stair, which of late he could not mount without much
panting, led up to a higher and brighter home than the wide steps of the
rich merchant's palace.

Howbeit, when I had presently closed that good old man's eyes, I would
not suffer myself to think thus of the twain, by reason that I could not
endure to mar my remembrance of that other, to whom, after all, we owed
much thanks.

The old organist had received the Holy Sacrament at mid-day from the
hand of his old friend Nikolas Laister, the Vicar of Saint Sebald's.
He would have no one to see him save ourselves and Hans Richter the
churchwarden, a man after his own heart, and the Pernharts; and at first
he marked not our coming, inasmuch as he was just then giving a toy
to the deaf-mute boy, which he had carved with his own hand, and Dame
Giovanna had much pains to carry away the child, who had cast himself on
the old man with passionate love. Everything that moved the little one's
soul he was forced, as it were, to express with unreasoning violence;
and now, when the child was so boisterous as to disturb the peace of the
others, his mother took him by the hand to lead him away into another
chamber; but the dying man signed to him with a look which none may
describe, and that moment the little fellow set his teeth hard and stood
in silence by the door. Whereupon the old man nodded to him as though
the child had done him some kindness.

Then he shut his eyes for a good while, and presently asked for some of
the fine Bacharach wine which Cousin Maud had sent him; but his voice
could scarce be heard. Ann reached him the glass, and at a sign from him
she tasted of it; then he drank it with much comfort while Dame Giovanna
held him sitting. The old, sweet smile was on his lips, and as he yet
held the stem of the glass with a shaking hand, and suffered that I
should help him, he cried in a clear voice: "Once more, Prosit, Elsie!
You have waited long enough up there for your old man. And Prosit,
likewise, to my dear old home, the fair city of Nuremberg." Then he took
breath and added according to his wont: "Prosit, Adam! Thanks, Heyden!"
And emptied the cup which I tilted up for him, to the very bottom. Then,
when he fell back and gazed before him in silence, I found speech, and
noted, albeit it struck me in truth as somewhat strange, that he bore
our good town in mind then, in drinking his old pledge. Hereupon he
nodded kindly and added, with an enquiring glance at the church