came to be with us, and as he was well-disposed
to Ann as being my friend, he did his best to make himself pleasing, or
at least noteworthy in her sight. He stood on his head and then climbed
to the top of the tallest fruit-tree and flung down pears, but they
smote her head so that she cried out; then he turned a wheel on his
hands and feet, and a little more and his shoe would hit her in the
face; and when he marked that he was but troubling us, he went away
sorrowful, but only to hide behind a bush, and as we went past, to rush
out on a sudden and put us in fear by wild shouting.

My eldest brother well-nigh affrighted us more when he presently joined
us, for his hair was all unkempt and his looks wild. He was now of an
age when men-children deem maids to be weak and unfit for true sport,
but nevertheless strive their utmost to be marked and chosen by them.
Hence Ursula's good graces, which she had shown right openly, had for a
long while greatly pleased him, but by this time he was weary of her and
began to conceive that good little Ann, with her nightingale's voice,
was more to his liking.

After hastily greeting us, he forthwith made us privy to an evil matter.
One of his fellowship, Laurence Abenberger, the son of an apothecary,
who was diligent in school, and of a wondrous pious spirit, gave up
all his spare time to all manner of magic arts, and albeit he was but
seventeen years of age, he had already cast nativities for many folks
and for us maids, and had told us of divers ill-omens for the future.
This Abenberger, a little fellow of no note, had found in some ancient
papers a recipe for discovering treasure, and had told the secret to
Herdegen and some other few. To begin, they went at his bidding to the
graveyard with him, and there, at the full moon, they poured hot
lead into the left eye-hole of a skull and made it into arrow-heads.
Yesternight they had journeyed forth as far as Sinterspuhel, and there,
at midnight, had stood at the cross-roads and shot with these same
arrow-heads to the four quarters, to the end that they might dig for
treasure wheresoever the shafts might fall. But they found no treasure,
but a newly-buried body, and on this had taken to their heels in all
haste. Herdegen only had tarried behind with Abenberger, and when he saw
that there were deep wounds on the head of the dead man his intent was
to carry the tidings to the justices in council; nevertheless he would
delay a while, beca