ary. Rough and
violent as this Friend appears to me, it must be easy to irritate him
to unseemly language and vulgar action, and then you fight only in
self-defence, which the bishop cannot take amiss."

"That would be bad work, lady, with which I cannot meddle. To evade a
promise is to break a promise, and I am an honourable Silesian."

"Well answered," cried Bona with loud laughter, and reseated herself.
"Take your place again by my side, Herr von Rasselwitz; it was not so
evilly intended. I excuse you from the combat for life and death, to
which you seem to have so little inclination, and do you, on the other
hand, excuse me for the future from your love-protests which you cannot
prove. You have stood the first trial badly; I spare you the others."

"How! Your strange instigation was no more than a trial?"

"And a very badly contrived one too. How could I expect that you would
believe me, in this deadly hatred against a man whom I saw to-day for
the first time in my life, and who could not have ever injured me?--me,
a Netherlandress, who have lived but a few weeks at Schweidnitz? You
would have caught me finely, and put me into an awkward plight, had you
made as if you were willing to comply with my desire. I must then have
prayed you, for God's sake, to let poor Friend live, and you would have
had the pleasure of laughing at me soundly for my unsuccessful
project."

"Fool that I am!--and yet I rejoice from my heart that it was only a
joke. I could not, however, suspect you of such a trick."

"Did you have a long merry-making on Monday at the widow's?" asked
Bona, with a careless transition of the subject.

"Unfortunately, no; the bridegroom, whom we expected, had an accident
with his horse, and arrived late only to go to bed directly. This
untuned us all, and we separated at an early hour."

"I have already heard much of this bridegroom; but tell me more about
him; he is said to be a handsome man."

"A perfect model of manly beauty!"

"That is saying much; yet since a man of your appearance allows it, why
it must needs be so.--Brave?--that is understood of itself;--but I
suppose just as hot and violent, just as easy to be irritated, which
you gentlemen often wish to pass upon us for courage?"

"Nothing less. He is coolness and reflection personified, and on that
account seems as if born to be a general. If he had not been the leader
of the nobles on that decisive day which freed me from arrest, it had
u