The Dove in the Eagle's Nest

ore to undergo than her imagination

his former demeanour. He knew that, so enormous was the distance then supposed to exist between the noble and the burgher, there was no chance of any one dreaming of the true state of the case, and that as long as Christina was not taken for his wife, there was no personal danger for her from

f his shrewd care to be aware of nothing. Christina consoled herself with the hope that he knew all the time why he had been sent out of the way, for, with a broad grin that had made her blush painfully, he had said he knew she would be well taken care of, and that he hoped she was not breaking her heart for want of an escort. She tried to extort

ere very terrible to her, for the other women of the household, quick to perceive that she no longer repelled him, had lost that awe that had hitherto kept them at a distance from her, and treated her with a familiar

d-of submission to the Emperor at Ratisbon; but, partly from their German tardiness of movement, partly from the obstinate delays interposed by the proud old Freiherrinn, who was as averse as eve

ispensable to the party-he was their only scribe; and moreover his new suit of buff rendered him a creditable member of a troop that had been very hard to equip. It numbered about ten men-at-arms, only three being left at home to garrison the castle-namely, Hatto, who was too old to take; Hans, who had been hopelessly lame and deformed since the old Baron had knocked him off a cliff in a passion; and Squinting M?tz, a runaway servant, who had murdered his master, the mayor of Strasburg, and might be caught and put to death if any one recognized him. If needful the villagers could always be called in to defend the castle: but of this there was little or no danger-the Eagle's Steps were defence enough in themselves, and the party were not likely to be absent more than a week or ten days-a grievous length of time, poor Christi

reiherrinn Kunigunde and her rude women without them. A few sneers on her daintiness and uselessness had led her to make an offer of assisting in the grand chopping of sausage meat and preparation of winter stores, and she had been answered with contempt that my y

rse; and presently it became plain that both were stained with blood, weary, and spent; indeed, nothing but ex

o good could come of not leading t

harm could befall. This is thy

rong when a pale mist wi

that of the last speaker, "A pale, mist widow," as, holding herself a little in the rear of the struggling, jostling little mob of women, who hardly made way even

bridle, and almost lifted him from his horse; he reeled and stumbled as, pale, battered, and bleeding, he tried to advance to Freiherinn Kunigunde, and, in answ

senses and powers alike failed her, and she sa

the women, busy over her, and Ursel's voice was saying, "Ah, she is coming r

et me see him-Sir Eberhard," faintly

been evidently searched when her dress was loosened in her swoon, and her ring found and put in its place. "There, you can hold up your head with the best of th

to raise herself, "was it indeed

ted young lord, he spent his last breath in owning you for his true lady, and in bidding us cherish you and our young baron that i

h piteous bewildered eyes. Ursel and Else helping one another out, tried to tell her, but they were much confused; all they knew was that the party had been surprised at night in a village hostel by the Schla

ross the room to the large carved chair; and Ursel immediately turned to her underling,

eturned. "He cannot come; he is quite spent, and he will let no one

helping her charitable aunt, so that the superiority of her skill to that of Ursel had long been avowed in the castle. Ursel made no objection further than to look for something that could be at once converted into a widow's veil-being in the midst of her grief quite alive to the need that no matronly badge should be omitted-but nothi

leeve, showing the arm not broken, but gashed at the shoulder, and thence the whole length grazed and wounded by the descent of the sword down to the wrist. So tender was her touch, that he scarcely winced or moaned under her hand; and, when she proceeded, with Ursel's help, to bathe the wound with the warm water, the relief was such that the wearied man absolutely slumbered during the process, which Christina protracted on that very account. She then dressed and bandaged the arm, and proceeded to skim-as no one else in the castle would do-the basin of soup, with which she then fed her patient as he leant back in the corner of the settle, at first in the same somnolent, half-conscious state in which he had been ever since the relief from

ssuring them that the way was clear to Ratisbon, and that he heard the Emperor was most favourably disposed to any noble who would tender his allegiance. Jacob's liquors were brought out, and were still in course of being enjoyed, when the house was suddenly surrounded by an overpowering number of the retainers of Schlangenwald, with their Count himself at their head. He had been evidently resolved to prevent the timely submission of the enemies of his race, and suddenly presenting himself before the elder Baron, had challen

shone into the room, when the Schneiderlein, desperate from the agony caused by the ligature round his wounded arm, sat up and looked about him. A knife thrown aside by one of the drunkards lay near enough to

a retainer, would have lingered with a hope of saving his master. But Eberhard shook his head, and signed again to escape; then,

ke by Friar Peter of Offingen, and if she should bear a child, he is my true and lawful heir. My s

p, and I saw that it was all at an end, and a kind and friendly master and lord gone from me. I laid him down, and put his cross on his breast that I had seen him kissing many a time that evening; and I crossed his hands, and wiped the blood from them and his face. And, lady, he had put on his

r?" asked

lost the best head among us in him. Well, the knave that should have watched the horses was as d

ow direful must have been his fears for her. Sad and overcome, yet not sinking entirely while any work of comfort remained, her heart yearned over her companion in misfortune, the mother who had lost both husband and son; and all her fe

as she saw Christina approaching, and made a gesture of repulsion; but, with the feeling of being past all terr

very grief, "thou hast naught to fear, girl. As thing

don that I meant. If you would

laughed the grim Baroness. "Come here, wench," and Christina underwent

ll, this is the Frau Freiherrinn, Freiherr Eberhard's widow, to be honoured as such," she add

imming in tears, "I would fain have striv

d well-nigh my lord himself! Girl! Girl! Thou know'st I cannot

ow before she had been owned a wife, returned to the room that was now so ful