rs with an air of compassion,
and had more than once declared that the good city of Aix-la-Chapelle
if it knew what they knew, would cease from all business and likewise
devote itself to singing the _Gloria_ round the crucifix.

The lady, who could not support the horrible sight of her unfortunate
sons, and who was soon led back tottering to her house, set off on the
following morning to Herr Veit Gotthelf, a celebrated cloth-merchant of
the city, to gain some intelligence as to the cause of this unfortunate
occurrence. She did so because the letter from the preacher mentioned
this man, and showed that he had taken a lively interest in the plan
for destroying the cloister of St. Cecilia on Corpus Christi day. Veit
Gotthelf, the cloth-merchant, who had become a husband and a father
since the time, and had moreover undertaken his father's extensive
business, received his visitor very kindly, and when he heard the
affair that had brought her to him, bolted the door, and having
requested her to take a seat, proceeded as follows:

"My good lady, if you will promise to subject me to no legal
investigation, I will tell you all, truly and without reserve. I was
indeed on intimate terms with your sons six years ago,--yes, we
entertained the project which is mentioned in the letter. How the
plan, for the execution of which, the most careful preparations were
made with truly impious acuteness, proved a failure, is to me utterly
incomprehensible. Heaven itself seems to have taken the convent of
those pious ladies under its holy protection. For you must know that
your sons had already, as a prelude to some determined action,
interrupted divine service by all sorts of ribaldry, and that more than
three hundred rascals gathered together within the walls of our then
misguided city, and armed with hatchets and links only waited for the
signal which the preacher was to make, to level the cathedral with the
ground. Directly the music began, your sons, with a simultaneous
movement and in a manner that surprised us, suddenly took off their
hats; as if overcome by deep inexpressible emotion, they bowed down
their faces, and gradually covered them with their hands. At last the
preacher suddenly turning round, after an astounding pause, called to
us with a loud terrific voice to uncover our heads also. In vain did
some of his comrades whisper to him, and sportively jogging him with
their arms, desire him to give the concerted signal