ed me
and the others very rudely, many even turned us out of doors. But she
went to the roughest, and the cellars and store-rooms opened before her,
as the waves of the sea divided before the people of Israel. How she does
it, Heaven knows, but the people can't refuse her."

Georg drew a long breath and left the kitchen. In the court-yard he found
several city soldiers, volunteers and militia-men, with whom he went
through exercises in fencing. Van der Werff placed it at his disposal for
this purpose, and there certainly was no man in Leyden more capable than
the German of supplying worthy Allertssohn's place.

Barbara was not wrong. His pupils looked emaciated and miserable enough,
but many of them had learned, in the dead man's school, to wield the
sword well, and were heartily devoted to the profession.

In the centre of the court-yard stood a human figure, stuffed with tow
and covered with leather, which bore on the left breast a bit of red
paper in the shape of a heart. The more unskilful were obliged to thrust
at this figure to train the hand and eye; the others stood face to face
in pairs and fought under Georg's direction with blunt foils.

The Junker had felt very weak when he entered the kitchen, for the larger
half of his ration of bread had been left at the unfortunate tailor's;
but Barbara's wine had revived him and, rousing himself, he stepped
briskly forth to meet his fencers. His doublet was quickly flung on a
bench, his belt drawn tighter, and he soon stood in his white
shirt-sleeves before the soldiers.

As soon as his first word of command was heard, Henrica's window closed
with a bang. Formerly it had often been opened when the fencing drill
began, and she had not even shrunk from occasionally clapping her hands
and calling "bravo." This time had long since passed, it was weeks since
she had bestowed a word or glance on the young noble. She had never made
such advances to any man, would not have striven so hard to win a
prince's favor! And he? At first he had been distant, then more and more
assiduously avoided her. Her pride was deeply wounded. Her purpose of
diverting his attention from Maria had long been forgotten, and moreover
something--she knew not what had come between her and the young wife. Not
a day elapsed in which he did not meet her, and this was a source of
pleasure to Henrica, because she could show him that his presence was a
matter of indifference, nay even unpleasant. Her impri