th like a merle at times between her pains? But I am
as bad as thou; prithee read on, lass, and stop our gabble wi' somewhat
worth the hearkening."

"'Then,' said I, 'may this thing be?' And I took myself to task.
'Gerard, son of Eli, dost thou well to bemoan thy lot, thou hast youth
and health; and here comes the wreck of nature on crutches, praising
God's goodness with singing like a mavis?'"

Catherine. "There you see."

Eli. "Whisht, dame, whisht!"

"And whenever he saw me, he left carolling and presently hobbled up and
chanted, 'Charity, for love of Heaven, sweet master, charity,' with
a whine as piteous as wind at keyhole. 'Alack, poor soul,' said I,
'charity is in my heart, but not my purse; I am poor as thou.' Then he
believed me none, and to melt me undid his sleeve, and showed a sore
wound on his arm, and said he, 'Poor cripple though I be, I am like to
lose this eye to boot, look else.' I saw and groaned for him, and to
excuse myself let him wot how I had been robbed of my last copper.
Thereat he left whining all in a moment, and said, in a big manly voice,
'Then I'll e'en take a rest. Here, youngster, pull thou this strap: nay,
fear not!' I pulled, and down came a stout pair of legs out of his back;
and half his hump had melted away, and the wound in his eye no deeper
than the bandage.

"Oh!" ejaculated Margaret's hearers in a body.

"Whereat, seeing me astounded, he laughed in my face, and told me I
was not worth gulling, and offered me his protection. 'My face was
prophetic,' he said. 'Of what?' said I. 'Marry,' said he, 'that its
owner will starve in this thievish land.' Travel teaches e'en the young
wisdom. Time was I had turned and fled this impostor as a pestilence;
but now I listened patiently to pick up crumbs of counsel. And well I
did: for nature and his adventurous life had crammed the poor knave with
shrewdness and knowledge of the homelier sort--a child was I beside him.
When he had turned me inside out, said he, 'Didst well to leave France
and make for Germany; but think not of Holland again. Nay, on to
Augsburg and Nurnberg, the Paradise of craftsmen: thence to Venice, an
thou wilt. But thou wilt never bide in Italy nor any other land, having
once tasted the great German cities. Why, there is but one honest
country in Europe, and that is Germany; and since thou art honest, and
since I am a vagabone, Germany was made for us twain.' I bade him make
that good: how might one country fit tru