persons, and at last begged for the favour of being allowed to
spend the night in the room adjoining theirs. If the girls, amidst all
these base suspicions, should find Nuremberg unendurable, she would
leave the scene of the Reichstag with them to-morrow, if necessary, and
take them to her castle in the Vorarlberg. She had other plans for them,
too, in her mind, but lacked time now to explain them to the sisters;
they could not obtain admittance to their father's prison after sundown,
and in a few hours the long summer day would be over.

It was not advisable to use their sedan-chairs adorned with the Ortlieb
coat of arms, which every one knew, so they went on foot with their
faces shrouded by the 'Reise' which was part of their mourning dress;
and, in order not to violate usage, were accompanied by two servants,
old Martsche and Katterle.

From the Fleischbrucke they might have avoided the market-place, but Els
wanted to enquire whether the Eysvogel matter was being discussed. One
of the "Honourables"--all of whom she knew--was always to be found near
the Town Hall, and Eva understood her sister's anxiety and went with her
willingly.

But when they were passing the prison she became frightened.

Through the squares formed by the iron grating in front of the broad
window of the largest one, head after head, hand after hand, was thrust
into the street. The closely cropped heads of the prisoners, many of
which showed mutilations by the hand of the executioner, which had
barely healed, formed, as separated only by the iron bars, they
protruded above, below, and beside one another into the open air, a
mosaic picture, startlingly repulsive in appearance; for savage greed
glittered in the eyes of most, and showed itself in the movements of the
long, thin hands extended for gifts. Bitter need and passionate longing
gazed defiantly, beseechingly, and threateningly at the people who
crowded round the window. Few were silent; they implored the curious and
pitying men, women, and children, who in the presence of their misery
rejoiced in their more favoured lot, for aid in their distress, and
rarely in vain; for many a mother gave her children a loaf to hand to
the unfortunates, and meanwhile impressed on their minds the lesson that
they would fare as badly as the most horrible of the mutilated prisoners
unless they were good and obedient to their parents and teachers.

Street boys held out an apple or a bit of bread, to snatch