them. Lisbeth, you know our friend. Fear him not, good Lisbeth,
and give us breakfast. Well, sweet chuck, you're to have royal honours
paid you. I warrant they've begun good work already in locking up that
idle moony vagabond, Farina--'

'Him? What for, my father? How dared they! What has he done?'

'O, start not, my fairy maid! A small matter of breakage, pet! He
tried to enter Cunigonde Schmidt's chamber, and knocked down her pot
of lilies: for which Berthold Schmidt knocked him down, and our friend
here, out of good fellowship, knocked down Berthold. However, the chief
offender is marched off to prison by your trusty guard, and there let
him cool himself. Berthold shall tell you the tale himself: he'll
be here to breakfast, and receive your orders, mistress
commander-in-chief.'

The Goshawk had his eye on Margarita. Her teeth were tight down on her
nether lip, and her whole figure had a strange look of awkwardness, she
was so divided with anger.

'As witness of the affair, I think I shall make a clearer statement,
fair maiden,' he interposed. 'In the first place, I am the offender. We
passed under the window of the Fraulein Schmidt, and 'twas I mounted
to greet the lilies. One shoot of them is in my helm, and here let me
present them to a worthier holder.'

He offered the flowers with a smile, and Margarita took them, radiant
with gratitude.

'Our friend Berthold,' he continued, 'thought proper to aim a blow at me
behind my back, and then ran for his comrades. He was caught, and by
my gallant young hero, Farina; concerning whose character I regret that
your respected father and I differ: for, on the faith of a soldier
and true man, he's the finest among the fine fellows I've yet met in
Germany, trust me. So, to cut the story short, execution was done upon
Berthold by my hand, for an act of treachery. He appears to be a sort of
captain of one of the troops, and not affectionately disposed to Farina;
for the version of the affair you have heard from your father is a
little invention of Master Berthold's own. To do him justice, he seemed
equally willing to get me under the cold stone; but a word from your
good father changed the current; and as I thought I could serve our
friend better free than behind bars, I accepted liberty. Pshaw! I should
have accepted it any way, to tell the truth, for your German dungeons
are mortal shivering ratty places. So rank me no hero, fair Mistress
Margarita, though the temptation