was good in him. From his pious and gentle mother he had come by a soft
and harmless soul, so that in the winter season he would strew sugar for
the flies when they were starving, and it had even gone against him to
stick his needle into a flesh-colored garment for sheer fear of hurting
it. When the others had left the messenger-lad stripped on the road, he
had gone back alone and had bound up the wound in his head with his own
kerchief, and more by token that he spoke the truth the kerchief bore his
Christian name in the corner of it, "Pignot," which his good mother, God
rest her, had sewn there. He was but a poor orphan, and if .... Here
his voice failed him for sobs. But ere long he recovered his good cheer;
for Ann had indeed marked the letter P on the cloth about Eppelein's
head, and the poor wight was of a truth none other than he had declared.
Hereupon we made bold to speak for him, and it was to his own act of
mercy and the letters set in his kerchief by that pious mother that he
owed it. He afterwards came to be an honest and worthy master-tailor at
Velden, and instead of taking up the cudgels for his oppressed fellow
men, he suffered stern treatment in much humility at the hands of the
great woman whom he chose to wife, notwithstanding he was so small a man.




CHAPTER XI.

Herdegen's letter was burnt with fire, and the letter from Akusch was to
me, and contained little besides thanks and assurances of faithfulness
due to me his "beloved mistress," with greetings to Cousin Maud, who had
ever with just reproofs kept him in the right way, and to every member of
the household. The Pastscyiptum only contained tidings of great import;
and it was as follows: