ow, all that remains is to go and speak for
yourself."

Hansei was sad. He felt as if thrust out of doors. He had not been
brought up and schooled for such things as talking to the king and
queen and their courtiers, and was afraid of what he might do to them
if they were to laugh at and ridicule him, for he wouldn't stand that.
He would allow no one to make sport of him, in his wife's presence, for
he was the husband and she only the wife.

"Don't be so faint-hearted--a man like you--" said the innkeeper
consolingly, while Hansei rubbed his forehead as if to make another
head out of his own. "Just pretend I was the king. What would you say?"

"You speak first."

"All right." The innkeeper placed himself in position, put his hand in
the breast of his coat, balanced himself on one foot, threw his head
back, and said gravely:

"Ah, and so you're the husband of--ah, what's her name--of Walpurga?"

"Yes, she's my wife."

"Have you been a soldier?"

"No, by your leave."

"You needn't say 'by your leave,' but you must add 'Your Majesty,' and
always as short as possible. The high folk never have any time to
spare; they're always in a hurry and everything is counted out to the
very minute. But what's the use of worrying ourselves already? We'd
better settle our little business now. You buy my house and fields.
I'll let you have them cheap, and then when the king asks how it goes
with you, you can answer: 'Your Majesty, it would go very well with me;
but I still owe three thousand florins on my house and farm and they
trouble me greatly.' And when you say that, you'll see that the king
will give you the three thousand florins at once. But if you didn't owe
it, you couldn't say it. I know you. You're an honest fellow and can't
tell a lie, and you know you might just as well say four thousand, or
five thousand--it's all the same--and you'll have some money over to
build with. But there's no need of that, and so you can lay in a stock
of wine instead."

"Yes, yes, you're right, but I think we'll make it a sham sale, for I
oughtn't do it without my wife's consent. The money really comes from
her, and I don't even know whether she's willing to have the inn. We'll
just make it a sham sale, and, if the king gives me the money and my
wife's agreed, it'll be all right."

The host had, before that, flattered Hansei on account of his
cleverness, but now, when there was real occasion for his doing so,
held his peace. After a