nking no true
man! Let him answer now my accusation. If he can do so, call my
condemnation just, but if he refuse, it must be plain to all that
his virtue will not bear scrutiny!" All eyes turn with unmistakable
interest of expectation toward the man thus accused; wonder concerning
what he will reply is expressed in undertones.

He refuses point-blank, with a bearing of such superiority as an
attack of the sort can hardly ruffle. "Not to you, so forgetful
of your honour, have I need here to reply. I set aside your evil
aspersion; truth will hardly suffer from the like!"--"If I am in
his eyes not worthy of reply," Friedrich bitterly re-attacks, "I
call upon you, King, high in honour indeed. Will he, on the ground
of insufficient nobility, refuse likewise to answer you?" Aye,
the Knight refuses again, with an assurance partaking in no wise
of haughtiness, but speaking a noble consciousness of what he is
which places him above men's opinions. "Yes! even the King I must
refuse to answer, and the united council of all the princes! They
will not permit doubt of me to burden them, they were witnesses
of my good deed. There is but one whom I must answer. Elsa!" He
turns toward her with bright face of confidence, and stops short
at sight of her, so troubled, so visibly torn by inward conflict,
her bosom labouring, her face trembling. There is no concealing
it, she would have wished him to answer loudly and boldly, to crush
those mocking enemies, Ortrud and Telramund, with the mention of
a name, a rank, which should have bowed them down before him in
the dust, abject. There is silence, while all, entertaining their
respective reflections, watch Elsa, and she struggles with herself,
staring blindly ahead. His secret no doubt,--thus run her pitiable
feminine thoughts,--if revealed publicly like this would involve
him in some danger. Ungrateful indeed were it in her, saved by him,
to betray him by demanding the information here. If she knew his
secret, however, she would surely keep it faithfully.... But--but--she
is helpless against it, doubt is upheaving the foundations of her
heart!

It is the good King who speaks the right, the pertinent word. "My
hero, stand up undaunted against yonder faithless man! You are
too indubitably great to consider accusations of his!" The nobles
readily accept the King's leadership, in this as in other matters.
"We stand by you," they say to the Knight. "Your hand! We believe
that noble is your n