"What does that single-hearted modesty of yours avail you?" cried
Master Klingsohr, who started up quickly from his seat, and turning his
back to Wolfframb, placed himself at the lofty window, through which he
gazed in silence at the pale moonbeams falling from on high.

"'After some minutes of this he turned, walked up to Wolfframb and said,
in a loud voice, while his eyes glared with anger:

"'"You were right, Wolfframb of Eschinbach. My skill and knowledge are
backed up by powers of darkness; and your nature and mine must ever be
at variance. You have vanquished me: but in the night which follows
this I will send one to you who is called Nasias. Sing against him; and
have a care that he does not vanquish you."

"'With which Master Klingsohr went storming out of the Town-Cellar.

"'NASIAS COMES BY NIGHT TO VISIT WOLFFRAMB OF ESCHINBACH.

"'Wolfframb lodged in Eisenach over against the Bread House with a
burgher of the name of Gottschalk: a kindly, pious man who held him in
great honour. Although Klingsohr and Eschinbach had thought they were
alone and unobserved in the Town-Cellar, it might well have been that
many of the young scholars of song who dogged and watched every step of
the celebrated master, and strove to catch every word and syllable that
fell from his lips, might have found means to listen to the two masters
singing against each other. At all events, the news that Wolfframb of
Eschinbach had overcome the great Master Klingsohr had spread abroad in
Eisenach, so that Gottschalk had come to hear of it. He hastened to his
lodger full of joy, and asked him how it could possibly have happened
that this haughty master should have consented to undertake a
prize-singing in the Town-Cellar. Wolfframb told him all that had
happened, not concealing the circumstance that Master Klingsohr had
threatened to set one of the name of Nasias at him in the night. At
this Gottschalk turned pale with terror, beat his hands together, and
cried in a lamentable tone:

"'"Ah! gracious heavens, good sir, do you not know that Master
Klingsohr has dealings with evil spirits, which are subject to him and
obliged to execute his commands? Helgrefe, in whose house Master
Klingsohr has taken up his abode, tells his neighbours the strangest
tales as to what goes on there. It seems that often in the night time
one would think a large concourse of people were collected in his room,
although no one is ever seen to go in; and the