make his foolish old head suffer for it. "If, after all,
his Majesty should desire to hear the choir that noon, it would only be
because----"

Here he hesitated, and then reluctantly made the admission--"Because you
yourself, you fair one, who turns everybody's bead, are the 'unusual'
something which our sovereign lord would fain hear once more, if the
gout does not----"

Then Barbara laughed gaily in her clear, bell like tones, seized the
clumsy Goliath's long, pointed beard, and played all sorts of pranks
upon him with such joyous mirth that, when she at last released him, he
ran after her like a young lover to catch her; but she had nimbler feet,
and he was far enough behind when she called from the threshold:

"I won't let myself be caught, but since your pretty white goat's beard
bewitches me, I'll be obliging to-day."

She laughingly kissed her hand to him from the doorway as she spoke,
and it seemed as though her yielding was to be instantly rewarded, for
before she left the house Chamberlain de Praet appeared to summon the
choir to the Golden Cross at one o'clock.

Barbara's head was proudly erect as she crossed the square. Wolf
followed her, and, on reaching home, found her engaged in a little
dispute with her father.

The latter had been much disgusted with himself for his complaisance the
day before. Although Wolf had come to escort Barbara to the Emperor's
lodgings, he had accompanied his child to the Golden Cross, where she
was received by Maestro Appenzelder. Then, since he could only have
heard the singing under conditions which seemed unendurable to his
pride, he sullenly retired to drink his beer in the tap-room of the New
Scales.

As, on account of the late hour, he found no other guest, he did
not remain there long, but returned to the Haidplatz to go home with
Barbara.

This he considered his paternal duty, for already he saw in imagination
the counts and knights who, after the Emperor and the Queen had loaded
her with praise and honour, would wish to escort her home. Dainty pages
certainly would not be deprived of the favour of carrying her train and
lighting her way with torches. But he knew courtiers and these saucy
scions of the noblest houses, and hoped that her father's presence would
hold their insolence in check. Therefore he had endeavoured to give to
his outer man an appearance which would command respect, for he wore his
helmet, his coat of mail, and over it the red scarf which h