no complaints.

"Then came the crawlers and asked me what this fine thing was for.

"'For the sacred Ritterdom of Plassenburg!' answered I, 'if it will not
cease to burn houses and to ravish and carry off honest men's wives and
daughters.'

"'But you must catch us!' quoth Crawlerdom. 'Walls fourteen feet thick!'
said they.

"'Content,' cried I; 'there is the more fun in catching you. Only the end
is the same--that is to say, my new, well-ventilated castle out there on
the heath, fine girdles and neck-pieces and anklets of iron, and six feet
of clearance for each of you to swing in.'

"So they went back to their castles, and robbed and ravished and rieved,
even as did their fathers for a thousand years, thinking no evil. But I
took my soldiers, whom in seven years' service I had taught to obey
orders-two foot of clearance did well enough for the disobedient among
them, not being either ritters or men of mark. And I, Karl the Miller's
brat, as at that time they called me in contempt, borrowed cannon--
great lumbering things--from my friend the Margrave George, down there to
the south. A great work we had dragging them up to Plassenburg by rope
and chain and laboring plough oxen. We shot them off before the
fourteen-feet walls. Then arose various clouds of dust, shriekings,
surrenderings, crying of 'Forgive us, great Prince, we never meant to do
it,' followed, as I had said, by the six-feet clearances. But these in
time I had to reduce to four--so great became the competition for places
in my new Schloss Muellerssohn.

"But 'Once done, well done--done forever!' is my motto. So since that
time the winds have mostly blown through my Schloss untainted, and the
sons of Ritterdom, magnanimous captains and honest bailies of quiet
bailiwicks, are my very good friends and faithful officers."

Prince Karl the Miller's Son was silent a moment.

"But I am still looking out for another man with a head-piece to come
after me. I have no son, and if I had, the chances are ten to one that he
would be either a milksop or a flittermouse painted blue. Milksops I
hate, and send to the monkeries. I can endure flittermice painted blue,
but they must wear petticoats--and pretty petticoats too. Have you
observed those of the Princess?" said he, abruptly changing the subject.

"The Princess's flittermice?" I faltered, not well knowing what I said,
for he had turned roughly and suddenly upon me.

"Aye, marry, you may say it! But I meant