d taken no rest,
day nor night, until the Junker's father came, and then he fell into a
violent fever. It was but of late that the leech had granted him to go
out of doors, and his first walk was to our house to show me his sorrow
for my grief, and to thank my cousin for many pleasant trifles which she
had sent to him and the Junker during their sickness, to refresh them.
At the same time he broke forth in loud and unstinted wrath against
Sir Franz von Welemisl, and gave us to wit that with his whole heart he
grudged him the fair Ursula, whose favor he himself had so diligently
sued for since the first days of the Diet. From our house he went to the
Tetzels', and then he and the Bohemian forthwith came to high words and
defiant glances.

Shortly after this, and a few hours only after my brother's penalty had
been paid into the Treasury, the two young gentlemen met in the nobles'
wine-room by the Frohnwage, and von Rochow, heated by wine and heeding
neither moderation nor manners, began to taunt Ursula's betrothed. After
putting it to him that he had left the task to Herdegen of picking up
the glove, "which peradventure he had thought was of too heavy leather,"
to which the other made seemly reply, he enquired, inasmuch as they were
discoursing of marriage, whether the Church, which forbids the joining
of those who are near of kin, hath not likewise the power to hinder
a young and blooming maid from binding herself for life to a sickly
husband. Such discourse was ill-pleasing by reason of the Bohemian's
presence there: and the Junker went yet further, till to some speech
made by old Master Grolaud, he made answer by asking what then might be
a priest's duty, if the sick bridegroom failed to say "yes" at the altar
by reason of his coughing? And as he spoke he cast a challenging look at
Welemisl.

The hot blood of the Bohemian flew to his brain; or ever any one could
hinder him, his knife was buried to the hilt in the other's shoulder.
All hastened to help the Brandenburger, and when presently some turned
to seize the criminal he was no more to be seen.

This dreadful deed caused just dismay, and most of all at Court,
inasmuch as the chamberlain and the maid of honor in close attendance on
their Majesties' persons were near kin to the Bohemian, whose mother was
of the noble Hungarian house of Pereny.

As to the Emperor, he flew into great fury and threatened to cancel
the murderer's coat of arms and punish him with dea