ed before that great and potent sovereign, whose
manly, calm, and withal fatherly dignity made him, to my mind, more
majestic than the tall but unresting Emperor.

I can see him as he stood with his booted foot on the hart's neck, and
turned his noble head, with its long, smooth grey hair, gazing at us
with his great blue eyes, kindly at first, but presently with vexation
and well-nigh in wrath.

We held our hands tight on our hearts, striving to call to mind some few
of the words we had meditated with intent to speak them in defence of
Herdegen. And our love, and our steadfast purpose that we would win
grace and mercy for him came to our aid; and whereas my lord's first
enquiry was to know whether I were that Mistress Margery Schopper who
had been betrothed to his dear Hans Haller, too soon departed, my eyes
filled with tears, but the memory of the dead gave me courage, so that
I dared to meet the great man's eye, and was right glad to find that
the words which in my dread I had forgot, now came freely to my mind.
Likewise meseemed that, in overriding my own fears, I had conquered
Ann's; whereas she had been pale and speechless, clinging to the folds
of my dress, she now stood forth boldly by my side.

Then, when I had presented her to his Highness as Herdegen's promised
bride, to whom he had been plighted in love from their childhood, I made
known to his lordship that it was not my brother's desire, but that of
my grand-uncle, that Ursula should be his wife. Likewise I strove to
release my brother from the charge of making gold, by diligently showing
that the old Knight had ever showered ducats on him to beguile him to
his will. Then I spoke at length of Herdegen's skill with the sword,
and hereupon Ann made bold to say that it would be well to bid her lover
return in safe-keeping to Nuremberg, and there let him give proof of
his skill with a weapon specially blessed by my lord Cardinal Julianus
Caesarinus, the Pope's legate, which could have no taint of devilish
arts.

Thus did we give utterance to everything we had meditated beforehand;
and albeit the Elector at first made wrathful answer, and even made as
though he would turn his back on us, each time we made shift to hold him
fast. Nay, or ever we had ceased he had taken his foot from the stag's
neck, and at length we walked with him back to the forest lodge, half
amused, yet half grieved, with the mocking words he tormented us with.
Then he bid us quit him, p