s from the
bounty and kindness of your honour!"

"Never mind that now, good woman," said Albert, interrupting the old
chatterbox; "But about your master,--you will not----"

"What do you mean?" she replied, half shutting her eyes: "I can pretend
never to have seen you in my life. You may rest assured of that. That
which does not burn I will not inflame!"

With these words she left the room and went down to the first floor, to
attend to her affairs in the kitchen.

Grateful and full of joy, she took the dollar out of her leather
pocket, and looked at it over and over again on both sides. She praised
the liberality of the youth, and regretted that his love had been so
ill requited, for that her young lady was unfaithful to him was a clear
case in her eyes. She stood in the kitchen for some time wrapt in
thought. She doubted within herself whether to let the thing take its
course, or whether it would not be better to give a hint to the young
knight, to apprise him of the nocturnal visitor. "But," she said, "in
time of need comes help; perhaps he will see it himself, and does not
want my advice. Besides, a meddler between two lovers is likely to burn
his own fingers. It will be better to wait and look on, for heat in
counsel and rashness in action engender nothing but harm. Who seeks
peace and quiet, let him keep his eyes open, listen, and be silent!"

Such were the thoughts of the old philosopher in the kitchen. The
lovers had in the mean time made up their differences. Albert was
unable to withstand the entreaties of Bertha, and when she asked him,
in the most tender tone, whether he was still angry with her, he could
not bring his heart to say, yes. Peace was therefore re-established
between them, and, which is seldom the case, in a shorter time than
that which had been taken up in producing the dispute. She listened to
the continuation of his adventures with great interest. It required,
nevertheless, the conviction of his stedfast faith in her love, and in
the word of the exiled man, to restrain his jealousy within due limits;
for when he described his first encounter with his opponent, he
observed a blush on her countenance, which raised a doubt in his mind
whether it expressed joy for his escape from so formidable and
experienced an adversary, or whether it was not occasioned by a lurking
interest she took in the stranger. In relating further his visit to the
exile in the dreary regions of his retreat, and all th