were as nothing to the heartfelt joys which the love and good speed of
this child brought her; for notwithstanding he was thus born to sorrow,
by his sister's faithful care he grew a happy and thankful creature.
Ofttimes my Cousin Maud was witness to her teaching of her little
brother, and all Ann did for the child seemed to her so pious and so
wonderful, that it broke down the last bar that stood in the way of our
close fellowship. And Ann's well-favored mother likewise won my cousin's
good graces, albeit she was swift to mark that the Italian lady could
fall in but ill with German ways, and in especial with those of
Nuremberg, and was ever ready to let Ann bear the burthen of the
household.

All our closest friends, and foremost of these my worshipful godfather
Uncle Christian Pfinzing, ere long truly loved my little Ann; and of all
our fellows I knew of only one who was ill-disposed towards her, and that
was Ursula Tetzel, who marked, with ill-cloaked wrath, that my brother
Herdegen cared less and less for her, and did Ann many a little courtesy
wherewith he had formerly favored her. She could not dissemble her
anger, and when my eldest brother waited on Ann on her name day with the
'pueri' to give her a 'serenata' on the water, whereas, a year agone, he
had done Ursula the like honor, she fell upon my friend in our garden
with such fierce and cruel words that my cousin had to come betwixt them,
and then to temper my great wrath by saying that Ursula was a motherless
child, whose hasty ways had never been bridled by a loving hand.

As I mind me now of those days I do so with heartfelt thankfulness and
joy. To be sure it but ill-pleased our grand-uncle and guardian, the
knight Im Hoff, that Cousin Maud should suffer me, the daughter of a
noble house, to mix with the low born race of a simple scrivener; but
in sooth Ann was more like by far to get harm in our house, among my