an wind him round her finger. Leave him to me, and be sure you shall win
his blessing." After noon Uhlwurm and the waggon of birds set forth to
Frankfort, where Kubbeling's eldest son was tarrying to meet his father
with fresh falcons. Or ever the grim old grey-beard mounted his horse, he
whispered to Ann: "Truest of maidens, find some device to move Seyfried
to take me in your fellowship to the land of Egypt, and I will work a
charm which shall of a surety give your lover back to you, if indeed he
is not . . ." and he was about to cry "gone" as was his wont; yet he
refrained himself and spoke it not. Young Kubbeling tarried at the
Forest-lodge; and as for my uncle, it was soon plain enough that my aunt
had been in the right in the matter; nay, when we went home to the city,
meseemed as though he and his wife had from the first been of one mind.
Our purpose pleased him better as he learned to believe more surely that
our little women's wits would peradventure be able to find his wandering
son, and to tempt him to return to his father's forest home.

CHAPTER XII.

We carefully obeyed Kubbeling's counsel that we should keep our purpose
dark, and it remained hidden even from the guests at the lodge. On the
other hand they had been told all that Herdegen's letter had contained,
and that it was Ursula who was pursuing him with such malignant spite.
Yet albeit we bound over each one to hold his peace on the matter in
Nuremberg, no woman, nor perchance no man either, could keep such strange
doings privy from near kith and kin; and whereas we might not tell what
in truth it was which stood in the way of our brothers' homecoming, it
was rumored among our cousins and gossips that some vast and unattainable
sum was needed to ransom the two young Schoppers. And other marvellous
reports got abroad, painting my brother's slavery in terrible colors.

At first this made me wroth, but presently it provoked me less, inasmuch
as that great compassion was aroused; and those very citizens and dames
who of old were wont to chide Herdegen as a limb of Satan, and would have
gladly seen him led to the gallows, now remembered him otherwise. Yea,
fellow-feeling hath kindly eyes, widely open to all that is good, and
willing to be shut to all that is evil, and so it came to pass that the
noble gifts of the poor slave now lost to the town, were lauded to the
skies. Hereupon came a letter from my lord Cardinal with these tidings of
good comfor