only speak as I should act
if the wonderful things you are pleased to imagine were really to
happen. But you _must_ let me have my pride; for you cannot but allow
that I am the skilfullest cooper far and near, that I understand the
management of wine, that I observe strictly and truly the admirable
wine-regulations of our departed Emperor Maximilian[20] (may he rest in
peace!), that as beseems a pious man I abhor all godlessness, that I
never burn more than one small half-ounce of pure sulphur[21] in one of
my two-tun casks, which is necessary to preserve it--the which, my good
and honoured sirs, you will have abundantly remarked from the flavour
of my wine." Spangenberg resumed his seat, and tried to put on a
cheerful countenance, whilst Paumgartner introduced other topics of
conversation. But, as it so often happens, when once the strings of an
instrument have got out of tune, they are always getting more or less
warped, so that the player in vain tries to entice from them again the
full-toned chords which they gave at first, thus it was with the three
old gentlemen; no remark, no word, found a sympathetic response.
Spangenberg called for his grooms, and left Master Martin's house quite
in an ill-humour after he had entered it in gay good spirits.

_The old Grandmother's Prophecy._

Master Martin was rather ill at ease because his brave old customer had
gone away out of humour in this way, and he said to Paumgartner, who
had just emptied his last glass and rose to go too, "For the life of
me, I can't understand what the old gentleman meant by his talk, and
why he should have got testy about it at last." "My good friend Master
Martin," began Paumgartner, "you are a good and honest man; and a man
has verily a right to set store by the handiwork he loves and which
brings him wealth and honour; but he ought not to show it in boastful
pride, that's against all right Christian feeling. And in our
guild-meeting to-day you did not act altogether right in putting
yourself before all the other masters. It may true that you understand
more about your craft than all the rest; but that you go and cast it in
their teeth can only provoke ill-humour and black looks. And then you
must go and do it again this evening! You could not surely be so
infatuated as to look for anything else in Spangenberg's talk beyond a
jesting attempt to see to what lengths you would go in your obstinate
pride. No wonder the worthy gen