he had revered as a saint, should now
demean herself no more nobly nor otherwise than any other maid might. On
this I asked him wherefor he had denied his saint; nay, for the sake--as
it would seem--of a maid who was, for sure, the worldliest of us all.
And, to end, I boldly enquired of him how matters stood betwixt him and
Ursula; but all the answer I got was that first he must know whether Ann
were in earnest with the Junker. On this I said in mockery that he would
do well to seek out the truth of that matter to the very bottom; and
running up the steps by which we were standing, I kissed my hand to him
from the first turning and wished him a good night's rest.

Up in our chamber I found Ann greatly disturbed.

She, who was commonly so calm, was walking up and down the narrow
space without pause or ceasing; and seeing how sorely her fears and her
conscience were distressing her, pity compelled me to forego my intent
of not giving her any hopes; I revealed to her that I had discovered
that my Herdegen's heart was yet hers in spite of Ursula.

This comforted her somewhat; but yet could it not restore her peace of
mind. Meseemed that the ruthless work she had done that day had but
now come home to her; she could not refrain herself from tears when
she confessed that Herdegen had privily besought her to grant him brief
speech with her, and that she had brought herself to refuse him.

All this was told in a whisper; only a thin wall of wood parted Ursula's
chamber from ours. As yet there was no hope of sleep, inasmuch as that
the noise made, by the gentlemen at their carouse came up loud and
clear through the open window and, the later it grew, the louder waxed
Herdegen's voice and the Junker's, above all others. And I knew what
hour the clocks must have told when my brother shouted louder than ever
the old chorus:

"Bibit heres, bibit herus
Bibit miles, bibit clerus
Bibit ille, bibit illa
Bibit servus cum ancilla.
Bibit soror, bibit frater
Bibit anus, bibit mater
Bibit ista, bibit ille:
Bibunt centem, bibunt milee."

[The heir drinks, the owner drinks,
The soldier and the clerk,
He drinks, she drinks,
The servant and the wench.
The sister drinks and eke the brother,
The grand dam and the gaffer,
This one drinks, that one drinks,
A hundred drink--a thous