him. He did not look upward as usual to
+the window of his beautiful Els, but either fixed his eyes upon the spot
+where his new acquaintance was conversing with another person, or bent
+them anxiously upon the ground.
+
+As Wolff thought of Heinz Schorlin, it seemed as if Fate had thrown him
+into the way of the Swiss that he might feel with twofold anguish the
+thorns besetting his own life path. The young knight was proffered the
+rose without the thorn. What cares had he? The present threw into his
+lap its fairest blessings, and when he looked into the future he beheld
+only the cheering buds of hope.
+
+Yet this favourite of fortune had expressed a desire to change places
+with him. The thought that many others, too, would be glad to step into
+his shoes tortured Wolff's honest heart as though he himself were to
+blame for the delusion of these short-sighted folk.
+
+Apart from his strength and health, his well-formed body, his noble
+birth, his faith in the love of his betrothed bride--at this hour he
+forgot how much these things were--he found nothing in his lot which
+seemed worth desiring.
+
+He might not even rejoice in his stainless honesty with the same perfect
+confidence as in his betrothal.
+
+Yes, he had cared for noble old Berthold Vorchtel's daughter as if she
+were his sister. He had even found pleasure in the thought that Ursula
+was destined to become his wife, yet no word either of love or allusion
+to future marriage had been exchanged between them. He had felt free,
+and had a right to consider himself so, when love for Els Ortlieb
+overwhelmed him so swiftly and powerfully.
+
+Yet Ursula and her oldest brother treated him as if he had been guilty
+of base disloyalty. His pure conscience, however, enabled him to endure
+this more easily than the other burden, of which he became aware on the
+long-anticipated day when his father made him a partner in the old
+firm and gave him an insight into the condition of the property and the
+course of the business.
+
+Then he had learned the heavy losses which had been sustained recently,
+and the sad disparity existing between the great display by which his
+father and mother, as well as his grandmother, the countess, maintained
+the appearance of their former princely wealth, and the balances of the
+last few years.
+
+When he had just boasted to the reckless young knight that he had given
+up gaming, he told but half the truth, for though since his period of
+study in Venice, and later in Milan, he had not touched dice, he had
+been forced to consent to a series of enterprises undertaken by his
+father, whose stakes were far different from the gambling of the knights
+and nobles at the Green Shield or in the camp.
+
+Yet he intended to bind the fate of the woman he loved to his own, for
+Els, spite of the opposition of his family, would have been already
+indissolubly united to him, had not one failure after another destroyed
+his courage to take her hand. Finally, he deemed it advisable to await
+the result of the last great enterprise, now on the eve of decision. It
+might compensate for many of the losses of recent years. Should it be
+favourable, the heaviest burden would be lifted from his soul; in the
+opposite case the old house would be shaken to its foundations. Yet
+even its fall would have been easier for him to endure than this cruel
+uncertainty, to which was added the torturing anxiety of bearing the
+responsibility of things for which he was not to blame, and of which,
+moreover, he was even denied a clear view. Yet he felt absolutely
+certain that his father was concealing many things, perhaps the worst,
+and often felt as if he were walking in the darkness over a mouldering
+bridge. Ah, if it could only be propped up, and then rebuilt! But if it
+must give way, he hoped the catastrophe would come soon. He knew that
+he possessed the strength to build a new home for Els and himself. Even
+were it small and modest, it should be erected on a firm foundation and
+afford a safe abode for its inmates.
+
+What did the young, joyous-hearted fellow who was wooing Eva know
+of such cares? Fate had placed him on the sunny side of life, where
+everything flourished, and set him, Wolff, in the shade, where grass and
+flowers died.
+
+There is a magic in fame which the young soul cannot easily escape, and
+the name of Heinz Schorlin was indeed honoured and on every lip. The
+imagination associated with it the cheerful nature which, like a loyal
+comrade, goes hand in hand with success, deserved and undeserved good
+fortune, woman's favour, doughty deeds, the highest and strongest traits
+of character.
+
+An atmosphere like sunshine, which melts all opposition, emanated from
+Heinz. Wolff had experienced it himself. He had seriously intended to
+make the insolent intruder feel his strong arm, but since he had learned
+the identity of the Swiss his acts and nature appeared in a new light.
+His insolence had gained the aspect of self-confidence which did not
+lack justification, and when a valiant knight talked to him so frankly,
+like a younger brother to an older and wiser one, it seemed to the
+lonely man who, of late, completely absorbed in the course of business,
+had held aloof from the sports, banquets, and diversions of the
+companions of his own age, that he had experienced something unusually
+pleasant. How tender and affectionate it sounded when Heinz alluded to
+the "little mother" at home! He, Wolff, on the contrary, could think
+only with a shade of bitterness of the weak woman to whom he owed his
+existence, and whom filial duty and earnest resolution alike commanded
+him to love, yet who made it so difficult for him to regard her with
+anything save anxiety or secret disapproval.
+
+Perhaps the greatest advantage which the Swiss possessed over him was
+his manner of speaking of his family. How could it ever have entered
+Wolff Eysvogel's mind to call the tall, stiff woman, who was the feeble
+echo of her extravagant, arrogant mother, and who rustled towards him,
+even in the early morning, adorned with feathers and robed in rich
+brocade, his "dear little mother"?
+
+Whoever spoke in the warm, loving tones that fell from the lips of Sir
+Heinz when he mentioned his relatives at home certainly could have no
+evil nature. No one need fear, though his usual mode of speech was so
+wanton, that he would trifle with a pure, innocent creature like Eva.
+
+How Heinz had succeeded in winning so speedily the devout child, who
+was so averse to the idle coquetries of the companions of her own age,
+seemed incomprehensible, but he had no time to investigate now.
+
+He must go, for he had long been burning with impatience to depart. The
+declaration of peace had taken effect only a few hours before, and the
+long waggon trains from Italy, of which he had told Els yesterday, were
+still delayed. The freight of spices and Levantine goods, Milan velvets,
+silks, and fine Florentine cloths, which they were bringing from the
+city of St. Mark, represented a large fortune. If it arrived in time,
+the profits would cover a great portion of the losses of the past two
+years, and the house would again be secure. If the worst should befall,
+how would his family submit to deprivation, perhaps even to penury? He
+had less fear of his grandmother's outbursts of wrath, but what would
+become of his feeble mother, who was as dependent as a child on her own
+mother? Yet he loved her; he felt deeply troubled by the thought of the
+severe humiliation which menaced her. His sister Isabella, too, was dear
+to him, in spite of her husband, the reckless Sir Seitz Siebenburg, in
+whose hands the gold paid from the coffers of the firm melted away, yet
+who was burdened with a mountain of debts.
+
+Wolff had left orders at home to have his horse saddled. He had intended
+only to wave a greeting to his Els and then ride to Neumarkt, or, if
+necessary, as far as Ingolstadt, to meet the wains.
+
+A word of farewell to the new acquaintance, who was probably destined
+to be his brother-in, law, and then--But just at that moment Heinz
+approached, and in reply to Wolff's low question "And your lady's
+colour?" he answered joyously, pointing to the breast of his doublet: "I
+am carrying the messenger which promises to inform me, here on my heart.
+In the darkness it was silent; but the bright moonlight yonder will
+loose its tongue, unless the characters here are too unlike those of the
+prayer-book."
+
+Drawing out Eva's little roll as he spoke, he approached a brightly
+lighted spot, pointed to the ribbon which fastened it, and exclaimed:
+"Doubtless she used her own colour to tie it. Blue, the pure, exquisite
+blue of her eyes! I thought so Forget-me-not blue! The most beautiful of
+colours. You must pardon my impatience!"
+
+He was about to begin to read the lines; but Wolff stopped him by
+pointing to the Ortlieb residence and to two drunken soldiers who
+came out of the tavern "For Thirsty Troopers," and walked, singing and
+staggering, up the opposite side of the street. Then, extending his
+hand to Heinz in farewell, he asked in a low tone, pointing to Biberli's
+figure just emerging from the shade, who was the messenger of love who
+served him so admirably.
+
+"My shadow," replied the knight. "I loosed him from my heels and bade
+him stand there. But no offence, Herr Wolff Eysvogel; you'll make the
+queer fellow's acquaintance if, like myself, it would be agreeable to
+you to meet often, not only on iron chains, but on friendly terms with
+each other."
+
+"Nothing would please me more," replied the other. "But how in the world
+could it happen that this well-guarded fortress surrendered to you after
+so short a resistance?"
+
+"Heinz Schorlin rides swiftly," he interrupted; but Wolff exclaimed:
+
+"A swift ride awaits me, too, though of a different kind. When I
+return, I shall expect you to tell me how you won our 'little saint,' my
+sister-in-law Eva. The two beautiful Ortlieb 'Es' are one in the eyes
+of the townsfolk, so we also will be often named in the same breath, and
+shall do well to feel brotherly regard for each other. There shall be no
+fault on my part. Farewell, till we meet again, an' it please God in and
+not outside of our ladies' dwelling."
+
+While speaking he clasped the knight's hand with so firm a grasp that
+it seemed as if he wished to force him to feel its pressure a long time,
+and hastened through the Frauenthor.
+
+Heinz Schorlin gazed thoughtfully after him a short time, then beckoned
+to Biberli and, though the interval required for him to reach his
+master's side was very brief, it was sufficient for the bold young
+lover, tortured by his ardent longing, to form another idea.
+
+"Look yonder, Biberli!" he exclaimed. "The holy-water basin on the
+door-post, the escutcheon on the lintel above, the helmet, which would
+probably bear my weight. From there I can reach the window-sill with my
+hand, and once I have grasped it, I need only make one bold spring and,
+hurrah! I'm on it."
+
+"May our patron saint have mercy on us!" cried the servant in horror.
+"You can get there as easily as you can spring on your two feet over
+two horses; but the coming down would certainly be a long distance lower
+than you would fancy--into the 'Hole,' as they call the prison here,
+and, moreover, though probably not until some time later, straight to
+the flames of hell; for you would have committed a great sin against a
+noble maiden rich in every virtue, who deemed you worthy of her love.
+And, besides, there are two Es. They occupy the same room, and the house
+is full of men and maid servants."
+
+"Pedagogue!" said the knight, peevishly.
+
+"Ay, that was Biberli's calling once," replied the servant, "and, for
+the sake of your lady mother at home, I wish I were one still, and you,
+Sir Heinz, would have to obey me like an obedient pupil. You are well
+aware that I rarely use her sacred name to influence you, but I do so
+now; and if you cherish her in your heart and do not wish to swoop down
+on the innocent little dove like a destroying hawk, turn your back upon
+this place, where we have already lingered too long."
+
+But this well-meant warning seemed to have had brief influence upon the
+person to whom it was addressed. Suddenly, with a joyous: "There she
+is!" he snatched his cap from his head and waved a greeting to the
+window.
+
+But in a few minutes he replaced it with a petulant gesture of the hand,
+saying sullenly: "Vanished! She dared not grant me a greeting, because
+she caught sight of you."
+
+"Let us thank and praise a kind Providence for it," said his servitor
+with a sigh of relief, "since our Lord and Saviour assumed the form of a
+servant, that of a scarecrow, in which he has done admirable service, is
+far too noble and distinguished for Biberli."
+
+As he spoke he walked on before the knight, and pointing to the tavern
+beside the Frauenthurm whose sign bore the words "For Thirsty Troopers,"
+he added: "A green bush at the door. That means, unless the host is a
+rogue, a cask fresh broached. I wonder whether my tongue is cleaving to
+my palate from dread of your over-hasty courage, or whether it is really
+so terribly sultry here!"
+
+"At any rate," Heinz interrupted, "a cup of wine will harm neither of
+us; for I myself feel how oppressive the air is. Besides, it is light in
+the tavern, and who knows what the little note will tell me."
+
+Meanwhile they passed the end of St. Klarengasse and went up to the
+green bush, which projected from the end of a pole far out into the
+street.
+
+Soldiers in the pay of the city, and men-at-arms in the employ of the
+Emperor and the princes who had come to attend the Reichstag, were
+sitting over their wine in the tavern. From the ceiling hung two crossed
+iron triangles, forming a six-pointed star. The tallow candles burning
+low in their sockets, which it contained, and some pitch-pans in the
+corners, diffused but a dim light through the long apartment.
+
+Master and man found an empty table apart from the other guests, in a
+niche midway down the rear wall.
+
+Without heeding the brawling and swearing, the rude songs and disorderly
+shouts, the drumming of clenched fists upon the oak tables, the wild
+laughter of drunken soldiers, the giggling and screeching of bar-maids,
+and the scolding and imperious commands of the host, they proved that
+the green bush had not lied, for the wine really did come from a freshly
+opened cask just brought up from the cellar. But as the niche was
+illumined only by the tiny oil lamp burning beneath the image of the
+Virgin, bedizened with flowers and gold and silver tinsel, fastened
+against the wall, Biberli asked the weary bar-maid for a brighter light.
+
+When the girl withdrew he sighed heavily, saying: "O my lord, if you
+only knew! Even now, when we are again among men and the wine has
+refreshed me, I feel as if rats were gnawing at my soul. Conscience, my
+lord-conscience!"
+
+"You, too, are usually quite ready to play the elf in the rose-garden
+of love," replied Heinz gaily. "Moreover, I shall soon need a T and an
+S embroidered on my own doublet, for----Why don't they bring the light?
+Another cup of wine, the note, and then with renewed vigour we'll go
+back again."
+
+"For God's sake," interrupted Biberli, "do not speak, do not even think,
+of the bold deed you suggested! Doesn't it seem like a miracle that not
+one of the many Ortlieb and Montfort servants crossed your path? Even
+such a child of good luck as yourself can scarcely expect a second one
+the same evening. And if there is not, and you go back under the window,
+you will be recognised, perhaps even seized, and then--O my lord,
+consider this!--then you will bear throughout your life the reproach of
+having brought shame and bitter sorrow upon a maiden whom you yourself
+know is lovely, devout, and pure. And I, too, who serve you loyally in
+your lady mother's behalf, as well as the poor maid who, to pleasure me,
+interceded for you with her mistress, will run the risk of our lives
+if you are caught climbing into the window or committing any similar
+offence; for in this city they are prompt with the stocks, the stone
+collar, the rack, and the tearing of the tongue from the mouth whenever
+any one is detected playing the part of go-between in affairs of love."
+
+"Usually, old fellow," replied Heinz in a tone of faint reproach, "we
+considered it a matter of course that, though we took the most daring
+risks in such things, we were certain not to be caught. Yet, to be
+frank, some incomprehensible burden weighs upon my soul. My feelings
+are confused and strange. I would rather tear the crown from the head
+of yonder image of the Virgin than do aught to this sweet innocence for
+which she could not thank me."
+
+Here he paused, for the bar-maid brought a two-branched candelabrum, in
+which burned two tallow candles.
+
+Heinz instantly opened the little roll.
+
+How delicate were the characters it contained! His heart's beloved had
+committed them to the paper with her own hand, and the knight's blood
+surged hotly through his veins as he gazed at them. It seemed as though
+he held in his hand a portion of herself and, obeying a hasty impulse,
+he kissed the letter.
+
+Then he eagerly began to study the writing; he had never seen anything
+so delicate and peculiar in form.
+
+The deciphering of the first lines in which, it is true, she called him
+a godly knight, but also informed him that his boldness had angered her,
+caused him much difficulty, and Biberli was often obliged to help.
+
+Would she have rebuffed him so ungraciously with her lips as with the
+pen? Was it possible that, on account of a request which every lover
+ventured to address to his lady, she would withdraw the favour which
+rendered him so happy? Oh, yes, for innocence is delicate and sensitive.
+She ought to have repelled him thus. He was secretly rejoiced to see the
+sweet modesty which had so charmed him again proved. He must know what
+the rest of the letter contained, and the ex-schoolmaster was at hand to
+give the information at once.
+
+True, the hastily written sentences presented some difficulties even for
+Biberli, but after glancing through the whole letter, he exclaimed with
+a satisfied smile: "Just as I expected! At the first look one might
+think that the devout little lady was wholly unlike the rest of her
+sex, but on examining more closely she proves as much like any other
+beautiful girl as two peas. With good reason and prudent caution she
+forbids the languishing knight to remain beneath her window, yet she
+will risk a pleasant little interview in some safe nook. That is wise
+for so young a girl, and at the same time natural and womanly. I don't
+know why you knit your brows. Since the first Eve came from a crooked
+rib, all her daughters prefer devious ways. But first hear what she
+writes." Then, without heeding his master's gloomy face, he began to
+read the note aloud.
+
+Heinz listened intently, and after he had heard that the lady of his
+love did not desire to meet him alone, but only under the protection of
+a friend and her saint, when he heard her name her colour, it is true,
+but also express the expectation that, as a godly knight, he would fight
+for her sake in honour of the gracious Virgin, his face brightened.
+
+During Biberli's scoffing comments he had felt as if a tempest had
+hurled her pure image in the dust. But now that he knew what she asked
+of him, it returned as a matter of course to its old place and, with
+a sigh of relief, he felt that he need not be ashamed of the emotions
+which this wonderful young creature had awakened in his soul. She had
+opened her pious heart like a trusting sister to an older brother, and
+what he had seen there was something unusual--things which had appeared
+sacred to him even when a child. Since he took leave of her in the
+ball-room he had felt as though Heaven had loaned this, its darling,
+to earth for but a brief space, and her brocade robe must conceal angel
+wings. Should it surprise him that the pure innocence which filled her
+whole being was expressed also in her letter, if she summoned him, not
+to idle love-dalliance but to a covenant of souls, a mutual conflict for
+what was highest and most sacred? Such a thing was incomprehensible to
+Biberli; but notwithstanding her letter--nay, even on its account--he
+longed still more ardently to lead her home to his mother and see her
+receive the blessing of the woman whom he so deeply honoured.
+
+He had Eva's letter read for the second and the third time. But when
+Biberli paused, and in a few brief sentences cast fresh doubts upon the
+writer, Heinz angrily stopped him. "The longing of the godly heart of a
+pure maiden--mark this well--has naught in common with that diabolical
+delight in secret love--dalliance for which others yearn. My wish to
+force my way to her was sinful, and it was punished severely enough, for
+during your rude scoffs I felt as though you had set fire to the house
+over my head. But from this I perceive in what a sacred, inviolable spot
+her image had found a place. True, it is denied you to follow the lofty,
+heavenward aspiration of a pure soul--"
+
+"O my lord," interrupted the servitor with hands uplifted in defence,
+"who besought you not to measure this innocent daughter of a decorous
+household, who was scarcely beyond childhood, by the standard you
+applied to others? Who entreated you to spare her fair fame? And if you
+deem the stuff of which the servant is made too coarse to understand
+what moves so pure a soul, you do Biberli injustice, for, by my patron
+saint, though duty commanded me to interpose doubts and scruples between
+you and a passion from which could scarcely spring aught that would
+bring joy to your mother's heart I, too, asked myself the question
+why, in these days, a devout maiden should not long to try her skill in
+conversion upon a valiant knight who served her. Ever since St. Francis
+of Assisi appeared in Italy, barefooted monks and grey-robed nuns, who
+follow him, Franciscans and Sisters of St. Clare stream hither as water
+flows into a mill-race when the sluice-gates are opened. With what
+edification we, too, listened to the old Minorite whom we picked up by
+the wayside, at the tavern where we usually found pleasure in nothing
+but drinking, gambling, shouting, and singing! Besides, I know from
+my sweetheart with what exemplary devotion the lovely Eva follows St.
+Clare."
+
+"Who is now and will remain my patron saint also, old Biber,"
+interrupted Heinz with joyful emotion, as he laid his hand gratefully
+on his follower's shoulder; then rising and beckoning to the bar-maid,
+added: "The stuff of which you are made, old comrade, is inferior to
+no man's. Only now and then the pedagogue plays you a trick. Had you
+uttered your real opinion in the first place, the wine would have tasted
+better to us both. Let Eva try the work of conversion on me! What, save
+my lady's love, is more to me than our holy faith? It must indeed be a
+delight to take the field for the Church and against her foes!" While
+speaking, he paid the reckoning and went out with Biberli.
+
+The moon was now pouring her silver beams, with full radiance, over the
+quiet street, the linden in front of the Ortlieb house, and its lofty
+gable roof. Only a single room in the spacious mansion was still
+lighted, the bow-windowed one occupied by the two sisters.
+
+Heinz, without heeding Biberli's renewed protest, looked upward,
+silently imploring Eva's pardon for having misjudged her even a moment.
+His gaze rested devoutly on the open window, behind which a curtain was
+stirring. Was it the night breeze that almost imperceptibly raised and
+lowered it, or was her own dear self concealed behind it?
+
+Just at that moment he suddenly felt his servant's hand on his arm, and
+as he followed his horror-stricken gaze, a chill ran through his own
+veins. From the heavy door of the house, which stood half open, a
+white-robed figure emerged with the solemn, noiseless footfall of a
+ghost, and advanced across the courtyard towards him.
+
+Was it a restless spirit risen from its grave at the midnight hour,
+which must be close at hand? Through his brain, like a flash of
+lightning, darted the thought that Eva had spoken to him of her invalid
+mother. Had she died? Was her wandering soul approaching him to drive
+him from the threshold of the house which hid her endangered child?
+
+But no!
+
+The figure had stopped before the door and now, raising its head, gazed
+with wide eyes upward at the moon, and--he was not mistaken--it was
+no spectre of darkness; it was she for whom every pulse of his heart
+throbbed--Eva!
+
+No human creature had ever seemed to him so divinely fair as she in
+her long white night-robe, over which fell the thick waves of her
+light hair. The horror which had seized him yielded to the most ardent
+yearning. Pressing his hand upon his throbbing heart, he watched her
+every movement. He longed to go forward to meet her, yet a supernatural
+spell seemed to paralyse his energy. He would sooner have dared clasp in
+his arms the image of a beautiful Madonna than this embodiment of pure,
+helpless, gracious innocence.
+
+Now she herself drew nearer, but he felt as if his will was broken, and
+with timid awe he drew back one step, and then another, till the chain
+stopped him.
+
+Just at that moment she paused, stretched out her white arm with a
+beckoning gesture, and again turned towards the house, Heinz following
+because he could not help it, her sign drew him after her with magnetic
+power.
+
+Now Eva entered the dimly lighted corridor, and again her uplifted hand
+seemed to invite him to follow. Then--the impetuous throbbing of his
+heart almost stifled him--she set her little white foot on the first
+step of the stairs and led the way up to the first landing, where she
+paused, lifting her face to the open window, through which the moonbeams
+streamed into the hall, flooding her head, her figure, and every
+surrounding object with their soft light.
+
+Heinz followed step by step. It seemed as if the wild surges of a sea
+were roaring in his ears, and glittering sparks were dancing before his
+yearning, watchful eyes.
+
+How he loved her! How intense was the longing which drew him after
+her! And yet another emotion stirred in his heart with still greater
+power-grief, sincere grief, which pierced his in, most soul, that she
+could have beckoned to him, permitted him to follow her, granted him
+what he would never have ventured to ask. Nay, when he set his foot on
+the first step, it seemed as if the temple which contained his holiest
+treasure fell crashing around him, and an inner voice cried loudly:
+"Away, away from here! Would you exchange the purest and loftiest things
+for what tomorrow will fill you with grief and loathing?" it continued
+to admonish. "You will relinquish what is dearest and most sacred to
+secure what is ready to rush into your arms on all the high-roads.
+
+"Hence, hence, you poor, deluded mortal, ere it is too late!"
+
+But even had he known it was the fair fiend Venus herself moving before
+him under the guise of Eva, the spell of her unutterable beauty would
+have constrained him to follow her, though the goal were the Horselberg,
+death, and hell.
+
+On the second landing she again stood still and, leaning against a
+pillar, raised her arms and extended them towards the moon, in whose
+silvery light they gleamed like marble. Heinz saw her lips move, heard
+his own name fall from them, and all self-control vanished.
+
+"Eva!" he cried with passionate fervor, holding out his arms to clasp
+her; but, ere he even touched her, a shriek of despairing anguish echoed
+loudly back from the walls.
+
+The sound of her own name had broken the threads with which the
+mysterious power of the moonlight had drawn her from her couch, down
+through the house, out of doors, and again back to the stairs.
+
+Sleep vanished with the dream which she had shared with him and,
+shuddering, she perceived where she was, saw the knight before her,
+became conscious that she had left her chamber in her night-robe, with
+disordered hair and bare feet; and, frantic with horror at the thought
+of the resistless might with which a mysterious force constrained her to
+obey it against her own will, deeply wounded by the painful feeling that
+she had been led so far across the bounds of maidenly modesty, hurt and
+angered by the boldness of the man before her, who had dared to follow
+her into her parents' house, she again raised her voice, this time to
+call her from whom she was accustomed to seek and find help in every
+situation in life.
+
+"Els! Els!" rang up the stairs; and the next moment Els, who had already
+heard Eva's first scream, sprang down the few steps to her sister's
+side.
+
+One glance at the trembling girl in her nightrobe, and at the moonlight
+which still bathed her in its rays, told Els what had drawn Eva to the
+stairs.
+
+The knight must have slipped into the house and found her there. She
+knew him and, before Heinz had time to collect his thoughts, she said
+soothingly to her sister, who threw her arms around her as though
+seeking protection, "Go up to your room, child!--Help her, Katterle.
+I'll come directly."
+
+While Eva, leaning on the maid's arm, mounted the stairs with trembling
+knees, Els turned to the Swiss and said in a grave, resolute tone: "If
+you are worthy of your escutcheon, Sir Knight, you will not now fly like
+a coward from this house across whose threshold you stole with shameful
+insolence, but await me here until I return. You shall not be detained
+long. But, to guard yourself and another from misinterpretation, you
+must hear me."
+
+Heinz nodded assent in silence, as if still under the spell of what he
+had recently experienced. But, ere he reached the entry below, Martsche,
+the old housekeeper, and Endres, the aged head packer, came towards
+him, just as they had risen from their beds, the former with a petticoat
+flung round her shoulders, the latter wrapped in a horse-blanket.
+
+Eva's shriek had waked both, but Els enjoined silence on everyone and,
+after telling them to go back to bed, said briefly that Eva in her
+somnambulism had this time gone out into the street and been brought
+back by the knight. Finally, she again said to Heinz, "Presently!" and
+then went to her sister.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+When Biberli bade farewell to his sweetheart, who gave him Eva's little
+note, he had arranged to meet her again in an hour or, if his duties
+detained him longer, in two; but after the "true and steadfast" fellow
+left her, her heart throbbed more and more anxiously, for the wrong
+she had done in acting as messenger between the young daughter of her
+employers and a stranger knight was indeed hard to forgive.
+
+Instead of waiting in the kitchen or entry for her lover's return, as
+she had intended, she had gone to the image of the Virgin at the gate of
+the Convent of St. Clare, before which she had often found consolation,
+especially when homesick yearning for the mountains of her native
+Switzerland pressed upon her too sorely. This time also it had been
+gracious to her, for after she had prayed very devoutly and vowed to
+give a candle to the Mother of God, as well as to St. Clare, she
+fancied that the image smiled upon her and promised that she should go
+unpunished.
+
+On her return the knight had just followed Eva into the house, and
+Biberli pursued his master as far as the stairs. Here Katterle met her
+lover, but, when she learned what was occurring, she became greatly
+enraged and incensed by the base interpretation which the servant placed
+upon Eva's going out into the street and, terrified by the danger into
+which the knight threatened to plunge them all, she forgot the patience
+and submission she was accustomed to show the true and steadfast
+Biberli. But--resolved to protect her young mistress from the
+presumptuous knight-scarcely had she angrily cried shame upon her lover
+for this base suspicion, protesting that Eva had never gone to seek a
+knight but, as she had often done on bright moonlight nights, walked in
+her sleep down the stairs and out of doors, when the young girl's shriek
+of terror summoned her to her aid.
+
+Biberli looked after her sullenly, meanwhile execrating bitterly enough
+the wild love which had robbed his master of reason and threatened to
+hurl him, Biberli, and even the innocent Katterle, whose brave defence
+of her mistress had especially pleased him, into serious misfortune.
+
+When old Endres appeared he had slipped behind a wall formed of bales
+heaped one above another, and did not stir until the entry was quiet
+again.
+
+To his amazement he had then found his master standing beside the door
+of the house, but his question--which, it is true, was not wholly devoid
+of a shade of sarcasm--whether the knight was waiting for the return of
+his sleep-walking sweetheart, was so harshly rebuffed that he deemed it
+advisable to keep silence for a time.
+
+Though Heinz Schorlin had perceived that he had followed an unconscious
+somnambulist, he was not yet capable of calmly reflecting upon what had
+occurred or of regarding the future with prudence. He knew one thing
+only: the fear was idle that the lovely creature whose image, surrounded
+by a halo of light, still hovered before him like a vision from a
+higher, more beautiful world, was an unworthy person who, with a face
+of angelic innocence, transgressed the laws of custom and modesty. Her
+shriek of terror, her horror at seeing him, and the cry for help which
+had brought her sister to her aid and roused the servants from their
+sleep, gave him the right to esteem her as highly as ever; and this
+conviction fanned into such a blaze the feeling of happiness which love
+had awakened and his foolish distrust had already begun to stifle, that
+he was firmly resolved, cost what it might, to make Eva his own.
+
+After he had reached this determination he began to reflect more
+quietly. What cared he for liberty and a rapid advance in the career
+upon which he had entered, if only his future life was beautified by her
+love!
+
+If he were required to woo her in the usual form, he would do so. And
+what a charming yet resolute creature was the other E, who, in her
+anxiety about her sister, had crossed his path with such grave, firm
+dignity! She was Wolff Eysvogel's betrothed bride, and it seemed to
+him a very pleasant thing to call the young man, whom he had so quickly
+learned to esteem, his brother-in-law.
+
+If the father refused his daughter to him, he would leave Nuremberg and
+ride to the Rhine, where Hartmann, the Emperor Rudolph's son, whom he
+loved like a younger brother, was now living. Heinz had instructed the
+lad of eighteen in the use of the lance and the sword, and Hartmann had
+sent him word the day before that the Rhine was beautiful, but without
+him he but half enjoyed even the pleasantest things. He needed him.
+Hundreds of other knights and squires could break in the new horses for
+the Emperor and the young Bohemian princess, though perhaps not quite
+so skilfully. Hartmann would understand him and persuade his imperial
+father to aid him in his suit. The warmhearted youth could not bear to
+see him sorrowful, and without Eva there was no longer joy or happiness.
+
+He was roused from these thoughts and dreams by his own name called in a
+low tone.
+
+Katterle had gone with Eva to the chamber, whither the older sister
+followed them. Tenderly embracing the weeping girl, she had kissed
+her wet eyes and whispered in an agitated voice, with which, however,
+blended a great deal of affectionate mischief: "The wolf who forced his
+way into the house does not seem quite so harmless as mine, whom I have
+succeeded in taming very tolerably. Go to mother now, darling. I'll be
+back directly."
+
+"What do you intend to do?" asked Eva timidly, still unable, under the
+influence of her strange experiences, to regain her self-control.
+
+"To look around the house," replied her sister, beckoning to Katterle to
+accompany her.
+
+In the entry she questioned the maid with stern decision, and the
+trembling girl owned, amid her tears, that Eva had sent a little note to
+the knight in reply to his request that she would name her colour, and
+whatever else her anxious mistress desired hastily to learn.
+
+After a threatening "We will discuss your outrageous conduct later," Els
+hurried down-stairs, and found in the entry the man whose pleasure in
+the pursuit of the innocent child whom she protected she meant to spoil.
+But though she expressed her indignation to the knight with the utmost
+harshness, he besought a hearing with so much respect and in such seemly
+words, that she requested him, in a gentler tone, to speak freely. But
+scarcely had he begun to relate how Eva, at the ball, had filled his
+heart with the purest love, when the trampling of horses' hoofs, which
+had come nearer and nearer to the house, suddenly ceased, and Biberli,
+who had gone into the court-yard, came hurrying back, exclaiming in a
+tone of warning, "The von Montforts!"
+
+At the same moment two men-servants threw back both leaves of the door,
+torchlight mingled with the moonbeams in the courtyard, and the next
+instant a goodly number of knights and gentlemen entered the hall.
+
+Biberli was not mistaken. The von Montforts had returned home, instead
+of spending the night at Kadolzburg, and neither Els nor the Swiss had
+the time or disposition to seek concealment.
+
+The intruders were preceded by men-servants, whose torches lighted the
+long, lofty storehouse brilliantly. It seemed to Els as if her heart
+stopped beating and she felt her cheeks blanch.
+
+Here she beheld Count von Montfort's bronzed face, the countenance of a
+sportsman and reveller; yonder the frank, handsome features of the young
+Burgrave, Eitelfritz von Zollern, framed by the hood of the Knights of
+St. John, drawn up during the night-ride; there the pale, noble visage
+of the quiet knight Boemund Altrosen, far famed for his prowess with
+lance and sword; beyond, the scarred, martial countenance of Count
+Casper Schlick, set in a mass of tangled brown locks; and then the
+watery, blue eyes of Sir Seitz Siebenburg, the husband of her future
+sister-in-law Isabella.
+
+They had pressed in, talking eagerly, laughing, and rejoicing that the
+wild night ride proposed by Cordula von Montfort, which had led over
+dark forest paths, lighted only by a stray moonbeam, and often across
+fields and ditches and through streams, had ended without mischance to
+man or beast.
+
+Now they all crowded around the countess, Seitz Siebenburg bending
+towards her with such zeal that the ends of his huge mustache brushed
+the plumes in her cap, and Boemund Altrosen, who had just been gazing
+into the flushed face of the daring girl with the warm joy of true love,
+cast a look of menace at him.
+
+Els, too, greatly disliked "the Mustache," as her future brother-in-law
+was called because the huge ornament on his upper lip made him
+conspicuous among the beardless knights. She was aware that he returned
+the feeling, and had left no means untried to incite Wolff Eysvogel's
+parents to oppose his betrothal. Now he was one of the first to notice
+her and, after whispering with a malicious smile to the countess and
+those nearest to him, he looked at her so malevolently that she could
+easily guess what interpretation he was trying to put upon her nocturnal
+meeting with the Swiss in the eyes of his companions.
+
+Her cheeks flamed with wrath, and like a flash of lightning came the
+thought of the pleasure it would afford this wanton company, whose
+greatest delight was to gloat over the errors of their neighbours, if
+the knight who had brought her into this suspicious situation, or she
+herself, should confess that not she, but the devout Eva, had attracted
+Heinz hither. What a satisfaction it would be to this reckless throng to
+tell such a tale of a young girl of whom the Burgravine von Zollern had
+said the evening before to their Uncle Pfinzing, that purity and piety
+had chosen Eva's lovely face for a mirror!
+
+What if Heinz Schorlin, to save her, Els, from evil report, should
+confess that she was here only to rebuke his insolent intrusion into a
+decorous household?
+
+This must be prevented, and Heinz seemed to understand her; for after
+their eyes had met, his glance of helpless enquiry told her that he
+would leave her to find an escape from this labyrinth.
+
+The merry party, who now perceived that they had interrupted the
+nocturnal tryst of lovers, did not instantly know what to do and, as
+one looked enquiringly at another, an embarrassed silence followed their
+noisy jollity.
+
+But the hush did not last long, and its interruption at first seemed to
+Els to bode the worst result; it was a peal of gay, reckless laughter,
+ringing from the lips of the very Cordula von Montfort, into whose eyes,
+as the only one of her own sex who was present, Els had just gazed with
+a look imploring aid.
+
+Had Eva's aversion to the countess been justified, and was she about to
+take advantage of her unpleasant position to jeer at her?
+
+Had the two quarreled at the ball the night before, and did Cordula now
+perceive an opportunity to punish the younger sister by the humiliation
+of the older one?
+
+Yet her laugh sounded by no means spiteful--rather, very gay and
+natural. The pleasant grey eyes sparkled with the most genuine mirth,
+and she clapped her little hands so joyously that the falcon's chain on
+the gauntlet of her riding glove rattled.
+
+And what was this?
+
+No one looks at a person whom one desires to wound with an expression of
+such cheerful encouragement as the look with which Cordula now gazed at
+Els and Heinz Schorlin, who stood by her side. True, they were at first
+extremely perplexed by the words she now shouted to those around her in
+a tone of loud exultation, as though announcing a victory; but from the
+beginning they felt that there was no evil purpose in them. Soon they
+even caught the real meaning of the countess's statement, and Els was
+ashamed of having feared any injury from the girl whose defender she had
+always been.
+
+"Won, Sir Knight--cleverly won!" was her first sentence to Heinz.
+
+Then, turning to Els, she asked with no less animation: "And you, my
+fair maid and very strict housemate, who has won the wager now? Do you
+still believe it is an inconceivable thought that the modest daughter
+of a decorous Nuremberg race, entitled to enter the lists of a tourney,
+would grant a young knight a midnight meeting?" And addressing her
+companions, she continued, in an explanatory yet still playful tone:
+"She was ready to wager the beautiful brown locks which she now hides
+modestly under a kerchief, and even her betrothed lover's ring.
+It should be mine if I succeeded in leading her to commit such an
+abominable deed. But I was content, if I won the wager, with a smaller
+forfeit; yet now that I have gained it, Jungfrau Ortlieb, you must pay!"
+
+The whole company listened in astonishment to this speech, which no
+one understood, but the countess, nodding mischievously to her nearest
+neighbours, went on:
+
+"How bewildered you all look! It might tempt me to satisfy your
+curiosity less speedily, but, after the delightful entertainment you
+gave us, my Lord Burgrave, one becomes merciful. So you shall hear how
+I, as wise as the serpent, craftily forced this haughty knight"--she
+tapped Heinz Schorlin's arm with her riding whip--"and you, too,
+Jungfrau Ortlieb, whose pardon I now entreat, to help me win the bet. No
+offence, noble sirs! But this bet was what compelled me to drag you all
+from Kadolzburg and its charms so early, and induce you to attend me on
+the reckless ride through the moonlit night. Now accept the thanks of
+a lady whose heart is grateful; for your obedience helped me win
+the wager. Look yonder at my handsome, submissive knight, Sir Heinz
+Schorlin, so rich in every virtue. I commanded, him, on pain of my
+anger, to meet me at midnight at the entrance of our quarters--that is,
+the entry of the Ortlieb mansion; and to this modest and happy betrothed
+bride (may she pardon the madcap!) I represented how it troubled me and
+wounded my timid delicacy to enter so late at night, accompanied only
+by gentlemen, the house which so hospitably sheltered us, and go to my
+sleeping room, though I should not fear the Sultan and his mamelukes,
+if with this in my hand"--she motioned to her riding whip--"and my dear
+father at my side, I stood on my own feet which, though by no means
+small, are well-shod and resolute. Yet, as we are apt to measure others
+by our own standard, the timid, decorous girl believed me, and poor
+Cordula, who indeed brought only her maids and no female guardian, and
+therefore must dispense with being received on her return by a lady
+capable of commanding respect, did not appeal in vain to the charitable
+feelings of her beautiful housemate. She promised faithfully to come
+down into the entry, when the horses approached, to receive the poor
+lamb, surrounded by lynxes, wild-cats, foxes, and wolves, and lead it
+into the safe fold--if one can call this stately house by such a name.
+Both Sir Heinz Schorlin and Jungfrau Elizabeth Ortlieb kept their
+word and joined each other here--to their extreme amazement, I should
+suppose, as to my knowledge they never met before--to receive me, and
+thus had an interview which, however loudly they may contradict it, I
+call a nocturnal meeting. But my wager, fair child, is won, and tomorrow
+you will deliver to me the exquisite carved ivory casket, while I shall
+keep my bracelet."
+
+Here she paused, paying no heed to the merry threats, exclamations of
+amazement, and laughter of her companions.
+
+But while her father, striking his broad chest, cried again and again,
+with rapturous delight, "A paragon of a woman!" and Seitz Siebenburg, in
+bitter disappointment, whispered, "The fourteen saintly helpers in time
+of need might learn from you how to draw from the clamps what is not
+worth rescue and probably despaired of escape," she was trying to
+give time to recover more composure her young hostess, to whom she
+was sincerely attached, and who, she felt sure, could have met Heinz
+Schorlin, who perhaps had come hither on her own account, only by
+some cruel chance. So she added in a quieter tone: "And now, Jungfrau
+Ortlieb, in sober earnest I will ask your protection and guidance
+through the dark house, and meanwhile you shall tell me how Sir Heinz
+greeted you and what passed between you, either good or bad, during the
+time of waiting."
+
+Els summoned up her courage and answered loud enough to be heard by
+all present: "We were speaking of you, Countess Cordula, and the knight
+said:
+
+"I ventured to remark, Countess," said Heinz, interrupting the new ally,
+"that though you might understand how to show a poor knight his folly,
+no kinder heart than yours throbbed under any bodice in Switzerland,
+Swabia, or France." Cordula struck him lightly on the shoulder with her
+riding whip, saying with a laugh: "Who permits you to peep under women's
+bodices through so wide a tract of country, you scamp? Had I been
+in Jungfrau Ortlieb's place I should have punished your entry into a
+respectable house:
+
+"Oh, my dear Countess," Heinz interrupted, and his words bore so
+distinctly the stamp of truth and actual experience that even Sir Seitz
+Siebenburg was puzzled, "though I am always disposed to be grateful to
+you, I cannot feel a sense of obligation for this lady's reception of
+me, even to the most gracious benefactress. For, by my patron saint, she
+forbade me the house as if I were a thief and a burglar."
+
+"And she was right!" exclaimed the countess. "I would have treated you
+still more harshly. Only you would have spared yourself many a sharp
+word had you confessed at once that it was I who summoned you here. I'll
+talk with you tomorrow, and am I not right, Jungfrau Elsyou won't make
+him suffer for losing the wager, but exercise your domestic authority
+after a more gentle fashion?"
+
+While speaking, she looked at Els with a glance so full of meaning that
+the young girl's cheeks crimsoned, and the longing to put an end to this
+deceitful game became almost uncontrollable. The thought of Eva alone
+sealed her lips.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+One person only besides Sir Seitz Siebenburg had not been deceived--the
+young knight Boemund Altrosen, whose love for Cordula was genuine, and
+who, by its unerring instinct, felt that she had invented her tale and
+for a purpose which did honour to her kindness of heart. So his calm
+black eyes rested upon the woman he loved with proud delight, while
+Seitz Siebenburg twisted his mustache fiercely. Not a look or movement
+of either of the two girls had escaped his notice, and Cordula's bold
+interference in behalf of the reckless Swiss knight, who now seemed
+to have ensnared his future sister-in-law also, increased the envy and
+jealousy which tortured him until he was forced to exert the utmost
+self-restraint in order not to tell the countess to her face that he, at
+least, was far from being deceived by such a fable. Yet he succeeded in
+controlling himself. But as he forced his lips to silence he gazed with
+the most open scorn at the bales of merchandise heaped around him. He
+would show the others that, though the husband of a merchant's daughter,
+he retained the prejudices of his knightly rank.
+
+But no one heeded the disagreeable fellow, who had no intimate friends
+in the group. Most of the company were pressing round Heinz Schorlin
+with jests and questions, but bluff Count von Montfort warmly clasped
+Els's hand, while he apologised for the bold jest of his young daughter
+who, in spite of her recklessness, meant kindly.
+
+Nothing could have been more unwelcome to a girl in so unpleasant a
+situation than this delay. She longed most ardently to get away but,
+ere she succeeded in escaping from the friendly old noble, two gentlemen
+hastily entered the brightly lighted entry, at sight of whom her heart
+seemed to stop beating.
+
+The old count, who noticed her blanched face, released her, asking
+sympathisingly what troubled her, but Els did not hear him.
+
+When she felt him loose her hand she would fain have fled up the stairs
+to her mother and sister, to avoid the discussions which must now
+follow. But she knew into what violent outbursts of sudden anger her
+usually prudent father could be hurried if there was no one at hand to
+warn him.
+
+There he stood in the doorway, his stern, gloomy expression forming a
+strange contrast to the merry party who had entered in such a jovial
+mood.
+
+His companion, Herr Casper Eysvogel, had already noticed his future
+daughter-in-law, recognised her by an amazed shrug of the shoulders
+which was anything but a friendly greeting, and now eyed the excited
+revellers with a look as grave and repellent as that of the owner of the
+house. Herr Casper's unusual height permitted him to gaze over the heads
+of the party though, with the exception of Count von Montfort, they were
+all tall, nay, remarkably tall men, and the delicacy of his clear-cut,
+pallid, beardless face had never seemed to Els handsomer or more
+sinister. True, he was the father of her Wolff, but the son resembled
+this cold-hearted man only in his unusual stature, and a chill ran
+through her veins as she felt the stately old merchant's blue eyes,
+still keen and glittering, rest upon her.
+
+On the day of her betrothal she had rushed into his arms with a warm and
+grateful heart, and he had kissed her, as custom dictated; but it was
+done in a strange way--his thin, well-cut lips had barely brushed her
+brow. Then he stepped back and turned to his wife with the low command,
+"It is your turn now, Rosalinde." Her future mother-in-law rose quickly,
+and doubtless intended to embrace her affectionately, but a loud cough
+from her own mother seemed to check her, for ere she opened her arms to
+Els she turned to her and excused her act by the words, "He wishes it."
+Yet Els was finally clasped in Frau Rosalinde's arms and kissed more
+warmly than--from what had previously occurred--she had expected.
+
+Wolff's grandmother, old Countess Rotterbach, who rarely left the huge
+gilt armchair in her daughter's sitting-room, had watched the whole
+scene with a scornful smile; then, thrusting her prominent chin still
+farther forward, she said to her daughter, loud enough for Els to hear,
+"This into the bargain?"
+
+All these things returned to the young girl's memory as she gazed at the
+cold, statuesque face of her lover's father. It seemed as if he held his
+tall, noble figure more haughtily erect than usual, and that his plain
+dark garments were of richer material and more faultless cut than ever;
+nay, she even fancied that, like the lion, which crouches and strains
+every muscle ere it springs upon its victim, he was summoning all his
+pride and sternness to crush her.
+
+Els was innocent; nay, the motive which had brought her here to defend
+her sister could not fail to be approved by every well-disposed person,
+and certainly not last by her father, and it would have suited her
+truthful nature to contradict openly Countess Cordula's friendly
+falsehood had not her dread of fatally exposing Eva imposed silence.
+
+How her father's cheeks glowed already! With increasing anxiety, she
+attributed it to the indignation which overpowered him, yet he was only
+heated by the haste with which, accompanied by his future son-in-law's
+father, he had rushed here from the Frauenthor as fast as his feet would
+carry him. Casper Eysvogel had also attended the Vorchtel entertainment
+and accompanied Ernst Ortlieb into the street to discuss some business
+matters.
+
+He intended to persuade him to advance the capital for which he had just
+vainly asked Herr Vorchtel. He stood in most urgent need for the next
+few days of this great sum, of which his son and business partner must
+have no knowledge, and at first Wolff Eysvogel's future father-in-law
+saw no reason to refuse. But Herr Ernst was a cautious man, and when his
+companion imposed the condition that his son should be kept in ignorance
+of the loan, he was puzzled. He wished to learn why the business partner
+should not know what must be recorded in the books of the house; but
+Casper Eysvogel needed this capital to silence the Jew Pfefferkorn, from
+whom he had secretly borrowed large sums to conceal the heavy losses
+sustained in Venice the year before at the gaming table.
+
+At first courteously, then with rising anger, he evaded the questions
+of the business man, and his manner of doing so, with the little
+contradictions in which the arrogant man, unaccustomed to falsehood,
+involved himself, showed Herr Ernst that all was not as it should be.
+
+By the time they reached the Frauenthor, he had told Casper Eysvogel
+positively that he would not fulfil the request until Wolff was informed
+of the matter.
+
+Then the sorely pressed man perceived that nothing but a frank
+confession could lead him to his goal. But what an advantage it would
+give his companion, what a humiliation it would impose upon himself!
+He could not force his lips to utter it, but resolved to venture a last
+essay by appealing to the father, instead of to the business man; and
+therefore, with the haughty, condescending manner natural to him,
+he asked Herr Ernst, as if it were his final word, whether he had
+considered that his refusal of a request, which twenty other men would
+deem it an honour to fulfil, might give their relations a form very
+undesirable both to his daughter and himself?
+
+"No, I did not suppose that a necessity," replied his companion firmly,
+and then added in an irritated tone: "But if you need the loan so much
+that you require for your son a father-in-law who will advance it to you
+more readily, why, then, Herr Casper--"
+
+Here he paused abruptly. A flood of light streamed into the street
+from the doorway of the Ortlieb house. It must be a fire, and with
+the startled cry, "St. Florian aid us! my entry is burning!" he rushed
+forward with his companion to the endangered house so quickly that the
+torchbearers, who even in this bright night did good service in the
+narrow streets, whose lofty houses barred out the moonlight, could
+scarcely follow.
+
+Thus Herr Ernst, far more anxious about his invalid, helpless wife than
+his imperilled wares, soon reached his own door. His companion crossed
+the threshold close behind him, sullen, deeply incensed, and determined
+to order his son to choose between his love and favour and the daughter
+of this unfriendly man, whom only a sudden accident had prevented from
+breaking the betrothal.
+
+The sight of so many torches blazing here was an exasperating spectacle
+to Ernst Ortlieb, who with wise caution and love of order insisted that
+nothing but lanterns should be used to light his house, which contained
+inflammable wares of great value; but other things disturbed his
+composure, already wavering, to an even greater degree.
+
+What was his Els doing at this hour among these gentlemen, all of whom
+were strangers?
+
+Without heeding them or the countess, he was hastening towards her to
+obtain a solution of this enigma, but the young Burgrave Eitelfritz von
+Zollern, the Knight of Altrosen, Cordula von Montfort, and others barred
+his way by greeting him and eagerly entreating him to pardon their
+intrusion at so late an hour.
+
+Having no alternative, he curtly assented, and was somewhat soothed
+as he saw old Count von Montfort, who was still standing beside Els,
+engaged in an animated conversation with her. His daughter's presence
+was probably due to that of the guests quartered in his home, especially
+Cordula, whom, since she disturbed the peace of his quiet household
+night after night, he regarded as the personification of restlessness
+and reckless freedom. He would have preferred to pass her unnoticed, but
+she had clung to his arm and was trying, with coaxing graciousness, to
+soften his indignation by gaily relating how she had come here and
+what had detained her and her companions. But Ernst Ortlieb, who would
+usually have been very susceptible to such an advance from a young and
+aristocratic lady, could not now succeed in smoothing his brow. In his
+excitement he was not even able to grasp the meaning of the story she
+related merrily, though with well-feigned contrition. While listening
+to her with one ear, he was straining the other to catch what Sir Seitz
+Siebenburg was saying to his father-in-law, Casper Eysvogel.
+
+He gathered from Countess Cordula's account that she had succeeded in
+playing some bold prank in connection with Els and the Swiss knight
+Heinz Schorlin, and the words "the Mustache" was whispering to his
+father-in-law-the direction of his glance betrayed it--also referred to
+Els and the Swiss. But the less Herr Ernst heard of this conversation
+the more painfully it excited his already perturbed spirit.
+
+Suddenly his pleasant features, which, on account of the lady at his
+side, he had hitherto forced to wear a gracious aspect, assumed an
+expression which filled the reckless countess with grave anxiety, and
+urged the terrified Els, who had not turned her eyes from him, to a
+hasty resolution. That was her father's look when on the point of an
+outbreak of fury, and at this hour, surrounded by these people, he must
+not allow himself to yield to rage; he must maintain a tolerable degree
+of composure.
+
+Without heeding the young Burgrave Eitelfritz or Sir Boemund Altrosen,
+who were just approaching her, she forced her way nearer to her father,
+He still maintained his self-control, but already the veins on his brow
+had swollen and his short figure was rigidly erect. The cause of
+his excitement--she had noticed it--was some word uttered by Seitz
+Siebenburg. Her father was the only person who had understood it, but
+she was not mistaken in the conjecture that it referred to her and the
+Swiss knight, and she believed it to be base and spiteful.
+
+In fact, after his father-in-law had told him that Ernst Ortlieb thought
+his house was on fire, "the Mustache," in reply to Herr Casper's enquiry
+how his son's betrothed bride happened to be there, answered scornfully:
+"Els? She did not hasten hither, like the old man, to put the fire
+out, but because one flame was not enough for her. Wolff must know it
+to-morrow. By day the slender little flame of honourable betrothed love
+flickers for him; by night it blazes more brightly for yonder Swiss
+scoundrel. And the young lady chooses for the scene of this toying with
+fire the easily ignited warehouse of her own father!"
+
+"I will secure mine against such risks," Casper Eysvogel answered; then,
+casting a contemptuous glance at Els and a wrathful one at the Swiss
+knight, he added with angry resolution: "It is not yet too late. So long
+as I am myself no one shall bring peril and disgrace upon my house and
+my son."
+
+Then Herr Ernst had suddenly become aware of the suspicion with which
+his beautiful, brave, self-sacrificing child was regarded. Pale as
+death, he struggled for composure, and when his eyes met the imploring
+gaze of the basely defamed girl, he said to himself that he must
+maintain his self-control in order not to afford the frivolous revellers
+who surrounded him an entertaining spectacle.
+
+Wolff was dear to him, but before he would have led his Els to the
+house where the miserable "Mustache" lived, and whose head was the
+coldhearted, gloomy man whose words had just struck him like a poisoned
+arrow, he, whom the Lord had bereft of his beloved, gallant son, would
+have been ready to deprive himself of his daughters also and take both
+to the convent. Eva longed to go, and Els might find there a new and
+beautiful happiness, like his sister, the Abbess Kunigunde. In the
+Eysvogel house, never!
+
+During these hasty reflections Els extended her hand toward him, and
+the shining gold circlet which her lover had placed on her ring finger
+glittered in the torchlight. A thought darted through his brain with
+the speed of lightning, and without hesitation he drew the ring from
+the hand of his astonished daughter, whispering curtly, yet tenderly, in
+reply to her anxious cry, "What are you doing?"
+
+"Trust me, child."
+
+Then hastily approaching Casper Eysvogel, he beckoned to him to move a
+little aside from the group.
+
+The other followed, believing that Herr Ernst would now promise the sum
+requested, yet firmly resolved, much as he needed it, to refuse.
+
+Ernst Ortlieb, however, made no allusion to business matters, but with a
+swift gesture handed him the ring which united their two children. Then,
+after a rapid glance around had assured him that no one had followed
+them, he whispered to Herr Casper: "Tell your Wolff that he was, and
+would have remained, dear to us; but my daughter seems to me too good
+for his father's house and for kindred who fear that she will bring
+injury and shame upon them. Your wish is fulfilled. I hereby break the
+betrothal."
+
+"And, in so doing, you only anticipate the step which I intended to take
+with more cogent motives," replied Casper Eysvogel with cool composure,
+shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. "The city will judge to-morrow
+which of the two parties was compelled to sever a bond sacred in the
+sight of God and men. Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to give
+your daughter the good opinion you cherish of my son."
+
+Drawing his stately figure to its full height as he spoke, he gazed at
+his diminutive adversary with a look of haughty contempt and, without
+vouchsafing a word in farewell, turned his back upon him.
+
+Repressed fury was seething in Ernst Ortlieb's breast, and he would
+scarcely have succeeded in controlling himself longer but for the
+consolation afforded by the thought that every tie was sundered between
+his daughter and this cold, arrogant, unjust man and his haughty, evil
+disposed kindred. But when he again looked for the daughter on whom
+his hasty act had doubtless inflicted a severe blow, she was no longer
+visible.
+
+Directly after he took the ring she had glided silently, unnoticed by
+most of the company, up the stairs to the second story. Cordula von
+Montfort told him this in a low tone.
+
+Els had made no answer to her questions, but her imploring, tearful
+eyes pierced the young countess to the heart. Her quick ear had caught
+Siebenburg's malicious words and Casper Eysvogel's harsh response and,
+with deep pity, she felt how keenly the poor girl must suffer.
+
+The happiness of a whole life destroyed without any fault of her own!
+From their first meeting Els had seemed to her incapable of any careless
+error, and she had merely tried, by her bold, interference, to protect
+her from the gossip of evil tongues. But Heinz Schorlin had just
+approached and whispered that, by his knightly honour, Els was a total
+stranger to him, and he only wished he might find his own dear sister at
+home as pure and free from any fault.
+
+Poor child! But the countess knew who had frustrated her intervention
+in behalf of Els. It was Sir Seitz Siebenburg, "the Mustache," whose
+officious homage, at first amusing, had long since become repulsive. Her
+heart shrank from the thought that, merely from vain pleasure in having
+a throng of admirers, she had given this scoundrel more than one glance
+of encouragement. The riding whip fairly quivered in her right hand
+as, after informing Ernst Ortlieb where Els had gone, she warned the
+gentlemen that it was time to depart, and Seitz Siebenburg submissively,
+yet as familiarly as if he had a right to her special favour, held out
+his hand in farewell.
+
+But Countess Cordula withdrew hers with visible dislike, saying in a
+tone of chilling repulse: "Remember me to your wife, Sir Knight. Tell
+her to take care that her twin sons resemble their father as little as
+possible."
+
+"Then you want to have two ardent admirers the less?" asked Siebenburg
+gaily, supposing that the countess's remark was a jest.
+
+But when she did not, as he expected, give these insulting words an
+interpretation favourable to him, but merely shrugged her shoulders
+scornfully, he added, glancing fiercely at the Swiss knight:
+
+"True, you would doubtless be better pleased should the boys grow up
+to resemble the lucky Sir Heinz Schorlin, for whose sake you proved
+yourself the inventor of tales more marvellous, if not more credible,
+than the most skilful travelling minstrel."
+
+"Perhaps so," replied the countess with contemptuous brevity. "But I
+should be satisfied if the twins--and this agrees with my first wish
+should grow up honest men. If you should pay me the honour of a visit
+during the next few days, Sir Seitz, I could not receive it."
+
+With these words she turned away, paying no further heed to him, though
+he called her name aloud, as if half frantic.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+It was after midnight when the servants closed the heavy door of the
+Ortlieb mansion. The late guests had left it, mounted their horses, and
+ridden away together through the Frauenthor into the city.
+
+The moon no longer lighted their way. A sultry wind had swept from
+the southwest masses of grey clouds, which constantly grew denser and
+darker. Heinz Schorlin did not notice it, but his follower, Biberli,
+called his attention to the rising storm and entreated him to choose the
+nearest road to the city. To remain outside the gate in such darkness
+would be uncomfortable, nay, perhaps not without peril, but the knight
+merely flung him the peevish answer, "So much the better," and, to
+Biberli's surprise, turned into St. Klarengasse, which brought him by no
+means nearer to his distant lodgings in the Bindergasse.
+
+It was unfortunate to be warmly devoted to a master who had no fear,
+whom he was obliged to serve as a messenger of love, and who now
+probably scarcely knew himself whither this love would lead him.
+
+But true and steadfast Biberli would really have followed Sir Heinz, not
+only in a dangerous nocturnal ramble, but through all the terrors of.
+hell. So he only glanced down at his long, lean legs, which would be
+exposed here to the bites of the dogs, with whom he stood on especially
+bad terms, raised his long robe higher, as the paths over which they
+must pass were of doubtful cleanliness, and deemed it a good omen
+when his foot struck against a stout stick, which his patron saint
+had perhaps thrown in his way as a weapon. Its possession was somewhat
+soothing, it is true, yet he did not regain the pleasant consciousness
+of peace in which his soul had rejoiced a few short hours before.
+
+He knew what to expect from the irritable mood into which recent events
+appeared to have thrown his master. Heinz usually soon forgot any such
+trivial disappointment, but the difficulty threatening himself and
+Katterle was far worse--nay, might even assume terrible proportions.
+
+These alarming thoughts made him sigh so deeply that Heinz turned
+towards him.
+
+He would gladly have relieved his own troubled breast in the same way.
+Never before had the soul of this light-hearted child of good fortune
+served as the arena for so fierce a struggle of contending emotions.
+
+He loved Eva, and the image of her white, supernaturally beautiful
+figure, flooded by the moonlight, still stood before him as distinctly
+as when, after her disappearance, he had resolved to plead his suit
+for her to her sister; but the usually reckless fellow asked himself,
+shuddering, what would have happened had he obeyed Eva's summons and
+been found with her, as he had just been surprised with her sister. She
+was not wholly free from guilt, for her note had really contained an
+invitation to a meeting; yet she escaped. But his needless impetuosity
+and her sudden appearance before the house had placed her modest,
+charming sister, the betrothed bride of the gallant fellow who had
+fought with him in the Marchfield, in danger of being misunderstood and
+despised. If the finger of scorn were pointed at her, if a stain rested
+on her fair fame, the austere Wolff Eysvogel would hardly desire to make
+her his wife, and then this also would be his fault.
+
+His kind, honest heart suffered keenly under these self-accusations, the
+first which he had ever heeded.
+
+Hitherto the volatile young fellow, who had often gaily risked his life
+in battle and his last penny at the gaming table, had never thought of
+seriously examining his own soul, battling by his own strength of will
+against some secret longing and shunning its cause. On the contrary,
+from childhood he had accustomed himself to rely on the protection and
+aid of the Virgin and the saints; and when they passed the image
+with the ever-burning lamp, where Katterle had just sought and found
+consolation, he implored it not to let his bold intrusion into the home
+of the maiden he loved bring evil upon her and her sister. He also vowed
+to the convent and its saint--which, come what might, should also be
+his--a rich gift whenever the Emperor or the gaming table again filled
+his purse.
+
+The thought of being burdened his whole life long with the reproach
+of having made two such charming, innocent creatures miserable seemed
+unendurable. He would gladly have given gold and blood to remove it.
+
+It was too late that day, but he resolved to go to the confessional on
+the morrow, for absolution had always relieved and lightened his
+heart. But how trivial his errors had been! True, the wrong he had now
+committed was not a mortal sin, and would hardly impose a severe penance
+upon him, yet it burdened him like the most infamous crime. He did not
+understand himself, and often wondered why he, reckless Heinz, thus
+made a mountain out of a molehill. Yet when, after this reflection, he
+uttered a sigh of relief, it seemed as if a voice within commanded him
+not to think lightly of what had passed, for on that evening he had
+ceased to bestow pleasure on every one, and instead of, as usual,
+being helpful and agreeable, he had plunged others who had done him no
+wrong--nay, perhaps a whole household, whose daughter had given him
+the first love of her young heart-into misery and disgrace. Had he
+considered the consequences of his act, he would still be merry Heinz.
+Then he remembered how, when a boy, playing with other lads high up
+among the mountains just as it was beginning to thaw, he had hurled the
+work they had finished with so much toil, a snow man, down the slope,
+rejoicing with his playfellows over its swift descent towards the
+valley, until they noticed with what frightful speed its bulk increased
+as it sped over its snowy road, till at last, like a terrible avalanche,
+it swept away a herdsman's hut--fortunately an empty one. Now, also, his
+heedlessness had set in motion a mass which constantly rolled onward,
+and how terrible might be the harm it would do!
+
+If Hartmann, the Emperor's son, were only there! He confided everything
+to him, for he was sure of his silence. Both his duty as a knight and
+his conscience forbade him to relate his experiences and ask counsel
+from any one else.
+
+He was still absorbed in these gloomy thoughts when, just before
+reaching the Walch, he heard Biberli's deep sigh. Here, behind and
+beside the frames of the cloth weavers, stood the tents before which the
+followers and soldiers of the princes and dignitaries who had come to
+the Reichstag were still sitting around the camp fire, carousing and
+laughing.
+
+Any interruption was welcome to him, and to Biberli it seemed like a
+deliverance to be permitted to use his poor endangered tongue, for his
+master had asked what grief oppressed him.
+
+"If you desired to know what trouble did not burden my soul I could find
+a speedier answer," replied Biberli piteously. "Oh, this night, my lord!
+What has it not brought upon us and others! Look at the black clouds
+rising in the south. They are like the dark days impending over us poor
+mortals."
+
+Then he confided to Heinz his fears for himself and Katterle. The
+knight's assurance that he would intercede for him and, if necessary,
+even appeal to the Emperor's favour, somewhat cheered his servitor's
+drooping spirits, it is true, but by no means restored his composure,
+and his tone was lugubrious enough as he went on:
+
+"And the poor innocent girl in the Ortlieb house! Your little lady, my
+lord, broke the bread she must now eat herself, but the other, the older
+E."
+
+"I know," interrupted the knight sorrowfully. "But if the gracious
+Virgin aids us, they will continue to believe in the wager Cordula von
+Montfort----"
+
+"She! she!" Biberli exclaimed, enthusiastically waving his stick aloft.
+"The Lord created her in a good hour. Such a heart! Such friendly
+kindness! And to think that she interposed so graciously for you--you,
+Sir Heinz, to whom she showed the favour of combing your locks, as if
+you were already her promised husband, and who afterwards, for another's
+sake, left her at the ball as if she wore a fern cap and had become
+invisible. I saw the whole from the musician's gallery. True, the
+somnambulist is marvellously beautiful."
+
+But the knight interrupted him by exclaiming so vehemently: "Silence!"
+that he paused.
+
+Both walked on without speaking for some distance ere Heinz began again:
+
+"Even though I live to grow old and grey, never shall I behold aught
+more beautiful than the vision of that white-robed girlish figure on the
+stairs."
+
+True and steadfast Biberli sighed faintly. Love for Eva Ortlieb held
+his master as if in a vise; but a Schorlin seemed to him far too good a
+match for a Nuremberg maiden who had grown up among sacks of pepper and
+chests of goods and, moreover, was a somnambulist. He looked higher for
+his Heinz, and had already found the right match for him. So, turning to
+him again, he said earnestly:
+
+"Drive the bewitching vision from your mind, Sir Heinz. You don't
+know--but I could tell you some tales about women who walk in their
+sleep by moonlight."
+
+"Well?" asked Heinz eagerly.
+
+"As a maiden," Biberli continued impressively, with the pious intention
+of guarding his master from injury, "the somnambulist merely runs the
+risk of falling from the roof, or whatever accident may happen to a
+sleepwalker; but if she enters the estate of holy matrimony, the evil
+power which has dominion over her sooner or later transforms her at
+midnight into a troll, which seizes her husband's throat in his sleep
+and strangles him."
+
+"Nursery tales!" cried Heinz angrily, but Biberli answered calmly:
+
+"It can make no difference to you what occurs in the case of such
+possessed women, for henceforward the Ortlieb house will be closed
+against you. And--begging your pardon--it is fortunate. For, my lord,
+the horse mounted by the first Schorlin--the chaplain showed it to you
+in the picture--came from the ark in which Noah saved it with the other
+animals from the deluge, and the first Lady Schorlin whom the family
+chronicles mention was a countess. Your ancestresses came from citadels
+and castles; no Schorlin ever yet brought his bride from a tradesman's
+house. You, the proudest of them all, will scarcely think of making such
+an error, though it is true--"
+
+"Ernst Ortlieb, spite of his trade, is a man of knightly lineage, to
+whom the king of arms opens the lists at every tournament!" exclaimed
+Heinz indignantly.
+
+"In the combat with blunt weapons," replied Biberli contemptuously.
+
+"Nay, for the jousts and single combat," cried Heinz excitedly. "The
+Emperor Frederick himself dubbed Herr Ernst a knight."
+
+"You know best," replied Biberli modestly. But his coat of arms, like
+his entry, smells of cloves and pepper. Here is another, however,
+who, like your first ancestress, has a countess's title, and who has a
+right--My name isn't Biberli if your lady mother at home would not be
+more than happy were I to inform her that the Countess von Montfort and
+the darling of her heart, which you are:
+
+"The name of Montfort and what goes with it," Heinz interrupted, "would
+surely please those at home. But the rest! Where could a girl be found
+who, setting aside Cordula's kind heart, would be so great a contrast to
+my mother in every respect?"
+
+"Stormy mornings merge into quiet days," said the servant. "Everything
+depends, my lord, upon the heart of which you speak so slightingly--the
+heart and, even above that, upon the blood. 'Help is needed there,'
+cried the kind heart just now, and then the blood did its 'devoir'. The
+act followed the desire as the sound follows the blow of the hammer,
+the thunder the flash of lightning. Well for the castle that is ruled by
+such a mistress! I am only the servant, and respect commands me to curb
+my tongue; but to-day I had news from home through the Provost Werner,
+of Lucerne, whom I knew at Stansstadt. I meant to tell you of it
+over the wine at the Thirsty Troopers, but that accursed note and the
+misfortune which followed prevented. It will not make either of us more
+cheerful, but whoever is ordered by the leech to drink gall and wormwood
+does wisely to swallow the dose at one gulp. Do you wish to empty the
+cup now?"
+
+The knight nodded assent, and Biberli went on. "Home affairs are not
+going as they ought. Though your uncle's hair is already grey, the
+knightly blood in his veins makes him grasp the sword too quickly. The
+quarrel about the bridge-toll has broken out again more violently than
+ever. The townsfolk drove off our cattle as security and, by way of
+punishment, your uncle seized the goods of their merchants, and they
+came to blows. True, the Schorlin retainers forced back the men from
+town with bloody heads, but if the feud lasts much longer we cannot hold
+out, for the others have the money, and since the war cry has sounded
+less frequently there has been no lack of men at arms who will serve any
+one who pays. Besides, the townsfolk can appeal to the treaty of peace,
+and if your uncle continues to seize the merchant's wares they will
+apply to the imperial magistrate, and then:
+
+"Then," cried Heinz eagerly, "then the time will have come for me to
+leave the court and return home to look after my rights."
+
+"A single arm, no matter how strong it may be, can avail nothing there,
+my lord," Biberli protested earnestly. "Your Uncle Ramsweg has scarcely
+his peer as a leader, but even were it not so you could not bring
+yourself to send the old man home and put yourself in his place.
+Besides, it would be as unwise as it is unjust. What is lacking at home
+is money to pay the town what it demands for the use of the bridge, or
+to increase the number of your men, and therefore:
+
+"Well?" asked Heinz eagerly.
+
+"Therefore seek the Countess von Montfort, who favours you above every
+one else," was the reply; "for with her all you need will be yours
+without effort. Her dowry will suffice to settle twenty such bridge
+dues, and if it should come to a fray, the brave huntress will ride to
+the field at your side with helmet and spear. Which of the four Fs did
+Countess Cordula von Montfort ever lack?"
+
+"The four Fs?" asked Heinz, listening intently. "The Fs," explained the
+ex-pedagogue, "are the four letters which marriageable knights should
+consider. They are: Family, figure, favour, and fortune. But hold your
+cap on! What a hot blast this is, as if the storm were coming straight
+from the jaws of hell. And the dust! Where did all these withered
+leaves come from in the month of June? They are whirling about as if the
+foliage had already fallen. There are big raindrops driving into my face
+too B-r-r! You need all four Fs. No rain will wash a single one of them
+away, and I hope it won't efface the least word of my speech either.
+What, according to human foresight, could be lacking to secure the
+fairest happiness, if you and the countess--"
+
+"Love," replied Heinz Schorlin curtly.
+
+"That will come of itself," cried Biberli, as if sure of what he was
+saying, "if the bride is Countess Cordula."
+
+"Possibly," answered the knight, "but the heart must not be filled by
+another's image."
+
+Here he paused, for in the darkness he had stumbled into the ditch by
+the road.
+
+The whirlwind which preceded the bursting of the storm blew such
+clouds of dust and everything it contained into their faces that it was
+difficult to advance. But Biberli was glad, for he had not yet found a
+fitting answer. He struggled silently on beside his master against the
+wind, until it suddenly subsided, and a violent storm of rain streamed
+in big warm drops on the thirsty earth and the belated pedestrians.
+Then, spite of Heinz's protestations, Biberli hurriedly snatched the
+long robe embroidered with the St from his shoulders and threw it over
+his master, declaring that his shirt was as safe from injury as his
+skin, but the rain would ruin the knight's delicate embroidered doublet.
+
+Then he drew over his head the hood which hung from his coat, and
+meanwhile must have decided upon an answer, for as soon as they moved on
+he began again: "You must drive your love for the beautiful sleepwalker
+out of your mind. Try to do so, my dear, dear master, for the sake
+of your lady mother, your young sister who will soon be old enough to
+marry, our light-hearted Maria, and the good old castle. For your own
+happiness, your lofty career, which began so gloriously, you must hear
+me! O master, my dear master, tear from your heart the image of the
+little Nuremberg witch, tempting though it is, I admit. The wound will
+bleed for a brief time, but after so much mirthful pleasure a fleeting
+disappointment in love, I should think, would not be too hard to bear
+if it will be speedily followed by the fairest and most enduring
+happiness."
+
+Here a flash of lightning, which illumined the hospital door close
+before them, and made every surrounding object as bright as day,
+interrupted the affectionate entreaty of the faithful fellow, and at the
+same time a tremendous peal of thunder crashed and rattled through the
+air.
+
+Master and servant crossed themselves, but Heinz exclaimed:
+
+"That struck the tower yonder. A little farther to the left, and all
+doubts and misgivings would have been ended."
+
+"You can say that!" exclaimed Biberli reproachfully while passing with
+his master through the gate which had just been opened for an imperial
+messenger. "And you dare to make such a speech in the midst of this
+heavenly wrath! For the sake of a pair of lovely eyes you are ready to
+execrate a life which the saints have so blessed with every gift
+that thousands and tens of thousands would not give it up from sheer
+gratitude and joy, even if it were not a blasphemous crime!"
+
+Again the lightning and thunder drowned his words. Biberli's heart
+trembled, and muttering prayers beseeching protection from the avenging
+hand above, he walked swiftly onward till they reached the Corn Market.
+Here they were again stopped, for, notwithstanding the late hour,
+a throng of people, shouting and wailing, was just pouring from the
+Ledergasse into the square, headed by a night watchman provided with
+spear, horn, and lantern, a bailiff, torchbearers, and some police
+officers, who were vainly trying to silence the loudest outcries.
+
+Again a brilliant flash of lightning pierced the black mass of clouds,
+and Heinz, shuddering, pointed to the crowd and asked, "Do you suppose
+the lightning killed the man whom they are carrying yonder?"
+
+"Let me see," replied Biberli, among whose small vices curiosity was by
+no means the least. He must have understood news gathering thoroughly,
+for he soon returned and informed Heinz, who had sought shelter from the
+rain under the broad bow window of a lofty house, that the bearers were
+just carrying to his parents' home a young man whose thread of life had
+been suddenly severed by a stab through the breast in a duel. After the
+witnesses had taken the corpse to the leech Otto, in the Ledergasse,
+and the latter said that the youth was dead, they had quickly dispersed,
+fearing a severe punishment on account of the breach of the peace. The
+murdered man was Ulrich Vorchtel, the oldest son of the wealthy Berthold
+Vorchel, who collected the imperial taxes.
+
+Again Heinz shuddered. He had seen the unfortunate young man the
+day before yesterday at the fencing school, and yesterday, full of
+overflowing mirth, at the dance, and knew that he, too, had fought in
+the battle of Marchfield. His foe must have been master of the art of
+wielding the sword, for the dead man had been a skilful fencer, and was
+tall and stalwart in figure.
+
+When the servant ended his story Heinz stood still in the darkness for a
+time, silently listening. The bells had begun to ring, the blast of the
+watchman's horn blended with the wailing notes summoning aid, and in
+two places--near the Thiergartenthor and the Frauenthor--the sky was
+crimsoned by the reflection of a conflagration, probably kindled by some
+flash of lightning, which flickered over the clouds, alternately rising
+and falling, sometimes deeper and anon paler in hue. Throngs of people,
+shouting "Fire!" pressed from the cross streets into the square. The
+stillness of the night was over.
+
+When Heinz again turned to Biberli he said in a hollow tone:
+
+"If the earth should swallow up Nuremberg tonight it would not surprise
+me. But over yonder--look, Biber, the Duke of Pomerania's quarters in
+the Green Shield are still lighted. I'll wager that they are yet at
+the gaming table. A plague upon it! I would be there, too, if my purse
+allowed. I feel as if yonder dead man and his coffin were burdening my
+soul. If it was really good fortune in love that snatched the zecchins
+from my purse yesterday:
+
+"Then," cried Biberli eagerly, "to-night is the very time, ere Countess
+Cordula teaches you to forget what troubles you, to win them back. The
+gold for the first stake is at your disposal."
+
+"From the Duke of Pomerania, you think?" asked Heinz; then, in a quick,
+resolute tone, added: "No! Often as the duke has offered me his purse,
+I never borrow from my peers when the prospect of repayment looks so
+uncertain."
+
+"Gently, my lord," returned Biberli, slapping his belt importantly.
+"Here is what you need for the stake as your own property. No miracles
+have been wrought for us, only I forgot But look! There are the black
+clouds rolling northward over the castle. That was a frightful storm!
+But a spendthrift doesn't keep house long-and the thunder has not yet
+followed that last flash of lightning. There is plenty of uproar without
+it. It's hard work to hear one's self speak amid all the ringing,
+trumpeting, yelling, and shrieking. It seems as if they expected to put
+out the fire with noise. The fathers of the city can attend to that.
+It doesn't appear to disturb the duke and his guests at their dice;
+and here, my lord, are fifty florins which, I think, will do for the
+beginning."
+
+Biberli handed the knight a little bag containing this sum, and when
+Heinz asked in perplexity where he obtained it, the ex-schoolmaster
+answered gaily: "They came just in the nick of time. I received them
+from Suss, the jockey, while you were out riding this afternoon."
+
+"For the black?" Heinz enquired.
+
+"Certainly, my lord. It's a pity about the splendid stallion. But, as
+you know, he has the staggers, and when I struck him on the coronet he
+stood as if rooted to the earth, and the equerry, who was there, said
+that the disease was proved. So the Jew silently submitted, let the
+horse be led away, and paid back what we gave him. Fifty heavy florins!
+More than enough for a beginning. If I may advise you, count on the two
+and the five when fixed numbers are to be thrown or hit. Why? Because
+you must turn your ill luck in love to advantage: and those from whom
+it comes are the two beautiful Ortlieb Es, as Nuremberg folk call the
+ladies Els and Eva. That makes the two. But E is the fifth letter in
+the alphabet, so I should choose the five. If Biberli did not put things
+together shrewdly--"
+
+"He would be as oversharp as he has often been already," Heinz
+interrupted, but he patted Biberli's wet arm as he spoke, and added
+kindly "Yet every day proves that my Biberli is a true and steadfast
+fellow; but where in the wide world did you, a schoolmaster, gain
+instruction in the art of throwing the dice?"
+
+"While we were studying in Paris, with my dead foster brother," replied
+the servant with evident emotion. "But now go up, my lord, before
+the fire alarm, and I know not what else, makes the people upstairs
+separate. The iron must be forged during this wild night. Only a few
+drops of rain are falling. You can cross the street dry even without my
+long garment."
+
+While speaking he divested the knight of his robe, and continued
+eagerly: "Now, my lord, from the coffin, or let us say rather the leaden
+weight, which oppresses your soul, let a bolt be melted that will strike
+misfortune to the heart. Glittering gold has a cheering colour."
+
+"Stop! stop!" Heinz interrupted positively. "No good wishes on the eve
+of hunting or gaming.
+
+"But if I come bounding down the stairs of the Green Shield with a purse
+as heavy as my heart is just now--why, Biberli, success puts a new face
+on many things, and yours shall again look at me without anxiety."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The thunderclouds had gathered in the blackest masses above the
+Frauenthor and the Ortlieb mansion. Ere the storm burst the oppressive
+atmosphere had burdened the hearts within as heavily as it weighed
+outside upon tree, bush, and all animated creation.
+
+In the servants' rooms under the roof the maids slept quietly and
+dreamlessly; and the men, with their mouths wide open, snored after the
+labour of the day, unconscious of what was passing outside in the sky or
+the events within which had destroyed the peace of their master and his
+family.
+
+The only bed unoccupied was the one in the little room next to the
+stairs leading to the garret, which was occupied by Katterle. The Swiss,
+kneeling before it with her face buried in the coarse linen pillow case,
+alternately sobbed, prayed, and cursed herself and her recklessness.
+
+When the gale, which preceded the thunderstorm, blew leaves and straws
+in through the open window she started violently, imagining that Herr
+Ortlieb had come to call her to account and her trial was to begin. The
+barber's widow, whom she had seen a few days before in the pillory,
+with a stone around her neck, because she had allowed a cloth weaver's
+heedless daughter to come to her lodging with a handsome trumpeter who
+belonged to the city musicians, rose before her mental vision. How the
+poor thing had trembled and moaned after the executioner's assistant
+hung the heavy stone around her neck! Then, driven frantic by the jeers
+and insults of the people, the missiles flung by the street boys, and
+the unbearable burden, she could control herself no longer but, pouring
+forth a flood of curses, thrust out her tongue at her tormentors.
+
+What a spectacle! But ere she, Katterle, would submit to such disgrace
+she would bid farewell to life with all its joys; and even to the
+countryman to whom her heart clung, and who, spite of his well-proven
+truth and steadfastness, had brought misery upon her.
+
+Now the memory of the hateful word which she, too, had called to the
+barber's widow weighed heavily on her heart. Never, never again would
+she be arrogant to a neighbour who had fallen into misfortune.
+
+This vow, and many others, she made to St. Clare; then her thoughts
+wandered to the city moat, to the Pegnitz, the Fischbach, and all the
+other streams in and near Nuremberg, where it was possible to drown and
+thus escape the terrible disgrace which threatened her. But in so doing
+she had doubtless committed a heavy sin; for while recalling the Dutzen
+Pond, from whose dark surface she had often gathered white water lilies
+after passing through the Frauenthor into the open fields, and wondering
+in what part of its reedy shore her design could be most easily
+executed, a brilliant flash of lightning blazed through her room, and
+at the same time a peal of thunder shook the old mansion to its
+foundations.
+
+That was meant for her and her wicked thoughts. No! For the sake of
+escaping disgrace here on earth, she dared not trifle with eternal
+salvation and the hope of seeing her dead mother in the other world.
+
+The remembrance of that dear mother, who had laboured so earnestly to
+train her in every good path, soothed her. Surely she was looking down
+upon her and knew that she had remained upright and honest, that she
+had not defrauded her employers of even a pin, and that the little fault
+which was to be so grievously punished had been committed solely out
+of love for her countryman, who in his truth and steadfastness meant
+honestly by her. What Biberli requested her to do could be no heavy sin.
+
+But the powers above seemed to be of a different opinion; for again a
+dazzling glare of light illumined the room, and the crash and rattle of
+the thunder of the angry heavens accompanied it with a deafening din.
+Katterle shrieked aloud; it seemed as if the gates of hell had opened
+before her, or the destruction of the world had begun.
+
+Frantic with terror, she sprang back from the window, through which
+the raindrops were already sprinkling her face. They cooled her flushed
+cheeks and brought her back to reality. The offence she had just
+committed was no trivial one. She, whom Herr Ortlieb, with entire
+confidence, had placed in the service of the fair young girl whose
+invalid mother could not care for her, had permitted herself to be
+induced to persuade Eva, who was scarcely beyond childhood, to a
+rendezvous with a man whom she represented to the inexperienced maiden
+as a godly, virtuous knight, though she knew from Biberli how far the
+latter surpassed his master in fidelity and steadfastness.
+
+"Lead us not into temptation!" How often she had repeated the words
+in the Lord's Prayer, and now she herself had become the serpent that
+tempted into sin the innocent child whom duty should have commanded her
+to guard.
+
+No, no! The guilt for which she was threatened with punishment was by no
+means small, and even if her earthly judge did not call her to account,
+she would go to confession to-morrow and honestly perform the penance
+imposed.
+
+Moved by these thoughts, she gazed across the courtyard to the convent.
+Just at that moment the lightning again flashed, the thunder pealed, and
+she covered her face with her hands. When she lowered her arms she
+saw on the roof of the nuns' granary, which adjoined the cow-stable,
+a slender column of smoke, followed by a narrow tongue of flame, which
+grew steadily brighter.
+
+The lightning had set it on fire.
+
+Sympathy for the danger and losses of others forced her own grief and
+anxiety into the background and, without pausing to think, she slipped
+on her shoes, snatched her shawl from the chest, and ran downstairs,
+shouting: "The lightning has struck! The convent is burning!"
+
+Just at that moment the door of the chamber occupied by the two sisters
+opened, and Ernst Ortlieb, with tangled hair and pallid cheeks, came
+toward her.
+
+Within the room the dim light of the little lamp and the fiery glare of
+the lightning illumined tear-stained, agitated faces.
+
+After Heinz Schorlin had called to her, and Els had hurried to her aid,
+Eva, clad in her long, plain night robe, and barefooted, just as she
+had risen from her couch, followed the maid to her room. What must the
+knight, who but yesterday, she knew, had looked up to her as to a saint,
+think of her now?
+
+She felt as if she were disgraced, stained with shame. Yet it was
+through no fault of her own, and overwhelmed by the terrible conviction
+that mysterious, supernatural powers, against which resistance was
+hopeless, were playing a cruel game with her, she had felt as if the
+stormy sea were tossing her in a rudderless boat on its angry surges.
+
+Unable to seek consolation in prayer, as usual, she had given herself up
+to dull despair, but only for a short time. Els had soon returned, and
+the firm, quiet manner with which her prudent, helpful friend and sister
+met her, and even tried to raise her drooping courage by a jest ere
+she sent her to their mother's sick room, had fallen on her soul
+like refreshing dew; not because Els promised to act for her--on the
+contrary, what she intended to do roused her to resistance.
+
+She had been far too guilty and oppressed to oppose her, yet indignation
+concerning the sharp words which Els had uttered about the knight,
+and her intention of forbidding him the house, perhaps forever, had
+stimulated her like strong acid wine.
+
+Not until after her sister had left her did she become capable
+of clearly understanding what she had felt during her period of
+somnambulism.
+
+While her mother, thanks to a narcotic, slept soundly, breathing
+quietly, and in the entry below something, she knew not what, perhaps
+due to her father's return, was occurring, she sat thinking, pondering,
+while an impetuous throng of rebellious wishes raised their voices,
+alternately asking and denying, in her agitated breast.
+
+How she had happened to rise from her couch and go out had vanished
+utterly from her memory, but she was still perfectly conscious of her
+feelings during the night walk. If hitherto she had yearned to drain
+heavenly bliss from the chalice of faith, during her wanderings through
+the house she had longed for nothing save to drink her fill from the cup
+of earthly joy. Ardent kisses, of which she had forbidden herself even
+to think, she awaited with blissful delight. Her timorous heart, held
+in check by virgin modesty, accustomed to desire nothing save what she
+could have confessed to her sister and the abbess, seemed as if it had
+cast off every fetter and boldly resolved to risk the most daring deeds.
+The somnambulist had longed for the moment when, after Heinz Schorlin's
+confession that he loved her, she could throw her arms around his neck
+with rapturous gratitude.
+
+If, while awake, she had desired only to speak to him of her saint and
+of his duty to overthrow the foes of the Church, she had wished while
+gazing at the moon from the stairs, and in front of the house door,
+to whisper sweet words of love, listen to his, and in so doing forget
+herself, the world, and everything which did not belong to him, to her,
+and their love.
+
+And she remembered this longing and yearning in a way very unlike a mere
+dream. It seemed rather as if, while the moon was attracting her by its
+magic power, something, which had long slumbered in the depths of her
+soul, had waked to life; something, from which formerly, ere her heart
+and mind had been able rightly to understand it, she had shrunk with
+pious horror, had assumed a tangible form.
+
+Now she dreaded this newly recognised sinful part of her own nature,
+which she had imagined a pure vessel that had room only for what was
+noble, sacred, and innocent.
+
+She, too--she knew it now--was only a girl like those on whose desire
+for love she had looked down with arrogant contempt, no bride of heaven
+or saint.
+
+She had not yet taken the veil, and it was fortunate, for what would
+have become of her had she not discovered until after her profession
+this part of her nature, which she thought every true nun, if she
+possessed it, must discard, like the hair which was shorn from her head,
+before taking the vow of the order.
+
+During this self-inspection it became more and more evident that she was
+not one person, but two in one--a twofold nature with a single body and
+two distinct souls; and this conviction caused her as much pain as if
+the cut which had produced the separation were still bleeding.
+
+Just at that moment her eyes fell upon the image of the Virgin opposite,
+and the usual impulse to lift her soul in prayer took possession of her
+even more powerfully than a short time before.
+
+With fervent warmth she besought her to release her from this newly
+awakened nature, which surely could not be pleasing in the sight of
+Heaven, and let her once more become what she was before the unfortunate
+ramble in the moonlight.
+
+But the composure she needed for prayer was soon destroyed, for the
+image of the knight rose before her again and again, and it seemed as
+if her own name, which he had called with such ardent longing, once more
+rang in her ears.
+
+Whoever thus raises his voice in appeal to another loves that person.
+Heinz Schorlin's love was great and sincere and, instead of heeding the
+inner voice that warned her to return to prayer, she cried defiantly, "I
+will not!"
+
+She could not yet part from the man for whom her heart throbbed with
+such passionate yearning, who was so brave and godly, so ardently
+devoted to her.
+
+True, it had been peacefully beautiful to dream herself into the bright
+glory of heaven, yet the stormy rapture she had felt while thinking of
+him and his love seemed richer and greater. She could not, would not
+part from him.
+
+Then she remembered her sister's intention of driving Heinz--Eva already
+called the knight by that name in her soliloquy--from her presence, and
+the thought that she might perhaps wound him so keenly that knightly
+honour would forbid his return alarmed and incensed her.
+
+What right had Els to distrust him? A godly knight played no base game
+with the chosen lady of, his heart, and that, yes, that she certainly
+was, since she had named her colour to him. Nothing should separate
+them. She needed him for her happiness as much as she did light and air.
+Hitherto she had longed for bliss in another world, but she was so young
+she probably had a long life before her, and what could existence on
+earth offer if robbed of the hope of his possession?
+
+The newly awakened part of her nature demanded its rights. It would
+never again allow itself to be forced into the old slumber.
+
+If her sister came back and boasted of having driven away the dangerous
+animal forever, she would show her that she had a different opinion
+of the knight, and would permit no one to interpose between them. But,
+while still pondering over this plan, the door of the sick-room was
+softly opened and her father beckoned to her to follow him.
+
+Silently leading the way through the dusky corridor, no longer illumined
+by the moonlight, he entered his daughter's room before her. The lamp,
+still burning there, revealed the agitated face of her sister who,
+resting her chin on her hand, sat on the stool beside the spinning
+wheel.
+
+Eva's courage, which had blazed up so brightly, instantly fell again.
+
+"Good heavens! What has happened?" she cried in terror; but her father
+answered in a hollow tone:
+
+"For the sake of your noble sister, to whom I pledged my word, I will
+force myself to remain calm. But look at her! Her poor heart must be
+like a graveyard, for she was doomed to bury what she held dearest. And
+who," he continued furiously, so carried away by grief and indignation
+as to be unmindful of his promise to maintain his composure, "who is to
+blame for it all, save you and your boundless imprudence?"
+
+Eva, with uplifted hands, tried to explain how, unconscious of her acts,
+she had walked in her sleep down the stairs and out of the house, but he
+imperiously cut her short with:
+
+"Silence! I know all. My daughter gave a worthless tempter the right
+to expect the worst from her. You, whom we deemed the ornament of this
+house, whose purity hitherto was stainless, are to blame if people
+passing on the street point at it! Alas! alas! Our honour, our ancient,
+unsullied name!"
+
+Groaning aloud, the father struck his brow with his clenched hand; but
+when Els rose and passed her arm around his shoulders to speak words
+of consolation, Eva, who hitherto had vainly struggled for words, could
+endure no more.
+
+"Whoever says that of me, my father," she exclaimed with flashing eyes;
+scarcely able to control her voice, "has opened his ears to slander;
+and whoever terms Heinz Schorlin a worthless tempter, is blinded by a
+delusion, and I call him to his face, even were it my own father, to
+whom I owe gratitude and respect--"
+
+But here she stopped and extended her arms to keep off the deeply
+angered man, for he had started forward with quivering lips, and--she
+perceived it clearly--was already under the spell of one of the terrible
+fits of fury which might lead him to the most unprecedented deeds.
+Els, however, had clung to him and, while holding him back with all her
+strength, cried out in a tone of keen reproach, "Is this the way you
+keep your promise?"
+
+Then, lowering her voice, she continued with loving entreaty: "My dear,
+dear father, can you doubt that she was asleep, unconscious of her acts,
+when she did what has brought so much misery upon us?"
+
+And, interrupting herself, she added eagerly in a tone of the firmest
+conviction: "No, no, neither shame nor misery has yet touched you, my
+father, nor the poor child yonder. The suspicion of evil rests on me,
+and me alone, and if any one here must be wretched it is I."
+
+Then Herr Ernst, regaining his self-control, drew back from Eva, but the
+latter, as if fairly frantic, exclaimed: "Do you want to drive me out of
+my senses by your mysterious words and accusations? What, in the name
+of all the saints, has happened that can plunge my Els into misery and
+shame?"
+
+"Into misery and shame," repeated her father in a hollow tone, throwing
+himself into a chair, where he sat motionless, with his face buried in
+his hands, while Els told her sister what had occurred when she went
+down into the entry to speak to the knight.
+
+Eva listened to her story, fairly gasping for breath. For one brief
+moment she cherished the suspicion that Cordula had not acted from pure
+sympathy, but to impose upon Heinz Schorlin a debt of gratitude which
+would bind him to her more firmly. Yet when she heard that her father
+had given back his daughter's ring to Herr Casper Eysvogel and broken
+his child's betrothal she thought of nothing save her sister's grief
+and, sobbing aloud, threw herself into Els's arms.
+
+The girls held each other in a close embrace until the first flash of
+lightning and peal of thunder interrupted the conversation.
+
+The father and daughters had been so deeply agitated that they had
+not heard the storm rising outside, and the outbreak of the tempest
+surprised them. The peal of thunder, which so swiftly followed the
+lightning, also startled them and when, soon after, a second one shook
+the house with its crashing, rattling roar, Herr Ernst went out to wake
+the chief packer. But old Endres was already keeping watch among the
+wares entrusted to him and when, after a brief absence, the master of
+the house returned, he found Eva again clasped in her sister's arms,
+and saw the latter kissing her brow and eyes as she tenderly strove to
+comfort her.
+
+But Eva seemed deaf to her soothing words. Els, her faithful Els, was no
+longer the betrothed bride of her Wolff; her great, beautiful happiness
+was destroyed forever. On the morrow all Nuremberg would learn that Herr
+Casper had broken his son's betrothal pledge, because his bride, for the
+sake of a tempter, Sir Heinz Schorlin, had failed to keep her troth with
+him.
+
+How deeply all this pierced Eva's heart! how terrible was the torture
+of the thought that she was the cause of this frightful misfortune!
+Dissolved in an agony of tears, she entreated the poor girl to forgive
+her; and Els did so willingly, and in a way that touched her father to
+the very depths of his heart. How good the girls must be who, spite of
+the sore suffering which one had brought upon the other, were still so
+loving and loyal!
+
+Convinced that Eva, too, had done nothing worthy of punishment, he went
+towards them to clasp both in his arms, but ere he could do so the clap
+of thunder which had frightened Katterle so terribly shook the whole
+room. "St. Clare, aid us!" cried Eva, crossing herself and falling upon
+her knees; but Els rushed to the window, opened it, and looked down the
+street. Nothing was visible there save a faint red glow on the distant
+northern horizon, and two mailed soldiers who were riding into the city
+at a rapid trot. They had been sent from the stables in the Marienthurm
+to keep order in case a fire should break out. Several men with hooks
+and poles followed, also hurrying to the Frauenthor.
+
+In reply to the question where the fire was and where they going, they
+answered: "To the Fischbach, to help. Flames have burst out apparently
+under the fortress at the Thiergartenthor."
+
+The long-drawn call for help from the warder's horn, which came at the
+same moment, proved that the men were right.
+
+Herr Ernst hastened out of the room just as Katterle's shriek, "The
+lightning struck! the convent is burning!" rung from the upper step of
+the stairs.
+
+He had already pronounced her sentence, and the sight of her roused his
+wrath again so vehemently that, spite of the urgent peril, he shouted to
+her that, whatever claimed his attention now, she certainly should not
+escape the most severe punishment for her shameful conduct.
+
+Then he ordered old Endres and two of the menservants to watch the
+sleeping-room of his invalid wife, that in case anything should happen
+the helpless woman might be instantly borne to a place of safety.
+
+Ere he himself went to the scene of the conflagration he hurried back to
+his daughters.
+
+While the girls were giving him his hat and cloak he told them where the
+fire had broken out, and this caused another detention of the anxious
+master of the house, for Eva seized her shoes and stockings and, kicking
+her little slippers from her feet, declared that she, too, would not
+remain absent from the place when her dear nuns were in danger. But her
+father commanded her to stay with her mother and sister, and went to the
+door, turning back once more on the threshold to his daughters with the
+anxious entreaty: "Think of your mother!"
+
+Another peal of thunder drowned the sound of his footsteps hurrying down
+the stairs. When Els, who had watched her father from the window a short
+time, went back to her sister, Eva dried her eyes and cheeks, saying:
+"Perhaps he is right; but whenever my heart urges me to obey any warm
+impulse, obstacles are put in my way. What a weak nonentity is the
+daughter of an honourable Nuremberg family!"
+
+Els heard this complaint with astonishment. Was this her Eva, her
+"little saint," who yesterday had desired nothing more ardently than
+with humble obedience, far from the tumult of the world, to become
+worthy of her Heavenly Bridegroom, and in the quiet peace of the convent
+raise her soul to God? What had so changed the girl in these few hours?
+Even the most worldly-minded of her friends would have taken such an
+impeachment ill.
+
+But she had no time now to appeal to the conscience of her misguided
+sister. Love and duty summoned her to her mother's couch. And then!
+The child had become aware of her love, and was she, Els, who had been
+parted from Wolff by her own father, and yet did not mean to give him
+up, justified in advising her sister to cast aside her love and the hope
+of future happiness with and through the man to whom she had given her
+heart?
+
+What miracles love wrought! If in a single night it had transformed the
+devout future Bride of Heaven into an ardently loving woman, it could
+accomplish the impossible for her also.
+
+While Eva was gazing out of the window Els returned to her mother. She
+was still asleep and, without permitting either curiosity or longing
+to divert her from her duty, Els kept her place beside the couch of the
+beloved invalid, spite of the fire alarm which, though somewhat subdued,
+was heard in the room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+Eva was standing at the open window. The violence of the storm seemed
+exhausted. The clouds were rolling northward, and the thunder followed
+the flashes of lightning at longer and longer intervals. Peace was
+restored to the heavens, but the crowd and noise in the city and the
+street constantly increased.
+
+The iron tongues of the alarm bells had never swung so violently, the
+warder's horn had never made the air quiver with such resonant appeals
+for aid.
+
+Nor did the metallic voices above call for help in vain, for while a
+roseate glow tinged the linden in front of her window and the houses
+on the opposite side of the street with the hues of dawn, the crowds
+thronging from the Frauenthor to St. Klarengasse grew denser and denser.
+
+The convent was not visible from her chamber, but the acrid odor of
+the smoke and the loud voices which reached her ear from that direction
+proved that the fire was no trivial one. While she was seeking out the
+spot from which Heinz must have looked up to her window, the Ortlieb
+menservants, with some of the Montfort retainers, came out of the house
+with pails and ladders.
+
+A female figure glided into the dark street after them. A black shawl
+concealed her head and the upper part of her figure, and she held a
+bundle in her hand.
+
+It must be Katterle.
+
+Where was she going at this hour? As she was carrying the package, she
+could scarcely intend to help in putting out the fire. Was she stealing
+away from fear of punishment? Poor thing! Even the maid was hurled into
+misfortune through her guilt.
+
+It pierced her very heart. But while she called to Katterle to stop
+her, something else, which engrossed her still more, diverted her
+attention--the loud voice of Countess Cordula reached her from the
+street door. With whom was she talking? Did the girl, who ventured upon
+so many things which ill-beseemed a modest maiden, intend to join the
+men? Eva forgot that she, too, would have hurried to the nuns had
+not her father prevented it. The countess was already standing in the
+courtyard.
+
+After Eva had given her a hasty glance she again looked for the maid,
+but Katterle had already vanished in the darkness. This grieved her; she
+had neglected something which might have saved the girl, to whom she
+was warmly attached, from some imprudent act. But while attracted by the
+strange appearance of the countess she had forgotten the other.
+
+Cordula had probably just left her couch, for she wore only a plain
+dress tucked up very high, short boots, which she probably used in
+hunting, and a shawl crossed over her bosom; another was wound round
+her head in the fashion of the peasant women who brought their goods to
+market on cold winter days. No farmer's wife could be more simply clad,
+and yet--Eva was forced to admit it--there was something aristocratic in
+her firm bearing.
+
+Her companions were her father's chaplain and the equerry who had
+grown grey in his service. Both were trying to dissuade her. The former
+pointed to a troop of women who were following the chief of police and
+some city constables, and said warningly: "Those are all wanton queans,
+whom the law of this city compels to lend their aid in putting out
+fires. How would it beseem your rank to join these who shame their
+sex----No, no! It would be said to-morrow that the ornament of the house
+of Montfort had----"
+
+"That Countess Cordula had used her hands in extinguishing the fire,"
+she interrupted with gay self-confidence. "Is there any disgrace in
+that? Must my noble birth debar me from being numbered among those who
+help their neighbours so far as lies in their power? If any good is
+accomplished here, those poor women yonder will make it no worse by
+their aid. If people here believe that they do, it will give me double
+pleasure to ennoble it by working with them. Putting out the flames will
+not degrade me, and will make the women better. So, forward! See how the
+fire is blazing yonder! Help is needed there and, thank Heaven, I am no
+weakling. Besides, there are women who want assistance and, to women in
+peril, the most welcome aid is woman's."
+
+The old equerry, his eyes glittering with tears, nodded assent, and
+led the way into the street; but the countess, instead of following
+instantly, glanced back for the page who was to carry the bandages which
+she had learned to use among her retainers at home. The agile boy did
+not delay her long; but while his mistress was looking to see that he
+had forgotten nothing of importance, he perceived at the window
+Eva, whose beauty had long since fired his young heart, and cast a
+languishing glance at her. Then Cordula also noticed her and called a
+pleasant greeting. Eva was on the point of answering in the same tone,
+when she remembered that Cordula had spoken of Heinz Schorlin in the
+presence of others as if he were awaiting her in all submission. Anger
+surged hotly in her breast, and she drew back into the room as if she
+had not heard the salutation.
+
+The countess perceived it, and shrugged her shoulders pityingly.
+
+Eva, dissatisfied with herself, continued to gaze down into the street
+long after the crowds of people flocking from the city had concealed
+Cordula from her eyes. It seemed as though she would never again succeed
+in anything that would bring contentment. Never had she felt so weak, so
+ill-tempered, so devoid of self-reliance. Yet she could not, as usual,
+seek consolation with her saint. There was so much here below to divert
+her attention.
+
+The roseate glow on the linden had become a crimson glare, the
+flickering light on the opposite walls a dazzling illumination. The
+wind, now blowing from the west, bore from St. Klarengasse burning
+objects which scattered sparks around them--bundles of hay caught by the
+flames--from the convent barn to the Marienthurm opposite, and into the
+street. Besides, the noise above and behind, before and below her, grew
+louder and louder. The ringing of the bells and the blare of trumpets
+from the steeples continued, and with this constant ringing, pealing,
+and crashing from above, mingled the high, clear voices of the choir of
+nuns in the convent, beseeching in fervent litanies the help of their
+patron saint. True, the singing was often drowned by the noise from the
+street, for the fire marshals and quartermasters had been informed
+in time, and watchmen, soldiers in the pay of the city, men from the
+hospital, and the abandoned women (required by law to help put out
+the fires) came in little groups, while bailiffs and servants of the
+Council, barbers (who were obliged to lend their aid, but whose surgical
+skill could find little employment here), members of the Council,
+priests and monks arrived singly. The street also echoed with the
+trampling of many steeds, for mounted troopers in coats of mail first
+dashed by to aid the bailiffs in maintaining order, then the inspector
+of water works, with his chief subordinate, trotted along to St.
+Klarengasse on the clumsy horses placed at their disposal by the
+Council in case of fire. He was followed by the millers, with brass fire
+engines. While their well-fed nags drew on sledges, with little noise,
+through the mire of the streets now softened by the rain, the heavy
+wooden water barrels needed in the work of extinguishing the flames,
+there was a loud rattling and clanking as the carts appeared on which
+the men from the Public Works building were bringing large and small
+ladders, hooks and levers, pails and torches, to the scene of the
+conflagration.
+
+Besides those who were constrained by the law, many others desired to
+aid the popular Sisters of St. Clare and thereby earn a reward from God.
+A brewer had furnished his powerful stallions to convey to the scene
+of action, with their tools, the eight masons whose duty it was to use
+their skill in extinguishing the flames. All sorts of people--men and
+women--followed, yelling and shrieking, to seek their own profit during
+the work of rescue. But the bailiffs kept a sharp eye on them, and made
+way when the commander of the German knights, with several companions on
+whose black mantles the white cross gleamed, appeared on horseback, and
+at last old Herr Berthold Vorchtel trotted up on his noble grey, which
+was known to the whole city. He still had a firm seat in the saddle,
+but his head was bowed, and whoever knew that only one hour before
+the corpse of his oldest son, slain in a duel, had been brought home,
+admired the aged magistrate's strength of will. As First Losunger and
+commander in chief he was the head of the Council, and therefore of the
+city also. Duty had commanded him to mount his steed, but how pale and
+haggard was his shrewd face, usually so animated!
+
+Just in front of the Ortlieb mansion the commander of the German knights
+rode to his side, and Eva saw how warmly he shook him by the hand, as if
+he desired to show the old man very cordially his deep sympathy in some
+sore trouble which had assailed him.
+
+Ever since Wolff's betrothal to Els had been announced the Vorchtels
+had ceased to be on terms of intimacy with the Ortliebs; but old Herr
+Berthold, though he himself had probably regarded young Eysvogel as his
+"Ursel's" future husband, had always treated Eva kindly, and she was
+not mistaken--tears were glittering on his cheeks in the torchlight. The
+sight touched the young girl's inmost heart. How eagerly she desired to
+know what had befallen the Vorchtels, and to give the old man some token
+of sympathy! What could have caused him so much sorrow? Only a few hours
+before her father had returned from a gay entertainment at his house.
+It could scarcely concern Herr Berthold's wife, his daughter Ursula, or
+either of his two vigorous sons. Perhaps death had only bereft him of
+some more distant, though beloved relative, yet surely she would have
+known that, for the Ortliebs were connected by marriage both with the
+old gentleman and his wife.
+
+Tortured by a presentiment of evil, Eva gazed after him, and also
+watched for Heinz Schorlin among the people in the street. Must not
+anxiety for her bring him hither, if he learned how near her house the
+fire was burning?
+
+Whenever a helmet or knight's baret appeared above the crowd she thought
+that he was coming. Once she believed that she had certainly recognised
+him, for a tall young man of knightly bearing appeared, not mounted, but
+on foot, and stopped opposite to the Ortlieb house. That must be he! But
+when he looked up to her window, the reflection of the fire showed that
+the man who had made her heart beat so quickly was indeed a young and
+handsome knight, but by no means the person for whom she had mistaken
+him. It was Boemund Altrosen, famed as victor in many a tournament,
+who when a boy had often been at the house of her uncle, Herr Pfinzing.
+There was no mistaking his coal-black, waving locks. It was said that
+the dark-blue sleeve of a woman's robe which he wore on his helmet in
+the jousts belonged to the Countess von Montfort. She was his lady, for
+whom he had won so many victories.
+
+Heinz Schorlin had mentioned him at the ball as his friend, and told
+her that the gallant knight would vainly strive to win the reckless
+countess. Perhaps he was now looking at the house so intently on
+Cordula's account. Or had Heinz, his friend, sent him to watch over her
+while he was possibly detained by the Emperor?
+
+But, no; he had just gone nearer to the house to question a man in the
+von Montfort livery, and the reply now led him to move on towards the
+convent.
+
+Were the tears which filled Eva's eyes caused by the smoke that
+poured from the fire more and more densely into the street, or to
+disappointment and bitter anguish?
+
+The danger which threatened her aunt and her beloved nuns also increased
+her excitement. True, the sisters themselves seemed to feel safe, for
+snatches of their singing were still audible amid the ringing of the
+bells and the blare of the trumpets, but the fire must have been very
+hard to extinguish. This was proved by the bright glow on the linden
+tree and the shouts of command which, though unintelligible, rose above
+every other sound.
+
+The street below was becoming less crowded. Most of those who had
+left their beds to render aid had already reached the scene of the
+conflagration. Only a few stragglers still passed through the open gate
+towards the Marienthurm. Among them were horsemen, and Eva's heart again
+throbbed more quickly, but only for a short time. Heinz Schorlin was far
+taller than the man who had again deceived her, and his way would hardly
+have been lighted by two mounted torch bearers. Soon her rosy lips even
+parted in a smile, for the sturdy little man on the big, strong-boned
+Vinzgau steed, whom she now saw distinctly, was her dearest relative,
+her godfather, the kind, shrewd, imperial magistrate, Berthold Pfinzing,
+the husband of her father's sister, good Aunt Christine.
+
+If he looked up he would tell her about old Herr Vorchtel. Nor did he
+ride past his darling's house without a glance at her window, and when
+he saw Eva beckon he ordered the servants to keep back, and stopped
+behind the chains.
+
+After he had briefly greeted his niece and she had enquired what had
+befallen the Vorchtels, he asked anxiously: "Then you know nothing yet?
+And Els--has it been kept from her, too?"
+
+"What, in the name of all the saints?" asked Eva, with increasing alarm.
+
+Then Herr Pfinzing, who saw that the door of the house was open, asked
+her to come down. Eva was soon standing beside her godfather's big
+bay, and while patting the smooth neck of the splendid animal he said
+hurriedly, in a low tone: "It's fortunate that it happened so. You
+can break it gradually to your sister, child. To-night Summon up your
+courage, for there are things which even a man--To make the story short,
+then: Tonight Wolff Eysvogel and young Vorchtel quarreled, or rather
+Ulrich irritated your Wolff so cruelly that he drew his sword--"
+
+"Wolff!" shrieked Eva, whose hand had already dropped from the horse.
+"Wolff! He is so terribly strong, and if he drew his sword in anger----"
+
+"He dealt his foe one powerful thrust," replied the imperial magistrate
+with an expressive gesture. "The sword pierced him through. But I must
+go on Only this one thing more: Ulrich was borne back to his parents as
+a corpse. And Wolff Where is he hiding? May the saints long be the only
+ones who know! A quarrel with such a result under the Emperor's eyes,
+now when peace has just been declared throughout the land! Who knows
+what sentence will be pronounced if the bailiffs show themselves
+shrewder this time than usual! My office compelled me to set the pack
+upon him. That is the reason I am so late. Tell Els as cautiously as
+possible."
+
+He bowed gallantly and trotted on, but Eva, as if hunted by enemies,
+rushed up the staircase, threw herself on her knees before the prie
+dieu, and sobbed aloud.
+
+Young Vorchtel had undoubtedly heard of the events in the entry, taunted
+Wolff with his betrothed bride's nocturnal interview with a knight, and
+thus roused the strong man to fury. How terrible it all was! How could
+she bear it! Her thoughtlessness had cost a human life, robbed parents
+of their son! Through her fault her sister's betrothed husband, whom
+she also loved, was in danger of being placed under ban, perhaps even of
+being led to the executioner's block!
+
+She had no thought of any other motive which might have induced the
+hot-blooded young men to cross swords and, firmly convinced that her
+luckless letter had drawn Heinz Schorlin to the house and thus led to
+all these terrible things, she vainly struggled for composure.
+
+Sometimes she beheld in imagination the despairing Els; sometimes the
+aged Vorchtels, grieving themselves to death; sometimes Wolff, outlawed,
+hiding like a hunted deer in the recesses of the forest; sometimes the
+maid, fleeing with her little bundle into the darkness of the night;
+sometimes the burning convent; and at intervals also Heinz Schorlin,
+as he knelt before her and raised his clasped hands with passionate
+entreaty.
+
+But she repelled every thought of him as a sin, and even repressed the
+impulse to look out into the street to seek him. Her sole duty now
+was to pray to her patron saint and the Mother of God in behalf of her
+sister, whom she had hurled into misfortune, and her poor heart bleeding
+from such deep wounds; but the consolation which usually followed the
+mere uplifting of her soul in prayer did not come, and it could not
+be otherwise, for amid her continual looking into her own heart and
+listening to what went on around her no real devotion was possible.
+
+Although she constantly made fresh efforts to collect her thoughts,
+and continued to kneel with clasped hands before the prie dieu, not a
+hoof-beat, not a single loud voice, escaped her ear. Even the alternate
+deepening and paling of the reflection of the fire, which streamed
+through the window, attracted her attention, and the ringing of bells
+and braying of trumpets, which still continued, maintained the agitation
+in her soul.
+
+Yet prayer was the sole atonement she could make for the wrong she had
+done her sister; so she did not cease her endeavours to plead for her to
+the Great Helper above, but her efforts were futile. Yet even when she
+heard voices close by the house, among which she distinguished Countess
+Cordula's and--if she was not mistaken--her father's, she resisted the
+impulse to rise from her knees.
+
+At last the vain struggle was ended by an interruption from without.
+After unusually loud voices exclaiming and questioning had reached her
+from the entry, the door of her chamber suddenly opened and old Martsche
+looked in. The housekeeper was seeking something; but when she found the
+devout child on her knees she did not wish to disturb her, and contented
+herself with the evidence of her eyes. But Eva stopped her, and learned
+that she was searching for Katterle, who could neither be found in her
+room, or anywhere else. Herr Ortlieb had brought Countess von Montfort
+home severely burned, and there were all sorts of things for the maid to
+do.
+
+Eva clung shuddering to the back of the prie dieu, for the certainty
+that the unfortunate girl had really fled was like strewing salt on her
+wounds.
+
+When Martsche left her and Els entered, her excitement had risen to such
+a pitch that she flung herself before her, as if frantic and, clinging
+to her knees, heaping self-accusations upon herself with passionate
+impetuosity, she pleaded, amid her sobs, for pardon and mercy.
+
+Meanwhile Els had been informed by her father of her lover's fatal deed,
+and as soon as she perceived what tortured her sister she relieved her,
+with loving words of explanation, from the reproach of being the cause
+of this misfortune also, for the quarrel had taken place so early that
+no tidings of the meeting in the entry could have reached young Vorchtel
+when he became involved in the fray with Wolff.
+
+Nor was it solely to soothe Eva that she assured her that, deeply as she
+mourned the death of the hapless Ulrich and his parents' grief, Wolff's
+deed could not diminish either her love or her hope of becoming his.
+
+Eva listened to this statement with sparkling eyes. The love in her
+sister's heart was as immovably firm as the ancient stones of her native
+stronghold, which defied every storm, and on which even the destroying,
+kindling lightning could inflict no injury. This made her doubly
+dear, and from the depths of dull despair her soul, ever prone to soar
+upwards, rose swiftly to the heights of hopeful exaltation.
+
+When Els at last entreated her to go to rest without her, she willingly
+consented, for her mother was comfortable, and Sister Renata was
+watching at her bedside.
+
+Eva kept her promise, after Els, who wanted to see the Countess von
+Montfort, had satisfied her concerning the welfare of the nuns and
+promised to go to rest herself as soon as possible.
+
+The stopping of the alarm bells proved that the fire was under control.
+Even its reflection had disappeared, but the eastern sky was beginning
+to be suffused with a faint tinge of rose colour.
+
+When her sister left her Eva herself drew the curtains before the
+window, and sleep soon ended her thoughts and yearnings, her grief and
+her hope.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Countess Cordula von Montfort's room faced the east and looked out into
+the garden. The sun of the June morning had just risen, filling it with
+cheerful light.
+
+The invalid's maid had wished to deny Els admittance, but the countess
+called eagerly to her, and then ordered the windows to be opened,
+because she never felt comfortable unless it was light around her and
+she could breathe God's pure air.
+
+The morning breeze bore the smoke which still rose from the fire in
+another direction, and thus a refreshing air really entered the room
+from the garden, for the thunderstorm had refreshed all nature, and
+flower beds and grass, bush and tree, exhaled a fresh odour of earth and
+leafage which it was a delight to breathe.
+
+The leech Otto, to whom the severely wounded Ulrich Vorchtel had been
+carried, had just left the countess. The burns on her hands and arms had
+been bandaged--nay, the old gentleman had cut out the scorched portions
+of her tresses with his own hand. Cordula's energetic action had made
+the famous surgeon deem her worthy of such care. He had also advised her
+to seek the nursing of the oldest daughter of her host, whose invalid
+wife he was attending, and she had gladly assented; for Els had
+attracted her from their first meeting, and she was accustomed to begin
+the day at sunrise.
+
+"How does it happen that you neither weep nor even hang your head after
+all the sorrow which last night brought you?" asked Cordula, as the
+Nuremberg maiden sat down beside her bed. "You are a stranger to the
+Swiss knight, and when we surprised you with him you had not come to a
+meeting--I know that full well. But if so true and warm a love unites
+you to young Eysvogel, how does it happen that your joyous courage is so
+little damped by his father's denial and his own unhappy deed, which at
+this time could scarcely escape punishment? You do not seem frivolous,
+and yet--"
+
+"Yet," replied Els with a pleasant smile, "many things have made a
+deeper impression. We are not all alike, Countess, yet there is much
+in your nature which must render it easy for you to understand me; for,
+Countess----"
+
+"Call me Cordula," interrupted the girl in a tone of friendly entreaty.
+"Why should I deny that I am fond of you? and at the risk of making you
+vain, I will betray----"
+
+"Well?" asked Els eagerly.
+
+"That the splendid old leech described you to me exactly as I had
+imagined you," was the reply. "You were one of those, he said, whose
+mere presence beside a sick-bed was as good as medicine, and so you are;
+and, dear Jungfrau Els, this salutary medicine benefits me."
+
+"If I am to dispense with the 'Countess,'" replied the other, "you must
+spare me the 'Jungfrau.' Nursing you will give me all the more pleasure
+on account of the warm gratitude----"
+
+"Never mind that," interrupted Cordula. "But please look at the bandage,
+beneath which the flesh burns and aches more than is necessary, and then
+go on with your explanation."
+
+Els examined the countess's arm, and then applied a household remedy
+whose use she had learned from the wife of Herr Pfinzing, her Aunt
+Christine, who was familiar with the healing art. It relieved the pain,
+and when Cordula told her so, Els went on with her explanation.
+"When all these blows fell upon me, they at first seemed, indeed,
+unprecedented and scarcely possible to endure. When afterwards my
+Wolff's unhappy deed was added, I felt as though I were standing in a
+dense, dark mist, where each step forwards must lead me into a stifling
+morass or over a precipice. Then I began to reflect upon what had
+happened, as is my custom; I separated, in my thoughts, the evil
+menacing in the future from the good, and had scarcely made a little
+progress in this way when morass and abyss lost their terrors; both, I
+found, could be left to take care of themselves, since neither Wolff nor
+I lack love and good will, and we possess some degree of prudence and
+caution."
+
+"Yes, this thinking and considering!" cried the countess, with a faint
+sigh. "It succeeds in my case, too, only, unluckily, I usually don't
+begin until it is too late and the folly has been committed."
+
+"Then, henceforth, you must reverse the process," answered Els cheerily.
+But directly after she changed her tone, which sounded serious enough as
+she added: "The sorrow of the poor Vorchtels and the grief my betrothed
+husband must endure, because the dead man was once a dear friend,
+certainly casts a dark shadow upon many things; but you, who love the
+chase, must surely be familiar with the misty autumn mornings to which
+I allude. Everything, far and near, is covered by a thick veil, yet
+one feels that there is bright sunshine behind it. Suddenly the mist
+scatters----"
+
+"And mountain and forest, land and water, lie before us in the radiant
+sunlight!" cried the countess. "How well I know such scenes! And how I
+should rejoice if a favourable wind would sweep the grey mist away for
+you right speedily! Only--indeed, I am not disposed to look on the dark
+side--only, perhaps you do not know how resolute the Emperor is that the
+peace of the country shall be maintained. If your lover allowed himself
+to be carried away----"
+
+"This was not the first time," Els eagerly interrupted, "that young
+Vorchtel tried to anger him in the presence of others; and he believed
+that he was justified in bearing a grudge against his former friend--it
+was considered a settled thing that Wolff and his sister Ursula were to
+marry."
+
+"Until," Cordula broke in, "he gazed into your bright eyes."
+
+"How could you know that?" asked Els in confusion.
+
+"Because, in love and hate, as well as in reckoning, two and three
+follow one," laughed the countess. "As for your Wolff, in particular, I
+will gladly believe, with you, that he can succeed in clearing himself
+before the judges. But with regard to old Eysvogel, who looks as though,
+if he met our dear Lord Himself, he would think first which of the two
+was the richer, your future brother-in-law Siebenburg, that disagreeable
+'Mustache,' and his poor wife, who sits at home grieving over her
+dissolute husband--what gratitude you can expect from such kindred--"
+
+"None," replied Els sadly. Yet a mischievous smile hovered around her
+lips as, bending over the invalid, she added in a whisper: "But the
+good I expect from all the evil is, that we and the Eysvogels will be
+separated as if by wall and moat. They will never cross them, but Wolff
+would find the way back to me, though we were parted by an ocean, and
+mountains towering to the sky divided----"
+
+"This confidence, indeed, maintains the courage," said the countess, and
+with a faint sigh she added: "Whatever evil may befall you, many might
+envy you."
+
+"Then love has conquered you also?" Els began; but Cordula answered
+evasively:
+
+"Let that pass, dear Jungfrau. Perhaps love treats me as a mother deals
+with a froward child, because I asked too much of her. My life has
+become an endless battue. Much game of all kinds is thus driven out
+to be shot, but the sportsman finds true pleasure only in tracking the
+single heathcock, the solitary chamois. Yet, no," and in her eagerness
+she flung her bandaged hand so high into the air that she groaned with
+pain and was forced to keep silence. When able to speak once more, still
+tortured by severe suffering, she exclaimed angrily: "No, I want neither
+driving nor stalking. What do I care for the prey? I am a woman, too. I
+would fain be the poor persecuted game, which the hunter pursues at the
+risk of breaking his bones and neck. It must be delightful; one would
+willingly bear the pain of a wound for its sake. I don't mean these
+pitiful burns, but a deep and deadly one."
+
+"You ought to have spared yourself these," said Els in a tone of
+affectionate warning. "Consider what you are to your father, and how
+your suffering pains him! To risk a precious human life for the sake of
+a stupid brute--"
+
+"They call it a sin, I know," Cordula burst forth. "And yet I would
+commit the same tomorrow at the risk of again--Oh, you cautious city
+people, you maidens with snow-white hands! What do you know of a girl
+like me? You cannot even imagine what my child life was; and yet it is
+told in a single word--motherless! I was never permitted to see her, to
+hear her dear, warning voice. She paid with her own life for giving
+me mine. My father? How kind he is! He meant to supply his dead wife's
+place by anticipating my every wish. Had I desired to feast my eyes on
+the castle in flames, it would, perhaps, now lie in ashes. So I became
+what I am. True--and this is something--I grew to be at least one
+person's joy--his. No, no, at home there are others also, though they
+dwell in wretched hovels, who would gladly welcome me back. But except
+these, who will ask about the reckless countess? I myself do not care to
+linger long when the mirror shows me my image. Do you wish to know what
+this has to do with the fire? Much; for otherwise I should scarcely have
+been wounded. The lightning had struck only the convent barn; the cow
+stable, when we arrived, was still safe, but the flames soon reached
+it also. Neither the nuns nor the men had thought of driving the cattle
+out. Poor city cattle! In the country the animals have more friendly
+care. When the work of rescue was at last commenced the cows naturally
+refused to leave their old home. Some prudent person had torn the door
+off the hinges that they might not stifle. Just in front of it stood a
+pretty red cow with a white star on her face. A calf was by her side,
+and the mother had already sunk on her knees and was licking it in
+mortal terror. I pitied the poor thing, and as Boemund Altrosen, the
+black-haired knight who entered your house with the rest after the ride
+to Kadolzburg, had just come there, I told him to save the calf. Of
+course he obeyed my wish, and as it struggled he dragged it out of the
+stable with his strong arms. The building was already blazing, and the
+thatched roof threatened to fall in. Just at that moment the old cow
+looked at me so piteously and uttered such a mournful bellow that it
+touched me to the heart. My eyes rested on the calf, and a voice within
+whispered that it would be motherless, like me, and miss during the
+first part of its life God's best gift. But since, as you have heard,
+I act before I think, I went myself--I no longer know how--into the
+burning stable. It was hard to breathe in the dense smoke, and fiery
+sparks scorched my shawl and my hair, but I was conscious of one
+thought: You must save the helpless little creature's mother! So I
+called and lured her, as I do at home, where all the cows are fond of
+me, but it was useless; and just as I perceived this the thatched roof
+fell in, and I should probably have perished had not Altrosen this time
+carried my own by no means light figure out of the stable instead of the
+calf."
+
+"And you?" asked Els eagerly.
+
+"I submitted," replied the countess.
+
+"No, no," urged Els. "Your heart throbbed faster with grateful joy,
+for you saw the desire of your soul fulfilled. A hunter, and one of
+the noblest of them all, risked his life in the pursuit of your love.
+O Countess Cordula, I remember that knight well, and if the dark-blue
+sleeve which he wore on his helm in the tournament was yours--"
+
+"I believe it was," Cordula interrupted indifferently. "But, what was
+of more importance, when I opened my eyes again the cow was standing
+outside, licking her recovered calf."
+
+"And the knight?" asked Els. "Whoever so heroically risks his life for
+his lady's wish should be sure of her gratitude."
+
+"Boemund can rely on that," said Cordula positively. "At least, what
+he did this time for my sake weighs more heavily in the scale than
+the lances he has broken, his love songs, or the mute language of
+his longing eyes. Those are shafts which do not pierce my heart. How
+reproachfully you look at me! Let him take lessons from his friend Heinz
+Schorlin, and he may improve. Yes, the Swiss knight! He would be the
+man for me, spite of your involuntary meeting with him and your devout
+sister, for whom he forgot every one else, and me also, in the dancing
+hall. O Jungfrau Els, I have the hunter's eyes, which are keen-sighted!
+For his sake your beautiful Eva, with her saintly gaze, might easily
+forget to pray. It was not you, but she, who drew him to-night to your
+house. Had this thought entered my head downstairs in the entry I
+should probably, to be honest, have omitted my little fairy tale and let
+matters take their course. St. Clare ought to have protected her future
+votary. Besides, it pleases the arrogant little lady to show me as
+plainly as possible, on every occasion, that I am a horror to her. Let
+those who will accept such insults. My Christianity does not go far
+enough to offer her the right cheek too. And shall I tell you something?
+To spoil her game, I should be capable, in spite of all the life
+preservers in the world, of binding Schorlin to me in good earnest."
+
+"Do not!" pleaded Els, raising her clasped hands beseechingly, and
+added, as if in explanation: "For the noble Boemund Altrosen's sake, do
+not."
+
+"To promise that, my darling, is beyond my power," replied Cordula
+coolly, "because I myself do not know what I may do or leave undone
+tomorrow or the day after. I am like a beech leaf on the stream. Let us
+see where the current will carry it. It is certain," and she looked
+at her bandaged hands, "that my greatest beauty, my round arms, are
+disfigured. Scars adorn a man; on a woman they are ugly and repulsive.
+At a dance they can be hidden under tight sleeves, but how hot that
+would be in the 'Schwabeln' and 'Rai'! So I had better keep away from
+these foolish gaieties in future. A calf turns a countess out of a
+ballroom! What do you think of that? New things often happen."
+
+Here she was interrupted; the housekeeper called Els. Sir Seitz
+Siebenburg, spite of the untimely hour, had come to speak to her about
+an important matter. Her father had gone to rest and sleep. The knight
+also enquired sympathisingly about Countess von Montfort and presented
+his respects.
+
+"Of which I can make no use!" cried Cordula angrily. "Tell him so,
+Martsche."
+
+As the housekeeper withdrew she exclaimed impatiently: "How it burns!
+The heat would be enough to convert the rescued calf into an appetising
+roast. I wish I could sleep off the pain of my foolish prank! The
+sunlight is beginning to be troublesome. I cannot bear it; it is
+blinding. Draw the curtain over the window."
+
+Cordula's own maid hastened to obey the order. Els helped the countess
+turn on her pillows, and as in doing so she touched her arm, the
+sufferer cried angrily: "Who cares what hurts me? Not even you!"
+
+Here she paused. The pleading glance which Els had cast at her must have
+pierced her soft heart, for her bosom suddenly heaved violently and,
+struggling to repress her sobs, she gasped, "I know you mean kindly,
+but I am not made of stone or iron either. I want to be alone and go to
+sleep."
+
+She closed her eyes as she spoke and, when Els bent to kiss her, tears
+bedewed her cheeks.
+
+Soon after Els went down into the entry to meet her lover's
+brother-in-law. He had refused to enter the empty sitting-room. The
+Countess von Montfort's unfriendly dismissal had vexed him sorely,
+yet it made no lasting impression. Other events had forced into the
+background the bitter attack of Cordula, for whom he had never felt any
+genuine regard.
+
+The experiences of the last few hours had converted the carefully
+bedizened gallant into a coarse fellow, whose outward appearance bore
+visible tokens of his mental depravity. The faultlessly cut garment was
+pushed awry on his powerful limbs and soiled on the breast with wine
+stains. The closely fitting steel chain armour, in which he had ridden
+out, now hung in large folds upon his powerful frame. The long mustache,
+which usually curled so arrogantly upwards, now drooped damp and limp
+over his mouth and chin, and his long reddish hair fell in dishevelled
+locks around his bloated face. His blue eyes, which usually sparkled so
+brightly, now looked dull and bleared, and there were white spots on his
+copper-coloured cheeks.
+
+Since Countess Cordula gave him the insulting message to his wife he had
+undergone more than he usually experienced in the course of years.
+
+"An accursed night!" he had exclaimed, in reply to the housekeeper's
+question concerning the cause of his disordered appearance.
+
+Els, too, was startled by his looks and the hoarse sound of his voice.
+Nay, she even drew back from him, for his wandering glance made her fear
+that he was intoxicated.
+
+Only a short time before, it is true, he had scarcely been able to stand
+erect, but the terrible news which had assailed him had quickly sobered
+him.
+
+He had come at this unwontedly early hour to enquire whether the
+Ortliebs had heard anything of his brother-in-law Wolff. There was not a
+word of allusion to the broken betrothal.
+
+In return for the promise that she would let the Eysvogels know as
+soon as she received any tidings of her lover, which Els gave unasked,
+Siebenburg, who had always treated her repellently or indifferently,
+thanked her so humbly that she was surprised. She did not know how
+to interpret it; nay, she anticipated nothing good when, with urgent
+cordiality, he entreated her to forget the unpleasant events of the
+preceding night, which she must attribute to a sudden fit of anger
+on Herr Casper's part. She was far too dear to all the members of the
+family for them to give her up so easily. What had occurred--she
+must admit that herself--might have induced even her best friend to
+misunderstand it. For one brief moment he, too, had been tempted to
+doubt her innocence. If she knew old Eysvogel's terrible situation she
+would certainly do everything in her power to persuade her father to
+receive him that morning, or--which would be still better--go to his
+office. The weal and woe of many persons were at stake, her own above
+all, since, as Wolff's betrothed bride, she belonged to him inseparably.
+
+"Even without the ring?" interrupted Els bitterly; and when Siebenburg
+eagerly lamented that he had not brought it back, she answered proudly
+"Don't trouble yourself, Sir Seitz! I need this sacred pledge as little
+as the man who still wears mine. Tell your kinsfolk so. I will inform my
+father of Herr Casper's wish; he is asleep now. Shall I guess aright
+in believing that the other disasters which have overtaken you are
+connected with the waggon trains Wolff so anxiously expected?"
+
+Siebenburg, twirling his cap in confusion, assented to her question,
+adding that he knew nothing except that they were lost and, after
+repeating his entreaty that she would accomplish a meeting between the
+two old gentlemen, left her.
+
+It would indeed have been painful for him to talk with Els, for a
+messenger had brought tidings that the waggons had been attacked and
+robbed, and the perpetrators of the deed were his own brothers and their
+cousin and accomplice Absbach. True, Seitz himself had had no share in
+the assault, yet he did not feel wholly blameless for what had occurred,
+since over the wine and cards he had boasted, in the presence of the
+robbers, of the costly wares which his father-in-law was expecting, and
+mentioned the road they would take.
+
+Seitz Siebenburg's conscience was also burdened with something quite
+different.
+
+Vexed and irritated by the countess's insulting rebuff, he had gone to
+the Green Shield to forget his annoyance at the gaming table in the Duke
+of Pomerania's quarters. He had fared ill. There was no lack of fiery
+Rhine wine supplied by the generous host; the sultry atmosphere caused
+by the rising thunderstorm increased his thirst and, half intoxicated,
+and incensed by the luck of Heinz Schorlin, in whom he saw the preferred
+lover of the lady who had so suddenly withdrawn her favour, he had been
+led on to stakes of unprecedented amount. At last he risked the lands,
+castle, and village which he possessed in Hersbruck as his wife's dower.
+Moreover, he was aware of having said things which, though he could not
+recall them to memory in detail, had roused the indignation of many of
+those who were present. The remarks referred principally to the Ortlieb
+sisters.
+
+Amid the wild uproar prevailing around the gaming table that night the
+duel which had cost young Vorchtel his life was not mentioned until
+the last dice had been thrown. In the discussion the victor's betrothed
+bride had been named, and Siebenburg clearly remembered that he had
+spoken of the breaking of his brother-in-law's engagement, and connected
+it with accusations which involved him in a quarrel with several of the
+guests, among them Heinz Schorlin.
+
+Similar occurrences were frequent, and he was brave, strong, and skilful
+enough to cope with any one, even the dreaded Swiss; only he was vexed
+and troubled because he had disputed with the man to whom he had lost
+his property. Besides, his father-in-law had so earnestly enjoined it
+upon him to put no obstacle in the way of his desire to make peace with
+the Ortliebs that he was obliged to bow his stiff neck to them.
+
+The arrogant knight's position was critical, and real inward dignity was
+unknown to him. Yet he would rather have been dragged with his brothers
+to the executioner's block than humbled himself before the Swiss. But he
+must talk with him for the sake of his twin sons, whose heritage he
+had so shamefully gambled away. True, the utmost he intended was the
+confession that, while intoxicated, he had staked his property at
+the gaming table and said things which he regretted. Heinz Schorlin's
+generosity was well known. Perhaps he might offer some acceptable
+arrangement ere the notary conveyed his estate to him. He did not yet
+feel that he could stoop so low as to receive a gift from this young
+upstart.
+
+If his father-in-law, who supported him, was really ruined, as he had
+just asserted, he would indeed be plunged into beggary, with his wife,
+whose stately figure constantly rose before him, with a look of mute
+reproach, his beautiful twin boys, and his load of debt.
+
+The gigantic man felt physically crushed by the terrible blows of fate
+which had fallen upon him during this last wakeful night. He would fain
+have gone to the nearest tavern and there left it to the wine to bring
+forgetfulness. To drink, drink constantly, and in the intervals sleep
+with his head resting on his arms, seemed the most tempting prospect.
+But he was obliged to return to the Eysvogels. There was too much at
+stake. Besides, he longed to see the twins who resembled him so closely,
+and of whom Countess Cordula had said that she hoped they would not be
+like their father.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+The city gates were already open. Peasants and peasant women bringing
+vegetables and other farm produce to market thronged the streets, wains
+loaded with grain or charcoal rumbled along, and herds of cattle and
+swine, laden donkeys, the little carts of the farmers and bee keepers
+conveying milk and honey to the city, passed over the dyke, which was
+still softened by the rain of the preceding night.
+
+The thunderstorm had cooled the air, but the rays of the morning sun
+were already scorching. A few heavy little clouds were darkly relieved
+against the blue sky, and a peasant, driving two sucking pigs before
+him, called to another, who was carrying a goose under each arm, that
+the sun was drawing water, and thundershowers seldom came singly.
+
+Yet the city looked pleasant enough in the freshness of early June. The
+maidservants who were opening the shutters glanced gaily out into the
+streets, and arranged the flowers in front of the windows or bowed
+reverently as a priest passed by on his way to mass. The barefooted
+Capuchin, with his long beard, beckoned to the cook or the tradesman's
+wife and, as she put something into his beggar's sack and he thanked
+her kindly with some pious axiom, she felt as if she herself and all her
+household had gained a right to the blessing of Heaven for that day, and
+cheerily continued her work.
+
+The brass counter in the low, broad bow window of the baker's house
+glittered brightly, and the pale apprentice wiped the flour from his
+face and gave his master's rosy-cheeked daughter fresh warm cakes to set
+on the shining shelves. The barber's nimble apprentice hung the towel
+and basin at the door, while his master, wearied by the wine-bibbing
+and talk at the tavern or his labour at the fire, was still asleep. His
+active wife had risen before him, strewed the shop with fresh sand, and
+renewed the goldfinch's food.
+
+The workshops and stores were adorned with birch branches, and the
+young daughters of the burghers, in becoming caps, the maid servants and
+apprentices, who were going to market with baskets on their arms, wore a
+flower or something green on their breasts or in their caps.
+
+The first notes of the bells, pealing solemnly, were summoning
+worshippers to mass, the birds were singing in the garden, and the cocks
+were crowing in the yards of the houses. The animals passing in the
+street lowed, grunted, and cackled merrily in the dawn of the young day.
+
+Gay young men, travelling students who had sought cheap quarters in
+the country, now entered the city with a merry song on their lips just
+shaded by the first down of manhood, and when a maiden met them she
+lowered her eyes modestly before the riotous fellows.
+
+The terrors of the frightful thunderstorm seemed forgotten. Nuremberg
+looked gladsome; a carpet hung from many a bow-window, and flags and
+streamers fluttered from roofs and balconies to honour the distinguished
+guests. Many signs of their presence were visible, squires and
+equerries, in their masters' colours, were riding spirited horses, and
+a few knights who loved early rising were already in the saddle, their
+shining helmets and coats of mail flashing brightly in the sunshine.
+
+The gigantic figure of Sir Seitz Siebenburg moved with drooping head
+through the budding joy of this June day towards the Eysvogel dwelling.
+
+His gloomy, haggard face and disordered attire made two neatly dressed
+young shoemaker's apprentices, on their way to their work, nudge each
+other and look keenly at him.
+
+"I'd rather meet him here in broad daylight among houses and people than
+in the dusk on the highway," remarked one of them.
+
+"There's no danger," replied the other. "He wears the curb now. He moved
+from the robber nest into the rich Eysvogel house opposite. That's Herr
+Casper's son-in-law. But such people can never let other folks' property
+alone. Only here they work in another way. The shoes he wears were made
+in our workshop, but the master still whistles for his pay, and he owes
+everybody--the tailor, the lacemaker, the armourer, the girdlemaker, and
+the goldsmith. If an apprentice reminds him of the debt, let him beware
+of bruises."
+
+"The Emperor Rudolph ought to issue an edict against such injustice!"
+wrathfully exclaimed the other and taller youth, the handsome son of a
+master of the craft from Weissenburg on the Sand, who expected soon to
+take his father's place. "Up at Castle Graufels, which is saddled on our
+little town, master and man would be going barefoot but for us; yet for
+three years we haven't seen so much as a penny of his, though my father
+says times have already improved, since the Hapsburg, as a just man----"
+
+"Things have not been so bad here for a long while, the saints be
+praised!" his companion broke in. "Siebenburg, or some of his wife's
+rich kindred, will at last be compelled to settle matters. We have
+the law and the Honourable Council to attend to that. Look up! Yonder
+stately old house gave its daughter to the penniless knight. She is one
+of our customers too; a handsome woman, and not one of the worst either.
+But her mother, who was born a countess--if the shoe doesn't make a foot
+small which Nature created big, there's such an outcry! True, the old
+woman, her mother, is worse still; she scolds and screams. But look up
+at the bow window. There she stands. I'm only a poor brewer's son, but
+before I----"
+
+"You don't say so!" the other interrupted. "Have you seen the owl in the
+cage in front of the guardhouse at the gate of the hospital? It is her
+living image; and how her chin projects and moves up and down, as though
+she were chewing leather!"
+
+"And yet," said the other, as if insisting upon something difficult to
+believe, "and yet the old woman is a real countess."
+
+The Weissenburg apprentice expressed his astonishment with another: "You
+don't say so!" but as he spoke he grasped his companion's arm, adding
+earnestly: "Let us go. That ugly old woman just looked at me, and if it
+wasn't the evil eye I shall go straight to the church and drive away the
+misfortune with holy water."
+
+"Come, then," answered the Nuremberg youth, but continued thoughtfully:
+"Yet my master's grandmother, a woman of eighty, is probably older than
+the one up there, but nobody could imagine a kinder, pleasanter dame.
+When she looks approvingly at one it seems as if the dear God's blessing
+were shining from two little windows."
+
+"That's just like my grandmother at home!" exclaimed the Weissenburg
+apprentice with sparkling eyes.
+
+Turning from the Eysvogel mansion as they spoke, they pursued their way.
+
+Siebenburg had overtaken the apprentices, but ere crossing the threshold
+of the house which was now his home he stopped before it.
+
+It might, perhaps, be called the largest and handsomest in Nuremberg;
+but it was only a wide two-story structure, though the roof had been
+adorned with battlements and the sides with a small bow-windowed turret.
+At the second story a bracket, bearing an image of the Madonna, had been
+built out on one side, and on the other the bow window from which old
+Countess Rotterbach had looked down into the street.
+
+The coat of arms was very striking and wholly out of harmony with the
+simplicity of the rest of the building. Its showy splendour, visible for
+a long distance, occupied the wide space between the door of the house
+and the windows of the upper story. The escutcheon of the noble family
+from which Rosalinde, Herr Casper's wife, had descended rested against
+the shield bearing the birds. The Rotterbach supporters, a nude man
+and a bear standing on its hind legs, rose on both sides of the double
+escutcheon, and the stone cutter had surmounted the Eysvogel helmet with
+a count's coronet.
+
+This elaborate decoration of the ancient patrician house had become
+one of the sights of the city, and had often made Herr Casper, at the
+Honourable Council and elsewhere, clench his fist under his mantle, for
+it had drawn open censure and bitter mockery upon the arrogant man, but
+his desire to have it replaced by a more modest one had been baffled by
+the opposition of the women of his family. They had had it put up, and
+would not permit any one to touch it, though Wolff, after his return
+from Italy, had strenuously urged its removal.
+
+It had brought the Eysvogels no good fortune, for on the day of its
+completion the business received its first serious blow, and it also
+served to injure the commercial house externally in a very obvious
+manner. Whereas formerly many wares which needed to be kept dry had been
+hoisted from the outer door and the street to the spacious attic, this
+was now prevented by the projecting figures of the nude men and the
+bears. Therefore it became necessary to hoist the goods to be stored in
+the attic from the courtyard, which caused delay and hindrances of many
+kinds. Various expedients had been suggested, but the women opposed them
+all, for they were glad that the ugly casks and bales no longer found
+their way to the garret past their windows, and it also gratified their
+arrogance that they were no longer visible from the street.
+
+Siebenburg now looked up at the huge escutcheon and recalled the day
+when, after having been specially favoured by Isabella Eysvogel at a
+dance in the Town Hall, he had paused in the same place. A long line of
+laden waggons had just stopped in front of the door surmounted by the
+double escutcheon, and if he had previously hesitated whether to profit
+by the favour of Isabella, whose haughty majesty, which attracted him,
+also inspired him with a faint sense of uneasiness, he was now convinced
+how foolish it would be not to forge the iron which seemed aglow in
+his favour. What riches the men-servants were carrying into the vaulted
+entry, which was twice as large as the one in the Ortlieb mansion!
+Besides, the escutcheon with the count's coronet had given the knight
+assurance that he would have no cause to be ashamed, in an assembly of
+his peers, of his alliance with the Nuremberg maiden. Isabella's hand
+could undoubtedly free him from the oppressive burden of his debts, and
+she was certainly a magnificent woman! How well, too, her tall figure
+would suit him and the Siebenburgs, whose name was said to be derived
+from the seven feet of stature which some of them measured!
+
+Now he again remembered the hour when she had laid her slender hand in
+his. For a brief period he had been really happy; his heart had not
+felt so light since early childhood, though at first he had ventured to
+confess only one half his load of debt to his father-in-law. He had
+even assumed fresh obligations to relieve his brothers from their most
+pressing cares. They had attended his brilliant wedding, and it had
+flattered his vanity to show them what he could accomplish as the
+wealthy Eysvogel's son-in-law.
+
+But how quickly all this had changed! He had learned that, besides
+the woman who had given him her heart and inspired him with a passion
+hitherto unknown, he had wedded two others.
+
+Now, as the image of old Countess Rotterbach, Isabella's grandmother,
+forced itself upon his mind, he unconsciously knit his brow. He had not
+heard her say much, but with every word she bestowed upon him he was
+forced to accept something bitter. She rarely left her place in the
+armchair in the bow window in the sitting-room, but it seemed as if her
+little eyes possessed the power of piercing walls and doors, for she
+knew everything that concerned him, even his greatest secrets, which he
+believed he had carefully concealed. More on her account than on that of
+his mother-in-law, who did nothing except what the former commanded,
+he had repeatedly tried to remove with his wife to the estate of
+Tannenreuth, which had been assigned to him on the day of the marriage,
+that its revenues might support the young couple, but the mother and
+grandmother detained his wife, and their wishes were more to her than
+his. Perhaps, however, he might have induced her to go with him had not
+his father-in-law made his debts a snare, which he drew whenever it
+was necessary to stifle his wishes, and he, too, wanted to retain his
+daughter at home.
+
+Since Wolff's return from Italy he had become aware that the stream of
+gold from the Eysvogel coffers flowed more sparingly, or even failed
+altogether to satisfy his extravagant tastes. Therefore his relations
+with his brother-in-law, whose prudent caution he considered avarice,
+and whose earnest protests against his often unprecedented demands
+frequently roused his ire, became more and more unfriendly.
+
+The inmates of the Eysvogel house rendered his home unendurable, and
+from the experiences of his bachelor days he knew only too well where
+mirth reigned in Nuremberg. So he became a rare guest at the Eysvogels,
+and when Isabella found herself neglected and deceived, she made him
+feel her resentment in her own haughty and--as soon as she deemed
+herself injured--harsh manner.
+
+At first her displeasure troubled him sorely, but the ardent passion
+which had absorbed him during the early days of their marriage had died
+out, and only flamed up with its old fervour occasionally; but at such
+times the haughty, neglected wife repulsed him with insulting severity.
+
+Yet she had never permitted any one to disparage her husband behind his
+back. True, Siebenburg did not know this, but he perceived more and more
+plainly that both the Eysvogels, father and son, were oppressed by some
+grave anxiety, and that the sums which Wolff now paid him no longer
+sufficed to hold his creditors in check. He was not accustomed to impose
+any restraint upon himself, and thus it soon became known throughout the
+city that he did not live at peace with his wife and her family.
+
+Yet five weeks ago matters had appeared to improve. The birth of the
+twins had brought something new into his life, which drew him nearer to
+Isabella.
+
+The children at first seemed to him two lovely miracles. Both boys,
+both exactly like him. When they were brought to him on their white,
+lace-trimmed pillows, his heart had swelled with joy, and it was his
+greatest delight to gaze at them.
+
+This was the natural result.
+
+He, the stalwart Siebenburg, had not become the father of one ordinary
+boy, but of two little knights at once. When he returned home--even if
+his feet were unsteady--his first visit was to them, and he had often
+felt that he was far too poor and insignificant to thank his neglected
+wife aright for so precious a gift.
+
+Whenever this feeling took possession of him he expressed his love to
+Isabella with tender humility; while she, who had bestowed her hand
+upon him solely from love, forgot all her wrongs, and her heart throbbed
+faster with grateful joy when she saw him, with fatherly pride, carry
+the twins about with bent knees, as if their weight was too heavy for
+his giant arms to bear.
+
+The second week after their birth Isabella fell slightly ill. Her mother
+and grandmother undertook the nursing, and as the husband found them
+both with the twins whenever he came to see the infants and their
+mother, the sick-room grew distasteful to him. Again, as before their
+birth, he sought compensation outside of the house for the annoyance
+caused by the women at home; but the memory of the little boys haunted
+him, and when he met his companions at the tavern he invited them to
+drink the children's health in the host's best wine.
+
+So life went on until the Reichstag brought the von Montforts, whom he
+had met at a tournament in Augsburg, to the city of Nuremberg.
+
+Mirth reigned wherever Countess Cordula appeared, and Siebenburg needed
+amusement and joined the train of her admirers--with what evil result he
+now clearly perceived for the first time.
+
+He again stood before the stately dwelling where he had hoped to find
+luxury and wealth, but where his heart now throbbed more anxiously than
+those of his kinsmen had formerly done in the impoverished castle of his
+father, who had died so long ago.
+
+The Eysvogel dwelling, with its showy escutcheon above the door, was
+threatened by want, and hand in hand with it, he knew, the most hideous
+of all her children--disgrace.
+
+Now he also remembered what he himself had done to increase the peril
+menacing the ancient commercial house. Perhaps the old man within was
+relying upon the estate of Tannenreuth, which he had assigned to him, to
+protect some post upon which much depended, and he had gambled it away.
+This must now be confessed, and also the amount of his own debts.
+
+An unpleasant task confronted him but, humiliating and harassing as was
+the interview awaiting him beyond the threshold before which he still
+lingered, at least he would not find Wolff there. This seemed a boon,
+since for the first time he would have felt himself in the wrong in the
+presence of his unloved brother-in-law. Even the burden of his debts
+weighed less heavily on his conscience than the irritating words with
+which he had induced his father-in-law to break off Wolff's betrothal to
+Els Ortlieb. The act was base and malicious. Greatly as he had erred,
+he had never before been guilty of such a deed, and with a curse upon
+himself on his bearded lips he approached the door; but when half way
+to it he stopped again and looked up to the second-story windows behind
+which the twins slept. With what delight he had always thought of
+them! But this time the recollection of the little boys was spoiled by
+Countess Cordula's message to his wife to rear them so that they would
+not be like him, their father.
+
+An evil wish! And yet the warmest love could have devised no better one
+in behalf of the true welfare of the boys.
+
+He told himself so as he passed beneath the escutcheon through the heavy
+open door with its iron ornaments. He was expected, the steward told
+him, but he arched his broad breast as if preparing for a wrestling
+match, pulled his mustache still longer, and went up the stairs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+The spacious, lofty sitting-room which Seitz Siebenburg entered looked
+very magnificent. Gay Flanders tapestries hung on the walls. The ceiling
+was slightly vaulted, and in the centre of each mesh of the net designed
+upon it glittered a richly gilded kingfisher from the family coat of
+arms. Bear and leopard skins lay on the cushions, and upon the shelf
+which surrounded three sides of the apartment stood costly vases,
+gold and silver utensils, Venetian mirrors and goblets. The chairs and
+furniture were made of rare woods inlaid with ebony and mother of pearl,
+brought by way of Genoa from Moorish Spain. In the bow window jutting
+out into the street, where the old grandmother sat in her armchair, two
+green and yellow parrots on brass perches interrupted the conversation,
+whenever it grew louder, with the shrill screams of their ugly voices.
+
+Siebenburg found all the family except Wolff and the twins. His wife was
+half sitting, half reclining, on a divan. When Seitz entered she raised
+her head from the white arm on which it had rested, turned her oval face
+with its regular features towards him, and gathered up the fair locks
+which, released from their braids, hung around her in long, thick
+tresses. Her eyes showed that she had been weeping violently, and as her
+husband approached she again sobbed painfully.
+
+Her grandmother seemed annoyed by her lamentations for, pointing to
+Isabella's tears, she exclaimed sharply, glancing angrily at Siebenburg:
+
+"It's a pity for every one of them!"
+
+The knight's blood boiled at the words, but they strengthened his
+courage. He felt relieved from any consideration for these people, not
+one of whom, except the poor woman shedding such burning tears, had
+given him occasion to return love for love. Had they flowed only for
+the lost wealth, and not for him and the grief he caused Isabella, they
+would not have seemed "a pity" to the old countess.
+
+Siebenburg's breath came quicker.
+
+The gratitude he owed his father-in-law certainly did not outweigh the
+humiliations with which he, his weak wife, and ill-natured mother-in-law
+had embittered his existence.
+
+Even now the old gentleman barely vouchsafed him a greeting. After he
+had asked about his son, called himself a ruined man, and upbraided the
+knight with insulting harshness because his brothers--the news had been
+brought to him a short time before--were the robbers who had seized his
+goods, and the old countess had chimed in with the exclamation, "They
+are all just fit for the executioner's block!" Seitz could restrain
+himself no longer; nay, it gave him actual pleasure to show these hated
+people what he had done, on his part, to add to their embarrassments. He
+was no orator, but now resentment loosened his tongue, and with swift,
+scornful words he told Herr Casper that, as the son-in-law of a house
+which liked to represent itself as immensely rich, he had borrowed from
+others what--he was justified in believing it--had been withheld through
+parsimony. Besides, his debts were small in comparison with the vast
+sums Herr Casper had lavished in maintaining the impoverished estates
+of the Rotterbach kindred. Like every knight whose own home was not
+pleasant, he sometimes gambled; and when, yesterday, ill luck pursued
+him and he lost the estate of Tannenreuth, he sincerely regretted the
+disaster, but it could not be helped.
+
+Terror and rage had sealed the old countess's lips, but now they parted
+in the hoarse cry: "You deserve the wheel and the gallows, not the
+honourable block!" and her daughter, Rosalinde Eysvogel, repeated in a
+tone of sorrowful lamentation, "Yes, the wheel and the gallows."
+
+A scornful laugh from Siebenburg greeted the threat, but when Herr
+Casper, white as death and barely able to control his voice, asked
+whether this incredible confession was merely intended to frighten the
+women, and the knight assured him of the contrary, he groaned aloud:
+"Then the old house must succumb to disgraceful ruin."
+
+Years of life spent together may inspire and increase aversion instead
+of love, but they undoubtedly produce a certain community of existence.
+The bitter anguish of his aged household companion, the father of his
+wife, to whom bonds of love still unsevered united him, touched even
+Seitz Siebenburg. Besides, nothing moves the heart more quickly than the
+grief of a proud, stern man. Herr Casper's confession did not make him
+dearer to the knight, but it induced him to drop the irritating tone
+which he had assumed, and in an altered voice he begged him not to give
+up his cause as lost without resistance. For his daughter's sake old
+Herr Ortlieb must lend his aid. Els, with whom he had just spoken, would
+cling firmly to Wolff, and try to induce her father to do all that was
+possible for her lover's house. He would endeavour to settle with his
+own creditors himself. His sharp sword and strong arm would be welcome
+everywhere, and the booty he won----Here he was interrupted by the
+grandmother's query in a tone of cutting contempt: "Booty? On the
+highway, do you mean?"
+
+Once more the attack from the hostile old woman rendered the knight's
+decision easier, for, struggling not to give way to his anger, he
+answered: "Rather, I think, in the Holy Land, in the war against
+the infidel Saracens. At any rate, my presence would be more welcome
+anywhere than in this house, whose roof shelters you, Countess. If,
+Herr Casper, you intend to share with my wife and the twins what is left
+after the old wealth has gone, unfortunately, I cannot permit you to do
+so. I will provide for them also. True, it was your duty; for ever
+since Isabella became my wife you have taken advantage of my poverty and
+impaired my right to command her. That must be changed from this very
+day. I have learned the bitter taste of the bread which you provide.
+I shall confide them to my uncle, the Knight Heideck. He was my dead
+mother's only brother, and his wife, as you know, is the children's
+godmother. They are childless, and would consider it the most precious
+of gifts to have such boys in the castle. My deserted wife must stay
+with him, while I--I know not yet in what master's service--provide that
+the three are not supported only by the charity of strangers---"
+
+"Oh, Seitz, Seitz!" interrupted Isabella, in a tone of urgent entreaty.
+She had risen from her cushions, and was hurrying towards him. "Do not
+go! You must not go so!"
+
+Her tall figure nestled closely against him as she spoke, and she threw
+her arms around his neck; but he kissed her brow and eyes, saying, with
+a gentleness which surprised even her: "You are very kind, but I cannot,
+must not remain here."
+
+"The children, the little boys!" she exclaimed again, gazing up at him
+with love-beaming eyes. Then his tortured heart seemed to shrink, and,
+pressing his hand on his brow, he paused some time ere he answered
+gloomily: "It is for them that I go. Words have been spoken which
+appeal to me, and to you, too, Isabella: 'See that the innocent little
+creatures are reared to be unlike their unhappy father.' And the person
+who uttered them----"
+
+"A sage, a great sage," giggled the countess, unable to control her
+bitter wrath against the man whom she hated; but Siebenburg fiercely
+retorted:
+
+"Although no sage, at least no monster spitting venom."
+
+"And you permit this insult to be offered to your grandmother?" Frau
+Rosalinde Eysvogel wailed to her daughter as piteously as if the injury
+had been inflicted on herself. But Isabella only clung more closely
+to her husband, heeding neither her mother's appeal nor her father's
+warning not to be deluded by Siebenburg's empty promises.
+
+While the old countess vainly struggled for words, Rosalinde Eysvogel
+stood beside the lofty mantelpiece, weeping softly. Before Siebenburg
+appeared, spite of the early hour and the agitating news which she had
+just received, she had used her leisure for an elaborate toilette. A
+long trailing robe of costly brocade, blue on the left side and yellow
+on the right, now floated around her tall figure. When the knight
+returned she had looked radiant in her gold and gems, like a princess.
+Now, crushed and feeble, she presented a pitiable image of powerless yet
+offensively hollow splendour. It would have required too much exertion
+to assail her son-in-law with invectives, like her energetic mother;
+but when she saw her daughter, to whom she had already appealed several
+times in a tone of anguished entreaty, rest her proud head so tenderly
+on her husband's broad breast, as she had done during the first weeks
+of their marriage, but never since, the unhappy woman clearly perceived
+that the knight's incredible demand was meant seriously. What she had
+believed an idle boast he actually requested. Yonder hated intruder
+expected her to part with her only daughter, who was far more to her
+than her unloved husband, her exacting mother, or the son who restricted
+her wishes, whom she had never understood, and against whom her heart
+had long been hardened. But it could not be and, losing all self-control
+and dignity, she shrieked aloud, tore the blue headband from her hair
+and, repeating the "never" constantly as if she had gone out of her
+senses, gasped: "Never, never, never, so long as I live!"
+
+As she spoke she rushed to her startled husband, pointed to her
+son-in-law, who still held his wife in a close embrace, and in a
+half-stifled voice commanded Herr Casper to strike down the gambler,
+robber, spendthrift, and kidnapper of children, or drive him out of the
+house like some savage, dangerous beast. Then she ordered Isabella to
+leave the profligate who wanted to drag her down to ruin; and when her
+daughter refused to obey, she burst into violent weeping, sobbing and
+moaning till her strength failed and she was really attacked with one of
+the convulsions she had often feigned, by the advice of her own mother,
+to extort from her husband the gratification of some extravagant wish.
+
+Indignant, yet full of sincere sympathy, Herr Casper supported his wife,
+whose queenly beauty had once fired his heart, and in whose embrace
+he had imagined that he would be vouchsafed here below the joys of the
+redeemed. As she rested her head, with its long auburn tresses, still so
+luxuriant, upon his shoulder, exquisite pictures of the past rose before
+the mental vision of the elderly man; but the spell was quickly broken,
+for the kerchief with which he wiped her face was dyed red from her
+rouged cheeks.
+
+A bitter smile hovered around his well-formed, beardless lips, and the
+man of business remembered the vast sums which he had squandered to
+gratify the extravagant wishes of the mother and daughter, and show
+these countesses that he, the burgher, in whose veins ran noble blood,
+understood as well as any man of their own rank how to increase the
+charm of life by luxury and splendour.
+
+While he supported his wife, and the old countess was seeking to relieve
+her, Isabella also prepared to hasten to her mother's assistance, but
+her husband stopped her with resistless strength, whispering: "You know
+that these convulsions are not dangerous. Come with me to the children.
+I want to bid them farewell. Show me in this last hour, at least, that
+these women are not more to you than I." He released her as he spoke,
+and the mental struggle which for a short time made her bosom heave
+violently with her hurried breathing ended with a low exclamation, "I
+will come."
+
+The nurse, whom Isabella sent out of the room when she entered with her
+husband, silently obeyed, but stopped at the door to watch. She saw the
+turbulent knight kneel beside the children's cradle before the wife
+whom he had so basely neglected, raise his tearful eyes to the majestic
+woman, whose stature was little less than his own and, lifting his
+clasped hands, make a confession which she could not hear; saw her draw
+him towards her, nestle with loving devotion against his broad breast,
+and place first one and then the other twin boy in his arms.
+
+The young mother's cheeks as well as the father's were wet, but the eyes
+of both sparkled with grateful joy when Isabella, in taking leave of her
+husband, thanked him with a last loving kiss for the vow that, wherever
+he might go, he would treasure her and the children in his heart, and do
+everything in his power to secure a fate that should be worthy of them.
+
+As Siebenburg went downstairs he met his father-in-law on the
+second-story landing. Herr Casper, deadly pale, was clinging with his
+right hand to the baluster, pressing his left on his brow, as he vainly
+struggled for composure and breath. He had forgotten to strengthen
+himself with food and drink, and the terrible blows of fate which had
+fallen upon him during these last hours of trial crushed, though but
+for a short time, his still vigorous strength. The knight went nearer
+to help him, but when he offered Herr Casper his arm the old merchant
+angrily thrust it back and accepted a servant's support.
+
+While the man assisted him upstairs he repented that he had yielded
+to resentment, and not asked his son-in-law to try to discover Wolff's
+hiding place, but no sooner had food and fiery wine strengthened him
+than his act seemed wise. The return of the business partner, without
+whose knowledge he had incurred great financial obligations, would have
+placed him in the most painful situation. The old gentleman would have
+been obliged to account to Wolff for the large sum which he owed to the
+Jew Pfefferkorn, the most impatient of his creditors, though he need
+not have told him that he had used it in Venice to gratify his love of
+gaming. How should he answer his son if he asked why he had rejected his
+betrothed bride, and soon after condescended to receive her again as his
+daughter and enter into close relations with her father? Yet this must
+be done. Ernst Ortlieb was the only person who could help him. It had
+become impossible to seek aid from Herr Berthold Vorchtel, the man whose
+oldest son Wolff had slain, and yet he possessed the means to save the
+sinking ship from destruction.
+
+When the news of the duel reached him the messenger's blanched face had
+made him believe that Wolff had fallen. In that moment he had perceived
+that his loss would have rendered him miserable for the rest of his
+life. This was a source of pleasure, for since Wolff had extorted his
+consent to the betrothal with Els Ortlieb, and thus estranged him from
+the Vorchtels, he had seriously feared that he had ceased to love him.
+Nay, in many an hour when he had cause to feel shame in the presence of
+his prudent, cautious, and upright partner, it had seemed as if he hated
+him. Now the fear of the judge whom he saw in Wolff was blended with
+sincere anxiety concerning his only son, whose breach of the peace
+menaced him with banishment--nay, if he could not pay the price of blood
+which the Vorchtels might demand, with death. Doubtless he had done many
+things to prejudice Wolff against his betrothed bride, yet he who had
+cast the first stone at her now felt that, in her simple purity, she
+would be capable of no repudiation of the fidelity she owed her future
+husband. However strongly he had struggled against this conviction, he
+knew that she, if any one, could make his son happy--far happier than
+he had ever been with the tall, slender, snow-white, unapproachable
+countess, who had helped bring him to ruin.
+
+While consuming the food and drink, he heard his wife, usually a most
+obedient daughter, disputing with her mother. This was fortunate; for,
+if they were at variance, he need not fear that they would act as firm
+allies against him when he expressed the wish to have Wolff's marriage
+solemnised as soon as circumstances would permit.
+
+It was not yet time to discuss the matter with any one. He would first
+go to the Jew Pfefferkorn once more to persuade him to defer his
+claims, and then, before the meeting of the Council, would repair to the
+Ortliebs, to commit to Herr Ernst the destiny of the Eysvogel firm
+and his partner Wolff, on which also depended the welfare of the young
+merchant's betrothed bride. If the father remained obdurate, if he
+resented the wrong he had inflicted yesterday upon him and his daughter,
+he was a lost man; for he had already availed himself of the good will
+of all those whose doors usually stood open to him. Doubtless the news
+of his recent severe losses were in every one's mouth, and the letter
+which he had just received threatened him with an indictment.
+
+The luckless Siebenburg's creditors, too, would now be added to his own.
+It was all very well for him to say that he would settle his debts him
+self. As soon as it was rumoured abroad that he had gambled away the
+estate of Tannenreuth, whose value gave the creditors some security,
+they would rise as one man, and the house assailed would be his, Casper
+Eysvogel's.
+
+The harried man's thoughts of his son-in-law were by no means the most
+kindly.
+
+Meanwhile the latter set out for the second distasteful interview of the
+morning.
+
+His purpose was to make some arrangement with Heinz Schorlin about the
+lost estate and obtain definite knowledge concerning his quarrel
+with him, of which he remembered nothing except that intoxication and
+jealousy had carried him further than would have happened otherwise.
+He had undoubtedly spoken insultingly of Els; his words, when uttered
+against a lady, had been sharper than beseemed a knight. Yet was not
+any one who found a maiden alone at night with this man justified
+in doubting her virtue? In the depths of his soul he believed in her
+innocence, yet he avoided confessing it. Why should not the Swiss,
+whom Nature had given such power over the hearts of women, have also
+entangled his brother-in-law's betrothed bride in a love affair? Why
+should not the gay girl who had pledged her troth to a grave, dull
+fellow like Wolff, have been tempted into a little love dalliance with
+the bold, joyous Schorlin?
+
+Not until he had received proof that he had erred would he submit to
+recall his charges.
+
+He had left his wife with fresh courage and full of good intentions. Now
+that he was forced to bid her farewell, he first realised what she had
+been to him. No doubt both had much to forgive, but she was a splendid
+woman. Though her father's storehouses contained chests of spices and
+bales of cloth, he did not know one more queenly. That he could have
+preferred, even for a single moment, the Countess von Montfort, whose
+sole advantage over her was her nimble tongue and gay, bold manners, now
+seemed incomprehensible. He had joined Cordula's admirers only to forget
+at her feet the annoyances with which he had been wearied at home. He
+had but one thing for which to thank the countess--her remark concerning
+the future of the twins.
+
+Yet was he really so base that it would have been a disgrace for his
+darlings to resemble him? "No!" a voice within cried loudly, and as the
+same voice reminded him of the victories won in tournaments and sword
+combats, of the open hand with which, since he had been the rich
+Eysvogel's son-in-law, he had lent and given money to his brothers, and
+especially of the manly resolve to provide for his wife and children as
+a soldier in the service of some prince, another, lower, yet insistent,
+recalled other things. It referred to the time when, with his brothers,
+he had attacked a train of freight waggons and not cut down their armed
+escort alone. The curse of a broad-shouldered Nordlinger carrier, whose
+breast he had pierced with a lance though he cried out that he was a
+father and had a wife and child to support, the shriek of the pretty boy
+with curling brown hair who clung to the bridle of his steed as he rode
+against the father, and whose arm he had cut off, still seemed to ring
+in his ears. He also remembered the time when, after a rich capture on
+the highway which had filled his purse, he had ridden to Nuremberg
+in magnificent new clothes at the carnival season in order, by his
+brothers' counsel, to win a wealthy bride. Fortune and the saints had
+permitted him to find a woman to satisfy both his avarice and his
+heart, yet he had neither kept faith with her nor even showed her proper
+consideration. But, strangely enough, the warning voice reproached him
+still more sharply for having, in the presence of others, accused and
+disparaged his brother-in-law's betrothed bride, whose guilt he believed
+proved. Again he felt how ignoble and unworthy of a knight his conduct
+had been. Why had he pursued this course? Merely--he admitted it now--to
+harm Wolff, the monitor and niggard whom he hated; perhaps also because
+he secretly told himself that, if Wolff formed a happy marriage, he and
+his children, not Siebenburg's twin boys, would obtain the larger share
+of the Eysvogel property.
+
+This greed of gain, which had brought him to Nuremberg to seek a wife,
+was probably latent in his blood, though his reckless accumulation of
+debts seemed to contradict it. Yesterday, at the Duke of Pomerania's, it
+had again led him into that wild, mad dice-throwing.
+
+Seitz Siebenburg was no calm thinker. All these thoughts passed singly
+in swift flashes through his excited brain. Like the steady monotone of
+the bass accompanying the rise and fall of the air, he constantly heard
+the assurance that it would be a pity if his splendid twins should
+resemble him.
+
+Therefore they must grow up away from his influence, under the care of
+his good uncle. With this man's example before their eyes they would
+become knights as upright and noble as Kunz Heideck, whom every one
+esteemed.
+
+For the sake of the twins he had resolved to begin a new and worthier
+life himself. His wife would aid him, and love should lend him strength
+to conduct himself in future so that Countess von Montfort, and every
+one who meant well by his sons, might wish them to resemble their
+father.
+
+He walked on, holding his head proudly erect. Seeing the first
+worshippers entering the Church of Our Lady, he went in, too, repeated
+several Paternosters, commended the little boys and their mother to
+the care of the gracious Virgin, and besought her to help him curb the
+turbulent impulses which often led him to commit deeds he afterwards
+regretted.
+
+Many people knew Casper Eysvogel's tall, haughty son-in-law and
+marvelled at the fervent devotion with which, kneeling in the first
+place he found near the entrance, beside two old women, he continued
+to pray. Was it true that the Eysvogel firm had been placed in a very
+critical situation by the loss of great trains of merchandise? One of
+his neighbours had heard him sigh, and declared that something must
+weigh heavily upon the "Mustache." She would tell her nephew Hemerlein,
+the belt-maker, to whom the knight owed large sums for saddles and
+harnesses, that he would be wise to look after his money betimes.
+
+Siebenburg quitted the church in a more hopeful mood than when he
+entered it.
+
+The prayers had helped him.
+
+When he reached the fruit market he noticed that people gazed at him
+in surprise. He had paid no heed to his dress since the morning of the
+previous day, and as he always consumed large quantities of food and
+drink he felt the need of refreshment. Entering the first barber's shop,
+he had the stubble removed from his cheeks and chin, and arranged his
+disordered attire, and then, going to a taproom close by, ate and drank,
+without sitting down, what he found ready and, invigorated in body and
+mind, continued his walk.
+
+The fruit market was full of busy life. Juicy strawberries and early
+cherries, red radishes, heads of cabbages, bunches of greens, and long
+stalks of asparagus were offered for sale, with roses and auriculas,
+balsams and early pinks, in pots and bouquets, and the ruddy peasant
+lasses behind the stands, the stately burgher women in their big round
+hats, the daughters of the master workmen with their long floating locks
+escaping from under richly embroidered caps, the maidservants with
+neat little baskets on their round arms, afforded a varied and pleasing
+scene. Everything that reached the ear, too, was cheery and amusing, and
+rendered the knight's mood brighter.
+
+Proud of his newly acquired power of resistance, he walked on, after
+yielding to the impulse to buy the handsomest bouquet of roses offered
+by the pretty flower girl Kuni, whom, on Countess Cordula's account,
+during the Reichstag he had patronised more frequently than usual.
+Without knowing why himself, he did not tell the pretty girl, who had
+already trusted him very often, for whom he intended it, but ordered it
+to be charged with the rest.
+
+At the corner of the Bindergasse, where Heinz Schorlin lodged, he found
+a beggar woman with a bandaged head, whom he commissioned to carry the
+roses to the Eysvogel mansion and give them to his wife, Fran Isabella
+Siebenburg, in his--Sir Seitz's--name.
+
+In front of the house occupied by the master cloth-maker Deichsler,
+where the Swiss had his quarters, the tailor Ploss stopped him. He
+came from Heinz Schorlin, and reminded Siebenburg of his by no means
+inconsiderable debt; but the latter begged him to have patience a little
+longer, as he had met with heavy losses at the gaming table the night
+before, and Ploss agreed to wait till St. Heinrich's day--[15th July].
+
+How many besides the tailor had large demands! and when could Seitz
+begin to cancel his debts? The thought even darted through his mind that
+instead of carrying his good intentions into effect he had not paid for
+the roses--but flowers were so cheap in June!
+
+Besides, he had no time to dwell upon this trifle, for while quieting
+the tailor he had noticed a girl who, notwithstanding the heat of the
+day, kept her face hidden so far under her Riese--[A kerchief for the
+head, resembling a veil, made of fine linen.]--that nothing but her eyes
+and the upper part of her nose were visible. She had given him a hasty
+nod and, if he was not mistaken, it was the Ortlieb sisters' maid, whom
+he had often seen.
+
+When he again looked after the muffled figure she was hurrying up the
+cloth-maker's stairs.
+
+It was Katterle herself.
+
+At the first landing she had glanced back, and in doing so pushed the
+kerchief aside. What could she want with the Swiss? It could scarcely
+be anything except to bring him a message from one of her mistresses,
+doubtless Els.
+
+So he had seen aright, and acted wisely not to believe the countess.
+
+Poor Wolff! Deceived even when a betrothed lover! He did not exactly
+wish him happiness even now, and yet he pitied him.
+
+Seitz could now stand before Heinz Schorlin with the utmost confidence.
+The Swiss must know how matters stood between the older E and him
+self, though his knightly duty constrained him to deny it to others.
+Siebenburg's self-reproaches had been vain. He had suspected no innocent
+girl--only called a faithless betrothed bride by the fitting name.
+
+The matter concerning his estate of Tannenreuth was worse. It had been
+gambled away, and therefore forfeited. He had already given it up in
+imagination; it was only necessary to have the transfer made by the
+notary. The Swiss should learn how a true knight satisfies even the
+heaviest losses at the gaming table. He would not spare Heinz Schorlin.
+He meant to reproach the unprincipled fellow who by base arts had
+alienated the betrothed bride of an honest man--for that Wolff certainly
+was--when adverse circumstances prevented his watching the faithless
+woman himself. Twisting the ends of his mustache with two rapid motions,
+he knocked at the young knight's door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+Twice, three times, Siebenburg rapped, but in vain. Yet the Swiss was
+there. His armour-bearer had told Seitz so downstairs, and he heard his
+voice within. At last he struck the door so heavily with the handle of
+his dagger that the whole house echoed with the sound. This succeeded;
+the door opened, and Biberli's narrow head appeared. He looked at the
+visitor in astonishment.
+
+"Tell your master," said the latter imperiously, recognising Heinz
+Schorlin's servant, "that if he closes his lodgings against dunning
+tradesfolk--"
+
+"By your knock, my lord," Biberli interrupted, "we really thought the
+sword cutler had come with hammer and anvil. My master, however, need
+have no fear of creditors; for though you may not yet know it, Sir
+Knight, there are generous noblemen in Nuremberg during the Reichstag
+who throw away castles and lands in his favour at the gaming table."
+
+"And hurl their fists even more swiftly into the faces of insolent
+varlets!" cried Siebenburg, raising his right hand threateningly. "Now
+take me to your master at once!"
+
+"Or, at any rate, within his four walls," replied the servitor,
+preceding Seitz into the small anteroom from which he had come. "As to
+the 'at once,' that rests with the saints, for you must know----"
+
+"Nonsense!" interrupted the knight. "Tell your master that Siebenburg
+has neither time nor inclination to wait in his antechamber."
+
+"And certainly nothing could afford Sir Heinz Schorlin greater pleasure
+than your speedy departure," Biberli retorted.
+
+"Insolent knave!" thundered Seitz, who perceived the insult conveyed in
+the reply, grasping the neck of his long robe; but Biberli felt that he
+had seized only the hood, swiftly unclasped it, and as he hurried to a
+side door, through which loud voices echoed, Siebenburg heard the low
+cry of a woman. It came from behind a curtain spread over some clothes
+that hung on the wall, and Seitz said to himself that the person must be
+the maid whom he had just met. She was in Els Ortlieb's service, and he
+was glad to have this living witness at hand.
+
+If he could induce Heinz to talk with him here in the anteroom it
+would be impossible for her to escape. So, feigning that he had noticed
+nothing, he pretended to be much amused by Biberli's nimble flight.
+Forcing a laugh, he flung the hood at his head, and before he opened the
+door of the adjoining room again asked to speak to his master.
+Biberli replied that he must wait; the knight was holding a religious
+conversation with a devout old mendicant friar. If he might venture to
+offer counsel, he would not interrupt his master now; he had received
+very sad news, and the tailor who came to take his measure for his
+mourning garments had just left him. If Seitz had any business with the
+knight, and expected any benefit from his favour and rare generosity----
+
+But Siebenburg let him get no farther. Forgetting the stratagem which
+was to lure Heinz hither, he burst into a furious rage, fiercely
+declaring that he sought favour and generosity from no man, least of
+all a Heinz Schorlin and, advancing to the door, flung the servant who
+barred his passage so rudely against the wall that he uttered a loud cry
+of pain.
+
+Ere it had died away Heinz appeared on the threshold. A long white
+robe increased the pallor of his face, but yesterday so ruddy, and his
+reddened eyes showed traces of recent tears.
+
+When he perceived what had occurred, and saw his faithful follower,
+with a face distorted by pain, rubbing his shoulder, his cheeks flushed
+angrily, and with just indignation he rebuked Siebenburg for his
+unseemly intrusion into his quarters and his brutal conduct.
+
+Then, without heeding the knight, he asked Biberli if he was seriously
+injured, and when the latter answered in the negative he again turned
+to Seitz and briefly enquired what he wanted. If he desired to own
+that, while in a state of senseless intoxication he had slandered modest
+maidens, and was ignorant of his actions when he staked his castle and
+lands against the gold lying before him, Heinz Schorlin, he might keep
+Tannenreuth. The form in which he would revoke his calumny to Jungfrau
+Ortlieb he would discuss with him later. At present his mind was
+occupied with more important matters than the senseless talk of a
+drunkard, and he would therefore request the knight to leave him.
+
+As Heinz uttered the last words he pointed to the door, and this
+indiscreet, anything but inviting gesture robbed Siebenburg of the last
+remnant of composure maintained with so much difficulty.
+
+Nothing is more infuriating to weak natures than to have others expect
+them to pursue a course opposite to that which, after a victory over
+baser impulses, they have recognised as the right one and intended to
+follow. He who had come to resign his lost property voluntarily was
+regarded by the Swiss as an importunate mendicant; he who stood here
+to prove that he was perfectly justified in accusing Els Ortlieb of
+a crime, Schorlin expected to make a revocation against his better
+knowledge. And what price did the insolent fellow demand for the
+restored estate and the right to brand him as a slanderer? The pleasure
+of seeing the unwelcome guest retire as quickly as possible. No greater
+degree of contempt and offensive presumption could be imagined, and as
+Seitz set his own admirable conduct during the past few hours far
+above the profligate behaviour of the Swiss, he was fired with honest
+indignation and, far from heeding the white robe and altered countenance
+of his enemy, gave the reins to his wrath.
+
+Pale with fury, he flung, as it were, the estate the Swiss had won from
+him at his feet, amid no lack of insulting words.
+
+At first Heinz listened to the luckless gambler's outbreak of rage
+in silent amazement, but when the latter began to threaten, and even
+clapped his hand on his sword, the composure which never failed him in
+the presence of anything that resembled danger quickly returned.
+
+He had felt a strong aversion to Siebenburg from their first meeting,
+and the slanderous words with which he had dragged in the dust the good
+name of a maiden who, Heinz knew, had incurred suspicion solely through
+his fault, had filled him with scorn. So, with quiet contempt, he let
+him rave on; but when the person to whom he had just been talking--the
+old Minorite monk whom he had met on the highroad and accompanied to
+Nuremberg--appeared at the door of the next room, he stopped Seitz with
+a firm "Enough!" pointed to the old man, and in brief, simple words,
+gave the castle and lands of Tannenreuth to the monastery of the
+mendicant friars of the Franciscan order in Nuremberg.
+
+Siebenburg listened with a contemptuous shrug of the shoulders, then he
+said bitterly: "I thought that a life of poverty was the chief rule in
+the order of St. Francis. But no matter! May the gift won at the gaming
+table profit the holy Brothers. For you, Sir Knight, it will gain the
+favour of the Saint of Assisi, whose power is renowned. So you have
+acted wisely."
+
+Here he hesitated; he felt choked with rage. But while the Minorite was
+thanking Heinz for the generous gift, Siebenburg's eyes again rested on
+the curtain behind which the maid was concealed.
+
+It was now his turn to deal the Swiss a blow. The old mendicant friar
+was a venerable person whose bearing commanded respect, and Heinz seemed
+to value his good opinion. For that very reason the Minorite should
+learn the character of this patron of his order.
+
+"Since you so earnestly desire to be rid of my company, Sir Heinz
+Schorlin," he continued, "I will fulfil your wish. Only just now you
+appeared to consider certain words uttered last night in reference to a
+lady--"
+
+"Let that pass," interrupted Heinz with marked emphasis.
+
+"I might expect that desire," replied Siebenburg scornfully; "for as you
+are in the act of gaining the favour of Heaven by pious works, it will
+be agreeable to you--"
+
+"What?" asked the Swiss sharply.
+
+"You will surely desire," was the reply, "to change conduct which is an
+offence to honourable people, and still more to the saints above. You
+who have estranged a betrothed bride from her lover and lured her to
+midnight interviews, no doubt suppose yourself safe from the future
+husband, whom the result of a duel--as you know--will keep from her
+side. But Wolff happens to be my brother-in-law, and if I feel disposed
+to take his place and break a lance with you----"
+
+Heinz, pale as death, interrupted him, exclaiming in a tone of the
+deepest indignation: "So be it, then. We will have a tilt with lances,
+and then we will fight with our swords."
+
+Siebenburg looked at him an instant, as if puzzled by his adversary's
+sharp assault, but quickly regained his composure and answered: "Agreed!
+In the joust--[single combat in the tourney]--with sharp weapons it will
+soon appear who has right on his side."
+
+"Right?" asked Heinz in astonishment, shrugging his shoulders
+scornfully.
+
+"Yes, right," cried the other furiously, "which you have ceased to
+prize."
+
+"So far from it," the Swiss answered quietly, "that before we discuss
+the mode of combat with the herald I must ask you to recall the insults
+with which yesterday, in your drunkenness, you injured the honour of a
+virtuous maiden in the presence of other knights and gentlemen."
+
+"Whose protector," laughed Seitz, "you seem to have constituted
+yourself, by your own choice, in her bridegroom's place."
+
+"I accept the position," replied Heinz with cool deliberation. "Not you,
+nay, I will fight in Wolff Eysvogel's stead--and with his consent, I
+think. I know him, and esteem him so highly----"
+
+"That you invite his plighted bride to nocturnal love dalliance, and
+exchange love messages with her," interrupted the other.
+
+This was too much for Heinz Schorlin and, with honest indignation, he
+cried: "Prove it! Or, by our Lord's blood!--My sword, Biberli!--Spite of
+the peace proclaimed throughout the land, you shall learn, ere you open
+your slandering lips again----"
+
+Here he paused suddenly, for while Biberli withdrew to obey the command
+which, though it probably suited his wishes, he was slow in executing,
+doubtless that he might save his master from a reckless act, Siebenburg,
+frantic with fury, rushed to the curtain. Ere Heinz could interfere,
+he jerked it back so violently that he tore it from the fastenings and
+forced the terrified maid, whose arm he grasped, to approach the knight
+with him.
+
+Heinz had seen Katterle only by moonlight and in the twilight, so
+her unexpected appearance gave him no information. He gazed at her
+enquiringly, with as much amazement as though she had risen from the
+earth. Siebenburg gave him no time to collect his thoughts, but dragged
+the girl before the monk and, raising his voice in menace, commanded:
+"Tell the holy Brother who you are, woman!"
+
+"Katterle of Sarnen," she answered, weeping. "And whom do you serve?"
+the knight demanded.
+
+"The Ortlieb sisters, Jungfrau Els and Jungfrau Eva," was the reply.
+
+"The beautiful Es, as they are called here, holy Brother," said
+Siebenburg with a malicious laugh, "whose maid I recognise in this girl.
+If she did not come hither to mend the linen of her mistress's friend--"
+
+But here Biberli, who on his return to the anteroom had been terrified
+by the sight of his sweetheart, interrupted the knight by turning to
+Heinz with the exclamation: "Forgive me, my lord. Surely you know
+that she is my betrothed bride. She came just now--scarcely a dozen
+Paternosters ago-to talk with me about the marriage."
+
+Katterle had listened in surprise to the bold words of her true and
+steadfast lover, yet she was not ill pleased, for he had never before
+spoken of their marriage voluntarily. At the same time she felt the
+obligation of aiding him and nodded assent, while Siebenburg rudely
+interrupted the servant by calling to the monk: "Lies and deception,
+pious Brother. Black must be whitened here. She stole, muffled, to her
+mistress's gallant, to bring a message from the older beautiful E, with
+whom this godly knight was surprised last night."
+
+Again the passionate outbreak of his foe restored the Swiss to
+composure. With a calmness which seemed to the servant incomprehensible,
+though it filled him with delight, he turned to the monk, saying
+earnestly and simply: "Appearances may be against me, Pater Benedictus.
+I will tell you all the circumstances at once. How this maid came here
+will be explained later. As for the maiden whom this man calls the older
+beautiful E, never--I swear it by our saint--have I sought her love or
+received from her the smallest token of her favour."
+
+Then turning to Siebenburg he continued, still calmly, but with menacing
+sternness: "If I judge you aright, you will now go from one to another
+telling whom you found here, in order to injure the fair fame of the
+maiden whom your wife's valiant brother chose for his bride, and to
+place my name with hers in the pillory."
+
+"Where Els Ortlieb belongs rather than in the honourable home of a
+Nuremberg patrician," retorted Siebenburg furiously. "If she became too
+base for my brother-in-law, the fault is yours. I shall certainly take
+care that he learns the truth and knows where, and at what an hour, his
+betrothed bride met foreign heartbreakers. To open the eyes of others
+concerning her will also be a pleasant duty."
+
+Heinz sprang towards Biberli to snatch the sword from his hand, but
+he held it firmly, seeking his master's eyes with a look of warning
+entreaty; but his faithful solicitude would have been futile had not
+the monk lent his aid. The old man's whispered exhortation to his young
+friend to spare the imperial master, to whom he was so deeply indebted,
+a fresh sorrow, restored to the infuriated young knight his power of
+self-control. Pushing the thick locks back from his brow with a hasty
+movement, he answered in a tone of the most intense contempt:
+
+"Do what you will, but remember this: Beware that, ere the joust begins,
+you do not ride the rail instead of the charger. The maidens whose pure
+name you so yearn to sully are of noble birth, and if they appear to
+complain of you----"
+
+"Then I will proclaim the truth," Siebenburg retorted, "and the Court of
+Love and Pursuivant at Arms will deprive you, the base seducer, of the
+right to enter the lists rather than me, my handsome knight!"
+
+"So be it," replied Heinz quietly. "You can discuss the other points
+with my herald. Wolff Eysvogel, too--rely upon it--will challenge you,
+if you fulfil your base design."
+
+Then, turning his back upon Seitz without a word of farewell, he
+motioned the monk towards the open door of the antechamber, and letting
+him lead the way, closed it behind them.
+
+"He will come to you, you boaster!" Siebenburg shouted contemptuously
+after the Swiss, and then turned to Biberli and the maid with a
+patronising question; but the former, without even opening his lips in
+reply, hastened to the door and, with a significant gesture, induced the
+knight to retire.
+
+Seitz submitted and hastened down the stairs, his eyes flashing as if he
+had won a great victory. At the door of the house he grasped the hilt
+of his sword, and then, with rapid movements, twisted the ends of his
+mustache. The surprise he had given the insolent Swiss by the discovery
+of his love messenger--it had acted like a spell--could not have
+succeeded better. And what had Schorlin alleged in justification?
+Nothing, absolutely nothing at all. Wolff Eysvogel's herald should
+challenge the Swiss, not him, who meant to open the deceived lover's
+eyes concerning his betrothed bride.
+
+He eagerly anticipated the joust and the sword combat with Heinz. The
+sharper the herald's conditions the better. He had hurled more powerful
+foes than the Swiss from the saddle, and from knightly "courtoisie" not
+even used his strength without consideration. Heinz Schorlin should feel
+it.
+
+He gazed around him like a victor, and throwing his head back haughtily
+he went down the Bindergasse, this time past the Franciscan monastery
+towards the Town Hall and the fish market. Eber, the sword cutler, lived
+there and, spite of the large sum he owed him, Seitz wished to talk with
+him about the sharp weapons he needed for the joust. On his way he gave
+his imagination free course. It showed him his impetuous onset, his
+enemy's fall in the sand, the sword combat, and the end of the joust,
+the swift death of his hated foe.
+
+These pictures of the future occupied his thoughts so deeply that he
+neither saw nor heard what was passing around him. Many a person for
+whom he forgot to turn aside looked angrily after him. Suddenly he found
+his farther progress arrested. The crier had just raised his voice to
+announce some important tidings to the people who thronged around him
+between the Town Hall and the Franciscan monastery. Perhaps he might
+have succeeded in forcing a passage through the concourse, but when he
+heard the name "Ernst Ortlieb," in the monotonous speech of the city
+crier, he followed the remainder of his notice. It made known to the
+citizens of Nuremberg that, since the thunderstorm of the preceding
+night, a maid had been missing from the house of the Honourable Herr
+Ernst Ortlieb, of the Council, a Swiss by birth, Katharina of Sarnen,
+called Katterle, a woman of blameless reputation. Whoever should learn
+anything concerning the girl was requested to bring the news to the
+Ortlieb residence.
+
+What did this mean?
+
+If the girl had vanished at midnight and not returned to her employers
+since, she could scarcely have sought Heinz Schorlin as a messenger of
+love from Els. But if she had not come to the Swiss from one of the Es,
+what proof did he, Seitz, possess of the guilt of his brother-in-law's
+bride? How should he succeed in making Wolff understand that his beloved
+Els had wronged him if the maid was to play no part in proving it?
+Yesterday evening he had not believed firmly in her guilt; that very
+morning it had even seemed to him a shameful thing that he had cast
+suspicion upon her in the presence of others. The encounter with the
+maid at the Swiss knight's lodgings had first induced him to insist on
+his accusation so defiantly. And now? If Heinz Schorlin, with the help
+of the Ortliebs, succeeded in proving the innocence of those whom he had
+accused, then--ah, he must not pursue that train of thought--then, at
+the lady's accusation, he might be deprived of the right to enter the
+lists in the tournament; then all the disgrace which could be inflicted
+upon the slanderous defamer of character threatened him; then Wolff
+would summon him to a reckoning, as well as Heinz Schorlin. Wolff, whom
+he had begun to hate since, with his resistless arm of iron, he had
+exposed him for the first time to the malicious glee of the bystanders
+in the fencing hall.
+
+Yet it was not this which suddenly bowed his head and loudly admonished
+him that he had again behaved like a reckless fool. Cowardice was his
+least fault. He did not fear what might befall him in battle. Whether
+he would be barred out from the lists was the terrible question which
+darkened the bright morning already verging towards noon. He had charged
+Els with perfidy in the presence of others, and thereby exposed her, the
+plighted bride of a knight, to the utmost scorn. And besides--fool
+that he was!--his brothers had again attacked a train of waggons on
+the highway and would soon be called to account as robbers. This would
+certainly lead the Swiss and others to investigate his own past, and
+the Pursuivant at Arms excluded from joust and tourney whoever "injured
+trade or merchant." What would not his enemy, who was in such high
+favour with the Emperor, do to compass his destruction? But--and at the
+thought he uttered a low imprecation--how could he ride to the joust if
+his father-in-law closed his strong box which, moreover, was said to
+be empty? If the old man was forced to declare himself bankrupt
+Siebenburg's creditors would instantly seize his splendid chargers and
+costly suits of armour, scarcely one half of which were paid for. How
+much money he needed as security in case of defeat! His sole property
+was debts. Yet the thought seemed like an illumination--his wife's
+valuable old jewels could probably still be saved, and she might be
+induced to give him part of the ornaments for the tournament. He need
+only make her understand that his honour and that of the twins were at
+stake. Would that Heaven might spare his boys such hours of anxiety and
+self-accusation!
+
+But what was this? Was he deluding himself? Did his over-excited
+imagination make him hear a death knell pealing for his honour and his
+hopes, which must be borne to their grave? Yet no! All the citizens and
+peasants, men and women, great and small, who thronged the salt market,
+which he had just entered, raised their heads to listen with him; for
+from every steeple at once rang the mournful death knell which announced
+to the city the decease of an "honourable" member of the Council, a
+secular or ecclesiastical prince. The mourning banner was already
+waving on the roof of the Town Hall, towards which he turned. Men in the
+service of the city were hoisting other black flags upon the almshouse,
+and now the Hegelein--[Proclaimer of decrees]--in mourning garments,
+mounted on a steed caparisoned with crepe, came riding by at the head of
+other horsemen clad in sable, proclaiming to the throng that Hartmann,
+the Emperor Rudolph's promising son, had found an untimely end. The
+noble youth was drowned while bathing in the Rhine.
+
+It seemed as if a frost had blighted a blooming garden. The gay bustle
+in the market place was paralysed. The loud sobs of many women blended
+with exclamations of grief and pity from bearded lips which had just
+been merrily bargaining for salt and fish, meat and game. Messengers
+with crepe on their hats or caps forced a passage through the throng,
+and a train of German knights, priests, and monks passed with bowed
+heads, bearing candles in their hands, between the Town Hail and St.
+Sebald's Church towards the corn magazine and the citadel.
+
+Meanwhile dark clouds were spreading slowly over the bright-blue vault
+of the June sky. A flock of rooks hovered around the Town Hall, and then
+flew, with loud cries, towards the castle.
+
+Seitz watched them indifferently. Even the great omnipotent sovereign
+there had his own cross to bear; tears flowed in his proud palace also,
+and sighs of anguish were heard. And this was just. He had never wished
+evil to any one who did not injure him, but even if he could have
+averted this sore sorrow from the Emperor Rudolph he would not have
+stirred a finger. His coronation had been a blow to him and to his
+brothers. Formerly they had been permitted to work their will on the
+highways, but the Hapsburg, the Swiss, had pitilessly stopped their
+brigandage. Now for the first time robber-knights were sentenced and
+their castles destroyed. The Emperor meant to transform Germany into a
+sheepfold, Absbach exclaimed. The Siebenburg brothers were his faithful
+allies, and though they complained that the joyous, knightly clank of
+arms would be silenced under such a sovereign, they themselves took care
+that the loud battle shouts, cries of pain, and shrieks for aid were not
+hushed on the roads used for traffic by the merchants. But this was not
+Seitz's sole reason for shrugging his shoulders at the expressions of
+the warmest sympathy which rose around him. The Emperor was tenderly
+attached to Heinz Schorlin, and the man who was so kindly disposed
+to his foe could never be his friend. Perhaps to-morrow Rudolph might
+behead his brothers and elevate Heinz Schorlin to still greater honors.
+Seitz, whose eyes had overflowed with tears when the warder of his
+native castle lost his aged wife, who had been his nurse, now found no
+cause to grieve with the mourners.
+
+So he continued his way, burdened with his own anxieties, amid the tears
+and lamentations of the multitude. The numerous retinue of servants in
+the Eysvogel mansion were moving restlessly to and fro; the news of the
+prince's death had reached them. Herr Casper had left the house. He was
+probably at Herr Ernst Ortlieb's. If the latter had already learned
+what he, Seitz Siebenburg, had said at the gaming table of his daughter,
+perhaps his hand had dealt the first decisive blow at the tottering
+house where, so long as it stood, his wife and the twins would under any
+circumstances find shelter. Resentment against the Swiss, hatred,
+and jealousy, had made him a knave, and at the same time the most
+shortsighted of fools.
+
+As he approached the second story, in which the nursery was situated and
+where he expected to find his wife, it suddenly seemed as if a star had
+risen amid the darkness. If he poured out his heart to Isabella and let
+her share the terrible torture of his soul, perhaps it would awaken a
+tender sympathy in the woman who still loved him, and who was dearer to
+him than he could express. Her jewels were certainly very valuable, but
+far more precious was the hope of being permitted to rest his aching
+head upon her breast and feel her slender white hand push back the hair
+from his anxious brow. Oh, if misfortune would draw her again as near to
+him as during the early months of their married life and directly before
+it, he could rise from his depression with fresh vigour and transform
+the battle, now half lost, into victory. Besides, she was clever and had
+power over the hearts of her family, so perhaps she might point out
+the pathway of escape, which his brain, unused to reflection, could not
+discover.
+
+His heart throbbed high as, animated by fresh hope, he entered the
+corridor from which opened the rooms which he occupied with her. But his
+wish to find her alone was not to be fulfilled; several voices reached
+him.
+
+What was the meaning of the scene?
+
+Isabella, her face deadly pale, and her tall figure drawn up to its
+full height, stood before the door of the nursery with a stern, cold
+expression on her lovely lips, like a princess pronouncing sentence upon
+a criminal. She was panting for breath, and before her, her mother, and
+her grandmother, Countess Cordula's pretty page, whom Siebenburg knew
+only too well, was moving to and fro with eager gestures. He held in his
+hand the bunch of roses which Seitz had sent to his newly-won wife and
+darling as a token of reconciliation, and Siebenburg heard his clear,
+boyish tones urge: "I have already said so and, noble lady, you may
+believe me, this bouquet, which the woman brought us, was intended for
+my gracious mistress, Countess von Montfort. It was meant to give her
+a fair morning greeting, and--Do not let this vex you, for it was done
+only in the joyous game of love, as custom dictated. Ever since we came
+here your lord has daily honoured my countess with the loveliest
+flowers whose buds unfold in the region near the Rhine. But my gracious
+mistress, as you have already heard, believes that you, noble lady, have
+a better right to these unusually beautiful children of the spring than
+she who last evening bade your lord behold in you, not in her, fair
+lady, the most fitting object of his homage. So she sent me hither, most
+gracious madam, to lay what is yours at your feet."
+
+As he spoke, the agile boy, with a graceful bow, tried to place the
+flowers in Isabella's hand, but she would not receive the bouquet, and
+the abrupt gesture with which she pushed them back flung the nosegay on
+the floor. Paying no further heed to it, she answered in a cold, haughty
+tone: "Thank your mistress, and tell her that I appreciated her kind
+intention, but the roses which she sent me were too full of thorns."
+Then, turning her back on the page, she advanced with majestic pride to
+the door of the nursery.
+
+Her mother and grandmother tried to follow, but Siebenburg pressed
+between them and his wife, and his voice thrilled with the anguish of a
+soul overwhelmed by despair as he cried imploringly: "Hear me, Isabella!
+There is a most unhappy misunderstanding here. By all that is sacred to
+me, by our love, by our children, I swear those roses were intended for
+you, my heart's treasure, and for you alone."
+
+But Countess Rotterbach cut him short by exclaiming with a loud chuckle:
+"The unripe early pears will probably come from the fruit market to
+the housewife's hands later; the roses found their way to Countess von
+Montfort more quickly."
+
+The malicious words were followed like an echo by Frau Rosalinde's
+tearful "It is only too true. This also!"
+
+The knight, unheeding the angry, upbraiding woman, hastened in pursuit
+of his wife to throw himself at her feet and confess the whole truth;
+but she, who had heard long before that Sir Seitz was paying Countess
+Cordula more conspicuous attention than beseemed a faithful husband, and
+who, after the happy hour so recently experienced, had expected, until
+the arrival of the page, the dawn of brighter, better days, now felt
+doubly abased, deceived, betrayed.
+
+Without vouchsafing the unfortunate man even a glance or a word, she
+entered the nursery before he reached her; but he, feeling that he must
+follow her at any cost, laid his hand on the lock of the door and tried
+to open it. The strong oak resisted his shaking and pulling. Isabella
+had shot the heavy iron bolt into its place. Seitz first knocked with
+his fingers and then with his clenched fist, until the grandmother
+exclaimed: "You have destroyed the house, at least spare the doors."
+
+Uttering a fierce imprecation, he went to his own chamber, hastily
+thrust into his pockets all the gold and valuables which he possessed,
+and then went out again into the street. His way led him past Kuni, the
+flower girl from whom he had bought the roses. The beggar who was
+to carry them to his wife did not hear distinctly, on account of her
+bandaged head, and not understanding the knight, went to the girl from
+whom she had seen him purchase the blossoms to ask where they belonged.
+Kuni pointed to the lodgings of the von Montforts, where she had
+already sent so many bouquets for Siebenburg. The latter saw both the
+flower-seller and the beggar woman, but did not attempt to learn how the
+roses which he intended for his wife had reached Countess Cordula. He
+suspected the truth, but felt no desire to have it confirmed. Fate meant
+to destroy him, he had learned that. The means employed mattered little.
+It would have been folly to strive against the superior power of such an
+adversary. Let ruin pursue its course. His sole wish was to forget his
+misery, though but for a brief time. He knew he could accomplish this
+by drink, so he entered the Mirror wine tavern and drained bumper after
+bumper with a speed which made the landlord, though he was accustomed to
+marvellous performances on the part of his guests, shake the head set on
+his immensely thick neck somewhat suspiciously.
+
+The few persons present had gathered in a group and were talking sadly
+about the great misfortune which had assailed the Emperor. The universal
+grief displayed so hypocritically, as Seitz thought, angered him, and he
+gazed at them with such a sullen, threatening look that no one ventured
+to approach him. Sometimes he stared into his wine, sometimes into
+vacancy, sometimes at the vaulted ceiling above. He harshly rebuffed the
+landlord and the waiter who tried to accost him, but when the peasant's
+prediction was fulfilled and the thunderstorm of the preceding night
+was followed at midnight by one equally severe, he arose and left the
+hostelry. The rain tempted him into the open air. The taproom was so
+sultry, so terribly sultry. The moisture of the heavens would refresh
+him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+The fury of the tempest had ceased, but the sky was still obscured by
+clouds. A cool breeze blew from the northeast through the damp, heavy
+air.
+
+Heinz Schorlin was coming from the fortress, and after crossing the
+Diligengasse went directly towards his lodgings. His coat of mail,
+spurs, and helmeted head were accoutrements for the saddle, yet he
+was on foot. A throng of men, women, and children, whispering eagerly
+together, accompanied him. One pointed him out to another, as if there
+was something unusual about him. Two stalwart soldiers in the pay of the
+city followed, carrying his saddle and the equipments of his horse, and
+kept back the boys or women who boldly attempted to press too near.
+
+Heinz did not heed the throng. He looked pale, and his thick locks,
+falling in disorder from under his helmet, floated around his face. The
+chain armour on his limbs and his long surcoat were covered with mire.
+The young knight, usually so trim, looked disordered and, as it were,
+thrown off his balance. His bright face bore the impress of a horror
+still unconquered, as he gazed restlessly into vacancy, and seemed to be
+seeking something, now above and now in the ground.
+
+The pretty young hostess, Frau Barbara Deichsler, holding her little
+three-year-old daughter by the hand, stood in front of the house in the
+Bindergasse where he lodged. The knight usually had a pleasant or merry
+word for her, and a gay jest or bit of candy for Annele. Nay, the young
+noble, who was fond of children, liked to toss the little one in his
+arms and play with her.
+
+Frau Barbara had already heard that, as Heinz was returning from the
+fortress, the lightning had struck directly in front of him, killing his
+beautiful dun charger, which she had so often admired. It had happened
+directly before the eyes of the guard, and the news had gone from man
+to man of the incredible miracle which had saved the life of the young
+Swiss, the dearest friend of the Emperor's dead son.
+
+When Heinz approached the door Frau Barbara stepped forward with Annele
+to congratulate him that the dear saints had so graciously protected
+him, but he only answered gravely: "What are we mortals? Rejoice in the
+child, Frau Barbara, so long as she is spared to you."
+
+He passed into the entry as he spoke, but Frau Deichsler hastily
+prepared to call his armour-bearer, a grey-bearded Swiss who had served
+the knight's father and slept away the hours not devoted to his duties
+or to the wine cup. He must supply the place of Biberli, who had left
+the house a long time before, and for the first time in many years was
+keeping his master waiting. But Heinz knew where he was, and while the
+armour-bearer was divesting him, awkwardly enough, of his suit of mail
+and gala attire, he was often seized with anxiety about his faithful
+follower, though many things with which the morning had burdened his
+soul lay nearer to his heart.
+
+Never had he been so lucky in gambling as last night in the Duke of
+Pomerania's quarters. Biberli's advice to trust to the two and five had
+been repeatedly tested, and besides the estate of Tannenreuth, which
+Siebenburg had staked against all his winnings, he had brought home more
+gold than he had ever seen before.
+
+Yet he had gone to rest in a mood by no means joyous. It was painful
+to him to deprive any one of his lands and home. He had even resisted
+accepting Siebenburg's reckless stake, but his obstinate persistence and
+demand could not be opposed. The calumnies by which the "Mustache" had
+assailed the innocent Els Ortlieb haunted him, and many others had shown
+their indignation against the traducer. Probably thirty gentlemen at the
+gaming table had been witnesses of these incidents, and if, to-morrow,
+it was in everybody's mouth that he, Heinz, had been caught at mid-night
+in an interview with the elder beautiful Ortlieb E, the fault was his,
+and he would be burdened with the guilt of having sullied the honour and
+name of a pure maiden, the betrothed bride of an estimable man.
+
+And Eva!
+
+When he woke in the morning his first thought had been of her. She had
+seemed more desirable than ever. But his relatives at home, and the
+counsel Biberli had urged upon him during their nocturnal wandering,
+had constantly interposed between him and the maiden whom he so ardently
+loved. Besides, it seemed certain that the passion which filled his
+heart must end unhappily. Else what was the meaning of this unexampled
+good luck at the gaming table? The torture of this thought had kept him
+awake a long time. Then he had sunk into a deep, dreamless sleep. In the
+morning Biberli, full of delight, roused him, and displayed three large
+bags filled with florins and zecchins, the gains of the night before.
+
+The servant had begged to be permitted to count the golden blessing,
+which in itself would suffice to buy the right to use the bridge from
+the city of Luzerne twice over, and the best thing about which was
+that it would restore the peace of mind of his lady mother at Schorlin
+Castle.
+
+Now, in the name of all the saints, let him continue his life of
+liberty, and leave the somnambulist to walk over the roofs, and suffer
+Altrosen, who had worn her colour so patiently, to wed the countess.
+
+But how long the servitor's already narrow face became when Heinz, with
+a grave resolution new to Biberli, answered positively that no ducats
+would stray from these bags to Schorlin Castle. If, last night, anxiety
+had burdened his mind like the corpse of a murdered man, these gains
+weighed upon his soul like the loathsome body of a dead cat. Never
+in his whole life had he felt so poor as with this devil's money. The
+witch-bait which Biberli had given him with the two and the five had
+drawn it out of the pockets of his fellow gamblers. He would be neither
+a cut-purse nor a dealer in the black arts. The wages of hell should
+depart as quickly as they came. While speaking, he seized the second
+largest bag and gave it to the servant, exclaiming: "Now keep your
+promise to Katterle like an honest man. The poor thing will have a hard
+time at her employer's. I make but one condition: you are to remain in
+my service. I can't do without you."
+
+While the armour-bearer, in the agile Biberli's place, was handing him
+the garments to be worn in the house, Heinz again remembered how the
+faithful fellow had thrown himself on his knees and kissed his master's
+hands and arms in the excess of his joyful surprise, and yet he had felt
+as if a dark cloud was shadowing the brightness of his soul. The morning
+sun had shone so radiantly into his window, and Annele had come with
+such bewitching shyness to bring him a little bunch of lilies of the
+valley with a rose in the centre, and a pleasant morning greeting from
+her mother, that the cloud could not remain, yet it had only parted
+occasionally to close again speedily, though it was less dense and dark
+than before.
+
+Yet he had taken the child in his arms and looked down into the narrow
+street to show her the people going to market so gaily in the early
+morning. But he soon put her down again, for he recognised in a horseman
+approaching on a weary steed Count Curt Gleichen, the most intimate
+friend of young Prince Hartmann and himself, and when he called to him
+he had slid from his saddle with a faint greeting.
+
+Heinz instantly rushed out of the house to meet him, but he had found
+him beside his steed, which had sunk on its knees, and then, trembling
+and panting, dragged itself, supported by its rider's hand, into the
+entry. There it fell, rolled over on its side, and stretched its limbs
+stiffly in death. It was the third horse which the messenger had killed
+since he left the Rhine, yet he was sure of arriving too soon; for he
+had to announce to a father the death of his promising son.
+
+Heinz listened, utterly overwhelmed, to the narrative of the
+eye-witness, who described how Hartmann, ere he could stretch out a hand
+to save him, had been dragged into the depths by the waves of the Rhine.
+
+In spite of the sunny brightness of the morning the young Swiss had had
+a presentiment of some great misfortune, and had told himself that he
+would welcome it if it relieved him from the burden which had darkened
+his soul since the disgraceful good luck of the previous night. Now
+it had happened, and how gladly he would have continued to bear the
+heaviest load to undo the past. He had sobbed on his friend's breast
+like a child, accusing Heaven for having visited him with this
+affliction.
+
+Hartmann had been not only his friend but his pupil--and what a pupil!
+He had instructed him in horsemanship and the use of the sword, and
+during the last year shared everything with him and young Count Gleichen
+as if they were three brothers and, like a brother, the prince had
+constantly grown closer to his heart. Had he, Heinz, accompanied
+Hartmann to the Rhine and been permitted to remain with him, neither or
+both would have fallen victims to the river! And Hartmann's aged father,
+the noble man to whom he owed everything, and who clung with his whole
+soul to the beloved youth, his image in mind and person--how would the
+Emperor Rudolph endure this? But a few months ago death had snatched
+from him his wife, the love of his youth, the mother of his children,
+the companion of his glorious career! The thought of him stirred Heinz
+to the depths of his soul, and he would fain have hastened at once to
+the castle to help the stricken father bear the new and terrible burden
+imposed upon him. But he must first care for the messenger of
+these terrible tidings who, with lips white from exhaustion, needed
+refreshment.
+
+Biberli, who saw and thought of everything, had already urged the
+hostess to do what she could, and sent the servant to the tailor that,
+when Heinz rode to the fortress, he might not lack the mourning--a
+tabard would suffice--which could be made in a few hours.
+
+Frau Barbara had just brought the lunch and promised to obey the command
+to keep the terrible news which she had just heard a secret from every
+one, that the rumor might not reach the fortress prematurely, when
+another visitor appeared--Heinz Schorlin's cousin, Sir Arnold Maier of
+Silenen, a tall, broad-shouldered man of fifty, with stalwart frame and
+powerful limbs.
+
+His grave, bronzed countenance, framed by a grey beard, revealed that
+he, too, brought no cheering news. He had never come to his young
+cousin's at so early an hour.
+
+His intelligent, kindly grey eyes surveyed Heinz with astonishment. What
+had befallen the happy-hearted fellow? But when he heard the news which
+had wet the young knight's eyes with tears, his own lips also quivered,
+and his deep, manly tones faltered as he laid his heavy hands on the
+mourner's shoulders and gazed tearfully into his eyes. At last he
+exclaimed mournfully: "My poor, poor boy! Pray to Him to whom we owe all
+that is good, and who tries us with the evil. Would to God I had less
+painful tidings for you!"
+
+Heinz shrank back, but his cousin told him the tidings learned from a
+Swiss messenger scarcely an hour before. The dispute over the bridge
+toll had caused a fight. The uncle who supplied a father's place to
+Heinz and managed his affairs--brave old Walther Ramsweg--was killed;
+Schorlin Castle had been taken by the city soldiery and, at the command
+of the chief magistrate, razed to the ground. Wendula Schorlin, Heinz's
+mother, with her daughter Maria, had fallen into the hands of the city
+soldiers and been carried to the convent in Constance, where she and her
+youngest child now remained with the two older daughters.
+
+Heinz, deeply agitated by the news, exclaimed: "Uncle Ramsweg, our kind
+second father, also in the grave without my being able to press his
+brave, loyal hand in farewell! And Maria, our singing bird, our nimble
+little squirrel, with those grave, world-weary Sisters! And my mother!
+You, too, like every one, love her, Cousin--and you know her. She who
+has been accustomed to command, and to manage the house and the
+lands, who like a saint dried tears far and near amid trouble and
+deprivation--she, deprived of her own strong will, in a convent! Oh,
+Cousin, Cousin! To hear this, and not be able to rush upon the rabble
+who have robbed us of the home of our ancestors, as a boy crushes a
+snail shell! Can it be imagined? No Castle Schorlin towering high above
+the lake on the cliff at the verge of the forest. The room where we all
+saw the light of the world and listened to our mother's songs destroyed;
+the sacred chamber where the father who so lovingly protected us closed
+his eyes; the chapel where we prayed so devoutly and vowed to the Holy
+Virgin a candle from our little possessions, or, in the lovely month of
+May, brought flowers to her from our mother's little garden, the cliff,
+or the dark forest. The courtyard where we learned to manage a steed and
+use our weapons, the hall where we listened to the wandering minstrels,
+in ruins! Gone, gone, all gone! My mother and Maria weeping prisoners!"
+
+Here his cousin broke in to show him that love was leading him to look
+on the dark side. His mother had chosen the convent for her daughter's
+sake; she was by no means detained there by force. She could live
+wherever she pleased, and her dowry, with what she had saved, would be
+ample to support her and Maria, in the city or the country, in a style
+suited to their rank.
+
+This afforded Heinz some consolation, but enough remained to keep his
+grief alive, and his voice sounded very sorrowful as he added: "That
+lessens the bitterness of the cup. But who will re build the ancient
+castle? Who will restore our uncle? And the Emperor, my beloved,
+fatherly master, dying of grief! Our Hartmann dead! Washed away like a
+dry branch which the swift Reuss seizes and hurries out of our sight!
+Too much, too hard, too terrible! Yet the sun shines as brightly as
+before! The children in the street below laugh as merrily as ever!"
+
+Groaning aloud, he covered his face with his hands, and those from whom
+he might have expected consolation were forced to leave him in the midst
+of the deepest sorrow; for the Swiss mail, which had come to Maier
+of Silenen as the most distinguished of his countrymen, was awaiting
+distribution, and Count Gleichen was forced to fulfill his sorrowful
+duty as messenger. His friend Heinz had lent him his second horse, the
+black, to ride to the fortress.
+
+While Heinz, pursued by grief and care, sometimes paced up and down the
+room, sometimes threw himself into the armchair which Frau Barbara, to
+do him special honour, had placed in the sitting-room, the Minorite monk
+Benedictus, whom he had brought to Nuremberg, had come uninvited
+from the neighbouring monastery to give him a morning greeting. The
+enthusiasm with which St. Francis had filled his soul in his early years
+had not died out in his aged breast. He who in his youth had borne the
+escutcheon of his distinguished race in many a battle and tourney, as a
+knight worthy of all honour, sympathised with his young equal in rank,
+and found him in the mood to provide for his eternal salvation. On the
+ride to Nuremberg he had perceived in Heinz a pious heart and a keen
+intellect which yearned for higher things. But at that time the joyous
+youth had not seemed to him ripe for the call of Heaven; when he found
+him bowed with grief, his eyes, so radiant yesterday, swimming in tears,
+the conviction was aroused that the Omnipotent One Himself had taken him
+by the hand to lead the young Swiss, to whom he gratefully wished the
+best blessings, into the path which the noble Saint of Assisi himself
+had pointed out to him, and wherein he had found a bliss for which in
+the world he had vainly yearned.
+
+But his conversation with his young friend had been interrupted, first
+by the tailor who was to make his mourning garb, then by Siebenburg, and
+even later he had had no opportunity to school Heinz; for after Seitz
+had gone Biberli and Katterle had needed questioning. The result of this
+was sufficiently startling, and had induced Heinz to send the servant
+and his sweetheart on the errand from which the former had not yet
+returned.
+
+When the young knight found himself alone he repeated what the monk had
+just urged upon him. Then Eva's image rose before him, and he had asked
+himself whether she, the devout maiden, would not thank her saint when
+she learned that he, obedient to her counsel, was beginning to provide
+for his eternal salvation.
+
+Moved by such thoughts, he had smiled as he told himself that the
+Minorite seemed to be earnestly striving to win him for the monastery.
+The old man meant kindly, but how could he renounce the trade of arms,
+for which he was reared and which he loved?
+
+Then he had been obliged to ride to the fortress to wait upon the
+Emperor and tell him how deeply he sympathised with his grief. But he
+was denied admittance. Rudolph desired to be alone, and would not see
+even his nearest relatives.
+
+On the way home he wished to pass through the inner gate of the
+Thiergartnerthor into Thorstrasse to cross the milk market. The violence
+of the noonday thundershower had already begun to abate, and he had
+ridden quietly forward, absorbed in his grief, when suddenly a loud,
+rattling crash had deafened his ears and made him feel as if the earth,
+the gate, and the fortress were reeling. At the same moment his horse
+leaped upward with all four feet at once, tossed its clever head
+convulsively, and sank on its knees.
+
+Half blinded by the dazzling light he saw, and bewildered by the
+sulphurous vapour he noticed, Heinz nevertheless retained his presence
+of mind, and had sprung from the saddle ere the quivering steed fell
+on its side. Several of the guard at the gate quickly hastened to his
+assistance, examined the horse with him, and found the noble animal
+already dead. The lightning had darted along the iron mail on its
+forehead and the steel bit, and struck the ground without injuring Heinz
+himself. The soldiers and a Dominican monk who had sought shelter from
+the rain in the guardhouse extolled this as a great miracle. The
+people who had crowded to the spot were also seized with pious awe, and
+followed the knight to whom Heaven had so distinctly showed its favour.
+
+Heinz himself only felt that something extraordinary had happened. The
+world had gained a new aspect. His life, which yesterday had appeared so
+immeasurably long, now seemed brief, pitifully brief. Perhaps it would
+end ere the sun sank to rest in the Haller meadows. He must deem every
+hour that he was permitted to breathe as a gift, like the earnest money
+he, placed in the trainer's hand in a horse trade. According to human
+judgment the lightning should have killed him as well as the horse. If
+he still lived and breathed and saw the grey clouds drifting across the
+sky, this was granted only that he might secure his eternal salvation,
+to which hitherto he had given so little concern. How grateful he ought
+to be that this respite had been allowed him--that he had not been
+snatched away unwarned, like Prince Hartmann, in the midst of his sins!
+
+Would not Eva feel the same when she learned what had befallen him?
+Perhaps Biberli would come back soon--he had been gone so long--and
+could tell him about her.
+
+Even before the thunderbolt had stirred the inmost depths of his being,
+when he was merely touched by his deep grief and the monk's admonition,
+he had striven to guide the servant and his sweetheart into the right
+path, and the grey-haired monk aided him. The monastic life, it is true,
+would not have suited Biberli, but he had shown himself ready to atone
+for the wrong done the poor girl who had kept her troth for three long
+years and, unasked, went back with her to her angry master.
+
+Ere Heinz set forth on his ride to the fortress he had gone
+out declaring that he would prove the meaning of his truth and
+steadfastness, thereby incurring a peril which certainly gave him a
+right to wear the T and St on his long robe and cap forever. He must
+expect to be held to a strict account by Ernst Ortlieb. If the incensed
+father, who was a member of the Council, used the full severity of the
+law, he might fare even worse than ill. But he had realised the pass
+to which he had brought his sweetheart, and the Minorite led his honest
+heart to the perception of the sin he would commit if he permitted
+her to atone for an act which she had done by his desire--nay, at his
+command.
+
+With the gold Heinz had given him, and after his assurance that he would
+retain him in his service even when a married man, he could, it is true,
+more easily endure being punished with her who, as his wife, would soon
+be destined to share evil with him as well as good. He had also secured
+the aid of both his master and the Minorite, and had arranged an account
+of what had occurred, which placed his own crime and the maid's in a
+milder light. Finally--and he hoped the best result from this--Katterle
+would bring the Ortliebs good news, and he was the very man to make it
+useful to Jungfrau Els.
+
+So he had committed his destiny to his beloved master, behind whom was
+the Emperor himself, to the Minorite, who, judging from his great age
+and dignified aspect, might be an influential man, St. Leodogar, and his
+own full purse and, with a heart throbbing anxiously, entered the street
+with the closely muffled Katterle, to take the unpleasant walk to the
+exasperated master and father.
+
+The morning had been rife with important events to Biberli also. The
+means of establishing a household, the conviction that it would be hard
+for him to remain a contented man without the idol of his heart, and the
+still more important one that it would not be wise to defer happiness
+long, because, as the death of young Prince Hartmann had shown, and
+Pater Benedictus made still more evident, the possibility of enjoying
+the pleasures of life might be over far too speedily.
+
+He had been within an ace of losing his Katterle forever, and through no
+one's guilt save that of the man on whose truth and steadfastness she so
+firmly relied. After Siebenburg's departure she had confessed with tears
+to him, his master, and the monk, what had befallen her, and how she had
+finally reached the Bindergasse and Sir Heinz Schorlin's lodgings.
+
+When, during the conflagration, fearing punishment, she had fled, she
+went first to the Dutzen pond. Determined to end her existence,
+she reached the goal of her nocturnal and her life pilgrimage. The
+mysterious black water with its rush-grown shore, where ducks quacked
+and frogs croaked in the sultry gloom, lay before her in the terrible
+darkness. After she had repeated several Paternosters, the thought that
+she must die without receiving the last unction weighed heavily on her
+soul. But this she could not help, and it seemed more terrible to stand
+in the stocks, like the barber's widow, and be insulted, spit upon
+by the people, than to endure the flames of purgatory, where so many
+others--probably among them Biberli, who had brought her to this
+pass--would be tortured with her.
+
+So she laid down the bundle which--she did not know why herself--she had
+brought with her, and took off her shoes as if she were going into
+the water to bathe. Just at that moment she suddenly saw a red light
+glimmering on the dark surface of the water. It could not be the
+reflection of the fires of purgatory, as she had thought at first. It
+certainly did not proceed from the forge on the opposite shore, now
+closed, for its outlines rose dark and motionless against the moon.
+No--a brief glance around verified it--the light came from the burning
+of the convent. The sky was coloured a vivid scarlet in two places, but
+the glow was brightest towards the southeastern part of the city,
+where St. Klarengasse must be. Then she was overpowered by torturing
+curiosity. Must she die without knowing how much the fire had injured
+the newly built convent, on whose site she had enjoyed the springtime
+of love, and how the good Sisters fared? It seemed impossible, and her
+greatest fault for the first time proved a blessing. It drew her back
+from the Dutzen pond to the city.
+
+On reaching the Marienthurm she learned that only a barn and a cow
+stable had b@en destroyed by the flames. For this trivial loss she had
+suffered intense anxiety and been faithless to her resolution to seek
+death, which ends all fears.
+
+Vexed by her own weakness, she determined to go back to her employer's
+house and there accept whatever fate the saints bestowed. But when
+she saw a light still shining through the parchment panes in the room
+occupied by the two Es, she imagined that Herr Ernst was pronouncing
+judgment upon Eva. In doing so her own guilt must be recalled, and the
+thought terrified her so deeply that she joined the people returning
+from the fire, for whom the Frauenthor still stood open, and allowed
+the crowd to carry her on with them to St. Kunigunde's chapel in St.
+Lawrence's church; and when some, passing the great Imhof residence,
+turned into the Kotgasse, she followed.
+
+Hitherto she had walked on without goal or purpose, but here the
+question where to seek shelter confronted her; for the torchbearers who
+had lighted the way disappeared one after another in the various houses.
+Deep darkness suddenly surrounded her, and she was seized with terror.
+But ere the last torch vanished, its light fell upon one of the brass
+basins which hung in front of the barbers' shops.
+
+The barber! The woman whom she had seen in the stocks was the widow of
+one, and the house where she granted the lovers the meeting, on whose
+account she had been condemned to so severe a punishment, was in the
+Kotgasse, and had been pointed out to her. It must be directly opposite.
+The thought entered her mind that the woman who had endured such a
+terrible punishment, for a crime akin to her own, would understand
+better than any one else the anguish of her heart. How could the widow
+yonder refuse her companion in guilt a compassionate reception!
+
+It was a happy idea, but she would never have ventured to rouse the
+woman from her sleep, so she must wait. But the first grey light of dawn
+was already appearing in the eastern horizon on the opposite side of
+the square of St. Lawrence, and perhaps Frau Ratzer would open her house
+early.
+
+The street did honour to the name of Kotgasse--[Kot or koth-mire].
+Holding her dress high around her, Katterle waded across to the northern
+row of houses and reached the plank sidewalk covered with mud to her
+ankles; but at the same moment a door directly in front of her opened,
+and two persons, a man and a woman, entered the street and glided by;
+but they came from Frau Ratzer's--she recognised it by the bow-window
+above the entrance. The maid hurried towards the door, which still stood
+open, and on its threshold was the woman to whom she intended to pay her
+early visit.
+
+Almost unable to speak, she entreated her to grant a poor girl, who
+did not know where to seek shelter at this hour, the protection of her
+house.
+
+The widow silently drew Katterle into the dark, narrow entry, shut the
+door, and led her into a neat, gaily ornamented room. A lamp which was
+still burning hung from the ceiling, but Frau Ratzer raised the tallow
+candle she had carried to the door, threw its light upon her face, and
+nodded approvingly. Katterle was a pretty girl, and the flush of shame
+which crimsoned her cheeks was very becoming. The widow probably thought
+so, too, for she stroked them with her fat hand, promising, as she
+did so, to receive her and let her want for nothing if she proved an
+obedient little daughter. Then she pinched the girl's arm with the tips
+of her fingers so sharply that she shrank back and timidly told the
+woman what had brought her there, saying that she was and intended
+to remain a respectable girl, and had sought shelter with Frau Ratzer
+because she knew what a sore disgrace she had suffered for the same
+fault which had driven her from home.
+
+But the widow, starting as if stung by a scorpion, denounced Katterle as
+an impudent hussy, who rightfully belonged in the stocks, to which the
+base injustice of the money-bags in the court had condemned her. There
+was no room in her clean house for anyone who reminded her of this
+outrage and believed that she had really committed so shameful an act.
+Then, seizing the maid by the shoulders, she pushed her into the street.
+
+Meanwhile it had grown light. The sun had just risen in the east above
+the square of St. Lawrence and spread a golden fan of rays over
+the azure sky. The radiant spectacle did not escape the eyes of the
+frightened girl, and she rejoiced because it gave her the assurance that
+the terrifying darkness of the night was over.
+
+How fresh the morning was, how clear and beautiful the light of the
+young day! And it shone not only on the great and the good, but on the
+lowly, the poor, and the wicked. Even for the horrible woman within the
+sky adorned itself with the exquisite blue and glorious brilliancy.
+
+Uttering a sigh of relief she soon reached the Church of St. Lawrence,
+which the old sexton was just opening. She was the first person who
+entered the stately house of God that morning and knelt in one of the
+pews to pray.
+
+This had been the right thing for her to do. Dear Lord! Where was there
+any maid in greater trouble, yet Heaven had preserved her from the death
+on a red-hot gridiron which had rendered St. Lawrence, whose name the
+church bore, a blessed martyr. Compared with that, even standing in the
+pillory was not specially grievous. So she poured out her whole soul to
+the saint, confessing everything which grieved and oppressed her, until
+the early mass began. She had even confided to him that she was from
+Sarnen in Switzerland, and had neither friend nor countryman here in
+Nuremberg save her lover, the true and steadfast Biberli. Yet no! There
+was one person from her home who probably would do her a kindness, the
+wife of the gatekeeper in the von Zollern castle, a native of Berne,
+who had come to Nuremberg and the fortress as the maid of the Countess
+Elizabeth of Hapsburg, the present Burgravine. This excellent woman
+could give her better counsel than any one, and she certainly owed the
+recollection of Frau Gertrude to her patron saint.
+
+After a brief thanksgiving she left the church and went to the fortress.
+
+As she expected, her countrywoman received her kindly; and after
+Katterle had confided everything to her, and in doing so mentioned Wolff
+Eysvogel, the betrothed husband of the elder of her young mistresses,
+Frau Gertrude listened intently and requested her to wait a short time.
+
+Yet one quarter of an hour after another elapsed before she again
+appeared. Her husband, the Bernese warder, a giant of a man to whom the
+red and yellow Swiss uniform and glittering halberd he carried in his
+hand were very becoming, accompanied his wife.
+
+After briefly questioning Katterle, he exacted a solemn promise of
+secrecy and then motioned to her to follow him. Meanwhile the maid had
+been informed how the duel between Wolff Eysvogel and Ulrich Vorchtel
+had ended, but while she still clasped her hands in horror, the Swiss
+had opened the door of a bright, spacious apartment, where Els Ortlieb's
+betrothed husband received her with a kind though sorrowful greeting.
+Then he continued his writing, and at last gave her two letters. One, on
+whose back he drew a little heart, that she might not mistake it for
+the other, was addressed to his betrothed bride; the second to Heinz
+Schorlin, whom Wolff--no, her ears did not deceive her--called the
+future husband of his sister-in-law Eva. At breakfast, which she shared
+with her country people and their little daughter, Katterle would
+have liked to learn how Wolff reached the fortress, but the gatekeeper
+maintained absolute silence on this subject.
+
+The maid at last, without hindrance, reached the Deichsler house and
+found Biberli (not) at home. She ought to have returned to the Ortliebs
+in his company long before, but the knight still vainly awaited his
+servant's appearance. He missed him sorely, since it did not enter his
+head that his faithful shadow, Biberli, knew nothing of the thunderbolt
+which had almost robbed him of his master and killed his pet, the dun
+horse. Besides, he was anxious about his fate and curious to learn how
+he had found the Ortlieb sisters; for, though Eva alone had power to
+make Heinz Schorlin's heart beat faster, the misfortune of poor Els
+affected him more deeply as the thought that he was its cause grew more
+and more painful.
+
+Wolff's letter, which Katterle delivered to him, revealed young
+Eysvogel's steadfast love for the hapless girl. In it he also alluded to
+his nocturnal interview with Heinz, and in cordial words admitted that
+he thought he had found in him a sincere friend, to whom, if to any one,
+he would not grudge his fair young sister-in-law Eva. Then he described
+how the unfortunate duel had occurred.
+
+After mentioning what had excited young Ulrich Vorchtel's animosity,
+he related that, soon after his interview with Heinz, he had met young
+Vorchtel, accompanied by several friends. Ulrich had barred his way,
+loading him with invectives so fierce and so offensive to his honour,
+that he was obliged to accept the challenge. As he wore no weapon save
+the dagger in his belt, he used the sword which a German knight among
+Ulrich's companions offered him. Calm in the consciousness that he had
+given his former friend's sister no reason to believe in his love, and
+firmly resolved merely to bestow a slight lesson on her brother, he took
+the weapon. But when Ulrich shouted to the crusader that the blade he
+lent was too good for the treacherous hand he permitted to wield it, his
+blood boiled, and with his first powerful thrust all was over.
+
+The German knight had then introduced himself as a son of the Burgrave
+von Zollern and taken him to the castle, where, with his father's
+knowledge, the noble young Knight Hospitaller concealed him, and the
+point now was to show the matter, which was undoubtedly a breach of the
+peace, to the Emperor Rudolph in the right light. The young Burgrave
+thought that he, Heinz Schorlin, could aid in convincing the sovereign,
+who would lend him a ready ear, that he, Wolff, had only drawn his sword
+under compulsion. So truly as Heinz himself hoped to be a happy man
+through Eva's love, he must help him to bridge the chasm which, by his
+luckless deed, separated him from his betrothed bride.
+
+Heinz had had this letter read aloud twice. Then when Biberli had gone
+and he rode to the fortress, he had resolved to do everything in his
+power for the young Nuremberg noble who had so quickly won his regard,
+but the sorely stricken imperial father had refused to see him, and
+therefore it was impossible to take any step in the matter.
+
+Yet Wolff's letter had showed that he believed him in all earnestness to
+be Eva's future husband, and thus strengthened his resolve to woo her as
+soon as he felt a little more independent.
+
+After the thunderbolt had killed the horse under him, and the old
+Minorite had again come and showed him that the Lord Himself, through
+the miracle He had wrought, had taken him firmly and swiftly by the hand
+as His chosen follower, it seemed to his agitated mind, when he took up
+the letter a second time, as though everything Wolff had written about
+him and Els's sister was not intended for him.
+
+Eva was happiness--but Heaven had vouchsafed a miracle to prove the
+transitoriness of earthly life, that by renunciation here he might
+attain endless bliss above. Sacrifice and again sacrifice, according to
+the Minorite, was the magic spell that opened the gates of heaven, and
+what harder sacrifice could he offer than that of his love? "Renounce!
+renounce!" he heard a voice within cry in his ears as, with much
+difficulty, he himself read Wolff's letter, but whatever he might cast
+away of all that was his, he still would fail to take up his cross as
+Father Benedictus required; for even as an unknown beggar he would have
+enjoyed--this he firmly believed--in Eva's love the highest earthly
+bliss. Yet divine love was said to be so much more rapturous, and how
+much longer it endured!
+
+And she? Did not the holy expression of her eyes and the aspiration of
+her own soul show that she would understand him, approve his sacrifice,
+imitate it, and exchange earthly for heavenly love? Neither could
+renounce it without inflicting deep wounds on the heart, but every drop
+of blood which gushed from them, the Minorite said, would add new and
+heavy weight to their claim to eternal salvation.
+
+Ay, Heinz would try to resign Eva! But when he yielded to the impulse
+to read Wolff's letter again he felt like a dethroned prince whom some
+stranger, ignorant of his misfortune, praises for his mighty power.
+
+The visions of the future which the greyhaired monk conjured up, all
+that he told hint of his own regeneration, transformation, and the
+happiness which he would find as a disciple of St. Francis in poverty,
+liberty, and the silent struggle for eternal bliss, everything which
+he described with fervid eloquence, increased the tumult in the young
+knight's deeply agitated soul.
+
+
+
+
+IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE--PART II.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+The vesper bells had already died away, yet Heinz was still listening
+eagerly to the aged Minorite, who was now relating the story of St.
+Francis, his breach with everything that he loved, and the sorrowful
+commencement of his life. The monk could have desired no more attentive
+auditor. Only the young knight often looked out of the window in search
+of Biberli, who had not yet returned.
+
+The latter had gone to the Ortlieb mansion with Katterle.
+
+The runaway maid, whose disappearance, at old Martsche's earnest
+request, had already been "cried" in the city, had no cause to complain
+of her reception; for the housekeeper and the other servants, who knew
+nothing of her guilt, greeted her as a favourite companion whom they had
+greatly missed, and Biberli had taken care that she was provided with
+answers to the questions of the inquisitive. The story which he had
+invented began with the false report that a fire had broken out in the
+fortress. This had startled Katterle, and attracted her to the citadel
+to aid her countrywoman and her little daughter. Then came the statement
+that she spent the night there, and lastly the tale that in the morning
+she was detained in the Swiss warder's quarters by a gentleman of
+rank--perhaps the Burgrave himself--who, after he had learned who she
+was, wished to give her some important papers for Herr Ernst Ortlieb.
+She had waited hours for them and finally, on the way home, chanced to
+meet Biberli.
+
+At first the maid found it difficult to repeat this patchwork of truth
+and fiction in proper order, but the ex-schoolmaster impressed it so
+firmly on his sweetheart's mind that at last it flowed from her lips as
+fluently as his pupils in Stanstadt had recited the alphabet.
+
+So she became among the other servants the heroine of an innocent
+adventure whose truth no one doubted, least of all the housekeeper, who
+felt a maternal affection for her. Some time elapsed ere she could reach
+the Es; they were still with their mother, who was so ill that the leech
+Otto left the sick-room shaking his head.
+
+As soon as he had gone Biberli stopped Els, who had accompanied the
+physician outside the door of the sufferer's chamber, and earnestly
+entreated her to forgive him and Katterle--who stood at his side with
+drooping head, holding her apron to her eyes and persuade her father
+also to let mercy take the place of justice.
+
+But kind-hearted Els proved sterner than the maid had ever seen her.
+
+As her mother had been as well as usual when she woke, they had told her
+of the events of the previous night. Her father was very considerate,
+and even kept back many incidents, but the invalid was too weak for
+so unexpected and startling a communication. She was well aware of her
+excitable daughter's passionate nature; but she had never expected that
+her little "saint," the future bride of Heaven, would be so quickly
+fired with earthly love, especially for a stranger knight. Moreover, the
+conduct of Eva who, though she entreated her forgiveness, by no means
+showed herself contritely ready to resign her lover, had given her so
+much food for thought that she could not find the rest her frail body
+required.
+
+Soon after these disclosures she was again attacked with convulsions,
+and Els thought of them and the fact that they were caused by Eva's
+imprudence, instigated by the maid, when she refused Biberli her
+intercession with her father in behalf of him and his bride, as he now
+called Katterle.
+
+The servitor uttered a few touching exclamations of grief, yet meanwhile
+thrust his hand into the pocket of his long robe and, with a courteous
+bow and the warmest message of love from her betrothed husband, whom
+Katterle had seen in perfect health and under the best care in the
+Zollern castle, delivered to the indignant girl the letter which Wolff
+had entrusted to the maid. Els hurried with the missive so impatiently
+expected to the window in the hall, through which the sun, not yet
+reached by the rising clouds, was shining, and as it contained nothing
+save tender words of love which proved that her betrothed husband firmly
+relied upon her fidelity and, come what might, would not give her up,
+she returned to the pair, and hurriedly, but in a more kindly tone,
+informed them that her father was greatly incensed against both, but
+she would try to soften him. At present he was in his office with Herr
+Casper Eysvogel; Biberli might wait in the kitchen till the latter went
+away.
+
+Els then entered the sick-chamber, but Biberli put his hand under his
+sweetheart's chin, bent her head back gently, and said: "Now you see how
+Biberli and other clever people manage. The best is kept until the last.
+The result of the first throw matters little, only he who wins the last
+goes home content. To know how to choose the bait is also an art. The
+trout bites at the fly, the pike at the worm, and a yearning maiden at
+her lover's letter. Take notice! To-day, which began with such cruel
+sorrow, will yet have a tolerable end."
+
+"Nay," cried Katterle, nudging him angrily with her elbow, "we never
+had a day begin more happily for us. The gold with which we can set up
+housekeeping--"
+
+"Oh, yes," interrupted Biberli, "the zecchins and gold florins are
+certainly no trifle. Much can be bought with them. But Schorlin Castle
+razed to the ground, my master's lady mother and Fraulein Maria held as
+half captives in the convent, to say nothing of the light-hearted Prince
+Hartmann and Sir Heinz's piteous grief--if all these things could be
+undone, child, I should not think the bag of gold, and another into
+the bargain, too high a price to pay for it. What is the use of a house
+filled with fine furniture when the heart is so full of sorrow? At home
+we all eat together out of a cracked clay dish across which a tinker had
+drawn a wire, with rude wooden spoons made by my father, yet how we all
+relished it!--what more did we want?"
+
+As he spoke he drew her into the kitchen, where he found a friendly
+reception.
+
+True, the Ortlieb servants were attached to their employers and
+sincerely sorry for the ill health of the mistress of the house, but
+for several years the lamentations and anxiety concerning her had been
+ceaseless. The young prince's death had startled rather than saddened
+them. They did not know him, but it was terrible to die so young and
+so suddenly. They would not have listened to a merry tale which stirred
+them to laughter, but Biberli's stories of distant lands, of the court,
+of war, of the tournament, just suited their present mood, and the
+narrator was well pleased to find ready listeners. He had so many things
+to forget, and he never succeeded better than when permitted to use his
+tongue freely. He wagged it valiantly, too, but when the thunderstorm
+burst he paused and went to the window. His narrow face was blanched,
+and his agile limbs moved restlessly. Suddenly remarking, "My master
+will need me," he held out his hand to Katterle in farewell. But as the
+zigzag flash of lightning had just been followed by the peal of thunder,
+she clung to him, earnestly beseeching him not to leave her. He yielded,
+but went out to learn whether Herr Casper was still in the office, and
+in a short time returned, exclaiming angrily: "The old Eysvogel seems to
+be building his nest here!"
+
+Then, to the vexation of the clumsy old cook, whom he interrupted by his
+restless movements in the Paternosters she was repeating on her rosary,
+he began to stride up and down before the hearth.
+
+His light heart had rarely been so heavy. He could not keep his thoughts
+from his master, and felt sure that Heinz needed him; that he, Biberli,
+would have cause to regret not being with him at this moment. Had the
+storm destroyed the Ortlieb mansion he would have considered it only
+natural; and as he glanced around the kitchen in search of Katterle,
+who, like most of the others, was on her knees with her rosary in her
+hand, old Martsche rushed in, hurried up to the cook, shook her as if to
+rouse her from sleep, and exclaimed: "Hot water for the blood-letting!
+Quick! Our mistress--she'll slip through our hands."
+
+As she spoke, the young kitchen maid Metz helped the clumsy woman up,
+and Biberli also lent his aid.
+
+Just as the jug was filled, Els, too, hastened in, snatched it from the
+hand of Martsche, whose old feet were too slow for her, and hurried with
+it into the entry and up the stairs, passing her father, to whom she had
+called on the way down.
+
+Casper Eysvogel stood at the bottom of the steps, and called after her
+that it would not be his fault, but her father's, if everything between
+her and his son was over.
+
+She probably heard the words, but made no answer, and hastened as fast
+as her feet would carry her to her mother's bed.
+
+The old physician was holding the gasping woman in his arms, and Eva
+knelt beside the high bedstead sobbing, as she covered the dry, burning
+hand with kisses.
+
+When Ernst Ortlieb entered the chamber of his beloved wife a cold chill
+ran down his back, for the odour of musk, which he had already inhaled
+beside many a deathbed, reached him.
+
+It had come to this! The end which he had so long delayed by tender love
+and care was approaching. The flower which had adorned his youth and,
+spite of its broken stem, had grown still dearer and was treasured
+beyond everything else that bloomed in his garden, would be torn from
+him.
+
+This time no friendly potion had helped her to sleep through the noise
+of the thunderstorm. Soon after the attack of convulsions the agitated,
+feeble sufferer had started up in terror at the first loud peal of
+thunder. Fright followed fright, and when the leech came voluntarily to
+enquire for her, he found a dying woman.
+
+The bleeding restored her to consciousness for a short time, and she
+evidently recognised her husband and her children. To the former
+she gave a grateful, tender glance of love, to Els an affectionate,
+confidential gesture, but Eva, her pride and joy, whom the past night
+had rendered a child of sorrow, claimed her attention most fully.
+
+Her kind, gentle eyes rested a long time upon her: then she looked
+toward her husband as if beseeching him to cherish this child with
+special tenderness in his heart; and when he returned the glance with
+another, in which all the wealth of his great and loyal love shone
+through his tears, her fever-flushed features brightened. Memories of
+the spring of her love seemed to irradiate her last moments and, as her
+eyes again rested on Eva, her lips once more smiled with the bewitching
+expression, once her husband's delight, which had long deserted them.
+
+It seemed during this time as if she had forgotten the faithful nurse
+who for years had willingly sacrificed the pleasures of her days and the
+sleep of her nights, to lavish upon the child of her anxiety all that
+her mother-heart still contained, which was naught save love.
+
+Els doubtless noticed it, but with no bitter or sorrowful thoughts. She
+and the beloved dying woman understood one another. Each knew what she
+was to the other. Her mother need not doubt, nor did she, that, whatever
+obstacles life might place in her pathway, Els would pursue the right
+course even without counsel and guidance. But Eva needed her love and
+care so much just now, and when the sufferer gave her older daughter
+also a tender glance and vainly strove to falter a few words of thanks,
+Els herself replaced in Eva's the hand which her mother had withdrawn.
+
+Fran Maria nodded gently to Els, as if asking her sensible elder
+daughter to watch over her forsaken sister in her place.
+
+Then her eyes again sought her husband, but the priest, to whom she had
+just confessed, approached her instead.
+
+After the holy man had performed the duties of his office, she again
+turned her head toward Eva. It seemed as though she was feasting her
+eyes on her daughter's charms. Meanwhile she strove to utter what more
+she desired to say, but the bystanders understood only the words--they
+were her last: "We thought--should be untouched--But now Heaven----"
+
+Here she paused and, after closing her eyes for a time, went on in a
+lower but perfectly distinct tone: "You are good--I hope--the forge-fire
+of life--it is fortunate for you The heart and its demands The
+hap--pi--ness--which it--gave--me----It ought--it must--you, too----"
+
+Whilst speaking she had again glanced towards her husband, then at the
+Abbess Kunigunde, who knelt beside him, and as the abbess met the look
+she thought, "She is entrusting the child to me, and desires Eva to
+be happy as one of us and the fairest of the brides of Heaven!" Ernst
+Ortlieb, wholly overpowered by the deepest grief, was far from enquiring
+into the meaning of these last words of his beloved dying wife.
+
+Els, on the contrary, who had learned to read the sufferer's features
+and understood her even without words when speech was difficult, had
+watched every change in the expression of her features with the utmost
+attention. Without reflecting or interpreting, she was sure that the
+movements of her dying mother's lips had predicted to Eva that the
+"forge fire of life" would exert its purifying and moulding influence on
+her also, and wished that in the world, not in the convent, she might be
+as happy as she herself had been rendered by her father's love.
+
+After these farewell words Frau Maria's features became painfully
+distorted, the lids drooped over her eyes, there was a brief struggle,
+then a slight gesture from the physician announced to the weeping group
+that her earthly pilgrimage was over.
+
+No one spoke. All knelt silently, with clasped hands, beside the couch,
+until Eva, as if roused from a dream, shrieked, "She will never come
+back again!" and with passionate grief threw herself upon the lifeless
+form to kiss the still face and beseech her to open her dear eyes once
+more and not leave her.
+
+How often she had remained away from the invalid in order to let her
+aunt point out the path for her own higher happiness whilst Els nursed
+her mother; but now that she had left her, she suddenly felt what she
+had possessed and lost in her love. It seemed as if hitherto she had
+walked beneath the shadow of leafy boughs, and her mother's death
+had stripped them all away as an autumn tempest cruelly tears off
+the foliage. Henceforth she must walk in the scorching sun without
+protection or shelter. Meanwhile she beheld in imagination fierce flames
+blazing brightly from the dark soot--the forge fire of life, to which
+the dead woman's last words had referred. She knew what her mother had
+wished to say, but at the present time she lacked both the desire and
+the strength to realise it.
+
+For a time each remained absorbed by individual grief. Then the father
+drew both girls to his heart and confessed that, with their mother's
+death life, already impoverished by the loss of his only son, had been
+bereft of its last charm. His most ardent desire was to be summoned soon
+to follow the departed ones.
+
+Els summoned up her courage and asked: "And we--are we nothing to you,
+father?"
+
+Surprised by this rebuke, he started, removed his wet handkerchief from
+his eyes, and answered: "Yes, yes--but the old do not reckon Ay, much is
+left to me. But he who is robbed of his best possession easily forgets
+the good things remaining, and good you both are."
+
+He kissed his daughter lovingly as he spoke, as if wishing to retract
+the words which had wounded her; then gazing at the still face of the
+dead, he said: "Before you dress her, leave her alone with me for a
+time----There is a wild turmoil here and here"--he pointed to his breast
+and brow--"and yet The last hours----There is so much to settle and
+consider in a future without her With her, with her dear calm features
+before my eyes----"
+
+Here a fresh outburst of grief stifled his voice; but Els pointed to the
+image of the Virgin on the wall and beckoned to her sister.
+
+Wholly engrossed by her own sorrow, Eva had scarcely heeded her father's
+words, and now impetuously refused to leave her mother. Herr Ernst,
+pleased by this immoderate grief for the one dearest to him, permitted
+her to remain, and asked Els to attend to the outside affairs which a
+death always brought with it.
+
+Els accepted the new duty as a matter of course and went to the door;
+but at the threshold she turned back, rushed to the deathbed, kissed the
+pure brow and closed eyelids of the sleeper, and then knelt beside her
+in silent prayer. When she rose she clasped Eva, who had knelt and risen
+with her, in a close embrace, and whispered: "Whatever happens, you may
+rely on me."
+
+Then she consulted her father concerning certain arrangements which must
+be made, and also asked him what she should say to the maid's lover, who
+had come to beseech his forgiveness.
+
+"Tell him to leave me in peace!" cried Herr Ernst vehemently. Els tried
+to intercede for the servant, but her father pressed both hands over his
+ears, exclaiming: "Who can reach a decision when he is out of his senses
+himself? Let the man come to-morrow, or the day after. Whoever may call,
+I will see no one, and don't wish to know who is here."
+
+But the peace and solitude for which he longed seemed denied him. A few
+hours after he left the chamber of death he was obliged to go to the
+Town Hall on business which could not be deferred; and when, shortly
+before sunset, he returned home and locked himself into his own room,
+old Eysvogel again appeared.
+
+He looked pale and agitated, and ordered the manservant--who denied
+him admittance as he had been directed--to call Jungfrau Els. His voice
+trembled as he entreated her to persuade her father to see him again.
+The matter in question was the final decision of the fate of his ancient
+house, of Wolff, and also her own and her marriage with his son. Perhaps
+the death of his beloved wife might render her father's mood more
+gentle. He did not yet know all Now he must learn it. If he again said
+"No," it would seal the ruin of the Eysvogel firm.
+
+How imploringly he could plead! how humbly the words fell from the old
+merchant's lips, moving Els to her inmost heart as she remembered the
+curt inflexibility with which, only yesterday, this arrogant man, in
+that very spot, had refused any connection with the Ortliebs! How much
+it must cost him to bow his stiff neck before her, who was so much
+younger, and approach her father, whose heart he had so pitilessly
+trampled under foot, in the character of a supplicant for aid, perhaps a
+beggar!
+
+Besides, Wolff was his son!
+
+Whatever wrong the father had done her she must forget it, and the task
+was not difficult; for now--she felt it--no matter from what motive,
+he honestly desired to unite her to his son. If her lover now led her
+through the door adorned with the huge, showy escutcheon, she would
+no longer come as a person unwillingly tolerated, but as a welcome
+helper-perhaps as the saviour of the imperilled house. Of the women of
+the Eysvogel family she forbade herself to think.
+
+How touching the handsome, aristocratic, grey-haired man seemed to her
+in his helpless weakness! If her father would only receive him, he would
+find it no easier than she to deny him the compassion he so greatly
+needed.
+
+She knocked at the lonely mourner's door and was admitted.
+
+He was sitting, with his head bowed on his hands, opposite to the
+large portrait of her dead mother in her bridal robes. The dusk of the
+gathering twilight concealed the picture, but he had doubtless gazed
+long at the lovely features, and still beheld them with his mental
+vision.
+
+Els was received with a mournful greeting; but when Herr Ernst heard
+what had brought her to him, he fiercely commanded her to tell Herr
+Casper that he would have nothing more to do with him.
+
+Els interceded for the unfortunate man, begging, pleading, and assuring
+her father that she would never give up Wolff. The happiness of her
+whole life was centred in him and his love. If he refused the Eysvogels
+the aid besought by the old merchant who, in his humility, seemed a
+different man----
+
+Here her father indignantly broke in, ordering her to disturb him no
+longer. But now the heritage of his own nature asserted itself in Els
+and, with an outburst of indignation, she pointed to the picture of
+her mother, whose kind heart certainly could not have endured to see
+a broken-hearted man, on whose rescue the happiness of her own child
+depended, turned from her door like an importunate beggar.
+
+At this the man whose locks had long been grey sprang from his chair
+with the agility of a youth, exclaiming in vehement excitement: "To
+embitter the hours devoted to the most sacred grief is genuine Eysvogel
+selfishness. Everything for themselves! What do they care for others?
+I except your Wolff; let the future decide what concerns him and you. I
+will stand by you. But to hope for happiness and peace-nay, even a life
+without bitter sorrow for you from the rest of the kin--is to expect to
+gather sweet pears from juniper bushes. Ever since your betrothal your
+mother and I have had no sleep, disturbed whenever we talked to each
+other about your being condemned to live under the same roof with that
+old devil, the countess, her pitiable daughter, and that worthless
+Siebenburg. But within the past few hours all this has been changed.
+The table-cloth has been cut between the Eysvogels and the Ortliebs.
+No power in the world can ever join it. I have not told you what has
+happened. Now you may learn that you----But first listen, and then
+decide on whose side you will stand.
+
+"Early this morning I went to the session of the Council. In the
+market-place I met first one member of it, then a second, third, and
+fourth; each asked me what had happened to the beautiful E, my lovely
+little daughter. Gradually I learned what had reached their ears.
+Yesterday evening, on his way home from here, the man outside, Casper
+Eysvogel, sullied your--our--good name, child, in a way I have just
+learned the particulars. He boasted, in the presence of those estimable
+old gentlemen, the Brothers Ebner, that he had flung at my feet the ring
+which bound you to his son. You had been surprised at midnight, he said,
+in the arms of a Swiss knight, and that base scoundrel Siebenburg,
+his daughter's husband, dared at the gaming-table, before a number of
+knights and gentlemen--among them young Hans Gross, Veit Holzschuher,
+and others-to put your interview with the Swiss in so false a light that
+No, I cannot bring my lips to utter it----
+
+"You need hear only this one thing more: the wretch said that he thanked
+his patron saint that they had discovered the jade's tricks in time. And
+this, child, was the real belief of the whole contemptible crew! But now
+that the water is up to their necks, and they need my helping hand to
+save them from drowning-now they will graciously take Ernst Ortlieb's
+daughter if he will give them his property into the bargain, that they
+may destroy both fortune and child. No--a thousand times no! It is not
+seemly, at this hour, to yield to the spirit of hate; but she who is
+lying in her last sleep above would not have counselled me by a single
+word to such suicidal folly. I did not learn the worst until I went to
+the Council, or I would have turned the importunate fellow from the door
+this morning. Tell the old man so, and add that Ernst Ortlieb will have
+nothing more to do with him."
+
+Here the deeply incensed father pointed to the door.
+
+Els had listened with eyes dilating in horror. The result surpassed her
+worst fears.
+
+She had felt so secure in her innocence, and the countess had interceded
+for her so cleverly that, absorbed by anxieties concerning Eva,
+Cordula, and her mother, she had already half forgotten the disagreeable
+incident.
+
+Yet, now that her fair name was dragged through the mire, she could
+scarcely be angry with those who pointed the finger of scorn at her; for
+faithlessness to a betrothed lover was an offence as great as infidelity
+to a husband. Nay, her friends were more ready to condemn a girl who
+broke her vow than a wife who forgot her duty.
+
+And if Wolff, in his biding-place in the citadel, should learn what was
+said of his Els, to whom yesterday old and young raised their hats in
+glad yet respectful greeting, would he not believe those who appealed to
+his own father?
+
+Yet ere she had fully realised this fear, she told herself that it was
+her duty and her right to thrust it aside. Wolff would not be Wolff if
+even for a moment he believed such a thing possible. They ought not,
+could not, doubt each other. Though all Nuremberg should listen to the
+base calumny and turn its back upon her, she was sure of her Wolff. Ay,
+he would cherish her with twofold tenderness when he learned by whom
+this terrible suffering had been inflicted upon her.
+
+Drawing a long breath, she again fixed her eyes upon her mother's
+portrait. Had she now rushed out to tell the old man who had so cruelly
+injured her--oh, it would have lightened her heart!--the wrong he
+had done and what she thought of him, her mother would certainly have
+stopped her, saying: "Remember that he is your betrothed husband's
+father." She would not forget it; she could not even hate the ruined
+man.
+
+Any effort to change her father's mood now--she saw it plainly--would
+be futile. Later, when his just anger had cooled, perhaps he might be
+persuaded to aid the endangered house.
+
+Herr Ernst gazed after her sorrowfully as, with a gesture of farewell,
+she silently left the room to tell her lover's father that he had come
+in vain.
+
+The old merchant was waiting in the entry, where the wails of the
+servants and the women in the neighbourhood who, according to custom,
+were beating their brows and breasts and rending their garments, could
+be heard distinctly.
+
+Deadly pale, as if ready to sink, he tottered towards the door.
+
+When Els saw him hesitate at the top of the few steps leading to the
+entry, she gave him her arm to support him down. As he cautiously put
+one foot after the other on the stairs, she wondered how it was possible
+that this man, whose tall figure and handsome face were cast in so noble
+a mould, could believe her to be so base; and at the same moment she
+remembered the words which old Berthold Vorchtel had uttered in her
+presence to his son Ulrich: "If anything obscure comes between you and a
+friend, obtain a clear understanding and peace by truth."
+
+Had the young man who had irritated his misjudged friend into crossing
+swords with him followed this counsel, perhaps he would have been alive
+now. She would take it herself, and frankly ask Wolff's father what
+justified him in accusing her of so base a deed.
+
+The lamps were already lighted in the hall, and the rays from the
+central one fell upon Herr Casper's colourless face, which wore an
+expression of despair. But just as her lips parted to ask the question
+the odour of musk reached her from the death-chamber, whose door Eva
+had opened. Her mother's gentle face, still in death, rose before her
+memory, and she was forced to exert the utmost self-control not to
+weep aloud. Without further reflection she imposed silence upon herself
+and--yesterday she would not have ventured to do it--threw her arm
+around Herr Casper's shoulders, gazed affectionately at him, and
+whispered: "You must not despair, father. You have a faithful ally in
+this house in Els."
+
+The old man looked down at her in astonishment, but instead of drawing
+her closer to him he released himself with courteous coldness, saying
+bitterly: "There is no longer any bond between us and the Ortliebs,
+Jungfrau Els. From this day forth I am no more your father than you
+are the bride of my son. Your will may be good, but how little it can
+accomplish has unfortunately been proved."
+
+Shrugging his shoulders wearily as he spoke, he nodded a farewell and
+left the house.
+
+Four bearers were waiting outside with the sedan-chair, three servants
+with torches, and two stout attendants carrying clubs over their
+shoulders. All wore costly liveries of the Eysvogel colours, and when
+their master had taken his seat in the gilded conveyance and the men
+lifted it, Els heard a weaver's wife, who lived near by, say to her
+little boy: "That's the rich Herr Eysvogel, Fritzel. He has as much
+money to spend every hour as we have in a whole year, and he is a very
+happy man."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Els went back into the house.
+
+The repulse which she had just received caused her bitter sorrow. Her
+father was right. Herr Casper had treated her kindly from a purely
+selfish motive. She herself was nothing to him.
+
+But there was so much for her to do that she found little time to grieve
+over this new trouble.
+
+Eva was praying in the death-chamber for the soul of the beloved dead
+with some of the nuns from the convent, who had lost in her mother a
+generous benefactress.
+
+Els was glad to know that she was occupied; it was better that her
+sister should be spared many of the duties which she was obliged to
+perform. Whilst arranging with the coffin-maker and the "Hegelein,"
+the sexton and upholsterer, ordering a large number of candles
+and everything else requisite at the funeral of the mistress of an
+aristocratic household, she also found time to look after her father
+and Countess Cordula, who was better. Yet she did not forget her own
+affairs.
+
+Biberli had returned. He had much to relate; but when forced to admit
+that nothing was urgent, she requested him to defer it until later, and
+only commissioned him to go to the castle, greet Wolff in her name, and
+announce her mother's death; Katterle would accompany him, in order to
+obtain admittance through her countryman, the Swiss warder.
+
+Els might have sent one of the Ortlieb servants; but, in the first
+place, the fugitive's refuge must be concealed, and then she told
+herself that Biberli, who had witnessed the occurrence of the previous
+evening, could best inform Wolff of the real course of events. But when
+she gave him permission to tell her betrothed husband all that he had
+seen and heard the day before at the Ortlieb mansion, Biberli replied
+that a better person than he had undertaken to do so. As he left his
+master, Sir Heinz was just going to seek her lover. When she learned all
+that had befallen the knight, she would understand that he was no longer
+himself. Els, however, had no time to listen, and promised to hear his
+story when he returned; but he was too full of the recent experience
+to leave it untold, and briefly related how wonderfully Heaven had
+preserved his master's life. Then he also told her hurriedly that the
+trouble which had come upon her through Sir Heinz's fault burdened his
+soul. Therefore he would not let the night pass without at least showing
+her betrothed husband how he should regard the gossip of idle tongues if
+it penetrated to his hiding-place.
+
+Els uttered a sigh of relief. Surely Wolff must trust her! Yet what
+viciously coloured reports might reach him from the Eysvogels! Now that
+he would learn the actual truth from the most credible eye-witnesses she
+no longer dreaded even the worst calumny.
+
+No one appeared at supper except her father. Eva had begged to be
+excused. She wished to remain undisturbed; but the world, with rude yet
+beneficent hand, interrupted even her surrender to her grief for her
+mother.
+
+The tailor, who protested that, owing to the mourning for young Prince
+Hartmann, he had fairly "stolen" this hour for the beautiful Ortlieb
+sisters, came with his assistant, and at the same time a messenger
+arrived from the cloth-house in the market-place bringing the packages
+of white stuffs for selection. Then it was necessary to decide upon
+the pattern and material; the sisters must appear in mourning the next
+morning at the consecration, and later at the mass for the dead.
+
+Eva had turned to these worldly matters with sincere repugnance, but Els
+would not release her from giving them due attention.
+
+It was well for her tortured soul and the poor eyes reddened by weeping.
+But when she again knelt in the chamber of death beside her dear nuns
+and saw the grey robe, which they all wore, the wish to don one, which
+she had so often cherished, again awoke. No other was more pleasing to
+her Heavenly Bridegroom, and she forbade herself in this hour to think
+of the only person for whose sake she would gladly have adorned herself.
+Yet the struggle to forget him constantly recalled him to her mind,
+no matter how earnestly she strove to shut out his image whenever it
+appeared. But, after her last conversation, must not her mother have
+died in the belief that she would not give up her love? And the dead
+woman's last words? Yet, no matter what they meant, here and now nothing
+should come between her and the beloved departed. She devoted herself
+heart and soul to the memory of the longing for her.
+
+Grief for her loss, repentance for not having devoted herself faithfully
+enough to her, and the hope that in the convent her prayers might obtain
+a special place in the world beyond for the beloved sleeper, now revived
+her wish to take the veil. She felt bound to the nuns, who shared her
+aspirations. When her father came to send her to her rest and asked
+whether, as a motherless child, she intended to trust his love and care
+or to choose another mother who was not of this world, she answered
+quietly with a loving glance at the picture of St. Clare, "As you wish,
+and she commands."
+
+Herr Ernst kindly replied that she still had ample time to make her
+decision, and then again urged her to leave the watch beside the dead
+to the women who had been appointed to it and the nuns, who desired to
+remain with the body; but Eva insisted so eagerly upon sharing it that
+Els, by a significant gesture to her father, induced him to yield.
+
+She kept her sister away whilst the corpse was being laid out and the
+women were performing their other duties by asking Eva to receive their
+Aunt Christine, the wife of Berthold Pfinzing, who had hurried to the
+city from Schweinau as soon as she had news of her sister-in-law's
+death.
+
+Nothing must cloud the memory of the beloved sufferer in the mind of her
+child, and Els knew that Frau Christine had been a dear friend of the
+dead woman, that Eva clung to her like a second mother, and that nothing
+could reach her sister from her honest heart which would not benefit
+her. Nor was she mistaken, for the warm, affectionate manner in which
+the matron greeted the young girl restored her composure; nay, when Fran
+Christine was obliged to go, because her time was claimed by important
+duties, she would gladly have detained her.
+
+When Eva, in a calmer mood than before, at last entered the hall where
+her mother's body now lay in a white silk shroud on the snowy satin
+pillows, as she was to be placed before the altar for the service of
+consecration on the morrow, she was again overwhelmed with all the
+violence of the deepest grief; nay, the burning anguish of her soul
+expressed itself so vehemently that the abbess, who had returned whilst
+the sisters were still taking leave of their Aunt Christine, did
+not succeed in soothing her until, drawing her aside, she whispered:
+"Remember our saint, child. He called everything, even the sorest
+agony, 'Sister Sorrow'. So you, too, must greet sorrow as a sister,
+the daughter of your heavenly Father. Remember the supreme, loving hand
+whence it came, and you will bear it patiently."
+
+Eva nodded gratefully, and when grief threatened to overpower her she
+thought of the saint's soothing words, "Sister Sorrow," and her heart
+grew calmer.
+
+Els knew how much the emotions of the previous nights must have wearied
+her, and had permitted her to share the vigil beside the corpse only
+because she believed that she would be unable to resist sleep. She had
+slipped a pillow between her back and that of the tall, handsome chair
+which she had chosen for a seat, but Eva disappointed her expectation;
+for whatever she earnestly desired she accomplished, and whilst Els
+often closed her eyes, she remained wide awake. When sleep threatened
+to overpower her she thought of her mother's last words, especially one
+phrase, "the forge fire of life," which seemed specially pregnant with
+meaning. Yet, ere she had reached any definite understanding of its
+true significance, the cocks began to crow, the song of the nightingale
+ceased, and the twittering of the other birds in the trees and bushes in
+the garden greeted the dawning day.
+
+Then she rose and, smiling, kissed Els, who was sleeping, on the
+forehead, told Sister Renata that she would go to rest, and lay down on
+her bed in the darkened chamber.
+
+Whilst praying and reflecting she had thought constantly of her mother.
+Now she dreamed that Heinz Schorlin had borne her in his strong arms out
+of the burning convent, as Sir Boemund Altrosen had saved the Countess
+von Montfort, and carried her to the dead woman, who looked as fresh and
+well as in the days before her sickness.
+
+When, three hours before noon, she awoke, she returned greatly refreshed
+to her dead mother. How mild and gentle her face was even now; yet the
+dear, silent lips could never again give her a morning greeting and,
+overwhelmed by grief, she threw herself on her knees before the coffin.
+
+But she soon rose again. Her recent slumber had transformed the
+passionate anguish into quiet sorrow.
+
+Now, too, she could think of external things. There was little to
+be done in the last arrangement of the dead, but she could place the
+delicate, pale hands in a more natural position, and the flowers which
+the gardener had brought to adorn the coffin did not satisfy her. She
+knew all that grew in the woods and fields near Nuremberg, and no one
+could dispose bouquets more gracefully. Her mother had been especially
+fond of some of them, and was always pleased when she brought them home
+from her walks with the abbess or Sister Perpetua, the experienced old
+doctress of the convent. Many grew in the forest, others on the brink of
+the water. The beloved dead should not leave the house, whose guide and
+ornament she had been, without her favourite blossoms.
+
+Eva arranged the flowers brought by the gardener as gracefully as
+possible, and then asked Sister Perpetua to go to walk with her, telling
+her father and sister that she wished to be out of doors with the nun
+for a short time.
+
+She told no one what she meant to do. Her mother's favourite flowers
+should be her own last gift to her.
+
+Old Martsche received the order to send Ortel, the youngest manservant
+in the household, a good-natured fellow eighteen years old, with a
+basket, to wait for her and Sister Perpetua at the weir.
+
+After the thunderstorm of the day before the air was specially fresh and
+pure; it was a pleasure merely to breathe. The sun shone brightly from
+the cloudless sky. It was a delightful walk through the meadows and
+forest over the footpath which passed near the very Dutzen pool, where
+Katterle the day before had resolved to seek death. All Nature seemed
+revived as though by a refreshing bath. Larks flew heavenward with a
+low sweet song, from amidst the grain growing luxuriantly for the winter
+harvest, and butterflies hovered above the blossoming fields. Slender
+dragon-flies and smaller busy insects flitted buzzing from flower to
+flower, sucking honey from the brimming calyxes and bearing to others
+the seeds needed to form fruit. The songs of finches and the twitter of
+white-throats echoed from many a bush by the wayside.
+
+In the forest they were surrounded by delightful shade animated by
+hundreds of loud and low voices far away and close at hand. Countless
+buds were opening under the moss and ferns, strawberries were ripening
+close to the ground, and the delicate leafy boughs of the bilberry
+bushes were full of juicy green oared fruit.
+
+Near the weir they heard a loud clanking and echoing, but it had a
+very different effect from the noise of the city; instead of exciting
+curiosity there was something soothing in the regularity of the blows of
+the iron hammer and the monotonous croaking of the frogs.
+
+In this part of the forest, where the fairest flowers grew, the morning
+dew still hung glittering from the blossoms and grasses. Here it was
+secluded, yet full of life, and amidst the wealth of sounds in which
+might be heard the tapping of the woodpecker, the cry of the lapwing,
+and the call of the distant wood-pigeon, it was so still and peaceful
+that Eva's heart grew lighter in spite of her grief.
+
+Sister Perpetua spoke only to answer a question. She sympathised with
+Eva's thought when she frankly expressed her pleasure in every new
+discovery, for she knew for whom and with what purpose she was seeking
+and culling the flowers and, instead of accusing her of want of feeling,
+she watched with silent emotion the change wrought in the innocent child
+by the effort to render, in league with Nature, an act of loving service
+to the one she held dearest.
+
+True, even now grief often rudely assailed Eva's heart. At such times
+she paused, sighing silently, or exclaimed to her companion, "Ah, if she
+could be with us!" or else asked thoughtfully if she remembered how her
+mother had rejoiced over the fragrant orchid or the white water-lily
+which she had just found.
+
+Sister Perpetua had taken part of the blossoms which she had gathered;
+but Ortel already stood waiting with the basket, and the house-dog,
+Wasser, which had followed the young servant, ran barking joyously to
+meet the ladies. Eva already had flowers enough to adorn the coffin as
+she desired, and the sun showed that it was time to return.
+
+Hitherto they had met no one. The blossoms could be arranged here in the
+forest meadow under the shade of the thick hazel-bushes which bordered
+the pine wood.
+
+After Eva had thrown hers on the grass, she asked the nun to do the same
+with her own motley bundle.
+
+Between the thicket and the road stood a little chapel which had
+been erected by the Mendel family on the spot where a son of old Herr
+Nikolaus had been murdered. Four Frank robber knights had attacked
+him and the train of waggons he had ridden out to meet, and killed the
+spirited young man, who fought bravely in their defence.
+
+Such an event would no longer have been possible so near the city. But
+Eva knew what had befallen the Eysvogel wares and, although she did not
+lack courage, she started in terror as she heard the tramp of horses'
+hoofs and the clank of weapons, not from the city, but within the
+forest.
+
+She hastily beckoned to her companion who, being slightly deaf had heard
+nothing, to hide with her behind the hazel-bushes, and also told the
+young servant, who had already placed the basket beside the flowers, to
+conceal himself, and all three strained their ears to catch the sounds
+from the wood.
+
+Ortel held the dog by the collar, silenced him, and assured his mistress
+that it was only another little band of troopers on their way from
+Altdorf to join the imperial army.
+
+But this surmise soon proved wrong, for the first persons to appear were
+two armed horsemen, who turned their heads as nimbly as their steeds,
+now to the right and now to the left, scanning the thickets along the
+road distrustfully. After a somewhat lengthy interval the tall figure
+of an elderly man followed, clad in deep mourning. Beneath his cap,
+bordered with fine fur, long locks fell to his shoulders, and he was
+mounted on a powerful Binzgau charger. At his side, on a beautiful
+spirited bay, rode a very young woman whose pliant figure was extremely
+aristocratic in its bearing.
+
+As soon as the hazel-bushes and pine trees, which had concealed the
+noble pair, permitted a view of them, Eva recognised in the gentleman
+the Emperor Rudolph, and in his companion Duchess Agnes of Austria, his
+young daughter-in-law, whom she had not forgotten since the dance at the
+Town Hall. Behind them came several mailed knights, with the emblems
+of the deepest mourning on their garments and helmets, and among those
+nearest to the Emperor Eva perceived--her heart almost stood still--the
+person whom she had least expected to meet here--Heinz Schorlin.
+
+Whilst she was gathering the flowers for her mother's coffin his image
+had almost vanished from her mind. Now he appeared before her in person,
+and the sight moved her so deeply that Sister Perpetua, who saw her turn
+pale and cling to the young pine by her side, attributed her altered
+expression to fear of robber knights, and whispered, "Don't be troubled,
+child; it is only the Emperor."
+
+Neither the first horsemen-guards whom the magistrate, Berthold
+Pfinzing, Eva's uncle, had assigned to the sovereign without his
+knowledge, to protect him from unpleasant encounters during his early
+morning ride--nor the Emperor and his companions could have seen Eva
+whilst they were passing the chapel; but scarcely had they reached it
+when the dog Wasser, which had escaped from Ortel's grasp, burst through
+the hazel copse and, barking furiously, dashed towards the duchess's
+horse.
+
+The spirited animal leaped aside, but a few seconds later Heinz Schorlin
+had swung himself from the saddle and dealt the dog so vigorous a kick
+that it retreated howling into the thicket. Meanwhile he had watched
+every movement of the bay, and at the right instant his strong hand had
+grasped its nostrils and forced it to stand.
+
+"Always alert and on the spot at the right time!" cried the Emperor,
+then added mournfully, "So was our Hartmann, too."
+
+The duchess bent her head in assent, but the grieving father pointed
+to Heinz, and added: "The boy owed his blithe vigour partly to the
+healthful Swiss blood with which he was born, but yonder knight, during
+the decisive years of life, set him the example. Will you dismount,
+child, and let Schorlin quiet the bay?"
+
+"Oh, no," replied the duchess, "I understand the animal. You have not
+yet broken the wonderful son of the desert of shying, as you promised.
+It was not the barking cur, but yonder basket that has dropped from the
+skies, which frightened him."
+
+She pointed, as she spoke, to the grass near the chapel where, beside
+Eva's flowers, stood the light willow basket which was to receive them.
+
+"Possibly, noble lady," replied Heinz, patting the glossy neck of the
+Arabian, a gift to the Emperor Rudolph from the Egyptian Mameluke Sultan
+Kalaun. "But perhaps the clever creature merely wished to force his
+royal rider to linger here. Graciously look over yonder, Your Highness;
+does it not seem as if the wood fairy herself had laid by the roadside
+for your illustrious Majesty the fairest flowers that bloom in field and
+forest, mere and moss?"
+
+As he spoke he stooped, selected from the mass of blossoms gathered by
+Eva those which specially pleased his eye, hastily arranged them in a
+bouquet, and with a respectful bow presented them to the duchess.
+
+She thanked him graciously, put the nosegay in her belt, and gazed at
+him with so warm a light in her eyes that Eva felt as if her heart was
+shrinking as she watched the scene.
+
+Even princesses, who were separated from him by so wide a gulf, could
+not help favouring this man. How could she, the simple maiden whom he
+had assured of his love, ever have been able to give him up?
+
+But she had no time to think and ponder; the Emperor was already riding
+on with the Bohemian princess, and Heinz went to his horse, whose bridle
+was held by one of the troopers who followed the train.
+
+Ere he swung himself into the saddle again, however, he paused to
+reflect.
+
+The thought that he had robbed some flower or herb-gatherer of a portion
+of the result of her morning's work had entered his mind and, obeying a
+hasty impulse, he flung a glittering zecchin into the basket.
+
+Eva saw it, and every fibre of her being urged her to step forward, tell
+him that the flowers were hers, and thank him in the name of the poor
+for whom she destined his gift; but maidenly diffidence held her
+in check, although he gave her sufficient opportunity; for when he
+perceived the image of the Virgin in the Mendel chapel, he crossed
+himself, removed his helmet, and bending the knee repeated, whilst the
+others rode on without him, a silent prayer. His brown locks floated
+around his head, and his features expressed deep earnestness and glowing
+ardour.
+
+Oh, how gladly Eva would have thrown herself on her knees beside him,
+clasped his hands, and--nay, not prayed, her heart was throbbing too
+stormily for that-rested her head upon his breast and told him that
+she trusted him, and felt herself one with him in earthly as well as
+heavenly love!
+
+Whoever prayed thus in solitude had a soul yearning for the loftiest
+things. Others might say what they chose, she knew him better. This man,
+from the first hour of their meeting, had loved her with the most ardent
+but also with the holiest passion; never, never had he sought her merely
+for wanton amusement. Her mother's last wish would be fulfilled. She
+need only trust him with her whole soul, and leave the "forge fire of
+life" to strengthen and purify her.
+
+Now she remembered where the dying woman had heard the phrase.
+
+Her Aunt Christine had used it recently in her mother's presence. Young
+Kunz Schurstab had fallen into evil ways in Lyons. Every one, even
+his own father, had given him up for lost; but after several years he
+returned home and proved himself capable of admirable work, both in his
+father's business and in the Council. In reply to Frau Ortlieb's enquiry
+where this transformation in the young man had occurred, her aunt
+answered:
+
+"In the forge fire of life." Eva told herself that she had intentionally
+kept aloof from its flames, and in the convent, perhaps, they would
+never have reached her. Yesterday they had seized upon her for the first
+time, and henceforward she would not evade them, that she might obey her
+mother and become worthy of the man praying silently yonder. He owed to
+his heroic courage and good sword a renowned name; but what had she ever
+done save selfishly to provide for her own welfare in this world and
+the next? She had not even been strong enough to hold the head of the
+mother, to whom she owed everything and who had loved her so tenderly,
+when the convulsions attacked her.
+
+Even after she closed her eyes in death--she had noticed it--she had
+been kept from every duty in the household and for the beloved dead,
+because it was deemed unsuitable for her, and Els and every one avoided
+putting the serious demands of life between the "little saint" and her
+aspirations towards the bliss of heaven. Yet Eva knew that she could
+accomplish whatever she willed to do, and instead of using the strength
+which she felt stirring with secret power in her fragile body, she had
+preferred to let it remain idle, in order to dwell in another world from
+that in which she had been permitted to prove her might. The fire of
+the forge, by whose means pieces of worthless iron were transformed into
+swords and ploughshares, should use its influence upon her also. Let
+it burn and torture her, if it only made her a genuine, noble woman, a
+woman like her Aunt Christine, from whom her mother had heard the phrase
+of "the forge fire of life," who aided and pointed out the right path
+to hundreds, and probably, at her age, had needed neither an Els nor an
+Abbess Kunigunde to keep her, body and soul, in the right way. She loved
+both; but some impulse within rebelled vehemently against being treated
+like a child, and--now that her mother was dead--subjecting her own will
+to that of any other person than the man to whom she would have gladly
+looked up as a master.
+
+Whilst Heinz knelt in front of the chapel without noticing Sister
+Perpetua, who was praying before the altar within, these thoughts darted
+through Eva's brain like a flash of lightning. Now he rose and went to
+his horse, but ere he mounted it the dog, barking furiously, again broke
+from the thicket close at her side.
+
+Heinz must have seen her white mourning robes, for her own name reached
+her ears in a sudden cry, and soon after--she herself could not have
+told how--Heinz was standing beside the basket amidst the flowers, with
+her hand clasped in his, gazing into her eyes so earnestly and sadly
+that he seemed a different person from the reckless dancer in the Town
+Hall, though the look was equally warm and tender. Whilst doing so, he
+spoke of the deep wound inflicted upon her by her mother's death. Fate
+had dealt him a severe blow also, but grief taught him to turn whither
+she, too, had directed him.
+
+Just at that moment the blast of the horn summoning the Emperor's train
+to his side echoed through the forest.
+
+"The Emperor!" cried Heinz; then bending towards the flowers he seized
+a few forget-me-nots, and, whilst gazing tenderly at them and Eva,
+murmured in a low tone, as if grief choked his utterance: "I know you
+will give them to me, for they wear the colour of the Queen of Heaven,
+which is also yours, and will be mine till my heart and eyes fail me."
+
+Eva granted his request with a whispered "Keep them"; but he pressed his
+hand to his brow and, as if torn by contending emotions, hastily added:
+"Yes, it is that of the Holy Virgin. They say that Heaven has summoned
+me by a miracle to serve only her and the highest, and it often seems to
+me that they are right. But what will be the result of the conflicting
+powers which since that flash of lightning have drawn one usually so
+prompt in decision as I, now here, now there? Your blue, Eva, the hue
+of these flowers, will remain mine whether I wear it in honour of the
+Blessed Virgin, or--if the world does not release me--in yours. She
+or you! You, too, Eva, I know, stand hesitating at the crossing of two
+paths--which is the right one? We will pray Heaven to show it to you and
+to me."
+
+As he spoke he swung himself swiftly into the saddle and, obeying the
+summons, dashed after his imperial master.
+
+Eva gazed silently at the spot where he had vanished behind a group of
+pine trees; but Ortel, who had gathered a few early strawberries for
+her, soon roused her from her waking dream by exclaiming, as he clapped
+his big hands: "I'll be hanged, Jungfrau Eva, if the knight who spoke to
+you isn't the Swiss to whom the great miracle happened yesterday!"
+
+"The miracle?" she asked eagerly, for Els had intentionally concealed
+what she heard, and this evidently had something to do with the
+"wonderful summons" of which Heinz had spoken without being understood.
+
+"Yes, a great, genuine miracle," Ortel went on eagerly. "The
+lightning--I heard it from the butcher boy who brings the meat, he
+learned it from his master's wife herself, and now every child in the
+city knows it--the lightning struck the knight's casque during the
+thundershower yesterday; it ran along his armour, flashing brightly; the
+horse sank dead under him without moving a limb, but he himself escaped
+unhurt, and the mark of a cross can be seen in the place where the
+lightning struck his helmet."
+
+"And you think this happened to the very knight who took the flowers
+yonder?" asked Eva anxiously.
+
+"As certainly as I hope to have the sacrament before I die, Jungfrau
+Eva," the youth protested. "I saw him riding with that lank Biberli,
+Katterle's lover, who serves him, and such noblemen are not found by
+the dozen. Besides, he is one of those nearest to the Emperor Rudolph's
+person. If it isn't he, I'll submit to torment----"
+
+"Fie upon your miserable oaths!" Eva interrupted reprovingly. "Do you
+know also that the tall, stately gentleman with the long grey hair----"
+
+"That was the Emperor Rudolph!" cried Ortel, sure he was right. "Whoever
+has once seen him does not forget him. Everything on earth belongs to
+him; but when the knight took our flowers so freely just now as if
+they were his own, I thought But there--there--there! See for yourself,
+Jungfrau! A heavy, unclipped yellow zecchin!"
+
+As he spoke he took the coin in his hand, crossed himself, and
+added thoughtfully: "The little silver coin, or whatever he flung
+in here--perhaps to pay for the flowers, which are not worth five
+shillings--has been changed into pure gold by the saint who wrought the
+miracle for him. My soul! If many in Nuremberg paid so high for forage,
+the rich Eysvogel would leave the Council and go in search of wild
+flowers!"
+
+Eva begged the man to leave the zecchin, promising to give him another
+at home and half a pound in coppers as earnest money. "This is what I
+call a lucky morning!" cried Ortel. But directly after he changed his
+tone, remembering Eva's white mourning robe and the object of their
+expedition, and his fresh voice sounded very sympathetic as he added:
+"If one could only call your lady mother back to life! Ah, me! I'd spend
+all my savings to buy for the saints as many candles as my mother has in
+her little shop, if that would change things."
+
+Whilst speaking he filled the basket with flowers, and the nun helped
+him. Eva walked before them with bowed head.
+
+Could she hope to wed the man for whom Heaven had performed such a
+miracle? Was it no sin to hope and plead that he would wear their common
+colour, not in honour of the Queen of Heaven, but of the lowly Eva, in
+whom nothing was strong save the desire for good? Was not Heinz forcing
+her to enter into rivalry with one the most distant comparison with whom
+meant defeat? Yet, no! Her gracious Friend above knew her and her heart.
+She knew with what tender love and reverence she had looked up to her
+from childhood, and she now confided the love in her heart to her who
+had shown herself gracious a thousand times when she raised her soul to
+her in prayer.
+
+Eva was breathing heavily when she emerged from the forest and stopped
+to wait until Sister Perpetua had finished her prayer in the chapel and
+overtook her. Her heart was heavy, and when, in the meadow beyond the
+woods, the heat of the sun, which was already approaching the zenith,
+made itself felt, it seemed as if she had left the untroubled happiness
+of childhood behind her in the green thicket. Yet she would not have
+missed this forest walk at any price. She knew now that she had no rival
+save the one whom Heinz ought to love no less than she. Whether they
+both decided in favour of the world or the cloister, they would remain
+united in love for her and her divine Son.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Outside the courtyard of the Ortlieb mansion Eva saw Biberli going
+towards the Frauenthor. He had been with Els a long time, giving a
+report as frankly as ever. The day before he said to Katterle: "Calm
+yourself, my little lamb. Now that the daughters need you and me to
+carry secret messages, the father will leave us in peace too. A member
+of the Council would be like the receiver of stolen goods if he allowed
+a man whom he deemed worthy of the stocks to render him many services."
+
+And Herr Ernst Ortlieb really did let him alone, because he was forced
+to recognise that Biberli and Katterle were indispensable in carrying on
+his daughter's intercourse with Wolff.
+
+Els had forgiven the clever fellow the more willingly the more consoling
+became the tidings he brought her from her betrothed bridegroom.
+Besides, she regarded it as specially fortunate that she learned through
+him many things concerning Heinz Schorlin, which for her sister's sake
+she was glad to know.
+
+True, it would have been useless trouble to try to extort from the true
+and steadfast Biberli even a single word which, for his master's
+sake, it would have been wiser to withhold, yet he discussed
+matters patiently, and told her everything that he could communicate
+conscientiously. So, when Eva returned, she was accurately informed of
+all that had befallen and troubled the knight the day before.
+
+She listened sympathisingly to the servant's lamentation over the
+marvellous change which had taken place in Heinz since his horse was
+killed under him. But she shook her head incredulously at Biberli's
+statement that his master seriously intended to seek peace in the
+cloister, like his two older sisters; yet at the man's animated
+description of how Father Benedictus had profited by Sir Heinz's mood to
+estrange him from the world, the doubt vanished.
+
+Biberli's assurance that he had often seen other young knights rush into
+the world with specially joyous recklessness, who had suddenly halted
+as if in terror and known no other expedient than to change the coat of
+mail for the monk's cowl, reminded her of similar incidents among her
+own acquaintances. The man was right in his assertion that most of them
+had been directed to the monastery by monks of the Order of St. Francis,
+since the name of the Saint of Assisi and the miracles he performed had
+become known in this country also. Whoever believed it impossible to see
+the gay Sir Heinz in a monk's cowl, added the experienced fellow, might
+find himself mistaken.
+
+He had intentionally kept silence concerning Sir Seitz Siebenburg's
+challenge and his master's other dealings with the "Mustache." On the
+other hand, he had eagerly striven to inform Els of the minutest details
+of the reception he met with from her betrothed lover. With what zealous
+warmth he related that Wolff, like the upright man he was, had rejected
+even the faintest shadow of doubt of her steadfastness and truth, which
+were his own principal virtues also.
+
+Even before Sir Heinz Schorlin's visit young Herr Eysvogel had known
+what to think of the calumnies which, it is true, were repeated to him.
+His calm, unclouded courage and clear mind were probably best shown by
+the numerous sheets of paper he had covered with estimates, all relating
+to the condition of the Eysvogel business. He had confided these
+documents also to him to be delivered to his father, and after
+discharging this duty he had come to her. According to his custom, he
+had reserved the best thing for the last, but it was now time to give it
+to her.
+
+As he spoke he drew from the breast pocket of his long coat a
+wrought-iron rose. Els knew it well; it had adorned the clasp of her
+lover's belt, and the unusual delicacy of the workmanship had often
+aroused her admiration. What the gift was to announce she read on the
+paper accompanying it, which contained the following simple lines:
+
+     "The iron rude, when shaped by fire and blows,
+     Delights our eyes as a most beauteous rose.
+     So may the lies which strove to work us ill
+     But serve our hearts with greater love to fill."
+
+Biberli withdrew as soon as he had delivered the gift; his master was
+awaiting him on his return from his early ride with the Emperor; but
+Els, with glowing cheeks, read and reread the verse which brought such
+cheering consolation from her lover. It seemed like a miracle that they
+recalled the words of her dying mother concerning the forge fire which,
+in her last moments, she had mentioned in connection with Eva's future.
+Here it had formed from rude iron the fairest of flowers. Nothing
+sweeter or lovelier, the sister thought, could be made from her darling.
+But would the fire also possess the power to lead Eva, as it were, from
+heaven to earth, and transform her into an energetic woman, symmetrical
+in thought and deed? And what was the necessity? She was there to guide
+her and remove every stone from her path.
+
+Ah, if she should renounce the cloister and find a husband like her
+Wolff! Again and again she read his greeting and pressed the beloved
+sheet to her lips. She would fain have hastened to her mother's corpse
+to show it to her. But just at that moment Eva returned. She must
+rejoice with her over this beautiful confirmation of her hope, and as,
+with flushed cheeks and brow moist with perspiration, she stood before
+her, Els tenderly embraced her and, overflowing with gratitude, showed
+her her lover's gift and verse, and invited her to share the great
+happiness which so brightly illumined the darkness of her grief. Eva,
+who was so weary that she could scarcely stand thought, like her sister,
+as Els read Wolff's lines aloud, of her mother's last words. But the
+forge fire of life must not transform her into a rose; she would become
+harder, firmer, and she knew why and for whose sake. Only yesterday, had
+she been so exhausted, nothing would have kept her, after a few brief
+words to prevent Els's disappointment, from lying down, arranging her
+pillows comfortably, and refreshing herself with some cooling drink; but
+now she not only succeeded in appearing attentive, but in sympathising
+with all her heart in her sister's happiness. How delightful it was,
+too, to be able to give something to the person from whom hitherto she
+had only received.
+
+She succeeded so fully in concealing the struggle against the claims of
+her wearied body that Els, after joyously perceiving how faithfully her
+sister sympathised with her own delight, continued to relate what
+she had just heard. Eva forced herself to listen and behave as if her
+account of Heinz Schorlin's wonderful escape and desire to enter a
+monastery was news to her.
+
+Not until Els had narrated the last detail did she admit that she needed
+rest; and when the former, startled by her own want of perception, urged
+her to lie down, she would not do so until she had put the flowers she
+had brought home into water. At last she stretched herself on the couch
+beside her sister, who had so long needed sleep and rest, and a few
+minutes after the deep dreamless slumber of youth chained both, until
+Katterle, at the end of an hour, woke them.
+
+Both used the favourable moments which follow the awakening from a sound
+sleep to cherish the best thoughts and most healthful resolutions. When
+Eva left her chamber she had clearly perceived what the last hours
+had taken and bestowed, and found a positive answer to the important
+question which she must now confront.
+
+Els, like her lover, would cling fast to her love, and strive with
+tireless patience to conquer whatever obstacles it might encounter,
+especially from the Eysvogel family.
+
+Before leaving home Eva adorned the beloved dead with the flowers,
+leaves, and vines which the gardener had brought and she herself had
+gathered, and at the church she put the last touches to this work so
+dear to her heart. She gave the preference to the flowers which had been
+her mother's favourites, but the others were also used. With a light
+hand and a delicate appreciation of harmony and beauty she interwove
+the children of the forest with those of the garden. She could not be
+satisfied till every one was in the right place.
+
+Countess Cordula had insisted upon attending the consecration, but she
+had not known who cared for its adornment. Yet when she stood in the
+church by the side of the open coffin she gazed long at the gentle face
+of the quiet sufferer, charming even in death, who on her bright couch
+seemed dreaming in a light slumber. At last she whispered to Els: "How
+wonderfully beautiful! Did you arrange it?"
+
+The latter shook her head, but Cordula added, as if soliloquising: "It
+seems as though the hands of the Madonna herself had adorned a sleeping
+saint with garden flowers, and child-angels had scattered over her the
+blossoms of the forest."
+
+Then Els, who hitherto had refused to talk in this place and this solemn
+hour, broke her silence and briefly told Cordula who had artistically
+and lovingly adorned her mother.
+
+"Eva?" repeated the countess, as if surprised, gazing at her friend's
+younger sister who, as the music of the organ and the alternate
+chanting had just begun, had already risen from her knees. Cordula felt
+spellbound, for the young girl looked as fresh as a May rose and so
+touchingly beautiful in the deep, earnest devotion which filled her
+whole being, and the white purity of her mourning robes, that the
+countess did not understand how she could ever have disliked her. Eva,
+with her up lifted eyes, seemed to be gazing directly into the open
+heavens.
+
+Cordula paid little attention to the sacred service, but watched the
+Es, as she liked to call the sisters, all the more closely. The elder,
+though so overwhelmed with grief that she could not help sobbing aloud,
+did not cease to think of her dear ones, and from time to time gazed
+with tender sympathy at her father or with quiet sorrow at her sister.
+Eva, on the contrary, was completely absorbed by her own anguish and
+the memory of her to whom it was due. The others appeared to have no
+existence for her. Whilst the large tears rolled slowly down her cheeks,
+she sometimes gazed tenderly at the face of the beloved dead; sometimes,
+with fervent entreaty, at the image of the Virgin. The pleading
+expression of the large blue eyes seemed to the countess to express such
+childlike need of help that the impetuous girl would fain have clasped
+her to her heart and exclaimed:
+
+"Wait, you lovely, obstinate little orphan; Cordula, whom you dislike,
+is here, and though you don't wish to receive any kindness from her, you
+must submit. What do I care for all the worshippers of a very poor idol
+who call themselves my 'adorers'? I need only detain wandering pilgrims,
+or invite minnesingers to the castle, to shorten the hours. And he for
+whom yonder child-angel's heart yearns--would he not be a fool to prefer
+a Will-o'-the-wisp like me? Besides, it is easy for the peasant to give
+his neighbour the cloud which hangs over his field. True, before the
+dance----But the past is past. Boemund Altrosen is the only person who
+is always the same. One can rely upon him, but I really need neither. If
+I could only do without the open air, the forest, horses, and hunting,
+I should suit convent walls far better than this Eva, whom Heaven itself
+seems to have created to be the delight of every man's heart. We will
+see what she herself decides."
+
+Then she recognised Sir Boemund Altrosen in the congregation and pursued
+her train of thought. "He is a noble man, and whoever thus makes himself
+miserable about me I ought to try to cure. Perhaps I will yet do so."
+
+Similar reflections occupied her mind until she saw Heinz Schorlin
+kneeling, half concealed by a pillar, behind Boemund Altrosen. He had
+learned from Biberli at what hour the consecration would take place, and
+his honest heart bade him attend the service for the dead woman who had
+so much to forgive him.
+
+The Ortlieb sisters did not see him, but Cordula unconsciously shook her
+head as she gazed. Was this grave man, so absorbed in devotion that he
+did not vouchsafe those who surrounded him even a single glance, the
+Heinz whose delightful gaiety had captivated her heart? The linden, with
+foliage withered by the autumn blasts, was more like the same tree
+in the spring when the birds were singing in its boughs, than yonder
+absorbed supplicant resembled the bold Heinz of a few days ago. The
+old mocker, Chamberlain Wiesenthau, was right when he told her and
+her father that morning that the gay Swiss had been transformed by
+the miracle which had befallen him, like the Saul of holy writ, in
+the twinkling of an eye, into a Paul. The calendar-makers were already
+preparing to assign a day to St. Schorlin.
+
+But she ought not to have joined in the boisterous laugh with which her
+father rewarded the old slanderer's news. No! The knight's experience
+must have made a deeper impression than the others suspected.
+
+Perhaps little Eva's love would result in her seeking with the sisters
+of St. Clare, and Heinz with the Franciscans, peace and a loftier
+passion. She was certainly to be pitied if love had taken as firm a hold
+upon her heart as Cordula thought she had perceived.
+
+Again her kind heart throbbed with tender sympathy, and when the sisters
+left the sedan chairs which had brought them back to the house, and
+Cordula met Eva in the corridor, she held out her hand with frank
+cordiality, saying, "Clasp it trustingly, girl. True, you do not value
+it much, but it is offered to no one to whom Cordula does not mean
+kindly."
+
+Eva, taken by surprise, obeyed her request. How frank and kindly her
+grey eyes were! Cordula herself must be so, too, and, obeying a hasty
+impulse, she nodded with friendly warmth; then, as if ashamed of her
+change of mood, hurried past her up the stairs.
+
+The following day had been appointed for the mass for the dead in St.
+Sebald's Church.
+
+Els had told Eva that the countess had seen Heinz Schorlin at the
+consecration. The news pleased her, and she expressed her joy so
+animatedly and spoke so confidently of the knight's love that Els felt
+anxious. But she did not have courage to disturb her peace of mind, and
+her father's two sisters, the abbess, and Herr Pfinzing's wife, also
+said nothing to Eva concerning the future as they helped Els to arrange
+the dead woman's clothing, which was to be given to the poor, decide to
+what persons or charitable institutions it should be sent, and listened
+to her account of the facts that formed the foundation of the slanders
+against her, which were being more loudly and universally discussed
+throughout the city.
+
+Eva felt painfully how incapable of rendering assistance the others
+considered her, and her pride forbade her to urge it upon them. Even her
+Aunt Kunigunde scarcely asked her a question. It seemed to the abbess
+that the right hour for a decisive enquiry had not yet come, and wise
+Aunt Christine never talked with her younger niece upon religious
+subjects unless she herself requested her to do so.
+
+The mass for the dead was to be celebrated at an unusually early hour,
+for another, which would be attended by the whole city and all
+the distinguished persons, knights, and nobles who had come to the
+Reichstag, was to begin four hours before noon. This was for Prince
+Hartmann, who had been snatched away so prematurely.
+
+The Ortliebs, with all their kindred and servants, the members of the
+Council with their wives and daughters, and many burghers and burgher
+women, assembled soon after sunrise in St. Sebald's Church.
+
+Those present were almost lost in the spacious, lofty interior with its
+three naves. At first there was little appearance of devotion, for the
+early arrivals had many things to ask and whisper to one another. The
+city architect lowered his loud voice very little as he discussed with
+a brother in the craft from Cologne in what way the house of God, which
+originally had been built in the Byzantine style, could be at least
+partly adapted to the French pointed arch which was used with such
+remarkable success in Germany, at Cologne and Marburg. They discussed
+the eastern choir, which needed complete rebuilding, the missing
+steeples, and the effect of the pointed arch which harmonised so
+admirably with the German cast of character, and did not cease until the
+music began. Now the great number of those present showed how much love
+the dead woman had sowed and reaped. The sisters, when they first looked
+around them, saw with grateful joy the father of the young man who had
+fallen in the duel with Wolff, old Herr Berthold Vorchtel, his wife,
+and Ursula. On the other hand, the pew adorned with the Eysvogel coat of
+arms was still empty. This wounded Els deeply; but she uttered a sigh
+of relief when--the introitus had just begun--at least one member of the
+haughty family to which she felt allied through Wolff appeared,
+Isabella Siebenburg, her lover's sister. It was kind in her to come
+notwithstanding the absence of the others, and even her own husband. Els
+would return it to her and her twins.
+
+The music, whose heart-stirring notes accompanied the solemn service,
+deeply moved the souls of both sisters; but when, after the Gloria in
+excelsis Deo, the Cum Sancto Spiritu pealed forth, Eva, who, absorbed
+in devotion, had long since ceased to gaze around her, felt her sister's
+hand touch her arm and, following the direction of her glance, saw at
+some distance the man for whom her heart yearned, and the grave, devout
+knight yonder seemed far nearer to her than the gay companion who, in
+the mazes of the dance, had gazed so boldly into the faces of the men,
+so tenderly into those of the fair women. How fast her heart throbbed!
+how ardently she longed for the moment when he would raise his head and
+look across at her! But when he moved, it was only to follow the sacred
+service and with it Christ's sacrifice upon the cross.
+
+Then Eva reproached herself for depriving her dead mother, to the repose
+of whose soul this hour was dedicated, of her just due, and she strove
+with all her power to regain the spirit of devotion which she had lost.
+But her lover sat opposite and, though she lowered her eyes, her earnest
+endeavour to concentrate her thoughts was futile.
+
+Her struggle was interrupted by the commencement of the Credo, and
+during this confession, which brings before the Christian in a fixed
+form what it is incumbent upon him to believe, the thought entered her
+mind of beseeching her whose faithful love had always guided her safely
+and for her good--the Queen of Heaven, to whom Heinz was as loyally
+devoted as she herself--that she might give her a sign whether she might
+continue to believe in his love and keep faith with him, or whether she
+should return to the path which led to a different form of happiness.
+
+During the singing of the Credo the heavenly Helper, for whose aid she
+hoped, made known to her that if, before the end of the Sanctus, which
+immediately followed the Credo, Heinz looked over at her and returned
+her glance, she might deem it certain that the Holy Virgin would
+permit her to hope for his love. If he omitted to do so, then she would
+consider it decided that he renounced his earthly for his heavenly
+love, and try herself to give up the earthly one, in which, however, she
+believed she had recognised something divine. The Credo closed and died
+away, the resonant harmonies of the Sanctus filled the wide space, and
+the knight, with the same devout attention, followed the sacred service
+in which, in the imagination of believers, the bread and wine is
+transformed into the body and blood of Christ, and a significant,
+painless ceremony represents the Saviour's bloody death upon the cross.
+
+Eva told herself that she ought to have followed with the same
+intentness as Heinz the mass celebrated for the soul of her own mother,
+but she could no longer succeed in doing so. Besides, she was denied
+the privilege of looking freely and often at him upon whose movements
+depended the fate of her life. Many glances were undoubtedly directed at
+her, the daughter of the dead woman in whose memory so many citizens
+had gathered; many, perhaps, had come solely to see the beautiful Es.
+Therefore propriety and modesty forbade her to watch Heinz. She only
+ventured to cast a stolen glance at him.
+
+Every note of the Sanctus was familiar to her, and when it drew near the
+end Heinz retained the same position. The fairest hope of her life must
+be laid with the flowers in her mother's coffin.
+
+Now the last bars of the Sanctus were commencing. He had scarcely had
+time to change his attitude since her last secret glance at him, yet she
+could not resist the temptation, though it was useless, of looking at
+him once more. She felt like the prisoner who sees the judge rise and
+does not know whether he intends to acquit or condemn him. The city
+lute-player who led the choir was just raising his hands again to let
+them fall finally at the close of the Sanctus, and as she turned her
+eyes from him in the direction whence only too soon she was to be
+deprived of the fairest of rights, a burning blush suddenly crimsoned
+her cheeks. Heinz Schorlin's eyes had met hers with a full, clear gaze.
+
+Eva pressed her clasped hands, as if beseeching aid, upon her bosom,
+which rose and fell beneath them with passionate emotion; and No, she
+could not be mistaken; he had understood her, for his look expressed
+a wealth of sympathy, the ardent, sorrowful sympathy which only love
+knows. Then the eyes of both fell. When their glances met again, the
+hosanna of the choir rang out to both like a shout of welcome with which
+liberated Nature exultingly greets the awakening spring; and to the
+deeply agitated knight, who had resolved to fly from the world and its
+vain pleasures, the hosanna which poured its waves of sound towards
+him, whilst the eyes of the woman he loved met his for the second
+time, seemed to revive the waning joy of existence. The shout which had
+greeted the Saviour on his entry into Jerusalem reached the "called" man
+like a command from love to open wide the gate of the heart, and whether
+he willed it or not, love, amidst the solemn melody of the hosanna,
+made a new and joyous entrance into his grateful soul. But during
+the Benedictus he was already making the first attempt to resist
+this emotion; and whilst Eva, first offering thanks for the cheering
+decision, and then earnestly striving to enter with her whole soul into
+the sacred service, modestly denied herself the pleasure of looking
+across at her lover, Heinz was endeavouring to crush the hopes which had
+again mastered the soul resolved on renunciation.
+
+Yet he found the conflict harder than he expected and as, at the close
+of the mass, the Dona nobis pacem (grant us peace) began, he joined
+beseechingly in the prayer.
+
+It was not granted, for even during the high mass for the soul of his
+dearest friend, which also detained the Ortliebs in church, he sought
+Eva's glance only too often, but always in vain. Once only, when the
+Dona nobis pacem pealed forth again, this time for the prince, his eyes
+met those of the woman he loved.
+
+The young Duchess Agnes noticed whither he looked so often, but when
+Countess Cordula knelt beside the Ortliebs, cordially returned every
+glance of the knight's, and once even nodded slightly to him, the young
+Bohemian believed the report that Heinz Schorlin and the countess were
+the same as betrothed, and it vexed her--nay, spoiled the whole of the
+day which had just begun.
+
+When Heinz left the church Eva's image filled his heart and mind. He
+went directly from the sanctuary to his lodgings; but there neither Frau
+Barbara, his pretty young hostess, nor Biberli would believe their eyes
+or ears, when the former heard in the entry, the latter in the adjoining
+room, the lash of a scourge upon naked limbs, and loud groans. Both
+sounds were familiar to Barbel through her father, and to Biberli from
+the time of penance after his stay in Paris, and his own person.
+
+Heinz Schorlin, certainly for the first time in his life, had scourged
+himself.
+
+It was done by the advice of Father Benedictus but, although he followed
+the counsel so earnestly that for a long time large bloody stripes
+covered his back and shoulders, this remedy for sinful thoughts produced
+an effect exactly opposite to the one expected; for, whenever the places
+where the scourge had struck him so severely smarted under his armour,
+they reminded him of her for whose sake he had raised his hand against
+himself, and the blissful glance from her eyes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+During the days which succeeded the mass for the dead the Ortlieb
+mansion was very silent. The Burgrave von Zollern, who still gladly
+concealed in his castle the brave companion in arms to whom he had
+entrusted the imperial standard on the Marchfield, when his own strong
+arm needed rest, had permitted Herr Ernst, as the young man's future
+father-in-law, to visit him. Both were now in constant communication, as
+Els hoped, for the advantage of the Eysvogel business.
+
+Biberli did not cease acting as messenger between her and her future
+bridegroom; nay, he could now devote the lion's share of his days to
+it; his master, for the first time since he had entered his service, had
+left him.
+
+The Emperor had been informed of the great shock experienced by the
+young knight, but it was unnecessary; an eye far less keen would not
+have failed to note the change in Heinz Schorlin.
+
+The noble man who, even as a sovereign, retained the warmth of heart
+which had characterised him in his youth as a count, sincerely loved his
+blithe, loyal, brave young countryman, whose father he had valued, whose
+mother he highly esteemed, and who had been the dearest friend of the
+son whom death had so early snatched from him.
+
+He knew him thoroughly, and had watched his development with increasing
+warmth of sympathy, the more so as many a trait of character which he
+recognised in Heinz reminded him of his own nature and aspirations at
+his age.
+
+At the court of Frederick II he too had not always walked in the
+paths of virtue but, like Heinz, he had never let this merge into
+licentiousness, and had maintained the chivalrous dignity of his station
+even more strictly than the former.
+
+Neither had he at any time deviated from the sincere piety which he
+had brought from his home to the imperial court, and this was far more
+difficult in the train of the bold and intellectual Hohenstaufen, who
+was prone to blaspheme even the holiest things, than for Heinz.
+Finally he, too, had lapsed into the mood which threatened to lead the
+light-hearted Schorlin into a monastery.
+
+The mighty impulse which, at that time, owing to the example and
+teachings of St. Francis in Italy, had taken possession of so many
+minds, also left its impress on his young soul, already agitated by
+sympathy with many an extravagant idea, many an opinion condemned by
+the Church. But ere he had taken even the first decisive step he was
+summoned home. His father had resolved to obtain on the sacred soil of
+Palestine the mercy of Heaven which was denied to the excommunicated
+Emperor, and desired his oldest son, Rudolph, to represent him at home.
+
+Before his departure he confided to his noble son his aspirations for
+the grandeur and enlargement of his house, and the youth of twenty-one
+did not venture to tell the dignified, far-sighted man, whom his
+subjects rightly surnamed "the Wise," his ardent desire to live
+henceforth solely for the salvation of his endangered soul.
+
+The sense of duty inherited from father and mother, which both had
+imprinted deeply upon his soul, and also the ambition that had been
+sedulously fostered at the court of the Emperor Frederick, had given
+him courage to repress forever the wish with which he had left the
+Hohenstaufen court. The sacrifice was hard, but he made it willingly
+as soon as it became apparent to his reflective mind that not only his
+earthly but his heavenly Father had appointed the task of devoting the
+full wealth of his talents and the power of his will to the elevation of
+the house of Hapsburg.
+
+The very next year he stood in the place of his father who fell at
+Ascalon, deeply lamented.
+
+The arduous labour imposed by the management of his own great
+possessions, and the ceaseless endeavour to enlarge them, in accordance
+with the dead man's wishes, gave him no time to cherish the longing for
+the peace of the cloister.
+
+After his election as King of Germany, which had long been neglected
+under the government of sham emperors, increased the burden of his
+duties the more seriously he took them, and the more difficult the
+Bohemian king Ottocar, especially, rendered it for him to maintain the
+crown he had won, the more eagerly he strove, particularly after the
+victory of Marchfield had secured his sovereignty, to increase the power
+of his house.
+
+A binding duty, a difficult task, must also withhold Heinz Schorlin from
+the wish for whose fulfilment his fiery young soul now fervently longed,
+and which he knew was receiving powerful sustenance from a worthy and
+eloquent Minorite.
+
+Rudolph's own brother had died in peace as canon of Basel and
+Strasbourg; his sister was happy in her convent as a modest Dominican;
+but the young knight over whose welfare he had promised his mother to
+watch, and whom he loved, was not fitted for the monastic life.
+
+However earnest might be his intention--after the miracle which seemed
+to have been wrought specially for him--of renouncing the world, sooner
+or later the time must come when Heinz would long to return to it and
+the profession of arms, for which he was born and reared. But if he
+could not be deterred from entering the modest order of the mendicant
+monks, who proudly called poverty their beloved bride, and should become
+the head of a bishopric while young, he would inevitably be one of
+those fighting prelates who seemed to the Emperor--who disliked halfway
+measures--neither knight nor priest, and with whom he had had many a
+quarrel.
+
+Opposition would merely have sharpened the young knight's desire;
+therefore his imperial patron had treated him as if he were ignorant of
+what was passing in his mind. Without circumlocution, he commanded him,
+at the head of several bodies of Frank, Swabian, and Swiss troopers,
+whom he placed at his orders, to attack the brothers Siebenburg and
+their allies, and destroy their castle. If possible, he was to bring
+them alive before the imperial judgment seat, and recover for the
+Eysvogels the merchandise of which they had been robbed.
+
+When Heinz, after the Emperor Rudolph had mentioned the latter name,
+earnestly entreated him to prevent Wolff's persecution, the sovereign
+promised to fulfil the wish as soon as the proper time came. He himself
+desired to be gracious to the brave champion of Marchfield, who under
+great irritation had drawn his sword. But when Heinz also asked the
+Emperor to send his friend Count Gleichen with him, the request was
+refused. He must have the entire responsibility of the expedition which
+he commanded; for nothing except an important duty that no one would
+help him bear, gave promise of making him forget everything that usually
+engrossed his attention, and thus his new object of longing. Besides, if
+he returned victorious his fame and reward would be undivided.
+
+The Hapsburg wished to try upon his young favourite the means which had
+availed to keep his own footsteps in the path which he desired to see
+Heinz follow: constant occupation associated with heavy responsibility,
+the success which brings with it the hope of future achievement and
+thereby rouses ambition.
+
+The wisdom and kindness of heart of the Emperor Rudolph, whom the
+grey-haired ruler's friends called "Wisdom," had certainly chosen the
+right course for Heinz. But he who had always regarded every opportunity
+of drawing his sword for his master as a rare piece of good fortune,
+shrank in dismay from this, the most important and honourable charge
+that had ever been bestowed upon him. It drew him away from the new
+path in which he did not yet feel at home, because the love he could not
+abjure constantly thrust him into the world, into the midst of the life
+and tumult from which Heaven itself commanded him to turn aside.
+
+The Minorite had scarcely been right in the assertion that only the
+first rounds of the ladder which leads to heavenly bliss were hard to
+climb.
+
+How quickly he had set his foot on the first step; but each upward
+stride was followed by one that dragged him down-nay, it had seemed
+advisable wholly to renounce the effort to ascend them, when the monk
+expected him to sever the bond which united him to the Emperor, and to
+tell the sovereign that he had entered the service of a greater Master,
+who commanded him to fight with other weapons than the sword and lance.
+
+Heinz had regarded this demand as a summons to turn traitor. It did not
+seem to be the call of the devout, experienced director of souls to the
+disciples, but the Guelph to the Ghibelline, for Ghibelline he meant to
+remain. Gratitude was a Christian virtue, too, and to refuse his service
+to the Emperor, who had been a father to him, to whom he had sworn
+fealty, and who had loaded him with benefits, could not be pleasing
+in the sight of any God. He could never become a Guelph, he told his
+venerable friend. The Emperor Rudolph was his beloved master, from whom
+he had received nothing but kindness. He might as well be required to
+refuse obedience to his own father.
+
+"What Guelph? What Ghibelline?" cried the Minorite in a tone of grave
+rebuke. "The question is submission to the Most High, or to the world
+and its claims. And why should not Heaven require, as you term it, that
+you should obey the Lord more willingly than your earthly father--you,
+whom the mercy of God summoned amidst thunder and lightning in the
+presence of thousands? When Francis, our beloved model, the son of Pier
+Bernardone, was threatened with his father's curse if he did not turn
+back from the path which led to the highest goal, Francis restored all
+that he had received from him, except his last garment, and with the
+exclamation, 'Our Father who art in heaven, not Pier Bernardone,' he
+made the choice between his earthly and his heavenly Father. From the
+former he would have received in abundance everything that the heart
+of a child of the world desires-wealth, paternal love, and the blessing
+which is said to build houses on earth. But Francis preferred poverty
+and contempt, nay, even his father's curse and the reproach of
+ingratitude, receiving in exchange possessions of a nobler nature and
+more lasting character. You have heard their names. To obtain them,
+means to share the bliss of heaven. And you"--he continued loudly,
+adopting for the first time a tone of authoritative severity--"if you
+really yearned for the greatest possessions, go to the fortress this
+very hour, and with the cry in your heart, though not on your lips,
+'Our Father who art in heaven, not my gracious master and benefactor
+Rudolph,' inform the Emperor what higher Lord you have vowed to serve."
+
+This kindled a fierce conflict in Heinz Schorlin's soul, which perhaps
+might have ended in favour of a new career and St. Francis, had not
+Biberli, ere he reached a conclusion, rushed into the room shouting:
+"Seitz Siebenburg, the Mustache, has joined his brothers, and the Knight
+of Absbach, with several others--von Hirsdorf, von Streitberg, and
+whatever their names may be--have made common cause with them! It is
+said that they also expected reinforcements from the Main, in order that
+the right to the road----"
+
+"Gossip, or positive news?" interrupted Heinz, drawing himself up to his
+full height with the cool composure which he attained most easily when
+any serious danger threatened him.
+
+"As positive," replied his follower eagerly, "as that Siebenburg is the
+greatest rascal in Germany. You will be robbed of your joust with him,
+for he'll mount the block instead of the steed, just as you predicted.
+The ladies will drive him from the lists with pins and rods, to say
+nothing of the scourging by which knight and squire will silence him.
+Oh, my lord, if you only knew!"
+
+"Well?" asked the knight anxiously.
+
+Then Biberli, paying no further heed to his master's orders never
+to mention the Ortlieb sisters again in his presence, burst forth
+indignantly: "It might move a stone to pity to know the wrong the
+monster has done Jungfrau Eva and her pure and virtuous sister, the
+loyal betrothed bride of a brave man--and the abominable names bestowed
+on the young ladies, whom formerly young and old, hat in hand, called
+the beautiful Es."
+
+Heinz stamped his foot on the floor and, half frantic, impetuously
+exclaimed, his blood boiling with honest indignation: "May the air he
+breathes destroy the slandering scoundrel! May I be flayed on the rack
+if----"
+
+Here he was interrupted by a low exclamation of warning from the
+Minorite, who perceived in the knight's fierce oaths a lamentable
+relapse. Heinz himself felt ashamed of the ungodly imprecations; yet he
+could by no means succeed in regaining his former composure as, drawing
+a long breath, he continued: "And those city hypocrites, who call
+themselves Christians, and build costly cathedrals for the good of their
+souls, are not ashamed--yes, holy Father, it is true--basely to deny
+our Lord and Saviour, who is Love itself, and deemed even the Magdalen
+worthy of His mercy, and rub their hands in fiendish malignity when
+unpunished they can sully the white robe of innocence, and drag pious,
+lovely simplicity to the pillory."
+
+"That is the very reason, my son," the monk interrupted soothingly,
+"that we disciples of the Saint of Assisi go forth to show the deluded
+what the Lord requires of them. Therefore leave behind you the dust of
+the world, which defiles both body and soul, join us, who did so before
+you, and help, as one of our order, to make those who are perishing
+in sin and dishonouring the name of Christ better and purer, genuine
+Christians. In this hour of stress lay the sword out of your hand, and
+leave the steed----"
+
+"I shall ride forth, rely upon it, holy Father," Heinz burst forth
+afresh. "With the sky-blue of the gracious Virgin, whom I love, on
+my shield and helmet, I will dash like the angel Michael amongst the
+Siebenburgs and their followers. And let me tell you, holy Father--you
+who were once a knight also--if the Mustache, weltering in his blood at
+my feet, prays for mercy, I'll teach him----"
+
+"Son! son!" interrupted the monk again, this time raising his hands
+imploringly; but Heinz, paying no heed, exclaimed hoarsely:
+
+"Where did you get this news?"
+
+"From our Berne countryman at the fortress," replied the servant
+eagerly; "Brandenstein, Schweppermann, and Heidenab brought the tidings.
+The Emperor received them at the gate of the citadel, where he was
+keeping watch ere he mounted his steed. He heard him call to the
+messengers, 'So our Heinz Schorlin will have a hard nut to crack.'"
+
+"Which he will crush after his own heart!" cried Heinz, with flashing
+eyes.
+
+Then, forcing himself to be calm, he exclaimed in broken sentences,
+whilst Biberli was helping him put on his armour: "Your wish, reverend
+Father, is also mine. The world--the sooner I can rid myself of it the
+better; yet what you describe in the most alluring terms is the peace in
+your midst, I--I--Never, never will my heart be calm until----"
+
+Here he paused suddenly, struck his breast swiftly and repeatedly with
+his fists, and continued eagerly: "Here, Father Benedictus, here are old
+and strong demands, which you, too, must once have known ere you offered
+the other cheek to the foe. I know not what to call them, but until they
+are satisfied I shall never be yours. They must be fulfilled; then,
+if in battle and bloodshed I can also forget the love which ever rises
+again when I think I have given it the deathblow, if Heaven still
+desires poor, heartsick Heinz Schorlin, it shall have him."
+
+The Minorite received the promise with a silent bend of the head. He
+felt that he might seriously endanger the fulfilment of his ardent wish
+to gain this soul for heaven if he urged Heinz further now. Patiently
+awaiting a more fitting season, he therefore contented himself with
+questioning him carelessly about the foe and his castles.
+
+The day was hot, and as Biberli laced the gambeson--the thick, quilted
+undergarment over which was worn the heavy leather coat covered with
+scales and rings--the monk exclaimed: "When the duty which you believe
+you owe to the world has been fulfilled, you will gratefully learn, as
+one of our order, how pleasant it is to walk with liberated soul in our
+light-brown cowl."
+
+But he ought to have repressed the remark, for Heinz cast a glance at
+him which expressed his astonishment at being so misunderstood, and
+answered with unyielding resolution: "If I long for anything in your
+order, reverend Father, it is not for easy tasks, but for the most
+difficult burden of all. Your summons to take our Redeemer's cross upon
+me pleases me better."
+
+"And I, my son, believe that your words will be inscribed amongst those
+which are sure of reward," the monk answered; then with bowed head added
+"At that moment you were nearer the kingdom of heaven than the aged
+companion of St. Francis."
+
+But perceiving how impatiently Heinz shrugged his shoulders, and
+convinced that it would be advisable to leave him to himself for a time,
+the old man blessed him with paternal affection and went his way. When
+the fiery youth had performed the task which now claimed all his powers,
+he hoped to find him more inclined to allow himself to be led farther
+along the path which he had entered.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+The Minorite had gone. Biberli had noticed with delight that his master
+had not sought as usual to detain him. The iron now seemed to him hot,
+and he thought it would be worth while to swing the hammer.
+
+The danger in which Heinz stood of being drawn into the monastery made
+him deeply anxious, and he had already ventured several times to oppose
+his design. Life was teaching him to welcome a small evil when it barred
+the way to a greater one, and his master's marriage, even with a girl of
+far lower station than Eva Ortlieb, would have been sure of his favour,
+if only it would have deterred him from the purpose of leaving the world
+to which he belonged.
+
+"True," the servitor began, "in such heat it is easier to walk in the
+thin cowl than in armour. The holy Father is right there. But when it
+is necessary to be nimble, the knight has his dancing dress also. Oh,
+my lord, what a sight it was when you were waltzing with the lovely
+Jungfrau Eva! Look at Heinz Schorlin, the brave hero of Marchfield, and
+the girl with the angel face who is with him!' said those around me,
+as I was gazing down from the balcony. And just think--I can't help
+speaking of it again--that now respectable people dare to point their
+fingers at the sisters and join in the base calumny uttered by a
+scoundrel!"
+
+Then Heinz fulfilled Biberli's secret longing to be questioned about the
+Es and the charges against them, and he forged the iron.
+
+Not from thirst, he said, but to ascertain what fruit had grown from the
+hellish seeds sown by Siebenburg, and probably the still worse ones of
+the Eysvogel women, he went from tavern to tavern, and there he heard
+things which made him clench his fists, and, at the Red Ox, roused him
+to such violent protest that he went out of the tap-room faster than he
+entered it.
+
+Thereupon, without departing far from the truth, he related what was
+said about the beautiful Es in Nuremberg.
+
+It was everywhere positively asserted that a knight belonging to the
+Emperor's train had been caught at the Ortlieb mansion, either in a
+nocturnal interview or while climbing into the window. Both sisters
+were said to be guilty. But the sharpest arrows were aimed at Els, the
+betrothed bride of the son of a patrician family, whom many a girl
+would have been glad to wed. That she preferred the foreigner, whether a
+Bohemian, a Swabian, or even a Swiss, made her error doubly shameful in
+the eyes of most persons.
+
+Whenever Biberli had investigated the source of these evil tales, he had
+invariably found it to be Seitz Siebenburg, his retainers, the Eysvogel
+butler, or some man or maidservant in their employ.
+
+The Vorchtels, who, as he knew from Katterle, would have had the most
+reason to cherish resentment against the Ortliebs, had no share in these
+slanders.
+
+The shrewd fellow had discovered the truth, for after Seitz Siebenburg
+had wandered about in the open air during the storm, he again tried to
+see his wife. But the effort was vain. Neither entreaties nor threats
+would induce her to open the door. Meanwhile it had grown late and, half
+frantic with rage, he went to the Duke of Pomerania's quarters in the
+Green Shield to try his luck in gaming. The dice were again moving
+rapidly, but no one grasped the box when he offered a stake. No more
+insulting rebuff could be imagined, and the repulse which he received
+from his peers, and especially the duke, showed him that he was to be
+excluded from this circle.
+
+He was taught at the same time that if he answered the challenge of the
+Swiss he would not be permitted to enter the lists. Thus he confronted
+the impossibility of satisfying a demand of honour, and this terrible
+thought induced him to declare war against everything which honour had
+hitherto enjoined, and with it upon its guardians.
+
+If they treated him as a robber and a dishonoured man, he would behave
+like one; but those who had driven him so far should suffer for it.
+
+During the rest of the night and on the following day, until the gate
+was closed, he wandered, goblet in hand, only half conscious of what he
+was doing, from tavern to tavern, to tell the guests what he knew about
+the beautiful Es; and at every repetition of the accusations, of whose
+justice he was again fully convinced, his hatred against the sisters,
+and those who were their natural defenders and therefore his foes,
+increased. Every time he repeated the old charges an addition increasing
+the slander was made and, as if aided by some mysterious ally, it soon
+happened that in various places his own inventions were repeated to him
+by the lips of others who had heard them from strangers. True, he
+was often contradicted, sometimes violently but, on the whole, people
+believed him more readily than would have happened in the case of any
+other person; for every one admitted that, as the brother-in-law of the
+older E, he had a right to express his indignation in words.
+
+Meanwhile his twins often returned to his memory. The thought ought to
+have restrained him from such base conduct; but the idea that he was
+avenging the wrong inflicted upon their father's honour, and thus upon
+theirs, urged him further and further.
+
+Not until a long ride through the forest had sobered him did he see his
+conduct in the proper light.
+
+Insult and disgrace would certainly await him in the city. His brothers
+would receive him kindly. They were of his own blood and could not help
+welcoming his sharp sword. Side by side with them he would fight and, if
+it must be, die. A voice within warned him against making common cause
+with those who had robbed the family of which he had become a member,
+yet he again used the remembrance of his innocent darlings to palliate
+his purpose. For their sakes only he desired to go to his death, sword
+in hand, like a valiant knight in league with those who were risking
+their lives in defence of the ancient privilege of their class. They
+must not even suspect that their father had been shut out from the
+tournament, but grow up in the conviction that he had fallen as a heroic
+champion of the cause of the lesser knights to whom he belonged, and on
+whose neck the Emperor had set his foot.
+
+The assurance which Biberli brought Heinz Schorlin that Seitz Siebenburg
+had joined those whom he was ordered to punish, placed the task assigned
+him by the Emperor in a new and attractive light; but the servant's
+report, so far as it concerned the Ortlieb sisters, pierced the inmost
+depths of his soul. He alone was to blame for the disgrace which had
+fallen upon innocent maidens. By the destruction of the calumny he would
+at least atone for a portion of his sin. But this did not suffice. It
+was his duty to repair the wrong he had done the sisters. How? That he
+could not yet determine; for whilst wielding the executioner's sword
+in his master's service all these thoughts must be silenced; he could
+consider nothing save to fulfil the task confided to him by his imperial
+benefactor and commander in chief, according to his wishes, and show him
+that he had chosen wisely in trusting him to "crack the nut" which he
+himself had pronounced a hard one. The yearning and renunciation, the
+reproaches and doubts which disturbed his life, until recently so easy,
+had disgusted him with it. He would not spare it. Yet if he fell he
+would be deprived of the possibility of doing anything whatever
+for those who through his imprudence had lost their dearest
+possession--their good name. Whenever this picture rose before him it
+sometimes seemed as if Eva was gazing at him with her large, bright eyes
+as trustingly as during the pause in the dancing, and anon he fancied he
+saw her as she looked at her mother's consecration in her deep mourning
+before the altar. At that time her grief and pain had prevented her from
+noticing how his gaze rested on her; yet never had she appeared more
+desirable, never had he longed more ardently to clasp her in his arms,
+console her, and assure her that his love should teach her to forget her
+grief, that she was destined to find new happiness in a union with him.
+
+This had happened to him just as he commenced the struggle for a new
+life. Startled, he confessed it to his grey-haired guide, and used the
+means which the Minorite advised him to employ to attain forgetfulness
+and renunciation, but always in vain. Had he, like St. Francis, rushed
+among briers, his blood would not have turned into roses, but doubtless
+fresh memories of her whose happiness his guilt had so suddenly and
+cruelly destroyed.
+
+For her sake he had already begun to doubt his vocation on the very
+threshold of his new career, and did not recover courage until Father
+Benedictus, who had communicated with the Abbess Kunigunde, informed him
+that Eva was wax in her hands, and within the next few days she would
+induce her niece to take the veil.
+
+This news had exerted a deep influence upon the young knight's soul. If
+Eva entered the cloister before him, the only strong tie which united
+him to the world would be severed, and nothing save the thought of
+his mother would prevent his following his vocation. Yet vehement
+indignation seized him when he heard from Biberli that the slanderer's
+malice would force Eva to seek refuge with the Sisters.
+
+No, a thousand times no! The woman whom he loved should need to seek
+refuge from nothing for which Heinz Schorlin's desire and resolve alike
+commanded him to make amends.
+
+He must succeed in proving to the whole world that she and her sister
+were as pure as they lived in his imagination, either by offering in the
+lists the boldest defiance to every one who refused to acknowledge that
+both were the most chaste and decorous ladies in the whole world,
+and Eva, at the same time, the loveliest and fairest, or by the
+open interference of the Emperor or the Burggravine in behalf of the
+persecuted sisters, after he had confessed the whole truth to his
+exalted patrons.
+
+But when Biberli pointed out the surest way of restoring the endangered
+reputation of the woman he loved, and begged him to imagine how much
+more beautiful she would look in the white bridal veil than in her
+mourning Riese--[Kerchief of fine linen, arranged like a veil]--he
+ordered him to keep silence.
+
+The miracle wrought in his behalf forbade him to yearn for happiness and
+joy here below. It was intended rather to open his eyes and urge him
+to leave the path which led to eternal damnation. It pointed him to the
+kingdom of heaven and its bliss, which could be purchased only by severe
+sacrifice and the endurance of every grief which the Saviour had taken
+upon Himself. But he could at least pay one honour to the maiden to whom
+he was so strongly attracted, and whose happiness for life was menaced
+by his guilt. When he had assembled his whole force at Schwabach, he
+would go into battle with her colour on his helmet and shield. The Queen
+of Heaven would not be angry with him if he wore her light blue to atone
+to the pure and pious Eva, who was hers even more fully than he himself,
+for the wrong inflicted upon her by spiteful malice.
+
+Heinz Schorlin's friends thought the change in his mood a natural
+consequence of the events which had befallen him; young Count Gleichen,
+his most intimate companion, even looked up to him since his "call" as a
+consecrated person.
+
+His grey-haired cousin, Sir Arnold Maier, of Silenen, was a devout man
+whose own son led a happy life as a Benedictine monk at Engelberg. The
+sign by which Heaven had signified its will to Heinz had made a deep
+impression upon him, and though he would have preferred to see him
+continue in the career so auspiciously begun, he would have considered
+it impious to dissuade him from obeying the summons vouchsafed by the
+Most High. So he offered no opposition, and sent by the next courier a
+letter to Lady Wendula Schorlin, his young cousin's mother, in which,
+with Heinz's knowledge-nay, at his request--he related what her son had
+experienced, and entreated her not to withhold him from the vocation of
+which God deemed him worthy.
+
+Meanwhile, Biberli wrote to his master's mother in a different strain,
+and did not desist from expressing his opinion, to Heinz, and assuring
+him that his place was on a battle charger, with his sword in its sheath
+or in his hand, rather than in a monastery with a rosary hanging from a
+hempen girdle.
+
+This had vexed Heinz--nay, made him seriously angry with the faithful
+fellow; and when in full armour he prepared to mount his steed to
+receive the last directions of his imperial master, and Biberli asked
+him on which horse he should follow, he answered curtly that this time
+he would go without him.
+
+Yet when he saw tears fill the eyes of his "true and steadfast"
+companion, he patted the significant St. on his cap, and added kindly:
+"Never mind, Biber, everything will be unchanged between us till I obey
+my summons, and you build your own nest with Katterle."
+
+So Biberli had remained in Nuremberg whilst Heinz Schorlin, after the
+Emperor with fatherly kindness had dismissed him, granting him full
+authority, set forth at the head of his troops as their commander, to
+take the field against the Siebenburgs and their allies.
+
+The servant was permitted to attend him only to the outskirts of the
+city.
+
+Before the Spitalthor, Countess Cordula, though she was returning from a
+ride into the country, had wheeled her spirited dappled horse and joined
+him as familiarly as though she belonged to him. Heinz, who would have
+liked best to be alone, and to whom any other companion would have been
+more welcome, showed her this plainly enough, but she did not seem to
+notice it, and during the whole of their ride together gave her tongue
+free rein and, though he often indignantly interrupted her, described
+with increasing warmth what the Ortlieb sisters had suffered through his
+fault. In doing so she drew so touching a picture of Eva's silent sorrow
+that Heinz sometimes longed to thank her, but more frequently to have
+her driven away by his men at arms; for he had mounted his horse with
+the intention of dividing the time of his ride between pious meditations
+and plans for the arrangement of the expedition. What could be more
+unwelcome than the persistent loquacity of the countess, who filled his
+heart and mind with ideas and wishes that threatened most seriously to
+imperil his design?
+
+Cordula plainly perceived how unwillingly he listened. Nay, as Heinz
+more and more distinctly, at last even offensively, showed her how
+little he desired her society, it only increased the animation of her
+speech, which seemed to her not to fail wholly in the influence she
+desired to exert in Eva's favour; therefore she remained at his side
+longer than she had at first intended. She did not even turn back when
+they met the young Duchess Agnes, who with her train was returning to
+the city from a ride.
+
+The Bohemian princess had known that Heinz would ride through the
+Spitalthor at this hour to confront his foe, and had intended that the
+meeting with her should seem like a good omen. The thought of wishing
+him success on his journey had been a pleasant one. True, Cordula's
+presence did not prevent this, but it disturbed her, and she was vexed
+to find the countess again at Heinz Schorlin's side.
+
+She showed her displeasure so plainly that her Italian singing mistress,
+the elderly spinster Caterina de Celano, took sides with her, and
+scornfully asked the countess whether she had brought her curling irons
+with her.
+
+But she bit her lips at Cordula's swift retort "O no! Malice meets us
+on every road, but in Germany we do not pull one another's hair on the
+highway over every venomous or foolish word."
+
+She turned her back on her as she spoke until the duchess had taken
+leave of Heinz, and then rode on with him; but as soon as a portion
+of the road intervened between her and the countess the young
+Bohemian exclaimed: "We must certainly try to save Sir Heinz from this
+disagreeable shrew!"
+
+"And the saints will aid the good work," the Italian protested, "for
+they themselves have a better right to the charming knight. How grave he
+looked! Take care, your Highness, he is following, as my nimble cousin
+Frangipani did a short time ago, in the footsteps of the Saint of
+Assisi."
+
+"But he must not, shall not, go into the monastery!" cried the young
+duchess, with childish refractoriness. "The Emperor is opposed to it,
+and he, too, does not like the von Montfort's boisterous manner. We will
+see whether I cannot accomplish something, Caterina."
+
+Here she stopped. They had again reached the village of Rottenpach, and
+in front of the newly built little church stood its pastor, with the
+dignitaries of the parish, and the children were scattering flowers in
+the path. She checked her Arabian, dismounted, and graciously inspected
+the new house of God, the pride of the congregation.
+
+On the way home, just beyond the village, her horse again shied. The
+animal had been startled by an old Minorite monk who sat under a
+crab apple tree. It was Father Benedictus, who had set out early to
+anticipate Heinz and surprise him in his night quarters by his presence.
+But he had overestimated his strength, and advanced so slowly that Heinz
+and his troopers, from whom he had concealed himself behind a dusty
+hawthorn bush, had not seen him. From Schweinau the walk had become
+difficult, especially as it was contrary to the teaching of the saint
+to use a staff. Many a compassionate peasant, many a miller's lad and
+Carter, had offered him a seat on the back of his nag or in his waggon
+but, without accepting their friendly offers, he had plodded on with his
+bare feet.
+
+Perhaps this journey would be his last, but on it he would redeem the
+promise which he had made his dying master, to go forth according to
+the command of the Saviour, which Francis of Assisi had made his own and
+that of his order, to preach and to proclaim, "The kingdom of heaven is
+at hand!"
+
+"Without price," ran the words, "have ye received, without price give."
+He had no regard for earthly reward, therefore he yearned the more
+ardently for the glad knowledge that he had saved a soul for heaven.
+
+He had learned to love Heinz as the saint had formerly loved him, and he
+did not grudge him the happiness which, at the knight's age, had fallen
+to the lot of the man whose years now numbered eighty. How long he had
+been permitted to enjoy this bliss! True, during the last decades it had
+been clouded by many a shadow.
+
+He had endured much hardship in the service of his sacred cause, but
+the greater the sacrifice he offered the more exquisite was the reward
+reaped by his soul. Oh, if this pilgrimage might yield him Heinz
+Schorlin's vow to follow his saint and with him the Saviour!--if he
+might be permitted, clasping in his the hand of the beloved youth he had
+saved, to exchange this world for eternal bliss!
+
+Earth had nothing more to offer; for he who was one of the leaders of
+his brotherhood beheld with grief their departure from the paths of
+their founder. Poverty, which secures freedom to the body, which knows
+nothing of the anxieties of this world and the burden of possession,
+which permits the soul to soar unfettered far above the dust--poverty,
+the divine bride of St. Francis, was forsaken in many circles of his
+brother monks. With property, ease and the longing for secular influence
+had stolen into many a monastery. Many shunned the labour which the
+saint enjoined upon his disciples, and the old jugs were often filled
+with new wine, which he, Benedictus, never tasted, and which the saint
+rejected as poison. He was no longer young and strong enough to let his
+grief and indignation rage like a purifying thunderstorm amidst these
+abuses.
+
+But Heinz Schorlin!
+
+If this youth of noble blood, equally gifted in mind and person, whom
+Heaven itself had summoned with lightning and thunder, devoted himself
+from sincere conviction, with a heart full of youthful enthusiasm, to
+his sacred cause--if Heinz, consecrated by him, and fully aware of
+the real purposes of the saint, who, also untaught and rich only in
+knowledge of the heart, had begun a career so momentous in consequences,
+announced himself as a fearless champion of St. Francis's will, then the
+St. George had been found who was summoned to slay the dragon, and with
+his blood instil new life at last into the monasteries of Germany, then
+perhaps the fresh prosperity which he desired for the order was at
+hand. The larger number of its recruits came from the lower ranks of the
+people. Sir Heinz Schorlin's example would perhaps bring it also, as an
+elevating element, the sons of his peers.
+
+So, bathed in perspiration, and often on the point of fainting, he
+followed Heinz through the dust of the highway.
+
+Often, when his strength failed, and he sat down by the roadside to take
+breath, his soul-life gained a loftier aspiration.
+
+After Heinz rode by without seeing him he continued his way until his
+feet grew so heavy that he was forced to sit down beside the road. Then
+he imagined that the Saviour Himself came towards him, gazed lovingly
+into his face, and turned to beckon some one, Benedictus did not know
+whom, heavenward. Suddenly the clouds that had covered the sky parted,
+and the old man fancied he heard the song of the troubadour whose
+soul had been subdued by love for God, which his friend and master had
+addressed to his Redeemer. It must come from the lips of his angels on
+high, but he longed to join in the strain. True, his aged lips, rapidly
+as they moved, uttered no sound, but he fancied he was sharing in
+this song of the soul, glowing with fervent, consuming flames of love,
+dedicated to the Saviour, the source of all love:
+
+       "Love's flames my kindling heart control,
+        Love for my Bridegroom fair,
+        When on my hand he placed the ring,
+        The Lamb whose fervent love I share
+        Did pierce my inmost soul,"
+
+the fiery song began, and an absorbing yearning for death and the
+beloved Redeemer, whose form had vanished in the sea of flames surging
+before his dilated eyes, moved the very depths of his soul as he
+commenced the second verse:
+
+       "My heart amidst Love's tortures broke,
+        Slain by the might of Love's keen stroke,
+        To earth my senseless body sank,
+        Love's flames my life-blood drank."
+
+With flushed cheeks, utterly borne away from the world and everything
+which surrounded him, he raised his arms towards heaven, then they
+suddenly fell. Starting up, he passed his hand over his dazzled eyes and
+shook his head sorrowfully. Instead of the angels' song, he heard the
+beat of horses' hoofs coming nearer and nearer. The open heavens had
+closed again; he lay a poor exhausted mortal, with burning brow, beside
+the road.
+
+Duchess Agnes, after visiting the new church at Rottenpach, rode past
+him on her return to Nuremberg.
+
+Neither she nor her train heeded the old monk. But the Italian who, as
+she rode by, had been attracted by the noble features of the aged
+man, whose eyes still sparkled with youthful enthusiasm, gazed at him
+enquiringly. Her glance met his, and the Minorite's wrinkled features
+wore a look of eager enquiry. He longed to rise and ask the name of the
+black-eyed lady at the duchess's side. But ere he could stand erect, the
+party had passed on.
+
+Disturbed in mind, and scarcely able to set one sore foot before the
+other, he dragged himself forward.
+
+Before he reached Rottenpach he met one of the duchess's pages who had
+remained at the village forge and was now riding after his mistress.
+Father Benedictus called to him, and the boy, awed by the grey-haired
+monk, answered his questions, and told him that the lady on the horse
+with the white star on its face was the duchess's Italian singing
+mistress, Caterina de Celano.
+
+Every drop of blood receded from the Minorite's fever-flushed cheeks,
+and the page was about to spring from his saddle to support him, but the
+monk waved him back impatiently, and by the exertion of all his strength
+of will forced himself to stagger on.
+
+He had just felt happy in the heart of eternal love; but now the
+expression of his countenance changed, and his dark, sunken eyes flashed
+angrily.
+
+The faded woman beside the duchess bore the name of the lady whose
+faithlessness had first induced him to seek rest and forgetfulness in
+the peace of the cloister, and led him to despise her whole sex.
+
+The horsewoman must be a granddaughter, daughter, or niece of the woman
+who had so basely betrayed him. How much she resembled the traitress,
+but she did not understand how to hide her real nature as well; her
+faded features wore a somewhat malicious expression. The resentment
+which he thought he had conquered again awoke. He would have liked to
+rush after her and call her to her face----. Yet what would that avail?
+How was she to blame for the treachery of another person, whom perhaps
+she did not even know?
+
+Yet he longed to follow her.
+
+His fevered blood urged him on, but his exhausted, aching limbs refused
+to serve him. One more violent effort, and sparks flashed before his
+eyes, his lips were wet with blood, and he sank gasping on the ground.
+
+After some time he succeeded in dragging himself to the side of the
+road, where he lay until a Nuremberg carrier, passing with his team of
+four horses, lifted him, with the help of his servant, into his cart and
+took him on.
+
+At Schweinau the jolting of the vehicle became unendurable to the
+sufferer, and the carrier willingly fulfilled his wish to be taken to
+the hospital where mangled criminals, tortured by the rack, were nursed.
+
+There, however, they instantly perceived that his place was not in
+this house dedicated to criminal misfortune, and the kind Beguines of
+Schweinau took charge of him.
+
+On the way the old monk suffered severely in both soul and body. It
+seemed like treason, like a rejection of his pure and pious purposes,
+that Heaven itself barred the path along which he was wearily wandering
+to win it a soul.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+The entombment of the magnificent coffin of Frau Maria Ortlieb under the
+pavement of the family chapel was over. The little group of sympathising
+friends had left the church. Only the widower and his daughters
+remained, and when he knew that he could no longer be seen by the few
+who still lingered in the house of God, he clasped the two girls to his
+heart with a suppressed sob.
+
+Never had he experienced such deep sorrow, such anguish of soul. He
+had not even been permitted to take leave of his beloved companion with
+unmixed grief; fierce resentment had mingled with his trouble.
+
+To remain alone in the house with his daughters after the burial and
+answer their questions seemed to him impossible.
+
+The meeting of the Council, which would soon begin, served as a pretence
+for leaving them. Eva was to blame for what he had just suffered; but he
+knew everything concerning the rumours about the inexperienced girl and
+Heinz Schorlin, and there fore was aware that her fault was trivial. To
+censure her seemed as difficult as to discuss calmly with her and the
+sensible Els what could be done under existing circumstances; besides,
+he was firmly convinced that Eva had nothing left except to take,
+without delay, the veil for which she had longed from childhood. His
+sister, the Abbess Kunigunde, was keeping the door of the convent open.
+She had promised the girl to await her at home. In taking leave of his
+daughters, he begged them not to wait for him, because the Council were
+to decide the fate of the Eysvogel business, and the session might last
+a long while.
+
+Then his Els gazed at him with a look of such earnest entreaty that he
+nodded, and in a tone of the warmest compassion began: "I shall be more
+than glad to aid your Wolff, my dear girl, but he himself told you how
+the case stands. What would it avail if I beggared myself and you for
+the Eysvogels and their tottering house? I must remain hard now, in
+order later to smooth the path for Wolff and you, Els. If Berthold
+Vorchtel would make up his mind to join me, it might be different,
+but he summoned the Council as a complainant, and if he is the one
+to overthrow the reeling structure, who can blame him? We shall see.
+Whatever I can reasonably do for the unfortunate family shall be
+accomplished, my girl."
+
+Then he kissed his older daughter on the forehead, hastily gave the
+younger the same caress, and left the chapel. But Els detained him,
+whispering: "Whatever wrong was inflicted upon us yesterday, do not
+let it prejudice you, father. It was meant neither for her whose peace
+nothing can now disturb, nor for you. We alone----"
+
+"You certainly," Herr Ernst interrupted bitterly, "were made to feel how
+far superior in virtue they considered themselves to you, who are better
+and purer than all of them. But keep up Eva's courage. I have been
+talking with your Uncle Pfinzing and your Aunt Christine. You yourself
+took them into your confidence, and we will consult together how the
+serpent's head is to be crushed."
+
+He turned away as he spoke, but Els went back to her sister, and after a
+brief prayer they left the church with bowed heads.
+
+The sedan-chairs were waiting outside. Each was to be borne home
+separately, but both preferred, spite of the bright summer weather, to
+draw the curtains, that unseen they might weep, and ask themselves
+how such wrongs could have been inflicted upon the dead woman and
+themselves.
+
+The respect of high and low for the Ortlieb family had been most
+brilliantly displayed when the body of the son, slain in battle, had
+been interred in the chapel of his race. And their mother? How many had
+held her dear! to how many she had been kind, loving, and friendly! How
+great a sympathy the whole city had shown during her illness, and how
+many of all classes had attended the mass for her soul! And the burial
+which had just taken place?
+
+True, on her father's account all the members of the Council were
+present, but scarcely half the wives had appeared. Their daughters--Els
+had counted them--numbered only nine, and but three were included among
+her friends. The others had probably come out of curiosity. And the
+common people, the artisans, the lower classes, who in countless numbers
+had accompanied her brother's coffin to its resting place, and during
+the mass for the dead had crowded the spacious nave of St. Sebald's?
+There had been now only a scanty group. The nuns from the convent were
+present, down to the most humble lay Sister; but they were under great
+obligations to her mother, and their abbess was her father's sister.
+There were few other women except the old crones from the hospitals and
+nurseries, who were never absent when there was an opportunity to weep
+or to backbite. In going through the nave of the church into the chapel
+the sisters had passed a group of younger lads and maidens, who had
+nudged one another in so disrespectful a way, whispering all sorts of
+things, that Els had tried to draw Eva past them as swiftly as possible.
+
+Her wish to keep her more sensitive sister from noticing the
+disagreeable gestures and insulting words of the cruel youths and girls
+was gratified. True, Eva also felt with keen indignation that far too
+little honour was paid to her beloved dead; that the blinded people
+believed the slanderers who repeated even worse things of her Els than
+of herself, and made their poor mother, who had lived and suffered like
+a saint, atone for what they imagined were the sins of her daughters;
+but the jeers and scorn which had obtruded themselves upon her father
+and sister from more than one quarter, in many a form, had entirely
+escaped her notice. She had accustomed herself from childhood to
+indulge in reflections and emotions apart from the demands of the world.
+Whatever occupied her mind or soul absorbed her completely; here she had
+been wholly engrossed in this silent intercourse with the departed,
+and a single glance at the group assembled in the church had showed her
+everything which she desired to know of her surroundings.
+
+Heinz had gone to the field the day before yesterday. Her silent
+colloquy concerned him also. How difficult he made it for her to
+maintain the resolution which she had formed during the mass for the
+dead, since he remained aloof, without giving even the slightest token
+of remembrance. True, an inward voice constantly repeated that he could
+not part from her any more easily than she from him; but her maidenly
+pride rebelled against the neglect with which he grieved her. The
+defiant desire to punish him for departing without a word of farewell
+urged her back to the convent. She had spent many hours there daily, and
+in its atmosphere of peace felt better and happier than in her father's
+house or any other spot which she visited. The close association with
+her aunt, the abbess, was renewed. True, she had not urged Eva to a
+definite statement by so much as a single word, yet she had made her
+feel plainly how deeply it would wound her if her pupil should resolve
+to disappoint the hopes which she herself had fostered. If Eva refused
+to take the veil, would not her kind friend be justified in charging her
+with unequalled ingratitude? and whose opinion did she value even half
+as much, if she excepted her lover's, whose approval was more to her
+than that of all the rest of the world?
+
+He was better than she, and who could tell what important motive kept
+him away? Countless worldly wishes had blended with the devotion which
+she felt in the convent; and had not the abbess herself taught her to
+obey, without regard to individuals or their opinion, the demands of her
+own nature, which were in harmony with the will of the Most High? and
+how loudly every voice within commanded her to be loyal to her love!
+She had made her decision, but offended pride, the memory of the happy,
+peaceful hours in the convent and, above all, the fear of grieving
+the beloved guide of her childhood, withheld her from the firm and
+irrevocable statement to which her nature, averse to hesitation and
+delay, impelled her.
+
+The nearer the sedan-chair came to the Ortlieb mansion the faster her
+heart beat, for that very day, probably within the next few hours, the
+abbess would compel her to choose between her father's house and the
+convent.
+
+She was panting for breath and deadly pale when, just after Els's
+arrival, she stepped from the chair. It had become intensely hot.
+Within the vaulted corridor with its solid, impenetrable walls, a
+cooler atmosphere received her, and she hoped to find in her own chamber
+fresher, purer air, and--at least for the next few hours--undisturbed
+peace.
+
+But what was the meaning of this scene? At her entrance, the
+conversation which Els had evidently just commenced with several other
+women at the door of the office suddenly ceased. It must be due to
+consideration for her; for she had not failed to notice the significant
+glance with which her sister looked at her and then removed her finger
+from her lips.
+
+The abbess, who had been concealed by a wall of chests piled one above
+another, now came forward and laid her hand upon the shoulder of a
+little elderly woman, who must have been disputing vehemently with the
+old housekeeper, Martsche, for she was flushed with excitement, and the
+housekeeper's chin still quivered.
+
+Usually Eva paid little heed to the quarrels of the servants, but this
+one appeared to have some connection with herself, and the cause could
+be no trivial one, since Aunt Kunigunde took part in it.
+
+But she had no sooner approached the other women than the abbess drew
+her aside and asked her a few unimportant questions. They were probably
+intended to keep her away from the disputants. But Eva knew the little
+woman, and wished to learn what offence had been given modest, humble
+Widow Vorkler. Her husband had been employed by the Ortlieb firm as a
+carrier, who had driven his team of six horses to Milan faithfully until
+killed in the Tyrol during an attack by robber knights in the lawless
+period before the coronation of the Emperor Rudolph.
+
+With the aid of Herr Ernst Ortlieb, the widow had then set up a little
+shop for the sale of wax candles, images of the saints, rosaries,
+and modest confirmation gifts, by which means she gained an honest
+livelihood for her seven children and herself. Her oldest son, who on
+account of hip disease was not fit for hard work, helped her, and the
+youngest was Ortel, who had carried Eva's basket on the day of her
+dead mother's consecration. Her daughter Metz was also in the Ortlieb's
+service as assistant to the chief cook.
+
+When Frau Vorkler had come to see her children, she had scarcely
+been able to find words which sufficiently expressed her grateful
+appreciation, but to-day she seemed like a different person.
+
+The brief colloquy between the abbess and Eva already appeared to her
+too long, and when the former bade her finish her business later with
+Els and old Martsche, she angrily declared that, with all due reverence
+for the Lady Abbess, she must inform Jungfrau Eva also what compelled
+her, a virtuous woman with a grateful heart, to take her children from
+the service of the employer for whom her husband had sacrificed his
+life.
+
+Els, who was eager to conceal the woman's insulting errand from Eva,
+tried to silence Frau Vorkler, but she defiantly persisted, and with
+redoubled zeal protested that speak she must or her heart would break.
+Then she declared that she had been proud to place her children in so
+godly a household, but now everything was changed, and though it grieved
+her to the soul, she must insist upon taking Metz and Ortel from its
+service. She lived by the piety of people who bought candles for the
+dear saints and rosaries for praying; but even the most devout had eyes
+everywhere, and if it were known that her young children were serving in
+a house where such things happened, as alas! were reported through the
+whole city concerning the daughters of this family----
+
+Here old Martsche with honest indignation interrupted the excited woman;
+but Fran Vorkler would not be silenced, and asked what a poor girl like
+her Metz possessed except her good name. How quickly suspicion would
+rest on a lass whose respectability was questioned! People had begun to
+do so ever since the Ortlieb sisters were called the "beautiful" instead
+of the pious and virtuous Es. This showed how such notice of the face
+and figure benefited Christian maidens. Yesterday and to-day she had
+given a three-farthing candle to her saint as a thank offering that this
+horror had not reached their mother's ears. The dead woman had been a
+truly devout and noble lady, and her soul would be grateful to her for
+impressing upon the minds of her motherless daughters that the path
+which they had recklessly entered----
+
+This was too much for Ortel, who, concealed behind a heap of sacks, had
+listened to the discussion, and clasping his hands beseechingly, he
+now went up to his mother and entreated her to beware of repeating
+the slanders of evil-minded people who had dared to cast stones at the
+gracious maidens, who were as pure and innocent as their saint herself.
+
+Poor Ortel! His kind young eyes streaming with tears might have softened
+a rock; but the enraged candle-dealer misinterpreted his honest emotion,
+and he certainly would not have been allowed to go on so far had not
+rage and amazement kept her silent. But Frau Vorkler never lost the use
+of her tongue long, and what a flood of abuse of the degenerate children
+of the time, who forgot the respect and gratitude due to their own
+mother, she began to pour forth! But when faithful Endres, who had grown
+grey in the Ortlieb service, and under whose orders Ortel was placed to
+help in unpacking, commanded her to be silent or leave the house, and
+told her son, instead of following her, to stay with his old employer,
+Frau Vorkler proceeded to lament over the corruption of the whole world,
+and did not fail to deal a few side-thrusts at the two daughters of the
+house.
+
+But here also she made little progress, for the abbess led Eva up the
+stairs, and the two old family servants, Martsche representing the
+guiding mind and Endres the rude strength, made common cause. The latter
+upheld Ortel in his refusal to leave the house, and the former declared
+that Metz must remain the usual time after giving notice. She would not
+help Frau Vorkler to force the poor child into an unequal, miserable
+marriage with the old miser to whom she wanted to give her.
+
+This remark was aimed at the master-tailor Seubolt, the guardian of the
+Vorkler children, who, though forty years her senior, wanted to make
+pretty Metz his wife, and who had also promised the widow to obtain for
+his future brother-in-law Ortel an excellent place in the stables of the
+German order of military monks. Not outraged morality, but the guardian
+and suitor in one person, had induced the candle-dealer to take her
+children from their good places in the Ortlieb household. The widow's
+fear of having her real motive detected spared the necessity of using
+force. But whilst slowly retiring backwards, crab fashion, she shrieked
+at her antagonists the threat that her children's guardian, no less a
+personage than master-tailor Nickel Seubolt, was a man who would help
+her gain her just rights and snatch the endangered souls of Ortel and
+her poor young Metz from temporal and eternal destruction in this Sodom
+and Gomorrah----
+
+The rest of the burden which oppressed her soul she was forced to
+confide to the street. Endres closed the heavy door of the house behind
+her with a strength and celerity marvellous in a man of his years.
+
+Ortel was terribly agitated. Soon after his mother's departure he went
+with his sister to the woodhouse, where both wept bitterly; for Metz
+had given her heart to a young carrier who was expected to return from
+a trip to Frankfort the first of July, and would rather have thrown
+herself into the Pegnitz than married the rich old tailor to whom she
+knew her mother had promised her pretty daughter; whilst her brother,
+like many youths of his station, thought that the place of driver of a
+six-horse wain was the most delightful calling in the world, and both
+were warmly attached to their employer and the family whom they served.
+And yet both felt that it was a heavy sin to refuse to obey their
+mother.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+Eva was spared witnessing the close of this unpleasant incident. The
+abbess had led her up the stairs into the sitting-room. St. Clare
+herself, she thought, had sent Fran Vorkler to render the choice she
+intended to place before her niece that very day easier for Eva.
+
+Even whilst ascending the broad steps she put her arm around her, but
+in the apartment, whence the noonday sun had been shut out and they
+were greeted with a cool atmosphere perfumed with the fragrance of the
+bouquets of roses and mignonette which Eva and the gardener had set
+in jars on the mantelpiece early in the morning, the abbess drew her
+darling closer to her side, saying, "The world is again showing you its
+most disagreeable face, my poor child, ere you bid it farewell."
+
+She kissed her brow and eyes tenderly as she spoke, expecting Eva, as
+she had often done when anything troubled her young soul, to return the
+caress impulsively, and accept with grateful impetuosity the invitation
+to the shelter which she offered; but the vile assault of the coarse
+woman who brought to her knowledge what people were thinking and saying
+about her produced upon the strange child, who had already given her
+many a surprise, an effect precisely opposite to her expectations. No,
+Eva had by no means forgotten the pain inflicted by Frau Vorkler's base
+accusations; but if whilst in the sedan-chair she had feared that she
+should lack courage to inflict upon her beloved aunt and friend so great
+a disappointment, she now felt that this dread had been needless, and
+that her offended maidenly pride absolved her from consideration for any
+person.
+
+With cautious tenderness she released herself from the arms of the
+abbess, gazed sorrowfully at her with her large eyes as if beseeching
+forgiveness then, as she saw her aunt look at her with pained surprise,
+again threw herself on her breast.
+
+Instead of being protectingly embraced by the elder woman, the young
+girl clasped her closely to her heart, kissed and patted her with
+caressing love, and with the winning charm peculiar to her besought
+her forgiveness if she denied herself and her that which she had long
+desired as the fairest and noblest goal.
+
+When the abbess interrupted her to represent what awaited her in the
+world and in the convent, Eva listened, nestling closely to her side
+until she had finished, then sighing as deeply as if her own resolve
+caused her the keenest suffering, threw her head back, exclaiming,
+"Yet, in spite of everything, I cannot, must not enter the convent
+now." Clasping the abbess's hand, she explained what prevented her from
+fulfilling the wish of her childhood's guide, which had so long been
+her own, extolling with warm, sincere gratitude the quiet happiness and
+sweet anticipations enjoyed with her beloved nuns ere love had conquered
+her.
+
+During the recent days of sorrow she had again sought the path to
+her saints and found the greatest solace in prayer; but whenever she
+uplifted her heart to the Saviour, whose bride she had once so fervently
+vowed to become, the Redeemer had indeed appeared as usual before
+the eyes of her soul, but he resembled in form and features Sir Heinz
+Schorlin, and, instead of turning her away from the world to divine
+love, she had surrendered herself completely to earthly affection.
+Prayer had become sin. The saint's song:
+
+          "O Love, Love's reign announcing,
+            Why dost thou wound me so?
+          Into thy fiercest flames I fling
+            My heart, my life below."
+
+no longer invited her to give herself up to be fused into divine love,
+but merely rendered the need of her own soul clearer, and expressed in
+words the yearning of her heart for her lover.
+
+Here her aunt interrupted her with the assurance that all this--she had
+had the same experience when, renouncing the love of the noblest and
+best of men, she took the veil--would be different, wholly different,
+when with St. Clare's aid she had again found the path on which she
+had already once so nearly reached heaven. Even now she beheld in
+imagination the day when Eva would look back upon the world she had left
+as if it were a mere formless mass of clouds. These were no idle words.
+The promise was something derived from her own experience.
+
+On her pilgrimage to Rome she had gazed from an Alpine peak and beheld
+at her feet nothing save low hills, forests, valleys, and flashing
+streams, with here and there a village; but she could distinguish
+neither human beings nor animals; a light mist had veiled everything,
+converting it into one monotonous surface. But above her head the sky,
+like a giant dome free from cloud and mist, arched in a beautiful
+vault, blue as turquoise and sapphire. It seemed so close that the eagle
+soaring near her might reach it with a few strokes of his pinions.
+She was steeped in radiance, and the sun shone down upon her with
+overpowering brilliancy like the eye of God.
+
+Close at her side a gay butterfly hovered about the solitary little
+white flower which grew from a bare rock on the topmost summit. In the
+brilliant light and amidst the solemn silence that butterfly seemed like
+a transfigured soul, and aroused the question, Who that was permitted
+to live on this glowing height, so near the Most High, could desire to
+return to the grey mist below?
+
+So the human soul which soared to the shining height where it was so
+near heaven, would blissfully enjoy the purity of the air and the un
+shadowed light which bathed it, and all that was passing in the world
+below would blend into a single vanquished whole, whose details could no
+longer be distinguished. Thus Heinz Schorlin's image would also mingle
+with the remainder of the world, lying far below her, to which he
+belonged. It should merely incite her to rise nearer and nearer to
+heaven, to the radiant light above, to which her soul would mount as
+easily as the eagle that before the pilgrim's eyes had vanished in the
+divine blue and the golden sunshine.
+
+"So come and dare the flight!" she concluded with warm enthusiasm. "The
+wings you need have grown from your soul, you chosen bride of Heaven.
+Use them. That which now most repels you from the goal will fall away
+as the snake sheds its skin. Like the phoenix rising from its ashes, the
+destruction of the little earthly love which even now causes you more
+pain than pleasure, will permit the ascent of the great love for Him Who
+is Love incarnate, the love which encompasses the lonely butterfly on
+the white blossom in the silent, deserted mountain solitude, which lacks
+no feather on its wings, no tiniest hair on its feelers, as warmly and
+carefully as the vast, unlimited universe whose duration ends only with
+eternity."
+
+Eva, with labouring breath, had fairly hung upon the lips of the revered
+woman, who at last gazed upwards with dilated eyes like a prophetess.
+
+When she paused the young girl nodded assent. Her teacher and friend
+seemed to have crushed her resistance.
+
+Like the eagle which had disappeared before the pilgrim's eyes in the
+azure vault of heaven, the radiant light on the pure summit summoned her
+pure soul to dare the flight.
+
+The abbess watched with delight the influence of her words upon the soul
+of her darling, who, gazing thoughtfully at the floor, now seemed to be
+pondering over what she had urged.
+
+But suddenly Eva raised her bowed head, and her eyes, sparkling with a
+brighter light, sought those of the abbess.
+
+Her quick intellect had attentively considered what she had heard, and
+her vivid power of imagination had enabled her to transfer to reality
+the picture which had already half won her over to her friend's wishes.
+
+"No, Aunt Kunigunde, no!" she began, raising her hands as if in repulse.
+"Your radiant height strongly allures me also, yet, gladly as I believe
+that, for many the world would be easily forgotten above, where no sound
+from it reaches us and the mist conceals individual figures from our
+eyes, for me, now that love has filled my heart, it would be impossible
+to ascend the peak alone and without him.
+
+"Hear me, aunt!
+
+"What was it that attracted me so powerfully from the beginning?
+At first, as you know, the hope of making him a combatant for the
+possessions which I have learned through you to regard as the highest
+and most sacred. Then, when love came, when a new power, heretofore
+unknown, awoke within me and--everything must be told--I longed for his
+wooing and his embrace, I also felt that our union could take root and
+put forth blossoms only in the full harmony of our mutual love for God
+and the Saviour. And though since the mass for the dead was celebrated
+for my mother--it wounded me, and defiance and the wish to punish him
+urged me to put the convent walls between us--no further token of his
+love has come, though I know as well as you that he desired to quit
+the world, this by no means impairs--nay, it only strengthens--the
+confidence I feel that our souls belong to one another as inseparably as
+though the sacrament had hallowed our union.
+
+"Therefore I should never succeed in coming so near heaven as you, the
+lonely, devout pilgrim, attained on the summit of your mountain peak,
+unless he accompanied me in spirit, unless his soul joined mine in the
+ascent or the flight. It rests in mine as mine rests in his, and were
+they separated both would bleed as if from severed veins. For this
+reason, aunt, he can never blend into a uniform mass with the rest of
+the world below me; for if I gained the radiant height, he would remain
+at my side and gaze with me at the mist-veiled world beneath. He can
+never vanish from the eyes of my soul, and so, dear aunt, because I owe
+it to him to avoid even the semblance----"
+
+Here she hesitated; for from the adjoining room they heard a man's deep
+voice telling Els something in loud, excited tones.
+
+This interruption was welcome to the abbess; she had as yet found no
+answer to her niece's startling objection.
+
+Eva answered her questioning glance with the exclamation, "Uncle
+Pfinzing!"
+
+"He?" replied the abbess dejectedly. "His opinion has some weight with
+you, and this very day, during the burial, he told me how glad he should
+be to see you sheltered in the convent from the hateful calumnies caused
+by your imprudence!"
+
+"Yet--you will see it directly," the girl declared, "he will surely
+understand me when I explain that I would rather endure the worst than
+appear to seek refuge from evil tongues in flight. Whoever has expected
+Eva Ortlieb to shelter herself from malice behind strong walls will be
+mistaken. Heinz is certainly aware of the shameful injustice which has
+pursued us, and if he returns he must find me where he left me. I am now
+encountering what my dead mother called the forge fire of life, and I
+will not shun it like a coward. Heinz, I know, will overthrow the man
+who unchained this generation of vipers against us; but if he does not
+return, or can bring himself to cast the love that unites us behind him
+with the world from which he would fain turn, then, aunt"--and Eva's
+eyes flashed brightly with passionate fire, and her clear voice
+expressed the firm decision of a vigorous will--"then I will commit our
+cause to One who will not suffer falsehood to conquer truth or wrong
+to triumph over right. Then, though it should be necessary to walk over
+red-hot ploughshares, let the ordeal bear witness for us."
+
+The abbess, startled, yet rejoicing at the fulness of faith flaming
+in her darling's passionate speech, approached Eva to soothe her;
+but scarcely had she begun to speak when the door opened and Berthold
+Pfinzing entered with his older niece.
+
+He was holding Els by the hand, and it was evident that some sorrowful
+thought occupied the minds of both.
+
+"Has any new horror happened?" fell in tones of anxious enquiry from
+Eva's lips before she even greeted her dearest relative.
+
+"Think of something very bad," was her sister's reply, in a tone so
+dejected and mournful, that Eva, with a low cry--"My father!"--pressed
+her hand upon her heart.
+
+"Not dead, darling," said the magistrate, stroking her head soothingly
+with his short, broad hand, "by all the saints, not even wounded or ill.
+Yet the daughter has guessed aright, and I have kept the 'Honourables'
+waiting, that I might tell you the news myself; for what may not such
+tidings become whilst passing from lip to lip! It is a toad, a very ugly
+toad, and I would not permit a dragon to be brought into the house to
+you poor things in its place."
+
+He poured all this forth very rapidly, for, notwithstanding the intense
+heat, and the burden of business at the Town Hall, he had left it,
+though only to do his dear Es a kindness, lie and his worthy wife
+Christine, the sister of Herr Ernst Ortlieb and of the abbess, had long
+been familiar with all the tales which slander had called to life, and
+had striven zealously enough to refute them. What he had now to relate
+filled him with honest indignation against the evil tongues, and he
+knew how deeply it would excite and grieve Eva, his godchild, who stood
+especially near his heart. He would gladly have said a few kind words to
+her before beginning his story, but he was obliged to return to the Town
+Hall immediately to open the important conference concerning the fate of
+the Eysvogel business.
+
+His appearance showed how rapidly he had hurried to the house through
+the burning sunshine, for drops of perspiration were trickling down his
+broad, low forehead over his plump, smoothshaven cheeks and thick red
+neck, in which his small chin vanished as if it were a cushion. Besides,
+he constantly raised a large linen handkerchief to his face, and his
+huge chest laboured for breath as he hastily repeated to Eva and the
+abbess what he had just announced to Els in a few rapid words.
+
+Herr Ernst Ortlieb had gone to the Town Hall, where he attended an
+examination in his character as magistrate, and had entered the
+court yard to enjoy the cool air for a short time with a few other
+"Honourables," in the shady walk near the main gate.
+
+Just then master-tailor Seubolt, the guardian of Ortel and his sister,
+who were in service at the Ortlieb mansion, approached the Town Hall.
+No one could have supposed that the tall, grey-headed man with the bowed
+back, who was evidently nearing sixty, really meant to make a young girl
+like Metz Vorkler his wife. Besides, he assumed a very humble, modest
+demeanour when, passing through the vaulted entrance of the Town Hall,
+which stood open to every citizen, he approached Herr Ernst to ask,
+with many bows and humble phrases, for the permission, which he had been
+refused at the Ortlieb house, to remove his wards from a place which
+their mother, as well as he himself, felt sure--he had supposed that the
+"Honourable" would have no objection--would be harmful to them in both
+body and soul.
+
+Surprised and indignant, but perfectly calm, Herr Ernst had requested
+him to tell him whatever he had to say at a more convenient time. But
+as the tailor insisted that the matter would permit no delay, he invited
+him to step aside with him, in order not to make the councillors who
+were with him witnesses of the unpleasant discussion.
+
+Seubolt, however, seemed to have no greater desire than to be heard
+by as many people as possible. Raising his voice to a very loud tone,
+though he still maintained an extremely humble manner, he began to give
+the reasons which induced him, spite of his deep regret, to remove
+his wards from the Ortlieb house. And now, sheltering himself behind
+frequent repetitions of "As people say" and "Heaven forbid that I should
+believe such things," he began to relate what the most venomous slander
+had dared to assert concerning the beautiful Es.
+
+For a time Herr Ernst had forced himself to listen quietly to this
+malicious abuse of those whom he held dearest, but at last it became too
+much for the quick-tempered man. The tailor had ventured to allude to
+Jungfrau Els "who certainly had scarcely given full cause for such evil
+slander" in words which caused even the councillors standing near to
+contradict him loudly, and induced Herr Pfinzing, who had just come up,
+to beckon to the city soldiers. At that instant the blood mounted to the
+insulted father's brain, and the misfortune happened; for as the tailor,
+with an unexpected gesture of the arm he was flourishing, brushed Herr
+Ernst's cap, the latter, fairly insane with rage, snatched the pike
+from one of the men who, obeying Herr Pfinzing's signal, were just
+approaching the tailor, and with a wild cry struck down the base
+traducer.
+
+Herr Pfinzing, with the presence of mind characteristic of him,
+instantly ordered the beadles to carry the wounded man into the Town
+Hall, and thus prevented the luckless deed of violence from creating any
+excitement.
+
+The few persons in the courtyard had been detained, and perhaps
+everything might yet be well. Herr Ernst had instantly delivered himself
+up to justice, and instead of being taken to prison like a common
+criminal, had been conveyed in a closed sedan-chair to the watch-tower.
+
+The pike had pierced the tailor's shoulder, but the wound did not seem
+to be mortal, and Herr Ernst's rash deed might be made good by the
+payment of blood-money, though, it is true, on account of the tailor's
+position and means, this might be a large sum.
+
+"My horse," said Herr Berthold in conclusion, "was waiting for me, and
+brought me here as swiftly as he must carry me back again. But, you poor
+things! as for you, my Els, you have a firm nature, and if you insist
+upon refusing the invitation to our house, why, wait here to learn
+whether your father needs you. You, my little goddaughter Eva, are
+provided for. This sorrow, of course, will throw the veil over your fair
+head."
+
+The worthy man, as he spoke, laid his hand on her shoulder and looked
+at her with a glance which seemed to rely on her assent, but she
+interrupted him with the exclamation, "No, uncle! Until you have
+convinced yourself that no one will dare assail Eva Ortlieb's honour, do
+not ask her again if she desires the protection of the convent."
+
+The magistrate hurriedly passed his huge handkerchief over his face;
+then taking Eva's head between his hands, kissed her brow, and--turning
+the shrewd, twinkling eyes, which were as round as everything else about
+his person, towards the others, said: "Did any one suggest this, or did
+the 'little saint' have the sensible idea herself?"
+
+When Eva, smiling, pointed to her own forehead, he exclaimed: "My
+respects, child. They say that what stirs up there descends from
+godfather to godchild, and I'll never put goblet to my lips again if
+I--"
+
+Here he stopped, and called after Els that he had not meant to hint, for
+she was hurrying out to get her uncle something to drink. But ere the
+door closed behind her he went on eagerly:
+
+"But to you, my saintly child, I will say: your piety soars far too high
+for me to follow with my heavy body; yet on the ride here I, old sinner
+that I am, longed--no offence, sister-in-law abbess!--to warn you
+against the convent, for the very reason which keeps you away from
+your saint. We'll find the gag to stop the mouths of these accursed
+slanderers forever, and then, if you want to enter the convent, they
+shall not say, when you take the veil, 'Eva Ortlieb is hiding from her
+own shame and the tricks with which we frightened her out of the world.'
+No! All Nuremberg shall join in the hosanna!"
+
+Then taking the goblet which Els had just filled, he drained it with
+great satisfaction, and rushing off, called back to the sisters: "I'll
+soon see you again, you brave little Es. My wife is coming to talk over
+the matter with you. Don't let that worthless candle-dealer's children
+leave the house till their time is up. If you wish to visit your father
+in the watch-tower there will be no difficulty. I'll tell the warder.
+Only the drawbridge will be raised after sunset. You can provide for his
+bodily needs, too, Els. We cannot release him yet; the law must take its
+course."
+
+At the door he stopped again and called back into the room: "We can't be
+sure. If Frau Vorkler and the tailor's friends make an outcry and molest
+you, send at once to the Town Hall. I'll keep my eyes open and give the
+necessary orders."
+
+A few minutes after he trotted through the Frauenthor on his clumsy
+stallion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+The watch-tower was in the northern part of the city, in the corn
+magazine of the fortress, and the whole width of Nuremberg must be
+traversed to reach it. Even before Herr Pfinzing had left the house the
+sisters determined to go to their father, and the abbess approved the
+plan. She invited the girls to spend the night at the convent, if they
+found the deserted house too lonely, but they did not promise to do so.
+
+Countess Cordula, who was on friendly terms with Eva, also emptied the
+vials of her wrath with all the impetuosity of her nature upon Sir
+Seitz Siebenburg and the credulity and malice of the people. From the
+beginning she had been firmly convinced that the "Mustache," as she now
+called the knight in a tone of the most intense aversion, had contrived
+this base conspiracy, and her opinion was strengthened by Biberli. Now
+she would gladly have torn herself into pieces to mitigate the sisters'
+hard lot. She wanted to accompany them to the watch-tower, to have them
+taken there in her sedan-chair carried by horses, which had room for
+several persons, and at last begged for the favour of being allowed to
+spend the night in the room adjoining theirs. If the girls, amidst all
+these base suspicions, should find Nuremberg unendurable, she would
+leave the scene of the Reichstag with them to-morrow, if necessary, and
+take them to her castle in the Vorarlberg. She had other plans for them,
+too, in her mind, but lacked time now to explain them to the sisters;
+they could not obtain admittance to their father's prison after sundown,
+and in a few hours the long summer day would be over.
+
+It was not advisable to use their sedan-chairs adorned with the Ortlieb
+coat of arms, which every one knew, so they went on foot with their
+faces shrouded by the 'Reise' which was part of their mourning dress;
+and, in order not to violate usage, were accompanied by two servants,
+old Martsche and Katterle.
+
+From the Fleischbrucke they might have avoided the market-place, but Els
+wanted to enquire whether the Eysvogel matter was being discussed. One
+of the "Honourables"--all of whom she knew--was always to be found near
+the Town Hall, and Eva understood her sister's anxiety and went with her
+willingly.
+
+But when they were passing the prison she became frightened.
+
+Through the squares formed by the iron grating in front of the broad
+window of the largest one, head after head, hand after hand, was thrust
+into the street. The closely cropped heads of the prisoners, many of
+which showed mutilations by the hand of the executioner, which had
+barely healed, formed, as separated only by the iron bars, they
+protruded above, below, and beside one another into the open air, a
+mosaic picture, startlingly repulsive in appearance; for savage greed
+glittered in the eyes of most, and showed itself in the movements of the
+long, thin hands extended for gifts. Bitter need and passionate longing
+gazed defiantly, beseechingly, and threateningly at the people who
+crowded round the window. Few were silent; they implored the curious and
+pitying men, women, and children, who in the presence of their misery
+rejoiced in their more favoured lot, for aid in their distress, and
+rarely in vain; for many a mother gave her children a loaf to hand to
+the unfortunates, and meanwhile impressed on their minds the lesson that
+they would fare as badly as the most horrible of the mutilated prisoners
+unless they were good and obedient to their parents and teachers.
+
+Street boys held out an apple or a bit of bread, to snatch it away just
+as they touched it with their finger-tips, thus playing with them for
+their own amusement, but the tribulation of the wretched captives. Then
+some man who had seen better days, or a criminal whom sudden passion
+had made a murderer, would burst into a rage and, seizing the iron bars,
+shake them savagely, whilst the others, shrieking, drew in their heads.
+Then fierce curses, threats, and invectives echoed over the market-place
+and, screaming aloud, the boys ran back; but they soon resumed their
+malicious sport.
+
+Often, it is true, a mother came who placed her gift in the hands of
+her child, or a modest old woman, tradesman, or soldier, from motives
+of genuine compassion, offered the prisoners a jug of new milk or
+strengthening wine. Nor was there any lack of priests or monks who
+desired to give the consolations of religion to the pitiable men behind
+the bars, but most of them reaped little gratitude; only a few listened
+to their exhortations with open hearts, and but too frequently they were
+silenced by insults and rude outcries.
+
+Whilst the sisters, attended by their maidservants, were passing these
+pitiable people, Frau Tucher, whose daughter had been very ill, sent,
+for the love of God, a large basket of freshly baked bread to the
+prisoners. One of her servants was distributing it, and they greedily
+snatched the welcome gift from his hand. A woman, who was about to give
+one of the rolls to the hollow-eyed child in her arms just as a rude
+fellow who had lost his ears snatched it, scratched his dirty, freckled
+face with her sharp nails, and the sight of the blood which dripped from
+his lip over his chin upon the roll was so hideous a spectacle that Eva
+clung closer to her sister, who had just put her hand into the pocket
+hanging from her belt to give the unfortunates a few shillings, and drew
+her away with her.
+
+Both, followed by the two maids, made their way as fast as possible
+through the people who had flocked hither in great numbers for a purpose
+which the sisters were to learn only too soon.
+
+It was a long time since they had been here, and a few weeks previously
+the "Honourables" had had the pillory moved from the other side of the
+Town Hall to this spot. Katterle's warning was not heard in the din
+around them.
+
+The crowd grew denser every moment, and Eva had already asked her sister
+to turn back, when Els saw the man who brought to her father the summons
+to the meetings of the Council, and requested him to accompany them
+through the throng to the courtyard; but amidst the uproar of shouts and
+cries he misunderstood her, and supposing that she wished to witness the
+spectacle which had attracted so many, forced a way for the sisters into
+the very front rank.
+
+The person who had just been bound in this place of shame was the
+barber's widow from the Kotgasse, who had already been here once for
+giving lovers an opportunity for secret meetings, and to whom Katterle
+had fled for shelter. Bowed by the weight of the stone which had
+been hung around her neck, the woman, with outstretched head, looked
+furiously around the circle of her tormentors like a wild beast crouched
+to spring, and scarcely had the messenger brought the sisters and their
+servants to a place near her when, recognising Katterle, she shrieked
+shrilly to the crowd that there were the right ones, the dainty folk
+who, if they did not belong to a rich family, would be put in the place
+where, in spite of the Riese over their faces, with which they mourned
+for their lost good name, they had more reason to be than she, who was
+only the lowly widow of a barber.
+
+Overwhelmed with horror the girls pressed on, and at Eva's terrified
+exclamation, "Let us, O let us go!" the man did his best. But they
+made slow progress through the crowd, whose yells, hisses, and catcalls
+pursued them to the entrance of the neighbouring Town Hall.
+
+Here the guard, with crossed halberds, kept back the people who were
+crowding after the insulted girls, and it was fortunate, for Eva's feet
+refused to carry her farther, and her older sister's strength to support
+her failed.
+
+Sighing deeply, Els led her to a bench which stood between two pillars,
+and then ordered old Martsche, and Katterle, who was trembling in every
+limb, to watch Eva till her return.
+
+Before they went on, her sister must have some rest, and Martin Schedel,
+the old Clerk of the Council, was the man with whom to obtain it.
+
+She went in search of him as fast as her feet would bear her, and by a
+lucky accident met the kind old man, whom she had known from childhood,
+on the stairs leading to the Council chamber and the upper offices.
+
+Ernst Ortlieb's unhappy deed, and the story of the base calumnies in
+circulation about the unfortunate man's daughters, which he had just
+heard from Herr Pfinzing, had filled the worthy old clerk's heart with
+pity and indignation; so he eagerly embraced the opportunity afforded to
+atone to the young girls for the wrongs committed against them by their
+fellow-citizens. Telling the maidservants to wait in the antechamber of
+the orphan's court-room, he led the sisters to his own office, helping
+Eva up the long flight of stairs with an arm which, though aged, was
+still vigorous. After insisting that she should sit in the armchair
+before the big desk, and placing wine and water before her, he begged
+the young girls to wait until his return. He was obliged to be present
+at the meeting, which had probably already begun. The matter in question
+was the Eysvogel business, and if Els would remain he could tell her the
+result. Then he left them.
+
+Eva, deadly pale, leaned back with closed eyes in the clerk's high
+chair. Els bathed her brow with a wet handkerchief, consoling her
+by representing how foolish it would be to suffer the lowest of the
+populace to destroy her happiness.
+
+Her sister nodded assent, saying: "Did you notice the faces of those
+people behind the bars? Most of them, I thought, looked stupid rather
+than evil." Here she hesitated, and then added thoughtfully: "Yet they
+cannot be wise. These poor creatures seldom obtain any great sum
+by thieving and cheating. To what terrible punishments they expose
+themselves both in this world and the next! And conscience!"
+
+"Yes, conscience!" Els eagerly repeated. "So long as we can say that we
+have done nothing wrong, we can suffer even the worst to be said of us
+without grieving."
+
+"Still," sighed Eva, "I feel as if that horrible woman's insults had
+sullied me with a stain no water can wash away. What sorrows have come
+upon us since our mother died, Els!"
+
+Her sister nodded, and added mournfully: "Our father, my Wolff, your
+poor, stricken heart, and below in the Council chamber, Eva, perhaps
+whilst we are talking, those who are soon to be my kindred are being
+doomed. That is harder to bear, child, than the invectives with which
+a wicked woman slanders us. Often I do not know myself where I get the
+strength to keep up my courage."
+
+She turned away as she spoke to wipe the tears from her eyes without
+being seen; but Eva perceived it, and rose to clasp her in her arms and
+whisper words of cheer. Ere she had taken the first step, however, she
+started; in rising she had upset the clerk's tin water-pail, which fell
+rattling on the floor.
+
+"The water!" she exclaimed sadly, "and my tongue is parched."
+
+"I'll fetch more," said Els consolingly; "Herr Martin brought it from
+over yonder."
+
+Opening the door to which she had pointed, she entered a low, spacious
+anteroom, in which was a brass fire engine, ladders, pails, and various
+other utensils for extinguishing a fire in the building, hung on the
+rough plastered wall which separated this room from the office of the
+city clerk. The centre of the opposite wall was occupied by two small
+windows surmounted by a broad, semicircular arch, and separated by a
+short Roman pillar. The sashes of both, whose leaden casings were filled
+with little round horn panes, stood wide open. This double window was
+in the upper part of the Council chamber, which occupied two stories. To
+create a draught this hot day it had been flung wide open, and Els could
+distinguish plainly the words uttered below. The first that reached her
+was the name: "Wolff Eysvogel."
+
+A burning sensation thrilled her. If she went nearer to the window she
+could hear what the Honourables decided concerning the Eysvogel house;
+and, overpowered by her ardent desire not to lose a single word of the
+discussion which was to determine the happiness of Wolff's life, and
+therefore hers, she instantly silenced the voice which admonished her
+that listening was wrong. Yet the habit of caring for Eva was so dear
+to her, and ruled her with such power, that before listening to what was
+passing in the Council chamber below she looked for the water, which she
+speedily found, took it to the thirsty girl, and hurriedly told her what
+she had discovered in the next room and how she intended to profit by
+it.
+
+In spite of Eva's entreaty not to do it, she hastened back to the open
+window.
+
+The younger sister, though she shook her head, gazed after her with a
+significant smile.
+
+To Eva this was no accident.
+
+Perhaps it was her saint herself who, when her sister went to seek
+refreshment for her, had guided her to the window. Eva deemed it a boon
+to be permitted to find here in solitude the rest needful for her body
+which, though usually so strong, had been shaken by horror, and to
+struggle and pray for a clear understanding of the many things which
+troubled her; for to her prayer was far more than the petition for a
+spiritual or earthly blessing; nay, she prayed far less frequently to
+implore anything than from yearning for the Most High to whose presence
+the wings of prayer raised her. So long as she was absorbed in it, she
+felt removed from the world and borne into the abode of God.
+
+Now also, whilst Els was listening, she brought no earthly matter to the
+Power who guided the universe as well as her own little individual life,
+but merely lost herself in supplication and in her intercourse with the
+Omnipotent One, who seemed to her a familiar friend; she forgot what
+grieved and troubled her and how she had been pained. But meanwhile the
+prediction she had made to the abbess was verified; she felt as if her
+lover's soul rose with hers to the pure height where she dwelt, and that
+the earthly love which filled her heart and his was but an effluence of
+the Eternal Love, whose embodiment to her was God and the Saviour.
+
+The union of herself and Heinz seemed imaged by two streams flowing
+from the same great inexhaustible, pure, and beneficent fountain, which,
+after having run through separate channels, meet to traverse as a single
+river the blooming meadows and keep them fresh and green. God's love,
+her own, and his were each separate and yet the same, portions of the
+great fount which animated, saved, and blessed her, him, and the whole
+vast universe. The spring gushing from her love and his was eternal, and
+therefore neither could be exhausted, no matter how much it gave.
+
+But both were still in the world. As he would certainly put forth all
+his might to show himself worthy of the confidence placed in him by
+his Emperor and master, she too must test her youthful strength in the
+arduous conflict which she had begun. Her recent experiences were the
+flames of the forge fire of life of which her mother had spoken--and
+how pitifully she had endured their glow! This must be changed. She had
+often proved that when the body is wearied the soul gains greater power
+to soar. Should she not begin to avail herself of this to make her
+feeble body obey her will? With compressed lips and clenched hand she
+resolved to try.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+Whilst Eva, completely absorbed in herself, was forming this resolution,
+Els, panting for breath, stood at the open window under the ceiling
+of the Council chamber, gazing down and listening to the sounds from
+beneath.
+
+Directly opposite to her was the inscription
+
+"Feldt Urtel auf erden, als ir dort woldt geurtheilt werden," in the
+German and Latin languages, and below this motto, urging the magistrates
+to justice, was a large fresco representing the unjust judge Sisamnes
+being flayed by an executioner in the costume of the Nuremberg
+Leben--[Executioner's assistant. Really "Lowen."]--before the eyes
+of King Cambyses, in order to cover the judgment seat with his skin.
+Another picture represented this lofty throne, on which sat the ruler
+of Persia dispensing justice. The subject of a third was the Roman army
+interrupted in its march by the order of the Emperor Trajan, that he
+might have time to hear a widow's accusation of the murderer of her son
+and to punish the criminal.
+
+Els did not bestow a single glance upon these familiar pictures, but
+gazed down at the thirteen elderly and the same number of much younger
+men, who in their high-backed chairs were holding council together at
+her left hand far below her. These were the burgomasters of the city,
+of whom an elder and a younger one directed for the space of a month, as
+"Questioner," the government of the public affairs of the city and the
+business of the "Honourable Council."
+
+At this time the office was filled by Albert Ebner and Jorg Stromer,
+whilst in the secret council formed by seven of the older gentlemen,
+as the highest executive authority, Hans Schtirstab as the second and
+Berthold Vorchtel as first Losunger filled the chief offices.
+
+So this year the deeply offended father held the highest place in the
+Council, and in the whole community of Nuremberg he, more than any one
+else, would decide the fate of the Eysvogels.
+
+Els knew this, and with an anxious heart saw him gaze earnestly and
+sadly at the papers which Martin Schedel, the city clerk, had just
+brought to him from a special desk. At his side, in the centre of the
+table covered with green cloth, sat the listener's uncle, the magistrate
+Berthold Pfinzing, who in the Emperor's name presided over the court of
+justice.
+
+He also appeared in his character of protector of the Jews, and
+Samuel Pfefferkorn, a Hebrew usurer, had just left the hall after an
+examination.
+
+Casper Eysvogel was gazing after him with a face white as death. His
+handsome head shook as the imperial magistrate, turning to Berthold
+Vorchtel, the chief Losunger, said in a tone loud enough to be heard by
+all present, "So this is also settled. Herr Casper contracted the great
+debt to the Jew without the knowledge of his son and partner, and this
+explains to a florin the difference between the accounts of the father
+and son. The young man was intentionally kept in the dark about the
+greatest danger which threatened the business. To him the situation of
+the house must have appeared critical, but by no means hopeless. But
+for the Siebenburgs and the other bandits, who transformed the last
+important and promising venture of the firm into a great loss, and with
+the sale of the landed property, it might perhaps have speedily risen,
+and under prudent and skilful management regained its former prosperity.
+The enormous sum to which the debt to Samuel Pfefferkorn increased gives
+the position of affairs a different aspect. Since, as protector of
+the Jew, I must insist upon the payment of this capital with the
+usual interest, the old Eysvogel firm will be unable to meet its
+obligations--nay, its creditors can be but partially paid. Therefore
+nothing remains for us to do save to consider how to protect as far
+as possible our city and the citizens who are interested. Yet, in my
+opinion, the entire firm does not deserve punishment--only the father,
+who concealed from his upright son his own accounts and those of
+Samuel Pfefferkorn, and--it is hard for me to say this in Herr Casper's
+presence;--also, when the peril became urgent, illegally deprived his
+business partner of the possibility of obtaining a correct view of the
+real situation of affairs. So, in the Emperor's name, let justice take
+its course."
+
+These words pronounced the doom of the ancient, great, and wealthy
+Eysvogel firm; yet the heart of Els throbbed high with joy when, after
+a brief interchange of opinions between the assembled members of the
+Council, the imperial magistrate, turning to Herr Vorchtel, again began:
+"As Chief Losunger, it would be your place, Herr Berthold, to raise your
+voice on the part of the Honourable Council in defence of the accused;
+but since we are all aware of the great grief inflicted upon you by the
+son of the man in whose favour you would be obliged to speak, we should,
+I think, spare you this duty, and transfer it to Herr Hans Schtirstab,
+the second Losunger, or to Herr Albert Ebner, the oldest of the
+governing burgomasters, who, though equally concerned in this sad case,
+are less closely connected with the Eysvogels themselves."
+
+Els uttered a sigh of relief, for both the men named were friendly to
+Wolff; but Herr Vorchtel had already risen and began to speak, turning
+his wise old head slowly to and fro, and drawing his soft grey beard
+through his hand.
+
+He commenced his address as quietly as if he were talking with friends
+at his own table, and the tones of his deep voice, as well as the
+expression of his finely moulded aged features, exerted a soothing
+influence upon his listeners.
+
+Els, with a throbbing heart, felt that nothing which this man advocated
+could be wrong, and that whatever he recommended would be sure of
+acceptance; for he stood amongst his young and elderly fellow directors
+of the Nuremberg republic like an immovably steadfast guardian of duty
+and law, who had grown grey in the atmosphere of honesty and honour.
+Thus she had imagined the faithful Eckart, thus her own Wolff might look
+some day when age had bleached his hair and labour and anxiety had lined
+his lofty brow with wrinkles; Berthold Vorchtel, and other "Honourables"
+who resembled him; grey-haired Conrad Gross; tall, broad-shouldered
+Friedrich Holzschuher, whose long, snow-white hair fell in thick waves
+to his shoulders; Ulrich Haller, in whose locks threads of silver
+were just appearing, princely in form and bearing; stately Hermann
+Waldstromer, who had the keen eyes of a huntsman; the noble Ebner
+brothers, who would have attracted attention even in an assembly of
+knights and counts--nay, the Emperor Rudolph was probably thinking of
+the men below when he said that the Nuremberg Council reminded him of
+a German oak wood, where firm reliance could be placed on every noble
+trunk.
+
+Herr Berthold Vorchtel was just such a noble, reliable tree. Els told
+herself so, and though she knew how deeply he was wounded when Wolff
+preferred her to his daughter Ursula, and how sorely he mourned his son
+Ulrich's death, she was nevertheless convinced that this man would bear
+the Eysvogels no grudge for the grief suffered through them, for no word
+which was not just and estimable would cross his aged lips.
+
+She was not mistaken; for after Herr Berthold had insisted upon his
+right to raise his voice, not in behalf of Herr Casper but for his
+business firm and its preservation, he remarked, by way of introduction,
+that for the sake of Nuremberg he would advise that the Eysvogel house
+should not be abandoned without ceremony to the storm which its chief
+had aroused against the ancient, solid structure.
+
+Then he turned to the papers and parchments, to which the city clerk had
+just added several books and rolls. His address, frequently interrupted
+by references to the documents before him, sounded clear and positive.
+The amount of the sums owed by the Eysvogel firm, as well as the names
+of its creditors in Nuremberg, Augsburg, Ulm, and Regensburg, Venice,
+Milan, Bruges, and other German and foreign cities, formed the most
+important portion of his speech. During its progress he frequently
+seized a bit of chalk and blackboard, writing rapidly on the green table
+whole rows of figures, and the young burgomasters especially exchanged
+admiring smiles as the experienced old merchant added and subtracted
+in an instant sums for which they themselves would have needed twice as
+much time.
+
+The figures and names buzzed in the ears of the listener at the window
+like the humming of a swarm of gnats. To understand and remember them
+was impossible, and she gazed in astonishment at the old man who so
+clearly comprehended the confused tangle and drew from it so readily
+just what he needed for his purpose.
+
+When he closed, and with a loud "Therefore" began to communicate the
+result, she summoned all the mental power she possessed in order to
+understand it. She succeeded, but her knees fairly trembled when she
+heard the sum which the house was obliged to repay to others.
+
+Yet, when Herr Berthold lastly gave the estimate of the Eysvogel
+property in merchandise, buildings, and estates, she was again
+surprised. She had not supposed that Wolff's proud family was so
+wealthy; but the close of this report brought fresh disappointment,
+for including the sum which Herr Casper had borrowed from the Jew
+Pfefferkorn, the debts of the firm exceeded its possessions far more
+than Els had expected from the amount of its riches.
+
+She was wholly ignorant of the condition of her own father's property;
+but she thought she knew that it was far from being enough to suffice
+here. And this appeared to be the case, for when Berthold Vorchtel
+resumed his speech he alluded to Ernst Ortlieb. In words full of
+sympathy he lamented the unprecedented insult which had led him
+to commit the deed of violence that prevented his sharing in this
+consultation. But before his removal he had given him an important
+commission. Upon certain conditions--but only upon them--he would place
+a considerable portion of his fortune at his disposal for the settlement
+of this affair. Still, large as was the promised sum, it would by no
+means be sufficient to save the Eysvogel business from ruin. Yet he,
+Berthold Vorchtel, was of the opinion that its fall must be prevented at
+any cost. The sincerity of this conviction he intended to prove by the
+best means at a merchant's command-the pledge of his own large capital.
+
+These words deeply moved the whole assembly, and Els saw her uncle
+glance at the old gentleman with a look which expressed the warm
+appreciation of a man of the same mind.
+
+Casper Eysvogel, who, lost in thought, had permitted the statements of
+the Losunger, which were mingled with many a bitter censure of his own
+conduct, to pass without contradiction--nay, apparently in a state
+of apathy in which he was no longer capable of following
+details--straightened his bowed figure and gazed enquiringly into Herr
+Berthold's face as if he did not venture to trust his own ears; but
+the other looked past him, as he added that what he was doing for
+the Eysvogel business was due to no consideration for the man who had
+hitherto directed it, or his family, but solely on account of the good
+city whose business affairs the confidence of the Council had summoned
+him to direct, and her commerce, whose prosperity was equally dear to
+most of the Honourables around him.
+
+Cries and gestures of assent accompanied the last sentence; but Berthold
+Vorchtel recognised the demonstration by remarking that it showed him
+that the Council, in the name of the city, would be disposed to do its
+share in raising the amount still lacking.
+
+This statement elicited opposition, expressed in several quarters in low
+tones, and from one seat loudly, and Herr Berthold heard it. Turning to
+Peter Ammon, one of the Eysvogels' principal creditors, who was making
+the most animated resistance, he remarked that no one could be more
+unwilling than himself to use the means of the community to protect from
+the consequences of his conduct a citizen whose own errors had placed
+him in a perilous position, but, on the other hand, he would always--and
+in this case with special zeal--be ready to aid such a person in spite
+of the faults committed, if he believed that he could thus protect the
+community from serious injury.
+
+Then he asked permission to make a digression, and being greeted with
+cries of "Go on!" from all sides, began in brief, clear sentences to
+show how the commerce of Nuremberg from small beginnings had reached its
+present prosperity. Instead of the timid, irregular exchange of goods
+as far as the Rhine, the Main, and the Danube, regular intercourse with
+Venice, Milan, Genoa, Bohemia, and Hungary, Flanders, Brabant, and the
+coast of the Baltic had commenced. Trade with the Italian cities,
+and through them, even with the Levant, had made its first successful
+opening under the Hohenstaufen rule; but during the evil days when the
+foreign monarchs had neglected Germany and her welfare, it sustained the
+most serious losses. By the election of Rudolph of Hapsburg who, with
+vigour, good-will, and intelligence, had devoted his attention to the
+security of commerce in the countries over which he reigned, better days
+for the merchant had returned, and it was very evident what his
+work required, what injured and robbed it of its well-earned reward.
+Confidence at home and abroad was the foundation of prosperity, not
+alone of the Nuremberg merchant but of trade in general. Under the
+Hohenstaufen rule their upright ancestors had so strengthened this
+confidence that wherever he went the Nuremberg merchant received respect
+and confidence above many--perhaps all others. The insecurity of the
+roads and of justice in the lawless times before the election of the
+Hapsburgs might have impaired this great blessing; but since Rudolph
+had wielded the sceptre with virile energy, made commerce secure, and
+administered justice, confidence had also returned, and to maintain
+it no sacrifice should be too great. As for him, Berthold Vorchtel, he
+would not spare himself, and if he expected the city to imitate him he
+would know how to answer for it.
+
+Here he was interrupted by loud shouts of applause; but, without heeding
+them, he quietly went on: "And it is necessary to secure confidence in
+the Nuremberg merchant in two directions: his honesty and the capital
+at his command. Our business friends, far and near, must be permitted
+to continue to rely upon our trustworthiness as firmly as upon rock and
+iron. If we brought the arrogant Italian to say of us that, amongst the
+German cities who were blind, Nuremberg was the one-eyed, we ought now
+to force them to number us amongst those who see with both eyes, the
+honest, trust-inspiring blue eyes of the German. But to attain this
+goal we need the imperial protection, the watchful power of a great and
+friendly ruler. The progress which our trade owed to the Hohenstaufen
+proves this; the years without an Emperor, on the contrary, showed
+what threatens our commerce as soon as we lack this aid. Rights and
+privileges from sovereigns smoothed the paths in which we have surpassed
+others. To obtain new and more important ones must be our object. From
+the first Reichstag which the Emperor Rudolph held here, he has shown
+that he esteems us and believes us worthy of his confidence. Many
+valuable privileges have revealed this. To maintain this confidence,
+which is and will remain the source of the most important favours to
+Nuremberg, is enjoined upon us merchants by prudence, upon us directors
+of the city by regard for its prosperity. But, my honourable friends,
+reluctantly as I do so, I must nevertheless remind you that this
+confidence, here and there, has already received a shock through
+the errors of individuals. Who could have forgotten the tale of the
+beautiful cap of the unhappy Meister Mertein, who has preceded us into
+the other world? Doubtless it concerned but one scabby sheep, yet it
+served to bring the whole flock into disrepute. Perhaps the fact that it
+occurred so soon after Rudolph's election to the sovereignty, during the
+early days of his residence in our goodly city, imprinted it so deeply
+upon our imperial master's memory. A few hours ago he asked for some
+information concerning the sad affair which now occupies our attention,
+and when I represented that the public spirit and honesty of my
+countrymen, fellow-citizens, and associate members of the Council would
+prevent it from injuring our trade at home or abroad, he alluded to that
+story, by no means in the jesting way with which he formerly mentioned
+the vexatious incident that redounded to the honour of no one more than
+that of his own shrewdness, which at that time--seven years ago--was so
+often blended with mirth."
+
+When the speaker began to allude to this much-discussed incident a smile
+had flitted over the features of his listeners, for they remembered
+it perfectly, and the story of Emperor Rudolph and the cap was still
+related to the honour of the presence of mind of the wise Hapsburg
+judge.
+
+During the period of the assembly of the princes a Nuremberg citizen
+had taken charge of a bag containing two hundred florins for a foreign
+merchant who had lodged with him, but when he was asked for the property
+entrusted to him denied that he had received it.
+
+This disgraceful occurrence was reported to the Emperor, but he
+apparently paid no heed to it, and received Master Mertein, amongst
+other citizens who wished to be presented to him. The dishonest man
+appeared in a rich gala dress and as, embarrassed by the Emperor's
+piercing gaze, he awkwardly twirled his cap--a magnificent article
+bordered with costly fur; the sovereign took it from his hand, examined
+it admiringly and, with the remark that it would suit even a king,
+placed it on his own royal head. Then he approached one after another to
+exchange a few words and, as if forgetting that he wore the head-gear,
+left the apartment to order a messenger to take the cap at once to its
+owner's wife, show it to her as a guarantee of trustworthiness, and ask
+her to bring the bag which the foreign merchant had given him to the
+castle. The woman did so and the cheat was unmasked.
+
+Everyone present, like Els, was familiar with this story, which wrongly
+cast so evil a light upon the uprightness of the citizens of Nuremberg.
+Who could fail to be painfully affected by the thought that Rudolph,
+during his present stay amongst them, must witness the injury of others
+by a Nuremberg merchant? Who could have now opposed Herr Berthold, when
+he asked, still more earnestly than before, that the community would
+do its share to maintain confidence in the reliability of the Nuremberg
+citizens, and especially of the Honourable Council and everyone of its
+members?
+
+But when he mentioned the large sum which he himself, and the other
+which Ernst Ortlieb intended on certain conditions to devote to the
+settlement of this affair, Peter Ammon also withdrew his opposition.
+The First Losunger's proposal was unanimously accepted, and also the
+condition made by his associate, Ernst Ortlieb. Casper Eysvogel, on whom
+the resolution bore most heavily, submitted in silence, shrugging his
+shoulders.
+
+How high Els's heart throbbed, how she longed to rush down into the
+Council chamber and clasp the hand of the noble old man at the
+green table, when he said that in consequence of Ernst Ortlieb's
+condition--which he also made--the charge of the newly established
+Eysvogel business must be transferred from Herr Casper's hands to those
+of his son, Herr Wolff, as soon as the imperial pardon permitted him to
+leave his hiding-place. He, Berthold Vorchtel, would make no complaint
+against him, for he knew that Wolff had been forced to cross swords with
+his Ulrich. He had formed this resolution after a severe struggle with
+himself; but as a Christian and a fair-minded man he had renounced the
+human desire for revenge, and as God had wished to give him a token of
+his approval, he had sent to his house a substitute for his dead son.
+Fresh cries of approval interrupted this communication, whose meaning
+Els did not understand.
+
+Not a word of remonstrance was uttered when the imperial magistrate at
+last proposed that Casper Eysvogel and the women of his family should
+leave the city and atone for his great offence by ten years in exile.
+One of his estates, which he advised the city to buy, could be assigned
+him as a residence. Herr Casper's daughter, Frau Isabella Siebenburg,
+had already, with her twin sons, found shelter at the Knight Heideck's
+castle. Her husband, who had joined his guilty brothers, would speedily
+fall into the hands of justice and reap what he had sowed. For the final
+settlement of this affair he begged the Honourable Council to appoint
+commissioners, whom he would willingly join.
+
+Then Herr Vorchtel again rose and requested his honourable friends to
+treat the new head of the house with entire confidence; for from
+the books of the firm and the statements which he had made in his
+hiding-place and sent to the Council, both he and the city clerk had
+become convinced that he was one of the most cautious and upright
+young merchants in Nuremberg. Their opinion was also shared by the most
+prominent business acquaintances of the house.
+
+This pleased the listener. But whilst the speaker sat down amidst the
+eager assent of his associates in office, and Herr Casper Eysvogel,
+leaning on the arm of his cousin, Conrad Teufel, left the hall with
+tottering steps, utterly crushed, she saw the city clerk Schedel, after
+a hasty glance upwards, approach the side door, through which he could
+reach the staircase leading to his rooms.
+
+He evidently intended to tell the result of the discussion. But the
+old gentleman would need considerable time to reach her, so she again
+listened to what was passing below.
+
+She heard her uncle, the magistrate, speak of her father's unfortunate
+deed, and tell the Council how the name of Herr Ernst's daughters, who
+were held in such honour, had become innocently, through evil gossip,
+the talk of the people. Just at that moment the old man's shuffling step
+sounded close by the door.
+
+Els stopped listening to hasten towards the messenger of good tidings,
+and the old gentleman could scarcely believe his own eyes when he saw
+the happiness beaming in the girl's beautiful fresh face, whose anxiety
+and pallor had just roused his deep sympathy.
+
+It was scarcely possible that anyone could have anticipated him with
+the glad news, and spite of his seventy-two years the city clerk had
+retained the keen eyes of youth. When he entered the anteroom with Els
+and saw the open window and beside it the white Riese which she had
+removed in order to hear better, he released himself from the arm she
+had passed around his shoulders, shook his finger threateningly at
+her, and cried: "It's fortunate that I find only the Riese, and not the
+listener, otherwise I should be compelled to deliver her to the jailer,
+or even the torturer, for unwarranted intrusion into the secrets of the
+honourable Council. I can hardly institute proceedings against a bit of
+linen!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A few minutes later the sisters left the Town Hall. Their white Rieses
+were wound so closely about their faces that their features were
+completely hidden, but the thin material permitted them to see Herr
+Vorchtel, leaning upon the arm of the young burgomaster, Hans Nutzel,
+leave the Council chamber, where the other Honourables were still
+deliberating. Pointing to the old man, the city clerk told Els with
+a significant smile that Ursula Vorchtel was engaged to the talented,
+attractive young merchant now walking with her father, and that he had
+promised Herr Vorchtel to aid him and his younger son in the management
+of his extensive business. This was a great pleasure to the noble old
+merchant, and when he, the city clerk, met Ursula that morning, spite
+of her deep mourning, she again looked out upon the world like the happy
+young creature she was. Her new joy had greatly increased her beauty,
+and her lover was the very person to maintain it. Herr Schedel thought
+it would be pleasant news to Els, too. The young girl pressed his hand
+warmly; for these good tidings put the finishing touch to the glad
+tidings she had just heard. The reproach which, unjust as it might be,
+had spoiled many an hour for Wolff and entailed such fatal consequences,
+was now removed, and to her also "Ursel's" altered manner had often
+seemed like a silent accusation. She felt grateful, as if it were a
+personal joy, for the knowledge that the girl who had believed herself
+deserted by Wolff, her own lover, was now a happy betrothed bride.
+
+Ursula's engagement removed a burden from Eva's soul, too, only she did
+not understand how a girl whose heart had once opened to a great love
+could ever belong to anyone else. Els understood her; nay, in Ursula's
+place she would have done the same, if it were only to weave a fresh
+flower in her afflicted father's fading garland of joy.
+
+The city clerk accompanied them to the great entrance door of the Town
+Hall.
+
+Several jailers and soldiers in the employ of the city were standing
+there, and whilst their old friend was promising to do his utmost to
+secure Ernst Ortlieb's liberation and recommending the girls to the
+protection of one of the watchmen, Eva's cheeks flushed; for a messenger
+of the Council had just approached the others, and she heard him utter
+the name of Sir Heinz Schorlin and his follower Walther Biberli. Els
+listened, too, but whilst her sister in embarrassment pressed her hand
+upon her heart, she frankly asked the city clerk what had befallen the
+knight and his squire, who was betrothed to her maid. She heard that at
+the last meeting of the Council an order had been issued for Biberli's
+arrest.
+
+His name must have been brought up during the discussions of the
+slanders which had so infamously pursued the Ortlieb sisters, but she
+could not enquire how or in what connection, for the sun was already low
+in the western sky, and if the girls wished to see their father there
+was no time to lose.
+
+Yet, though Katterle had just said that Countess von Montfort was
+waiting outside in her great sedan-chair for the young ladies, they were
+still detained, for they would not leave the Town Hall without thanking
+the city clerk and saying farewell to him. He was still near, but the
+captain of the city soldiers had drawn him aside and was telling him
+something which seemed to permit no delay, and induced the old gentleman
+to glance at the sisters repeatedly.
+
+Eva did not notice it; for Biberli's arrest, which probably had some
+connection with Heinz and herself, had awakened a series of anxious
+thoughts associated with her lover and his faithful follower. Els
+troubled herself only about the events occurring in her immediate
+vicinity, and felt perfectly sure that the captain's communications
+referred not only to the four itinerant workmen and the three women who
+had just been led across the courtyard to the "Hole," and to whom the
+speaker pointed several times, but especially to her and her sister.
+
+When the city clerk at last turned to them again, he remarked carelessly
+that a disagreeable mob in front of the Ortlieb mansion had been
+dispersed, and then, with urgent cordiality, invited the two girls to
+spend the night under the protection of his old housekeeper. When they
+declined, he assured them that measures would be taken to guard them
+from every insult. He had something to tell their uncle, and the
+communication appeared to permit no delay, for with a haste very unusual
+in the deliberate old gentleman he left the two sisters with a brief
+farewell.
+
+Meanwhile Countess Cordula had become weary of waiting in the
+sedan-chair. She came striding to meet her new friends, attired in a
+rustling canary-green silk robe whose train swept the ground, but it
+was raised so high in front that the brown hunting-boots encasing her
+well-formed feet were distinctly visible. She was swinging her heavy
+riding-whip in her hand, and her favourite dogs, two black dachshunds
+with yellow spots over their eyes, followed at her heels.
+
+As it was against the rules to bring dogs into the Town Hall, the
+doorkeeper tried to stop her, but without paying the slightest attention
+to him, she took Els by the hand, beckoned to Eva, and was turning to
+leave the path leading to the market-place.
+
+In doing so her eyes fell upon the courtyard, where, just after the Ave
+Maria, a motley throng had gathered. Here, guarded by jailers, stood
+vagabonds and disreputable men and women, sham blind beggars and
+cripples, swindlers, and other tatterdemalions, who had been caught
+in illegal practices or without the beggar's sign. In another spot,
+dark-robed servants of the Council were discussing official and other
+matters. Near the "Hole" a little party of soldiers were resting,
+passing from hand to hand the jug of wine bestowed by the Honourable
+Council. The "Red Coat"--[Executioner]--was giving orders to his
+"Life"--[Executioner's assistant ("Lion")]--as they carried across the
+courtyard a new instrument of torture intended for the room adjoining
+the Council chamber, where those who refused to make depositions were
+forced to it. In a shady corner sat old people, poorly clad women, and
+pale-faced children, the city poor, who at this hour received food from
+the kitchen of the Town Hall. A few priests and monks were going into
+the wing of the building which contained the "Hole," with its various
+cells and the largest chamber of torture, to give the consolations of
+religion to the prisoners and those tortured by the rack who had not yet
+been conveyed to the hospital at Schweinau.
+
+The countess's keen glance wandered from one to another. When they
+reached the group of paupers they rested upon a woman with deadly pale,
+hollow cheeks, pressing a pitifully emaciated infant to her dry breast,
+and her eyes swiftly filled with tears.
+
+"Here," she whispered to old Martsche, taking several gold coins from
+the pocket that hung at her belt, "give these to the poorest ones. You
+are sensible. Divide it so that several will have a share and the money
+will reach the right hands. You can take your time. We need neither you
+nor Katterle. Go back to the house. I will carry your young mistresses
+to their father and home again. Where I am you need have no fear that
+harm will befall them."
+
+Then she turned again towards the "Hole," and seeing the people yelling
+and shouting while awaiting imprisonment, she pointed to them with her
+whip, saying, "That's a part of the pack which was set upon you. You
+shall hear about it presently. But now come."
+
+As she spoke she went before the girls and urged them to step quickly
+into the large, handsome sedan-chair, around which an unusual number
+of people had assembled, for she wished to avoid any recognition of the
+sisters by the curious spectators. The gilded box, borne between two
+powerful Brabant horses in such a way that it hung between the tail of
+the first and the head of the second, would have had room for a fourth
+occupant.
+
+When it moved forward, swaying from side to side, Cordula pointed to the
+curtained windows, and said: "Shameful, isn't it? But it is better so,
+children. That arch-rascal Siebenburg robbed the people of the little
+sense they possessed, and that cat of a candle-dealer, with her mate,
+the tailor, or rather his followers, poisoned the minds of the rest.
+How quickly it worked! Goodness, it seems to me, acts more slowly. True,
+your hot-tempered father spoiled the old rascal's inclination to
+woo pretty Metz for a while; but his male and female gossips, aunts,
+cousins, and work-people apparently allowed themselves to be persuaded
+by his future mother-in-law to the abominable deed, which caused the
+brawling rabble you saw in the Town Hall court to content themselves
+with a hard couch in the 'Hole' overnight."
+
+"They have done everything bad concerning us, though I don't know
+exactly what," cried Els indignantly.
+
+"Wished to do, Miss Wisdom," replied the countess, patting Els's arm
+soothingly. "We kept our eyes open, and I helped to put a stop to their
+proceedings. The rabble gathered in front of your house, yelling and
+shrieking, and when I stepped into your bow-window there was as great
+an outcry as if they were trying to bring down the walls of Jericho a
+second time. Some boys even flung at me everything they could find
+in the mire of the streets. The most delightful articles! There was
+actually a dead rat! I can see its tail flying now! Our village lads
+know how to aim better. Before the worst came, by the advice of the
+equerry and our wise chaplain, whom I consulted, we had done what was
+necessary, and summoned the guard at the Frauenthor to our assistance.
+But the soldiers were in no great haste; so when matters were going too
+far, I stepped into the breach myself, called down to tell them my name,
+and also showed my crossbow with an arrow on the string. This had an
+effect. Only a few women still continued to load me with horrible abuse.
+Then the chaplain came to the window and this restored silence; but, in
+spite of his earnest words, not a soul stirred from the spot until the
+patrol arrived, dispersed the rabble, and arrested some of them."
+
+Els, who sat by Cordula's side, drew her towards her and kissed her
+gratefully; but Eva's eyes had filled with tears of grief at the
+beginning of the countess's report of this new insult, and the hostility
+of so many of the townsfolk; yet she succeeded in controlling herself.
+She would not weep. She had even forced herself to gaze, without the
+quiver of an eyelash, at the sorrowful and horrible spectacle outside
+of the "Hole." She must cease being a weak child. How true her dying
+mother's words had been! To be able to struggle and conquer, she must
+not withdraw from life and its influences, which, if she did not spare
+herself, promised to transform her into the resolute woman she desired
+to become.
+
+She had listened with labouring breath to the speaker's last words,
+and when Els embraced Cordula, she raised her little clenched hand,
+exclaiming with passionate emotion: "Oh, if I had only been at home with
+you! You are brave, Countess, but I, too, would not have shrunk from
+them. I would voluntarily have made myself the target for their
+malice, and called to their faces that only miserably deluded people or
+shameless rascals could throw stones at my Els, who is a thousand times
+better than any of them!"
+
+"Or at you, you dear, brave child," added Cordula in an agitated tone.
+
+From the day following the burning of the convent the countess had given
+up her whim of winning Heinz Schorlin. She now knew that all her nobler
+feelings spoke more loudly in favour of the quiet man who had borne her
+out of the flames. Sir Boemund Altrosen's love had proved genuine,
+and she would reward him for it; but the heart of the pretty creature
+opposite to her was also filled with deep, true love, and she would
+do everything in her power for Eva, whom she had loved ever since her
+affliction had touched her tender heart.
+
+Both sisters were now aware of Cordula's kind intentions, and the
+warm pleasure she displayed when Els told her what the Council had
+determined, showed plainly enough that the motherless young countess,
+who had neither brother nor sister, clung to the daughters of her host
+like a third sister. Old Herr Vorchtel's treatment of the man who had
+inflicted so deep a sorrow upon him touched her inmost soul. It was
+grand, noble; the Saviour himself would have rejoiced over it. "If it
+would only please the good old man," she exclaimed, "I would rather
+offer him my lips to kiss than the handsomest young knight."
+
+Though two of Count von Montfort's mounted huntsmen and several
+constables accompanied the unusually large and handsome sedan-chair, a
+curious crowd had followed it; but the opinion probably prevailed that
+the countess's companions were some of her waiting-women. When they
+alighted in front of the watch-tower, however, an elderly laundry-maid
+who had worked for the Ortliebs recognised the sisters and pointed them
+out to the others, protesting that it was hard for a woman of her chaste
+spirit to have served in a house where such things could have happened.
+Then a tailor's apprentice, who considered the whole of the guild
+insulted in the wounded Meister Seubolt, put his fingers to his wide
+mouth and emitted a long, shrill whistle; but the next instant a blow
+from a powerful fist silenced him. It was young Ortel, who had come to
+the watch-tower to seek Herr Ernst and tell him that he and his sister
+Metz, spite of their mother and guardian, meant to stay in his service.
+His heart's blood would not have been too dear to guard Eva, whom he
+instantly recognised, from every insult; but he had no occasion to use
+his youthful strength a second time, for the soldiers who guarded the
+tower and the city mercenaries drove back the crowd and kept the square
+in front of the tower open.
+
+The countess would not be detained long, for the sun had already sunk
+behind the towers and western wall of the fortress, and the reflection
+of the sunset was tinging the eastern sky with a roseate hue. The warden
+really ought to have refused them admittance, for the time during which
+he was permitted to take visitors to the imprisoned "Honourable" had
+already passed. But for the daughters of Herr Ernst Ortlieb, to whom
+he was greatly indebted, he closed his eyes to this fact, and only
+entreated them to make their stay brief, for the drawbridge leading to
+the tower must be raised when darkness gathered.
+
+The young girls found their father, absorbed in grief as if utterly
+crushed, seated at a table on which stood a leaden inkstand with several
+sheets of paper. He still held the pen in his hand.
+
+He received his daughters with the exclamation, "You poor, poor
+children!" But when Els tried to tell him what had given her so much
+pleasure, he interrupted her to accuse himself, with deep sorrow, of
+having again permitted sudden passion to master him. Probably this was
+the last time; such experiences would cool even the hottest blood. Then
+he began to relate what had induced him to raise his hand against
+the tailor, and as, in doing so, he recalled the insolent hypocrite's
+spiteful manner, he again flew into so violent a rage that the blow
+which he dealt the table made the ink splash up and soil both the
+paper lying beside it and his own dress, still faultlessly neat even in
+prison. This caused fresh wrath, and he furiously crushed the topmost
+sheet, already half covered with writing, and hurled it on the floor.
+
+Not until Els stooped to pick it up did he calm himself, saying, with
+a shrug of the shoulders, "Who can remain unmoved when the whirlwind
+of despair seizes him? When a swarm of hornets attacks a horse, and it
+rears, who wonders? And I--What stings and blows has Fate spared me?"
+Els ventured to speak soothingly to him, and remind him of God, and
+the saints to whom he had made such generous offerings in building the
+convent; but this awakened an association, and he asked if it were true
+that Eva had refused to take the veil.
+
+She made a silent gesture of assent, expecting another outburst of
+anger; but her father only shook his head sorrowfully, clasped her right
+hand in both his, and said sadly: "Poor, poor child! But she, she--your
+mother--would probably----The last words her dear lips bestowed upon us
+concerned you, child, and I believe their meaning----"
+
+Here the warden interrupted him to remind the girls that it was time to
+depart; but whilst Els was begging the man for a brief delay, Herr Ernst
+looked first at the paper and writing materials, then at his daughters,
+and added with quiet decision: "Before you go, you must hear that, in
+spite of everything, I did not wholly lose courage, but began to act."
+
+"That is right, dear father," exclaimed Els, and told him briefly and
+quickly what the Council had decided, how warmly old Berthold Vorchtel
+had interceded for Wolff, and that the management of the business was to
+be confided solely to him.
+
+These tidings swiftly and powerfully revived the fading hopes of the
+sorely stricken man. He drew up his short figure as if the vigour of
+youth had returned, declaring that he now felt sure that this first star
+in the dark night would soon be followed by others. "It will now be your
+Wolff's opportunity," he exclaimed, "to make amends for much that Fate
+But I was commencing something else. Give me that bit of crumpled paper.
+I'll look at it again early to-morrow morning; it is a letter to the
+Emperor I was composing. Your brother ought not to have given up
+his young life on the battlefield for the Crown in vain. He owes
+me compensation for the son, you for the brother. He is certainly a
+fair-minded man, and therefore will not shut his ears to my complaint.
+Just wait, children! And you, my devout Eva, pray to your saint that the
+petition, which concerns you also, may effect what I expect."
+
+"And what is that?" asked Eva anxiously. "That the wrong done you,
+you poor, deceived child, shall be made good," replied Herr Ernst with
+imperious decision.
+
+Eva clasped his hand, pleading warmly and tenderly: "By all that you
+hold dear and sacred, I beseech you, father, not to mention me and
+Sir Heinz Schorlin in your letter. If he withdrew his love from me, no
+imperial decree--"
+
+The veins on the Councillor's brow again swelled with wrath, and though
+he did not burst into a passion, he exclaimed in violent excitement:
+"A nobleman who declares his love to a chaste Nuremberg maiden of noble
+birth assumes thereby a duty which, if unfulfilled, imposes a severe
+punishment upon him. This just punishment, at least, the tempter shall
+not escape. The Emperor, who proclaimed peace throughout the land and
+cleared the highways of the bands of robbers, will consider it his first
+duty--"
+
+Here the warden interrupted him by calling from the threshold of the
+room that the draw-bridge would be raised and the young ladies must
+follow him without delay.
+
+Eva again besought her father not to enter an accusation against the
+knight, and Els warmly supported her sister; but their brief, ardent
+entreaty produced no effect upon the obstinate man except, after he
+had pressed a farewell kiss upon the brows of both, to tell them with
+resolute dignity that the night would bring counsel, and he was quite
+sure that this time, as usual, he should pursue the right course for the
+real good of his dear children.
+
+Hitherto Herr Ernst had indeed proved himself a faithful and prudent
+head of his family, but this time his daughters left him with heavy,
+anxious hearts.
+
+Fear of her father's intention tortured Eva like a new misfortune, and
+Els and the countess also hoped that the petition would go without the
+accusation against Heinz.
+
+Whilst the sedan-chair was bearing the girls home few words were
+exchanged. Not until they approached the Frauenthor did they enter into
+a more animated conversation, which referred principally to Biberli
+and the question whether the Honourable Council would call Katterle
+to account also, and what could be done to save both from severe
+punishment. Cordula had drawn aside the curtain on the right and was
+gazing into the street, apparently from curiosity, but really with great
+anxiety. But Herr Pfinzing had done his part, and with the exception of
+several soldiers in the pay of the city there were few people in sight
+near the Ortlieb mansion.
+
+A horse was being led up and down on the opposite side of the courtyard,
+and behind the chains stood a sedan-chair with several men, to whom Metz
+had just brought from the kitchen a coal of fire to light their torches.
+The pretty girl looked as bright as if she felt small concern for the
+severe wound of the grey-haired tailor who had chosen her for his wife.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+As the young girls were getting out of their sedan-chair, the
+Frauenthor, which was closed at nightfall, opened to admit another whose
+destination also seemed to be the Ortlieb mansion.
+
+Katterle was standing in the lower entry with her apron raised to her
+face. She had learned that her true and steadfast lover had been carried
+to the "Hole," and was waiting here for her mistresses and also for
+Herr Pfinzing and his wife, whom old Martsche had conducted to the
+sittingroom in the second story. Herr Pfinzing, in her opinion, had as
+much power as the Emperor, and his wife was famed all over the city
+for her charitable and active kindness. When the noble couple came down
+Katterle meant to throw herself on her knees at their feet and beseech
+them to have mercy on her betrothed husband. The sisters and Cordula
+comforted her with the promise that they would commend Biberli's cause
+to the magistrate; but as they went upstairs they again expressed to one
+another the fear that Katterle herself would sooner or later follow the
+man she loved to prison.
+
+They found Herr Pfinzing and his wife in the sitting-room.
+
+Katterle was not wrong in expecting kindly help from this lady, for a
+more benevolent face than hers could scarcely be imagined, and, more
+over, Fran Christine certainly did not lack strength to do what
+she deemed right. Though not quite so broad as her short, extremely
+corpulent husband, she surpassed him in height by several inches, and
+time had transformed the pretty, slender, modest girl into a majestic
+woman. The slight arch of the nose, the lofty brow, the light down on
+the upper lip, and the deep voice even gave her a somewhat imperious
+aspect. Had it not been for the kind, faithful eyes, and an extremely
+pleasant expression about the mouth, one might have wondered how she
+could succeed in inspiring everyone at the first glance with confidence
+in her helpful kindness of heart.
+
+Her grey pug had also been brought with her. How could an animal supply
+the place of beloved human beings? Yet the pug had become necessary
+to her since her son, like so many other young men who belonged to
+patrician Nuremberg families, had fallen in the battle of Marchfield,
+and her daughter had accompanied her husband to his home in Augsburg.
+The onerous duties of her husband's office compelled him to leave her
+alone a great deal, and even in her extremely active life there were
+lonely hours when she needed a living creature that was faithfully
+devoted to her.
+
+She was often overburdened with work, for every charitable institution
+sought her as a "fosterer." True, in many cases their request was vain.
+Whatever she undertook must be faultlessly executed, and the charge of
+the orphan children in the city, the Beguines, and the hospital at her
+summer residence occupied her sufficiently. During the winter she lived
+with her husband at his official quarters in the castle, but as soon as
+spring came she longed for her little manor at Schweinau, for she
+had taken into the institution erected there for the widows of noble
+crusaders, but in which only the last four of these ladies were now
+supported, a number of Beguines. These were godly girls and women who
+did not wish to submit to convent rules, or did not possess the favour
+or the money required for admission.
+
+Without pledging themselves to celibacy or any of the other restrictions
+imposed upon the nuns, they desired only, in association with others of
+the same mind, to lead a life pleasing in the sight of God and devoted
+to Christian charity. Schweinau afforded abundant opportunity for
+charitable women to aid suffering fellow-mortals, since it was here that
+the unfortunates who had been mutilated by the hands of the executioner
+and his assistants, or wounded on the rack, often nearly unto death,
+were brought to be bandaged, and as far as possible healed. The Beguines
+occupied themselves in nursing them, but had many a conflict with the
+spiritual authorities, who preferred the monks and nuns bound by a
+monastic vow. The order of St. Francis alone regarded them with favour,
+interceded for them, and watched over them with kindly interest, taking
+care that they were kept aloof from everything which would expose them
+to reproach or blame.
+
+Frau Christine, the Abbess Kunigunde's sister, aided her in this effort,
+and the Beguines, to whom the magistrate's wife in no way belonged,
+but who had given them a home on her own estate, silently rendered her
+obedience when she wished to see undesirable conditions in their common
+life removed.
+
+Els, as well as Eva, had long since told Frau Christine, who was equally
+dear to both, everything that afforded ground for the shameful calumnies
+which had now urged their father to a deed for which he was atoning in
+prison.
+
+When, a few hours before, a messenger from her husband informed her of
+what had occurred, she had instantly come to the city to see that the
+right thing was done, and take the girls thus bereft of their father
+from the desolate Ortlieb mansion to her own house. Herr Pfinzing had
+warmly approved this plan, and accompanied her to the "Es," as he, too,
+was fond of calling his nieces.
+
+When she had been told what motives induced Eva not to confide herself
+just now to the protection of the convent, Frau Christine struck her
+broad hips, exclaiming, "There's something in blood! The young creature
+acts as if her old aunt had thought for her."
+
+Her invitation sounded so loving and cordial, her husband pressed it
+with such winning, jovial urgency, and the pug Amicus, whose attachment
+to Eva was especially noticeable, supported his mistress's wish
+with such ardent zeal, that she called the sisters' attention to his
+intercession.
+
+Meanwhile the girls had already expressed to each other, with the mute
+language of the eyes, their inclination to accept the invitation so
+affectionately extended. Els only made the condition that they were not
+to go to Schweinau until early the following morning, after their
+visit to their father; Eva, on the other hand, desired to go as soon
+as possible, gladly and gratefully confessing to her aunt how much more
+calmly she would face the future now that she was permitted to be under
+her protection.
+
+"Just creep under the old hen's wings, my little chicken; she will keep
+you warm," said the kind-hearted woman, kissing Eva. But, as she
+began to plan for the removal of the sisters, more visitors were
+announced--indeed, several at once; first, Albert Ebner, of the Council,
+and his wife, then Frau Clara Loffelholz, who came without her husband,
+and the two daughters of the imperial ranger Waldstromer, Els's most
+intimate friends. They had come in from the forest-house the day
+before to attend Frau Maria Ortlieb's burial. Now, with their mother's
+permission, they came to invite the deserted girls to the forest. The
+others also begged the sisters to come to them, and so did Councillors
+Schurstab, Behaim, Gross, Holzschuher, and Pirckheimer, who came, some
+with their wives and some singly, to look after the daughters of their
+imprisoned colleague.
+
+The great sitting-room was filled with guests, and the stalwart figures
+and shrewd, resolute faces of the men, the kind, good, and usually
+pleasing countenances of the women, whose blue eyes beamed with
+philanthropic benevolence, though they carried their heads high enough,
+afforded a delightful spectacle, and one well calculated to inspire
+respect. There could be no doubt that those whose locks were already
+grey represented distinguished business houses and were accustomed to
+manage great enterprises. There was not a single one whom the title
+"Honour of the Family" could not have well befitted; and what cheerful
+self-possession echoed in the deep voices of the men, what maternal
+kindness in those of the elder women, most of whom also spoke in
+sonorous tones!
+
+Els and Eva often cast stolen glances at each other as they greeted the
+visitors, thanked them, answered questions, gave explanations, accepted
+apologies, received and courteously declined invitations. They did not
+comprehend what had produced this sudden change of feeling in so many of
+their equals in rank, what had brought them in such numbers at so late
+an hour, as if the slightest delay was an offence, to their quiet house,
+which that very day had seemed to Frau Vorkler too evil to permit her
+children to remain in its service.
+
+The old magistrate and his wife, on the contrary, thought that they
+knew. They had helped the sisters to receive the first callers; but when
+Frau Barbara Behaim, a cousin of the late Frau Maria, had appeared, they
+gave up their post to her, and slipped quietly into the next room to
+escape the throng.
+
+There they retired to the niche formed by the deep walls of the broad
+central window of the house, and Herr Berthold Pfinzing whispered to his
+wife: "There was too much philanthropy and kindness for me in there. A
+great deal of honey at once cloys me. But you, prophetess, foresaw what
+is now occurring, and I, too, scarcely expected anything different. So
+long as one still has a doublet left compassion is in no haste, but
+when the last shirt is stripped from the body charity--thank the
+saints!--moves faster. We are most ready to help those who, we feel very
+sure, are suffering more than they deserve. There are many motherless
+children; but young girls who have lost both parents, exposed to every
+injustice----"
+
+"Are certainly rare birds," his wife interrupted, "and this will
+undoubtedly be of service to the children. But if they are now invited
+to the houses of the same worthy folk who, a few hours ago, thought
+themselves too good to attend the funeral of their admirable mother, and
+anxiously kept their own little daughters away from them, they probably
+owe it especially to the right mediators, noble old Vorchtel and
+another."
+
+"To-day, if ever, certainly furnished evidence how heavily the testimony
+and example of a really estimable man weighs on the scale. The First
+Losunger interceded for the children as if they were his own daughters,
+attacked the slanderers, and of course I didn't leave him in the lurch."
+
+"Peter Holzschuher declared that you defended them like the Roman
+Cicero," cried Frau Christine merrily. "But don't be vexed,
+dear husband; no matter how heavily the influence of the two
+Bertholds--Vorchtel's and yours--weighed in the balance, nay, had that
+of a third and a fourth of the best Councillors been added, what is now
+taking place before our eyes and ears would not have happened, if---"
+
+"Well?" asked the magistrate eagerly.
+
+"If," replied the matron in a tone of the firmest conviction, "they
+had not all been far from believing, even for a moment, in their inmost
+souls the shameful calumny which baseness dared to cast upon those
+two--just look more closely."
+
+"Yet if that was really the case--" her husband began to object, but she
+eagerly continued: "Many did not utter their better knowledge or faith
+because the evil heart believes in wickedness rather than virtue,
+especially if their own house contains something--we will say a young
+daughter--whose shining purity is thereby brought into a clearer light.
+Besides, we ourselves have often been vexed by--let us do honour to
+the truth!--by the defiant manner in which your devout godchild--yonder
+'little saint'--held aloof in her spiritual arrogance from the
+companions of her own age----"
+
+"And then," the corpulent husband added, "two young girls cannot be
+called 'the beautiful Es' unpunished in houses which contain a less
+comely T, S, and H. Just think of the Katerpecks. There--thank the
+saints!--they are taking leave already."
+
+"Don't say anything about them!" said Frau Christine, shaking her finger
+threateningly. "They are good, well-behaved children. It was pretty
+Ermengarde Muffel yonder by the fireplace who, after the dance at the
+Town Hall, assailed your godchild most spitefully with her sharp tongue.
+My friend Frau Nutzel heard her."
+
+"Ah, that dance!" said the magistrate, sighing faintly. "But the child
+was certainly distinguished in no common way. The Emperor Rudolph
+himself looked after her as if an angel had appeared to him. You
+yourself heard his sister's opinion of her. Her husband, the old
+Burgrave, and his son, handsome Eitelfritz--But you know all that. Half
+would have been enough to stir ill-will in many a heart."
+
+"And to turn her pretty little head completely," added his wife.
+
+"That, by our Lady, Christine," protested the magistrate, "that, at
+least, did not happen. It ran off from her like water from an oil jar. I
+noticed it myself, and the abbess--"
+
+"Your sister," interrupted the matron thoughtfully, "she was the very
+one who led her into the path that is not suited for her."
+
+"No, no," the magistrate eagerly asserted. "God did not create a girl,
+the mere sight of whom charms so many, to withdraw her from the gaze of
+the world."
+
+"Husband! husband!" exclaimed Frau Christine, tapping his arm gaily.
+"But there go the Schurstabs and Ebners. What a noise there is in the
+street below!"
+
+Her husband looked out of the bow window, pointed down, and asked her to
+come and stand beside him. When she had risen he passed his arm around
+the slenderest part of her waist, which, however, he could not quite
+clasp, and eagerly continued: "Just look! One would think it was a
+banquet or a dance. The whole street is filled with sedan-chairs,
+servants, and torch-bearers. A few hours ago the constables had hard
+work to prevent the deluded people from destroying the house of
+the profligate Es, and now one half of the distinguished honourable
+Councillors come to pay their homage. Do you know, dear, what pleases
+the most in all this?"
+
+"Well?" asked Frau Christine, turning her face towards him with a look
+of eager enquiry, which showed that she expected to hear something good.
+But he nodded slightly, and answered:
+
+"We members of patrician families cling to old customs; each wants to
+keep his individuality, as he would share or exchange his escutcheon
+with no one. Then, when one surpasses the rest in external things,
+whatever name they may bear, no one hastens to imitate him. We men are
+independent, rugged fellows. But if the heart and mind of any one of us
+are bent upon something really good and which may be said to be pleasing
+in the sight of God, and he successfully executes it, then, Christine,
+then--I have noticed it in a hundred instances--then the rest rush after
+him like sheep after the bellwether."
+
+"And this time you, and the other Berthold, were the leaders," cried
+Fran Christine, hastily pressing a kiss upon her old husband's cheek
+behind the curtain.
+
+Then she turned back into the dusky chamber, pointed to the open door
+of the sitting-room, and said, "just look! If that isn't----There comes
+Ursula Vorchtel with her betrothed husband, young Hans Nutzel! What
+a fine-looking man the slender youth has become! Ursel--her visit is
+probably the greatest pleasure which Els has had during this blessed
+hour."
+
+The wise woman was right; for when Ursel held out her hands to her
+former friend, whom she had studiously avoided so long, the eyes of both
+girls were moist, and Els's cheeks alternately flushed and paled, like
+the play of light and shadow on the ground upon a sunny morning in a
+leafy wood when the wind sways the tree tops.
+
+What did they not have to say to each other! As soon as they were
+unnoticed a moment Ursel kissed her newly regained friend, and
+whispered, pointing to her lover, with whom Fran Barbara Behaim was
+talking: "He first taught me to know what true love is, and since then I
+have realised that it was wrong and foolish for me to be angry with you,
+my dear Els, and that Wolff did right to keep his troth, hard as his
+family made it for him to do so. Had my Hans met me a little sooner, we
+should not now have to mourn our poor Ulrich. I know--for I have tried
+often enough to soothe his resentment--how greatly he incensed your
+lover. Oh, how sad it all is! But your aunt, the abbess, was right when
+she told us before our confirmation, 'When the cross that is imposed
+upon us weighs too heavily, an angel often comes, lifts it, and twines
+it with lovely roses!' That has been my experience, dear Els; and what
+great injustice I did you when I kept out of your way so meanly! I
+always felt drawn to you. But when that evil gossip began I turned
+against them all and bade them be silent in my presence, for it was all
+false, base lies. I upheld your Eva, too, as well as you, though she had
+been very ungracious whenever we met."
+
+How joyously Els opened her heart to these confessions! How warmly she
+interceded for her sister! The girls had passed their arms around each
+other, as if they had returned to the days of their childhood, and
+when Ursel's lover glanced at his betrothed bride, who, spite of her
+well-formed figure and pleasant face, could not be classed amongst the
+most beautiful of women, he thought she might compare in attractiveness
+with the loveliest maidens, but no one could equal her in kindness of
+heart. She saw this in the warm, loving look with which he sought her
+pleasant grey eyes, as he approached to remind her that it was time to
+go; but beckoning to him, she begged him to wait just a moment longer,
+which she employed in whispering to Els: "You should find shelter with
+us, and no one else, if my father----Don't think he refused to let me
+invite you on account of poor Ulrich, or because he was angry with you.
+It's only because----After the session to-day they all praised his noble
+heart, and I don't know what else, so loudly and with such exaggeration
+that it was too much to believe. If he interceded for the Eysvogel firm
+and you poor children, it was only because, as a just man, he could not
+do otherwise."
+
+"Oh, Ursel!" Els here interrupted, wishing to join in her father's
+praise; but the latter would not listen and eagerly continued:
+
+"No, no, he really felt so. His modesty made him unwilling to awaken the
+belief that he asked the betrothed bride of the man--you understand
+and her sister into his house, to set an example of Christian
+reconciliation. False praise, he says, weighs more heavily than
+disgrace. He has already heard more of it than he likes, and therefore,
+for no other reason, he does not open his house to you, but upon his
+counsel and his aid, he bids me tell you, you can confidently rely."
+
+Then the friends took leave of each other, and Ursula also embraced Eva,
+who approached her with expressions of warm gratitude, kissed her, and
+said, as she went away, "When next we meet, Miss Ungracious, I hope we
+shall no longer turn our backs on each other."
+
+When Ursel had gone with her lover, and most of the others had followed,
+Els felt so elated by thankfulness that she did not understand how her
+heart, burdened with such great and heavy anxieties, could be capable of
+rising to such rapturous delight.
+
+How gladly she would have hastened to Wolff to give him his share of
+this feeling! But, even had not new claims constantly pressed upon her,
+she could on no account have sought his hiding-place at this hour.
+
+When the last guest and the abbess also had retired, Aunt Christine
+asked Els to pack whatever she and her sister needed for the removal to
+Schweinau, for Eva was to go there with her at once.
+
+Countess Cordula, who, much as she regretted the necessity of being
+separated from her companions, saw that they were right to abandon the
+house from which their father had been torn, wanted to help Els,
+but just as the two girls were leaving the room a new visitor
+arrived--Casper Teufel, of the Council, a cousin of Casper Eysvogel,
+who had leaned on his arm for support when he left the session that
+afternoon.
+
+Els would not have waited for any other guest, but this one, as his
+first words revealed, came from the family to which she felt that she
+belonged, and the troubled face of the greyhaired, childless widower,
+who was usually one of the most jovial of men, as well as the unusually
+late hour of his call, indicated so serious a reason for his coming that
+she stopped, and with anxious urgency asked what news he had brought.
+
+It was not unexpected, yet his brief report fell heavily on the heart of
+Els, which had just ventured to beat gaily and lightly.
+
+Her uncle and aunt, Eva and the countess, also listened to the story.
+
+He had accompanied Casper Eysvogel to his home and remained with him
+whilst, overflowing with resentment and vehement, unbridled complaints
+of the injustice and despotism to which--owing specially to the
+hostility and self-conceit of old Berthold Vorchtel--he had fallen a
+victim, he informed Fran Rosalinde and her mother what the Council had
+determined concerning his own future and that of his family.
+
+When he finally reported that he himself and the ladies must leave the
+house and the city, Countess Rotterbach, with a scornful glance at her
+deeply humiliated son-in-law, exclaimed, "This is what comes of throwing
+one's self away!" The unfortunate man, already shaken to the inmost
+depths of his being, sank on his knees.
+
+Conrad Teufel had instantly placed him in bed and sent for the leech;
+but even after they had bathed his head with cold water and bled him he
+did not regain consciousness. His left side seemed completely paralysed,
+and his tongue could barely lisp a few unintelligible words.
+
+At the leech's desire a Sister of Charity had been sent for. Isabella
+Siebenburg, the sufferer's daughter, had already gone with her twin
+sons, in obedience to her husband's wish, to Heideck Castle.
+
+She had departed in anger, because she had vainly endeavoured to induce
+her mother and grandmother, who opposed her, to speak more kindly of her
+husband. When they disparaged the absent man with cruel harshness, she
+felt--she had told her cousin so--as if the infants could understand the
+insult offered to their father, and, to protect the children even more
+than herself, from her husband's feminine foes, she left the falling
+house, in spite of the entreaties and burning tears with which, in the
+hour of parting, her mother strove to detain her.
+
+Ere her departure she gave her jewels and the silver which her
+grandfather had bequeathed to her to Conrad Teufel, to satisfy the most
+urgent demands of her husband's creditors. Her father and she had parted
+kindly, and he made no attempt to oppose her.
+
+No one except the Sister of Charity was now in attendance upon the old
+gentleman; for his wife wept and wailed without finding strength to do
+anything, and even reproached her own mother, whom she accused of having
+plunged them all into misfortune, and caused the stroke of paralysis
+from which her husband was suffering.
+
+The grey-haired countess, the cousin went on, had passed from one attack
+of convulsions into another, and when he approached her had shrieked
+the words "ingratitude" and "base reward" so shrilly at him, in various
+tones, that they were still ringing in his ears.
+
+Everything in the luckless household was out of gear, and its noble
+guest, the Duke von Gulich, would feel the consequences, for the
+servants had lost their wits too. Spite of the countless men and maids,
+he had been obliged to go himself to the pump to get a glass of water
+for the sick man, and the fragments of the vase which the grandmother
+had flung at him with her own noble hand were still lying on the floor.
+His name was Teufel--[devil]--but even in his home in Hades things could
+scarcely be worse.
+
+When Herr Teufel at last paused, the magistrate and his wife exchanged a
+significant glance, while Eva gazed with deep suspense, and Cordula with
+earnest pity, at Els, who had listened to the story fairly panting for
+breath.
+
+When she raised her tearful eyes to Herr Pfinzing and Frau Christine,
+saying mournfully, "I must beg you to excuse me, my dear aunt and uncle;
+you have heard how much my Wolff's father needs me," all saw their
+expectations fulfilled.
+
+"Hard, hard!" said the magistrate, patting her on the shoulder. "Yet the
+lead with which we burden ourselves from kindly intentions becomes wood,
+or at last even feathers."
+
+But Frau Christine was not content with uttering cheering words; she
+offered to accompany Els and secure the place to which she was entitled.
+Frau Rosalinde had formerly often visited the matron to seek counsel,
+and had shown her, with embarrassing plainness, how willingly she
+admitted her superior ability. She disliked the old countess--but with
+whom would not the self-reliant woman, conscious of her good intentions,
+have dared to cope? Since the daughter of the house had left her
+relatives, the place beside his father's sick-bed belonged to the son's
+future wife. Frau Rosalinde was weak, but not the worst of women. "Just
+wait, child," Aunt Christine concluded, "she will see soon enough what
+a blessing enters the house and the sick-room with you. We will try to
+erect a wall against the old woman's spite."
+
+Conrad Teufel confessed that he had come with the hope of inducing Els,
+who had nursed her own mother so skilfully and patiently, to make so
+praiseworthy a resolution. In taking leave he promised to keep a sharp
+lookout for her rights, and, if necessary, to show the old she-devil his
+own cloven foot.
+
+After he, too, had gone, the preparations for the sisters' departure
+were commenced. Whilst Cordula was helping Eva to select the articles
+she wished to take to Schweinau, and her older sister, with Katterle's
+assistance, was packing the few pieces of clothing she needed as a nurse
+in the Eysvogel family, the countess offered to visit Herr Ernst in the
+watch-tower early the following morning and tell him what detained
+his daughters. Towards evening Eva could come into the city under the
+protection of her aunt, who had many claims upon her the next day, and
+see the prisoner.
+
+This time, to the surprise of her sister, who had always relieved her of
+such cares, Eva herself did the packing. When she had finished she led
+the weeping Katterle to her uncle, that she might beg for mercy upon her
+lover.
+
+The magistrate was thoroughly aware of the course of affairs, and talked
+to the maid with the gentle manner, pervaded with genuine kindness of
+heart, which was one of his characteristics. Biberli had already been
+subjected to an examination by torture; but even on the rack he had
+not said one word about his betrothed bride, and had resolutely denied
+everything which could criminate his master. A second trial awaited him
+on the morrow, but the magistrate promised to do all in his power to
+obtain the mildest possible sentence for him. At any rate, like all
+whose blood was shed by a legal sentence, he would be sent to Schweinau
+to be cured, and as Katterle would accompany Eva there, she could find
+an opportunity of nursing her betrothed husband herself.
+
+With these words he dismissed the girl, but when again alone with
+his wife he admitted to her that the poor fellow might easily fare
+badly--nay, might even lose his tongue--if on the rack, which was one
+of the instruments of torture to which he must again be subjected, he
+confessed having forced his way into the house of an "Honourable" at
+night. True, the fact that in doing so he had only followed his master,
+would mitigate the offence. He must bind the judges to secrecy, should
+it prove impossible to avoid the necessity of informing them of Eva's
+somnambulism. If the sentence were very severe, he might perhaps be
+able to delay its execution. Sir Heinz Schorlin, who stood high in the
+Emperor's favour, would then be asked to apply to the sovereign to annul
+it, or at any rate to impose a lighter punishment.
+
+Here he was interrupted by his nieces and Cordula, and soon after
+Frau Christine went out with Els to go to the Eysvogels. Herr Pfinzing
+remained with the others.
+
+A personage of no less distinction than the Duchess Agnes had complained
+to him of the reckless countess. Only yesterday she had ridden into the
+forest with her father, and when the young Bohemian princess met her,
+Cordula's dogs had assailed her skittish Arabian so furiously that it
+would have been difficult for a less practised rider to keep her seat
+in the saddle. This time the docile animals had refused to obey their
+mistress, and the duchess expressed the suspicion that she had not
+intended to call them off; for, though she had carelessly apologised,
+she asked, as if the words were a gibe, if there was anything more
+delightful than to curb a refractory steed. She had an answer ready for
+Cordula, however, and retorted that the disobedience of her dogs proved
+that, if she understood how to obtain from horses what she called the
+greatest delight, she certainly failed in the case of other living
+creatures. She therefore offered her royal condolence on the subject.
+
+Then she remarked to the magistrate that the incident had occurred in
+the imperial forest where, as she understood, the unrestricted wandering
+of strange hunting dogs was prohibited. Therefore, in future, Countess
+von Montfort might be required to leave hers at home when she rode to
+the woods.
+
+The magistrate now brought the complaint to the person against whom it
+was made, adopting a merry jesting tone, in which Cordula gaily joined.
+
+When the old gentleman asked whether she had previously angered the
+irritable princess, she answered laughing, "The saints have hitherto
+denied to the wife of the Emperor's son, as well as to other girls of
+thirteen or fourteen, the blessing of children, so she likes to play
+with dolls. She chanced to prefer the same one for which she saw me
+stretch out my hands."
+
+The old magistrate vainly sought to understand this jest; but Eva knew
+whom the countess meant by the doll, and it grieved her to see two women
+hostile to each other, seeking to amuse themselves with one who bore
+so little resemblance to a toy, and to whom she looked up with all the
+earnestness of a soul kindled by the deepest passion.
+
+While the magistrate and the countess were gaily arguing and jesting
+together she sat silent, and the others did not disturb her.
+
+After a long time Frau Christine returned. Traces of tears were plainly
+visible, though she had tried, whilst in the sedan-chair, to efface
+them. The scenes which Els had experienced at the Eysvogels' had
+certainly been far worse than she had feared--nay, the old countess's
+attack upon her was so insulting, Frau Rosalinde's helpless grief and
+Herr Casper's condition were so pitiable, that she had thought seriously
+of bringing the poor girl back with her, and removing her from these
+people who, she was sure, would make Els's life a torment as soon as she
+herself had gone.
+
+The grandmother's enquiry whether Jungfrau Ortlieb expected to find her
+Swiss gallant there, and similar insolent remarks, seemed fairly steeped
+with rancour.
+
+What a repulsive spectacle the old woman, utterly bereft of dignity,
+presented as with solemn mockery she courtesied to Els again and again,
+as if announcing herself her most humble servant; but the poor child
+kept silence until Frau Christine herself spoke, and assigned her niece
+to the place beside Herr Casper's sick-bed, which no one else could fill
+so well.
+
+Stillness reigned in this chamber, and Els scarcely had occasion to
+dread much disturbance, for the countess had been strictly forbidden to
+enter the sufferer's room. Frau Rosalinde seemed to fear the sight
+of the helpless man, and the Sister of Charity was a strong, resolute
+woman, who welcomed Els with sincere cordiality, and promised Frau
+Christine to let no evil befall her.
+
+The sedan-chairs were already waiting outside, and the lady would have
+gladly deferred her account of these sorrowful events until later, but
+Cordula so affectionately desired to learn how her friend had fared in
+her lover's home, that she hurriedly and swiftly gratified her wish.
+Speaking of the matter relieved her heart, and in a somewhat calmer mood
+she was carried to Schweinau.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The little Pfinzing castle in Schweinau was neither spacious nor
+splendid, but it was Fran Christine's favourite place of abode.
+
+The heat of summer found no entrance through the walls--three feet in
+thickness--of the ancient building. Early in the morning and at evening
+it was pleasant to stay in the arbour, a room open in the front,
+extending the whole length of the edifice, where one could breathe the
+fresh air even during rainy weather. It overlooked the herb garden,
+which was specially dear to its mistress, for it contained roses,
+lilies, pinks, and other flowers; and part of the beds, after being dug
+by the gardener, who had charge of the kitchen garden in the rear, were
+planted and tended by her own hand.
+
+The hour between sunrise and mass was devoted to this work, in which Eva
+was to help her, and it would afford her much information; for her aunt
+raised many plants which possessed healing power. Some of the seeds
+or bulbs had been brought from foreign lands, but she was perfectly
+familiar with the virtues of all. Schweinau afforded abundant
+opportunity to use them, and the nurses in the city hospital, and the
+leech Otto, and other physicians, as well as many noble dames in the
+neighbourhood who took the place of a physician among their peasants and
+dependents, applied to Fran Christine when they needed certain roots,
+leaves, berries, and seeds for their sick. Nor did the monks and nuns,
+far and near, ever come to her for such things in vain.
+
+True, the life at Castle Schweinau was by no means so quiet as the one
+which Eva had hitherto loved.
+
+When she accepted the invitation she knew that, if she shared all her
+aunt's occupations, she would not have even a single half hour of her
+own; but this was not her first visit here, and she had learned that
+Frau Christine allowed her entire liberty, and required nothing which
+she did not offer of her own free will.
+
+When she saw the matron, after the mass and the early repast which her
+husband shared with her before going to the city, visit the aged widows
+of the crusaders in the little institution behind the kitchen garden and
+inspect and regulate the work of the Beguines, she often wondered where
+this woman, whose age was nearer seventy than sixty, found strength for
+all this, as well as the duties which followed. First there were orders
+to give in the kitchen that the principal meal, after the vesper bells
+had rung, should always win from the master of the house the "Couldn't
+be better," which his wife heard with the same pleasure as ever. Then,
+after visiting the wash-house, the bleachcry, the linen presses, the
+cellar, the garret, and even the beehives to see that everything was
+in order, and emerging from the hands of the maid as a well-dressed
+noblewoman, she received visit after visit. Members of the patrician
+families of Nuremberg arrived; monks and nuns on various errands for
+their cloisters and their poor; gentlemen and ladies from ecclesiastical
+and secular circles, in both city and country, among them frequently
+the most aristocratic attendants of the Reichstag; for she numbered the
+Burgrave and his wife among her friends, and when questioned about the
+Nuremberg women, the Burgrave Frederick mentioned her as second to none
+in ability, shrewdness, and kindness of heart.
+
+Both he and his worthy wife sometimes sought her in the sphere of
+occupation which consumed the lion's share of her time and strength--the
+superintendence of the Schweinau hospital. True, she often let
+days elapse without entering it; but if anything went wrong and her
+assistance was desirable or necessary in serious cases, she remained
+there until late at night, or even until the following morning.
+
+At such times even the most distinguished visitors were sent home with
+the message that Frau Christine could not leave the sick.
+
+The Burgrave and his wife were the only persons permitted to follow
+her into the hospital, and they had probably gained the privilege
+of speaking to her there because they were among its most liberal
+supporters, and three of their sons wore the cross of the Knights
+Hospitaller, and often spent weeks there, as the rule of the order
+prescribed, in nursing the sufferers.
+
+Women also had the right to enter the hospital to be cured of the wounds
+inflicted by the scourge or the iron of the executioner.
+
+Each sufferer was to be nursed there only three days, but Frau Christine
+took care that no one to whom such treatment might be harmful should be
+put out. The Honourable Council was obliged, willing or unwilling, to
+defray the necessary expense. The magistrate had many a battle to fight
+for these encroachments, but he always found a goodly majority on the
+side of the hospital and his wife. If the number of those who required
+longer nursing increased too rapidly they did not spare their own fine
+residence.
+
+The hospital and the hope of being allowed to help within its walls had
+brought Eva to Schweinau. The experiences of the past few days had swept
+through the peace of her young soul like a tempest, overthrowing firmly
+built structures and fanning glimmering sparks to flames. Since her
+quiet self-examination in the room of the city clerk, she had known what
+she lacked and what duty required her to become. The bond which united
+her to her saint and the Saviour still remained, but she knew what was
+commanded by him from whom St. Clare's mission also came, what Francis
+of Assisi had enjoined upon his followers whose experiences had been
+like hers.
+
+They were to strive to restore peace to their perturbed souls by
+faithful toil for their brothers and sisters; and what toil better
+suited a feeble girl like herself than the alleviation of her unhappy
+neighbour's suffering? The harder the duties imposed upon her in the
+service of love, the better. She would set to work in the hope of making
+herself the true, resolute woman which her mother, with the eyes of the
+soul, had seen her fragile child become; but she could imagine nothing
+more difficult than the tasks to be fulfilled here. This was the real
+fierce heat of the forge fire to which the dead woman had wished to
+entrust her purification and transformation. She would not shun, but
+hasten to it. While her lover was wielding the sword she, too, had a
+battle to fight. She had heard from Biberli that Heinz wished to undergo
+the most severe trials. This was noble, and her enthusiastic nature,
+aspiring to the loftiest goal, was filled with the same desire. Eager to
+learn how they would bear the test, she scanned her young shoulders and
+gazed at the burden which she intended to lay upon them.
+
+When, the year before, her aunt took her to the hospital for the first
+time, she had returned home completely unnerved. She had not even had
+the slightest suspicion that there was such suffering on earth, such
+pain amongst those near her, such depravity amongst those of her own
+sex. What comparison was there between what Els had done for her gentle,
+patient mother, or what she would do for old Herr Casper, who lay in a
+soft bed--it had been shown to her as something of rare beauty, of ebony
+and ivory--and the task of nursing these infamous gallows-birds bleeding
+from severe wounds, and these depraved sick women? But if God's own Son
+gave up His life amidst the most cruel suffering for sinful humanity,
+how dared she, the weak, erring, slandered girl, who had no goodness
+save her passionate desire to do what was right, shrink from helping the
+most pitiable of her neighbours? Here in the hospital at Schweinau lay
+the heavy burden which she wished to take upon herself.
+
+She desired it also in order to maintain the bond which had united her
+to the Saviour. She would be constantly reminded here of his own words,
+"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
+ye have done it unto me." To become a bride of Jesus Christ and, closely
+united to Him in her inmost soul, await the hour when He would open
+His divine arms to her, had seemed the fairest lot in life. Now she had
+pledged herself in the world to another, and yet she did not wish to
+give up her Saviour. She desired to show Him that though she neither
+could nor would resign her earthly lover, her heart still throbbed
+for the divine One as tenderly as of yore. And could He who was Love
+incarnate condemn her, when He saw how, without even being permitted
+to hope that her lover would find his way back to her, she clung with
+inviolable steadfastness to her troth, though no one save He and His
+heavenly Father had witnessed her silent vow?
+
+She belonged to Heinz, and he--she knew it--to her. Even though later,
+after all the world had acknowledged her innocence, the walls of convent
+and monastery divided them, their souls would remain indissolubly
+united. If there should be no meeting for them here below, in the other
+world the Saviour would lead them to each other the more surely, the
+more obediently they strove to fulfil His divine command. As Heinz
+desired to take up the cross in imitation of Christ she, too, would
+bear it. It was to be found beside the straw pallets of the wounded
+criminals. The fulfilment of every hard duty which she voluntarily
+performed seemed like a step that brought her nearer to the Saviour,
+and at the same time to the union with her lover, even though in another
+world.
+
+The first request she made to her aunt on the way to mass, early in the
+morning of the first day of her stay in Schweinau, was an entreaty for
+permission to work in the hospital. It was granted, but not until the
+eyes of the experienced woman, ever prompt in decision, had rested with
+anxious hesitation upon the beautiful face and exquisite lithe young
+figure. The thought that it would be a pity for such lovely, pure,
+stainless girlish charms to be used in the service of these outcasts had
+almost determined her to utter a resolute "No"; but she did not do it;
+nay, a flush of shame crimsoned her face as her eyes rested on the image
+of the crucified Redeemer which stood beside the road leading to the
+little village church; for whom had He, the Most High, summoned to
+His service and deemed specially worthy of the kingdom of heaven? The
+simple-hearted, the children, the adulterers, the sinners and publicans,
+the despised, and the poor! No, no, it would not degrade the lovely
+child to help the miserable creatures yonder, any more than it did the
+rarest plant which she raised in her herb garden when she used it to
+heal the hurts of some abandoned wretch.
+
+And besides, with what deep loathing she herself had gone to the
+hospital at first, and how fully conscious of her own infinite
+superiority she had returned from amongst these depraved beings to the
+outdoor air.
+
+Yet how this feeling, which had stirred within her heart, gradually
+changed!
+
+During her closer acquaintance with the poor and the despised, the
+nature and work of Christ first became perfectly intelligible to her;
+for how many traits of simple, self-sacrificing readiness to help,
+what touching contentment and grateful joy in the veriest trifle,
+what childlike piety and humble resignation even amidst intolerable
+suffering, these unfortunates had shown! Nay, when she had become
+familiar with the lives of many of her protegees and learned how they
+had fallen into the hands of the executioner and reached Schweinau, she
+had asked herself whether, under similar circumstances, the majority of
+those who belonged to her own sphere in life would not have found the
+way there far more speedily, and whether they would have endured the
+punishment inflicted half so patiently or with so much freedom from
+bitterness and rebellion against the decrees of the Most High. She had
+discovered salutary sap in many a human plant that had at first seemed
+absolutely poisonous; where she had shrunk from touching such impurity,
+violets and lilies had bloomed amidst the mire. Instead of holding her
+head haughtily erect, she had often left the hospital with a sense of
+shame, and it was long since she had ceased to use the proud privilege
+of her rank to despise people of lower degree. If sometimes tempted to
+exercise it, the impulse was roused far more frequently by those of her
+own station, who were base in mind and heart, than by the sufferers in
+the hospital.
+
+She had become very modest in regard to herself, why should she wake to
+new life the arrogance now hushed in Eva's breast?
+
+Much secret distress of mind and anguish of soul had been endured by the
+poor child, who yesterday had opened her whole heart to her, when she
+went to rest in her chamber. How lowly she felt, how humble was the
+little saint who recently had elevated herself above others only too
+quickly and willingly! It would do her good to descend to the lowest
+ranks and measure her own better fate by their misery. She who felt
+bereaved could always be the giver in the hospital, and she felt with
+subtle sympathy what attracted Eva to her sufferers.
+
+The magistrate's wife was a religious matron, devoted to her Church, but
+in her youth she had been by no means fanatical. The Abbess Kunigunde,
+her younger sister, however, had fought before her eyes the conflict of
+the soul, which had finally sent the beautiful, much-admired girl within
+convent walls. No one except her quiet, silent sister Christine had
+been permitted to witness the mental struggle, and the latter now saw
+repeated in her young niece what Kunigunde had experienced so many years
+before. Difficult as it had then been for her to understand the future
+abbess, now, after watching many a similar contest in others, it was
+easy to follow every emotion in Eva's soul.
+
+During a long and happy married life, in which year by year mutual
+respect had increased, the magistrate and his wife had finally attained
+the point of holding the same opinions on important questions; but when
+Herr Berthold returned from the city, and finding Eva already at the
+hospital, told his wife, at the meal which she shared with him, that
+from his point of view she ought to have strenuously opposed her niece's
+desire, and he only hoped that her compliance might entail no disastrous
+consequences upon the excitable, sensitive child, the remarkable thing
+happened that Frau Christine, without as usual being influenced by him,
+insisted upon her own conviction.
+
+So it happened that this time the magistrate was robbed of the little
+nap which usually followed the meal, and yet, in spite of the best will
+to yield, he could not do his wife the favour of allowing himself to be
+convinced. Still, he did not ask her to retract the consent which she
+had once given, so Eva was permitted to continue to visit the hospital.
+
+The nurse, a woman of estimable character and strong will, would
+faithfully protect her whatever might happen. Frau Christine had placed
+the girl under her special charge, and the Beguine Hildegard, a woman of
+noble birth and the widow of a knight who had yielded his life in Italy
+for the Emperor Frederick, received her with special warmth because she
+had a daughter whom, just at Eva's age, death had snatched from her.
+
+Yet the magistrate would not be soothed. Not until he saw from the
+arbour, whilst the dessert still remained on the table; Cordula riding
+up on horseback did he cease recapitulating his numerous objections and
+go to meet the countess.
+
+To his straightforward mind and calm feelings the most incomprehensible
+thing had been Frau Christine's description of the soul-life of her
+sister and her niece. He knew the terrible impressions which even a man
+could not escape amongst the rabble in the hospital, and had used the
+comparison that what awaited Eva there was like giving a weak child
+pepper.
+
+As Countess Cordula, aided by the old man's hand, swung herself from the
+saddle of her spirited dappled steed, he thought: "If it were she who
+wanted to tend our sick rascals instead of the delicate Eva, I wouldn't
+object. She'd manage Satan himself whilst my little godchild was holding
+intercourse with her angels in heaven."
+
+In the arbour Cordula explained why she had not come before; but her
+account told the elderly couple nothing new.
+
+When she went to see Ernst Ortlieb in the watch-tower that morning he
+had already been taken to the Town Hall. No special proceedings were
+required, since he was his own accuser, and many trustworthy witnesses
+deposed that he had been most grossly irritated--nay, as his advocate
+represented, had wounded the tailor in self-defence. Yet Ernst Ortlieb
+could not be dismissed from imprisonment at once, because the tailor's
+representative demanded a much larger amount of blood-money than the
+court was willing to grant. The wound was not dangerous to life, but
+still prevented his leaving his bed and appearing in person before
+his judges. The candle-dealer was nursing him in his own house and
+instigating him to make demands whose extravagance roused the judges'
+mirth. As after a tedious discussion Meister Seubolt still insisted
+upon them, the magistrates from the Council and the Chief of Police, who
+composed the court, advised Herr Ernst to have the sentence deferred
+and recognise the tailor's claim that his case belonged to the criminal
+court. Out of consideration for the citizens and the excited state of
+the whole guild of tailors, it seemed advisable to avoid any appearance
+of partiality, yet in that case the self-accuser must submit to
+imprisonment until the sentence was pronounced. This delay, however, was
+of trivial importance; for Herr Pfinzing had promised his brother-in-law
+that his cause should be considered and settled on the following day.
+
+Herr Berthold had told his wife all this soon after his return, and
+added, with much admiration of the valiant fellow's steadfastness, that
+Biberli, Sir Heinz Schorlin's servant, had again been subjected to an
+examination by torture and was racked far more severely than justice
+could approve.
+
+The countess reported that after her friend's father had been taken back
+to the watch-tower a few hours before, she had found him in excellent
+spirits.
+
+True, the Burgrave von Zollern had not come to visit him in person, like
+many "Honourables" and gentlemen, but he had sent his son Eitelfritz to
+enquire how he fared, and the prisoner was occupied with the petition
+which he wished to send the sovereign the next day through Meister
+Gottlieb von Passau, the Emperor Rudolph's protonotary. He had told
+Cordula, with a resolute air, that it contained the charge that Sir
+Heinz Schorlin had found his way into his house at night, and would
+not even suffer her to finish her entreaty to omit the accusation. "And
+now," the countess added mournfully, "I urge you, to whom the young girl
+is dear, to consider the pitiable manner in which, by her own father's
+folly, Eva's name will be on the tongues of the whole court, and
+what the gossips throughout the city will say about the poor child in
+connection with such an accusation."
+
+Frau Pfinzing sighed heavily, and rose, but her husband, who perceived
+her intention, stopped her with the remark that it would be useless
+to go that day, for the sun was already setting and the watchtower was
+closed at nightfall.
+
+This induced the matron to return to her seat; but she had scarcely
+touched the easy-chair ere she again rose and told the servant to saddle
+the big bay. She would ride to the city on horseback this time; the
+bearers moved too slowly. Then turning to her husband, she said gaily:
+
+"I thank you for the excuse you have made for me, but I cannot use it in
+this case. My foolish brother must on no account make the charge which
+will expose his daughter; it would be a serious misfortune were I to
+arrive too late. What is the use of being the wife of the imperial
+magistrate, if a Nuremberg drawbridge cannot be raised for me even after
+sunset? If the petition has already gone, I must see Meister Gottlieb.
+True, it was not to be sent until to-morrow, but there is nothing
+of which we are more glad to rid ourselves than the disagreeable
+transactions from which we shrink. Give me a pass for the warder,
+Pfinzing; and you, Countess, excuse me; it is you who send me away."
+
+Whilst the maid brought her headkerchief and her cloak, and the
+magistrate in a low tone told he servant to have his horse ready, too,
+Frau Christine asked Cordula to bring Eva from the hospital, if she felt
+no disgust at the sight of common people suffering from wounds.
+
+"The huts of our wood-cutters, labourers, and fishermen look cleaner,
+it is true, than the hovels of the charcoal burners and quarrymen in
+the Montfort forests and mountains; yet none of them are perfumed with
+sandal-wood and attar of roses, and the blow of the axe which gashes one
+of our wood-cutter's flesh presents a similar spectacle to the wounds
+which your criminals bring with them to Schweinau. And let me tell you,
+I am the leech in Montfort, and unless death is near, and the chaplain
+accompanies me bearing the sacrament, I often go alone with the
+manservant, the maid, or the pages who carry my medicines. Since I
+grew up I have attended to our sick, and I cannot tell you how many
+fractures, wounds, hurts, and fevers I have cured or seen progress to
+a fatal end. I stand godmother to nearly all the newborn infants in our
+villages and hamlets. The mothers whom I nurse insist upon it. There are
+almost as many Cordulas as girls on the Montfort estates, and in many a
+hut there are two or three of them. Michel the fisherman has a Cordula,
+a Cordel, and a Dulla. Therefore it follows that I am accustomed to
+severe wounds, though my heart often aches at the sight of them. I know
+how to bandage as well as a barber, and, if necessary, can even use the
+knife."
+
+"I thought so," cried the magistrate, much comforted. "Set my delicate
+little Eva an example if her courage fails; or, what would be still
+better, if you see that the horrible business goes too much against the
+grain, persuade her to give up work which requires stronger hands and a
+less sensitive nature. But there are the horses already. I want to go to
+the city, too, Christel, and it's lucky that I don't have to go alone at
+night."
+
+"So said the man who jumped in to save somebody from drowning," replied
+Fran Christine laughing: "It's lucky it happened, because I was
+just going to take a bath!" But it pleased her to have her husband's
+companionship, and she did not approach her horse until he had examined
+the saddle-girth and the bridle with the utmost care.
+
+Before putting her foot in the stirrup, she told the old housekeeper
+to take Countess von Montfort to the hospital and commend her to the
+special care of Sister Hildegard. She would call for Cordula and Eva
+on her return from the city; but they must not wait for her should the
+strength of either fail. She had ordered a sedan-chair to be kept ready
+for her niece at the hospital. A second one would be at the countess's
+disposal.
+
+"That's what I call foresight!" cried the magistrate laughing. "Only,
+my dear countess, see that our little saint doesn't attempt anything
+too hard. Her pious heart would run her little head against the wall if
+matters came to that and, like the noble Moorish steeds, she would drop
+dead in her tracks rather than stop. Such a delicate creature is like a
+lute. When the key is raised higher and higher the string snaps, and we
+want to avoid that. With you, my young heroine----"
+
+"There is no danger of that kind," Cordula gaily protested. "This
+instrument is provided with metal strings; the tone is neither sweet nor
+musical, but they are durable."
+
+"Good, firm material, such as I like," the magistrate declared. Then
+he helped his wife mount her horse, placed the bridle in her left hand,
+looked at the saddle-girth again, and, spite of his corpulence, swung
+himself nimbly enough on his strong steed. Then, with Frau Christine, he
+trotted after the torch-bearers towards the city.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+The drawbridge before the watch-tower was promptly lowered for the
+imperial magistrate and his wife. He would have dissuaded Frau Chris the
+from the ride and come alone, had not experience taught him that Ernst
+Ortlieb was more ready to listen to her than to him. But they came too
+late; just before sunset Herr Ernst had availed himself of the visit of
+the imperial forester, Waldstromer, to give him the petition to convey
+to the protonotary, by whom it was to reach the Emperor. Nor did he
+regret this decision, but insisted that his duty as a father and a
+Nuremberg "Honourable" would not permit the wrong done to his child and
+his household by a foreign knight to pass unpunished.
+
+True, Fran Christine exerted all her powers of persuasion to change his
+opinion, and her husband valiantly supported her, but they accomplished
+nothing except to gain the prisoner's consent that if the paper had not
+yet reached the Emperor the protonotary might defer its presentation
+until he was asked for it.
+
+Herr Ernst had made this concession after the magistrate's
+representation that Sir Heinz Schorlin had been subjected to an
+experience which had stirred the inmost depths of his soul, and soon
+after had been unexpectedly sent in pursuit of the Siebenburgs. Hence
+he had found no time to speak to the father. If he persisted in his
+intention of entering a monastery, the petition would be purposeless.
+If it proved that he was merely trifling with Eva, there would be time
+enough to call upon the Emperor to punish him. Besides, he knew from
+Maier of Silenen that the knight had firmly resolved to renounce the
+world.
+
+But the magistrate and his wife did not take their nocturnal ride in
+vain, for after leaving the watch-tower they met the protonotary at St.
+Sebald's. He had received the petition, but had not yet delivered it to
+his royal master, and promised to withhold it for a time.
+
+Rejoicing over this success, Herr Pfinzing accompanied Fran Christine,
+who wanted to visit Els, to the Eysvogel residence.
+
+The din of many voices and loud laughter greeted them from the spacious
+entry. Three mendicant friars, with overflowing pouches, pressed
+past them, and two others were still standing with the men and the
+maidservants assembled in the light of the lanterns. They had filled the
+barefooted monks' bags, for the salvation of their own souls, with the
+provisions of the house, and were talking garrulously, already half
+intoxicated by the jugs of wine which the butler willingly filled to
+earn a sweet reward from the young maids, who eagerly sought the favour
+of the rotund bachelor whose hair was just beginning to turn grey.
+
+The magistrate's entrance startled them, and the butler vainly strove
+to hide a large jar whose shape betrayed that it came from Sicily and
+contained the noble vintage of Syracuse. Two of the maids slid under
+their aprons the big hams and pieces of roast meat with which they had
+already begun to regale themselves.
+
+Herr Berthold, smiling sadly, watched the conduct of the masterless
+servants; then raising his cap, bowed with the utmost respect to the
+disconcerted revellers, and said courteously, "I hope it will agree with
+you all."
+
+The startled group looked sheepishly at one another. The butler was
+the only person who quickly regained his composure, came forward to
+the magistrate cap in hand, and said obsequiously that he and his
+fellow-servants were in evil case. The house had no master. No one
+knew from whom he or she was to receive orders. Most of them had been
+discharged by the Honourable Councillor, but no one knew when he was to
+leave or whom to ask for his wages.
+
+The magistrate then informed them that Herr Wolff Eysvogel had the right
+to give orders, and during his absence his betrothed bride, Jungfrau
+Els Ortlieb. The next morning a member of the Council would examine the
+claims of each, pay the wages, and with Frau Rosalinde and Jungfrau Els
+determine the other matters.
+
+The butler had imbibed a goodly share of the noble wine. His fat cheeks
+glowed, and at the magistrate's last remark he laughed softly: "If we
+wait for the folk upstairs to agree we shall stay here till the Pegnitz
+flows up the valley. Just listen to their state of harmony, sir!"
+
+In fact the shrill, angry accents of a woman's loud voice, with which
+mingled deeper tones that were very familiar to Herr Berthold, echoed
+down into the entry. It certainly looked ill for the concord of the
+women of the house; yet the magistrate could not permit the unprincipled
+servant's insolence to pass unpunished, so he answered quietly:
+
+"You are right, fellow. One can put a stop to this shameful conduct more
+quickly than several, and by virtue of my office I will therefore be the
+one to command here. You will leave this house and service to-morrow."
+
+But when the angry butler, with the hoarse tones of a drunkard, declared
+that in Nuremberg none save rascals were turned out of doors directly
+after a discharge, the magistrate, with grave dignity, cut him short by
+remarking that he would do better not to bring before the magistrates
+the question of what beseemed the servant who wasted the valuable
+property entrusted to his care, as had been done here.
+
+With these words he pointed to the spot where the jug of wine which he
+had plainly seen was only half concealed, and the threat silenced the
+man, whose conscience reproached him far more than Herr Pfinzing could
+imagine.
+
+Meanwhile quiet had not been restored upstairs. Frau Christine had
+released Els from a store-room in which the old countess, after
+persuading her daughter to this spiteful and childish trick, had locked
+her. A serious discussion amongst the women followed, which was closed
+only by the interposition of the magistrate. Perhaps this might have
+been accomplished less quickly had not the leech Otto appeared as a
+welcome aid.
+
+Frau Rosalinde penitently besought forgiveness, her mother was again
+forbidden to come to the lower story, and threatened, if she approached
+the sick-room, with immediate removal from the house.
+
+This strictness was necessary to render it possible for Els to maintain
+her difficult position.
+
+The day had been filled with painful incidents and shameful
+humiliations. The old countess had summoned two relatives, both elderly
+canonesses, to aid her in her assault upon the intruder, and perhaps
+they were the persons who advised locking up Sir Casper's nurse, to whom
+they denied the right of still calling herself the bride of the young
+master of the house.
+
+Frau Christine had arrived at the right time. Els was beginning to lose
+courage. She had found nothing which could aid her to sustain it.
+
+Since Biberli had been deprived of his liberty she had rarely heard from
+Wolff, and his invalid father, for whose sake she remained in the house,
+seemed to view her with dislike. At first he had tried neither to speak
+to nor look at her, but that morning, while raising a refreshing cup to
+his parched lips, he had cast at her from the one eye whose lid still
+moved a glance whose enmity still haunted her.
+
+Even the priest who visited him several times was by no means kindly
+disposed towards her. He belonged to the Dominican order, and was
+the confessor of the old countess and Frau Rosalinde. They must have
+slandered her sorely to him; and as the order of St. Francis, to which
+the Sisters of St. Clare belonged, was a thorn in his flesh, he bore her
+a grudge because, as the Abbess Kunigunde's niece, she stood by her and
+her convent, and threatened to win the Eysvogel household over to the
+Franciscans.
+
+Before the magistrate and his wife left their niece, Herr Berthold
+ordered the men and maidservants to stand in separate rows, then, in the
+physician's presence, introduced Els to them as the mistress whom they
+were to obey, and requested her to choose those whose services she
+wished to retain. The rest would be compensated at the Town Hall the
+next day for their abrupt dismissal.
+
+Els had never found it harder to say good-by to her relatives; but the
+leech Otto remained with her some time, and was soon joined by Conrad
+Teufel, thereby rendering it a little easier for her to persist in the
+performance of her difficult duty. On the way home to Schweinau the
+magistrate and his wife talked together as eagerly as if they had just
+met after a long separation. They had gone back to the query how nursing
+the wounded criminals would affect Eva, and both hoped that Cordula's
+presence and encouragement would strengthen her power of resistance.
+
+But what did this mean?
+
+As they approached the little castle they saw from the road in the
+arbour, which was lighted with links, the figure of the countess. She
+was sitting in Frau Christine's easy chair, but Eva was nowhere in view.
+Had her strength failed, and was Cordula awaiting their return after
+putting her more delicate friend to bed? And Boemund Altrosen, who stood
+opposite to her, leaning against one of the pillars which supported the
+arched ceiling of the room, how came he here? The Pfinzings had known
+him from early childhood, for his father had been a dear friend and
+brother in arms of the magistrate; and--whilst Boemund, as a boy, was
+enjoying the instruction of the Benedictines in the monastery of St.
+AEgidius, he had been a favourite comrade of Frau Christine's son,
+who had fallen in battle, and always found a cordial reception in his
+parents' house.
+
+With what tender anxiety the knight gazed into Cordula's pale face!
+Something must have befallen the blooming, vigorous huntress and daring
+horsewoman, and both Herr Berthold and his wife feared that it concerned
+Eva.
+
+The young couple now perceived their approach, and Cordula, rising,
+waved her handkerchief to them. Yet how slowly she rose, how feebly the
+vivacious girl moved her hand.
+
+Herr Berthold helped his wife from the saddle as quickly as possible,
+and both hurried anxiously towards the arbour. Frau Christine did not
+remain in the winding path, but though usually she strictly insisted
+that no one should tread on the turf, hastily crossed it to reach her
+goal more quickly. But ere she could put the question she longed to ask,
+Cordula sorrowfully exclaimed: "Don't judge me too severely. 'He who
+exalts himself shall be humbled,' says the Bible, and also that the
+first shall be last, and the last first; but I have been forced to sit
+upon the ground whilst Eva occupies the throne. I belong at the end of
+the last rank, whilst she leads the foremost."
+
+"Please explain the riddle at once," pleaded Frau Christine.
+
+Sir Boemund Altrosen came forward, held out his hand to his old friend,
+and spoke for Cordula "The horror and loathsomeness were too much for
+her, whilst Jungfrau Ortlieb endured them."
+
+"Eva remained at the hospital," the countess added dejectedly, "because
+a dying woman would not let her go; whilst I--the knight is right--could
+bear it no longer."
+
+Frau Christine glanced triumphantly at her husband, but when she saw
+Cordula's pale cheeks she exclaimed: "Poor child! And there was no one
+here to----One moment, Countess!"
+
+Throwing down her riding-whip and gloves as she spoke, she was hurrying
+towards the sideboard on which stood the medicine-case, to prepare a
+strengthening drink; but Cordula stopped her, saying: "The housekeeper
+has already supplied the necessary stimulant. I will only ask to have my
+horse brought to the door, or my father will be anxious. I was obliged
+to await your return, because----Well, my flight from the hospital
+certainly was not praiseworthy, and it affords me no special pleasure
+to confess it. But you must not think me even more pitiful than I proved
+myself, so I stayed to tell you myself----"
+
+"That it is one thing," interrupted Sir Boemund, "to nurse worthy
+wood-cutters, gamekeepers, fishermen, and charcoal-burners, who, when
+wounded and ill, look up to their gracious mistress as if she were an
+angel of deliverance, and quite a different matter to mingle with the
+miserable rabble yonder. The bloody stripes which the executioner's
+lash cuts in the criminal's back do not render him more gentle; the
+mutilation which he curses, and the disgrace with which an abandoned
+woman----"
+
+"Stop!" interrupted Cordula, whose lips and cheeks had again grown
+colourless. "Do not mention those scenes which have poisoned my soul.
+It was too hideous, too terrible! And how the woman with the red band
+around her neck, the mark of the rope by which she carried the stone,
+rushed at the other whose eye had been put out! how they fought on the
+floor, scratching, biting, tearing each other's hair----"
+
+Here the tender-hearted girl, covering her convulsed face with her
+hands, sobbed aloud.
+
+Frau Christine drew her compassionately to her heart, pressed the
+motherless child's head to her bosom, and let her weep her fill there,
+whilst the magistrate said to Sir Boemund: "And Eva Ortlieb also
+witnessed this hideous scene, yet the delicate young creature endured
+it?"
+
+Altrosen nodded assent, adding eagerly, as if some memory rose
+vividly before him: "She often looked distressed by these horrors, but
+usually--how shall I express it?--usually calm and content."
+
+"Content," repeated the magistrate thoughtfully. Then, suddenly
+straightening his short, broad figure, he thrust his little fat hand
+into a fold of the knight's doublet, exclaiming: "Boemund, do you want
+to know the most difficult riddle that the Lord gives to us men to
+solve? It is--take heed--a woman's soul."
+
+"Yes," replied Altrosen curtly; the word sounded like a sigh.
+
+While speaking, his dark eye was bent on Cordula, whose head still
+rested on Frau Christine's breast.
+
+Then, adjusting the bandage which since the fire had been wound around
+his forehead and his dark hair, he continued in a tone of explanation:
+"Count von Montfort sent me, when it grew dark, to accompany his
+daughter home. From your little castle I was directed to the hospital,
+where I found her amongst the horrible women. She had struggled
+faithfully against her loathing and disgust, but when I arrived her
+power of resistance was already beginning to fail. Fortunately the
+sedan-chair was there, for she felt that her feet would scarcely carry
+her back. I ordered one to be prepared for Jungfrau Ortlieb, though I
+remembered the dying woman who kept her. As if the matter were some easy
+task, she begged the countess to excuse her, and remained beside the
+wretched straw pallet."
+
+The deeply agitated girl had just released herself from the matron's
+embrace, and begged the knight to have her Roland saddled; but Frau
+Christine stopped him, and entreated Cordula, for her sake, to use her
+sedan-chair instead of the horse.
+
+"If it will gratify you," replied the countess smiling; "but I should
+reach home safely on the piebald."
+
+"Who doubts it?" asked the matron. "Give her your arm, husband. The
+bearers are ready, and you will soon overtake them on your horse,
+Boemund."
+
+"The walk through the warm June night will do me good," the latter
+protested.
+
+Soon after the sedan-chair which conveyed Cordula, lighted by several
+torch-bearers on foot and on horseback, began to move towards the city.
+
+At St. Linhard, Boemund Altrosen, who walked beside it, asked the
+question, "Then I may hope, Countess? I really may?"
+
+She nodded affectionately, and answered under her breath: "You may; but
+we must first try whether the flower of love which blossomed for you out
+of my weakness is the real one. I believe it will be."
+
+He joyously raised her hand to his lips, but a torch-bearer's
+shout--"Count von Montfort and his train!"--urged him back from the
+sedan chair. A few seconds after Cordula welcomed her father, who had
+anxiously ridden forth to meet his jewel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+"I can hardly do more, and yet I must," groaned Frau Christine, as
+she gazed after the torch-bearers who preceded Cordula. Her husband,
+however, tried to detain her, offering to go to their young guest in her
+place.
+
+But the effort was vain. The motherless child, whom the captive father
+probably believed to be in safety with her sensible sister, was at a
+post of danger, and only a woman's eye could judge whether it would
+do to yield to Eva's wish, which the housekeeper had just told her
+mistress, and allow her--it was already past midnight-to remain longer
+at the hospital.
+
+She would not have hesitated to require her niece's return home had not
+maternal solicitude urged her to deprive her of nothing which could aid
+her troubled soul to regain its poise. If possible at all, it would be
+through devotion to an arduous work of charity that she would understand
+her own nature, and find an answer to the question whether, when the
+slanderers were silenced, she would take the veil or cling firmly to the
+hopeless love which had mastered her young heart.
+
+If she succeeded in remaining steadfast here and, in spite of the glad
+consciousness of having conquered by the sign of the cross, was still
+loyal to her worldly love, then the latter was genuine and strong, and
+Eva did not belong to the convent; then her sister, the abbess, was
+mistaken in the girl whose soul she had guided from early childhood.
+
+Frau Christine, who usually formed an opinion quickly and resolutely,
+had not dared to give Eva a positive answer the previous evening.
+
+With sympathising emotion the matron had heard her confess that during
+her nocturnal wanderings a new feeling, which she could no longer still,
+had awakened in her breast. When she also told her the image of true
+love which she had formed, she could not bring herself to undeceive her.
+
+The abbess had made a somewhat similar confession to her, the older
+sister, when her young heart--how long ago it seemed!--had also been
+mastered by love. The object of its ardent passion was no less a
+personage than the Burgrave von Zollern.
+
+Frau Christine had seen his marriage with the Hapsburg princess awaken
+her sister's desire to renounce the world. Kunigunde was then a maiden
+of rare, majestic beauty, and only the Burgrave's exalted station had
+prevented his wedding "Eva," as she was called before she took the veil.
+
+As a husband and father, he had found deep happiness in the love of
+the Countess Elizabeth, the future Emperor Rudolph's sister, yet he had
+remained a warm friend of the abbess; and when he treated Eva with such
+marked distinction at the dance, she owed it not only to her own charms
+but also to the circumstance that, like the girl whom he had loved in
+his youth, she bore the name of "Eva Ortlieb," and the expression of her
+eyes vividly recalled the happiest time in his life.
+
+The abbess, after a still more severe renunciation, had attained even
+greater happiness in the convent. Her sister could not blame her for
+wishing the same lot for the devout young niece, whose fate seemed to
+bear a closer and closer resemblance to her own; but yesterday she had
+argued with her, for Kunigunde had insisted firmly that if the girl did
+not voluntarily knock at the convent door she should be forced to enter,
+not only for her own sake but also Sir Heinz Schorlin's. Nothing could
+rouse the ire of every true Christian more than the thought that a noble
+knight, for whose conversion Heaven had wrought a miracle, could turn
+a deaf ear to the summons for the sake of a girl scarcely beyond
+childhood. To place convent walls between the pair would therefore be a
+work pleasing in the sight of God-nay, necessary for the example.
+
+This statement sounded so resolute and imperative that Frau Christine,
+who knew her sister's gentle nature, had been convinced that she was
+obeying the mandate of a superior. Soon afterward she learned that
+Kunigunde had followed the dictates of the zealous prior of the
+Dominicans, who was regarded as the supreme judge in religious affairs.
+At a chance meeting she had imprudently asked this man, who had never
+been friendly to her or her order, to give his opinion concerning this
+matter, which gave her no rest.
+
+Frau Christine had eagerly opposed her. The case of Heinz Schorlin
+was different from that of the Burgrave Frederick, who could never be
+permitted to wed the daughter of a Nuremberg merchant. If the Swiss
+renounced his intention of entering the monastery, there was nothing
+to prevent his wooing Eva. It should by no means be as the prior of the
+Dominicans had said: "They must both renounce the world," but, "They
+must test themselves, and if the world holds them firmly, and the
+Emperor, who is a fatherly friend to Heinz, makes no objection, it would
+be a duty to unite the pair."
+
+The decisive hour for Eva was now at hand, and Fran Christine, eager to
+learn in what condition she should find her niece, had herself carried
+to the hospital.
+
+Her husband and several men-servants accompanied her, for at this late
+hour the neighbourhood, where so many criminals were nursed for a short
+time, was by no means safe. Companions, friends, and relatives of
+the criminals were often attracted thither by sympathy, curiosity, or
+business affairs. Whoever had occasion to shun appearing by daylight
+in a place which never lacked bailiffs and city soldiers, slunk to the
+hospital at night.
+
+As a heavy rain had just begun to fall, the short distance to be
+traversed by the magistrate and his wife was empty. Ample provision
+also seemed to have been made to guard the place of healing, for several
+armed troopers belonging to the city guard were pacing up and down
+before he board fence which surrounded it, and the approach of the late
+visitors was heralded by the deep baying of large hounds.
+
+The magistrate was well known here, and the doorkeeper, roused from his
+sleep, hastened to light the way for him and his wife with a lantern. In
+spite of the planks which had been placed in he courtyard, the task of
+crossing it was by no means easy; for the night was intensely dark, and
+the foot passed beyond the boards, it plunged into the mire, on which
+they floated rather than lay.
+
+At first the barking of the dogs had drowned very other sound, but as
+they approached the house thatched with straw, where the wounded men
+were nursed, harsh voices, interrupted at times by the angry oaths of
+some patient roused from sleep, or the watchman's command to keep quiet,
+reached them in a loud uproar.
+
+A narrow passage dimly lighted by a lantern led to the women's quarters,
+where Eva had remained. The magistrate entered the men's dormitory to
+make an inspection, while his wife, needing no guidance, passed on to
+the women, meeting no one on her way except a Sister of Charity and two
+men-servants who, under the guidance of a sleepy Dominican monk, were
+bearing out the corpse of some one who had just passed away.
+
+Sister Hildegard, who was sitting at the door of the dormitory, half
+asleep, started up as Frau Christine crossed the threshold.
+
+The knight's widow, a vigorous matron, whose hair had long been grey,
+pointed with the rosary in her hand to the end of the long, dimly
+lighted apartment, and said in a low tone: "The sick woman seems to be
+asleep now. The prior sent the old Dominican to whom Eva is talking. He
+is said to be the most learned and eloquent member of the order. If I am
+right, he came here to appeal to your niece's conscience. At least his
+first question was for her, and you see how eagerly he is speaking. When
+yonder sick woman seemed to be drawing near her end she asked for the
+sacrament, which was administered by the Dominican. It was a sorrowful
+farewell on account of her children, but the barber thinks we may
+perhaps save her yet. Father Benedictus, the old Minorite, who was found
+on the road and brought to us, seems, on the other hand, to be dying. We
+will gladly keep him in the Beguines home until the angel summons him.
+Unfortunately, yonder poor woman's third day will end tomorrow. We are
+not permitted to shelter her here any longer, and if we turn her out--"
+
+"What is the matter with the woman?" interrupted Frau Christine, but
+the other gazed into her face with warm sympathising affection and such
+tender entreaty that the magistrate's wife, before she began her reply,
+exclaimed: "So it is the old, pitiful story! But let her stay! Yes, even
+though, instead of every pound of farthings, she cost us ten times as
+much in gold! But we will spare what is necessary for her. I see by your
+face that it will not be wasted."
+
+"Certainly not," replied Sister Hildegard gratefully. "Oh, how she came
+here! Now, it is true, she has more than she needs. Your dear niece--she
+is an angel of charity--sent her Katterle out to get what was wanted.
+But where is the girl?" She gazed around the spacious chamber as she
+spoke, but could not find Katterle.
+
+True, a dim light pervaded the whole apartment, and Sister Hildegard,
+referring to it, added "The light keeps many of the patients awake, and
+we have a better use for the pennies which the oil and chips cost. When
+there are brilliant entertainments to be given, or works of mercy done
+which the whole world sees, the Honourables let their gold flow freely
+enough, but who beholds the abodes of horror? We look best in the dark,
+and no one will miss what we save in light."
+
+Certainly no one present incurred any danger of seeing at this hour
+the pitiable spectacles visible by day; for what was occurring at the
+opposite end of the room could not be perceived from the door. So when
+it closed Eva could not distinguish who had entered.
+
+But this was agreeable to Frau Christine; for before going to her niece
+she wished to inquire about the woman by whom she had been detained.
+
+Like the others, she was lying upon the board platform which surrounded
+the four walls of the room, interrupted only by the door through which
+she had just passed. It rose in a slanting direction towards the wall,
+that the sufferers' heads might be higher than their feet. Instead of
+cushions, it was covered with a thick layer of straw, the beds of the
+patients who were nursed here. It seemed to be changed very rarely, for
+especially near the door at which the two women were still standing
+a damp, unpleasant odour emanated from the straw. It belonged here,
+however, as feathers are a part of birds, and the people who were nursed
+within its walls were accustomed to nothing better. When, fifteen years
+before, the oversight of the hospital was entrusted to Frau Christine,
+she had found the condition of affairs still worse, and the idea of
+procuring beds for the injured persons to be cured here was as far
+from her thoughts, or those of the rest of the world, as cushioning the
+stable.
+
+That was the way things were at Schweinau. Straw of all sorts might be
+expected to be found here, not only on the wooden platform but on the
+floor, in the yard, and everywhere else, as surely as leaves upon the
+ground of a wood in the autumn. To leave the house without taking stalks
+in the hair and garments was as impossible as for any person accustomed
+to better conditions, who did not wish to faint from discomfort, to do
+without a scent bottle.
+
+Formerly Frau Christine had endeavoured to obtain better air, but even
+her kind-hearted husband had laughed at the foolish idea, because such
+things would benefit only herself and some of the nurses. In the taverns
+usually frequented by the inmates of the hospital they learned to endure
+a different atmosphere, which was stifling to him.
+
+After contagious diseases certain precautions were always taken. On
+Sunday morning it was even fumigated with juniper-berries on hot tin and
+boiling vinegar.
+
+Frau Christine had introduced this disinfectant herself by the advice of
+Otto the leech, when all who had been brought hither with open wounds,
+among them vigorous young men, had died like flies. At that time the
+distinguished physician had even succeeded in getting the Honourable
+Council to defray the cost of having the walls newly white washed and
+fresh clay stamped on the floor. He had also directed that the old straw
+should be replaced by clean every Sunday morning, and now matters were
+better still, for the rule was that every sick person should have a
+fresh layer. True, it was not always fulfilled, and many a person was
+forced to be content with his predecessor's couch.
+
+In the women's room, however, the change of straw was more rigidly
+required. The nurse herself attended to it, and Sister Hildegard gave
+her energetic assistance.
+
+In difficult cases the influence of the leech Otto was called to her
+aid, but he had grown old and no longer came to Schweinau. Two barbers
+now cared for the bandaging and healing of the wounds, and if they were
+at a loss the younger city physician was summoned.
+
+Sister Hildegard now pointed to the couch beside which the Dominican was
+talking to Eva, and said: "She is the widow of a carrier and the child
+of worthy people; her father was the sexton of St. Sebald's. True,
+he died long ago, at the same time as her mother. It was twelve years
+since, during the plague.
+
+"Reicklein, yonder, had no other relatives here--her parents were from
+Bamberg--but she was well off, and her husband, Veit, earned enough by
+his travels through the country. But on St. Blaise's day, early in the
+month of February, during a trip to Vogtland, it was at Hof, he was
+overtaken by a snowstorm, and the worthy man was found frozen under a
+drift, with his staff and pouch. The sad news reached her just after the
+birth of a little boy, and there were two other mouths to feed besides.
+Her savings went quickly enough, and she fell into dire poverty, for she
+had not yet recovered her strength, and could not do housework. During
+Passion Week she sold her bed to pay what she had borrowed and to feed
+the children. It was cold, she had not a copper, nor any possibility
+of earning anything. Then the rest went, too, and there was no way of
+getting food enough for the children and herself.
+
+"But as her father had been in the employ of the city and was an honest
+man, by the advice of the provost of St. Sebald's, who had been her
+confessor from childhood, she applied to the Honourable Council, and
+received the answer that old Hans Schab was by no means forgotten, and
+therefore, to relieve her need, she was referred to the beadle, who
+would give her the permit which enabled her to ask alms from those who
+went to St. Sebald's Church, and had already afforded many a person
+ample support.
+
+"For her children's sake she crushed the pride which rebelled against
+it, and stood at the church door, not once, but again and again. The
+other mendicants, however, treated her so roughly, and the cruel
+enmity with which they tried to crowd her out of her place seemed so
+unbearable, that she could not hold out. Once, when they insulted her
+too much, and again thrust her back so spitefully that not even one
+of the many churchgoers noticed her, she, fled to her children in the
+little room, determined to stop this horrible begging. This happened the
+Saturday before Whitsuntide, and as she had gone out hoping this time
+to bring something back, she had promised the children food enough to
+satisfy their hunger. They should have some Whitsuntide cakes, too,
+as they did years ago. When she reached the house and little
+Walpurga--you'll see her presently, a pretty child six years old--ran
+to meet her, asking for the cakes and the bread to satisfy her hunger,
+while Annelein, who is somewhat older, but less bright and active, did
+the same, she felt as if she should die, and carrying the baby, which
+she had held in her arms while begging at the church door, back into the
+room, she told Walpurga to watch it, as she had long been in the habit
+of doing, until she came back with the bread.
+
+"For the children's sake she would try begging once more, but she could
+not go to St. Sebald's.
+
+"So she went from house to house, asking alms; but she was a well-formed
+woman, who did not show her serious illness. She kept herself tidy, too,
+and looked better in her poor rags than many who were better off. Had
+she carried her nursing infant, perhaps she might have succeeded better,
+but even the most compassionate housewives either turned her from their
+doors or offered her work at the wash-tub, or in cleaning or gardening.
+The weakness from which she had suffered since the birth of her child
+made stooping so painful that she could not do what they required.
+
+"When she was at last obliged to turn homeward, because the baby had
+probably been screaming for her a long time, she had only one small
+copper coin, with which she went to the baker Kilian's, in the
+Stopfelgasse, to ask for a penny's worth of bread. The baker's wife
+was not there, and her spinster sister-in-law, an elderly, ill-natured
+woman, was serving the customers in her place.
+
+"As she turned to cut the bit of bread, and all sorts of nice sweet
+cakes lay on the shining counters before poor Riecklein, the children
+seemed to stand before her, headed by Walpurga, asking for the cakes
+and the bread she had promised them to eat their fill; and as no one
+was passing in the quiet street, Satan stirred within her for the first
+time, and a sweet jumble slid into the little basket on her arm. Had
+she stopped there she might have escaped unpunished; but there were two
+hungry little beaks agape in the nest, and she saw a pretty lamb with
+a little red flag on its back. If Walpurga could only have it! And with
+the clumsiness due to her inexperience in such matters she seized that,
+too, and put it with the other.
+
+"Meanwhile the sister-in-law had turned, and instead of enquiring at a
+time so near the holy feast what had induced her to commit such a crime,
+she shrieked, 'Stop thief!' and similar cries.
+
+"So the widow was taken to the Hole, and as she had hitherto borne an
+unsullied reputation and was the child of a good man, justice allowed
+itself to be satisfied with having her scourged with rods privately
+instead of in public. So she came here. But as her poor body was too
+fragile to withstand all the trouble which had come upon her, she had
+a violent attack of fever, and a few hours ago death stretched its hand
+towards her."
+
+"And the children?" asked Frau Christine, deeply moved.
+
+"She was allowed to have the baby," answered Sister Hildegard, "but she
+told us about the others and their desolate condition. In the delirium
+of fever she saw them stealing and the constable seizing them. Then your
+Eva encouraged me to send for them by promising to provide their food.
+So they came here. The worker on cloth from whom she rented her little
+room had helped them, and it was from her that Sister Pauline, whom I
+sent there, first learned that Walpurga, for whose sake she had so sadly
+forgotten her duty, was not even her own child, but an adopted one
+whom her late husband, on one of his trips, had found abandoned on the
+highroad at Vierzehnheiligen, beside an image of the Virgin, and brought
+home with him."
+
+Here Sister Hildegard paused, and Frau Christine also remained silent a
+long time.
+
+Yet, it was horrible here, and the air was impure; but had Countess
+Cordula looked more closely she would probably have seen one of
+the beautiful flowers which often bloomed amidst all the weeds, the
+poisonous and parasitic vegetation.
+
+Eva was right to pity this woman, and if her life could be saved she
+herself would relieve her necessities and secure her children's future.
+She silently made this resolve whilst the Sister led the way to the
+couch of the scourged thief. The unfortunate woman should learn that
+God often compels us to traverse the roughest and stoniest paths in the
+wilderness ere he leads us into the Promised Land.
+
+Eva was so deeply absorbed in her conversation with the Dominican that
+she did not see her aunt until she stood before her.
+
+They greeted each other with a silent nod, and a smile of satisfaction
+flitted over the girl's face as she motioned to the sleeper whose
+slumber she was watching.
+
+The young mother's pretty face still glowed with the flush of fever. One
+arm clasped the baby, which lay amidst the white linen Katterle had just
+brought. He was a pretty child, who showed no traces of the poverty in
+which he had been reared. Beside the widow were two little girls about
+six years old. The one at the left was sound asleep, with her head
+resting on her little fat arm. The other, at the sick woman's right,
+pressed her fair head upon her breast. Her slumber was very light, and
+she often opened her large, blue eyes and gazed with touching anxiety at
+the sick woman. This was the adopted child, Walpurga, and never had the
+matron beheld amongst the poor and suffering so lovely a human flower
+as this little six-year-old child, struggling with sleep in her
+affectionate desire to render aid. The other little girl's free hand
+also touched her mother, and thus these four, united in poverty
+and sorrow, but also in love, seemed to form a single whole. What a
+peaceful, charming picture!
+
+Frau Christine gazed with earnest sympathy at each member of this group.
+How well-formed was every one! how pure and innocent the features of the
+children looked! how kind and loving those of the suffering mother,
+who was a thief, and whose tender back had felt the scourge of the
+executioner!
+
+The thought made her shudder. But when little Walpurga, half asleep,
+raised her tiny hand and lovingly stroked the wounded shoulder of her
+adopted mother, the matron, as usual when anything pleasant moved her
+heart, longed to have her husband at her side. How easily, since he
+was so near, she could afford him a sight of this touching picture! It
+should prove that she had been right to let Eva remain here.
+
+Faithful to her custom of permitting no delay in the execution of a good
+resolution, she wanted to send Katterle to call her husband, but the
+girl could not be found.
+
+Then Frau Christine went herself, beckoning to Eva to follow; but
+they had scarcely reached the centre of the room when a peal of shrill
+laughter greeted them from a couch on the left.
+
+The person from whom it came was the barber's widow, whose attack had
+alarmed Eva so terribly the day before in front of the pillory. It
+pealed loudly and shrilly through the stillness of the night, and when
+the matron turned angrily to reprove the person who so inconsiderately
+disturbed the rest of the others, the woman clapped her hands and
+instantly a chorus of sharp, screaming voices rose around her.
+The barber's widow, who knew everybody who lived in Nuremberg, had
+recognised the magistrate's wife at her entrance, and secretly incited
+her neighbours to follow her example and, as soon as she gave the
+signal, demand better fare and make Frau Christine, the patroness of the
+hospital, feel what they thought of the cruelty of her husband, who had
+delivered them to the executioner.
+
+The female thieves and swindlers-in short, all the reprobate women
+around Frau Ratzer, whose feet had just been tied on account of her
+unruly behaviour in the Countess von Montfort's presence--obeyed her
+signal, and the fierce voices raised in demand and invective woke those
+who were sleeping farther away. Weeping, wailing, and screaming they
+started up, clamouring to know what danger threatened them, whilst Frau
+Ratzer and her fellow-conspirators shrieked for beer or wine instead of
+water, for meat with the black bread and wretched broth and, yelling
+and howling, bade the patroness tell her husband that they thought him a
+brute and a bloodhound.
+
+There was a hideous, confused, ear-splitting din, which threatened
+serious consequences, for some of the women, leaving their straw beds,
+hastened towards the door or surrounded Frau Christine and Eva with
+uplifted fists and threatening nails.
+
+The warning voices of the matrons, to whose aid the Beguines had
+hastened, were drowned by the uproar, but the danger which specially
+threatened Eva, whom the barber's widow pointed out to her neighbour
+who had stolen a child to train it to beg, was soon ended, for the wild
+cries had reached the men's building, from which Herr Berthold Pfinzing
+came hurrying in, accompanied by the superintendent, his assistants, and
+several monks.
+
+If the women reproached the magistrate, who in reality was a lenient
+judge, with being a cruel tyrant, they were now to learn that he
+certainly did not lack uncompromising energy. The unpleasant position in
+which he found his wife and his beloved godchild did not incline him
+to gentleness. He would have liked to have tied the hands of all these
+women, most of whom had forfeited the consideration due their sex. This
+was really done to the most unruly, while the barber's widow was carried
+to the prison-chamber, which the hospital did not lack.
+
+After quiet was at last restored and Frau Christine had told her husband
+that she had been attacked while on her way to show him a delightful
+scene in the midst of all this terrible misery, he angrily exclaimed:
+"A magnificent picture! Balm for the eyes and ears of your own brother's
+virginal daughter! The saints be praised that you both escaped so
+easily. Can there be in the worst hell anything more horrible than what
+has just been witnessed here? Really, where a Countess Cordula cannot
+endure----"
+
+Here Frau Christine soothingly interrupted her irate husband, and so
+great was her influence over him, that his tone sounded like friendly
+encouragement as he added: "You wanted to show me something special,
+but I was detained over there. Though it was late, I wanted to see
+the worthy fellow again. What a man he is! I mean Sir Heinz Schorlin's
+squire."
+
+"Poor Biberli?" asked Eva eagerly; and there was a faint tone of
+reproach in her voice as she continued, "You promised to look after
+him."
+
+"So I did, child," the magistrate protested. "But justice must take its
+course, and the rack is part of the examination by torture. He might
+easily have lost his tongue, and if his master doesn't return soon and
+another accuser should appear, who knows what will happen!"
+
+"But that must not, shall not be!" cried Eva, the old defiance echoing
+imperiously in her voice. "Heinz Schorlin--you said so yourself--would
+not plead in vain for mercy to the Emperor; and before I will see the
+faithful fellow----"
+
+"Gently, child," whispered Frau Christine to her niece, laying her hand
+on her arm, but the magistrate, shaking his finger at her, answered
+soothingly: "Jungfrau Ortlieb would rather thrust her own little feet
+into the Spanish boot. Be comforted! The three pairs we have are all too
+large to squeeze them."
+
+Eva lowered her eyes in embarrassment, and exclaimed in a modest,
+beseeching tone: "But, uncle, do not you, too, feel that it would be
+cruel and unjust to make this honest fellow a cripple in return for his
+faithful services?"
+
+"I do feel it," answered Herr Berthold, his face assuming an expression
+of regret; "and for that very reason I ventured to take a girl over whom
+I have no authority out of her service."
+
+"Katterle?" asked Eva anxiously.
+
+Her uncle nodded assent, adding: "First hear what interested me so
+quickly in the strange fellow. At the first charge, which merely accused
+him of having carried a message of love from his master to Jungfrau
+Ortlieb, I interceded for him, and yesterday the other magistrates, to
+whom I had explained the case, joined me. So he escaped with a sentence
+of exile from the city for five years. I hoped it would not be necessary
+to present the second accusation, for it was signed by no name, but
+merely bore three crosses, and for a long time most of the magistrates,
+following my example, have considered such things as treacherous attacks
+made by cowards who shun the light of day; but it was impossible
+to suppress it entirely, because the law commands me to withhold no
+complaint made to the court. So it was read aloud, and Hans Teufel's
+motion to let it drop without any action met with no approval, warmly as
+I supported it.
+
+"We must not blame the gentlemen. They all wish to act for your benefit,
+and desire nothing except a clear understanding of this vexatious
+business. But in that indictment Biberli was charged with having forced
+his way into an Honourable's house at night to obtain admittance for
+his master. In collusion with a maid-servant he was also said to have
+maintained the love correspondence between Herr Ernst Ortlieb's two
+daughters, a Swiss knight, and Boemund Altrosen."
+
+"Infamous!" cried Eva. "What, in the name of all the saints, have we to
+do with Altrosen?"
+
+"You certainly have very little," replied Frau Christine, "but the
+Ortlieb mansion has all the more. To-night he will again be seen before
+its door, and if still later he appears with his lute under Countess
+Cordula's windows and is heard singing to her, it wouldn't surprise me."
+
+"And people," exclaimed Eva with increasing indignation, "will add
+another link to the chain of slander. If a Vorkler and her companions
+repeat the calumny, who can wonder? But that the magistrates
+should believe such shameful things about the brothers of their own
+fellow-member----"
+
+"It was precisely because they do not believe it and wish to keep you
+away from the court," her uncle interrupted, "that they insisted upon
+the examination. They desired to show the people by their verdict and
+the severity of the procedures how thoroughly in earnest they were.
+But whilst I was compelled to absent myself an hour because the Emperor
+wished to inspect the new towers on the city wall, and I had to attend
+him in the character of showman, they sentenced the poor fellow, since
+his loose tongue had brought the whole rout and rabble against him, to
+torture so severe that I shuddered when told of it."
+
+"And Biberli?" asked Eva, trembling with suspense.
+
+"All honour is due the man!" cried Herr Berthold, raising his cap. "The
+rods scourged his fettered limbs, his thumbs were pressed in the screws,
+bound to the ladder, he was dragged over the larded hare---"
+
+"Oh, hush!" cried Fran Christine with uplifted hands, and her husband
+nodded understandingly. Then, with a faint sigh, he added:
+
+"Why should I torture you with these horrors? Nothing was spared him.
+Yet the worthy fellow stuck to his statement that he had accompanied his
+master to your house in the full moonlight to take a somnambulist
+who had wandered out of the open door back to her friends. Sir Heinz
+Schorlin had met Jungfrau Ortlieb only once--at the dance in the Town
+Hall. Though he had sometimes appeared before her father's house, it was
+not on account of Herr Ernst's daughters, but--and this was an allusion
+to Cordula von Montfort--for the sake of another lady.
+
+"After the lightning had killed his master's horse under him he had
+avoided every woman, because he wished to enter a monastery. He could
+prove all these statements by many witnesses. Yesterday he named them,
+and Count Gleichen and his retainers appeared with several others. The
+Minorite Benedictus was vainly sought at the Franciscans."
+
+"He is here in the house of the Beguines," replied Frau Christine, "and
+weak as he is, he will have strength enough to make a deposition in the
+knight's favour."
+
+The magistrate said that this might be necessary if a new charge were
+brought against the servitor, Katterle, and perhaps even Sir Heinz
+Schorlin himself. Rarely had he seen a bad cause maintained with so much
+obstinacy. The complainants had witnesses who testified under oath what
+they had heard in taverns and tap-rooms from Sir Seitz Siebenburg and
+those who repeated his tales. Their examination had lasted a long time,
+and what they alleged was as absurd as possible, yet for that very
+reason difficult to refute. These depositions had aided the cause of the
+accused, but in consequence of such numerous charges many questions
+of course were put to Biberli, and thus the torture had been cruelly
+increased and prolonged.
+
+Here Eva interrupted the speaker with another outburst of indignation,
+but he only shrugged his shoulders pityingly, saying: "Gently, child! A
+shoemaker who recently upbraided the 'Honourables' for something similar
+was publicly scourged, and if cruelties have been practised here it is
+the fault of the law, not of the judges. But worse yet may come, if the
+pack is not silenced by a higher will."
+
+"The Emperor?" asked the girl with quivering lips.
+
+"Yes, child," was the reply, "and your old godfather had thought of
+bringing this evil cause before our royal master. He gladly exercises
+mercy, but only after carefully investigating the pros and cons. In this
+case there is but one person in whom he has full confidence, and who is
+also in a position to tell him the exact truth."
+
+"Heinz Schorlin!" cried Eva. "He must be informed at once, without
+delay."
+
+"Certainly," replied Herr Pfinzing quietly. "And since, as the uncle and
+godfather of Jungfrau Eva, who would have gladly undertaken the ride,
+I could not order her horse to be saddled, I sent some one else whose
+heart also will point out the way."
+
+"Uncle!" Eva eagerly interrupted, raising her clasped hands in
+gratitude. "But whom can you----"
+
+Here she hesitated, then suddenly exclaimed as if sure of her point:
+"Oh, I know the messenger, Countess von Montfort----"
+
+"You've aimed too high," replied Herr Berthold smiling, "yet I think the
+choice was no worse. Your maid, child, the poor fellow's sweetheart."
+
+Frau Christine and Eva, in the same breath, uttered an exclamation of
+surprise and assent, and both asked how the magistrate had chanced to
+select her.
+
+A waggon from Schwabach, which happened opportunely to be on its way to
+Siebenburg, had brought Biberli to Schweinau on its homeward trip, just
+before the magistrate and his wife reached the hospital.
+
+Katterle had been present when the tortured man was brought out and laid
+upon his couch of straw.
+
+She did not recognise him until, with pathetic reproach, he called her
+by name and, horrified by the spectacle he presented, she fell upon her
+knees. But the couch at her side had already been prepared for him, and
+she did not need to rise again in order to stroke him, comfort him, and
+promise not to desert him, even if he should be a miserable cripple for
+life.
+
+When the magistrate approached the couple, to offer Biberli his friendly
+aid, the latter faltered that he had only one desire--to see his beloved
+master once more. Besides, his case was hopeless unless the knight
+obtained a pardon for him from the Emperor Rudolph, for his persecutors
+would not cease their pursuit of him, and he could not endure the
+torture a second time.
+
+Here the magistrate paused in his narrative, for he thought of an
+incident which he was reluctant to mention in the presence of the
+Dominican who had administered the sacrament to the suffering widow
+and now joined the group of listeners. This was, that a member of the
+latter's order had approached Biberli and exhorted him not to fear
+another examination by torture, for the Lord gave the innocent strength
+to maintain the truth even under the keenest suffering. A peculiar smile
+hovered around the lips of the poor tortured fellow, which Herr Berthold
+fully understood; for the brave servitor had by no means stuck to the
+truth during the pangs inflicted upon him.
+
+"Oh, my dear ones," Herr Pfinzing continued, "a harder heart than mine
+would have been touched by what I saw and heard beside that couch of
+straw when I was left alone with poor Biberli and his sweetheart. If you
+could have seen how Katterle threw herself upon her lover after I had
+told her that even the most agonizing torture could not force him to
+confirm the charge which had been brought against her! Rarely does one
+mortal pour forth such a flood of ardent gratitude upon another; and
+when Biberli repeated that his dear master's help would be necessary
+to protect her and him from another examination, she offered to go in
+search of him at once, notwithstanding the rain and the darkness.
+
+"Then I thought that no messenger could be found who was more familiar
+with the course of affairs, and at the same time inspired with more
+loving zeal. So, as the waggon in which Biberli had come was still
+waiting outside, I spoke to the carter, who had brought a load of wheat
+to Nuremberg, and now, on his way home, had ample room under the tilt.
+I knew the man, and we soon came to an agreement. From Schwabach, his
+brother, who knows every foot of the road, will take her to the imperial
+troops who are fighting with the Siebenburgs. I undertook to arrange
+with you for her absence. She is now rolling along in the old carter
+Apel's waggon towards Schwabach and Sir Heinz Schorlin."
+
+Hitherto the magistrate had maintained his composure, but now his
+deep voice lost its firmness, and it was neither the loving words of
+appreciation whispered by his wife nor the gratitude which Eva tenderly
+displayed that checked his speech, but the remembrance of the parting
+between the man so cruelly tortured and his sweetheart.
+
+Biberli had hoped that she would nurse him; the sight of her would
+have cheered his eyes and heart, yet he sent her out into darkness and
+danger. Gratitude and love, the consciousness that just now she could
+be of infinite importance to him and do much for him, bound her to his
+couch like so many fetters, yet she had gone, and had even assumed the
+appearance of doing so willingly and being confident of success.
+
+How their faces had brightened when the magistrate told them that his
+wife and Eva would take charge of him, and he himself would see that he
+had a better bed!
+
+Biberli murmured sadly: "Straw and I have been used to each other in
+many a tavern, but now a somewhat softer couch might be of service, for
+wherever my racked body was touched I believe there would be something
+out of joint."
+
+Herr Berthold had no reason to be ashamed of his emotion, for he
+had learned from the barber that the poor fellow had by no means
+exaggerated, and, as a witness of part of the torture, he knew that even
+the most cruel anguish had not conquered the faithful Biberli's firm
+resolve to bring neither his master nor his sweetheart before the judge.
+
+In recalling this noble act of the lowly servitor he grew eloquent, and
+described minutely what the poor fellow had suffered, and how, after
+Katterle had left him, he lay motionless, with his thin, pale face
+irradiated by a grateful smile.
+
+The women, too, and the monk AEgidius, an old Minorite, who had been
+watching beside the aged Brother of his order, Benedictus, and had just
+joined them, shed tears at his story; but Eva, from the very depths of
+her soul, exclaimed aloud, "Happy is he who is permitted to endure such
+tortures for love's sake!"
+
+The others gazed in surprise at the young girl who, with her clasped
+hands pressed upon her heaving bosom, and her large eyes uplifted,
+looked as if she beheld heaven opening before her.
+
+The old Minorite's heart swelled at this confession and the sight of
+the maiden. Thus, though far less richly endowed with the divine gift of
+beauty, he had seen St. Clare absorbed in prayer. The words uttered by
+the fresh lips of this favoured girl, whom he beheld for the first time,
+expressed a feeling which might guide her into the path of the Holy
+Martyrs and, filled with pious enthusiasm, he approached, drew her
+clasped hands away from her breast, pressed them in his own and,
+remembering what the Abbess Kunigunde had told him yesterday beside the
+couch of Benedictus concerning her severe conflict, exclaimed:
+
+"Whoever said that, knows the words of Holy Writ which promise the crown
+of eternal life to those who are faithful unto death. Obey the voice,
+my child, which unites you to those who are called. St. Clare herself
+summons you to her heavenly home."
+
+The others listened to the old monk in silence. Eva slightly shook her
+head. But when the disappointed Minorite released her hands she clasped
+his thin one, saying modestly: "How could I be worthy of so sublime
+a promise? The poor servant on his straw bed, with his T and St
+embroidered on cap and cloak, of whom my uncle told us, has a tenfold
+greater claim, I think, to the crown of life, for which, as yet, I have
+been permitted to do so little. But I hope to win it, and the saint
+who calls everything that breathes and lives brothers and sisters, as
+children of the same exalted Father, cannot teach that the fidelity
+shown in the world deserves less reward than that of the chosen ones in
+the convent."
+
+"That is a foolish and sacrilegious opinion," answered the Dominican
+sternly. "We will take care, my dear daughter, to guide your soul from
+pathless wandering into the right path which Holy Church has marked out
+for you."
+
+He turned his back upon the group as he spoke, but the grey-haired
+Minorite, smiling sadly, turned to Eva, saying: "I cannot contradict
+him. Fidelity to those whom we love, my child, is far less meritorious
+than that which we show to Heaven. To you, daughter, its doors have
+already opened. How strong must be the pleasure felt by the children of
+the world in this brief earthly happiness, since they are so ready to
+sacrifice for it the certainty of eternal bliss! Your error will grieve
+the abbess and Father Benedictus."
+
+With these words he, too, took his leave, but Frau Christine whispered
+to her niece: "These monks are not the Holy Church to which we both
+belong as obedient daughters. To my poor mind and heart it seems as if
+the Saviour would deem you right."
+
+"Amen," added the magistrate, who had heard his wife's murmured words.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+Day followed day, a week elapsed, and no message had reached Schweinau
+from Heinz Schorlin or Katterle.
+
+The magistrate had learned that the Siebenburg brothers, with the robber
+knights who had joined them, were obstinately defending their castles
+and making it difficult for Heinz Schorlin to perform his task. The day
+before news had come that the Absbach's strong mountain fortress
+had fallen; that the allied knights, in a sortie which merged into a
+miniature battle, had been defeated, and the Siebenburgs could not hold
+out much longer; but in the stress of his duties the knight seemed to
+have forgotten to make the slightest effort in behalf of his faithful
+servant. At least the protonotary Gottlieb, a friend of Herr Berthold,
+through whose hands passed all letters addressed to the Emperor,
+positively assured them that, though plenty of military reports had
+arrived, in not a single one had the young commander mentioned his
+servant even by a word. He, the protonotary, had taken advantage of a
+favourable hour to urge his royal master, as a reward for Biberli's rare
+fidelity, to protect him from further persecution by the citizens of
+Nuremberg; but the Emperor Rudolph did not even allow him to finish,
+because, as a matter of principle, he refrained from interference in
+matters whose settlement rightfully pertained to the Honourable Council.
+
+When soon after Herr Pfinzing availed himself of a report which he had
+to deliver to the Emperor to intercede himself for the valiant fellow,
+the Hapsburg, with the ruler's strong memory, recalled the protonotary's
+plea and referred Herr Berthold to the answer the former had received,
+remarking, less graciously than usual, that the imperial magistrate
+ought to know that he would be the last to assail the privileges which
+he had himself bestowed upon the city.
+
+Finally even Burgrave Frederick, whose sympathy had been enlisted in
+Biberli's behalf by Herr Berthold, fared no better.
+
+His interests were often opposed to those of the Council and, kindly
+as was his disposition, disputes concerning many questions of law were
+constantly occurring between him and the Honourables. When he began
+to persuade the Emperor to prevent by a pardon the cruelty which the
+Council intended to practise upon a servant of Sir Heinz Schorlin, who
+was doing such good service in the field, the sovereign told even him,
+his friend and brother-in-law, who had toiled so energetically to secure
+him the crown, that he would not interfere, though it were in behalf
+of a beloved brother, with the decrees of the Council, and the noble
+petitioner was silenced by the reasons which he gave. The Burgrave
+deemed the Emperor's desire to maintain the Honourables' willingness to
+grant the large loan he intended to ask to fill his empty treasury still
+more weighty than those with which he had repulsed Herr Pfinzing.
+
+On the other hand, the pardon granted to Ernst Ortlieb and Wolff
+Eysvogel could only tend to increase the good will of the Council. The
+former was given at once, the latter only conditionally after the First
+Losunger of the city, with several other Honourables, had recommended
+it. The Emperor thought it advisable to defer this act of clemency. A
+violation of the peace of the country committed under his own eyes ought
+not to be pardoned during his stay in the place where the bloody deed
+was committed. It would have cast a doubt upon the serious intent of
+the important measure which threatened with the severest punishment any
+attempt upon the lives and property of others.
+
+So long as the Emperor held his court at Nuremberg, Wolff, against whom
+no accuser had yet appeared, must remain concealed. When the sovereign
+had left the city he might again mingle with his fellow-citizens. An
+imperial letter alluding to the gratitude which Rudolph owed to the
+soldiers of Marchfield, to whose band the evildoer belonged, and the
+whole good city of Nuremberg for the hospitable reception tendered to
+him and his household, should shield from punishment the young patrician
+who had only drawn his sword in self-defence, and fulfil the petition of
+the Council for Wolff Eysvogel's restoration to the rights which he had
+forfeited.
+
+The news of this promise gave Els the first happy hour after long days
+of discomfort and the most arduous mental conflict. True, the measures
+adopted by her friends seemed to have guarded her from the attacks of
+the old Countess Rotterbach; but Fran Rosalinde, since she had been
+allowed more freedom to move about than her mother, who had been
+confined to the upper story, felt like a boat drifting rudderless down
+the stream. She needed guidance and, as Els now ruled the house, asked
+direction from her for even the most simple matters. Clinging to her
+like a child deserted by its nurse, she told her the most hostile and
+spiteful remarks which the countess never failed to make whenever it
+suited her daughter to bear her company. During the last few days the
+old lady had again won Rosalinde over to her side, and in consequence an
+enmity towards Els had sprung up, which was often very spiteful in its
+manifestations, and was the more difficult to bear, the more rigidly her
+position as daughter of the house forbade energetic resistance.
+
+But most painful of all to the volunteer nurse was the sick man's
+manner; for though Herr Casper rarely regained perfect consciousness, he
+showed his unfriendly disposition often enough by glances, gestures, and
+words stammered with painful effort.
+
+Yet the brave girl's patience seemed inexhaustible, and she resolutely
+performed even the most arduous tasks imposed by nursing the sufferer.
+Nay, the thought that Wolff owed his life to him aided her always to
+be kind to her father-in-law, no matter how much he wounded her, and to
+tend him no less carefully than she had formerly cared for her invalid
+mother.
+
+So she had held out valiantly until, at the end of a long, torturing
+week, something occurred which destroyed her courage. On returning from
+an errand in the city, she was received at the door of the sick-room by
+her future mother-in-law with the statement that she would take charge
+of her husband herself, and no longer allow the intruder to keep her
+from the place which belonged to her alone. The old countess's power of
+persuasion had strengthened her courage, and the unwonted energy of the
+weak, more than yielding woman, exerted so startling and at the same
+time disheartening an effect upon the wearied, tortured young creature
+that she attempted no resistance. The entreaties of the leech and kind
+Herr Teufel, however, induced her to persist a short time longer.
+
+But when, soon after, the same incident occurred a second time, it
+seemed impossible to remain in their house even another day.
+
+Without opposing her lover's mother, she retired to her chamber and,
+weeping silently, spite of the earnest entreaties of the Sister of
+Charity, packed the few articles she had brought with her and prepared
+to leave the post maintained with so much difficulty. To be again with
+Eva under the protection of her uncle and aunt now seemed the highest
+goal of her longing. She did not wish to go home; for after his
+liberation from the tower her father had had a long conversation with
+Wolff and old Berthold Vorchtel, and then, at the desire of the Council,
+had ridden to Augsburg and Ulm to arrange the affairs of the Eysvogel
+firm. He had felt that he could be spared by his family, knowing that
+his younger daughter was safe at Schweinau, and having heard that
+Wolff's pardon would not be long delayed.
+
+Eva, too, had experienced toilsome days and many an anxious night. True,
+Biberli and the carrier's widow, with her children, had been moved to
+the Beguines' house, where she could pursue her charitable work safe
+from the rude attacks of the criminal inmates of the hospital; but what
+heavy cares had burdened her concerning the two patients for whom she
+was battling with death! how eagerly she watched for tidings from the
+neighbourhood of the Siebenburgs! what hours of trouble were caused by
+the prior of the Dominicans and his envoys, who strove to convince her
+that her intention of renouncing her conventual life was treason to
+God, and that the boldness with which she had released herself from the
+former guides of her spiritual life and sought her own way would lead
+her to heresy and perdition! How painful, too, was the feeling that
+she was being examined to discover whether the Abbess Kunigunde had any
+share in her change of purpose!
+
+The torture to which stronger men rarely succumbed seemed to threaten
+the life of the more delicate ex-schoolmaster. At first the leech Otto,
+who, to please Els and Fran Christine, and touched by the brave spirit
+of this humble man, had daily visited Biberli, believed that he could
+not save him. On the straw pallet, and with the incompetent nursing
+at the hospital, he would have died very speedily, and what would have
+befallen his poor mangled toes and fingers in the hands of the barbers
+who managed affairs there?
+
+At the Beguines the kindly, skilful old physician had bandaged his hands
+and feet as carefully as if he had been the most aristocratic gentleman,
+and no prince could have been more tenderly and patiently watched by
+trained nurses; for, wonderful to relate, Eva, who had so willingly
+left her sick mother to her sister's care, and had often been vexed with
+herself because she could not even remotely equal Els beside the couch
+of the beloved invalid, rendered the mangled squire every service with
+a touch so light and firm that the old physician often watched her with
+glad astonishment.
+
+Caution, the quality she most lacked, seemed to have suddenly waked from
+a long slumber with doubly clear, far-seeing eyes. If it was necessary
+to turn the sick man, she paid special heed to every aching spot in his
+tortured body, and invented contrivances which she arranged with patient
+care to save him pain.
+
+Her own bed had been placed in the widow's chamber next to Biberli's,
+and from the night that her Aunt Christine had permitted her to remain
+in the Beguine house, she, who formerly had loved sleep and slumbered
+soundly, had been beside the sick woman at the least sign. On the third
+day she rendered her, with her own hands, every service for which she
+had formerly needed a Beguine's aid. She had possessed the gift of
+uttering words of cheer and comfort even to her invalid mother better
+than any one else, and often gave new courage to the suffering man when
+almost driven to despair by the anguish of pain assailing him in ten
+places at once. How kindly she taught him what comfort the sufferer
+finds who not only moves his lips and turns his rosary in prayer, as he
+had hitherto done, but commends himself and his pain to Him who endured
+still worse agonies on the cross! What a smile of content rested on the
+lips of the man who, in the ravings of fever, had so often repeated the
+words "steadfast and true," when she told him that he had done honour
+most marvellously to his favourite virtue, represented by the T and St,
+and might expect his master's praise and gratitude!
+
+All these things fell from her lips more warmly the more vividly she
+conjured up the image of the man for whose sake the gallant fellow had
+endured this martyrdom, the happier it made her to help Heinz, though
+without his knowledge, to pay the great debt of gratitude which he owed
+the faithful servitor. She was not aware of it, but the strongest of
+all educational powers--sorrow and love--were transforming the unsocial,
+capricious "little saint" into a noble, self-sacrificing woman. She was
+training herself to be what she desired to become to her lover, and the
+secret power whose influence upon her whole being she distinctly felt
+at each success, she herself called--remembering the last words of her
+dying mother--"the forge fire of life."
+
+At first it had been extremely painful for Biberli to allow himself to
+be nursed with such devoted, loving care by the very person from whom he
+had earnestly endeavoured to estrange his master; but soon the warmest
+gratitude cast every other feeling into the shade, and when he woke from
+the light slumber into which he frequently fell and saw Eva beside his
+bed, his heart swelled and he often felt as if Heaven had sent her to
+him to restore the best gifts for which he was struggling--life and
+health. When he began to recover, the faithful fellow clung to her with
+the utmost devotion; but this by no means lessened his love for his
+master and his absent sweetheart. On the contrary, the farther his
+convalescence progressed the more constantly and anxiously he thought of
+Heinz and Katterle, the more pleasure it afforded him to talk about them
+and to discuss with Eva what could have befallen both.
+
+It was impossible--Biberli believed this as firmly as his nurse--that
+Heinz could coldly forget his follower or Katterle neglect what she had
+undertaken. So both agreed in the conjecture that the messengers sent by
+the absent ones had been prevented from reaching their destination.
+
+The supposition was correct. Two troopers despatched by Heinz had been
+captured by the Siebenburgs, and the maid's messenger had cheated her
+by pocketing the small fee which she paid him and performing another
+commission instead of going to Schweinau. Of the knight's letters which
+had fallen into the wrong hands, one had besought the Emperor Rudolph
+to pardon the loyal servant, the other had thanked Biberli, and informed
+him that his master remembered and was working for him.
+
+Katterle had reached Heinz, had been required to tell him everything she
+knew about Eva and Biberli down to the minutest detail and had then been
+commissioned to repeat to the latter what had been also contained in the
+letter. On the way home, however, she only reached Schwabach, for the
+long walk in the most terrible anxiety, drenched by a pouring rain,
+whilst enquiring her way to Heinz, and especially the terrible
+excitements of the last few days, had been too much even for her
+vigorous constitution. Her pulse was throbbing violently and her brow
+was burning when she knocked at the door of Apel, the carrier, who had
+taken her into his waggon at Schweinau, and the good old man and his
+wife received and nursed her. The fever was soon broken, but weakness
+prevented her journeying to Schweinau on foot, and, as Apel intended to
+go to Nuremberg the first of the following week, she had been forced
+to content herself with sending the messenger who had betrayed her
+confidence.
+
+How hard it was for Katterle to wait! And her impatience reached its
+height when, before she could leave, some of the imperial troopers
+stabled their horses at the carrier's and reported that Castle
+Siebenburg and the robber stronghold of the Absbachs were destroyed. Sir
+Heinz Schorlin had fought like St. George. Now he was detained only by
+the fortresses of the knights Hirschhorn and Oberstein, whose situation
+on inaccessible crags threatened long to defy the imperial power.
+
+The thought that the strong Swiss girl might be ill never entered the
+mind of Biberli or Eva, but in quiet hours he asked himself which it
+would probably grieve him most to miss forever--his beautiful young
+nurse or his countrywoman and sweetheart. His heart belonged solely
+to Katterle, but towards Eva he obeyed the old trait inherent in his
+nature, and clung with the same loyalty hitherto evinced for his master
+to her whom he now regarded as his future mistress.
+
+This she must and should be, because already life seemed to him no
+longer desirable without her voice. Never had he heard one whose pure
+tones penetrated the heart more deeply. And had Heinz been permitted to
+hear her talk with the Dominicans, he would have given up his wish to
+renounce the world and, instead of entering a monastery, striven with
+every power of his being to win this wonderful maiden, for whom his
+heart glowed with such ardent love. When she persisted in her refusal to
+take the veil because she had learned that it is possible in the world
+to live at peace with one's self, feel in harmony with God, and follow
+in love and fidelity the footsteps of the Saviour, she had heard many
+a kindly word of admonition, many a sharp reproof, and many a fierce
+threat from the Dominicans, but she did not allow herself to be led
+astray, and understood how to defend herself so cleverly and forcibly
+that his heart dilated, and he asked himself how a girl of eighteen
+could maintain her ground so firmly, so shrewdly, and with such thorough
+knowledge of the Scriptures, against devout, highly educated men--nay,
+the most learned and austere.
+
+The Abbess Kunigunde had also appeared sometimes at his bedside, and
+Eva's conversations with her revealed to him that she had obtained her
+armour against the Dominicans from the Sisters of St. Clare. True, at
+first the former had laboured with the utmost earnestness to win her
+back to the convent, but two days before she had met two Dominicans, and
+the evident efforts of one who seemed to hold a distinguished position
+among his brother monks to gain Eva for his own order and withdraw her
+from the Sisters of St. Clare, whom he believed to be walking in paths
+less pleasing to God, had so angered the abbess that she lost the power,
+and perhaps also the will, to maintain her usual composure. Therefore,
+yesterday she had opposed her niece's wish to remain in the world less
+strongly than before; nay, on parting with her she had clasped her in
+her arms and, as it were, restored her freedom by admitting that various
+paths led to the kingdom of heaven.
+
+This was balm to the convalescent's wounds; for he cherished no wish
+more ardent than to accompany his master to the marriage altar, where
+Eva would give her hand to Heinz Schorlin as her faithful husband, and
+the abbess's last visit seemed to favour this desire. Besides, he who
+had gazed at life with open eyes had never yet beheld a brave young
+warrior, soon after reaping well-earned renown, yearn for the monk's
+cowl. Doubt, suffering, and a miraculous escape from terrible peril had
+inspired the joyous-hearted Heinz with the desire to renounce the world.
+Now, perhaps, Heaven itself was showing him that he had not received the
+boon of life to bury himself in a monastery, but to be blessed with the
+fairest and noblest of gifts, the love of a woman who, in his opinion,
+had not her equal beneath the wide vault of the azure sky.
+
+Countess Cordula was not suited for his master. During the long hours
+that he lay quietly on his pallet a hundred reasons strengthened this
+opinion. The man for whom he had steadfastly endured such severe agony,
+and was suffering still, was worthy of a more beautiful, devout, and
+calm companion-nay, the very loveliest and best--and that, in his eyes,
+was the girl for whom Heinz had felt so overmastering a passion just
+before his luckless winnings at the gaming table. This potent fire
+of love might doubtless be smothered with sand and ashes, but never
+extinguished.
+
+Such were Biberli's thoughts as he recalled the events of the previous
+day. He had found Eva less equable in her tender management than usual.
+Some anxiety concerning something apart from her patients seemed to
+oppress her. True, she had not wished to reveal it, but his eyes were
+keen.
+
+Soon after sunrise that morning she had carefully rebandaged his crushed
+thumb, which was not yet healed. Then she had gone away, as she assured
+him, for only a few hours. Now the sun was already high in the heavens,
+yet she did not return, though it was long past the time for the
+bandages to be renewed, and the drops to be given which sustained the
+life of the dying Minorite in the adjoining room. It made him uneasy,
+and when anxiety had once taken root in his heart it sent its shoots
+forward and backward, and he remembered many things in which Eva had
+been different the day before. Why had she whispered so long with Herr
+Pfinzing and then looked so sorrowfully at him, Biberli? Why had Frau
+Christine come not less than three times yesterday afternoon, and again
+in the evening? She had some secret to discuss with the surgeon Otto.
+Had any change taken place in his condition? and did the leech intend
+to amputate his thumb, or even his hand? But, no! only yesterday he had
+been assured that he could save all five fingers, and his sorely
+mangled left foot too. The widow was better, and all hope of saving the
+Minorite's life had been relinquished two days ago. Eva's anxiety must
+have some other cause, and he asked himself, in alarm, whether she could
+have received any bad news from his master or Katterle?
+
+A terrible sense of uneasiness overpowered him, and the necessity of
+confiding it to some one took such possession of the loquacious man that
+he called little Walpurga from the next room. But instead of running to
+his bedside, she darted forward with the joyful cry, "She is coming!"
+towards the door and Eva.
+
+Soon after the latter, leading the child by the hand, entered the room.
+Biberli felt as if the sun were rising again. How gay her greeting
+sounded! The expression of her blue eyes seemed to announce something
+pleasant. Whoever possessed this maiden would be sure to have no lack of
+light in his home, no matter how dark the night might be.
+
+He must have been mistaken concerning the anxiety which had seemed to
+oppress her on his account. Instead of bad news, she was surely bringing
+good tidings. Nay, she had the best of all; for Katterle, Eva told him,
+would soon arrive. But his future wife had been ill too. Her cheeks had
+not yet regained their roundness or their bright colour.
+
+Sharp-sighted Biberli noticed this, and exclaimed: "Then she is here
+already! For, my mistress, how else could you know how her cheeks look?"
+
+Soon afterwards the maid was really standing beside her lover's couch.
+
+Eva allowed them to enjoy the happiness of meeting undisturbed, and went
+to her other two patients. When she returned to the couple, Katterle
+had already related what she had experienced in Schwabach. It was little
+more than Eva had already heard from her uncle and others.
+
+That Seitz Siebenburg, whom he bitterly hated, had fallen in a sword
+combat by his master's own hand, afforded Biberli the keenest delight.
+No portion of the narrative vexed him except the nonarrival of the
+messengers, and the probability that some time must yet elapse ere Heinz
+could sheathe his sword.
+
+Eva's cheeks flushed with joy and pride as she heard how nobly her lover
+had justified the confidence of his imperial patron. But it seemed to be
+impossible to follow Biberli's flood of eloquence to the end. She was in
+haste, and he had been right concerning the cares which oppressed her.
+
+She had stood beside his couch the day before with a heavy heart, and
+it required the exercise of all her strength to conceal the anxiety with
+which her mind was filled, for if she did not intercede for him that
+very day; if his pardon could not be announced early the following
+morning during the session of the court in the Town Hall, then the
+half-recovered man must be surrendered to the judges again, and Otto
+believed that the torture would be fatal to his enfeebled frame.
+
+The tailor and his adherents, as Eva knew from Herr Pfinzing, were
+making every effort to obtain his condemnation and prove to the city
+that they had not censured the proceedings of the Ortlieb household as
+mere reckless slanderers. Eva and her sister would be again mentioned in
+the investigation, and were even threatened with an examination.
+
+At first this had startled her, but she believed her uncle's assurance
+that this examination would fully prove her innocence before the eyes
+of the whole world. For her own sake Eva surely would not have suffered
+herself to be so tortured by anxiety night and day, or undertaken and
+resolved to dare so much. The thought that the faithful follower whom
+her patient nursing had saved from death and to whom she had become
+warmly attached must now lose his life, and Heinz Schorlin be robbed of
+the possibility of doing anything for him, had cast every other fear in
+the shade, and had kept her constantly in motion the evening before and
+this morning.
+
+But all that she and her Aunt Christine had attempted in behalf of the
+imperilled man had been futile. To apply to the Emperor again every one,
+including the magistrate, had declared useless, since even the Burgrave
+had been refused.
+
+The members of the Council and the judges in the court had already, at
+Aunt Christine's solicitation, deferred the proceedings four days, but
+the law now forbade longer delay. Though individuals would gladly
+have spared the accused the torture, its application could scarcely be
+avoided, for how many accusers and witnesses appeared against him, and
+if there were weighty depositions and by no means truthful replies on
+the part of the prisoner, the torture could not be escaped. It legally
+belonged to the progress of the investigation, and how many who had by
+no means recovered from the last exposure to the rack were constantly
+obliged to enter the torture chamber? Besides, the judges would be
+charged with partiality by the tailor and his followers, and to show
+such visible tokens of favour threatened to prejudice the dignity of the
+court.
+
+She had found good will everywhere, but all had withheld any positive
+promise. It was so easy to retreat behind the high-sounding words
+"justice and law," and then: who for the sake of a squire--who,
+moreover, was in the service of a foreign knight--would awaken the
+righteous indignation of the artisans, who made the tailor's cause their
+own.
+
+Whatever the aunt and niece tried had failed either wholly or partially.
+Besides, Eva had been obliged to keep in the background in order not to
+expose herself to the suspicion of pleading her own cause. Many probably
+thought that Frau Christine herself was talking ostensibly in behalf of
+the servant and really for her brother's slandered daughter.
+
+When Eva met Katterle in front of the hospital, she had passed without
+noticing her, so completely had sorrow, anxiety, and the effort to think
+of some expedient engrossed her attention.
+
+It had been very difficult to meet Biberli with an untroubled manner,
+yet she had even succeeded in showing a bright face to the carrier's
+widow, as well as to Father Benedictus, whose hours seemed to be
+numbered, and who only yesterday had wounded her deeply.
+
+When she returned from the Minorite's room to Biberli's the lovers were
+no longer alone. The fresh, pleasant face of a vigorous woman, who
+had already visited the sufferer several times, greeted her beside his
+couch.
+
+When, in the exchange of salutations, her eyes met Eva's the latter
+suddenly found the plan of action she had vainly sought. Gertrude of
+Berne could help her take the chance which, in the last extremity,
+she meant to risk, for she was the wife of the Swiss warder in the
+Burgrave's castle. It certainly would not be difficult for her to
+procure her an interview with the Burgravine Elizabeth. If the noble
+lady could not aid herself, she could--her cheeks paled at the thought,
+yet she resolutely clung to it--present her to her brother, the Emperor.
+
+When Eva, in a low tone, told Frau Gertrude what she hoped to accomplish
+at the castle, she learned that the Emperor had ridden with the
+Archduchess Agnes and a numerous train to the imperial forest, to show
+his Bohemian daughter-in-law the beekeeper's hives, and would scarcely
+return before sunset; but the Burgravine had remained at home on account
+of a slight illness.
+
+Nevertheless Eva wished to go to the castle, and, whatever reception the
+noble lady bestowed upon her, she would return to Schweinau as soon as
+possible. Father Benedictus was so ill that she could not remain away
+from him long.
+
+If the Burgravine could do nothing for Biberli, she would undertake the
+risk which made her tremble, because it compelled her, the young girl,
+to appear alone at the court with all its watchful eyes and sharp
+tongues. She would go to the fortress to beseech the Emperor herself for
+pardon.
+
+She could act with entire freedom to-day, for her uncle had ridden to
+the city and, Frau Gertrude said, was one of the party who accompanied
+the Emperor to the beekeeper's, whilst her aunt had just gone to
+Nuremberg to see Els, who had besought her, in a despairing letter, to
+let her come to Schweinau, for her power of endurance was exhausted.
+
+How gladly Eva would have accompanied her aunt to her sister to exhort
+her to take courage! What a strange transformation of affairs! Ever
+since she could think Els had sustained her by her superior strength and
+perseverance. Now she was to be the stronger, and teach her to exercise
+patience.
+
+She thought she had gained the right to do so. Whilst Eva was still
+explaining her plan to Frau Gertrude, she herself perceived that she had
+taken no account of time.
+
+It was nearly noon, and if she ordered a sedan-chair to convey her to
+the city and back again to Schweinau, it would be too late to approach
+the Emperor as a petitioner. She could fulfil her design only by
+riding; but the warder's wife reminded her that it would be contrary to
+custom--nay, scarcely possible--to appear before the Emperor, or even
+his sister, in a riding habit.
+
+But the young girl speedily found a way to fulfil her ardent wish to
+aid. On her swift palfrey, which her uncle had sent to Schweinau long
+before that she might refresh herself, after her arduous duties, by a
+ride, she would go to the city, stop at her own home, and have her
+new expensive mourning clothes taken to the castle. The only doubt was
+whether she could change her garments in the quarters of the Swiss, and
+whether Frau Gertrude would help her do so.
+
+The latter gladly assented. There was no lack of room in her apartments,
+nor did Frau Gertrude, who had served the Burgravine as waiting maid
+many years before her marriage, lack either skill or good will.
+
+So she went directly home on her mule; but Eva, after promising her
+patients to return soon, hastened to her uncle's residence.
+
+There she mounted the palfrey and reached the city gate a long time
+before the Swiss. The clothes she needed were soon found in the Ortlieb
+mansion, and she was then carried in a sedan-chair to the castle with
+her wardrobe, whilst the groom led her palfrey after her. Countess
+Cordula was not at home; she, too, had ridden to the forest with the
+Emperor.
+
+The Burgravine Elizabeth willingly consented to receive the charming
+child whose fate had awakened her warm interest. She had just been
+hearing the best and most beautiful things about Eva, for the leech Otto
+had been called to visit her in her attack of illness, and the old man
+was overflowing with praises of both sisters. He indignantly mentioned
+the vile calumnies with which Heinz Schorlin's name was associated, and
+which base slander had fixed upon the innocent girls whose pure morality
+he would guarantee.
+
+The great lady, who probably remembered having directed Heinz's
+attention to Eva at the dance, understood very clearly that they could
+not fail to attract each other. Of all the knights in her imperial
+brother's train, none seemed to the Burgravine more worthy of her favour
+than her gay young countryman, whose mother had been one of the friends
+of her youth. She would gladly have rendered him a service and, in this
+case, not only for his own sake but still more on account of the rare
+fidelity of his servant, who was also a native of her beloved Swiss
+mountains. Yet, notwithstanding all this, it seemed impossible to bring
+this matter again before the Emperor. She knew her husband, and after
+the rebuff he had received on account of the tortured man he would be
+angry if she should plead his cause with her royal brother.
+
+But her kind heart, and the regard which both Eva and Heinz Schorlin had
+inspired, strengthened her desire to aid, as far as lay in her power,
+the brave maiden who urged her suit with such honest warmth, and the
+petitioner's avowal of her intention, as a last resort, of appealing
+to the Emperor in person showed her how to convert her kind wishes into
+deeds.
+
+Let Eva's youth and beauty try to persuade the Emperor to an act of
+clemency which he had refused to wisdom and power.
+
+After supper her brother received various guests, and she could present
+the daughter of a Nuremberg patrician whom he already knew, and whose
+rare charms had attracted his notice.
+
+Though she had been compelled to forego the ride to the forest, she was
+well enough to appear at supper in the Emperor's residence, which was
+close to her own castle. When the meal was over she would take Eva
+herself to her royal brother.
+
+She told her this, and the gratitude which she received was so warm and
+earnest that it touched her heart, and as she bade the beautiful, brave
+child farewell she clasped her in her arms and kissed her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+Encouraged and hopeful, Eva again mounted her palfrey, and urged the
+swift animal outside the city to so rapid a pace that the old groom
+on his well-fed bay was left far behind. But the change of dress, the
+waiting, and the numerous questions asked by the Burgravine had consumed
+so much time that the poplars were already casting long shadows when she
+dismounted before the hospital.
+
+Sister Hildegard received her with an embarrassment by no means usual,
+but which Eva thought natural when the former told her that the dying
+Father Benedictus had asked for her impatiently. The widow was doing
+well, and Biberli would hardly need her; for the wife of a Swabian
+knight in whose service he had formerly been was sitting by his couch
+with her young daughter, and their visit seemed to please him.
+
+Eva remarked in surprise that she thought the sick man had never served
+any one except the Schurlins, but she was in too much haste for further
+questions, and entered the room where Biberli lay.
+
+Her face was flushed by the rapid ride; her thick, fair hair, which
+usually fell loosely on her shoulders, had been hastily braided before
+she mounted her horse, but the long, heavy braids had become unfastened
+on the way, and now hung in tresses round her face and pliant figure.
+
+She waved her hand gaily from the threshold to the patient for whom she
+had done and dared so much; but ere approaching his couch she modestly
+saluted the stately matron who was with Biberli, and nodded a pleasant
+welcome to her daughter, whose pretty, frank face attracted her. After
+the Swabians had cordially returned her greeting, she briefly excused
+herself, as an urgent duty would not permit her to yield to her desire
+to remain with them.
+
+Lastly, she addressed a few hasty questions to the squire about his
+health, kissed little Walpurga, who had nestled to her side, bade her
+tell her another that she would come to her later, and entered the next
+room.
+
+"Well?" Biberli asked his visitors eagerly, after the door had closed
+behind her.
+
+"Oh, how beautiful she is!" cried the younger lady quickly, but her
+mother's voice trembled with deep emotion as she answered: "How I
+objected to my son's marriage with the daughter of a city family! Nay,
+I intended to cast all the weight of my maternal influence between Heinz
+and the Nuremberg maiden. Yet you did not say too much, my friend, and
+what your praise began Eva's own appearance has finished. She will be
+welcome to me as a daughter. I have scarcely ever seen anything more
+lovely. That she is devout and charitable and, moreover, has a clear
+intellect and resolute energy, can be plainly perceived in spite of the
+few minutes which she could spare us. If Heaven would really suffer our
+Heinz to win the heart of this rare creature----"
+
+"Every fibre of it is his already," interrupted Biberli. "The
+rub--pardon me, noble lady!--is somewhere else. Whether he--whether
+Heinz can be induced to renounce the thought of the monastery, is the
+question."
+
+He sighed faintly as he gazed into the still beautiful, strong, and yet
+kindly face of the Lady Wendula Schorlin, Sir Heinz's mother, for she
+was the older visitor.
+
+"We ought not to doubt that," replied the matron firmly. "As the last
+of his ancient race, it is his duty to provide for its continuance, not
+solely for his own salvation. He was always a dutiful son."
+
+"Yet," replied Biberli thoughtfully, "'Away with those who gave us
+life!' was the exhortation of Father Benedictus in the next room. 'Away
+with the service of sovereign and woman!' he cried to our knight. 'Away
+with everything that stands in the way of your own salvation!' And,"
+Biberli added, "St. Francis was not the first to devise that. Our Lord
+and Saviour commanded His disciples to leave father and mother and to
+follow Him."
+
+"Who will prevent his walking in the paths of Jesus Christ?" replied the
+Lady Wendula? "Yet, though he follows His footsteps, he must and can
+do so as a scion of a noble race, as a knight and the brave soldier
+and true servant of his Emperor, which he is, as a good son and, God
+willing, as a husband and father. He is sure of my blessing if he wields
+his sword as a champion of his holy faith. When my two daughters took
+the veil I submissively yielded. They can pray for heavenly bliss for
+their brother and ourselves. My only son, the last Schorlin, I neither
+can nor will permit to renounce the world, in which he has tasks to
+perform which God Himself assigned him by his birth."
+
+"And how could Heinz part from this angel," cried Maria--to whom, next
+to her mother, her brother was the dearest person on earth--"if he is
+really sure of her love!"
+
+She herself had not yet opened her heart to love. To wander through
+forest and field with the aged head of her family, assist her mother in
+housekeeping, and nurse the sick poor in the village, had hitherto been
+the joy and duty of her life. Gaily, often with a song upon her lips,
+she had carelessly seen one day follow another until Schorlin Castle
+was besieged and destroyed, and her dear uncle, the Knight Ramsweg, was
+slain in the defence of the fortress confided to his care. Then she and
+her mother were taken to the convent at Constance. Both remained there
+in perfect freedom, as welcome guests of the nuns, until the mounted
+courier brought a letter from the Knight Maier of Silenen, her cousin,
+who wrote from Nuremberg that Heinz, like his sisters, intended to
+renounce the world.
+
+Lady Schorlin set out at once, and with an anxious heart rode to
+Nuremberg with her daughter as fast as possible.
+
+They had arrived a few hours before and gone to their cousin from
+Silenen. From him the Lady Wendula learned what her maternal love
+desired to know. Biberli's fate brought her, after a brief rest, to the
+hospital, and how it comforted the faithful fellow's heart to see the
+noble lady who had confided his master to his care, and in whose house
+the T and St had been embroidered on his long coat and cap!
+
+Lady Wendula had remembered these letters, and when she spoke of them
+he replied that since he had partially verified what the T and St had
+announced to people concerning his character, and to which the letters
+had themselves incited him, he no longer needed them.
+
+Then he lapsed into silence, and at last, as the result of his
+meditations, told his mistress that there was something unusual about
+his insignificant self, because he earnestly desired to practise the
+virtues whose possession he claimed before the eyes of the people. He
+had usually found the worst wine in the taverns with showy signs, and
+when the Lady Wendula's daughter had embroidered those letters on the
+cloth for him, what he furnished the guests was also of very doubtful
+quality. On his sick bed he had been obliged to place no curb upon his
+proneness to reflection, and in doing so had discovered that there was
+no virtue which can be owned like a house or a steed, but that each must
+be constantly gained anew, often amidst toil and suffering. One thing,
+however, was now firmly established in his belief: that his favourite
+virtues were really the fairest of all, because--one will answer for
+all--man never felt happier than when he had succeeded in keeping his
+fidelity inviolate and maintaining his steadfastness. He had learned,
+too, from Fraulein Eva that the Redeemer Himself promised the crown of
+eternal life to those who remain faithful unto death. In this confidence
+he awaited the jailers, who perhaps would come very soon to lead him
+into the most joyless of all apartments--the Nuremberg torture chamber.
+
+Then he told the ladies what he knew of the love which united Heinz
+and Eva. The four Fs which he had advised his master to heed in his
+wooing--Family, Figure, Favor, and Fortune--he no longer deemed the
+right touch-tones. Whilst he was forced to lie idly here he had
+found that they should rather be exchanged for four Ss--Spirituality,
+Steadfastness, Stimulation, and Solace--for the eyes and the heart.
+
+All these were united in Eva and, moreover, there could be no objection
+to the family to which she belonged.
+
+Thereupon he had commenced so enthusiastic a eulogy of his beloved nurse
+and preserver that more than once Lady Wendula, smiling, stopped him,
+accusing him of permitting his grateful heart to lead him to such
+exaggeration that the maiden he wished to serve would scarcely thank
+him.
+
+Yet Eva's personal appearance had disappointed neither the experienced
+mother nor the easily won daughter. Nay, when Maria Schorlin gazed at
+her through the half-open door of the Minorite's room, because she did
+not want to lose sight of the girl who had already attracted her on
+account of her hard battle in the cause of love, and who specially
+charmed her because it was her Heinz whom she loved, she thought no
+human being could resist the spell which emanated from Eva.
+
+With her finger on her lip she beckoned to her mother, and she, too,
+could not avert her eyes from the wonderful creature whom she hoped soon
+to call daughter, as she saw Eva standing, with eyes uplifted to heaven,
+beside the old man's couch, and heard her, in compliance with his wish,
+as she had often done before, half recite, half sing in a low voice the
+Song of the Sun, the finest work of St. Francis.
+
+The words were in the Italian language, in which this song had flowed
+from the poet heart of the Saint of Assisi, so rich in love to God and
+all animate nature; for she had learned to speak Italian in the Convent
+of St. Clare, to which several Italians had been transferred from their
+own home and that of their order and its founder.
+
+Lady Wendula and her daughter could also follow the song; for the mother
+had learned the beautiful language of the Saint of Assisi from the
+minnesingers in her youth, and in the early years of her marriage had
+accompanied the Emperor Frederick, with her husband, across the Alps. So
+she had taught Maria.
+
+As Lady Schorlin approached the door Eva, with her large eyes uplifted,
+was just beginning the second verse:
+
+     "Praised by His creatures all
+     Praised be the Lord my God
+     By Messer Sun, my brother, above all,
+     Who by his rays lights us and lights the day.
+     Radiant is he, with his great splendour stored,
+     Thy glory, Lord, confessing.
+
+     "By sister Moon and stars my Lord is praised,
+     Where clear and fair they in the heavens are raised.
+
+     "By brother Wind, my Lord, thy praise is said,
+     By air and clouds, and the blue sky o'erhead,
+     By which thy creatures all are kept and fed.
+
+     "By one most humble, useful, precious, chaste,
+     By sister Water, O my Lord, thou art praised.
+
+     "And praised is my Lord
+     By brother Fire-he who lights up the night;
+     Jocund, robust is he, and strong and bright.
+
+     "Praised art Thou, my Lord, by mother Earth,
+     Thou who sustainest her and governest,
+     And to her flowers, fruit, herbs, dost colour give and birth.
+
+     "And praised is my Lord
+     By those who, for Thy love, can pardon give
+     And bear the weakness and the wrongs of men.
+
+     "Blessed are those who suffer thus in peace,
+     By Thee, the Highest, to be crowned in heaven.
+
+     "Praised by our sister Death, my Lord, art Thou,
+     From whom no living man escapes.
+     Who die in mortal sin have mortal woe,
+     But blessed are they who die doing Thy will;
+     The second death can strike at them no blow.
+
+     "Praises and thanks and blessing to my Master be!
+     Serve ye Him all, with great humility."
+
+How God was loved by this saint, who beheld in everything the Most High
+had created kindred whom he loved and held intercourse with as with
+brother and sister! Whatever the divine Father's love had formed--the
+sun, the moon and stars, the wood, water and fire, the earth and her
+fair children, the various flowers and plants--he made proclaim, each
+for itself and all in common, like a mighty chorus, the praise of God.
+Even death joins in the hymn, and all these sons and daughters of the
+same exalted Father call to the minds of men the omnipotent, beneficent
+rule of the Lord. They help mortals to appreciate God's majesty, fill
+their hearts with gratitude, and summon them to praise His sublimity
+and greatness. In death, whom the poet also calls his sister, he sees
+no cruel murderer, because she, too, comes from the Most High. "And
+what sister," asks the saint, "could more surely rescue the brother from
+sorrow and suffering?" Whoever, as a child of God, feels like the loving
+Saint of Assisi, will gratefully suffer death to lead him to union with
+the Father.
+
+Benedictus had followed the magnificent poem with rapture. At the lines,
+
+     "But blessed are they who die doing Thy will;
+     The second death can strike at them no blow,"
+
+he nodded gently, as if sure that the close of his earthly pilgrimage
+meant nothing to him except the beginning of a new and happy life; but
+when Eva ended with the command to serve the Lord with great humility,
+he lowered his eyes to the floor hesitatingly, as if not sure of
+himself.
+
+But he soon raised them again and fixed them on the young girl. They
+seemed to ask the question whether this noble hymn did not draw his
+nurse also to him who had sung it; whether, in spite of it, she still
+persisted, with sorrowful blindness, in her refusal to join the
+Sisters of St. Clare, whom the saintly singer also numbered amongst his
+followers. Yet he felt too feeble to appeal to her conscience now, as
+he had often done, and bear the replies with which this highly gifted,
+peculiar creature, in every conversation his increasing weakness
+permitted him to share with her, had pressed him hard and sometimes even
+silenced him.
+
+True, they fought with unequal weapons. Pain and illness paralysed his
+keen intellect, and difficulty of breathing often checked the eloquent
+tongue, both of which had served him so readily in his intercourse
+with Heinz Schorlin. She contended with the most precious goal of youth
+before her eyes, fresh and healthy in mind and body, conscious, in the
+midst of the struggle, against doubt and suffering, for what she held
+dearest of her own vigorous energy, panoplied by the talisman of the
+last mandate from the lips of her dying mother.
+
+Benedictus, during a long life devoted to the highest aims, had battled
+enough. He already saw Sister Death upon the threshold, and he wished
+to depart in peace and reap the reward for so much conflict, pain,
+and sacrifice. The Lord Himself had broken his weapons. The Minorite
+Egidius, his friend and companion in years, must carry on with Eva,
+Father Ignatius, the most eloquent member of the order in Nuremberg,
+with Heinz Schorlin, the work which he, Benedictus, had begun. Though
+he himself must retire from the battlefield, he was sure that his post
+would not remain empty.
+
+The chant had placed him in the right mood to take leave of the
+Brothers, whose arrival Sister Hildegard had just announced.
+
+Since yesterday he had seen the Saviour constantly before his mental
+vision. Sometimes he imagined that he beheld Him beckoning to him;
+sometimes that He extended His arms to him; sometimes he even fancied
+that he heard His voice, or that of St. Francis, and both invited him to
+approach.
+
+To-day-the leech had admitted it, and he himself felt it by his fevered
+brow, the failing pulsations of the heart, and the chill in the cold
+feet, perhaps already dead--he might expect to leave the dust of the
+world and behold those for whom he longed face to face in a purer light.
+
+He wished to await the end surrounded only by the Brothers, who were
+fighting the same battle, reminded by nothing of the world, as if in the
+outer court of heaven.
+
+Eva, the beautiful yet perverse woman, was one of the last persons whom
+he would have desired to have near him when he took the step into the
+other world.
+
+Speech was difficult. A brief admonition to renounce her earthly love
+in order to share the divine one whose rich joys he hoped to taste that
+very day was the farewell greeting he vouchsafed Eva. When she tried to
+kiss his hand he withdrew it as quickly as his weakness permitted.
+
+Then she retired, and Father AEgidius led the Brothers of the order in
+Nuremberg into the room. Meanwhile it had grown dark, and the Beguine
+Paulina brought in a two-branched candelabrum with burning candles. Eva
+took it from her hand and placed it so that the light should not dazzle
+her patient; but he saw her and, by pointing with a frowning brow to the
+door, commanded her to leave the room.
+
+She gladly obeyed. When she had passed the Brothers, however, she paused
+on the threshold before going into the entry and again gazed at the old
+man's noble, pallid features illumined by the candlelight.
+
+She had never seen him look so. He was gazing, radiant with joy, at the
+monks, who were to give him the benediction at his departure. Then he
+raised his dark eyes as if transfigured; he was thanking Heaven for so
+much mercy, but the other Minorites fell on their knees beside the bed
+and prayed with him.
+
+How lovingly the old man looked into each face! He had never favoured
+her with such a glance. Yet no other nursing had been so difficult and
+often so painful. At first he had shown a positive enmity to her,
+and even asked Sister Hildegard for another nurse; but no suitable
+substitute for Eva could be found. Then he had earnestly desired to be
+removed to the Franciscan monastery in Nuremberg; this, however, could
+not be done because it would have hastened his death. So he was forced
+to remain, and Eva felt that her presence was not the least thing which
+rendered the hospital distasteful.
+
+Yet, as his aged eyes refused their service and he liked to have someone
+read aloud from the gospels which he carried with him, or from notes
+written by his own hand, which also comprised some of the poems of St.
+Francis, and no one else in the house was capable of performing this
+office, he at last explicitly desired to keep her for his nurse.
+
+To anoint and bandage, according to the physician's prescription, his
+sore feet and the deep scars made on his back by severe scourging,
+which had reopened, became more difficult the more plainly he showed his
+aversion to her touch, because she--he had told her so himself--was
+a woman. She certainly had not found it easy to keep awake and wear a
+pleasant expression when, after a toilsome day, he woke her at midnight
+and forced her to read aloud until the grey dawn of morning. But hardest
+of all for Eva to bear were the bitter words with which he wounded her,
+and which sounded specially sharp and hostile when he reproached her for
+standing between Heinz Schorlin and the eternal salvation for which the
+knight so eagerly longed. He seemed to bear her a grudge like that
+which the artist feels towards the culprit who has destroyed one of his
+masterpieces.
+
+Often, too, a chance word betrayed that he blamed Heaven for having
+denied him victory in the battle for the soul of Heinz. Schorlin which
+he had begun to wage in its name. True, such murmuring was always
+followed by deep repentance. But in every mood he still strove to
+persuade Eva to renounce the world.
+
+When she confessed what withheld her from doing so, he at first tried to
+convince her by opposing reasons, but usually strength to continue the
+interchange of thought soon failed him. Then he confined himself to
+condemning with harsh words her perverse spirit and worldly nature, and
+threatening her with the vengeance of Heaven.
+
+Once, after repeating the Song of the Sun, as she had done just now, he
+asked whether she, too, felt that nothing save the peace of the cloister
+would afford the possibility of feeling the greatness and love of the
+Most High as warmly and fully as this majestic song commands us to do.
+
+Then, summoning her courage, she assured him of the contrary. Though but
+a simple girl, she, who had often been the guest of the abbess, felt the
+grandeur and glory of God as much more deeply in the world and during
+the fulfilment of the hardest duties which life imposed than with the
+Sisters of St. Clare, as the forests and fields were wider than the
+little convent garden.
+
+The old man, in a rage, upbraided her with being a blinded fool,
+and asked her whether she did not know that the world was finite and
+limited, whilst what the convent contained was eternal and boundless.
+
+Another time he had wounded her so deeply by his severity that she had
+found it impossible to restrain her tears. But he had scarcely perceived
+this ere he repented his harshness. Nothing but love ought to move
+his heart on the eve of a union with Him whom he had just called Love
+itself, and with earnest and tender entreaties he besought Eva to
+forgive him for the censure which was also a work of love. Throughout
+the day he had treated her with affectionate, almost humble, kindness.
+
+All these things returned to Eva's thoughts as she left her grey-haired
+patient.
+
+He was standing on the threshold of the other world, and it was easy for
+her to think of him kindly, deeply as he had often wounded her. Nay,
+her heart swelled with grateful joy because she had been so patient
+and suffered nothing to divert her from the arduous duty which she had
+undertaken in nursing the old man, who regarded her with such disfavour.
+
+A light had been brought into Biberli's room too. When Eva entered with
+glowing cheeks she found the Swabians still sitting beside his couch.
+The door leading into the chamber of the dying man had been closed long
+before, yet the notes of pious litanies came from the adjoining room.
+Lady Schorlin noticed her deep emotion with sympathy, and asked her to
+sit down by her side. Maria offered her own low stool, but Eva declined
+its use, because she would soon be obliged to ride back to the city. She
+pressed her hand upon her burning brow, sighing, "Now, now--after such
+an hour, at court!"
+
+Lady Wendula urged her with such kindly maternal solicitude to take a
+little rest that the young girl yielded.
+
+The matron's remark that she, too, was invited to the reception at the
+imperial residence that evening brought an earnest entreaty from Eva to
+accept the invitation for her sake, and the Swabian promised to gratify
+her if nothing occurred to prevent. At any rate, they would ride to the
+city together.
+
+Biberli's astonished enquiry concerning the cause of Eva's visit to the
+fortress was answered evasively, and she was glad when the singing in
+the next room led the Swabian to ask whether it was true that the master
+of her suffering friend on the couch, who intended to devote himself to
+a monastic life, meant to enter the order of the Minorite whom she had
+just left and become a mendicant friar. When Eva assented, the lady
+remarked that members of this brotherhood had rarely come to her castle;
+but Biberli said that they were quiet, devout men who, content with the
+alms they begged, preached, and performed other religious duties. They
+were recruited more from the people than from the aristocratic classes.
+Many, however, joined them in order to live an idle life, supported by
+the gifts of others.
+
+Eva eagerly opposed this view, maintaining that true piety could be most
+surely found in the order of St. Francis. Then, with warm enthusiasm,
+she praised its founder, asserting that, on the contrary, the Saint of
+Assisi had enjoined labour upon his followers. For instance, one of
+his favourite disciples was willing to shake the nuts from the rotten
+branches of a nut tree which no one dared to climb if he might have
+half the harvest. This was granted, but he made a sack of his wide brown
+cowl, filled it with the nuts, and distributed them amongst his poor.
+
+This pleased the mother and daughter; yet when the former remarked
+that work of this kind seemed to her too easy for a young, noble, and
+powerful knight, Eva agreed, but added that the saint also required
+an activity in which the hands, it is true, remained idle, but which
+heavily taxed even the strongest soul. St. Francis himself had set the
+example of performing this toil cheerfully and gladly.
+
+Whilst giving this information she had again risen. Sister Hildegard had
+announced that her palfrey and the horses of the guests had been led up.
+
+Finally Eva promised to mount at the same time as the Swabians, bade
+farewell to Biberli, who looked after her with surprise, yet silently
+conjectured that this errand to the Emperor was in his behalf, and
+then went into the entry, where Sister Hildegard told her that Father
+Benedictus had just died.
+
+The monks were still chanting beside his deathbed. Brother AEgidius,
+the friend and comrade of the dead man, however, had left them and
+approached Eva.
+
+Deeply agitated, he struggled to repress his sobs as he told her that
+the old man's longing was fulfilled and his Saviour had summoned him. To
+die thus, richly outweighed the many sacrifices he had so willingly made
+here below during a long life. If Eva had witnessed his death she would
+have perceived the aptness of the saying that a monk's life is bitter,
+but his death is sweet. Such an end was granted only to those who cast
+the world aside. Let her consider this once more, ere she renounced the
+eternal bliss for which formerly she had so devoutly yearned.
+
+Eva's only answer was the expression of her grief for his friend's
+decease. But whilst passing out into the darkness she thought: the
+holy Brother certainly had a beautiful and happy death, yet how gently,
+trusting in the mercy of her Redeemer, my mother also passed away,
+though during her life and on her deathbed she remained in the world.
+And then--whilst Father Benedictus was closing his eyes--what concern
+did he probably have for aught save his own salvation, but my mother
+forgot herself and thought only of others, of those whom she loved,
+whilst the Saviour summoned her to Himself. Her eyes were already dim
+and her tongue faltered when she uttered the words which had guided her
+daughter until now. The forge fire of life burns fiercely, yet to it my
+gratitude is due if the resolutions I formed in the forest after I had
+gathered the flowers for her and saw Heinz kneeling in prayer have not
+been vain, but have changed the capricious, selfish child into a woman
+who can render some service to others.
+
+If Heinz comes now and seeks me, I think I can say trustingly, "Here
+I am!" We have both striven for the divine Love and recognised its
+glorious beauty. If later, hand in hand, we can interweave it with the
+earthly one, why should it not be acceptable to the Saviour? If Heinz
+offers me his affection I will greet it as "Sister Love," and it will
+certainly summon me with no lower voice to praise the Father from whom
+it comes and who has bestowed it upon me, as do the sun, the moon and
+stars, the fire and water.
+
+Whilst speaking she went out, and after learning that Frau Christine and
+her husband had not yet returned, she rode with the Swabians towards the
+city.
+
+In order not to pass through the whole length of Nuremberg, Eva guided
+her friends around the fortifications. Their destination was almost the
+same, and they chose to enter at the Thiergartnerthor, which was in the
+northwestern part of the city, under the hill crowned by the castle,
+whilst the road to Schweinau usually led through the Spitalthor.
+
+On the way Lady Wendula induced Eva to tell her many things about
+herself, urging her to describe her father and her dead mother. Her
+daughter Maria, on the other hand, was most interested in her sister
+Els, who, as she had heard from Biberli, was the second beautiful E.
+
+Eva liked to talk about her relatives, but her depression continued
+and she spoke only in reply to questions, for the Minorite's death had
+affected her, and her heart throbbed anxiously when she thought of the
+moment that she must appear amongst the courtiers and see the Emperor.
+
+Would her errand be vain? Must poor Biberli pay for his resolute
+fidelity with his life? What pain it would cause her, and how heavily it
+would burden his master's soul that he had failed to intercede for him!
+
+Not until Lady Schorlin questioned her did Eva confess what troubled
+her, and how she dreaded the venture which she had undertaken on her own
+responsibility.
+
+They were obliged to wait outside the Thiergartnerthor, for it had just
+been opened to admit a train of freight waggons.
+
+Whilst Eva remained on the high-road, with the castle before her eyes,
+she sighed from the depths of her troubled heart: "Why should the
+Emperor Rudolph grant me, an insignificant girl, what he refused his
+sister's husband, the powerful Burgrave, to whom he is so greatly
+indebted? Oh, suppose he should treat me harshly and bid me go back to
+my spinning wheel!"
+
+Then she felt the arm of the dignified lady at her side pass round her
+and heard her say: "Cheer up, my dear girl. The blessing of a woman who
+feels as kindly towards you as to her own daughter will accompany
+you, and no Emperor will ungraciously rebuff you, you lovely, loyal,
+charitable child."
+
+At these words from her kind friend Eva's heart opened as if the dear
+mother whom death had snatched from her had inspired her with fresh
+courage, and from the very depths of her soul rose the cry, "Oh, how I
+thank you!"
+
+She urged her nimble palfrey nearer the lady's horse to kiss her left
+hand, which held the bridle, but Lady Wendula would not permit it and,
+drawing her towards her, exclaimed, "Your lips, dear one," and as her
+red mouth pressed the kind lady's, Eva felt as if the caress had sealed
+an old and faithful friendship. But this was not all. Maria also wished
+to show the affection she had won, and begged for a kiss too.
+
+Without suspecting it, Eva, on the way to an enterprise she dreaded,
+received the proof that her lover's dearest relatives welcomed her with
+their whole hearts as a new member of the family.
+
+On the other side of the gate she was obliged to part from the Swabians.
+
+Lady Wendula bade her farewell with an affectionate "until we meet
+again," and promised positively to go to the reception at the castle.
+
+Eva uttered a sigh of relief. It seemed like an omen of success that
+this lady, who had so quickly inspired her with such perfect confidence,
+was to witness her difficult undertaking. She felt like a leader who
+takes the field with a scanty band of soldiers and is unexpectedly
+joined by the troops of a firm friend.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+When Arnold, the warder from Berne, helped Eva from the saddle, a blaze
+of light greeted her from the imperial residence. The banquet was just
+beginning.
+
+Frau Gertrude had more than one piece of good news to tell while
+assisting the young girl. Among the sovereign's guests was her uncle the
+magistrate, who had accompanied the Emperor to the beekeeper's, and
+with his wife, whom she would also find there, had been invited to the
+banquet. Besides--this, as the best, she told her last--her father,
+Herr Ernst Ortlieb, had returned from Ulm and Augsburg, and a short
+time before had come to the fortress to conduct Jungfrau Els, by the
+Burgrave's gracious permission, to her betrothed husband's hiding place.
+Fran Gertrude had lighted her way, and a long separation might be borne
+for such a meeting.
+
+The ex-maid was obliged to bestir herself that Eva might have a few
+minutes for her sister and Wolff, yet she would fain have spent a much
+longer time over the long, thick, fair hair, which with increasing
+pleasure she combed until it flowed in beautiful waving tresses over the
+rich Florentine stuff of her plain white mourning robe.
+
+The Swiss had also provided white roses from the Burgrave's garden to
+fasten at the square neck of Eva's dress. The latter permitted her to
+do this, but her wish to put a wreath of roses on the young girl's head,
+according to the fashion of the day, was denied, because Eva thought
+it more seemly to appear unadorned, and not as if decked for a festival
+when she approached the Emperor as a petitioner. The woman whose life
+had been spent at court perceived the wisdom of this idea, and at last
+rejoiced that she had not obtained her wish; for when her work was
+finished Eva looked so bewitching and yet so pure and modest, that
+nothing could be removed or--even were it the wreath of roses--added
+without injuring the perfect success of her masterpiece.
+
+Lack of time soon compelled the young girl to interrupt the exclamations
+of admiration uttered by the skilful tiring woman herself, her little
+daughter, the maidservant, and the friend whom Fran Gertrude had invited
+to come in as if by accident.
+
+While following the warder's wife through various corridors and rooms,
+Eva thought of the hour in her own home before the dance at the Town
+Hall, and it seemed as if not days but a whole life intervened, and she
+was a different person, a complete contrast in most respects to the Eva
+of that time.
+
+Before the dance she had secretly rejoiced in the applause elicited by
+her appearance; now she was indifferent to it--nay, the more eagerly the
+spectators expressed their delight the more she grieved that the only
+person whom she desired to please was not among them.
+
+How easy it had been to be led to the dance, and how hard was the errand
+awaiting her! Her heart shrank before the doubt awakened by the flood
+of light pouring from the windows of the imperial residence; the
+doubt whether her lover would not avoid her if--ah, had it only been
+possible!--if he should meet her among the guests yonder; whether the
+eloquent Father Ignatius, who had followed him, might not already have
+won from the knight a vow compelling him to turn from her and summon all
+his strength of will to forget her.
+
+But, no! He could no more renounce his love than she hers. She would
+not, dare not, let such terrible thoughts torture her now.
+
+Heinz was far away, and the fate of her love would be decided later.
+The cause of her presence here was something very different, and
+the conviction that it was good, right, and certain of his approval,
+dispelled the pain that had overpowered her, and raised her courage.
+
+Unspeakably hard trials lay behind her, and harder ones must, perhaps,
+yet be vanquished. But she no longer needed to fear them, for she
+felt that the strength which had awakened within her after she became
+conscious of her love was still sustaining and directing her, and would
+enable her to govern matters which she could not help believing that she
+herself would be too weak to guide to their goal. She felt freed from
+her former wavering and hesitation, and as formerly in the modest house
+of the Beguines, now in the stately citadel she realised that, in sorrow
+and severe trial, she had learned to assert her position in life by her
+own strength. Her father, whom she was to meet presently, would
+find little outward change in her, but when he had perceived the
+transformation wrought in the character of his helpless "little saint"
+it would please him to hear from her how wonderfully her mother's last
+prophetic words were being fulfilled.
+
+She was emerging from the forge fire of life, steeled for every
+conflict, yet those would be wrong who believed that, trusting to her
+own newly won strength, she had forgotten to look heavenward. On the
+contrary, never had she felt nearer to her God, her Saviour, and the
+gracious Virgin. Without them she could accomplish nothing, yet for the
+first time she had undertaken tasks and sought to win goals which were
+worthy of beseeching them for aid. Love had taught her to be faithful
+in worldly life, and she said to herself, "Better, far better I can
+certainly become; but firmer faith cannot be kept."
+
+Wolff's hiding place was a large, airy room, affording a view of the
+Frank country, with its meadows, fields, and forests. Eva saw there
+by the light of the blazing pine chips her father, sister, and
+brother-in-law.
+
+Yet the meeting between all these beloved ones after a long separation
+partook more of sorrow than of joy. Els had really resolved to leave the
+Eysvogel mansion, yet she met her Aunt Christine with the joyful cry: "I
+shall stay! Wolff's father and I have become good friends."
+
+In fact, a few hours before Herr Casper had looked at her kindly and
+gratefully, and when she showed him how happy this rendered her, warmly
+entreated her in a broken voice not to leave him. She had proved herself
+to be his good angel, and the sight of her was the only bright spot in
+his clouded life. Then she had gladly promised to stay, and intended to
+keep her word. She had only accompanied her father, who had unexpectedly
+returned for a short time, because she could trust the nun who shared
+her nursing of the paralysed patient, and he rarely recognised his
+watcher at night.
+
+How long Els had been separated from her lover! When Eva greeted the
+reunited pair they had already poured forth to each other the events
+which had driven them to the verge of despair, and which now once more
+permitted them with budding hope to anticipate new happiness.
+
+Eva had little time, yet the sisters found an opportunity to confide
+many things to each other, though at first their father often
+interrupted them by opposing his younger daughter's intention of going
+to the Emperor as a supplicant.
+
+The girl whose wishes but a short time ago he had refused or gratified,
+according to the mood of the moment, like those of a child, had since
+gained, even in his eyes, so well founded a claim to respect, she
+opposed him in her courteous, modest way with such definiteness of
+purpose, Biberli's fate interested him so much, and the prospect of
+seeing his daughters brought before the court was so painful, that
+he admitted the force of Eva's reasons and let her set forth on her
+difficult mission accompanied by his good wishes.
+
+Els had dropped her maternal manner; nay, she received her sister as
+her superior, and began to describe her work in the hospital to Wolff in
+such vivid colours that Eva laid her hand on her lips and hurried out of
+the room with the exclamation, "If you insist upon our changing places,
+we will stand in future side by side and shoulder to shoulder! Farewell
+till after the battle!"
+
+She could not have given much more time to her relatives under any
+circumstances, for the Burgravine's maid of honour who was to attend
+her to the reception was already waiting somewhat impatiently in Frau
+Gertrude's room, and took her to the castle without delay.
+
+The place where they were to stay was the large apartment adjoining the
+dining hall.
+
+The confidence which Eva had regained on her way to her relatives
+vanished only too quickly in the neighbourhood of the sovereign and the
+sight of the formal reception bestowed on all who entered. Her heart
+throbbed more and more anxiously as she realised for the first time
+how serious a step she had taken; nay, it was long ere she succeeded in
+calming herself sufficiently to notice the clatter of the metal vessels
+and the Emperor's deep voice, which often drowned the lower tones of the
+guests. Reverence for royalty was apparent everywhere.
+
+How much quieter this banquet was than those of the princes and nobles!
+The guests knew that the Emperor Rudolph disliked the boisterous manners
+of the German nobility. Besides, the sovereign's mourning exerted a
+restraint upon mirth and recklessness. All avoided loud laughter, though
+the monarch was fond of gaiety and heroically concealed the deep grief
+of his own soul.
+
+When the lord high steward announced to the maid of honour who had
+brought Eva here that dessert was served, the latter believed that the
+dreaded moment when she would be presented to the Emperor was close at
+hand, but quarter of an hour after quarter of an hour passed and she
+still heard the clanking of metal and the voices of the guests, which
+now began to grow louder, and amidst which she sometimes distinguished
+the strident tones of the court fool, Eyebolt, and the high ones of the
+Countess Cordula.
+
+Time moved at a snail's pace, and she already fancied her heart could
+no longer endure its violent throbbing, when at last--at last--the heavy
+oak chairs were pushed noisily back over the stone floor of the dining
+hall.
+
+From the balcony of the audience chamber a flourish of trumpets echoed
+loudly along the arches of the lofty, vaulted ceiling of the apartment,
+and the Emperor, leading the company, crossed the threshold attended by
+several dignitaries, the court jesters, and some pages.
+
+His august sister, the Burgravine Elizabeth, leaned on his arm. The
+papal ambassador, Doria, in the brilliant robe of a cardinal, followed,
+escorting the Duchess Agnes, but he parted from her in the hall. Among
+many other secular and ecclesiastical princes and dignitaries appeared
+also Count von Montfort and his daughter, the old First Losunger of
+Nuremberg, Berthold Vorchtel, and Herr Pfinzing with his wife.
+
+Several guests from the city entered at the same time through another
+door, among whom, robed in handsome festal garments, were Eva's new
+Swabian acquaintances. How gladly she would have hastened to them! But
+a grey-haired stately man of portly figure, whose fur-trimmed cloak hung
+to his ankles--Sir Arnold Maier of Silenen, led them to a part of the
+hall very distant from where she was standing.
+
+To make amends, Count von Montfort and Cordula came very near her; but
+she could not greet them. Each person--she felt it--must remain in his
+or her place. And the restraint became stronger as the Duchess Agnes,
+giving one guest a nod, another a few words, advanced nearer and nearer,
+pausing at last beside Count von Montfort.
+
+The old huntsman advanced respectfully towards the Bohemian princess,
+and Eva heard the fourteen-year-old wife ask, "Well, Count, how fares
+your wish to find the right husband for your wilful daughter?"
+
+"Of course it must be fulfilled, Duchess, since your Highness deigned to
+approve it," he answered, with his hand upon his heart.
+
+"And may his name be known?" she queried with evident eagerness, her
+dark eyes sparkling brightly and a faint flush tingeing the slight shade
+of tan on her child face.
+
+"The duty of a knight and paternal weakness unfortunately still seal my
+lips," he answered. "Your Highness knows best that a lady's wish--even
+if she is your own child--is a command."
+
+"You are praised as an obedient father," replied the Bohemian with
+a slight shrug of the shoulders. "Yet you probably need not conceal
+whether the happy man, who is not only encouraged, but this time also
+chosen by the charming huntress of many kinds of game, is numbered among
+our guests."
+
+"Unfortunately he is denied the pleasure, your Highness," replied the
+count; but Cordula, who had noticed Eva, and had heard the Duchess
+Agnes's last words, approached her royal foe, and with a low,
+reverential bow, said: "My poor heart must imagine him far away from
+here amid peril and privation. Instead of breaking ladies' hearts, he is
+destroying the castles of robber knights and disturbers of the peace of
+the country."
+
+The duchess, in silent rage, clenched her white teeth upon her quivering
+lips, and was about to make an answer which would scarcely have
+flattered Cordula, when the Emperor, who had left his distinguished
+attendants, approached Eva, with the Burgravine still leaning on his
+arm.
+
+She did not notice it; she was vainly trying to interpret the meaning of
+Cordula's words. True, she did not know that when no messenger brought
+Heinz Schorlin's intercession for Biberli, in whose fate the countess
+felt a sincere interest, she had commanded her own betrothed husband
+to ride his horse to death in order to tell the master of the sorely
+imperilled man what danger threatened his faithful servant, and remind
+him, in her name, that gratitude was one of the virtues which beseemed a
+true knight, even though the matter in question concerned only a servant
+Boemund Altrosen had obeyed, and must have overtaken Heinz long ago
+and probably aided him to rout the Siebenburgs and their followers.
+But Cordula read the young Bohemian's child heart, and it afforded
+her special pleasure to deal her a heavy blow in the warfare they were
+waging, which perhaps might aid another purpose.
+
+The surprise and bewilderment which the countess's answer had aroused in
+Eva heightened the spell of her beauty.
+
+Had she heard aright? Could Heinz really have sued for the countess's
+hand and been accepted? Surely, surely not! Neither was capable of such
+perfidy, such breach of faith. Spite of the testimony of her own ears,
+she would not believe it. But when she at last saw the Emperor's tall
+figure before her, and he gazed down at her with a kind, fatherly
+glance, she answered it with her large blue eyes uplifted beseechingly,
+and withal as trustilly, as if she sought to remind him that, if he only
+chose to do so, his power made it possible to convert everything which
+troubled and oppressed her to good.
+
+The tearful yet bright gaze of those resistless eyes pierced the
+Emperor's very soul, and he imagined how this lovely vision of purity
+and innocence, this rare creature, of whom he had heard such marvellous
+things from Herr Pfinzing during their ride through the forest, would
+have fired the heart of his eighteen-year-old son, so sensitive to every
+impression, whom death had snatched from him so suddenly. And whilst
+remembering Hartmann, he also thought of his dead son's most loyal and
+dearest friend, Heinz Schorlin, who was again showing such prowess in
+his service, and had earned a right to recognition and reward.
+
+He did not know his young favourite's present state of mind concerning
+his desire for a monastic life, but he had probably become aware that
+his swiftly kindled, ardent love for yonder lovely child had led him
+into an act of culpable imprudence. Besides, that very day many things
+had reached his ears concerning these two who suited each other as
+perfectly as Heinz Schorlin seemed--even to the Hapsburg, who was
+loyally devoted to the Holy Church--unfit for a religious life.
+
+The Emperor could do much to further the union of this pair, yet he too
+was obliged to exercise caution. If he joined them in wedlock as though
+they were his own children he might be sure of causing loud complaints
+from the priesthood, and especially the Dominicans, who were very
+influential at the court of Rome--nay, he must be prepared for
+opposition directed against himself as well as the young pair. The prior
+of the order had already complained to the nuncio of the lukewarmness
+of the Superior of the Sisters of St. Clare, who idly witnessed the
+estrangement from the Church of the soul of a maiden belonging to a
+distinguished family; and Doria had told the sovereign of this provoking
+matter, and expressed the prior's hope that Sir Heinz Schorlin, who
+enjoyed the monarch's favour, would be won for the monastic life.
+Opposition to this marriage, which he approved, and therefore desired to
+favour, was also to be expected from another quarter. Therefore he must
+act with the utmost caution, and in a manner which his antagonists could
+not oppose.
+
+At this reflection a peculiar smile, familiar to the courtiers as an
+omen of a gracious impulse, hovered around his lips, which during the
+past month had usually revealed by their expression the grief that
+burdened his soul and, raising his long forefinger in playful menace, he
+began:
+
+"Aha, Jungfrau Eva Ortlieb! What have you been doing since I had the
+boon of meeting so rare a beauty at the dance? Do you know that you have
+caused a turmoil amongst both ecclesiastical and secular authorities,
+and that many a precious hour has been shortened for me on your account?
+You have disturbed both the austere Dominican Fathers and the devout
+Sisters of St. Clare. The former think the gentle nuns treat you too
+indulgently, and the latter charge the zealous followers of St. Domingo
+with too much strictness concerning you.
+
+"And, besides, if you were not so well aware of it yourself, you would
+scarcely believe it: for the sake of an insignificant serving man, who
+is under your special protection, I, who carry the burden of so many
+serious and weighty affairs, am beset by those of high and low degree.
+How much, too, I have also suffered on account of his master, Sir Heinz
+Schorlin--again in connection with you, you lovely disturber of the
+peace! To say nothing of the rest, your own father brings a charge
+against him. The accusation is made in a letter which Meister Gottlieb,
+our protonotary, was to withhold by Herr Ortlieb's desire, but through a
+welcome accident it fell into my hands. This letter contains statements,
+my lovely child, which I--Nay, don't be troubled; the roses on your
+cheeks are glowing enough already, and for their sake I will not
+mention its contents; only they force me to ask the question--come
+nearer--whether, though it caused you great annoyance that a certain
+young Swiss knight forced his way into your father's house under cover
+of the darkness, you do not hope with me, the more experienced friend,
+that this foolhardy fellow, misguided by ardent love, with the aid of
+the saints to whom he is beginning to turn, may be converted to greater
+caution and praiseworthy virtue? Whether, in your great charity--which I
+have heard so highly praised--you would be capable"--Here he paused and,
+lowering his voice to a whisper, added:
+
+"Do me the favour to lend your ear--what a well-formed little thing
+it is!--a short time longer, to confide to the elderly man who feels
+a father's affection for you whether you would be wholly reluctant to
+attempt the reformation of the daring evil-doer yourself were he to
+offer, not only his heart, but the little ring with--I will guarantee
+it--his honourable, knightly hand?"
+
+"Oh, your Majesty!" cried Eva, gazing at the gracious sovereign with an
+expression of such imploring entreaty in her large, tearful blue eyes
+that, as if regretting his hasty question, he added soothingly:
+
+"Well, well, we will reach the goal, I think, at a slower pace. Such a
+confession will probably flow more easily from the lips when sought
+by the person for whom it means happiness or despair, than when a
+stranger--even one as old and friendly as I--seeks to draw it from a
+modest maiden."
+
+Here he paused; he had just recognised Lady Wendula Schorlin. Waving his
+hand to her in joyous greeting, he ordered a page to conduct her to him
+and, again turning to Eva, said: "Look yonder, my beautiful child: there
+is someone in whom you would confide more willingly than in me. I think
+Sir Heinz's mother, who is worthy of all reverence and love--"
+
+Here surprise and joy forced from Eva's lips the question, "His mother?"
+and there was such amazement in the tone that, as the Lady Wendula,
+bowing low, approached the Emperor, after exchanging the first greetings
+which pass between old friends who have been long separated, he asked
+how it happened that though Eva seemed to have already met the matron,
+she heard with such surprise that she was the mother of his brave
+favourite.
+
+Lady Wendula then confessed the name she had given herself, that she
+might study the young girl without being known; and again that peculiar
+smile flitted across the Emperor Rudolph's beardless face, and lingered
+there, as he asked the widow of his dead companion in arms whether,
+after such an examination, she believed she had found the right wife for
+her son; and she replied that a long life would not give her time enough
+to thank Heaven sufficiently for such a daughter.
+
+The maiden who was the subject of this whispering, whose purport only a
+loving glance from the Lady Wendula revealed, pressed her hand upon her
+heart, whose impetuous throbbing stifled her breath. Oh, how gladly she
+would have hastened to the mother of the man she loved and his young
+sister, who stood at a modest distance, to clasp them in her arms,
+and confide to them what seemed too great, too much, too beautiful for
+herself alone, yet which might crumble at a single word from her lover's
+lips like an undermined tower swept away by the wind! But she was forced
+to have patience, and submit to whatever might yet be allotted to her.
+
+Nor was she to lack agitating experiences, for the Emperor's murmured
+question whether she desired to hear herself called "daughter" by this
+admirable lady had scarcely called forth an answer, which, though mute,
+revealed the state of her heart eloquently enough, than he added in a
+louder tone, though doubtfully: "Then, so far, all would be well; but,
+fair maiden, my young friend, unfortunately, was by no means satisfied,
+if I heard aright, with knocking at the door of a single heart. Things
+have reached my ears--But this, too, must be----"
+
+Here he suddenly paused, for already during this conversation with
+the ladies there had been a noise at the door of the hall, and now the
+person whom the Emperor had just accused entered, closely followed by
+the chamberlain, Count Ebenhofen, whose face was deeply flushed from his
+vain attempts to keep Sir Heinz Schorlin back.
+
+Heinz's cheeks were also glowing from his struggle with the courtier,
+who considered it a grave offence that a knight should dare to appear
+before the Emperor at a peaceful social assembly clad in full armour.
+
+His appearance created a joyful stir among the other members of the
+court--nay, in spite of the sovereign's presence, cordial expressions of
+welcome fell from the lips of ladies and nobles. The Bohemian princess
+alone cast an angry glance at the blue ribbon which adorned the helmet
+of the returning knight; for "blue" was Countess von Montfort's colour,
+and "rose red" her own.
+
+The ecclesiastics whom Heinz passed whispered eagerly together. The
+Duchess Agnes's confessor, an elderly Dominican of tall stature, was
+listening to the provost of St. Sebald's, a grey-haired man a head
+shorter than he, of dignified yet kindly aspect, who, looking keenly at
+Heinz, remarked: "I fear that your prior hopes too confidently to win
+yonder young knight. No one walks with that bearing who is on the eve of
+renouncing the world. A splendid fellow!"
+
+"To whom armour is better suited than the cowl," observed the Bishop of
+Bamberg, a middleaged prelate of aristocratic appearance, approaching
+the others. "Your prior, my dear brothers, would have little pleasure,
+I think, in the fish he is so eagerly trying to drag from the Minorite's
+net into his own. He would leap ashore again all too quickly. He is not
+fit for the monastery. He would do better for a priest, and I would bid
+him welcome as a military brother in office."
+
+"Bold enough he certainly is," added the Dominican. "I would not
+advise every one to enter the Emperor's presence and this distinguished
+gathering in such attire."
+
+In fact, Heinz showed plainly that he had come directly from the
+battlefield and the saddle, for a suit of stout chain armour, which
+covered the greater part of his tolerably long tunic, encased his limbs,
+and even the helmet which he bore on his arm, spite of the blue ribbon
+that adorned it, was by no means one of the delicate, costly ones worn
+in the tournament. Besides, many a bruise showed that hard blows and
+thrusts had been dealt him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+At Heinz Schorlin's quarters the day before his young hostess, Frau
+Barbel, had had the costly armour entrusted to her care, and the
+trappings belonging to it, cleaned and put in order, but her labour
+was vain; for Heinz Schorlin had ridden directly to the fortress from
+Schweinau, without stopping at his lodgings in the city.
+
+Only a short time before he had learned that his two messengers had been
+captured and failed to reach their destination. He owed this information
+to Sir Boemund Altrosen--and many another piece of news which Cordula
+had given him.
+
+The main portion of Heinz Schorlin's task was completed when the
+countess's ambassador reached him, so he set out on his homeward way
+at once, and this time his silent friend had been eloquent and told him
+everything which had occurred during his absence.
+
+He now knew that Boemund and Cordula had plighted their troth, what the
+faithful Biberli had done and suffered for him, and lastly--even to the
+minutest detail--the wonderful transformation in Eva.
+
+When he had ridden forth he had hoped to learn to renounce her whom he
+loved with all the might of his fervid soul, and to bring himself to
+close his career as a soldier with this successful campaign; but whilst
+he destroyed castles and attacked the foe, former wishes were stilled,
+and a new desire and new convictions took their place. He could not give
+up the profession of arms, which all who bore the name of Schorlin had
+practised from time immemorial, and to resign the love which united
+him to Eva was impossible. She must become his, though she resembled
+an April day, and Biberli's tales of the danger which threatened the
+husband from a sleep-walking wife returned more than once to his memory.
+
+Yet what beautiful April days he had experienced, and though Eva might
+have many faults, the devout child, with her angel beauty, certainly did
+not lack the will to do what was right and pleasing to God. When she was
+once his she should become so good that even his mother at home would
+approve his choice.
+
+He had wholly renounced the idea of going into the monastery. The
+Minorite Ignatius, whom Father Benedictus had sent after him that he
+might finish the work which the latter had begun, was a man who lacked
+neither intellect nor eloquence; but he did not possess the fiery
+enthusiasm and aristocratic confidence of the dead man. Yet when the
+zealous monks, whom the prior of the Dominicans had despatched to
+complete Heinz's conversion, opposed him, the former entered into such
+sharp and angry arguments with them that the young knight, who witnessed
+more than one of their quarrels, startled and repelled, soon held aloof
+from all three and told them that he had resolved to remain in the
+world, and his onerous office gave him no time to listen to their
+well-meant admonitions.
+
+He was not created for the monastery. If Heaven had vouchsafed him a
+miracle, it was done to preserve his life that--as Eva desired--he might
+fight to the last drop of his blood for the Church, his holy faith, and
+the beloved Emperor. But if he remained in the world, Eva would do the
+same; they belonged to each other inseparably. Why, he could not have
+explained, but the voice which constantly reiterated it could not lie.
+
+After he had slain Seitz Siebenburg in the sword combat, and destroyed
+his brother's castle, his resolve to woo Eva became absolutely fixed.
+
+His heart dictated this, but honour, too, commanded him to restore to
+the maiden and her sister the fair fame which his passionate impetuosity
+had injured.
+
+During the rapid ride which he and Boemund Altrosen took to Nuremberg
+he had stopped at Schweinau hospital, and found in Biberli, Eva's former
+enemy, her most enthusiastic panegyrist. Heinz also heard from him how
+quickly she had won the hearts of his mother and Maria, and that he
+would find all three at the fortress.
+
+Lastly, Sister Hildegard had informed him of the great peril threatening
+his beloved faithful servant and companion, "old Biber," which had led
+Eva there to appeal to the Emperor.
+
+Beside the body of Father Benedictus he learned how beautiful had been
+the death of the old man who had so honestly striven to lead him into
+the path which he believed was the right one for him to tread. In a
+brief prayer beside his devout friend Heinz expressed his gratitude, and
+called upon him to witness that, even in the world, he would not forget
+the shortness of this earthly pilgrimage, but would also provide for
+the other life which endured forever. True, Heinz had but a few short
+moments to devote to this farewell, the cause of the faithful follower
+who, unasked, had unselfishly endured unutterable tortures for him, took
+precedence of everything else and would permit no delay.
+
+When the knight, with his figure drawn up to its full height, strode
+hastily into the royal hall, he beheld with joyful emotion those who
+were most dear to him, for whose presence he had longed most fervently
+during the ride--his mother, Eva, his sister, and the imperial friend he
+loved so warmly.
+
+Overwhelmed by agitation, he flung himself on his knees before his
+master, kissing his hand and his robe, but the Emperor ordered him to
+rise and cordially greeted him.
+
+Before speaking to his relatives, Heinz informed the monarch that he
+had successfully executed his commission and, receiving a few words of
+thanks and appreciation, modestly but with urgent warmth entreated the
+Emperor, if he was satisfied with his work, instead of any other reward,
+to save from further persecution the faithful servant who for his sake
+had borne the most terrible torture.
+
+The face of the sovereign, who had welcomed Heinz as if he were a
+long-absent son, assumed a graver expression, and his tone seemed to
+vibrate with a slight touch of indignation, as he exclaimed: "First, let
+us settle your own affairs. Serious charges have been made against you,
+my son, as well as against your servant, on whose account I have been so
+tormented. A father, who is one of the leading men in this city, accuses
+you of having destroyed his daughter's good name by forcing yourself
+into his house after assuring his child of your love."
+
+Heinz turned to Eva, to protest that he was here to atone for the wrong
+he had done her, but the Emperor would not permit him to speak. It was
+important to silence at once any objection which could be made against
+the marriage by ecclesiastical and secular foes; therefore, eagerly as
+he desired to enjoy the happiness of the young pair, he forced himself
+to maintain the expression of grave dissatisfaction which he had
+assumed, and ordered a page to summon the imperial magistrate, the First
+Losunger of the city, and his protonotary, who were all amongst the
+guests, and, lastly, the Duchess Agnes.
+
+He could read the latter's child eyes like the clear characters of
+a book, and neither the radiant glow on her face at Heinz Schorlin's
+entrance nor her hostile glance at the Countess von Montfort had escaped
+his notice. Both her affection and her jealous resentment should serve
+him.
+
+The young Bohemian now thought herself certain that Heinz Schorlin, and
+no other, was Cordula's chosen knight; the countess, at his entrance,
+had exclaimed to her father loudly enough, "Here he is again!"
+
+When the princess stood before the Emperor, with the gentlemen whom he
+had summoned, he asked her to decide the important question.
+
+"Yonder knight--he motioned towards Heinz--had been guilty of an act
+which could scarcely be justified. Though he had wooed the daughter of a
+noble Nuremberg family, and even forced his way into her father's house,
+he had apparently forgotten the poor girl.
+
+"And," cried the young wife indignantly, "the unprincipled man has
+not only made a declaration of love to another, but formally asked her
+hand."
+
+"That would seem like him," said the Emperor. "But we must not close our
+ears to the charge of the Nuremberg Honourable. His daughter, a lovely,
+modest maiden of excellent repute, has been seriously injured by
+Heinz Schorlin, and so I beg you, child, to tell us, with the keen
+appreciation of the rights and duties of a lady which is peculiar to
+you, what sentence, in your opinion, should be imposed upon Sir Heinz
+Schorlin to atone for the wrong he has done to the young Nuremberg
+maiden."
+
+He beckoned to the protonotary, as he spoke, to command him to show
+Ernst Ortlieb's accusation to the duchess, but she seemed to have
+practised the art of reading admirably; for, more quickly than it would
+otherwise have appeared possible to grasp the meaning of even the first
+sentences, she exclaimed, drawing herself up to her full height and
+gazing at Cordula with haughty superiority: "There is but one decision
+here, if the morality of this noble city is to be preserved and the
+maiden daughters of her patrician families secured henceforward from the
+misfortune of being a plaything for the wanton levity of reckless heart
+breakers. But this decision, on which I firmly and resolutely insist, as
+lady and princess, in the name of my whole sex and of all knightly men
+who, with me, prize the reverence and inviolable fidelity due a lady,
+is: Sir Heinz Schorlin must ask the honourable gentleman who, with
+full justice, brought this complaint to your imperial Majesty, for his
+daughter's hand and, if the sorely injured maiden vouchsafes to accept
+it, lead her to the marriage altar before God and the world."
+
+"Spoken according to the feelings of my own heart," replied the Emperor
+and, turning to the citizens of Nuremberg, he added: "So I ask you,
+gentlemen, who are familiar with the laws and customs of this good
+city and direct the administration of her justice, will such a marriage
+remove the complaint made against Sir Heinz Schorlin and his servant?"
+
+"It will," replied old Herr Berthold Vorchtel, gravely and firmly.
+
+Herr Pfinzing also assented, it is true, but added earnestly that an
+unfortunate meeting had caused another to suffer even more severely
+than Eva from the knight's imprudence. This was her older sister, the
+betrothed bride of young Eysvogel. For her sake, as well as to make the
+bond between Sir Heinz Schorlin and the younger Jungfrau Ortlieb valid,
+the father's consent was necessary. If his imperial Majesty desired
+to bring to a beautiful end, that very day, the gracious work so
+auspiciously commenced there was no obstacle in the way, for Ernst
+Ortlieb was at the von Zollern Castle with the daughter who had been so
+basely slandered.
+
+The Emperor asked in surprise how they came there, and then ordered
+Eva's father and sister to be brought to him. He was eager to make the
+acquaintance of the second beautiful E.
+
+"And Wolff Eysvogel?" asked the magistrate.
+
+"We agreed to release him after we had turned our back on Nuremberg,"
+replied the sovereign. "Much as we have heard in praise of this young
+man, gladly as we have shown him how gratefully we prize the blood a
+brave man shed for us upon the Marchfield, no change can be made in
+what, by virtue of our imperial word----"
+
+"Certainly not, little brother," interrupted the court fool, Eyebolt,
+"but for that very reason you must open the Eysvogel's cage as quickly
+as possible and let him fly hither, for on the ride to the beekeeper's
+you crossed in your own seven-foot tall body the limits of this good
+city, whose length does not greatly surpass it--your imperial person, I
+mean. So you as certainly turned your back upon it as you stand in front
+of things which lie behind you. And as an emperor's word cannot have
+as much added or subtracted as a fly carries off on its tail, if it
+has one, you, little brother, are obliged and bound to have the strange
+monster, which is at once a wolf and a bird, immediately released and
+summoned hither."
+
+"Not amiss," laughed the Emperor, "if the boundaries of Nuremberg saw
+our back for even so brief a space as it needs to make a wise man a
+fool.
+
+"We will follow your counsel, Eyebolt.--Herr Pfinzing, tell young
+Eysvogel that the Emperor's pardon has ended his punishment. The breach
+of the country's peace may be forgiven the man who so heroically aided
+the battle for peace."
+
+Then turning to Meister Gottlieb, the protonotary, he whispered so low
+that he alone could hear the command, that he should commit to paper a
+form of words which would give the bond between Heinz Schorlin and Eva
+Ortlieb sufficient legal power to resist both secular authority and that
+of the Dominicans and Sisters of St. Clare.
+
+During this conference court etiquette had prevented the company from
+exchanging any remarks. Whatever one person might desire to say to
+another he was forced to entrust to the mute language of the eyes, and
+a sportive impulse induced Emperor Rudolph to maintain the spell which
+held apart those who were most strongly attracted to each other.
+
+Meantime, whilst he was talking with the protonotary, the bolder guests
+ventured to move about more freely, and of them all Cordula imposed the
+least restraint upon herself.
+
+Ere Heinz had found time to address a word to Eva or to greet his mother
+she glided swiftly to his side and, with an angry expression on her
+face, whispered: "If Heaven bestowed the greatest happiness upon the
+most deserving, you must be the most favoured of mortals, for a more
+exquisite masterpiece than your future wife--I know her--was never
+created. But now open your ears and follow my advice: Do not reveal the
+state of your heart until you have left the castle so far behind that
+you are out of sight of the Bohemian princess, or your ship of happiness
+may be wrecked within sight of port."
+
+Then, with a well-assumed air of indignation, she abruptly turned her
+back upon him.
+
+After moving away, she intentionally remained standing near the duchess,
+with drooping head. The latter hastily approached her, saying with
+admirably simulated earnestness: "You, Countess, will probably be the
+last to refuse your approval of my interference against our knightly
+butterfly and in behalf of the poor inexperienced girl, his victim."
+
+"If that is your Highness's opinion," replied Cordula, shrugging her
+shoulders as if it were necessary to submit to the inevitable, "for my
+part I fear your kind solicitude may send me behind convent walls."
+
+"Countess von Montfort a nun!" cried the child wife, laughing. "If it
+were Sir Heinz Schorlin to whom you just alluded, you, too, are among
+the deluded ones whom we must pity, yet with prudent foresight you
+provided compensation long ago. Instead of burying yourself in a
+convent, you, whom so many desire, would do better to beckon to one of
+your admirers and bestow on him the happiness of which the other was not
+worthy."
+
+Cordula fixed her eyes thoughtfully on the floor a short time, then,
+as if the advice had met with her approval, exclaimed: "Your Royal
+Highness's mature wisdom has found the right expedient this time also.
+I am not fit for the veil. Perhaps you may hear news of me to-morrow.
+By that time my choice will be determined. What would you say to the
+dark-haired Altrosen?"
+
+"A brave champion!" replied the Bohemian, and this time the laugh which
+accompanied her words came from the heart. "Try him, in the name of all
+the saints! But look at Sir Heinz Schorlin! A gloomy face for a happy
+man! He does not seem quite pleased with our verdict."
+
+She beckoned, as she spoke, to her chamberlain and the high steward,
+took leave of her imperial father-in-law and, with her pretty little
+head flung proudly back, rustled out of the hall.
+
+Soon after Herr Pfinzing ushered Ernst Ortlieb, his daughter, and Wolff
+into the presence of the sovereign, who gazed as if restored to youth
+at the handsome couple whose weal or woe was in his hands. This
+consciousness afforded him one of the moments when he gratefully felt
+the full beauty and dignity of his responsible position.
+
+With friendly words he restored Wolff's liberty, and expressed the
+expectation that, with such a companion, he would raise the noble house
+of his ancestors to fresh prosperity.
+
+When he at last turned to Heinz again he asked in a low tone: "Do you
+know what this day means to me?"
+
+"Nineteen years ago it gave you poor Hartmann," replied the knight, his
+downcast eyes resting sadly on the floor.
+
+The kind-hearted sovereign nodded significantly, and said, "Then it must
+benefit those who, so long as he lives, may expect his father's favour."
+
+He gazed thoughtfully into vacancy and, faithful to his habit of fixing
+his eye on a goal, often distant, and then carefully carrying out the
+details which were to ensure success, ere he turned to the next one, he
+summoned the imperial magistrate and the First Losunger to his side.
+
+After disclosing to them his desire to allow the judges to decide and,
+should the verdict go against Biberli, release him from punishment by
+a pardon, both undertook to justify the absence of the accused from
+the trial. The wise caution with which the Emperor Rudolph avoided
+interfering with the rights of the Honourable Council afforded old Herr
+Berthold Vorchtel great satisfaction. Both he and the magistrate, sure
+of the result, could promise that this affair, which had aroused so
+much excitement, especially among the artisans, would be ended by the
+marriage of the two Ortlieb sisters and the payment of the blood money
+to the wounded tailor. Any new complaint concerning them would then be
+lawfully rejected by both court and magistrate.
+
+Never had Heinz thanked his imperial benefactor more warmly for
+any gift, but though the Emperor received his gallant favourite's
+expressions of gratitude and appreciation kindly, he did not yet permit
+him to enjoy his new happiness.
+
+There were still some things which must be decided, and for the third
+time his peculiar smile showed the initiated that he was planning some
+pleasant surprise for those whom it concerned.
+
+The mention of the blood money which Herr Ernst Ortlieb owed the
+slandering tailor, who had not yet recovered from his wound, induced the
+Emperor to look at the father of the beautiful sisters.
+
+He knew that Herr Ernst had also lost a valiant son in the battle of
+Marchfield, and Eva's father had been described as an excellent man, but
+one with whom it was difficult to deal. Now, spite of the new happiness
+of his children, the sovereign saw him glance gloomily, as if some
+wrong had been done him, from his daughters to Heinz, and then to Lady
+Schorlin and Maria, to whom he had not yet been presented. He doubtless
+felt that the Emperor had treated him and his family with rare
+graciousness, and was entitled to their warmest gratitude yet, as a
+father and a member of the proud and independent Honourable Council
+of the free imperial city of Nuremberg, he considered his rights
+infringed--nay, it had cost him a severe struggle not to protest against
+such arbitrary measures. He had his paternal rights even here--Els and
+Eva were not parentless orphans.
+
+The noble monarch and shrewd judge of human nature perceived what was
+passing in the Nuremberg merchant's mind, but the pleasant smile still
+rested on his lips as, with a glance at the ill-humoured Honourable, he
+exclaimed to his future son-in-law: "I have just remembered something,
+Heinz, which might somewhat cool your warm expressions of gratitude.
+Yonder lovely child consented to become yours, it is true, but that does
+not mean very much, for it was done without the consent of her father,
+by which the compact first obtains signature and seal. Herr Ernst
+Ortlieb, however, seems to be in no happy mood. Only look at him! He is
+certainly mutely accusing me of vexatious interference with his paternal
+rights, and yet he may be sure that I feel a special regard for him. His
+son's blood, which flowed for his Emperor's cause, gives him a peculiar
+claim upon our consideration, and we therefore devoted particular
+attention to his complaint. In this he now demands, my son, that you
+restore to him, Herr Ernst Ortlieb, the two hundred silver marks which
+are awarded to the tailor as blood money and he must pay to the injured
+artisan. The prudent business man can scarcely be blamed for making this
+claim, for the wound he inflicted upon the ill-advised tradesman who
+so basely, insulted those dearest to him would certainly not have been
+dealt had not your insolent intrusion into the Ortlieb mansion unchained
+evil tongues. So, Heinz, you caused his hasty act, and therefor, are
+justly bound to answer for the consequence; If he brings the accusation,
+the judges will condemn you to pay the sum. I therefore ask whether you
+have it ready."
+
+Here Herr Ernst attempted to explain that, in the present state of
+affairs, there could be no further mention of a payment which was only,
+intended to punish the disturber of his domestic peace more severely;
+but the Emperor stopper him and bade Heinz speak.
+
+The latter gazed in embarrassment at the helmet he held in his hand, and
+had not yet found; fitting answer when the Emperor cried: "What am I
+to think? Was the Duke of Pomerani; wrong when he told me of a heap of
+gold----"
+
+"No, Your Majesty," Heinz here interrupter without raising his eyes.
+"What was left of the money would have more than sufficed to cover the
+sum required----"
+
+"I thought so!" exclaimed the sovereign with out letting him finish;
+"for a young knight who like a great lord, bestows a fine estate upon
+the pious Franciscans, certainly need only command his treasurer to open
+the strong box----"
+
+"You are mocking me, Your Majesty," Heinz quietly interposed. "You are
+doubtless well aware whence the golden curse came to me. I thrust it
+aside like noxious poison, and if I am reluctant to use it to buy, as it
+were, what is dearest and most sacred to me, indeed it does not spring
+from parsimony, for I had resolved to offer the two remaining purses to
+the devout Sisters of St. Clare and the zealous Minorite Brothers, one
+of the best of whom laboured earnestly for the salvation of my soul."
+
+"That is right, my son," fell from the Emperor's lips in a tone of warm
+approval. "If the gold benefits the holy poverty of these pious Brothers
+and Sisters, the devil's gift may easily be transformed into a divine
+blessing. You both--" he gazed affectionately at Heinz and Eva as
+he spoke--"have, as it were, deserted the cloister, and owe it
+compensation. But your depriving yourself of your golden treasure,
+my friend--for two hundred silver marks are no trifle to a young
+knight--puts so different a face upon this matter that--that----" Here
+he lowered his voice and continued with affectionate mirthfulness--"that
+a friend must determine to do what he can for him. True, my gallant
+Heinz, I see that your future father-in-law, the other Nuremberg
+Honourables, and even your mother, are ready to pay the sum; but he who
+is most indebted to you holds fast this privilege, and that man am I,
+my brave champion! What you did for your Emperor and his best work, the
+peace of the country, deserves a rich reward and, thanks to the saints,
+I have something which will discharge my debt. The Swabian fief of
+Reichenbach became vacant. It has a strong citadel, from which we
+command you to maintain the peace of the country and overthrow robber
+knights. This fief shall be yours. You can enjoy it with your dear wife.
+It must belong to your children and children's children forever; for
+that a Schorlin should be born who would be unworthy of such a fief and
+faithless to his lord and Emperor seems to me impossible. Three villages
+and broad forests, with fields and meadows, pertain to the estate. As
+lord of Reichenbach, it will be easy for you to pay the blood money, if
+your father-in-law is not too importunate a creditor."
+
+The latter certainly would not be that, and it cost Ernst Ortlieb no
+effort to bend the knee gratefully before the kindly monarch.
+
+The Emperor Rudolph accepted the homage, but he clasped the young lord
+of Reichenbach to his heart like a beloved son, and as he placed Eva's
+hand in his, and she raised her beautiful face to him, he stooped and
+kissed her with fatherly kindness.
+
+When Wolff entreated him to bless his alliance in the place of his
+suffering father, he did so gladly; and Els also willingly offered him
+her lips; when he requested the same favour her sister had granted him,
+that he might boast of the kisses bestowed on him by the two beautiful
+Es, Nuremberg's fairest maidens.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+Heinz heeded Cordula's warning. In the royal hall every one would have
+been justified in believing him a very cool lover, but during the walk
+with Eva to the lodgings of his cousin Maier of Silenen, where the
+Schurlins, Ortliebs, Wolff, and Herr Pfinzing and his wife were to meet
+to celebrate the betrothal, the moon, whose increasing crescent was
+again in the sky, beheld many things which gave her pleasure.
+
+The priest soon united Heinz and Eva, but the celestial pilgrim
+willingly resigned the power formerly exerted over the maiden to the
+husband, who clasped her to his heart with tender love.
+
+Luna was satisfied with Wolff and Els also. She afterwards watched
+the fate of both couples in Swabia and Nuremberg, and when the showy
+escutcheon was removed from the Eysvogel mansion, and a more modest one
+put in its place, she was gratified.
+
+She soon saw that a change had also been made in the one above the door
+of the Ortlieb house, for the Ortlieb coat of arms, in accordance with
+the family name, had borne the figure of a cat, the animal which loves
+the place,--[Ort, place.]--the house to which it belongs, but on the
+wedding day of the two beautiful Es the Emperor Rudolph had commanded
+that, in perpetual remembrance of its two loveliest daughters, the
+Ortliebs should henceforward bear on their escutcheon two linden leaves
+under tendrils, the symbol of loyal steadfastness.
+
+When, a few months after Wolff's union with his heart's beloved, the
+coffin of old Countess Rotterbach, adorned with a handsome coronet upon
+the costly pall, was borne out of the house at the quiet evening hour,
+she thought there was no cause to mourn.
+
+On the other hand, she grieved when, for a long time, she did not see
+old Casper Eysvogel, whose tall figure she had formerly watched with
+pleasure when, at a late hour, he returned from some banquet, his
+bearing erect, and his step as firm as if wine could not get the better
+of him. But suddenly one warm September noon, when her pale, waxing
+crescent was plainly visible in the blue sky by daylight, she beheld
+him again. He was less erect than before, but he seemed content with
+his fate; for, as a cooler breeze waved the light cobwebs in the little
+garden, into which he had been led, his daughter-in-law Els with loving
+care wrapped his feet in the rug which she had embroidered for him with
+the Eysvogel coat of arms, and he gratefully kissed her brow.
+
+It was fully ten years later that Luna saw him also borne to the grave.
+Frau Rosalinde, his son, and his beautiful wife followed his coffin
+with sincere sorrow. The three gifted children whom Els had given to her
+Wolff remained standing in front of the house with Frau Rickel, their
+nurse. The carrier's widow, who had long since regained her health in
+the Beguine House at Schweinau, had been taken into Frau Eysvogel's
+service. Her little adopted daughter Walpurga, scarcely seventeen years
+old, had just been married to the Ortlieb teamster Ortel. The moon heard
+the nurse tell what a pleasant, quiet man Herr Casper had been, and how,
+away from his own business affairs and those of the Council, his sole
+effort had seemed to be to interfere with no one.
+
+The moon had forgotten to look at Frau Rosalinde. Besides, after her
+mother's death she was rarely seen even by the members of her own
+household, but when Els desired to seek her she was sure of finding her
+with the children. The parents willingly afforded her the pleasure she
+derived from the companionship of the little ones, but they were often
+obliged to oppose her wish to dress her grandchildren magnificently.
+
+Frau Rosalinde rarely saw the twin sons of her daughter Isabella,
+who took the veil after her husband's death to pray for his sorely
+imperilled soul.
+
+The Knight Heideck, the uncle and faithful teacher of the boys, was
+unwilling to let them go to the city. He ruled them strictly until
+they had proved that Countess Cordula's wish had been fulfilled and,
+resembling their unfortunate father only in figure and beauty, strength
+and courage, they had grown into valiant, honourable knights.
+
+Wolff justified the expectations of Berthold Vorchtel and the Honourable
+Council concerning his excellent ability. When, eight years after he
+undertook the sole guidance of the business, the Reichstag again met
+in Nuremberg, it was the house of Eysvogel which could make the largest
+loan to the Emperor Rudolph, who often lacked necessary funds.
+
+At the Reichstag of the year 1289, whose memory is shadowed by many a
+sorrowful incident, most of the persons mentioned in our story met once
+more.
+
+Countess Cordula, now the happy wife of Sir Boemund Altrosen, had also
+come and again lodged in the Ortlieb house. But this time the only
+person whose homage pleased her was the grey-haired, but still vigorous
+and somewhat irascible Herr Ernst Ortlieb.
+
+The Abbess Kunigunde alone was absent. When, after many an arduous
+conflict, especially with the Dominicans, who did not cease to accuse
+her of lukewarmness, she felt death approaching, she had summoned her
+darling Eva from Swabia, and the young wife's husband, who never left
+her save when he was wielding his sword for the Emperor, willingly
+accompanied her to Nuremberg.
+
+With Eva's hand clasped in hers, and supported by Els, the abbess died
+peacefully, rich in beautiful hopes. How often she had described such
+an end to her pupil as the fairest reward for the sacrifices in which
+convent life was so rich! But the memory of her mother's decease had
+brought to Eva, while in Schweinau, the firm conviction that dwellers in
+the world were also permitted to find a similar end. The Saviour Himself
+had promised the crown of eternal life to those who were faithful unto
+death, and she and her husband maintained inviolable fidelity to the
+Saviour, to each other, and to every duty which religion, law, and love
+commanded them to fulfil. Therefore, why should they not be permitted to
+die as happily and confidently as her aunt, the abbess?
+
+Her life was rich in happiness, and though Heinz Schorlin as a husband
+and father, as the brave and loyal liegeman of his Emperor, and the
+prudent manager of his estate, regained his former light-heartedness,
+and taught his wife to share it, both never forgot the painful conflict
+by which they had won each other.
+
+When Eva passed the village forge and saw the smith draw the glowing
+iron from the fire and, with heavy hammer strokes, fashion it upon the
+anvil as he desired, she often remembered the grievous days after her
+mother's death, which had made the "little saint"--she did not admit it
+herself, but the whole Swabian nobility agreed in the opinion--the most
+faithful of wives and mothers, the Providence of the poor, the zealous
+promoter of goodness, the most simply attired of noblewomen far and
+near, yet the most aristocratic and distinguished in her appearance of
+them all.
+
+Hand in hand with her husband she devoted the most faithful care
+to their children, and if Biberli, the castellan of the castle, and
+Katterle his wife, who had remained childless, were too ready to read
+the wishes of their darlings in their eyes, she exclaimed warningly to
+the loyal old friend, "The fire of the forge!" He and Katterle knew what
+she meant, for the ex-schoolmaster had explained it in the best possible
+way to his docile wife.
+
+
+     ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
+
+     Abandoned women (required by law to help put out the fires)
+     Deem every hour that he was permitted to breathe as a gift
+     False praise, he says, weighs more heavily than disgrace
+     His sole effort had seemed to be to interfere with no one
+     No virtue which can be owned like a house or a steed
+     Retreat behind the high-sounding words "justice and law"
+     Shipwrecked on the cliffs of 'better' and 'best'
+     Strongest of all educational powers--sorrow and love
+     The heart must not be filled by another's image
+     Usually found the worst wine in the taverns with showy signs
+     Welcome a small evil when it barred the way to a greater one
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's In The Fire Of The Forge, Complete, by Georg Ebers
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE, COMPLETE ***
+
+***** This file should be named 5551.txt or 5551.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/5551/
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.