light that our lads had in truth come upon the body of the slain
apprentice. And though Herdegen did his best to keep silence as touching
Abenberger's evildoings, they nevertheless came out through other ways,
and the poor wight was dismissed from the school.

By the end of two years after this, matters had changed in our household.

The twelve 'pueri' had been our guests at dinner, and were in the garden
singing merry rounds well known to us, and I joined in, with Ann and
Ursula Tetzel. Now, while Herdegen beat the time, his ear was intent on
Ann's singing, as though there were revelation on her lips; and his well-
beloved companion, Heinrich Trardorf, who erewhile had, with due modesty,
preferred me, Margery, seemed likewise well affected to her singing; and
when we ceased he fell into eager talk with her, for he had bewailed to
her that, albeit he loved me well, as being the son of simple folk he
might never lift up his eyes so high.

Herdegen's eyes rested on the twain with some little wrath; then he
hastily got up! He snatched the last of Cousin Maud's precious roses
from her favorite bush and gave them to Ursula, and then waited on her as
though she were the only maid there present. But ere long her father
came to fetch her, and so soon as she had departed, beaming, with her
roses, Herdegen hastily came to me and, without deeming Ann worthy to be
looked at even, bid me good even. I held his hand and called to her to
come to me, to help me hinder him from departing, inasmuch as one of the
pueri was about to play the lute for the rest to dance. She came forward
as an honest maid should, looked up at him with her great eyes, and
besought him full sweetly to tarry with us.

He pointed with his hand to Trardorf and answered roughly: "I care not to