storm and rave, but then his feeble and sickly nobody of a little wife
can wind him round her finger. Leave him to me, and be sure you shall
win his blessing." After noon Uhlwurm and the waggon of birds set forth
to Frankfort, where Kubbeling's eldest son was tarrying to meet his
father with fresh falcons. Or ever the grim old grey-beard mounted his
horse, he whispered to Ann: "Truest of maidens, find some device to move
Seyfried to take me in your fellowship to the land of Egypt, and I will
work a charm which shall of a surety give your lover back to you, if
indeed he is not. . . ." and he was about to cry "gone" as was his
wont; yet he refrained himself and spoke it not. Young Kubbeling tarried
at the Forest-lodge; and as for my uncle, it was soon plain enough that
my aunt had been in the right in the matter; nay, when we went home to
the city, meseemed as though he and his wife had from the first been of
one mind. Our purpose pleased him better as he learned to believe more
surely that our little women's wits would peradventure be able to find
his wandering son, and to tempt him to return to his father's forest
home.




CHAPTER XII.

We carefully obeyed Kubbeling's counsel that we should keep our purpose
dark, and it remained hidden even from the guests at the lodge. On the
other hand they had been told all that Herdegen's letter had contained,
and that it was Ursula who was pursuing him with such malignant spite.
Yet albeit we bound over each one to hold his peace on the matter in
Nuremberg, no woman, nor perchance no man either, could keep such strange
doings privy from near kith and kin; and whereas we might not tell what