t sovereign of Munster.' With fury in his
rolling eyes, he beckoned to the door an officer who stood near him, as
if he desired to confide to him an order of serious consequence:

'Spare yourself steps, your princely grace, which you will be compelled
to retrace,' said Oberstein; and at that moment the bishop's body
servant, a pious, blameless, silver haired old man, entered with his
master's morning meal.

'Jesus Maria!' screamed the servant the moment he saw Alf; and, letting
fall the smoking platter, threw himself at the youth's feet and clasped
his knees. 'God in his mercy has granted me an opportunity to thank the
preserver of my life!' cried he, sobbing.

'Preserver of your life!' cried the bishop wonderingly.

'You are mistaken, father,' said Alf, gently putting aside the old man,
'I do not know you at all.'

'I am not more certain of future bliss,' said the old servant.--'Know
you not, sir colonel, or whatever else you may have been, when you fell
upon our camp, with the terrible Matthias, and his princely grace had
fled, and Matthias had broken into this tent, and had already cut down
the cook and two lacqueys, and the pages were kneeling before him, and
the Goliath-spear was already raised to destroy them. I stood in a
corner tremblingly awaiting the moment when my turn would come. Then
you rushed into the tent and valiantly stayed the monster's upraised
arm, although he was your superior, and commanded him and gave him hard
words, and compelled him to spare their lives and take them with him
prisoners to Munster. And then you dragged him away, together with the
boys; I, however, slipped out of my corner, and in this place I kneeled
down and prayed a devout Ave Maria for myself, and two for the
salvation of your poor soul, that God might rescue you from eternal
death, as you had rescued me from the murderous prophet.'

'How now, sir bishop?' said Oberstein, in an upbraiding tone. 'It
appears that the youth saved the lives of those whose blood you would
avenge on him. His crime is, that he could not be about them every
moment to guard them against the beasts of prey who constantly beset
their path.'

'Can you swear upon the Host,' asked the bishop of the servant, 'that
this is the man who saved the lives of the boys?'

'As God may help me to a good dying moment!' answered the servant with
his hand upon his heart.

The traits of passion disappeared from the bishop's features. He
advanced towards Alf a