The Sword Maker

med to indicate that he traveled on no affair of State, for on such occasions he led a small army. The lovely young Countess awaited him at the top of th

he raised her fair hand to his lips his obeisance was lower, m

friend accosting old friend, and nothing in his saluta

rney to Frankfort. Nevertheless, all that afternoon the two were oppressed by the shadow of some impending danger, and the good spirits of the Archbishop seemed to them assumed for the occasion, and indeed in this they

usness of an anchorite, and always partook of his scant refreshment alone in hi

lar, I shall not comment on your dinner of parched peas and your unexhilarating tankard of water. Besides, I wish to consult with Ambrose th

rchbishop led, and at times

t, Hildegunde, the Abbess frequently spoke of your proficiency in historical

cestors a record of their doings would be scarcely

like an inspiration against the dark background of medieval tumult. Did you ever hear of your forebear, the gracious Countess Matilda von Sayn, who lived some hundreds of years ago? Indeed, the letters I have been reading, written in her quaint handwriting, are dated about the middle of the thirteenth century. I cannot learn whether she was olde

a sense of justice entirely womanly. I could not help fancying that this great prelate's success in his Archbishopric was largely due to the disinterested advice of this noble woman. It is clearly to be seen that the Countess was the benignant power behind the throne, and she watched his continued advanc

e you about to we

oment placed his hand upon hers, w

y own guidance, and found her precepts as wise to-day as they were in 1250, and to me ... to me," the Archbishop sighed, "she see

Your predecessor, the frien

go upon, for his letters, if they exist, are co

est garments I possess, and will rummage those dusty archive

he and I will put our wise old heads together in consultation over them before entrustin

down her hand with a peremptory impact up

, I shall read thos

this time, however, clasping it firmly in his own.

living Archbishops, more difficult, perh

nsion troubling her fine eyes. "My Lords of Maye

hbishops will be held at

ce of my brot

his Court

ter, so I will merely say that there is nothing to fear. I, being your guardian, am sent to escort you to Stolzenfels, and a

follow any advice yo

my predecessor and the Countess Matilda. It was always she who tendered advice, which he invariably accepted. Now I must take the r?le of advice-giver; thus you and I transpose the parts of the forme

till thinking of those two. Have yo

he communications he received from the Countess. Throughout the letters certain paragraphs are marked with a cross, as if for reperusal, these paragraphs being invariably m

bishop, the foolish inhabitants, remembering that Cologne was a long distance down the river compared with the up-river journey to Sayn, broke out into open revolt. The Archbishop sent up his army, and most effectually crush

titution had been promised by the late Archbishop. His successor, however, disputed this claim. He possessed, he said, the deed of gift making over the town of Linz to his predecessor, and this document was defi

r after the rebellion was quelled. But for the untimely death of the late Archbishop she did not doubt that his part of the contract would have been kept long sin

r, exhibit this document to any ecclesiastical committee her correspondent might appoint, and the members of the committee so chosen should be men well acquainted with the late Archbishop's writing and signature. In reply the Archbishop regretted that he could not accept her suggestion. The people of Cologne, believing that their overlord had rightfully ac

pared to swear that the copy forwarded to him was a full and faithful rendition of t

y, and allowed to lapse any title

s was in the right, refusing further communication with t

p smiled at h

ender's soul tenanted his austere body, but what would you say if h

sent of the Archbishop's letter wa

her there remains in our archives a copy of this last epistle written in his own hand. I cannot imagine why he added the final clauses to what was in essence an important business communication. The premonition he admits may have

life seems to have been successful beyond the wishes of mortal man, but to me it is a dismal fa