Roland appeared in the trousers and doublet of a sword maker, and his
comrades cheered loudly when he threw off his cloak and displayed for
the first time that he was actually one of themselves. Hitherto
something in the fashioning of his wearing apparel had in a manner
differentiated him from the rest of the company, but now nothing in his
dress indicated that he was leader of the coterie, and this pleased the
independent metal-workers.

The previous night, after the landlord's bill was generously liquidated,
each man had received upwards of thirty thalers. Roland then related to
them his adventure with the merchant, and the result of his sword-play
in the vicinity of Herr Goebel's throat. Two accomplishments he
possessed endeared Roland to his comrades: first, the ability to sing a
good song; and second, his talent for telling an interesting story,
whether it was a personal adventure, a legend of the Rhine, or some tale
of the gnomes which, as every one knows, haunt the gloomy forests in the
mountain regions. His account of the evening spent with Herr Goebel
aroused much laughter and applause, which greatly augmented when the
material advantages of the interview were distributed among the guild.

This evening he purposed making a still more important disclosure; thus
when the meal was finished, and the landlord, after replenishing the
flagons, had retired, the new sword maker rose in his place at the head
of the table.

"I crave your strict attention for a few minutes. Although I refused to
confide my plans to Herr Goebel, I consider it my duty to inform you
minutely of what is before us, and if I speak with some solemnity, it is
because I realize we may never again meet around this table. We depart
from Frankfort to-morrow upon a hazardous expedition, and some of us may
not return."

"Oh, I say, Roland," protested Conrad Kurzbold, "don't mar a jovial
evening with a note of tragedy. It's bad art, you know."

Kurzbold was one of the three actual sword makers, and had been
president of the guild until he gave place to Roland. He was the oldest
of the company; an ambitious man, a glib talker, with great influence
among his fellows, and a natural leader of them. What he said generally
represented the opinion of the gathering.

"For once, Kurzbold, I must ask you to excuse me," persisted Roland. "It
is necessary that on this, the last, opportunity I should place before
you exactly what I intend to do. I am very anx