self to his full height. "And thou priest of Baal,
darest thou speak of cross-roads. Who is it makes appointments with
innocent girls after sun-down on the cross-roads, yes, and the worst in
repute of the whole district, where evil spirits, or rather evil
passions abound." And once more the Miller pushed his boy to the front
and called out: "Look on that boy, he it is to whom thou didst entrust
thy filthy message." Pale as death Paul made a step backwards. Had when
in decent company the whole of his clothes suddenly fallen off his
body, he would have scarcely felt such a shock, as he did at his moral
nakedness being thus exposed. A painful silence now reigned, all the
more annihilating for the young Priest, as the audience had lately been
increased, attracted by the noise the Heidelberg physicians together
with the laborers and numerous peasant women had hastened up. All
watched Paul's lips intently, to hear how he would answer such a
serious charge. But he remained silent. It seemed to him as if he had
become transparent, and every one pried into his filthy secrets with
mocking eyes.

Then the witch on the ground squeaked out. "He it was who enticed Herr
Erastus' fair haired daughter of a dark night to the Holtermann."

"What sayest thou of my daughter?" cried out Erastus, approaching the
old woman in a rage.

"Well, the Counsellor must best know where it was that his daughter
broke her little foot. The Parson wanted to play at marriage with her
on the cross-road, where the Evil One meets his mistress every night.
But others came before the gentleman, and the bride sprang into the
Heidenloch, and that was too humid a bride-chamber for Sir Parson."

"You keep silent, old Dragon," whispered the old Miller, giving her a
kick with his foot, but the bound witch only called out her wondrous
tale doubly loud to the people around. Erastus' features became
distorted, he laughed through very excitement. He resembled at that
moment in his maddening sorrow the Devil himself, as his enemies
averred; his hair bristled up, his face became black, whilst the white
of his eye gleamed horribly from out of his darkened countenance. The
cowardly Magistrate drew back. Among what sort of people had he fallen!
He had long known Erastus to be a heretic; but now his daughter was a
witch; he himself perhaps a sorcerer; did not the terrible man look
exactly like one at that moment. And the foreign Parson moreover, whom
Herr Hartmanni had neve