word, the door was flung open, and Francis Friend burst
into the room with his usual impetuosity.

"Ah, woe!" cried Althea.

Schindel clasped his hands in terror, while Christopher asked
piteously, "Why, whence do you come, brother? I thought you were long
ago at Freiburg, and enjoying yourself?"

"He is a fool," replied Francis, "who hunts after pleasure miles off,
when he knows where to find it at once. I heard yesterday of your
present feasting, upon which I thought directly of surprising you, and
put off mine."

"Well, all that's true," said Christopher; "you have surprised us all,
and most agreeably: so let us draw together. Set yourself here at my
right hand, and enjoy with us the meat and drink that God has sent us."

"Spare all this idle talk," cried Francis, "I'll find out a good place
for myself;" and he carried his chair to the upper part of the room,
seating himself between Tausdorf and Schindel, and saying to the
former, "I see by your place near my cousin that you are the knight
Tausdorf. I'm glad to have an opportunity of knowing you, for though I
do not in general care much about the nobles, you please me well. There
is a command and intelligence about you such as one does not usually
see in your knights. For the rest, I am the wild Frank Friend, of whom
no doubt you have heard all manner of stories, and more bad than good.
In troth, I am a mad companion, but I mean it fairly with him who means
it fairly with me, and I now heartily wish you joy of your marriage
with my handsome cousin Althea here."

Tausdorf returned a fitting compliment, while Schindel, who had got
behind Althea's chair, whispered to her, "The bear does not seem in one
of his worst bear-moods to-day. Heaven help us farther."

In the mean time the second course was served up. Francis ate little,
but stuck so much the more diligently to the wine, and kept up a
constant talk with Tausdorf, in a tone of frank importunity, which did
not sit amiss upon him. Soon the conversation turned upon the Turkish
war; and he was ready to leap out of his skin for joy on finding that
Tausdorf had served against the infidels in Transylvania, at the very
time he had been fighting with them in Hungary.

"Heaven confound me!" he cried, while his face glowed with drinking;
and holding up the goblet--"Why, you please me better and better,
comrade, and therefore we'll now pledge each other in a brave draught,
and swear eternal friendship and brotherhoo