At this there was an outcry on the part of Countess Beatrix, who
protested against her husband placing himself in this unnecessary
jeopardy, but the Count was firm and would permit no interference with
his sentence. Elsa was in despair at the unaccountable blindness of all
concerned, not knowing that the Count was convinced his son was dead,
and that the Countess thought continually of her boy as a child of
four, taking no account of the years that had passed, although her
reason, had she applied reason to that which touched her affections
only, would have told her, he must now be a stalwart young man and not
the little lad she had last held in her arms. For a moment Elsa wavered
in her allegiance to the oath she had taken, but she saw against the
wall the great crucifix which had been placed there by the first
crusader who had returned to the castle from the holy wars and she
breathed a prayer as she passed it, that the heir of this stubborn
house might not be cut off in his youth through the sightless rancour
that seemed to pervade it.

The Count tried to persuade his weeping wife not to accompany him to
the walls, but she would not be left behind, and so, telling Conrad to
keep close watch upon her, in case that in her despair she might
attempt to harm herself, his lordship led the way to the battlements.

Wilhelm, at first jubilant that he was allowed to take part in a sword
contest rather than an execution, paused for a moment as he came to the
courtyard, and looked about him in a dazed manner, once or twice
drawing his hand across his eyes, as if to perfect his vision. Some
seeing him thus stricken silent and thoughtful, surmised that the young
man was like to prove more courageous in word than in action; others
imagined that the sudden coming from the semi-gloom of the castle
interior into the bright light dazzled him. The party climbed the