d the landlord of The Pike had greeted her
cordially, for whoever sought her favour was obliged to order the best
and dearest of everything, not only for her and himself, but for a whole
tableful of hungry guests. When she had met him just now he would never
have recognised her had she not been in Gundel's company. True, the
sight of her in this plight was not unexpected, yet it pierced him to
the heart, for Kuni had been a remarkable girl, and yet was now in
far greater penury than many of much less worth whom he had watched
stumbling along the downward path before her. When he saw Lienhard
Groland's glance rest upon her, he noticed also how strangely her
emaciated face changed colour. Though it had just been as white as the
napkin under his arm, it now flushed as red as the balsam blossoms in
the window, and then paled again. She had formerly gazed around her
boldly enough, but now she lowered her eyes to the floor as modestly as
any demure maiden on her way to church.

And what did this mean?

The honourable member of the Nuremberg Council must be well acquainted
with the girl, for his eyes had scarcely met hers ere a strange smile
flitted over his grave, manly face.

Now--was it in jest or earnest?--he even shook his finger at her. He
stopped in front of her a moment, too, and Dietel heard him exclaim:

"So here you are! On the highway again, in spite of everything?"

The distance which separated them and the loud talking of the guests
prevented the waiter's hearing her reply, "The captive bird can not
endure the cage long, Herr Lienhard," far less the words, added in a
lower tone:

"Yet flight has been over since my fall at Augsburg. My foot lies buried
there with many other things which will never return. I can only move on
wheels behind the person who takes me." Then she paused and ventured
to look him full in the face. Her eyes met his beaming with a radiant
light, but directly after they were dimmed by a mist of tears. Yet she
forced them back, though the deep suffering from which they sprung was
touchingly apparent in the tone of her voice, as she continued:

"I have often wished, Herr Lienhard, that the cart was my coffin and the
tavern the graveyard."

Dietel noticed the fit of coughing which followed this speech, and the
hasty movement with which the Nuremberg patrician thrust his hand into
his purse and tossed Kuni three coins. They did not shine with the
dull white lustre of silver, but with the