t, will you have the goodness to go back to your bench?"
Conrad stood as if spell-bound, his eyes cast down upon the ground; and
rubbing his forehead, he said in a low voice, "Ay, it is so," and did
as he was bidden. Rose, as she always did in the shop, sat down upon a
small cask, which Frederick placed for her, and which Reinhold
carefully dusted. At Master Martin's express desire they again struck
up the admirable song in which they had been so rudely interrupted by
Conrad's bluster; but he went on with his work at the bench, quite
still, and entirely wrapped up in his own thoughts.

When the song came to an end Master Martin said, "Heaven has endowed
you with a noble gift, my brave lads; you would not believe how highly
I value the delectable art of song. Why, once I wanted to be a
_Meistersinger_ myself, but I could not manage it, even though I tried
all I knew how. All that I gained by my efforts was ridicule and
mockery. In 'Voluntary Singing'[32] I either got into false
'appendages,' or 'double notes,' or a wrong 'measure,' or an unsuitable
'embellishment,' or started the wrong melody altogether. But you will
succeed better, and it shall be said, what the master can't do, his
journeymen can. Next Sunday after the sermon there will be a singing
contest by the _Meistersinger_ at the usual time in St. Catherine's
Church. But before the 'Principal Singing' there will be a 'Voluntary,'
in which you may both of you win praise and honour in your beautiful
art, for any stranger who can sing at all, may freely take part in
this. And, he! Conrad, my journeyman Conrad," cried Master Martin
across to the bench, "would not you also like to get into the
singing-desk and treat our good folk to your fine hunting-chorus?"
Without looking up, Conrad replied, "Mock not, good master, mock not;
everything in its place. Whilst you are being edified by the
_Meistersinger_, I shall enjoy myself in my own way on the Allerwiese."

And what Master Martin anticipated came to pass. Reinhold got into the
singing-desk and sang divers songs to divers tunes, with which all the
_Meistersingers_ were well pleased; and although they were of opinion
that the singer had not made any mistake, yet they had a slight
objection to urge against him--a sort of something foreign about his
style, but yet they could not say exactly in what it consisted. Soon
afterwards Frederick took his seat in the singing-desk; and doffing his
baretta, he stood some seconds