ds on him, he had stabbed her many times to the
heart with his dagger. Then, as they were about to seize him, he had
turned the murderous weapon still wet with his victim's blood, on
himself, and thus escaped the avenging hand of justice.

As soon as the host of The Mirror heard this tale, he minded him of that
strange, dark man and, when that way-farer came not home to his inn, he
made report thereof to the judges. Then, on making search in his wallet,
it was discovered that he had entered there under a false name, and that
it was Sir Franz von Welemisl who had taken such terrible vengeance on
Ursula for her sins against himself and Herdegen.

From Augsburg we now made good speed, and when, one fine June morning,
our proud old citadel greeted our eyes from afar, and I saw that
Herdegen's eyes were wet as he gazed upon it, mine eyes likewise filled
with tears, and as we rode we clasped hands fervently, but in silence.

I sent forward a messenger from our last halting-place to give tidings of
our coming; and when, hard by Schweinau, behold a cloud of dust, our eyes
met and told more than many and eloquent words.

Great and pure and thankful joy filled and bore up my soul; but presently
the cloud of dust was hid by a turn in the road behind the trees, and
even so, quoth my fearful heart, the shroud of the future hid what next
might befall us.

The cruel blows of fate which had fallen on Herdegen had not been all in
vain, and the growing weakness of his frame warned him not to spend his
strength and eagerness on new and ever new things. Yet what troubled me
was that he was not aware of the changes that had come upon him within
and without. From all his speech with me I perceived that, even now, he
might not conceive that life could be other than as he desired:
notwithstanding it gave me secret joy to look upon this dear fellow, for
whom life should have had no summer heats nor winter frosts, but only
blossoming spring-tide and happy autumn days.

But now we had got round the wood, and we might see what the cloud of
dust had concealed. Foremost there came a train of waggons loaded with
merchandise and faring southwards, and the first waggon had met a
piled-up load of charcoal coming forth from the forest at a place in the
road where they were pent between a deep ditch on one hand and thick
brushwood and undergrowth on the other; thus neither could turn aside,
and their wheels were so fast locked that they barred the ro