appened that the Squire was sitting over his wine with some merry
friends, and a joke had caused them all to break into uproarious
laughter just as Kohlhaas approached him to make his complaint. The
Squire asked what he wanted; the young nobles, at sight of the
stranger, became silent; but no sooner had the latter broached his
request concerning the horses, than the whole group cried out,
"Horses! Where are they?" and hurried over to the window to look at
them. When they saw the glossy string, they all followed the
suggestion of the Squire and flew down into the courtyard. The rain
had ceased; the castellan, the steward, and the servant gathered round
them and all scanned the horses. One praised a bright bay with a
white star on its forehead, another preferred a chestnut, a third
patted the dappled horse with tawny spots; and all were of the opinion
that the horses were like deer, and that no finer were raised in the
country. Kohlhaas answered cheerily that the horses were no better
than the knights who were to ride them, and invited the men to buy.
The Squire, who eagerly desired the big bay stallion, went so far as
to ask its price, and the steward urged him to buy a pair of black
horses, which he thought he could use on the farm, as they were short
of horses. But when the horse-dealer had named his price the young
knights thought it too high, and the Squire said that Kohlhaas would
have to ride in search of the Round Table and King Arthur if he put
such a high value on his horses. Kohlhaas noticed that the castellan
and the steward were whispering together and casting significant
glances at the black horses the while, and, moved by a vague
presentiment, made every effort to sell them the horses. He said to
the Squire, "Sir, I bought those black horses six months ago for
twenty-five gold gulden; give me thirty and you shall have them." Two
of the young noblemen who were standing beside the Squire declared
quite audibly that the horses were probably worth that much; but the
Squire said that while he might be willing to pay out money for the
bay stallion he really should hardly care to do so for the pair of
blacks, and prepared to go in. Whereupon Kohlhaas, saying that the
next time he came that way with his horses they might perhaps strike a
bargain, took leave of the Squire and, seizing the reins of his horse,
started to ride away.

At this moment the castellan stepped forth from the crowd and reminded
him that he wo