, under the lifted curtain of the tent, stood Rauthgundis, his
wife, dressed in grey garments and a black veil, and pressing a small
black urn to her bosom.

A cry of loving pain and painful love; and the husband and wife were
locked in a close embrace.

Silently the witnesses left the tent.

CHAPTER XV.

Outside Teja held the old man back by his mantle.

"Thou torturest the King in vain," he said. "He will never consent. Now
least of all!"

"How dost thou know?" interrupted the old man.

"Peace; I guess it. As I guess all misfortune."

"Then thou wilt also acknowledge that he _must_ consent."

"He--_he_ will not do it."

"But--thou meanest her?"

"Perhaps!"

"She will!" cried Hildebrand.

"Yes, she is a wonder of a woman," answered Teja.

While, during the next few days, the now childless pair lived in quiet
seclusion, and Witichis scarcely ever left his tent, it happened that
the outposts of the royal besiegers and the sentries of the Gothic
garrison of Ravenna--taking advantage of the armistice which, as a
matter of fact, had ensued--entered into frequent communication.

Scolding and disputing, they reproached each other with being the cause
of the civil war.

The besiegers complained that the garrison had closed the gates of his
royal fortress upon the King during the greatest distress of the
nation. The Ravennese blamed Witichis for depriving the daughter of the
Amelungs of her rights.

As old Earl Grippa was making the round of the walls, he listened,
unobserved, to one of these conversations.

He suddenly came forward, and called to Witichis's soldiers who were
standing below, praising their King.

"Indeed?" he cried; "is it acting nobly and rightly to attack us like a
madman, instead of giving an answer to our moderate demand? And he
could so easily spare the blood of the Goths! We only want Mataswintha
for our Queen! Well, can he not remain King? Is it so hard to share
throne and couch with the most beautiful woman in the world, with the
Princess Beautiful-hair,' of whose charms the singers sing in the
streets? Must so many thousand brave Goths die, rather than that? Well
then, let him continue to attack. We will see which breaks down first;
his obstinacy or these walls!"

These words of the old commander made an immense impression on all the
Goths before the walls. They knew of nothing to say in defence of their
King. They also knew as little of his