w much
did he probably pay us to back up his fantastic tale? People talked that
kind of talk to us pretty freely and frankly, and were full of scoffings
when we begged them to believe really we had told only the truth. Our
parents were harder on us than any one else. Our fathers said we were
disgracing our families, and they commanded us to purge ourselves of our
lie, and there was no limit to their anger when we continued to say we
had spoken true. Our mothers cried over us and begged us to give back
our bribe and get back our honest names and save our families from
shame, and come out and honorably confess. And at last we were so
worried and harassed that we tried to tell the whole thing, Satan and
all--but no, it wouldn't come out. We were hoping and longing all the
time that Satan would come and help us out of our trouble, but there was
no sign of him.

Within an hour after the astrologer's talk with us, Father Peter was in
prison and the money sealed up and in the hands of the officers of the
law. The money was in a bag, and Solomon Isaacs said he had not touched
it since he had counted it; his oath was taken that it was the same
money, and that the amount was eleven hundred and seven ducats. Father
Peter claimed trial by the ecclesiastical court, but our other priest,
Father Adolf, said an ecclesiastical court hadn't jurisdiction over a
suspended priest. The bishop upheld him. That settled it; the case would
go to trial in the civil court. The court would not sit for some time to
come. Wilhelm Meidling would be Father Peter's lawyer and do the best he
could, of course, but he told us privately that a weak case on his side
and all the power and prejudice on the other made the outlook bad.

So Marget's new happiness died a quick death. No friends came to
condole with her, and none were expected; an unsigned note withdrew her
invitation to the party. There would be no scholars to take lessons.
How could she support herself? She could remain in the house, for the
mortgage was paid off, though the government and not poor Solomon Isaacs
had the mortgage-money in its grip for the present. Old Ursula, who
was cook, chambermaid, housekeeper, laundress, and everything else for
Father Peter, and had been Marget's nurse in earlier years, said
God would provide. But she said that from habit, for she was a good
Christian. She meant to help in the providing, to make sure, if she
could find a way.

We boys wanted to go and see