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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by 
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Childhood of King Erik Menved
+       An Historical Romance
+
+Author: Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+Translator: J. Kesson
+
+Release Date: July 5, 2011 [EBook #36626]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by Google Books
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+   1. Page scan source:
+      http://books.google.com/books?id=A-M8AAAAYAAJ&dq
+
+   2. The diphthong oe is represented by {Oe] and [oe].
+
+
+
+
+
+                              THE LIBRARY
+
+                                   OF
+
+                            FOREIGN ROMANCE,
+
+                          And Nobel Newspaper:
+
+                               COMPRISING
+
+                   STANDARD ENGLISH WORKS OF FICTION,
+
+                                  AND
+
+                         ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS
+
+              FROM THE MOST CELEBRATED CONTINENTAL AUTHORS.
+
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+                               Vol. VII.
+
+
+                               CONTAINING
+
+                   THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+                         An Historical Romance.
+
+                     TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH OF
+                            B. S. INGEMANN.
+
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.
+                                 1846.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                             THE CHILDHOOD
+
+                                   OF
+
+                           KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+
+                         An Historical Romance.
+
+
+
+                           BY B. S. INGEMANN.
+
+
+
+                      TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH,
+                             BY J. KESSON.
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.
+                                 1846.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
+
+
+The author has given no preface to this romance; and the translator
+would be contented to follow his example, had the author already
+enjoyed an English celebrity, or could the name of his translator of
+itself suffice to recommend his work to the English public.
+
+But the names of Danish writers are comparatively little known in
+England, and the literature and language of Denmark have not here
+received that degree of attention which they so justly merit. While the
+names of the poets and novelists of France and Germany are familiar to
+a numerous section of the reading public, they have yet, in a great
+measure, to become acquainted with the names of Ingemann, Andersen,
+Baggesen, Heiberg, Oehlenschlaeger, and many other Danes of recent
+times, whose productions as poets, novel's, and dramatists, would do
+honour to the literature of any country. It is only in comparatively
+recent times, however, that Denmark has produced a class of writers of
+any considerable note in the higher walks of literature. During the
+last century, with the exception of Holberg's "Niels Klim" and "Peder
+Paars," there are scarcely any other works, unless of a scientific and
+historical character, that have acquired anything of a European
+celebrity. To investigate fully the causes of this dearth of elegant
+writers would require more than the limits of a preface. They may be
+sought for partly in the depression of the national spirit, consequent
+upon the decay of the kingdom of Denmark, which, from the proud
+position it occupied during the middle ages, as one of the first powers
+of Europe, has gradually dwindled to a third-rate monarchy; and,
+partly, in the undue preference awarded by its own scholars and men of
+letters to the productions of French, German, and English writers. But,
+whatever the causes, within the last thirty years there has been an
+evident desire on the part of the Danes to possess a literature of
+their own, and to take their stand among the _literati_ of Europe in
+every department of the _belles-lettres_. To accomplish this, it was
+necessary to arouse the dormant spirit of the people--to remind them of
+their former greatness--to revive the memories of the ancient heroes of
+Denmark--to reproduce their old chronicles, sagas, and ballads--and, by
+dwelling on the glories of the past, to kindle bright hopes of the
+future.
+
+None have laboured with more success in this vocation than Ingemann.
+Already known as a poet and a dramatist, he had still to earn a
+reputation among his countrymen as a novelist. Seizing upon the
+romantic materials of Denmark's former history, he revived the memory
+of the great Waldemars, and the proudest periods of the Danish
+monarchy, investing the heroes who still live in ancient ballad and
+story with greater charms of interest; and he has succeeded in winning
+a place in the hearts and estimation of his countrymen as an author and
+a patriot. He has written wholly for his countrymen, and in the purest
+spirit of the historical romance. His characters are real characters;
+his facts are the facts of his country's history, gleaned from her
+ancient chronicles and popular song, and woven together with the
+slightest texture of fiction, sufficient only to redeem his narrative
+from the character of a dry chronicle.
+
+In this respect his romances must suffer when compared with those of
+Sir Walter Scott, where history is made subordinate to fiction, and
+poetic licence usurps the place of historical truth; but they possess
+this advantage--that they are truer transcripts of the past, and
+present us with the men, manners, and institutions of by-gone times,
+with a fidelity that enhances our interest in the history, and with
+fiction enough to make the reading of the history attractive.
+
+In present romance Ingemann introduces us to an interesting period in
+the history of Denmark--the last year of the reign of Erik Glipping,
+and the commencement of the reign of his son and successor, Erik
+Menved. He gives us a portraiture of the state of society at the
+time--glimpses of old laws and old customs--snatches of ancient
+fable--and places men before us as they lived and acted towards the
+close of the thirteenth century.
+
+The translator has endeavoured, in the purity of faithfulness, to
+present the reader with both the letter and the spirit of his original.
+In the course of his narrative the author alludes to matters familiar
+enough, no doubt, to his own countrymen, but with which the English
+reader can scarcely be expected to be acquainted. In many of these
+cases the translator has subjoined a note explanatory of a particular
+passage, which, in a work of this description, might otherwise be
+regarded as an editorial impertinence. For the adoption of occasional
+Scottish words and phrases, in translating the various fragments of old
+Danish ballads scattered throughout the narrative, the translator can
+only plead the example of Sir Walter Scott, Jamieson, and others, who
+have followed this course in rendering several of the Kĉmpeviser.
+Indeed, the close similarity of language and phraseology in many of the
+old Scottish and Danish ballads, furnishes an irresistible temptation
+to this mode of translation.
+
+_London_, _November_, 1846.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                                PART I.
+
+
+One evening in the month of May, 1285, a crowd of seamen and
+porpoise-hunters was assembled on the quay of Gremermarsh, below
+Hindsgavl's meadows, near Middelfert. They regarded, with strained
+attention, a large skiff which had left Snoghoj, and was struggling
+against wind and tide to approach the quay, where the landing was less
+dangerous than in the bad haven of the town. A storm, unusual at this
+mild period of the year, stirred up the unquiet waters of the Little
+Belt. The more experienced ferrymen shook their heads, and thought it
+was most advisable that the skiff should seek shelter under Fanoe or
+the Jutland Weald.
+
+"Nonsense, fellows!" said a deep, gruff voice; "here they can and
+shall land. They get on bravely, and must have a gallant steersman on
+board. But why stand you here prating? Set light to the brand
+on the quay-head, that they may keep it in sight; and lay out the
+porpoise-boats, that we may fish them up, should they be capsized."
+
+The man who gave these orders was foreman of the ferrymen and
+porpoise-hunters, old Henner Friser, or Henner Hjulmand, as he was
+sometimes called. He had hitherto been quietly seated on a large stone,
+observing the vessel's motions with a keen look; but now he rose like a
+king among his subjects, and the submissiveness with which they heard,
+as well as the activity with which they obeyed him, sufficiently showed
+the respect in which he was held among these sturdy, daring seamen. He
+was uncommonly tall and muscular, and, notwithstanding that he bordered
+upon seventy years, appeared to possess sufficient vigour to enable him
+to attain the age of fourscore. He boasted of being a brother's son of
+the renowned Frisian, Swain Starke, who, in the time of Waldemar the
+Victor, gained a great name among his countrymen.
+
+For three and thirty years, Henner Friser had resided in Middelfert, or
+Melfert, as it is commonly called, where he had set on foot the fishing
+or hunting of porpoises, and, by his ability, had obtained presidency
+in the guild of these daring fishers, who, at the same time, attended
+to the ferrying over of passengers. He was skilled in the art of
+boat-building, and, in his youth, had been a wheel-maker, whence his
+by-name of Hjulmand (wheelman), although he no longer followed that
+occupation. That he had taken an active part in the civil wars under
+Erik Ploughpenny and King Abel was generally believed, and contributed
+much to his importance among the seamen, although he always expressed
+himself cautiously on the subject. He appeared to have forsaken the
+marshy shores of Friesland for a reason which he was proud of, and yet
+did not find it prudent to talk about; but that it was for some bold
+and daring act was surmised by everybody.
+
+In his spacious dwelling near the ship-quay of Middelfert, the
+fraternity of porpoise-hunters had a place of deposit for their large
+captures between Martinmas and Candlemas. There met the new guild of
+King Erik; and there had Henner Friser established, likewise, a kind of
+inn for travellers, of which he had sole and sovereign control. Here,
+when the porpoise-hunters held their guildmotes, they often regarded
+with awe the old warrior's armour, which consisted of a kind of long
+javelin, a Danish battle-axe, a steel bow, with a rusty arrow, together
+with a light linen harness. In his everyday dress, old Henner was not
+distinguished from the other ferrymen and porpoise-hunters. Like them,
+he wore a short jerkin of blue wadmel, or of dark canvass in summer; a
+pair of large wading boots, which came high over the knees; and
+over his shaggy gray locks he wore, both summer and winter, a large
+seal-skin cap. His long wrinkled visage was expressive of energy and
+harshness of manner; and his keen look evinced a determination and a
+feeling of superiority, which operated strongly on all his subjects,
+whose esteem and attachment to him was, at the same time, blended
+with what was peculiar to these people--an unusual dread of strife.
+This was, perhaps, chiefly owing to his extraordinary strength, of
+which, even in advanced years, he had given astonishing proofs;
+and he could even now, without exertion, compel the strongest of the
+porpoise-hunters to bend on their knees, merely by pressing his hands
+upon their shoulders.
+
+A word from this man was sufficient to set all the idle spectators in
+motion. A light soon blazed on the large stone at the pier's end, and
+thirty hardy fishermen were at work, with ropes and poles, to launch a
+large boat, for the purpose of rendering assistance to those in
+distress. As soon as Henner Friser saw that his orders were punctually
+executed, he again seated himself quietly, and with an air of
+indifference, upon his stone.
+
+"It must be another cargo of nobles for the Danish court on the day
+after to-morrow," he muttered. "Should Duke Waldemar be among them, it
+were, perhaps, better for kingdom and country, that we let them go to
+the bottom, neck and crop."
+
+"Why so, neighbour Henner?" inquired a burgher who stood by his side,
+and whose leather apron, leather cap, and smutty face, proclaimed him a
+smith. "The young duke is a discreet and gracious nobleman: he once
+bought a dagger of me, and paid me twice as much for it as I asked.
+Every time he comes this way, you earn more dollars than I earn
+shillings in a month; and then he talks so civilly to folks, that it is
+a pleasure to hear him."
+
+"Gold and silver and fair words he does not spare; that we allow,"
+growled the old man; "and if, by so doing, he could throw dust in the
+eyes of every Dane, in twelvemonths and a day he might, perhaps, be
+King of Denmark."
+
+"Marry, then! think you that his thoughts run so high?" inquired the
+armourer, hastily, scratching his ear; "there may be something in it:
+who knows how it may turn out? The old king, Waldemar the Victor, was
+certainly his great-grandfather; the young lord is just twenty years
+old: he may come to be chosen king one day. But there is time enough
+for that yet," he added; and, after a little reflection: "our king is
+still a young man: according to my reckoning, he cannot be more than
+six and thirty now; and his young son, who succeeds him--let me see--he
+can be scarcely eleven yet. Nay, nay, it is not to be thought of."
+
+"What cares the grandson of King Abel about that, think you?" replied
+the old man, in a tone of bitterness. "The young braggart does not want
+daring. He had scarcely cut his colt's-teeth, when he set himself in
+opposition to the king, and would submit himself neither to rod nor
+snaffle; and now it is said for certain, that he will claim the whole
+kingdom; and, if he does not receive from the court of Denmark what he
+aims at, that he will instantly bring down the Swedes upon our heads.
+We have already to thank him for the present outbreak with the
+Norwegians. Nay, nay--he is a fellow we must look after, neighbour
+Troels. We knew his grandfather; and the race of a fratricide no Dane
+shall trust again."
+
+The old man was silent, and became absorbed in deep thought.
+
+"You may well say that, neighbour Henner," resumed the armourer; "we
+have experienced disasters enough, and may well cross ourselves when we
+think on what has happened in the country since old King Waldemar Seier
+closed his eyes. His sons, all three, were kings,[1] as was said and
+predicted to him; but God shield us from such kings and from such ends!
+In troth, it is awful to think of: I have not yet reached my
+threescore, and the present king is the fifth I can remember; and three
+of these, one after the other, were miserably murdered."
+
+"Murdered?" repeated Henner Friser. "Nay, neighbour--that was the case
+with two only of Waldemar's sons, if it be true, as people say, about
+our king's father and the condemned priest in the New Cloister. God
+forgive me, and all good Christians, their sins! but priests should be
+pious men of God; and, when they can forgive kings and princes with
+God's own holy body, then the worst murder of a layman by sword or
+dagger should be reckoned next to nothing. Nay, two only were murdered,
+neighbour," he continued, after a thoughtful pause, and rising up;
+"nobody shall say that King Abel was murdered: he fell by his own
+conduct, and shamefully enough for himself; but still in open warfare
+with true and valiant subjects, who would not suffer themselves to be
+flayed by the coward who had murdered his brother, and deprived us of
+our lawful king."
+
+The old man's voice waxed loud, and he spoke with great vehemence. He
+appeared to observe a tendency to the same in his neighbour's manner,
+and remarked, in a subdued tone, "We must not talk too loud about this
+matter, neighbour. These are unquiet times, and traitors are abroad.
+Should Duke Waldemar and the great nobles come to rule, we shall have
+to listen to a new tale, which may be worse than the first." Henner was
+again silent, and resumed his seat, in deep thought.
+
+"I must say, nevertheless, neighbour Henner," began the armourer anew,
+"that there is nothing so bad, that it may not be good for something.
+If the nobles had not courage to lay restraints on King Erik
+Christopherson, mischief would be the result, for both gentle and
+simple. It were sin to say our king is not severe enough, as he imposes
+penalties on both burgher and peasant; but he cares for neither law nor
+justice; and was compelled, last year, to a compact respecting the
+rights and liberties of the kingdom. Much has not come of that yet: and
+had not Marsk Andersen denounced him, and put him in terror of his
+life, at the last Thing[2] at Viborg, none of us at present could have
+said that his wife or daughter was safe from him."
+
+"That is true, neighbour," replied old Henner, waking up as if from a
+dream, and appearing only to hear the latter sentence. "A vile story
+was that, regarding Stig Andersen's wife; and I will say that, had I
+been in the marsk's[3] stead, I would, perhaps, have done something
+more than merely threaten. And yet--the Lord preserve our king and his
+son, say I, for the kingdom and country's sake! The father is good for
+nothing: others may call him a villain; yet God preserve the rotten
+stem, for the sake of the fresh shoot! The little Erik has Waldemar
+Seier's eagle eyes; and, should the Lord keep his hand over him, it may
+yet be worth an honest man's while to live in Denmark. It is a
+fortunate thing for him, and for the kingdom, that he has the brave
+Drost[4] Hessel for his instructor in the use of arms. Without Peter
+Hessel, old John Little, and David Thorstenson, it would be a
+lamentable case for all of us."
+
+"If the handsome young drost stand as well with the queen as is
+reported," observed the smith, smiling, "no wonder he takes so kindly
+to the young prince. He may be a wise and virtuous man; but little
+human frailties he must possess, as others do; and, when King Glip-eye
+has eyes for every other woman but the queen only, she cannot be
+greatly blamed for being so willing to ride a-hunting with the young
+drost."
+
+"So you, too, believe the damnable tittle-tattle!" cried the old man,
+with vehemence and indignation. "I have seen Queen Agnes once, and
+Drost Peter twice only: that was in the guild of our murdered King
+Erik; and, if it be true, as I believe, that every woman's child bears
+its character in its open eyes--and I have so read the characters of
+both high and low, for these seventy years past--our queen, on this
+point, is as pure, in God's sight, as is the sun; and so is Drost Peter
+Hessel--a man who, in all respects, would sooner lose his life than
+forget the oath he openly swore in our guild, or in any way betray his
+country or the royal house. But so it is: when the head is good for
+nothing, the whole body soon bears witness to it; and King Erik
+Christopherson does not blink with his small buck-eyes for nothing."
+
+"I believe, neighbour Henner, you can read more in an eye than many a
+priest can in his big book; and people with reason hold you to
+understand somewhat more than your paternoster. You have given a good
+reason, too," continued the smith, smiling, "why you lock up your
+pretty little Aasé, every time King Glip-eye comes over the Belt. I saw
+very well how she stood in the pantry yesterday, while the king mounted
+his horse outside, before you."
+
+"Ay, then, saw you that, my good Troels?" replied the old warrior,
+somewhat ruffled. "It was a piece of foolery; and I shall tell you how
+it happened. He saw her once, and paid her a little more attention than
+I exactly care for. She is my granddaughter, and the apple of my eye,
+as you know. That I lock the cage when the cat is in the room, follows
+of course; otherwise I should have to take the biggest tom-cat by the
+neck, and throw him out of the window, if he proved saucy. It comes to
+this, that my little Aasé, as you may, perhaps, have observed, is a
+Sunday's bairn:[5] that may easily be seen in her complexion. She is
+somewhat palefaced; and, however blithe and sprightly she may be, she
+is, nevertheless, now and then troubled with a kind of dreaming fit.
+But that will wear off as she gets older. Her mother was so troubled
+before her; and I believe it runs in the family, as I am not entirely
+free from it myself. I do not give much heed to such dreaming now; but
+she has never yet said anything, while in this state, that has not
+proved in a manner true; though she can discern nothing, by night or
+day, more than others may do when they are in their senses."
+
+"My God! is it not quite right with your little Aasé?" asked the smith,
+sympathisingly, and pointing with his finger to his forehead.
+
+"She is too sagacious for her years," answered the old man; "and that
+will not do for this world. But when once she is married, and has other
+matters to think of, this will pass over; and in other respects she has
+a good sound constitution. But this is what I was about to tell you.
+Last night, she rose in her sleep, and came to me: she was frightened,
+and said that the king had returned from hunting, with a death's head
+under his hat, and wanted to come in to her. I awoke her, and then she
+knew nothing of the dream. She laughed, and skipped carelessly to bed.
+I was much inclined to frighten her about what she had told me; but,
+yet I did not want the king to see her yesterday, when he crossed my
+threshold to change his garments; and so I locked her up, as if by
+mistake."
+
+"This only helps you a little way, my good, careful neighbour,"
+observed the smith, with a sly laugh. "A good hen can lay an egg among
+nettles; where there is a will there is a way. The king saw her very
+well: when he rode off, your grand-daughter, from curiosity, peeped out
+between the bars of your pantry, just as the king's horse made a spring
+on one side. I saw, by the blink of his eye, that he had perceived her;
+and twice he looked behind him towards the little window, after she had
+withdrawn her charming little face."
+
+"Nonsense, nonsense!" growled the old man. "It shall not happen again,
+I warrant you. You must not talk about this matter, neighbour. It is
+nothing in itself, but would soon give rise to gossip. I shall be
+quiet, for the child's sake. So, now let the matter drop."
+
+"But what does the king's chamberlain still do in the village? asked
+the smith.
+
+"Chamberlain Rané!" exclaimed Henner, starting: "did he not follow the
+king yesterday?"
+
+"He did, certainly; but, early this morning, I saw him, and two
+men-at-arms of the king's, go by your house. They stopped under the end
+window, and whispered together, and, as we came out, I saw their horses
+at your back gate."
+
+"So, indeed!" muttered the old man. He arose hastily, his eyes flashing
+fire, and observed, "You might as well have told me this before,
+neighbour."
+
+"I thought they might have business with you, my good Henner. You are
+not wont to be communicative, and one gets sick of asking questions."
+
+Old Henner cast a sharp look once more over the raging Belt. "The skiff
+is saved," he said, in a subdued tone, which betrayed violently
+suppressed emotions. "They have caught the warp. Come, neighbour, there
+is no time to lose here any longer, when I have such guests at home."
+
+With long, hurried steps, the vigorous old man strode away in the
+direction of his house, which was situated in that part of Middelfert
+which bordered on the quay, and about three quarters of a mile from the
+quay of Gremermarsh. The sturdy armourer, though ten years his junior,
+could scarcely keep pace with him. Neither of them spoke, until they
+came to a by-path, leading across a waste field towards Henner Friser's
+premises. Here he stopped, and looked carefully before him, in the
+direction of the gable window of his house, which, in the deepening
+twilight, he could just perceive. Large clouds were continually driven
+by the storm before the moon, which, at this instant, shone on the
+house gable.
+
+"Ha! no light?" he exclaimed: "this will not do." He redoubled his
+steps, but suddenly stopped again, exclaiming, "do you not hear the
+tramp of horses, neighbour, on the road to Hegness Wood?"
+
+"Ay, certainly," was the reply; "who can it be? The people are in a
+hurry. Can the king's bailiff at Hegness receive guests from Melfert so
+late?"
+
+"Go to my house, neighbour; see if my Aasé is at home, and taking care
+of the guild brethren. If she be not at home, and I do not return, tell
+them which way I am gone. I am merely a little curious."
+
+With these words, he sprang in an opposite direction towards the high
+road, and, from thence, over two ditches and fences, into a by-road
+leading from Middelfert to Hegness Wood, which the riders he had heard
+in the neighbourhood of the town must necessarily turn down, if they
+attended to their safety. Without himself being entirely conscious of
+it, he had drawn out the large knife used in pursuit of the porpoise,
+which he always carried in his right boot. With this knife in his hand,
+he stood still a moment, in a ditch, on one side of the narrow road,
+which he could half reach across with his long arm. He could hear the
+gallop of horses, continually drawing nearer, and could now distinctly
+recognise the clattering hoofs of three.
+
+"Now, give the horses breath for a gallant ride to the castle!" cried a
+man's piping voice: "we are safe now, and here the road is good. Then
+for a bold rush to the fortress, before the old Satan can have returned
+from the quay."
+
+"Death and hell!" muttered the old man; "that was long Chamberlain
+Rané's cracked pipe."
+
+"You know the sign and password?" continued the same voice: "in the
+king's name, and three blows with your halberds on the door. If any one
+oppose us, cut him down: I take the consequences."
+
+The listener thought he heard a wailing sound, as if from a
+half-suffocated female voice, which was lost in the howling of the
+storm; and his keen eye recognised, by the glimmer of the moon, the
+white dress of a woman fluttering over the saddle, before the middle
+rider. They now advanced at a gallop. At one bound the old man stood in
+the middle of the way.
+
+"Hold!" he cried, with a terrible voice, as the horsemen came up. The
+long hunting-knife glittered in his right hand, while, with the left,
+he seized the reins of the middle horse. The animal wheeled and
+snorted; and a blow from a sword struck the old warrior on the left
+arm; but, with a convulsive grasp, he held firm the bridle, and groped
+in the dark with the knife, for fear of injuring the female form that
+hung, apparently in a swoon, on the horseman's left arm.
+
+"Forward, in the devil's name! cut him down!" again cried the squeaking
+voice from behind.
+
+The old man felt a wound in the shoulder, and, at the same moment,
+received a violent blow from the horse's fore leg. The bridle dropped
+from his hands; he fell to the ground; and the horse sprang over him.
+With desperate strength, he half raised himself, and flung his knife,
+with whizzing rapidity, after the nearest horseman. He heard the
+piercing shriek of a man, and, at a little distance, the indistinct
+voice of his dear Aasé, crying, "Help, grandfather! help!" till it was
+lost in the storm, and in the clatter of the horses' hoofs. Faint with
+loss of blood, the old man fell back unconscious. Twenty paces from
+him, on the dark road, arose the groans of a dying man; and a
+frightened horse, with an empty saddle, bounded away across the fields.
+
+For some time, Henner Friser lay insensible on the road. When he again
+became conscious, he heard several voices around him. He opened his
+eyes, and found himself encircled by his hardy friends, the young
+porpoise-hunters. They stood with lights and cudgels in their hands,
+together with his neighbour the armourer, and some burghers from the
+town, who came to his assistance, with perplexed and sympathising
+exclamations.
+
+Seated on a tall, iron gray stallion, in the middle of the road, was a
+young knight, in a scarlet mantle, fringed with sable, and with a white
+feather in his hat. By the knight's side, holding, in one hand a torch,
+and, with the other, a norback[6] by the bridle, stood a little,
+swarthy squire. The storm was now lulled, and the torch burned clear in
+the still air, illuminating the anxious, noisy group.
+
+"Look here, one of you. What is the matter? Are there rievers in the
+district? Has Niels Breakpeace come over?"
+
+"Rievers, truly, my noble knight," answered old Henner, raising
+himself, with the help of the young fishermen, who, in all haste, had
+already bound up his arm and shoulder, and now withheld their clamour
+from respect to their senior and the distinguished stranger. "The
+cowardly pack!" continued Henner; "they have forcibly carried off my
+grandchild, my little Assé, my only joy and comfort. Had I not been
+afraid of killing the innocent child, all the three scoundrels would
+have been grovelling, with their faces in the dust, where I now lie. If
+you would know to what rieving band they belong, sir knight, you have
+only to ride some twenty paces forward, to find one of them with my
+hunting-knife in his back-ribs. I wish only, for the crown and
+country's sake, it may turn out to be Niels Breakpeace, and no more
+distinguished scoundrel." He could scarcely speak for passion.
+
+"An abduction?" inquired the knight, "and with force and violence?
+rievers, too?"
+
+"Panderers, traffickers in souls, devils damned!" exclaimed the old
+man; "but if you are a true Danish knight, help me to save my poor
+innocent child. She has been carried to the hell-viper on the Ness,
+yonder, to be polluted."
+
+"To Hegness?" inquired the knight, turning pale; and the torchlight
+fell on his youthful, handsome countenance.
+
+"Whom see I? Drost Peter Hessel?" broke forth the old man, suddenly,
+glad to meet him; "is it you, indeed? Now praised be St. Christian and
+the Holy Erik, that they have sent you to me, in my need and trouble,
+for now we shall soon deliver the lamb from the den of wolves, even
+should King Glip-eye be in the midst of them!"
+
+"Think what you say, old man," interposed the knight, sternly: "do not
+mix up the king in this vile business. If there has been any
+scoundrel's work here, I shall inquire into it in the king's name, and
+do you justice. If your wounds will permit you, seat yourself on my
+squire's horse, and follow me to the fortress. I shall prove to you and
+these good countrymen, that the king is not a protector of cowards and
+robbers. But where is the man you have slain? He deserves his fate,
+whoever he is."
+
+"Here! here!" cried the young fishermen, who had already discovered the
+body, and were dragging it along; "here we have the fellow, as stiff as
+a speared sea-hog. This is a capital weapon!"
+
+The knight observed the corpse attentively, and appeared to be seized
+with painful surprise. He had been a tall, broad-shouldered fellow,
+with bristly hair and beard; he wore a scarlet doublet; his morion,
+which had fallen from his head, and which was now exhibited by one of
+the fishermen, had no feather, but was marked with the two royal lions.
+
+"This is a coward and a riever, who has stolen the helm and doublet of
+one of the royal guard," said the knight, sternly. "Pull off his
+doublet, countrymen! Let him no longer wear our king's colours! Drag
+him to a dung-pit, and there hide his infamy, till doomsday! And now
+let us off to Hegness."
+
+Old Henner no longer felt the smart of his wounds; he was already in
+advance, on the little pony, which could scarcely bear him, but yet got
+on tolerably well with his burden, the heavy feet of his rider almost
+touching the ground.
+
+"Bravo! my little norback!" cried the bold squire, who in a few bounds
+had overtaken Henner and his master; "if you can run with such a karl,
+you deserve a double fodder."
+
+By the knight's command, some of the fishermen had already dragged the
+slain robber to a height by the wayside, where stood a gallows; whilst
+the others, at a little distance, followed the knight and their wounded
+chief.
+
+"How far have we to the castle?" inquired the knight; "can you hold out
+the journey, my brave old man?"
+
+"For my child, I could ride now to the world's end," answered Henner:
+"had the losel who gave me the blow not been a blundering lout, without
+pith or metal, he might have laid it on to some purpose; a pair of vile
+scratches he has given me: he shall not brag that it was he who struck
+Henner Friser to the ground; it was his brave Jutland stallion that
+kicked me below the short-ribs. Now that the pain is gone, I can run
+better than this little fellow. Thanks for the loan, my son," he said
+to the squire, as he leaped off the pony. "We have not a quarter of a
+mile to the castle, and I may almost as well walk as sit upon the
+foal."
+
+"You shall not find fault with my norback because he is small,"
+answered the young squire, offended: "he can vie with a roebuck when
+occasion serves, but he is certainly not an elephant to carry a tower."
+
+"Now, now, are you angry, my son? If you can ride so fleetly, let me
+see you reach the rievers' nest before we others, and get the gates
+open for us. 'In the king's name!' was the rascals' pass-word, and
+three knocks upon the door was the sign. The road goes right through
+the wood."
+
+Without saying a word, the >>>bold<<<< squire handed the torch to
+Henner, and rode back to the fishermen, who followed them. In an
+instant he returned, with the slain robber's scarlet doublet and morion
+on.
+
+"Permit me so, to ride forward and prepare your way, sir drost," said
+the youth, and whispered a few words in his master's ear.
+
+"Yes, yes!" answered the knight; "it cannot be a mile off. But be
+careful, Skirmen: we keep the torches. You cannot miss the road, for
+yonder we can see the old castle turrets."
+
+The moon again appeared from behind the clouds, throwing its light over
+a huge, dull, red tower, with embattled walls, which arose high over
+the wood on the promontory of the bay of Middelfert.
+
+The squire was already mounted: he hastily spurred his pony, and was
+out of sight in a moment.
+
+"A nimble youth!" exclaimed the old man; "he has a falcon's eye, and
+the limbs of a hart. He will make a doughty knight one day. Do I guess
+right that he is from Alsing or Aeroe?"
+
+"My trusty Claus Skirmen is from Femren," answered the knight; "his
+father was a brave man for his king and country: for that, he was
+exiled by King Abel, and died in banishment. His grandfather followed
+King Erik Waldemarson to his death, and proved himself a valiant man to
+the last. His body was found by the king's side, among the slain."
+
+"Has the youth long borne your shield, noble knight?"
+
+"This is only his second year; but the silver spurs are scarcely cold
+upon his heels. He is not much more than fifteen yet, and was out last
+year to capture Niels Breakpeace."
+
+"Alas, fifteen years!" muttered the old man, with a suppressed sigh;
+"that was my poor Aasé's age yesterday. Ride on, sir knight! I shall
+yet succeed." And he ran on with rapid strides.
+
+Drost Peter set spurs to his horse, but immediately stopped again. The
+wood was dark, and, as the torch lit up the old man's face, the knight
+saw, with concern, that the grayhaired warrior was pale. The bandages
+had become loose by his exertions, and the blood was flowing fast from
+his left arm and shoulder. The young knight sprang from his horse. "Let
+me tighten the bandages," he cried, with the air of a skilful leech;
+"your wounds are not so slight as you think. Seat yourself on my horse:
+I have young limbs, and no fresh wound."
+
+"Nay, good sir! For St. Christian's and all saints' sake, let us not
+delay for such trifles!" cried the hardy old man, impatiently, whilst
+the knight hastily tied up the loosened bandages; "this will do very
+well for a poor devil like me! Thanks! I say; but pray hasten on, and
+redeem your promise. Except the king himself, and his panderers, there
+is no man more powerful than Drost Peter. Never mind me! Hurry on,
+noble sir!"
+
+Drost Peter did not consider a moment longer. He vaulted again into his
+saddle, set spurs to his horse, and rode furiously towards the castle;
+while old Henner, with long and rapid strides, followed after.
+
+At the strongly-fortified castle of Hegness all was dark and silent,
+but around the promontory on which it stood still raged the waters of
+the Sound. A flock of cormorants flew, screaming, round the lofty
+tower, which, on the land-side, was bright in the moonshine, while it
+cast its long dark shadow over the rampart, towards the Sound. The
+drawbridge was down; but the great walled gate was locked. On both
+sides of a rampart of earth, sixty feet high, the broad moat was filled
+with muddy water. From one of the upper apartments in the principal
+wing of the castle a light shone into the court-yard, and, before the
+lofty staircase, two sentinels, with lances, walked continually to and
+fro. At the opposite side of the castle, in the backcourt, six horsemen
+were stationed, with two saddled horses, before a little barred door of
+the tower. Here the castle was provided with a private outlet, and a
+narrow drawbridge, now raised, concealed by a thicket of bushes. From a
+room in the tower, which jutted over the back-court, and had a small
+window into the fore-court, shone a single light. In a corner of this
+room a female figure knelt upon the stone floor, with a rosary in her
+hands, and apparently engaged in prayer. Long dark brown braided
+tresses fell over her nut-brown neck and shoulders; she wore a dark
+blue knitted jacket, a linen petticoat of the same colour, with many
+plaits, and a light blue apron. A cloak, composed of white knitted
+thread, lay at her side, as if it had fallen from her shoulders. Her
+back was turned towards the door, and she did not appear to observe
+that it was gently opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man, closely
+wrapped in a travelling cloak, stepped softly in, and looked anxiously
+and carefully around him. He turned towards the door, which stood ajar,
+and, at his beck, a face withdrew, which might have been taken for that
+of a crafty old woman, but for the incipient reddish beard, and the
+bright steel cap, that denoted it to be a young soldier's. The door was
+then softly closed. The tall, disguised figure stood in the middle of
+the apartment, and regarded the kneeling girl. Her head was bowed
+towards the rosary in her small folded hands, upon her knees; and she
+was so deeply absorbed in prayer and supplication, that her outward
+senses took no notice of what surrounded them.
+
+At this sight, the disguised person was obviously uneasy. He cleared
+his throat several times, as if he would speak, or give intimation of
+his presence; but she continued in the same motionless position. He now
+made a hasty motion with his hand to his forehead, as if he would drive
+away some unpleasant, distressing thought. The hat fell from his head,
+and a strongly-marked countenance was displayed, expressive of severity
+and supreme haughtiness, which appeared in singular contradiction to
+the soft, sensual smile that played round his mouth, and his aimless,
+uneasy glances, which seemed incapable of resting upon any object for
+an instant. His projecting forehead, furrowed by violent passions, was
+half concealed by his thin, flaxen hair, which descended on both sides
+to his shoulders. According to the knightly fashion of the times, he
+wore a short beard on his upper lip and projecting chin; and was
+evidently in the prime of life, bordering upon forty. This singular
+want of character--the contradictory expressions of severity and
+mildness, of strength and weakness, of pride and meanness, of violent
+passion and crafty moderation--deprived his countenance of that dignity
+and loftiness which nature seemed to have intended it originally to
+possess; but that which most disfigured him was the uncertain glance of
+his small gray eyes, and a constant leer, and motion of the eyelids,
+which at once inspired distrust and fear.
+
+He now stood, as if debating with himself whether he should remain or
+go, when he retreated a few steps, as the kneeling girl suddenly rose
+and turned round. He saw not the somewhat pale, but clear, lively
+countenance of the peasant girl, with the most roguish pair of eyes,
+who had peeped, in curiosity, through the bars of Henner Friser's
+pantry; but a frightened, weeping child, who entreated his pity and
+forbearance.
+
+Assé, Henner's daughter, as she was called, after her grandfather, so
+celebrated by every traveller for her beauty, was wonderfully changed;
+yet was she, in a manner, fairer than ever. The cheerful little face of
+the fisher-maiden had the dignity and nobility of a princess's; but
+now she was pale as a dying person. Her lively, often roguishly-playful
+eyes, were closed; but there was an expression in her features as if
+she could penetrate entire nature with a glance, and stood on a
+far-off, mysterious world. She advanced with a slow and solemn step,
+and, in language that otherwise was foreign to her simple nature, and
+with a voice like that of a warning prophetess, while she raised her
+forefinger in admonition, she burst forth:
+
+"Unhappy king! Thou goest in the way of thy doom. I have prayed for thy
+soul to our Lord and Judge, and he bade me warn thee. A sword hangs by
+a hair over thy head; repent, repent, ere it fall upon thee!"
+
+"Ha! a maniac!" exclaimed the tall personage, turning pale. "Rané!
+Satan! where art thou? whom hast thou brought me?"
+
+He made a hasty movement towards the door, but recovered himself
+suddenly, and burst into laughter.
+
+"Ha! thou crafty, cunning child! Hast thou been in the priests' school?
+And is it so thou wilt make a jest of me?" he said, mildly threatening,
+and advancing towards her. "Thou knewest, then, I was here, and couldst
+allow it so saintly and devoutly. No more pious foolery, child: it does
+not sit well upon thee;--but now we understand one another."
+
+He put out his hand, as if he would pat her under the chin; but she
+drew back a step, and, with a powerful, almost convulsive, expression
+of contempt and disgust, said:
+
+"Approach me not, or thou art dead!" and she raised her hand
+menacingly. The blood returned to her cheeks: it seemed as if, with
+emotion, she would open her long dark eye-lashes, and yet could not
+succeed. "How thine eyes flash!" she cried; "how enraged thou art,
+grandfather! Ah, how thine eyes sparkle! and thy fingers--and thou
+bleedest, thou bleedest!"
+
+"Nonsense, child! there is no one here who flashes and bleeds. Art thou
+here, prepared with these juggling grimaces? or, art thou really
+asleep? If so, I will try whether one can awaken thee or not!"
+
+With these words, the tall personage again moved, as if he would
+approach her, but now fell anxiously back, while she directed a pair of
+rigid, extended eyes, without life or animation, towards him.
+
+"I know it well," she whispered, mysteriously; "I am in the house in
+the wood. The mightiest man in the land stands before me. He will hear
+his fate. Listen, then, my lord! You are erring and unfortunate; you
+are sold and betrayed. If you would save soul and body, hide yourself!
+fly! abandon the road to your doom!"
+
+"Are you possessed, girl?" exclaimed the tall personage, stamping his
+foot, and, at the same time, looking anxiously around him; "am I among
+traitors here? Rané! Satan! where art thou?"
+
+"Beware! beware of him!" continued the girl, at the same time
+whispering, mysteriously: "call not upon him! The Evil One is near at
+hand, when one thinks of him!"
+
+"Will she drive me mad?" muttered the disguised person, as he looked,
+with the most painful disquietude, now at the door, now at the strange
+maiden. "Ha! fool that I am, to suffer myself to be deceived by the
+artful cheat!" he at length exclaimed aloud, and again laughed to
+himself, while he cast his cloak aside, and stood before her, in a
+magnificent knightly dress. "Confess now, little Assé, you wanted to
+have me somewhat at an advantage--would see whether you could make King
+Erik Christopherson afraid. But it will not avail you: I know my
+people, and you, too, with your pretty black, bewitching eyes. You
+dreamt that the king visited you, did you not? and that you lived like
+a queen, in one of his castles? And that will come to pass,
+notwithstanding. It depends only on yourself. But, tongue within your
+teeth, little Assé: not a whisper that the king visited you here,
+alone. That is a secret no one must know."
+
+The lofty expression on the girl's countenance suddenly disappeared. It
+seemed as if she had now, for the first time, awoke from a dream that
+had changed her entire being: she looked around her bewildered, and
+suddenly sprang towards the door; but, recovering herself again, she
+took courage, and, putting her little hands upon her sides, placed
+herself, proudly, opposite the strange nobleman. He seemed gladly
+surprised at the transformation of the prophetess into the well-known
+pretty little fisher-girl, with the lively, playful eyes, and
+open-hearted boldness, no longer excited and fearful: the sleepwalker's
+sternness and earnestness of manner was lost in a frank and natural
+anger, which made her even more lovely.
+
+"Who are you, sir knight?" she asked, passionately. "Would you have me
+fancy you are the king? Nay, simple as I am, I know well that the king
+will maintain law and right in the country. Like King Glip-eye, you
+blink disagreeably enough; but I should think myself much to blame,
+were I to suppose the king a riever and godless evil-doer."
+
+The nobleman coloured deeply, and regarded the haughty maiden with a
+malicious look. "She has been asleep, then," he muttered to himself;
+and then said, aloud, "you are right: I am not the king himself, but
+one of his greatest officers. Since you have such a good opinion of the
+king's uprightness, my child," he continued, in a severe and
+authoritative tone, "it surprises me that it should not occur to you,
+you are a prisoner, at the king's command. You are a suspected woman,
+in the secret practice of witchcraft. With your crafty old grandfather,
+you lodge and conceal traitors to the country, and the open enemies of
+the king. Can you deny that the audacious marsk, who denounced the
+king, has not lodged under your roof for the last eight days, and has
+been spared by you? At this instant, in all probability, the rebellious
+Duke Waldemar sits there, and with his adherents, and plots against the
+king and the nation. Tales are told of your grandfather that, when I
+inquire into them, may cost him his neck. If you would save his life,
+little Assé, it can only be by being friendly and complaisant towards
+his master and judge; and such, in truth, am I."
+
+"You only wish to prove my constancy, stern sir knight," said the girl,
+with less haughtiness, and with more discreet demeanour, but still
+calmly and undauntedly; "you only wish to see whether you can bring me
+to doubt my grandfather's honour and the king's justice. You know, as
+well as I, that my grandfather is obliged to provide quarters for all
+comers, whether they are true subjects or not, so long as the king has
+not driven them from the country and made them outlaws; that I do not
+practice witchcraft, although, at times, I may have strange dreams,
+and, in jest, have read one or two hands, you very well know. You would
+only trifle with me, stern sir. But if you are in earnest," she
+continued, vehemently, and again placing her hands, with an air of
+defiance, on her sides, "you are as little likely to be one of the
+king's true men as you are to be the king himself. You are, rather, a
+riever and a traitor, seeking to do injustice in the king's name: so
+take care of yourself, good sir. There is yet law and justice in the
+kingdom; and you may happen, by-and-by, to get hanged, for all that you
+may fit yourself into a stately knight's doublet, stolen, probably,
+from some poor man."
+
+"Shameless boldness!" exclaimed the nobleman, stamping with
+indignation; but his wild look fell again upon the girl's beautiful
+face and form, and he continued, in milder tones: "defiance does not
+become you well, little Aasé; and you are nothing handsomer for your
+obstinacy. Before the Lord, I think I could be angry with you in
+earnest. You are not a tame bird; and I see well, you want to make
+yourself precious, that you may afterwards set the higher price upon
+your favour. For variety's sake, that may please me at present; but do
+not carry it farther. I can have patience for a time; but do not make
+me furious."
+
+"They are coming! they are coming!" exclaimed Aasé, overjoyed, and
+springing to the window looking over the great court-yard: "now shall
+we know whom you are, and whether the king has robbers and ravishers in
+his service."
+
+The tramp of horses, and the sound of voices, were heard in the court
+of the castle. The tall personage looked uneasily towards the window:
+at the same time the door was opened, and the young soldier who had
+stood without the door on his first entrance hastily and flurriedly
+entered.
+
+"We are betrayed, sire!" he whispered, almost breathless. "The court is
+full of people: they demand to be admitted in the king's name, and have
+Drost Peter Hessel at their head."
+
+"Drost Peter? Are you mad?" said the nobleman, hastily throwing on his
+cloak. "What wants he here? How did he enter?"
+
+"The gate was locked; nobody knows who let him in. He has terrified the
+warden with his royal authority. They are searching throughout the
+whole castle, and will pull it down if they do not find the girl. I
+expect them here every instant, as they have seen the light from the
+court. If you would not betray yourself to the people, escape by the
+secret passage, sire. Command it so, and I shall take the blame, and
+suffer myself, farther, to be taken prisoner by the drost."
+
+"Right, my trusty Rané. The thought is worth gold. Lock the concealed
+door after me. Are our people at the back gate?"
+
+"All is in perfect order and security, sir knight," said the young
+man-at-arms, with emphasis, winking; "and not a soul can know that you
+have been here, if she, there, can be silent:" here he pointed
+dubiously towards Aasé, who stood looking with a wild, flashing eye
+from the window. "Tarry no longer, sire. I hear them upon the
+tower-stairs."
+
+"Betray, with a single word, whom you have seen, and you are dead!"
+whispered the nobleman, hurriedly, to the terrified maiden; and, in an
+instant, he had disappeared through a concealed door in the panel.
+
+The young soldier hastily withdrew the key from the door, and flung it,
+from the window, into the back court; he then fell in a supplicating
+posture at the young girl's feet. "Have pity on an unhappy lover, fair,
+good-natured Aasé. Thou incomparable fisher-maid," he began, in a
+shrill, piping voice, "for thy sake, I have exposed myself to the
+greatest danger, and to the anger of our righteous king; for thy sake,
+I dared to make use of the king's name, when I took thee prisoner."
+
+"And, for thy sake, I will soil my fingers upon such an abominable
+hag's face," answered the girl, giving him a few hearty boxes on the
+ear, which he appeared to take patiently, continuing, the while, to set
+forth his feigned love tale.
+
+He was still talking in the same strain, and had laid hold of Aasé's
+apron, when Drost Peter and his squire, together with the warden and a
+band of armed fishermen, entered the door.
+
+"In the king's name, Chamberlain Rané, you are my prisoner," said Drost
+Peter: "bind him, lads!"
+
+The page rose, as it taken by surprise. "Stern sir drost," he said,
+with an impudent smile, "you best know yourself the power of beauty
+over the heart, without distinction of rank or station. You have
+detected me in an indiscretion, which, at our time of life, one does
+wisest to judge with forbearance. At most, you have seen with what
+little success I have sought to tame this lovely wild-cat. If you
+venture on taking me prisoner, good: our common lord shall decide which
+of us is the more blameworthy."
+
+With these words, he gave up his short sword, without opposition, into
+the drost's hands, and permitted his own to be bound by Claus Skirmen,
+who performed this ordinary part of a squire's duties with the greatest
+dexterity, at the same time casting a look at the pretty little Aasé,
+whose dark, sparkling eyes ran over the bystanders, as if anxiously in
+search of some one.
+
+"My child! my Aasé!" sounded, at length, from a man's deep voice at the
+door; and, with the lively exclamation, "Grandfather! dear
+grandfather!" she flew into old Henner's arms, and overpowered him with
+her childish caresses, without observing his wounds, which, however
+little he regarded them himself, had nevertheless considerably
+exhausted him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Drost Peter Hessel and his squire had come over the Belt in the storm,
+with a large company of travellers. On the road from Gremermarsh quay
+to the town, they had met with the armourer Troels, the ferrymen, and a
+band of burghers, in search of Henner Friser and the robbers. Drost
+Peter had landed from the vessel, with a shaggy cap over his ears, and
+a large boatman's jerkin over his knight's dress. They were the last to
+land; and, before the young nobleman had mounted his horse, he had
+taken off the borrowed cap and jerkin, thrown his scarlet cloak upon
+his shoulders, and placed his feathered hat upon his head. Without
+troubling himself about the other travellers, he was ready, at the
+moment, to assist the burghers against the supposed robbers. The rest
+of the travellers, tired with their boisterous passage, were only
+anxious to reach the inn, to rest and refresh themselves.
+
+On the quay of Gremermarsh, there still stood, however, in the changing
+moonlight, a boatman, with his arm in a bandage, by the side of a tall,
+knightly figure, in full black armour, with the visor of his helmet
+down. They appeared to talk earnestly and secretly, and, from time to
+time, pointed to the skiff that had newly arrived, and to a smaller
+boat, by which the mailed knight had seemingly come, and which lay
+somewhat apart, below the wood that skirted the Middelfert sound. The
+boatman had arrived with the large company, and appeared to be
+informing the knight whence they had come and whom they had brought.
+They at length separated. The boatman nodded respectfully; and,
+notwithstanding his wound, seemed to take upon himself the execution of
+some commission with which he was entrusted by the stately stranger. He
+departed, with hasty strides, towards the wood where the little boat
+lay; while the knight took, alone, and with thoughtful steps, the road
+to the town.
+
+Although neither Henner Friser nor his pretty granddaughter was
+present, the travellers were received at the inn, by the people of the
+house, with the usual attentions. They had placed before them a flagon
+of ale, and a large dish of stewed flounders, of which they had always
+abundance. With these the greater part of the company appeared to be
+satisfied, as it was Friday, and they were required to observe a fast.
+Not so, however, were they all.
+
+"Away with these wretched flounders! We want a hearty meal of flesh,"
+said a long, meagre gentleman, with a sagacious but proud and arrogant
+countenance, and strong, passionate-looking features. "For your lives
+and healths' sake, I give you all an indulgence, as far as the day is
+concerned," he added, with the mien and authority of a pope: "for the
+sake of human infirmities, I am authorised to do this."
+
+The flounders were immediately taken away, and a large dish of salt
+meat substituted in their place. This change the majority of the
+company loudly applauded, but the ecclesiastic was now offended.
+Notwithstanding the blue travelling dress he wore, his rank was
+distinguishable by the black calotte that concealed his tonsure; and,
+notwithstanding his leanness, he appeared accustomed to better and
+richer fare. He vehemently decided that the accommodation for
+distinguished travellers, in this new and only licensed place of
+entertainment, was wretched; and that, when the king thought proper to
+meddle in domestic matters, and prohibit people, both lay and clerical,
+from entertaining strangers, he ought to take care that there were
+ordinary cooks in such taverns.
+
+This discontented gentleman was the only ecclesiastic in the company.
+He was usually called Master Grand and Sir Dean; and all treated him
+with the greatest respect. The rest were chiefly knights, and other
+distinguished laymen, with large plumes of feathers in their hats, and
+short travelling cloaks, fringed with sable, of the finest German or
+English cloth, and of the most various colours, according to their own
+or their ladies' tastes. Their doublets were, for the most part, of the
+same colour and material, with a slit in the centre, and ornamented
+with gashed edges, in the fashion of foreign knights. This profuse
+style of dress had, long before, been forbidden in Denmark; and this
+contempt for a law that was observed everywhere around denoted these
+gentlemen to belong to the bold and disaffected aristocratical party.
+
+A tall young man, in a scarlet cloak, with a haughty countenance and
+princely manners, appeared to be the most distinguished in the company.
+An elderly personage, with a firm, warlike bearing, and in a large
+cloak of English blue cloth, seemed likewise to be an individual of
+some note. Some of the younger gentlemen shone forth in suits of bright
+yellow, flame colour, and green. A few of the more elderly wore brown
+and liver-coloured doublets and mantles. There were nearly as many
+squires as there were knights; and their inferior rank was discernible
+by their plain hats, and by their chequered and less, expensive cloaks
+of Scottish cloth.
+
+A young, cheerful individual, who did not appear to belong to the
+knights and their train, but attached himself with particular attention
+to the ecclesiastic, was distinguished by his civility and pleasing
+manners, although his unusual corpulency would only allow him to
+perform any rapid motion with difficulty. His round, good-natured face
+beamed with life and jollity. Round his short brown jerkin he wore a
+broad leather belt, with a large knife and fork, a horn spoon, a
+pepper-box, and a number of other tools and appliances pertaining to
+the kitchen and pantry. He had listened with great attention to the
+discontented ecclesiastic's denunciation of the entertainment, while
+his look often glanced upon a plain wooden box, which he had carried
+from the ship himself, and which was now deposited in a corner, near
+the kitchen-door.
+
+"Spoken after my own poor heart, worthy sir dean," he at length said,
+with a respectful mien, and yet with a kind of sly humour. "These royal
+hostelries will certainly bring the land to ruin. 'They are dung-pits,'
+as said our worthy Abbot of Ry, in his much-admired fast sermon; 'they
+are dung-pits, where every carrion bird gathers, and where the eagle
+and crow must eat out of the same dish.' They have brought true
+hospitality to decay; and now, as a necessary consequence, harmony and
+jollity, mirth and the noble art of cookery, have come to the ground
+together. Nevertheless, in half an hour's time, I shall prepare my
+worthy masters such a repast as shall make us all forget these doleful
+times, and reconcile us to this godless world."
+
+"Right, my son," said the churchman, patting him on the shoulder. "Do
+not bury thy rare talents. Have a care for our present wants, cook
+Morten, and trouble not thyself about the preacher."
+
+Whilst the travelling cook took his box and proceeded to the kitchen to
+prepare his entertainment, without heeding the growlings of the
+servants, the gentleman in the blue cloak made a trial of the liquor,
+which stood in a pewter tankard.
+
+"What! filthy Danish pors-ale!"[7] he exclaimed, and dashed the tankard
+to the ground. "Fie for Satan! do the rascals mean to treat us to such
+trash? Saxon ale we shall have, and that immediately."
+
+"German ale, that sets people a-crowing, we do not serve here,"
+answered a bold fellow, who acted as tapster: "it is as strictly
+forbidden by the king as are the slashed doublets of yourself and these
+gentlemen. If, therefore, you are not contented with what we have got,
+the door is open; but rough words and fault-finding, neither Henner
+Friser nor his servants put lip with."
+
+The gentleman in blue started, and regarded the man with surprise.
+
+"Shameless fellow! do you know to whom you are talking?" roared the
+churchman, the veins of his forehead swelling with rage. "Where a
+gentleman of the blood royal is present, even a master and a dean is a
+mean man. A bumpkin like you should not grumble, were we to scrub your
+ears with your besom, and fling your villanous Danish ale over your
+dunderhead!"
+
+"Be pacified, good Master Grand," said the young gentleman of the
+scarlet cloak: "the fellow, truly, did not know us, and only maintains
+the credit of his master. If you have any German ale in the house,
+produce it on my responsibility," he added, turning to the tapster,
+while he flung down a handful of silver coin upon the table.
+
+The man was surprised, and loitered.
+
+"Quick, now!" continued the young lord: "it is Duke Waldemar who
+commands you. The king's prohibition, to which you have already sagely
+adverted in reference to our doublets, does not extend to me and my
+followers."
+
+"So _you_ may understand the matter, mighty lord," answered the man,
+bluntly; "but my master says, that, on Danish ground, the king's law
+and prohibition extend to both gentle and simple. There is a butt of
+old German ale in the cellar, which has not been touched for five and
+twenty years; but, before my master comes home and so orders it
+himself, I shall not tap a single stoup of it, even if all of you were
+popes and emperors."
+
+"Let the saucy rogue be thrown out of doors, my lord duke!" exclaimed
+Master Grand, in a passion; and a couple of squires drew near, with
+zealous alacrity, and seemed only to be waiting for a nod to carry the
+proposal into execution.
+
+The blood mounted to the young nobleman's cheeks, and he cast a
+threatening look at the tapster; but his senior, in the blue cloak,
+caught him by the arm.
+
+"Delay a little, sir cousin," he muttered, in a half whisper. "Let me
+advise. Here we must be good patriots. The king's grace rode his
+cock-horse by the side of Margaret's stallion,"[8] he then continued,
+with a loud voice, "when he performed this exploit, and stuck pegs for
+taps into German ale-barrels. It was a brave action, we must allow: it
+will be long before I achieve as much as a general. At the same time,
+he made his appearance in a new light, and became our instructor in the
+noble art of tailoring. Like good patriots, let us now drink this
+pors-ale to his honour, and have our doublets sewn up like honest
+Danish frocks, that they may see at court that we are as true and
+obedient subjects as John Little and David Thorstenson, and as upright
+friends to this kind of garment as the king himself, and the queen's
+handsome friend, Drost Peter Hosel.[9] Now, then, the king's health in
+thin ale, since there is no better: the king's health, my lords!"
+
+This satire, accompanied by a scornful smile, occasioned a burst of
+laughter, and all drank, or pretended to drink, of the despised liquor.
+
+"Every one shall drink the toast who is not a spy or a traitor,"
+continued the warlike lord in blue: "no distinction of rank or station
+is permitted here. Come, thou fair swain: drink the king's health in
+this precious pors-water."
+
+"I would have a care of my manners," answered the tapster: "I am too
+mean to join in the revels of such distinguished company."
+
+"Understand, then, that Count Jacob of Halland, as the king's vassal,
+allows you to be chastised as a traitor and secret rebel," continued
+the lord in blue. "Drag him out, and give him a hearty salute with the
+stirrup-straps," said he to the squires. "We have all heard that he is
+a rebel who will not drink the king's health."
+
+The stern decree was executed in a moment, notwithstanding a brave
+resistance made by the strong fellow.
+
+"This is the way to baste the fellows with their own lard," growled
+Count Jacob, as, with a haughty air, he threw himself carelessly back
+on his bench.
+
+"Perhaps a little too hard," said the young duke, yet smiling
+contentedly; while all laughed heartily at the rough joke, which did
+not seem to them at all unusual, or in anywise dangerous.
+
+The allusion to King Erik Christopherson's edicts respecting ale and
+slashed doublets, which had given rise to this scene, was followed by
+many jocular remarks on various other of the king's municipal
+regulations, which they affected to extol, whilst, at the same time,
+they were striving to present them in the most ridiculous point of
+view, or as childish and absurd. The stern _Ribe-Ret_,[10] in
+particular, was the subject of many coarse jokes.
+
+The conversation was brought to a close by the entrance, with a large
+dish of seasoned meat, of the indefatigable cook, who invited the
+company to prove whether he had not attained a more worthy post than in
+cooking prison-fare for the hermits of Sjöberg.
+
+"Should I--as, nevertheless, I hope I shall not," he added--"have to
+wait on any of my good lords in my celebrated castle, I am glad that,
+beforehand, I have had an opportunity of vindicating my honour with
+those who, not without success, have studied the art of cookery in the
+most learned chapter-houses in the kingdom."
+
+"Thou art a rogue, Morten!" said Master Grand, playfully threatening
+him. "My pious colleagues taught thee first, perhaps, to sign thyself
+with the token of self-denial; but thy round cheeks bear witness thou
+art a carnal child of the world, who hath transferred his learning to
+ladles and carving-knives."
+
+"Not without a bright and illustrious example," answered the cook, with
+a cunning smile. "Were I, in troth, your cook, as I am now a godless
+provider for state-prisoners, you could not help being soon as plump as
+I and your worthy colleagues."
+
+He now began, like a busy host, to serve out his viands, and selected
+the choicest morsels for his new ecclesiastical patron. He afterwards
+brought from the kitchen a large wooden bowl, and, with many eulogiums,
+recommended the strengthening and enlivening beverage it contained, as
+the fruit of his own invention.
+
+"Spiced wine!" exclaimed Count Jacob. "Thou art a most excellent
+fellow, Morten! This, then, was the sacred church-treasure that thou
+and sir dean contended for so lustily in the storm, when we were
+obliged to throw all our worldly goods overboard!"
+
+"Thus it is that virtue and good deeds are rewarded, even in the
+present life," answered the cook. "And I hope that worthy Master Grand
+does not now repent that he so piously took my sacred bottle under his
+protection."
+
+The knights praised the excellent liquor, and became merry and noisy.
+Cook Morten poured out for them, and sang them wanton ditties. All
+would join with him; and every one sang the song that pleased himself
+best, without troubling himself about those of others. At length, a
+well-known song obtained the ascendancy, in the midst of general
+laughter: it was a tolerably witty and satirical ballad, relating to
+the king and his favourites, particularly concerning Drost Peter
+Hessel, whom it sometimes nicknamed Peter Hosel (stocking-garter), and
+sometimes Sir Lovmand (lawyer), with coarse inuendoes on the relation
+in which he was accused of standing to the queen.
+
+In the midst of this uproar, the tall mailed knight, with the closed
+visor, who had followed them from the quay, entered unobserved, and
+seated himself in a dark nook, near the door.
+
+"See, now there is some life in the game," said the cook, snuffing the
+candles; "now it is quite a pleasure to tend upon my worthy masters."
+
+"But how came you by the wine?" inquired Master Grand: "it is indeed
+converted into nectar."
+
+"The preparation is a secret, my most worthy sir," answered the cook,
+"the knowledge of which I shall keep to myself, until I make my will:
+then shall I enrich after generations with my invention, if the world
+prove worthy of it. I have named this divine beverage _bishop_: I hope
+it deserves its title, and that it will hereafter render the name of
+Morten Fynbo immortal, among both learned and simple."
+
+"Call it archbishop: it deserves the name better than the carlin we
+have now in Lund," roared Count Jacob. "Such a bishop is fitted to
+mediate an eternal peace between the temporal and spiritual lords of
+the kingdom; and, at this time, it is much needed. We have made a
+beginning with you, very learned Master Grand," he continued: "when you
+come hereafter to be archbishop, perhaps it will fare better with
+justice in the land. You are the man to lend me a letter of
+excommunication, when my own sword is too short to recover my feudal
+rents, withheld by a tyrant."
+
+Master Grand made no reply, but gave the loud-voiced count a familiar
+and significant look.
+
+"To our noble dean, the pride and honour of Roskild!" resumed Count
+Jacob: "long life to our very learned Master Jens Grand! A rogue is he
+who does not pledge the toast to the bottom; and confusion to all the
+vermin and king's thralls in the country!" With these words, he touched
+the ecclesiastic's cup with his own. His example was followed by Duke
+Waldemar and the knights; the whole bursting out into a simultaneous
+shout of applause, in which the cook heartily joined.
+
+"I thank you, my high-born Count Jacob; you, too, my noble duke; and
+you, my valiant lords and knights," said Master Grand, agreeably
+surprised, while he rose, and regarded all around him with an air of
+seriousness and significance. "The time may come when my deeds shall
+prove to you that it is my highest wish to effect a friendly union
+between the knightly sword and the bishop's staff. Earthly and heavenly
+power must be truly united, when there is anything great to be done in
+the world. But more of this at another time and place," he said,
+suddenly interrupting himself. "_Latet anguis in herbâ_--there is a
+snake in the grass, as the saying goes: Satan has his imps everywhere."
+
+So saying, the dean's sharp looks fell on the figure of the tall,
+mailed knight, who sat in the corner, by the door. All eyes were turned
+in the same direction, and a mysterious whispering arose among the
+uneasy guests. The sturdy warlike figure then arose, and advanced with
+firm strides towards the light at the end of the table. He moved his
+head, as if he would observe the guests more narrowly, raised his
+mailed arm, struck the grating of his helmet upwards for a moment,
+and then allowed it to fall. The hasty view thus obtained of the
+strongly-illumined, iron features of the warrior, and the stern glance
+that shot like lightning from beneath his dark bushy eyebrows, struck
+every one with astonishment. They had all risen to bid him welcome; but
+he laid his finger upon the opening of his helmet, and they remained
+standing, as mute as statues, and regarding him with earnest
+expectation.
+
+"Remember your oaths and vows! Prudence is still our safeguard," said
+the mailed knight, in a deep, hollow voice. "There is no security, or
+room for insolent bravado, where traitors may go in and out, and every
+door stands open. The tyrant is near at hand. Drost Peter Hessel was
+among you on the Belt, and you knew him not."
+
+"Drost Peter!" they repeated, with astonishment.
+
+"Damnation!" exclaimed the young duke, stamping: "it was reported
+otherwise. But how came he there? I did not see him. Where did he
+land?"
+
+"Spite of the devil, I should think it would have been known if the
+drost had been on board," said Count Jacob. "Two boatmen and a youth
+excepted, there was not a cat on board I did not know."
+
+"Who was the man who sprang from the mast, and seized the rudder, when
+the steersman's arm was wounded?" demanded the stern knight.
+
+"He--the daring young fellow," said Count Jacob--"he who, at the very
+nick of time, came as if he had dropped from the clouds, and saved our
+lives--was he not a boatman?"
+
+"It was Drost Peter Hessel," said the black knight; "and the lad who
+waited upon him was his squire--a youth with ears in his head."
+
+"The fiend!" exclaimed one after another.
+
+"In the noise and confusion I was both deaf and blind," began Master
+Grand; "otherwise, I should have seen whether we had Philistines on
+board. On the skiff I saw no one: but who was the knight in the scarlet
+mantle, who followed us from the quay, and rode off in pursuit of
+rievers or virgins, or on some such sort of carnal, hair-brained
+exploit?"
+
+"That was Drost Peter," answered the mailed knight. "Where were your
+keen eyes, Master Grand? Our deadly foe sat to-day by the rudder, and
+you knew him not; to-morrow he sits at the helm of the state, and will
+know you."
+
+"Death and perdition! All is lost? We are betrayed!" exclaimed one
+after the other; and the commotion became general.
+
+"Not yet," said the mailed knight, quietly, and raised his voice.
+"Until the Dane-court is brought to a close, the law protects you. This
+law only protects me," and he struck his large, rattling sword. "The
+moment the Danish court is terminated, separate. In half an hour, I am
+again on board. Yet three words in private with your and my future
+lord."
+
+The young duke hastened anxiously forward, and fervently seized the
+knight's mailed hand. They retired a few steps, and the mysterious
+knight whispered some words into his ear, which he only heard, but at
+which the bold duke's cheeks changed colour. The knight regarded him
+with a keen look, laid his hand encouragingly upon his shoulder, and
+nodded. The duke regained his composure, and, with a haughty look, made
+a hasty motion with his sword. Without adding a single word more, the
+tall, iron-clad knight saluted the company, and quietly strode out at
+the door.
+
+A general silence ensued, while the young duke appeared struggling to
+overcome some anxious, disquieting thought. Hastily seizing his cup,
+"Long life to our trusty, watchful friend!" he said: "may he return
+safe: he has done much for our sakes to-day."
+
+Scarcely had he uttered the words, and put the goblet to his lips, ere
+the door was opened, and Drost Peter Hessel, with old Henner Friser,
+entered, accompanied by a crowd of burghers and seamen, carrying with
+them the bound Swain Rané. Old Henner led his daughter by the hand. She
+cast back a kindly look towards the door, where the squire, Claus
+Skirmen, was standing, with his master's scarlet cloak upon his arm,
+and surprised apparently at the sight of so many strangers; whilst his
+eyes speedily forsook the fair, dark-eyed damsel, and rested, with
+earnest attention, upon his master's every look and motion.
+
+As the young drost entered, Duke Waldemar and the knights hastily
+replaced their uplifted goblets on the table, and looked at one another
+with amazement.
+
+Drost Peter did not appear to notice the general confusion which his
+entrance had occasioned. Having saluted the company with knightly
+politeness, "I perceive," he said, in a lively, unaffected tone, "I am
+yet in time, my lords, to greet you in my own doublet, and to thank you
+for your excellent travelling society. I had my reasons for appearing
+as a boatman: that scarcely any of my noble lords will doubt. It
+gladdens me that I was fortunate steersman enough, and had the
+opportunity, of bringing so many important patriots safe to land. I
+would have thanked you for your confidence immediately upon our
+landing, my lords; but I have been delayed by a little unpleasant
+adventure, which is now happily finished."
+
+The young duke recovered his self-possession. He returned the drost's
+salutation with a princely air, and answered, in the same courteous
+tone, "It was handsome to return to us, Drost Hessel, and not to
+withdraw yourself from our thankful acknowledgments. But a minute ago,
+we learned that we were fortunate enough to have had you on board,
+without knowing you, and that you were the brave boatman who so
+opportunely caught hold of the rudder in our danger. That chance or
+necessity, and no deceitful intention, made us fellow-voyagers to-day,
+notwithstanding our difference of opinion in various matters, I am
+willing to believe. Accept, therefore, the acknowledgments of myself
+and friends; and permit us, as we were just proposing, to drain this
+cup to your welfare."
+
+At the duke's signal, the active cook handed the drost a goblet of
+wine; and, with forced politeness, Count Jacob made room for him on the
+duke's right hand, and begged him to be seated.
+
+In the meanwhile, no one evinced any disposition to do honour to the
+proposed toast.
+
+Drost Peter observed this, and said, hastily: "I thank you, my lords,
+for the intended honour; but permit me, as the reward of my pilotage,
+merely to beg the favour, that I may quaff this first goblet on Funen
+ground, with Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and these worthy gentlemen, to
+a peaceful and happy issue to the Dane-court, and to the welfare of our
+country, and of our lawful king's house."
+
+With these words, he emptied his goblet, and replaced it on the table.
+
+"Every friend of his country who participates in my wish," he added,
+"will certainly not hesitate on doing justice to my toast."
+
+All eyes were turned upon Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob; and as both
+these lords, although with secret indignation, emptied their cups, and
+set them on the table, the other knights followed their example.
+
+The fat cook smiled knavishly. "A bitter addition to my magnificent
+liquor," he whispered to Master Grand.
+
+The ecclesiastic burned with indignation. He had not yet raised the
+goblet to his lips; and, grasping it in his hand, with the wine
+dripping upon his fingers, he now dashed it violently upon the stone
+floor. "I drink no slavish token of homage by constraint," he
+exclaimed, in a rage. "On what footing I, as Dean of Roskild, stand
+with King Erik Christopherson, is known to every man in the country who
+knows that St. Michael's Church, in Slagelse, belongs to the deanery of
+Roskild, and has been taken from me with shameful injustice. If I have
+not been afraid to protest openly against the king's illegal
+encroachments on my rights of office, neither am I now afraid to
+declare openly to his drost, that I will suffer thirst till doomsday,
+rather than, like a miserable hypocrite, drink a single drop to worldly
+arrogance and injustice."
+
+"And I hold to that, with our very learned sir dean," said Count Jacob,
+with a loud voice, and striking his long sword vehemently against the
+floor. "Every man here has his freedom; and no one shall compel us to
+drink any other toast than we please. I only drank, because I was
+thirsty, and the wine was good. I regard myself, then, so little as a
+wretch or a hypocrite, that no one with impunity shall call me a
+traitor to the country."
+
+"It were far from me to upbraid any man with hypocrisy, or to accuse
+any of these gentlemen of so horrible a crime as treason," said Drost
+Peter, quietly. "In Denmark, God be praised, thoughts, and their rudest
+expression, are still free, when the law of the land is not
+transgressed; and I regard no Dane as the enemy of his country because,
+perhaps, he does not join in our common wish for its welfare, and in
+personal attachment to the royal house, with the same warmth as myself.
+In such unsettled and unhappy times as the present, we must, alas!
+experience that the opinions of the best Danish men differ on many
+important matters. But, my brave lords and countrymen," he continued,
+with warmth, "excuse me that I do not see any place or opportunity too
+unsuitable to say an earnest word in a matter that concerns every Dane.
+If variance and discord are not soon to rend asunder all, even the best
+of Danish hearts, and if the people are not to rebel and sink into ruin
+by such devastating strife, we must necessarily be united in one
+object; and that is, in lawful obedience to the majesty and divinity of
+the crown, upon whatever head it may legally and by justice rest.
+Mournful, certainly, it will be, if we, as men, as knights, or as
+servants of God's word, do not, at all times, love and do homage to the
+personality which is inseparable from majesty. But, as we would be true
+to our country, we are bound, heart and hand, to defend the king to the
+last drop of our blood."
+
+"I may respect your manner of thinking, Drost Hessel, though it is not
+mine," replied young Duke Waldemar, with warmth, and approaching him a
+step or two, with great haughtiness, whilst he appeared to regard the
+embarrassment of his friends with indignation. "I do not misunderstand
+the zeal that permits you to forget where you are, and to whom you are
+speaking. But I may beg you to remember, that we are here in a public
+tavern; and that I, and the highborn Count Jacob of Halland, are
+present. As the king's kinsmen, we were most justified in holding
+discourse against sedition and lese-majesty, had we found it convenient
+or necessary. If you have anything to complain of against us, bring it
+before the king and people, in the Dane-court, where you shall find us
+all assembled, and where I hope to settle amicably the points in
+dispute between us and our royal kinsman. But, here, we order and
+command you, in virtue of our rank and dignity, to be silent, and not
+approach me or my friends, with an audacity that becomes you not, and
+with ill-timed admonitions respecting our duty to the Danish crown. And
+now, my lords, to horse. Here we shall no longer tarry, to give
+occasion for uproar, which this king and _queen's_ zealous friend
+should have been the very first to have avoided."
+
+The latter words were spoken in a bitter tone of ridicule, which called
+up a disdainful smile on the countenance of the young knight.
+
+"Very good," said Count Jacob, in a rude tone of derision. "We shall
+yield the battle-field to the amorous young sir drost, since it is in a
+tavern, where one only cares to fight with words, or, at most, with
+fists and empty pitchers. If we contend, hereafter, upon a more worthy
+arena, sir drost, perhaps you may find it convenient to be the first to
+withdraw."
+
+With these words, both the princely lords left the room; the
+ecclesiastic, with the cook, and all the knights, accompanying them.
+The horses had already, for some time, been standing saddled before the
+door; the squires hastened to hold the stirrups for their masters; and,
+in a minute after, the numerous train departed, laughing and talking
+aloud, through the streets of Middelfert.
+
+The young drost stood, silent and thoughtful, in the guests' room, and
+appeared to be considering whether he had not been too precipitate. Old
+Henner, quietly, and with the greatest interest, had given heed to
+every one of his words, and to his whole conduct. The burghers and
+fishermen, after their president's example, remained silent witnesses
+of the contest between the distinguished lords. Claus Skirmen stood by
+the door, without losing sight of his master's face, although, at
+times, he cast a sidelong glance at the little dark-haired Aasé, who,
+with curious and playful eyes, watched the illustrious stranger.
+
+The artful chamberlain had, in the meantime, profited by the general
+attention given to the clamorous lords. He had given jovial cook
+Morten, who pretended to know him, the wink, and, with the help of the
+carving-knife which hung at the cook's girdle, the cords that bound him
+were cut without it being observed. He could not, however, immediately
+avail himself of this freedom, while so many stood around him, but
+remained quietly, with his hands behind his back, as if he had been
+still bound. But, now that the door was open, he suddenly sprang under
+the arms of his guards, and was gone in an instant.
+
+"What the fiend! is he loose?" exclaimed the astonished fishermen,
+springing after him.
+
+"Stay, let him run!" cried Drost Peter, stopping them. "If he escape,
+it will please me better, as he would soon have been set free. He will
+scarcely venture into the net so soon again, however; and we have a
+traitor the less among us."
+
+The fishermen stood on the alert, ready to bring back the fugitive.
+
+"Ay, ay: let him run to Satan, as the knight says," growled old Henner
+Friser. "The lanky youth may soon be settled: he shall frighten nobody.
+Another time that we lay our fingers upon him, let us crack his neck on
+the instant. Now, let him grease his houghs."
+
+This speech the fishermen seemed to comprehend, and they remained
+accordingly.
+
+"Now shall you have thanks for your assistance and interest in this
+matter, my nimble countrymen," continued Drost Peter. "Every one betake
+himself to his home, and keep himself easy. From robbers you have
+nothing to fear; and the safety of your brave alderman I will provide
+for."
+
+"Nobody shall touch a hair of his head, so long as there is a
+porpoise-hunter in Melfert Sound," replied a young fisherman.
+
+"And should he get into any trouble concerning the royal squire we
+pitched into the dung-pit," said Troels the armourer, "we brethren of
+the guild will stand by him. Twelve of us keep watch here to-night;
+and, if he wishes to make his escape, there are six men at the yawl,
+with a boat and all that is needful."
+
+"Good, my children, good," replied old Henner. "But go, now: I will
+consider the matter, and tell you, perhaps, my intentions before
+morning."
+
+At his beck, the burghers and fishermen left the room. The old man
+fervently seized Drost Peter's hand. "God and St. Christian bless you,
+my wellborn young gentleman, for what you have this night done for me
+and my little Aasé!" he said, with emotion. "If ever I forget it, I am
+a scoundrel. Neither shall I readily forget the words you addressed to
+these distinguished rascals: they have stirred up my sinful old soul
+more than I could have thought."
+
+The restrained but violent emotions which the tones of his voice
+betrayed appeared to surprise the little Aasé, as somewhat unusual. Her
+grandfather, observing this, suddenly relaxed his hold of the knight's
+hand.
+
+"Go, now, to bed, my child," he said gently, turning to her: "go to
+bed, and sleep securely until I call you. Dream neither of rievers nor
+big demons. This hand already has punished the doughtiest; but it is
+not so nimble now--it begins to feel the rascals. But the world is
+wide: if we cannot be in peace any longer here, I have other plans.
+Now, good night, child. Pray to our Lord, and our good patron St.
+Christian, to afford us their protection, and not to lead us into
+temptation. Now, quick, to bed."
+
+"Allow me first to look to your wound, dear grandfather," replied the
+little Aasé, entreatingly, while she took hold of his hand and kissed
+it tenderly.
+
+"Certainly not, child: I will not hear a word about the gnat-bite. Did
+you not hear what I said?"
+
+From the old man's stern tone, and the silence with which she prepared,
+though reluctantly, to obey him, it might be seen that the old
+grandfather was not accustomed to opposition. She still lingered,
+however; and, as he looked at her more attentively, he observed the
+furtive, sidelong glances of her eyes towards the door, where the young
+squire was still standing. "That is true--the youth by the door--he has
+had no supper, and well deserves one. Without him, we had not got hold
+of you. Now run, then, Aasé, and take care of him in the kitchen."
+
+"Come, Claus Skirmen," said Aasé, cheerfully, and as familiarly as if
+she had known him for a long time; while she sprang to the door where
+he stood, took him by the hand, and drew him merrily along with her to
+the kitchen.
+
+"Singular child!" muttered the old man to himself: "now she is the
+little wild cat again, and a single word can make her glad or
+sorrowful. But when the strong dreaming spirit comes over her, not a
+sinner would willingly look into her eyes. Well, well: it is a sad
+thing for our strength."
+
+Drost Peter stood in deep thought, and unobservant of what was passing.
+He had taken a sheet of parchment from his breast pocket, and on this
+he gazed intently, without appearing to know what he was reading.
+
+"Have you received disastrous tidings, noble sir?" at length inquired
+old Henner, regarding him with sympathy; "or is it your evening prayer
+you are reading? If your soul is in converse with the Lord, I shall not
+disturb you; but, then, you should look happier. You are young, and can
+scarcely have any grievous sins upon your conscience. You may well read
+your ave and paternoster, without looking whether the evil one stands
+grinning behind you."
+
+"What said you, brave old man?" inquired the knight, recovering
+himself, and hastily folding the parchment. "It is late, and I stand in
+need of rest: the noise and journey have wearied me."
+
+"Come, refresh yourself first, noble sir. My best apartment is ready
+for you. But I have now a word to say to you, for God knows when I may
+see you again. You are wearied, and I perceive you have important
+matters in your head. Come, sir drost, you will not refuse a stoup of
+good Danish pors-ale? What the fiend! have their lordships transformed
+my ale into wine? Well, that was indeed handsome of them."
+
+They then both set themselves down to cook Morten's half-emptied bowl
+of spiced wine; and when a cup of the potent beverage had enlivened
+them, old Henner resumed:
+
+"You spake an earnest word this evening, noble sir. My illustrious
+guests considered it ill-timed, and perhaps you now may think that you
+were over hasty; but it was a word at the right time, to me and many
+more. Yes, you are right, noble sir. The crown is holy, whoever bears
+it: for the king is the Lord's anointed; and no one shall with impunity
+raise his hand against him, were it the foul fiend himself whom God has
+set over us for a season."
+
+"That I did not say exactly, old man," said the drost, interrupting
+him; "yet it is not far from my meaning. But how came you now upon this
+matter? Did you know these lords?"
+
+"Who does not know the haughty Duke Waldemar and the crabbed Count
+Jacob?" answered Henner. "I knew their good friends, too. What these
+good people carry in their bosoms is no secret. This dean from Roskild
+is a learned, dangerous man; and the Lord preserve us from him! Thought
+and thew, he is the old Archbishop Jacob to a hair--he that was
+imprisoned by the king's father, and brought the whole kingdom under
+the ban. The long, big-nosed dean comes of the same brood. People dare
+not say it openly; but you and everybody else know, nevertheless, that
+this Satan's archbishop had a finger in the pie when King Christopher
+was poisoned with our Lord's holy body."
+
+"Thou art right, old man; and so much the worse," said Drost Peter:
+"this audacious Master Grand is Jacob Erlandsen's kinsman, both by
+descent and in spirit. He is the most crafty of them all, however
+hot-headed and open-mouthed he may be in his insolent moods." He again
+drew forth the parchment, and examined it. "Do you know Sir Tuko
+Abildgaard, the duke's drost?"
+
+"Yes, indeed: that was the proud, smooth-faced gentleman, who sat so
+stiff where you are now sitting, with the light green cloak and
+doublet. I knew every one of them."
+
+"Sir Lavé Little was not here--God be praised!" said Drost Peter, with
+a suppressed sigh. "They are a noble race, these Littles: would that
+they all took after the old Knight John! A truer man there is not in
+Denmark, although he has almost as much injustice to complain of as
+have his kinsmen."
+
+"We must not judge them too severely, noble sir," resumed Henner. "Sir
+Lavé came over the Belt yesterday. It was sad to look upon the man. He
+had visited his kinsman for some purpose: that might well be seen in
+him. Shame is a hard cross. Old Pallé has certainly lost his wits about
+it; and the bold, proud Stig Andersen himself--I cannot think of him
+without feeling my heart ready to burst my bosom. A greater leader has
+Denmark never seen since the days of Count Albert of Northalbing and
+King Waldemar Seier. Even the mighty King Ladislaus of Sweden has him
+to thank for his crown. Oh, noble sir drost! when I fancy myself in
+this man's situation, dark thoughts arise within me. I could not say
+that the crown was holy, if I saw it borne by the destroyer of my
+wife's honour."
+
+"And yet, brave Henner, you might say so, even were you in his place,
+if your fatherland were dearer to you than yourself, and your soul's
+salvation more precious than revenge."
+
+"Salvation!" said Henner, gloomily; "talk not so decidedly about a
+man's salvation, sir drost. A bishop would not so readily undertake to
+do so. Believe you, then, of a truth, that the man shall be for ever
+damned who lifts his hand against a crowned nidding?"[11]
+
+"Let us condemn no one, that we be not ourselves condemned," said the
+knight, with deep seriousness; "least of all, let us condemn him whom
+none human can condemn, but who has his Judge above the stars."
+
+"Awell, you may be right, sir, when that is spoken of a righteous king,
+who has been chosen by the free-will of his people, and who has not
+acquired his crown by perjury and the murder of a brother, like King
+Abel. If, now, you were to see the man who shot the arrow into King
+Abel's breast, noble sir, would you be able to look him in the face,
+and say that he was a godless traitor and a regicide, who must be for
+ever doomed to perdition?"
+
+"What brings this into your head, old man?" inquired the knight,
+astonished: "I have, indeed, said I dare condemn no one, and, truly,
+least of all dare I condemn the man whom the Righteous Judge chose to
+raise up to vindicate the pious King Erik Waldemarson, and to hurl a
+fratricide from the throne of Denmark."
+
+"That man stands now before you, sir drost!" said Henner Friser,
+rising: "with this hand I shot the arrow that entered King Abel's false
+heart; there hangs the steel bow that carried the doom of death and
+eternal punishment to the fratricide."
+
+The knight looked up, and regarded with a degree of dread the tall,
+powerful old man, who, pale and frightful as the ghost of a hero, now
+stood before him in the dimly-lighted apartment.
+
+"Did you that deed, old man?" he said, with an effort. "Then let me be
+the last man you entrust with the dreadful secret. And have a care of
+yourself. Had Duke Waldemar known what this bow has done, there is not
+a man in the country who could save you."
+
+"That gives me but little uneasiness," answered the old man. "You, I
+know, will not betray me; and, saving yourself, there is not a soul in
+the world knows what old Henner thinks in the midnight storm, when the
+wild hunter rides over his roof with his howling hounds. Fancy not that
+I rue the best act of my life. Nay, God and St. Christian be praised! I
+dread not the hour when I shall stand, with King Abel, before our
+Lord's judgment-seat. And yet, sir knight, it gives rise to strange
+thoughts, to have withdrawn a soul from mercy, and dispatched a sinner
+to everlasting punishment before his time. But it is the weakness of
+old age: I know it well. It is, besides, at night only that such
+thoughts come upon me. By day, when I look upon the bow, I feel proud
+that this hand once rescued Denmark from destruction. As I have said,
+it is only at night that my heart softens, and that I feel compassion
+for the sinner whom I slew."
+
+"Pray the God of mercy for his soul!" said the knight, with a feeling
+of uneasiness.
+
+"Nay, that can I not, sir drost--and it but little matters. What I
+could do for him, by the aid of a nervous arm, that I have done; but it
+is in vain--he is doomed to eternal misery. I drove a six-ells stake,
+of good charred oak, through his rotten carcase in the bog of Gottorp;
+but what availed that? The proud devil will not rest in the swamp, nor
+will he suffer others to sleep in peace. You have heard, no doubt, what
+is told about his night-hunts? Constantly, at midnight, he rides out,
+raven-black, on his courser, over Gottorp heath, with three fiery
+hell-hounds at his heels. God be praised! I have not seen it myself;
+but every midnight, be my sleep ever so sound, it whines and howls in
+my ears till I awake. Perhaps it is mere rumour and superstition, and
+perhaps it is but the blood which rushes to my head when I recline; but
+now, for three and thirty years, I have never been able to close an eye
+until two hours after the accursed midnight. And--hear you aught? Lord!
+how it howls and whines again!" He held both hands before his eyes, and
+shook his gray head in an uneasy and anxious manner.
+
+"Unhappy old man!" said the knight, "mayhap it is neither the blood nor
+the dead that disquiets you. I rather believe that there is a secret
+doubt in your honest heart of the justice of the deed, or that it was
+well-pleasing to God. Shrive yourself, in this matter, to a God-fearing
+clerk; and seek to make your peace with the Lord, (who, in truth, can
+alone give and take it away,) not only for the sake of the past, but
+also for what has happened to-day. It was not the Chamberlain Rané, but
+a greater man, that we both saw well, who had fixed upon your Aasé for
+his victim. I knew him, and so much the worse. Me, perhaps, he will
+spare, for prudential reasons; but he will not relinquish his object
+because he has once miscarried. It will be a serious matter with you,
+too, on account of the squire who lies in the dung-pit. I know but one
+course, old Henner: you must over the Belt with the maiden before it is
+day. Your house and goods may be sold afterwards. But proceed, without
+delay, to my warden at Harrestrup. I shall provide you with a letter to
+him, and he will direct you to my vacant hunting-lodge near Finnerup.
+There, both you and the little Aasé are safe. The wind is favourable.
+Take not too long to think of it."
+
+The old man had seated himself upon a bench: he leant with his elbows
+on the table, and his wrinkled forehead rested in his giant hands.
+
+"Well, I shall follow your advice, and accept your offer with respect
+and thanks, my illustrious young sir," said he at last, with decision,
+as he arose. "It is not for the sake of this gray head: were it doomed
+to fall beneath the axe, I should not take flight, in my old days, to
+escape the blow. But the maiden must be saved: she is the apple of my
+eye and my soul's joy--she is good and innocent. She does not yet
+understand her strange dreams. God grant they may never be fulfilled!
+She must be saved; and you are right--time presses. You have also
+pointed my way to peace, sir drost, and I will follow it. I shall bid
+good night to my worldly calling, and, in your hunting-lodge, reconcile
+myself to my God and Judge as best I can."
+
+With these words, he shook the knight's hand fervently, and went out,
+to make the necessary preparations for his departure.
+
+The drost hastily drew forth the sheet of parchment that he had been
+reading, tore off a portion on which there was no writing, and, with a
+silver style which he carried about him, wrote upon it a few words to
+his warden at Harrestrup-Gaard, near Viborg. Scarcely had he finished
+the brief epistle, before long-withstood weariness overpowered him. The
+style fell from his hand; his long, dark-haired eyelids closed in spite
+of him; and he leant back on the bench, until he rested against the
+wall. Seated in this manner, in a few minutes he was fast asleep, and
+was busied, apparently, in his dreams, with some dear and familiar
+object. The soft gleam of the nearly-expiring light fell on his
+youthful but strong and almost stern countenance, which now, however,
+was lit up with a kindly smile; while, in his right hand, he held a
+rosary of rubies, which he wore concealed about his neck, and to which
+was attached a solitary amber jewel, which had seemingly belonged
+to a lady's necklace. His left hand still rested firmly, and with a
+half-conscious carefulness, upon the parchment that lay open before him
+on the table.
+
+He was still securely slumbering in this position, when the door was
+gently opened, and a face peered in, which, though half concealed
+beneath a fisherman's shaggy cap, yet, with its thin, sandy beard and
+crafty features, betrayed the Chamberlain Rané. He was dressed entirely
+like a fisherman. He allowed the door to stand ajar, and, gliding
+noiselessly into the apartment, advanced on tiptoe to the table, where
+the knight's left hand still rested on the documents. After a
+scrutinising glance at the sleeper, his small gray eyes rested with
+curiosity upon the letter. He paused, and was about to slip it away;
+but the knight just then making a motion with his right hand, the
+artful spy hastily stepped back. He again approached carefully, looked
+upon the letter with strained attention, and turned pale when he saw
+his own name among a long list of others, in the open document, headed
+"Conspirators." He groped with one hand for a dagger, whose bright
+silver hilt projected from his breast-pocket; but appeared suddenly to
+restrain himself, as his eye fell upon the small slip addressed to the
+warden of Harrestrup. He seemed surprised on reading it, and, with a
+smile of triumph, went out as gently and cautiously as he had entered.
+
+Shortly after, Drost Peter awoke, completely refreshed by his short
+slumber, and heard, in the apartment, loud noise and laughter, the
+jingling of bells, and the tread of iron-heeled boots with clattering
+spurs. He opened his eyes, and beheld a strong, heavy, and somewhat
+corpulent personage, whose round, jovial countenance, and strong brown
+beard, bespoke him to be in the prime of life. With a pair of large
+gold spurs on his heels, he trod the paved apartment firmly, and,
+casting his mantle aside with a gentle motion of his arm, exposed a
+knight's magnificent dress, and a pair of glittering gold chains. He
+paced the apartment backwards and forwards, in lively conversation with
+two less elegantly attired knights, and a lanky, awkwardly-built
+personage, whose short jingling jacket, and peaked cap with a long
+fox's tail behind, denoted his rank as a jester.
+
+Surprised, the young drost seized the parchment document, which still
+lay open before him, and placed it hastily in his bosom. Thereupon he
+arose, and saluted the strangers with polite apologies that he had not
+sooner taken notice of them.
+
+"Do I see aright?" he said: "is it the highborn Count Gerhard of
+Holstein I have the honour to salute?"
+
+"Quite right, sir knight," answered the bluff, merry gentleman; "and,
+if I am not mistaken, you were my fortunate rival at the Swedish
+coronation tourney, last year--Sir Peter Hessel. Is it not so? and now,
+quite a drost, I hear?"
+
+The knight gave an affirmative, by modestly bowing.
+
+"You here behold a fortunate youth, my lords," continued Count Gerhard,
+turning to his companions: "this young gentleman can already boast of
+standing in higher favour at the Danish court than myself and some
+princely vassals of the blood. He wears the fair Queen Agnes' colours,
+and, as you perceive, watches over kingdom and country, like a true
+drost."
+
+The strange knights smiled, and the lanky jester made up a droll face,
+while he set his bells a-jingling, and bowed before the drost until his
+nose almost touched the ground, the fox's tail flying over his cap, and
+striking the knight on the hand.
+
+Drost Peter cast a careless look at the buffoon, and, with quiet
+self-possession, turned towards the princely lord. "The brave and wise
+Count Gerhard does not envy me the colours I wear," he began; "and, if
+you think I am not worthy of them, sir count, it is still open to you
+to settle the dispute; but only with sword and lance, and not with
+jeers and empty jinglings, or flaps from the fox-tail of your jester.
+Weariness, after unusual exertions, surprised me here for a moment. If,
+on this account, you think I am not so vigilant a servant of the king
+and country as beseems a drost, I nevertheless feel confident that I
+can vie in vigilance with you, or any gentleman of princely blood who
+calls himself a friend of the royal house of Denmark."
+
+"You understand a jest, then, fair Drost Hessel?" answered the count,
+with a good-natured smile. "It was far from my wish to offend such a
+man as you. Only, you must not be angry with me, that, with a sincere
+heart, I hate your good fortune with a certain lady, and envy your last
+prize at the tourney. I accept with pleasure your invitation to break a
+lance with you upon occasion, and will most heartily settle your
+disputed rank as the fairest lady's knight: not at all in enmity, sir
+drost, but in all friendliness, cheerfully and pleasantly, as it
+becomes brave and honourable knights to contend. Do not be offended
+with my long-legged old man there," he continued, pointing to the
+jester: "he has, at present, a privilege with me and my friends, and
+intended nothing amiss. With every respect for honour, I do not think
+it sits so loosely on either me or others, that a privileged fool can
+shake it off with a fox's tail. You might even stand in need of such a
+fellow. In these very serious times, it is certainly highly necessary
+that one should keep a fool to jest for him, when he can no longer jest
+himself. It is, besides, both comely and christian-like, I think, to
+remind us that we are all as fools before our Lord. Now peace and good
+understanding."
+
+As he concluded, he held forth his hand in a friendly manner, and the
+young knight accepted this token of reconciliation with joy. He now
+learned that Count Gerhard had just come over the Belt with his
+followers, on his way to Nyborg, to participate in the festivities at
+the Dane-court about to be held there. As Drost Peter was proceeding in
+the same direction, they soon agreed to travel in each other's company,
+and to start as soon as the count's followers had refreshed themselves.
+
+While the newly-arrived guests sat merrily down to the table, which was
+still abundantly furnished with what they required, Drost Peter left
+the apartment. He proceeded to the kitchen, where he found Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter, prepared for their journey; and, having
+given the old man his brief dispatch to the warden of Harrestrup, he
+hastened their flight.
+
+Old Henner had now his weapons and armour brought him, and quietly and
+thoughtfully equipped himself. With the long spear in his hand, the
+Frisian hempen mail on his breast, and the old rusty steel bow in a
+leather thong upon his back, he then took the young knight by the hand,
+to bid him adieu, and pressed it fervently, without saying a word. With
+tears in her dark eyes, the little Aasé seized the drost's hand, and
+pressed it to her lips, unable to say more than, "Thanks, sir knight.
+Farewell!" He patted her kindly on the cheek, and now first perceived
+the maiden's singular beauty, and that blending of dignity and
+childlike simplicity, which caused her countenance to beam with so much
+intelligence.
+
+Claus Skirmen, also, seemed to expect a tender parting with Aasé. He
+had assumed a fearless air, not to appear moved, or to betray what was
+secretly passing in his heart; but she drove him, with her mantle,
+playfully towards his master, while she dried her eyes, and skipped out
+of the kitchen.
+
+Before sunrise, Drost Peter, with Count Gerhard and his followers, rode
+merrily away through the streets of Middelfert. Claus Skirmen followed
+on his norback, along with the count's most grave jester. The bold
+young squire looked once more in the direction of the quay. There stood
+the armourer Troels, among a number of burghers and porpoise-hunters,
+all silently and earnestly regarding a little skiff, which was making
+way, with a favourable wind, across the Belt, and from which Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter still beckoned them a friendly farewell.
+
+It was a beautiful spring morning. A light mist hovered upon the
+meadows. Bright dew-pearls trembled glitteringly in the dawn, on the
+slender cobwebs, amidst the newly-sprung bushes by the road-side. The
+knights had arrived at a height just beyond Middelfert. The sun now
+arose directly before them, enlivening the magnificent landscape, while
+a thousand larks poured forth their lively songs overhead.
+
+As the travellers rode leisurely along, the better to enjoy the
+charming scene, a tall, lanky horseman galloped swiftly past them: he
+was dressed as a fisherman, with a large hairy cap drawn over his eyes.
+The knights had not taken much notice of him; but Claus Skirmen rode
+hastily up to his master. "That was Chamberlain Rané, sir drost!" he
+said, eagerly: "his sharp fox's nose stuck out beneath his cap. Shall I
+after him?"
+
+"It is not requisite," answered Drost Peter, knitting his brows. "If he
+travels this way, we shall meet him, time enough, at Nyborg."
+
+"But, should _he_ speak first with the king, sir, you know well how it
+will go."
+
+"That I know very well," answered the drost: "let him ride on."
+
+The young squire was silent, and discreetly returned to his former
+station, behind his master and his distinguished companions.
+
+"A magnificent country!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, surveying, with
+delight, the shining, fragrant meadows, which, gilded by the morning
+sun, lay beautifully extended before his happy, cheerful eyes.
+
+"Truly so," answered Drost Peter, with a melancholy seriousness. "Were
+the people as happy as the land is fair and pleasant to behold, Denmark
+were still a terrestrial paradise. But we have come into the world a
+few generations too late, noble count. It was quite other times to
+those who lived in the youthful days of Waldemar Seier, or in the days
+of his exalted father."
+
+"Not only is the land the same, sir drost," said the count, "but the
+people, at bottom, are also the same. Let only a great Waldemar once
+more arise among you, and you will have the renowned old days again.
+The glory you now deplore made many eyes overflow, in the time of my
+brave ancestors; and we counts of Holstein have no great reason to
+desire a renewal of their splendour. Yet I were but an indifferent
+knight, if I did not admire these glorious times; and I do not blame
+any Dane who regrets them. But what say you of our young Prince
+Erik--the little king, as we may already call him? I know he has you
+for his instructor in the art of arms, and he ought to be half a knight
+already."
+
+"On him now repose my hopes, and those of every Danish heart," replied
+the drost; "and, if it please God, we shall not be ashamed of it. Allow
+time for the bud to expand, and I promise you, at least, that none in
+the land shall do a cowardly or unrighteous deed with impunity: and
+that is much. Denmark, to be happy, requires at all times a great man
+upon the throne. The glorious days that it would be imperishable honour
+to win, I do not expect to be brought about in our times. A hundred
+years hence, and perhaps no one will remember the names we now hear
+most frequently at the court of Denmark; but the pillars that support a
+tottering throne stand not there in vain, though they may be hidden
+beneath its ruins, and forgotten."
+
+"Whom do you reckon among the pillars, then, sir drost, besides
+yourself?" inquired Count Gerhard, in a half-jocular tone, and as if
+unwilling to enter too deeply into a conversation so serious, that did
+not comport with his habitual careless gaiety.
+
+"I regret that I cannot yet number myself among the meritorious men of
+the country, and deserving adherents of the royal house," replied the
+young drost, modestly; "but, should I live to become as old and
+sagacious as our brave John Little, as stout and bold as David
+Thorstenson or Benedict Rimaardson, and as wise as the prior of
+Antvorskov, our learned Master Martin, I should hope to earn a name
+that, in our times, at least, no friend of Denmark and the Danish
+monarchy should forget."
+
+"In troth, four brave and able men are those," replied the count. "And
+yet, I have heard say that old Sir John is a stern, hard-hearted
+taskmaster."
+
+"He is a strict and upright man, and must, therefore, in such lax and
+lawless times, hear of much wickedness," said the drost, zealously. "He
+holds by law and justice, and makes no distinction between the peasant
+and the prelate. But whilst he is stern and bold, he is also sagacious
+and prudent: he effected the reconciliation with Archbishop Jacob, and
+relieved the country from ban and interdict--he was umpire in the
+dispute for the Swedish crown, and told King Magnus some hard
+truths--and he was not afraid to take part against his own king when,
+last year, he was judge respecting the inheritance of the princesses. A
+more upright and able man you cannot show me in Denmark."
+
+"Now, indeed, I know that he is your pattern of a statesman," replied
+the count, with a smile; "and I have a great regard for the man. But
+the learned gentleman you mention, you must admit, with all his piety
+and wisdom, to be a great fool, nevertheless. I can readily believe
+that he is a great theologian and philosopher; but when he comes with
+his antiquities and his logicorum, or whatever it is called, he does
+not concern himself about those he may be talking to, and, with his
+learning, almost drives laymen crazy. Come hither, Daddy Longlegs: thou
+canst show us how the learned gentleman behaves himself--him we saw
+with the Count of Hennegau last year--he who had come straight from
+Paris, and who had made the learned discovery--Master Morten Mogesen."
+
+"Magister Martinus de Dacia, surnamed Magni Filius, which signifies
+'Son of the Great,'" said the half-learned jester, pedantically. "No
+learned man would condescend to call himself Master Morten Mogesen,
+after having once passed to the other side of the isthmus." Here he
+suddenly assumed the grave demeanour of a schoolman, drew himself up,
+and spoke in a kind of mysterious whisper.
+
+"Capital! there we have the man exactly!" exclaimed the count,
+laughing.
+
+Maintaining the same posture, the jester began a discourse, full of
+logical terms, on the importance of adequately understanding the
+Martinian modi significandi in logica.[12]
+
+The complete caricature of the famous Master Martin's entire mode and
+manner, as well as of his voice and countenance, amused Count Gerhard
+exceedingly: he held his sides, and laughed until tears ran from his
+eyes. The two young knights belonging to his train also laughed
+immoderately; and Drost Peter smiled in spite of himself,
+notwithstanding that the jest highly displeased and vexed him.
+
+"I must confess, sir count," he said, gravely, as soon as the general
+laughter permitted him to speak, "your jester perfectly understands how
+to make sensible people ridiculous, by imitating and exaggerating their
+personal defects and foibles, excluding, however, whatever is worthy
+and honourable in their character, which grimacing cannot counterfeit.
+In my young days, this was called making faces at people, and, as a
+malicious kind of waggery, was rewarded with a switch and a sound
+drubbing. The famous Master Martin is my preceptor and confessor; and
+those who, after this explanation, continue to jeer or find fault with
+him, were it even yourself, illustrious count, shall have to do with
+me, as long as I can move an arm or raise my knightly sword."
+
+"Now, you must permit me to indulge my humour at your own expense, sir
+drost," replied the count, still laughing. "Are people in Denmark such
+barbarians, that they have neither sense to enjoy the frank mimic art
+themselves, nor allow others to be amused with it? What signify to me
+your learned confessor's virtues, when I require only his follies to
+promote my health and exercise my lungs in an innocent, good-natured
+manner? If, indeed, we must fall out about that, sir knight, at the
+proper time and place it will afford me an excellent joke; but as I
+never fight for trifles in the morning, or upon an empty stomach, we
+can, if it please you, defer it until we have had dinner at Odense. In
+the meanwhile, let me assure you that I have a great esteem for your
+learned Master Martin, and heartily believe him to be a worthy and
+distinguished man."
+
+"Whom I honour and esteem, I can never make a jest of," replied Drost
+Peter, zealously. "It may, perhaps, be the fashion in other countries;
+but, praise to God, we Danes do not yet understand it."
+
+"That is, indeed, a fault with all of you," replied the count; "and
+therefore you are often, with injustice, regarded as simple-minded,
+although, in fact, it is only the want of a gay, light humour. You are,
+in consequence, as much one-sided in your praise as in your blame.
+Human nature is not yet perfect. It promotes truth, and nourishes
+humility, when one has an eye for the defective as well as for the
+excellent, as they lie in heaps in this fair, comical world. I know no
+one who has not his folly and his ridiculous side: with the most
+distinguished men, this is the more perceptible; and my best friends
+may perceive that I laugh at what is ridiculous in them, while I
+respect their virtues as they deserve. The same freedom I allow to
+every one who knows me; and, should you ever feel disposed to laugh at
+my expense, you will see that it does not annoy me. Come, Daddy
+Longlegs, show this gentleman how I behave myself when seriousness
+turns me crazy."
+
+The jester bowed upon his horse in a respectful manner, and then
+assumed a comical expression of great good humour, which speedily
+passed from laughter to the deepest earnestness, and, from that, to the
+most uncontrollable fury. To carry out this farce in a fitting manner,
+he drew his wooden sword, and attacked the company, without
+distinction, like a madman.
+
+"Hold, hold! Enough, Longlegs! You will drive our horses wild, and that
+will be confoundedly bad," shouted the count, reining in his steed with
+difficulty, while he laughed, and rubbed his left arm, upon which the
+jester had dealt him a blow.
+
+"If this be the way in which people divert themselves at your court,
+sir count, I have not more to complain of than yourself," said Drost
+Peter, laughing; "but still, you have not convinced me of the propriety
+of your singular amusement."
+
+Jesting in this friendly manner, they continued their journey to
+Odense, where Count Gerhard and the knights were to dine. When they
+recommenced their journey towards Nyborg, in the afternoon, their
+little difference appeared to be altogether forgotten. The count and
+Drost Peter had now become such good friends, that they had sent their
+followers in advance, to be able to discourse together more freely, and
+without interruption. Their conversation was of the Dane-court, which
+was to be held on the following day at Nyborg, and respecting the
+unhappy dispute with Duke Waldemar, who had laid claim to the entire
+kingdom, and insisted upon his heirship to Alsen and many of the crown
+possessions.
+
+"For my part, they may decide the matter to-morrow as they please,"
+said Count Gerhard, with apparent indifference; "but, if you would know
+my opinion, sir drost, I must honestly confess that I consider the
+young duke to be in the right, so long as he only demands his
+ancestorial fief intact, and does not aim at higher objects. The son
+can never forget what his father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, was
+obliged to undergo. His right of succession to the dukedom was
+unquestionable; but he was feasted with empty promises, until, at
+length, he became maddened, and appealed to the umpire which every
+prince and knight carries by his side. I do not blame him for that;
+but, that he became a pious hang-the-head when that miscarried, and
+died of vexation in a cloister, was stupid. The manner in which they
+have since treated the son, you cannot defend; for it is unnecessary.
+Had you been well advised in time, it would never have happened."
+
+"But you must, nevertheless, confess that it was in the highest degree
+unjust, and a matchless piece of foolhardiness," interrupted Drost
+Peter, warmly.
+
+"I know what you would say," continued the count; "but the one
+injustice has now taken the other by the tail. Duke Waldemar, as the
+king's ward by compulsion, might have grown old and gray before he
+could obtain a foot of land of his ancestor's fief, had he not, while a
+youth, taken the bull by the horns, and manfully insisted upon his
+rights. He managed the matter bravely, and it might now be amicably
+settled. But why do they continue, so meanly and pitifully, to irritate
+him, and withhold the beggarly islets from him? Hence the entire
+misfortune. But for this injustice, he would scarcely have opened his
+mouth so wide, and threatened to swallow the whole of Denmark. Now he
+is of age, and has become too strong for you: he is haughty and
+unmanageable, and you must beware how you hold out the rod to him.
+These are troublous times, sir drost. The discontent of the nobles
+happens opportunely for the duke. But do not let us any longer think on
+these perplexing matters. I do not mix myself up in state affairs, so
+long as I am left in peace. I am going, as I said, to the Dane-court,
+to amuse myself, and to see the charming Queen Agnes; and that, you
+must confess, is a fair and legitimate object for my journey."
+
+At the last turn which the count gave to the conversation, Drost Peter
+blushed, and appeared to hesitate. "The homage you would pay our noble
+queen, sir count," he began, gravely, "she most truly deserves, and no
+one can blame you that you do not yield in courtesy to any of our
+Danish chivalry; but, that you travel to the Danish court for that
+purpose alone, I cannot credit. If you intend to support Duke
+Waldemar's audacious demands, consider it well. The independence of the
+crown and kingdom is at stake. If they do not allow the matter to be
+legally settled by umpires, and if both sides are not contented with
+such an arrangement, a sanguinary civil war is to be apprehended."
+
+"As I have already told you, sir drost, I do not in any way mix myself
+up in these state affairs. Is it certain, then, that the whole court,
+with the fair and lovely queen, is at Nyborg?"
+
+"That, at least, was the determination," replied Drost Peter, coldly,
+feeling much annoyed by the count's frankness, which he appeared to
+consider as injurious to the queen's person and the royal house. "I
+think it singular, sir count," he continued, with suppressed
+indignation, "that you should express so unreservedly what every
+discreet knight and admirer of beauty is wont only to display in his
+colours or on his shield; especially in a case like this, where
+knightly homage has its narrow and prescribed limits. I cannot
+reconcile this extreme admiration for the fair with your affliction as
+a widower."
+
+"I have, in general, a quiet and contented mind, sir drost," replied
+the count, carelessly; "and that accounts for it, you may be assured. I
+contract my narrow world more than is consistent with my health and
+happiness. What pleases or displeases me I can make no secret of, least
+of all before friends; and if you find any singularity or amusement in
+that, you are welcome. I am glad when I can reconcile my pleasures with
+those of others."
+
+"But this candour and amusement of your's, sir count, I consider as
+offensive to the exalted lady whose colours I bear with profound
+respect, as well as to my master and king himself; and you must excuse
+me, if I venture to disturb your calm and happy humour."
+
+"So, so!" interrupted the count, suddenly changing his air of
+indifference for one of the utmost sternness. "Is that the case? Now I
+know what I have to expect, and shall be at your service immediately,
+as I promised you in the morning. But, first, I will make my candour
+intelligible, sir drost. If you come in harness against me, for my
+undisguised attachment to your exalted mistress, I shall only see
+established the truth of certain unintelligible rumours, which you are
+probably as well acquainted with as I am."
+
+"Rumours?" rejoined the young drost, becoming fiery red: "if they are
+rumours that sully my own honour, or that of a more exalted personage,
+they are liars and slanderers who utter them, and shameless niddings
+who credit them."
+
+"What respects the exalted lady who suffers most from these rumours,"
+returned the count, with a look of fire, "I am far from believing. But,
+as regards you, my young high-flying gentleman, I have reason now to
+believe that the height to which fortune has carried you has made you
+somewhat giddy, and that the eagle on your crest spreads his wings so
+wide that they stand in need of clipping."
+
+Drost Peter became pale with indignation, and grasped his sword.
+
+"I might choose other means to bring you back to reflection, and to
+awake you from a mad and perilous dream," continued the enraged count:
+"you walk, with closed eyes, upon a precipice. I need only mention your
+name, at the proper time and place, to see you fall headlong; but I
+dream, in a manner, the same dream myself. I readily admit that, in me,
+it is a folly, leading only to a bedlam: but that is my affair. My
+madness is still, at least, disinterested; and I do not use it as a
+degrading means of soaring aloft by a woman's favour. I have not yet,
+like you, brought our noble mistress into evil repute, by improper
+familiarities before the eyes of others. As her true knight and
+defender, I intend now to chastise your insolence. My sword is drawn,
+sir drost--defend yourself!"
+
+Like two flashing beams, the swords of both knights descended and met.
+They fought long, with the greatest ardour, but with about equal skill,
+without either being able to inflict on the other any considerable
+wound. After a time, Drost Peter recovered his self-possession, and his
+blows did not fall so fast, but were better directed. On the other
+hand, Count Gerhard's arm and shoulder bled; and, becoming furious, he
+struck so wildly about him, in all directions, that the most skilful
+swordsman could not reckon on parrying all his blows. Drost Peter was
+already bleeding from several wounds, and his strength began to fail
+him; but now his infuriated antagonist, meaning to inflict a mortal
+wound in his neck, laid himself entirely open. The wounded knight
+dexterously availed himself of this critical moment, and suddenly
+disarmed the count, at the same time wounding him deeply in the breast,
+when Gerhard fell back on his horse, and the sword dropped from his
+hand. Scarcely had the decisive stroke been given, ere Drost Peter,
+springing from his horse, came to his antagonist's assistance; but,
+before he could reach him, the count sank, fainting, from the saddle.
+
+Like a practised chirurgeon, Drost Peter immediately sought for the
+wound, and found it deep, but not mortal. He took the necessary
+bandages, and a healing salve, which he usually carried at his
+saddle-bow, and, when the count again opened his eyes, he found himself
+bound up most carefully. His rage had disappeared, and his countenance
+again assumed its gay good humour.
+
+"It was, in truth, a warm tussle, that had not much fun in it," he
+said. "I have besmeared you vilely, drost. Your wounds bleed freely,
+and yet you have bound mine first. That is more than I could have
+expected from a rival. Suffer me now to do you a similar service: or
+can you do it yourself? I am a bad hand at it." He would have risen,
+but fell back with faintness.
+
+"Your wound is tolerably deep, but not dangerous, noble count," said
+Drost Peter: "when you have somewhat recovered your strength, I shall
+assist you to your saddle. I think, indeed, we may reach Nyborg, if we
+travel gently. You have so hacked and hewed me, right and left,
+contrary to all rule, that I shall have enough to do to patch all the
+slits. But they are nothing to signify. The chink in the neck
+incommodes me the most: I believe you had a special wish to behead me."
+
+"Naturally enough," replied the count; "unless, indeed, the head had
+not supplanted me with the fair lady, in whose honour we shall now
+present ourselves, like live hashed-meat, at the Dane-court. I have
+not, however, cut you so deep in the neck, but that your head can sit
+steadily. And, now that I think of it, it was but an absurd, confounded
+rumour we quarrelled about. You have hewed me altogether so bravely,
+that I cannot longer believe any ill of you."
+
+Drost Peter had, in the meantime, bound a linen cloth about his
+bleeding neck, and, for this purpose, had been obliged to unloose the
+ruby rosary to which the amber bead was attached. With a quiet smile,
+he held out the trinket to his wounded antagonist.
+
+"In my own justification, I shall inform you, excellent Count Gerhard,
+that this pearl is a love-token from my future wife. I have not
+seen her, indeed, since she played with dolls, and I myself rode a
+cock-horse; but still she is my destined bride: I promised this, with
+childish thoughtlessness, to my dying father. She now only presents
+herself to my mind as an innocent, angelic child--a half-forgotten
+vision. Perhaps I shall not be able to love her when I again see her.
+Nevertheless, to none other shall I give my hand; and, by my knightly
+honour, I am not conscious of any faithlessness to her. What I feel
+towards our common exalted mistress is only admiration and chivalrous
+respect, which neither love nor hate shall deprive me of."
+
+"Here is my hand!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, heartily. "We two are
+trusty friends in life and in death. He who, from this day forward,
+says an evil word of Drost Peter Hessel, shall have his nose and ears
+hacked off by me, as sure as my name is Count Gerhard."
+
+Drost Peter heartily reciprocated his warm grasp, and assisted him upon
+his horse. He then sprang quickly into his own saddle, and, with
+friendly interchange of confidence, the wounded knights leisurely
+continued their journey.
+
+It was late in the evening as they approached Nyborg. They were riding
+northward, between Helletoft and Sprotoft, where the road leads to the
+town, which, however, could not yet be seen, on account of the great
+wood of oak and beech which concealed it from the land side. It was a
+fine, clear, spring evening. The waning moon had just risen, and
+lighted up the knotted oaks, with their still naked branches; while the
+newly-blossomed beeches formed, as it were, over the travellers, the
+arches of a peaceful temple. The warm combat and its consequences, as
+well as the friendly relations that had since been established between
+the knights, rendered them thoughtful, and they now rode in silence
+through the wood, busied, seemingly, with their own reflections, while,
+from the adjacent copse, the thrilling notes of the nightingale fell
+upon their ears.
+
+"But how far are we now from the town? I thought we had been in its
+vicinity," said Count Gerhard, at length, a little impatiently, under
+the smarting of his wound. "Another time, perhaps, you may put a better
+edge upon your sword, Drost Peter: it will tear the flesh less, and go
+a little deeper. I cannot bear to be scratched to death."
+
+"Had it gone a finger's-breadth deeper, noble count, we had not heard
+the nightingales together this evening," replied Drost Peter. "But, God
+and our lady be praised! there is no danger, and the wound will not
+trouble you long, if you be only a little careful. I know my salve: it
+is from Henrik Harpestrĉng's prescription."
+
+"May your words prove true," returned the count. "He certainly spread
+the plaster for Waldemar Seier's eye. But how shall I manage in this
+plight?" he continued, somewhat annoyed: "I shall not be able to show
+myself at the palace in this figure, like a ruffled cock, and I am not
+much acquainted with the town. Is there an ordinary inn?"
+
+"Of inns there is no lack, noble sir. Since the Dane-court has been
+held here so frequently, the little town has been wonderfully extended.
+But, since you cannot go wounded to the palace, to frighten all the
+queen's fair maids, accept of a lodging and attendance with me."
+
+"With you, drost bachelor? When, then, did you turn citizen, and become
+a Nyborg housekeeper?"
+
+"Last year, if you will, though on a small scale. In my position, you
+know, I have scarcely a home anywhere. My ancestral seat, at
+Harrestrup, I rare see once a year. When the court is at Rypen, I
+reside with the prince in the palace; but that is seldom long. When
+here, I lodge alone. The palace can scarcely accommodate the numerous
+princely lords who here assemble for the Dane-court. I have, therefore,
+followed the example of the last drost, and, like Knight John, built
+for myself a good stone house, by the Nordre-Dam. There, I am near the
+court and palace, in the midst of the counsellors and king's tenants,
+and yet my own master."
+
+"Ay, that is well. I am your guest, then, without farther ceremony. And
+since, after the good old fashion, you understand how to heal as well
+as how to break the skin, it could not have happened better."
+
+"It is certainly the last time this hand shall perform such a piece of
+surgery on you," replied Drost Peter, holding out a friendly hand to
+his companion. "Meantime, you must accept of a bachelor's
+accommodation. I am not much versed in housekeeping; but my old
+foster-mother, Dorothy, is well skilled in it. I intended, previously,
+to be your host to-night, and my squire has taken care to provide an
+entertainment."
+
+"A goblet of potent wine," said the count, "is needful after such a
+bloodletting."
+
+"That is not exactly in accordance with old Master Henrik's
+receipt-book; but, still, with your strong constitution, I think you
+may venture it."
+
+"A fig for your receipt-book and old Master Henrik! He was only a
+clerk: what should he understand of the constitution of a count of
+Holstein? Wine I can bear, were I even lying in extreme unction, like
+my blessed father--God rest his soul! I shall not die, as long as I can
+swallow a good draught of wine, nor shall a heart-sore of any kind ever
+overcome me. There are not, indeed, many people who get fat upon
+unfortunate love," he added, with a light sigh; "but still, with wine
+and a jester, one may succeed. I may not be able to boast of my success
+in love, yet, as you may perceive, I am in good condition."
+
+"You still sorrow, then, over the death of your young wife," said Drost
+Peter, sympathisingly; "that I could well see."
+
+"Sorrow! Who dares to say that I sorrow?" interrupted the count. "When
+any one grieves at my court, I give my fool permission to bang him with
+cats'-tails. Now, since you are my trusty friend," he continued, "I
+shall tell you how matters stand with me. Had I seen the Danish
+queen before last year, I had still been a bachelor perhaps, not a
+widower--and I had never wooed a Swedish princess. It is accursed state
+policy that makes almost every prince a fool; but I had the reward I
+merited. The princess found the Holstein count too poor to live with,
+and so she died; and all the honour I have gained is that of being
+son-in-law to a fool of an ex-king, whom any Danish knight could tear
+into shreds, and who is now running about from land to land, like a
+madman, along with a bastard woman."
+
+For some time they rode along in silence.
+
+"No one can have great respect for your unfortunate father-in-law,"
+said Drost Peter, thoughtfully, as he dwelt, in imagination, on the
+Swedish King Waldemar's dethronement. "He did no honour to his great
+name, it is true; but, still, he was king of Sweden, by law and right.
+To me, it is a sad thought, that the unfortunate example has been set
+to other nations, of a crowned and anointed king being so overthrown.
+It was one of our proud Stig Andersen's doings; and therein he exceeded
+the king's mandate and authority. The Swedish people will not better
+themselves by the bargain: for a weak and sensual, but a good-natured,
+and, at times, even a devout king, they have taken a strong and
+prudent, but a fierce and sanguinary tyrant. For the despised log, they
+have taken a hydra. King Magnus has now taught them, with his
+headsman's axe, that no Swedish knight carries his head so high, that
+he may not strike it off."
+
+"An able king is the Swedish Magnus--that you must, nevertheless,
+admit," replied the count. "I do not boast of him because he is my
+brother-in-law; but this I know, that he is not called Magnus, or
+Ladislaus, in vain. If he does, at times, strike off the heads of some
+of the haughty great ones, still the small have reason to extol him: he
+has put locks upon their doors in earnest, and suffers not petty
+tyrants to rule where he sways the sceptre."
+
+"There you are right, Count Gerhard. He thinks that one great tyrant is
+quite enough for Sweden, and, with your and Queen Hedwig's permission,
+that he himself should be the man. Matters are not yet come to this
+extremity in Denmark, however bad they may be; but if Stig Andersen and
+his friends were at liberty to dethrone and set up kings at their
+pleasure, you would soon see in what a sea of blood we should swim."
+
+With such conversation, they arrived at the town-gate, where they were
+stopped by an armed burgher, who, in the governor's name, sternly,
+demanded, who they were, and whither they were going. As soon as Drost
+Peter had announced his own name and that of Count Gerhard of Holstein,
+the stern officer made a profound bow, but still reminded the
+distinguished travellers of the seventh article in the civic law of
+Nyborg.
+
+"Good," replied the drost: "it is right to remind us thereof." And they
+rode on without hindrance.
+
+"They must be very strict here," said the count, "when the drost
+himself must be reminded of the law. What have their tiresome bye-laws
+to do with us?"
+
+"It was in his orders," answered Drost Peter. "No stranger must here
+carry his weapon farther than to his inn; and every traveller must be
+apprised of this. The presence of the king, and of the numerous
+strangers, render such a precaution necessary. Of what use are strict
+laws, unless they are enforced? The man did not know me; but he knew
+that I do not suffer myself to be made an exception in these matters."
+
+"The plague! Are we prisoners of war here, in the midst of peace? This
+is ridiculous!" exclaimed the count. "Is the monstrous Riben bye-law in
+force here? God preserve us from the Ribe-Ret! as we say in Kiel."
+
+"Let us not talk too loud about this, noble count," replied Drost
+Peter, riding closer up to him, while he continued, in a subdued tone:
+"it is truly a great misfortune, when the law itself renders its
+transgression necessary. What has made the Ribe-Ret to be so decried
+there, has here, in part, fallen into disuse. In some points, however,
+the bye-laws here are too severe, and almost cruel. If it please God,
+in due time it shall be otherwise."
+
+They now rode past the old Lady Kirk, which, with its lofty spire,
+stood in a green space, called Helletoft, where also stood several
+separate buildings, in the same Gothic style as the church, with
+pointed gables and small round windows.
+
+"Who lives here?" inquired the count: "it looks as still and dreary as
+a convent."
+
+"Here abide the clerks and vergers of Our Lady's Kirk," answered Drost
+Peter. "If you yearn after life and merriment, they will not be wanting
+here, when we pass to the palace. There are twice as many people in the
+town now as there are at other times, and, on such occasions, the mead
+and strong ale are not stinted. Fighting and disorder follow as a
+consequence; but these are, perhaps, looked after with greater
+vigilance, and punished with more severity, than is requisite. Those
+armed fellows you see there are the governor's people: they, too, will
+probably stop us."
+
+It happened as Drost Peter had surmised: the travellers found their
+horses seized by six armed burghers, who demanded whether they did not
+know the bye-law, that they rode armed. Upon the drost's explanation,
+that they had just entered the town, and were riding to their dwelling,
+they were allowed to proceed; followed, however, by three of the strict
+officials, to watch their motions.
+
+"Here the king should be secure enough," whispered the count, much
+annoyed. "The fellows look upon us as if they suspected a traitor in
+every stranger."
+
+"Unfortunately, there is reason for it, noble count; but here we are
+accustomed to it. It disturbs no burgher's merriment. Hear you, now,
+how they are singing there, by the old stone house with the pointed
+gable? It is the burgher-watch of the Town-hall. Now they are drinking
+the king's health."
+
+"There are not a few. Has Nyborg so many burghers?"
+
+"These are only a third part of them. The rest are on guard at the
+palace. The king has not more devoted subjects. He has also done much
+for the town, and specially favours it. Were he not in greater security
+here than elsewhere, the Dane-court would be removed to some other
+town, and then there would be an end to Nyborg's prosperity."
+
+They now rode past the palace. It was a strong building, of
+considerable extent, with four wings, built of free-stone and burnt
+bricks, and protected by a massive wall, a deep moat, and four lofty
+turrets. From the small round windows streamed the light of numerous
+torches, and the music of flutes and violins was audible. A promiscuous
+crowd was in motion outside the walls, but without much noise, and with
+an order and gentleness amounting almost to anxiety, whilst the armed
+officials went to and fro, frequently exhorting them to quietness.
+
+"What is to be seen here?" inquired the count.
+
+"Over the wall there may be seen the dancing in the knights' saloon,"
+replied Drost Peter.
+
+Count Gerhard became attentive: he observed a tall, majestic female
+figure flit past the middle window, and he stopped his horse.
+
+"The queen!--see, the queen!" he heard the curious spectators whisper
+to one another.
+
+"It is the duke she is dancing with," said one.
+
+"Nay, that it is not: it is the handsome young Drost Hessel. Look, how
+proud he dances! Lofty thoughts he has, you may trow," exclaimed
+another.
+
+"Come, noble count," said Drost Peter, hastily, "let us not get into
+the crowd, with our unruly horses. We are now close to my dwelling."
+
+They rode on a little way, and stopped at a dark-looking house, where,
+on the high stone steps, stood a squire, bearing a torch.
+
+"You are arrived at last, sir," cried Claus Skirmen, springing towards
+him with the torch. "Has any mischance befallen you? I ventured not to
+disobey your commands by leaving the house myself; but I have sent all
+the servants out in search of you."
+
+"We have had a little encounter with a pair of hasty young knights on
+our way," said Drost Peter, "and my noble guest has been somewhat
+severely wounded. Assist him carefully from his horse. Is all in
+order?"
+
+"As you have commanded, sir. But are you not also wounded? Shall I
+bring a surgeon?"
+
+"That is unnecessary, so long as you and I are here. We would have no
+talk about the matter. Attend only to the count."
+
+Not without wincing and sundry oaths did the wounded Count Gerhard
+dismount from his horse, and ascend the high stone steps, where his two
+knights and the lanky jester received him with sympathising attentions.
+
+"A truce with condolences," said the count. "I am both bound and
+salved. Let me only get to table, and have something to live on."
+
+Claus Skirmen went hastily forwards, and conducted the count, through
+an ante-room, into a spacious vaulted apartment, where stood a covered
+table, with tall wax-lights, and well garnished with provisions and
+bright silver wine-flagons.
+
+Count Gerhard regarded these preparations with satisfaction, and
+immediately threw himself into a chair; and, the better to seat
+himself, he released his sword from its belt. As he held it in his
+hand, he recollected the intimation he had received at the city-gate.
+
+"'Sdeath!" he said, "if we must behave as you say, sir drost, we must
+now, like prisoners of war, hand you over our weapons, since you are
+host."
+
+"Now, indeed," replied Drost Peter, "it is well you recollected it;
+for, truth to say, I had forgotten it; and, if I had not, I should have
+been forced to request you to do so."
+
+"But if now I should not obey the mandate," inquired the count, "what
+are the consequences?"
+
+"If you were ignorant of the law, and by a solemn oath could pledge
+yourself to that effect, the penalty is only a mark-penny to the
+governor, and one to the town. The same penalty is inflicted on the
+housekeeper who does not inform his guest of the law."
+
+
+"But, now that I know this stupid ordinance, and yet will not allow
+myself to be disarmed, what great misfortune follows?"
+
+"Without being displeased, allow me to answer you in the words of the
+law itself, Count Gerhard. 'If the guest is reminded, and wears his
+weapon nevertheless,' it says, 'then, with the same spear, sword, or
+knife, shall he be run through.'"
+
+"Oh, what a mischance! Not through the heart or gizzard?"
+
+"Through the hand, noble count. There hangs the table of the law: you
+can read it yourself."
+
+"The devil take such stupidities! There lies my sword. You do the same,
+gentlemen." With these words Count Gerhard cast his sword into a
+corner. His knights followed his example.
+
+Drost Peter took his own sword, and placed it by the side of the
+others. "I must submit to the same law," he said, with a courteous bow;
+"and I hope, my honoured guests, that you will not think ill of me, on
+account of its strictness here. Be seated, gentlemen, and let us be
+merry."
+
+This invitation to merriment was supported by the jester, who had
+already seated himself, and now arose with a look of the most grave
+importance. He approached Drost Peter with solemn step, and, with a
+deep bow, handed him his wooden sword. "Take care of that, honoured sir
+host," he said: "it is the famous sword Tyrfing, which cannot be
+unsheathed without shedding blood. Look to it, that it does no mischief
+in this excellent city."
+
+Drost Peter handed him his sword back again, as a mark of honour, at
+which they all laughed heartily, and took their places in the heavy,
+high-backed oaken chairs. The articles of silver, and the costly table
+appointments, testified that they were in the house of a person of
+opulence. Of male attendants, and supple pages, there was no lack; and
+yet it appeared extraordinary, that the polished floor was not swept,
+and that the dust lay thick on the backs of the chairs, and upon the
+window-sills.
+
+"Where is old Dorothy?" asked Drost Peter of the squire, whilst Count
+Gerhard and the strangers were engaged with the viands. "She was wont
+to keep the house as bright as a shield."
+
+"Alas, that is true, sir," answered Skirmen; "but poor Dorothy
+Brushbroom has gone quite crazy. She took a little bit of lead from a
+window of Our Lady's Kirk, to cure a girl who was bewitched. She has
+been thrown into the thieves' hole, and, it is said, will be sentenced
+to-morrow."
+
+"God pity her!" exclaimed Drost Peter, warmly, rising from the table.
+"The unfortunate creature!"
+
+"What is the matter, my worthy host?" inquired Count Gerhard. "Has
+anything disastrous happened in the house? With wife and child I know
+you are not embarrassed. What household sorrow, then, can thus trouble
+a bachelor?"
+
+"A greater affliction than any one trows," answered Drost Peter. "I
+have an old trusty nurse: she has loved and been with me since I was
+quite a child. She is a true affectionate soul, who would readily die
+for me. She is the best wife in the world, and has kept house for me
+with the greatest order and trustworthiness; but her head is filled
+with stories of goblins, witches, and dwarfs; and, as soon as any one
+is taken ill, she believes, in the simplicity of her heart, that they
+have seen the elfin-king, or have been bewitched by Nixes, and then
+will she have a remedy of holy church lead, or such-like singular
+means. Now she is taken and imprisoned for a bit of metal that cannot
+be worth a doit. The poor creature!"
+
+Some of the gentlemen smiled, and the jester made one of his droll
+faces.
+
+"Now, what great misfortune is there in this?" inquired Count Gerhard.
+"The bit of lead you can outweigh with a silver penny. The old soul
+will be released in a day or two, and, in the meantime, another may
+sweep your floor."
+
+"It is death to her, Count Gerhard, even if it had not happened in the
+church. You are not aware of the laws of Nyborg. Every man who is
+guilty of theft is hanged; but a woman is buried alive."
+
+"And are you all mad, then?" demanded Count Gerhard. "Shall a woman be
+thus inhumanly punished? Is the crime more atrocious in her than in a
+man? You jest, sir drost."
+
+"If you do not believe me, noble sir, read for yourself. There are the
+bye-laws affixed to the door-post. Read but the twenty-ninth article,
+and you will see that, unfortunately, I am not jesting."
+
+"Read it, Longlegs!" cried out the count to his jester: "I have some
+difficulty in rising; and, truly, such confounded laws are not worth
+rising for."
+
+"The twenty-ninth article," commenced the jester, taking up a candle,
+which threw a light upon the large table of laws on the door-post.
+"Here I have it. Give ear, my masters: it is the golden word of
+justice, and a sufficient reason is alleged." He then began to read, in
+a grave judicial manner: "'_What woman soever shall be guilty of theft,
+and deserves to be hanged, with the stolen goods by her side, shall,
+for her womanly honour's sake, be buried alive_.' Now, in truth, this
+is an honour that one takes straightways with him to eternity. It is no
+transient honour, my masters; and, therefore, it has been reserved for
+the fair and more fortunate sex."
+
+"Are you, then, insane?" exclaimed the count. "What honour is there in
+being buried alive?"
+
+"Where is your wisdom, my wellborn sir?" replied the jester: "for a
+woman, it is manifestly a far more honourable and becoming way of
+dying, than if she were to be hanged, like a man--like a male thief, on
+a gallows. Think of the scandal it would occasion her father
+confessor."
+
+"It is, nevertheless, a madness," exclaimed the count. "Is it out of
+mere strait-laced modesty that they are so cruel here? May the foul
+fiend take all clerks and hang-the-heads who give out such laws and
+regulations! Are you alike scrupulous, Drost Peter? And will you suffer
+your good old nurse to be buried alive, merely that your wise king's
+law may not be transgressed?"
+
+"She shall--she must be saved!" exclaimed the young drost, who had
+hitherto stood silent and thoughtful, with his hand on the document in
+his breast. "Excuse me, gentlemen: I must to the king." With these
+words, he left the room.
+
+The seriousness which this circumstance had for a moment called forth
+was soon dispelled by the efforts of the jester, who, with comic
+gravity, began a legal discourse on the stern Ribe-Ret, wherein he
+dwelt more particularly on a certain notorious and scandalous
+punishment, setting it forth circumstantially, and not exactly in the
+most becoming manner. He concluded with the well-known Jutlandic joke:
+"Thank God you are out of the way of the Ribe-Ret, my child; as the old
+woman said when she saw her son hanging on the gibbet."
+
+Count Gerhard laughed till his eyes ran over, and screamed with pain
+from the wound in his breast, which his violent laughter had caused to
+open. He became suddenly pale, and fell back on his chair, without
+consciousness.
+
+The greatest grief and trouble took the place of the previous
+mirthfulness. Message after message was dispatched for the surgeon and
+physician, and all present were seriously alarmed for the count's life.
+He was carried to bed, and Claus Skirmen undertook, in his master's
+absence, to tighten the bandages, and stanch the bleeding with wine.
+
+Half an hour passed away: the count still lay insensible, and no
+physician had arrived. The knights were impatient, and the lanky jester
+behaved like one out of his wits. He tore his hair, and accused himself
+of having killed his master with his accursed jokes. The door at length
+opened, and Drost Peter hurried in. He had been already advised of the
+critical condition of his guest, and had hastened to his aid. He found
+the wound properly bound up by his expert squire and pupil. By means of
+a burnt feather, he at length succeeded in restoring the count to a
+state of consciousness; and, as soon as he had opened his eyes, the
+drost's mind was at ease, and he declared him out of danger. For the
+greater satisfaction of the stranger knights, and of his afflicted,
+inconsolable jester, Drost Peter sent his squire to the palace, to
+bring the king's surgeon. In the meanwhile, he desired that they should
+all leave the apartment, and remained alone with the sick man.
+
+As soon as Count Gerhard had completely recovered his senses, and saw
+Drost Peter by his bed, he held forth his hand, and nodded. "It was the
+fault of your cursed Ribe-Ret," he said; "but I must not think more
+about it, or I shall laugh myself ill again."
+
+"This is not right: you talk too much," said the knightly leech,
+examining his pulse with satisfaction.
+
+"Ay, but it is right. Although you did not exactly dub me a knight
+today, you certainly did not dub me a speechless animal. But how got
+you on with the king and the carlin? Is she to be hanged, or buried
+alive for her womanly honour's sake?" He was on the point of renewing
+his laughter, but repressed his desire on feeling the smart of his
+wound.
+
+"God be praised, she is saved this time!" said Drost Peter; "but with
+some difficulty: the king was not to be spoken with."
+
+"Then you took her out of prison yourself? That was settling the matter
+in the right way."
+
+"Nay, Count Gerhard. Rather than I should have dealt so contumaciously
+with the laws, the unfortunate woman had been left to her fate."
+
+"What the deuce have you done, then?"
+
+"I went to the queen--"
+
+"Aha! I can understand. Happy knight! But why did you not allow me to
+crave a boon for the poor old creature? I have still a heart in my
+body, I know; and I should not have risen from the queen's feet, nor
+taken her hand from my burning lips, till the carlin had been saved,
+even had it been till gray in the morning."
+
+"You talk too much for your wound, noble count; and you think on
+matters that do not tend to calm your blood. I shall now send my
+liberated nurse to watch over you; and, if you must still talk
+enthusiastically of beauty, talk so, in God's name, only before her:
+and sleep well."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter left his merry, sick guest, and immediately
+afterwards a wrinkled old woman hobbled into the apartment, and sat
+down by the count's pillow; but he closed his eyes in vexation, and
+would not notice her.
+
+It was midnight, and Drost Peter walked restlessly up and down his
+chamber. He had reassured his knightly guests, and left them to repose.
+But the royal surgeon had not arrived, and the jester would not believe
+that his master was out of danger. In a closet, by the side of the
+count's bed-chamber, sat the grave joker, listening at the door, to be
+at hand at the slightest disturbance he might hear. Drost Peter could
+not think of going to sleep. He was not, indeed, alarmed for his
+wounded guest, but still wished to be ready, at any moment, to go to
+his aid, should he be called by the nurse. His thoughts, besides, were
+in a tumult, that forbade him to think of repose. His adventure with
+Henner Friser and little Aasé, and his strong suspicion of the king's
+participation in the affair, disquieted him. The crafty Chamberlain
+Rané's escape, and the revenge he might, with reason, apprehend from
+this royal favourite, ran likewise in his thoughts. Deep suspicions of
+a conspiracy, of which he had in vain endeavoured to apprise the king,
+appeared to him now, in the night's loneliness, of greater importance,
+the more he dwelt upon it. His strife with Count Gerhard, and its
+occasion, also caused him the greatest uneasiness. The report, so
+injurious to his own and the queen's honour, which he had first learnt
+upon this occasion, troubled him more particularly; and he examined
+with scrupulous care the whole of the last year of his life, from the
+day he first held conversation with Queen Agnes, at Helsingborg
+tournament. He could not deny that her beauty and noble feminine
+graces, as well as her bold and resolute character, exercised a
+wonderful power over him. He owed, undeniably, to the queen's favour,
+his rapid rise from a simple knight to be drost of the kingdom; and,
+though it vexed him much, that he should, in consequence, be blamed as
+a fortunate adventurer, who had been raised to eminence through a
+woman's favour, these usual whisperings of envy were not of a nature to
+drown the voice of bold self-consciousness in his bosom. He was himself
+fully assured that he was perfectly competent for the high situation he
+filled, and that the royal house had not a more efficient servant in
+these dangerous times. Besides, his important vocation as tutor to the
+young Prince Erik, and as his master in the use of arms, gave to his
+life an activity, and a degree of importance both to himself and to the
+kingdom, that he could not regard without a degree of pride; and he
+entertained a confident expectation that, indirectly, the whole fate of
+a coming generation, and of Denmark, was in his hands. He stood on a
+lofty but dangerous eminence, near a tottering throne, and must take
+heed that he did not become giddy and fall. It was only necessary for
+some malicious foe to whisper in the king's ear what rumour said
+concerning the drost and Queen Agnes, to see him carried, within four
+and twenty hours, a prisoner for life, to the dungeons of Sjöberg, or,
+indeed, without law or trial, to the rack and wheel.
+
+While these and similar distracting thoughts occupied his mind, a loud
+knocking was heard at the entrance of the apartment. He started
+involuntarily, but recovered himself, and opened the door. Astonished,
+he beheld his young squire, Claus Skirmen, standing, pale and
+breathless, on the threshold, with a parchment roll and two swords in
+his hands.
+
+"What is this? What want you so late with me?" demanded the drost,
+hastily. "You are pale: has anything happened amiss? Say, youth, what
+is it?"
+
+"Read, sir--read, and take your sword!" replied the squire, handing him
+the parchment and one of the swords.
+
+He hastily seized both, and, going to the light, he turned pale on
+recognising the Gothic characters, and the king's well-known seal and
+signature.
+
+"Deposed!" he said; "and not only so--condemned to secret imprisonment,
+without law or justice; and this to be carried into execution before
+the Dane-court commences! How came this unfortunate document into your
+hands, Skirmen? It is a royal private warrant. Carry it back, or it may
+cost thy life."
+
+"It concerns your life still more, sir. When you are safe in prison,
+you are to be secretly murdered. I know it all: I have heard it with my
+own ears."
+
+"Are you mad? Is it possible? Rané, then--"
+
+"Right, sir. Chamberlain Rané procured this prison-warrant; the rest
+was hatched by himself and his good friends. He sat triumphantly, with
+this letter in his hand, in a company of topers at the palace, along
+with Duke Waldemar, Master Grand, Count Jacob, and all the gay company
+with whom we crossed the Belt. I was inquiring, by your command, for
+the king's own surgeon for Count Gerhard, when I was directed to the
+western wing of the palace. I had to go along the dark passage that
+leads to the duke's apartments. The door stood ajar, with only a
+tapestry hanging before it. I heard your name mentioned: I concealed
+myself behind the tapestry, and--"
+
+"And you listened: come, out with it! Fair and honourable it was not
+altogether. And so you heard--"
+
+"What I have told you, sir. Not, indeed, in clear and distinct words;
+but, by putting one with the other, I could plainly guess their
+meaning. You must be got rid of, it was said, and in such a way as that
+you could not come to light again, in case the king's humour should
+change. Above all, you are not to receive the least intimation of this,
+nor to be allowed to have any conversation with the king; and tomorrow
+betimes, or even to-night, you are to be seized, and secretly
+imprisoned."
+
+"To-morrow--Trinity Sunday--before the court meets! So, so! But, since
+it is to be done so early, it shall be done this midnight. So long as I
+hold this scrap in my hand, time may be gained. It must now be decided
+who shall first speak with the king. I must ascertain where he sleeps
+tonight, and whether he has an ear for truth or falsehood on the
+morrow. But how did you obtain this hellish document? Could they be so
+careless as to slip the halter when they had it so nearly round my
+neck?"
+
+"I did not quit my hiding-place till they had drank success to Duke
+Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Stig Andersen so often, that one might have
+pricked them all in the eye. I knew there was no danger to the wounded
+gentleman, but that there was to you, and I did not hesitate on
+remaining. Rané held out the longest before he got drunk; and they paid
+him great respect, on account of his relationship to Stig Andersen's
+wife, and because of his cunning in retaining the king's good opinion,
+whilst he still remained true to his friends and kinsmen. The duke
+having promised to procure him the rich Count Mindre-Alf's daughter,
+they already hailed him as future Count of Tönsberg; and thereupon he
+drank so deeply, that at length he was obliged to go out to obtain a
+breath of air, I was not seen; and, as I was alone with him in the dark
+passage, it was only the turn of a wrist to fling him on the ground,
+and take the letter from him."
+
+"Then it was not me alone that this concerned? And Rané makes common
+cause against the king? Heard you aught of what should happen when I am
+murdered or in prison?"
+
+"Ay, indeed, sir. Horrible things, concerning war, and rebellion, and
+aid from Sweden and Norway. But I only gave special attention to what
+referred to you. And, now, do not hesitate a moment, sir. If you will
+take to flight, our horses shall be saddled immediately."
+
+"Nay, my brave Skirmen. You have never seen your master yield at
+tourney, nor yet at sharper fighting; much less shall you see him now
+give way. Here, indeed, I cannot defend my life and honour with this
+sword; but, if God wills, I will try another, that, without being a
+traitor to my country, I can use against my lord and king himself. My
+tongue must now be my sword, and righteousness my shield; now, it
+concerns not me alone, but the crown and kingdom. The revolt, it seems,
+is to be aided by Sweden and Norway. Now, then, I must to the king,
+even should the way to him lie amid serpents. But there must be
+quietness and vigour. Nothing can be done for three hours more. I will
+try if I can rest the while. This is now the third night that I have
+watched. Arouse me as soon as it is day."
+
+"But, for the sake of security, shall I not quietly assemble the
+servant-men, and arm them?"
+
+"That would be illegal, Skirmen. If I cannot gain life and liberty with
+justice, with injustice I will not. It is already so, when this blade
+is in my hand, instead of in the city-governor's. Still, this I will
+defend, before God and men. Good night."
+
+With that tranquillity which only a pure conscience, strong
+determination, and utter contempt for his enemies could afford him,
+Drost Peter threw himself, in his clothes, upon his pallet. "Place the
+light on my shield, and do not extinguish it," he said to his trusty
+squire. "And now God guard me! I am weary."
+
+The squire obeyed, and left the chamber. But he did not move three
+steps from the threshold. With his back against the door, he sat on the
+stone floor, that he might guard his master's slumbers until the dawn.
+
+Scarcely had the cock crowed, and the first dim gleam of day entered
+the dark passage through a little grated window, when Claus Skirmen
+arose, and, opening the door of his master's apartment, he found him in
+a calm, deep sleep. The squire could scarcely venture to disturb him;
+but, hearing the sound of footsteps in the street, and the subdued
+clang of arms, he no longer delayed. "It is morning," he said, "and we
+are not the only persons who are awake. Resolve quickly, therefore,
+what you intend to do."
+
+Drost Peter arose, and grasped his sword; but, recollecting himself, he
+hastily laid it down again. "Nay," he said, "this I will not take with
+me. No one can yet have legal authority to seize me. I shall venture to
+awake the king: it concerns his safety, as well as mine. You shall
+follow me. You can testify, on oath, to what you have heard?"
+
+"That I can, sir. But, still, let us take weapons with us. Who knows
+what we may encounter? The governor's people are difficult to deal
+with; and Sir Lavé Little keeps guard at the palace with the
+halberdiers."
+
+"Sir Lavé! Great God! my little Ingé's father! He was in the duke's
+train in Jutland, and I trust him not. Yet, perhaps this is fortunate.
+He was not with the traitors, then, last night?"
+
+"No, sir; he must have arrived the day before yesterday, and entered
+with old Sir John. Last night, he mounted guard at the palace."
+
+"If the prudent John can trust him, so can I. Come, let us leave the
+sword. The righteous God must now protect us."
+
+Without farther deliberation, Drost Peter threw his large scarlet
+mantle about him, placed his feathered hat on his head, and went forth
+with a firm, determined step. The squire followed him in silence, after
+once more looking back dejectedly on the forbidden weapon.
+
+To avoid creating an alarm in the house, Drost Peter and his squire
+went down the stone steps, and closed the door after them. The street
+was still and deserted. The faint twilight showed them the castle, at a
+little distance, lying gloomily behind the strong walls, whilst all
+around it appeared to be still in deep repose, except a few
+landsknechts, who kept watch outside the locked gate, and who paced
+backwards and forwards, with measured steps, their halberds and lances
+in their hands. Drost Peter and his squire approached the palace with
+rapid strides. The young drost had not omitted to take with him a
+token, which, by virtue of his important office, gave him a right to
+demand admittance into the palace, and to the king's person, at all
+times. This token consisted of a plate of gold, on which was impressed
+the royal seal, with the two crowns.
+
+With this in his hand, the drost strode forward towards the outer
+sentinel, and passed the corner house in the broad King-street, when he
+found himself suddenly stopped, and surrounded by twelve armed
+burghers. A respectable man, with a large silver staff in his hand,
+stepped forward from among them, and said, with much seriousness, while
+he raised his staff: "Sir Drost Peter Hessel, the governor of the town
+takes you prisoner in the king's name. Be pleased to follow us."
+
+"Not one step," replied Drost Peter, "until you show me my king and
+master's express order for this treatment."
+
+"I can produce no written order," said the governor; "but that such an
+order was issued by the king yesterday, and taken from his chamberlain
+with cunning and violence, by your people, has been proved to me by the
+testimony of respectable persons. If you will not follow me willingly,
+you must excuse me if I employ force. Men, do your duty."
+
+The armed burghers drew near to lay hands upon their prisoner. Drost
+Peter now held out, with an air of bold authority, the token, with the
+royal seal. "Know you that?" he demanded. "By virtue of my power and
+authority, as drost of the kingdom, I command you to follow me
+immediately to the king himself. Unless you can show me an order in the
+king's own writing, none of you shall dare to lay a hand upon me. If
+there should happen to be any deceit in this, and I cannot justify
+myself before the king, I am willing to follow you to prison, or, if
+the king commands it, to death. But, at present, you must follow me. I
+am still drost of the kingdom, and your master."
+
+The determination and authority with which he spoke confounded the
+burghers, who looked at one another, and then at the governor, with
+perplexity. The latter, also, appeared to be surprised and undecided.
+
+"According to the letter of the law, you appear to be right, sir
+drost," began the governor; "but what does it avail you to make all
+this disturbance? You know yourself, better than any one else, that you
+are deposed from office, and that we are obeying the king's express
+command. You will not aid your case much, by awaking him at the present
+hour, to hear your doom from his own lips. Besides, it is strictly
+forbidden to allow you to approach the palace."
+
+"Not by the king, but by his and my deadly foes," interrupted Drost
+Peter, with vehemence. "You have allowed yourself to receive an illegal
+message from those who seek the king's life, and you will hinder me
+from warning him. If you would not be condemned as traitors to the
+country, and abettors of treason against the royal person, you will
+follow me instantly."
+
+"God in mercy preserve us!" broke forth the terrified burghers, one
+after the other. "What shall we do, sir governor? You must answer for
+all. We know nothing--"
+
+"If it be true, as you say, that the king's life is in danger," said
+the governor, hesitatingly, "who tells us, then, that you, yourself,
+are not a traitor? Appearances are much against you, sir drost. What
+want you at the palace, at this hour?"
+
+"As you have heard: that which I still shall do, and which you shall
+not prevent. I will to the king, by virtue of my office, to warn him
+against traitors. No excuses, governor. Follow me instantly, or it may
+be as much as your life is worth." Without waiting for a reply, Drost
+Peter walked rapidly towards the palace, the frightened burghers
+respectfully giving way before him.
+
+"Very well," said the governor: "we must follow him, if he still
+commands it; but farther than the halberdiers he shall not go. Take
+care, however, that he does not escape. And what have you to do with
+this, young man?" said he to Skirmen, who anxiously followed at his
+master's heels. "You, perhaps, would assist your cunning master in
+treating us like fools? Pack off! We have no orders to guard you."
+
+"He will follow me, and you shall permit him," ordered Drost Peter,
+turning round: "whom I take with me to the king, I answer for."
+
+The governor was silent, and they passed on. The palace sentinels, who
+knew the drost, objected not to open the gates, but did not deem
+themselves warranted to admit the burghers and the governor.
+
+"Suffer them to enter on my responsibility--they belong to my train,"
+said the drost.
+
+The governor and burghers were admitted, and they now appeared to
+entertain a better opinion of their powerful prisoner, who ruled them
+all in such a wonderful manner. They crossed the court-yard of the
+palace to the northern wing, which the king himself occupied.
+
+"If this is a mistake, sir drost," said the governor, in an under tone,
+as they ascended the castle-stairs, "and if I have been deceived by
+traitors, I entreat you, for God and Our Lady's sake, that you do not
+lead me and these brave men into trouble. We were acting as we judged
+best."
+
+"Who gave you the right so to do, governor? You are to act according to
+law and justice, and not after your own or any other man's judgment.
+Still, this I know: that you have been deceived. Meantime, let one half
+of your people remain here on the stairs, that the king may not be
+disturbed with too much noise. Should the Chamberlain Rané, or any of
+Duke Waldemar's people, approach from the opposite wing, stop them
+here, on my responsibility. Do you understand me?"
+
+"It shall be as you command, sir drost," answered one of the burghers,
+who, with six men, remained behind on the staircase.
+
+The rest followed the drost and his squire to the guard-room. Here, the
+drost ordered the other burghers to take their station outside the
+door, with the same instructions, which they received without
+objection. He then, with his squire and the town-governor, walked into
+the large guard-room. Twelve knights, armed with long halberds, here
+guarded the door of the royal closet. Some paced to and fro, without
+the least noise, on thick woollen matting; others stood in gentle
+conversation, here and there, about the room. No one was seated: there
+was not, indeed, a single bench or chair in the apartment. The faint
+glimmer of a dozen expiring wax-lights blended with the gray dawn. The
+lights were placed on brackets, beneath bright shields; and, at one end
+of the hall, glittered the royal arms, on which two lions and two
+crowns were represented. Over the arms, suspended crosswise, were two
+variegated banners, in the centre of which the white cross of the
+national standard was, indeed, to be seen, but almost concealed by the
+numerous swords, stars, keys, crescents, anchors, wheels, and other
+arbitrary decorations and symbols that people were accustomed to see on
+the royal coinage.
+
+When the door was opened, the trabants raised their halberds, and
+looked with surprise on the intruders.
+
+"The drost--the young Drost Hessel!" said one to the other, saluting
+him respectfully.
+
+"What brings Drost Peter Hessel here so early?" demanded a man,
+advanced in years, stepping towards him with a singularly undecided and
+uneasy countenance, whose frequent changes did not inspire confidence.
+Like the other knights, he wore a high trabant's cap, with a large
+plume of feathers, and carried a long halberd, more richly ornamented.
+At his breast hung a magnificent gold chain, and his short mantle of
+red lawn was adorned with jewels.
+
+"It may well surprise you, stern Sir Lavé, to see me here at such an
+unseasonable hour," replied Drost Peter, regarding him with a sharp and
+penetrating glance; "but, in the execution of my office, I have an
+important and private matter to lay before the king, and must needs
+speak with him without delay."
+
+"An important and private matter!" repeated Sir Lavé, changing colour.
+"I know not that there is any sedition in the town, sir drost; but,
+even were that the case, I dare not awake the king thus early, so long
+as the palace is secure and well guarded."
+
+"But, if there should be at this moment secret traitors within the
+walls of the palace, stern sir knight?" said the young drost, in a half
+whisper, without taking his keen look from Sir Lavé's disturbed
+countenance.
+
+"The rood shield us! What is it you say?" whispered the chief of the
+body-guard, grasping him convulsively by the arm, and drawing him to
+one side. "From your future father-in-law you can have no secrets, my
+young friend," he continued, in a soft and trembling voice. "If you
+think you have discovered a conspiracy, or anything of the kind, inform
+me, that we may avert the mischief in time. But the thing is
+impossible. If, however, any of the discontented vassals should have
+dropped a word that may appear suspicious, consider well what you are
+about, before you take upon yourself the hateful office of accuser,
+and, mayhap, bring into mischief brave men, who have only regarded the
+present posture of affairs with greater freedom. Have you proofs
+against any one?"
+
+"That I may not say here," replied Drost Peter. "Our private relations,
+sir knight, must give way to our public duties. I must simply request
+you to awake the king. That is your duty, when I demand it. In case of
+need, as you are aware, I do not require to be announced, and no one
+has a right to deny me admittance."
+
+"That I have yet to learn, my bold young sir," replied the knight,
+assuming a stern and consequential air. "Those whom the king entrusts
+to guard his slumbers may justly demand to know why he is to be
+disturbed; and I and these gentlemen are commanded to keep guard, that
+no one, without due reason, disturbs the king's rest."
+
+"This is not the time and place to dispute as to your rights," resumed
+Drost Peter, with suppressed vehemence. Perceiving the strained
+attention with which they were regarded by the body-guard, he
+continued: "Only one word in confidence, Sir Lavé;" and, as he withdrew
+the perplexed knight more aside, he said mildly, but with a tone of
+lively interest, "it would grieve me bitterly, Sir Lavé Little, should
+I be compelled to mention your name in connection with a confederacy,
+of which it is evident that your faithful friend, old Sir John, can
+have no idea, seeing the important post you at present occupy here. The
+company you quitted eight days ago were not friends of the royal house;
+but I am willing to believe, that, if you then shared their
+discontents, you do not yet take part in their plans, and that there is
+still time for you to draw back from an inevitable gulph."
+
+"How? What plans? I do not understand you, Drost Peter. You will never
+accuse me for opinions that a free Danish knight may dare to express,
+without danger, among his friends?"
+
+"I am no spy or secret accuser, who will bring you, or any brave man,
+into mischief for thoughts and opinions," replied the young drost. "I
+know nothing yet, God be praised, that should deprive me of the hope of
+one day calling you father. I know you were not at the secret council
+last night, that pronounced my doom, the more easily to compass the
+king's."
+
+Sir Lavé paused, and became deadly pale. A struggle seemed to be
+passing in his unquiet soul; but he suddenly seized the young knight's
+hand. "Nay, nay," said he, "in this council I had neither part nor lot.
+Had I known that such was the intention, I should not have chosen my
+post by this threshold. You were, nevertheless, a dangerous man to me
+and my friends, yesterday, Knight Hessel," he continued, with greater
+resolution. "It depends upon me whether you shall be so to-day. Perhaps
+it depends on a single step over this threshold. I can forbid your
+entrance, and with justice. I have promised as much: whether I keep
+this promise, depends upon myself. At this moment you are no longer
+drost of the kingdom, and can have nothing to say here. I have seen a
+royal letter, by which you are deposed, and doomed to imprisonment,
+from the hour the cock crows after midnight. A conversation with the
+king may, perhaps, save you. If it only concerns your post and freedom,
+I would, without hesitation, cause you to be taken prisoner on the
+spot, by the king's command; but, if it concerns your life--if it is
+true--" He stopped abort, and gazed inquiringly on the young knight,
+who had changed colour, and stood as if thunderstruck.
+
+"I tell you no falsehood," said Drost Peter, recovering himself. "At
+this moment you are a powerful man: you have, perhaps, my life, as well
+as that of the king, in your hand. But, whatever you may now do, you
+will have to answer for, before the righteous God, at your hour of
+death."
+
+"Who are these two persons you bring with you?" demanded Sir Lavé.
+
+"The town-governor, who was to conduct me to prison, and my squire, who
+was witness to this secret tribunal of blood. Should I tarry here a
+moment longer, it may be too late. My deadly foes watch under the same
+roof that now shelters us: they have the door of my prison, and of
+their den of murder, standing open--"
+
+"Well, I will believe you," said Sir Lavé, with extreme uneasiness. "I
+would lend my aid to overthrow you; but your blood I will not have upon
+my head, and I stand not here to betray the life I guard. From this day
+forth, however, all engagements between us are at an end. Yet I was
+your father's friend. If I have saved your life to-day, remember it,
+young man, if, perchance, mine and my friends' lives should one day be
+in your hands." Tears stood in his eyes, and he grasped the young
+knight's hand almost convulsively. "I go to awake the king," he said,
+with more composure, and hastily entered the royal closet.
+
+For some minutes, Drost Peter stood as if on burning coals. He heard
+loud voices without, demanding admittance, and recognised the shrill
+tones of Chamberlain Rané, who, in the king's name, ordered the
+burghers to open the door. The guards were surprised. Two of them
+hurried out into the passage, to learn the cause of the uproar. The
+door of the guard-room was again immediately opened, and Drost Peter
+saw Rané at the entrance, between the two guards.
+
+At the same instant, the door of the king's closet was opened, and Sir
+Lavé Little stepped hastily over the threshold, and beckoned Drost
+Peter. With hurried steps he obeyed the signal. Sir Lavé locked the
+door of the king's closet after the drost, and ordered the guards to
+station themselves before it, without troubling themselves about the
+enraged chamberlain, who, insolently, and loud-voiced, stood in the
+middle of the ante-room, and accused the captain of the guard of having
+failed in his knightly promise, and of having transgressed the king's
+order.
+
+"Whether Drost Peter has been improperly admitted at this door or not,
+we shall soon know," answered Sir Lavé. "So long as I have not the
+king's counter-order, it is my duty to admit the drost; but a
+chamberlain has nothing to do here at this hour, were he ten times the
+king's favourite. Be pleased to assist him out, gentlemen."
+
+Three of the guards, with raised halberds, approached the enraged Rané,
+who gnashed his teeth, and left the guard-room, casting a look of
+vengeance at Sir Lavé.
+
+Between the guard-room and the king's bed-closet was a large arched
+apartment, hung with gold-embroidered tapestry, with a round table in
+the middle, covered with scarlet cloth and long gold fringes. Here the
+king received those he would hold conversation with, and here the drost
+was obliged to wait for some time, until the attendant pages had
+assisted his majesty in dressing.
+
+At the door of the royal sleeping-chamber stood a handsome youth, about
+eleven years of age, in the red lawn suit of a torch-page, and with a
+wax-light in his hand. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, while he
+admired, and regarded with respect, the tall, serious knight who had
+ventured to disturb the king's morning slumber. This page was the
+little Prince Erik's playmate, Aagé Jonsen. He was of the same age as
+the prince, and daily shared with him his martial exercises, and the
+various instructions in chivalry under Drost Peter's guidance. The
+youth's tender, almost maidenly features, were lighted up by the torch;
+and, as he thus stood, with his long golden locks falling over his
+linen collar, and his dark blue eyes resting, with respectful surprise,
+on his knightly teacher, the appearance of the friendly youth seemed to
+restore calmness to Drost Peter, and to fill his bosom with bold and
+lively confidence in his innocence and the justice of his case.
+
+"Good morning, Aagé," he said, patting the lad kindly on the cheek:
+"have you been awoke too early this morning? You stand, indeed, as if
+you were yet dreaming. Is your little king still asleep?"
+
+"Yes, dear sir drost. We were both much fatigued from wrestling with
+Junker[13] Christopher yesterday evening; and I took the torch-watch. I
+remained awake here, by the door, the whole night; but towards morning
+I could not keep my eyes open, and, at the moment Sir Lavé came, the
+torch was nearly out. You are not angry with me, then, for this?"
+
+"I know you are a bold, vigilant lad, who, otherwise, would not sleep
+when you should be awake, and that is an important matter, Aagé. These
+are times wherein one should early learn both to watch and pray."
+
+"I have prayed, likewise," answered the youth. "I prayed to God and Our
+Lady, both for Prince Erik and you, for the queen, and all good men;
+but still my eyes closed, and, had the king called me, I should have
+been unhappy."
+
+"I shall give thee good advice, Aagé. When thou watchest by the king's
+door, or by that of the prince, never forget that murderers may be
+lurking without, who will break in and do violence as soon as thou
+closest an eye; and I warrant thee thou wilt keep thine eyes open."
+
+"The rood shield us, sir drost! This is something that never can
+possibly happen: Our Lord and the Holy Virgin take care of that!"
+
+"Truly they care for us, otherwise it would little avail if all the
+armies in the world guarded us," replied the drost; "but we are not,
+therefore, to live securely and carelessly in the world, much less a
+future knight and guardian of the king."
+
+A clear sound, as of a silver bell, was now heard. The folding-doors
+into the king's bed-chamber were thrown open, and, by each, stood a
+page with a torch. Drost Peter stepped leisurely back to the end of the
+saloon; and little Aagé hastily lowered his torch towards the stone
+floor, and took some steps backwards into the saloon.
+
+A tall, dignified person walked over the threshold, with short,
+uncertain steps. In his right hand he carried, like a staff, a large
+sword, of three fingers' breadth, and seven quarters in length, with a
+cross-guard, and gilded brass pommel. A short mantle hung loose over
+his shoulders. He paused for a moment, and cast a sharp, uneasy glance
+around the apartment, till, at length, his blinking eye rested for an
+instant on the queen's favourite, who respectfully saluted his majesty,
+and remained standing at a distance. The king now advanced a few
+steps, and, giving the pages a signal, they placed their torches in a
+brass frame, suspended at half-an-ell's distance from the tapestry,
+after which they made an obeisance, and retired backwards into the
+bed-chamber, through the half-open doors of which were seen four of the
+body-guard, with their bright halberds. The king advanced just as far
+from the door as was necessary to converse with the knight unobserved
+by his attendants.
+
+"You dare to come into my presence, and at this hour, Knight Hessel!"
+he said, in a harsh and imperious tone. "You pretend, as an excuse, to
+have an important and private matter to lay before us, respecting the
+safety of our royal person. If you think, by such foolish pretexts, to
+obtain pardon, you are mistaken. Speak! but not a word about yourself.
+What do you know that affects our own and the throne's security?"
+
+"I know, and can testify, sire," replied the young knight, frankly,
+"that you have slept this night under the same roof with men who, eight
+days ago, at the manor of Möllerup, took counsel, with the daring Stig
+Andersen, against the crown and kingdom."
+
+"Prove it!" said the king, turning pale.
+
+"I can, if you regard the worthy prior of Antvorskov, Master Martin
+Mogesen, as an upright and trustworthy man, and will rather believe his
+testimony than mine."
+
+"Master Martin?" repeated the king. "Ay, indeed, he is true, and
+attached to me, and has never, by untimely artifices and crooked
+devices, sought to approach my throne. Is he present?"
+
+"Nay, sire," replied the knight, with burning cheeks, and subduing,
+with an effort, his injured feelings of honour, where self-justification
+was denied him; "but he gave me a hint, which I am only half justified
+in revealing. You know his seal and handwriting, sire?"
+
+"Right well: he was for three years my chancellor."
+
+"Then read this letter, my stern lord and judge, and you will see that
+it was not to crave a boon I so urgently entreated an opportunity of
+conversing with you yesterday evening, and that it is not merely to
+vindicate myself that I stand here just now."
+
+"Not a word about yourself! Silence, now!" The king read the letter
+hurriedly and anxiously, raising his eyes from it at times, and
+regarding the knight furtively and suspiciously. "Now, indeed, it is
+true that this was a highly suspicious meeting," he said; "yet,
+after all, they are only doubts and conjectures. There is no certain
+proof--no act for which I can cause any one to be punished. But where
+are the well-known names referred to here?"
+
+"In my memory, sire. The document which contained them I was requested
+to destroy."
+
+"Name them! They shall be imprisoned."
+
+"To such violent measures it were far from me to advise you. Whom the
+law has not sentenced, my king will not condemn. I come not to accuse,
+but to forewarn. What Master Martin writes here, cannot affect the life
+of any one. It is only a hint, but still an important one, in these
+disturbed times."
+
+The king made an uneasy and anxious gesture.
+
+"The reverend gentleman admits that he knows more than he can venture
+to tell," continued the knight. "I can almost believe that some
+penitent confederate has disclosed to him, as confessor, what he dare
+not reveal. But all the individuals he mentioned to me as suspicious,
+he has talked with himself, and has vainly exhorted them to loyalty.
+With most of them I recently came over the Belt myself; and, although I
+am not yet prepared with proofs against any of them, I have,
+nevertheless, good reason to agree with Master Martin, and pray you to
+be on your guard with respect to the discontented vassals, and have
+your eye upon their entire conduct. The meeting at Möllerup is enough
+to warrant this. Your intimate Chamberlain Rané will be able to bear
+witness to that; for he himself was present."
+
+"Rané?" exclaimed the king, in astonishment: "he has not told me of
+this. He is my spy, I may tell you, and has a right to seek what
+company he chooses, and say what he likes, if, only, he informs me of
+it. If he was at this meeting, it may have been to spy out the
+malcontents, and he may have important reasons for his silence."
+
+The knight shook his head. "I trust him not, sire. But this much is
+certain: this meeting took place, and the malcontents we know.
+Respecting one of them, I shall, perhaps, within eight days, furnish
+you with clear proof that he is confederated with the enemies of the
+kingdom, and has likewise a project in his mind as audacious as it is
+dangerous."
+
+"Which of them is this? Speak! He shall not depart hence alive."
+
+"He must do so, your grace," replied Drost Peter, dauntlessly. "Here he
+is a guest, and defenceless, and the privileges of the Dane-court
+protect him. I cannot name him now. Before I can prove, I cannot
+accuse, sire."
+
+"Remember whom you talk with!" broke forth the king, vainly striving to
+conceal his uneasiness by a stern and imperious tone. "What more have
+you to report?"
+
+"If you will now permit me to touch upon a matter that regards myself,
+I shall prove, by a sworn witness, that a secret council, held last
+night, decreed my death, in order that I might not betray what I know,
+and that the traitors may be able to accomplish, with greater security,
+their most criminal designs against the crown and kingdom."
+
+"What? Who here, save I, dares to condemn any one to death? I have
+doomed you to imprisonment, it is true; but ere I decree your death, I
+will bethink me. But, to the main point. These most criminal plans
+against the crown and kingdom I will know. What are they? Who has heard
+them?"
+
+"My trusty squire, Claus Skirmen. I have brought him with me. He stands
+without, and will confirm his evidence by an oath."
+
+"Let him enter," ordered the king.
+
+Drost Peter opened the door, and beckoned. Frank and fearless, the
+young squire entered, and related, briefly yet distinctly, what he had
+heard behind the tapestry.
+
+When the king had heard him to an end, he held out towards him the
+cross hilt of his sword. "Swear!" he said: "imprecate a curse upon
+thyself if thou hast said anything untrue to save thy master."
+
+"It is truth, so help me God and the Holy Virgin!" said Claus Skirmen,
+in a loud and firm voice, and laying his hand on the hilt of the sword.
+
+"Good! Now thou mayest go."
+
+Claus Skirmen bowed silently, and retired, casting a sympathising
+glance towards his master.
+
+"Chamberlain Rané in this, too?" said the king, thoughtfully. "But,
+indeed, he had the right. The worst word of rebellion he uttered was
+with my permission, in order to sound the others. That the duke and his
+friends are discontented, we have long known; but to what do their
+projects tend?"
+
+"As far as I can conjecture, to a revolution in the state, similar to
+that effected by your grace, Marsk Andersen, and Count Jacob, in
+Sweden."
+
+"Conjecture--mere conjecture! If you know nothing decided, of what use
+to me are your hints and warnings? If there are traitors and
+treasonable persons in the country--if they have even presumed to
+penetrate into the palace as guests--let them be seized, and the
+headsman have them! If such be the case, it is time to show these
+haughty gentlemen that we have as sharp axes here as they have in
+Sweden."
+
+"Remember, sire, that the throne founded in blood by these Swedish axes
+was not the ancient and righteous throne, but one built by rebels, on
+the ruins of the laws and monarchy. If the privileges and majesty of
+the crown are to be held sacred, the law must be their guardian; and
+here there are no good grounds for preventing a rebellion by a
+tyrannical and arbitrary slaughter."
+
+"What wilt thou have, then? Say, my valiant Drost Peter!" exclaimed the
+king, anxiously: "thou art my brave subject. What was between us, I
+will forget. Now, speak! What thinkest thou is to be done here?"
+
+"I think, at present, it were most prudent that we should be altogether
+quiet, and not exhibit the least suspicion of the existence of such a
+conspiracy. Whilst the Dane-court lasts, let us merely double the
+night-watch, but treat the distinguished guests with all civility. At
+court, let matters take their ordinary course, without the least
+disposition to bear against the opposite party. Legally chosen umpires
+may, upon oath and conscience, settle the points in dispute. If the
+chief withdraw from the country, it will then be evident that he seeks
+foreign aid, and will return at the head of an army; and then we may
+speedily devise measures to oppose him. If he retire peaceably to his
+castle, we have nothing to apprehend: the storm will be over; and then,
+perhaps, may peace and restored vigour, but, above all, strict justice,
+save the land and kingdom."
+
+"You are a pearl in my crown, Drost Peter, and I was a fool when I cast
+it away for the sake of a whim," said the king, pacified, and clapping
+him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "The warrant I yesterday
+issued in an evil humour--"
+
+"That I have brought with me, my king and master, to hear it confirmed
+or disowned by your own lips."
+
+"What the deuce! In your hands, and not in those of the town-governor?
+Now must I say, if you can be as vigilant, when it concerns the king,
+as when it concerns yourself, you are worth gold, Peter Hessel. Give it
+to me."
+
+Drost Peter handed him the order for his arrest, which the king tore
+asunder, and threw on the ground, while he laughed, and said, in a
+jesting tone: "See, there lie your prison-walls, my trusty drost. I see
+I can rely upon you in important matters, and I will not come into
+opposition with you in minor ones. Since there is no danger just now,
+and you have promised to prevent whatever may be apprehended, I will
+follow your advice, and, for the present, appear unconcerned. But now
+confess to me honestly, my prudent young sir knight," he continued, in
+a seemingly indifferent tone, "can you boast yourself of any particular
+familiarity with a certain fair lady, whose colours you bear? Nay, do
+not blush. No one knows better than I how enchanting she can be at
+times; and for an amorous word, a bold look, even a familiar pressure
+of the hand, I should not doom you to death. I know the fair ones
+tolerably well: the strictest, the chastest, are not insensible to an
+amiable young knight, who possesses both wit and manners. You have,
+perhaps, observed that I do not reckon such trifles so precisely; and
+that I myself, now and then, forget the crown's descent, and the stern
+reverence of majesty, for a little lively adventure."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply under this rebuke, ashamed to turn his eyes
+upon the king who condescended to such expressions. At length he
+recovered himself, and observed the crafty and unstable smile on the
+king's countenance, with a mixture of wounded pride, contempt, and
+secret horror, that did not escape his fickle and whimsical ruler. He
+laid his hand solemnly on his breast, and was silent.
+
+"Now, indeed, you understand a joke," said the king, suddenly becoming
+serious; "but one, perhaps, should not joke in such fashion. Whatever
+lady a knight may worship chastely and honourably, does not concern the
+king. Enough of this. As regards the malcontents, you assure me, that,
+at present, there is no danger. You shall, therefore, take the
+requisite numbers for guarding the palace as well as the Dane-court.
+When it is over, take heed to the chief; and, as soon as he sets foot
+on forbidden ground, he is our prisoner."
+
+"Solely, however, your grace, if the information arrives which I still
+expect?" observed Drost Peter. "Such violent steps the most urgent
+circumstances can alone defend, when probability borders on certainty;
+and, according to the forms and laws of the kingdom--"
+
+"A truce with that!" exclaimed the king, warmly: "no law binds my arm
+against traitors. You are too conscientious for me, Drost Peter. But no
+more of this for the present. Conduct everything well and carefully. As
+a proof that I now again regard you as my most prudent and virtuous
+servant, accept of this mark of esteem." So saying, he took from his
+own neck a large gold chain, set with costly stones, and hung it on
+that of the drost, at the same time extending him his hand to kiss.
+
+Silently, and with the bitter feeling that he could not from his heart,
+as he inwardly wished, respect the hand of the individual, still,
+prompted by the homage due to the sacred sceptre, the knight half bent
+his knee to the ground, and gently saluted the gracious hand with his
+lips. Thereupon he arose, and awaited the signal to withdraw.
+
+"Yet one word," said the king. "My chamberlain, Rané Jonsen, I know you
+have long doubted and mistrusted. You caught him in a foolish
+adventure, and made him a prisoner. I have pardoned him. Let that
+matter be henceforth forgotten. But what reason have you continually to
+distrust him, when you hear that he only goes about in disguise among
+my enemies, secretly to  serve me?"
+
+"To speak honestly, sire, the purposes for which he permits himself to
+be used do him no honour; and such a double-tongued individual bears no
+one fealty. He has not yet acquainted you with what was last transacted
+at Möllerup: perhaps Master Martin will be able to give you better
+information."
+
+"Send a messenger, without delay, to Antvorskov, for the pious, prudent
+gentleman," said the king. "I shall have the matter cleared up, and the
+worthy man may be able to tell us somewhat more."
+
+"He is already on his journey hither, and will arrive before midday.
+But I saw the chamberlain in the guard-chamber: he will, assuredly, not
+fail in ingenuity, in vindicating himself. I pray you, sire, trust him
+not too much. Remember that he is the sister's son of Stig Andersen's
+unfortunate wife."
+
+"Good," replied the king, coldly, and changing colour. "You need not
+remind me of that. The brave Sir John, and Sir Lavé of Flynderborg,
+your own future father-in-law, are of the same family. As long as Rané
+obeys me faithfully, and adheres to me, I have no reason to distrust
+him. Mere honesty will not carry a man through the world, and a crafty
+servant may, also, be put to a good use. But an end of this. Depart
+now, my valiant Drost Peter," added the king, suddenly, in a mild and
+familiar tone. "Let me henceforth see that you are worthy of my
+confidence. Inform Sir John and David Thorstenson of all, and advise
+with them what is to be done. God protect you!"
+
+The king turned round hastily, and Drost Peter withdrew.
+
+In the guard-room, Sir Lavé had been relieved by his kinsman, old Sir
+John Little. He was a short, strongly built man, with stiff gray hair,
+but nimble, and almost youthful in his movements. His sagacious,
+penetrating eye, and stern, commanding air, as well as the brevity and
+decision with which he expressed himself, denoted the old warrior and
+leader. His mere presence, without any external mark of distinction,
+proved his superiority over the most notable of the body-guard, and
+indicated him as their chief, and as the supreme counsellor of the
+kingdom. This remarkable man, whom the young drost loved and esteemed
+as a fatherly friend, had, on the present occasion, resorted to the
+palace somewhat earlier than usual, and had taken his kinsman's post as
+captain of the guards. He had already been informed of the danger which
+Drost Peter had so fortunately escaped. He was engaged in earnest
+conversation with the town-governor, when he saw Drost Peter, with the
+king's well-known gold chain about his neck, issue from the door of the
+royal apartment. With heartfelt joy he approached him, and warmly shook
+him by the hand. A tear glittered in his stern eye; but, without saying
+a word to his young friend, he turned quietly, and with a smile, to the
+town-governor.
+
+"As you perceive, my good governor," he said, in a careless tone, "Sir
+Drost Peter Hessel brings with him a new proof of the king's favour and
+satisfaction. The whole must have been a mistake. You have erred, but
+circumstances excuse you. Go, with God's blessing."
+
+The governor bowed respectfully, as well to the old counsellor as to
+Drost Peter, and departed.
+
+"Can you favour me with an hour's conversation before the court
+assembles, sir counsellor?" inquired Drost Peter: "I have an important
+matter to communicate to you."
+
+"Certainly, when I have spoken with the king. Expect me home in about
+half an hour. Thorstenson is here. The palace-guard is doubled; there
+is no danger: only, be calm and collected."
+
+So saying, he turned hastily away, and, giving a signal to one of the
+halberdiers, went in immediately to the king.
+
+The knight to whom the old lord had given the signal was a tall,
+dark-visaged man, with a long brown beard, which fell in two locks upon
+his collar, and united with two large bushy and closely-curled
+whiskers, which half concealed a tolerably youthful, but spare and
+vigorous, warlike countenance. His dark eyes were full of fire, and
+betrayed vehemence and passion. In the counsellor's absence, he took
+the place of captain of the guards, and placed himself nearest the door
+of the king's apartments. This was Sir David Thorstenson.
+
+Drost Peter went up to him as to an intimate friend, and extended his
+hand. They spoke a few words privately together. Knight Thorstenson
+nodded, and cast a sharp look to the door. Hereupon, Drost Peter bowed
+to the observant halberdiers, and left the guard-chamber with a quick
+step, without, however, betraying haste or uneasiness. As he proceeded,
+the servants and people about court stepped respectfully to one
+side, and regarded him with surprise and curiosity. The rumour that
+something unusual had happened to Drost Peter Hessel, and that the
+queen's powerful favourite had fallen into disgrace, had put all in
+commotion at the palace; and now, all the cooks, waiting-maids, and
+kitchen-wenches were struggling to get a sight of him as he descended
+the palace-stairs, with the king's large gold chain across his breast.
+
+To be the object of the people's attention was nothing new to the young
+drost, and was, indeed, not displeasing to him. That he felt himself
+flattered thereby he could not deny, although, now and then, he saw
+some one whisper and smile in a fashion that would have deeply offended
+him, had he heard what was said concerning his supposed intimacy with
+the queen. But the curiosity with which he was observed bespoke, on the
+whole, esteem and goodwill; and his handsome, stately figure, in
+particular, recommended him to all the charming little waiting-maids
+who beheld him. At the palace-gate, he met a number of stranger knights
+and stately gentlemen, whom it was unusual to see abroad so early.
+Among them he perceived Duke Waldemar and Chamberlain Rané. They
+whispered together when they saw him; but he proceeded quietly
+forwards, and felt, with secret pride, that he met them as a conqueror.
+Still, he took care not to betray this feeling in his look and manner;
+but as he went silently and gravely past them, he saluted them coldly,
+yet with all courtesy. They, also, without betraying the slightest
+ill-feeling or unpleasant surprise, returned his salutation with equal
+indifference.
+
+Squire Skirmen had awaited his master on the palace-stairs, and now
+followed him with undisguised joy. As Skirmen passed Rané and the duke,
+he could not refrain from smiling with self-satisfaction; and, making
+his salute, he strutted along, much taller than usual. His master
+observed this.
+
+"Let us not triumph too early, my bold and trusty Skirmen," said he,
+earnestly. "Our enemies are still powerful; and pride goes often before
+a fall. I cannot entirely acquit myself on this point. We are all prone
+to be haughty when successful; but it is a temptation we must endeavour
+to contend against."
+
+Skirmen blushed, and was silent: the air of triumph disappeared from
+his countenance, and, with modest resignation, he followed his master
+to his dwelling.
+
+Here, Drost Peter found his wounded guest awake and merry. He examined
+his wound, in company with the royal surgeon, who had now arrived. The
+count was enjoined to keep his bed for a few days, and to remain quiet.
+This inactivity did not quite please Count Gerhard. He bargained with
+the doctor, that he might be up within eight days, to be present at the
+festival with which the Dane-court was to be concluded. The leech gave
+him hopes of this, and, on these terms, he consented to remain at rest;
+but it seemed to him a hard penance, that, for eight days, he must
+neither drink wine, nor laugh to his heart's content, to chase away the
+tedious hours, in company with his jester.
+
+Drost Peter now committed him to the care of the surgeon and his
+house-people, requesting the count and his followers to consider
+themselves at home, and to excuse his absence on the necessary duties
+of his office. Thereupon, he hastened to Sir John's residence, where
+the old counsellor shortly after arrived. They had an hour's private
+conversation on highly-important state affairs; after which they went
+to mass together, in Our Lady's Kirk, where the whole court was
+present, and where Sir John's wife, Lady Ingefried, and his daughter,
+Cecilia, sat on the royal seat, next to the beautiful Queen Agnes.
+
+As Sir John and the drost entered the church, all eyes were turned to
+the young knight and the royal seat; and some thought they could
+observe a slight blush on the queen's fair cheeks, as she hastily
+returned the salutations of Sir John and the drost. As soon as mass was
+over, the knights and ecclesiastics proceeded in crowds to the long
+saloon of the palace, where the Dane-court was now held, instead of in
+the open air--an old custom, which, by degrees, fell more and more into
+disuse, much to the discontent of the people, because, by this means,
+it was sought to exclude the burghers and peasants from taking part in
+the proceedings of the Danish parliament.
+
+This day, the king alone dispensed and confirmed certain gifts and
+privileges to churches and convents. He seemed somewhat uneasy and out
+of temper, and terminated the proceedings as soon as possible. Next day
+he appeared in better humour, and the matters before the parliament
+went on in their usual course, quietly, and without interruption. The
+precautions that had been privately taken by Sir John, David
+Thorstenson, and the vigilant Drost Peter, completely assured the king,
+and no notice was taken of the discontented vassals. They did not wish
+it to appear that the contest between the king and Duke Waldemar was
+the chief matter, although it excited expectation in the highest
+degree. Judgment, in this case, was reserved to the last day of the
+Dane-court, the 28th of May. The seven preceding days were employed in
+settling less important disputes between feudal lords and their
+tenants, and in reconciling the various differences between the
+temporal and spiritual lords, who frequently accused each other of
+violence and oppression, or of encroachments on one another's rights
+and liberties.
+
+The most considerable lay and ecclesiastical lords in the country were
+present at this parliament. Here were now to be seen the Archbishop
+John Dros of Lund, and Bishop Tygé of Aarhaus, as well as the bishops
+of Viborg, Rypen, Roskild, Odense, and Börglum. These spiritual lords
+had already, on Sunday, in conjunction and with the consent of the
+feudal lords and knights, or, as it was called, according to the _Best
+Council_, come to the  determination, that they should appoint twelve
+intelligent men of Denmark, to form a _Worthel_, or council of jurors,
+who should say and swear to whom the lands and estates in dispute
+between the king and duke of right belonged. The stern old Sir John had
+been chosen one of these jurors. Before judgment was delivered, the
+jurors daily assembled in the counsellor's house, where they considered
+the subject in quietness, with locked doors.
+
+Sir John kept an hospitable house, and received them all with the
+greatest politeness. He possessed one of the largest mansions in
+Nyborg, where his wife and daughter resided with him during the
+Dane-court. Every evening, great numbers of both lay and spiritual
+lords were here assembled; and one might observe that Duke Waldemar and
+his adherents were here to be found as often as Drost Peter, David
+Thorstenson, and others attached to the royal house. At times, the
+queen, with her ladies, and the young princes, might be seen at these
+evening assemblies. On such occasions, the old lord was particularly
+merry and cheerful; but, if any one ventured to speak a word to him on
+state affairs, he would become suddenly silent, or punish the
+unmannerly busybody with a biting jest. From the time that the council
+of jurors began to sit, Sir John would receive no one except at a time
+when there was company with him; and he would not talk alone with any
+one, not even with Drost Peter, who, at other times, had daily and
+familiar access to him. He had also declared, that, until the
+Dane-court was closed, he could not, and would not, converse alone,
+even with the king himself.
+
+The day before the termination of the Dane-court, Sir John sat, in the
+forenoon, for the last time, in the council of jurors, with locked
+doors. His house-steward was strictly forbidden to admit any one
+whatever. Meanwhile, admission was authoritatively demanded by a tall,
+powerful man, in a hooded cap, who either did not know, or did not
+trouble himself, about this necessary precaution. In his vehemence, the
+cap slipped on one side, and the house-steward suddenly became so
+terrified that he lost both speech and self-possession, and,
+notwithstanding the strict order to the contrary, hastily withdrew the
+bar from the closed door. But, at the same instant, a bolt was secured
+inside.
+
+"All twelve are here," shouted old Sir John: "we have no room for a
+thirteenth, if even he bore the crown and sceptre!"
+
+The tall man in the hooded cap stamped wrathfully on the floor, and,
+with hasty strides, left the knight's house, without saying a word.
+Before evening, this occurrence was known all over Nyborg, with various
+explanatory additions; and Sir John was highly commended for his
+hardihood by Duke Waldemar and his adherents, who drew from it
+conclusions favourable to their case.
+
+In the evening, as usual, there was a numerous assemblage at Sir
+John's. The queen and the young princes were also expected. Drost Peter
+was invited, together with his guests. When Count Gerhard heard that
+the queen was to be there, he sprang from the reclining chair, for
+which he had now exchanged his bed, and swore, loud and deeply, that he
+would go, if he should have to keep his bed for it a whole month
+afterwards.
+
+"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," he said. "If I have not
+permission to-morrow, or the day after, to attend the court
+festivities, and if I should die of tedium in the meanwhile, I shall
+lie with a long nose in my grave. This surgeon is a tiresome fellow. He
+makes as much ado about this scratch as if I were a maiden, and wraps
+me up like a suckling. And you, fortune's favourite, whose head,
+nevertheless, I almost hewed off--you strut there, bold and nimble
+enough: I trow, indeed, you have had your head linked to your neck with
+chains of honour."
+
+"I have a good skin for healing," replied Drost Peter; "and, this time,
+the sword did not penetrate far into it. In one sense, however, you are
+right," he added: "my head has not sat looser upon me for a long time;
+and this chain has certainly somewhat secured it. But leave the
+junketings alone, noble count. The skin is but thin upon your wound,
+and, to-night, you might easily be thrown into excitement."
+
+"Excitement! that is just what I am intent upon," interrupted the
+count. "A person must still draw breath, however thin-skinned he may
+be. I cannot live in this fashion, like a mummy, much longer. I know I
+am master of my body: pity it is that we should let clerks and ghostly
+fathers be masters of our sinful souls! Give me my court-doublet and
+new mantle, Longlegs. Somewhat clumsy I may be in these wrappings, but
+I shall leave them on to please you."
+
+Farther objections were vain. He donned his bright red lawn doublet,
+placed his feathered hat on his head, and cast a stiff, gold-fringed,
+purple mantle over his broad shoulders.
+
+"So, so!" he said; "I know now that I look whole and sound enough.
+Henceforth, I resign Dorothy Brushbroom to you, Longlegs: you, also,
+shall know what it is to be taken care of."
+
+"I trust you may find the distinguished ladies as interested about your
+person as she has been, my gracious master," replied the jester; "but,
+since you seldom go so near them that they can see you, you should take
+my jingling-jacket, that they may hear you in the distance."
+
+"There! you hear, Drost Peter, what I must digest, and give the clown
+food and wages for, merely to exercise me in Christian humbleness and
+patience. You are right, Longlegs. I am a little too sheepish on
+certain occasions; but that is a virtue your losel should respect, and
+apply himself to. To-night you shall see otherwise, and that I shall do
+you honour, Longlegs," continued the count, gaily: "I have not had such
+courage to talk with the ladies for a long time. Your nurse can bear
+witness, sir drost, that it is a falsehood and a slander, when foul
+tongues say I lose heart and speech with the ladies."
+
+"No one shall say so of you any longer, gracious sir. I was shamefully
+unjust," replied Longlegs, bowing. "If I could not hear you snore, for
+some nights past, as I would have given much to have done, I had,
+nevertheless, at times, the pleasure of hearing your most gracious
+growlings; and, for these, I thanked the Holy Virgin. They are, at all
+times, a sure sign of life. Now, therefore, if you should like to
+cudgel me for your amusement, gracious master, you must stop at home."
+
+Without listening farther to his jester, the count set out with his
+knight and Drost Peter. In his impatience to reach old Sir John's
+abode, he hurried on so fast, that his attentive host held him back, to
+remind him that such haste was dangerous to him. But the count suddenly
+slackened his pace, as soon as he perceived the magnificently
+illuminated building, where, under the linden trees, at the foot of the
+grand staircase, stood two rows of the royal household servants, with
+lighted torches.
+
+"I am also to see the young princes to-night," he said. "Your pupil,
+the young heir to the throne, should be like his mother. You are a
+happy man, Drost Peter, who can train and bring up such a noble shoot."
+
+"I fully acknowledge it," replied Drost Peter, with ardour. "I hope he
+shall become a worthy descendant of Waldemar Seier, his illustrious
+ancestor, whose chivalrous manner of thinking, and regard for truth and
+justice, I believe he already inherits. With God's help, he will do
+honour to his race."
+
+"But is the mother really there, too, in the house of a simple knight?"
+
+"A simple knight!" repeated Drost Peter, somewhat offended. "Old Sir
+John is a son's son of Esbern Snaré's daughter: he numbers the great
+Absalom in his race. But were he even a simple knight, without
+distinguished birth, he is still a man of such merit, that the king and
+queen need not be ashamed of being his guests. Both his wife and
+daughter are the queen's dearest friends."
+
+"Sooth to say, my good friend," observed Count Gerhard, in a half
+whisper, and drawing Drost Peter aside, "you give quality a good day;
+but I am almost ashamed to show myself before the queen. I only saw her
+at that devil's tourney at Helsingborg, where you took the prize from
+me, and I could not say a single word to her from sheer bashfulness.
+Among men, I have not the reputation of sheepishness; and, when I walk
+before the eyes of kings and emperors, I feel myself to be as good as
+they: but, plague on it! all my confidence vanishes when I want to
+express myself gracefully before the fair ones."
+
+"Notwithstanding your backwardness, you are not unknown to the queen,
+noble count," replied Drost Peter. "Tour valour and discretion in the
+lists were not unobserved; and I were a fool should I brag of the
+superiority of which you were deprived by a mere casual accident."
+
+"She has spoken of me, say you, without dwelling on my awkward homage,
+when I made the attempt to salute her during the tilting?"
+
+"If she has smiled at that, noble count, I can still assure you that
+neither mockery nor contempt--"
+
+"Mockery and contempt!" interrupted the count, proudly: "by Satan! who
+thinks of that? Had the most amiable lady in Christendom contemned
+Count Gerhard, she must have sent her knight into the field to make me
+reparation. I am not quite so bashful as to be afraid of that. But tell
+me frankly," continued he, "am I not too stout and stiff, in these
+frightful swaddling bands, to show myself becomingly in such company?"
+
+"You are not at all amiss," answered Drost Peter, smiling. "A bandage
+over the breast never disfigures a knightly gentleman: in my eyes, it
+even makes you somewhat majestic in your bearing."
+
+"Very good, my brave friend. I have you to thank for the majestic
+bearing. But you are right: if a knight has only his fame whole and
+sound, his body may be in what condition it may; he, at least, must be
+esteemed as most valiant by every noble and high-souled lady."
+
+Count Gerhard now boldly ascended the steps of Sir John's dwelling,
+attended by Drost Peter and the two knights. In the ante-room servants
+received their hats and mantles, and opened the large oaken door
+leading into a magnificent vaulted apartment, which was illumined by
+wax-lights, on tall candelabra, borne by brazen wolves. Ladies and
+knights stood, here and there, in groups, on the polished oaken floor,
+engaged in lively conversation; while others sat, playing at chess, and
+similar amusements. From another saloon, still larger, the door of
+which stood open, came the music of flutes and violins. A
+_kĉmpevise_[14] was played, accompanied by the voices of a number of
+maidens and an elegantly performed dance. A knight, in magnificent
+attire, was seen in stately motion with a majestic lady in a scarlet
+kirtle, glittering with gold and precious stones.
+
+"The queen!" whispered Count Gerhard into the drost's ear, and remained
+standing, astonished, at the first door.
+
+"And Duke Waldemar!" added Drost Peter, who also stood surprised, but
+not at the beauty and noble bearing of the queen, which he had so often
+admired: the young duke's haughty, self-complacent countenance first
+struck his eyes. A distressing thought flashed suddenly as a
+thunderbolt through his soul, and, involuntarily, he grasped Count
+Gerhard by the arm.
+
+"What is the matter with you, my good friend?" whispered Count Gerhard:
+"have you, too, become giddy at the sight? I have had enough already.
+By our Lady! it is a beauty unapproachable."
+
+Sir John, as soon as he was made aware of the entrance of the
+newly-arrived guests, advanced gaily and courteously towards them.
+"Welcome, my lords," said the old knight. "I am rejoiced that the noble
+Count Gerhard can contradict, in person, the rumour that is current
+respecting a dangerous wound."
+
+"A false rumour, sir counsellor; which has, nevertheless, induced me to
+keep my room for a few days," replied the count, in a jocular tone.
+"Here are life and merriment, I see; and one may be given up for death,
+if he do not find himself well here. Be pleased to present me to your
+noble lady and daughter; and, when the dance is over, to her grace the
+queen." The latter words he added in a subdued tone, and drew a long
+breath after having uttered them, his eyes again turning towards the
+dancing saloon.
+
+"As you command," replied the lively old knight, with a sportive smile.
+"It is easily to be seen what portion of the human family Count Gerhard
+sets the highest value upon. My daughter, I perceive, is now standing
+up for the dance; but I can present you to my wife immediately, if you
+please."
+
+Count Gerhard had not heard a single word. He stared, like one in a
+dream, into the dancing-saloon, where the fair queen had, just at that
+instant, curtsied with noble dignity to her princely partner, and, on
+his arm, moved down the room to her seat, amidst the dazzling young
+daughters of the chivalrous guests, and eclipsing them all with her
+loveliness.
+
+A new piece of music and song was commenced, and a new couple were in
+motion on the floor. The lady was Sir John's daughter, Cecilia. She
+could not vie with the queen in dazzling beauty and majesty, but quite
+equalled her in the spirit and grace of her motions. With an
+earnestness that better suited the song than her partner's smiling
+mien, she regarded, with her dark, lustrous eyes, the knight who
+extended his hand to her, and who, in gracefulness and courtesy, seemed
+to vie with Duke Waldemar. This polite cavalier was the duke's drost,
+Sir Tuko Abildgaard, a bold and ambitious gentleman, celebrated for his
+influence over the duke, and as famed for his good fortune with the
+fair sex as for his fickleness in love, and his haughty, soaring claims
+to distinction. He appeared intent on distinguishing the Lady Cecilia
+among all the ladies at court. He seemed to give but little heed to the
+song to which they danced: it was a sweet and melancholy air, to the
+ballad of Sir Sverkel's unfortunate love to his unknown sister. Drost
+Peter listened to it with much interest; and even the otherwise merry
+Count Gerhard stood silent and serious, while the young damsels sang:--
+
+
+            "Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, hind,
+            That I may forget the little Kirstine;
+            Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, roe,
+            That I may forget my true love so."
+
+
+"The foul fiend!" muttered Count Gerhard to himself; and, to his own
+astonishment, his eyes almost overflowed as the young damsels
+continued:
+
+
+            "He prayed the hart, and prayed the hind,
+            But never was the maiden from his mind;
+            He prayed the hart, and prayed the roe,
+            But could not forget his true love so."
+
+
+Count Gerhard's absent gaze into the dancing-saloon caused old Sir John
+to cast an attentive look in the same direction, and the sight of his
+daughter's undisguised interest in Sir Abildgaard did not seem to
+please him. His cheerful countenance suddenly assumed an air of deep
+seriousness, while the damsels now sang:--
+
+
+            "The knight he from his land was driven,
+            And the lady to a cloister given."
+
+
+Both the old and the younger knight appeared absorbed in the same
+dreamy mood which the melancholy song was calculated to produce, but
+each in a different manner, according to the ideas they associated
+therewith. Yet, in the midst of the general merriment and splendour of
+the festivity, there were, apparently, but few who gave heed to the
+tenor of the song. Its conclusion, in particular, affected Drost Peter
+to melancholy. He involuntarily laid hold of the ruby rosary on his
+breast, that served to remind him of his half-forgotten child-bride,
+while the damsels sang:--
+
+   "A bird so small from the white strand flew,
+   And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?
+   A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,
+   And he sang, O where is my own true bride?
+            For chastest maiden I dree."
+
+"It is allowed that you are a lover of the dance and song, illustrious
+Count Gerhard," said old Sir John, in his usual social tone, and
+turning, with a cheerful countenance, to his abstracted guest. "If you
+wish, now I shall conduct you to the queen and the young ladies."
+
+Count Gerhard bowed stiffly, and followed the old knight, without
+observing the breach of propriety of which he had been guilty, in
+not greeting the noble and matronly Lady Ingefried, who went round
+among the guests, and received their salutations, accompanied by a
+waiting-maid, bearing a silver salver with filled wine-cups.
+
+While Drost Peter, as a well-known and daily guest, saluted the worthy
+house-mother, old Sir John and his distinguished attendant, before they
+reached the dancing-saloon, were stopped by two handsomely attired
+youths in scarlet jackets, with gold chains about their fine linen
+collars. They were both flushed with anger, and had come from the
+dice-table, where they had had a dispute. The one was the eleven years'
+old Prince Erik, who, from his second year, had taken the name of king,
+and the other, his brother, Junker Christopher, two years his junior,
+and half a head shorter, but apparently his superior in strength,
+though not in sprightliness and beauty.
+
+"You shall decide between us, Sir John: you know what right is," said
+the little king, warmly. "Suppose the gold dice are islands and
+countries, and the counters knights and swains: have I, as eldest, the
+privilege of taking first? And suppose, further, that I, with my
+knights and swains, surround and conquer all Christopher's islands and
+countries, are they, by right, mine? If he will merely admit that, he
+shall readily have them back again. What care I for the dice!"
+
+"'That depends upon the laws of your game, my little hasty gentlemen,"
+replied the old knight. "Besides, the eldest ought not only to take
+first, but also to be the first in good sense and magnanimity. The
+game, moreover, is good for nothing," he added, gravely. "Has not Drost
+Hessel taught you yet, my little king, that we do not play dice with
+islands and countries, and do not convert knights and swains into
+counters?"
+
+Prince Erik went away, silent, and blushing with shame. Christopher
+followed him, jeeringly. Drost Peter had been attracted by the dispute
+of the princes, and had drawn near when he heard his name mentioned.
+
+"See now, sir counsellor," whispered he: "our little king surrenders
+the whole table to his brother, with chivalrous magnanimity."
+
+"Yes, indeed, but with wounded pride," said the old man, softly. "Could
+we only get the pride and thoughtlessness eradicated from him, the
+country might, in time, expect much of him."
+
+Drost Peter was silent, and sank into deep thought.
+
+"Excuse me, Count Gerhard. You wish to be presented to the queen," said
+old Sir John, aloud, and turning to the count. "Permit me to conduct
+you." He strode nimbly forward, and Count Gerhard followed him to the
+polished threshold of the dancing-saloon. There the count remained,
+standing with his back to the door-post, and bowed stiffly to the queen
+from that extreme distance, without troubling himself about Sir John,
+who, with active steps, had entered the saloon.
+
+"The noble Count Gerhard of Holstein desires to salute your grace,"
+said the old knight, who had approached the queen, and fancied he had
+still the count by his side.
+
+"Count Gerhard!" repeated the queen, with much interest. "Where is he,
+then? I do not see him."
+
+"What! has he disappeared?" exclaimed Sir John, looking behind him with
+surprise.
+
+"By the door yonder, your grace," observed the duke, with a derisive
+smile, and a proud sense of superiority. "The noble count makes great
+efforts to testify his devotion to your grace at a respectful distance.
+I certainly think he would beg the favour to be honoured with your hand
+in the dance, but seemingly wants words to express his wishes."
+
+"Inform him, sir counsellor, that I shall willingly tread a measure
+with him," said the queen to the old knight. "Bid him approach. I have
+long wished to speak with so gallant and esteemed a gentleman."
+
+Sir John bowed, and carried to Count Gerhard the surprising message of
+condescension.
+
+"The holy St. George stand by me!" exclaimed the count, terrified. "I
+never danced in all my born days, and, in this devil's swathing, I can
+scarcely stir; but, if the queen commands it, I should be able to fly.
+Holy Virgin!" he muttered to himself, "if I escape from this with life,
+it is a miracle."
+
+He hastily recovered himself, and, not to appear embarrassed, assumed
+as brave an air as if he were on the point of taking a fortress by
+storm. With long strides and a stiff carriage, he walked up to the
+queen and bowed. Duke Waldemar turned to one side, and only half
+concealed his laughter. But the familiar manner in which the queen
+conversed with Count Gerhard soon restored his self-possession, and
+brought back his even, good-tempered simplicity of character. He spoke
+of his mischance at the tournament at Helsingborg, when he ventured to
+contend for the queen's colours, without being able to honour them with
+victory; and the humorous manner in which he complained of himself in
+the affair, and jested at his own awkwardness, greatly amused the
+queen.
+
+"You may well jest at the vile mischance," she observed, with
+undisguised goodwill and respect: "your knightly honour you have
+established on more important and more serious occasions. You look
+well, I perceive," she added, remarking his round figure, and the
+difficult movements of his arm: "the world does not consume you, sir
+count."
+
+"I ought, certainly, as a young widower, to look lean and dismal,"
+replied Count Gerhard, colouring; "but you must kindly excuse me, your
+grace. The happiness whose loss cannot be seen in me, I have not been
+so fortunate as to possess rightly. It is, certainly, one of my
+greatest mishaps in life; but I have the singular fate to thrive by
+mishaps. This I have just recently experienced. But appearances are
+deceitful, your grace; and I hope, in about eight days, to be much
+thinner, if your grace commands."
+
+"How?" inquired the queen, laughing: "can you become thin at pleasure?
+I am glad that, in such a case, you can preserve your cheerfulness."
+
+Without, however, entering farther into the frank Count Gerhard's heart
+affairs, and the inappropriate theme of his personal appearance, the
+queen suddenly broke off the conversation by a few indifferent
+questions, to which he replied somewhat in confusion, fearing that he
+had said something improper.
+
+Knight Abildgaard and the Lady Cecilia had already, for some time,
+stepped out of the dance, and were standing in the recess of a window,
+in pleasing conversation. The flutes and violins now struck up a quick,
+lively air, and the young maidens sang the queen's favourite ballad,
+about King Didrik and the Lion's fight with the Dragon.
+
+"I like this ballad very well," said the queen, "Every age has its
+dragons, I fancy; but, against the paction of king and lion, there is
+small chance for the dragon."
+
+"That is a true saying, noble queen," replied the count, with much
+interest, in reference to the allusion. "There are still lions by the
+side of the Danish throne; but, in these chivalrous times, they would
+rather serve the queen than the king, I trow."
+
+"If you please, we will tread a dance to the song," added the queen,
+interrupting him.
+
+Count Gerhard's embarrassment returned with painful force; but he took
+refuge in his usual expedient, and, holding the queen by the hand, he
+advanced, with martial strides, to the middle of the floor. He had not
+the slightest knowledge of dancing; but he moved about as well as he
+could, in the same manner as the queen, imitating her turnings, on the
+contrary side, with the utmost attention. Fortunately, the dance was
+itself a simple one, and he had naturally a good ear for time.
+Notwithstanding his stiffness, and although he trod the floor with his
+spurred heels until it thundered again, he did not behave himself
+amiss; indeed, he even looked noble and majestic. Before the first
+measure was over, the constraint in his deportment had disappeared. The
+cheerful song, and the queen's benignant smile, enlivened him; his
+good-natured countenance beamed with courage and heartfelt glee, and he
+swung his arm lustily as the damsels sang:--
+
+
+            "It was Master King Didrik
+            Would prove what his sword could dow,
+            He hewed into the hard rock
+            Till the hill was all in a low."
+
+
+He continued dancing, with the happiest face in the world, till the
+maidens sang the thirty-third verse of the ballad:
+
+
+            "The lion roared, and King Didrik hewed,
+            Till the hill stood all in flame;
+            And had the lion not helped him out,
+            The king had died with shame."
+
+
+But now he suddenly beheld the queen turn pale, and then heard her
+exclaim--"My God, he bleeds!" and, for the first time, he perceived
+that the wound in his breast had again opened, and that the blood ran
+from it in streams.
+
+"Pardon me, your grace," said he, hastily, and concealing the streaming
+blood with his arm: "I ought certainly to have remained quiet a few
+days longer, in consequence of a slight wound I received; but, in that
+case, I should not have been invited to the present festival. This is
+the first time in my life I have ever danced: but your grace makes
+everything possible; and perhaps this is the only mode in which it may
+be permitted me to pour out my blood for the fairest and noblest of
+ladies."
+
+He made an attempt to take his leave, but his legs tottered under him,
+and he became deadly pale. Drost Peter, and the count's own knights,
+hastened to his assistance, and led him from the saloon. He cast a
+respectful look towards the queen, who was in the greatest uneasiness;
+and, without further consciousness of what had happened to him, he was
+carried back to Drost Peter's residence, where the sympathising jester
+received him with a terrified scream, and where he was immediately
+waited upon by the surgeon and his alarmed friends with the greatest
+tenderness.
+
+This mishap broke up the entertainment at Sir John's. The queen had
+shortly after left the company. Betimes in the morning, she sent to
+inquire after Count Gerhard's health. The surgeon pronounced him out of
+danger, although he would not, for some time, be able to leave his bed,
+and had not yet recovered his consciousness.
+
+The last day of the sittings of the Dane-court had now arrived. On this
+day, according to ancient custom, the proceedings were to take place in
+the open air, in the large green space before the palace. Here were
+admitted not only the vassals of noble extraction, the prelates and
+bishops of the kingdom, but also the peasants and burghers, more
+especially the wealthy merchants, who insisted upon the maintenance of
+their ancient privileges, though, within the last few years, their
+influence had greatly diminished. The place was surrounded with royal
+landsknechts; but, within the area, no one was permitted to bear a
+weapon. Around a raised seat, beneath a canopy of red velvet, fringed
+with gold, stood on the right, in the form of a semicircle, a long row
+of bishops and prelates, in their ecclesiastical orders, with the old
+archbishop of Lund, John Dros, at their head.
+
+Next to him stood Master Martinus de Dacia. This learned individual had
+arrived from Antvorskov, of which he was prior, eight days previously.
+He had had a long private conversation with the king immediately after,
+and, for the second time, had been appointed chancellor of the kingdom
+and keeper of the royal seal. He was a man above fifty, of a notable
+appearance, although without much clerical dignity in mien and
+carriage. He quite filled his ample Dominican dress, generally
+concealing his hands, as if they were cold, in the sleeves of his
+tunic. Sometimes he would suddenly stoop, and stare vacantly before
+him, as if in deep thought; and then as suddenly look up with surprise,
+and quit his place, to talk with some of the more learned of the
+bishops and prelates on some particular theological or philosophical
+subject, without waiting for an introduction. His tonsure, augmented by
+a natural want of hair, extended to the whole of his head, which was
+covered with an octagonal cap of black velvet. He wore his shoes with
+white heels, in the manner of the clerks of Paris; and appeared, on the
+whole, to affect elegance and punctilio in his dress, although
+everything sat stiff and awkwardly upon him.
+
+Among the ecclesiastics might also be seen Duke Waldemar's travelling
+companion, the notable dean of Roskild, Master Jens Grand, who
+disdainfully regarded the still vacant royal seat, with a jeering
+side-glance at the learned chancellor.
+
+On the left side of the throne stood a semicircle of princely vassals,
+counts, knights, and noble governors. In the uppermost place among
+these was the young Duke Waldemar, in a knight's brilliant suit of red
+lawn, and a purple velvet mantle, adorned with the Sleswick lions in
+gold. Over his brown curls he wore a Russian hat, decked with rubies
+and ostrich feathers. He spoke softly, and with a sagacious, crafty
+air, to his brother, Count Erik of Langeland, who had newly arrived at
+court.
+
+Next to these gentlemen stood the plump Count Jacob of Halland, in his
+general's uniform, and haughtily enveloped in his blue mantle; whilst
+the person by his side, the fastidious Sir Abildgaard, seemed to be
+amusing him with satirical or mischievous jokes on some of the
+ecclesiastics.
+
+Chief, in the rank of knights, stood eight of the king's counsellors,
+among whom Drost Hessel and old John Little were still missing. Among
+the knights who had arrived with the duke were to be seen many proud
+and daring countenances: Jacob Blaafod, and Count Jacob's brother,
+Niels Hallandfar, seemed, in particular, by their appearance, to betray
+considerable anxiety as to the issue of the day's transactions.
+
+Behind these two semicircles of lay and spiritual lords stood a number
+of respectable peasants, in their short blue Sunday smocks, with clear
+silver buttons, and mostly with their cowl-caps in their hands; whilst
+the wealthy merchant-burghers, in their long civic gaberdines, pressed
+before them, among many curious spectators of all classes.
+
+A gentle murmur was heard in the assembly, the eyes of which were
+turned impatiently towards the palace-stairs. At length the large oaken
+doors were opened, and a royal herald, bearing a white wand, came
+forth, making way for the king and his train. In his royal purple
+mantle, and wearing his crown and sceptre, the tall and stately king
+slowly descended the steps, between the two princes, attended by Drost
+Hessel, his marshal and under-marshal, the chief chamberlain, Ové Dyré,
+Chamberlain Rané, and a number of pages, among whom the fair Aagé
+Jonsen walked first. The people stood respectfully on one side, and the
+knights' semicircle opened, whilst the king and his followers ascended
+to the throne. He bowed, unsteadily, on all sides, and cast a transient
+look over the assemblage.
+
+As soon as he had taken his seat on the throne, with Prince Erik on his
+right and Junker Christopherson on his left hand, three trumpet-blasts
+announced that the Dane-court was seated. After a moment of expectant
+silence, the king arose, and, taking the crown from his head, laid it
+on a red velvet cushion, which was handed by the marshal to the
+archbishop. In like manner, the sceptre was handed to the learned
+Chancellor Martinus, who placed it, with great care and reverence, on a
+velvet cushion, making an evident effort to avoid falling into other
+thoughts, or losing sight of it.
+
+"To-day I am not judge here," began the king: "I am myself a party in
+the cause whereupon you have to decide, and which concerns the rights
+of the crown and kingdom. Herald, let the jurors come forward!"
+
+"In the name of the Dane-court," shouted the herald, "come forward, ye
+sworn men!"
+
+There now stepped forth, into the middle of the circle, old John Little
+and nine grave and distinguished individuals. The jurors were all
+well-known and esteemed men, from various provinces of the kingdom.
+They bared their heads before the throne and the assembly, and their
+gray hairs showed that they were among the oldest of all assembled.
+
+Sir John stood forward as their foreman and spokesman. Having bowed to
+the throne and to both sides of the court, he then said, with an
+audible voice, "Proclaim the cause before the people and the
+Dane-court, sir drost."
+
+Drost Peter, having bowed in like manner, advanced, with his
+high-feathered hat under his left arm, and, unfolding a sheet of
+parchment, read from it, slowly and distinctly, the matter in dispute
+between the king and Duke Waldemar, respecting the possession of Als
+Island. Having finished, he returned to his place among the counsellors
+of the kingdom.
+
+Old Sir John again spoke. "It is known to us all," he began, in a calm
+and firm voice, "that the illustrious Duke Waldemar of South Jutland,
+two years since, when he was still under the guardianship of the Danish
+king, Erik Christopherson, believed himself entitled to make certain
+demands, which were refused by the king and council, as opposed to the
+constitution of the kingdom and the privileges of the crown.
+Notwithstanding, King Erik has not refused to his illustrious kinsman,
+now of full age, the privilege of laying before this Dane-court the
+claims he believes he is still entitled to make; and the settlement of
+the question is confided, by both the illustrious parties, to the
+present parliament. By the National Council of Best Men, was I,
+Counsellor Sir John Little, with eleven Danish men, under oath and
+duty, authorised to pronounce sentence in this matter. Two of these men
+have withdrawn from the council of jurors, and have refused to witness
+and decide in the cause, as not being perfectly known to them; but,
+after mature consideration, have we ten other men, who stand here, on
+oath and conscience pronounced sentence, as we mean to answer for it
+before God and man. If any one wishes to make protestation against the
+sentence, on account of the withdrawal of these two jurors, let him say
+so now, before it is made known, and then the final settlement of the
+matter must be deferred until a new Worthel has been chosen by the next
+Dane-court; otherwise, the present parliament declares the sentence of
+the ten jurors to be valid and just."
+
+The old man paused, and regarded the assembly with an earnest,
+penetrating look. A general silence ensued, and the straining
+countenances of all announced the deep interest and anxious
+expectations that were felt. The king made an uneasy gesture, but was
+also silent. Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Master Grand regarded the
+king attentively; they also looked meaningly at each other, but said
+nothing.
+
+"We proceed, then, to announce the sentence," resumed Sir John; and, at
+his signal, the eldest of the jurors handed him a large parchment-deed,
+from which were suspended seventeen seals, with green silk ribbons. The
+old counsellor unfolded the document, and read aloud and distinctly:--
+
+"We, the undersigned sworn Danish men, Mogens Peterson, Niels Dué, Turé
+Menersson of Jutland, John Bartson of Fyen, Niels, formerly governor of
+Lund, John Little, Mogens Corvigson of Skaane, Anders Nielson, Oluf
+Tygeson of Zealand, and Jacob Flep of Laalund, say and swear, of our
+full knowledge and counsel, that dominion over the whole of Alseland,
+with the fortresses, palace, and inhabitants thereof, belongs of right
+to the crown and kingdom of Denmark; the peasants belong to the king on
+the crown's account, the paternal estate of the king's children
+excepted, which was recognised and conceded to them after the death of
+King Waldemar. The said estate is known to us by means of a patent
+instrument, by which it was formerly granted to Duke Erik of South
+Jutland, Duke Waldemar's father. If the whole country had belonged to
+them, this estate would not have been specially given. Therefore, to
+the king and crown do we adjudge dominion, with full right and
+jurisdiction, over the whole of Alsen. In testimony whereof, we have
+sworn this upon the holy sacrament, in presence of the archbishop and
+six bishops, who, in further confirmation thereof, have attached their
+seals hereto, along with ours." He then recited the names of the
+subscribers.
+
+When he ceased, he calmly surveyed the various expressions on the
+countenances of those around him. On the king's features, although he
+blinked uneasily, might be seen a triumphant smile, as he cast a
+suspicious glance towards Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob, whose cheeks
+glowed with rage, while their hands were rigidly clenched in the folds
+of their mantles.
+
+Drost Peter's eyes did not forsake the duke's countenance, which
+quickly changed into a smile, as he gave a shrug to denote that he
+despised his loss. All were silent, however.
+
+But now stepped forth, from the rank of ecclesiastics, the insolent
+Master Grand. "The sentence is invalid," said he, with a loud voice:
+"two of the jurors' names are wanting; the Worthel is not perfect. This
+requires an express ecclesiastical confirmation."
+
+"This protest is of no avail," replied Sir John, calmly. "The court was
+silent on my timely summons, and thereby recognised the sentence as
+valid. Please to add the ecclesiastical confirmation, worthy Archbishop
+Johannes."
+
+At this summons, the aged archbishop came forward, and, with a calm
+assurance of his authority, raised his crook, and said--"In the name of
+the Holy Church, I hereby declare what I shall add, in writing, to the
+present document, under my own and the Church's seal, by which all
+shall know that the aforesaid estate, within the dukedom of South
+Jutland, with moneys of the mint, and other privileges in the said
+dukedom, is legally pronounced and adjudged, by this royal court, to
+the king of Denmark, for ever to possess; and we forbid, under pain of
+excommunication, that any one should meddle with the jurisdiction over
+Als, or with the forenamed estate in anywise, except with the consent
+and knowledge of King Erik or his successors."
+
+Notwithstanding that the old archbishop appeared inconsiderable and
+indistinct by the side of Master Grand, he pronounced these words with
+a quiet dignity that did not mar their effect. He then stepped back.
+Master Grand bit his lips with rage, and walked silently to his place.
+
+The stillness of death for a moment pervaded the assembly; when the
+king suddenly arose, and declared the Dane-court at an end, his words
+being accompanied by three loud trumpet-blasts. The archbishop and
+chancellor thereupon came forward with the crown and sceptre. The king
+pressed the crown firmly on his head, grasped the sceptre, and hastily
+descended from the throne. The row of knights opened, the people fell
+back, and the king, with the princes and his train, returned to the
+palace.
+
+The assembly broke up in the greatest order; but the knights of the
+various parties regarded each other with a silence at once unusual and
+painful. From Count Jacob and Master Grand alone were heard a few loud
+words, the involuntary outbreak of subdued wrath. Duke Waldemar,
+however, preserved a better appearance: his sagacious eye ran over the
+rank of his attached knights, and then, making a rapid gesture with his
+forefinger to his mouth, he departed, with his lively drost by his
+side, to that part of the palace where he had his apartments.
+
+In the evening, after these important transactions, a magnificent
+entertainment was given at the palace, wherein the queen, with the
+little Princess Mereté and their ladies, participated, and where the
+king was also present, with both the young princes, in full court
+state. Both the palace and the town were brilliantly illuminated.
+Flutes and violins resounded from the knights' saloon, and the serious
+business of the morning appeared to be wholly forgotten in social
+enjoyments, and in the varied display of wit and gravity, chivalrous
+courtesies and disguised passions, in which a thousand hidden qualities
+of the heart were concerned. Love and jealousy, hope and fear, pride
+and vanity, combined as powerfully to set the unstable, youthful soul
+into lively motion, as did the music and dancing to bring into action
+the feet of knights and ladies on the polished floor.
+
+As at the previous evening's entertainment at Sir John's, Duke Waldemar
+was here, in an extremely good humour. Not a trace of discontent was
+visible in his countenance, and he attracted general attention, as much
+by his cheerfulness and affability as by his princely bearing and
+dazzling grandeur. His variance with the king was the reason that he
+had not yet received the honour of knighthood, which he could not
+accept from any meaner hand. He dressed, notwithstanding, in the style
+of the most elegant knight, and, to conceal his want of the gold spurs,
+wore silver ones, thickly studded with gems. He suffered no opportunity
+to pass of showing himself attentive and devoted to the queen; his bold
+and artful drost, Sir Abildgaard, attaching himself, in a similar way,
+to Counselor John's fair daughter, Lady Cecilia.
+
+Drost Peter, to the surprise of all, was extremely reserved and silent.
+He was wont, on festive occasions at court, to be the soul of the
+company, and, in particular, to entertain the queen and her ladies by
+an ingenious blending of the grave and gay, with a freedom and
+liveliness which could only be derived from a consciousness of the
+favour in which he stood. Since the first morning of the Dane-court,
+when it was reported that he was ruined and in disgrace, and yet was
+seen, shortly after, leaving the king's closet as the most favoured of
+favourites, it was observed by every one, that a remarkable alteration
+had taken place in his demeanour. He had become grave and taciturn, as
+people fancied, from pride. He appeared to avoid with care, almost with
+anxiety, every approach to the queen; whilst, at the same time, he
+often watched her, and closely observed Duke Waldemar's efforts to
+please her. In this behaviour, the queen's sharp-sighted ladies fancied
+that they perceived the jealous favourite, who kept back from wounded
+vanity, and esteemed himself too highly to vie with Duke Waldemar in
+knightly civilities. He himself believed that he had far more important
+grounds for his altered conduct. The experience of the last few days
+had taught him how hazardous it was, in a court like this, to allow his
+frank and lively nature to be displayed without disguise, and, like a
+courteous knight, to worship beauty without reservation, even where he
+honoured it in combination with true innate greatness.
+
+The only occasion on which he had spoken to the queen, since his
+arrival at the present court, was at an unusual time, and with a degree
+of agitation that might have been easily misinterpreted: it was on the
+evening of his arrival, when he had in vain sought an audience of the
+king, and when recourse to this step was necessary in order to save his
+unfortunate foster-mother. He had, as usual, found the amiable and
+virtuous queen extremely gracious, and favourably disposed towards him
+and his business. By immediately granting his request, and effecting
+his nurse's release from prison, she had given him a new proof of her
+goodwill. The danger he had subsequently incurred, and his fortunate
+escape, which she learnt on the following day, filled her with the
+liveliest interest; but the grounds of his danger were only half known,
+and what the attendants fancied they did know, no one thought it
+becoming to inform her of. She had not spoken a single word to him
+since. The evident care with which he appeared to avoid her, surprised
+and displeased her; and, as he had neglected several favourable
+opportunities of approaching her, she appeared no longer to notice his
+presence, but confined her conversation to Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob,
+and the other princely gentlemen in the company.
+
+Late in the evening, the king quietly left the saloon, attended by
+Chamberlain Rané. Drost Peter observed his sudden departure; and as it
+took place on a signal from the crafty chamberlain, he concluded that
+it had reference to some private understanding, and to one of those
+frequent but discreditable assignations wherein Rané was at all times
+the king's familiar and agent.
+
+Drost Peter dared not follow, to warn him of Rané, who had already
+vindicated himself, and regained the king's favour. The young drost
+stood, alone and dejected, by one of the windows, during a wild and
+merry dance. He felt, with some disquietude, his peculiar position at
+court, where it was his first duty to guard from temptation the young
+heir to the throne. It was nearly impossible to watch over the security
+of a king who so continually exposed himself to insult and danger by
+his debaucheries, and by honouring with his confidence men who only
+flattered his inclinations to promote their own ends and lead him into
+temptation.
+
+"His better part I cannot save," said the drost, mentally. "I can only
+think of the crown's security." He stood armed with full royal
+authority to seize the duke the moment he should display the least
+intention to quit the kingdom. Information had been received of
+sufficient importance to justify such a step, were it needful. Should
+the duke be permitted to withdraw, unmolested, into Sweden, there was
+little doubt that he would return at the head of a hostile army, in
+conjunction with Marsk Andersen, to lay waste the country, and overturn
+the throne. The probability that this was the plan of the conspirators
+now bordered upon certainty, although full and legal proof was still
+wanting. The drost, in conjunction with Knight Thorstenson, had orders
+to watch all the motions of the duke. Their horses stood saddled within
+the palace-gates, and a light sloop lay in the harbour, ready to sail
+at whatever time they chose to cross the Great Belt.
+
+Many doubts occupied the drost's mind. At this moment he possessed I
+the king's highest favour and confidence; and it was not improbable
+that the fate of the monarch depended on the important and difficult
+business with which he was entrusted. In his absence, however, it might
+be easy for the crafty Rané, and his kinsman, the chief chamberlain,
+Ové Dyré, to ruin him with the unstable king, and destroy the fruits of
+his dangerous undertaking. Still, so long as Master Martinus and Sir
+John were in the king's council, he believed this fear unfounded.
+
+His eye now fell on the young Prince Erik, who danced lightly and gaily
+past him. For the security of this highly important individual, he had
+also reason to be apprehensive; and he was only consoled by reflecting
+that, in his absence, old Sir John would fulfil the duties of drost to
+the heir to the throne.
+
+Lighthearted, and free from care, the prince danced, hand in hand, with
+his sister Mereté. She was only twelve years old, and was already
+looked upon as betrothed to the Swedish Prince Berger. By this
+arrangement, the differences between the new royal house of Sweden and
+that of Denmark had been accommodated, after the vacillating King Erik
+Christopherson had in vain endeavoured to reinstate the dethroned
+Swedish King Waldemar, whom he had himself assisted to overturn. Still,
+it was scarcely believed that peace with the powerful King Ladislaus
+could be depended upon, and haste had accordingly been made to obtain
+the pope's dispensation for this union, on account of the consanguinity
+of the parties.
+
+"Another victim to our wavering policy," whispered a deep, well-known
+voice into Drost Peter's ear. It was the grave Sir Thorstenson, who had
+approached him unobserved, and who had been regarding the little lively
+princess with a look of compassion.
+
+"Sir Thorstenson!" said Drost Peter, recalled from his serious musings:
+"are you, too, an idle observer of the world's vanities to-night?
+Perhaps you may be somewhat mistaken in what you disapprove of so
+absolutely." As he spoke, he drew him aside into the next apartment,
+where the tables were unoccupied, and where they could converse without
+observation. "You pity our princess," continued he: "for her I am the
+least concerned: Sweden hopes as much for its heir-apparent as we do
+for ours. This betrothing of children is now the custom of the age, in
+knightly as well as in princely families. As you are aware, I was
+myself betrothed in the same fashion, from my cradle, and I have not
+felt myself unhappy in consequence. I am now released from the
+engagement, yet do I not feel myself happier. Children have their
+ministering angels before the sight of God, says Master Martin. God
+only knows what is best for us, and He can dispose of events
+accordingly. It may not be long, perhaps, before we hear of a similar
+betrothal of our young heir-apparent to the beautiful royal maid of
+Sweden, whom we saw at the tournament. The king appears to desire it
+ardently, and I dare offer no objections."
+
+"Barbarous--atrocious!" murmured the knight. "But I have something else
+to tell you. Are you prepared to travel?"
+
+"It is not yet time. As long as the handsome gentleman glitters and
+dances within, he can hardly think of leaving the kingdom."
+
+"You know, then, that he has taken leave of the king? He departs
+tonight for Sleswick, it is reported; but I know that two highly
+distinguished gentlemen are to pass over to Korsöer to-night. These are
+certainly he and his drost. The ship they have hired is said to be
+Swedish; but I believe it is Norse, and, in fact, a pirate-vessel."
+
+"I know it," answered Drost Peter. "Our little sloop is ready to sail.
+It is all in good hands, and I am fully authorised in this matter. Sir
+Benedict Rimaardson, of Tornborg, follows us in Zealand. As soon as the
+bird takes wing, we fly after him; but on this side the Sound he has
+his freedom. If he think proper to visit Zealand, it is no one's
+business."
+
+"We understand one another," replied Thorstenson, nodding. "We, too,
+are only making a pleasant excursion, to visit our good friends. With
+Sir Lavé Little, at Flynderborg we can best guard the passage of the
+Sound."
+
+Drost Peter hesitated, as if half embarrassed by the proposition. "Very
+good: we can determine on that tomorrow," he said, hastily. "But we
+must be at our post. Remain you here till the moment this cunning
+gentleman leaves the palace. I shall send my squire to the quay, to
+keep an eye upon the strange skiff. Before midnight, I shall be at the
+palace-gates, with our horses." He pressed Thorstenson's hand, went
+hastily past the dancers in the saloon, and, as he approached the
+queen, paused for a moment, to give her a respectful salutation.
+
+"A word, Drost Hessel," said the quean, in an unusually authoritative
+tone, and seating herself upon a chair, at some distance from the
+dancers.
+
+Drost Peter stopped, and approached her attentively.
+
+"How do you find your wounded guest?" she inquired. "I regret that I
+was, in some measure, the cause of his relapse."
+
+"His life is out of danger, your grace. I am at this moment going to
+visit him."
+
+"Tell him that I am concerned for his mishap," she continued; "so much
+the more, as I hear it occurred in a chivalrous onset respecting a
+lady's honour."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply. "How, gracious queen?" he stammered: "who
+has said--"
+
+"That this was the case?" interrupted the queen. "It has just been told
+me that he had a dispute, on his journey from Middelfert, with a
+certain conceited young knight, who boasted too loudly and indiscreetly
+of his good fortune with a lady whose colours he wears, but one who can
+never consent to be the object of any other favour from a knight than
+true and discreet service."
+
+"He who told you so, noble queen," replied Drost Peter, with a deep
+feeling of wounded honour, "I must pronounce a base slanderer, did he
+even wear a princely crown; and I will make good my assertion by
+honourable combat for life and death. This much only is true, that our
+common admiration of the exalted lady whose colours I wear was,
+undoubtedly, the cause of our untoward strife. But, by my knightly
+honour, the noble Count Gerhard himself can bear witness that his
+antagonist was guilty of no indiscretion."
+
+"Your word of honour, brave Drost Hessel, is ample surety to me for the
+truth of what you state," said the queen, mildly; "but it is my express
+wish that not a word more be said about this matter, and that you
+carefully avoid every dispute with which my name may, in the slightest
+degree, be associated. From henceforth, neither you nor any other
+knight shall wear my colours with my consent. I shall see you only when
+it is highly needful, and when I call you. This conduct, I know, you
+will not misunderstand. Go, now, to your sick guest, noble knight, and
+be assured of my unchanged goodwill."
+
+With bitter feelings, Drost Peter unfastened a rose-coloured silken
+rosette, which he wore upon his doublet, and, handing it to the queen
+with a suppressed sigh, he bowed silently and respectfully, and
+withdrew.
+
+It was almost midnight. Count Gerhard lay impatiently in bed, unable to
+sleep. He seemed to hear, from the palace, the flutes and violins, and
+had conceived such a desire for dancing, since his first essay in the
+art on the preceding evening, that his legs were in constant motion,
+though the surgeon had enjoined him to be still, and to allow himself
+to be bound, if he could not restrain this singular fancy, which he
+thought must be a result of the fever produced by his wound. His
+adventure with Sir John, in the early part of the evening, occurred to
+him almost like a dream, and he would not ask any one how it had
+happened. All society and amusement were strictly forbidden him, and
+he saw no one but the surgeon and old Dorothy, who watched quietly by
+his couch. Still, when he could not sleep, she told him a variety of
+ghost-stories, and tales of trolds and nixes, the truth of which she
+piously believed and affirmed. The count would only answer with a
+growl, and a brief exclamation of "Nonsense! confounded nonsense,
+carlin!" but in the best-tempered tone in the world.
+
+Dorothy was not at all disconcerted by such objections. She saw plainly
+that her stories amused the sick man, and therefore regarded his
+discontented expressions merely as a peculiar mode of speaking, and a
+well-meant sign that he was listening. She sat quietly by his pillow,
+with her lean, wrinkled visage opposite to the lamp, and had almost
+finished a long story about a nix who had his quarters in Our Lady's
+steeple, and played people all sorts of pranks--sometimes in the form
+of a horse, at a ford, where he took travellers upon his back, and,
+laughing, threw them off in the middle of a bog--sometimes as a
+beautiful princess, or fairy queen, who would dance with vain gallants
+in her palace of mist, and become changed into a wisp of straw when
+they attempted to embrace her.
+
+"Nonsense! cursed nonsense!" again growled the count. "But you are
+right, carlin. The fools were properly served, if there are such nixes.
+Are not you, yourself, a confounded witch, who will plague and play
+cantrips with me?"
+
+The old woman crossed herself. The door was gently opened, and Drost
+Peter put in his head to inquire after the sick man. The simple gray
+dress of a burgher was the attire in which he had disguised himself for
+his secret journey, and, in place of his feathered hat, he wore a red
+cloth travelling-cap over his fair locks. When Dorothy saw him in this
+dress, she started up, terrified.
+
+"St. Gertrude and all saints save us!" she cried, "here he comes!"
+
+"Who?" growled the count: "has Satan got you, carlin? Who is it?"
+
+"If you are not asleep, noble count," said Drost Peter, entering, "I
+shall merely wish you a speedy recovery, and bid you farewell. I must
+travel tonight, and have fortified myself against the night air."
+
+"Ah, my gracious young master, it is you!" cried Dorothy. "I thought,
+by the Lord's truth, it was the gray nix with the red cap, who had
+changed himself into a handsome young gentleman to make a fool of me."
+
+"Your nurse is crazy, and is well nigh making me crazy too," said Count
+Gerhard, recognising Drost Peter, and extending his hand. "You are for
+travelling--and I lying here. Well, then, set out in God's name. I
+require nothing, as you may see, and have entertaining company. But
+were you at the palace entertainment? How gets it on? With whom does
+the queen dance?"
+
+"With dukes and princes of the blood. She inquired after you, and bade
+me inform you that she is concerned for your mischance. Leave us for a
+moment, Dorothy."
+
+Dorothy left the room, casting back a look of curiosity, and allowing
+the door to stand ajar. Drost Peter, who knew her failing, closed the
+door, and took a chair by the count's pillow.
+
+"Did she really inquire after me?" asked the count. "There is nothing
+of the nix in your nature, my good friend; therefore you cannot see
+whether I am one of your nurse's vain gallants, who have a fancy for
+dancing with a bundle of straw."
+
+Drost Peter looked at him with surprise, and thought he was delirious.
+
+"It is nonsense--stupid nursery jargon, I know very well," continued
+the count. "But as I have nothing to do but lie here and dream, it
+almost crazes me. But let that pass. What said you concerning the
+queen?"
+
+"She has been inaccurately informed of the occasion of our dispute,"
+replied Drost Peter. "I have not mentioned the circumstance to any one;
+so that you must yourself--"
+
+"Only in confidence, to my dear Longlegs, and then in a highly
+figurative manner. But what said she to that?"
+
+"It is the queen's wish that nothing more be said about the matter,"
+continued Drost Peter. "She no longer permits any knight to wear her
+colours, and, as you may perceive, my red rosette is gone."
+
+"I have nothing to say against that," exclaimed the count, with
+undisguised pleasure: "it did not well become you. You are about to
+travel, then, and do not accompany the court?"
+
+"Not at present. But, before taking my departure, a serious word, in
+confidence. I know well that you cannot be greatly attached to the
+royal house of Denmark, and you may greatly disapprove of what has
+taken place here; but you hate all knavery, and mean well and
+honourably with everybody.
+
+"Good: on that point you may rest satisfied. But if you require me to
+show you as much by deeds, say on."
+
+"These are bewildering and deceiving times, noble Count Gerhard, and
+even the best are liable to be misled. The king's friends are few, and
+I dare not reckon you among them. Has enemies are numerous and
+powerful; but the noble Queen Agnes is not less prized in your eyes
+than in mine. Promise me, for her sake, however much you may condemn
+the measures of the Danish government, that you will not enter into any
+secret league against the crown and kingdom; but, like a faithful
+vassal, make common cause with me, to preserve the legitimate order of
+affairs in Denmark."
+
+"I have not, as yet, had the least thought of doing mischief," replied
+the count, smiling; "and, seeing the condition in which I now am, have
+you not taken care that I shall not be a dangerous neighbour in a
+hurry? I am, to speak frankly, no great admirer either of your policy
+or your king, and should have nothing to complain of if there happened
+a regular insurrection, like that which he himself supported in Sweden.
+It gave people something to do, and one had not time to lie dreaming
+about nixes and enchanted princesses. But you are right: for the
+queen's sake alone, it were a sin and a shame to desire an
+insurrection. I am well aware that the great men and vassals are
+dissatisfied; but I have hitherto kept myself aloof, and I will not
+belong to their councils, if they have not reference to an open and
+orderly feud, which, besides, is both just and lawful in itself."
+
+"More than this I cannot desire, noble count. Give me your knightly
+hand upon it."
+
+"There it is. I have no objection to people fighting, when they cannot
+agree; but with conspiracies and mutinies I shall have nothing to do:
+you have my word for it."
+
+"That word is worth more to me than the most formal treaty," replied
+Drost Peter, pressing his hand with glad confidence. "Farewell, now,
+noble count, and a speedy recovery. Make my house your home as long as
+you please, and bear me in friendly remembrance, in whatever way fickle
+fortune may be disposed to play ball with me. However much we may
+differ on many points, on one we are agreed. The illustrious fair one
+who, against her wish, brought us to contend against each other, shall
+hereafter, like a spirit of peace and reconciliation, unite our hands
+and hearts in that gloomy warfare wherein friends and foes know not
+each other. God be with you! Farewell."
+
+So saying, he once more ardently pressed the count's hand, and hastily
+left him. The count nodded, and fell into deep thought.
+
+Old Dorothy shortly afterwards again hobbled into the apartment, and
+took her master's place by the count's bed; but finding him so
+completely abstracted, she did not venture again to disturb him with
+more adventures.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was two hours after midnight. The streets of Nyborg were still and
+deserted. There was no moon in the heavens; but the sky was clear, and,
+in the faint starlight, two tall individuals, wrapped in hooded cloaks,
+issued from the outer gates of the palace. They walked silently and
+hastily towards the quay.
+
+Immediately afterwards, two horsemen, in gray cloaks, rode out of the
+palace-gate, and speedily disappeared in the same direction, without
+the slightest noise, as if their horses were shod with list.
+
+At the extremity of the quay lay a skiff, with red sails, upon which a
+number of silent figures were in motion. The quay was quiet and
+solitary. At length, a few rapid footsteps and the clank of spurs were
+heard, and, under the outer plank of the bulwark, a little, peeping,
+curly head concealed itself. The two tall persons in hooded cloaks now
+paused: one of them coughed, and, in a subdued voice, pronounced a name
+or pass-word, which was answered from the ship by a whistle; upon which
+they went on board. In a moment the red sails were set. A steady breeze
+blew from the south-west, and the skiff passed rapidly by the eastern
+point, out of the haven.
+
+As soon as the vessel was in motion, the little black curly head of the
+spy once more appeared from beneath the bulwark. At one bound, Claus
+Skirmen stood in a boat, and, with a few hasty strokes of the oars,
+came alongside a small yacht lying in the inner part of the haven, and
+in which his master and Sir Thorstenson already expected him. Scarcely
+had the red-sailed skiff passed Canute's Head, the extreme eastern
+point of coast, before the smaller and quicker yacht ran out from
+Nyborg haven. It bore away, at first with some difficulty, as near as
+possible to the wood-covered west coast of the firth, to avoid drifting
+too far northwards, and to be able to steer in a direct line south of
+Sporgoe, towards Zealand.
+
+Drost Peter seated himself silently by the rudder, and looked grave.
+Sir Thorstenson and Skirmen also preserved a deep silence; and, during
+the whole passage, the usual and necessary words of command to the
+boatmen only were heard. The skiff with the red sails had just
+disappeared from sight, and was steering to the north of Sporgoe. As
+the morning dawned, they were close by Korsöer. Drost Peter gazed
+incessantly, and somewhat uneasily, towards the north. At length he
+caught a glimpse of the red sail, and saw that the strange skiff was
+bearing down the Belt. He now ordered the yacht to be run in to Korsöer
+harbour.
+
+The two knights landed unrecognised. They stood in their gray cloaks,
+like travelling merchants, and silently bowed before a large crucifix,
+which, surrounded by a gilt circle or halo, stood on the quay-head.
+Skirmen hastily brought the horses on shore; and, in an instant, the
+knights had mounted them, and the squire leaped on his hardy norback,
+when, without delay, the three horsemen proceeded through the
+slumbering town. Over almost every door there stood a cross, in a ring,
+as upon the quay. This holy symbol, at once the ancient arms of the
+town and the origin of its name, was not wanting on any craftsman's
+sign. Although there was not awaking soul to be seen in the place, the
+knights saluted almost every second house, mindful, even in their
+haste, of this customary token of reverence. They rode through the
+town-gate, and along the frith to the left or northwards, where the
+road wound near Tornborg. In the wood, close by Tornborg, they ceased
+their hard gallop, and allowed their horses to breathe.
+
+Now, for the first time, Drost Peter broke the long silence. "You are
+perfectly sure it was them, Skirmen?" he said to his squire.
+
+"As sure as I am that it is yourself and Sir Thorstenson who are riding
+here," replied the squire. "The duke and his drost stood on the beam
+right over my head, at the quay, and I could count every soul on board
+the skiff."
+
+"How many were there, then?"
+
+"I counted nine and twenty, including soldiers and boatmen. They
+looked a most atrocious pack of rievers. One could hardly see their
+faces, for their black and red beards; and those who did not sit on the
+rowing-benches, had large knives in their girdles, and battle-axes in
+their hands. He who whistled appeared the worst of them all: he was a
+huge, sturdy fellow, with a face like a bear. I could only see him
+indistinctly, on account of the red sail that flapped about his ears;
+but I dare stake my head that it was no one else than Niels Breakpeace
+himself, the captain of the Jutland rievers, who escaped from us last
+year."
+
+"Niels Breakpeace!" repeated both knights, in astonishment. "But was
+not the vessel Norwegian, then?" inquired Drost Peter.
+
+"The boatmen were Norsemen, sir--audacious-looking fellows, with
+large cleavers and shaggy caps. He who sat by the rudder was also a
+Norseman--a little sturdy fellow, dressed like a knight, with a gilded
+dagger-hilt in his belt. They called him Count Alf."
+
+"The algrev--Mindre-Alf!" exclaimed both knights, regarding each other
+with renewed astonishment; while Sir Thorstenson, repeating the name,
+became pale with indignation, and grasped the hilt of his sword in his
+powerful hand.
+
+"Stand!" he exclaimed, stopping his horse: "could I but break the
+algrev's neck, I would give half my life for it. But who has said they
+are coming in this direction?"
+
+Drost Peter held the skirt of his cloak to the wind. "Do you see?" he
+said: "the wind has gone round to the north. They must have already
+landed on the coast here. That they will to Sweden, we know very well;
+and that they were steering down the Belt, we saw. They will certainly
+land either here or at Skjelskjoer, to cross the Sound by Orekrog. If
+we are rightly informed, the duke must first to Zealand; he and the
+marsk have powerful friends here."
+
+"They will certainly not land at Skjelskjoer," said Thorstenson; "the
+algrev was too well known there last year."
+
+"We shall soon see them here, then," said Drost Peter. "These Norse
+vikings[15] will hardly venture far from the vessel. The duke will also
+bethink him well of passing through the country openly, with a gang of
+rievers at his heels. He will scarcely come with a large train; but, in
+any case, we can surprise the whole band, if requisite."
+
+"That we can, with half a score of Sir Rimaardson's coast-jagers," said
+Thorstenson. "Yonder lies Tornborg. I think we should take our post by
+the road here, and send your squire to the castle."
+
+Drost Peter nodded assent, and immediately dispatched Claus Skirmen to
+Tornborg with a verbal message; whilst he and Sir Thorstenson, leaving
+the horses to graze in a little green spot in the wood, close to the
+road, ascended an eminence, from which they had an extensive view over
+the Belt. From this spot they saw the red sail of the freebooter, under
+a woody shelter, near the coast, and were now satisfied that they were
+upon the right track.
+
+Tornborg lay scarcely three hundred yards from the eminence where the
+knights stood. The nimble Skirmen was soon back, and brought
+intelligence that Sir Rimaardson had gone out hunting for the day, and
+would not return home before evening.
+
+"We must assist ourselves, then, as we best can," said Drost Peter. "We
+can stay here until the duke has passed. Although every royal castellan
+will stand by us, yet the fewer we are the better: we must avoid
+publicity."
+
+"But, should the pirates impede our progress, we must cut our way
+through the pack," remarked Thorstenson. "I take upon me to crack the
+algrev's neck, and perhaps those of a couple of his scoundrels. Yet,
+however, we are only two-men-and-a-half strong."
+
+"You may safely reckon us as three whole men, and a little more, stern
+sir knight," said Skirmen, strutting bravely: "what I want in length, I
+can make up for, perhaps, in another shape. At any rate, you and my
+master alone may well pass for three doughty men."
+
+"No bragging, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, interrupting his squire. "Off
+now, and get under the stone trough, by the roadside yonder, and bring
+us word, as soon as you see them. They cannot do otherwise than cross
+the brook."
+
+Skirmen leapt from his norback, and left it to graze in the wood. He
+then ran to the post indicated, and the two knights took their seats on
+the hillock.
+
+"Ah, could we only catch the algrev!" broke out Sir Thorstenson,
+vehemently.
+
+"That is a matter of secondary importance, my noble knight," observed
+Drost Peter. "In our anxiety to secure a freebooter, let us not forget
+the far more important object for which we are here."
+
+"You are right," said Thorstenson: "in thinking of the infernal viking,
+I had almost forgotten everything else. Respecting the duke, it is
+rather a dangerous undertaking. If we allow him to cross the Sound, we
+may chance to have him in our power; but, if it so happen, it is then
+extremely doubtful whether we are not doing exactly that which the king
+and the friends of the country would prevent. Think you not that such
+apparent violence, towards so powerful a vassal, would give a vent for
+the general dissatisfaction, and arm every traitor in the country?"
+
+"It is a hazardous but necessary step," replied Drost Peter; "and,
+after what we have now seen, is nowise unjust. Besides, if this exalted
+personage is in league with the country's open enemies, and even with
+outlawed criminals, like Niels Breakpeace, we should be quite justified
+were we to seize him on the spot. Were that possible, we shall not
+exceed our authority one single step."
+
+"Could we but lay hold of the algrev at the same time, it would not so
+much matter," began Sir Thorstenson, after a pause, his eyes flashing
+with passion. "Since the cursed sea-hound is so saucy as to risk
+himself on land, before our very eyes, I can scarcely refrain from
+giving him chase, even before we deal with the other. It were shame and
+a scandal should the notorious algrev be permitted to pass through
+Zealand, instead of being hanged on a gallows by the way. There is
+scarcely a sea-town in Denmark that he has not plundered: he has
+committed more atrocities in the world than he has hairs on his curly
+head."
+
+"Do you know anything of him beyond report?" inquired Drost Peter.
+"Craft and courage he should not lack."
+
+"I know him better than any clerk or bishop knows the foul fiend,"
+replied the enraged knight. "He passes for a hero and a great man, both
+in Norway and Sweden; but here he passes, with good reason, for a vile
+sea-rover, an incendiary, and a ravisher. And yet such a fellow brags
+of his princely descent, and scorns an honest and irreproachable
+knight! Know you not that it is he who, with Justice Algot of West
+Gothland, and his powerful sons, is guardian to Prince Svantopolk's
+daughter, and the cause of all my misfortunes?"
+
+"I know you speak reluctantly about this affair, my noble knight. You
+were inclined towards the prince's fair daughter, and she gave you her
+troth against her kinsman's wish; but, as far as I am aware, it was not
+the algrev, but Justice Algot's son, who carried off the Lady Ingrid."
+
+"It was by the algrev's help, then; and not at all from true affection,
+but from pride and a love of rapine. The whole of this haughty race are
+in conspiracy against us. Chancellor Peter and Bishop Brynjalf of
+Sweden wished to force her into a convent; but the algrev would give
+her to Sir Algotson, that half her fief and estates might remain in his
+riever claws. My only hope now is in the bold Swedish king, and in
+seeing this algrev on a gibbet."
+
+"But, my dear, brave Thorstenson, do not you make too large claims on
+kings and princes, when you set your eyes so seriously on a prince's
+daughter?"
+
+"I am as doughty and wellborn a knight as Algotson," replied
+Thorstenson: "but, were I even the meanest scullion, and loved an
+emperor's daughter, by Him who lives above! I would show the world I
+was worthy of her, and lay my life on winning her, spite of the world
+and all its rulers."
+
+"You cannot, however, entirely despise the limits that birth and
+station oppose to our wishes," continued Drost Peter, with friendly
+interest. "However highly you may esteem a free and independent nature,
+my valiant friend, you must still admit, that there is something higher
+and greater than in blindly following its instincts to happiness. You
+cannot be ignorant of the great law of self-denial: that law, the
+powerful ones of the earth ought most of all to obey. Those who stand
+nearest to kings, part with heart and fortune, my friend; yea, the
+heart must be silent, where a higher voice speaks."
+
+"The fiend take your higher voice and law of self-denial!" replied
+Thorstenson. "That law may do for reigning princes. They are bred and
+born to be the victims of state policy, and of their people. For that,
+they bear the crown and sceptre; for that, they rule over us, and hide
+their miseries in purple; but free, noble-born knights cannot recognise
+a necessity at variance with the ordinances of God and of nature. I
+well know what has possessed you with this fancy, my brave friend: it
+is respect for a deceased father's last foolishness. Such respect is,
+no doubt, very proper; but the usurpations of fathers and kinsmen over
+our childhood can never constitute a sacred obligation to sacrifice our
+own freedom and happiness, and stifle the best feelings of our nature.
+You may be glad that your foolish juvenile betrothment is at an end; it
+now behoves you no longer to befool yourself with fancies."
+
+"I was not thinking of myself at the moment," replied Drost Peter, with
+calm animation, lying back on the green height, his clear blue eye
+resting on the deep vault of the spring-heaven over his head. "I was
+thinking of our young heir to the throne, and the little Princess
+Ingeborg of Sweden. They are already, one may say, bride and
+bridegroom, although they are yet both children. They played together
+at that tourney festival where the proud Ingrid gave you her troth, and
+you, with grave self-confidence, believed you could determine your
+fortune. It was to me a wonderful thought, when I saw the children
+playing together, that I knew what neither of them yet could dream
+of--that these two innocent beings were already secretly destined for
+one another, and chosen to become the bond of union between two
+kingdoms and people. It did not in any manner move me: it occurred to
+me, not as an audacious interference with the designs of Providence by
+a cold, calculating state policy, or as an unnatural usurpation, as you
+term it, by short-sighted men; it appeared to me as a mysterious
+carrying out of God's will, and as if these children had been destined
+for each other before any of the individuals were in being by whose
+plans and counsels it should be accomplished. I will not defend these
+views: I know you will call them fanatical, or even superstitious and
+foolish; but in the same manner has my own dim destination hitherto
+come before my eyes. This fanaticism, as you may readily term it, has,
+thanks to God! preserved me from a bewilderment of heart, that might
+have driven me mad, or, what were worse, have lost me my peace of mind,
+here and hereafter."
+
+"I believe I guess what you mean, my brave friend," said Sir
+Thorstenson, heartily shaking his hand. "I will not enter into argument
+with your pious fancies. Your heart has the least share in your
+aristocratic bigotry; for, fortunately, your fancies have juggled the
+heart into a slumber. But ask not that I should regard, in the same
+calm manner, the dull obstacles to my happiness as a wise ordination. I
+esteem you fortunate that you really do not experience that vehemence
+of passion you seem to dread, and which would destroy your world of
+fancy, quick as a stormblast destroys the glittering cobweb."
+
+"All hearts are not alike," replied Drost Peter; and his manly voice
+trembled, from a deep, suppressed feeling. "When it boils and tosses in
+you, as in the mighty ocean, in my soul it burns deep and still. If,
+then, I could not fix my eye on the great, calm, eternal depth above,
+and find peace in its contemplation, I should waste in secret; whilst
+you find relief and consolation in wild outbreaks."
+
+They continued to converse together for some time, in a familiar and
+friendly manner. They had long been friends, notwithstanding the great
+difference in their modes of thinking, as well as in their nature and
+dispositions. The zeal and fidelity with which they both served their
+king were grounded upon a far from common opinion of the sacredness of
+the crown and of the kingly power. A steady regard to this made Drost
+Peter what he was with respect to the crown and kingdom; and his
+earnest hope to be able to support a tottering throne, and to preserve
+the crown untarnished for its hopeful and legally chosen heir, gave him
+strength for every sacrifice.
+
+With Sir Thorstenson, it was the idea of honour, and the inviolability
+of a knight's promise, which alone bound him to a king he could neither
+love nor respect. He shared, in many points, the contempt of the
+discontented noblemen for a kingly power, which, circumscribed as it
+was, was still so frequently perverted to unjust and arbitrary ends;
+but he hated, in almost an equally high degree, the pride of birth, and
+the imperious conduct of the aristocracy, as well as the efforts of the
+ecclesiastics to establish a spiritual tyranny. He was, consequently,
+disposed to justify the rebellious spirit of the oppressed commoners,
+and was an ardent admirer of the Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, who
+guarded the privileges of the commons, while he tamed the most powerful
+of the nobility with violence, and, at times, with cruelties. On this
+subject he had again entered into a warm controversy with Drost Peter,
+who, since the cruel execution of the Folkungar,[16] without form of
+law, had a strong aversion to the Swedish king, which he expressed
+without reserve, and considered Denmark, with all her miseries,
+fortunate in not having such a sanguinary tyrant and upstart monarch
+for a ruler.
+
+"Nay, my good friend," cried Thorstenson, starting up: "rather an able
+tyrant, who treads every law under foot, than a vile turncoat, who
+gives laws every day and keeps no law himself. Rather an active, hardy
+warrior, who hacks off heads like cabbages from their stocks, than a
+mean craven, who can only run after women in the dark, and cannot look
+an honest man in the face in open day. Nay, nay," he continued,
+striking his sword on the ground: "I consider Sweden fortunate in her
+Magnus, even were he to lay one half of it waste in order that flowers
+and glory might spring up in the other. Rather a despotic ruler, with a
+determined will, who dares to wrest a crown from a crazy head, and
+defend it, than a legitimate madman, a dullard, without head or brains,
+and wrinkled like a clout under the symbol of majesty. We serve the
+vilest master in the world," continued he, with subdued vehemence:
+"that we cannot gainsay. You are true to him, Drost Peter; but, to
+defend him with a true word--that you leave alone. I must make free to
+say of him what I please, if even you are angry thereat; but he has
+once had my word, and he may rely on my fealty, though he is not worthy
+to have an honest dog in his service. Great honour no one earns here,
+either as knight or warrior: that you must yourself admit; but what
+honour I have, I shall take care to keep, notwithstanding. If, now, we
+have to make war on Sweden, as I respect my knightly word, I shall not
+sheathe my sword until I have washed the stain from the hand that gave
+it me, with the blood of heroes who now, with reason, despise us."
+
+Drost Peter sprang up with warmth. "With reason, no one can despise
+us," he said; "and, without reason, no one shall dare to do so with
+impunity. The days of Denmark's glory are over, it is true; but honour
+even our worst foes shall leave us untouched. If we scorn the master we
+serve, we scorn ourselves," he continued. "The faults and errors of the
+king I cannot defend: it were despicable to respect them; but, as
+faithful servants, we should cover them with the cloak of charity when
+we can, and not place our glory in revealing his shame."
+
+"To you, and between ourselves, I can state my mind without disguise,"
+replied Thorstenson. "On this subject, you know, I am silent before
+strangers; and, were a stranger to venture to say to me what I have
+just been saying to you, I would break his neck on the spot, without a
+moment's hesitation.----But how is this? The wood is full of people!"
+He sprang hastily to his feet. "And where are our horses? They are not
+where we left them grazing."
+
+Drost Peter looked round him in astonishment. They heard many voices,
+and the noise of hunters and hounds, on all sides; and now they
+perceived, beside them on the height, a tall gentleman, of knightly
+appearance, attired in a green doublet, and mounted on a light brown
+horse.
+
+"Who are you?" shouted the huntsman, in a stern, commanding voice.
+"Rievers have landed hereabouts, and I have a right to make the demand:
+I am the king's captain at Tornborg."
+
+"We have sought you in vain, Sir Benedict Rimaardson," replied Drost
+Peter, taking off his red cap, and at the same time handing him the
+king's authority. "Who we are, this will inform you, if you have not
+already recognised us."
+
+"Drost Hessel! Sir Thorstenson!" exclaimed the knight, with surprise,
+and springing from his horse: "who would have expected you in this
+guise?" He extended a friendly hand to them, and cast a hasty glance
+over the document, while Drost Peter pointed it out, and laid his
+finger on his lips.
+
+Although the huntsman had, apparently, some trouble in reading it, he
+quickly understood its meaning. "So, so! teeth before the tongue!" said
+he, in a tone of surprise, and handing back the parchment to Drost
+Peter. "I have something better to do, then, than to hunt after these
+horse-stealers. But still it was an accursed piece of impudence in
+them," continued he, enraged. "Did you not see a gang of long-bearded
+fellows, looking like shipwrecked seamen? A little while since they
+carried off all our horses, almost to the one I luckily sit upon. They
+did it in a twinkling, as my huntsmen were taking their morning's meal
+down by the moss."
+
+"Our horses, also, have disappeared," said Sir Thorstenson. "Here there
+is no time to be lost. But, first, procure us three horses."
+
+"Are you more than two, gentlemen?"
+
+"My squire is on the outlook, down by the road," replied Drost Peter:
+"see, here he comes."
+
+Squire Skirmen bounded forward like a hart. "They are coming!" he
+exclaimed: "there are four on horseback. I know the duke's red mantle,
+and the little Norse gentleman's burly beard."
+
+"The algrev!" cried Thorstenson: "death and destruction! let us after
+him!"
+
+"That illustrious individual is not to be stopped here, if I understand
+the pothooks rightly," said the huntsman; "but we must be certain
+whether it is him. How fall you upon the algrev? Follow me, gentlemen:
+I know the wood. They shall pass close by us without seeing us."
+
+While Skirmen held the huntsman's horse, he led the nimble Drost Peter
+and Sir Thorstenson into a thicket of white thorns and young beeches,
+close by the roadside. By his advice, they laid themselves on the
+ground, having in sight, before them, a portion of the road from
+Korsöer. They had not waited long in this position, before they heard
+the trampling of horses close at hand. Drost Peter bent the boughs
+aside, and Sir Thorstenson made a hasty movement.
+
+"Still! keep still, my good sirs!" said the hunter: "game of this sort
+must not be frightened. Here we have them. Bight: it is the duke and
+his drost. The pompous little gentleman, with the bullock head, I do
+not know; and yet--"
+
+"The algrev! Mindre-Alf!" interrupted Thorstenson, in a low voice, as
+he was on the point of starting up.
+
+"Remember the main business, and restrain your vehemence," whispered
+Drost Peter, holding him back.
+
+"Let them only get in advance, and we are sure of them," whispered the
+hunter. "But who is that heavy fellow, in the squire's mantle, who
+rides behind? He does not look at all like a fine gentleman's
+attendant."
+
+"Niels Breakpeace, the Jutland rover," answered Drost Peter, softly:
+"but let him pass on. In the duke's livery, he has now free convoy
+through Zealand."
+
+The four important travellers passed, and the knights arose.
+
+"It is hard enough," said Rimaardson, "that I, as chief of Tornborg,
+should see two such notorious robbers pass along, under my very nose as
+it were, and dare not stop and seize them. If it was their marauding
+band that took our horses, there is no more security in the country for
+the present. Permit me to ride on before you to Tornborg, gentlemen.
+Measures shall be taken instantly. We may still reach Slagelse before
+the duke has left it. We must keep at some distance, and be not too
+numerous, or he may apprehend mischief."
+
+As he spoke he hastily mounted his horse, which Skirmen, at his sign,
+had brought him, and rode off at a gallop towards the castle. The
+knights and Skirmen followed him with rapid steps.
+
+Sir Benedict or Bent Rimaardson was about forty years of age, with a
+brave huntsman's countenance, embrowned by exposure to the sun and open
+air. He was tall and spare, and exceedingly nimble in his movements.
+All his paternal ancestors were Danes; but, on the mother's side, he
+was related to the Margraves of Brandenburg and Queen Agnes. In
+consequence of his fidelity to the king, he was at variance with his
+younger brother, Sir Lavé Rimaardson, who had been deprived of his
+estates, and outlawed as a traitor and fomenter of rebellion among the
+peasants. These family cares severely depressed the otherwise bold and
+lively knight; for his wild, unruly brother was still dear to him, and
+it often wounded him deeply to hear the name of Rimaardson associated
+with those of the most audacious transgressors of the laws of the land.
+He lived, unmarried, with his brother John, as chief of Tornborg, where
+he watched over the security of the coast with great strictness, and
+constantly lay in wait for the Norwegian freebooters. He was a
+distinguished sea-warrior, and had often been successful in capturing
+pirates with his longboat. What sometimes interfered with his vigilance
+was his passion for the chase--his only recreation at this lonely
+castle.
+
+That a Norwegian pirate-vessel had arrived at Korsöer, and landed
+rovers, whilst he thought the seas secure, and was diverting himself
+with the chase, provoked him highly; but this recent mission, with
+which the king had entrusted him, gave him something else to think of.
+In a few minutes he had reached the castle; and, when his guests
+arrived, they found the horses already saddled in the court-yard. They
+allowed themselves no time to inspect the famous castle, from which the
+place derived its name, or even to refresh themselves. The chief,
+having entrusted the care of the castle to his brother John, dispatched
+a troop of huntsmen into the wood in search of the rievers; and then,
+along with his guests, mounted his horse, without changing his green
+doublet. He ordered four jagers to follow them at a short distance, and
+started from Tornborg at a gallop, in the direction of Slagelse.
+
+The road between Korsöer and Slagelse, in the western part of Zealand,
+is crossed, at Vaarby, by a rivulet, running between tolerably high
+banks, and was, anciently, broad and deep enough to be navigable for
+small vessels. Between Vaarby Banks the road gradually became narrower,
+and a wooden bridge led across the river where it was deepest. This
+bridge was not wider than what would allow a wain to drive over: it
+rested upon upright beams, taller than a ship's mast, and, as was
+usual, was unprovided with rails at the side. The river at this spot
+was very deep, though it did not rise nearly so high as it did when the
+bridge was built; from which it has been inferred that, from the bridge
+to the surface of the stream, there was a depth of more than six
+fathoms. Several large, almost rocklike stones, rose above the water on
+both sides, the remains, apparently, of a stone bridge, which had been
+swept away by the violence of the current: a proof that the river had
+formerly swollen into a mighty torrent. The steep banks were overgrown
+with brushwood, which almost concealed them.
+
+Here, Niels Breakpeace's twelve daring robbers, with nine well-armed
+Norse freebooters from the pirate-vessel, together with the stolen
+horses, were concealed in a thicket. In order to deceive the huntsmen
+and coast-guards who had pursued them, a smaller number of the Norse
+pirates had fled, with much noise and clamour, in an opposite
+direction, and had gained their ship before their pursuers could come
+up with them; when they immediately hoisted sail, and bore away to the
+south, under Egholm and Aggersoe.
+
+In the thicket near Vaarby Bridge, the shaggy-bearded fellows,
+stretched on the grass, held a short council, at the same time making
+good cheer from one of the huntsmen's wallets. A tall young man, with a
+knight's feathered hat over his handsome brown locks, but otherwise
+dressed as a seaman, in coarse pitched wadmel, alone stood up among
+them, and appeared to be their leader. He had an expression of daring
+in his features, which yet presented a fine noble outline, and a pair
+of dark eyes flashed audaciously from under his bushy eyebrows.
+
+"There is no time now for stretching and lounging," said he, in an
+imperious, commanding tone. "Give heed, fellows! To-day, I am both
+count of Tönsberg and Niels Breakpeace; and he who dares to disobey me,
+I shall cut down on the spot."
+
+The fellows seemed to understand this discourse, without being at all
+intimidated. They appeared to expect such a speech; and only half
+rising from their recumbent position, regarded him with silence and
+attention.
+
+"Over this bridge," he continued, "not a living soul from Korsöer
+crosses to-day, were he even king of Denmark. Whoever sets foot upon
+the bridge is our prisoner. If he resists, we cut him down, or pitch
+him into the river, without more ado. I remain at this side, with my
+Norwegian bears; you, Morten Longknife, with your own men, shall guard
+the other end. If you budge a foot when it comes to the pinch, it costs
+you your neck. To Korsöer may travel who will; but not a cat to
+Slagelse. Do you understand?"
+
+A tall, red-bearded fellow, with a knife an ell long in his belt, had
+sprung up, with ten others, sturdy and dirty-looking enough. "That is
+easy to be understood, stern knight," said he, in the dialect of a
+Jutland peasant, and nodding his head. "You and the northmen break
+backs to-day, and we Jutes cleave brainpans. For that I can be depended
+upon: it is a token that you know us."
+
+"You are to lie quiet in yonder thicket until I whistle, when you shall
+spring up, and close the bridge in three ranks. As soon as I call out,
+'Hack away!' cleave to the foot whoever comes. Now, off to your post!"
+
+Morten Longknife nodded assent. With his ten men, he went immediately
+over the bridge, and disappeared in the thicket on the opposite bank of
+the river.
+
+Drost Peter, in the meantime, rode between Sir Thorstenson and Bent
+Rimaardson, at a brisk trot, along the road towards Vemmelöv and
+Vaarby. They were silent, and seemed to be considering the most prudent
+way of accomplishing their difficult undertaking.
+
+Squire Skirmen followed upon a lean hunter, and sorely grieved for the
+loss of his norback. But he soon got into a lively conversation with
+Sir Rimaardson's four huntsmen. They related to him many of their
+master's daring exploits, when he allowed freebooters to land, that he
+might catch and hang them. In return, Skirmen told them of his master's
+feats in the Sleswick war, and at tilts and jousts, and gave them a
+description of the magnificent tournament at Helsingborg, which he had
+himself seen. Thereupon, he struck up a lively tourney song, and jigged
+on his saddle as he sang:--
+
+
+            "There shines upon the fourth shield
+              An eagle, and he is red;
+            And it is borne by Holger Danske;
+              Who killed the giant dead."
+
+
+"My master bears an eagle on his seal," he added. "Were I in his place,
+I would set the eagle in the shield, instead of the red bend. Do you
+know what I shall have on my shield, when once I am a knight? It shall
+be Folker Fiddler's mark. But there must be more than that: of my
+shield it will be hereafter sung:--
+
+
+            "There stands a maiden in the shield,
+              And a sword, and fiddle, and bow;
+            And it is borne by bold Skirmen,
+              Who will sing, not sleep, I trow."
+
+
+While the young squire thus gave expression to his pleasing
+expectations, they had passed Vemmelöv, and were approaching Vaarby
+Bridge. The neighing, as of a foal, was presently heard from the copse
+by the river-side, and Skirmen exclaimed, with surprise--"My little
+norback!" In a moment he was by his master's side, and communicated to
+him his discovery.
+
+Drost Peter stopped his horse. All was still. "If my squire has
+heard aright," said the drost, "we shall, without doubt, meet our
+horse-stealers here. They have probably riders with them, who will
+oppose our progress. If they have ascertained who we are, and the
+errand on which we ride, it was not imprudent of them to occupy this
+important post."
+
+Both knights paused, and regarded the long, narrow bridge with an air
+of thoughtfulness.
+
+"With twelve men, I could defend the bridge against a whole army," said
+Sir Rimaardson. "We have two choices: either we must proceed at a
+gallop, and endeavour to cut our way through; or we must ride hastily
+down, and see if our horses can swim across. To ride back, and delay
+ourselves by bringing aid, I will not propose to such valiant
+gentlemen. Besides, at this moment, I have not a single able horseman
+at home."
+
+"Let us cut our way through at a gallop," said Sir Thorstenson. "But
+there is not a soul to be seen."
+
+"If Skirmen is right, we shall soon see more than we may care for,"
+replied Drost Peter. "Swim your horses well, Sir Rimaardson?"
+
+"The two that you and your squire ride I will answer for, if it be not
+too muddy," replied the knight; "mine and Sir Thorstenson's are too
+heavy: they will stick fast where there is the least mud."
+
+"There is no choice, then," said Drost Peter: "we must onwards, and, in
+God's name, may cut our way through. Follow close after us, huntsmen."
+
+"Off!" cried Thorstenson, already spurring his horse.
+
+"Stay a moment!" exclaimed Drost Peter: "whether we may get over the
+bridge alive, is uncertain; but our warrant must be secured. My bold
+squire's dexterity I can depend upon; and it will not be difficult for
+him to swim over, whilst we give the robbers something more to do than
+to think of stopping him. If you agree with me, good sirs, we shall
+entrust him with the king's letter and warrant: if we receive any
+hindrance, he takes it to the governor of Haraldsborg, or destroys the
+letter if he cannot escape."
+
+"You are cautious, noble knight," said Sir Rimaardson; "but I grant you
+are right: we must be provided against every accident."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Thorstenson. "If we must make our wills, let it be
+done speedily. My fingers itch to get at the hounds."
+
+"There, my trusty Skirmen," said Drost Peter, giving to his squire the
+carefully wrapt-up letter. "You perfectly understand us? This concerns
+the security of the crown and royal house. If I demand not this letter
+from you on the other side of the bridge, account to me for it beyond
+the greatest bridge." He pointed gravely towards the heavens, and was
+silent.
+
+The blood mounted into the brave squire's cheeks. "I must flee, then,
+like a frightened wild goose, and not fight my way, gaily, by your
+side? It is a hard command, sir drost; but you will it so, and I obey.
+God be with you! We shall certainly meet beyond _that_ bridge." Again
+came a neighing from the thicket. "My norback!" cried Skirmen,
+joyfully; and, spurring his horse, he rode hastily down a little
+by-path that led into the thicket near the river.
+
+At the same instant the three knights started, at a rapid gallop, and
+with drawn swords, towards the bridge.
+
+"One at a time, or we shall throw one another into the river," cried
+Thorstenson, taking the lead.
+
+They had almost reached the bridge, and not a soul was to be seen.
+
+"A false alarm!" cried Thorstenson: "there is no one here."
+
+"On, on!" shouted Drost Peter, riding past him.
+
+"That was not my meaning," grumbled Thorstenson; angrily, endeavouring
+to regain the lead.
+
+But the first horse-shoe already clattered upon the narrow bridge, and
+Sir Thorstenson was obliged to rein in his steed, lest he should plunge
+his friend into the river. To their surprise, no one opposed them: the
+seventh horse had already his forelegs on the bridge; and Drost Peter,
+having arrived within a few paces of the opposite bank, began to think
+their suspicions were groundless, when the shrill blast of a whistle
+was heard in the rear. A gleam came suddenly from the thicket, and a
+threefold impenetrable wall of gigantic, bearded men, with uplifted
+halberds, stood at the end of the bridge, and barred the passage. At
+the same instant, a similar barrier of Norwegian pirates was formed
+behind them, and a powerful voice shouted--"Hold! or you are dead men!"
+
+Drost Peter's horse reared before the bright halberds, and was nearly
+falling backwards into the river.
+
+"On, on!" cried Thorstenson, getting to his left side, and seizing the
+rearing horse by the bridle: the animal plunged to the very brink of
+the bridge, and appeared in imminent danger of falling into the gulph.
+"On, on!" still shouted Thorstenson; but both he and Drost Peter vainly
+sought to urge on their shy and strange steeds. This sudden stoppage
+brought all the horses in the rear close together, and in the greatest
+disorder, so that none of them could now stir without the certainty of
+forcing another over the bridge.
+
+"Lay down your arms!" shouted the voice behind them, "or we pitch you
+over, one and all!"
+
+Presently, Drost Peter's sword rang among the halberds, and Morten
+Longknife fell, as his long blade whistled past Drost Peter's ear.
+
+"Throw them over, the dogs! hack away!" cried the young robber chief,
+behind.
+
+With a wild shout, they commenced a furious onslaught from both sides
+at once. Drost Peter and Thorstenson fought a dubious fight on the
+brink of the bridge, in which their plunging horses were severely
+wounded in the chest by the long halberds. A frightful battle raged
+behind: the pirates pressed on, and the four huntsmen in the rear were
+hurled, with their backs broken, together with their horses, into the
+deep.
+
+Rimaardson could now, for the first time, stir; and he dexterously
+turned his horse about, to avoid the same fate as his unhappy jagers.
+He was on the point of rushing upon the wild, shouting freebooters,
+when his eye fell on the young robber chief, who wore the knight's hat.
+The sword fell from his hand, and both grew pale.
+
+"Hold, fellows! give place for them!" cried the leader of the pirates:
+"in Satan's name, let them ride on!"
+
+In an instant, not a single rover was to be seen on the bridge. Drost
+Peter and Sir Thorstenson were relieved as by a miracle, and rode
+hastily over the suddenly vacated bridge. Sir Rimaardson followed them
+silently, and as pale as a ghost. They rode up the height above the
+thicket, and there drew up their tired and bleeding horses. Presently
+they saw the ten rovers take flight, with their dead comrade's body,
+and disappear in the thicket at the opposite end of the bridge.
+
+"How was this?" asked Drost Peter: "did the angel of death fight on our
+side, and strike the murderers with terror? Are you also safe, Sir
+Rimaardson?"
+
+"Safe?" he repeated, gloomily: "yes, in Satan's name, I am safe. Better
+for me that I were lying, crushed and mangled, with my huntsmen."
+
+"What has happened to you? Are you wounded?" inquired Thorstenson.
+"There is not a drop of blood in your cheek, and you are not the man to
+grow pale in danger."
+
+"I have received no wound in my body," replied the knight; "but a
+two-edged sword has entered my soul. The unhappy robber chief, with the
+knight's hat, was my outlawed brother, Lavé. God be gracious to his
+sinful soul! If he fall into the hands of my coast-guards, I myself
+must doom him to the rack and wheel."
+
+Both the knights were amazed; and, whilst they could now comprehend the
+reason of their wonderful deliverance, they also felt, with horror,
+their fellow-traveller's bitterness of soul.
+
+"Think no more of it, brave Sir Bent," said Thorstenson, at length,
+consolingly. "In these mad times, a young hot-head may easily go
+astray. If he was leader of these fellows, he deserves to stand at the
+head of an army of warriors. The ambush was craftily and boldly
+planned, if he knew us."
+
+"If it was the sight of your loyal countenance that struck him with
+repentance and dread, noble knight," said Drost Peter, "there is still
+hope of his salvation. Our gracious queen's kinsman cannot be so deeply
+fallen but that, with God and the Holy Virgin's aid, he can rise again,
+if time be granted him."
+
+Rimaardson shook his head, and was silent.
+
+"Welcome, welcome to this side of the bridge, noble sirs," cried a
+cheerful, lively voice; and Squire Skirmen came along, waving his cap
+with joy. He was mounted on his little norback, and leading the horses
+of Drost Peter and Sir Thorstenson. In an instant he was on the height
+along with them. He dismounted, and returned his master the packet
+confided to him.
+
+"Here is the king's letter, sir," he said, joyously: "not a drop of
+water has touched it, though there is not a dry thread on my body."
+
+"My old dapplegray!" exclaimed Thorstenson, springing from his wounded
+horse, which he set at liberty. The tall, gray steed appeared delighted
+again to see his master, who patted and caressed him like a restored
+friend, as he swung himself gladly into his own saddle.
+
+Drost Peter, having again taken possession of the king's warrant,
+extolled his trusty squire for his dexterity and management. He, too,
+had descended from his strange horse, which bled profusely, and could
+scarcely bear him any longer. He first examined the animal's wounds,
+and bound his scarf about its chest; then, turning him over to the care
+of his squire, he patted his own favourite brown steed, which pawed the
+ground impatiently. "It was skilfully done," he said to Skirmen, as he
+sprang into his saddle. "How did you get hold of the horses?"
+
+"While you were all fighting, I did not wish to be idle," replied
+Skirmen. "I soon found my little norback: he nearly pawed me to death
+with joy, the dear fellow! The other two horses were also grazing by
+the river. Giving a smack to the hack I rode, I let him gallop home;
+and, had it not been for my little norback, I should have been sitting
+in the mud."
+
+"Thou art a devil's imp!" said Thorstenson; "and, if it were not that
+thou art so stunted, there might be made a doughty wight of thee."
+
+"You, too, were stunted once on a time," replied Skirmen, offended;
+"else Satan was the mother of you."
+
+They were now all mounted, and Thorstenson was already several paces in
+advance.
+
+"But my poor huntsmen!" exclaimed Sir Rimaardson, pausing: "might any
+of them yet be saved?"
+
+"I saw them hurled over," replied Skirmen: "it was a shocking sight. I
+was already over the river, but I rode in again to save them. The black
+steed was nimble, and swam ashore; but the three Wallachians are in the
+mud."
+
+"But the men--the unfortunate huntsmen?"
+
+"Alas! that was the most lamentable part of the affair," replied
+Skirmen, with a light sigh: "they had neither life nor a whole limb. I
+had them drawn to land, and said, hastily, three paters and an ave for
+their souls. Their corpses an old female peasant promised me to care
+for."
+
+"Brother, brother! this blood is upon thee!" sighed Rimaardson, with a
+choking voice, and giving his horse the spur.
+
+They shortly overtook Sir Thorstenson, and pursued their journey in
+silence, and in earnest thought.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was towards evening of the following day. In Flynderborg, which lay
+near Orekrog or Elsineur, and almost in the same spot as the present
+Cronberg, sat, in a large arched apartment, an elderly man in a brown
+house-suit. There was a chess-board before him, and, opposite, was a
+young and beautiful girl. It was Sir Lavé Little, and his daughter
+Ingé. She wore the then customary in-door black dress of ladies, with
+her rich, golden tresses bound with a fillet of pearls, worked in the
+form of lilies.
+
+After his conversation with Drost Peter in the guard-chamber, and his
+short dispute with Chamberlain Rané, the anxious and wavering Sir Lavé
+had not had an hour's rest. In the face of his stern kinsman, old Sir
+John, he fancied he read that he was suspected of a private
+understanding with the rebellious noblemen. His conscience did not
+acquit him; and no sooner had he been relieved by Sir John from his
+post in the guard-room, at an unusual hour, than he hurried away from
+Nyborgand the Dane-court, that he might not be farther enticed into the
+dangerous projects there on foot. He was the royal governor of
+Flynderborg Castle, which, with huge wall-slings on its ramparts,
+protected the entrance of the Sound, and received the ancient Sound
+dues, as has since been more effectually done by the far more
+distinguished Cronberg.
+
+Sir Lavé Little certainly had not been guilty of any act that could
+have been brought against him as evidence of treason; but he had been
+at the recent Möllerup meeting with Stig Andersen, and had there, for
+his friend and kinsman's sake, declared himself against the king with
+more decision than formerly. That this meeting and its transactions had
+been discovered, he knew; and he now feared, with reason, that he would
+be called to account for expressions he could not deny, or even be
+deprived, without legal trial, of his important post as commandant of
+this castle. This secret anxiety pained him the more, that he was
+obliged to confine it to his own breast. He held no familiar
+intercourse with any soul in the castle. He lived there as a widower,
+with his daughter, whom he regarded as still in some degree a child,
+and feared to entrust her too freely with his affairs.
+
+This, his only child, he loved exceedingly, albeit she little agreed
+with him on many important public questions, in which she appeared to
+take more interest than might have been expected in a girl of her age.
+She was scarcely fifteen, but of a tall, erect growth; and already
+expressed her will so decidedly, as often to astonish her wavering,
+hesitating father. She was a granddaughter of the recently deceased,
+powerful Sir Absalom Andersen, who traced his lineage from Asker Bag
+and Skjalm Hvide, and who, in his testament, had duly remembered Sir
+Lavé Little and his daughter.
+
+Proud Ingé, as the froward damsel was already called by the people of
+the castle, exceedingly resembled her high-souled deceased mother, and
+had not only inherited the genuine Danish exterior of her mother and
+the whole Absalom family, but also their ancient patriotic spirit, true
+love of country, and attachment to the legitimate reigning family, in
+inseparable conjunction. When she heard of the perils that threatened
+the crown and kingdom, her dark blue eyes flashed, and she wished that
+she could only, like her noble kinsmen, John Little, or David
+Thorstenson, or Drost Peter Hessel, watch over the safety of the throne
+and country with manly vigilance and vigour. Drost Peter's name she
+seldom mentioned, and; as it always seemed, with somewhat of dislike.
+That she had, from her childhood, been destined as his future wife, was
+to her an insufferable thought, and aroused her sense of freedom and
+womanly dignity to the bitterest degree. She could only faintly
+remember the drost as a handsome, kindly youth, whom she had played
+with when a child. At that time she appeared to have had some fondness
+for him; but, from the moment that she became aware that she was
+destined for his wife, his remembrance had become loathsome to her. It
+was as if an unseen power had made him her hereditary enemy, and he was
+the only man of whom she was disposed to think ill, without sufficient
+reasons. She could not, however, conceal the interest she felt in the
+many good deeds and excellent qualities she had lately heard ascribed
+to the active young drost, whose important services to the crown tended
+still further to elevate him in her estimation. Sometimes, indeed, she
+would even forget their hated relationship, and break forth into
+involuntary expressions of admiration. But the reports that, during the
+last year, had been circulated to the drost's prejudice, had also come
+to her ears. That he was much indebted to his comeliness and talents
+for his rapid promotion, was a general opinion among the people, even
+where they expressed themselves with the most delicacy and reserve; and
+the supposed taint on Drost Peter's honour, which envy was only all too
+zealous to exaggerate, converted Ingé's esteem for her preordained
+bridegroom into contempt, almost amounting to abhorrence. She had
+often, from that instant, begged her father rather to bury her in a
+convent for life, than wed her to a men who, with all his merit, she
+could never love and respect.
+
+Until recently, the father had given only vague replies to these
+petitions, and begged her at least to suspend her judgment until she
+had seen him, and renewed her half-forgotten acquaintanceship. The
+drost, he told her, was a distinguished man, a true favourite of
+fortune, and that, except in case of absolute necessity, a promise made
+to a deceased friend should be held sacred. Moreover, its fulfilment
+had reference to the fortunes and future fate of two illustrious
+families, through their prosperity and influence. But, during the last
+half year, the father had frequently expressed himself dissatisfied
+with Drost Peter, and with his zealous efforts to exalt the misused
+power of the king.
+
+On these points, however, proud Ingé warmly defended his conduct, and
+also extolled him as a brave friend to his sovereign and country; yet
+her joy was great when her father, on his return from the Dane-court,
+declared her entirely free from every engagement with respect to Drost
+Peter Hessel. He had given her his assurance that she should never be
+required to wed this zealous royalist, whom every open-minded Dane had
+the greatest reason to shun, though a certain degree of respect could
+not be denied him for his sagacity and bold uprightness.
+
+Never had proud Ingé felt herself so glad and lighthearted as on that
+day; and she now seized every opportunity to evince her gratitude to
+her father for a promise that first gave her a full consciousness of
+her womanly dignity, and of being the free, highborn daughter of a
+knight. When needful, she played draughts and chess with him, and
+induced him to drive away his anxiety and discontent with a recreation
+to which he was exceedingly attached. She was careful, however, to
+conceal from him the slight interest with which she removed the taken
+pieces, whilst her thoughts flew over the whole free and glorious world
+she now saw opened up to her, and she joyfully recalled to her
+imagination a long line of famous ancestors, amongst whom the noblest
+women of Denmark had, from her earliest childhood stood before her eyes
+as glorious images of light.
+
+Father and daughter were still sitting silently at the game of chess,
+and the Lady Ingé perceived that her abstracted parent heeded not his
+moves, and often lost his pieces. He seemed as if in a dream.
+
+"But tell me, then, dear father," she said at length, breaking the long
+silence, "do you think it possible, as it was asserted when you were
+away, that King Waldemar's grandson, the foolhardy Duke Waldemar,
+really aspires to the crown, after the king's death?"
+
+"Silence, child! Do not speak thus! It may cost us our lives," replied
+the father, anxiously, and looking round him. "It is mere silly talk.
+But those who bring such reports into circulation ought never more to
+see the light. Do not listen to such conversation, my dear, good Ingé,
+and give no heed to things you cannot understand. Discreet young
+damsels should not busy themselves with state affairs, but attend to
+their looms and household matters: I have often told you so. I rebuke
+you needfully, my good child; for your discourse frequently makes me
+anxious and uneasy."
+
+"But when it concerns the country and kingdom, my father, we young
+damsels are as much Danes as the young knights and swains; and it is
+not the first time that Danish women have been obliged to think on
+affairs of equal importance. Had the Lady Ingé, and the proud
+Ingefried, not dared to think on something more than their looms and
+kitchens, they had not bored Swain Grathé's fleet, and sank it to the
+bottom; and then, perhaps, the great Waldemar had not been King of
+Denmark."
+
+"Where get you these stories, my dearest child? Whom have you heard
+repeat these silly old tales that you have always at the tip of your
+tongue? You have never heard them from me--that I know."
+
+"Ah, my mother related them to me when I was very young; and she, also,
+it was who taught me so many of our pretty old ballads."
+
+"Ballads! There we have it! All ballads and chronicles lie, my child.
+They are but fables and superstitions, which people invent who have
+nothing to do but to please fools and children. When do you hear me
+relate stories or sing ballads? People who have serious matters in
+their heads, have other things to think about than such silly trifles."
+
+"Truly, father, never have I heard you sing ballads or tell tales; but
+my mother loved the old songs much, and delighted to sing them, and to
+recite the pretty tales. If there were no true ballads, and if our wild
+young maidens did not sing about our old kings and heroes, and our true
+noble women, no great man or woman would be remembered longer than a
+lifetime. Then it were not worth living in the world, when the most
+glorious events that happen among us were mere passing show. What
+avails it that we are rich and powerful, if we perform nothing that
+deserves to be remembered when we are dead? and what to posterity would
+be the lives of the greatest of mankind, if people had not a pleasure
+in preserving their names and their exploits in songs and chronicles?"
+
+"Ah, child, dearest child! this is only enthusiasm and superstition.
+Whatever is worth being preserved is remembered well enough without
+writing chronicles and singing songs about it; and in our times, people
+should have something better to think of than such trifles and old
+stories. Yet sing, in God's name, as much as you please, about old
+kings and warriors: it will do no greater harm than it has done; only,
+leave alone what happens in our own times. There is nothing in these
+worth singing or talking about. 'No one is happy until he is laid in
+his grave,' said a wise man; and it is a true saying. In these
+unsettled times, my child, one cannot be too cautious: a thoughtless
+word may do greater mischief than you dream of. Look out once more, and
+see, by the banner, how the wind lies."
+
+Ingé rose, and looked, from the little round window, into the
+court-yard of the castle, where, over the arched gateway, waved a lofty
+banner, adorned with the two royal lions.
+
+"The wind is gone towards the east," said Ingé, carelessly, again
+sitting down; "you expect some one from Scania, to-night, perhaps?"
+
+"Not exactly so," answered the knight, rising. "An easterly
+wind--hem!--and it was north-westerly only an hour ago. With this wind
+no one can cross the Sound to-night. I must go and speak with the
+ferrymen. I expect some strange gentlemen, child--people of
+distinction, and my good friends. Should they arrive in my absence,
+receive them in a friendly manner, and set before them the best there
+is in the house. Entertain them as I know thou canst; but ask them
+neither their names, nor whither they journey: that would not beseem
+thee. Above all things, say not a word on state affairs, or of what
+thou thinkest or dost not think on such matters. This is something that
+thou must not have an opinion about. Now, now! redden not thus, my
+child! Thou canst not surely be angry with thy father? Understand me
+rightly. Thou mayest, in God's name, think what thou wilt--that nobody
+can forbid thee: but these are not the times to say aloud what thou
+dost think; and thou art never cautious, little Ingé: thou often
+talkest, loudly and boldly, things that I dare scarcely repeat to
+myself in my closet. Forget not, therefore, what I have been saying. I
+shall ride, perhaps, to meet the strangers, and be back again in an
+hour. If they come by another road than I expect, and arrive here
+before me, see to their wants, like a good housekeeper. The porter and
+steward know discretion; and, to-night, the castle stands open for
+every traveller, without any one being required to announce himself.
+Thou art not afraid to be alone, my child? Thou hast thy waiting-maids
+at hand, and the castle is full of servants."
+
+"Afraid?" repeated proud Ingé, colouring still more deeply; "nay,
+father, of what should I be afraid? Thy friends cannot be thy
+daughter's foes. But thou art so strange, my father--so mysterious--and
+not glad, and at ease. Art thou unwell?"
+
+"No, my child; but I have some unpleasant matters to think about, which
+thou canst not understand. But take no heed of this. Do not sit here
+alone, in the twilight. Get a light, and let thy maidens come in, and
+sing ballads with thee. Thou mayest sing ballads, my child: it is
+suiting to thine years. What I said about ballads I did not mean to
+refer to thee. Only, be cheerful now, and be not uneasy on my account.
+Nothing shall happen." With these words, he patted her kindly on the
+cheek, and departed.
+
+It began to grow dark. Her father's mysterious inquietude and
+ill-disguised anxiety had made a singular impression on the young girl,
+who otherwise had never known fear; and, as she now sat alone, in the
+great gloomy hall, various alarming thoughts took possession of her
+mind. She had heard many, in part unfounded, rumours of pirates and
+robbers: these she cared little about. But that the land was full of
+secret traitors, who threatened the destruction of the king, and all
+his more trusty and attached friends, was a general, and, to the Lady
+Ingé, a far more distressing rumour. This important fortress had
+usually been kept strongly barred against every stranger who did not,
+in the first place, give his name and errand with much preciseness. Why
+an exception was to be made this evening, she could not comprehend; and
+why her father had been induced to leave the castle at a time when he
+expected important and distinguished guests, was equally inconceivable.
+From his uneasy attention to the direction of the wind, and his
+disappointment when he found it easterly, as well as from his
+command not to ask the strangers their names, or whither they were
+journeying, she supposed that he might be expecting some friends, who
+were eluding pursuit, and intended passing over to Sweden that night.
+Notwithstanding her father's reserve and cautiousness, she had observed
+that he took a zealous part in the quarrel Stig Andersen and his
+kinsmen were fomenting against the king. She was, however, only
+imperfectly acquainted with the reasons for this quarrel. That the king
+had outraged Stig Andersen's wife, and had been denounced by the
+powerful marsk, she had heard; but of the particular circumstances she
+knew nothing. According to her notions of a king, and the idea she had
+formed in her childhood, from her mother's descriptions of the great
+Waldemars, she entertained such a deep reverence for the name of
+royalty, that she could not conceive how a subject should be offended
+with his king, or that he should, in anywise, have a right to oppose
+himself to his sovereign. That her father should be induced, either
+from friendship, or on account of family ties, to forget his allegiance
+to the king, was a thought she dreaded to dwell distinctly upon; but
+now she secretly began to fear such a disaster, which, of all others,
+she considered the greatest; and, for the first time in her life, she
+felt herself in a state of anxiety. She looked round the gloomy
+apartment, and fancied she beheld a lurking regicide, with a gleaming
+dagger, in every corner. She hastily arose to call for lights; but
+scarcely had she risen, before the door was gently opened, and a rough,
+heavy male figure, closely wrapt in a coarse wadmel cloak, slipped
+cautiously and stealthily across the threshold. The last faint traces
+of expiring day revealed to her glance a wild, shaggy, filthy
+countenance, more like that of a savage animal than of a human being.
+She stepped back, and was on the point of uttering a cry of alarm; but,
+blushing at her fears, she controlled herself, and recalled to mind her
+father's instructions, that she should receive all his guests with a
+dignity becoming the mistress of the house.
+
+"Welcome, stranger," she said, as boldly as she could, though her voice
+trembled, as she advanced a step or two. "My father will be here
+immediately," she added; "allow me to procure a light."
+
+"Nay, no light, fair maiden. Are you alone, here, in the castle?"
+
+This question, in a deep, gruff voice, which struck her with its
+subdued and mysterious tone, increased her alarm; and the tall, clumsy,
+gigantic form advanced a few steps farther into the hall. She stepped
+hastily back, and laid her hand on the latch of the kitchen-door, but
+again took courage, and remained.
+
+"Alone?" she repeated. "Nay: I am, it is true, a knight's daughter, but
+I do not take upon myself to defend a royal fortress alone. If you wish
+to see the garrison of the castle, you may do so in one moment."
+
+"Let me not frighten you away, fair madden," said the stranger,
+stepping back; "I have just come off the sea, and am not in train to
+appear before fine women-folks. I am only an humble groom, sent hither
+an my master's errand, to inquire whether Sir Lavé Little can shelter
+his friends to-night; and whether a couple of royal hounds have not
+arrived here this evening."
+
+"My father's friends are welcome," replied the knight's daughter: "he
+has gone out to meet them, and will be here forthwith. Of the hounds I
+have heard nothing. If you are the strange gentleman's servant, you
+shall immediately be provided for in the servants' hall."
+
+She was about to lift the latch of the kitchen-door; but the stranger
+raised his hand, almost menacingly. "Stay! No light. I go immediately,"
+he muttered. "There are no strange guests here, then--no travellers
+from Nyborg?"
+
+"Not that I am aware of," replied Ingé; "but the castle is large, and,
+although many royal soldiers be here, there is still room enough for
+guests who are true to their king and country."
+
+"Good. I shall bear my master this answer; and, if he is satisfied with
+it, you shall soon see us. Farewell fair maiden. Although you do not
+seem to wish that I should approach near you, I dare, nevertheless,
+take my oath that you are as handsome as brave. You need not make an
+alarm on my account, nor call the garrison together. I come here as a
+good friend: my master's good friends are also thine." With these
+words, be hastily departed through the door by which he had entered.
+
+To prevent his re-entrance before there were lights and other persons
+present, Lady Ingé first proceeded to lock the door after him. Then
+calling her handmaids, she caused them to light all the wax-lights,
+which were placed before bright shields, on the whitened walls of the
+large hall. In the round side apartment, she ordered a table to be
+spread for the mysterious guests who had been invited; and went,
+herself, through the kitchen, to the castle-wards, to see that the
+men-servants were present. She found them all, twelve in number, seated
+at the supper-table, and returned to the kitchen without betraying her
+anxiety. As soon as she had given the cooks and pantry-maids the
+necessary orders, she retraced her steps, with evident composure, to
+the lighted-up hall, withdrew the bolts from the front door, according
+to the hospitable usage of the house, and desired two only of her
+handmaidens to remain with her. They sat down, as usual, to their
+sewing-table, and drew forth the various articles of feminine
+handicraft they were busied upon. One of the maidens was a young,
+lively girl, always full of news, and having much to tell. She looked
+surprised at the numerous lights, and the sumptuous preparations, and
+asked, inquisitively, who were the guests expected so late, and with
+such unusual state.
+
+"I know not," answered Ingé, in an indifferent tone. "But tell us
+something new, little Elsie," she added, hastily, and seemingly to
+amuse herself. "Have you heard anything lately concerning your
+sweetheart? Does he come over to take you away this summer?"
+
+"It will be some time to that yet, lady," replied Elsie, and
+immediately broke off into her favourite topic. "He cares more about
+his valiant master, at Möllerup, than about me, or all the girls in the
+world. Since he has been with the marsk, in the Swedish war, he has
+become somewhat proud; but I don't blame him for that: he can still say
+he has helped to pull a king off his throne. You open your eyes, lady;
+but it is, nevertheless, true and certain. Was not the Swedish king
+dethroned? and by our valiant Marsk Andersen and his brave people? Mat
+Jute is the marsk's right hand: he is almost as tall as his master, and
+a daring fellow, you may trow. Shame fall it! were he not a poor
+peasant's son, he would one day be a knight. But if he does not soon
+let me hear from him," she continued, tossing back her head, "I shall
+be no leaning-stick, indeed. If he no longer cares for little Elsie, I
+shall bid him good-day, and look out for another. There are as brave
+and handsome fellows in Zealand, and I am not exactly going to fall
+sick for a Juttish landsknecht."
+
+"You do not resemble your faithful namesake in the ballad," said Lady
+Ingé--"she who fretted herself to death for Sir Aagé."
+
+"It must certainly have been a long time since that happened, you well
+may trow, my high-born lady. At present the world is wiser, and girls
+are not so simple. Were they to fret themselves to death, now-a-days,
+on account of young men's inconstancy, there would soon not be a living
+maiden in the country. Nay, nay," she continued, humming over a song:--
+
+
+            "As, who that trusts the rotten bough,
+            So, she who trusts a young man's vow.
+
+            "As, who would grasp the eel, must fail,
+            So, she who trusts a young man's tale."
+
+
+"This song is new," said Lady Ingé; "it is not so said in the old one:
+there the faithful lovers are borne to the grave together."
+
+"Much good might it do them!" exclaimed the maiden. "I cannot yet say
+that I should be pleased, if Mat Jute were to die: a dead bridegroom
+would never become a living one, were one to go ten times to the grave
+with him."
+
+"There must have been more fidelity in the olden times," said Ingé,
+seriously. "It was better also for king and country. They must have
+been happy people who then lived in Denmark."
+
+"What happiness there was in dying of grief, noble lady, I cannot well
+conceive; and what does it signify to the king and country, that there
+is no constancy in a love-smit soldier?"
+
+"I can tell you, little Elsie, that when there is no constancy in a
+soldier in this respect, there is little in any other; and so he cannot
+be depended upon when he is called on to defend the throne and the
+realm. He who can forget and forsake his sweetheart, can still more
+easily forget and forsake his master."
+
+"By my troth, so does not Mat Jute," replied Elsie. "He would rather
+slay every man alive, than permit any one to say a bad word concerning
+his master. He once lifted his knife against me, on that very score,
+though he vowed he loved me as the apple of his eye. He would not be
+afraid to make a thrust at the king himself, if a regular war should
+break out between him and the marsk."
+
+"Are you mad, girl?" exclaimed Lady Ingé, in astonishment. "The marsk
+is the king's subject. If he should wage war against the king, he would
+be a traitor and shameless rebel."
+
+"I do not understand that," said Elsie; "but this I know well, that if
+the marsk could not have his wife secure against our king, when he was
+waging war for him like a brave man, it is not so unreasonable, that,
+as a brave man, he should feel angry, and do the best he can to right
+himself."
+
+"This is certainly a false and shameful rumour. A genuine Skiolding[17]
+can never disgrace his high lineage."
+
+"It is all the same to me," answered the maiden; "but I should be quite
+as well satisfied if Mat Jute would only keep himself aloof from the
+great and their quarrels. The small suffer at last, and he may one day
+meet with some great mishap. I well remember how the ballad goes:--
+
+
+            "The knight, and eke his swain,
+            They rode from the Ting together:
+            The knight they let go free--
+            The swain they hanged in a tether."
+
+
+"Let us rather sing one of the good old ballads, little Elsie," said
+Lady Ingé, interrupting the light-minded maiden; "and lay rightly to
+heart what you are singing, and so perhaps you may one day come to
+recollect that you are a Danish girl."
+
+"I can well bear that in mind," replied Elsie: "I can never understand
+a word of German, and have trouble enough with the Jutlandish."
+
+"But a Danish girl is true to her lover, and a Danish man deserts not
+king or country. Do you remember the ballad of King Didrik? Let us sing
+that."
+
+Lady Ingé began, and her two handmaidens accompanied her:--
+
+
+            "The king he rules the castle,
+            And else he rules the land,
+            And he rules many a warrior bold,
+            With drawn sword in his hand:
+                For the king he rules the castle."
+
+
+While they were singing, the door was opened; but Lady Ingé was
+thinking only of the old heroic ballad that her mother had sung to her
+when a child, and which always led her to fancy a king like Waldemar
+the Great, and a castle like Flynderborg, where she was sitting, the
+only castle she was acquainted with. The bold notes of the song, and
+the remembrances of her childhood which it awakened within her, always
+put her in a gay and happy frame of mind; and she felt herself secure
+in the castle, which the king ruled with his warriors bold. Upon this
+occasion, the song had the usual inspiriting effect. She had forgotten
+all that so recently disturbed her: her eyes sparkled with lively
+animation; and the maidens could only give ear to her, while she sang
+alone, in her unusually deep-toned voice, in continuation:--
+
+
+            "Let the peasant rule his house and home,
+            His steed, the warrior bold--
+            The king of Denmark ruleth
+            The castle, keep, and hold.
+                For the king he rules the castle."
+
+
+Lady Ingé and her maidens now for the first time noticed the tread of
+spurred heels on the floor. They rose in astonishment, and Lady Ingé
+with unwonted precipitation. They perceived three strangers in the
+middle of the hall. One was in the dress of a huntsman, and the two
+others were clad as citizens on a journey; nevertheless, under their
+gray cloaks they had long swords, like those worn by knights. It was
+Sir Rimaardson, with Drost Peter, and Sir Thorstenson. The mien and
+expression of the fair songstress, on their entrance, astonished them;
+and they remained standing, unwilling to interrupt her.
+
+They now approached with much politeness, and saluted the knight's fair
+daughter. Although they were not dressed as knights, their bearing and
+manners instantly denoted them to be men of high station and dignity;
+and Lady Ingé supposed them the distinguished guests of whom her father
+had spoken. The first glance at their interesting and friendly
+countenances gave her confidence.
+
+"You are welcome, noble sirs," said she, with entire self-possession,
+and returning their salute. "My father has been expecting you, and has
+ridden out to meet you. You must have come by another road than he
+anticipated. Your groom or squire has doubtless told you that there are
+no strangers here?"
+
+"We have only this instant arrived, noble lady," began Sir Thorstenson;
+"and our squire could have told us nothing regarding the state of the
+house, seeing that he has not yet penetrated farther than the stables.
+That your father has expected us, we cannot at all suppose: indeed, we
+thought we should have surprised him."
+
+"To our astonishment, the gates were opened to us without any one
+inquiring our name or business," said Sir Rimaardson. "This confidence
+is flattering. Your song, fair maiden, we would not dare to disturb: it
+was an assurance that, even although unknown, we should be welcome to
+you, as men true to our king and country."
+
+"For none else stands this castle open," replied Ingé. "Your names and
+errand no one may presume to inquire about, noble sirs. You are
+specially welcome to my father, I can assure you." So saying, she
+regarded their manly, honest countenances with satisfaction and
+confidence.
+
+Drost Peter had not yet said a word, but stood perplexed, and almost
+bashfully, before her, with a singular expression of surprise and
+melancholy, and with a kind of dreamy pleasure in his calm, earnest
+look.
+
+"Step nearer, gentlemen," continued Lady Ingé, with a light heart, and
+completely relieved from any doubt of disloyalty in her father's
+connections, and from every uneasiness regarding the mysterious guests
+expected: "you find here an open lady's room, where, truth to say, I am
+glad to see the friends of my father, who can occupy his place in his
+absence. He left me half an hour since, to return in an hour if he did
+not meet you. A fellow, who represented himself as your groom, almost
+frightened me in the dusk of the evening. The castle, at other times,
+is never so accessible. Under these circumstances, you are to me the
+more welcome. If you would please to take refreshment, gentlemen, it is
+already prepared."
+
+The knights looked at each other with astonishment.
+
+"Some mistake must have occurred here, noble lady," said Sir
+Rimaardson; "but, if you will permit us, we shall avail ourselves of
+it, and defer the explanation until your father arrives."
+
+"Permit me a question, noble lady," said Drost Peter, appearing at
+length to wake from his sweet dream; his eyes, meanwhile, resting with
+kindly interest on the maiden's open countenance and noble form; "and
+pardon me if it is amiss. Is your Christian name Ingé? and are you the
+daughter of the governor of this castle, Sir Lavé Little, and his noble
+wife, deceased, the Lady Margarethé, Absalom Andersen's youngest
+daughter?"
+
+"You knew my mother, noble sir," exclaimed Lady Ingé, joyfully, and, in
+her joy, forgetting his question and his singular solemnity of manner:
+"but, nay, you could scarcely have known her, else you would have known
+me also; for I am said to resemble my blessed mother exceedingly."
+
+"I have seen your mother in my childhood," said the young drost; "but
+she was then no longer young: she was, however, about your height. You
+have inherited her eyes, noble lady, and, as I can hear, her deep,
+sweet voice, and her fondness for our old heroic ballads. The one you
+have just sung, I seem to have heard in my cradle: it recalls a time
+when I had happy dreams about the days of our Waldemars, and of him who
+ruled the castle, and so many warriors bold."
+
+"That was no mere dream, noble knight," replied Ingé, with lively
+interest. "That you and these good gentlemen are knights, I must permit
+myself at once to believe, though I am not at liberty to put the
+question. That the king, God be praised! still rules over every Danish
+land and castle, and over many bold and doughty heroes, is no dream, I
+know: this, at least, you and these good gentlemen will admit. If,
+then, you have heard heroic ballads in your cradle, noble sir," she
+added, with a look of confidence, "they have certainly not been sung in
+vain."
+
+Drost Peter blushed, but raised his eyes boldly, and with a look of
+frankness. "If it please God and Our Lady," he said, "there is no dream
+so marvellous that it cannot be fulfilled, and the good old times may
+yet return."
+
+A page now opened the door of the dining-hall.
+
+"You have probably travelled far, and need refreshment," said Lady
+Ingé, remembering her duty as housekeeper, and pointing to the opened
+door.
+
+Drost Peter, who was accustomed to courtly manners, involuntarily
+offered his arm to the knight's daughter. She led him to the end of the
+table, in the round turret apartment, and gave the maidens a signal for
+their attendance. Sir Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson followed the young
+hostess, and Thorstenson took his place on her right hand. Two stately
+pages set forth, on the fringed table-cloth, roast game and baked
+barley-bread, while an active cupbearer took care to fill the wine-cups
+from a large silver flagon. The two handmaidens stood respectfully
+behind Lady Ingé's chair, with modest, downcast eyes, but ever and anon
+contrived to cast a look of curiosity towards the strangers; the
+handsome young drost, in particular, appearing much to attract them.
+
+The conversation soon became general. Lady Ingé carefully guarded
+herself against any expression that would appear to betray curiosity;
+but still she would not have been displeased if her guests had chosen
+voluntarily to discover who they were.
+
+"The Dane-court is over, it is said," she remarked, when a fitting
+pause ensued. "I regret that I have never been present at a Dane-court,
+for one does not hear or see much in this lonely fortress. You must
+have seen the king, noble sirs: I should like to know if he looks as I
+picture him to myself."
+
+"What kind of person do you fancy him, then, noble lady?" inquired Sir
+Thorstenson. "I'll be bound you think him, at least, a head taller than
+I am, and like King Didrik of Bern, or some other of those valiant
+kings you sing about."
+
+Lady Ingé looked at the tall knight with the long plaited beard. "More
+valiant than you appear, he needs scarcely be," she answered; "but such
+like I do not imagine him. At the head of a band of bold troopers, I
+should think you were in your place; but--excuse me, sir knight--you
+seem too hasty in your conduct to govern a kingdom."
+
+Thorstenson stroked his beard. "In that you may be right, fair lady,"
+he muttered; confirming, by his air of chagrin, the young lady's frank
+expression.
+
+"Were I to compare any of you with my idea of the king," continued Lady
+Ingé "it would be this gentleman;" and her calm blue eyes rested
+searchingly on Drost Peter. He started at the compliment, which a
+playful smile seemed instantly to contradict. "But such a comparison
+might not astonish you, noble sir," she continued, "if, instead of
+deploring the departure of the days of the great Waldemars, you had
+power to bring them back again."
+
+The guests regarded with surprise the knight's young daughter, who
+jested so good-humouredly; and, at the same time, with the dignity of a
+princess, exercised over them a secret mastery, of which she did not
+appear to be aware. Drost Peter's cheeks reddened; and he felt himself
+both attracted and repelled, in a singular manner, by the bold,
+composed girl. But, at her latter words, he seemed almost to forget
+himself and his position, in a higher and more important thought.
+
+"The power you speak of, noble lady," he commenced, with calmness and
+earnestness, his large eyes sparkling with fire and energy--"that power
+which shall recall to a people days of departed glory, you may well
+miss, where it cannot be found save by a miracle. That power has no
+knight or hero in Denmark--that power has no monarch in this world: it
+must come from above, and it is not the lot of any single man to
+possess and exercise it. If it flashes not from many thousand eyes
+united, and pours not forth from every heart in Denmark, the greatest
+king in the universe cannot raise the fallen, nor restore to the people
+the lofty spirit of our ancestors."
+
+"You may be right, noble sir," replied Lady Ingé, with an interest that
+gave her cheeks a deeper tinge, and her eyes an almost dazzling
+radiance; "but who has told you that this spirit is fled? Our king
+himself I know not, and he is arrogantly blamed by many; but still I
+know he has men by his side who boldly and bravely watch over the
+security of the crown and the honour of the people. Among these, I may
+venture to mention my own kinsman, the old Sir John: every Danish man,
+I know, must respect him. Were the proud marsk, at Möllerup, as loyal
+as he is brave, Denmark had yet perhaps an Axel Hvide, or a Count
+Albert. David Thorstenson, too, I have heard named among the heroes of
+our time; and you must certainly know, yourselves, many other names
+which do honour to our age."
+
+Sir Thorstenson nodded, and felt himself highly flattered to hear his
+name among those of the young damsel's heroes. The adventure in which
+he and his friends found themselves amused him greatly, and he took a
+fancy to know the patriotic young lady's opinion of his comrades. "But
+the best you forget, fair maiden," said he, merrily. "What say you of
+Sir Bent Rimaardson, of Tornborg?"
+
+"He guards our coasts like another Vetheman, they say: I and every
+woman in Zealand have to thank him that we need not fear the wild
+Norwegian algrev and the ruthless Niels Breakpeace."
+
+Rimaardson bit his lips, and was silent in the presence of a renown
+that his own eyes had so recently shown him to be unmerited.
+
+Thorstenson wished to compensate for the failure of his joke, and
+thought to give his other companion better cause to thank him for his
+sally.
+
+"But if you would name the eminent men of the king and country," said
+he, hastily, "you ought, first and foremost, to have mentioned the
+young Drost Peter Hessel, who so soon has had the good fortune to stand
+so near the throne, and so deservedly."
+
+Lady Ingé was silent for an instant, and her animation appeared
+suddenly to be converted into coldness. A short and general silence
+ensued; but to the young drost it was an eternity of torment. If he did
+not expect to be extolled and admired by his childhood's bride, neither
+did he expect to be, the object of her dislike and contempt.
+
+"My father tarries long," said the knight's daughter, breaking the
+irksome silence. "I am conversing with you, noble sirs, on matters
+which probably are not befitting among strangers," she added. "But you
+must excuse me, gentlemen. On certain subjects I forget, at times, that
+my sex is seldom allowed the pleasure even of talking about the happy,
+busy life in which we are not permitted to take an active part.
+Respecting the person you last mentioned, you must allow me to be
+silent. It matters little to him what a Danish maiden thinks of him, if
+she cannot, like the queen, advance his power and fortune."
+
+Drost Peter paled. He felt himself so deeply wounded with these words,
+that he was on the point of making himself known, or, at least, of
+defending himself against the last severe accusation; but, at that
+moment, the door of the outer hall was opened, and well-known voices
+were heard near at hand.
+
+"The duke!" whispered Sir Rimaardson; and, to their surprise, they
+perceived the duke with his drost, together with the algrev and Sir
+Lavé, approaching the door of the dining-room.
+
+Lady Ingé rose to receive her father and the new comers. The knights
+also arose, and Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked doubtingly at each
+other; but Drost Peter now felt himself entirely at his ease. The
+injurious mistake had awakened all his pride; and the consciousness
+that his own energy and merits had raised him to the honours he held,
+gave him a boldness that bordered almost on insolence. He felt here all
+the importance of his position, where, travelling on the king's errand,
+he had right and power, if required, to act with royal authority. He
+advanced towards the duke and his followers with politeness and
+dignity, but without letting it appear that he knew them in the plain
+gray cloaks in which they had wrapped themselves, as if they did not
+wish to be recognised. He directed his salutation principally to Sir
+Lavé, as governor and chief of the castle. The astonished Sir Lavé
+instantly recognised the drost, and changed colour, but hastily took
+occasion, from the drost's plain outer garment, to greet him as a
+stranger of humble rank, that he had never before seen.
+
+"I and these gentlemen are not unwelcome to you, then?" said Drost
+Peter, while, without the least embarrassment, he presented to him his
+travelling companions, without naming them. "We have, as you perceive,
+sir knight, partaken of your hospitality without hesitation. We have,
+besides, an errand to you, as royal governor here, which we shall
+impart to you at your convenience."
+
+Sir Lavé bowed, silently and distantly, with an anxious side look to
+the duke and his followers, who did not appear the least surprised at
+this meeting, and had hastily turned their backs towards Drost Peter
+and his friends.
+
+"We flatter ourselves that we are known to you," continued Drost Peter,
+"notwithstanding the strange dress we prefer travelling in. The rumours
+respecting the insecurity of the roads are not unfounded: we have had
+serious proofs of that. You perceive that those good gentlemen there
+have used the same precaution," he added, as he pointed to the duke and
+Count Mindre-Alf, who, along with Sir Abildgaard, were engaged in
+private conversation, in the dimmest part of the outer hall, and
+closely wrapped in their large cloaks, with their backs towards the
+dining-room.
+
+Sir Lavé, in the meanwhile, had recovered himself. "Be pleased to
+follow me to my private apartment, gentlemen," he said, with apparent
+calmness. "I see my daughter has already cared for your entertainment;
+I am, therefore, now at your service, and can hear your business
+without interruption. Take care of my new guests, in the meantime, my
+daughter."
+
+He gave the servants a signal, on which they hastily took a wax-light
+in each hand, and opened a little concealed door in the wall of the
+circular dining-room. One of the servants led the way into a long dark
+passage, whilst the other remained standing by the door.
+
+"Let me show you the way," said Sir Lavé, going before them.
+
+As soon as Drost Peter and his two companions had entered the dark
+passage, the servant who had held the door open disappeared. It was
+suddenly dark behind them, and the door closed with a hollow clang,
+which made the knights start.
+
+"This is a convenient arrangement," said Sir Lavé, in an indifferent
+tone. "I must be prepared for all kinds of guests, you know. Gentlemen
+like you, who come on important state affairs, I invariably converse
+with as privately as possible, to avoid interruption."
+
+The long passage led to the eastern wing of the castle, which projected
+into the Sound. It was terminated by a narrow, vaulted, spiral
+staircase.
+
+"I must beg you to go one at a time here," said Sir Lavé: "the stair is
+somewhat small, and you may be incommoded in getting a few steps
+upwards. I often find this way troublesome; but one cannot be cautious
+enough in these times, and a private message from the king must be
+heard in private." As he spoke, he ascended hastily, without looking
+behind him.
+
+Drost Peter, who followed him closely, paused once or twice, and put a
+few indifferent questions to him on the construction of the castle, at
+the same time pointing behind him; but Sir Lavé continued to ascend,
+and answered his inquiries without stopping or turning.
+
+"Singular!" whispered Sir Rimaardson to Thorstenson. "Were he not the
+brave John Little's kinsman, we should barely trust him. Saw you his
+perplexity, and his look towards the duke?"
+
+"If he betray us, it shall cost him his life," whispered Thorstenson,
+laying his hand on the hilt of his sword: "he shall not go three
+strides from us."
+
+Drost Peter, observing that his companions whispered suspiciously
+behind him, turned round, and laid his finger on his lips. "The wind is
+still easterly," he remarked, in a careless tone: "nobody can well
+think of crossing the Sound to-night."
+
+"It is scarcely possible," replied Sir Lavé: "you must determine on
+taking your abode with me to-night, gentlemen."
+
+"That is not our intention," said Drost Peter: "beside, you have
+guests, who probably have greater claims upon your hospitality, and
+from whose society we necessarily detain you too long. Shall we soon
+reach your private apartment, sir knight?"
+
+"In a moment," he replied, as he redoubled his pace.
+
+Drost Peter had mentally counted the number of steps, and had reckoned
+the sixtieth, when they halted on a landing. An iron-studded door was
+opened, and they entered a narrow turret-chamber, where there was only
+a single window, which stood open, but was provided with strong iron
+bars. The wax-lights flickered in the current of air, and the servant
+lighted a large lantern suspended from the roof.
+
+"Your closet almost resembles a prison," observed Drost Peter.
+
+"It is sometimes used for that purpose," replied Sir Lavé: "it is the
+most secure part of the castle. This tower, as you may perceive,
+stands half in the water, but it commands an excellent view over the
+Sound.----Now you may go," he said, turning to the servant: "nobody
+must disturb us here. Desire my daughter and the strangers not to wait
+for us."
+
+The servant went out, and the knight locked the heavy door himself, and
+put the key in his pocket.
+
+"Now, I am quite at your service, gentlemen. What weighty message does
+the king send me by three such important persons? Prudence forbade me
+to recognise you sooner."
+
+"We are sent by the king on a business of much consequence," said Drost
+Peter, calmly and self-possessed; "and I, Drost Peter Hessel, am
+authorised to demand active assistance from every royal governor in the
+country. The object of our journey is a secret that no one is at
+liberty to inquire into. But that you, Sir Lavé Little, as the king's
+servant, and commandant of this castle, are bound, without objection,
+to provide us with thirty armed men and a vessel, this letter patent,
+to every royal governor in the country, will show you." So saying, he
+handed the astonished knight an open letter to this effect, with which,
+in addition to the royal warrants, he had taken care to provide
+himself.
+
+The knight perused the missive with evident uneasiness; taking a
+considerable time to get through it, as if he found some difficulty in
+deciphering the writing.
+
+"I have nothing to object to this, sir drost," he said, at length. "A
+ship and crew are at your service, whenever you choose to give the
+order. But, as you have just remarked, in the present state of the wind
+nobody can think of crossing the Sound."
+
+"You perceive by the same letter royal," continued Drost Peter, "that I
+am empowered, on my own authority, to demand aid from every royal
+governor, to seize and conduct to Sjöberg whatever Danish knight or
+vassal I may find on any suspicious business."
+
+"I see so, with surprise," replied Sir Lavé. "But I still hope, sir
+drost, that you do not mean to avail yourself of an authority so
+extensive and arbitrary. Such a step, as you well know, is at variance
+with the king's obligations to the laws and charters of the kingdom. He
+cannot issue a letter to imprison any man, until he has been legally
+accused before a provincial or state court of justice, and has had the
+advantage of a legal trial."
+
+"You forget the exceptions, Sir Lavé'," replied Drost Peter. "This
+privilege extends not to rovers and criminals, and, of course, to
+traitors least of all. Therefore, in virtue of this royal warrant, I
+must demand of you, in the king's name, that you cause the castle to be
+locked up, and deliver over to me, under safe escort, every stranger at
+present within these walls."
+
+Sir Lavé grew pale. "You are somewhat too harsh, sir drost," he said,
+looking anxiously towards the window: "you would not compel me to
+betray my guests? They are not accused of any crime; and, without
+apprehending such treatment, they have confidingly entered beneath my
+roof."
+
+"This castle is not your's, but the king's," replied Drost Peter,
+apparently striving to subdue a feeling of pity, as he regarded the
+anxious castellan. "I fulfil a disagreeable duty," he continued; "but
+where I meet the enemies of the king and country, I must insist on
+their detention, without reference to personal feelings. One of these
+gentlemen, moreover, to whom you have opened this royal castle, is an
+open enemy of his country--that most notorious freebooter and
+incendiary, the Count of Tönsberg."
+
+"What say you? the algrev!" stammered the castellan, terrified, and
+apparently highly astonished. "If that be true, then I am certainly to
+blame. But I assure you that one of these gentlemen was quite unknown
+to me: he came in the duke's train, and it is impossible I should
+know--"
+
+"I am willing to believe you, Sir Lavé, though appearances are against
+you. You are not aware, then, that your illustrious friend and guest
+has the famous pirate, Niels Breakpeace, with him, as his squire?"
+
+"You alarm me, noble sir!" again stammered the castellan, in the
+greatest embarrassment. "If I had suspected this, they had never set
+foot within these walls. What is now to be done? If the castle is full
+of traitors and pirates, our whole garrison is scarcely strong enough
+to oppose them."
+
+"By Satan! let _us_ take care of that," observed Thorstenson,
+impatiently. "Lock up the doors straightway, now that you know our
+errand."
+
+"Courtesy I must beg of you for the present, and the matter must be
+well considered," replied Sir Lavé, delaying. "With such powerful
+criminals, it is a difficult business. I shall immediately give the
+castle-warden a private signal to bar the gates, and prevent all
+egress." He ran anxiously to the open grated window, and called out, in
+a subdued voice, "Lock the gate, fellow! not a living soul must be
+allowed to slip out!" He then took the key from his pocket, and struck
+upon the gratings with it.
+
+"Lock it yourself, rather," said Drost Peter, making a hasty movement
+to take the key from his hand; but, at the same instant, they heard a
+clank on the stones in the water beneath the tower.
+
+"What have you done, sir drost!" exclaimed Sir Lavé, as if in the
+highest degree terrified: "you have knocked the key out of my hand, and
+now we are all prisoners here. The Sound roars loud, and not a soul can
+hear us, as no one ventures near enough to this turret to liberate us.
+And my daughter--my poor child--is now alone, amidst these traitors
+and rievers." All started.
+
+"Your daughter!" exclaimed Drost Peter, with great uneasiness. "Nay,
+nay," he added, with more composure, "the traitors and rievers will
+respect her. The duke and his drost are not rude and shameless
+criminals, although they have niddings in their train. If you had
+feared for your daughter, Sir Lavé, you would scarcely have brought
+home such dangerous guests, and perhaps would not so readily have lost
+the key of our prison here."
+
+Sir Lavé was silent, and walked uneasily backwards and forwards.
+
+Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson observed the anxious castellan with
+scrutinising looks, betraying, at the same time, their indignation at
+this singular imprisonment at a moment of such great importance. None
+of them any longer doubted that the duke had recognised them, and
+suspected the object of their journey. It was, therefore, probable that
+he would now seize on every means of escape, to carry out his daring
+plans.
+
+A suspicion of this had first crossed Drost Peter and his friends on
+their way to the tower; and Thorstenson and Rimaardson had, therefore,
+nodded to each other approvingly, when they heard the drost's bold
+determination, on his own responsibility, to seize the duke on the
+spot, notwithstanding that the royal warrant, strictly speaking,
+required them to defer this step until they encountered the duke on
+Swedish ground. This new and daring plan was now rendered impossible;
+and, while the castellan shared the imprisonment of his unwelcome
+guests, the duke and his dangerous train would, in all likelihood,
+place themselves in complete security.
+
+While such thoughts as these flashed rapidly athwart the minds of Drost
+Peter and the cool Sir Rimaardson, Thorstenson gave vent to his
+indignation, and broke out into the most violent invectives against the
+troubled castellan, whom he did not hesitate to designate as a crafty
+traitor, and an abettor of rebels and foreign pirates. He immediately
+endeavoured to break open the door, and beat against it, like a madman,
+with his iron-heeled boots, but in vain.
+
+"Open the door on the instant!" he roared, at the same time drawing his
+long sword; "or, by St. Canute, it shall cost your life, you cowardly,
+crafty cheat!"
+
+At his terrible threat, Sir Lavé sprang towards Drost Peter.
+
+"It is impossible!" he stammered, in terror. "Protect me from this
+madman, sir drost, until I can myself defend my life and honour. You
+can bear witness that it is not I, but yourself, who have caused our
+present imprisonment."
+
+"For what has happened here, this gentleman shall be answerable when we
+demand it," said Drost Peter, placing himself between Sir Lavé and the
+enraged Thorstenson. "The commandant, as you perceive, is unarmed,
+noble knight. Whatever may have been his conduct in this affair, he now
+stands sheltered by the laws of chivalry and my protection. Let us
+endeavour, with our united strength, to burst our prison-door. If we do
+not succeed, we must be patient until we can procure aid."
+
+"You are right, sir drost," muttered Thorstenson, sheathing his sword;
+"niddings are never safer than when they go unarmed amongst honest men.
+Let us now make a rush at the door together, and it may give way. Put
+forth your strength, sir commandant, and let us see you do not spare
+your boot-heels. You can then say, for your honour, that you have
+fought with your heels."
+
+Without answering this sarcasm, Sir Lavé, apparently with his utmost
+effort, together with the three other knights, applied themselves to
+the iron-studded door. The united shock made a fearful noise, which
+rolled like thunder among the arches of the lonely tower; but as the
+door turned inwards, and was provided with strong oaken posts, it was
+not to be forced open in this fashion.
+
+Greatly embittered, Thorstenson went to the window-grating, and
+shouted, as if he would awaken the dead--"Up hither, fellow! or it may
+cost your master, the commandant, his life."
+
+But there was no reply. The restless Sound roared loudly beneath, and
+no sign of a human being was to be seen on this side the tower, in the
+stormy, murky night.
+
+In the meantime, Lady Ingé, in her father's absence, had taken care of
+the last-arrived guests, and invited them to the newly-furnished board.
+As soon as the duke and his followers observed that their cautious host
+had rid them of unexpected and disagreeable company, they relied upon
+his cunning, and resolved to await his return, or, at least, to remain
+quiet until Niels Breakpeace brought word that they might set sail.
+They had thrown aside their gray cloaks, and shown themselves, before
+their fair hostess, in their dress as knights.
+
+The young duke, with politeness and princely grace, took his seat at
+table, and on the young hostess' left hand. Sir Abildgaard took
+Rimaardson's vacated seat; and the daring Norse freebooter stretched
+himself rudely on the chair where Thorstenson had been sitting.
+
+The strangers had not announced themselves; but, on their entrance,
+Lady Ingé had heard Rimaardson's subdued exclamation of surprise--'The
+duke!' and she surmised, with secret dread, that one of them must be
+the, to her, hateful Duke Waldemar of South Jutland. Any other duke she
+had not heard mentioned; and what was told her of Duke Waldemar's
+ambitious and dangerous designs against the crown and kingdom, had
+inspired her with so unfavourable an opinion of this personage, that
+she had conceived as repulsive a picture of his appearance as was
+possible. When she heard him mentioned among her father's new guests,
+it inspired her with so much fear, that she had difficulty in
+concealing it; and, when her father left the room with the three other
+gentlemen, it cost her a great effort to fulfil, with apparent
+calmness, her duties as mistress of the house, towards these dangerous
+visitors, whose secret connection with her father filled her soul with
+painful alarm.
+
+Reserved, and sparing in her words, she now sat at table among them,
+and only partially heard all the polite remarks which the duke and his
+drost strove, in emulation, to address to her. These two personages
+appeared to engross the smallest share of her attention, although their
+easy, unconstrained manners denoted them to be fine, courtly gentlemen.
+Their thoughtless countenances, and the trifling conversation in which
+they indulged, did not appear to her to indicate men who could be
+dangerous; and she deemed it impossible that, in either of them, she
+saw the daring duke. At the same time, she believed it certain that, in
+their companion, she beheld the hated pursuer of the king's life and
+crown. He had not yet spoken a word; but his sharp look, and bold and
+impudent features, betokened a craftiness and an audacity without
+parallel.
+
+With politeness, but without interest, Lady Ingé replied to the duke's
+questions--whether she had ever been at court, whether she liked
+dancing and tournaments, hawking or chess, and how she amused herself
+in this solitary castle? She did not appear to notice the duke's
+admiration of her beauty, and his easy, flattering remarks thereupon
+to his drost. On the contrary, she gave closer heed to the short,
+stout-built personage at the corner of the table on her right, who was
+equipped, partly as a seaman, and partly as a knight of princely blood.
+
+He had stretched himself, with vulgar carelessness, upon his seat, and
+his fierce-looking eyes ran round the hall, as if he did not feel
+himself quite secure, and, at the same time, had a contempt of danger.
+His broad, low, animal forehead, was indicative of energy and defiance;
+his short, crisped, sandy-coloured hair united with his matted beard,
+and concealed his brutish, almost hideous under-jaw. His wide mouth was
+greedily distended, and only half concealed two rows of strong,
+shining, white teeth. His wild, rolling eyes met almost close to his
+crooked nose, and lay deeply buried under a pair of bushy eyebrows. He
+ate rapidly, gnawing, with a species of ravenousness, the largest
+bones; while his sinewy hand often rested on a dagger-hilt, set with
+precious stones. Whenever he raised the cup to his mouth, which was not
+seldom, he drained it to the bottom. He appeared at length to have
+satisfied his hunger and thirst. His brown cheeks were heated and
+flushed with wine, and he began to cast lewd and impudent glances, now
+at Lady Ingé, and now at her handmaids, as if comparing them, in order
+to decide upon which his choice should fall.
+
+"Now for pleasure, gentlemen," he broke forth at length, in a rough,
+harsh voice, and in a singing Norwegian pronunciation. "What signify
+your fine manners on a journey? and why stand the pretty wenches behind
+the lady's chair? Take you the demure flat-nose, sir drost; I will hold
+to the little roguish brunette; and thus we shall allow his grace to
+retain the high-born, proud damsel for his own share."
+
+He seemed about to rise, and the two handmaids, frightened, retreated a
+step.
+
+Lady Ingé was also alarmed, but she overcame her fear in an instant.
+The guest's impudence, and his rude tones, provoked her. From his
+foreign accent, she immediately knew that he was not the duke. With a
+contemptuous look towards the unmanneredly freebooter, she rose from
+the table, and turned, with calm dignity, to the other two gentlemen.
+
+"One of _you_ must be the duke, then," said she; "and I am glad of it;
+though, as the daughter of a Danish knight, I cannot rejoice to see a
+man here who dares to revolt against the Danish crown. But, whichever
+of you may be he, I appeal to him to protect me from the insolence of
+that rude man, who is probably one of your grooms."
+
+"Satan fetch the saucy minx!" exclaimed the pirate chief, laughing.
+"Take you me for a groom, proud maiden, because I do not relish fine
+talking, like these polite courtiers? When needful, I understand that
+art, too; and, spite of any one, not a queen shall think herself too
+good to sit at table with the Count of Tönsberg, or to embrace him."
+
+"Recollect yourself, brave count," said the duke, in a tone of
+authority, and rising: "we are not on board, nor in a tavern, but in
+the house of an honourable knight, and one of my friends. This lady and
+her handmaids are under my protection here."
+
+"What the fiend! my young big-nosed duke, are you already tired of good
+fellowship, and desire a quarrel?" growled the algrev, projecting his
+legs, while he leant back on his chair, with his arms folded on his
+breast. "I would rather advise you not to try such a joke. The Count of
+Tönsberg can sup broth out of the same dish with both a Norse and
+Swedish king, and has not need to make himself a dog for the favour. I
+am not to be cowed by the biggest emperor in the world, least of all by
+a little duke. As I sit here, I will undertake to turn you and your
+genteel drost heels over head, if you have a mind to know whether you
+or the algrev is the strongest."
+
+The duke grew pale with indignation. Sir Abildgaard sprang up, and
+placed himself, with his hand upon his sword, by the duke's side.
+
+"Call the house-carls," said Lady Ingé to her maidens; and the
+frightened girls, screaming, ran out of the room to give the alarm: the
+lofty, earnest maiden herself remained standing, and regarded the
+enraged men with attention.
+
+"This is not the time and place to prove our strength, Count Alf; and I
+am no boatman, who will drag a rope against a seahorse," said the duke,
+with supreme contempt, and laying his hand on his sword. "The wine has
+proved too strong for you; and what you say to-night, you will scarcely
+repeat tomorrow. If you were to bear in mind where we are, and what
+kind of a wind we have, you would perhaps come to your senses," he
+added, in a haughty, threatening tone. "Here, the Count of Tönsberg is
+of no more avail than Niels Breakpeace, or any other vile highwayman;
+and if you do not wish to prove your strength with Danish gaolers, and
+measure your height with the gallows of Orekrog, you will tame your
+unbridled, berserk[18] courage, without the aid of the house-carls and
+castle-warden."
+
+They already heard a noise without, and the kitchen-door flew open.
+
+"Bar the passage!" cried Lady Ingé; and the kitchen-door was again
+closed.
+
+The eyes of the maddened freebooter rolled wildly in his head. He
+seized a massive silver trencher from the table, and seemed about to
+hurl it at the duke's head; but, recollecting himself, he was satisfied
+with twisting the heavy salver into the form of a rope. When he had
+thus vented his rage, and given his opponents an astonishing proof of
+his enormous strength, he appeared entirely calm and pacified.
+
+"People don't understand joking in Denmark," he muttered. "We Norse
+sea-dogs are not accustomed to weigh words. Be at your ease, proud
+maiden; and sit you quietly down again, my noble young gentlemen. The
+wine, perhaps, runs a little in my noddle, and so I don't like
+standing. We sit here tolerably snug. But where is she off to, the
+little roguish brunette? Let her come hither, and pour out for me; and,
+death and the devil! you may have all the others: but the first
+house-carl that sets foot in the room, I will fell him like an ox!"
+
+He now appeared drowsy and heavy-headed, and lolled comfortably back on
+his chair, as if he would go to sleep; but still kept his eyes half
+open, whilst his left hand rested on the hilt of his dagger, and in his
+right was clenched the silver trencher, which he had converted into a
+heavy truncheon.
+
+"He is inebriated, as you perceive, noble lady," now said the duke,
+softly, to Ingé, while he offered her his arm, and led her into the
+farther hall. "Pardon us for having brought with us this rude
+travelling companion, who is, otherwise, a brave Norse knight, and of
+noble birth; but, when in this state, there is no controlling him: he
+becomes crazy, and fancies himself the powerful freebooter, Count
+Mindre-Alf of Tönsberg. We must, at such times, talk to him after his
+own fashion; and, in order to tame him, threaten him with rack and
+gibbet. He will not now rise from the drinking-table so long as there
+is a drop in the flagon, and therefore we can leave him. When he falls
+fast asleep, he will suffer himself to be carried on board, like a log,
+without moving. To-morrow, he will again be the smartest knight in the
+universe, if he does not dream that he has been Count of Tönsberg
+to-night."
+
+"It is a singular weakness for a man so strong," replied Lady Ingé,
+examining the duke with an earnest, penetrating look: "perhaps, also,
+it was in consequence of his intoxication that he took you for the
+duke?"
+
+"Nay: there he was right, noble lady. I am truly Duke Waldemar; and,
+although I am not welcome to you, your father has received me as his
+guest. For his sake, as well as for mine, I pray you to send the
+house-carls back, and not betray this private visit by any needless
+alarm. Notwithstanding that I feel confident of being able to justify
+myself against every accusation, I am at this moment misunderstood, and
+under pursuit. It may coat your father his life, if people here should
+recognise me."
+
+Lady Ingé tottered and grew pale. The servants of the house had, in the
+meanwhile, barred all egress, and some of them now came, storming
+noisily, into the hall.
+
+"Back!" cried Lady Ingé, suddenly recovering herself, and stepping with
+calm authority towards them: "it was a mistake. There is no danger at
+present. These are peaceful travellers, and my father's friends. One of
+them has become intoxicated, and has frightened us with his wild
+raving. You may return to the castle-stairs, and remain quiet until I
+call; but three of you remain in the kitchen."
+
+The house-carls obeyed, and went back; but the frightened handmaidens
+did not venture to show themselves, and Ingé remained alone with the
+duke and his drost.
+
+"You are Duke Waldemar, then?" she said, regarding the proud young
+nobleman with a composed and searching look, while she placed herself
+so near to the kitchen-door that she could open it whenever she
+chose. "Your drunken comrade within is likewise the open enemy of the
+country--the notorious Norse freebooter and incendiary; your groom is
+also a riever; and yet, with such a train, you dare to make yourself a
+guest in a royal castle! You have betrayed my father: his life is,
+perhaps, in danger. Where he has gone, you must know better than I. The
+pursuers you speak of are probably here, in the castle. It is to me a
+fearful riddle; but this I know, that at this instant I am mistress of
+your freedom."
+
+The duke started, and looked at the lofty, earnest girl with
+astonishment; while Sir Abildgaard glanced uneasily round him, and made
+an involuntary movement towards the door.
+
+"The passage is barred," continued Lady Ingé; "but it costs me only a
+nod, and it stands open to you. Promise me, Duke Waldemar, truly and
+piously, that, from this time forth, you will undertake no enterprise
+against the kingdom and country, and I shall then no longer prevent
+your departure from this castle; but if you cannot or will not promise
+me this, I instantly call the house-carls to seize you, as the
+accomplices of this audacious freebooter."
+
+The duke and Sir Abildgaard regarded each other with the highest
+astonishment, and, for a moment, both appeared irresolute.
+
+"Excellent!" exclaimed the duke, at length, in a gay and courtly tone
+of politeness: "to a lady's humour we may, with all honour, give way."
+But observing Lady Ingé's beautiful, serious countenance and determined
+mien, he suddenly changed his manner. "I promise you, noble lady," he
+continued, solemnly, "that I shall take no step that I do not hope to
+be able to defend, before the Danish people, at every legal tribunal.
+My conduct you cannot pronounce sentence upon; and you have no other
+right or power to be our mistress here than we freely concede to your
+beauty and patriotic spirit. If, then, you would not place your own
+father in peril of death, you will allow the castle to be opened for
+us, and not betray to any one what guests have been here."
+
+Lady Ingé was silent. A mighty conflict seemed violently to agitate
+her bosom: she held one hand tremblingly before her eyes, and, with
+the other, indicated that they might depart. She then opened the
+kitchen-door, and gave the house-servants orders to re-open the barred
+passages.
+
+The door of the fore-hall was immediately opened, and she perceived,
+standing in the doorway, the same clumsy-looking fellow who had so much
+alarmed her, at dusk, with his wild, brutish countenance.
+
+"It blows south-east, and we can sail," said he: "all is clear."
+
+"Good," answered the duke: "we are ready. Take care of the gentleman
+within. Farewell, noble lady," he continued, turning to the knight's
+fair daughter, with a genuine expression of respect: "I am sorry I must
+number you among my foes; but I shall never forget this hour, and never
+cease to esteem and admire you. Had Denmark many such women, scarcely
+any man would need to boast of his valour." With these flattering
+words, he raised her hand to his lips, bowed politely, and, with his
+drost, hastened from the door.
+
+The tall, rude groom had, in the meanwhile, according to the duke's
+instructions, proceeded to the dining-room, where he first made free
+with what remained in the wine-flagons. He then put all the silver
+goblets into his pocket, and, taking the sleeping algrev's silver
+truncheon from his hand, he placed it among the rest of his booty. He
+then disposed himself to lift the drunken gentleman upon his shoulder.
+
+"It is not needful, Niels," whispered the algrev: "I am not so drunk
+but that I can well walk; yet I have been drinking stupidly, and must
+allow I have enough. So just take me under your arm, and let us off to
+sea."
+
+He thereupon began to growl forth a snatch of some wanton song, and,
+resting on the arm of his sturdy comrade, reeled into the next
+apartment. Here Ingé was still standing, with her hand on the latch of
+the kitchen-door.
+
+"A proud little tit-bit, Niels," whispered the algrev to his rough
+attendant. "Could we but take her with us, we should not leave Zealand
+without a prime booty."
+
+"It would be an easy matter for me to whip her up," whispered Niels;
+"but, should she scream, we are betrayed. Ill birds are about already."
+
+"The fiend take the proud wench, then! I would rather have the little
+roguish brunette. But let the birds fly. Farewell, proud lady," he
+said, aloud, as, staggering towards her, he kissed his finger. "Salute
+our good friend, your worthy father. Thank him handsomely, for having
+allowed us to drink a goblet here in peace, and put the hounds on a
+false scent."
+
+Lady Ingé answered not: she stood, as if rivetted to the floor with
+terror; and, as soon as the fearful guests were gone, she bolted the
+door after them. Exhausted by these unusual efforts, she sank on a
+chair, almost unconscious. She still appeared to hear footsteps in the
+court-yard of the castle; but soon all was still, and the castle-gates
+were shut with a hollow sound. The noise aroused her from her stupor,
+and, collecting her strength, she tried to recall what had happened.
+The idea of her father's connection with the terrible guests fell on
+her soul like an enormous burden. A flood of tears burst suddenly from
+her eyes, and she wrung her hands in deep and boundless grief.
+
+"But where is he?" she broke out again, in anguish; "and where are the
+three brave men who went with him?" The angry sea-rover's parting words
+occurred to her, and she made a hurried movement towards the door,
+without exactly knowing what she intended to do.
+
+At this moment, she heard a loud knocking at the front hall-door. She
+started, but did not long hesitate, and withdrew the bolts. An active
+stranger youth, in the habit of a squire, entered, and saluted her
+respectfully. It was Claus Skirmen.
+
+"Be not alarmed, lady," he said, hastily; "but may I inform you, if you
+do not know it already, that there are pirates in the castle; whilst my
+master, and the two knights who came with him, together with the
+governor of the castle himself, are shut up in the eastern tower."
+
+"Shut up by pirates! my father imprisoned!" exclaimed Lady Ingé, with a
+burst of joy, incomprehensible to the young squire. "Are you certain
+the pirates have shut him up? and how know you it?"
+
+"Who has locked them in, I know not," replied Skirmen; "but, noble
+lady, understand me rightly: they are prisoners in the tower. I was out
+on the beach, washing our horses, when I heard some one shouting from
+above, and I rode out of the water towards the tower, in the direction
+from whence the sound came. They bade me look about, right under the
+tower, for a prison-key: it was lying, fortunately, upon a great stone,
+and here it is; but the entrance to the tower I could not discover. In
+the court-yard they were shouting that pirates are here, and I could
+not be heard."
+
+"Give it me!" exclaimed Lady Ingé, anxiously snatching it from the
+squire's hand. "Bring the lantern from the stable: make haste!" And she
+hurried out across the court-yard, while Skirmen ran to the stable for
+the lantern.
+
+In the castle-yard there was a great noise. The servants were all in
+commotion, and the old warden came towards her in great terror. "Ah,
+God pity us!" he whined: "the vile sea-cats! Has any misfortune
+happened, lady?"
+
+"My father is imprisoned," she hastily replied, "and the strangers are
+gone. Unlock the eastern tower for us."
+
+"Ah, God pity us!" whined the warden, once more, and hurried to the
+tower. "It was by your father's orders I locked his friends both in and
+out, and asked them neither their names nor errand. That Satan who last
+went out wrenched the key of the castle-gate from my hand, and opened
+it before my very nose. They must have been rovers and heretics. I saw
+them, from the castle-walls, hoist sail, and leave the haven, taking
+the direction of Scania--and in this flying storm, too. God grant that
+they may go to the bottom, neck and crop!"
+
+"My father is locked in," exclaimed Lady Ingé, impatiently: "instantly
+open the tower for us, I say."
+
+"Ah, the infernal rogues! have they locked the governor in? God grant
+they may sink!" cried the old man, obeying.
+
+"Hence now, hammer and tongs, and break open the gates of the
+tower--despatch!"
+
+The tower-gate was now open. Skirmen came with the lantern, and hastily
+preceded Ingé up the narrow, winding staircase. When she reached the
+top, she heard high words within the prison, and recognised the voices
+of her father and the strangers.
+
+"This treason you shall pay for, Sir Lavé!" she heard exclaimed by a
+harsh-toned voice, which she recognised as that of the stranger with
+the large plaited beard. "If Drost Hessel will still be your defender,"
+continued the angry speaker, "he cannot save your life when I denounce
+you, and prove you to be a traitor to the country."
+
+At these words, which only seemed to confirm her own cruel suspicions,
+the unhappy daughter was well nigh sinking upon the spot. The name of
+Drost Hessel had also attracted her attention in the highest degree,
+and the key fell from her hands. It rolled a few steps downwards, and
+Skirmen picked it up.
+
+"Still, there is no proof of so heinous a crime," she now heard uttered
+in the voice of the young gentleman who had known her mother, and who
+had seemed to her so kingly. "Appearances are very much against you,
+Sir Lavé," continued the same voice; "but we ought to think the best of
+Sir John's kinsman as long as possible; and for what has yet happened
+here, no one can legally condemn you."
+
+At these words, a gleam of hope lighted up the soul of the magnanimous
+daughter. "Yes, he may still be innocent!" she exclaimed, hastily
+thrusting into the lock the key which Skirmen had handed to her. The
+door was instantly opened, and the sight of the courageous girl
+astonished the knights. Her father appeared still more surprised to see
+her.
+
+"Are the strangers still here?" he hastily inquired.
+
+"Nay," replied the daughter, scarcely daring to look in her father's
+face, lest she should read in his manner a confirmation of the crime
+that she still hoped was a matter of doubt.
+
+"Ha! escaped! Perdition seize them!" exclaimed Thorstenson, stamping
+with rage. "Now, the object of our detention is clear enough."
+
+"Do you know whether they have gone seawards or landwards, noble lady?"
+inquired Drost Peter. "Can you tell us, with certainty, which route
+they have taken? Your word is my surety that they are withdrawn, and
+are not concealed within these walls."
+
+Lady Ingé was about to answer, but her father seized her hastily by the
+arm.
+
+"Be thou silent, my daughter!" he commanded her, in a sterner tone than
+he was wont at other times to use. "My persecuted guests, as you hear,
+are no longer in the castle," he said, turning to the knights, and
+suddenly becoming bold and determined. "It is now your affair to pursue
+them farther, if you believe yourselves authorised to do so. I am
+obliged to furnish you with fighting-men, and to provide you with a
+sea-boat, if you demand it; but not to be a spy and an accuser. To such
+meanness you shall not compel my daughter; and none of my people in the
+castle shall give evidence in this matter until they are summoned to
+the Lands-Ting, and in presence of their lawful judges. That I have
+received the king's own kinsman, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, into
+this castle, I need neither deny nor feel ashamed of. I know of no
+sentence passed upon him, as an enemy to the king or the country. Whom
+he had in his train I know not, nor does it concern me. His servants
+and followers were my guests, as well as he. I am glad that this
+singular accident has saved him from a pursuit which I consider to be
+alike illegal and tyrannical."
+
+Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked with wonder on the previously
+desponding castellan. Thorstenson struck his sword wrathfully on the
+stone floor; but Drost Peter advanced calmly towards him.
+
+"This concerns the safety of the crown and kingdom," he remarked,
+sternly and gravely. "What has happened may be regarded as an accident,
+and I do not intend to make Sir Lavé Little answerable for it. But if
+you, Lady Ingé Little, know where the traitors and their piratical
+train have gone, I, Drost Peter Hessel, demand of you, in the name of
+your king and country, to reveal it, that we may not, by a bootless
+journey, expose the royal house and the nation to the greatest peril."
+
+Sir Lavé grew pale, and Lady Ingé regarded the authoritative young
+drost with wondering eyes. She saw her father's embarrassment, and
+observed a secret sign he gave her, by pointing towards the west; but
+her resolution was taken.
+
+"If you are Drost Peter Hessel," she said, calmly and firmly, "I know
+that you have royal power and authority to demand faithful testimony
+from every loyal subject. As a knight's free daughter, I cannot debase
+myself by becoming a spy and an accuser, least of all, by betraying my
+father's friends and guests. But the persons you speak of cannot be my
+father's friends. They have not come as guests, but as disguised
+robbers. According to the warden's account, who himself has seen them,
+they are fled over the Sound, towards Sweden."
+
+"In the name of our king and country, I thank you for this important
+evidence, noble Lady Ingé," said Drost. Peter, taking her hand warmly.
+"Yet a word in my own name, in the presence of your father, and of
+these brave men. I hope the time may yet come, when you will as little
+mistake Drost Peter Hessel's heart and conduct, as you now do his
+fealty to his king and country. If you do not reject the hand which I
+now give as a friend, it will be my greatest pride and happiness to
+proffer it to you hereafter with a dearer title."
+
+"Never, never shall that time come, as long as my eyes are open!"
+exclaimed Sir Lavé, bitterly, and tearing their hands asunder.
+"Silence, and go to your chamber, my daughter, I command you!"
+
+Lady Ingé cast a look of fervent esteem towards her childhood's
+bridegroom; and saluting him and his friends with silence and dignified
+composure, she departed.
+
+Skirmen ran down the stairs before her with the lantern, and across the
+court-yard. On his return, his master and both the knights had already
+gone out of the opened castle-gate. He hastened to bring their horses
+from the stable, and followed his master. He rejoined them on the quay,
+where Sir Lavé commanded the ferrymen to convey the gentlemen, in their
+fleetest sloop, and without delay, to Helsingborg. Thirty men of the
+castle garrison stood armed on the quay, and received the castellan's
+orders to follow and obey the strangers. Having done this, Sir Lavé
+took a short and cold leave of Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson. To Sir
+Thorstenson he silently handed his glove, and returned, with hasty and
+troubled steps, to the castle. Thorstenson flung the glove
+contemptuously after him, and leaped on board.
+
+In a brief space, the knights, with their armed followers, were
+embarked. Skirmen took charge of the horses. The wind was blowing
+strong from the south. Drost Peter placed himself at the helm, and
+ordered all sails to be set; and the sloop dashed along at a rapid
+rate, cutting through the troubled waters of the Sound.
+
+The night was intensely dark, a few stars only being visible. They
+steered in the direction of Helsingborg, Drost Peter sitting silently
+at the rudder; while Thorstenson, exasperated, paced up and down the
+deck with Rimaardson, giving vent to his indignation against the crafty
+castellan.
+
+"Who would have believed it of him?" he growled: "I always took him for
+a flounder, and thought it his only claim to be governor of Flounder
+Castle."[19]
+
+"Do not speak so loud, noble knight," whispered Rimaardson. "They are
+his people we have on board; and see you not how they lay their heads
+together? Should mutiny break out in the ship during this murky night,
+our condition then may be worse than that we have just escaped from."
+
+"The first man that grumbles, I shall cut down," muttered Thorstenson.
+"Every Dane has not yet become a traitor."
+
+Skirmen now ascended from the hold of the vessel, and approached his
+grave master, who sat thoughtfully, with his arm over the rudder, now
+and then casting back a look to the huge dark castle, where a single
+light only was visible, shining from a turret-chamber in the
+south-eastern angle. There, he knew that Lady Ingé, in her childhood,
+had her apartment; and there, as children, they had often played
+together.
+
+"Master," said Skirmen, advancing a little nearer, "be not offended if
+I disturb you in the midst of important thoughts. But steer you not
+rather too much to the south?"
+
+"You are right, Skirmen," answered Drost Peter, hastily turning the
+helm: "yes, this must be the right course. It is dark, and we need to
+have our eyes about us. Fortunately, I can see the light, yonder. Now,
+tell me somewhat. You followed the lady from the tower. How was she
+affected? Did she converse with you?"
+
+"Not a word, sir, until I had set down the lantern, and was about to
+depart: then, indeed, she asked me if I was your squire."
+
+"And what did you answer?" asked the drost, hastily.
+
+"Eh? what could I answer save 'yes,' sir? But now, are you not steering
+rather southerly again?"
+
+Drost Peter hastily corrected his error. "Said she nothing more to
+you?" he resumed, after a pause.
+
+"Ay, true: as she was entering the door, she dropped her red hair-band,
+which I picked up, and restored to her. That I might not appear a lout,
+without a word to say, I remarked that she wore the queen's colours as
+well as my master, the drost. I perceived that she started on hearing
+this; on which I drew myself up a little; for I know it is an honour
+that no knight but yourself can boast."
+
+"Stupidity--cursed bravado!" exclaimed Drost Peter, with unusual
+vehemence. "Moreover, it is untrue: I no longer wear the queen's
+colours."
+
+"That I knew not, stern sir. You wore them, however, when we travelled
+from Melfert."
+
+"But now, as I tell you, I no longer wear them; and, for the sake of
+bragging, you should say nothing but what you know for certain to be
+true."
+
+Skirmen was abashed, and remained silent.
+
+"And what said she to this stupid boasting?" continued Drost Peter, in
+a milder tone.
+
+"Nothing, stern sir. Yet it occurred to me, that she was much moved
+thereat.----But be not angry, stern sir: the helm is a little wrong
+again."
+
+"Certainly not: let me attend to that. Moved, say you? Why think you
+she was moved? What foolish talk is this?"
+
+"Truly by this, my master: she turned away from me, blushed deeply,
+and, as it seemed to me, there were tears in her eyes."
+
+"Nonsense, Skirmen! you must have mistaken.--Spring forwards, and put
+that sail to rights!"
+
+Skirmen hastened to obey his master's order, although he could not
+conceive why he was so singularly abrupt and abstracted.
+
+The young drost heaved a deep sigh, and looked back once more for the
+light in the turret-window. It was no longer to be seen; and it seemed
+to him as if, with that distant light, the fair, newly-risen star was
+also extinguished from his childhood's heaven.
+
+The wind now blew strong, and they already began to perceive lights on
+the Swedish coast, when suddenly a wild shout was heard on board, and
+torches flared in the midst of clashing swords and lances. Drost Peter,
+surprised, sprang from the helm, and saw, with consternation, Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson engaged in fierce conflict with the
+thirty lancers from Flynderborg.
+
+Drost Peter threw himself with drawn sword amidst the combatants.
+"Peace here, in the king's name, or you are dead men!" he commanded, in
+a voice which, without being alarming, had singular weight and
+authority. They all paused, and gazed at him. Even the maddened Sir
+Thorstenson, who had felled one man and wounded another, subdued his
+rage, and stood quietly.
+
+"Speak! what has happened?" demanded the drost. "Here, I am supreme
+judge."
+
+"Rebellion--mutiny!" cried Thorstenson: "there lies the ringleader."
+
+"They think that we have arbitrarily compelled the commandant, and that
+we are leading them into mischief," said Rimaardson.
+
+The uproarious landsknechts pressed forward, uttering defiance, and
+shouting lustily to one another: "We are free Danes, and will not
+suffer ourselves to be cowed by three rovers. We know well enough, that
+you would have murdered the castellan in the tower; and here are we,
+carried off in the murky night, like cattle for slaughter, and no one
+knows whither."
+
+"Silence!" cried the drost. "Is there any one amongst you who knows the
+king's hand and seal?"
+
+"That does wise Christen--yes, that does Christen Fynbo," cried the
+fellows.
+
+"Let him come hither, then," commanded the drost, taking forth the
+royal warrant addressed to governors of castles. "A torch here! and now
+attend." He then read aloud, and distinctly, the order that he should
+be supplied with a force, whenever it should be demanded. "There you
+see the king's seal and signature."
+
+"It is well attested, comrades," said the book-learned Fynbo; and the
+greater number were pacified: still, a few solitary murmurs were heard.
+
+"Now you have seen black on white for our right and authority,
+fellows," continued Drost Peter, sternly; "but, even without this, you
+ought to obey, when your governor has commanded you. Meantime are you
+all my prisoners: I cannot employ fellows like you in the king's
+service. Your leader has met with his reward. Cast him overboard, and
+let the fish devour him. The rest of you lay down your arms
+immediately."
+
+The soldiers delayed, and a subdued murmur ran among them.
+
+"Do you hesitate?" cried the drost. "Will you be doomed as traitors?
+Cast the rebel's corpse overboard: his sentence is passed here--God be
+merciful to his soul!"
+
+Two of the landsknechts, who stood nearest the drost, silently laid
+hold of the body of their fallen comrade, and heaved it overboard. It
+splashed into the deep, and for a moment there was a fearful silence.
+No one, however, had yet laid down his weapon.
+
+"You have been misled, and in a mistake, countrymen," said the drost,
+in a milder tone: "I shall intercede for you, for this time. But, now,
+instantly lay down your arms, and descend quietly to the forehold.
+Whoever murmurs, forfeits his life."
+
+The astonished soldiers obeyed: in a moment they were all disarmed, and
+shut down, within the fastenings of the forehold. The drost then went
+quietly back to the helm, which Skirmen in the meantime, at his signal,
+had undertaken to guide. There was a death-stillness on board. Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson stood, with drawn swords, by the
+hatchway of the prison-room, while Skirmen attended to the sails. The
+storm had lulled, and day began to dawn over the Swedish coast, when
+the last tack was made, and the ship glided in a right line towards the
+haven of Helsingborg.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                                PART II.
+
+
+It was still the gray of the morning, when, in the upper hall of
+Helsingborg[20] Castle, young Duke Waldemar and his drost walked
+backwards and forwards on the bare paved floor. Their mantles, soaked
+with sea-water, lay upon a bench.
+
+"It was a stiff breeze, gracious sir," observed Sir Abildgaard, rubbing
+his hands; "and it was fortunate we had the algrev with us: drunk as he
+was, however, he has set us on dry land, like a brave fellow."
+
+"The rude, wild sea-bear!" exclaimed the duke: "he had nearly ruined
+everything. At sea, he is invaluable; but he shall never more set foot
+on land by my side. It seems, however, that he was sober when we
+landed, and understood my meaning."
+
+"He offered no objections, and he owned that he rued his folly. It is
+well we did not break with him: he is a fellow that may still be put to
+use."
+
+"Was the daring Niels Breakpeace with him? for, at present, it is as
+well to have him also as a reserve; but we must not have the fellow
+here with us."
+
+"Not a soul landed your highness. I strictly repeated your injunction,
+that they should sail immediately. I assisted the algrev to spell the
+marsk's letter, as well as that of the Norwegian king, and he has sworn
+to be at Stockholm within eight days, with thirty transports to convey
+troops."
+
+"Good--very good!" said the duke, thoughtfully. "Were we only well over
+the Scanian border, if need there be, it shall and must succeed. When
+King Magnus hears our weighty plans, he must concur with them, and
+afford us his aid. This betrothment of children, and all their other
+miserable arts, shall not save them. But why, do they tarry?"
+
+The morning light began to increase; and as the large hall, on the
+western side of the castle, looked out upon the sea, they saw, from the
+balcony, the Count of Tönsberg's rover, in which they had arrived, run
+out of the haven with a brisk side-wind.
+
+"See, there goes the algrev," said Sir Abildgaard: "he must certainly
+feel it hard to run from a Danish coast without booty. But how is this?
+A sloop, with blue sails, lies at the jetty. We saw it not when we
+landed; and it is not a Scanian."
+
+"Gudsdöd!" exclaimed the duke, "it is a royal sloop, from Orekrog. But
+it cannot have come in pursuit of us, unless Sir Lavé has been
+frightened, and allowed that infernal drost to slip loose. Where is the
+castellan? Did you instruct him not to say who we are, and that he
+should straightway send us an escort as royal ambassadors?"
+
+"Yes, sir; and there is no obstacle in the way. When the guards and
+servants heard your name, they made the utmost haste. The castellan had
+not risen, but he will be here instantly."
+
+"There is no time to lose," said the duke, with uneasiness. "If we have
+not the escort immediately, we must set off without it. Are the horses
+ready, and at hand?"
+
+"They stand saddled by the castle-stairs, sir. But, list! They are
+coming!"
+
+They now heard a bustle in the castle, and the sound of armed men
+running to and fro. The large hall, on the eastern side, looked over
+the castle-yard. There, too, they heard a noise, and went anxiously to
+the window.
+
+"They are closing the castle-gates!" exclaimed Sir Abildgaard; "and the
+court-yard is full of armed men."
+
+"Gudsdöd! What means this? Are we betrayed?" exclaimed the duke. "Come,
+Tuko: there must be an outlet here. We must away."
+
+Four large doors opened from the hall. Two of these they found barred.
+They went to the third, which was not locked, and hastily opened it;
+but on the outside stood six armed men, with the Danish arms upon their
+helmets.
+
+"No one can pass out here!" exclaimed a gruff voice.
+
+Astonished, they hastened to the fourth door; but, before they reached
+it, it was opened, and Drost Peter stood before them, along with Sir
+Rimaardson and Sir Thorstenson, and accompanied by a middle-aged
+gentleman, in the dress of a Danish knight, with a baton in his hand.
+This was the governor of Helsingborg. Twelve men-at-arms followed him.
+
+"Your arms, gentlemen, in the king's name," said Drost Peter, calmly:
+"you are our prisoners."
+
+"What! How is this?" cried the duke, stamping on the paved floor. "Who
+dares to take Duke Waldemar prisoner?"
+
+"I, Drost Peter Hessel, and these Danish knights, in the name of our
+king and master."
+
+"I know you not. You have no power over a duke of the royal blood, and
+a free royal vassal."
+
+"You know the king's hand and seal, illustrious sir," replied Drost
+Peter, handing him his warrant.
+
+The duke perused it, with anger-flashing eyes. "This is illegal," he
+cried: "it is contrary to the laws and statutes of the kingdom. I have
+not been accused at any Herred-Ting or Land-Ting,[21] and I formally
+protest against this proceeding, as arbitrary and unjust. You are my
+witness, governor, that I declare this warrant null and void, and I
+shall answer to my country for destroying it." So saying, he tore the
+royal warrant, and cast it on the ground. "As the king's kinsman, and
+Duke of South Jutland, I now command you," he continued, in a lordly
+tone of authority, "that you immediately take prisoners these audacious
+persons, who dare to misuse the royal authority in this lawless
+manner."
+
+The castellan looked doubtfully, now at the duke, now at Drost Peter,
+as if uncertain how to act. Thorstenson struck his sword angrily
+against the pavement, and Rimaardson was on the point of speaking, when
+Drost Peter anticipated him.
+
+"Whether this proceeding be just or not," he commenced, "and whether
+the king is warranted in ordering this illustrious gentleman to be made
+prisoner, before he has been accused at a Land-Ting, is not now the
+question: that, the king must himself answer. My authority is the royal
+warrant you have seen: it cannot be destroyed; and, in virtue thereof,
+I demand that the king's will may be obeyed without delay or
+hesitation. If you will not deliver up your weapons willingly,
+gentlemen, I shall be obliged to resort to force."
+
+Drost Peter's calm and decided manner embarrassed the duke, and
+overcame every doubt of the castellan.
+
+"For the present, you must submit to necessity, illustrious duke," said
+this grave personage, courteously, at the same time stooping, and
+picking up the royal warrant. "Perhaps this is a mistake; in which case
+you must be set at liberty, and will have your grounds of prosecution
+against this gentleman for his abuse of the royal authority. At this
+moment he is fully empowered, and must be obeyed."
+
+The duke clenched his teeth, and, with averted eyes, handed Drost Peter
+his sword. Sir Abildgaard followed his lord's example; and not another
+word was uttered by the exasperated state-prisoners. To the castellan's
+polite inquiry, whether they wished to take any refreshment, the duke
+indignantly shook his head. A strong guard of soldiers having
+surrounded the captives, Drost Peter and his companions courteously
+saluted the governor, who returned to the drost the torn warrant, and
+accompanied them to the jetty.
+
+Before the sun was yet up, Drost Peter had departed for Zealand with
+his important prisoners. The rebellious landsknechts from Flynderborg
+were handed over to the castellan of Helsingborg, who sent them,
+carefully bound, in another vessel to Orekrog.
+
+Claus Skirmen had now enough to attend to; and, although he regarded
+his master with proud satisfaction, he carefully avoided any of those
+haughty airs by which the feelings of the duke and his drost might be
+wounded. As for Thorstenson and Rimaardson, the moment they found
+themselves alone with Drost Peter at the rudder, they shook him
+heartily by the hand, and extolled his good fortune.
+
+"Yet, after all, it is provoking to be engaged on any hazardous
+adventure with you," grumbled Thorstenson; "for before I have had an
+opportunity of using my good sword, you have achieved all that is
+required by a few words, with your sword in its sheath."
+
+
+"We may yet need your good sword quite soon enough," replied Drost
+Peter, in a suppressed voice: "we have ventured upon a greater piece of
+daring than any one perhaps may trow."
+
+The discourse of the grave knights was extremely brief, and
+their princely captive deigned them not a word. With suppressed
+bitterness, he resigned himself to his fate; and, by the side of his
+fellow-prisoner, paced the deck as proudly as if he had been master of
+the ship. At length he appeared even gay and indifferent; but Drost
+Peter frequently noted in his countenance an expression of vindictive
+hope, which rendered him in the highest degree thoughtful and earnest.
+
+The vigilant drost took the helm himself; and when he again saw the
+dark towers of Flynderborg, he cast a melancholy glance towards the
+little turret-window from which he had seen the light twinkling on the
+previous evening; but the window was now closed, and seemed to be
+screened inside by a dark tapestry. The entire mighty fortress, which
+at the present moment he did not care to visit, lay half enveloped in
+the mist of the calm spring morning, and seemed to him dark and
+enigmatical as his own future, and undefined as his unhappy country's
+fate.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was soon known throughout the whole kingdom that Duke Waldemar and
+his drost had been sent prisoners to Sjöborg. This bold step on the
+part of the king and his active ministers struck the discontented
+nobles with astonishment, and it now seemed as if even the most daring
+vassals had lost courage to defy the kingly power, or to meditate
+dangerous enterprises against the crown and kingdom. A great number of
+the most powerful Danish nobles, as well as many foreign princes,
+sought to accommodate, in an amicable manner, the dangerous differences
+between the king and the duke, and to obtain the misguided nobleman's
+release from prison; but one month passed by after another, without any
+arrangement being effected.
+
+The king, as usual, passed the summer in moving about the kingdom, and
+spent the winter at Ribehuus. The drost, it was said, was in high
+favour; but it was doubted whether the terms that he and the stern old
+Sir John deemed necessary for the security of the crown, in reference
+to the liberation of the duke, would be submitted to by the proud young
+prince, so long as he could depend upon his powerful connections, both
+within the kingdom and abroad.
+
+It was one of the latter days of March, 1286. The captive duke and
+his knightly companion, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, sat opposite each other,
+at a chess-table, in a gloomy turret-chamber in Sjöborg Castle, where
+they had now spent three beautiful months of summer, and more than six
+of autumn and winter. They were strictly guarded, but without
+harshness, and with every respect and distinction that such notable
+state-prisoners could desire. They lacked none of the necessaries and
+comforts that could be obtained in this retired spot, or that could be
+granted them without danger of aiding them to escape, or enabling them
+to hold intercourse with their friends and adherents.
+
+Each of the prisoners had his own apartment; but, as it was not
+forbidden them to be in each other's company, their apartments
+communicated by a door, which they used at pleasure. The narrow
+chambers were kept clean and airy, and as warm as the prisoners
+themselves desired. The rooms were, further, provided with all suitable
+furniture for their convenience, besides various kinds of chess-boards,
+and a few old manuscript chronicles. Some volumes of homilies, and
+other edifying writings, were also to be found; together with a lyre, a
+David's harp, and many similar things, to lighten their captivity and
+beguile the time. But lights and writing-materials were both denied
+them; and they saw not a soul except the deaf turnkey, (who never spoke
+a word when he waited upon them,) and the stern castellan, Poul Hvit
+himself.
+
+The latter visited them daily, at uncertain hours, and never left their
+side during the time they were permitted to take exercise in the open
+air, under his charge, in the court-yard of the castle. Every day,
+well-cooked food was brought them, on silver dishes, and the rarest
+fruits of the season at all times graced their lonely board. To the
+handle of their silver wine-flagon, a fresh nosegay was very frequently
+attached, even in the severest winter months; but who it was that
+showed them this friendly mark of attention, they had never been able
+to discover.
+
+Further, to give their uniform life a little variety, they feigned to
+be alternately each other's guests, and on this day Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard was host. The dinner-table was cleared, but the wine-flagon
+and two goblets still remained.
+
+"Gaily, now, my noble guest," said the mannerly knight: "if you are
+tired of mating me, leave the stupid pieces alone, and let us rather
+drink a cup together. The wine is excellent. Had we only a couple of
+pretty lively little damsels to bear us company, our imprisonment
+would not seem to me, after all, so great a calamity. Who knows from
+what fair hand these lovely flowers are constantly brought us, and
+whether one of us may not have fallen on good fortune here, among the
+weaving-damsels and pantry-maids."
+
+"Thou hast a happy mind, Tuko," replied the duke; "and I do not envy
+thee it. So long as thou lackest not wine and giddy girls, I believe
+thou couldst be happy in purgatory itself. But yet there was a time,
+Tuko, when thou sharedst my proud dreams," he continued, after a
+thoughtful pause, and pushing the chess-pieces to one side: "even in
+the midst of our most thoughtless follies, thou didst not forget that
+thou wert the friend of an injured prince, and labouredst with him for
+the attainment of the greatest object man can desire. Thou wert
+initiated into the great secret of my life: with me, thou proudly
+soaredst above the ignorant mass and the despicable puppets we played
+with, whenever thou thoughtest what thou, too, couldst perform when
+Duke Waldemar was in possession of his great ancestor's glorious
+crown."
+
+"Think not that I have now forgotten it, noble sir," replied the
+knight. "But of what use is it to fret yourself pale and lean, between
+these thick walls, where we cannot take a single step towards our
+object?"
+
+"We can do battle here, Tuko. In that narrow room I have, perhaps,
+already made a more important progress than if I had stood free, in the
+midst of a noisy and juggling court. Read, in the chronicles, of the
+greatest men, and thou shalt find that they buried themselves in
+deserts and lonely dens, to prove themselves and their own powers in
+secret, before they entered upon the career destined to astonish after
+generations, and be remembered through long centuries. When thou hast
+been sleeping here, dreaming of trifles and handsome maidens, many a
+night have I been awake in my den, there. The wide and mighty world of
+thought has been laid open before me in my prison, and the great
+spirits of departed times have been near me."
+
+"The rood shield us, noble sir! If you have become a ghost-seer, I
+wonder not that you are so pale and thin. Reveries, and night-watchings
+of this kind, must lay waste your strength, and carry you even a step
+farther. What have you thought of, then? and what are the fruits of
+these perilous struggles? To me, you look as grave and solemn as a
+clerk spent with fasting; and, indeed, I scarcely know you."
+
+"But thou and the world shall learn to know me," said the duke. "Now,
+for the first time, I know myself--now know I, that I have been a
+light-brained fool. Miserable, insolent boyishness it was, when I would
+deny my tyrant's right of guardianship, and quarrel with my powerful
+oppressor about petty islands and paltry mint privileges, when I had
+his crown in view. Stupid, immeasurably stupid, it was, when I suffered
+myself to be misled by thee and other thoughtless persons, into making
+a claim to the kingdom, before I was certain that I was the people's
+spiritual lord."
+
+"I understand you not, noble sir. A spiritual dominion you cannot
+claim: that must be left to the pope and clergy. But you are right: to
+strike the sceptre from the hand of a tyrant, guarded by strong and
+blindfolded slaves, you certainly required a marshal's baton and an
+army. It was, undeniably, an error, to betray your aims unseasonably,
+and thus put arms into the hands of opponents before you were
+sufficiently accoutred yourself."
+
+"That was my least mistake, Tuko, and that I have sufficiently atoned
+for within these walls. My greatest error was, that I fancied actual
+dominion was to be obtained over a people, ere they had freely chosen
+and done homage to me as their lord; and that a crown could be won,
+like a castle or a piece of land, by daring heroism and foreign armies,
+so long as the people I desired to rule had yet a spark of strength and
+spirit; and I did not first conquer the souls whose lord and king I
+should wish, in reality, to be."
+
+"These are vagaries, noble sir, the consequences of prison air,
+unseasonable night-watchings, and want of exercise. What think you the
+great ignorant masses of the people care about their ruler's inner
+worth and being? He who has the power and authority, is obeyed by the
+crowd: the ruler who has the largest army, and can swing the longest
+sword over the heads of the people, they readily acknowledge as their
+king and heart-beloved father, if only he does not impose higher taxes
+than his predecessors, and maintains something like law and justice in
+the country."
+
+"Nay, Tuko, nay," resumed the pale and earnest duke, with warmth; "this
+imprudent contempt for the lives and spirit of a people has misled the
+greatest ruling spirits in the world. The mere external dominion, which
+has not its roots in the deepest heart of the people, and is not bound
+up with the popular mind and true renown, is worthless and despicable,
+did it even extend over the whole universe. It is a throne raised on
+the breath of pride, on the mists and vapours of a miserable vanity. It
+is dissipated by a blast of wind; and the first free and energetic
+spirit who stands up among a people so oppressed, and misgoverned by
+mere rude brute force, has might enough to overthrow such a monarch and
+his soulless hosts."
+
+"You surprise me, noble sir. Whence have you all this new wisdom? I
+should almost fancy you have had revelations in your wisdom-den, and
+have been used to converse with spirits; or some similar folly."
+
+"Come, thou shalt see my spirits," said the duke, rising: "I shall show
+thee that I am not the first who has thought earnestly, within these
+walls, on the condition of a people and their ruler."
+
+"Sjöborg has held many statesmen of importance," said the knight; "but
+I doubt whether any of them has imparted a new thought to you. The most
+notable I remember, that occupied this state-prison, was the mad Bishop
+Waldemar, who struggled for the sixth Canute and Waldemar Seier's life
+and crown, and finished his days, a crazy saint, in Lockum Cloister."
+
+"It is possible that he became crazy at last," replied the duke; "but
+what made others crazy, may perhaps make us wise. You have guessed
+aright, Tuko. I have my sleeping-chamber in the prison-cell where that
+unfortunate bishop, of royal descent and royal mind, sat chained to a
+block, and gave vent to his indignation by cursing the world and
+mankind. But that he also had his lucid moments, and saw clearer into
+the world and its blind rulers than perhaps any one dreamt of, I shall
+show you memorials that perhaps no human eye save mine has before
+seen."
+
+They had now entered the duke's narrow prison-cell, which looked upon
+the castle-yard by a grated window, eighteen ells from the ground. Here
+was still a block, with a rusty iron ring and a heavy chain, made fast
+to the wall. By the side of the chain lay a large, torn-up paving
+stone, which appeared to have been used for barricading the door from
+within. The castellan would have removed these painful relics of former
+occupants of the cell; but the duke had expressly desired to retain
+them, when he heard of what powerful kinsman they were memorials.
+
+On the dingy walls were many scratches, like runes and oriental
+characters. To these the duke pointed; but it was beginning to grow
+dark, and it was impossible to discern any of the words distinctly: the
+interpretation of the inscriptions appeared also to demand a degree of
+learning which neither Sir Abildgaard nor his princely master was
+possessed of.
+
+"If this is the book of wisdom you have read in of a night, noble sir,"
+said the gay young knight, "you must have become profoundly learned in
+a hurry, and must certainly have borrowed a pair of eyes from some of
+the friendly owls or cats that now and then pay you their dutiful
+respects through the grating. In this nook, even in broad daylight, I
+should not be able to tell an X from a U, were I ever so clear-eyed."
+
+"You have guessed better than you imagine, Tuko. The bird of wisdom
+himself has, with his fire-eyes, been a light to my bewildered path."
+So saying, the duke opened a chest, which, otherwise, served him to
+keep shoes in. "Look here," he said, taking out a large tame owl, with
+beautiful flaxen-coloured feathers, and a pair of uncommonly bright
+eyes.
+
+"Fie, sir!" cried the knight, springing back. "It is the dismal
+screech-owl, which people call the dead man's bird. What do you with
+it? It is not worth having for a guest, and the devil may have touched
+it. Have you never heard that there is always sure to be a death in the
+house where it perches?"
+
+"The pest may come to Sjöborg for me, as soon as we are well out of
+it," said the duke; "but, as you perceive, the dead man's bird and I
+are at present good friends. One night, as I lay awake with troubled
+thoughts, I saw these eyes glaring upon me from the ledge on the wall.
+I started, and it seemed to me as if the fiend were standing, staring
+me through the soul with glowing eyes, in the silent, mysterious night.
+I sprang up, and discovered my mistake. But while I approached to seize
+my unbidden night-guest, he turned his shining eyes towards the wall: a
+gleam of moonshine entered at the same instant; and, whether it was the
+light of the bird's eyes, or the moonshine, that illumined the wall, I
+know not, but I perceived there a dim inscription, which I could not
+then read. I took care to mark the spot; and, having placed my prisoner
+in the box here, I went to sleep. Next morning, however, betimes I
+examined the wall and the writing. When the morning sun shines in, it
+can be easily read. It is in Latin, and it cost me much trouble to
+understand it. You know we did not make great progress with the
+complaisant clerk who was to make us book-learned."
+
+"What made you of the characters, then, illustrious sir?" inquired
+Tuko. "But do throw that hideous death-bird out of the grating. It
+glares upon us, as if it would burn our eyes out, in exchange for the
+wisdom it has taught you."
+
+"Nay: this wise bird shall now be my companion in weal or woe," said
+the duke, patting the bird kindly, and replacing it in the box. "If it
+forebodes death, it must be the death of our enemies."
+
+"But what did you read, sir?" inquired Sir Abildgaard, eagerly.
+
+"I read many horrible words I shall not repeat, but which have often
+made my hair stand on end. A sentence, however, stood there, which has
+told me why I am come hither, and what I have to do in this miserable
+world. '_Thou who dreamedst of a crown and awokest in chains_,' it
+runs, '_lay hold of that sceptre which constrains spirits, and thy
+crown shall be bright as the sun!_"
+
+"This is the nimbus which already played in the brain of the crazy
+bishop," observed Sir Abildgaard; "or it is the black art and magical
+incantations he brooded over. Be not thus disquieted, noble sir, and
+suffer not the madness of becoming a saint to infect you. I dare be
+sworn that neither you nor I carry it to this extremity."
+
+"I do not so understand it," replied the duke, whilst his eyes
+glistened. "I interpret these words in a secular sense, and as
+containing no folly, but, on the contrary, deep and sound policy. I do
+not abandon my bold life's-plan: that I shall never relinquish, so long
+as there is a drop of Waldemar Seier's blood in my heart. How? is the
+only question. The means and power I no longer seek for in foreign
+princes and armies, nor in an unworthy conspiracy with rebellious
+subjects. They would fail as much in their loyalty to me afterwards, as
+they had failed towards my predecessor. I shall not hinder or oppose an
+enterprise which may probably be advantageous to me; but I have learned
+to despise it. The hand that would bear a sceptre without trembling,
+must be unstained with the blood of kindred. The forehead which the
+crown would not burn, must not bear a secret Cain's-mark under its
+splendour."
+
+"There we have it!" interrupted Tuko. "You will be a saint, then. Good:
+but there is a medium in all things, gracious sir. On the other hand,
+if you are at all aware of what is to be undertaken, and what you
+already know--"
+
+"I shall know nothing that I need have the slightest occasion to blush
+for before the knights and princes of Europe," continued the duke; "and
+what I do know, Tuko--yes, that I shall forget, and bury in my deepest
+heart as a phrenzied dream. I shall not bear the crown as my
+unfortunate, bewildered grandfather bore it, to be murdered by
+rebellious subjects, after a brief period of splendour. If conspirators
+will play into my hands, let them. I did not invoke the storm. Our only
+concern now is, to allow time, and gain confidence. I shall renounce
+Alsen--yea, even my ducal crown: more they cannot well demand for my
+freedom. The undermined throne may yet fall without me; but none shall
+again raise it, save a Waldemar. I shall show the people that I do not
+bear the name of Waldemar in vain, and that I can vanquish myself. By
+submitting to injustice, I shall win hearts like castles. First, I
+shall seize the invisible sceptre that constrains spirits; and then the
+crown will be offered me, by a fortunate change in the Ting. Therefore,
+Tuko, 'tis not an ĉrial crown, nor a saint's halo, but a crown that
+shall sit fast on this brow, and shine through centuries, like that of
+the great Waldemars'."
+
+"Now, indeed, I begin to understand you, gracious sir," replied Sir
+Abildgaard, opening his eyes. "The storm that breaks down the rotten
+stem, bears with it the boughs and shoots, you think, and without you
+needing to risk your neck for it. I, too, begin to get clear-eyed, and
+to entertain a respect for your good friend in the box. Come, noble
+sir, let us drink a rousing cup, like our old heathen ancestors, to
+this noble conclusion. Hail to your wisdom-bird, my prince and master!
+When you come to your kingdom, we shall take the lion from your shield,
+and put the sagacious bird in its stead."
+
+The duke followed his lively friend to the festive board, and was, once
+more, the jovial-spirited youth. His pale cheeks became flushed, and
+his somewhat sunken eyes sparkled with lofty and daring expectations.
+In the meantime it had become dark; but, ere long, the moon shone
+through the iron grating, and lighted their little drinking-table. Sir
+Abildgaard sang merry songs, in which the duke joined with wild glee,
+frequently emptying his goblet the meanwhile. In the midst of their
+merriment, the door was opened, and a grave, stalwart man, in a pelt
+doublet and shaggy cap, entered, with a light in his hand.
+
+"Heyday, Poul Hvit! our acute friend, deep skilled in knowledge of
+mankind--our cautious host. Your health!" cried Sir Abildgaard, in
+frolicsome mood: "everything is in the best order, you see."
+
+"Your health, my good friend," said the duke; and the half-intoxicated
+prisoners gaily emptied their goblets to the health of the castellan.
+
+"I thank you for the honour you show me, my illustrious young
+gentlemen," said the quiet and serious Poul Hvit, bowing politely, at
+the same time doffing his cap, and examining them closely, with a
+self-satisfied look. "I am glad you relish the wine, and do not take
+the world, with its unstable fortunes, more to heart than is worth. I
+know the world and men," he added, nodding with self-assurance: "it is
+always a good sign when state-prisoners are merry. I am, besides, the
+bearer of a message which I think will be welcome to you," he
+continued, letting the light fall on their flushed faces, and seeming
+to study their appearance carefully. "To-morrow, betimes, when you are
+less merry, and more disposed for serious business, a person will have
+the honour of bringing you a proposal for an agreement with the king,
+my master. If, as I hope, you accede to it, I may soon have the
+pleasure of opening this door for you altogether. Meantime, I wish you
+a good night, and quietness."
+
+He then bowed, and departed: the heavy door was closed with a loud
+noise, and the prisoners again sat alone in the moonlight. The
+castellan's announcement brought the young gentlemen at once to their
+senses, and they remained long in consultation as to what terms they
+could accept or refuse. At length they retired to rest, in anxious
+doubt whether the following morning would bring them freedom, or more
+rigorous and prolonged imprisonment.
+
+The castellan returned to the ancient knights' hall, which, in his
+time, was furnished and in good condition, and the place where he
+received guests of distinction. A fire was burning cheerfully in the
+great chimney, and in the middle of the hall stood a richly spread
+supper-table, with a brazen candlestick of three branches. A young
+gentleman, apparently a knight, walked up and down the hall with rapid
+strides. It was Drost Peter Hessel. Claus Skirmen stood by the
+fireplace, enjoying the warmth.
+
+"Now, my good Poul Hvit," said the drost, advancing towards the
+well-pleased castellan, "what say your prisoners? Will they see me
+to-night, or in the morning?"
+
+"It is a pleasure to see the prisoners," replied the castellan: "they
+do not mope and moan like hapless criminals; and you may trow, sir
+drost, for all their bewilderment, that there are good honest hearts in
+them. They have made so merry with the wine flagon, noble sir, that it
+is out of the question to think of talking with them, to-night, on any
+subject of importance. In their present state they would, perhaps,
+subscribe to every proposal; but that, I know, neither you nor my
+master the king would wish to be done. Man is a finite being, let me
+tell you; and, when we men are not entirely sober, we cannot behave
+like free and rational creatures: so said my worthy schoolmaster of
+Horsens."
+
+"We understand each other," replied the drost; "only when they have
+recovered their senses, shall they hear my proposition: for this is a
+grave matter, which they shall have time and opportunity to consider.
+In the morning, then. Can I sleep in the castle here, to-night?"
+
+"Of course, sir drost: I have already made arrangements for that. We
+are all mortal; and, whilst the soul is active in good deeds, the body
+must not lack rest and refreshment. Be seated, then; and, if you will
+permit it, there is also room for your squire here. The ploughing ox
+should not be muzzled, and the man--yes, a man is still a man," he
+added, hastily, as no more profound observation occurred to him.
+
+Drost Peter smiled at the castellan's awkwardly finished sentence, and
+sat down to table. Skirmen stationed himself discreetly behind his
+chair, and blushed when the courteous castellan directed him to take a
+vacant seat by the drost's side.
+
+"Be seated, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, kindly: "we are not at court
+here."
+
+Skirmen obeyed, and seated himself on a corner of the chair. He
+maintained, as he was wont, a modest silence when his elders were
+speaking, and gave close heed to his master's wants and wishes.
+
+"So, your important prisoners, my good Poul Hvit, submit to their fate
+without rage or bitterness?" said the drost. "I am glad to hear it;
+for, notwithstanding their sad infatuation, there are excellent, ay,
+almost great qualities, in both of them. It is from painful necessity
+that we have been obliged to deprive them so long of their freedom; but
+I know you have not made their imprisonment harsher than is necessary."
+
+"I have punctually followed your orders, sir drost; and--I think I know
+a little bit of the world, and of man kind. Prisoners that are well
+treated, seldom even dream of making their escape. We shall see now if
+loneliness has brought them to reflection: if they are stubborn, and
+you wish them to be treated with greater severity, it shall be done. I
+am only an humble servant, and what is commanded me, I perform, without
+respect of persons. 'Man,'--said the never-to-be-forgotten schoolmaster
+of Horsens--God bless his soul!--'man cannot always endure prosperous
+days.'"
+
+A stout, double-chinned cook now entered, and placed a dish upon the
+table. Drost Peter observed him, and started, but was silent until he
+had left the room.
+
+"Have you had this cook any considerable time, my good Poul Hvit?" he
+then inquired; "and are you sure of his fidelity?"
+
+"He has served me since the end of May, last year," replied the
+castellan; "and I should be a bad judge of mankind if I could doubt his
+fidelity: he does his business, and troubles himself about nothing else
+in the world. He is always chatting and singing in the kitchen, and
+never says a serious word. If I had only such people about me, I could
+sleep soundly, even had I kings and kaisers to take charge of. I trow,
+as I have said, I know a little of the world and mankind, sir drost.
+But have you any grounds for doubting my cook's fidelity, noble sir?"
+
+"Not exactly so," answered the drost; "but have an eye upon him.
+It was, perhaps, an accident; but I saw him, shortly before the
+Dane-court, in Henner Friser's inn at Melfert, in a company of
+travellers that did not quite consist of the best friends of the crown
+and realm."
+
+"It must have been a mere accident, noble sir," replied the castellan,
+with calm self-satisfaction. "I know my men, and nobody shall so easily
+palm a wax-nose upon me. Cook Morten cares little about state affairs,
+I know; and he is a merry, good-natured carl, in whom I find much
+amusement. He is also gardener to the castle; and I have availed myself
+of him to prove the disposition of the prisoners, and to augment my
+knowledge of mankind. I gave him private orders to supply the prisoners
+with flowers. They are not aware from whom the civility comes, and I
+have observed that it serves to amuse the young gentlemen, and put
+love-whimsies into their heads. Folks who can think on such fooleries
+arc not likely to be dangerous to the crown and kingdom, I fancy. The
+plump Morten never sees them; but he is ready to laugh himself to death
+when he hears them singing amorous ditties to the fair hand that binds
+up their nosegays."
+
+Drost Peter smiled, but shook his head, and would have dissuaded the
+castellan from this mode of studying the characters of his prisoners.
+
+In the meanwhile, cook Morten had again entered the hall; and
+immediately afterwards the door-keeper announced the arrival of an
+ecclesiastic, with greetings and a message from the Abbot of Esrom.
+
+"Let him come in," said the castellan. "Have you any objection, sir
+drost? It is probably one of the abbot's friends, who wishes to
+transact business with me respecting some lands. But it is a singular
+time o'night to come at," he added, doubtfully.
+
+Drost Peter replied by a polite bow, and appeared to be thinking of
+other matters. The door was opened, and a respectable clerical
+personage entered. They rose to greet him; but he retreated a step, in
+surprise, on recognising Drost Peter. The drost was equally astonished;
+but the castellan did not notice their mutual surprise, and received
+his new guest with polite attention, and an interest that betrayed the
+importance of the business this visit concerned.
+
+"A friend, probably, of the worthy Abbot Magnus," said he. "Be pleased
+to come nearer. What we have to treat of, this true friend of the king,
+Drost Peter Hessel, will bear witness to, more especially as, at this
+late hour, I dare not receive any stranger into the castle. There are
+people present who know the world and mankind, let me say; and
+stringent regulations here are necessary. May I presume to ask my
+worthy sir his name?"
+
+"Sir Drost Peter Hessel knows me," answered the ecclesiastic, with a
+haughty air, and drawing nearer. "To the learned world, the name of
+Magister Janus Roskildensis is enough; to laymen, I am known by the
+name of Dean Jens Grand. Are you the castellan, Poul Hvit?"
+
+"At your service, worthy sir."
+
+"Good. What I have to say to you every one may hear. I have come from
+Esrom Cloister; and, as I was to pass this way, I have undertaken, in
+the name of the abbot and convent, to bring you the deed of conveyance
+for certain lands in Grimstop, and to settle the matter to your wishes;
+but if you have any doubts or objections about receiving me, the
+business can be deferred, and I immediately set off again on my
+journey."
+
+"God forbid! Do not so far wrong me, sir. You are heartily welcome,"
+exclaimed Poul Hvit, hastily. "Think not ill of my cautiousness. We are
+all men, and one must look to himself in these times. It often happens
+that wolves come here in sheep's clothing, and I ought to know whom I
+receive. Since the drost knows you, I may bid you welcome without the
+least hesitation. I should be but a poor discerner of mankind, if I did
+not see that you are a learned servant of the Lord's, and a trusty
+friend of the worthy Abbot Magnus. If you have the deed with you, we
+can arrange the matter to-morrow. Be my guest in the meantime, worthy
+sir, and embrace the present opportunity. Be pleased to take a seat
+with us." So saying, he brought a seat for this addition to the
+company.
+
+Drost Peter was reserved, and sparing of words, and the dean did not
+find himself altogether in his element. Skirmen, on his entrance, had
+arisen, and taken his place behind his master's chair. The castellan
+alone was exceedingly good-humoured, and strove industriously to
+animate the conversation. He touched upon every affair and circumstance
+which, at that period, engaged the public attention. The Norse war, and
+the piracies of Count Mindre-Alf of Tönsberg on the Danish coast, he
+discoursed of with a zeal that proved him a man of a true and patriotic
+mind. He had a family in Horsens, and related minutely what this town
+had suffered from the remorseless freebooter's attacks.
+
+"The Count of Tönsberg is certainly our foe," commenced Master Grand;
+"but he is a brave and famous foe, whom no one should accuse of being a
+rover and freebooter. He is certainly not one of your dainty lords, who
+take the eyes of ladies at a tournament; but at the present day we have
+not a doughtier knight: he is the greatest sea-hero of our times, and
+may soon expect to be elevated to a jarl."
+
+"But when, on his own account, he ravages and plunders our coasts with
+barbarity, and the greatest lust of rapine," replied Drost Peter, "he
+does little honour to chivalry. He is a common vulgar riever, however
+bold and powerful he may be, even though he be of royal descent, and
+aspires to the name of jarl. We Danish laymen, far less our teachers of
+Christianity, have no reason to honour him with a nobler name."
+
+Master Grand was silent, and endeavoured to conceal his anger; and the
+castellan again resumed the conversation. He strongly censured Count
+Jacob of Halland for having received the honour of knighthood from the
+Norwegian king, in a time of war. Drost Peter supported him, and
+thought highly of the honest castellan; but Master Grand could no
+longer suppress his indignation.
+
+"It is well," said he, jeeringly, "that the merits of the deserving men
+of Denmark are recognised by a foreign prince, when they are suspected
+and wronged at home. It is magnanimous of the Norwegian king thus to
+distinguish an esteemed enemy; and I cannot blame the noble Count Jacob
+for accepting an honour so well merited."
+
+"Pardon me, sir dean," said Drost Peter, calmly: "a true Dane never
+receives a mark of honour from the enemy of his country. It is
+impossible, however, as a friend of your country, that you can
+seriously defend such conduct."
+
+"To be a reasonable and Christian friend of my country," said Master
+Grand, bitterly, "I have no occasion to turn my cloak to the
+court-wind, like a favoured courtier. In my station, thank God, no one
+need conceal the truth, or defend baseness, to fulfil the duties of his
+office. With God's holy word and the canon-law before my eyes, I am not
+afraid to say plainly, before the mightiest favourite of the king and
+queen, that I only love and esteem my earthly country in so far as the
+divine laws of my heavenly country are esteemed and maintained in it.
+If you would have proof of this, sir drost, obtain me permission to
+preach a single fast-sermon before the king and queen, with all their
+courtly flatterers; and you shall then hear that I am the man to hold
+up the mirror of truth before the mighty of this world, in such wise
+that many a cheek shall crimson if there is yet a remnant of honour or
+conscience in the court of Denmark."
+
+"Such a corrective sermon, reverend sir," answered Drost Peter, with
+energy, "might certainly be preached often enough among lay persons, as
+well as learned. I could wish, however, that you would, with the same
+impartiality, introduce such conversation wherever, on your pious way,
+you meet with princely personages and royal vassals, who, in the sins
+and errors of their liege lord, seek justification for their own
+crimes."
+
+Master Grand was again silent. The castellan looked at his discordant
+guests with surprise, and hastily broke off a conversation, whose
+bitter issue he could see no grounds for. He then abruptly inquired
+whether either of the honoured gentlemen, in the course of their
+journey, had seen the newly-rebuilt church? and, as this was answered
+with a brief "nay," he inquired if either of them knew where the
+deposed Swedish king was residing, and whether it was true that he had
+deserted his queen for a certain famous Lady Kristine?
+
+"It is but too true," replied the dean, zealously, appearing to seize
+upon the occasion to give vent to his anger: "there, again, we have a
+proof of the ungodliness of our times, and of the sin-pest that is
+spread abroad from our great ones. It is no wonder the Lord visits such
+princes in anger, and shows the mighty rulers of the world that there
+is a Judge over us all, who is not to be mocked, and who, from the
+skies, laughs in derision when the lofty ones of the earth swell and
+burst with pride. It is a comforting and elevating thought," he added,
+with an air of pride, "that the Mighty One, who holds the universe in
+his hand, can as easily cast down kings and princes, and their
+favourites, as he can raise the poor and meek of spirit."
+
+The castellan had devoutly folded his hands, as at a sermon. "Ah,
+indeed!" he sighed, "we are all mortal: might and rank are indeed
+transitory."
+
+"Many of the misfortunes of our times are certainly well-merited,
+reverend sir," remarked Drost Peter, with considerable warmth, and a
+keen look at the dean, "when sinful men presume to call down and carry
+out the chastisements of the Lord. The unfortunate king you have
+mentioned I shall not defend; but if people can justly dethrone their
+kings because they are not what they ought to be, then can no throne
+and no kingdom exist, until pure angels are sent from heaven to govern
+us."
+
+"That is not requisite," replied the dean, swelling with the air and
+authority of a pope. "So long as the Lord's vicegerent sits in St.
+Peter's holy chair, and as long as he and the servants of the word are
+regarded as the messengers of the truth among the people, so long no
+nation need be doubtful how great a worldly burden they may bear with
+patience, or how great a sinner the Lord will endure among his
+anointed. Unless you are an arch-heretic, sir drost, you cannot
+possibly deny this."
+
+Drost Peter did not answer; and cook Morten, who had just set a choice
+dish before the ecclesiastic, appeared, by his roguish smile, to enjoy
+the manner in which the bold dean had silenced the drost.
+
+Without betraying the slightest anger, Drost Peter turned again
+to the triumphant dignitary. "As a knight, I have sworn to offer my
+life for the faith, as well as for my lawful king," he said, with an
+expression of deep earnestness; "and I am not afraid of being doomed,
+as a heretic, to stake and brand, if even I am of opinion that a
+lawfully-crowned and anointed sovereign cannot be hurled from his
+throne by the mightiest anathemas of the Vatican and of Lund. That our
+Danish kings, at least, have been of the same mind, your own kinsman,
+Archbishop Erlandsen, among others, experienced. I would not advise any
+prelate in Denmark to follow so dangerous an example. This prison,
+reverend sir, might at least remind you that even an archbishop's crook
+is unable to undo these doors, when they have been locked by command of
+a king of Denmark."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter arose, and begged of the astonished castellan
+that he might be shown to his sleeping apartment. Master Grand, with a
+haughty mien, also arose, and expressed the same wish.
+
+They saluted each other, coldly and silently; and the castellan
+himself, with a three-branched candlestick, conducted Drost Peter.
+Skirmen followed his master, with his mantle and sword.
+
+Cook Morten, on a sign from the castellan, led the ecclesiastic to a
+chamber, by the side of the knights' hall. It was narrow and gloomy,
+and the door, which was standing ajar, opened only outwards. A strong
+gust of wind had nearly extinguished the light. A reclining chair, a
+stool and table, composed the whole of the furniture, and iron bars
+were fixed in the walls, across the small window.
+
+When Master Grand entered this chamber, he started, and looked
+anxiously around him. "What means this?" he inquired; "do you show me
+to a prison-cell for a bed-chamber?"
+
+"For that you must give us absolution, your reverence," replied Morten,
+at the same time placing the flickering light on the stone table, and,
+with a long pole, closing the shutter of the little, round, grated
+window, which was placed high in the wall. "There, now it is rather
+more snug," he continued. "Nobody, in general, passes the night here,
+except a bewildered owl. There is only one guest-apartment in the
+castle, where the inmate is master of the door; and that room the drost
+occupies. For unexpected guests, we have only this little mean
+apartment. It is said to have been a torture-room in former days; and
+here must have hung all kinds of horrid instruments, to torture
+obstinate criminals into an acknowledgment of their guilt. It is still
+dismal-looking enough, you perceive. But it is a pity I cannot show you
+the ingenious old machines for torturing. I know you are a great
+admirer of suchlike learned trumpery."
+
+The proud dean became pale, and an involuntary shudder crept over him.
+"My good friend," said he to the cook, "methinks we should be known to
+each other. Cook Morten, from Ry? Is it not so?"
+
+"At your service, reverend sir. That you could have room in your
+learned brain for the image of my poor but tolerably ample person, I
+should not have expected; but so long as my head has leave to sit
+between my shoulders, and my throat is not tightened so that I cannot
+drink and sing a merry song with it, so long shall I not forget your
+brave and learned reverence."
+
+"Speak seriously, Morten. What mean you by this conversation?"
+
+"We are quite snug here," continued the fat cook; "and you are just the
+man of God to whom I can, without danger, confide my sins. I may tell
+you, then, that when you saved my flask-case from being thrown
+overboard, on crossing the Little Belt, you freed me, at the same time,
+from a confounded itching about the neck, on account of certain letters
+that lay concealed under the flasks. I had consented to take them, out
+of pure obligingness and virtue, for a good friend, who, I am afraid,
+the devil will some day get hold of. What these love-letters contained,
+I know not, and it does not concern me; but this I know, that had they
+been fished up, or seen by any mother's son, I had been certain of an
+elevation that would have been confoundedly unsuited to my health.
+Hence I have vowed to the blessed Virgin and the holy Martin, to serve
+you in turn, whenever I can; and now, if you have anything to command,
+I shall stand on tiptoe for you with all my heart and strength."
+
+Master Grand started. "So, so, my son," said he boldly, and calmly
+drawing breath again; "have you been employed as a letter-pigeon in
+these disturbed times? Your cheerfulness bears witness that, otherwise,
+you have a good conscience; and, for the sake of your honest
+countenance, I give you absolution for what you sinned in at that time.
+To whom brought you the letters, my son?"
+
+"To one of your shrivelings and good friends, your reverence," replied
+Morten, with a smile; "but I do not exactly feel the necessity of
+confessing to you yet: therefore, if you will impose any penance on me
+in consequence, say it."
+
+"Good, my son--good. I wish not to know; but it was an illegal
+transaction, and might have cost you dear. To atone for it, you can
+perhaps convey a word of comfort, in mine and the Church's service, to
+a bewildered soul, that needs my counsels, within these walls; or, what
+I would prefer, help me to a private interview."
+
+"My heart! readily, your reverence. But are you jesting? You do not
+look upon me in the same light as do the weak children of the world?"
+
+"That is not in my nature, Morten. I have renounced the vain follies
+that thou in thy worldliness thinkest of. In my sacred station, pure
+Christian love alone should guide our most secret as well as our most
+open steps. The young duke, who lies imprisoned here, is inexperienced,
+thou knowest; and has been misguided into foolish conduct, that may
+make him in the highest degree miserable, if he does not turn and
+repent. Regard for his soul's salvation has moved me to come hither, to
+speak with him, if possible, or to have conveyed to him a good counsel
+in writing."
+
+"If you would converse with him, pious sir, you must change yourself
+into an owl or a flitter-mouse."
+
+"But if a conversation is impossible, can you get me merely two words
+with him, before he speaks with Drost Hessel to-morrow?"
+
+"If you mean two words, but no more, I think it can be managed,"
+replied the cook, with a crafty air, after a moment's consideration;
+"but I must see the two words, and even give them voice and wings. If
+you cannot trust me, your reverence, then can neither I nor the holy
+Martin help you. If you are afraid the walls may hear, just whisper the
+words in my ear. Who knows but that they may also turn and save my
+sinful soul; and thus you would be killing two birds with one stone,
+pious sir."
+
+"Hair-brained mocker that thou art!" said the dean, gravely, and
+regarding him with a searching look; after which, he bent himself
+leisurely, and whispered a few words in his ear.
+
+"Good," exclaimed Morten. "Ah, by St. Martin! I can fancy that I am
+made pious on the instant, and that I already begin to entertain
+scruples. Had it been a paction with the Evil One that the talk had
+been about, what then, your reverence? But you are a pious man of God:
+I know it well; and your high-born penitent shall certainly receive
+your good counsel tomorrow, on a fasting heart."
+
+"Once more--if the young duke is not free by sunset to-morrow, I must
+speak with him."
+
+"That will be difficult, your reverence. How many nights do you intend
+doing us the honour of studying antiquity's barbarities in this
+torture-room?"
+
+Master Grand once more looked uneasily around him. "Lay the stool
+across the threshold, my son, and let the door stand ajar," he said:
+"locked in I shall not be. I remain no longer here than is necessary;
+but I must contrive to protract my stay until the day after to-morrow."
+
+"Ah, then, in that case we may hit upon a plan," observed the cook,
+moving the stool. "I know you do not lack courage. If you only mean to
+preach a penitential sermon to the illustrious prisoner, one or other
+of the saints must point your way. An angel in your form, on a
+celestial ladder, or, for want of that, on a fire-ladder, would
+certainly be highly edifying to a bewildered soul. Now, good night,
+your reverence. Tomorrow, betimes, I shall bring your ale-posset. There
+is no joke in that; and so you may sleep soundly. I must hasten away,
+and sing in the kitchen, or the castellan will begin to doubt me."
+
+With these words, the jolly cook was already out of the door, and sang
+so lustily, that the knights' hall rang again:--
+
+
+            "O, it was lanky Berner Rise,
+            Grew so tall that none could find him:
+            He was mad, and never wise;
+            Not a man could hold or bind him.
+                But the wood stands all in flowers."
+
+
+Next morning, when Duke Waldemar awoke, a silver cup of warm ale was
+already on the table by his bedside. He arose hastily, and dressed
+himself. As soon as he had done so, he raised the silver cup to his
+lips, as usual, by the handle; but set it down again with surprise, on
+observing in his hand a summer-fool[22] that had come off, and which
+appeared to have been loosely attached to the handle.
+
+"Who wants to make a fool of me here?" said he, angrily, throwing the
+flower on the table; but, at the same instant, he perceived a little
+slip of parchment, which stuck out from its beautiful chalice. He
+seized the tiny flower-letter, and read the single word, "Subscribe."
+He gazed for some time on the mysterious billet, and fell into deep
+thought.
+
+"What means this?" he exclaimed, at length, as if awoke from a dream.
+"Who sends me this mysterious advice? Is it friend or foe? Subscribe!
+That is easily said: but if it concerns my honour--if it concerns my
+heart and soul, and the great aim of my life, I would rather subscribe
+my own death-warrant than the terms I may expect to-day." He gazed,
+once more, upon the slip, and sank into a reverie.
+
+"Already in the council-chamber, noble sir?" exclaimed his lively
+fellow-prisoner, who now entered. "If I am not mistaken, you have had a
+morning visit from your wise and entertaining spirit. Methinks you were
+just now talking with some one--perhaps with your good friend in the
+chest?"
+
+"Nay, Tuko," replied the duke; "but watchful spirits are near us. It is
+not the dead bishop alone who speaks to me from these walls: living
+beings also take an interest in my fate, and would control my will ere
+I know it myself. See what I found in this flower." He handed him the
+flower and the scrap of parchment.
+
+"A summer-fool! That you must beware of, noble sir, if it comes not
+from a pretty little hand, who will only joke in disguise, to make its
+winter-fool happy in earnest. Subscribe! Short and good advice,
+i'faith, in the tone of a dominant mistress. Had it been in German, I
+know whom I should have guessed."
+
+"So, so! think you my unseen protecting spirit is German? Say, whom
+mean you?"
+
+"Eh! whom other should I mean than the Duke of Saxony's little saintly
+daughter, who was more concerned about your faith and salvation than
+your ducal crown and all your proud expectations. You still wear, in
+secret, her invisible chains."
+
+"Sophia--the good, pious child?" exclaimed the duke, raising his hands
+to his brow. "Do you believe she still thinks of me and my fate? Nay,
+Tuko; that I cannot desire: it would unpleasantly vex me. The last half
+year has erased that wonderful image from my heart: I have had more
+important matter to think of than the little daughter of a duke, and
+her pious, circumscribed religion. I have, happily, torn myself from
+that foolishness. I cannot now suffer myself to be dazzled or impeded
+by a pair of loving saintly eyes, that have their home in a convent or
+on an altar-table. Speak no more of her, Tuko. You know it only serves
+to grieve me; and, truth to say, since our plans drew us to the high
+Dane-court, I have blushed for myself when I thought of her. But you
+are right," he continued, with emotion: "these chaste and lovely
+flowers, that for almost an entire year have so kindly and gently
+reminded us of spring and summer, and of life's calm joys, in our
+prison--they might well have reminded me of her; and this white and
+innocent spring-flower, that has now found a voice, and begs of me to
+accede and subscribe----Ha! subscribe an agreement that may perhaps
+render me a pious slave to my own conscience, to the day of my
+death--and then----There was a time when such thraldom appeared to me
+real liberty." He was silent, and again relapsed into deep thought.
+
+"That was a sad time, sir," resumed Tuko, hastily: "they had nearly
+converted you into a hang-the-head. I also say, subscribe, whatever the
+deuce it may be. Freedom cannot be purchased too dearly. But be not
+therefore the slave of a pen's stroke. The pretty little enthusiast
+will, at last, transform you into a quiet complaisant duke of South
+Jutland, who, in this life, will never think of being anything more,
+but, renouncing all his daring schemes, take to himself a quiet and
+pious wife, say good-night to this world's fleeting dreams of
+sovereignty, and sleep soundly in a Sleswick castle, like a true and
+loyal Danish vassal. That must be a charming life, sir! What we have
+here suffered, we shall not think of taking revenge for. Fie! that were
+ignoble and unchristian: we must kiss the rod like good children, and
+be gentle and amiable. And what a beautifully peaceful life! Your
+highest office will be to protect the goslings from the fox, or to
+strike down, with your own illustrious hand, a savoury roe for the
+frugal ducal table, where the pious house-mother sits, with folded
+hands, while the well-behaved amiable children say grace."
+
+"Ha, nay, Tuko!" exclaimed the duke, vehemently, waking up as from a
+dream: "I shall show thee that Waldemar Seier was mine ancestor. He,
+too, sat once in prison; but he forgot not vengeance until he was old
+and gray; and, in misfortune, he forgot not his crown and his royal
+dignity!"
+
+At that instant, a knocking was heard at the prison-door, and the
+conversation was broken off. In obedience to their request, the polite
+castellan now entered, and inquired whether it was convenient for the
+illustrious duke to receive Drost Hessel?
+
+"Drost Hessel?" repeated the duke, with bitter indignation--"well, let
+him enter;" and he seated himself, proudly and calmly, by the table,
+whilst Sir Abildgaard took upon himself the office of a respectful
+servant, and stationed himself, with a cunning smile, behind the chair
+of his princely master.
+
+The castellan bowed respectfully, and retired; and immediately after,
+Drost Peter entered. He made his salutation courteously and gravely.
+
+The duke half rose from his seat, and sat down again. "What has Drost
+Hessel to submit to the Duke of South Jutland?" said he, in a calm
+voice, but with suppressed indignation.
+
+"Illustrious sir," began Drost Peter, "my master, the king, listening
+to the representations of your friends, has resolved to offer you
+reconciliation and freedom, if you will subscribe and confirm the terms
+which I have, in the king's name, to lay before you." So saying, he
+drew forth a large parchment-deed, and, with a polite inclination,
+handed it to the duke.
+
+"Read it for me, my drost," said the duke, carelessly handing the deed
+to Sir Abildgaard, and leaning back on his chair with an air of
+indifference.
+
+Sir Abildgaard stepped firmly before his lord, and read. The deed had
+been prepared by the chancellor in Danish, and in the usual stiff and
+pedantic style of such documents. Drost Peter remained standing at a
+respectful distance, and closely observing the duke's manner. The duke
+did not appear to notice him, but gazed, gloomily and thoughtfully, on
+the dingy prison-wall, covered with writing.
+
+The introduction to the agreement recited the names of the duke's
+friends who had procured it, and among these he seemed particularly
+interested to find the Duke of Saxony, of whose daughter he had just
+been talking. The name of the good-natured Count Gerhard of Holstein
+seemed also to surprise him; the more so, perhaps, as he remembered
+that he had endeavoured to turn this brave gentleman into ridicule, at
+the Dane-court of Nyborg. The introduction ran as follows:--
+
+"To all who see or hear read the present letter: Herman, by the grace
+of God, Bishop of Schwerin; Johannes, Duke of Saxony; Gerhard,
+Johannes, and Adolph, Counts of Holstein; Helmold, Claus, Counts of
+Schwerin; Geert, Count of Hoya; Johannes and Henrik, Counts of
+Meeklinburg; eternal health with God. That all may be witness, that on
+account of Duke Waldemar of Sleswick, it was humbly desired by us, that
+we might be permitted to promise for him, that he should hold to the
+articles of the under-written letter, which is a deed of agreement
+between King Erik of Denmark and him."
+
+"Who has requested these good lords to promise, on my behalf, that
+which I do not yet know?" asked the duke. "But this may be merely the
+usual form. To the point, then."
+
+Sir Abildgaard now read the agreement itself, which, in the duke's
+name, began as follows:--
+
+"Waldemar, by God's grace, Duke of South Jutland, eternal health with
+God. It is the glory and honour of princes, that they hear and grant
+the prayers of their petitioners; and thus, by augmenting the loyalty
+and affection of their subjects, they augment and strengthen the
+ruler's name, honour, and title--"
+
+"This is Drost Hessel's pretty thought, and Master Martin's pretty
+style," said the duke, interrupting the reading, with an air of
+mockery. "But continue, drost."
+
+"Therefore shall it be made manifest to all," continued Sir Abildgaard,
+with a suppressed smile, and in an humble tone, "that we were led, by
+youthful inexperience and childish counsel, to claim that, respecting
+Alsen, which belongs to the crown, contrary to the injunction of our
+lord, King Erik; wherein we acknowledge to have done wrong, as it
+appeared to us, and others our friends, that the laws of our country
+were too stringent and severe: wherefore, the before-mentioned king,
+after our humble supplication, his prelates' and other trusty men's
+counsel, hath remitted us all blame and crime, which we have
+imprudently committed against him."
+
+Then followed everything relating to the dispute concerning Alsen, the
+mint privileges, and the king's right to wage war for South Jutland: at
+all which the duke smiled carelessly, and seemed to think it scarcely
+worth his attention; although, at the same time, he gave the closest
+heed to every word. But his assumed indifference was changed into
+evident uneasiness, as Sir Abildgaard read--"We promise, therefore,
+that we shall never plot or contrive the king's death or imprisonment,
+nor counsel or demand that he should be deprived of his lands, towns,
+cities, or fortresses; nor league, conspire, or practise aught against
+him or the kingdom; nor instigate, or take part with, any one in
+_crimen lĉsĉ majestatis_; but shall show him all honour, subjection,
+reverence, and fealty. And if we do anything against him, or if it can
+be proved against us, according to the laws and usages of the country,
+that we have secretly done so, then shall all our fief and estates
+thereby become forfeited, so that our lord and king, of his own
+authority, may seize them for the use of the crown, and do therewith,
+as a lasting possession, as to his grace may seem fit; also, that he
+may punish us in the body, or spare us, as his grace may pronounce."
+
+Here Sir Abildgaard paused, and regarded his master with astonishment.
+But the duke's uneasiness had disappeared, and a proud defiance
+sparkled in his eyes, whilst he raised his head haughtily and boldly.
+
+"Now know I both your word and spirit, Drost Hessel," he said. "To this
+extent you gladly carry the point, when a blinded king gives you
+authority."
+
+Drost Peter gravely shook his head, and was silent.
+
+"Continue," said the duke; and Sir Abildgaard proceeded:--
+
+"We consent, moreover, that the prelates of Denmark may proclaim the
+ban of the Church against us, without previous warning, if it so
+happens, (which God forbid,) that we do anything contrary to the tenor
+of the foregoing." Sir Abildgaard again paused, and observed his lord
+with an inquiring look.
+
+"Exactly so," said the duke; "do not forget the holy letters of
+excommunication: they may be required. Is there anything further?"
+
+Sir Abildgaard now read a few articles relating to the obligations of
+the duke to stand by the king in his wars, and to attend the assemblies
+of the estates; which he appeared to care little about. But it farther
+recited--"We shall not maintain outlawed people. Item, for this our
+imprisonment we shall not wage war against the king, his sons, or any
+one, within or without the kingdom, or cause any evil, on account
+thereof, to any person, but hold them free and blameless. We shall not
+make any covenant or alliance with any person whatsoever, from whom his
+majesty and the realm may suffer damage; and if we have already made
+any such alliance, shall renounce the same."
+
+Lastly, to the duke's great astonishment, it thus proceeded--"And, that
+there should not be any doubt concerning what is now promised, we have,
+by a solemn oath upon the holy Gospels, sworn and pledged ourselves
+that we shall adhere to all that is above written, without fraud or
+guile; renouncing every exception, device, force, threat, aid of
+secular or spiritual jurisdiction, law, or custom, whereby the foresaid
+letter may be infringed."
+
+The duke became pale. He did not hear the conclusion, which contained
+the names of the bishops and princes who had witnessed the articles,
+and had attached their seals thereto; and he appeared to regain his
+self-possession only as he heard the last words--"And we shall seal
+this at the first opportunity."
+
+"Yes, truly, as soon as the opportunity occurs," exclaimed he, with the
+utmost bitterness, and rising from his seat. "And such is the agreement
+you dare to bring me, Drost Hessel? And you fancied that I was coward
+and fool enough to sign and seal it? You have a worthy pattern for this
+precious document, in black Count Henry's devilish paction with the
+captured King Waldemar. But I shall not tread in my great ancestor's
+footsteps, and purchase my freedom so dearly. If you think to compel
+me, try. If you have chains with you, out with them! Call your hangman,
+and see if I shall shrink, or debase myself."
+
+"You mistake me grievously, highborn sir," said Drost Peter, with
+wounded feelings. "Think not that I am pleased to see a noble-born
+gentleman, like yourself, in this prison. Believe, least of all, that I
+am so base-hearted that I would see your free will constrained by
+unworthy means. Not from hatred or revenge, but for the security of the
+crown and kingdom, are you bereft of freedom. The moment you give up
+the unwarrantable and sufficiently evident objects that have rendered
+your imprisonment here necessary, you again stand free, in the exalted
+station whereto you were born and bred. You will retain, without
+abatement, all your legal privileges as Duke of South Jutland, and, all
+will be forgotten. The moment you subscribe this covenant, the
+castellan has orders to open these prison-doors, and to conduct you,
+with safe escort, to my master the king; and, as soon as you have
+publicly acknowledged your subscription, before the estates of the
+realm, and confirmed it with your seal and oath, you can retire,
+unmolested, to your dukedom; and neither my master the king, nor any
+other right-minded man in Denmark, will in future doubt your fidelity
+towards your king and country."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter laid his silver style upon the table, together
+with the parchment, which Sir Abildgaard had delivered back to him.
+
+The duke, however, stood unmoved, and gazed upon the wall, without
+deigning the king's messenger a word or look.
+
+"My lord," continued Drost Peter, "take counsel, now, with the
+all-knowing God and your own conscience. I leave the agreement in your
+hands: you may destroy or subscribe it, as you think best. Till the sun
+goes down, I may await your determination; and, in twenty-four hours,
+the doors of your prison stand open on these terms. The moment you have
+subscribed, pull the bell-string there, and your prison will be opened.
+Meantime I leave you, with the hope that you will consider your
+temporal, as you would your eternal welfare. Mistake not, in this
+matter, either my master the king, or myself. The all-knowing God and
+all holy men are my witnesses, that nothing is here done out of hatred
+of yourself. I dare witness before God, at the last day, that I have
+only dealt towards you according to my oath, and my duty to the crown
+and kingdom." So saying, Drost Peter bowed, and hastily left the
+turret-chamber, not without emotion, and a strong feeling of melancholy
+interest in the imprisoned duke.
+
+The prison-door was again closed and locked. On the table lay the
+important parchment, and by its side the silver style, which Drost
+Peter had left for the purpose of signing.
+
+Sir Abildgaard regarded his master with a disturbed and inquiring look.
+The duke was pacing the floor with agitated steps: his eyes rolled
+wildly, and his cheeks were flashed with anger.
+
+"Never, never shall I subscribe this hellish paction!" he exclaimed,
+"if I must sit here till the day of my death. If I subscribe, with a
+solemn oath, what stands here, I must either renounce the great object
+of my life, or become a perjurer and a nidding to all the world. Nay,
+nay, never shall this be so! I will show them that Duke Waldemar does
+not value his miserable dukedom higher than his honour and free
+unconstrained will. I will not foully and basely sell them my soul and
+my will's freedom, to breathe the air in a larger prison, like a
+debased, mean-spirited slave. Now, Tuko, now is the time to think
+seriously of escape, and to burst these walls by craft or violence, or
+any other possible mode. Let me once stand free, beyond this infernal
+prison--beyond the bounds of Denmark, and I shall no longer hesitate
+about what, in my sickly humour, I was well nigh on the point of
+relinquishing. I shall then shake the dust from my feet, and never more
+place them on Danish ground until I stand here at the head of an army
+that shall overthrow the tyrant's throne, crushing beneath it him and
+all his wretched advisers."
+
+"Were only the first step taken," replied the knight, with a
+shrug--"were we once our own masters, I should heartily admire your
+lofty thoughts and brave conclusions; but so long as your great adviser
+can only speak to you from these walls, and cannot, as a potent spirit
+should, blow them away like cobwebs, so long, gracious sir, are all
+your heroic schemes but castles in the air--mere beautiful dreams,
+which but poorly compensate the loss of a free joyous life and
+Sleswick's ducal crown."
+
+"How, Tuko! Wouldst thou not despise me were I to subscribe this
+agreement?"
+
+"Far be such a thought from me, sir. It is a foolish bird that will not
+fly when the cage is open. See: there lies the crowbar, that, without
+witchcraft, can break these walls. The good drost has left you here his
+silver style: a single stroke on the parchment with this enchanter's
+wand, and our prison is open; the fair, wide world lies before us; we
+withdraw from this unfortunate country, till we can say thanks to the
+King of Denmark for this last good turn. We shall find a welcome with
+the Duke of Saxony, and how will not the fair Princess Sophia be
+rejoiced--"
+
+"Hold, tempter, hold!" exclaimed the duke, advancing towards him. "Is
+this thy constancy, Tuko? this thy inspiration for my lofty, distant
+aim? What matters it that the bird is free, when its wings are clipped
+for life? If thou art weary of sharing my lot, I can easily set thee
+free. Swear thyself to the foul fiend, and go! I shall remain."
+
+"You mistake me, my noble duke," replied Tuko, seriously. "I have
+shared your captivity, and been happy, even to this hour. I shall
+furthermore share it, without complaining, as long as you please. The
+main point I have not lost sight of. You have yourself discovered how
+you can reach it without moving a hand; and your conscience can be
+easily reconciled to your freedom. Will you hear me?"
+
+"Nay, nay--not one word will I hear. Leave me now, Tuko: to-morrow thou
+shalt know my determination. This concerns myself, and my whole future
+life, and I will myself cast the die that is to decide it. Neither thou
+nor any other man shall guide my will in this matter."
+
+Sir Abildgaard was silent, and retired to his own cell. The duke closed
+the intermediate door, and barred it with the stone. He then threw
+himself upon his chair, and indulged in gloomy thought. Thus he sat,
+motionless, the whole day, and without allowing any one to enter, or
+partaking of any refreshment. In the fortress, all was quiet as usual.
+Before the sun went down, his cogitations were disturbed for a moment
+by the sound of horses' feet in the castle-court. It was Drost Peter
+and his squire leaving the castle. The duke rose, and went to the
+grating. His hand was clenched convulsively, when he saw, in the rays
+of the setting sun, the young drost, free and vigorous, managing his
+brown steed. The princely prisoner heaved a deep sigh, closed the
+shutter before the grating, and, turning into the darkest nook of his
+cell, he threw himself upon his unmade bed.
+
+The inside shutter of the iron grating, which the prisoner could open
+or shut at pleasure, was provided with a thin plate of horn, through
+which the daylight could scarcely penetrate. This shutter he usually
+allowed to remain open, unless the night was very cold, and the wind
+blew in that direction; for it had frequently happened to him, when it
+was closed, that he had started at midnight from a dreamy sleep, and
+fancied himself buried alive in the old chapel of his ancestors. But,
+now, life and every gleam of light and cheerfulness had become hateful
+to him; and, with a sort of spiteful pleasure, he had deprived himself
+of the scanty glimmer of daylight that still remained.
+
+"Come forth, my brother in misfortune, and teach me to look into the
+night of my futurity with thy glowing eyes," he muttered. "Let them
+call thee death's-bird, and corpse-bird, as they will: thou still seest
+clearly, when we and others are blind; and if thou shouldst now screech
+of death and misfortune, so much the better! that song now pleaseth me
+best."
+
+Whilst, with subdued voice, he thus gave expression to his gloomy
+thoughts, he opened the box, and took out the great night-bird, which
+perched itself familiarly upon his arm, and allowed itself to be
+caressed. The duke leant back on his pallet, and continued absorbed in
+moody reveries. The stillness of death reigned throughout the castle.
+
+By the faint light through the pane of horn, the prisoner was aware
+that the moon was shining. He at length closed his eyes, and fell into
+a slumber, without having first, as usual, shut up the owl. He wist not
+that he had been asleep, when the same fearful idea, that had before
+awoke him at midnight, again overwhelmed him: he fancied that he lay in
+his coffin, in the tomb of his fathers, and, in a kind of agony, half
+rose on his couch. He was not yet fully awake, when a frightful screech
+completely aroused him from his dream: he opened his eyes, and, in a
+ledge of the wall, near the mysterious inscriptions, he again saw the
+glowing eyes of the corpse-bird. It again screamed, and far more
+hideously than it was wont, at the same time staring at the dim light
+through the horn of the closed shutter. The duke looked in the same
+direction, and, to his astonishment, fancied he caught a glimpse of a
+face, half concealed in a hat, before the grating. A singular terror
+seized him, and he remained motionless, half erect, in bed. He now
+heard a gentle tap on the shutter, and sprang up.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried. "If you are human, speak!"
+
+The knocking at the shutter became a little louder, and a low,
+mysterious voice whispered--"Open, Duke Waldemar: a good friend would
+speak with you."
+
+"Is it possible?" he exclaimed: "a man? a good friend? Ha! be thou the
+Evil One himself, I fear not."
+
+He hastily opened the shutter. A human countenance, sufficiently
+palpable, met his eyes at the grating, but so thoroughly shaded, the
+moon falling only on the outlines, that it was impossible for him to
+perceive a single feature.
+
+"You know me not, Duke Waldemar?" said the unexpected night-guest. "I
+risk my life, perhaps, to speak with you. You must subscribe, or all is
+lost."
+
+"Grand! Master Grand!" exclaimed the duke, astonished. "Are you a
+wizard, and can fly? What stand you on?"
+
+"A storming-ladder," replied the daring ecclesiastic. "Cook
+Morten steadies it, and keeps watch. The time is precious, fair
+duke--subscribe!"
+
+"From you, then, pious sir, came the good advice this morning. But I do
+not thus, even were both heaven and hell to shout--subscribe! Shall I
+forswear every thought of my high vocation--shall I forswear even
+vengeance? For what, then, have I dared so much? For what have I
+sustained so much? I will not subscribe. If you would free me, let it
+be by craft or force, and I am yours: I will then place myself openly
+at the head of the conspiracy, and it shall succeed or perish."
+
+"In this way all would be lost, sir. Nothing can be undertaken until
+you are legally free and secure. Your imprisonment binds up every hand;
+but subscribe, and all are as free as your own. If you do not wish to
+abide by your oath, the holy father can relieve you from it, as he did
+your ancestor. If you wish to keep it, it is well: you can stand aloof,
+and still be the head. The marsk and his friends will act alone--of
+that you need know nothing--and the vacant place becomes yours. You
+understand, sir? You can keep your oath, and, with a sound conscience,
+come forward when the time arrives. Then, with law and justice, you can
+seize the minor's sceptre; and when you have won the people's hearts,
+and shown that you are worthy of the crown, it will fall of its own
+accord upon your head; whilst you will have broken neither oath nor
+bond."
+
+"Ha! is it you, yourself, sagacious Master Grand? or is it the dead
+bishop, who has lent you voice and form to teach me wisdom? You are
+right: thus may I grasp the sceptre that constrains spirits, and win
+the crown that shines pure as the sun. Now, know I what I will. You are
+not the first who has taught me this. You have only told me how. Good:
+I subscribe. From the hour I have subscribed, I know nothing, and will
+know nothing, of your projects. Do what you will and defend it as best
+you can. I go my own way; and when we meet at the goal--then--then
+first I know you, and dare name you my friend. You understand me,
+Grand?"
+
+"I understand you, sir. It is certain, then, that you subscribe, and
+withdraw from this place to-morrow. At the Dane-court of Nyborg, you
+can confirm the agreement, and calmly await what shall come to pass."
+
+This secret conversation was here interrupted by a sudden uproar in the
+court-yard of the castle.
+
+"I have him, master--I have him, the crafty clerk!" cried the voice of
+cook Morten; "he shall not escape now. I guessed at once what he bore
+on his shield, and helped him up the storming-ladder myself. Shall I
+now pull it down, and let him break his neck? or will you have him
+alive?"
+
+"I am betrayed!" exclaimed Master Grand, with alarm: "the infernal cook
+has betrayed me. Now for it." He descended the ladder, and was
+immediately surrounded by ten house-carls bearing torches, in the midst
+of whom stood the castellan, half-dressed, with a large sword in his
+hand.
+
+"Can I believe my own eyes, sir dean?" cried the honest Poul Hvit.
+"Have you come hither to baffle my vigilance, and to assist an
+important state-prisoner to escape?"
+
+"Hear me, worthy Poul Hvit," replied Master Grand, with a bold,
+authoritative voice, "and you shall not mistake a servant of the Lord,
+who, in this secret and unusual way, has been on the service of his
+Heavenly King. That it was not my intention to liberate your prisoner,
+contrary to the laws of the country, you can satisfy yourself by
+searching my clothes and the prison. I have neither file nor other tool
+about me, with which it were possible to open the grating or assist the
+prisoner to escape."
+
+The castellan seemed perplexed and undecided.
+
+"I demand this search for my own honour's sake," continued Master
+Grand, throwing aside his cloak, and turning out his pockets. "If you
+are now convinced of my innocence in this respect, you may with reason
+demand to know my intentions in making this night visit. I was aware
+that admission to the prisoner was denied me; but I knew, at the same
+time, that a powerful word from God, spoken at the right time, might
+effect much in a bewildered sinner's heart. The haughty young duke, as
+you know, would not subscribe the agreement with the king, and
+relinquish his rebellious projects; but I have now so spoken to him,
+with the mighty power of God's word, that he has repented, and has
+penitently acknowledged his great sin. He has consented to subscribe
+the agreement, and will henceforth become the king's faithful subject.
+This have I done, and this is my offence. If you see reason to make me
+answerable for this Christian undertaking, I am then your prisoner. But
+if, as I presume, you are a god-fearing man, uniting respect for my
+station and sacred office with strict fidelity to your king, you will
+only suffer me to remain guarded here, until you have searched the
+prison, and satisfied yourself of the truth of my statement; when you
+will allow me to depart, in the peace of the Lord, within an hour."
+
+"Guard him!" said the castellan, as he went hastily to the tower with a
+light. He opened the prison-door, and found all right in the first
+apartment, occupied by Sir Abildgaard. At his request, the duke opened
+his barred door. The castellan entered, and, without saying a word,
+examined the grating narrowly. He then placed the light on the table,
+and observed the duke attentively. "Tell me, highborn sir," he
+inquired, "is it truth, that Dean Grand has spoken with you, and that
+you have considered, and will subscribe the agreement?"
+
+"It is the truth," replied the duke, taking up the silver style: "it
+shall be done instantly. See, here stands my name." He handed the
+castellan the document, and threw himself, thoughtfully, on his chair.
+
+"Now I congratulate you on your restoration to freedom, and your
+country in having a true man restored to it," said the castellan,
+gladly. "I did not deceive myself, then: I know the world and mankind;
+and I well saw, from your nature and manner, that you were a noble
+young gentleman, who had only transgressed from the thoughtlessness of
+youth. Rest now, if it so please you, on your good and pious
+resolution, until it is day; and then, noble sir, I shall bring you
+with honour from your prison, and conduct you myself to my king and
+master."
+
+"Good," said the duke. "But go now, and do not suffer the worthy
+Master Grand to experience any inconvenience. He only preached me a
+night-sermon, which, as you have seen, has converted me."
+
+The castellan bowed, and retired. Sir Abildgaard, who had overheard
+what had just taken place, hastened to his master with lively
+satisfaction, to receive a full explanation of the reasons which had so
+unexpectedly decided him to subscribe.
+
+In the meanwhile, Master Grand stood amidst the wondering house-carls,
+who, agreeably to the castellan's orders, guarded him closely, but with
+a reverence that, by his authoritative air, he knew how to obtain. Cook
+Morten stood, smiling, by the storming-ladder, and seemed to find
+amusement in the night's adventure. Master Grand directed towards him
+an upbraiding and disdainful look, without saying a word.
+
+"I thought at least he would have slipped down," said the cook
+to the house-carls. "I had never before seen a worthy dean upon a
+storming-ladder, and could not resist the temptation; but I would have
+shunned the dangerous joke, had I not known that you and the castellan
+were in the neighbourhood. It will now be seen whether I have done the
+pious gentleman an ill turn. Nobody can find fault with me, for having
+taken him for a crafty cheat. Who else in the world is so zealous in
+the cure of souls, that he puts his neck in jeopardy to save a single
+couple? It was fortunate for the learned clerk that you came; for I was
+just on the point of drawing the ladder from under him, and then his
+reverence might have hung suspended by his hands on the iron bars, like
+a cat on a bird-cage, till I had brought you."
+
+"Wretched, faithless soul!" exclaimed Master Grand, vehemently. "I told
+you that my intentions were pious and god-fearing, and yet you could
+conceive the idea of depriving a servant of the Lord of his life!"
+
+"I shall answer for that to my master, and his grace our most precious
+king," replied Morten: "here, we have no respect of persons. We lock up
+princes and great lords, when we have instructions to regard them as
+rascals. I place the most guilty on the spit, when I have orders to
+regard them as capons; and, if even the pope or kaiser wills to creep
+through the window to them, I shall answer for it before all
+Christendom, if I suffer them to break their high and holy necks."
+
+Cook Morten was becoming noisy, and the castellan, who had now returned
+from the prison, on hearing these insolent words, ordered him to
+moderate his zeal, and to talk with more reverence to the pious worthy
+sir dean, who was entirely innocent, and had, at the same time, done a
+deed for which every brave Dane ought to thank him.
+
+"I believe I know the world and mankind tolerably well," said he, with
+a self-satisfied air, to Master Grand; "and I am rejoiced, your
+reverence, that I was not mistaken in my good opinion of you. That your
+intentions towards the king and country are good, I am now satisfied,
+albeit you spoke hard words, yesterday evening, against the sins and
+errors of the great. As a faithful man of God, you had a right to do
+so; but, Herregud! we are all human, and even the most virtuous among
+us may be suspected, and have appearances against him. That I have
+myself just experienced, pious sir. You are now free to depart, at what
+instant you please, but I shall be delighted if you will be my guest
+until it is day. Night is no man's friend; and, though you are a pious
+servant of the Lord, you might still go astray."
+
+"I fear not that," replied Master Grand: "I have nothing further to do
+here, if you are satisfied with the deed of conveyance, my good, honest
+Poul Hvit?"
+
+"Entirely so, pious sir. Bear Abbot Magnus my respectful salutations;
+and, since it must be so, God be with you!"
+
+At the castellan's order, Master Grand's palfrey was immediately led
+out. The lofty ecclesiastic saluted the castellan with calm dignity,
+and gave the token of benediction, with three fingers, to the
+respectful house-carls; whereupon, attended by a lay-brother who acted
+in the capacity of his groom, he quitted Sjöborg in the quiet moonlight
+night.
+
+A few hours after, and when the sun had risen, Duke Waldemar and his
+drost, accompanied by Poul Hvit and twelve armed troopers, rode from
+the castle-gates of Sjöborg, and took the road to Korsöer, in order to
+cross over to Nyborg, where the king and his Best Men were residing,
+and where the agreement, under seal and oath, was required to be
+ratified by the Dane-court, before the duke and his drost could obtain
+their full liberty.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+After an unusually severe winter, during which the Baltic had been
+frozen over, spring once more, with rapid steps, extended her lovely
+and flowery reign over the favoured plains of Denmark. In the middle of
+May, the beech-woods were in leaf; and, notwithstanding the miserable
+condition of the people, and the private discords that divided so many
+hearts, to those who were unacquainted with its disjointed internal
+condition, the country seemed a peaceful and happy paradise.
+
+On one of the finest days of spring, a company of travellers on
+horseback, consisting of two distinguished knights and two ladies,
+together with an ecclesiastic of eminence, and accompanied by a young
+squire, two grooms, and two waiting-maids, rode in through the gate of
+Flynderborg Castle, near Orekrog. On the castle-stairs stood the
+commandant, Sir Lavé Little, uncovered, to receive his honoured guests
+with due respect. The tall Lady Ingé stood by her father's side.
+
+Whilst the knights assisted their ladies to dismount, and conducted
+them up the stairs, the corpulent ecclesiastic remained quietly seated
+on his palfrey, reading a Latin inscription over the doorway: he was
+the chancellor of the kingdom, the learned Master Martinus de Dacia.
+The short, gray-haired, but still hale and nimble knight, who first
+ascended the castle-stairs, with a tall, middle-aged lady upon his arm,
+was Counsellor Sir John Little, with his wife, Fru Ingefried. His
+daughter Cecilia was accompanied by a young, knightly gentleman, in
+whose tall form Jomfru[23] Ingé, with blushing cheeks, immediately
+recognised Drost Peter Hessel.
+
+Not without a certain degree of embarrassment and secret uneasiness did
+Sir Lavé receive his guests. Despite his extreme politeness, he
+appeared to scan, with much anxiety, his old kinsman's looks. Having
+saluted Drost Peter with repulsive coldness, Sir Lavé seemed to regard
+the learned chancellor, who had at length reached the top of the stairs
+with a shy, suspicious glance; but when the learned gentleman at once
+commenced his inquiries respecting the age of the castle and its
+antiquities, Sir Lavé appeared somewhat more at ease, and referred him
+to his daughter, who, as he said, knew better about such odd kind of
+things than any one else in the castle.
+
+"You must live here like a little king, my good Lavé," observed Sir
+John, looking round the large arched hall, which occupied the whole
+breadth of the wing, and from which two large doors opened into the
+castle-garden, commanding a most beautiful view over the Sound.
+
+"Yes, indeed, sir counsellor: the castle is royal enough, and your
+presence gives it its proper lustre," replied Sir Lavé, in a submissive
+tone, which showed at once the dependent relation in which he stood to
+his renowned kinsman, whose preponderance, both in rank and intellect,
+he only too oppressively felt.
+
+"You are too polite, cousin," replied Sir John. "Lustre, you know well
+enough, is not my affair. But if the castle is as strong as it is fair
+and pleasant, I should like to be governor of it in time of war. Have
+you been here before, Drost Peter?"
+
+"In my childhood I was often in these halls, and I here regain the
+memory of my dearest, fairest years," replied Drost Peter, with a
+glance at Jomfra Ingé, whom he had yet only silently saluted, and who
+appeared to be entirely busied with Fru Ingefried and Lady Cecilia. Her
+eyes now met his, and he observed, with pleasure, that this remembrance
+did not appear indifferent to her.
+
+"Have you not been here since?" inquired Sir John; but Drost Peter did
+not hear him.
+
+"You are under a spell, I think. Have you been here since, Peter
+Hessel?" he repeated.
+
+"Last year," answered Drost Peter, somewhat embarrassed, "in the course
+of my unpleasant duty respecting Duke Waldemar's arrest."
+
+At these words Sir Lavé turned, highly uneasy, towards the old
+counsellor, and overwhelmed him with half a score of questions at once,
+principally about court news, and indifferent matters.
+
+"I do not trouble myself concerning such fooleries," replied Sir John,
+gravely, looking at his uneasy kinsman with a sharp, inquiring glance;
+"but the best and most important news is already well known to you,
+cousin--that, since the king has regained a faithful subject in Duke
+Waldemar, we may now hope for peace and unity in the country. We may
+therefore reasonably expect that every Danish knight who may have been
+mistaken, but who still means honestly towards his country, will follow
+the young duke's example, and sincerely forswear every thought of
+turbulent resistance and rebellious defiance to the laws of the
+kingdom. In some instances a strict inquiry may perhaps be deemed
+necessary," he added; "but I hope that many adherents of the audacious
+Marsk Andersen are not to be found in the country."
+
+Sir Lavé had become deadly pale; and on the stern Sir John's
+countenance appeared a mingled expression of anger and deep sorrow,
+which, however, immediately disappeared, as he turned playfully to
+Jomfru Ingé, with reference to one of her childhood's heroines, proud
+Dotté, whose history was represented on the old wrought tapestry of the
+hall.
+
+"Do you still hold by this proud damsel?" he inquired, pointing to the
+picture, representing a lady chained, on board a ship, with a little
+anchor in her hand. "Can you still sing about her cheese-anchors, with
+which she would have kept the whole of Harald Hardrada's fleet from
+Denmark?"[24]
+
+"Do you still remember that, my noble kinsman?" asked Lady Ingé
+blushing. "When I sang that song by your side, and defended Dotté
+against your jokes, I was still a child, and you laughed at my zeal:
+but I must still defend her, my noble kinsman. Had the men of Denmark,
+in her time, been as brave as she calculated upon, they would have
+found steel enough to defend her cheese-anchors, and not have suffered
+the Norwegian pirate-king to carry off a Danish maiden in chains, on
+account of a bold word. Somewhat of haughtiness, and of childish
+defiance towards a superior power, there certainly was in the whole
+jest," she continued, with warmth; "but a little innocent boasting was
+still a sign that she had good faith in Danish manhood and fidelity.
+Had she been your daughter, I am certain that you would have gladly
+paid a double ransom for her freedom."
+
+"That may well be," replied Sir John, patting his brave kinswoman on
+the cheek. "Right, proud Ingelil![25] Thou art thy brave mother's
+daughter. The girl is right in some things," he continued, turning to
+the learned chancellor: "she is better acquainted with these ancient
+heroes than I am. This Harald Hardrada was little better than a bold,
+skilful pirate: a lofty, kingly soul, he never had. His doings in
+Denmark and Myklegaard redounded not to his honour; and I look upon the
+daring Jarl Mindre-Alf, of our own times, as his worthy
+representative."
+
+"In mind and deed, abundance of similar representatives might be
+mentioned, with sanguinary, heathenish souls in Christian bodies,"
+replied Master Martin.
+
+"Jarl Mindre-Alf!" repeated Jomfru Ingé, starting: "the coarse, rude
+algrev--the little, fierce, brutish sea-rover--is he a jarl?[26] I
+thought he was only Count of Tönsberg."
+
+"He is a mighty jarl, and, next to King Erik the Priesthater, and Duke
+Hakon, the greatest man in Norway," answered Sir John. "But thou art
+right, child: he is a coarse, rude carl, and more like a beast than a
+man. Thou hast never seen him, hast thou?"
+
+"I have heard more of him than I could have desired," she replied,
+hastily, avoiding the question, which occasioned her father great
+anguish.
+
+Drost Peter still hoped that Sir Lavé, notwithstanding his present
+palpable embarrassment, had been more imprudent than guilty on the
+occasion of the suspicious visit to which this accidental allusion had
+just been made. In order, therefore, to rid him of this uneasiness, and
+to relieve him from every fear of being called upon to answer for that
+transaction, the drost turned, with perfect good nature, to Lady Ingé's
+father, and informed him that the real object of the present journey,
+which gave him an opportunity of revisiting so dear a spot, was an
+embassy to the Swedish court of Stockholm; and that Sir John was, at
+the same time, taking his family to their summer residence, Tommerup
+Guard, in Scania.
+
+This explanation instantly brightened up Sir Lavé's features. He seemed
+at once to comprehend the drost's good-natured intention in this
+communication, and held out his hand to him with unrestrained emotion.
+"You are welcome to me, sir drost," he said, with a trembling voice,
+and drawing him aside to the open garden-door. "What has occurred
+between us concerns nobody," he continued, anxiously, descending the
+garden-steps with him. He cast back a look towards the saloon, and
+perceiving old Sir John in lively conversation with the chancellor and
+the ladies, he drew Drost Peter hastily into a by-path in the garden.
+"A word in confidence, Drost Hessel," he continued, in a fatherly tone,
+that reminded the drost of his childhood: "what occurred when you were
+last here, might be misinterpreted in a manner dangerous to my honour
+and rank; but I have sufficient confidence in your integrity to rest
+assured that you will not abuse the advantage which circumstances gave
+you over me, to ruin and destroy me. Will you give me your word of
+honour thereupon?"
+
+"By my knightly honour!" answered Drost Peter, much affected, and
+giving him his hand. "God be praised, I have never deemed myself bound
+to come forward as your accuser; and Heaven forbid that I should ever
+be obliged to do so."
+
+"Good," exclaimed Sir Lavé, reassured: "I only desired to know that I
+was safe in your hands as regards the past; and for that, your honour
+is now my pledge: the future, I shall myself take care of. Our old
+relationship is now dissolved, and a new one cannot be formed between
+us. We two can now be as if dead to one another."
+
+He turned to depart; but Drost Peter retained him. "Hear me, Sir Lavé,"
+he exclaimed, warmly. "I have also an important word to say to you. I
+do not regard that relationship as dissolved, which I first learned to
+prize highly at the moment it appeared to be torn asunder. That which
+estranges you from me, binds me to your house and noble race still more
+firmly, and with a bond that no earthly power can dissolve. It is the
+same bond that unites Denmark's crown and Denmark's hearts together. In
+this, your noble-hearted daughter shares my views, and that, too, with
+an ardour and animation that have enchained my soul irrevocably with
+her's, spite of every opposing or doubtful circumstance. I have not
+spoken a word to her but what you have yourself heard, and what I now
+with certainty know I feel for her. Whether she entertains the same
+feelings towards me, I dare not yet say; but I have a great and fond
+hope, which I will not relinquish while I live, unless she herself,
+which God forbid! should rob me of it."
+
+"Every word of this is now superfluous, sir drost," interrupted Sir
+Lavé, coldly and strangely. "For me, you may hope and feel what you
+will. My will, as her father, you know. Your connections and principles
+render me, and every open-minded Dane, common heretics in your eyes;
+and, for the future, I can never think of any union with you. Let us
+mutually esteem each other's hearts and good intentions, however
+dissimilar, in other respects, we may be in our views," he added, with
+less coldness: "let us not, as professors of a different political
+faith, condemn one another for the sake of our opinions. So, let us bid
+each other a peaceful farewell--for ever!" With these words, and with
+averted face, he extended his hand to Drost Peter.
+
+"This, then, is the last time you give me your hand, Sir Lavé?"
+exclaimed Drost Peter, with subdued grief. "Oh, that I could hold fast
+by this hand, and drag you from the uncertain, tortuous path on which
+you falter--"
+
+"Unhand me, man! and be silent!" whispered Sir Lavé, looking uneasily
+about him. "Would you bring me to misfortune by your discourse? My way
+is not your's; but I had learnt to go alone, before you were born.
+Unhand me! We belong not to each other."
+
+"Pity 'tis that you are right!" sighed Drost Peter, with secret horror,
+as he relinquished the cold, trembling hand.
+
+Without again looking at him, Sir Lavé hastily returned to his other
+important guests; whilst Drost Peter, violently agitated, took his way
+along a gloomy arched walk in the garden.
+
+In the garden-hall, to his great comfort, Sir Lavé found old Sir John
+still engaged in jocular conversation with Master Martinus; whilst Fru
+Ingefried and her daughter, in company with Lady Ingé, were about
+leaving it, to view the castle-garden.
+
+"Drost Hessel is already outside, enjoying the beautiful prospect,"
+said the commandant, bowing to the stranger ladies. "My daughter will
+conduct you to some of those remarkable spots where the clear waters
+and the green trees furnish abundant themes for the most passionate
+admirers of their country's beauties. I am not so fortunate as to
+appreciate these things myself."
+
+The ladies smiled courteously at these careless remarks, and descended
+the garden-steps. Sir Lavé cast an inquiring look at the weathercock
+over the castle-gate, and then approached the two gentlemen, without
+disturbing their conversation.
+
+"You astonish me, learned sir chancellor," said Sir John, laughing
+heartily. "Who could have believed that dry philosophy should be so
+amusing? And this is altogether your own discovery?"
+
+"Certainly, sir counsellor," replied the learned chancellor, gravely,
+with a self-satisfied air: "it is the fruit of many a waking night's
+inquiries. I had already thought of it before I took degrees at Paris;
+but it first became quite clear to me in my peaceful _otium_ at
+Antvorskov, and now it is taught in all the universities of Europe."
+
+"And this is the famous Martinian mod--mod--what do you call it?"
+
+"_Modi significandi Martiniani_," said the chancellor, correcting him.
+"It is a treasury of learning, and a fund of science, which I ought not
+to boast of; but I still hope, in all humility, that, with God and the
+Holy Virgin's aid, this important discovery in logic will preserve my
+name in the history of philosophy, and be remembered as long as solid
+learning and universities exist."
+
+"Now, indeed, that I can understand," replied Sir John, with a
+suppressed smile. "Sooth to say, it must be learned and philosophic,
+for I will give you my head if I can understand a word of it. But what
+can a layman, and others like myself, know of such things?"
+
+"How, sir counsellor!" exclaimed the chancellor, astonished, and wiping
+the perspiration from his bald forehead. "Is it not as clear and
+evident as God's daylight? and have I not taken pains to translate for
+you all the Greek and Latin terms, which are a great ornament in such
+matters, though, perhaps, dark to the uninitiated? Allow me, and I will
+again explain to you the whole system from the beginning. By _modus
+significandi_, is to be understood, in logic--"
+
+"Nay, for heaven's sake--nay, best of chancellors!" interrupted Sir
+John, hastily; "plunge me no deeper into the science. I have every
+respect for it, and believe that it will immortalise you, among the
+learned, to the end of time; but, if I cannot become immortal by other
+means, my memory must perish, and I must be contented, in God's name,
+to do the best I can when living, and leave our Lord to care for the
+rest. Seriously speaking, sir chancellor: if a man cannot become wise
+and intelligent without all this vexatious trouble, and if I must twist
+and turn my thoughts by this method, before I can know whether they are
+wise or foolish--by the Lord's truth! I should be a hundred years old
+before I could master a single common thought, and should require the
+lifetime of three men before I could put an excellent thought into
+practice. Nay: I must make use of another method. When I know what I
+wish to say, I say it; and when I know what I wish and ought to do, I
+do it; and do not trouble myself whether the world stands or falls.
+There you have the whole of my system. It is not so learned as your's;
+but that you also follow it, in the main, you have given me excellent
+proof, for which I have every esteem and honour."
+
+So saying, he shook the learned chancellor heartily by the hand, and
+cast a look towards Sir Lavé. "See, there stands my cousin, the
+commandant," he continued, gaily: "he is nearly five years younger than
+I, and can perhaps still learn something in the world. If you can bring
+him to see how we should think justly and reasonably, in these crazy
+times, it may not perhaps be out of the way. But I must out, and draw a
+breath of fresh air in the garden."
+
+Surrendering Sir Lavé to the somewhat tiresome, philosophic chancellor,
+he made his exit hastily by the garden-door, and was soon plunged in
+serious thought in the arched walk.
+
+On a green knoll, commanding a magnificent view over the Sound, Drost
+Peter stood, meanwhile, between Jomfru Ingé and Lady Cecilia, in lively
+conversation respecting those notable events of olden times, of which
+the traditions and supposed memorials were still preserved in this
+glorious region. Contrary to Jomfru Ingé's opinion, Drost Peter
+maintained that these events must be referred to other, and, to him,
+well-known spots in Jutland. The subject of their conversation was the
+great tragical legend of Hamlet. Fru Ingefried listened with interest,
+whilst the animated, patriotic Jomfru Ingé enlivened her description of
+these events by traditions and snatches of popular ballads, and pointed
+to every spot where, as a child, she had heard and believed that they
+must have happened. Fru Ingefried now perceived her husband by the end
+of the arched walk, and went to meet him; while Drost Peter and Jomfru
+Ingé continued to converse of Hamlet and his daring plans, the sagacity
+of which Drost Peter admired, but maintained that they still wanted
+truth, justice, and noble grandeur.
+
+"This knavish cunning," he said--"this merely apparent love of truth,
+by means of which the real truth is concealed, when it is spoken
+ambiguously and figuratively--this crafty play with sound sense and
+madness, with jest and cruel earnest, is to me sufficiently detestable;
+but these features of the tradition, however un-Danish they may appear,
+are still founded on a remarkable peculiarity in the character of our
+people."
+
+"What mean you, Drost Peter?" inquired Lady Ingé, with wounded pride.
+"Do you accuse yourself, and all of us, with a base proneness to craft
+and falsehood?"
+
+"Understand me rightly, noble lady. The craft of Hamlet is, in the
+main, completely Danish, though I cannot prize it as in anywise great
+and noble. This kind of craft ever betrays itself in a respect for
+truth, even when it may not and dare not be spoken openly. Every period
+of disquiet and internal disturbance in Denmark will show us that, with
+the best and noblest of the people, our honesty, justice, and love of
+truth never entirely disappear, but reveal themselves where the mere
+semblance of truth is used as a cloak to deceit. The greatest deceiver
+and nidding amongst us will always blush to deny or disguise the truth
+openly: he is too proud to lie, even were it to save his life; and he
+will speak the truth even where it may endanger him, but so darkly and
+figuratively, that himself only and his friends can understand it,
+while his foes receive it in an opposite sense."
+
+"Therein, perhaps, you maybe right," said Jomfru Ingé, gravely; "but a
+wish to wrest and distort the truth does not, in consequence, lie in
+the people's mode of thinking.
+
+"Far be it from me to assert that it does," replied Drost Peter; "but I
+have observed that even the most upright of our commoners take a
+singular pleasure, whilst jesting, in striving to tack something on a
+person's sleeve, as they term it, strictly, however, without telling an
+untruth. In this consists a great portion of the craft and wit of our
+common people. It may be highly good-natured and innocent; but, in
+times like these, it is still a dangerous quality, which renders it
+extremely difficult to distinguish the true friends of the crown from
+its secret enemies."
+
+"Nay, nay," exclaimed Jomfru Ingé, gladly; "in this you greatly err,
+Drost Peter. You know our brave and trusty countrymen better. I often
+see and converse with the poorest and humblest of them. They speak
+openly and impatiently of their burdens, and, in their language, do not
+spare the great and powerful. They are not afraid to utter the boldest
+truths, even as regards the king and his favourites; but, when I speak
+to them of the crown and kingdom, with the view of ascertaining their
+opinions respecting an illegally imposed king, you should see how
+readily they forget their own grievances, and how uprightly they
+express their devoted attachment to the ancient, legitimate, royal
+family. It is true that, when jesting, they often find great amusement
+in figurative language, and in befooling each other with old proverbs,
+and suchlike; but this good-natured sort of waggishness I rather
+admire, and certainly think there is nothing wrong in it."
+
+"I do not blame that which is so natural to the people, and, in a
+manner, born with them," replied Drost Peter. "None of us are entirely
+free from it," he added. "We have both, perhaps, to-day, noble Jomfru
+Ingé, and even at this very hour, concealed what we know, and avoided
+the truth, to spare ourselves or others, without having said an untrue
+word."
+
+Lady Ingé blushed. "Every one has a right to do so," she said,
+earnestly. "What I will not and ought not to say, no power on earth
+shall compel me to speak. If we could not be veracious and upright,
+without telling everything we know, there would be few honest men in
+existence. You shall judge between us, good Cecilia," she continued,
+turning playfully to her relation, who had hitherto been a silent
+listener. "Think you Drost Peter himself is so upright, that he would
+tell us truly, were we to ask him, which colour he esteems most
+highly?"
+
+"We need not ask him that," replied Cecilia: "the colour you now wear
+in your hairband, is that worn by the drost--last year, at least."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply. "I wore it last year, because it was the
+queen's colour," he replied. "I won the right to do so at the
+Helsingborg tourney. But for twelve months before last May I have not
+worn it; although it has, since then, become dearer to me than ever. I
+fancy I have known from my childhood that crimson band, with the small
+pearl-lilies, and it is the only band I would suffer to bind me
+prisoner; but were Jomfru Ingé even now to present me with it, I dare
+not openly wear it. The reason, too, must remain a secret."
+
+Lady Ingé had hastily raised her hand to the crimson fillet, as if she
+would remove it; but, on hearing Drost Peter's latter words, she only
+secured it more firmly, and changed the conversation to another
+subject.
+
+"Look at my handsome, watchful bird," she said, merrily. "Had Hamlet
+possessed him, he would certainly have known how to make use of him."
+As she said this, she patted a large tame fowl that had flown towards
+her, alarmed, as it appeared, by Claus Skirmen, who was in search of
+his master, to inform him, as he had been ordered, of the state of the
+wind.
+
+Drost Peter paid no attention to his squire's announcement. He praised
+the noble bird, and looked at his mistress with a singularly blended
+sentiment of joy and melancholy, while many fond memories of childhood
+flitted across his soul, and mingled with his feelings of the present
+moment. It almost seemed to him as if he were in a dream, and that the
+knight's tall, fair daughter was again changed into the child-bride of
+former days.
+
+In the meantime Sir John, with his wife, was leisurely approaching
+the knoll. He stopped, and gazed at the young man on the green
+strand-height. "A fine, brave, excellent young man," he said, pointing
+to Drost Peter; "he is quite another drost than Sir Abildgaard. Our
+Cecilia's interest in that subtle knight does not please me. The
+suspicions that have attached to him, since his imprisonment, ought to
+have cured her of her whimsy. Has she not determined yet?"
+
+"Your silence has made her anxious," replied the mother, with concern;
+"and, without your consent, she gives him no decisive answer."
+
+"She is free; but from me, she shall not hear a syllable on the matter.
+What I think of him, she well knows."
+
+"Then she never becomes Drost Abildgaard's wife. God strengthen her!"
+
+"Drost Peter takes his time," interrupted Sir John, hastily.
+
+"His childhood's bride no longer hates him," replied Fru Ingefried; "he
+does not delay thus merely on account of the wind."
+
+Sir John cast a look at the vane on the turret. "You are right," he
+observed: "we must away. If our good Drost Peter means to jest with us,
+he shall have the worst of it."
+
+They were now close to the knoll.
+
+"Drost Peter!" shouted Sir John, "the wind is fair, and we are ready to
+set sail. If you will with us, come quickly." Whereupon, the old
+gentleman hastily returned to the garden-hall, and the whole company
+followed him.
+
+When Sir John entered the great hall, he found the learned chancellor
+alone, deeply engrossed in a small, neat manuscript.
+
+"Up to the ears in study again?" said Sir John. "Is that your Logica?"
+
+"Nay, nay, noble sir," exclaimed the learned chancellor, as his eyes
+sparkled with almost youthful liveliness. "See, here I have found some
+of the glorious old Danish ballads I heard in my childhood, besides
+many excellent national ones I never knew of. Your cousin, the
+commandant, must be a brave, patriotic-souled man, and well versed in
+our old legends and histories. There are some capital notes in the
+margin of the songs; and here, of a truth, pour living fountains from
+the people themselves.
+
+"That is brave!" exclaimed Sir John, with singular interest: "that is
+more than I could have imagined of my good sir cousin, and I like him
+all the better. The ballads themselves may be pretty enough. I do not
+understand much of these wares; but, when they are sung, I listen to
+them willingly. One half of these ballads are fictions and fables, I
+doubt not; but their intention is good, and they must have been a brave
+Danish people who made them."
+
+Jomfru Ingé, with the other ladies and Drost Peter, now entered.
+
+"Ingelil, child," called Sir John to her, "when did thy father become
+so learned, and take such pleasure in old songs and ballads? Formerly,
+he could never endure them."
+
+"It is not my father's--it is my own little song-book," replied Lady
+Ingé. "My blessed mother wrote many of them."
+
+"And the glosses--the marginal notes?" inquired Master Martinus.
+
+"Oh, nothing more than what I heard from my old spinning-women, and
+what I sometimes thought of myself."
+
+At this discovery, Master Martinus seemed almost to blush at his zeal
+for a work that he had only women and unlettered lay-people to thank
+for; but his true attachment to the ancient ballads overcame this shock
+to his learned pride, and he grasped Jomfru Ingé's hand warmly, while
+he returned her the manuscript. "You have rejoiced my soul, noble
+lady," he said, much affected; "and I could almost, in exchange for
+this unlearned feminine manuscript, give you my own sufficiently
+well-known work, _De Modis Significandi_."
+
+"Such an exchange the girl would not much desire," said Sir John,
+interrupting him. "But where is thy father, Ingelil? We must bid him
+farewell, and get on board immediately."
+
+"I will seek him," answered Ingé, as she went hastily away.
+
+"The commandant is in his closet, in conversation with a good friend,"
+said Master Martin: "I had forgotten him, over the book. He is
+travelling in great haste."
+
+"Do you know this good friend?" inquired Sir John, with apparent
+indifference.
+
+"I must relinquish this," replied the chancellor, in a half-absent
+manner, and still keeping his eye on the manuscript, which Lady Ingé
+had laid on the table. "He wore his visor down: it was a warlike
+figure."
+
+"A masked warrior?" inquired Sir John, attentively.
+
+"Probably, a coast-guardsman," answered the chancellor. "In a royal
+castle, one is always in a state of war. The commandant seems to be as
+cautious as he is vigilant; and I do not blame him, that, in these
+troublous times, he should avail himself of spies and disguised
+servitors."
+
+Jomfru Ingé had now returned. She was deadly pale, and sought in vain
+to conceal her deep anguish and embarrassment. "My father," she said,
+with half-choked utterance--"my father will be here immediately."
+
+Drost Peter, alarmed, advanced a step or two towards her, with an
+expression of deep concern; but he paused and was silent, as he
+suddenly guessed the cause of her perplexity.
+
+"What ails thee, my child?" demanded Sir John, with an uneasy inquiring
+look. "Thou hast run too fast," he added, considerately, giving her
+time to answer.
+
+"I am not quite well," she answered, as she supported herself by a
+chair. "He will come immediately: I have sent a message to him."
+
+"He is engaged officially, I hear, and we will not disturb him. Salute
+him, and say we were in haste. God bless thee, child! Come, gentlemen."
+
+Anger and deep sorrow were visible in the countenance of the old
+knight, and, as he regarded the pale Lady Ingé, a tear stole into his
+eye; but in another moment he was again calm, as usual. "See, here we
+have the vigilant sir commandant still," he said, in his customary
+lively tone, as Sir Lavé opened the door, and entered with a
+constrained but smiling countenance. "No excuses, cousin," added Sir
+John: "the king's service takes precedence of every other. We must,
+therefore, in all haste bid you farewell."
+
+"Already, sir counsellor!" stammered Sir Lavé: "I thought the wind--"
+
+"We have not the most favourable wind, if your weathercock may be
+depended on," replied the old gentleman; "but I fear a person would be
+misled, were he to depend upon that. I go by the king's yacht; and I
+know that vessel can make head against a contrary wind tolerably well.
+I understand a little of sailing, too; and we have, moreover, a good
+steersman in Drost Peter. Farewell."
+
+These apparently indifferent words, which the old counsellor pronounced
+with a peculiar emphasis, had to Sir Lavé a serious and fearful
+signification, that deprived him of the power of utterance. He bowed
+civilly, though with embarrassment, as he followed his guests to the
+door. Old John once more gave his hand to Jomfru Ingé, with a warmth
+and heartiness unusual in him. Drost Peter bowed to her with a look
+that carried comfort to her soul; and Master Martinus again thanked her
+for the pleasure her songbook had yielded him. Fru Ingefried and Lady
+Cecilia, like the worthy chancellor, seemed to have no idea of the
+cause of her indisposition. The ladies, however, would not permit her
+to follow them to the door; and having embraced her with hearty
+affection, the mother, with kind solicitude, gave her all the domestic
+remedies she could think of, for sudden depression of spirits.
+
+Scarcely had they left the door, before Lady Ingé burst into a flood of
+tears, and sank into a chair, with her hands before her eyes. She sat
+thus, immovable, for some minutes. When she took her hands from her
+eyes, her father stood before her.
+
+"What is this? What means this conduct, child?" he inquired, in tones
+that sounded almost harshly. "Dear, best Ingé!" he added, with greater
+mildness, "compose yourself. What is the matter?"
+
+"Father, father!" she exclaimed, eagerly, as she rose, "is the strange
+knight still in your closet?"
+
+"What leads thee to trouble thyself about my official business?"
+inquired the father, perplexed: "I do not permit this interference in
+my affairs. Go to thy chamber, and make ready my travelling-wallet. I
+journey from hence in half an hour."
+
+"Thou travellest, father? and leavest me behind alone? How long
+remainest thou away?"
+
+"But a few days: it is on important business. When wert thou wont to be
+afraid of being alone? I shall provide for the safeguard of the castle
+during my absence. Thou canst therefore be calm."
+
+"For thee, too, father? Nay, nay, I cannot maintain this painful
+silence: thou must know the truth, father. I tremble for thy secret
+schemes--I tremble for thy terrible friends--I am tortured by the most
+dreadful anguish for thy soul!"
+
+"Art thou mad, girl?" exclaimed the uneasy father, exasperated, and
+stamping violently. "Hast thou, too, conspired against me? Is it not
+enough that my own tyrannical kinsman and his understrappers must
+torture me in my own house, and threaten me, covertly, with the
+despotic kingly power? Shall my own child be my betrayer? Must I not
+converse with a trusty friend in my closet, without being suspected and
+betrayed by my own? Get thee to thy apartment, child, and weep not; or,
+if thou must weep, let it be only in private. Guard thy tongue, also,
+that thou betrayest not thy father's life with thy childish nonsense.
+My affairs thou understandest not; and for my soul thou needest not
+care. I know what I dare do: my confessor is a man who better
+understands my salvation than thou and the conscientious Drost Peter.
+Do as I say, my good child, and be reasonable. I shall not have time,
+after this, to bid thee farewell. The gentleman I travel with is my
+friend, and a man I can depend upon. Farewell."
+
+With these words he hastily departed. The unhappy daughter wept no
+longer: she appeared calm, almost to indifference, and proceeded to her
+chamber to execute her father's orders.
+
+Scarcely had she finished packing her father's portmanteau, ere a
+trooper appeared, to take it to him. He was a tall, strange carl, in
+complete iron mail, and with a wild, audacious countenance.
+
+"What is thy name, and who is thy master, countryman?" asked Lady Ingé,
+as she looked at him calmly and keenly.
+
+"I need not conceal my honest name here," replied the man, with a
+Jutland accent: "people call me long Mat Jute. My master has a better
+name, but I dare not mention it on Zealand's ground. The three rogues
+who have just left, are not worthy to see his face. He never sets foot
+on shore here, without being cased in steel from top to toe; and
+whoever merely catches a glimpse of his eyes, through the bars of his
+helmet, is seized--with decency be it spoken--with the gripes, on the
+spot. But with your father it is quite another matter, fair jomfru: he
+is a brave man, I wot."
+
+"Mat Jute!" repeated Jomfru Ingé: "my little maiden Elsie's
+sweetheart?"
+
+"O yes, fair jomfru," smirked the man, stroking his beard: "a little
+sweethearting one must have, wherever he goes: it never binds him, and
+it is good for both man and beast. But there goes my master to the
+skiff. Farewell, fair jomfru." And seizing the tolerably heavy
+portmanteau by the thongs, with two of his fingers he swang it on his
+shoulder.
+
+Lady Ingé went to the window. At the door stood Elsie, to bid farewell
+to her warlike sweetheart once more. He did not waste time, however, in
+a long and touching adieu, giving her only one hearty kiss in passing
+along the narrow passage, and then pushing her aside to overtake his
+master.
+
+Lady Ingé stood as if rivetted to the window. She saw her father,
+closely wrapt in his travelling-cloak, cross the court-yard of the
+castle, by the side of a tan, stalwart knight, who, in a dark,
+tarnished steel harness, strode proudly towards the castle-gates. The
+castellan paused once or twice, as if he had forgotten something, or
+was undecided; but the strange knight seemed to give no heed to this.
+Near the entrance of the dark archway, the tall, giant-like figure
+stopped and turned round, and Lady Ingé now saw that his face was
+concealed by a black iron visor. He raised his mail-clad arm and
+beckoned. Sir Lavé still lingered a moment. The sword of the strange
+knight rang sharply against the stones at his feet, and again he
+beckoned, with an authoritative motion of his arm, like a general, and
+turned away. Sir Lavé hastily followed him, and both disappeared under
+the dark archway of the gate.
+
+To Lady Ingé, it seemed as if her father was drawn into an abyss by the
+dreadful iron giant. "Merciful God! Stig Andersen himself!" she
+exclaimed, as, with a scream, she fell back, devoid of consciousness,
+on the floor.
+
+When her recollection returned, she found herself in the arms of her
+waiting-maid; and little Elsie, with all her giddiness, was almost
+weeping over her dear jomfru's condition. But Lady Ingé soon recovered.
+A sudden thought seemed to inspire her with new strength and courage,
+and, rising hastily, she left her waiting-maids. Taking her bunch of
+keys, she proceeded to her father's private closet, at the door of
+which she stopped doubtfully, and searched uneasily among the keys;
+but, to her surprise, she found the closet door ajar. On examination,
+however, she found that it had been locked, but probably in such haste
+and agitation, that the iron staple, which should have held it, was
+broken. This accident seemed to relieve her from every doubt, and she
+stepped promptly over the threshold, and looked around her.
+
+Her attention was first directed to a well-known cabinet in the wall,
+wherein her father kept his private letters. The steel knob, by which
+it could be opened, glistened in her eyes like a dangerous snake's
+head. She pressed the knob, the cabinet sprang open, and a bundle of
+papers and letters came to view, which she instantly recognised.
+Shortly before Duke Waldemar's visit, in the previous year, she had
+seen her father receive, with great anxiety, this well-known packet
+from a lively, fat carl, who had sung merry songs in the servants'
+hall, and assisted the maids in the kitchen. That these letters were of
+an important and dangerous character, was, to her, only too evident.
+Without stopping to examine them, she placed them in an iron box,
+wherein her father was accustomed to keep the royal toll-money, but
+which now stood, empty and unlocked, near the door. Having locked the
+box, and placed the key in her bosom, she sank down in a praying
+posture, and thus remained, for the rest of the day, in the lonely
+closet. As soon as it was dark, she dragged the heavy iron box down
+into the castle-garden, where, with great effort, she buried it in the
+knoll, near the Sound.
+
+"God forgive me!" she sighed; "he is my father! I bury his infamy, and
+thus save his name and honour! But, away from me, the key to the
+horrible secret! It presses on my heart with the weight of a mountain."
+
+As if seized with extreme horror, she took from her bosom the key of
+the box, and threw it with all her might into the deep Sound, that
+roared at the foot of the height. She then returned, quietly and
+thoughtfully, into the fortress.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In the southern part of the parish of Felballe, in the diocese of
+Aarhuus, stood the famous castle, Möllerup, close by a stream with a
+few water-mills, and near a dark wood of half a mile[27] in extent. It
+was a strongly-fortified place, in the heavy Gothic style of building,
+with thick walls of hewn stone, and a lofty square tower in the centre.
+The fortress was provided with earthen ramparts and wide ditches, both
+before and behind.
+
+Here resided the celebrated Marsk Stig Andersen Hvide, with his family.
+He had himself erected and fortified this castle, whose lofty tower was
+visible, from a considerable distance, over the wood. On the flat
+summit of the tower, within the battlements, stood four iron-clad men,
+day and night, as sentinels, who constantly kept their looks fixed
+towards the four quarters, like the stone giants on Kolding Castle. The
+heavy drawbridge was already up, and over the arched gateway fluttered
+a large banner, adorned with the arms of the lord of the castle--a
+seven-rayed star on azure, under a helmet with two white wings.
+
+On the ramparts stood large bliders, or wall-slings--a kind of wooden
+machine, by which immense stones were thrown. At great expense, the
+marsk had here collected numerous defensive machines, some of which had
+been made in Roskild, by German artificers. Here might be seen the
+fearful igel-cat[28] with oak-peg bristles on the back, used for
+crushing besiegers; here, also, was to be found the dangerous brynkiöl,
+of iron, with crooked steel spikes, and pointed iron claws, whose
+purpose was, when let down from the ramparts, to seize besiegers, and
+drag them up. Shot-waggons, for red-hot stones, stood ready for
+defence, night and day. Seven hundred men in armour guarded the
+fortress. The order and quietness that reigned within the walls denoted
+the strictest discipline. The grim, ironclad men moved about with a
+silence and regularity that fearfully indicated the dark temper which
+ruled in that fortress.
+
+The powerful master of the castle was now absent, but his return was
+daily expected; and the place was filled with grave and quiet guests.
+Every night the drawbridge was lowered at a secret signal, and the gate
+opened for the admission of strangers, who came disguised in the gray
+cloaks of friars, or in knight's full armour. In the large riddersal,
+and in the lofty arched apartments, were daily assembled a great number
+of guests; and although the clatter of knives, and other table
+utensils, might be heard, there was no loud conversation, nor any sound
+of social glee. Among these guests no woman was to be seen; a remote
+wing of the castle being devoted to the female portion of its
+inhabitants, who there passed their hours in almost conventual
+separation from the more warlike community.
+
+It was now the afternoon of the third day after Sir Lavé's departure
+from Flynderborg with the mailed knight, in whom, for the first time,
+and with so much terror, Lady Ingé had seen the powerful marsk. In the
+women's vaulted apartment of Möllerup sat the reserved lady of a
+knight, in a dark coloured dress, with her countenance concealed by a
+black head-dress.
+
+Two little maidens, also in black, but without veils, sat on high
+stools by her side. They were both beautiful children, with light hair
+and blue eyes. One, who was almost a head taller than the other, and
+had her smooth, plaited locks tied up with a dark pearl-band, appeared
+to be about fourteen years old: her cheeks were so faintly coloured,
+and her skin was so clear and white, that she almost resembled a
+beautiful marble statue, miraculously endowed with life, but still only
+half belonging to the world of mortals. A deep, calm melancholy
+overspread her fair, earnest countenance: there was nothing painful and
+consuming, however, in its grief, which was softened by a pious and
+kindly expression, as if she had already overcome some awful sorrow,
+and had found her lost, youthful joys in the far-off mysterious world
+to which she appeared to belong. She sat, with a weaving-frame in her
+lap, working, with threads of silk and gold, a picture of the Virgin
+and Child, surrounded by a halo of worshiping angels.
+
+The other little girl had yellow flaxen hair, which hung down her neck
+in ringlets. She did not appear more than nine years old, and had a
+merry and extremely lively, childish countenance, red rosy cheeks, and
+a pair of wild, playful eyes, which were never at rest, but constantly
+twinkling. She was rather handsome, but violent, impatient, and
+restless: scarcely remaining quiet for an instant on her stool; now
+throwing aside her work, and then taking it up again; with a thousand
+other antics, which she abandoned as rapidly as they were conceived.
+
+"Still, Rikké!" said the veiled lady, without looking at the child, or
+uncovering her face. "Wilt thou into the nursery again?"
+
+"Yes, willingly, mother: it is much more pleasant," exclaimed the
+little restless girl, running out.
+
+The veiled lady heaved a deep sigh, and relapsed into her former
+silence. She was busied in rubbing spots of rust from a large broad
+battle-blade, which lay across her knees; but she appeared to direct
+her thoughts to her work with difficulty, and her hands often fell
+inertly on her knees.
+
+"Mother," said the quiet, grave maiden with the gold embroidery, "I am
+thinking of what our Lord and Redeemer would say, if he still journeyed
+about the world, and were to come to us here."
+
+"If the Just One stood amongst us, child, he would ask why justice
+slumbers so long."
+
+"Ah, mother, think you not he would rather say as he said to the holy
+Peter, the night he was betrayed by the false Judas?"
+
+"I have forgotten it," answered the mother. "Has Father Anton taught it
+you? What said he, then?"
+
+"It stands in the holy text, dear mother." And she repeated, with
+folded hands, and in a singing tone, the passage in Matthew--"'Put up
+again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall
+perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
+Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of
+angels?'"
+
+The mother was silent, and sank into a gloomy reverie. "Thou art a
+pious child, my Margarethé," she said, at length; "but thou art little
+like thy brave father. Thou art still too young to understand the cruel
+injustice and the monstrous scandal that befell his house. Thou canst
+not understand wherefore thy mother will not suffer any one in the
+world to look upon her face. There are stains, unmerited stains, that
+can only be washed out in a manner that is costly, and dangerous, and
+dreadful, but necessary as eternal justice. Thy mother has not quite
+forgotten the pious instructions of her childhood. Knowest thou what
+our righteous Lord and Judge said, when he foresaw the cruel injustice
+he should suffer?--'He who hath not a sword, let him sell his garment
+and buy one!'"
+
+"Yea, right, right, my daughter Ingeborg!" was uttered by a broken,
+aged voice, from an obscure corner of the apartment: "so it stands
+written. It is God's own word. Buy me a sword for my garment: I need no
+garments. All the garments in the world will not hide our shame!"
+
+The person who thus spoke now made his appearance--a little, bent, aged
+figure, greatly emaciated, who groped his way forward, for his red,
+half-shut eyes were without vision. His head, almost entirely bald,
+appeared all scratched and torn; and his coarse gray beard was in
+tufts, as if it had been half plucked out. His lean fingers were
+crooked, and provided with monstrous nails. His dress was of a new and
+fine black fur, but hung about him in tatters; and his wild, crazy
+expression clearly enough indicated that he had thus maltreated it
+himself, in his fits of madness.
+
+"Ah, poor old grandfather!" exclaimed the little Margarethé: "he has
+got his hands loose, and has been tearing himself again."
+
+"Call a couple of the house-carls, child," whispered the mother,
+hastily; "but with all quietness. Perhaps I, myself, can talk to him
+best."
+
+The little Margarethé went hastily out, with her hands folded over her
+breast, as if praying.
+
+"Quiet, quiet, father!" said the veiled lady, placing the sword under
+the table, and advancing leisurely towards him. "The time is not yet
+come; but it draws near: thou shalt yet, perhaps, before thou diest,
+hear thy daughter's voice without blushing. To see me and my scandal,
+thou art free."
+
+"Ha, ha!" laughed the old man, wildly: "that freedom, old Pallé Little
+has taken himself; for that he has asked neither king nor pope. If thou
+wilt bind me again, my daughter, do so; but quickly, and touch not my
+claws, I advise thee! They will serve to tear out the tiger-heart and
+the blinking goats' eyes. Only promise me that you will yourself unbind
+me, and hand me my Toké's sword, when the time arrives."
+
+"That I have already sworn and promised you, dearly and holily, my
+father. But you must also keep the promise you have given me, and
+ill-use neither yourself nor others in the meanwhile."
+
+"Well, bind me, then, child, and lead me back to my owlet's hole. You
+spoke of a sword, my daughter, and I thought the time had come. It is
+long, long--it is now nine long winters. There is not much life left in
+me; but die I cannot, before it comes to pass: that knowest thou well."
+
+"Unhappy father!" sighed the tall female form. She knelt; and, with her
+own wasted fingers, took up the crooked and trembling hands of the old
+man, which she kissed through her veil, and then bound loosely, behind
+his back, with a silk riband. "Now that thou art again bound, my
+father," she continued, rising, "let me lead thee back to thy corner of
+hope. Refuse not, father. The day of retribution is certain, and not
+far distant."
+
+Quietly and silently the trembling old man followed her to his nook,
+where he sank, as if in a slumber.
+
+The little Margarethé now returned with two servants, who remained
+standing by the door.
+
+"Hold back! I require you not!" said the lady, giving them a signal to
+go. The servants bowed respectfully, and retired in silence.
+
+"The dear Holy Virgin be praised! grandfather again sleeps calmly,"
+said little Margarethé, sitting quietly down to her work.
+
+The mother and daughter remained a long time in silence, and all was as
+still as death around them, until they heard the noise of horses in the
+courtyard.
+
+"Listen! more strangers have come," said Margarethé: "there are still
+many of father's good friends to defend us." She went to the window.
+"It is father himself, and a strange gentleman," she exclaimed,
+hastily: "he dismounts on the great stone by the stairs. God be
+praised, he is come! I was almost afraid of so many strangers."
+
+The unhappy house-mother heard this account, with emotions that
+betrayed a momentary gladness. She arose, but, without saying a word,
+again seated herself, with a deep sigh.
+
+In the large riddersal of Möllerup, thirteen grave strangers awaited
+the arrival of the master of the castle. They were seated at a long
+oaken table, which stood in the middle of the hall, covered with black
+cloth. Eighteen chairs stood around the table. One of these chairs was
+higher than the rest, and covered with red velvet: it was vacant. That
+on the left side of it was also vacant; but on the right sat the heavy
+Count Jacob of Halland, with his legs stretched out, and drumming on
+the table with his fingers. Between him and his brother, Niels
+Hallandsfar, who resembled him in manner and disposition, sat the
+notable dean, Master Jens Grand, regarding, with a grave and
+scrutinising look, the assembled personages, most of whom were his
+kinsmen, and as proud as himself of belonging to the great family of
+the Absaloms. He appeared particularly gratified at seeing four
+knights, whose dark visages and haughty mien indicated displeasure and
+resoluteness for revenge. These were Sir Jacob Blaafod, Arved Bengtson,
+Peder Jacobsen, and Niels Knudson of Scania, who had all distinguished
+themselves, under Stig Andersen and Count Jacob, in the Swedish war,
+but had, along with their general, fallen into disgrace for their
+arbitrary proceedings in dethroning the previous Swedish king.
+
+The dean had, opposite to him, a smart young gentleman, with a proud
+but lively and frivolous countenance: this was Duke Waldemar's drost,
+and fellow-prisoner in Sjöborg, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. Next to him
+sat a personage who had long been regarded as one of the king's true
+men--Chamberlain Ové Dyré: he, and the man by his side, Peder Porsé,
+had recently come to an open rupture with the king, on account of a
+debt which the latter would not acknowledge; and in consequence of this
+quarrel, they had taken refuge with King Magnus in Sweden.
+
+All these gentlemen the dean seemed to observe with satisfaction. A
+noble old squire, Aagé Kaggé, who had long vainly expected the honour
+of knighthood from the king, the dean likewise appeared to regard with
+confidence and pleasure; but he cast a doubtful glance at the tall,
+overgrown person by his side, whose crafty countenance wore a smile of
+self-satisfaction, while he seemed to fancy himself a man of
+considerable importance in this secret council. This was the king's
+double-minded, cunning counsellor, Chamberlain Rané.
+
+In the midst of the company, with an air of boorish pride, sat a short,
+coarse, splendidly dressed personage, with diamonds on the hilt of his
+dagger, and a gold chain about his animal-looking neck. His countenance
+was fierce, rough, and hideous, and he seemed to be tired of the long
+silence. This was the Norwegian freebooter chief, Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+"Now, by Satan! how long will it be ere they get off their horses?" he
+at length growled forth, breaking the silence. "They must first in, and
+comfort the women, we shall find. I have ridden three beasts to death
+to be in time, and yet I have to wait. My time is precious, but here
+have I now been sitting for half an hour, like an empty barrel, without
+tasting either wet or dry. I have only three words to tell you from my
+good king, ye worthy gentlemen, but they are worth gold: if you keep me
+much longer, I must ride my own way, with the devil's help; and then,
+we shall see what comes of all your whispering and sour mouths."
+
+"Highborn sir jarl," replied Master Grand, hastily, "after such a
+hurried journey, you must needs require a heart-strengthening, before
+you can think of more grave affairs. Please to follow me into the next
+apartment: there we shall find a magnificent gammon, and excellent old
+wine, which you have scarcely found a match for in any of our
+convents."
+
+"Ha, I can understand that!" growled the heavy gentleman, rising "You
+are a man who understands both body and soul: you know what an honest
+sea-dog stands in need of, on the cursed land. A house without a host,
+or wine, or women, the devil may set foot into! Come, then. But it must
+only be a slight strengthener," he added, thoughtfully: "if I set
+myself regularly down to the drinking-board, you will scarcely get a
+word out of me concerning these vile land-crab affairs."
+
+Master Grand took him hastily by the arm, and led him out of the
+riddersal.
+
+"By St. Canute! I think I shall go too," said Count Jacob, rising: "my
+good comrade the marsk does not remember whom he has invited as
+guests."
+
+"There he is! there is the marsk!" exclaimed one knight to another.
+Count Jacob remained standing, while all the others rose, and looked,
+with fixed attention, towards the door, which was thrown open for the
+powerful lord of the castle.
+
+Proud and majestic, entered the well-known heroic figure, in his black
+harness and closed visor. He was accompanied by Sir Lavé Little, who
+looked anxiously around him, and appeared highly disquieted as his eye
+fell on Chamberlain Rané.
+
+The marsk saluted the company in silence, and advanced to the table,
+where he placed himself on the left side of the vacant, velvet-covered
+chair. He then struck aside the visor of his helmet, and made a
+scrutinising and earnest survey of the company. On his stern,
+energetic, and commanding countenance was an expression of almost
+painful sadness, which singularly affected them all. "Be seated," he
+said, with a subdued voice: "my father-in-law and my wife are agreed in
+what we may determine; their seats may therefore remain empty. But I
+miss two important men."
+
+At that instant, the door of the side apartment opened, and Master
+Grand led the pacified jarl into the hall. They both bowed in silence,
+and took their places. The lofty marsk alone remained standing.
+
+"Secure the doors--we are all here," he said to the two at the further
+end of the table.
+
+Squire Kaggé and Chamberlain Rané rose, and placed bars across both
+doors of the hall. They again took their seats, and there was an
+expectant silence, all eyes being fastened on the marsk.
+
+"You all know wherefore we are again assembled, my trusty friends,"
+began the grave marsk, in a deep, subdued voice, betraying powerfully
+suppressed indignation: "you all know what has rendered this castle,
+for the last nine years, a dismal and sorrowful abode. I declared it
+before the people of Denmark, and before all the world, in the hour
+when I denounced the King of Denmark in the Ting of Viborg, and swore
+to revenge my shame or to lose my life. I have not had my revenge, and
+Marsk Stig Andersen still lives. Had I delayed so long from base fear,
+and had I rather wished to be a braggart and perjurer than to risk my
+life for my honour, then might you all despise me--then might every
+drop of blood in my body suffuse these cheeks with shame, in presence
+of my friends and kinsmen. But see! I blush not: I am calm and cool, as
+beseems a man who can keep his revenge until his hair becomes gray, and
+suffer his thoughts to grow until they ripen. My own disdain I have
+hitherto borne for your sakes and for the sake of my country. I have
+had a greater and more important aim in view than merely to wipe out
+the stains on my own and my house's honour. The great hour of
+retribution has not yet arrived; but it approaches. No impatience--no
+precipitation, friends--and it shall surely come. I see no one present
+who has not been deeply wronged and injured by this same tyrant, whom I
+have denounced, and whose death and downfall I have sworn; but none of
+you have so much to revenge as I. So long, then, as Stig Andersen can
+brook delay, so long may you also."
+
+Count Jacob exhibited some impatience, and seemed desirous to speak;
+but a look from the marsk immediately quieted him.
+
+"It is for more than one man's revenge," he continued; "more than the
+weal and woe of our whole race together: it is for the deliverance of a
+degenerate, but still a noble, though cast-down and unhappy people. It
+is not enough that we overthrow the tyrant who contemns all law, both
+human and divine: he must fall, but the throne must stand. While we
+overthrow the nidding, we must not only secure ourselves and our
+privileges, but must, at the same time, secure a worthy ruler for the
+throne. We certainly hoped to have found him, and we hope so still; but
+his imprisonment put a stop to our grand designs, and his oath and
+renunciation have, for the present, deprived us of his participation in
+our council. We have him not amongst us--his elevated seat stands
+empty; but I see here, nevertheless, his chivalrous friend and
+fellow-prisoner; and I see, moreover, his confessor, the sagacious,
+worthy sir dean. Speak, noble sirs: what may we expect of the duke?"
+
+"Everything--everything possible!" replied Drost Tuko Abildgaard,
+rising. "These are not the words of my prince and master, but my own.
+The oath binds his tongue; but I know his heart, and dare pledge my
+head, that now, as formerly, he is your friend and secret defender, and
+that, when the time comes, he will step forward and act with energy."
+
+"I confirm this testimony," began Master Grand, solemnly, and rising
+with bold dignity. "Our secretly chosen David has selected me for his
+spokesman here. I have, with peril to my life, shown him the way to
+freedom, as you desired; and he is now serving our heaven-abandoned
+Saul till the hour of doom arrives. He is too conscientious to break
+his oath, and too magnanimous to demand a dispensation of it from the
+father of Christendom. He cannot, and will not, at present, take any
+open part in your great undertakings. He will and ought not to know
+anything that his friends may determine for the freedom of the country.
+But when the time arrives, to which, in calm self-denial, he looks
+forward--when the way and place stand open for him--he will come
+forward, with the aid of the Church and the Almighty, as he can and
+ought, and, with honour, crown the work. This, in his name and by his
+princely soul, I dare swear to you, faithfully and piously."
+
+"'Tis well!" resumed Stig Andersen: "two such creditable witnesses we
+may rely upon. But the tyrant has bold and sagacious friends: a great
+portion of the blinded people remain inconceivably firm, both with him
+and his sons; and without certainty of powerful assistance from the
+noble Norwegian king, our undertaking would be foolishness. I see our
+trusty sworn friend, the bold Jarl Alf of Tönsberg, in the midst of us.
+The answer he brings from his king must determine us when to act."
+
+"Now, then, by Beelzebub! comes my turn, at last, to say a word,"
+muttered the pirate chief, who had long been impatiently rubbing the
+jewels on his dirk. "My king's answer is short and good, Marsk
+Andersen," he continued, aloud, rising leisurely, and standing with his
+legs apart, as if he had been on a ship in motion. "You are a man,
+every inch of you, says my king and master; and he is to you a faithful
+friend, whether in fair weather or foul. Your friends are also his; and
+he who offends you has to do with him. With your secret councils he
+will have nothing to do; but as a true and honest Norseman, he will
+openly defend you against every foe, and stand by you with a fleet when
+it is wanted. His land and kingdom are open to you and your friends,
+should mischance befall you; and I, his jarl and admiral, do not quit
+these coasts with my own seadogs, so long as you want help, and there
+is anything to take a hand in. In all this I am clear and ready. What
+you farther do here does not concern me. What comes in at the one ear,
+I shall let go out of the other. Talk is not my business; and you
+have had my oath once. But, sooth to say, you go on too quietly and
+sour-mouthed here. I cannot relish these secret councils and fine
+projects. I am good for nothing but the rude work of giving the order,
+and setting to, without more ado. In a word: I will burn all Denmark
+before your eyes, if that will help you. As for the rest, it matters
+not to me who is king of the country. So long as good booty is to be
+had, I am with you; and how I can hit, you well know. Let me now drink
+to your health, and waste no more time in talk. Do you understand me?"
+
+"Perfectly, sir jarl," answered the marsk. "Yet a word. Will you keep
+the promise you made to Duke Waldemar, concerning my wife's sister's
+son, Chamberlain Rané Jonsen, who is sitting there? On that condition
+he is our friend; and his assistance is of greater importance than you
+may suppose."
+
+While the marsk uttered these words, Chamberlain Rané had risen, and
+approached the jarl.
+
+"Is it thee who would be my son-in-law?" inquired the jarl, with a
+smile, and measuring him with a proud look. "Now this I must say, that
+thou dost not look exactly the kind of carl who should woo a jarl's
+daughter. I gave the duke the word in an honest guzzle, and I doubt if
+my daughter will say yea to it. But if you are as cunning a fellow as
+you have credit for, we can talk of it when the time comes: if the
+child don't refuse you, well, the sober jarl will answer for what the
+Count of Tönsberg promised when he was drunk."
+
+"Farther my bold wishes do not extend, sir jarl," replied Rané. "When
+the terms on my side are fulfilled, I shall show you that I have not
+aimed higher than I can reach."
+
+"Good: with the time comes the care!" muttered the jarl. "Show me
+first, by some able exploit, what thou art worth, and in exchange I
+will dub thee a knight with a stroke that shall crack thy puny
+collar-bone?"
+
+"That is the word, sir jarl. You all hear this, gentlemen?" said Rané,
+looking boldly round the assembly. He then returned to his seat; whilst
+the freebooter, without giving farther heed to him, nodded to the
+others, and withdrew into the drinking-room. At the marsk's signal, all
+the rest resumed their seats, and there was a death stillness amongst
+them.
+
+"We have held counsel long and often enough," resumed the marsk,
+mysteriously. "What shall and must happen, we all know. The time has
+now arrived when we ought to take the last resolute determination. But
+what is to be resolved in our souls at this hour, even these silent
+walls shall not hear. An approving or disapproving sign is sufficient,
+and we understand one another."
+
+Thereupon he whispered a few words in Count Jacob's ear, who
+immediately answered by a grave nod. In the same manner the secret word
+was communicated from man to man. A long and deep silence prevailed
+during this proceeding. Several of the gentlemen considered long before
+they nodded, and among these was Sir Lavé Little. He, at length, made a
+motion with his head, which was understood to be a nod, but which more
+resembled an involuntary convulsive contraction of the muscles.
+
+At last it came to Chamberlain Rané's turn. The marsk scrutinised him
+with a penetrating look, and Master Grand's eyes were fixed upon his
+countenance. The crafty chamberlain heard the whispered word, and he
+opened his eyes as if greatly astonished, whilst with secret pleasure
+he seemed to enjoy the triumph of beholding the general attention
+turned on him alone. He assumed a highly thoughtful air, and still
+delayed giving the decisive nod. It was necessary that all should be
+unanimous in a project which the meanest of the witnesses could betray
+and ruin. The chamberlain was the last, and, next to Squire Kaggé, the
+humblest in rank of all; but, as the king's familiar, he was an
+important man; and he seemed to feel with pride that a king's life,
+and perhaps the weal or woe of a whole nation, solely depended on a
+slight motion of his cunning head. Whilst he thus remained considering,
+and apparently undecided, three knocks were heard at the barred
+entrance-door. All started, and looked in that direction. At a signal
+from the marsk, Squire Aagé Kaggé opened it, and the gaze of all was
+turned with a degree of terror towards the open door, through which a
+tall veiled lady, dressed in black, entered, leading by the arm a
+blind, decrepid old man, whose hands were bound behind his back, and on
+whose sightless countenance appeared an expression of quiet, but horrid
+insanity. These two silent figures remained standing at the end of the
+table. All arose, and remained motionless as statues.
+
+"Friends and kinsmen!" exclaimed the marsk, in a voice nearly
+suffocated with anger and sorrow--"descendants of the great race of
+Absalom! look upon my wife and her hapless father! Need I say more?
+Would you see the unmerited blush of shame through that veil, which,
+for nine years, has concealed, even from me, the face of my wife? Would
+you hear the mad, despairing shriek of her dishonoured father? Is there
+one amongst you who yet hesitates in coming to the conclusion that
+shall cast down the tyrant, and free our unhappy fatherland?" As he
+uttered these words, his keen glance rested on Chamberlain Rané, who
+also, for a moment, appeared surprised and affected.
+
+Rané nodded.
+
+"'Tis well!" continued the marsk: "you have all approved. Now, lay your
+hands on the holy Gospels, and swear!"
+
+He gave Master Grand a signal, and the ecclesiastic drew forth a large
+book, bound in black velvet.
+
+"It shall be truly done, so help us God and his Holy Word!" said the
+dean, slowly and solemnly, laying his own hand first upon the Gospels.
+
+The book then passed from man to man. After a violent internal
+conflict, which was visible in every feature, Sir Lavé also laid his
+trembling hand upon the book, and stammered out the oath. When it came
+to Rané's turn, he repeated the same words audibly and distinctly; but
+his lips continued to move after he had pronounced the oath, although
+none could hear what he seemed to add to it secretly. Thereupon he laid
+his hand upon the book, without farther hesitation.
+
+"Unbind me--unbind me, my daughter Ingeborg!" cried the crazy old man,
+suddenly waking up, as if from a dream. "I will swear and bind myself,
+so that the Almighty above shall hear it, and all the devils shall
+shake and tremble!"
+
+"Still, still, father! Remember thy promise," whispered Fru Ingeborg;
+while the marsk gave her a sign to lead out the unhappy old man.
+
+But before any one could prevent it, he had torn asunder his bands with
+almost inconceivable strength, and stretched forth his liberated arms
+with a wild and fearful burst of laughter. "For ever, for ever doomed
+to perdition may I be, if I be not the first," he shouted, striking the
+Gospels with his clenched hand: "if old Pallé is not the first who
+strikes, I shall wander on earth till doomsday!"
+
+Master Grand had nearly lost his hold of the book. The marsk again
+beckoned, and two knights led the crazy old man from the hall. A
+profound silence followed, during which the dean had recovered himself,
+and now stood with the Holy Book in his hand, before Fru Ingeborg. She
+bowed her head affirmatively, and, in a voice that penetrated the souls
+of all who heard her, repeated the oath they had all sworn, while she
+bent her knee, and touched the book with her wasted hand. She remained
+without changing her posture, and, at the marsk's signal, all the
+others silently withdrew. Involuntarily, as it were, the gloomy master
+of the castle stretched forth his mailed arm towards his unhappy wife,
+but again let it fall by his side. He hastily pulled a bell-rope, when
+Fru Ingeborg's waiting-maidens entered, and carried their fainting lady
+to her own apartments.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+What had taken place at Möllerup was a secret known only to the
+initiated. The disguised strangers left the castle, one by one, at
+different times, and generally by night, as they had come. Even in the
+immediate neighbourhood, no one seemed to have been aware of this
+secret gathering. In the castle itself no change took place. The four
+mailed watchers were still constantly to be seen on the tower. The
+drawbridge, as usual, was kept raised; and, notwithstanding its
+numerous garrison, everything was as quiet and still as if the fortress
+had been waste and deserted.
+
+The contract with Duke Waldemar had set the royal mind at rest; and the
+council of the kingdom did not appear apprehensive of any danger. The
+king and queen passed the beautiful summer at Scanderborg Castle,
+surrounded by their whole court, and the most considerable people of
+the country. Old Sir John, Master Martinus, and Drost Peter, had
+returned from Stockholm with good tidings concerning the object of
+their mission.
+
+The negociations opened with King Magnus chiefly referred to a closer
+alliance between the two royal houses, by means of a double marriage.
+The little Danish Princess Mereté, who had been betrothed to the
+Swedish crown-prince, was to be sent to the court of Stockholm during
+the following year, where her education, according to agreement, was to
+be completed. In the same way the little Swedish Princess Ingeborg was
+to be educated at the court of Denmark, if the request were made. Her
+betrothment to the Danish crown-prince was concluded by a written
+document, but the public announcement of this alliance was to be
+deferred for a few years.
+
+With lively satisfaction, the Danish ambassadors had beheld the little
+Swedish princess, whom they hoped would one day be Denmark's future
+queen; and even old Sir John, who did not expect to live to see the
+time, could not speak of the pretty kindly child without particular
+animation, as if he expected in her another Dagmar, who would bring
+peace and blessings to Denmark. This prudent statesman, as well as
+Drost Peter, placed all his hopes of better times for Denmark in the
+hopeful heir to its throne and his descendants. Old Sir John often
+sought to be useful to the young prince; and, with all his esteem for
+Drost Peter, he frequently shook his head when he saw how the young
+chivalrous drost desired to educate the prince's feelings of honour and
+justice to a degree that appeared to him dangerous.
+
+One day the old knight was present, with the queen's household, at
+Scanderborg, to witness the prince's exercises in arms, and observed
+how he sought to convert these sports and exercises into gay and costly
+imitations of the ordinary jousts and tournaments; the young king, as
+he was always called, dispensing royal gifts to the squires, and
+pronouncing sentence with excessive severity on every transgressor of
+the laws of chivalry, as applicable to the game. The old counsellor
+smiled, and seemed to participate in the pleasure evinced by the queen
+and Drost Peter on the occasion; but, when the game was ended, he
+called the drost to his private room.
+
+"I am old," he said, seriously, "but I do not think I am niggardly or
+avaricious, although I may set greater store by outward fortune than
+you approve of. It is right that the prince should be liberal and
+magnanimous; but do not therefore teach our future king to be a
+spendthrift, and to despise the wealth of his people and their
+possessions, like the dust on which he treads. Take care that he has
+not more regard for knightly pomp and splendour than for substantial
+power, true achievements, and real greatness."
+
+"God forbid!" said Drost Peter. "But, if the days of the great
+Waldemars are to be restored--"
+
+"Good, good. I know what you would say," interrupted the old knight:
+"therefore, if you would make a Waldemar Seier of Prince Erik, take
+care that his love of honour is not mere empty love of glitter, and his
+love of justice untimely obstinacy. He is a youth that, with God's
+help, much may be made of. You have a great charge, Drost Peter:
+consider it well. The swiftest falcon never makes an eagle. It is
+dangerous to attempt to create God's work anew; and he is a fool who
+tries to add a cubit to his own or another's stature."
+
+So saying, he warmly pressed the hand of his young friend, and left
+him. The drost found him, afterwards, as lively as usual; and it did
+not appear that he cared farther about giving his opinion in the
+matter. Sir John's warning, however, disposed the drost to very serious
+thoughts, and he could not deny that the sagacious old man was right in
+many of his views.
+
+The learned Master Martinus, too, with the tenderest zeal, took upon
+himself, in his own fashion, the education of the prince; but he
+endeavoured in vain to form him into a philosopher, or to teach him his
+dry, logical _Modos Significandi_. The prince had great respect for the
+learned chancellor, but was never better pleased than when he could
+escape from his Latin.
+
+At Scanderborg, the merry, lively heir-apparent was most happy when
+engaged in games of chivalry with his active squires and pages, among
+whom the little friendly Aagé Jonsen was his dearest comrade. When, at
+such times, Junker Christopher would spoil the game by some wanton
+boyish trick, or cause division among the pages, the little king was
+always umpire; and his strict impartiality rendered him as much beloved
+by the young pages, as disliked by his quarrelsome brother. When his
+daily exercise in arms was over, it often pleased Prince Erik to take
+diversion on the lake at Scanderborg, where his skilful tutor, Drost
+Peter, had also taught him to steer a boat easily and safely, even when
+the waters were roughest.
+
+Drost Peter's active participation in the affairs of government, as
+well as his care for the important crown-prince, forbade him almost to
+think of himself and his private affairs of the heart. But frequently,
+when boating with his pupil on the Scanderborg lake till late in the
+evening, he would fall into deep thought, while steering the little
+vessel in the direction of the light from the ladies' apartment, that,
+from a lofty turret, looked out on the waters, like Jomfru Ingé's
+chamber at Flynderborg. He would often, on these occasions, sit for
+hours in a kind of reverie, and steer for the distant light, without
+observing what was taking place around him, until a lusty squall or an
+uneasy tossing of the boat brought him to his senses. At times, when
+in these reveries, he would suddenly start up and reproach himself with
+his forgetfulness, when the daring Prince Erik had made a hazardous
+alteration of the sails, and, by so doing, had embroiled himself in a
+violent dispute with Junker Christopherson.
+
+The king's chief amusement was hunting, of which he was passionately
+fond, and for which he frequently neglected the most important state
+affairs. Chamberlain Rané was still his constant favourite. The crafty
+chamberlain was often absent on secret errands; but these appeared to
+have reference merely to the usual love affairs, or to miserable
+adventures of the basest description, which were generally pursued in
+connection with the king's frequent hunting expeditions.
+
+The queen did not appear desirous of knowing anything concerning them.
+Since the last Dane-court at Nyborg, she had become singularly reserved
+and serious; and though she still affected the splendours of royalty,
+and showed herself with dignity at court festivals, she no longer took
+any part in the dancing, and withdrew herself more and more from the
+pleasures of the court. She seemed now to prefer the quiet, retired
+country life of the beautiful castle of Scanderborg, where she partly
+busied herself with useful occupations. Sometimes, when the king's
+absence embarrassed his advisers, the prudent queen would take his
+place in the council; and, on such occasions, all admired the delicacy
+with which she conducted the business, and avoided every appearance of
+assumption, while she sought to maintain the dignity of the throne, and
+to promote every plan that could alleviate the burdens of the people,
+or quench the still smouldering embers of sedition. With Drost Peter
+she conversed with favour and confidence, but with remarkable attention
+to the strictest forms of court. She never spoke to him except in the
+council, or in the presence of old Sir John, when she had anything of
+importance to say to him in reference to the prince's education.
+
+Notwithstanding the increased admiration with which he now regarded the
+fair and prudent queen, he felt, in her presence, as if bereft of his
+usual freedom and liveliness. But his heart did not take the same warm
+share in this admiration, as when, acknowledged as her knight and
+distinguished favourite, he wore her colours. When he now beheld her in
+her scarlet robe, and with a diadem of rubies in her dark hair, he
+still, indeed, thought her beautiful and majestic; but the tall and
+noble Jomfru Ingé, with all her simplicity, was, in his eyes, far more
+dignified, and the crimson hair-band in her golden locks far more
+beautiful than the glittering diadem of the queen.
+
+Notwithstanding the king's partiality to Rané, he always reposed the
+greatest confidence in Drost Peter, on whom he had bestowed many
+honourable proofs of his favour, especially since the drost's important
+and successful undertaking respecting the duke's imprisonment, and
+after the contract with that dangerous nobleman, who had ever since
+remained quietly at his castle in Sleswick. No royal letter of any
+importance was issued which was not signed and sealed by Drost Peter,
+Sir John, and the learned chancellor; whilst many important Ordinances
+were prepared by the drost alone; and he was justly regarded as one of
+the king's most influential and favoured men.
+
+The king had often proposed to visit Drost Peter at his ancestral
+castle at Harrestrup, where deer-hunting, especially in autumn, was
+excellent. This visit of honour was fixed for the month of September,
+and the drost made sumptuous preparations for the reception of the king
+and his court. But, on account of one diversion or another, the visit
+was postponed from week to week. The month of October passed away; and
+the drost began to think that the king had either forgotten it
+altogether, or intended to defer it until the following autumn.
+
+It was already the middle of November, but the autumn did not seem
+willing to give way to winter, and the many-coloured leaves had not yet
+all fallen in the woods. One morning, Drost Peter was surprised with a
+message from the king, brought by Chamberlain Rané, that his majesty
+would pay him a visit, next day, at Harrestrup, and amuse himself for
+eight days in hunting. Sudden resolves of this nature were not unusual
+on the part of the king, especially when they had reference to hunting
+expeditions, and were verbally announced by the chamberlain.
+
+Although it was unpleasant for Drost Peter to receive Rané's
+announcement, delivered, as it was on the present occasion, in a
+somewhat authoritative manner, he still behaved courteously, and left
+Scanderborg without delay, to prepare everything to the king's wishes,
+and that he might, on the following day, receive him at his castle in
+person, with that respectful distinction which the forms of court-life
+demanded. He heard with pleasure that Sir John would accompany the
+king, and that Sir Rimaardson would remain at Scanderborg, as captain
+of the body-guard, with the queen and the young princes.
+
+From Scanderborg to Harrestrup Castle, by the tortuous and uneven road,
+was a distance of above ten miles.[29] It was somewhat advanced in the
+morning when Drost Peter left the palace, attended merely by his
+squire, Claus Skirmen, who had a second horse with him to change on the
+way.
+
+The drost rode so rapidly, and was so much engrossed in his own
+thoughts, that his squire several times began and broke off a
+conversation in which he could not bring his master to take the least
+interest. It was somewhat past noon when they caught sight of an
+eminence, of considerable height, at no great distance from Harrestrup,
+which, from the south and west, can be seen at a distance of four
+miles, and may be known by the blueish haze, arising from the adjacent
+morass, that almost invariably covers it.
+
+"Seest thou Daugberg-Daas, Skirmen?" asked Drost Peter, pointing to the
+hill, as he drew up, and dismounted to change his horse. "Six miles
+have been got over quickly. We may easily reach Harrestrup before
+evening."
+
+"We shall get to Harrestrup time enough," said Skirmen, as he sprang
+from his norback and brought his master the other horse. "Would that we
+may be only as fortunate in leaving it, sir!"
+
+"How so, Skirmen? Thou art not wont to be so reflective. What has
+happened to thee? Thou seemest rather downcast."
+
+"Nothing is the matter with me," replied Skirmen, holding the stirrup
+for his master, "if nothing is the matter with yourself, or, perhaps,
+with the king. You may believe me or not, as you choose--but all is not
+right. 'Tis true, indeed, they were so drunk that they could not see a
+fly on the wall; but a drunken man's jabber is not always to be
+despised. In our old ballads it is often said, that wisdom may be
+learnt in the song of birds, when it is understood. People, however,
+are not so wise now-a-days; yet still I think I can guess what the cock
+crowed this morning."
+
+"Art thou crazed, Skirmen? I cannot understand a word of this."
+
+"That, in sooth, is not my fault, stern sir," replied Skirmen, mounting
+his horse, and riding on by his master's side. "For five long hours you
+have not cared to listen to what I have been telling you, but have
+allowed me to speak to the wind. Trust me, something will come of this
+journey to Harrestrup. Did you not perceive how glad the crafty
+chamberlain was, when you rode off? Did you not mark how eagerly he
+repeated, that the king would meet you at home like a careful host, I
+and that you were not, on any account, to ride out to meet him
+to-morrow?"
+
+"Ay, truly: but that is merely a curious whimsy of the king's."
+
+"But none can better lead the king to your abode than yourself, sir.
+And is it not singular that you should be sent off beforehand, dancing
+to the chamberlain's pipe--you that are both a knight and a drost?"
+
+"No childish vanities, Skirmen. I must obey the king's message, whoever
+brings it to me. I find nothing more remarkable in this than I have
+heretofore discovered in your sage suspicions respecting certain
+grayfriar monks, and hens, and Rypen burghers. If the king will visit
+me, it follows, as a matter of course, that I must be at home
+beforehand, to receive him becomingly. Sir John accompanies him, with
+his trusty jagers; and the country around here is perfectly quiet and
+secure."
+
+"How know you that, sir? No one can tell where Niels Breakpeace is; and
+the algrev is constantly cruising on our coasts; to say nothing of the
+marsk, at Möllerup."
+
+"He is a knight, and not a highwayman; and Niels Breakpeace is no
+general. A prudent robber will never rub against the king's arm; and no
+pirate will venture within the coast-guard. So long as Sir John and I
+are not afraid of highwaymen or rebels, you may make yourself quite
+easy, my good Skirmen."
+
+"But have you not heard of the numerous grayfriar monks at Rypen?"
+
+"Are you there again, with your monks? Why, there are plenty of them
+everywhere."
+
+"But they are not wont to ride about in troops, and during the night;
+and if, as people say, they have swords and knights' harness under
+their gray cloaks, it is not on God's service that these good gentlemen
+have sneaked into monks' habits."
+
+"Who told you this?" inquired Drost Peter, with more attention.
+
+"The three men from Rypen, who yesterday desired to speak with the
+king--they whom the king told, through Chamberlain Rané, that he had
+something more to do than listen to their stupid quarrels: it was on
+that account they were so angry. When I met them at the tavern, in the
+evening, they were completely drunk; but this much I could gather from
+their conversation--that it was not for nothing they had seen three
+suns in the heavens--"
+
+"Sheer twaddle, Skirmen! Drunken people can see as many suns in the
+heavens as there are stars."
+
+"Many sober people have also seen the same, sir. It betides a great
+misfortune, they said, and they could reveal things of great importance
+to the king. But he must now take care of himself, since he was too
+proud to speak with honest burghers."
+
+"Ay, this is the loyalty now-a-days," exclaimed Drost Peter,
+indignantly: "when a man is offended, he bids his king and country a
+good day. If you thought there was anything more than vile superstition
+and silly braggadocia in this ale-gossip, why did not you inform me
+immediately?"
+
+"You were, with Sir John, in attendance upon the queen and the princes,
+sir; and I did not wish to raise a blind alarm, on the instant, about
+such loose talk. The Rypen burghers seemed as if they would take their
+ease for some days at the tavern, and this morning I was there betimes
+to meet them sober; but they had disappeared overnight, it was said,
+and no one knew what had become of them. I could not get speech of you
+this morning, on account of the chamberlain, and your many
+distinguished visitors; and ever since you mounted your horse, you have
+not listened to one word of all I have already told you--not even about
+the handsome cock with the necklace."
+
+"Enough. To what does all this trifling tend? How can you imagine that
+I have leisure to think of your cock and his battles?"
+
+"But what if it should be the same bird you so much admired at
+Flynderborg?"
+
+"Flynderborg?" repeated Drost Peter, starting: "who talks of
+Flynderborg? Was it not at Scanderborg the marvellous cock was to be
+seen, that gained the victory over all the rest?"
+
+"Truly, sir; but it came from Flynderborg, nevertheless: it is the
+selfsame bird respecting which you held such fair conversation with
+Lady Ingé, when she stroked his wings in the garden, on the hillock
+near the strand. I stood by, and ventured not to interrupt you. You had
+just been talking of Hamlet's cunning, with his charred wooden
+hooks,[30] and with the gad-fly and the straw; and Lady Ingé thought
+that her watchful bird had been a better sign of warning against
+treachery and danger."
+
+"And this bird, you say, is now at Scanderborg?"
+
+"There is no doubt that it is the same: I made the discovery this
+morning. You may remember the fowler from Zealand, who, one evening
+lately, forced his way to you into the palace, and wanted you to look
+at his hens? You closed the door against him, and thought him a
+simpleton. I, too, thought the man crazy, when he ran away, and let
+loose his best cock in the court of the palace. It first occurred to me
+this morning that the brave pugnacious bird was an old acquaintance.
+The falconer had caught him, for the sake of a crimson pearl-band he
+had about his neck. I procured the band, and certainly think I know it.
+You may, perhaps, know it yourself, sir." So saying, he drew forth a
+crimson riband, wrought with pearls in the form of a few white flowers.
+
+With blushing cheeks Drost Peter recognised Lady Ingé's hair-band. "Let
+me have it," he said, eagerly; "it is mine." He pressed it closely to
+his lips, then concealed it in his bosom, and, setting spurs to his
+horse, rode on in the strangest frame of mind. He felt himself happy
+beyond measure, yet at the same time disquieted and uneasy.
+
+But the joyful hope awakened in his breast by the possession of the
+band, did not long sustain him. The mysterious warning, and the summons
+to vigilance, associated with this fond memorial, had, to him, a
+signification that almost forbade him to think of himself and his
+affection. What the patriotic maiden intended to communicate to him, by
+this mysterious symbol, appeared to him to have reference to the crown
+and the royal house alone. He suddenly checked his horse, and reflected
+whether he ought not at once to ride back to Scanderborg, and accompany
+the king himself on the following day, or, rather, induce him to
+abandon the visit entirely. But when he considered how absurd such a
+course would appear to the king and his court, and the ridicule to
+which it might expose him, he relinquished the thought, with a smile at
+his own credulity.
+
+Skirmen, in the meantime, had overtaken his master.
+
+"Well, now," said the drost, "the cock may still be right. We shall be
+cautious; although, as the king travels with a considerable retinue,
+there is no rational ground for apprehending any impending danger. I
+shall, however, ride to meet him to-morrow, and follow him through the
+wood with my people. At Harrestrup he can be safer than at Scanderborg
+itself."
+
+"I think with you," replied Skirmen: "at present, indeed, nothing
+farther can be done. But that there are night-birds in the moss, I
+certainly believe."
+
+They now rode on thoughtfully, and in silence. The night was beginning
+to darken as they passed Daugberg Church, and they continued their
+course northwards towards the town, through a long valley between
+considerable heights, wherein deep pits had been formed by the
+important lime-stone quarries. The dark green, newly-sprung winter corn
+grew on the heights, between heaps of stones and half-fallen groups of
+trees. The sight of this wild, picturesque spot awoke many youthful
+memories in the mind of the drost, and dissipated his uneasy thoughts.
+
+"Here have I often played at robbers in my childhood," he said: "little
+thought I, then, that I should now be riding here in this serious
+mood."
+
+"Look, sir!" said Skirmen, riding close up to his master: "see you not
+something twinkling, and in motion, in that great gloomy pit?"
+
+"Are you dreaming of robbers?" inquired the drost. "I see nothing."
+
+"Now, also, do I see nothing," replied Skirmen; "but the pit is full
+seventy ells deep--it could conceal a whole band."
+
+"The place is well suited for such fellows," observed the drost; "but
+hitherto, this spot has been secure enough. My brave warden Tygé is not
+to be trifled with. Do you see the old wheel on Daugberg-Daas? It still
+stands there, as a grave warning to rievers and highwaymen. The wood
+would better suit such gentry; but, there, old Henner Friser is on the
+outlook."
+
+"Henner Friser!" repeated Skirmen, in astonishment: "is he here?"
+
+"It is true, indeed. You should not have known it, Skirmen; but
+you can be silent. You may remember that he killed a royal squire in
+self-defence; and, to be out of the way of trouble on that account, he
+is attached to one of my hunting-seats."
+
+"Which, sir? That of Finnerup?"
+
+"Well, then, since you have guessed so much, he resides there. But you
+must be silent on the subject."
+
+"I understand you, sir," replied Skirmen, highly delighted: "I shall
+take care not to bring the brave old man and the pretty little Aasé
+into trouble. But had they not better leave the hunting-seat for the
+next few days? How easily the king and his huntsmen might discover
+them! And, should that cursed coxcomb, Rané, meet them--"
+
+"Skirmen," replied the drost, "you are more circumspect than I.
+To-morrow, betimes, you can ride over and warn them."
+
+"Thanks, sir, thanks!" exclaimed Skirmen, jigging gaily in his saddle.
+
+They now entered a little plantation of young beeches and poplars.
+Twilight descended, but they could still see the tall white trees.
+
+"I scarcely know my little Kjĉlderriis again," said the drost: "see how
+proud my poplars are grown."
+
+"However good a look-out Henner Friser may keep, there are still
+poachers enough here," said Skirmen. "I heard the twang of a steel-bow
+just now; and--do you not hear that rustling in the thicket there?"
+
+"Nonsense, Skirmen. It is my poplars, rustling me a welcome," replied
+the drost, "or a startled roebuck among the leaves. The rascals,
+however, should not be admitted here," he added: "probably the fences
+are not in good condition."
+
+They were soon out of the plantation, and then rode through a deep
+dale. The last glimmer of day still lighted up the brow of a
+considerable hill, which rose nobly from the valley. Harrestrup Castle
+lay before them, on the smooth and almost circular summit of the
+height. The castle was small, but so well fortified by nature that it
+required no artificial trenches; and its steep; lofty walls and
+buttresses seemed inaccessible to the most daring assailants. The
+entire castle appeared to consist of a single round tower, built of
+bricks and hewn stone. It was approached only by a steep and narrow
+pathway, which the tired horses had some trouble to ascend; the road,
+at every step, becoming narrower and steeper.
+
+Drost Peter and his squire at length dismounted, and led their horses
+over the most difficult spot, between two steep gullies crossed by a
+small drawbridge. As usual in time of peace, the bridge was down. At
+length the travellers stood by the castle-gate, which was closed. High
+over Drost Peter's head, on the summit of the wall above the gate,
+waved a large banner, adorned with the armorial bearings of the master
+of the castle--three parallel descending bars, _gules_ on a field
+_d'or_.
+
+"You have brought the horn, Skirmen," said the drost: "blow a merry
+stave, that they may know we are here."
+
+Skirmen carried a curved golden horn in a band over his shoulder. He
+set it to his lips, and blew the commencement of the air of the merry
+old ballad about Sir John, who took the bride from her loutish lover.
+
+This signal was immediately answered from the tower by a brisk,
+youthful voice, which sang the burden to the well-known song:--
+
+
+                  "Bind up your golden helmet--
+                  Bind up, and follow Sir John."
+
+
+"Is it you, stern sir?" then inquired the voice from the wall.
+
+"Ay, truly. Open, Tygé," replied the drost; and the great iron-studded
+door was instantly opened, and Drost Peter was received, with hearty
+pleasure, by his bold young warden and a numerous band of house-carls,
+all active young men, and, as was the warden, armed with round steel
+caps and bright halberds. A number of grooms and torchbearers also
+pressed forward to see and salute their master.
+
+Drost Peter shook hands with his warden, patted some of his house-carls
+on the shoulder, and nodded kindly to them all.
+
+"Is everything in order?" he inquired. "To-morrow the king will be
+here."
+
+"Came a kaiser himself here, sir," answered the warden, "you would not
+be ashamed of your house. Dorothy has had the waxlights placed, and the
+tables covered, these two months. The whole castle has been cleaned,
+and is as bright as are our halberds. The pantry is full of choice
+viands, and the cellar of prime ale and sweet wine. If the king should
+stay the whole winter, he will not have to lick his fingers."
+
+"And the hunters, the hounds, and the falcons?" inquired the drost.
+
+"They are fleet and well-trained. You shall get honour by them, sir."
+
+"One thing more, Tygé. Is the neighbourhood secure? Are there no
+poachers in Kjĉlderriis, and no loose and suspicious people in Daugberg
+quarries?"
+
+"Why should such an idea enter your thoughts, sir? Beggars and tinkers
+pass by here now and then: we give them bread and meat in God's name,
+and they touch not a rabbit in the woods, nor a feather in the
+hen-house. If the district were unsafe, we must have heard of it. No
+thief or robber may venture near Harrestrup Castle, so long as your
+banner hangs over the gate. Have you perceived anything, sir?"
+
+"Not I. It was only a fancy that seized Skirmen on the road."
+
+"What, Claus Skirmen!" exclaimed the lively warden; "when wert thou
+wont to have old women's fancies?"
+
+"If you will trust me with half a score of house-carls, sir," said
+Skirmen, quickly and decidedly, to the drost, "I shall yet perhaps,
+before you go to bed, show your confident warden that I have not had
+old women's fancies."
+
+"Well, if you have a desire to see a little about you, you may have ten
+carls, willingly. If you do not break your neck in the pits, you must
+be here again before midnight. The moon rises late: have you torches?"
+
+"They are not required," said Skirmen: "the darker the better. On
+foot, we can find our way blindfolded. Take good care of my norback,
+lads. I shall have none of you with me but you, nimble John, and you,
+warder Soeren, and you--" And he thus selected ten of the most active
+house-carls, and hastened from the gate with them, whilst the grooms
+led the horses to the stable.
+
+Drost Peter accompanied the castle-warden across the court, and up the
+stone steps, to the dwelling-house.
+
+Before the young master of the castle partook of either rest or
+refreshment, he inspected the whole arrangements. He found everything
+in the best order, and prepared sumptuously to receive the king and his
+train. Drost Peter's old nurse, the careful Dorothy, with a broom and
+dish-cloth in her hand, bustled towards him from the kitchen, and, in
+her extreme joy, would have embraced him. She was not a little proud of
+having been entrusted with the entire management of the domestic
+affairs of the castle. She wept with joy at the proud thought that she
+should be hostess to the royal party; and it was to her an honour
+without parallel, to be reigning queen of the kitchen and pantry on so
+important an occasion--the crowning event of her life. She dragged her
+young master about with her everywhere, to show him all the choice
+arrangements she had made for the convenience of the king and his great
+lords, and was inexhaustible in explaining to him how she had prepared
+for every hour of the day, so long as the royal visit should last.
+
+"Good, good, my dear Dorothy," said Drost Peter, at length, somewhat
+impatiently, and patting her kindly on the shoulder: "you have done
+everything excellently. I do not understand these matters, but I well
+know that you care for the honour of the house, as much as if you were
+my wife."
+
+"Ah, dear young master," replied Dorothy, kissing his hand, "when shall
+I have the heart's joy of seeing you cared for and received by a pious
+and handsome young housewife in the castle here? You truly deserve that
+one of God's dear angels should come to you. God's blessing rests here,
+and, like the prosperous Joseph, you are, next to the king, the first
+man in the land; and, I dare be sworn, should Potiphar's wife tempt
+you--"
+
+"Enough, enough, Dorothy," exclaimed Drost Peter, interrupting her, and
+blushing. "I do not doubt your good opinion of me."
+
+"Ah!" continued Dorothy, "but what avail you honour and fortune, my
+dear young master, when you live in this way, like a lonely bird in the
+world. Trow me, fair sir, it is not good for man to be alone. So my
+blessed husband always said, God gladden his soul! He banged me well at
+times, the blessed creature, when he did not get warm hashed meat to
+supper--it was always a favourite dish of his--and every mortal has his
+weakness; but he was still a good sort of man, and as pious as an
+angel, after he had his supper. Ay, ay; everything in the world is
+transitory. My happy days have gone by; and now I have no greater joy
+than to see you comfortable, my dearest young master; and could I once
+see my good Peter Hessel married, and rock his children and his
+children's children in my arms, I should willingly close my old eyes,
+and bid this weary world good night."
+
+So saying, she wiped a few tears from her withered cheeks with her
+kitchen-apron, without noticing warden Tygé's dry remark how much she
+would be beyond a hundred years of age before all her wishes were
+fulfilled.
+
+"But come in now, my dear master, and take something to live upon," she
+added, going before him to open the door: "you are famishing, God help
+me, in your own house, and in the midst of all God's blessings." So
+saying, she ran back, and drew him with her into the clean, polished
+day-room, where she compelled him to sit down, while she busied herself
+about his refreshment.
+
+Drost Peter had still much to say to his warden; and having at length
+prevailed on Dorothy to go to bed, he remained alone with Tygé in the
+apartment. He then made inquiries into the condition of his estates and
+his subordinates, during which some hours elapsed.
+
+The warden had gone out to inspect his people, and had again returned.
+
+"It is late, Tygé," said the drost, with a feeling of weariness: "what
+has become of Skirmen? It is time all were retired to rest. Before
+daybreak we must ride to meet the king, with our boldest swains. You
+have taken care that they hold themselves ready to start betimes?"
+
+"The knechts are already as sound asleep as stones," replied the
+warden; "but this is not according to my way of management. Three of
+the carls who should have kept watch to-night, followed Skirmen, and
+their posts stand vacant. This is sad irregularity, sir drost: it has
+never happened to me before, and you must graciously excuse me. It is
+strange enough, sir, but we two are the only souls awake in the castle.
+Our house-carls are, at other times, brave and sober fellows; but, out
+of joy at your return, they have all looked a little too deep into the
+ale-can, and have tapped the German tun."
+
+"What? have you German ale in the castle?" inquired the drost, much
+displeased. "That, you know, I have strictly forbidden: it is contrary
+to the king's orders, which I and my people ought to be the first to
+obey."
+
+"I have said so, stern sir; but it was on Dorothy's account: she would
+not let me have either peace or quiet until I had brought her a couple
+of barrels from Viborg. Without German ale, she thought it would be
+impossible to entertain the king's people becomingly, even if the king
+had ten times forbidden it. If he himself and his people thought good
+of it, there would be no sin in it, she argued."
+
+"'Tis like her," said the drost, smiling; "and it must be so for the
+present; but to-morrow, betimes, let every drop of it run down the
+drain, whether Dorothy be sour or mild."
+
+"It shall be done, sir; but for the sake of peace in the house, had you
+not better inform her of it, yourself? What now is this?" he continued,
+listening: "I fancied I heard a creaking at the door of the riddersal.
+I thought Dorothy was sound asleep, but it would seem she is still
+bustling about. She is so zealous in her housewifery, that, at times,
+she gets up in the middle of the night, and dusts everything anew. It
+will be a God's blessing, however, if she does not get crazy with joy
+at all this magnificence. But, if you will allow me, sir, I will just
+see if it be her."
+
+Taking one of the lights, he proceeded towards the door of the
+riddersal; but before he reached it, it was softly opened, and a wild,
+shaggy face peeped in, but instantly disappeared, and the door was
+immediately closed again.
+
+Drost Peter quickly rose, and the young castle-warden stood, as if
+petrified, with the light in his hand, in the middle of the floor.
+
+"Death and misfortune!" he whispered: "Skirmen has gone off with the
+court-warder, and has left the gate open. For a certainty, there are
+thieves or robbers in the house. Let me rouse the house-carls? One does
+not know how strong the rascals may muster. I shall go through the
+kitchen, and do not open this door until I return." And as he spoke, he
+hastily placed the bar on the door of the riddersal.
+
+"Well, make haste!" said Drost Peter: "if I saw aright, it was the
+bull's face of Niels Breakpeace. So, then, Skirmen was right."
+
+The warden went quickly away, and Drost Peter stood alone in the
+apartment. He had drawn his sword, and leant upon it to collect himself
+and listen. He heard many voices in the riddersal.
+
+"Is he here--is he here? how many are there?" inquired a number of low
+voices in the same breath.
+
+"There are only two men, and the cursed drost is one of them," uttered
+a deep gruff voice. "Come, fellows: he shall not lead us into mischance
+again!"
+
+They attacked the door violently, but the bar held fast.
+
+"They have secured the door; but we can easily snap the bar," said the
+same harsh voice. "Run against it, lads. Let us break open the door--it
+yields!"
+
+The bar gave way with a frightful crash, the door flew open, and nine
+wild, sturdy fellows, with Niels Breakpeace at their head, rushed in,
+with short battle-axes and shining daggers in their hands. Drost Peter
+retreated a few steps, and placed himself with his back against the
+wall, in a position where he could defend himself for a time, and keep
+the rievers at bay with his long sword. He looked at the wild fellows
+sternly.
+
+"Are you such vile niddings," he cried, "that ten of you must fight
+against one? I see at least one man amongst you who has received the
+honour of knighthood from Denmark's king; and so far as I know, the
+stroke has not yet been washed from his shoulder with boiling water.
+Stand forth, Sir Lavé Rimaardson! You are the only one of these fellows
+with whom I can worthily do single battle for life or death. If there
+is yet a spark of honour in you, advance!"
+
+Niels Breakpeace and his comrades did not appear to notice this
+challenge, but pressed forward to overwhelm their single antagonist.
+
+"Out of the way, rascals!" shouted a vehement youthful voice; and a
+handsome fellow, with a red feather in his cap, and a wild, audacious
+countenance, sprang forward. "Whoever dares to touch the drost, save I,
+I cut down on the spot," he continued: "one to one, and ten to Satan!
+Come, Drost Peter Hessel! This is the second time we have met since you
+made me an outlaw in Denmark. On Vaarby Bridge I had a hindrance: had
+my brother's blood not been a little thicker than the water of the
+stream, you should never have crossed the bridge. We stand now on a
+greater bridge--one that leads from earth to heaven, or--hell, as it
+may happen; for here must either you or I bid this fair and pleasant
+world good night!"
+
+With these words, he threw aside his battle-axe and drew his sword,
+which was of the same length as Drost Peter's; and, that he might not
+have any advantage over his antagonist, who stood bareheaded before
+him, he cast his feathered cap on the floor.
+
+"Well, if it is to be a regular cockfight, I am quite willing," growled
+Niels Breakpeace; "but if you don't make quick work of him, Sir
+Bigsnout, I shall."
+
+The coarse robber chief and his comrades laughed, well pleased, and
+formed a close circle round the two antagonists. There then began a
+warm and serious combat, but conducted according to all the laws and
+usages of chivalry. Placing foot to foot, they swerved not a hair's
+breadth from their positions. Neither of them used the point of the
+sword, but hewed with the sharp edge, and aimed only at the head and
+breast, or between the four limbs, as it is termed. The single light on
+the table only partially illumined the apartment; and the clashing
+swords of the knights met so quickly, that a glimpse of them could
+scarcely be caught. Every instant threatened a mortal blow to one of
+them; but they both appeared equally skilled in their weapon, and
+neither of them could succeed in wounding his adversary, though, like
+constant lightning, their blades flashed over their heads.
+
+"Shall I put an end to the game?" growled Niels Breakpeace, raising his
+broad battle-axe.
+
+"By Satan! are you invulnerable?" shouted the robber-knight, springing
+impatiently towards his antagonist, and, contrary to the rules, with a
+daring and dangerous lunge. But at the same instant the sword fell from
+his grasp to the floor, together with the first three fingers of his
+right hand.
+
+"Now, you shall never more swear falsely to your king and knighthood!"
+cried Drost Peter, enraged.
+
+"Cut him down, the Satan!" shouted the furious robbers, pressing in
+upon the drost, who, with his back against the wall, defended himself
+desperately.
+
+He had already received some wounds, and was bleeding freely, when the
+kitchen-door flew open, and warden Tygé rushed in, with half a dozen
+half-intoxicated house-carls. They came staggering forward to assist
+their master, and a sanguinary battle commenced with daggers and axes.
+The robbers had still a great advantage over the reeling house-carls,
+who could scarcely distinguish friend from foe. With wild shouts they
+tumbled among one another, and Drost Peter and Tygé alone fought with
+deliberation and security; but they were nearly overwhelmed, when a
+noise in the court and the sound of a horn were heard.
+
+"Skirmen!" joyfully exclaimed Drost Peter and Tygé at the same time,
+and their blows fell with redoubled energy.
+
+The robbers, taken by surprise, retreated with their crafty leader
+towards the entrance of the riddersal; but, in the next moment, the
+shattered door was entirely driven in, and Skirmen rushed to his
+master's aid with ten active house-carls, two of whom had some trouble
+in restraining the fury of three men, whom they guarded, bound, between
+them. After a short but desperate resistance, the powerful Niels
+Breakpeace and his comrades were disarmed and bound. They cursed and
+vociferated furiously; but, at the drost's command, they were
+immediately led off to the tower-prison.
+
+Lavé Rimaardson still lay, with his hand mutilated, on the floor. The
+proud young robber had been for some moments without consciousness;
+and, when he now recovered his senses, he learnt what had happened, and
+found himself bound, and in the hands of his enemies. Drost Peter was
+about to bind up his wounded hand; but he instantly sprang up, tore
+away the bandage with his teeth, glared wildly around him, and would
+not suffer it to be dressed, cursing his limb, and conducting himself
+so furiously that it was requisite to use force with him. As soon as
+his hand was bandaged, his feet were set at liberty.
+
+"Attend to him closely," said Drost Peter, as the warden was dragging
+him, struggling, from the door. "Give him the best prison, and good
+fare. A great man may yet be made of him; and although his life is now
+in the king's hands, I shall rejoice if he can be saved from the
+wheel."
+
+"Drost Peter Hessel," exclaimed the young robber, pausing on the
+threshold, in an attitude of defiance, "I hate you to the death; but
+you are a brave fellow, and I should not be ashamed of falling by your
+hand. If you can save me from the wheel, do so. But not for my sake: I
+can die on a wheel, in the open air, as easily as on a wretched bed.
+But I have a brother--and I bear a noble name:--you understand me?"
+
+He paused, and a convulsive motion of the muscles around his mouth
+betrayed feelings for which he instantly seemed to blush, as he strove
+to control them. "Bear in mind that I am your fair queen's kinsman,
+and, perhaps, a little allied to yourself," he added, with a bitter
+smile. "But think not that I am afraid of death; and expect no thanks
+from me, if you save my life!"
+
+"Away--away with him!" cried Drost Peter, provoked by his coarse
+allusions, and the daring accusation couched in his words and haughty
+mien. "By a perjured and dishonoured knight, no honest man need feel
+affronted," he added, turning his back on the prisoner, as the warden
+thrust him out of the door.
+
+"You are bleeding, sir," exclaimed Skirmen: "allow me to bandage you."
+
+"All in good time," replied the drost. "I would first hear whether you
+deserve praise or censure. Did you withdraw the court-warder from the
+open gate, and suffer the robbers to slip in, in order that you might
+look after them?"
+
+"If the gate was not locked after us, warden Tygé must answer for that,
+stern sir," replied Skirmen. "I did not trouble myself on that score. I
+led the carls to the great Daugberg lime-pit, and there found something
+of what we were in search: three unruly fellows we have fettered and
+brought with us, and as much gold and silver as we could drag. When we
+returned, we found the gate open, and instantly noticed the confusion.
+It was a God's blessing we returned in time."
+
+"Thou art a smart youth, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, patting him on the
+shoulder; "I have seen thee fight like the best knight. The booty thou
+shalt bring to the king with thy own hands; and if he does not dub thee
+a knight, within a year and a day I will do it myself."
+
+"Master! dear, good master!" cried Skirmen, with the utmost glee, and
+warmly kissing his master's hand: "if ever I deserve to be knighted,
+let it be by this hand! It will do me far more honour than such a
+king's--"
+
+"Skirmen!" interrupted Drost Peter, sternly and gravely, "dost thou,
+too, dare to censure my king and master? Thou servest me at present:
+if, hereafter, thou shouldst be made a knight, thou wilt then serve the
+king and country; and no servant should despise his master."
+
+"But can you in your own heart, then, noble sir drost--"
+
+"I can be silent, where the heart cannot speak without making the
+tongue a traitor; and that is ever the case when it contemns majesty.
+Be thou now also silent, and bandage me. There was still hero-blood in
+the arm that gave me this wound," he added, sadly, as he bared his arm.
+"This wild Rimaardson fights well. God support his noble kinsman, when
+he learns what has happened here!"
+
+Drost Peter, attended by his careful squire, then went to his
+bed-chamber, and everything was soon as quiet in Harrestrup Castle as
+if nothing had occurred.
+
+Before daybreak next morning, Drost Peter, together with twelve smart
+house-carls, was already on horseback, and rode off to meet the king.
+The castle-warden and the remaining house-carls he left behind, to wash
+out the traces of the night's encounter, and to guard the prisoners,
+who were chained in the tower. Skirmen, with his master's permission,
+rode to the hunting-seat where Henner Friser and his granddaughter
+resided, to inform them of the king's arrival, and to attend to their
+security.
+
+Drost Peter did not regard his wounds as of much consequence, and had
+not troubled himself about Skirmen's scruples, or his foster-mother
+Dorothy's inconvenient attentions. It was not until long after the
+conflict with the robbers was over, that the old lady awoke, and became
+aware of what had occurred, when, in her anxiety for her dear young
+master, she went and awoke him in the middle of his most refreshing
+sleep, to ascertain his actual condition; and, notwithstanding his
+order to the contrary, she kept watch at his door for the remainder of
+the night. In fact, it was not until she had seen him lively and active
+on horse back, that she found time to cross herself whilst lamenting
+over the sad havoc and confusion that pervaded her hitherto well-swept
+and polished apartment; and whilst she sought to remedy the disaster by
+the aid of brooms and scouring-cloths, she was doomed to the farther
+sorrow of beholding, on a fasting stomach, the pitiless Tygé tap the
+whole of the German ale into the sewer.
+
+The sun had not yet risen when Drost Peter, with the twelve
+house-carls, rode by Daugberg quarries. He stopped to examine the spot,
+and inquired of the house-carl John, who had accompanied Skirmen, how
+they had managed to seize the three fellows, and to possess themselves
+of the immense booty.
+
+"That I shall soon tell you, sir," replied the house-carl. "As we stood
+on this spot, we saw a light in yonder big hole. None of us had exactly
+a fancy to enter it; but the mad Skirmen outshamed us, and immediately
+crept into the mouth. We then took courage to follow him. The light
+must have been that of Satan himself, and we were certainly a hundred
+ells under ground before the steps ended. One could not see the other,
+and many of us came down on our faces on the confounded smooth
+limestone. We were, however, as still as mice, and I could hear porter
+Soeren breathing through his nose. Where Skirmen had got to, God only
+knows; but we suddenly heard a wild cry, and the noise and clash of
+weapons in the dark, a little way before us. We started forward after
+the sound, and I got hold of a long nose, and held fast; but to the
+nose there belonged a pair of sturdy fists, and I had a long struggle
+with the fellow before I got him on the ground. Porter Soeren had also
+his work to do with a fellow still stronger. One, Skirmen overpowered;
+and those who had not taken a robber, struggled with one another to
+their heart's content. At last Jasper Strongwind arrived with a lighted
+brand he had got hold of; and as soon as we saw how matters stood, and
+that we had got hold of all that were to be found, we bound them hand
+and foot, and resolved to empty the treasury; and then the job was
+done."
+
+"The luck was better than the judgment," said Drost Peter; "but still,
+I must confess that Skirmen is a bold fellow. I should not like to
+imitate this adventure."
+
+While they were yet speaking, a horseman, in a gray cloak, and mounted
+on a gray steed, overtook and passed them at full gallop. None of them
+had seen him on the way, and they therefore supposed that he had issued
+from one of the quarries.
+
+"Light the torches, carls," cried Drost Peter, dismounting. "We must
+search these robbers' dens before we go farther."
+
+They lighted some of the torches which they had brought with them to
+illuminate the road, if the king should arrive late; and, whilst six of
+the house-carls were left with the horses, Drost Peter, with the
+others, proceeded to search the suspicious pits and holes. From the
+first quarry which they examined, they brought several weapons, and two
+gray cloaks and hood-masks; the other pits they found empty, and
+without any traces of having been recently used as a retreat for
+robbers. For perfect security, however, Drost Peter left behind four
+carls, as a watch over them, and, in profound thought, rode forward
+with the others on the way to Scanderborg.
+
+The king, according to his appointment, had left the palace early; for,
+however frequently he might change his mind on other matters, he was
+extremely punctual with regard to journeys of pleasure. Drost Peter met
+him half way from Harrestrup; and when he informed him of what had
+occurred there, and mentioned the large booty which had been taken from
+the robbers, the king appeared much gratified, and continued his
+journey without delaying. Old John Little, as well as Chamberlain Rané,
+and a number of huntsmen, who accompanied the king, seemed to listen to
+the drost's relation with some doubtfulness; while his sharp looks
+detected an uneasy expression in Rané's countenance. But when the drost
+informed them that he had himself searched the Daugberg quarries, and
+set a watch over them, the doubts of the old knight appeared to vanish,
+and he laughed, and jested gaily, but at the same time kept his eye,
+unobserved, on every look and gesture of the chamberlain.
+
+It was past midday when the king and his train stopped at the
+celebrated lime-quarry, which he had previously determined to examine,
+and which he could not now pass without some attention. When he
+perceived the armed house-carls before the pits, he started, and
+inquired of the drost if they were his people, and with what view they
+kept watch there, since the robbers had been seized, and the caves
+searched.
+
+"It is still possible that we have not discovered them all, sir king,"
+replied the drost. "Perhaps, too, they belong to a confederacy which it
+were important to root out. So long as your grace remains at
+Harrestrup, I consider it my duty to watch these lurking-holes
+closely."
+
+The house-carls, with lighted torches, stood by the entrance to the
+largest pit, when the king, dismounting, advanced a few steps and
+looked timidly into it.
+
+"It is not worth wasting time upon," he exclaimed, suddenly, and
+proceeded to remount. "Whoever chooses may descend. Run thou, Rané: it
+was thou who had so much to tell me of this lime-quarry."
+
+"It is certainly worth seeing, sir king," replied Rané, as he zealously
+prepared himself to descend, along with a number of huntsmen and
+falconers.
+
+Old Sir John had also dismounted; and, taking a torch, he examined the
+pit with much interest, but without venturing down.
+
+"It was a good capture, Drost Peter," observed the king, as they rode
+leisurely on: "they were a daring and dangerous band. This famous Niels
+Breakpeace shall not again escape; for, before sunset, they shall all
+be executed. We can thus sleep soundly to-night, and begin the chase
+early in the morning."
+
+Drost Peter remained mute.
+
+"Why are you silent?" continued the king. "Have they not been seized by
+yourself in the open commission of robbery? Such fellows deserve not a
+long trial."
+
+"They arc all punishable with death," replied Drost Peter, "but it is
+still desirable that they were allowed time to shrive themselves, and
+look to the salvation of their sinful souls."
+
+"The time will not permit," replied the king. "I shall not sleep under
+the same roof with robbers and murderers. If I am to be your guest,
+Drost Hessel, these malefactors must sleep on the wheel to-night."
+
+"If you command it, sir king, they can be conducted this evening to
+Viborg prison, and you need neither rest under the same roof with them,
+nor consign them to so sudden a doom. There are men amongst them born
+to something better than to end their lives so shamefully and
+unexpectedly."
+
+"None are born to that," replied the king, musingly. "If one could know
+what was sung at his cradle, if it had any meaning," he continued, "I
+should be glad to learn what was sung at ours: it would be well to know
+that in these times. Is there any one of note among them?"
+
+"There is one of them, at least, who belongs not to the outcasts of
+humanity--in whom there is still left a remnant of honour and of lofty
+mind; and whose soul, perhaps, may still be saved. His birth and rank
+are certainly now his strongest accusers: he is of high and noble
+blood, and from your own royal hand, sir king, he had the honour to
+receive the stroke of knighthood."
+
+"That does not plead for him, truly. There you are right. He must die:
+a noble-born knight deserves to be punished with tenfold severity, when
+found among robbers and highwaymen. Who is he?"
+
+"Sir Lavé Rimaardson--your noble queen's kinsman, and brother of the
+trusty Bent Rimaardson."
+
+The king started, and drawing up his horse, he threw on Drost Peter a
+scrutinising glance, in which, as he blinked uneasily, a secret
+suspicion might be traced.
+
+"The queen's kinsman, say you?" he exclaimed--"the outlaw, Lavé
+Rimaardson?--he who has dared to defy me, and to stir up the peasants
+to rebellion?--he whom you yourself assisted to adjudge an outlaw?"
+
+"Even he, sir king."
+
+"And you would now defend a rebel, and intercede for so vile a
+criminal, Drost Hessel?"
+
+"Defend him I will not, sir king; but to crave mercy for a sinner, I
+still may dare. With the most righteous of all judges, clemency is the
+greatest quality. I pray you, my king, to consider his brother's
+services to the crown and country, and his relation to yourself and the
+royal house."
+
+"No! I shall now prove to you, and to my faithful subjects," replied
+the king, with secret satisfaction, "that, in the exercise of justice,
+I have no respect to high descent and birth, nor even to those allied
+to me by consanguinity and princely blood. Sir Lavé Rimaardson I will
+myself see upon the wheel before the sun goes down. Onwards!"
+
+The king set spurs to his horse, and all followed. Those who had been
+examining the pit, hastened to overtake him, and Sir John again rode by
+his side. The old knight had not heard the conversation just related,
+but he observed that the king was chafed and disquieted. He rode on in
+silence, for some minutes, with unusual rapidity, but not inattentive
+to the king's angry looks and Drost Peter's uneasiness.
+
+"Why hasten you thus, sir king?" at length inquired the old knight.
+"Yonder you may see the tower of Harrestrup Castle, and the sun is yet
+far up in the heavens."
+
+"So much the better!" observed the king. "Who is the executioner of
+felons here? Where resides the hangman of the district?"
+
+"Daugberg-Daas is the place appointed for executions, sir king,"
+replied Sir John, who was well acquainted with everything relating to
+the administration of law in the country: "that was the wheel, which we
+saw above the lime-quarries, yonder. The officer of justice you inquire
+for has free quarters in Daugberg."
+
+"Good: let him be summoned immediately."
+
+The old knight was surprised, but obeyed without replying, and
+instantly dispatched a huntsman back to Daugberg for the executioner.
+He then continued to ride silently by the king's side until he
+considered his momentary irritation was allayed.
+
+"You do not intend to render your entrance to the castle of Harrestrup
+memorable by a sudden execution, sir king?" asked the old counsellor,
+as he now rode alone with him up the narrow pathway. "I do not intend
+to intercede for such gross offenders: severity is, in these times,
+highly necessary; but, when we have them securely captive, and there is
+no rebellion in the country, I like not such hasty justice."
+
+The king was silent, and blinked uneasily.
+
+"Such haste, my king," continued old John, "may easily lead to
+injustice, or be regarded as a sign of fear, which may weaken the
+confidence of your people in the power of the state. A giant, conscious
+of his strength, need not hasten, for his security, to slay a few
+captive pigmies. Besides, not even the greatest criminal ought to be
+sentenced without a legal trial."
+
+"The crime is manifest," exclaimed the king, erecting himself; "the law
+is well known; and doom I now pronounce:--they shall be broken on the
+wheel. You shall conduct them to the place of execution, Sir John; and
+you will be answerable to me that the law and sentence are fulfilled,
+in all their severity, before the sun goes down. I will hear no
+objections--it is my royal will."
+
+Sir John remained silent, and they rode slowly up the steep path to the
+castle, where Drost Peter dismounted, and placed himself by the side of
+the king's horse.
+
+The train of attendants had stopped, and there was now heard,
+behind, the quick tread of horses, and the rumbling of wheels. The
+huntsmen and falconers looked back: it was the messenger Sir John had
+dispatched for the headsman. He approached at full gallop, with a
+little broad-shouldered companion, on a miserable hack. The stranger
+wore a hairy cap, and a short, blood-red cloak; and held a large bright
+axe in his hand, whilst a sword of unusual length hung over his
+saddle-bow. A couple of rough-looking fellows followed with a small
+cart, in which were chains, fetters, a wheel, and all manner of
+horrible instruments of death and torture.
+
+With this fearful train, the king and his company ascended to
+Harrestrup Castle. Drost Peter was silent, and Sir John spake not a
+word.
+
+Outside the gate, and unknown to her master, old Dorothy had erected a
+triumphal arch, which was adorned with wreaths of box, yew, holly, and
+all the flowers that could be procured at that season of the year;
+whilst she herself stood by the side of it, arrayed in white, with a
+large nosegay in her hand, and attended by her pantry-maids and
+milkmaids, prepared to receive the king in a fashion which she intended
+should please and surprise both him and her dear young master. Since
+the king had pardoned her, when she was condemned to be buried alive
+for her womanly honour's sake, she had never been able sufficiently to
+extol his clemency and graciousness; and now, on this extraordinary
+occasion, to show her gratitude, she had, for more than two months,
+been exercising all the servant-maids of the castle in a ballad, which
+they had never heard sung before, but which was necessarily joined to a
+popular old tune. This song, which she had received from her confessor,
+was a free translation from the Schwabian meistersinger, Reinmar von
+Zweter's, flattering verses on the king, wherein, however, some of the
+true features of royalty were caught.
+
+Outside the arch, and opposite to Dorothy and her maidens, stood the
+warden Tygé, with a portion of the brave garrison of the castle.
+Dorothy had decked their helmets with silk ribands and green sprigs,
+and, with their bright halberds in their hands, they stood in a
+respectful posture, and as immoveable as statues.
+
+When Drost Peter perceived these festive preparations, so little suited
+to his own frame of mind, and to the harsh appearance of the royal
+train, he was singularly and painfully affected. The slightly-built
+arch was not unlike a gallows; and the old nurse, in her white dress,
+reminded him of the so-called corpse-women, who conducted interments in
+commercial towns. At the head of the ridiculously dressed-up milkmaids,
+who were intended to represent fine ladies, Dorothy felt as dignified
+as a queen.
+
+In a less serious mood, this spectacle would perhaps have extorted a
+smile from the lively young drost; but now it augmented most painfully
+his gloomy state of mind. The king did not appear to give much
+attention to these tokens of homage, which he was accustomed to see in
+every small trading town, and even where he knew that he was detested
+by the majority of the inhabitants. Such demonstrations of homage were
+most frequently got up by the crafty chamberlain, who sagaciously
+reckoned that, if these flatteries did not always obtain the king's
+applause, they seldom called forth his displeasure.
+
+Notwithstanding the tastelessness and farcical character of this
+parade, it was apparent that it was prompted by simple good-nature and
+true respect for the king, when the old nurse, with her thin, tremulous
+notes, and accompanied by the grating voices of the Juttish milkmaids,
+offered to him, in Danish, the German meister-singer's homage:--
+
+
+      "I prize the king who wears the crown,
+      And brings the country great renown.
+
+      "He helps the widow in her need;
+      His bounty doth the orphan feed.
+
+      "He guards his land--his name is dear
+      To all his people, far and near.
+
+      "His heart is warm, and great his mind;
+      His speech to one and all is kind.
+
+      "His hand is just to great and small,
+      Nor riches do his heart enthral.
+
+      "And he whose fair renown I sing.
+      Is Erik, Denmark's famous king."
+
+
+The aged but zealous leader of the songstresses now first fixed her
+eyes upon the king, and when she beheld his austere countenance and
+blinking eyelids, she became deadly pale. She stared at him, like a
+sorceress who had conjured up some fearful spirit, and was suddenly
+horrified on beholding the mighty unknown which her incantations had
+summoned forth. She involuntarily crossed herself, and turned away her
+look; but the apparition of the executioner and his rough assistants,
+who closed the procession, raised her terror so high that her senses
+forsook her, and, with a convulsive shriek, she fell to the ground. The
+king succeeded in curbing his startled horse, and rode hastily in with
+his retinue.
+
+Drost Peter, who had not observed what occurred, hastened to assist the
+king from his saddle, and conduct him to the large riddersal, where
+stood a table magnificently spread, and where the king, by another of
+Dorothy's arrangements, was received with a burst of music more
+sprightly than harmonious. The band was composed of rustic fiddlers and
+shawm-blowers, who were wont to exercise their skill at the weddings
+and merry-makings of the peasants. They scraped and blew with might and
+main, until the perspiration stood on their foreheads. They bowed so
+profoundly, too, and were at the same time so zealous to please the
+king, that they produced the most woful discords. Drost Peter silenced
+them, and sent them away; whilst the irritated monarch held his ears,
+and Chamberlain Rané, with a malicious smile, praised Drost Hessel's
+ingenuity in providing so pleasant a surprise for his majesty.
+
+"This device of my old foster-mother's is better meant than happily
+executed, sir king," said Drost Peter. "I hope you will excuse such an
+innocent blunder of my domestics, who are not acquainted with courtly
+manners."
+
+The king, who had become absorbed in thought, made no reply.
+
+"I am not very tenderhearted," observed Sir John; "but I confess that
+this cat-music has quite softened me, for I perceive that it was well
+and honestly meant." The king appeared not to hear this remark; and Sir
+John addressed himself to the drost: "Was it your nurse who sang to us
+outside, Drost Peter? I scarcely recognised her in her finery."
+
+"I scarcely knew her myself," replied the drost: "in her simplicity,
+she wanted to surprise me, too, with all this pomp."
+
+"She screeched like an owl; but, nevertheless, it was quite touching,"
+said the old knight, in his usual gay and careless tone, desirous to
+bring the king into a better humour, and dispose him to defer the
+executions he had so suddenly determined on. "The good women sang your
+grace and clemency, my king," he continued; "but they lost their voices
+when they perceived the hangman in your train. Will you not, then,
+sleep on your resolution tonight, and allow us to send the prisoners to
+Viborg? Methinks it were better to partake of an enlivening meal here,
+than to dwell on such serious matters?"
+
+This latter suggestion, which Drost Peter supported by pointing to the
+seat of honour, seemed to meet the king's approbation. He remained
+silent, but took his place at the table, and swallowed one or two
+goblets of wine. Old Sir John attempted to introduce some lively
+conversation, but failed in his design of putting the king into better
+humour.
+
+In the court, opposite the window, sat the executioner on his raw-boned
+horse, awaiting, with his ferocious assistants, the king's commands.
+Dorothy was carried sick to bed; and the sight which had operated so
+violently upon her, had also made a singularly painful impression on
+the other domestics. Warden Tygé, in the meanwhile, attended to the
+huntsmen, falconers, and pages, who were sumptuously entertained in
+three different apartments. But throughout the castle as great a
+silence reigned as if a funeral company had been assembled.
+
+The king suddenly arose. "I will see the fellows," he said, in a tone
+of determination: "there can be nothing wrong in that. Let them be
+brought hither, drost; but heavily chained, and under a strong guard."
+
+Drost Peter immediately left the apartment to execute this order, and
+in a minute afterwards he again entered the riddersal. The king was
+pacing the floor with rapid steps, whilst Sir John and the chamberlain
+stood silently watching the changing expression of his countenance.
+Drost Peter had also been standing for some moments in silence before
+the king's eyes met his.
+
+"They will be here instantly, sir king," he said, advancing. "Permit me
+yet one word. None of these men were taken in any robbery. They have
+not deprived me of my property; and Sir Lavé Rimaardson did not attack
+me until I challenged him to single combat. He cannot be condemned as a
+robber before investigation, and a formal trial, according to the laws
+of the country."
+
+"Silence!" replied the king: "an outlaw has no rights. But here we have
+them: I shall examine them myself."
+
+Niels Breakpeace and twelve chained robbers now entered, under guard of
+warden Tygé and his armed house-carls. The robber-chief stepped forward
+with an air of proud defiance, at the head of his comrades; but Lavé
+Rimaardson, who seemed to blush at being found in such company,
+remained in the rear.
+
+"Who is your leader?" inquired the king.
+
+"I!" answered Niels Breakpeace, looking so daringly at him that he
+retreated a step.
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"That every child in Denmark knows," replied the haughty robber: "with
+it the mothers can still their cubs, if even they have a knife in their
+throats. My name is sufficient to scare into corners all the wenches in
+your kingdom, and many a big-nosed fellow, too. If I had but an arm
+free, sir king, I should not give you time to hear my name out. Niels
+Breakpeace I am called. If you were as able a king as I am a robber, it
+would be better for kingdom and country, and perhaps I should now have
+been at your right hand."
+
+"You confess, then, you are a robber, and that these fellows are your
+accomplices?"
+
+"Were we to deny it, we should be scoundrels and mean scurvy fellows,"
+replied Niels Breakpeace. "Lies and deceit you are perhaps accustomed
+to at court. I and my comrades are still honest in this respect."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the king. "You all know, then, the punishment to
+which the law condemns you. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to die
+within an hour."
+
+"As well first as last, sir king! We all go the same way. But if you
+will suffer me to live till to-morrow, I will tell you something that
+may be of service to you, and that will, perhaps, defer our otherwise
+speedy meeting in another place."
+
+The king opened wide his eyes, and cast a glance at Chamberlain Rané,
+who gave him a secret wink, and pointed to the dirk-handle which
+projected from the breast-pocket of the robber-chief.
+
+"Ah, indeed!" said the king, again turning to the robber. "So, fellow!
+you would raise fear and curiosity in me, to obtain a respite, that you
+might escape, and do fresh mischief. No, no! That trick is stale and
+worn-out. If you cannot hit upon something better, you shall not live
+out the present hour."
+
+"'Tis well! Let me go before, and prepare your place. This service I
+shall do you for old acquaintance' sake. There, now, you need not look
+so lofty, your grace! We two will soon be the same height, on the
+straw. What you and your equals do in the great way, I and mine have
+done in the small, you see: that is all the difference. If, for that,
+you will make me your herald to the other world, I must submit; today,
+you have still the power to do so: but you will rue it, sir king! We
+shall soon meet again, and then you will confess that Niels Breakpeace
+intended better towards you than yourself."
+
+"Put him aside!" commanded the king: "he shall be executed the last. If
+he does not confess that which he says he can acquaint us with, he
+shall be put to the severest torture: you hear, Sir John--the
+severest."
+
+Sir John replied by a silent bow to this stern mandate. An expression
+of sorrow was visible in the countenance of the old knight; but he
+hastily drew his hand across his furrowed brow, and was again calm and
+composed.
+
+"Come forward, Lavé Rimaardson," cried the king; and the wild and
+desperate youth advanced, with an air that awoke the utmost pity and
+compassion in all, save the king and Chamberlain Rané, both of whom
+regarded him with secret anxiety.
+
+"It was you whom I dubbed a knight with this sword, three years ago,"
+said the king; "and now the hangman of your native town shall break
+your knightly weapon, and suspend your shield, reversed, beneath the
+gallows. You confess that you have been associated with these audacious
+and notorious robbers?"
+
+"Yes, King Erik Christopherson," answered the young robber; "I confess
+that, and more: had we two met in Daugberg quarry, half an hour since,
+you should no more have seen the sun go down than I now expect to do."
+
+"Ha! a conspiracy!" exclaimed the king. "You are not merely robbers and
+highwaymen--you are traitors, and audacious regicides! Who has paid you
+for the King of Denmark's life?"
+
+"I am not a hired assassin," replied Lavé Rimaardson, proudly: "I am a
+knight of princely blood, and no king shall offend me with impunity. In
+the hour that you adjudged me an outlaw, I swore your death and
+downfall, King Erik! And were my right hand now free, I should keep my
+oath, and this moment would be your last."
+
+"Madman!" exclaimed the king, stepping back; "if, by such audacious
+confession, you think to gain a respite, you are mistaken: you shall
+not even have time to name your accomplices, if you have them."
+
+"There you are wise, King Erik," replied Rimaardson, with a
+contemptuous laugh. "Be sparing of the moments you have yet at your
+disposal. You know not how few they are; and, when your hour of
+reckoning comes, you will have more to account for than the sinners you
+now condemn to the rack and wheel."
+
+"Peace, wretch!" cried the king, enraged; but an uneasy blinking of his
+eye seemed to indicate a sudden change in his feelings. "Your life is
+in my hands," he continued: "you are an outlaw and a rebel, a robber
+and murderer, and have even sought the life of your king and master;
+but Drost Hessel has testified that there is still within you a remnant
+of honour and of chivalrous spirit. Your brother Bent, too, is a trusty
+and deserving man; and your ignominious death, in company with these
+felons, would cast a shadow even on my throne. Think you not now, that
+King Erik Christopherson could still show you favour?"
+
+"Yes! with endless imprisonment in fair Sjöborg: is it not so?" replied
+the haughty prisoner. "No! I do not, by a perjury, sell my soul and
+salvation, or, to save my life, forswear my revenge: it shall and must
+arrive, if not by my hand, by another's! When the harvest is ripe,
+reapers enough are to be found--"
+
+"Satan, speak out! What mean you?" cried the king, in painful
+uncertainty. "Wretched felon! know you not that I have racks at hand?
+Look through that window: there stands he who can unbind your tongue."
+
+"It is unnecessary, King Erik," replied the prisoner, suppressing his
+voice, but raising his head and gazing on the king with a dreadful
+look: "your hangman need not cut me for being tongue-tied. If you will
+hear the truth, I shall not conceal it in my dying hour. However great
+may be my crimes," he continued, in a louder tone, "I am still superior
+to the nidding who betrayed and dishonoured the wife of his best
+friend, whilst he bled in the nidding's behalf in the field of battle.
+If the brave Stig Andersen does not take full revenge for his wife's
+dishonour--if the blind, crazy father of Fru Ingeborg has not sight and
+sense enough remaining, to guide his sword into the false heart of King
+Erik--then there is not an honest drop of blood in the hearts of Danish
+nobles, and they deserve no better king than they have got."
+
+The king had become deadly pale, whilst he foamed with rage, and his
+hand convulsively clutched the hilt of his large sword. He plucked the
+weapon from its scabbard, and rushed furiously on the prisoner, who
+remained immoveable, and laughing wildly.
+
+Drost Peter sprang between them. "This is no place of execution, sir
+king," he said, warmly; "and you are no executioner, to slay a
+defenceless prisoner. He is an insolent traitor, it is true, and I no
+longer intercede for his life; but my house shall not be stained by a
+deed unworthy of yourself and your crown. If you will and must have the
+blood of this youth, you have brought an executioner with you."
+
+The wild rage of the king had suddenly abated. He angrily bit his lips,
+as he sheathed his sword, and cast a look at the daring drost, which
+plainly enough indicated that this was the last time he should suffer
+himself to be guided by such a bold adviser.
+
+
+"Well, Drost Hessel," he said, coldly, "you are right: I had nearly
+forgotten my kingly dignity in the insolence of this daring criminal,
+and you have not been far from forgetting the respect you owe to your
+king. I shall, however, follow your wise advice. Have the prisoners
+conducted to the place of execution, Sir John. Lavé Rimaardson is the
+first who falls: that honour I award to his high birth. He shall die by
+the sword; but his head shall be placed on a pole, and the foxes shall
+tear his limbs to pieces. The others shall be broken alive on the
+wheel. Now, away!"
+
+Sir John gave the warden a signal to lead forth the prisoners. Lavé
+Rimaardson cast a look of contempt towards the king. In going, he laid
+his wounded right hand upon his breast, and, with averted face, he
+silently pressed Drost Peter's hand with his left.
+
+At the door, Niels Breakpeace sprang strongly upwards, rattling his
+chains. "Merry now, comrades!" he cried, with a shout of wild laughter:
+"let me now see you behave yourselves like men, and thrust out your
+tongues bravely until they are bit off. Follow my example till the
+last, and do honour to your chief. When you have seen them all on the
+wheel, sir king," he cried, in a tone of mockery, and once more turning
+round haughtily, "then comes the turn of those of greater note. If you
+come yourself, and, like a merciful headsman, give me my finishing
+stroke, I shall whisper a secret in your ear, of which you will know
+the truth when St. Cecilia's day is gone by." With these words he
+departed.
+
+The king turned away with a look of contempt, but seemed discomposed by
+the parting words of the robber-chief. "Stay!" he cried. "Yet, nay,
+they shall not befool me, the crafty vermin! I know their tricks. With
+such mysterious talk has many a hardened villain escaped the gallows.
+Let my horse be brought forth, Rané. I shall observe, from a distance,
+whether they maintain their defiance to the last."
+
+Rané went out, and soon afterwards returned, saying, "The horse is at
+the door, your grace."
+
+"Your's, too?"
+
+"At your command, sir king."
+
+"I think, however, I shall consider. People do not sleep soundly after
+such sights, and we must be up betimes in the morning. All is ready for
+the chase, Drost Hessel?"
+
+"Nothing shall be wanting, sir king," replied the drost, with a look of
+composure, which ill concealed the agitation of his feelings.
+
+"I shall, nevertheless, ride to Daugber-Daas," observed the king: "it
+is still a diversion, and people may shut their eyes on what they do
+not care to see. You must confess yourself, my conscientious drost,
+that, in this matter, I have been both just and gracious."
+
+Drost Peter bowed, but said nothing.
+
+"My polite host bears me company, of course?" added the king, in an
+apparently friendly tone, but with anger in his heart.
+
+"It will be much against my feelings, my king; but if you so command, I
+obey. No injustice has taken place, I confess: but this is not a royal
+spectacle, and I wished you worthier entertainment on this visit,
+which, now, I dare not call gracious."
+
+"Let us set off. You can follow me," said the king, as he departed.
+
+Rané smiled; and Drost Peter followed his royal guest, with a tortured
+heart, and in the gloomiest mood.
+
+Next morning, when the sun arose, he shone on the corpses of the
+thirteen robbers on Daugberg-Daas. In the valley beneath was heard the
+merry sound of horns and the baying of hounds, as a magnificent
+hunting-train rode by. At its head, between Sir John and Drost Peter,
+was the king, in a handsome green hunting-suit. Behind them, bearing
+falcons and other hunting-gear, rode six smartly dressed pages, among
+whom was the little kindhearted Aagé Jonsen, bearing the king's
+favourite falcon. Next came, at the head of a troop of royal huntsmen,
+having thirty hounds in leashes, the Chamberlain Rané, who, like those
+he headed, was lightly armed with a bow and short hunting-knife; but he
+wore, besides, a magnificent small sword, with glittering gems in a
+hilt of silver, which the king had recently presented to him as a
+testimony of his favour.
+
+Squire Skirmen was absent, as he had not yet returned from his visit to
+Henner Friser at the forest-lodge. He had obtained permission to remain
+until the afternoon of this day; and his place was now taken by warden
+Tygé, who closed the cavalcade in company with some archers, and a few
+active huntsmen from Harrestrup.
+
+As the king passed Daugberg-Daas, he closed his eyes, and gave the spur
+to his steed. When they had left the hill some distance behind, he
+turned to his right, and addressed old Sir John.
+
+"They obstinately maintained their defiance, then?" he said. "Yesterday
+evening, I wished not to disturb my night's rest by listening to the
+end of your narrative; and I went not so near to the spot myself that I
+could hear what they said. Would the audacious Niels Breakpeace reveal
+nothing?"
+
+"Not a word, sir king; but he laughed horribly in the pangs of death,
+and promised that, within eight days, he would tell you all he knew."
+
+The king blinked anxiously, and became pale. "Tell me, my dear Sir
+John," said he: "do you think all the threats and warnings the fellow
+hinted at, were anything more than crafty inventions, with which he
+hoped to escape the gallows?"
+
+"I know not that, sir king; but, in your place, I should not have so
+greatly hurried the execution of their sentence. The mere fact that an
+outlawed knight, of such high birth, was found among these robbers,
+seemed to me, even without their own confession, certain proof that
+they were here on a more important and daring undertaking than
+plundering the pantries and wine-cellars of Harrestrup. They might have
+given us valuable information."
+
+The king, as he listened to Sir John, became more and more uneasy. "By
+Satan!" he exclaimed, warmly, "I felt constrained to make quick work of
+them, effectually to prevent any of their daring designs being
+accomplished. But why did you not inform me of these wise conclusions
+when they were alive? Your prudence comes too late now, Sir John."
+
+"You would not hear a word from me, sir king; and when I have an
+express royal command, I must be silent and obey; especially where, as
+in the present case, it is undeniably just, and according to the letter
+of the law."
+
+"Now, by the rood! we shall think no more of it," exclaimed the king,
+endeavouring to overcome his uneasiness; and at the same time he set
+spurs to his horse, and ordered the huntsmen to strike up a lively
+hunting-air.
+
+Drost Peter was grave and silent. The king had not yet spoken a word to
+him; and the sharp-sighted drost read in his manner, as well as in that
+of the crafty chamberlain, that his fall was determined on, and that
+the formal announcement was only delayed in order that it might not mar
+the day's pleasure. But the depressing conviction that his power and
+influence were at an end, was outweighed by doubts of far greater
+importance respecting the welfare of the kingdom, which had been called
+forth by Lady Ingé's admonition to watchfulness, and the circumstances
+connected with the capture and execution of the robbers.
+
+Sir John, on the contrary, appeared to have abandoned every gloomy and
+disquieting thought. In his youth he had been a bold huntsmen, but for
+many years had not partaken of this noble diversion. The sound of the
+horns and the cries of the chase awoke within him lively recollections
+of his early days, and, as the king's companion in the sport, he
+considered it his duty to be as cheerful and entertaining as possible.
+
+When the first game was started, the king engaged eagerly and
+passionately in pursuit. For dexterity in the chase he was without a
+rival; and he now rushed with wild impetuosity among the huntsmen and
+unleashed hounds, and, as usual, was highly admired by the strangers,
+as well for his rapidity, as for the certainty with which he brought
+down his game. Not without difficulty could old Sir John follow him;
+although he took care to make it appear that it did not cost him any
+exertion. Recalling the memory of his young days, he gave his
+mettlesome hunter the reins, and took the most daring leaps over
+ditches and fences.
+
+Drost Peter was accustomed to such violent sport, but on this occasion
+he often felt himself painfully reminded of his recent wounds. This
+gloomy mood was speedily augmented by the concern he felt for Sir John,
+who, he plainly saw, was exerting himself beyond his strength; and he
+knew that it was useless to caution the old knight concerning it.
+However merry the latter appeared, he had, nevertheless, intimated to
+the drost, by a look, that he shared his grave doubts, and considered
+it highly essential that the hunt should keep together. If, now and
+then, they paused by a fallen deer, the chamberlain had instantly
+another in sight, and the king again dashed off with renewed ardour.
+
+At length they reached a beautiful forest-glade, in which they halted
+to rest their horses, and to partake of a midday meal; during the
+preparation of which the chamberlain was inexhaustible in entertaining
+the king with pleasant hunting-stories. They seated themselves on the
+trunk of a fallen oak-tree. The cloth was spread on the fresh moss; at
+a little distance the huntsmen had encamped themselves, and the spoils
+of the chase were piled up close by. The pages waited on the king, who
+appeared in a good humour, and well contented.
+
+"It is a chivalrous and right royal diversion," said Sir John, in
+answer to the king's question whether he had enjoyed himself. "In my
+young days, I was passionately fond of it; but now I am too old and
+stiff for the sport. Another time, sir king, I shall do better to
+remain at home, like the old hunting-steed."
+
+"You would come with me, however," said the king. "Your fancy for it
+certainly surprised me."
+
+"It was not entirely for the sake of the chase, sir king," said the old
+man, gravely, and with an observant look at Rané. "I am but little
+acquainted with this part of Jutland," he added, hastily: "I am glad,
+also, to see our good Drost Hessel in the capacity of host."
+
+"You have seen, then, that he is master of his own house, and keeps
+strict watch over the security of his guests," replied the king, with a
+bitter smile: "even highwaymen and murderers are safe beneath his
+roof."
+
+"If in that he went a little too far, your grace," said Sir John, "I
+pray you, for my sake, not to be offended with it. I did not regard the
+prisoners as so dangerous."
+
+"I must confess, sir king," observed Drost Peter, "that this business
+of the robbers was of more importance than I believed; but they have
+now ended their lives and crimes together. If on that occasion I erred,
+and for a moment forgot the respect I owed my royal guest, let not this
+day's sun go down upon your wrath, my king. If I have lost your royal
+grace in consequence, suffer me at least--"
+
+"Enough of this!" interrupted the king, coldly. "I have come here to
+amuse myself, and not to sit in judgment every day. I am master of my
+own thoughts, and you shall know my determination at the proper time.
+Let the huntsmen strike up."
+
+Rané hastily gave a signal to the royal horn-blowers, who stood on a
+rising ground, at a little distance, and who immediately commenced a
+bold hunting-air, called King Waldemar Seier's Hunt, and to which the
+king was extremely partial.
+
+A painful silence followed the king's ungracious remarks to Drost
+Peter. Rané smiled maliciously as he filled his master's goblet, and
+endeavoured, by some buffooneries, to restore mirthfulness; but the
+king left the wine untouched, and fell into deep thought. The rapid
+exercise and the consciousness of his skill in the chase, as well as
+his anger against Drost Peter, appeared to have banished from his
+countenance the undecided and contradictory shades of passion which so
+often disfigured it; and for an instant there beamed from it an
+expression of true kingly dignity and greatness, while, with his hand
+on his ponderous sword, he regarded his three chief counsellors with
+the air of one who could free himself from them at any moment he chose.
+The only one in which he reposed any kind of confidence was Rané; but
+him, in his better moments, he despised, as the wretched instrument of
+his vilest pleasures. The power which old Sir John exercised over him,
+with so much prudence and consideration, seemed to him just now a
+crafty invasion of the royal prerogative; and Drost Peter's bold
+superiority he regarded as an intolerable assumption. It appeared as if
+the quick, heart-stirring tones of Waldemar Seier's Hunt, which he had
+known from his childhood, recalled the daring dreams of his youth, with
+the memory of the time when, by his noble mother's side, he was saluted
+with the name of king, and felt the blood of the Waldemars in a bold
+and unsullied heart. But this proud expression quickly vanished as his
+whole misspent life of royalty passed before him, and the painful
+conviction seized him that he now sat, alone and hated, in the midst of
+his kingdom, without a single friend. His melancholy and despondency
+seemed on the point of overwhelming him; but he struggled against the
+humiliating feeling, and a wild defiance and sternness flashed from his
+eyes.
+
+Drost Peter sat silent and thoughtful: in his dejected but candid
+countenance it could be plainly seen how much the king's displeasure
+went to his heart. His entire future efficiency seemed destroyed by a
+single hasty and incautious word. He could not acquit himself of
+arrogance whilst vindicating his sense of justice, on that occasion,
+when, by a too daring expression, he had drawn his master's wrath upon
+his head; and it was to him a bitter feeling to have offended his king
+at the moment when, as a guest, he had entered his house. At this
+instant it was almost more bitter than the thought of having lost the
+king's favour. But the monarch's stern look now fell upon him, and its
+excessive harshness seemed to recall him to himself. The undauntedness
+with which he encountered it was, however, little calculated to appease
+the offended king; who, instead of penitence and humility, was met by
+strong self-confidence and calm courage, which no displeasure of his
+could humble.
+
+Rané and old Sir John were attentive observers of this significant play
+of looks, which filled up the pause in the conversation caused by the
+music. The sagacious old statesman appeared calm and indifferent;
+though a tear, which he speedily dashed away, glistened in his eye, as
+he observed the remains of loftiness and dignity which had lit up the
+passion-worn countenance of the king. He saw with concern that the fall
+of the trusty Drost Peter was determined on, and that his own influence
+was also endangered; but what most annoyed him was the ill-concealed
+triumph of the cunning chamberlain, and the busy zeal with which he
+prepared for the continuance of the chase. The old knight observed that
+Rané now made an unusual gesture; on which the king nodded to him, as
+if in accordance with some private understanding. His majesty seemed
+about to rise, but again relapsed into deep thought. The music still
+continued.
+
+"Herregud!" exclaimed old Sir John, breaking the long silence, "they
+are playing Waldemar Seier's Hunt. It is a strange thought, sir king.
+If your great ancestor, of blessed memory, had had Count Albert and the
+trusty Charles of Risé by his side, when this air was played at the
+unfortunate hunting on Ly Island, the black Count Henry had perhaps
+never got him into his clutches."[31]
+
+"A stag! a stag!" shouted Chamberlain Rané, springing up.
+
+The king hastily arose, as a herd of deer, with a stag at their head,
+rushed past. In an instant the huntsmen were on horseback, the horns
+sounded lustily, and the dogs broke away.
+
+"Away!" ordered the king, swinging himself into his saddle; and Drost
+Peter and Sir John started off by his side. The chamberlain rode in
+advance; and the chase now recommenced with redoubled ardour. They
+frequently lost and again found the track of the herd; and thus
+continued for several hours, without any pause.
+
+"Sir king," said Drost Peter, at length, riding close up to him as he
+stopped an instant to observe the hounds and the track, "permit us a
+slight pause. Sir John's years make this violent exercise painful to
+him; and my wounds are bleeding through the bandages."
+
+"Those who cannot follow, may stay behind," replied the king: "I have
+huntsmen enough with me, and require you not. Away, Rané!"
+
+The hunt was pursued with enthusiasm, but neither Sir John nor Drost
+Peter remained behind. The day at length began to close, and Drost
+Peter again rode in between Rané and the king.
+
+"If you would get back to Harrestrup before night, sir king," he said,
+with visible uneasiness, "we must now turn, and give the deer a respite
+for to-day."
+
+"I shall do as it pleases me!" cried the king, irritated. He had just
+wounded the stag they were in pursuit of. "That stag shall be mine," he
+shouted, "should I pursue him till to-morrow."
+
+They continued at a flying gallop over stump and stone, through brake
+and briar, with hounds yelling and horns winding. Drost Peter and Sir
+John still followed, and did not lose sight of the king for an instant;
+until, in taking a dangerous leap, Sir John's horse fell with him, and
+he received a violent blow on the side, which for an instant deprived
+him of consciousness.
+
+Drost Peter sprang from his horse to his aid, and found, with
+consternation, that the old knight had broken a rib. "Hold! for God's
+sake, hold!" he shouted, with all his might.
+
+The huntsmen stopped when they heard the drost's powerful voice, which
+they were accustomed to obey. They quickly came to assist, and a litter
+of boughs was soon made, on which to carry the old man, every one
+showing for him the greatest sympathy. But, in the meanwhile, the king
+and Chamberlain Rané, with two of the fleetest falconers, had gone out
+of sight.
+
+As soon as Sir John regained his senses, and found himself on the
+litter, surrounded by Drost Peter and the anxious huntsmen, he inquired
+with concern and alarm respecting the king.
+
+"He would not stop," answered Drost Peter; "but he must be back
+immediately. It is impossible to continue the hunt longer, for it is
+almost night."
+
+"After him, Drost Peter!" cried the old man; "for Heaven's sake, after
+him! What think you of?" he whispered: "he is alone with Rané! Your
+people can care for me. Away!"
+
+"Care well for him, Tygé--he is the king's most important counsellor,"
+said Drost Peter to his castle-warden, as he sprang on his horse. "Bear
+him, with your huntsmen, carefully to Harrestrup. You others follow me.
+God be with you, noble sir!"
+
+In another instant Drost Peter, with the royal huntsmen, had
+disappeared in the forest; whilst warden Tygé and his men leisurely and
+gently bore Sir John back to Harrestrup.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In a little lonely forest-house, in the neighbourhood of Finnerup,
+stood, at about the same hour of the evening, Claus Skirmen, with his
+squire's cap in his hand. Before him were old Henner Friser and Aasé.
+The powerful, gigantic old man seemed to have prepared himself for the
+worst. He stood, leaning on a long javelin, in his Frisian war-suit of
+leathern mail, with his seal-skin cap drawn over his straggling gray
+hairs. The pretty little Aasé appeared occupied with far more peaceful
+thoughts. She wore the same dark blue jacket, plaited kirtle, and light
+blue apron, in which Skirmen had first seen her, when he assisted in
+liberating her from Hegness. She held him familiarly by the hand, and
+bent on him tenderly her dark playful eyes, whilst he, half ashamed,
+seemed to expect some important reply from old Henner.
+
+"Thanks for thy warning, brave youth," said the latter, shaking Skirmen
+heartily by the hand. "It is well thou camest so early, to assist us
+with our slender preparations for defence. Our persecutors may now come
+when they will: none shall see us longer than we ourselves list. If thy
+account be true--and I do not take thee for a braggart--thou art a
+smart youth--the affair of the robbers was no jesting matter. If thou
+goest on thus, and thy master, with a good conscience, can hereafter
+give thee the stroke of knighthood, I have no objection that my little
+Aasé should love thee, and thou her. But when we meet again, we shall
+talk more of it."
+
+Skirmen and Aasé embraced each other with transport, and hugged the old
+man with the utmost joy.
+
+"Good, good, my children. God and St. Christian bless ye!" continued
+old Henner, with emotion. "But this is not the time to prattle and
+think of love. Thou must off, Skirmen, and inform thy master of what we
+know."
+
+"I have done so already," replied Skirmen: "what the Rypen burghers
+said in the tavern, he knows; but he does not think it has any great
+meaning."
+
+"Tell him, then, from me," said the old man, "that it certainly means
+no less than folks say the three suns portend which we saw in the
+heavens on St. Remy's day. It was the day before the feast of All
+Saints, and the learned clerks speak much of a heathen goddess of
+revenge that used to be worshipped on that day. Our Lord knows the
+witch, and I am not skilled in the signs of the sun and moon; but this
+I know, that when disaffected knights creep about in monks' cowls, it
+is for no good or holy purpose. So beg thy master, first and foremost,
+to take care of himself and the king, as he passes the barn of
+Finnerup. And now away! Give him a kiss, Aasé, and let him run. Thy
+norback, Skirmen, is more zealous than thyself in the king's service.
+Hearest thou not how impatiently he neighs?"
+
+"Farewell, father Henner--farewell, dear Aasé!" exclaimed Skirmen,
+hastily. "But be cautious, Aasé! If thou passest for an elf, be as
+cunning as one; and, for God's sake, disappear as soon as you observe
+any mischief."
+
+"Take care, my young knight, that I am not an elf in reality!" cried
+Aasé, playfully, as she embraced him. "Seest thou not my blue kirtle,
+and brown two-peaked hood? Ay, right! look in my eyes and not to my
+back, for I am as hollow there as a dough-trough.[32] Away, now--out
+with thee! save thy king and master, or thou deservest never to be a
+knight, and I will have nothing more to say to thee."
+
+Skirmen embraced her hastily, and hurried out, accompanied by his
+sweetheart and the old man. Shortly afterwards he was riding through
+the wood at a gallop, and Henner Friser re-entered the cottage with his
+granddaughter. Neither of them spoke. He barred the door, cast his
+spear into a corner, and sat down musingly on his rush-cushioned seat.
+Aasé took her distaff, and sat down to work by the window, for the
+interior of the room was now quite dark.
+
+"Light the lamp, Aasé," said the old man, at length, breaking the
+silence, and rising with uneasiness. "It is still too early to go to
+rest in the hole inside, and thou knowest I cannot bear to sit in the
+dark."
+
+"But were it not better to-night, dear grandfather?" replied Aasé.
+"If even I were to hang my apron before the window, the light would
+still shine through; and, if we would keep concealed, were it not
+advisable--"
+
+"I am not a carlin," exclaimed Henner. "I am not so much afraid of man,
+that I must sit in the dark, and be tormented by the devil. The living
+I fear not: would only that the restless dead would grant me peace!"
+
+"Dost thou again think of the dead, dear grandfather?" said Aasé, with
+a sigh, as she lighted the lamp and hung it on an iron hook attached to
+the low rafters; having first, however, taken care to hang her thin
+light blue apron before the horn-window that looked out on the wood.
+"It is not the dead, but the living, that persecute us, dear
+grandfather," she continued, sitting down to her work opposite his
+chair. "It is only the storm tearing the dry boughs from the trees, and
+the wild birds hooting dismally in the woods, that sometimes make thee
+uncomfortable at night."
+
+"It seems always to come from Gottorp," muttered the old man, who had
+resumed his seat: "'tis there he lies, with the stake through his
+heart--the accursed king, who caused his brother to be cast into the
+river Sley!--and he it is who hunts through the forest at midnight. I
+long regarded it as a delusion and a superstition, but now I must
+believe it, since I have myself seen it."
+
+"The rood save us!" exclaimed Aasé; "when didst thou see it?"
+
+"On the night after St. Remy's day, when we saw the wonderful sight in
+the air--yesterday three weeks: it was Sunday, and we had been in
+church. You remember how it howled in the storm. You fell asleep in the
+corner there; but I could not close an eye because of the horrid din. I
+stood up at last, and looked through the window into the forest, and
+then I knew it was no delusion. I saw, in the moonshine, a coal-black
+figure riding at full speed through the woods, on a steed of raven
+blackness. The animal snorted and neighed as if possessed by the Evil
+One, and sparks flew from his hoofs. Behind him came one of an iron
+mould, who must have been the foul fiend himself. Three big hounds
+followed, glistening in the moonlight; but whether or not they were
+fiery, as people say, I cannot, however, be certain. I had enough of
+what I had seen; and no one shall now convince me that King Abel's wild
+hunt is mere nonsense and superstition."
+
+"I certainly saw the same two riders last Monday evening," replied
+Aasé; "but thou mayst believe me, grandfather, they were living men.
+The forester's Mary also saw them, and she thought they must have been
+the dreadful Stig Andersen from Möllerup, and the sturdy Mat Jute, who
+always attends him. It was shortly before we heard of the grayfriar
+monks of Rypen, and the apparitions in Finnerup barn, which thou
+thyself believest to be conspirators lying in wait for the king."
+
+"Thou mayst be right, child!" ejaculated Henner, more composed, yet
+shaking his gray head dubiously: "I am an old fool to take such fancies
+in my head. But were it even the accursed King Abel himself," he
+continued, rising, "let him come when he will! I have not been afraid
+to look him in the face before now. I have yet my old steel-bow; and my
+good Frisian spear shall still keep every nidding at bay, be he dead or
+alive." He remained standing in the middle of the floor, his arms
+crossed, and in deep thought. "If it should really have been Stig
+Andersen?" he exclaimed, suddenly--"if he should be here, and be
+himself one of the apparitions at the barn, there is far more danger
+than I had supposed; and this is not the time to be creeping under
+cover from one's own shadow. It were better I rode over to the drost.
+Skirmen is a nimble youth; but, now that thou hast put love-whimsies
+into his head, he cannot be so much depended on. He has been as awkward
+about everything to-day as if he had never before taken spade or axe in
+his hand."
+
+"He is the son of a knight, grandfather, and has not been accustomed to
+such kind of work. But you shall see that he is smart enough when the
+safety of his king's life is concerned."
+
+"Thou mayst talk of thy squire as thou wilt. If he be not a better
+squire than woodman, he will never in his life be a knight. Tell me,
+Aasé, art thou afraid to be left alone to-night?"
+
+"Afraid, grandfather?" she replied, quickly, colouring: "nay, not
+exactly that--if thou hadst not spoken of the vile dead king. But it
+does not matter," she continued, gaily, as she observed a shade of
+displeasure and uneasiness in the countenance of the old man: "I am not
+easily frightened, grandfather. I am an elf, thou knowest; and, when I
+do not wish to be seen, I have only to make myself invisible."
+
+"That thou canst well, child," said the grandfather, regarding her with
+tender interest: "brave Frisian blood runs in thy veins, and thou hast
+now been long free from thy dreaming-sickness. That is some assurance
+for thy safety; but if thou art at all anxious, I will not leave thee.
+Thou art the apple of mine eye, Aasé, and I have nothing else in the
+world much to care for; but when danger threatens the land, every true
+Frisian will be watchful, if our Lord and St. Christian permit him.
+This is an important business, thou knowest well. For the king,
+himself, I would not give a rotten rope's end; but still, as regards
+the crown and country, his life is of importance, until Drost Hessel
+has reared a better king for us. The drost saved thy honour, and,
+perhaps, my life: he is true to his king, like a brave fellow; and I am
+bound to serve, as best I can, both him and his master. If thou canst
+suffer to be left alone, I shall ride immediately, and find Drost
+Hessel and the king, wherever they may be. On such an errand, I should
+think I am safe."
+
+"Ride, in God and the Holy Virgin's name, grandfather, if thou oughtest
+and must. I am not afraid, and can guard myself," replied Aasé, boldly.
+
+The old man hesitated no longer. "Come, then, a morsel of bread in my
+wallet, whilst I saddle my horse," he said, as he passed through the
+kitchen, and across the yard to the stable.
+
+Aasé accompanied him into the kitchen, and immediately afterwards
+returned alone, with some victuals, which she placed in a badger-skin
+wallet that hung suspended from a deer's antler near the fireplace.
+
+Whilst thus occupied, the apron fell from the little horn-window; but
+unobserved by her, as she stood at the table opposite the light, with
+her back turned towards the casement. The point of a slender sword had
+pierced the horn, undone the fastening of the apron, and was then
+hastily withdrawn. A wily face, with a reddish beard, now peeped in. It
+disappeared, and immediately gave place to another, which likewise
+disappeared as Aasé turned round. She now first observed that the apron
+had fallen from the window, and proceeded quietly to hang it up again,
+without observing the small puncture in the horn.
+
+Her grandfather re-entered by the kitchen, equipped for his journey.
+"I shall ride out by the back gate," he said, as he threw his
+hunting-wallet over his broad shoulders. "And thou art, then, really
+not afraid, child? If thou noticest anything suspicious, thou knowest
+what to do. If thou darest not have a light, put out the lamp."
+
+"Be tranquil on my account, grandfather," replied Aasé, without the
+least symptom of fear; "but, since thou hast talked so much about the
+dead, I shall not extinguish the lamp. The living I can guard against.
+When may I expect thy return?"
+
+"Before daybreak," replied the old man. "Bar the kitchen-door after me,
+and open it to no one until thou hearest nine strokes on it. God bless
+thee!"
+
+He fondly embraced her, and departed through the door by which he had
+entered. Aasé fastened it after him, and returned to the lonely room.
+Shortly afterwards she heard the hoofs of a horse in the forest, and
+recognised the firm gallop of her grandfather.
+
+About a bow-shot from the little forest-house, behind a close thicket
+of white thorns, stood two saddled horses, held by two stately pages,
+who themselves were seated on a pair of small hunters, and carried each
+a falcon on his arm; and at a few paces from it stood the king and
+Chamberlain Rané, whispering together, behind some elder-bushes that
+entirely concealed them.
+
+"That was the old man who rode out," whispered Rané: "it could not have
+happened better. And heard you, sir?--nine strokes on the door opens
+it."
+
+"Humph! I had rather have given up the whole sport," muttered the king,
+with much uneasiness. "You should have sought out the road."
+
+"Sooth to say, sir king, I was better acquainted with the forest than I
+pretended; but I wished to give you a surprise, and keep my promise.
+Now you have yourself seen that she is here, and concealed from you by
+Drost Hessel. This is his forest-house, and here has he maintained both
+the girl and the regicide since last year."
+
+"Silence!" whispered the king, with growing fear; "name not the damned
+word! He has not yet gone far, and who knows that traitors are not at
+hand? It was imprudent in you, Rané, to lead me, on such foolery, so
+far into the forest, at this hour. How easily you might have carried me
+into the claws of the old Satan! The little minx I should like to get
+hold of, but I shall not risk too much for her: I have not quite
+forgotten what the daring Niels Breakpeace and the fearful Lavé
+Rimaardson said to me yesterday. They are now on the wheel, and will
+grin horribly in the moonshine as we ride by.----Rané," he continued,
+after a thoughtful pause, "I have not been in a church for many a year,
+and am not versed in saints' days. When is St. Cecilia's?"
+
+"Faith, I know not, sire," replied the chamberlain: "I am not a whit
+more saintly than yourself. But it cannot be far off."
+
+"The bold ruffian said that that day must be past before I could know
+his secret. This is not a time for fooleries and wench-hunting. It is
+night, and I have not a man with me except yourself. Thou wilt not
+betray thy king, Master Rané? Thou art not yet so godless as to lead me
+into a snare?"
+
+"The cross defend me, your grace! How can you think so?" stammered
+Rané.
+
+They had approached the house, and a faint glimmer from the chink in
+the curtained window fell on Rané's face. The king looked at his crafty
+chamberlain with an anxious, scrutinising glance, and kept his hand
+constantly on the hilt of his sword.
+
+"I have many a time confided in thee," he continued, "and we have had
+many pleasant adventures together; but whom in the world am I now to
+trust, when Drost Hessel can be traitor enough to conceal a regicide,
+and even old Sir John is not to be depended upon?"
+
+"I only half distrust them, sir king," said Rané, quickly; "and it is
+still possible I may be mistaken. But so long as I am with you, you are
+safe. When the least danger threatens, I shall warn you. If I had
+intended to betray you, sire, I should have taken care not to inform
+you of what I had heard and seen at Möllerup."
+
+"But thou, too, didst lay thy hand upon the book, Rané--thou, too,
+didst swear thy king's downfall; what thou didst add to thine oath, no
+one heard."
+
+"I were but a poor spy for you, sir king, did your enemies not believe
+me worthy of credit. But think no more of these things. Here you are
+safe. I hoped to have earned thanks from you to-night for a pleasant
+surprise, instead of which I am paid with doubts and scruples, whilst
+you squander here the precious moments. The pretty Aasé sits within,
+and wearies. Perhaps she is already asleep, and sweetly dreams of you."
+
+"Talk not of her dreams, Rané, for they are frightful: she nearly drove
+me mad with them at Hegness. Beautiful she is, it is true, but as
+cunning as a she-devil. It is said that she has really power to
+foretell the future, and I almost believe it. If it be so, there are
+one or two things worth knowing from her. Heard you what the peasant
+said about the three suns?"
+
+"Mere superstition and nonsense, sir king. In truth, I did not half
+comprehend him. But what he said about elfin-moss I could understand.
+From his description, it was neither more nor less than our little
+Aasé. She is cunning enough, perhaps, to avail herself of the credulity
+of the peasants, to render herself of importance, and drive a sly trade
+in the hidden arts. So, sir king, if you too are superstitious, and
+wish to have your fate unriddled, you have here an opportunity of
+gratifying your curiosity: you are but a few paces from the elf-woman;
+and, from such a pretty little mouth, you can hear no unpleasant
+prediction. In any case this will be a sufficient excuse for your
+unexpected visit, and give more zest to the adventure."
+
+"So be it, then. I will visit her, Rané; but take care that no one
+surprises us, and be at hand when I call."
+
+"You are perfectly safe, sir king."
+
+The tall huntsman then approached the door of the little forest-house,
+cautiously and irresolutely. He first looked through the horn-pane, but
+could only distinguish the light of the lamp and an ill-defined female
+form, reclining, apparently, on a bench. He stood by the door and
+raised his hand, but let it fall again. At length he summoned
+resolution to strike the door nine times, gently, with the hilt of his
+sword. He heard a light, slow footstep in the room. The bar inside was
+withdrawn, and all was again still. He lingered a moment, as if
+undecided; and then half opened the door gently, and peeped in. The
+lamp burned dimly beneath the rafters, and on the bench by the table
+lay the beautiful little Aasé, apparently asleep. He now wholly opened
+the door, and softly entered. Having closed and bolted it after him, he
+approached the sleeping girl and gazed at her with admiration in his
+blinking eyes. Never, he thought, had he seen a more beautiful woman.
+Her little cap lay on the table, by the side of a breviary written in
+Gothic characters and in the Frisian dialect. The jet black locks of
+the maiden were released from their bands, and fell freely down and
+over her virgin neck and shoulders. The king, not to frighten her with
+his long sword, hung it on a small wooden hook on the wall.
+
+"Aasé--little Aasé--wake up!" he whispered. "Thou must grant me a
+kindly welcome to-night."
+
+The sleeping girl leisurely arose; but her eyes were closed.
+
+"Do not fall asleep again, little Aasé," he continued: "I had enough of
+this jest before. Open thy pretty eyes, and look on me. Dost thou not
+know me?"
+
+She opened her eyes, but they did not look on him: they were widely
+extended, and her gaze fixed, without play or animation; and her little
+handsome countenance, which was deadly pale, wore the solemn and
+fearful expression of somnambulism.
+
+"Now, by my soul!" exclaimed the king, falling back, perplexed, "if
+thou art a witch or sorceress, I shall hold no farther parley with
+thee. Thou shalt be burnt one day, when thou fallest into the hands of
+the clerks. Yet, nay: thou art too beautiful for that," he added,
+recovering his calmness, and looking at her keenly. "Ha, woman! is this
+real, and no crafty jugglery? If thou canst gaze down upon the damned,
+say what the dead robber on the Daugberg wheel is about? What would he
+tell King Erik Christopherson within eight days?"
+
+"The robber on the wheel?" repeated Aasé in a soft, toneless voice, and
+without changing her mien or posture--"he is now in the black pit, and
+calls on King Erik Christopherson."
+
+The king started: he gazed on her again, and blinked with much
+uneasiness and suspicion, as he looked around. "Deceive me, cheat, and
+it shall cost thee thy life!" he muttered, with his hand on the hilt of
+his dagger, and retreating a step farther towards the door. "Whom seest
+thou in the pit?" he again inquired, in a low tone, appearing no longer
+to doubt that she was in some wonderful state that enabled her to see
+into the Hidden, and perhaps to reveal the Future which he dreaded.
+
+She hesitated to reply, as it seemed to cost her a painful effort to
+look on that which presented itself to her interior sense--a sense so
+different from that denoted by her rigid, motionless, extended eyes.
+
+"In the pit I see robbers--murderers--ravishers!" she said, at length,
+in the same whispering, toneless voice: "there are kings, princes, and
+bishops among them. And, lo! there he sits--the murderer of his
+brother--on a throne of dead men's bones, with cushions of fiery
+serpents! He prepares a place for his brother's son! Hearest thou?--"
+
+"Woman! demon! What devilry dreamest thou of?" exclaimed the king,
+overcome with fearful anguish. "Answer me! Speak! Can I yet be saved?
+How long a respite have I?"
+
+"Ask the sword that rattles on the wall!" replied the somnambulist in a
+louder voice, pointing to the king's sword, but without turning her
+eyes towards it: "when that falls, thy time is near at hand."
+
+With a convulsive motion, the king snatched at his sword; but the
+slender hook that supported it gave way, and it fell, rattling, on the
+stone floor.
+
+"This is the sword of a king, and not that of a headsman!" exclaimed
+the king, proudly and vehemently, as he hastily took up the weapon,
+appearing, as he grasped it, to recover strength to overcome his
+terror. "When the heading-sword rattles on the wall, well I know it
+waits for blood," he muttered; "but this shall drink that of my foes.
+Ha! tell me, thou fearful woman!" he continued, looking anxiously
+around him, "who are the accursed traitors that lay wait for me? Where
+are they, and how many?"
+
+"If thou wilt know their number, reckon it on thy belt," replied Aasé.
+"Beware of the grayfriar cloaks: they conceal bold warriors. They ride,
+with drawn swords, through the forest. See! look!--the blind, bald
+monk!--he laughs, and whets his sword on his nails!"
+
+"Ha! Pallé, Pallé!--is it thee?" muttered the king, staring wildly
+in the direction on which the fearful dreamer's gaze seemed to be
+fixed.----"Seest thou more?"
+
+"I see a man, with glowing eyes, clad in iron," replied Aasé, in a
+fainter voice, apparently exhausted, and almost sinking to the ground:
+"he spurs his black steed, and his great sword is drawn! Now will he
+revenge the dishonour of his wife!"
+
+The king still stared wildly before him. "Sorceress! she-devil!" he at
+length shouted madly, "if thou art leagued with my deadly foes, thou
+shalt be the first to fall by this sword." And he sprang, with
+phrensied violence, to seize her by the throat; but his hand grasped
+only her loose kerchief, whilst his uplifted sword rattled against the
+lamp, which fell, extinguished, on the floor; and at the same moment
+he heard a shriek, and a hollow sound like the closing of a large
+chest-lid.
+
+The girl had suddenly disappeared. The king raved wildly, and laid his
+sword about him in the darkness. A dreadful anguish overwhelmed him;
+and he would have called out, but was unable. He groped for the door,
+but could not find it; and then rushed madly against a wooden
+partition, which gave way, when the house seemed to fall about him.
+
+A cold breeze now met him. He stumbled, and fancied he had fallen into
+some frightful murder-den. His senses became bewildered, and he saw
+before him all the hideous forms he most dreaded. The pale Fru
+Ingeborg, with raised dagger, nodded at him with her lean, skeleton
+head; her blind, crazy father danced around him with wild laughter,
+groping at random for his prey; and the terrible Stig Andersen stood
+threatening him, whichever way he turned, with the same fearful look of
+revenge as when he denounced him at the Thing of Viborg. A cold
+perspiration stood on his forehead. The ground seemed to shake under
+him; and he reeled forward, without knowing where, till he stumbled
+over a stone, and tore his face among thorns. This recalled his senses,
+and he now found himself in the midst of a wild thicket in the forest.
+The faint starlight shone dubiously, and he looked despairingly around
+him. There was no house to be seen, and the apparition of the girl
+occurred to him like a frightful dream.
+
+He now recovered his voice. "Am I mad or bewitched?" he exclaimed.
+"Rané, Rané! where art thou?"
+
+He heard a rustling among the bushes, and Rané stood, terrified, before
+him.
+
+"The rood protect us, sire!" stammered the astonished chamberlain: "how
+have you come hither? and whither has the house vanished? I fancied I
+heard you calling from the thicket, and sprang towards the sound: I
+then rushed wildly into the cursed elfin-moss, but could find no traces
+of the house."
+
+"It is devilry and sorcery," said the king: "if thou, too, hadst not
+seen both the girl and the house, I could have sworn I had been
+dreaming, or was mad. Where are the horses?"
+
+"Close by, sire. I hear them snorting and pawing."
+
+"Away!" cried the king: "lead me from this infernal spot. I am mad or
+bewitched, and while I remain here I am less than a man."
+
+"Shall I bring the horses, sire?"
+
+"Nay, do not leave me! Lead me to them. Give me thy hand, Rané!" And he
+grasped the chamberlain's hand convulsively. "Thou art still true to
+me? thou art not in league with my murderers, and wilt not basely
+betray thy king and master's life?"
+
+"How can you doubt me, sir king? I have been in the most deadly fear
+for you. You may be right, however, in your suspicions of sorcery: for
+this cannot be so in the usual nature of things--a house cannot thus,
+by human means, sink suddenly into the earth. But how did you fall
+among the thorns?"
+
+"I know not, Rané. Where are the horses?"
+
+"We shall reach them instantly, sire. Follow me, and fear not. We shall
+find a way out of this bewitched forest. Ho, pages! Hither with the
+horses."
+
+Little Aagé Jonsen and his comrade now approached with the animals.
+
+"Has there happened any misfortune?" inquired Aagé. "I fancied I heard
+the king shouting?"
+
+"He had only got bewildered in the thicket," replied Rané. "Here is
+your horse, sir king. Allow me to assist you, and to lead you through
+the thorns, until we reach a road or pathway."
+
+The king mounted his horse in silence, and allowed Rané to lead him
+through the bushes. They proceeded thus for some time, but could find
+neither road nor path. The pages were leading their horses in the rear,
+and one of them began to cry. "We shall never get out of the forest,"
+he whimpered.
+
+"Be quiet, Bent," replied Aagé, "and do not let the king perceive that
+you are so silly."
+
+"Is there no end to this?" exclaimed the king, impatiently. "Whither
+dost thou lead me, Rané? The farther we go the worse it seems. Where
+are we?"
+
+"We must soon find an outlet, sire!" replied Rané: "I can already see
+an open space; but where we are I am unable to say, were it to save my
+life. Yet, stay; now I can see a light. Here lies a whole village: it
+must be Finnerup. We cannot reach Harrestrup tonight, and you must be
+wearied, sir king: let us therefore rest at Finnerup, at least until
+the moon rises. There you may be tranquil, sire. They are brave people
+in Finnerup; and no evil shall befall you."
+
+"In the name of God and all the saints!" exclaimed the king, anxiously,
+"let us only get under cover, and out of this infernal forest."
+
+In a short time they reached an open field, and a pathway that led to
+the little country village. They all mounted. The king felt himself
+relieved when he again saw lights, and the sign of human beings. They
+were not far from the village, but it was getting late, and, one after
+another, the lights were extinguished.
+
+"It must be bedtime with them," observed Rané, "and we may find some
+difficulty in obtaining shelter, unless we make ourselves known. But if
+you can bear with the scanty accommodation, we can at least find
+admission to the large barn of Finnerup. They are bound to give
+travellers shelter there; and that they are honest people, I need not
+tell you."
+
+"This would be safest," said the king. "But should there be any
+dangerous travellers there, who might recognise us?"
+
+"I will first enter, and look after the accommodation, sire. See,
+yonder stands the barn: it is open, and the lights are still burning.
+Let us hasten, sire, before they also are extinguished."
+
+They now set spurs to their horses, and rode at a brisk trot towards
+the straw-thatched building, which lay in a remote corner of the
+village, near a little mean hut, occupied by an alehouse keeper, and
+frequented only by peasants and the poorer sort of people. This
+ale-house was closed and dark; and at the open door of the barn they
+saw only a couple of stablemen, about to lead out some horses.
+
+"Remain here, sire--I shall return again instantly," said Rané.
+
+He rode up to the barn, looked carefully around him, spoke a few words
+with the stablemen, and returned immediately.
+
+"There is not a soul in the barn," he said, hastily; "there is
+excellent clean straw to rest upon, and the people do not know us.
+Follow me, your grace."
+
+He rode forward, and the king followed him to the long, gloomy barn,
+which was dimly lighted up by a solitary horn-lantern, suspended by a
+rope from a centre beam. As the king passed the stablemen, he threw on
+them a sharp scrutinising look; but they doffed their goat-skin caps
+carelessly, and did not appear to know him.
+
+"Shut the barn-door, Rané, and fasten it well," he said, dismounting
+from his horse, which the pages took, together with Rané's and their
+own, and led to the long mangers.
+
+The king, who was much fatigued, then threw himself on a bundle of
+straw, but kept his look upon Rané, who, with much noise, was
+apparently fastening one of the lower bars of the door. There still
+remained a bolt to be shot in at the top; but this seemed too high for
+the chamberlain to reach. He therefore, laid down, close to the door, a
+bundle of straw, on which he stood, and secured the upper bolt firmly.
+
+"There, now," he said, returning towards the king, and panting for
+breath, "I have fastened both bolt and bar. It was as much as I could
+do to manage the large bar. It is as thick as a beam, and the man who
+can break it is not born of woman."
+
+"'Tis well, my trusty Rané" said the king, kindly: "repose thyself now
+beside me. Thou hast suffered enough to-night on my account. When we
+remember what Marsk Stig said at Viborg, we should avoid such
+adventures," he continued, familiarly, though with inquietude. "We
+shall never again ride out in Jutland during the night. Humph! had I
+outlawed him at that time, perhaps I had done well; but old John
+considered it more prudent to deal mildly with him. This Marsk Stig is
+a violent man, and singularly true to his word. More than once, lately,
+have I imagined I saw him."
+
+"He is now certainly at his table, drinking wine with his good friends,
+at Möllerup," replied Rané, who remained standing, respectfully; "and
+little dreams that the King of Denmark reposes to-night on straw, in a
+wretched barn. Marsk Braggart would be glad to be on terms with you,"
+continued Rané, "although he fancies that it is he who defends the
+whole nation, since he got you to acknowledge the laws and edicts of
+the kingdom. But if you would have him alive, Möllerup is not
+impregnable. The foolhardy marsk should bear in mind what the ballad
+says."
+
+"What says the ballad?" inquired the king, abstractedly and pensively.
+
+"I have not, in sooth, much dependence on ballad wisdom, sir king,"
+replied Rané; "but it is a true saying, nevertheless, if rightly
+understood:--
+
+
+        "The lapwing would fain guard everywhere,
+        And about the field doth fly;
+      But she guardeth not the little hill
+        Whereon she might rely."
+
+
+"Alas, yes, my trusty Rané," replied the king, sorrowfully; "and the
+saying is as applicable to me. But did you fasten the door carefully? I
+thought I heard it shake in the wind."
+
+"It does not shut closely, sire; but the bar will hold it against the
+greatest force. I fear the light is going out," he continued, hastily:
+"there must be a thief in the candle. Shall I lower it and see?"
+
+"You may; but be cautious, as there is so much straw lying about; and
+take care that a gust of wind does not extinguish it. Come, I shall
+trim it myself."
+
+Whilst they were busied with the light, the loud trampling of horses
+was heard outside the barn.
+
+"There are numerous travellers arriving, sire," exclaimed Rané, taking
+the candle in his hand: "shall we suffer them to enter?"
+
+"Nay, for God's sake, nay!" replied the king, in perturbation. "If they
+want to come in, say the barn is full, and that there is no room."
+
+They were silent, and held their breath to listen; but all was now
+quiet again.
+
+"They have gone past, perhaps," whispered the king, as he sat half
+erect on the straw, in a listening posture, and with his hand on the
+hilt of his sword.
+
+Both the pages had crept up to them, and all listened for some minutes,
+but there was a profound silence.
+
+"What day is this?" at length inquired the king; "for a worse I have
+never lived."
+
+"This is St. Cecilia's night, sir king," replied little Aagé, who
+perceived with terror that the king instantly became pale. "Ah,
+gracious sir king," continued the page, "suffer us to pray the holy
+Cecilia that she keep her hand over you this night."
+
+"Pray!--pray thou, child! I cannot," replied the king. "Mass-bell and
+church-hymn, I never followed: the holy Cecilia aids not me."
+
+The little Aagé folded his hands and prayed. Rané still held the
+lantern, which he now opened, and a stronger light fell upon the king,
+who, with a profound melancholy in his countenance, sat among the
+straw, fumbling thoughtfully with his belt.
+
+"That is well, Rané: light me, and help me to reckon," he whispered.
+"How many studs are there in my belt?"
+
+Rané held the light closer. "I count twelve," he replied: "but why
+desire you to know that?"
+
+"That was a singular woman in the forest, Rané. She could see up into
+heaven and down among the damned. She bade me count the studs upon my
+belt, if I would know the number of my traitors. Twelve only you
+reckoned? I fancied I had counted fourteen. Thirteen there are, at
+least."
+
+"Who would be guided by the number of buttons, sire?" replied Rané.
+"When a man cannot make up his mind, I have heard that he should count
+his buttons; but that is suited only to children, sire."
+
+"Thou thinkest, then, that we should be decided, Rané? Reckon again,
+and, perhaps, thou mayst consider. Is it not so?--there are thirteen?"
+
+"Well, possibly," replied Rané, shutting the lantern; "but thirteen is
+not a lucky number, sir king."
+
+"Thou art right. Thirteen was the number when the false Judas betrayed
+his heavenly Lord and King. But, why becomest thou so pale, Rané?"
+
+"I have fasted the whole day, your grace," replied Rané, looking
+towards the door: "it is, therefore, no wonder if I am a little
+palefaced. But listen! What is that?"
+
+Lusty blows were now heard on the barn-door, as if with spears and
+poles.
+
+"Arise, King Erik, and come forth to us!" shouted a powerful voice
+outside.
+
+"I am betrayed!" exclaimed the king, springing up. "That was the
+terrible Stig Anderson's voice." He had drawn his sword; but stood
+irresolute and perplexed, and pale as a spectre.
+
+The chamberlain, with the lantern in his hand, ran to the door. "King
+Erik is not here--that you must surely know," he cried. "Conceal
+yourself, sire," he whispered to the agitated monarch. "Lay yourself
+down: I will cover you with straw, and no one shall see you." He
+extinguished the candle, and threw the lantern from him, and they now
+stood in total darkness.
+
+"Rané, Rané! wilt thou betray thy king and master?" whispered the
+wretched king.
+
+"Hide yourself--hide yourself, sire! I shall defend you to the last
+drop of my blood."
+
+"So shall I too!" cried little Aagé Jonsen, who had hitherto knelt and
+prayed, but who now sprang up with fire and spirit. "Alas! had I but a
+sword!"
+
+The little Bent wept and cried aloud, whilst the noise without
+continued.
+
+"Be still--be still, youth! Resistance is useless here," whispered the
+king to Aagé. "Do not betray me with your whining, Bent," he added;
+"but cover me with straw, and set yourselves down quietly in a corner."
+
+They hastily concealed the king with straw, and did as he had commanded
+them.
+
+The noise outside was still increasing. The assailants hammered lustily
+against the barn-door, until the slight bolt at the top snapped, when
+it flew open as easily as if it had been only barred with a wisp of
+straw. Twelve men, disguised in masks and gray friar cloaks, entered
+silently, with drawn swords, one of them holding a flaming torch. They
+looked quickly around in every direction, and seemed astonished at not
+finding what they were in search of.
+
+"Where is he? He hides himself, the base tyrant!" exclaimed a powerful
+voice from the midst of them. They searched fruitlessly every spot,
+except where Rané stood, with drawn sword, by the heap of straw.
+
+"Save my life, my trusty Rané!" whispered the king from beneath the
+straw, "and I give thee my own sister in marriage."
+
+"My king and master is not here, but I guard his jewels and treasures,"
+cried Rané, as he pointed to the spot where the king lay; "and I shall
+cleave the skull of the first who approaches." And he swung his puny
+sword wildly about him, striking it against the pole of a waggon and a
+clump of wood lying on the barn-floor.
+
+"You defend your king like a rogue and a traitor!" whispered Aagé:
+"give me your sword, if you will not use it better."
+
+"Away, boy!" shouted Rané, furiously, as he aimed a blow at the head of
+the page, but without touching him.
+
+Among the armed, monk-like figures was a little, decrepit man, who
+tottered forward, with the uncertain steps of old age and blindness, by
+the side of a powerful and gigantic form. These two pressed on at the
+head of the disguised band, the blind man holding fast by the skirt of
+the other, until they reached the spot to which Rané had pointed. They
+both stopped by the heap of straw that concealed the king.
+
+"Here!" uttered a hollow voice, proceeding from the visor of the tall
+masked figure, and his mailed arm uplifted a huge sword. At the same
+instant the weapons of all the others gleamed aloft in the lurid light
+of the torch.
+
+"Aha!" shouted the blind old man, with wild maniacal laughter, as he
+suddenly flung himself, with his long sword, deep into the heap of
+straw.
+
+A scream of horror, blended with the madman's half-suffocated laughter,
+issued from beneath the straw which concealed the king and his raving
+murderer. In their struggles both rolled from under it, and the whole
+of the armed band then fell at once upon the unfortunate monarch.
+
+Rané continued to lay wildly about him, without, however, wounding any
+one. At last he sprang forward, and plucked the torch from the hand of
+him who carried it. "Help, help! They are murdering my king and
+master!" he cried, as he flung the torch into the straw, and rushed
+furiously from the barn.
+
+A fierce blaze instantly lit up the horrible scene.
+
+The gory body of the king was dragged to the middle of the barn, where
+it lay, pierced at once by twelve swords. The fearful monk-like forms
+stood in silence round the body, with their dripping weapons in their
+hands, and gazed through their masks with straining eyes on the
+murdered Erik, whose features were now horribly distorted in the throes
+of death.
+
+"He is dead--let the flames devour him!" exclaimed at last their
+leader, breaking the fearful silence. "Away! To horse!"
+
+In an instant all had left the barn except the aged maniac, who had
+once more thrown himself raving on the king's body, as if he would have
+torn it asunder with his nails.
+
+The two pages had hitherto sat, concealed and weeping, under the
+mangers.
+
+"Monster!" now cried the little Aagé; and rushing towards him, he
+plucked the sword from the dead king's hand, and thrust it into the
+madman's heart.
+
+"Good, good--now I can die! Blessed be the angel from heaven who has
+redeemed me!" he murmured, as he sank back lifeless by the side of the
+murdered king.
+
+One half of the barn was already in flames. The four horses in the
+stalls sprang wildly over the bodies, and rushed through the open door;
+and the falcons flew, screaming, after them. The flames burst through
+the thatched roof, whilst a suffocating smoke filled the frightful den
+of murder; and outside, sounded the alarm of fire, and the noise of
+persons hurrying to the scene.
+
+"Help me to save the king's corpse, Bent," said Aagé to his weeping
+comrade. And with great exertion the lads dragged the heavy body to the
+entrance, before reaching which they were nearly suffocated.
+
+"God be merciful to the soul of the old monster inside!" exclaimed
+Aagé, as he looked back once more: "he must now be burned. Make haste!"
+
+They were hardly out of the barn when the roof fell in with a loud
+crash, and buried beneath it the old man's corpse.
+
+A great number of people had now assembled; but they gave little heed
+to the conflagration, being seized with fright and horror on beholding
+the mangled body of the king, and hearing the recital of the pages. The
+crowd continued to increase around the royal corpse and the weeping
+youths in front of the burning pile. The feelings awakened in the minds
+of the majority by the cruel spectacle, seemed to testify that the
+murdered king was less hated by the people than was generally believed.
+The consternation and the confusion were great. They screamed and
+shouted from one to the other.
+
+"Pursue the murderers!" cried some.--"Take care of the king's body!"
+cried others.--"Send word to Harrestrup!"--"Bring the drost! bring Sir
+John!"--"Send word to Scanderborg! there are still the queen and the
+young king!"
+
+Such were the various suggestions that were loudly and rapidly uttered,
+but no one stirred to give them effect. Women and children thronged
+towards the body: the children screamed; the women wept at the
+frightful sight; whilst the men swore and clamoured. Many commanded,
+but none obeyed.
+
+At length was heard, in the midst of the hubbub, the cry of--"Room,
+room! the drost is coming!" and the noisy crowd was divided by three
+horsemen, who urged their panting steeds eagerly through them. It was
+Drost Peter, with Skirmen and old Henner Friser. Behind them followed a
+troop of huntsmen, having Chamberlain Rané, bound, in their midst.
+
+"Silence here--give place!" cried Drost Peter, springing from his
+horse.
+
+The crowd fell respectfully to one side, and a dead silence ensued. The
+drost beheld the king's body with horror. He hastily examined it, and
+found that there was no longer any sign of life. He counted fifty-six
+wounds, all of which were mortal. Under the king's vest he also found a
+dagger, which had not been withdrawn from where it had been planted in
+his bosom. He drew it out, and examined it closely: it was a
+magnificent weapon, wrought with great skill, its hilt representing a
+gilded lion. Having displayed it to the nearest spectators, he put it
+carefully aside.
+
+"King Erik Christopherson is dead," he cried, with a loud voice, whilst
+he rose from the corpse and surveyed the crowd, whose earnest and
+sympathising faces were illumined by the flames of the barn: "he has
+been shamefully murdered, and this atrocious crime shall not remain
+unpunished, as certain as there is a righteous Judge above us!" He
+paused an instant, and a deep silence prevailed around.
+
+"The young King Erik Erikson is now our lawful lord and king," he
+continued, with greater calmness, and raising his right hand: "the
+people of Denmark have themselves elected and sworn allegiance to him.
+The holy Church will ratify his election; and soon shall he sit,
+anointed and crowned, on the throne of his ancestors. If you be true to
+him, brave Danish people, he shall, if it please God, be a good and
+righteous king, and shall severely punish the cruel and audacious
+murderers of his father. May the Almighty give him strength, and throw
+his protecting arm over him and his loyal people!"
+
+"Long live King Erik Erikson! long live our young king!" shouted the
+multitude; whilst a few cries of "Vengeance--vengeance on his
+murderers!" were heard.
+
+Drost Peter waved his hand for silence, and turned to those who stood
+nearest to him. "Who here has the fleetest horse?" he demanded.
+
+"I--I have!" cried Skirmen, springing forward.
+
+"Right--none can speed as thou canst. Bide instantly to Scanderborg, my
+trusty Skirmen. Speed thee, and carry to the queen the woful tidings.
+Relate what thou hast heard and seen. Say to Sir Thorstenson, in my
+name, that every avenue to the palace and to our young king must be
+instantly closed and well guarded. To-morrow, I shall arrive myself,
+with Sir John, when I have properly cared for the dead king's body.
+Away! God be with thee!"
+
+Skirmen was mounted in an instant, and flew off, with the speed of an
+arrow, on his little norback.
+
+"Thou, trusty old Henner!" continued Drost Peter, turning to the
+grave old man, who had remained by his side immoveable, on his tall
+horse, and gazing upon the royal corpse with a strong expression of
+sorrow--"thou, and the royal huntsmen, pursue the murderers
+immediately. Take Rané with thee, and compel him to lead thee in their
+track."
+
+Henner Friser nodded, and turned his horse. A minute afterwards, the
+giant-like old man, with Rané by his side, bound, rode at full gallop
+past the blazing barn, followed by the huntsmen.
+
+"Ye good Danish men," continued Drost Peter, turning to some of the
+more respectable peasants who stood nearest to him, and who appeared to
+regard the royal corpse with most sympathy, "ye shall bear the body of
+our murdered king with me to Viborg. Bleeding, as it now lies, shall it
+be exposed to the gaze of the people. Lay four planks over that
+harvest-waggon, and yoke to it six of your best horses. Spread my
+mantle over the planks, and lay the corpse carefully upon it. You,
+children, follow me," he said to the two weeping pages, who, in the
+meantime, had caught the king's steed, and one of the falcons. "Tie the
+king's horse to the waggon, Aagé: he shall follow his master. Give me
+the falcon, Bent. Light two fir-torches, and place yourselves at the
+king's feet. You shall bear the lights for him to-night, for the last
+time."
+
+The boys wept and obeyed; and the peasants soon executed the orders of
+the drost. His scarlet cloak had now become the king's pall; and he
+himself sat quietly on his steed, with the king's favourite falcon on
+his arm, and saw that everything was done becomingly.
+
+Many people still crowded around, but there was no noisy commotion.
+From the women only was heard a solitary sigh, or a subdued expression
+of pity; but among the men, astonishment at the unheard-of deed
+appeared more general than sorrow or commiseration.
+
+Drost Peter perceived this with deep emotion. "King Erik's last journey
+is dark. Take brands from the barn, and light us," he said, in a
+sorrowful tone.
+
+Some men from Harrestrup instantly obeyed.
+
+"Honour the dead; for the crown he bore, and for the sake of the royal
+race from which he was descended. Follow him, as many as can, yet as a
+freewill token of affection: none else is wanted. Withdraw which way
+you will; but depart with quietness, and repeat at least a prayer for
+his soul. When the sun last set, he was a powerful king, and our lawful
+lord and master. Let that den of murder burn," he added, with horror:
+"its foundation shall be razed, and every trace of it rooted from the
+earth. Where it stood, shall no man rest any more; but, for centuries
+to come, shall prayers be said, night and day, for the soul of the
+murdered king. May the merciful God be gracious to him and all of us!"
+
+With emotion he raised his hand to his eyes and gave a signal, when the
+procession slowly moved forwards. The crowd dispersed quietly and in
+silence; twelve peasants only attending, who walked, with blazing
+fir-torches, on both sides of the waggon. Near to the king's head rode
+Drost Peter, with the falcon on his arm; whilst the steed followed his
+dead master. As the procession moved past the flaming barn, a strong
+light fell on the drost's earnest countenance, and the royal corpse lay
+aloft on the waggon, visible to all. At its feet sat the two pages,
+with torches in their hands. Silently and slowly the gloomy funeral
+train disappeared in the deep night; and here and there, on the
+highways and byways, along the road to Viborg, stood astonished
+peasants, gazing in wonder.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+At Scanderborg, the queen and the young princes were still in deep
+slumber, at the early hour when Claus Skirmen reached the palace on his
+panting norback, which had carried his light rider more than forty
+English miles in six hours.
+
+The landsknechts who held watch at the castle-gate and by the
+palace-stairs recognised the drost's squire, and instantly admitted
+him. They were surprised at his haste.
+
+"Pull up the drawbridge, and lock the gates!" he cried: "the foe is at
+my heels!"
+
+The grave landsknechts were amazed: no enemy was perceptible in the
+misty dawn, and they were not accustomed to receive orders from a
+squire. Whilst they hesitated and delayed, Skirmen leaped from his
+saddle, and hurried up to the queen's large ante-chamber, where Sir
+Thorstenson himself kept night-watch with the royal body-guards.
+
+"The king is murdered!" cried Skirmen, almost breathless.
+
+The whole of the knight's men in the hall sprang up, and stood as if
+thunderstruck or petrified.
+
+"Murdered!" exclaimed Sir Thorstenson: "art thou in thy right senses,
+Skirmen?"
+
+"Murdered!" repeated Skirmen; "and the murderers are not half a mile
+distant: they are approaching, with a numerous band of horsemen. If you
+would not have the palace surprised, sir, let it be barricaded
+instantly!"
+
+"Wilt thou drive us mad, Skirmen? Bar the palace, trabants! and every
+man to his arms! Righteous God! murdered!"
+
+The alarmed trabants hastily quitted the hall, with scarcely sense
+enough left to execute the orders of their captain.
+
+"Now, by Satan, speak, Skirmen!" exclaimed the enraged Thorstenson,
+stamping. "Who has ventured on this atrocious deed? Ha! was it the
+algrev--the accursed algrev?"
+
+"Nay, stern sir: if it were not the devil and his imps, it was Marsk
+Stig and his kinsmen. At the barn of Finnerup the deed was done." And
+Skirmen then related all he had himself heard and seen, and what the
+drost had charged him to say. "And my master was right," he added: "had
+he not dispatched me instantly, the murderers themselves had perhaps
+first brought you the intelligence. An hour ago they held a council on
+Tulstrup Heath. They sat on horseback, and clothed in mail: in the fog
+I had nearly ridden into the midst of them; but the moon broke forth
+over their heads, and revealed to me their bloody swords. I hurried
+past them, and they pursued me up to the forest. There were certainly
+more than seventy men, and some amongst them were disguised as
+grayfriars. They must be here instantly."
+
+"Let them come!" cried Thorstenson: "they shall find us awake. You are
+right: none has dared this deed but Marsk Stig. He has now fulfilled
+his oath, and slain King Erik. He may next aim at the prince's life;
+but his vengeance shall not reach it. Is everything in order,
+trabants?" he inquired of some of them who had returned to the
+ante-chamber. They informed him of what had been done for the defence
+of the place, and were again dispatched with fresh orders; and the
+utmost activity prevailed in the palace.
+
+
+The sudden noise awoke the queen, who rang for her maids, and inquired
+what the disturbance meant. They were all frightened, but none of them
+yet knew what had happened. The queen arose and dressed hastily, to
+proceed to the guard-chamber. The noise in the palace increased. People
+ran about bewildered, as if a thunderbolt had fallen among them; but
+where, no one could tell. Every one knew that a great misfortune had
+happened; but what it was, no tongue ventured to ask. In the guard-room
+the knights stood in complete armour, awaiting the orders of their
+chief. The hall looked out on the palace-yard, and was provided with a
+balcony, commanding a view of the high road. Here stood Sir Thorstenson
+and Skirmen, watching, on the road to the palace, a great cloud of
+dust, which they were now first able plainly to distinguish from the
+gray mist of the morning.
+
+"You are right, Skirmen," said Thorstenson, with a nod: "it is a large
+band of horsemen; they will actually treat us here on fasting stomachs.
+No matter--they shall have their morning meal before us. Are the
+archers on the tower?" he inquired of one of the trabants.
+
+"Yes, sir knight," was the reply: "they have occupied all the
+loopholes, and are ready, with arrows on their bowstrings, as you
+commanded."
+
+"Good: but let no one draw a shaft until I wave this banner over the
+balcony," he commanded, as he seized the large royal banner which stood
+at the end of the saloon. "The more time we can gain the better," he
+added: "if it comes to a storming, we must use our shot-waggons; for
+the fellows deserve a warm breakfast. Let the fire rage under the
+stones, and they will soon he hot enough. We must melt these mailed
+flinty hearts."
+
+The trabant departed.
+
+At the same moment the queen entered, attended by her ladies and
+maidens. "What mean these preparations?" she inquired, looking
+anxiously around her, and at the same time, with her customary dignity,
+acknowledging the military salute given her by the trabants.
+
+"God and Our Lady support you, my noble queen!" exclaimed Sir
+Thorstenson, advancing, and lowering the banner respectfully before
+her: "I did not think your grace was up, and I would not suffer you to
+be awoke with evil tidings. Prepare to hear them with resolution, my
+noble-hearted queen. Drost Hessel has sent us this messenger; and in
+the colours of night ought he and we to be standing here, for the news
+he brings is dark and gloomy as the grave."
+
+"That, then, has happened which I have so long dreaded," said the
+queen, becoming pale: "my lord and king is dead? Speak, young man!" she
+continued, turning to Skirmen, "what unhappy tidings dost thou bring of
+my unfortunate husband? Speak! The Queen of Denmark shall not be
+crushed by a word, though the dread of it may chase the blood from her
+cheeks! My lord and king is dead?"
+
+"You have spoken it, noble queen," replied Skirmen, approaching her
+respectfully, whilst Thorstenson retired to the balcony, over which he
+looked with strained attention. "Traitors surprised him last night,"
+continued Skirmen: "it happened in an evil hour, when he had lost
+himself in the forest, near Finnerup, and his trusty men were not by
+his side."
+
+"Murdered, then--miserably murdered!--as is now every king of Denmark!"
+exclaimed the queen, leaning for support on one of her maidens.
+
+"It is unfortunately so, my noble queen," replied Skirmen, with strong
+sympathy, although the expression of the queen's countenance seemed
+rather to indicate bitter anger than deep, heartfelt sorrow. "Drost
+Hessel was the first to find your unhappy husband, after the fearful
+deed was done, and the murderers had fled. He immediately examined his
+wounds, and found them numerous, and all mortal. He would not quit the
+royal body before it was placed beyond the reach of farther
+indignities; but, for the security of yourself and the princes, he bade
+me hasten hither; and, with God's help, I have made such speed, that I
+am here before the traitors. God preserve you, my queen, and the young
+prince, who shall now rule Denmark's kingdom."
+
+"Where is he?" exclaimed the queen, anxiously looking around her;
+"where is the prince? where is my little Erik? Come the murderers this
+way? Are they near?"
+
+"Be calm, my noble queen," replied Thorstenson. "A band of armed
+horsemen ride, indeed, towards the palace, with some disguised traitors
+at their head; but, so long as I and a single Dane remain alive, no
+enemy to the royal house shall set foot within these walls. I have sent
+for the princes, and they will be here immediately."
+
+"Can the castle be defended?" inquired the queen, hastily: "are the
+traitors all beyond its walls? Are there none amongst us? And was it
+not a Dane who murdered Denmark's king?"
+
+Overwhelmed with doubts and apprehensions, the queen turned round, and
+looked at the dark, armed men who filled the hall; but among them she
+saw not one who had been heartily attached to the king.
+
+"The castle can and shall be defended, so long as one stone stands upon
+another," replied Thorstenson, with glowing cheeks. "The traitors are
+near us, but you have true men around you. Affront not every Dane by
+such dishonouring suspicions, illustrious queen. In this bloody treason
+the true Danish people had no part. Your royal husband was not beloved;
+nor was he, indeed, any favourite of mine either--that truth it is of
+no use to conceal; but we are not, on that account, either traitors or
+perjurers. Marsk Stig Andersen is the author of this horrid deed: and
+even he is not perjured, for he has fearfully performed what he
+promised: but henceforth he is the deadly foe of every honest Dane. We
+will protect the royal house; and your royal son shall wear with
+security the crown of Denmark, to which he was chosen by a free and
+loyal people."
+
+"We will protect the royal house!" exclaimed the grave knights and
+trabants: "long live the queen and our young king!"
+
+"Where are these traitors?" now inquired the queen, with more
+composure: "can we see them?" She went hastily to the balcony, and
+perceived the dark troop of horsemen approaching, with the disguised,
+hooded men at their head. "They are numerous," she continued; "but not
+sufficient to intimidate my protectors. They approach the castle
+apparently with peaceful intentions."
+
+"Let them come close up to the walls, noble queen. They must not
+imagine that we are afraid to look them in the face. They have neither
+archers nor storming-ladders with them; and if they have anything to
+say to us, we can hold a parley with safety from the balcony. The
+moment they commence an attack, I send them a salute of a shower of
+arrows from the tower."
+
+"'Tis well, Sir Thorstenson!" replied the queen, raising her head with
+proud indignation. "They shall behold the Queen of Denmark--they shall
+behold their young lord and king; and shall find that justice does not
+slumber, and that the sceptre of Denmark, even in the hand of a minor,
+has still power to set at defiance a band of murderers!"
+
+The princes now entered the guardroom, attended by two knights. The
+young king was pale with horror at the fearful tidings he had just
+heard; but his brother, Junker Christopherson, was burning with wrath
+and indignation. The queen turned from the balcony and approached them.
+
+"My sons," she said, "your royal father is dead! Bear this sorrow as
+beseems his sons and avengers! Those who caused his death, thirst after
+your blood, and mine also, and are now approaching this castle with
+bold audacity; but if you are my children, these tidings will not alarm
+you."
+
+Junker Christopherson now became pale and uneasy: he looked over the
+balcony, and stepped hastily back with alarm. But that which so
+frightened him, brought back the blood into the cheeks of the little
+King Erik.
+
+"My sword and my royal helmet!" he cried, in a tone of command. "I am
+now your king, and it is my business to defend this castle and the
+kingdom. It shall be my first duty to proclaim the death and downfall
+of my father's godless murderer. Is the castle in a state of defence,
+Sir Thorstenson?"
+
+The bold knight regarded with astonishment the prince, who now, for the
+first time, spoke to him with the authority of a chief and king. He
+bowed respectfully, and hastily informed him of all that had been done
+for the defence of the castle; taking care, at the same time, not to
+lose sight of the movements of the hostile horsemen.
+
+"Good, good!" said Erik, nodding.
+
+A trabant now presented to the young king a short sword with a gilt
+handle, and a little gilt helmet with a crown and high feather. Erik
+hung the sword by his side, placed the helmet on his head, and, with
+his mother, stepped on to the balcony.
+
+The troop of horsemen had halted at some distance from the palace, and
+the monk-clad chiefs seemed to be holding council.
+
+At length a tall, gigantic figure, in a gray cloak and hood,
+accompanied by two persons of less stature, but in the same disguise,
+rode leisurely towards the side of the outer ditch nearest the lofty
+balcony, high above the fortress walls, where stood the queen and the
+young king, closely attended by trabants, ready, on a signal from their
+chief, to form a shield of defence around the royal personages. The sun
+had just arisen, and shone upon the noble form and fair, pale face of
+the queen, sad the chivalrous young king on her right.
+
+This spectacle appeared to make a singular impression on the hostile
+giant-like figure, who more than once stopped his horse. At length he
+reached the ditch opposite the balcony, where, throwing the monk's hood
+and cloak from his head and shoulders, he appeared, in closed helmet
+and tarnished black steel harness, like a statue of bronze on his
+charger, as, with sparkling eyes, he gazed upon the queen and the
+prince through the grating of his visor.
+
+"Queen!" he said, in a deep, warlike voice, "you called the man a crazy
+braggart who denounced King Erik at the Thing of Viborg. You imagined
+that the man was not in Denmark who dared put so bold a speech in
+practice. Behold, then, in me, the Dane who has kept his promise to the
+king. The fire is now in the house of the mocker; and here you see the
+hand that cast the brand--here you behold the face from which your
+craven lord concealed his royal countenance in the straw of a stable."
+
+With these words he struck his visor up; and the queen retreated a
+step, with horror, before the flashing, vengeful eyes and the haughty
+features of the warrior. But speedily recovering herself, she again
+stepped forward, with proud indignation; whilst the youthful king by
+her side grasped the hilt of his sword.
+
+"Come you yourself, Marsk Stig Andersen, self-made king!" said the
+queen, with lofty dignity--"come you in person to hear your doom? Know,
+then, it was pronounced in that bloody midnight hour, and that here
+stands now your king and master, who will, if God spare him life, by a
+wave of his youthful hand, accomplish Heaven's judgment upon you."
+
+"A self made king I am not," replied the marsk, with a subdued voice:
+"such an accursed thought never entered my soul; but who shall now be
+Denmark's king, the mighty spirit of the people and this sword shall
+determine. The time for that has not yet arrived; and I have not sped
+hither to contend with women and children. I came here to see what I
+now behold. You yourself best know who was a self-made king in Denmark.
+My deed of last night has not made you a mourning widow, nor brought
+you sorrow and heart-pangs, Queen Agnes. I bear you, instead, a welcome
+message."
+
+As the queen heard these words, it seemed for a moment that she would
+have sunk upon the earth: it was as if the terrible avenger gave life
+to a secret picture, of which she had once, with horror, had a glimpse
+in her dreams. She blushed as red as her scarlet kirtle, and
+immediately became pale as the linen collar on her fair neck; but she
+collected her strength, and, with a deep feeling of wounded honour,
+exclaimed, with dignity and pride--"For these words, Stig Andersen, I
+shall answer you, when we meet before God's judgment-seat! Here, you
+stand deeply under the Queen of Denmark's wrath."
+
+"Let me speak, mother!" interrupted little Erik: "I am his judge and
+master. Thou blood-besprinkled regicide!" he cried, with singular
+strength and firmness, and with a look that caused the powerful warrior
+to start--"thou hast murdered my royal father, and mocked the queen, my
+mother, and shalt surely die! From this hour thou art an outlaw, as
+certainly as I shall wear the crown of Denmark!"
+
+Junker Christopherson now made his appearance on the balcony: "The rack
+and wheel shall be thy reward, accursed murderer!" he cried, wildly and
+angrily, clenching his hand with excess of passion.
+
+The impression made upon the marsk by the words and looks of the little
+king was effaced by his passionate brother.
+
+"The threats of children do not alarm me," replied the giant knight.
+"But know this, however, thou young sire-avenger, with the infant
+crown!--If I must roam the country at thy bidding, there shall be in
+the land more widows than thy mother--if Marsk Stig must lie, an
+outlaw, in wood and den, Denmark shall pay perpetual tribute to him and
+his followers! Away!" he shouted to his attendants, raising his right
+arm, and turning his proud steed: "let not the blood of children smear
+our hands! The kingdom and country can yet be saved!"
+
+Sir Thorstenson could no longer suppress his indignation. "Down with
+the traitor!" he shouted, waving the royal banner from the balcony.
+
+At the signal a shower of arrows was discharged at the daring regicide
+from the loopholes of the castle-tower. The marsk turned his horse and
+laughed loudly at the impotent shafts, which, coming from so great a
+distance, fell harmlessly from his steel armour, and remained hanging
+in the cloaks of his disguised attendants. As if in derision of this
+fruitless attack, he calmly stopped for a moment, and received with
+scornful laughter another shower of arrows, which took no greater
+effect; but, as he was now about to turn his horse, a red hot stone,
+discharged from one of the slings on the wall, tore open the entrails
+of the noble steed, which, with a wild spring, fell under him.
+
+At the same instant the drawbridge was lowered, and a troop of archers
+rushed towards him with bows drawn. The marsk hastily leaped on another
+horse, and galloped off with his mailed companions, at a speed which
+contradicted the contempt with which he appeared to receive the shower
+of hissing arrows and glowing balls from the castle of the infant king.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Twenty-four hours after the king's murder, the rumour of it had spread
+over nearly the whole kingdom; but the accounts differed widely in
+relating the manner of his death.
+
+At Kiel Castle, Count Gerhard received as guests the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar and his drost, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. They had arrived, late in
+the evening, from a journey through Brandenburg, and were accompanied
+by both the brothers of Queen Agnes--the Margraves Otto and Conrad of
+Brandenburg.
+
+In these brave noblemen Duke Waldemar had, in the course of his
+journey, made new acquaintances, whom he seemed highly to prize, and
+had invited them to accompany him to Sleswick. The margraves were the
+intimate friends of the good-natured, excellent Count Gerhard, and they
+had therefore invited the duke to rest a few hours at the hospitable
+Kiel Castle--a proposition to which he could not refuse acquiescence,
+without creating reasonable surprise at the haste with which he
+journeyed homewards.
+
+The duke had not met Count Gerhard since the evening he had seen him in
+company with Sir John, at the Dane-court of Nyborg, shortly before his
+own imprisonment. The interest with which the count had afterwards
+laboured to obtain his freedom, and to procure him terms with the king,
+had impressed the duke with a degree of shame for having, on many
+previous occasions, slighted the plain, gay-hearted gentleman, and made
+himself merry at the expense of his somewhat ungainly figure, as well
+as his bashfulness and lack of courtly language, when he desired to
+shine in presence of the ladies. That the brave, honest count,
+notwithstanding his awkwardness in the dance with the queen on that
+evening, had awakened far greater interest with her than his more
+polished rival, was a piece of good fortune which the proud, ambitious
+duke had never been able to forgive him.
+
+Count Gerhard had received them with his wonted openness and gay good
+humour; for the rumours respecting the important crisis of affairs in
+Denmark had not yet reached Kiel. His guests and himself were seated at
+the drinking-board, entertaining each other with merry songs.
+
+The Margrave Otto, who was about the middle age, with a calm and
+reflective countenance, was a skilful knight, an esteemed general, and
+a prince who cherished and encouraged the arts and sciences. He was a
+great admirer of the German minne-singers, and sang several of their
+lays in a fine deep bass voice. To satisfy the Danish gentlemen that
+his royal brother-in-law, King Erik Christopherson, was more esteemed
+in Germany than by his own people, he sang Reinmar von Zweter's
+well-known eulogium on the king, which, in the Schwabian dialect, thus
+commences:--
+
+
+            "Ein kunig der wol gekroenet gat:"
+
+
+and which may be thus translated:--
+
+
+            "A king so well becrown'd, and true,
+            And eke a crown beking'd well, too,
+              Maintains that crown aright:
+            Should thus the king his crown adorn,
+            That crown adorns him in return,
+              And each does each requite."
+
+
+It was almost the same ballad as that with which the king had been
+welcomed at Harrestrup, and wherein it was boasted of him, that he
+comforted the widow and the orphan, that he maintained peace, and that
+his heart and courage were great and bold.
+
+"Pokker i Vold! To the deuce with your becrowned king and bekinged
+crown, my good friend!" said Count Gerhard, laughing, when Margrave
+Otto repeated the commencement as a chorus. "Your good Master Reinmar
+is somewhat too bookish for me, and lays it on too thick; otherwise, I
+could wish the song were Danish, and that the people might sing it from
+the bottom of their hearts. Yet I have no great relish for songs for
+the people that have to be brought to them from other lands."
+
+"Now, now, my dear Count Gerhard," said the margrave, "this is not a
+people's song, but a complimentary ode. How otherwise would you like to
+be sung?"
+
+"Plainly and straightforward, so that folks might know me; or not at
+all. Songs of this sort, to be good for anything," he continued, gaily,
+"must not be mere praise and flattery from beginning to end, but should
+give us a pleasant yet faithful picture of the whole man--of his faults
+and follies, as well as of his virtues and merits--so that one might
+see him truly and entirely, as in a bright shield. Nay, I prize more
+highly the art of my old Daddy Longlegs: he does more with his
+countenance than all our learned master-singers with their lira-la-la.
+You must see his pleasant gifts, gentlemen."
+
+At his summons, the grave, lanky jester stepped forward, and applied
+himself diligently to entertain his master's guests by imitating the
+appearance and manner of all the notable personages he had ever seen.
+This mightily amused Count Gerhard himself: he laughed till his eyes
+ran over, whilst the jester, with the utmost gravity, represented a
+learned controversy between two ecclesiastics, whose voices, looks, and
+manners he mimicked by turns. In this representation the guests
+immediately recognised the learned, abstracted, and pedantic Master
+Martinus de Dacia, and his zealous opponent, the proud, passionate
+Master Grand, who could well match him as a dialectician and learned
+theologian. The dean's spare figure and authoritative air the jester
+could more especially imitate to the life.
+
+The duke and Sir Abildgaard, as well as the courtly margraves, who were
+enlivened by the wine, laughed most heartily at the exhibition.
+
+"Excellent!" said the duke: "that is our bold Master Grand to
+perfection. But if our stern sir dean knew that we so enjoyed ourselves
+with this imitation of his manner and reverend person, he would regard
+it as a shameless and unpardonable outrage on himself and the entire
+holy Church."
+
+"He is not pope yet," replied Count Gerhard; "and more than one
+infallible clerk we are not bound to believe in. I have great respect
+for the abilities of the learned dean; but he is still a fallible man,
+and, like a good Christian, he must allow that even his best friends
+are not blind to his infirmities. To show you, gentlemen, that we here
+do not limit our selection of persons, when, at a merry moment, we have
+a mind to see them amongst us, without putting them to the
+inconvenience of a journey, Daddy Longlegs shall now give us a copy
+from nature, which it will probably cost you no great effort to
+recognise."
+
+He whispered a few words to the jester, who nodded, and left the room.
+He shortly returned, attired in a princely purple mantle, with a gilded
+parchment crown on his head, over a tuft of thin combed-out hair. His
+face expressed a singular mixture of majesty and meanness, of wild
+strength and effeminate weakness: he seemed both to threaten and smile
+at the same time, and blinked constantly. He strode leisurely forward,
+stopping at times, as if in doubt, and supporting himself on his long
+wooden sword.
+
+When Duke Waldemar saw this, he became pale. Count Gerhard laughed
+immoderately; and the knightly margraves seemed perplexed.
+
+"Let this rather daring jest alone, noble Count Gerhard," at length
+said Margrave Otto, earnestly: "it is not becoming in us to be
+spectators whilst our royal brother-in-law is turned to ridicule."
+
+"What the deuce, my brave sirs, are you afraid of the spectre of your
+royal brother-in-law?" cried Count Gerhard, laughing. "As you intend
+shortly to visit him in person, you will do well to accustom yourself
+to look him boldly in the face, without being embarrassed by his
+blinking, or scared by his anger."
+
+The jester had withdrawn to the farther end of the apartment, where he
+stood in the shade, observing the effects of his mimicry. At that
+moment the door was opened, and two young knights, half intoxicated,
+stumbled in.
+
+"News! news!" they shouted in a breath: "there is an insurrection in
+Denmark, and the king is slain!"
+
+All sprang up in astonishment, except Duke Waldemar, who swooned, and
+sank back in his chair. In the general confusion, this was observed by
+Sir Abildgaard only, who hastily came to his assistance, and chafed his
+temples with wine, giving no alarm, but placing himself before him, and
+concealing him with his mantle.
+
+The others gazed with alarm on the young knights who had brought the
+unexpected intelligence. But the terror of the jester was beyond
+control. Notwithstanding his talent for drollery, he was subject to a
+deep melancholy, which at times bordered on madness. A fearful horror
+now overwhelmed him, and he fancied that the ghost of the murdered king
+had actually taken possession of him, to revenge the mockery of which
+he had made him the subject. Longshanks became so deadly pale, and
+remained so motionless, that now he really personified a fearful
+spectre of the murdered king, whose mask he had assumed in a playful
+mood.
+
+Count Gerhard had suddenly become grave; but the young knights who
+brought the message of death did not observe, in their half-inebriated
+state, the effects which their intelligence had produced; nor knew
+they that the two strangers were Margraves of Brandenburg, and
+brothers-in-law of the murdered king. They now related, in a careless
+and almost merry tone, what they had heard of the king's murder.
+
+"There is no doubt about it, sir count," said he who stood nearest him:
+"he fell, appropriately, in a love adventure in Finnerup Forest; and
+could not himself have desired a fairer or pleasanter death. Let us now
+drink a happy journey to him, and a better and more faithful mate to
+his fair queen. Merrily, sirs! The health of King Erik Christopherson,
+wherever he may be."
+
+Count Gerhard stood in agony during this unseemly and inconsiderate
+speech in presence of the margraves. He would have reprimanded the
+thoughtless knight, but the jester anticipated him. Rushing madly
+forward, in the guise of the dead king, he seized the bone of a roebuck
+from a silver dish on the table.
+
+"King Erik Christopherson thanks you for the toast!" cried he, assuming
+with fearful truthfulness the monarch's voice: "to you, and to all his
+merry friends here, he sends a greeting."
+
+So saying, he threw the large bone at the forehead of the young knight,
+but it missed its aim, and struck Count Gerhard, who fell to the
+ground, with the blood streaming from his left eye, which was laid open
+by the blow.
+
+All crowded around him, alarmed. During the commotion the duke regained
+his senses: he cast an anxious look towards the end of the hall, where
+the jester had stood; and as he no longer saw the threatening form of
+royalty, he appeared entirely to recover his self-possession.
+
+At the moment the accident happened to the count, the jester had cast
+aside his parchment crown and purple mantle, and thrown himself, with
+an exclamation of intense grief, over his wounded master; but Count
+Gerhard quickly arose, holding his hand over his bleeding wound.
+
+"Our untimely jest has cost me an eye," he said, with composure; "but
+that is a matter of little consequence at present. If what we have
+heard be true, the kingdom and our noble queen are in a critical
+position. Haste, my lords, and stand by her with aid and counsel! As
+soon as possible, I shall place myself at the service of the crown and
+country."
+
+Count Gerhard left the drinking-room to commit himself to the care of
+his surgeon; and his guests instantly departed from Kiel Castle, and
+hastily took the road to Scanderborg.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+On the same evening the inmates of Möllerup were in a state of anxious
+expectation, for the lord of the castle had departed eight days before
+with a portion of the garrison. The gates were closed, and the
+drawbridge was drawn up as usual. The four watchers stood on the tower,
+and all was stillness in the strong, gloomy fortress.
+
+In the women's apartment, as midnight approached, sat the tall, veiled
+Fru Ingeborg, in her dark mourning dress, engaged in sewing a long
+white linen garment. On the work-table before her, stood a lamp. The
+little, restless Ulrica she had sent to bed; but the quiet Margarethé
+sat by her side, industriously employed on the sacred picture, which
+she worked with silk and threads of gold, and which was destined to
+adorn a holy altar-cloth in the castle-chapel of Möllerup.
+
+"I shall soon have it finished now, mother!" exclaimed the daughter.
+"Look once more. The red shines beautifully in the light: to me it
+seems as if the little angels smiled, and as if there really came a
+radiance from the faces of the infant Jesus and the dear Mother of
+God."
+
+"Good, good, my pious child," replied the mother, patting her pale
+cheek, and casting on the work a passing glance through her veil. "I,
+too, shall soon be done," she added, with a suppressed sigh.
+
+"But what is this long linen garment for, dear mother? It is neither a
+table-cloth nor a sheet."
+
+"When I am dead, my child," answered the mother, "thou shalt thank the
+merciful God, and wrap my body and face in this linen cloth: then shall
+I have put off the dark dress of mourning, and be clad in white
+garments--white is the colour of innocence and purity, my child."
+
+"Alas, mother! cannot we wear that garment, then, when we are living?
+But our Lord and Saviour took all our sins upon himself, when he died
+for us on the cross. Angels came to his grave in white raiment; and,
+when we become as little children, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us,
+as to the angels."
+
+"Put on thy white kirtle to-morrow, my child," replied the mother.
+
+"Ah, mother, mother!" sighed Margarethé, "when shall I see thy face
+again, and thy beautiful tender eyes? I well remember seeing them when
+I was very little; but that is long, long ago. Poor little Rikké has
+never seen thy face, and she is thy child also."
+
+"Soon, soon shall ye both see me face to face, I hope," replied the
+mother, with a trembling voice. "Look at the sand-glass, child: is it
+near midnight?"
+
+"It is past midnight, mother. Dost thou expect father to-night?"
+
+"He promised to be here, or to send a messenger, before midnight,"
+replied the mother, anxiously; "and he is not wont to forget what he
+promises. But he has a great pledge to redeem; and before that is done
+I shall not hear from him: until then, there is peace for none of us."
+
+"Alas! wherefore not, mother? Rememberest thou not that the holy text
+speaks of the peace which is higher than human understanding? That
+peace the Lord has given to us all."
+
+"Yes, truly, child: that peace the righteous shall find: they shall
+enter into their peace--they shall rest on their beds, it stands. But
+everything in its time: first war--then peace."
+
+There was now heard the howling of dogs in the court-yard.
+
+"Listen, mother, listen!" said Margarethé: "the dogs are noisy. They
+certainly expect father; but they were never wont to howl so
+fearfully."
+
+"It betokens a message of death," said the mother. "Keep silence, my
+child; methinks I hear thy father's hunting-horn; and, list! the
+watchword rings from the tower.--He comes!"
+
+Footsteps now sounded in the court. In the still night they could hear
+the drawbridge lowered and the gate turn on its grating hinges, and
+shortly after came the noise of many horses and horsemen in the court.
+Margarethé ran to the window.
+
+"It is father and his men!" she cried. "But what is this? There are
+grayfriars among them, with torches! Father has now dismounted, and is
+coming straight to us."
+
+Fru Ingeborg attempted hastily to rise, but sank back on her chair,
+powerless. "Seest thou thy grandfather, too?--Seest thou my hapless old
+father?" she inquired.
+
+"Nay, poor old grandfather I do not see, mother. I can see all, but
+grandfather is not amongst them."
+
+The door into the women's apartment was now opened, and the tall lord
+of the castle stood in his steel armour on the threshold. His visor was
+raised, and his stern, serious face was pale. He remained on the
+threshold without uttering a word, but made a sign to intimate that the
+child should be sent away.
+
+"Go into the nursery, my child," said the mother, rising slowly, and
+trembling: "what thy father has to tell me, thou art not to hear."
+
+Margarethé had approached her father, to greet him and kiss his hand;
+but she saw clots of blood on his gauntlet, and ran back affrighted.
+She folded her hands, and left the apartment, weeping.
+
+The marsk then stepped over the threshold. "It is done!" he said: "take
+the veil of shame from thy face, my wife, and embrace, at last, thy
+husband and thine avenger! Thy scandal is washed out with the tyrant's
+blood: thou shalt no longer blush to be called the wife of Stig
+Andersen."
+
+With a violent, almost convulsive action, Fru Ingeborg tore away her
+veil, and the rays of the lamp fell on her deadly pale and wasted face,
+which still bore the traces of a beauty seldom surpassed; but her dark
+blue sparkling eyes were deeply sunk in their large sockets. She
+stretched out her meagre hands, and approached the marsk. He drew back
+a step, surprised; but in another instant he rushed forward with wild
+ardour into her outstretched arms, while two large tears rolled down
+his iron cheeks.
+
+"My Ingeborg! my unhappy Ingeborg! is it thus I again embrace thee!" he
+exclaimed: "has an age passed over our heads, and have we both grown
+old since last I looked upon thy face, and held thee in these arms?
+Live, live now, my hapless wife, and become young again! All thy griefs
+are over: thy years of sorrow and thy dishonour are avenged--fearfully
+avenged! Never was a polluter of woman more severely punished than he
+who murdered thy peace. Thy father was the first whose sword pierced
+his false heart."
+
+"Ah! my father, my father! where is he?" inquired Fru Ingeborg,
+starting, alarmed, from her husband's bloody arms. "And thou art
+bleeding--thou art wounded!"
+
+"It is the tyrant's blood--I swore thou shouldst see it. I am myself
+unscathed, my wife! but thy father--thy poor crazy father--he followed
+us not from the burning barn. I hurried back to drag him from the
+flames, but it was too late!"
+
+"Burned! burned alive!" shrieked Fru Ingeborg. "Righteous God! thus
+does the Almighty Judge crush us for our vengeance!" And she fell
+senseless on the winding-sheet, which lay upon the floor.
+
+When she again opened her eyes, she was on a chair, and her husband, in
+his bloody harness, yet stood alone with her. "Comfort thee, my wife!"
+said the marsk: "thy unhappy father lay not long in pain; his soul
+soared peacefully on the flames to that promised land of freedom for
+which he so long vainly sighed. Comfort thee, wife! Hear what I have to
+tell thee! It now concerns our own lives. Our great plans respecting
+the kingdom and country are not yet to be thought of. A panic has
+seized all our friends: every one thinks but of himself and his own
+safety. The people will not declare in our favour; but wail, like
+madmen, over the slaughter of the king. I myself am an outlaw: the
+young king has so proclaimed me, though without trial or judgment. I
+laughed thereat--but it struck my followers with dismay. And, truly,
+the words of the child appeared to me most marvellous. People may say
+what they will; but the child is now a king, however. I cannot rely on
+Duke Waldemar; and, therefore, we must away."
+
+"Never, never! I remain here!" exclaimed Fru Ingeborg, with decision,
+as he raised her head.
+
+"It is requisite, my wife, thou mayst believe me! I never retreated a
+step when it was possible to advance. Wilt thou now follow a poor
+outlawed man, my Ingeborg, or tarry behind, with a foul name, among our
+powerful foes?"
+
+At these words the powers of life returned to Fru Ingeborg for an
+instant, with mighty force. She arose calmly, and regarded her husband
+with a look of surprise.
+
+"A foul name I have borne long enough!" she said: "I shall no longer
+bear it in this world, even were I to be made Queen of Denmark. Thanks
+for having taken away my reproach--for me, no one shall further grieve.
+But if I am again the wife of Marsk Stig Andersen, hear now the last
+words which, in this world, I have to say to thee. My hours are
+numbered. The hour's honour I have won was not worth nine years'
+anguish, and that horrible night of fire and murder. Has the panic
+which struck our friends, seized also the mighty Marsk Stig? Art thou
+the man to be frightened by a child, and to flee the land at the
+bidding of a boy? Nay, nay, my bold avenger! It is the mist of the
+dusky night of blood that now obscures thy vision and weighs down thy
+soul--it is the kingly gore upon thy wambraces that paralyses thine
+arm. Stay here till dawn. Cleanse the blood from thy harness, and
+bethink thee why it flowed. 'Twas not merely that thou shouldst behold
+this pallid countenance. Tonight, I stand before thee as a spectre only
+to remind thee why thou hast tarried so long, and then to descend with
+honour into my grave. But when thou hast closed these eyes--"
+
+"Live, live, my brave wife!" interrupted the marsk; "and thou shalt see
+that I will act in a manner worthy of thee. But, alone and unaided, not
+even the strongest can overthrow the throne of Denmark."
+
+"When wert thou left alone? Hast thou not lords and knights of thine
+own kindred? Art thou not in league with kings and princes? Live Duke
+Waldemar and Count Jacob no longer? And are not Ové Dyré and Jacob
+Blaafod yet remaining? Our powerful kinsmen will not desert thee. In
+Norway, King Erik is thy steady friend: he is mighty in people and
+ships: him thou canst depend upon. Remain here, then. Let not our race
+be rooted out, and the land be lost. Build a castle on Hielm, that
+shall stand firm against shaft, and shot, and sling. Take not thy
+mighty hand from Denmark, my brave, proud Stig Andersen! Set the crown
+on a head that can bear it, and suffer not the families of Toké and
+Hvide to be banished, so long as thine eyes are open! Give me thy hand
+upon this, if my peace and salvation are dear to thee!"
+
+"Well, my wife, I promise you!" said the marsk, holding forth his
+mailed hand to her: "if it please God, it shall so be done!" He became
+silent and thoughtful.
+
+They stood thus for a few moments, hand in hand. The fire in the pale
+Ingeborg's eyes was quenched, and a cloud overspread her countenance.
+
+"Thanks, thanks! now am I at rest," she said, slowly and solemnly; "now
+can I lie still in my grave, and grieve no more over my lacerated life,
+and over the blood that has been shed for my womanly honour. I shall
+not hear my forsaken daughters weep--I shall not hear my father's
+death-shriek in the flames. For the last time my eyes swim in
+darkness," she whispered, faintly, tottering. "Good night, my avenger!
+Thanks! Thou hast brought me the last message which I shall hear in the
+world. It was a message of victory, but of a terrible one. I am again
+thy lawful wife--but only beyond purgatory can I be what I was nine
+years ago--"
+
+"Ingeborg, dearest Ingeborg! talk not so wildly!" exclaimed the marsk,
+anxiously; "retire to rest--thou art unwell."
+
+"I go to rest," she whispered, and staring wildly before her. "Father,
+father! burn no longer for thy daughter! Now shall she pass with thee
+through the flames! Good night!" She pressed the marsk's hand
+fervently, and fell suddenly to the ground, as if struck with apoplexy.
+
+Alarmed, the marsk called for help; but, before the servants arrived,
+their unhappy mistress lay, without sign of life, in the blood-stained
+arms of her husband.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Ere Duke Waldemar and the Margraves of Brandenburg reached Scanderborg
+Castle, Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson stood at the head of a
+considerable array of soldiers before the palace, where a camp had been
+pitched, whilst crowds of people flocked to do homage to the young
+king. Old Sir John had been brought to the palace on a litter; and the
+strictest regulations had been adopted. No seditious voice dared to
+make itself heard. Duke Waldemar and his train had ridden day and
+night, without intermission. On the second morning after they left
+Kiel, they beheld the camp of Scanderborg in the distance.
+
+"We come too late," said the duke. "Tarry a moment, my lords: if I see
+aright, there is an army here."
+
+
+"An army of seven or eight hundred men," replied Margrave Otto, whose
+glance at the encampment indicated the experienced general.
+
+"Drost Hessel and Sir John have lost no time in this matter," continued
+the duke: "they receive the homage of the people without waiting for
+the chief men of the country, and the nearest kinsmen of the royal
+family. In this, you may see the presumption of these gentlemen. But
+the power is their's for the moment, and we must be silent. The boy has
+been declared King of Denmark; and your wise and illustrious sister,
+noble sirs, must, for the present, be content to exercise, along with
+me, the functions of guardianship. Even in that position we must remain
+quiet. So long as the present commotion agitates every mind, confidence
+is nowhere to be expected, and no rational measure to be thought of."
+
+They continued their way in doubt and silence.
+
+"Your conclusion, my noble duke, seems to me somewhat precipitate,"
+said Margrave Otto, at length: "your eloquence had for a moment, in the
+present unexpected posture of affairs, somewhat dazzled me. The royal
+election has long since been legally determined; and any alteration, in
+it would be a culpable encroachment on the privileges of the people. My
+sister, the queen, would certainly hesitate to exclude her own son from
+the crown, for the vanity of being called queen-regnant; the more
+especially as, in reality, she will be so, as long as the young king is
+a minor."
+
+"I fully concur in my brother's opinion," observed Margrave Conrad, who
+appeared to be considerably younger than the other, in whose views,
+however, he generally coincided, although he betrayed a certain
+independence of mind and character. "We feel grateful for your concern
+on behalf of our unhappy sister, noble duke," he continued; "but it has
+misled you. Let us not speak to her of a project so dangerous and
+seducing, and which has certainly never yet entered her thoughts."
+
+"You are right, noble sirs," said the duke, quickly: "it was too hasty
+a conclusion. We must allow matters to take their necessary course. The
+thought was prompted by respect for the wisdom and rare qualities of
+your illustrious sister, and as a means of salvation for Denmark in the
+present conjuncture. What I have said on it must be a secret between
+us, in all the trust and honour of knighthood."
+
+"I understand you," replied Margrave Otto, examining the duke with a
+scrutinising glance: "during the past week you have been singularly
+absorbed in, and have almost distracted us with, your state policy. I
+could almost swear you had a presentiment of what was about to happen."
+
+The duke changed colour; and Sir Tuko Abildgaard, who had been silent
+during the whole journey, hastily turned his steed, and seemed busied
+only in guiding him.
+
+"So much the worse," said the duke, hastily. "Who can have paid
+attention to the unhappy state of Denmark, and to the variances that
+have long existed between the king and his powerful nobles, without
+fearing the worst? There was a time," he continued, "when, as you know,
+I took an active part in Danish affairs: with the inconsiderateness of
+youth. I hoped, by a daring undertaking, to bring about internal peace
+and good government. My attempt miscarried; and now I rejoice, that my
+reconciliation with the king, and my renunciatory oath, exempt me from
+the most distant suspicion of having participated in this
+insurrectionary movement. Even my stay with you, noble sirs, in these
+dreadful times, I regard as the most fortunate circumstance of my life.
+In conjunction with you and your noble sister, I may now perhaps,
+unsuspected, aid in restoring order to my distracted country, and in
+chastising those audacious nobles who would lord it over the nation. We
+have seen, at least, that they are not afraid of resorting to the most
+violent measures to advance their own petty claims, and to gratify a
+miserable private rancour."
+
+"There is my hand, noble Duke Waldemar!" exclaimed Margrave Otto,
+extending it cordially: "you intend honestly by the people and the
+unhappy royal house, and we shall henceforth give you both aid and
+counsel in restoring peace and order in the country. Let us no longer
+tarry. I long to see my noble sister, and to give her comfort in her
+hour of need."
+
+They set spurs to their horses, and rode swiftly towards the camp of
+Scanderborg, where they were stopped, and their names demanded by the
+sentinels, who, however, respectfully allowed them to pass, on
+ascertaining that they were Duke Waldemar and the queen's brothers. On
+reaching the palace they found the drawbridge occupied by a strong
+guard of landsknechts, and were obliged to dismount, in consequence of
+the number of people who blocked up the way. The crowd fell back
+respectfully on each side before the three princely personages, whose
+handsome dresses and gold-embroidered mantles indicated their elevated
+rank. They were, however, often stopped in their progress, and their
+squires were obliged to remain behind, with the horses. During these
+stoppages many expressions were heard from amongst the people, which
+the duke and Sir Abildgaard listened to with special attention.
+
+"Have they caught the murderers?" inquired a burgher.
+
+"By the foul fiend, nay!" replied another: "the carls were well
+disguised, and who could know them? They had crept into monks' cloaks.
+For aught we know, they may be here, in the midst of us--nobody can
+tell a hound by his hairs."
+
+"The wood has ears, and the field has eyes--what has been hidden in the
+snow, comes up in the thaw," observed an old woman on a crutch: "if Sir
+John or Drost Hessel catch them, they will be hanged, without doubt."
+
+"Hanged?" cried a young fellow--"where now, Dorothy Ketch? The rascals
+would dance for joy below the gallows, and hug the halter, if they
+could get off so easily. Nay, nay; the dogs must be broken, and be upon
+the wheel. The king wasn't just what he should be, it is true, and was
+too fond of hunting after wives and wenches; but they had no right, for
+all that, to kill him, like a mad bull, in a barn."
+
+"When our young king grows bigger, he will revenge his father, like a
+good Christian," observed a sturdy peasant.
+
+"But where is he? Are we never to get a sight of him?" cried another:
+"they haven't surely slain him, too?"
+
+"Nay, nay--the Lord put a bar to that," replied the peasant: "they were
+here the same morning early, before the devil had his shoes on, and
+would fain have laid hands on the young king; but he was up as soon as
+they were. When they saw him on the balcony, they grew pale in the
+nose, and durst not crook a hair at him. If, as they say, it was really
+the valiant marsk, he was frightened enough when he heard himself
+outlawed; and the fear of the Evil One seized on all of them before
+they could knock at the door."
+
+"Rack and wheel were promised them, and red-hot stones they took with
+them on their journey," said the young fellow.
+
+"That was brave! He will be a doughty king," cried many voices at once:
+"he will be another sort of man to his father."
+
+"There he is! there he is!" was now vociferated by the crowd; and on
+the balcony was seen the young king, in his little regal helmet and a
+knight's black suit, by the side of his mother, who stood clothed in
+black velvet, with a diadem on her dark tresses. Her face was pale and
+tranquil, and she surveyed the crowd with great earnestness and
+composure. On the left side of the little king was placed Sir John, in
+an arm-chair; and behind him were seen Sir Thorstenson, and a body of
+royal trabants, with halberds and bucklers.
+
+"Long live King Erik Erikson!" shouted a powerful voice from the
+balcony; and old Sir John, with an effort, rose and waved his hat.
+
+A thousand voices repeated the shout of homage. The little king bowed
+to the people with the bearing of a knight, and uttered a few words,
+which, however, were only heard by those who were nearest, although
+they were instantly responded to by the entire voices of the multitude.
+
+"See how the young braggart struts and swells!" whispered Sir
+Abildgaard: "he has learnt betimes to play the knight and king."
+
+Duke Waldemar angrily bit his under-lip, and gave a private signal to
+Sir Tuko, who left his side, and mingled with the crowd.
+
+Shortly after, a voice from among them shouted--"No more Eriks! We must
+have a Waldemar for king!"
+
+This exclamation, although no one knew whence it proceeded, was caught
+up by a considerable number, and a discontented murmur commenced in the
+assemblage.
+
+But old Sir John again arose, and, notwithstanding the excessive pain
+he suffered, read, with a loud and distinct voice, a document which,
+ten years previously, had been signed and sealed by the bishops and
+estates of the kingdom, and again renewed by the people in 1280,
+confirming Erik's legal election to the crown. He then repeated the
+shout of homage, and every rebellious and opposing voice was drowned in
+the overwhelming cry of "Long live King Erik! long live our lawful
+king! Down, down with the traitors!"
+
+Duke Waldemar endeavoured hastily to escape from the clamorous
+multitude, justly fearing that they might tear him in pieces as the
+instigator of the seditious cry. He therefore joined, with a loud
+voice, in the shout for King Erik, and happily succeeded, together with
+the Margraves of Brandenburg, in getting within the palace-gates.
+
+The proclamation having been made, the royal party retired from the
+balcony, and the people soon afterwards dispersed. In the riddersal,
+the queen received her princely brothers with considerable emotion, and
+greeted Duke Waldemar with a coldness which was to him altogether
+unexpected.
+
+Drost Peter had, in the meanwhile, been receiving from the soldiers the
+oath of allegiance to the young king; and, a few hours afterwards, he
+conducted the whole royal family, with a numerous escort, on the way to
+Viborg. The queen's car, containing the little Princess Mereté and her
+governess, accompanied them, the queen herself sometimes riding in it
+when tired of horseback.
+
+It was a grand and solemn mourning procession. In a black velvet
+mantle, with ravens' feathers in her pearl-bound hat, and mounted on a
+snow-white palfrey, the queen, attended by her sons, rode through the
+villages on the route. Prince Christopher was also attired in a
+magnificent suit of mourning; but the young king chiefly attracted
+attention. He rode on a tall coal-black steed. Under his black velvet
+mantle, which was lined with sable and figured with golden crowns, he
+wore a full suit of knights' armour, the wise precaution of Drost Peter
+and Sir John. In his little crowned helmet waved a plume of ravens'
+feathers, and on his arm he bore a small shield, on which was
+represented a helmet with two golden horns, on the extremities of which
+were affixed two peacocks' feathers. The youthful king had not yet been
+dubbed a knight; and although, from his second year, he had been
+accustomed to hear himself addressed by the title of royalty, he set
+much greater store on being accounted a knight, and on displaying his
+arms. It was from this childish love of pomp that he had himself caused
+to be painted the shield with which he was now for the first time
+publicly seen, and which he bore with a mien as grave and manly as if
+he confidently felt he was henceforth called upon to protect the
+kingdom and country with his puny buckler.
+
+Nearest the royal personages rode the Margraves of Brandenburg, with
+Duke Waldemar and his drost. After them followed the chancellor,
+the learned Master Martinus, together with the high-marshal, the
+under-marshal, and all the counsellors of the kingdom, old John Little
+excepted, whose recent accident obliged him to remain at Scanderborg.
+
+After these came the royal trabants, and twelve pages bearing torches.
+At the head of the procession rode Sir Thorstenson, with a numerous
+band of landsknechts; and Drost Peter Hessel, with Sir Bent Rimaardson,
+closed it in, and guarded the royal personages on both sides with their
+bold and trusty horsemen.
+
+The procession advanced slowly and quietly towards Viborg, which was
+reached, after numerous stoppages, on the evening of the following day,
+when the body of the murdered king, which, from St. Cecilia's night,
+had been exposed to public view in the great cathedral of that city,
+was to be laid in its coffin and interred.
+
+As the procession approached Viborg, Master Martinus first broke the
+long and solemn silence that had prevailed during the whole journey.
+Notwithstanding the deep sorrow that bowed him down over the
+misfortunes of the kingdom, the patriotic old man had so strong a
+desire to unbosom himself, that he forgot for a moment the private
+suspicions he harboured against Duke Waldemar, as the secret head and
+protector of the regicides. They happened to be riding side by side,
+when the chancellor turned to the duke, with an antiquarian remark, on
+the name and origin of the ancient city of Viborg, which he thought was
+derived from a certain Queen _Vebeca_, or from the Gothic people
+_Viti_, or, perhaps, with better reason, from its elevated position and
+ancient use as a place of sacrifice; or even from the heathen war-god
+_Vig_; and hence that the place had been originally called
+_Vigbierg_--the hill of Vig.
+
+"Very possibly, sir chancellor," replied the duke, abstractedly: "as a
+man of learning, you must understand that best."
+
+But the chancellor continued to allude to several conjectures regarding
+Odin's surname, _Vigner_, and concerning the amazon _Vebiorg_, who is
+mentioned in the dithyramb on the race of Bravalla.
+
+"It may be all very true, sir chancellor," exclaimed the duke,
+peevishly; "but I am not versed in these profoundedly learned matters,
+and therefore do not concern myself respecting them."
+
+"If we examine the town-arms," continued the chancellor, zealously,
+without noticing the duke's impatience, "they may perhaps confirm the
+opinion of these who hold that the town was first called _Vigletsborg_;
+the more especially if we suppose the two figures in the shield to be
+King Viglet and his queen. Some learned persons, however, have
+conjectured these to be Adam and Eve, with the tree of knowledge of
+good and evil between them; but, again, if we compare the shield with
+the city seal, (_sigillum senatorum Vibergensis civitatis_,) it is
+evident that the Adam and Eve of one party, and the King Viglet and his
+queen of the other, are in reality male persons, one old and the other
+young, who undeniably represent two judges; and I deem it singularly
+right and judicious that the young judge should have the older and more
+experienced one by his side; as, in like manner, our young king may now
+consider it fortunate, in the midst of these disasters, that he has his
+father's old, tried, and trusty friends by his side."
+
+"Your learning, worthy sir chancellor, must be especially advantageous
+to him," replied the duke, jeeringly; "and if you could help him to
+discover the origin of the name of Denmark, it would certainly be a
+great assistance to him in governing the kingdom wisely."
+
+"If we do not derive the name of our dear fatherland from _Danais_, as
+the antiquarian historian Dudo supposes, but from old King Dan, as
+Father Saxo maintains," replied the chancellor, calmly, although he
+noticed the sarcasm, "it is a thought well calculated to awake kingly
+aspirations in our young master's soul, that he can reckon his birth
+and descent from that ancient king, who gave a name to his people and
+country. Such knowledge is never to be despised."
+
+He ceased, and fell into deep thought, during which he nodded, as if
+approving some idea that had occurred to him.
+
+"When I behold this great and fair city, with its lofty ramparts," he
+said, resuming the conversation, "my hope in the Almighty God is
+strengthened, that he will henceforth keep his hand over the people and
+their lawful king. From this point the great light of Christianity was
+spread abroad among the people by means of the holy Bishop Poppo's
+wonderful miracles. On yon heathy summit our ancient kings received
+homage; and there the holy martyr, King Canute, got the true aid of the
+brave Viborgers against traitors and rebels. Here the great Waldemar
+was first proclaimed king; and here he found help and refuge with the
+trusty burghers, after that treacherous and crying slaughter at
+Roskild. Here, also, alas, three and thirty years ago, was homage paid
+to this same unhappy king, then an innocent child, whose ensanguined
+corse we are now about to see carried to its resting-place. Accursed be
+his murderers, and they who have caused this disaster! I would they
+were present in the midst of us, that our murdered king and master
+might turn upon them his glassy eyes, and discover them to us."
+
+As he uttered these words he examined the duke closely. It was getting
+dark, but he could nevertheless plainly perceive an expression of
+uneasiness in his countenance.
+
+"Do you not share my wish, highborn sir?" he inquired. "And think you
+any one of the regicides, or of their accomplices in the horrid deed,
+is so hardened and godless that he would not grow pale and betray his
+guilt in presence of the murdered king?"
+
+The duke's horse began to plunge, and as soon as he had brought him
+into a steady pace again, he replied to the chancellor's question,
+without, however, turning his face towards him. "You would not make a
+good inquisitor, sir chancellor," he said, quickly, "if you think you
+could detect the criminals in this fashion. You may rest assured,
+worthy sir, that I shall cause search to be made for them in every
+direction; but I should least of all expect to discover them here. The
+audacious murderers will certainly be careful, on such an occasion, not
+to come hither, where they might be so easily detected. That Marsk Stig
+is the ringleader, we well know; but if we were to regard every one as
+a participator in the horrid act who may happen to grow pale or be
+affected during this solemnity," he continued, "we must first denounce
+ourselves and all the most attached friends of the country and the
+royal house; for who can barely think of the dreadful deed without
+emotion? When the margraves and I first heard the report of it, in
+Count Gerhard's castle at Kiel, we were almost overwhelmed with horror.
+The daring marsk has accomplices, most assuredly. I have dispatched
+spies throughout the country; and if you can discover the murderers
+before I do, sir chancellor, you will be entitled to our thanks. As our
+young king's nearest kinsman and natural guardian, I consider myself
+bound to pursue them."
+
+The learned chancellor was silent, and again relapsed into thought.
+
+The town soon lay distinctly before them, with its numerous churches
+and chapels, from which more than twenty towers and steeples rose
+towards the heavens.
+
+"Hark, how the funeral bells are tolling from the steeple of Our Lady's
+Church," exclaimed now the grave chancellor: "soon will they be thus
+tolled from every steeple in Denmark; and think you not, illustrious
+sir, they will ring like the knell of doomsday in the ears of the
+murderers, wherever they may be?"
+
+While he was yet speaking the sounds of bells increased, coming louder
+and more distinctly from the twenty churches of the city, and from
+every village steeple in the neighbourhood. Night closed in, and the
+flambeaux of the pages lighted up the mourning procession. Duke
+Waldemar's horse plunged about wildly among the flaring torches,
+seemingly affrighted at the tolling from the bells.
+
+"Nay, hark again to the small bell on the gable of the grayfriars'
+church, behind the cathedral: how clearly it sounds beyond every other,
+although it has no belfry!" exclaimed Master Martinus to the duke, who
+was warm with curbing his unruly steed. "The poor grayfriars!"
+continued the chancellor: "they ring zealously to-night; desirous,
+perhaps, to let us know that they had no share in what their cloaks
+concealed in the barn of Finnerup."
+
+The duke replied not, but addressed himself to his drost. "Do we not
+enter by St. Mogen's Gate?" he inquired, in an indifferent tone.
+
+"Nay, illustrious sir: that is the entrance from the Aaborg road,"
+replied Sir Abildgaard: "here we have the sea and the Borrewold on our
+right, and must enter by St. Michael's Gate, and along St. Michael's
+Street to the cathedral."
+
+"Thou art right, Tuko. This noise has confused me. Is it not respecting
+St. Mogen's Gate they relate that stupid fable?"
+
+"Yes, i'faith, sir," replied the knight, laughing--"of a bronze horse,
+under ground, that is said to sound whenever we have war in the
+country."
+
+"The concealed horse, under the gate of St. Mogen, has been the
+palladium of the city from the earliest times, gentlemen," observed
+Master Martin, gravely: "it is said that no traitor and enemy of his
+country has heard it ring, and survived."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, with forced pleasantry; "it is a
+pity the good St. Michael has not such a wonderful horse under his
+gate: we should then soon have certain proof whether we are all as good
+patriots as our learned chancellor."
+
+"The holy Michael gives no warning," replied the chancellor, "but
+brandishes his flaming sword against the doomed. That is his image,
+gentlemen, we perceive over the gate there."
+
+The procession was now entering the arch of the gate, and the torches
+illumined a knight-like, brazen statue, that stood over it, with one
+foot on a dragon, and a long flaming sword in its hand. The sword was
+gilded, and shone bright, in the light of the flambeaux, above the
+duke's head. He looked up, and fancied the statue moved and bent
+towards him; and quickly spurring his horse, he dashed under the gloomy
+archway.
+
+"Did I not know it was a brazen statue," he whispered to his drost, "I
+could have sworn it was alive, and had Marsk Stig for its shadow."
+
+The mourning train proceeded slowly along St. Michael's Street to the
+cathedral. Every window was lighted, and the streets were filled with
+people of all ranks, among whom as deep a silence prevailed as if they
+had been inanimate forms. The train approached the great illumined
+cathedral, whoso immense bells, with their deep, hollow tones, drowned
+those of every other.
+
+In the large area surrounding the cathedral the mourners dismounted,
+and the procession advanced on foot, in the order in which it had
+arrived. Black cloth had been laid along the path leading to the doors
+of the church, which stood, grand and majestic, with its two lofty
+spires, and its four chapels, as it had been enlarged by King Niels,
+and completed by Bishop Nicolaus, in the twelfth century.
+
+The procession entered, proceeding along the principal aisle, and past
+the four chapels, wherein candles burned on fourteen altars. The chapel
+of St. Kield, the patron saint of the city, on the northern side of the
+cathedral, was brilliantly illuminated. In it candles were burnt night
+and day, under St. Kield's golden shrine, which was suspended by gilded
+links from the vaulted roof; and here was seen, in passing, the tomb of
+the murdered Svend Grathé.
+
+The last of the train had not entered the church-porch when the first
+halted opposite the high altar. Here the arms of the murdered king,
+bearing the two lions and the two crowns, half concealed by a veil of
+long black crape, were lighted up with twelve wax-candles; and here
+stood the provost, in full canonicals, with two other prelates, an
+archdeacon, a chanter, and twelve minor canons, with tapers in their
+hands. They sang a solemn requiem over a large oaken coffin, covered
+with lead, on which lay the great sword of King Erik Christopherson, by
+the side of a silver shrine containing the holy sacrament, which was
+now to follow him to the grave; as his sudden and violent death had
+prevented his receiving it whilst alive. On the shrine was engraved the
+Latin inscription: "_Panis adest verĉ domini sponsalia vitĉ_."
+
+When mass had been sung, the provost pronounced a short oration. He
+then raised the lid of the coffin, and placed the shrine between the
+folded hands of the corpse. Every one who desired to see the royal
+body, now received permission to advance. A few only approached so near
+that they could see it, and among these was the young King Erik. He
+bowed in silence over his father's corpse, laid his hand upon its gory
+breast, and said a few words which no one heard. He then stepped back,
+and hid his weeping face in his mantle.
+
+No other person approaching, the prelate replaced the coffin-lid, and
+having again laid the sword over it, the canons raised the coffin, and
+bore it, at the head of the mourners, behind the high altar, where they
+placed it in a vaulted tomb, raised an ell above the ground; whilst a
+deep and solemn dirge sounded from a crypt directly underneath. The
+prelate then cast three spadefuls of earth on the coffin, and
+pronounced, with a loud voice, the usual burial-service of the Church.
+
+He then announced to the people, that the betrayed and murdered king,
+five years before his sudden death, as if impelled by a wonderful
+presentiment, had endowed the cathedral with gifts and estates, in
+order that masses and vigils should be maintained until the last day
+for the repose of his soul.[33]
+
+"The requiem," said he, "which is now sounding, shall never cease.
+Every night this song shall ascend from the depths of the earth to the
+throne of the Almighty. Day and night we shall pray for the soul of our
+murdered lord, and implore the King of kings, that King Erik may be the
+last monarch of Denmark who shall fall by the hands of traitors and
+murderers. The Lord have mercy on the soul of his anointed! Woe! woe to
+his murderers!"
+
+This woe-cry was repeated by all the canons, and by many of the
+mourners, among whom the voice of the young King Erik sounded with
+wonderful distinctness. Three times the woe-cry was repeated by the
+invisible chorus in the subterranean chapel beneath the tomb.
+
+During the whole of these solemnities Master Martinus had been closely
+scrutinising every countenance around him, although he was inwardly
+much affected, and held his folded hands on his breast. In some, he
+beheld deep emotion; but many exhibited only coldness and indifference;
+and in others he remarked even a degree of bravado that alarmed him.
+
+The duke and his drost stood with their faces turned from him, and
+appeared to have their attention fixed on St. Kield's Chapel. But when
+the hymn sounded from the crypt under their feet, and the deep woe-cry
+echoed among the arches of the church, the duke had to support himself
+on his sword, and laid his hand on his forehead; whilst Sir Abildgaard
+hastily whispered a few words in his ear. At the same moment a subdued
+shriek was heard, and a momentary confusion took place amongst the
+people at the church-door, where a man, who had swooned away, was
+carried out.
+
+The train of mourners slowly quitted the church. During the funeral
+solemnities Drost Peter had stood quietly by a pillar of the choir,
+with his hands folded on the hilt of his drawn sword, which he held
+point upwards, while the Gospel was read. In this chivalrous and
+devotional posture, which signified that the knight was prepared to
+defend the holy faith, he had inwardly prayed for the soul of his
+murdered king, as well as for the future welfare of the young monarch
+and his kingdom.
+
+When the procession had retired from the church, he observed a tall
+female form, in a simple black dress, and with a dark veil over her
+face, kneeling with folded hands near the high altar, where she seemed
+to pray with great devotion, without observing what was taking place
+around her. Her noble and beautiful figure reminded him, beyond all the
+women of Denmark, of her who was dearest to him; and, notwithstanding
+her simple dress, and the improbability of her being the Lady Ingé, he
+remained, absorbed in reverie. It was not until the tall form rose to
+depart, that he became aware that the procession had already withdrawn,
+and that the lights on the altar had been extinguished. He then
+sheathed his sword, and advanced slowly towards her. When he stood
+before her in the deserted aisle, which was still faintly lighted up by
+the candles of St. Kield's Chapel, she started, as if surprised at the
+meeting, and appeared anxious to avoid him.
+
+"Ingé--noble Jomfru Ingé! if it be you," said he, "oh, do not avoid me,
+but say what weighty reason brings you hither? It is well that our
+prayers should unite at the royal tomb, and before God's altar, on this
+great day of mourning!"
+
+"Drost Peter Hessel," replied the maiden, pausing, "here then, perhaps,
+we meet for the last time in this world. I will no longer attempt to
+conceal my face from you; although the cause of my appearance here must
+remain a mystery to you."
+
+The veil was thrown aside, and revealed her whom the dear and
+well-known voice had already announced: the brave Lady Ingé stood
+before him. She regarded him with a countenance on which a deep
+although calm grief was imprinted; but its expression was softened by
+pious confidence, and by a calm demeanour announcing a firm and
+powerful will.
+
+"For heaven's sake, what has happened to you?" exclaimed Drost Peter,
+alarmed. "I see you for the last time, say you? What mean you, noble
+Jomfru Ingé? Why are you here alone? and where is your father?"
+
+"Inquire not, Drost Peter--I cannot, I dare not answer you. Give me
+your word of honour as a knight that you will not follow me from this
+holy place, nor seek to learn the road that I shall take."
+
+"How can you think, noble Ingé, that I should follow you?"
+
+"Remember who I am, and you will then understand me. This only can I
+tell you: I am fulfilling a heavy but necessary duty in quitting this
+unhappy land. God knows when I shall again see it; but here only my
+heart and soul are at home. Yet one thing more must I declare to you,"
+she continued, with a trembling voice--"for my justification and
+your own peace. You must know it--that it is the truth, you have my
+word:--my unhappy father was at Flynderborg on St. Cecilia's night."
+
+Drost Peter saw how much it had cost her to utter these word's; and he
+heard them with a feeling of joy, which, however, was restrained by a
+thrill of horror at the frightful thought they concealed.
+
+"The merciful God be praised!" he exclaimed. "Take my word as a knight,
+noble Jomfru Ingé, that although my whole soul follows you wherever you
+may journey, mine eye shall not attempt to spy out your way, whoever
+accompanies you. We stand here on a divided road," he continued, deeply
+affected; "and I see too well that we must be parted for a time; but by
+my God and Saviour, in whose presence I stand, I shall not resign the
+hope of again seeing you! You were my childhood's bride, Jomfru Ingé!
+Our angels before God's throne united our infant souls, before they
+knew each other. If you may not or will not hereafter become my bride
+in reality, when these turmoils which now part us have ceased, and
+Denmark's throne again stands fast--I now vow to God, and by every
+saint, that Drost Peter Hessel shall go down unwedded into his grave,
+but never shall he forget his childhood's bride! Answer me not,
+noble-hearted Ingé! Crush not with a word the fairest hope of my life!
+I have an important work to perform in the world, and feel, by the
+blessing of God, strength and courage to complete it faithfully, even
+with this greatest loss. But with you is torn away the blossom of my
+heart's life, the fruit of which I must be condemned never to taste.
+Deprive me not, then, of my fair hopes, but rather, with one word, bid
+them live. Say but that word, and my courage and strength shall
+increase tenfold, to realise with cheerfulness the thoughts which first
+brought our souls to know each other. Ingé, dearest Ingé! canst thou
+hereafter love me?" With these words he seized her hand, and cast on
+her a look beaming with the strongest affection.
+
+She withdrew her hand. "I can, my childhood's bridegroom," she replied,
+with inward emotion; "yea, I can love thee deeply, so that, even should
+I never more behold thee with these eyes, I can preserve thine image in
+my soul, until we meet in that greater fatherland where no strife and
+guile can prevail, and where no might can sever us. But I am a
+daughter, Drost Peter," she continued, retreating a step--"I am an
+unhappy daughter. You are--you must be--the enemy of the man who gave
+me life. Do, in God's name, what you must and ought, and let no thought
+of me lead your mind from truth and duty. The Almighty shall determine
+whether we again meet in this world or not!"
+
+"It shall, it must be, noble, dearest Ingé! the compassionate Creator
+will not for ever divide us."
+
+"That no one knows, save He who knows all. Farewell, my childhood's
+bridegroom--farewell! God and all his saints be with thee and our
+fatherland! He who is merciful be gracious to us all! Farewell!"
+
+So saying, she hid her face in her veil, and disappeared along the dark
+aisle.
+
+Drost Peter dared not follow her. He stood as if rivetted to the
+pavement; and it seemed to him as if the dark and baleful spirit that
+sped over the land had now torn away from him also the delight and joy
+of his life; but he felt, at the same time, with a melancholy pleasure,
+that this farewell hour had shown him a glimpse of a blessedness of
+which no separation, and no power on earth, could rob him.
+
+He had been standing for some time, gazing on a tombstone in the floor
+of the church, when he raised his eyes to the image on the cross, above
+the door of the choir, and it seemed to him as if the drooping head of
+the Redeemer shone with glory in the rays proceeding from the lights of
+St. Kield's Chapel. Suddenly he felt a powerful blow on his left
+shoulder, as if from a strong, mailed hand. He turned, and a tall man,
+clad in armour, with his visor down, stood before him.
+
+"We are met, Drost Peter Hessel--we are met!" uttered a deep and
+powerful voice. "If you are the knight who is placed to guard the
+infant throne, defend it if you can! You now behold the man who swears
+to overturn it, or perish in the attempt."
+
+"Ha! Marsk Stig! regicide!" exclaimed Drost Peter, drawing his sword.
+But at that instant all the lights in St. Kield's Chapel, which had
+alone illuminated the church, were suddenly extinguished; the powerful,
+gigantic form disappeared, and Drost Peter groped alone, with his drawn
+sword, among the tombs in the dark cathedral.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                               PART III.
+
+
+Half an hour after Lady Ingé had left Drost Peter in Viborg Cathedral,
+by the grave of the murdered king, she departed, in the plain dress of
+a citizen's daughter, through St. Mogen's Gate, in company with her
+father. Many travellers were proceeding the same way; but before
+midnight, by order of the young king, every gate was barred.
+
+Duke Waldemar and Sir Abildgaard had accompanied the procession from
+the cathedral. The old Borrewold Castle had been prepared for the
+reception of the royal family and their followers; and there, late in
+the evening, the queen and the young king held a council, with locked
+doors, at which were present the Margraves of Brandenburg, Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter, who had hurried from the church with the
+important intelligence that Marsk Stig himself was in Viborg, and had
+had the audacity to be present at the funeral. Every precautionary
+measure was instantly adopted. The approaches to the royal apartments
+in the Borrewold were guarded by Sir Thorstenson and Benedict
+Rimaardson, with the royal trabants. Mailed horsemen and landsknechts
+blocked up every avenue to the castle. The trusty civic guard of Viborg
+was armed, and, at the chancellor's suggestion, the orders of the king
+were immediately issued to shut the gates of the city, and to institute
+a strict search throughout it, during which every suspicious person was
+seized and imprisoned.
+
+It was past midnight. The duke, with great inquietude, paced up and
+down his sleeping chamber, situated in the eastern wing of the castle,
+facing the Viborg lake. The events of the journey and the interment had
+strongly excited his fears. The expressions of the chancellor on their
+way to the city, and his searching looks in the cathedral, had created
+in him a feeling of uneasiness, which he in vain endeavoured to
+overcome. His anxiety was farther increased by the stern preparations
+going forward in the castle, which had not escaped his notice. On every
+side he heard the tread of armed men--in the court-yard, as well as in
+the passage outside his chamber.
+
+Although both himself and his drost were waited upon with the greatest
+attention, and even with regal pomp, it still appeared to him that all
+his movements were watched; and the strong guard outside his door was
+far from pleasing to him. He had despatched Tuko Abildgaard into the
+city, an hour before, to ascertain the cause of the excessive noise and
+clang of arms he heard there, and he had not yet returned. The door was
+at length opened, and the young knight entered, breathless.
+
+"What is the meaning of the din?" inquired the duke: "is the town in an
+uproar?"
+
+"Not precisely so; but matters look suspicious," replied Sir
+Abildgaard, with some agitation. "They are searching everywhere for the
+marsk. I have been three times laid hold of, and your name was barely
+powerful enough to liberate me."
+
+"Have they seized the marsk?" asked the duke, hastily.
+
+"Nay, sir duke: it is rumoured that he left the town before the gates
+were secured. The Stig knew well what he was about; but what he wanted
+here to-day, I am at a loss to conceive."
+
+"That is easily understood," replied the duke. "To know in what temper
+the people are, must be to him of much importance. Great grief or
+lamentation I did not observe; neither saw I peasant or burgher in the
+procession."
+
+"But now the wind has shifted, sir. The sight of the queen and of the
+young king has worked a wonderful change in the mob. You should hear
+how they growl against the daring marsk and his friends, and how they
+lament and extol the deceased king, the soft-hearted fools! We shall
+now have Reinmar von Zweter and all the German poets in vogue, and Erik
+Glipping will become a great man in his grave. But it is always thus.
+When the wild beast, that every one pursued, has fallen, even his
+greatest foes lament over him, as if he had suffered shameful
+injustice; and they admire the monster for his powerful claws, when
+they have no longer anything to fear from them. That wavering turncoat,
+Sir Lavé, from Flynderborg, has been here, with the marsk: he was
+seized with qualms in the church, it is said, and behaved like a madman
+during the funeral. Fortunately, he has disappeared. Had they caught
+him, he was in a condition to betray us all."
+
+"Us?" repeated the duke, suddenly changing his tone of familiarity to
+one of pride and coldness: "remember to whom you are addressing
+yourself, Tuko! What connection had I with these conspirators? Look to
+your own safety. After what you have stated, I would advise you to be
+careful. Rely not on my name: unless you can, like me, wash your hands
+of what has happened, and swear you had no part in it, I cannot aid
+you. I am here, with the young king, as his nearest kinsman and
+protector. With Marsk Stig and his transactions, I can have nothing
+to do. The late conspiracy at Möllerup is already talked of as a
+well-known affair, and you are named as having been concerned in it.
+But for me, I knew nothing of it, and nothing will I know."
+
+"But, most gracious sir," exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, in astonishment,
+"you stated no objections when you accorded me permission to travel;
+and, though you did not expressly send any message by me, we perfectly
+understood each other. What I promised in your name, I have never
+doubted but that you would fulfil."
+
+"What you have promised, you must yourself perform. I have promised
+nothing that I dare not proclaim to the world. That which I promised
+and swore to the deceased king, in our covenant at Sjöborg, I have kept
+to the letter. From that hour I have undertaken no step against the
+crown and kingdom, and yet here they have no confidence in me. I must
+remain contented with respectful servants, and an ample guard of
+honour, while the margraves and Drost Hessel are present in the
+council. But I shall speedily teach these gentlemen who is the guardian
+of the king, the legal protector of the kingdom; and the daring rebels,
+too, shall know that I am not the man who, contrary to his oath and
+duty, will be found protecting traitors and regicides."
+
+Sir Abildgaard stood as if thunderstruck. "My noble duke," he said, at
+length, "you must be jesting? You will not strike down, in his moment
+of need, the faithful friend who has placed his life in jeopardy for
+your sake? I, who so cheerfully shared imprisonment and adversity with
+you--you cannot seriously propose to use me as a mere tool, which you
+can suffer to be broken and cast aside with unconcern, when you have no
+farther need of me? If this, however, be the friendship of princes, I
+must indeed have been the most obtuse animal in the world, when I
+thought I had discovered generosity and magnanimity under purple."
+
+"Tuko," said the duke, with a transient expression of emotion, and a
+proud commanding look, "link not your common notions of friendship and
+generosity with that great chain of thought that binds my princely life
+to the throne of Denmark. Have you been familiar with me from my
+childhood, and not yet learnt to separate the thought from the word?
+Think you this hand can ever be so mean and base, as to crush the true
+and active friend of my youth, who spoke and acted, while I was forced
+to sleep and hold my peace? Learn truly to estimate your princely
+master, who ceases not to be your friend, although he must now, for
+loftier reasons, assume the appearance of a stern enemy. If, with me,
+you have discovered the true meaning of living for a great and noble
+object, know also that the paltry vulgar virtues, which people call
+friendship, fidelity, gratitude, and I know not what, are at bottom but
+pompous nothings, which only command the respect of children in spirit
+and statecraft, and which the matured ruler-mind hesitates not to cast
+aside when, from the puppet masses, he can embody for himself the great
+idea for which he lives and labours. If you now comprehend me, Tuko,
+you will at once acknowledge and respect that mighty spirit you
+nurtured in its developement, and by whose side you shall again stand
+when I have reached my goal, and you have acquired strength to follow
+me. Meantime, you must depart: this night must you fly; and by your
+flight accuse yourself, and betray what you can no longer conceal. You,
+and all the other delinquents, I adjudge outlaws. As the king's
+guardian, and protector of the realm, I shall pursue you with rigour
+when the proper moment has arrived. But if there be a great spirit in
+you, as I have believed, you will not therefore hate or mistake me; and
+when the season of persecution is over, you shall find that Duke
+Waldemar was not a selfish or faithless friend, and that you were no
+credulous fool when you trusted to generosity and magnanimity under
+purple."
+
+"Now, I understand and admire you, noble sir," replied the artful
+knight, bowing profoundly, "though I must flee you as from a stern
+pursuer. What I have done for you in secret shall cast no shadow on
+your glory. You can stand high and pure by the infant throne, and
+condemn your friends without blushing. Good--I shall fly--whither I
+dare not say; but wherever, in the north, there sits enthroned a
+powerful protector of Marsk Stig, there is the place of shelter for his
+persecuted friends. Farewell, noble duke: your drost shall soon be
+gone. Spare not the hardened sinner when he gains a respectable
+distance; but remember also, that none of us are immaculate, and let
+mercy take the place of justice when the hour of condemnation has
+arrived."
+
+So saying, he retired into a side apartment, and speedily returned
+disguised as a right handsome pantry-maid. He curtsied to the duke,
+mimicking with much drollery the bashful manners of a servant-wench.
+
+"Dearest gentleman," he said, with the accent of a Jutland
+peasant-girl, "I am a modest, innocent lass, and hardly know how I
+could have found my way into the presence of such a grand young lord.
+Pardon my intrusion, and allow me to quit this place pure and
+uninjured, that the slanderous world may think no ill of me. That you
+are a dangerous gentleman for such as me, is well known; and your guard
+of honour will certainly not be surprised if I conceal my modest face
+from them. Thanks, worthy gentleman, for your gracious kindness. For
+your sake I must now hide from the world for a long time, and you must
+pretend not to know me, though I shall probably grieve for what is
+yours, and you will not certainly repel the hand of your humble
+servant."
+
+"Art thou a fool? Is this a time for jesting?" exclaimed the duke, in a
+low tone; and, opening the door into the passage, "Good night, my
+child," he said, aloud, patting the cheeks of the pretended girl in the
+open doorway. "Run on, now: these brave soldiers will not harm thee.
+But take care, in future, that thou dost not thus go astray after
+wedlock fancies, and mistake a knight's closet for the pantry."
+
+The rough landsknecht outside the door smiled in his beard, and,
+without suspicion, allowed the tall pantry-maid to slip past.
+
+The duke closed the door, and cast himself, in gloomy thoughtfulness,
+on a chair.
+
+"Flee, miserable coxcomb!" he muttered, "and find a shelter now where
+thou canst! Thou wilt hardly escape without getting thy wings
+scorched."
+
+In a minute afterwards he fancied he heard a scream. He approached the
+window with some uneasiness, and distinguished a cry of "Seize her! it
+is a disguised traitor!" shouted by a gruff voice in the street. There
+followed some shrieking and tumult, which, however, soon died away in
+the distance.
+
+The departure of the intimate friend of his youth, and concern for his
+fate, seemed to have disposed the duke to melancholy; but the feeling
+was not of long duration.
+
+"Bah!" he said to himself, as he proudly paced the floor, "when the
+ancient heroes tied fire beneath the wings of swallows, and sent them
+forth as instruments of conquest, what cared they for the piping of the
+little creatures?"
+
+He again threw himself on a chair, and fell into deep thought. Since
+his imprisonment at Sjöborg, where he had often held converse the whole
+night with his owl and his dead kinsman, as if the latter answered him
+from the inscribed prison-wall, he would frequently, in his closet,
+talk half aloud to himself; and it was rumoured and believed by many,
+that he was leagued with powerful spirits.
+
+"As far as I know," continued he, wrapt in his gloomy fancies, "the
+first great stage is mounted: it requires courage to stand upon it, for
+it is bloody and slippery; but I did not stir a hand--not a word
+escaped my lips. I stand pure and free; and where is he who can accuse
+me? The next stage is a minor. It, too, must be ascended--but without
+crime. The fair hand that shall help me up is cold, but it may be
+warmed. It will lose me a pious soul, but a love-dream shall not stand
+in my way. On! on!--and then--then shall no one say, 'Behold! there
+goes King Abel in his grandson!'"
+
+Next forenoon, when Duke Waldemar left his apartment to appear in the
+royal presence, the guard of honour lowered their lances respectfully
+before him. The queen and the young king received him with an attention
+that surprised him; whilst Drost Peter's salutation, though somewhat
+cold, was courteous. The duke surmised that the council had resolved to
+invest him with that full power and authority which they could not
+refuse him without overstepping the law of the land, and rousing a
+dangerous and powerful enemy, who, in open league with the
+conspirators, could easily overthrow the yet unstable throne.
+
+The consciousness of this power, and the feeling that he was already
+secretly dreaded, although his authority was not publicly acknowledged,
+imparted to him an air of confidence and almost kingly dignity that did
+not ill become him. He approached the queen with as much ease and
+freedom as if he had already been for a long time her adviser, and the
+guardian of the young king. He spoke of the critical state of the
+kingdom, and of the measures to be adopted, with sagacity and zeal, but
+at the same time with the decisive air of a co-regent. This demeanour
+was, however, attended with so much politeness, and respectful
+acknowledgment of the queen's important influence as royal mother, that
+the fair and proud Queen Agnes could not possibly be offended. She
+appeared to have already been more favourably disposed towards the duke
+by her brothers; and, now, she could not but admire the delicacy with
+which he advanced his claims, without seeming at all assuming or
+importunate.
+
+The constraint which was apparent in the queen's demeanour at the
+beginning of the conversation soon disappeared, and Drost Peter
+observed with concern the manner in which the duke, by his subtle
+flatteries and vehement denunciation of the conspirators, contrived to
+disarm the queen of every suspicion that had previously attached to
+him.
+
+"It is a horrible conspiracy!" exclaimed the duke, warmly. "Many of the
+most important men of the country appear to be engaged in it. A rigid
+investigation has become necessary, that the guilty may be discovered,
+and the innocent remain unsuspected. My former misunderstanding with
+the king, and that youthful folly for which I had justly to atone at
+Sjöborg, and which there I also learnt to forswear and repent, may have
+exposed me to a distrust, which I hope soon to remove by faithful deed
+and counsel. In a magnanimous soul an unfounded suspicion can never
+take deep root, though there be spirits mean and distrustful enough to
+nourish it. I blame no one, however, for being vigilant and cautious,"
+he continued. "In these unhappy times, distrust insinuates itself into
+the closest relations of friendship and kindred. Would you believe it,
+noble queen, even the friend of my youth, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, had
+given me cause for strong suspicions, which, I regret to say, are now
+confirmed; for last night he disappeared."
+
+"How?" exclaimed the queen, with surprise: "your drost--the young Sir
+Abildgaard?"
+
+"Even he, noble queen! Is it not melancholy? A man, whom I regarded for
+so many years as my friend--he who shared my youthful follies, and was,
+indeed, partly the cause of them--though for that he shared my
+imprisonment in Sjöborg, which he left, as I believed, with the same
+abjuration of his errors that I made--I have now reason to believe that
+he was present with the conspirators at Möllerup, in the foolish
+expectation that I should approve that horrible project, if it could be
+executed before I dreamt of it. Yesterday, having heard with what
+horror I condemned the conspirators, he fled, and I have not since
+heard of him."
+
+"Respecting this affair, illustrious sir," observed Drost Peter, "I
+have to inform you, that Sir Tuko Abildgaard was last night apprehended
+in a suspicious disguise, but afterwards escaped by a daring artifice,
+and is not yet discovered."
+
+The duke remained silent, and merely raised his hand to his eyes, as if
+unable to restrain an emotion that seemed to do honour to his heart.
+
+"Noble duke!" exclaimed the queen, with warm interest, "what you have
+lost in that false friend you have gained in my esteem and confidence.
+That your drost was among the conspirators was well known to me; and
+there was a moment when even those who defended you most zealously were
+forced to admit that your intimate connection with this knight was
+unaccountable. My brothers are your friends. From them I have learnt
+your disinterested sympathy, as well for me, as for the crown and
+kingdom. They were witnesses of your horror upon first hearing of this
+audacious crime; and it will greatly rejoice them to learn, that the
+incomprehensible enigma of your relation with Sir Abildgaard has thus
+been solved."
+
+The duke blushed slightly; but hastily availed himself of the
+advantageous impression he had made upon the queen. He advised that a
+Dane-court should be held at Nyborg in the spring, where he would
+himself be present, and, in conjunction with the queen, assume the
+guardianship of the young king. In the meantime he hoped to show
+himself worthy of that important office, by securing the country
+against the daring marsk and the rebels. He suggested that the queen
+should, for the present, remain with the young king at Viborg, where
+the strong garrison and the fidelity of the burghers rendered any
+hostile attack impossible. This had been the advice of Drost Peter and
+the chancellor, in which the Margraves of Brandenburg had also
+concurred.
+
+The same day the duke left Viborg, apparently on the best terms with
+the royal house. A short time afterwards it was announced that he had
+raised an army in South Jutland, to oppose the marsk and his adherents.
+
+But Drost Peter trusted him not; and old Sir John, who, quite
+recovered, soon arrived at Viborg, shook his head doubtfully at these
+tidings. They suspected that the duke merely pretended to arm himself
+against the marsk, in order to muster a respectable force, with which
+he could assert his claims at the Dane-court, and secure his election
+to the regency.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Whilst nearly all the conspirators, stricken with horror at their own
+deed, had sought refuge in Norway, Marsk Stig had buried his wife, and,
+with his two daughters, had left Möllerup, where he no longer
+considered himself secure. At great personal risk he had been present
+at the king's interment, and had marked how little favourable to him
+and his cause was the temper of the people.
+
+Nevertheless, it was quickly rumoured that Rypen House and Flynderborg
+were in the hands of the rebels, and that the valiant marsk, with seven
+hundred men in iron, and his warlike engines from Möllerup, had taken a
+strong position on Helgeness and Hielm, from which points he appeared
+resolved to carry devastation through the country.
+
+Helgeness is a peninsula, girded by immense heights. It stretches, like
+a promontory, from Molsherred towards Samsoe, between the bay of
+Vegtrup and that of Ebeltoft. The neck of land by which this peninsula
+is connected with North Jutland, is only two hundred paces in breadth.
+With the utmost haste, the marsk had caused this approach to be cut off
+by a deep trench, and a wall of large hewn stones, at which they
+laboured day and night; the old castle on Hielm Island being fortified
+at the same time.
+
+This singular little island is only about an English mile in
+circumference. It lies in the Cattegat, about two miles east of
+Helgeness, and about a mile from the point that runs out from Ebeltoft
+parish. The old castle on the island is said to have been built in
+pagan times, by the famous King Jarmerik, who was there slain. The
+island and castle belonged, at the period of which we treat, to
+Chamberlain Rané Jonsen, as did also a tenement or farm-house on the
+point, which, for many ages after, was called Rané's barn-yard. The
+island possessed a good haven, where lay Jarl Mindre-Alf with his
+pirate-vessels. There was no want of fresh water; and Fru Ingeborg had,
+with much prudence, advised her husband to make this his place of
+refuge. Here he was in greater security than at Möllerup, had firm
+footing on the Danish coasts, and could receive supplies from Norway
+without impediment. The island was already, from its situation and
+heights, so well fortified by nature, and the old castle was so
+favourably situated, that it did not seem difficult to make the place
+impregnable. There were now added two lofty towers, with loopholes and
+strong battlements, and the castle was provided with deep double
+trenches.
+
+The marsk had not awaited the permission of his kinsman, the crafty
+Chamberlain Rané, to occupy this important position, and probably he
+did not expect much complacency from him. The latter, indeed, appeared
+to have intended this secure asylum for himself, should all miscarry.
+Hence, on the marsk's arrival, he found a brave little garrison in the
+castle, who had strict orders from the chamberlain to defend it against
+every one to the last extremity. The marsk had therefore to take the
+place with the strong hand, and was so exasperated by the unexpected
+resistance he encountered, that he allowed the whole garrison to be
+slain. For this reason, it was afterwards sung, in the old ballad:--.
+
+
+                  "Marsk Stig he captured Hielm so steep--
+                   The truthful tale I tell:
+                  Full many a cheek was blanched that day,
+                   And many a hero fell."
+
+
+Here the marsk erected his lithers and other formidable machines on the
+old rock-fast walk and visited Helgeness almost daily, to superintend
+the fortifications there. His seven hundred ironclad men were
+garrisoned in Hielm, and on the peninsula. Some of the peasants in the
+neighbourhood had voluntarily declared for him; but many he caused to
+be seized, and compelled them to bear stones and labour on the works.
+The towers on Hielm speedily arose, as if by miracle, terrifying the
+oppressed peasants all around, who were constrained not only to work on
+the walls of Helgeness, but also to supply provisions for the garrisons
+of both places.
+
+These misfortunes were attributed by the depressed people to the bad
+government of the murdered king; and the feelings they then indulged
+are plainly indicated in the ballad which, a few months after the
+king's death, blended mournfully with the blithe spring song of the
+birds, and in which the new fortress was described as a monster who had
+risen from the sea, with horns like towers. Therein it was sadly
+sung:--
+
+
+            "The peasant he goes out o'er the field,
+             And there he sows his corn:
+            Help us, our Father in heaven high,
+             Now Hielm has got the horn!
+
+            "God pity us poor peasants gray,
+             That Glipping e'er did reign:
+            Alas, that he was ever born
+             To be the peasants' bane!"
+
+
+This ballad the stern marsk himself heard a young peasant-girl singing,
+one fair morning in the beginning of May, while, mounted on his
+war-steed, he was surveying with pride the strong defences, to which a
+few peasants and prisoners of war were still engaged in dragging the
+last stones.
+
+One of the strongest workmen on the walls was a stalwart old man, in a
+worn-out leathern harness, who, notwithstanding the presence of the
+marsk, had sat quietly down on an angle of the wall, his arms crossed,
+and regarded the proud general with a wild, disdainful look.
+
+The peasant-girl, carrying bandages in her hand, advanced leisurely
+along a footpath, beyond the wall. Her song seemed to surprise the
+marsk. The old prisoner on the wall also listened attentively. The girl
+first sang aloud, at some distance:--
+
+
+            "They were full seven score men and seven
+             Upon the muir who met:
+            The king is slain--how rede we now?
+              And where now shall we get?
+
+            "The king is slain, and lies a corse--
+             The peace we've broken down;
+            Here we can neither bide nor bigg
+             In field or burrow-town.
+
+            "But we will on to Scanderborg,
+             And bid the queen good-day,
+            And ask the lady how she doth
+             Before we farther gae.
+
+            "She may forget how she would mock,
+             And all our words deride:
+            The fire is now in the mocker's house,
+             And she the stour maun bide."
+
+
+Marsk Stig started. He heard his own words to the conspirators, at the
+council on the heath immediately after the king's murder, and something
+of what had passed between the queen and him at Scanderborg.
+
+The peasant-girl drew nearer, and sang, with a loud voice, what had
+been preserved in the ballad of the words of the queen and the young
+king:--
+
+
+            "Welcome, Marsk Stig, thou self-made king!
+             Now shalt thou have thy due;
+            This night of blood, should King Erik live,
+             Full dearly shalt thou rue.
+
+            "Then up spake Erik Erikson,
+             Little though he mot be:
+            From Denmark thou'rt outlawed, as sure
+             As the crown belongs to me."
+
+
+The marsk became irritated, and reined in his steed; whilst the
+prisoner on the wall laughed aloud.
+
+"Pray be not angry, stern sir marsk," he muttered: "only hear the
+ballad out. There is not a word of falsehood in it."
+
+The peasant-girl seemed to concern herself only with her bandages and
+her song, which went on to relate how the marsk went home to Lady
+Ingeborg, at Möllerup, and how she advised him to fortify Hielm. With
+deep grief, Stig Andersen heard some of the last words of his unhappy
+wife, as the girl continued her song:--
+
+
+            "For nine long winters have I pined--
+             In secret borne the blight;
+            My heart is now laid in the grave--
+             Good night, my lord, good night!"
+
+
+The anger of the marsk changed to a deep melancholy. He sat on his
+horse motionless as a statue, listening to the two last verses of the
+ballad, which the girl sang with such an expression of sadness, that it
+pierced his heart, and he felt as if, in these tones of sorrow, the
+whole grief of the country had united to penetrate his bosom with
+reproaches, as with a sharp two-edged sword. The words were simple and
+touching:--
+
+
+            "The sturdy oaks in the greenwood stand,
+             When the storm comes down amain,
+            But the hazel and the birchen tree
+             Are rooted from the plain.
+
+            "What kings and courtiers do amiss
+             Upon the poor doth fall;
+            Then pity us wretched peasants, God!
+             Have mercy on us all!"
+
+
+"My Aasé, my Aasé!" suddenly exclaimed the old prisoner on the wall,
+springing up and extending his arms towards the dark-eyed country-girl,
+who, with the delighted cry of "Grandfather, dear grandfather, have I
+at last found you?" dropped her bandages, and with outstretched hands
+ran towards him as eagerly as if she would have crossed the deep ditch
+and sealed the wall that separated them.
+
+"What now, child?" exclaimed the marsk, riding up to her. "Wilt thou be
+the first to carry Marsk Stig's fortress by storm? Is this thy
+daughter, old graybeard?"
+
+"My grandchild--my blessed little Aasé she is, stern sir marsk!" cried
+old Henner Friser, so deeply affected that, for a moment, he forgot his
+feeling of defiance. "She has sought for me the whole country round.
+Ah, if you have a human heart, sir marsk, deny me not the pleasure of
+clasping her again to my old bosom, and blessing her once more, before
+I drag myself to death on your accursed wall."
+
+"Thou art an intractable and audacious carl," replied the marsk: "even
+when thou beggest a favour, thou defiest me, and cursest my work."
+
+"I dare not curse your work, sir," replied Henner: "my hand is not
+purer than your's; but my help will bring you no blessing. Every stone
+I have rolled hither will most assuredly be scattered: therefore have I
+toiled like a beast of burthen, and have not every day laid my hands in
+my lap. And well may I call this wall accursed; it bears the ban in its
+own foundations. It will fall, as surely as it now stands, proud and
+bold, a devilish barrier between Danish hearts. It parts even fathers
+and children; for here I stand, a miserable, thrall-bound man,
+forbidden to embrace my own child."
+
+"Strange old man!" exclaimed the marsk, with a vague feeling of
+dread--"thou art free. Descend! Bid the landsknechts unbind thee, and
+depart in peace with thy child!"
+
+"Thanks, stern sir," cried little Aasé, seizing the marsk's mailed
+hand, and pressing it to her lips: "for this deed will the merciful God
+forgive you all the sorrow you have caused me. Come, come, grandfather!
+Thou art free--hearest thou not, thou art free!"
+
+"Free I have always been," replied the old man, proudly, and without
+moving. "I have not raised a single stone more than I chose, and from
+this day forth I should never have raised another. It might have cost
+me my head; but that I have worn long enough, and I would never wish it
+to fall by an abler hand than Marsk Stig's."
+
+"Thou singular old man!" exclaimed the marsk, thoughtfully, "thou
+shouldst never have fallen by my hand, however much thy insolence might
+have deserved it. Neither of us, I perceive, should condemn the other.
+Thou art a man who, hadst thou so willed it, might have stood by the
+side of Marsk Stig."
+
+"I do stand by your side, Stig Andersen!" interrupted Henner, raising
+himself proudly erect on the lofty wall above him: "at this instant I
+stand as high, not merely on this wall, which separates you from your
+country, but on the mighty boundary between the land of the living and
+the dead. Many days of penance I have not remaining, unless, like the
+shoemaker of Jerusalem, I have to roam the earth like a spectre till
+the day of doom. What I have to say to you at parting, I shall say
+aloud, before the whole world. Would that my voice could reach every
+ear in Denmark!" And he cried, loudly: "Cursed--cursed is the hand that
+is lifted against kings and crowns, were it strong as St.
+Christopher's, and pure as that of the Holy Virgin. The murderer of a
+king shall never know peace: his race shall perish from the earth--his
+best deeds shall be as the flax, that is consumed in smoke and flame--"
+
+"Silence!--thou art mad, old man!" cried the marsk, in anger, and with
+a threatening gesture.
+
+But the old warrior remained immoveable, and gazed full in his flashing
+eyes. "We two are able to look angry men in the face," he continued,
+calmly: "but you are right--neither of us should condemn the other. I
+have not much to tell you, Stig Andersen. You slew the false ravisher,
+King Glipping. I, Henner Hjulmand Friser, slew the accursed fratricide,
+King Abel. We are thus equals. I can hold out my hand to you as a
+comrade--the one bloody hand cannot smear the other."
+
+"Ha, old Henner! wert thou that bold Frisian?" cried the marsk, in
+astonishment. "Come hither! I shall dub thee a knight, even in thine
+old days."
+
+"That shall you not, Stig Andersen," replied the old man. "In deeds I
+am your equal; and you shall now see that, without the stroke of
+knighthood, I stand as high as you. I have not repented my act, nor
+have you repented your's. But I did not persecute the dead in his
+innocent race--I did not undertake, with blood-besmeared hands, to
+distribute crowns, nor desire to become an idol among men. I would
+free, not lay waste, my country. I built no wall between hearts and
+hearts. Yet I perceive that there can be no blessing with us, and such
+as we. For this was I unable to seize you and your accomplices; but was
+led into this stronghold by the crafty demon that I myself had bound.
+And here have I atoned my temerity, by slaving for a greater regicide
+than myself. It is the reward I merited. I perceive this now, proud
+marsk, and am therefore a higher man than you. The time will come, Stig
+Andersen, when you shall see it in the same way. We then may meet
+again, and toil like trusty comrades on a greater rebel-defence than
+this."
+
+He paused for a moment, and the wildness of his countenance gave place
+to melancholy. "Yet, nay," he continued, in a subdued tone, "there is
+still pardon for us both; but not thus--not thus--mighty marsk. I am on
+my way thereto: if you will with me, tear down your accursed defences,
+and follow me yonder, to where the sun rises!"
+
+So saying, he descended from the wall on the inner side. His words had
+made a singular impression on the marsk.
+
+"Humph! he is still half crazy, however," muttered the gloomy warrior,
+as he rode in silence to the gate by which the liberated prisoner was
+to issue.
+
+Alarmed by her grandfather's words, Aasé, pale and trembling, followed
+the knight. As they reached the gate, Henner Friser, with a long staff
+in his hand, advanced towards it. He still wore a link of his heavy
+iron chain, which did not, however, obstruct his movements. The marsk's
+trusty attendant, Mat Jute, who superintended the fortifications,
+followed the haughty old man, to hear his liberation confirmed by the
+marsk himself, before he removed the link.
+
+"Loose him--he is free!" ordered the marsk, and Mat Jute obeyed.
+
+"One word farther only, Henner," said the warrior. "Whither wouldst
+thou I should follow thee?"
+
+"Thither, where yonder tree once grew, and bore the eternal fruit of
+mercy," answered Henner, pointing to a large cross, which stood by the
+roadside.
+
+The marsk laughed wildly. "Yes, truly, when I have reached my second
+childhood," he replied. "Depart in peace, old man. Thy deed was greater
+than thyself; and so it overcomes thee. Go get thyself a letter of
+pardon: turn saint if thou canst; and let us see who shall first reach
+the goal. When thou returnest, thou shalt be welcome to me, wherever I
+am. We can then discuss, to better purpose, which of us stood the
+highest, or performed the most."
+
+The marsk spurred his horse and disappeared within the fortification.
+Henner Friser silently extended his hand to little Aasé, and they
+departed leisurely, without once looking behind.
+
+They thus continued their way for some time, in painful silence. Aasé
+at length broke it.
+
+"Dear, good grandfather," she said, tenderly, "why dost thou not speak
+to me? I have not seen thee for many a day--not since that dreadful St.
+Cecilia's night."
+
+"What sayest thou, my child?" inquired the old man, as if awaking from
+a dream--"ay, let us hear: what became of thee on that fearful night?"
+
+"Yes, fearful it was, truly! When thou and Skirmen had both left me, I
+fell asleep on the bench, and my dreams were frightful. When I awoke, I
+was in the cellar, beneath the floor, and I thought that I had seen the
+king, and warned him of the grayfriars. It was daybreak, and I ran to
+the forester's. There I heard of the king's murder, and that thou hadst
+followed the murderers. I waited for thee three days, in the greatest
+anxiety, which I could endure no longer. I then exchanged clothes with
+the forester's maid, took our little hoard, and resolved to travel the
+country over until I had found thee."
+
+"My true, my dearest Aasé!" exclaimed the old man, patting her cheek:
+"thou hast had better fortune than I. And no wonder: the pure angels of
+God attend thee; but I--I had an imp of the Evil One for my guide. I,
+too, at length found those I sought; but my guide was craftier than I
+and my companions. That artful fox, Rané, befooled us long enough, and
+took us all round Jutland with him. But at last I became impatient, and
+threatened that my good sword should despatch him. He then swore with
+an oath that if the regicides were in the country, I should discover
+them at Helgeness. There, sure enough, I found their ringleader, was
+overpowered, and, as you witnessed, made a beast of burden. Ha! I
+merited the reward! How can Henner Hjulmand enter into judgment with
+regicides!"
+
+"Dear, dear grandfather, now do I know what has so troubled thee when
+it stormed of a night. But, trow me, it was not the dead King Abel who
+rode through Finnerup Forest in the dark: it was the marsk and his man;
+for I knew them both again. And now be comforted, dear grandfather. Our
+Lord will no longer be angry with thee for that deed. The ungodly King
+Abel, like another Cain, had surely slain his brother, and did not
+deserve to live. But if thou hast not rest therefore, dear, good
+grandfather, let us make a pilgrimage to Rome, or to the holy
+sepulchre, as you intended, and there obtain pardon of all our sins."
+
+"Yea, that will we, my child. Had I no greater burden to bear than thou
+hast, this path would be easy to me. Now, however, that thou knowest
+what oppresses me, I am already lighter of heart. I have never wished
+this deed undone, but still it has robbed me of my peace. If, however,
+it please God and St. Christian, my soul shall yet regain tranquillity
+ere I die. Whatever penance the holy father lays on me I shall perform,
+unless he require that I should repent. We shall succeed; and, if thou
+hast brought the gold-box with thee, we shall not suffer want on our
+journey. 'Tis time enough yet to fast."
+
+"See, grandfather, here it is: I have not touched it. I bound up wounds
+by the way, and thus earned more dalers than I have spent." So saying,
+she handed the old man a little wooden box, and another containing
+copper money. "But, alas, dear grandfather," she continued, "is it true
+that the dreadful marsk is stirring up the whole land to rebellion
+against the young king?"
+
+"Aye, child, and more's the pity: he is the ablest carl I have known;
+but Denmark has given birth to him to her own ruin. He has powerful
+friends, both at home and abroad. The country is full of traitors.
+There is something to be done here worth having a hand in, were I still
+young, and dared defer this penance. Flynderborg has been betrayed by
+Sir Lavé, and at Rypen House the marsk's banner of rebellion waves over
+the castle-gate."
+
+"Ah, grandfather, there will be terrible times. The duke, with a large
+army, is before Rypen, but nobody believes that he intends honestly by
+our young king and country. Drost Peter is also expected there--and
+Skirmen will certainly be with him--when, it is said, the castle will
+be taken by storm."
+
+Whilst they were thus conversing, they heard behind them the gallop of
+horses. They turned, and beheld two tall peasants, mounted on noble
+steeds, attended by a peasant-lad on a norback, and leading two saddled
+horses behind him.
+
+"Drost Peter!--Skirmen!" cried old Henner and Aasé, in the same breath.
+
+In an instant the peasant-lad had dismounted, and was in Aasé's arms.
+Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson, for the disguised peasants were no
+other, then stopped. They soon learned from old Henner what he knew of
+the marsk's strength at Helgeness and Hielm, which, in their disguise,
+they had already closely approached, and were therefore almost as well
+acquainted with the state of the defences as Henner himself.
+
+"Follow us to Rypen, brave old man," said Drost Peter. "Until that
+royal burgh is ours, I shall not appear in the presence of the queen
+and our young king. Good counsel is precious here; and if you know more
+than your paternoster, now is the time to show it. You and Aasé may
+mount our spare horses."
+
+Little Aasé was soon on horseback, and they proceeded at a brisk trot
+on the road to Rypen.
+
+On the way Drost Peter learned from Henner that the crafty Rané was
+greatly embittered at seeing his ancestral castle on Hielm in the hands
+of the marsk; but that, dissembling his feelings, he had been
+despatched from Helgeness, no doubt with a message to Norway, or
+probably to bring reinforcements. How he had accomplished his errand,
+however, Henner knew not.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+An important change had, in the meanwhile, taken place with Rané.
+Neither the marsk nor the Norse freebooter had received him as he had
+expected when he led Henner Friser and the royal huntsmen into their
+stronghold at Helgeness. The marsk had offered him no compensation for
+the island of Hielm and his ancestral fortress; and the jarl, instead
+of redeeming his promise to receive him as his son-in-law, had merely
+given him the stroke of knighthood, and told him to be contented with
+that honour for the present. Rané was too prudent to betray his
+indignation: he therefore appeared only zealous to serve the marsk, and
+to show the jarl that he was not deficient in daring courage. He had
+sailed from Helgeness in one of the freebooter's pirate-ships, giving
+them the assurance that he should soon prove he had not received the
+golden spurs unworthily. But instead of bearing to Kongshelle, as he
+had promised, where the Norwegian king, Erik the Priest-hater, and Duke
+Hakon, were residing, he steered direct for Tönsberg.
+
+Rané, since he had received the stroke of knighthood, seemed to have
+acquired a spirit of daring which was strikingly manifested in his
+whole deportment and appearance. His squeaking voice had, in the course
+of the last half year, become transformed into a somewhat rough bass,
+not deficient in strength; his reddish downy beard had become darker
+and stronger; and the feminine expression of his countenance gave place
+to one of strong and wild passionateness. The feeling of the important
+influence he had acquired in these great state affairs, and the
+dangerous position he had placed himself in, from which he could
+extricate himself only by his own sagacity and abilities, gave a stamp
+of confidence to his air and manner which considerably mitigated the
+unpleasantness of his crafty smile.
+
+At Tönsberg Castle dwelt the daughter of Jarl Mindre-Alf, Kirstine
+Alfsdatter,[34] or Jomfru Buckleshoe, as she was called, from the large
+gold buckles she wore. She was about sixteen years of age, strong,
+plump, with dark brown hair, very lively blue eyes, and a pert, little,
+turned-up nose. She had been brought up in Tönsberg, like a future
+princess. Her mother died during her infancy, and her father she had
+seldom seen. She had been indulged in every humour; and, whilst the
+algrev was absent on his viking expeditions, his daughter lived free
+and happy in the castle, where she soon ruled not only the old warden,
+but the whole garrison.
+
+Yet with all her wildness and self-will, she did not lack a certain
+polish of education. Snorro's nephew, the famous Icelandic skald and
+saga-writer, Sturlé Thordarson, had visited Tönsberg three years
+previously, and shortly before his death; and this old man of
+three score and ten, with his lively and characteristic narratives of
+King Hagen Hagensen's exploits, and his spirit-stirring poems
+respecting old Norwegian heroes, awakened in the heart of the young
+girl so strong a desire for a life of activity, that, ever since, she
+had formed no higher wish than to set out on a cruise like her father,
+or live to see some grand event take place. A few months before the
+period our narrative has reached, she had made the acquaintance of
+Jomfru Ingé, who had followed her fugitive father to Tönsberg, and at
+his wish had remained there, whilst he continued his journey to
+Kongshelle, where most of the conspirators had found protection with
+King Erik the Priest-hater and Duke Hakon.
+
+Sir Lavé suffered much from witnessing the grief of his daughter,
+occasioned by his treachery to the royal house of Denmark. Her presence
+awoke a constant warfare and inquietude in his wavering soul. He could,
+indeed, read nothing but filial solicitude in his daughter's looks,
+since she had witnessed his repentance and his agony during their
+flight from Viborg, after the king's funeral; yet, notwithstanding
+this, he had embraced the first opportunity of separating from her.
+
+At Tönsberg Castle Jomfru Ingé again breathed freely, and conquered the
+feelings of dejection which her father's presence had inspired. Still
+it was to her a painful thought, that she was living in the castle
+of a hostile pirate; for, while it belonged to a vassal like Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, it did not seem to her like the ancient royal castle
+erected by King Hagen Hagensen. The assurance that the rude
+pirate-chief was not expected home for a considerable time, could alone
+reconcile her; and her horror of the algrev did not extend to his
+daughter.
+
+The bold Norwegian girl and the high-souled daughter of the Danish
+knight soon became intimate friends. Norwegian skald-songs and
+Danish kĉmpeviser seemed, from their lips, lays of the same stock.
+Jomfru Buckleshoe rode out with her Danish friend to the fells, and
+proudly exhibited to her the glories of her native land; whilst the
+noble-hearted Ingé admired the land of rocks and Norwegian heroism with
+as much sincerity, as she sang with pathos and animation the quiet
+beauties of her own fatherland, and extolled her own faithful and
+constant countrymen, who, in these unhappy times, were defending
+against rebels the crown of Denmark and its youthful king.
+
+Ingé's attachment to the royal house to which her father was opposed,
+strongly influenced the courageous daughter of the jarl. This spirit of
+independence recommended itself powerfully to the mind of the Norwegian
+damsel. She was provoked that her own father and the King of Norway
+should render assistance to the enemies of the youthful king, who, from
+Lady Ingé's account of his dangerous situation, stood before her as the
+personification of that peculiar form of adventure in which her
+imagination was most prone to feel an interest.
+
+One day, as the two maidens were riding by the strand, they perceived a
+ship, under full sail, run into Tönsberg Fiord.
+
+"See, see!" cried Kirstine, joyfully, "one of my father's galleys. And
+seest thou that haughty knight by the prow? Who can it be? Take heed,
+proud Ingé! 'tis one of thy countrymen, who can no longer bear thy
+absence!"
+
+"'Tis one of thy father's ships, Kirstine," replied Ingé, "and
+therefore can bear no friend of mine or Denmark's. One only grieves my
+absence, and he it cannot be: he would not forsake his king and country
+in their need to visit me."
+
+"Perhaps a wooer to me, then," cried Kirstine, laughing. "If he be a
+Danish knight, and please me, I may yet perhaps be in Denmark,
+defending your youthful king. Is it not tiresome," she continued,
+pettishly, tossing her head, "that we girls must always sit with our
+hands in our laps, and allow the men to act as they think proper,
+without ever being asked our opinion, as if it were a matter of course
+that we must have none at variance with their own? I should think,
+however, that we are quite as numerous as they, and have souls as whole
+and true in every respect. In what concerns myself, I have a will as
+resolute and free as any damsel in Denmark; and, as my father supports
+your rebels, I shall support thee and thy true countrymen. In the olden
+times, our Norwegian damsels were not so submissive as they now are:
+then, there were whole armies of _skioldmöer_,[35] which the valiant
+Stĉrkodder himself had reason to acknowledge. Knowest thou the lay of
+the brave Hervor, who compelled her father to hand her the sword of
+Tirfing from his barrow?"
+
+"She was a Danish skioldmö," replied Ingé, "but a wild and godless
+pagan. Heaven preserve every Christian soul from such mad temerity!"
+
+"She was a damsel, nevertheless, who not only knew what she could do,
+but also dared to do it, in spite of any man," rejoined Kirstine. "Old
+Sturlé taught me the lay concerning her. Listen: this is the verse I
+like best." And, with a voice so clear that it re-echoed across the
+fiord, she sang:--
+
+
+                        "I dare to touch
+                        And take in my hand
+                        The sharp-edged sword--
+                        Would only I had it!
+                        Never, I trow,
+                        Shall the fire consume me,
+                        That playeth around
+                        The dead hero's eyes."
+
+
+"Sing not that pagan song, dear Kirstine," cried Ingé, interrupting the
+enthusiastic songstress. "Hervor herself was terrified at her ungodly
+deed, and as she left her father's grave saw the air in flames around
+her. Such unnatural self-will never comes to good."
+
+"Sturlé told me, however, that at last she got the hero she relied on,"
+replied Kirstine. "Certainly, no luck attended the sword; but still she
+must have led a right pleasant skioldmö's life. It is her I intented to
+represent in the lady with the sword on the burning height, which you
+may see, wrought, in my father's riddersal. I should like to be a
+skioldmö: then should I away to Denmark, to defend your young king."
+
+"Dear Kirstine," exclaimed Ingé, with much solicitude, seizing her
+hand, "thanks for thy concern for me and my unhappy fatherland; but let
+it not withdraw thee from fidelity and obedience to thy father. I
+praise God and the Holy Virgin that I can still obey my father, even
+when I appear most wayward. Let me entrust thee with an important
+secret, Kirstine. Thou knowest I am in fact a prisoner here; but I mean
+to escape, and thou must aid me."
+
+"With all my heart," replied Kirstine, joyously; "but then I must
+accompany thee, for I am tired of this uniform life. Cannot two such
+damsels as we do something in the world? Wilt thou to Denmark, Ingé?"
+
+"To Denmark or Sweden--I have kinsfolk in both."
+
+"If I am to help thee, I must know everything. That letter brought thee
+by the foreign clerk the other day, was certainly from Drost Hessel?"
+
+Lady Ingé blushed. "Nay," she answered, with a suppressed sigh; "but,
+since thou wilt know all, read it."
+
+They halted. Kirstine seized the letter, and eagerly opened it.
+"_Martinus de Dacia_," she began to read. "Thou art befooling me, Ingé!
+This is certainly Latin."
+
+"It is only a man's name," replied Ingé: "so our learned chancellor,
+Master Martin Maagenson, calls himself. He is a trusty friend of the
+royal house, and has written the letter for my dear old kinsman John.
+They wish me to proceed to Stockholm, to the young Princess Ingeborg,
+who is destined for our king's bride. She must have the daughter of a
+Danish knight for a companion, that she may learn from a native to know
+her future people. I am chosen for this, which they say is the only way
+in which I may be able to benefit my father, and serve my unhappy
+country. I have considered it closely, and no longer hesitate. My
+father has left me here, and I must not follow him. He is now safe at
+Kongshelle. I have his permission privately; but he dares not openly
+avow it: his dangerous position compels him to be silent. It must
+appear, therefore, that I escaped without his consent or knowledge.
+Your old warden has to-day been requested to detain me. Now, dear
+Kirstine, assist me to escape from hence: if I can only get safely from
+Tönsberg, my way is open. As well in Denmark as in Sweden, every
+castle-warden and governor is bound to accelerate my journey when I
+produce this letter." So saying, she took from the pocket of her mantle
+a roll of parchment, with three seals attached.
+
+Kirstine opened her eyes in astonishment. "So, indeed--I understand
+thee now," she said: "thou hast powerful friends, I see. But we must be
+prudent. The warden will henceforth look after thee strictly, and will
+scarcely give thee liberty to ride out with me. But let us see who this
+strange knight is, who has arrived in my father's ship. If he returns
+to Denmark, he may be persuaded to take thee with him; and if it can be
+done, I shall accompany thee. It will be surprising if two fair
+damsels, like us, cannot get a knight to carry us off, and make him
+fancy it was against our wishes."
+
+"Giddy girl! thy thoughts are engaged with adventures and daring
+freaks; but, for God and the Holy Virgin's sake, be prudent, and reveal
+not what I have confided to thee; for in its success lies my freedom
+and all my hopes of the future. Yet one thing more thou must hear," she
+added, with a deep sigh: "the powerful commandant at Kongshelle, Sir
+Thord--dost thou know him?"
+
+"The wealthy Thord, with the long red nose--what of him?"
+
+"He has demanded me in marriage, and my father dare not say him nay. A
+hasty flight alone can save me, for within eight days he will be here."
+
+"And then his nose will be twice as long!" cried Kirstine. "Come along,
+dear Ingé!--thou shalt quickly away from hence, and I myself will carry
+thee off."
+
+They now rode back towards the little town of Tönsberg, in the midst of
+which lay the castle, called Tönsberg House. The fiord, and the painted
+wooden houses of the town on both sides the hill, with the sun shining
+on its nine convents and the fourteen Kings' Chapels, as they are
+called, presented a scene at once beautiful and picturesque. It failed
+just then, however, to attract the notice of the two maidens, who had
+become thoughtful, as they dared no longer speak aloud among the crowds
+of seamen and busy merchants whom they encountered.
+
+When they reached the castle, they found that the vessel they had seen
+entering the fiord had, in the meanwhile, arrived. The stately young
+knight whom it conveyed had landed, and presented himself with much
+pomp to the warden of Tönsberg House, with whom he had held a private
+conversation. Arrangements were made to entertain the stranger as a
+distinguished guest. The two young damsels entered the large day-room
+of the castle, where they sat down in silence to their embroidery,
+occasionally casting expectant glances towards a side-door, by which
+they knew the warden would introduce the Danish knight, who, they had
+already determined, should aid them in their important enterprise.
+
+The door was at length opened, and the old warden entered, accompanied
+by Chamberlain Rané, whom he presented to the daughter of the jarl as a
+man whom her father had honoured with knighthood, and who had arrived
+at Tönsberg on an affair of importance.
+
+Rané saluted the fair ones with much politeness. When Lady Ingé saw
+him, and heard his name, she became somewhat alarmed. His crafty smile
+and well-bred, insinuating manners, were highly repulsive to her, and
+she remembered to have heard him mentioned as the confidant of the
+murdered king, in many an affair that was neither to his own honour nor
+that of his former master. She had also heard of his suspicious conduct
+in reference to the king's murder; and, when she now beheld him as a
+messenger from Mindre-Alf, she might justly regard him as an open
+traitor. She could not conceal the contempt and loathing he inspired,
+which did not escape his observation while conversing with the lively
+Kirstine.
+
+The warden having left them, Rané appeared desirous to draw Lady Ingé
+into the conversation, and endeavoured to conciliate her by some
+expressions of concern for Denmark, and the dangerous position of the
+young king. Who Lady Ingé was, and her attachment to the royal house,
+he well knew; and he had already observed, with some surprise, that the
+daughter of the Norwegian jarl shared her sympathies with much spirit.
+He immediately availed himself of this discovery to place himself in an
+advantageous light before both young ladies; while, to flatter them
+with his confidence, he entrusted to them, as a dangerous secret, that
+he was a faithful friend to the royal family of Denmark, and had
+ventured hither on far other grounds than those which were alleged as
+the object of his visit.
+
+The young damsels were astonished. In order to strengthen his
+statement, and allay every suspicion, Rané then painted in glowing
+colours, yet with apparent modesty, his valorous defence of the
+unfortunate king in Finnerup barn. He related to them how,
+notwithstanding this, he had been suspected in the most shameful
+manner; and assured them that, to justify himself in the eyes of every
+loyal Dane, he would risk his life in the most dangerous undertaking on
+behalf of the young king.
+
+"My fidelity to my former king and master," he added, "has already cost
+me my fair ancestral castle on Hielm. Marsk Stig has seized it by
+storm, and slain my faithful garrison. I have been constrained to use
+stratagem against force; but, with the aid I pretend to obtain here for
+the marsk, I mean to convince him and your brave father, noble Jomfru
+Kirstine, that I am not unworthy of the stroke of knighthood with which
+the jarl has honoured me, while even I venture to expose myself to his
+anger."
+
+"You are as bold as you are frank, Sir Rané!" exclaimed Kirstine, with
+astonishment. "What assures you that Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, after
+this confession, will permit you to slip free from Tönsberg Castle?
+Suppose now, that I instantly order you to be cast into the tower--"
+
+"Then I shall have greatly mistaken your lofty, noble mind, illustrious
+damsel," replied Rané; "although I should not consider it a very
+serious misfortune even were I compelled to be your prisoner. But this
+I know, that the friend of Jomfru Ingé Little can never hate or
+persecute any adherent of Denmark's royal house."
+
+"That you should not altogether depend upon, sir knight," replied the
+jarl's daughter. "The Danish kings have not left behind them the
+fairest memorials at Tönsberg. Tales are still told here of Harald
+Bluetooth's cruelty; and there are ruins lying around us from the times
+of your valorous King Waldemar. If you imagine that the damsels of
+Norway are less patriotis than those of Denmark, you mistake us much."
+
+For an instant Rané seemed alarmed; but he soon recovered himself on
+perceiving a roguish smile in the countenance of the bold jomfru, and
+the glance she directed to her Danish friend. He bent his knee before
+the jocular damsel. "My freedom, perhaps my life, is in your hands," he
+said; "yet I repent not my avowal. In the presence of Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+fair daughter, it were, indeed, impossible to make a more daring
+admission; but I could not look on you, and for a moment forget what I
+bear on my shield. With the fair ones of Norway the knights of Denmark
+never made war, and the misdeeds of our kings and princes should not be
+visited on their innocent subjects--"
+
+"Enough, Sir Rané--rise! the warden is approaching," said Jomfru
+Kirstine, hastily.
+
+He kissed her hand respectfully while she raised him; and the warden
+now entering, a conversation on indifferent topics was gaily resumed.
+
+But Jomfru Ingé placed no confidence in the crafty Rané. In the
+evening, when alone with Kirstine, she warned her of him; for she had
+well observed that his respectful homage to her beauty, and his
+flattery of her free spirit and independence, had not been without
+effect. Lady Ingé at the same time was forced to acknowledge that Sir
+Rané was not deficient in courage, and possessed much sagacity and
+eloquence. She even admitted that her distrust of him might possibly be
+unfounded; but, in the eyes of Kirstine, he was a true and doughty
+knight.
+
+Next day Rané eagerly sought an opportunity of conversing with Kirstine
+alone. He found it, and soon confided to her that the fame of her
+beauty had long made him her passionate admirer. He informed her that
+her father had formerly accorded him permission to solicit her hand in
+person, but that the jarl now sought to evade his promise; and,
+finally, that his present journey, and the hazard to which he thereby
+exposed his life, having been undertaken solely for the purpose of
+seeing her, there was now no enterprise so dangerous that he would not
+venture on it for her sake.
+
+She listened to all his protestations without any apparent displeasure,
+but gave him no decided answer.
+
+Four days elapsed, during which Rané continued his efforts to win
+Kirstine, and to inspire Jomfru Ingé with a more favourable opinion of
+him. Many secret councils had been held between the two damsels, and it
+was finally concluded that, before they confided in him, they should,
+at all events, put his fidelity to a stern proof.
+
+Rané had spoken highly of the swiftness of his vessel, and of his
+powerful connections in Denmark. A hint, or an apparently accidental
+occurrence, was therefore all that was required for flight or an
+abduction. Kirstine planned the hazardous design, to which, from
+necessity and her dangerous situation, Jomfru Ingé was forced to
+accede.
+
+On the fifth day after the arrival of Rané, Ingé was alarmed by the
+intelligence that her father, with Sir Thord, was expected from
+Kongshelle on the following day, and that festive preparations, as for
+a wedding, were going forward in the castle.
+
+Rané's vessel lay ready to sail in Tönsberg Fiord, a few bow-shots from
+the strand. It was manned by a numerous crew, whom Rané had gained over
+with gold and promises. The crafty young knight had proposed a walk by
+the beach, where, a little before sunset, he proceeded, accompanied by
+Kirstine and Lady Ingé. The old warden attended them, although he was
+heartily tired of hearing of fells, and waterfalls, and all the other
+beauties of nature which strangers extol so highly. Rané conversed with
+the young ladies with much politeness: he greatly admired the beauty of
+the landscape. "But," he observed, "the view from the sea must be far
+more magnificent. When I arrived, the sky was not so clear as it now
+is."
+
+"It appears to me, however," observed the warden, with a yawn, "that it
+was just as clear."
+
+"It is possible," replied Rané; "but towards evening the coast assumes
+a more beautiful appearance. Here is a boat close by, with part of my
+crew: the ladies, perhaps, would like to row a little way on the
+fiord."
+
+"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Kirstine, pulling Ingé along with her into the
+boat: "the weather is fine, and I can show thee that the sun does not
+set over a nobler land than Norway. Will you go with us, warden?"
+
+Rané had placed himself beside the ladies. The warden was displeased;
+but, unwilling to oppose himself to the will of the proud young damsel,
+he entered the boat grumbling, and it rapidly glided from the beach.
+Whilst Rané dilated with animation on the beauties of the scenery, the
+boatmen, who had been previously instructed, rowed straight to the
+vessel, which lay with her sails half unfurled, and her crew ready to
+heave the anchor as soon as their master was on board.
+
+The invitation of Rané to inspect the ship was accepted. The objections
+of the warden were silenced by the eloquent knight, who, the moment
+they stood on deck, gave a signal, and the vessel stood out under full
+sail. The terrified warden was conducted, as a prisoner, to the cabin;
+while Rané, throwing himself upon his knee before Kirstine, poured out
+a torrent of flattering apologies for carrying off her friend and her
+to Denmark; where, he said, he as certainly hoped to obtain her
+forgiveness, as he was now prepared by every deed of chivalry to
+deserve the hand of the fairest maiden in Norway.
+
+Lady Ingé, as well as Kirstine, was half terrified at this sudden
+abduction, although it was their own plan which the crafty knight,
+without knowing it, was carrying into effect. They both remained silent
+and thoughtful; but Lady Ingé was too proud to carry dissimulation
+farther.
+
+"Well, Sir Rané," she said, gravely, "I follow you willingly to
+Denmark, for I desire to leave Tönsberg." And with this avowal she
+retired to the other side of the vessel, leaving it to her companion to
+simulate anger at his daring conduct.
+
+By this step Sir Rané had gained a great object. As long as the fate of
+the conspirators was uncertain, it was important that he should be
+able, in some satisfactory manner, to justify his connection with them.
+By this daring action he also hoped to increase his reputation as a
+bold knight in the estimation of Marsk Stig and the jarl; while in the
+daughter of the powerful algrev he possessed a hostage that would
+secure him from their enmity. Neither did it escape his observation,
+that, in the eyes of the brave daughter of the viking, he had
+established his character as an adventurous knight; and he now clearly
+perceived that she secretly favoured him as her suitor, notwithstanding
+the rage and scorn which she pretended to heap upon him. As long, too,
+as Lady Ingé remained in his power, he supposed that her kinsman, old
+Sir John, and Drost Hessel, would reflect before they took any steps
+against him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+On a beautiful evening in the middle of May, there was a torch-dance
+and great rejoicing in the streets of Rypen. Such festivities, where
+the burghers mingled in the gay crowd of knights, were not uncommon;
+but at a time so serious, and so soon after the murder of the king,
+these public rejoicings gave great scandal to the friends of the royal
+house among the burghers of the place; while the adherents of Marsk
+Stig heartily entered into them, as a proof of the security with which
+the rebel governor of the castle, Sir Tagé Muus, defied the royal
+party. In this way, the revolted chief showed, too, how well he
+understood, and how much he disregarded, the feigned threats with which
+Duke Waldemar had summoned him to surrender.
+
+The duke, with his army, was encamped about half a mile south of Rypen.
+His forces consisted chiefly of South Jutlanders; although among them
+there were also a few Brandenburg and Saxon horsemen. On the evening to
+which we have alluded, the duke entertained, in his magnificent crimson
+tent, the two Margraves of Brandenburg, old Duke Johan of Saxony, and
+Count Gerhard of Holstein; the latter having reached the army the
+previous day, at the head of a chosen troop of Holstein horse. The
+brave count had scarcely awaited his recovery from the unfortunate blow
+which had cost him an eye, before he had armed himself for the defence
+of Queen Agnes and the young king. He had united his forces to those of
+the duke without suspicion; but was received at the camp with a
+coldness that surprised him. The queen's brothers had newly arrived
+from Viborg, to hasten some decisive attempt against Marsk Stig and his
+adherents. The aged Duke of Saxony, who had been the youthful friend of
+Duke Waldemar's father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, had often manifested
+a fatherly interest in the ambitious young Waldemar. He had arrived,
+uninvited, at the head of his brave troops, not solely to strengthen
+the duke, but for the purpose of preventing, by his presence, any
+thoughtless step which might be prompted by his ambitious aspirations,
+of which the old nobleman was not ignorant. He had been partly moved to
+this by his daughter, the pious Princess Sophia, of whom Duke Waldemar
+had, two years before, been an ardent suitor, without having received
+any decisive answer. At that time she was not quite fifteen, and had
+declared that in three years she would determine, should her wooer then
+renew his suit. She was well aware that she had made a strong
+impression on the young duke, whom she loved tenderly, but without
+passion, and she also entertained well-grounded doubts of his
+constancy. She therefore dreaded his ambitious plans, and felt more
+solicitous about his honour and the welfare of his soul than the loss
+of his heart, which she already looked upon as having escaped her, for
+she had not seen him for two years. She awaited, however, the
+expiration of the third year, when she intended to bid farewell to the
+world, and assume the veil.
+
+The upright old Duke Johan had approved his daughter's views and
+determination. Without alluding to her, he had, like a true and
+fatherly friend, spoken seriously to the young duke relative to his
+present position and his duties to the Danish crown. His words were not
+without effect; but the idea that wholly engrossed the young nobleman
+was the proud consciousness that he possessed the power to decide the
+fate of the royal house of Denmark by casting his sword into either
+scale of the nicely balanced parties.
+
+The presence of the margraves and the honest Count Gerhard, however,
+and their unanimous demand that something decisive should be attempted,
+caused him some embarrassment. A council of war was held in the duke's
+tent, at which, after those noblemen had each expressed his opinion
+boldly and frankly, the duke arose.
+
+"Here, my lords, I am commander," he said, firmly; "and with every
+respect for your advice and sincere intentions, I must still follow my
+own convictions. Before the Dane-court has decided how Marsk Stig and
+his friends are to be treated, and until I myself have been formally
+recognised as protector, nothing decisive can be undertaken. Within
+twelve days the Dane-court will be held, and, consequently, my presence
+in Nyborg will be necessary. Until then no campaign can be commenced,
+far less completed. From what I have heard of Marsk Stig's
+preparations, a greater force than we possess will be necessary to
+subdue him. Besides, by the law of the land, he and his friends have
+still the right to defend themselves before the Dane-court, if they
+choose to risk it; and, as I have already said, no decisive step can be
+taken until it is legally determined in what quality I stand here, and
+with whom we have to contend."
+
+"With your leave, illustrious duke," began Count Gerhard, "I think we
+know right well who we are, and what we have to do. That we two, at
+least, stand here as vassals of the Danish crown, requires no
+confirmation. That the commander of Rypen House, by placing the banner
+of Marsk Stig where that of the king should wave, has openly declared
+himself an enemy of the crown, is certain enough. Before we advance
+against Helgeness and Hielm, Rypen House must be ours. With what forces
+we have here the place can be stormed within twelve hours; and it seems
+to me shameful and indefensible that we should lie here idly, and
+tamely permit a royal castle to remain in the hands of rebels."
+
+"If, with your own troopers, you choose to storm Rypen House, brave
+Count Gerhard," replied the duke, carelessly, "you are welcome; but it
+must be on your own responsibility; and you will further have to answer
+before the Dane-court for kindling a civil war before the conduct of
+these men has been legally condemned, and without knowing by what law
+and authority you yourself are acting."
+
+"So, then, illustrious duke," exclaimed Count Gerhard, with suppressed
+indignation, "in God and St. George's name I shall act alone, and I
+doubt not that I shall be able to defend my conduct well." He then
+bowed, and retired.
+
+Shortly afterwards he left the camp, at the head of fifty horsemen, and
+took the road to Rypen. By his side, attired as a squire, rode Daddy
+Longlegs, who, since the unfortunate foolery which had cost his master
+an eye, had laid aside the dignity and dress of a jester, but still
+followed his master, to whom he was indispensable.
+
+As Count Gerhard approached the Nipsaa, which defended the town from
+the south, his anger gradually abated; prudence returned, and he
+perceived the absurdity of attempting, with his handful of men, to
+storm a well-fortified castle like Rypen House. Shame, however,
+deterred him from returning to the camp, and he rode leisurely forward.
+His troopers followed silently; but he perceived, by their thoughtful
+and serious looks, how certainly fatal they considered the enterprise
+on which their master and prince was conducting them.
+
+"Let us make good speed, gracious sir," observed Longlegs, in a tone of
+grave raillery, "before they at Rypen House behold our terrible army
+and surrender themselves. It would be a sad misfortune should we miss
+this chance of immortality, and have no opportunity of using our
+storming-ladders and lithers--"
+
+"I rely upon thee being a wizard, Longlegs, who can as easily knock out
+the eye of the enemy as thou didst mine, and so prevent him from seeing
+our strength," replied the count, entering at once, as usual, into the
+humour of his jester. "But who has informed thee that I mean to storm
+Rypen House? There are banquetings and rejoicings in Rypen, thou
+knowest; and what if I should intend to treat myself and all of you to
+a romp with the fair maids of Rypen?"
+
+"Ah! that is another matter, sir. A right merry dance it will be; and,
+besides, we come not unbidden to the junkettings, for the letter
+brought you in the gloaming by the old pilgrim was doubtless an
+invitation to sport and joviality."
+
+Count Gerhard nodded. "Didst thou know him, Longlegs?" he inquired.
+
+"If I am not mistaken, it was our old host in Middelfert, Henner
+Friser. He is a daring carl, and, it is said, knows something more than
+his paternoster. He fled from Middelfert for a murder: so take care,
+sir, that he does not lead you into a snare."
+
+"If thou hadst heard what he said, Longlegs, thou wouldst not fear
+that. Onwards."
+
+Not far from the Southgate Bridge and Hostorg Port, on what is called
+the Marshland, Count Gerhard ordered his troopers to halt and dismount.
+Having set them the example, he remained for a moment in profound
+thought.
+
+"Now, my men," he at length said, good-humouredly, "I shall conduct you
+to the feast to-night. You see the torches are flaring on the bridge.
+Well, there is mirth in Rypen, and only merry guests are expected. The
+grooms will remain with the horses, and you others, one by one, will
+follow me on foot, with your swords beneath your cloaks, for the sake
+of security. If you can get a torch in one hand, and a girl in the
+other, dance away. But the jig must pass through Southgate-street to
+Grayfriars-street, and then along Crutched-friars, to the large
+bleaching-green by the castle. There you must gather around me when you
+hear my hunting-horn. What further fun is to be had, must depend on
+luck and opportunity. You understand me, carls?"
+
+A general shout of applause announced the acquiescence of the troopers
+in the adventurous project of their master. He immediately crossed the
+bridge, followed, singly and at a distance, by the others, who mingled
+with the crowds of merrymakers that filled the streets.
+
+The mirth had reached its height. Torches blazed and songs were sung in
+every street leading to the castle. Gaily-dressed knights, and ladies
+in mantles of silk and scarlet, mingled in the dance. Count Gerhard
+strode along in his heavy riding-boots, without taking any active part
+in the festivities. When he had reached and was about to pass the
+gateway into the court-yard of the Crutched-friars, he received a nod
+of recognition from a brave, well-known face, concealed under a
+peasant's hood, while, with a hearty shake of the hand, he was drawn
+beneath the arch.
+
+"Drost Hessel!--you here, and in this disguise!" he exclaimed, with
+astonishment.
+
+"Have you come to join our dance, noble count?" inquired Drost Peter,
+hastily.
+
+"The fiend take the dance! I am here to storm Rypen House, in spite of
+the duke and his fine prudential considerations.
+
+"'Tis well! You are in the dance, then, whether you will or not. But
+whence comes it? Who is the leader?"
+
+"He that comes first, I should think. But, by Beelzebub! you must well
+know that, Drost Hessel. Ask not me, for I know nothing: I have had
+only a private hint, which I am undecided whether I ought to act upon
+or not. Do you know old Henner Friser, from Melfert?"
+
+"Him we can rely upon," replied Drost Peter, gladly; "and if the hint
+came from him, we may safely follow it. What force is with you?"
+
+"Not a great one; but still, I can muster half a hundred with a blast
+of my horn."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the drost: "there is, then, some meaning in it, and I
+now begin to be in earnest; for, hitherto, the whole affair has
+appeared to me somewhat like a joke. I know not with whom the daring
+idea originated, and I came here with only two companions, merely to
+discover the temper of the people. On my way I met Henner Friser, and
+the mysterious old man predicted me success, and then disappeared. It
+seems he has good friends here. The disposition of the burghers is
+favourable; but the duke delays, and I have no faith in him. To storm
+the place without an army would never have occurred to me; but there
+must be amongst us a spirit more inventive and daring than we were
+aware of. An hour since a stranger invited me to be the second knight
+in the row of dancers, when the Danish maidens should begin the
+song;--'For Erik the king so young.' But what avails it without a
+storm?"
+
+"I understand," exclaimed the count rubbing his hands with delight:
+"for the young king, then. True, I would rather sing, 'For Queen Agnes
+the fair;' but it is the same. Dance only, in God's name, across the
+castle-bridge. I dance behind, and follow you with my men. 'For our
+young king,' is the watchword; and he who hesitates to give it tongue,
+shall be cut down."
+
+This conversation was interrupted by a party of boisterous young
+knights, with black plumes in their helmets, and torches in their
+hands, who danced into the court-yard of the convent, summoning the
+terrified monks to open the refectory for them, and bawling for wine
+and Saxon ale.
+
+"Saw you the black-plumes? That is a band of Marsk Stig's adherents,"
+observed Drost Peter, as he retired with Count Gerhard to an obscure
+corner of the gateway, unable to conceal his indignation at such
+audacious proceedings, which were not unusual during this unsettled
+period.
+
+The clamour in the convent-yard subsided for an instant, while a
+reverend friar came forth, and reminded the disturbers that they were
+not in an enemy's country, and that it was the duty of the brave
+gentlemen at Rypen House to protect the town, and not to plunder it.
+
+The priest was answered with mockery and threats; and one of the
+overbearing young knights, brandishing his torch, swore he would set
+fire to the convent, if their demands were longer resisted. The door of
+the refectory was then instantly opened, and the unwelcome guests were
+admitted.
+
+Drost Peter boiled with indignation. "Behold, Count Gerhard!" he
+exclaimed, vehemently: "these are the men who would be masters in
+Denmark. Let us after them!"
+
+"Nay, let them drink till they cannot see a hole through a
+storming-ladder," cried Count Gerhard, laughing--"the better will go
+our dance. When does it begin, and where?"
+
+"Two hours after the ave, and on the bleach-green, near the castle."
+
+"'Tis well. The time is near: therefore let us hence. There is some
+meaning in this dance, and an honest warrior can engage in it without
+being laughed at. Plague take it! if the queen were only here, she
+should see me dance better and more gaily than I did the last time."
+
+They proceeded hastily to the bleach-green, where a great crowd was
+assembled. In the middle of the open space stood a table, covered with
+refreshments. Merry music filled the air, while many torches shed their
+light upon the scene, and numerous gaily dressed ladies occupied the
+benches around. Drost Peter and Count Gerhard observed with attention
+and surprise the glittering knights and dames about them, most of whom
+had their faces fantastically painted, and all sharing in the merriment
+with spirit and joyousness.
+
+As Count Gerhard was making his remarks on this, Skirmen hastily
+approached, and whispered a few words to his master, who immediately,
+with joyful surprise, directed his eyes to a bench, on which sat three
+ladies veiled. In the nearest he thought he recognised the black-haired
+little Aasé. She who sat in the middle, Skirmen, with a roguish smile,
+had informed him was the lady who had invited him to the dance. Skirmen
+had again disappeared, and Drost Peter fixed his eyes on the tall
+stranger lady with a feeling of delight he could not express, although
+a painful anxiety mingled with it.
+
+"Can it be possible? Can she be here, and engaged in this dangerous
+sport?" he exclaimed, half aloud, as he felt the ground spin round with
+him. He began to think he was in some wonderful dream. He again looked
+round for Skirmen, but without success, and was at last obliged to
+support himself on a bench near where he stood.
+
+At that moment the three maidens arose, and began to sing:--
+
+
+            "On Rypen streets the dance goes light,
+            With ladys gay and gentle knight.
+            On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod:
+            There dance the knights so gaily shod--
+              For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+When the burthen was heard, the flutes and horns chimed in, and a
+number of knights sprang forward with their ladies, and formed a long
+row of dancers.
+
+Drost Peter distinguished Jomfru Ingé's clear and mellow voice, and in
+the middle singer he now plainly recognised her tall and noble form. He
+started up and clasped her in his arms. "Ingé, dearest Ingé!" he
+whispered, "what daring is this? Are you come hither to dance to the
+death with me? If so, then joyfully for Denmark and our young king! But
+unriddle to me this mystery."
+
+"My knight follows me to the royal castle and to victory," whispered
+Ingé: "if our leader deceive us not, we shall succeed."
+
+"Who, then, is our leader?" inquired the drost, eagerly. "If any one
+leads here, I should do so."
+
+"The gates of the rebels' castle are not opened to Drost Hessel," she
+rejoined, hastily. "There stands our leader, but you must not know him.
+If he were free, I should trust him as little as you do; but here he is
+in our power, and must now dance himself to a bride--or die."
+
+She pointed to a stately young knight, with long yellow hair, who stood
+near them, with a torch in his hand, and apparently hesitating whether
+he should place himself at the head of the dancers or not. He had
+hitherto stood with his back towards them; but as he now turned to one
+side, the light of his torch fell on his cheek, and Drost Peter
+exclaimed, in the highest astonishment--"Rané!"
+
+"Be silent," whispered Ingé: "with a fox we must catch a fox to-night;
+but not like Hamlet. With May-garlands, and, as I hope, without the red
+rose, will we bind our enemies."
+
+Meanwhile, the music continued, many singing to it a well-known ballad
+that suited the tune. Whilst Rané stood, as if yet undecided, the row
+of dancers was constantly increasing; and Jomfru Ingé, in a few words,
+acquainted Drost Peter with the whole daring plan. Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+daughter and herself had persuaded Rané, who knew the governor, to
+bring about the present festival. The bitter feeling of the knight
+towards Marsk Stig, and his anxiety to show himself a friend to the
+royal house, had favoured the project of the young damsels. Through
+Skirmen and Aasé, old Henner Friser had been induced to engage in it.
+The proximity of Drost Peter had redoubled the courage of his
+betrothed, although she feared that his co-operation with Rané might
+defeat the whole scheme.
+
+"And now, my dear sir knight," she added, playfully, "the numerous
+chivalrous gentlemen you perceive around you are our trusty Rypen
+burghers and their sons, who, at the request of their wives and
+sweethearts, will dance tonight to the songs of the maidens."
+
+Having given this explanation, she then, with the other damsels, again
+renewed the song, whilst the knights proceeded to arrange themselves in
+conformity with the words of the ballad, wherein themselves and their
+ladies were indicated by feigned names, taken for the most part from
+old romances, but the application of which they all knew well. The only
+one who was named aright was the governor of Rypen House, who was at
+that moment sitting at a drinking-bout in the castle, but whose name,
+being sung aloud as if he were engaged in the dance, assured any of his
+adherents who might be present, and suspicious of the game.
+
+Whilst those nearest the castle arranged themselves as directed by the
+song, the others at the extremity of the line formed a long chain, and
+danced around the green, to assure themselves that none were present in
+the dance but those engaged in the plot. Rané, meanwhile, still stood
+undecided by the bench on which Jomfru Kirstine was seated, when Jomfru
+Ingé and the others began to sing:--
+
+
+                  "Riber Ulf first dances here--
+                  A king is he without compeer."
+
+
+"'Tis you, Sir Rané!" exclaimed the daughter of the Norwegian
+jarl--"'tis you: you are Riber Ulf to-night. Show me now that you are a
+king without compeer."
+
+Rané, however, did not seem to hear her. The song continued:--
+
+
+                  "Then dances Tagé Muns so free--
+                  Captain of Rypen House is he."
+
+
+Drost Peter had cast aside his hood, and donned a high feathered hat,
+which Skirmen had brought him, together with a scarlet mantle, which he
+threw over his peasant's dress.
+
+"Now are you captain of Rypen House," whispered Jomfru Ingé. His dress,
+which was the same as the court-suit of the castellan, and which they
+had procured on purpose, caused the knight to be mistaken by many for
+Sir Tagé Muus himself; his portly bulk, derived from his peasant's
+clothes beneath, greatly favouring the deception. In this guise he
+danced forward in the ranks with Jomfru Ingé, who, with the maidens,
+continued to sing:--
+
+
+                  "Then dancing comes Sir Saltensee,
+                  And so come on his kinsmen three.
+
+                  "Then dance the noble Limbeks trim,
+                  And they were kings of sturdy limb.
+
+                  "Then after dances Byrge Green,
+                  And many a gentle knight I ween.
+
+                  "And now comes dancing Hanke Kann,
+                  And eke his wife, hight Lady Ann.
+
+                  "Then dancing comes a noble pair--
+                  Sir Rank, and Lady Berngerd fair.
+
+                  "Then rich Sir Wolfram, with his dame,
+                  A lady fair, without a name."
+
+
+At this verse Sir Bent Rimaardson, who had received the same invitation
+as Drost Peter, joined the dancers, with an unknown lady by his side.
+
+At the last couplet--
+
+
+                  "Then dancing came Sir Iver Helt:
+                  He followed the king across the Belt:"[36]
+
+
+to his great surprise, Drost Peter perceived the brave Sir Thorstenson
+advance, conducting a smart peasant-girl by the hand.
+
+"What! Sir Thorstenson here, too!" he exclaimed, as he turned to Lady
+Ingé, who hastily informed him that the bold knight was there to
+accompany him to Nyborg, whither he had conducted the king and the
+whole court, and that he had immediately approved of and entered into
+her project.
+
+Rané, however, had yet shown no disposition to take his part in the
+dance. They had twice danced round the open space, and each time that
+Lady Ingé had approached him, she had sung in a louder tone:--
+
+
+                  "Riber Ulf first dances here,
+                  A king is he without compeer."
+
+
+She was now drawing near a third time; but he still remained as if in
+deep thought.
+
+"Are you afraid that your fair hair will get entangled, Sir Rané, that
+you so long delay leading me to the dance?" exclaimed the courageous
+Jomfru Kirstine, mockingly, and with a gesture of impatience.
+
+"You are right, noble jomfru," answered Rané: "both head and hair may
+easily be entangled here. My hair is a little red, as you must have
+observed; but in this dance it might quickly become redder--"
+
+"And your rosy cheeks might become all too white," interrupted she,
+derisively.
+
+"You are right in that also, fair jomfru," replied Rané, smiling slyly.
+"You would have little service of the boldest bridegroom, when his
+cheeks were as pale as those of a corpse. It is natural that a man
+should hesitate before he springs into a death-dance, even with a
+damsel ever so rich and fair."
+
+"If you hesitate a moment longer, Sir Rané," angrily exclaimed the bold
+jomfru, "I shall consider that I have been shamefully wronged and
+insulted by you; and then, instead of being the bridegroom of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf's daughter, you shall become the laughing-stock of every
+girl in Norway. Yet, nay," she added, in a milder tone--"you will never
+heap such shame and scorn on both yourself and me. Shall Ingé's words
+prove true, and shall her knight behold your weakness and hesitation?
+See how proudly he dances with her, the brave Drost Hessel!"
+
+"Drost Hessel!" exclaimed Rané with surprise, as the blood forsook his
+cheeks.
+
+"Drost Hessel, of course. Surely you are not afraid of the name. If you
+are as brave as you pretend to be, and my father has really given you
+the stroke of knighthood, convince us now that you are worthy of it,
+and show the proud drost that you are not allied to rebels and
+traitors. He is severe, it is said, and old Friser has sworn your death
+if you deceive us."
+
+"Mistake me not, noble jomfru," said Rané, hastily. "I dread neither
+the drost nor the ferocious innkeeper--for fear of them I stir not a
+single step. But for your sake alone, fairest Kirstine, and my own
+knightly honour, shall I stake my head upon the game, and dance with
+you even to the castle-gate. When it is opened at my signal, I shall
+have kept my word; but will you then as truly and honestly do what you
+have promised, and accompany me from Rypen as my bride?"
+
+"What I have promised I shall perform, like an honest Norwegian
+maiden," replied Jomfru Kirstine, gladly, as she quickly rose, and gave
+him her hand. "Dance but through the castle-gate with me, and you are
+the bold and noble hero I believed you, and worthy of the daughter of
+any jarl."
+
+Rané seemed transformed as by some sudden inspiration; he sprang nimbly
+forward with his lady, and placed himself at the head of the dancers,
+who had now for the third time nearly made the circuit of the area.
+
+Before Lady Ingé had again sung the first verse of the ballad, calling
+on Riber Ulf, Rané was dancing gaily along, with Jomfru Kirstine on his
+arm. Lightly tripping it, he sang aloud, while all the damsels and
+knights accompanied him:
+
+
+                  "And on Rypen streets the dance goes light,
+                  With ladye gay and gentle knight--
+                  For Erik the king so young."
+
+
+"Right!" exclaimed the lively Norwegian lady, whom he whirled along,
+her silken ribbons fluttering in her plaited hair, as she danced the
+lightest and nimblest of them all. "Dance thus over the bridge, and I
+shall praise your courage; and dance thus through the gate, and I give
+you my plighted troth."
+
+Rané waved his scarf when they reached the drawbridge, and it was
+instantly lowered.
+
+"Ingé, dearest Ingé, it succeeds!" exclaimed Drost Peter, as he warmly
+pressed the arm of his partner.
+
+The heavy boots of the knights thundered on the drawbridge, amidst the
+light tread of shoes, and all sang merrily:--
+
+
+                  "On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod;
+                  There dance the knights so gaily shod--
+                  For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+Rané now clapped his hands, and the castle-gates were opened. With song
+and shout and merriment, the whole of the dancers were soon within.
+
+Count Gerhard, who still stood on the bleach-green, laughing heartily,
+then blew a merry strain on his horn; and in an instant he was
+surrounded by his fifty men, who followed him with great glee to the
+open gate. Here he posted one half of his force, and with the other
+followed quickly after the dancers.
+
+A considerable portion of the castle garrison were dispersed throughout
+the town. The governor, Sir Tagé Muus, was sitting half intoxicated,
+with thirty other knights, in the large royal riddersal. He heard,
+without surprise, the singing and dancing in the castle-court and in
+the passage of the riddersal; for he had given permission to his good
+friend Rané and his young knights to conduct the fair daughters of the
+citizens to him, with dance and song. In a few seconds the doors flew
+open, and the whole company danced in, the knights holding their ladies
+by the left hand and carrying blazing torches in their right. The whole
+of them were linked together by a chain of green May-leaves,
+interspersed with rare roses. By a sudden movement the ladies formed a
+cluster, waving the torches, while the knights, in a compact circle,
+surrounded the table with drawn swords in their hands.
+
+The governor and his thirty knights now first became aware of their
+betrayal, and started up in alarm to defend themselves. But in an
+instant, and without bloodshed, the castellan and his entire force were
+disarmed.
+
+Beyond the circle of knights and their captives, the maidens now began
+to dance, and with loud jubilation sang:
+
+
+                  "And thus we danced the castle in,
+                  With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--
+                  The castle it is won!"
+
+
+"For Erik the king so young!" exclaimed Drost Peter, stepping forward.
+He then, in the king's name, took possession of the castle, and sent
+the rebel governor and his adherents, bound, to the dungeon of the
+fort.
+
+To the great joy of the loyal Rypen burghers, the royal banner was seen
+shortly after waving over the castle-gate, where it had been planted by
+a tall and beautiful maiden. Now was there in Rypen a true feast of
+gladness. While Drost Peter and Count Gerhard were placing trusty men
+at every post, and adopting the strictest precautions, the dancing was
+continued in the castle, as well as in the city, with the utmost
+rejoicing.
+
+When the necessary measures for the defence and security of the
+fortress had been taken, Drost Peter returned with longing haste to the
+riddersal, where he had left Lady Ingé, with Skirmen and Sir
+Thorstenson, in the midst of a gay dance of victory. The meeting with
+his childhood's bride, and the whole daring exploit, still presented
+itself to his imagination like a wonderful dream. The artifice by which
+the castle had been taken, and Rané's traitorous co-operation in it,
+did not please him; but joy at having once more seen the brave Lady
+Ingé, and the hope that her return to Denmark was no more a fleeting
+vision than the whole night's adventure, inspired him with a feeling of
+happiness that banished every other sentiment.
+
+Doubt and inquietude, however, soon seized him, for nowhere could he
+find her. He saw only the cheerful knights and disguised burghers, who,
+with laughter, song, and merriment, whirled around with the nimble
+Rypen damsels. He saw Sir Thorstenson, and the otherwise melancholy
+Bent Rimaardson, glide past him in the mazes of the dance, as if
+intoxicated with the general hilarity; while Count Gerhard clattered
+away in his heavy boots, and sang lustily from the bottom of his heart.
+In the song, to which they were now dancing with so much animation,
+Drost Peter heard not the mellow voice of Lady Ingé, while both knights
+and ladies repeated the words of their former bold songstress:--
+
+
+                  "And thus we danced the castle in,
+                  With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--
+                   The castle it is won!
+
+                  "With rosy wreath and ridder dance,
+                  A keep so won I ne'er saw chance--
+                   For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+The general delight would certainly have again communicated itself to
+Drost Peter, had he anywhere caught a glimpse of Lady Ingé. But her
+sudden disappearance was a painful mystery; and his anxiety augmented
+when he perceived that Rané, too, had vanished. He knew that this
+crafty knight had been her attendant from Norway; and notwithstanding
+the apparent change in his sentiments, and his important share in
+surprising the castle, he still considered him as the most treacherous
+and dangerous foe of himself and the royal house. Neither could he
+perceive the brave Norwegian maiden, whom Ingé had called her friend,
+and who, with Rané, had led the dancers. That she was the daughter of
+Jarl Mindre-Alf he knew, and Ingé's connection with this family
+increased his uneasiness. While he was assailed by these doubts and
+fears, Sir Thorstenson approached him and extended his hand.
+
+"This, by my troth, I call a merry maiden's victory, Drost Peter!"
+exclaimed the warlike knight, gaily. "The fair damsels are likely to
+win the honours of war from us. To-night, at all events, the wreath of
+victory certainly belongs to them. Next time, I hope it will be our's."
+
+They retired to a corner, when Sir Thorstenson informed his anxious and
+abstracted friend how, on his arrival at Rypen a few hours before, he
+had been dragged into this singular adventure, whose important and
+successful issue might excuse him for not having immediately attended
+to his proper duty.
+
+"Truth to say, my good friend," he added, "your cool mind and knightly
+sword, no less than your authority as drost, were required to help us
+to success; but I would rather dispense with your all too conscientious
+scruples. Therefore it was that I persuaded Jomfru Ingé to take you by
+surprise. If this deserves punishment, let the offence be visited only
+on me. You are my superior, and can now, if you choose, place me in
+arrest for neglecting my duty, and taking counsel against you with your
+betrothed--for such, in truth, I suppose she is."
+
+"Know you what has become of her?" inquired Drost Peter, hastily.
+
+"That know I not," replied Thorstenson; "but leave the maidens to
+dance, and let us no longer lose our wit over this conceit of the fair
+ones."
+
+Drost Peter was silent, and Thorstenson continued: "The duke's
+preparations for war, notwithstanding the queen's confidence in him,
+are regarded by the council as suspicious. Old Sir John considered the
+young king as no longer safe in Viborg; and, in your absence, I was
+obliged secretly to convey him to Nyborg. I myself believe that there
+are evil birds about. Sir John informed me that I should meet you here,
+and he charged me with these letters for you, both from himself and the
+queen. I know that you must on to Nyborg. But here you now command.
+Whilst you follow the king's orders, I must follow your's. I shall do
+so, however, with pride and pleasure."
+
+Drost Peter hastily perused the letters. "I must depart before day," he
+said; and, after a moment's reflection, added--"you are governor of
+Rypen House, Sir Thorstenson. This important fortress cannot be
+entrusted to an abler knight; and, as a punishment for acting on your
+own counsel, I require you to defend it to the last extremity, should
+even the duke and Marsk Stig agree to storm it with their united
+strength."
+
+"Well," exclaimed Thorstenson, joyfully, "a more honourable punishment
+could not have been awarded me. You show your displeasure, Drost Peter,
+in a noble manner. Thanks for your confidence! There are brave men
+amongst the burghers to defend the castle; and while one stone stands
+upon another, nor foe nor traitor shall set foot within it. If the king
+has no other place of security in the country, bring him hither. Rypen
+House is and shall remain the strongest royal castle in Denmark. Within
+a month it shall be impregnable."
+
+"Bravely spoken!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "Within half an hour the keys
+of the castle, with your authority as commandant legally drawn out,
+shall be delivered to you. Meantime let the festivities be brought to a
+close, and let all leave the castle who do not belong to it. If you
+will, at the same time, do me a friendly service," he added, whilst
+endeavouring to conceal his anxiety, "let search be made, with all
+haste, for Jomfru Ingé Little. Perhaps she will allow me to be her
+escort to her kinsman, the counsellor."
+
+Thorstenson nodded, and, warmly pressing his hand, prepared to depart.
+
+"Yet one word!" exclaimed the drost, with much inquietude. "If you
+encounter Rané, he is our prisoner until his conduct has been
+investigated. He must be sought for diligently. Let the town-gates be
+locked, and suffer no vessel to leave the river within the next four
+and twenty hours. God be with you!"
+
+Thorstenson nodded, and, with the joyful sense of his new dignity, he
+departed hastily to execute the injunctions of the drost.
+
+The latter proceeded to the governor's private chamber, where he found
+everything that was requisite to enable him to complete the necessary
+instructions and authorities. Notwithstanding his anxiety, and the
+pressure of his own dearest heart affairs, he fully felt the duty
+imposed on him by his important station, and prepared the necessary
+formulas with perfect deliberation. He had already put his large
+signet-ring, bearing the flying eagle, to the wax of Thorstenson's
+appointment, when the door was opened, and Claus Skirmen entered, in
+great haste, and almost breathless.
+
+"I have found you at last, stern sir," joyfully exclaimed the trusty
+squire. "I have been searching for you everywhere; and bring you many
+salutations, besides a pretty little letter, from Jomfru Ingé. I saw
+her depart in excellent style, in the town-governor's own carriage,
+drawn by four horses, with twelve troopers for an escort."
+
+"What sayest thou, Skirmen?" exclaimed Drost Peter, in astonishment.
+"She travels! and whither?"
+
+"Know you not, sir? Was it not your own arrangement? But you shall
+hear. When she had placed the royal banner over the castle-gate, she
+directed me to follow her to the town-governor, to whom she showed a
+letter, bearing three large seals. He bowed to her as if she had been
+the queen herself, and immediately ordered the horses to be yoked--"
+
+"Whither, I ask--where does she journey to? But you have a letter--give
+it me quickly."
+
+"She travels to Kolding, and from thence to Sweden, sir," replied
+Skirmen, as he handed him a slip of parchment, tied with a
+rose-coloured silk ribbon.
+
+While the drost hastily perused the billet, he blushed deeply.
+
+"Farewell, my childhood's bridegroom!" it ran. "'For Erik the king so
+young,' I still sing in my heart, and the torch in the hand of my true
+knight still gleams before mine eyes. He who is powerful in the feeble,
+has given me also a work to do. The true Sir John knows of it. Ask of
+him, but follow me not. In Denmark's darkest night we have danced a
+victor-dance together; and, God be praised! it cost no blood. When the
+child-king is Denmark's lord, and the crown sits firmly on his brow, we
+may perhaps see each other in a happier hour. My father alone can unite
+our hands. But our hearts, which God in truth hath joined together, no
+man can ever sunder."
+
+Drost Peter heaved a deep sigh, although his eyes sparkled with a great
+and glorious hope. He concealed the note in his bosom, and turned again
+to Skirmen.
+
+"To Kolding, sayest thou--and from thence to Sweden? Who told thee
+this?"
+
+"I gathered it from what I heard her tell the town-governor, and the
+Norse jomfru or fru--"
+
+"The Norse jomfru!" interrupted Drost Peter, hastily. "She and Sir Rané
+have not accompanied her?"
+
+"Nay, the saints forbid, sir! Had I thought so, I should never have
+allowed her to go, had I been compelled to keep her back by main force.
+But I thought you knew all, and--"
+
+"But Rané, Rané--where sawest thou him?"
+
+"On the way to the town-governor we encountered the snake. He was
+leaving the Grayfriars' Chapel with the Norse jomfru, where, it is
+said, they have already been made man and wife. Jomfru Ingé cried
+bitterly, and embraced the Norse lady with great emotion; but Rané--the
+fiend take him!--would not delay. Within half an hour, he said, they
+must be on the open sea; and he talked of his sea-dogs, and looked
+about as if they were not far distant. He offered one arm to Jomfru
+Ingé, while he held fast his young fru with the other. But Jomfru Ingé
+withstood the indignity. She bade him a cold and formal farewell, and
+turned hastily away. I was much tempted to measure my squire's sword
+with the glaive of the newly-coined knight. My sword, I believe,
+indeed, accidentally left the sheath, and certainly I did not look very
+mildly at the crafty sir fox. I saw that he perfectly remembered how
+last I waited for him outside the duke's door at Nyborg Castle; for he
+suddenly became pale-nosed when he saw me about to spring at him.
+Jomfru Ingé seized me by the arm; and, before I had time to call him a
+traitorous nidding, he had disappeared with the pretty fru, whom he has
+cajoled and stolen."
+
+Drost Peter again breathed easily. "Now, God be praised!" he exclaimed.
+"the wretch has no longer any power over her!"
+
+"I trow he has, though!" cried Skirmen: "he took her with him."
+
+"What! art thou mad?--Ingé?"
+
+"Nay, Heaven forfend, sir!--Her I held fast by--but the pretty Norse
+jomfru--"
+
+"In God's name, so be it! She was his wife, Skirmen; and thou hast
+conducted thyself like a brave fellow. She has set out alone, then, for
+Kolding--Ingé, I mean?"
+
+"Nay, with twelve horsemen, besides car-swains."
+
+"Very well: let our horses be instantly saddled."
+
+"Already?" exclaimed Skirmen, colouring: "I thought we should tarry
+here to-night. Truth to say, sir, I have appointed a meeting with
+little Aasé and her grandfather, by the Stone-gate. They are about to
+make a pious pilgrimage, and I may not again see her for a long time."
+
+"You can meet them as we go, for we shall pass through that gate. Quick
+with the horses!"
+
+Skirmen left the room, with a sigh, and Drost Peter threw himself
+thoughtfully on a seat. He again drew forth Lady Ingé's letter, read it
+once more, and had just pressed it to his lips, when the door opened,
+and Sir Thorstenson entered, furious with rage.
+
+"Ha! it was the cursed algrev's daughter!" he exclaimed, vehemently:
+"and they are gone--Jomfru Ingé, with--"
+
+"I know it," interrupted Drost Peter, concealing the letter as he rose.
+"Here is your appointment and authority, brave Thorstenson, and Heaven
+protect you! Rané has escaped us; but this time, however, we owe him
+thanks."
+
+"Confound him! it was the algrev's daughter he ran away with,"
+continued Thorstenson, with indignation: "they were on the open sea
+before the river could be blocked. Ha! why knew I not this an hour ago?
+Death and destruction! The algrev's daughter should have sat a prisoner
+in Rypen House until Sir Algotson had been hanged, and proud Ingrid had
+become Thorstenson's wife."
+
+"It was well, then, you knew not the bold viking's daughter," replied
+the drost, "otherwise you would have had to do with me. It would have
+been disgraceful to every Dane had not the brave adventurous maiden
+been permitted to retire from Rypen as freely as she came. Had she not
+infused her courage into our wily leader of the dance to-night, the
+bravest Danish maiden had sung her song in vain, and you had not now
+been governor of Rypen House."
+
+"But, by Satan! she is the daughter of the infernal algrev!"
+
+"What of that? She is a heroine, to whom we owe both thanks and honour;
+and she has paid dearly enough for her bold adventure, if she has given
+Rané her troth as its guerdon."
+
+"You are right, Drost Peter," replied Thorstenson, cooling: "the girl
+was worthy of a better husband, and should surely have had a better
+father. Let her fly, then, the bold rock-bird! She may yet make a hero,
+or at least a wily pirate, of our vile knight. But--death and
+destruction!--had I known she was the algrev's daughter--"
+
+"Even then, you would have respectfully kissed her hand, David
+Barmhead!" interrupted the drost, smiling.
+
+"The horses are ready, sir drost," cried Skirmen at the door.
+
+Drost Peter took a hurried leave of the brave governor of Rypen House,
+and left the castle; having first prudently put on a light breastplate
+under his travelling-cloak. He rode off rapidly, followed by Skirmen,
+along Green-street to the Market-place, without noticing the noisy
+merriment of the burghers. In Merchant-street the crowds had
+dispersed, and Skirmen observed several dark figures stealing about,
+coffin-bearers apparently of the order of the Dominicans, having hoods
+with large eyeholes over their faces; although, from their suspicious
+movements and long strides, they more resembled disguised soldiers. The
+trusty squire directed the attention of his master to these men, who
+appeared to be closely watching him.
+
+"Coffin-bearers, about to carry a body somewhere," observed the drost:
+"what is remarkable in that?"
+
+"It depends on what kind of body they are to carry," returned Skirmen;
+"and whether it is not the first they meet."
+
+The suspicious hoods disappeared, however, at the corner of
+Ship-street, and Drost Peter rode over the bridge to the Middle-dam.
+
+"What ails thee, Skirmen?" he inquired, stopping his horse in a
+by-street. "Since yesterday, methinks thou hast laid thy valour aside.
+Thou wert quite another carl when the robbers were seized by thee in
+Daugberg quarry. Now, however, I see thou hast got a sweetheart in thy
+head; and hast forgotten that the gold spurs are not to be won by
+timidity and weakness."
+
+Skirmen felt his cheeks tingle. "Had you not taken me for a timid fool
+on the morning that we rode to Harrestrup, and had you not supposed the
+grayfriar cloaks covered honest men," he replied, suppressing his
+emotion, "then, perhaps, stern sir, had King Erik Christopherson last
+year given me the stroke of knighthood, as on that evening you bade me
+hope he would. I would then rather have received it from your hand," he
+added, with a trembling voice; "but, if now you consider me a timid
+coward, because I fear for your life, I desire nothing more than to
+remain your trusty squire while I live. Warn you I must, however; for I
+would rather go with silver spurs to my grave, than with gold ones
+follow you to your's."
+
+"My faithful Skirmen!" exclaimed the drost, much affected, as he
+extended his hand to him, "I know it well: thou art more concerned for
+my life than for thine own. But I am not an outlaw: I am here, well
+armed, on the king's errand, and every cowl-cloak we see does not
+conceal a traitor."
+
+"These fellows have been sneaking after us during the whole day, stern
+sir," replied Skirmen, "and I dare be sworn they are the duke's people.
+I thought Count Gerhard and his troopers were to follow us."
+
+"The count is his own master," observed the drost: "I know not whether
+he purposes to attend the Dane-court or no."
+
+"But Sir Rimaardson, then?"
+
+"He goes from hence by sea. So, let us on. In these times, defenceless
+travellers and princely personages only require an escort."
+
+Skirmen was silent. They crossed the bridge to the Lower-dam, and
+another leading across the third arm of the Nipsaa to the Stone-gate,
+at the eastern end of the town. When they reached the gate, they found
+it closed, by the orders of Sir Thorstenson. At the drost's command and
+well-known sign it was immediately opened to them; and they were about
+proceeding on their journey, when Skirmen heard himself called by a
+clear female voice from above the gateway.
+
+"For God's sake, dear master, let us halt," he exclaimed, eagerly,
+springing from his horse. "Aasé is certainly in the Gatehouse prison."
+
+"Free us, noble sir drost," cried Aasé from the prison-grating over the
+arched gateway. "You can bear witness that my grandfather and I are
+neither spies nor traitors."
+
+On the word of the drost, and his explanation to the watch, the
+prisoners were liberated; and old Henner, in the long cloak of a
+pilgrim, and leading Aasé by the hand, stepped forth. He extended his
+hand to Drost Peter, while Aasé flew delighted into Skirmen's arms.
+
+"One word, sir drost," said Henner, in an under-tone. "If you would
+ride safely to Snoghoi or Kolding to-night, tarry here till I return,
+or at least allow the road to stand open for good friends. Run, Aasé!
+Time presses!"
+
+"What meanest thou, old man?" inquired Drost Peter, impatiently.
+
+But he received no answer; for, with a few tremendous bounds, aided by
+his staff, in the manner of the old Frisians, the tall pilgrim had
+suddenly disappeared in the gloom. Shortly after, the strokes of an oar
+were heard on the river, northward of the gate, and a glimpse was
+caught of a boat running down the stream towards the castle with
+incredible rapidity.
+
+At the instant the old man disappeared, little Aasé also sprang nimbly
+from Skirmen's arms, and was quickly out of sight; but as Skirmen
+fancied he heard her footsteps on the bridge leading to the Lower-dam,
+he mounted his norback, and was about to follow her, when his master
+called him loudly and impatiently the other way. "Come, Skirmen, let us
+forward. Henner is half crazed, and I cannot wait here to please his
+whimsies. You may open the gate for the old man, if he again comes," he
+added, turning to the burgher-guard; "or, should any one inquire for
+me, do not detain him."
+
+So saying, he rode off hastily. Skirmen followed him with a downcast
+heart, and looking back every minute after his dear Aasé, to whom he
+had scarcely had time to give a farewell kiss  but in the faint
+starlight he saw only the gloomy archway, and a long mailed hand
+projecting threateningly from its walls.
+
+"What means that hideous hand, dear master, on the town-gate there?" he
+inquired, as a pretext for lingering a little longer, while he
+continued gazing on the path by which Aasé had disappeared.
+
+"The hand is placed there as a terror to transgressors of the laws,"
+replied the drost, relaxing his speed, as he looked behind. "Whoever,
+by forestalling, causes a scarcity in the town, loses his hand. But if
+I mistake not, Skirmen, it is another hand, less stiff and cold, thou
+art now looking after. Thou wouldst once more take leave of thy little
+Aasé? Well, she is a fair maiden, and one day shall be thy wife. When
+we have restored peace to the land, I shall care for your welfare. But
+meanwhile banish all such weaknesses, and be strong. I dare not take a
+single step from my appointed course, even for the sake of her who is
+dearer to me than all."
+
+"True: but you are now both travelling in the same direction, and
+perhaps you may meet her at Kolding. But thanks, noble sir, for your
+care for us," added Skirmen, "although lands and wealth I require not.
+Aasé only desires that I should, like you, be a doughty knight, and do
+you and our young king honour. Ride on, sir: I shall not longer detain
+you. Our Lord may yet permit me to see my dear little Aasé again." He
+hastily passed his hand over his eyes, and set spurs to his norback.
+
+As they rode rapidly forward, Drost Peter tried to conjecture what
+the warning of old Henner could mean, and why he had requested the
+town-gate to be left open.
+
+"It was thoughtless, Skirmen," he observed, "to humour the whim of the
+old man about the gate. If the fellows you spoke of be traitors on our
+track, we have ourselves opened the way for them to follow us."
+
+Shortly after, they heard the sound of horses' hoofs behind them. They
+turned, and in the twilight perceived a troop of horsemen approaching.
+
+"Let us turn aside, sir," said Skirmen: "it is certainly the men in
+cowls."
+
+About an hundred paces behind them, and running into the wood to the
+right, was a by-road, down which the suspicious troop disappeared.
+
+"They have business elsewhere," said the drost, taking his hand from
+his sword.--"Let us on!"
+
+They resumed their journey at a brisk trot.
+
+"Perhaps they prefer meeting us at the outlet of the wood," observed
+Skirmen. "We have still the start; but it were most advisable, I think,
+to return to Rypen for aid. It was not for nothing that old Henner
+begged us to tarry."
+
+"Nay, we shall use our advantage," said the drost, in a tone of
+decision, as he spurred his horse: "if they be foes, they are in a
+condition to overtake Jomfru Ingé before us, and who knows what her
+twelve troopers are good for?"
+
+After a sharp gallop they reached the outlet of the wood, where the
+road became very narrow, and inclosed on both sides by steep banks.
+Skirmen was a short distance in advance of his master, when he suddenly
+wheeled about, and rode back.
+
+"The hollow way is intercepted, sir," he cried. "And see, yonder come
+the same troops again from the wood."
+
+Drost Peter halted, looked around him, and drew his sword. "So much the
+worse!" he exclaimed: "they have us in a trap. But we shall not suffer
+ourselves to be caught like rats. Thy norback can climb like a cat,
+Skirmen: ride up the height, then, and sound thy horn. If Henner brings
+us aid, he will hear it, and hasten on. With God's assistance I can
+manage to keep the fellows at bay for an hour. Quick, now!"
+
+With much reluctance at leaving his master in this extremity, Skirmen
+obeyed; and patting the neck of his norback, he soon reached the top of
+the steep bank.
+
+In the meanwhile the horsemen were approaching from both sides; but
+before they could exhibit any hostile intention the horn of Skirmen
+resounded loudly from the bank above. Both troops paused, apparently
+surprised; but when they perceived only the single hornblower on the
+height, they pressed forward rapidly, and had nearly surrounded the
+drost, who, however, succeeded in placing his back to the steep bank.
+He now first perceived whom he had before him; and recognised in the
+band that came from the town the pretended coffin-bearers, with their
+cowls over their faces, and long drawn swords in their hands. The other
+band wore the same suspicious dress; and they numbered altogether more
+than twenty, all on horseback. They maintained a profound silence, and
+seemed to expect the drost to throw down his sword and surrender.
+
+"Speak, fellows! what would you with me?" he shouted, brandishing his
+sword on every side: "the first who advances, dies. If you be soldiers,
+say under whose orders you act, that I may know the traitor; and if
+there be a spark of honour in you, you will engage me singly, man to
+man. But if you are robbers and highwaymen, expect no booty from me.
+Bloody crowns are all you shall get, so long as I can wield my sword."
+
+They answered not, but continued to press closer round him, none daring
+first to begin the attack; for Drost Peter, as weapon-master of the
+young king, was well known and generally feared for his skill with the
+sword. In the meanwhile, the horn of Skirmen continued to sound
+lustily, and was now answered by another from the direction of Rypen.
+
+"Now, by Satan! quick! dead or alive!" cried a rough voice from among
+the disguised horsemen, three of whom at once rushed in upon the drost.
+
+One instantly fell wounded, the two others, and as many more as could
+press forward, warmly continuing the assault. Drost Peter vigorously
+defended himself, and kept them at bay, the violent plunging and
+rearing of his steed preventing their blows from reaching him. The
+irritated assassins, perceiving this, wounded the noble animal, which
+rushed furiously into the midst of them, and fell.
+
+Drost Peter lay for an instant on one knee, hemmed in on all sides by
+the troopers, who threatened to crush him beneath their horses' hoofs.
+He still retained his sword, although the blood streamed over his
+fingers from a wound in his arm. By a flourish of his weapon he
+succeeded in driving back the horses, and once more regained his feet.
+
+At the same instant, Skirmen, who perceived the critical position of
+his master, darted his squire's sword from the bank above, and the
+leader of the gang rolled from his saddle, mortally wounded. The whole
+troop then sprang from their horses, to overpower the unaided knight by
+their united strength; but ere they could accomplish this, the blast of
+the horn, in answer to Skirmen's, sounded close at hand. The maskers,
+whom the fall of their leader seemed to have embarrassed, looked
+behind, and caught sight of a well-armed troop of horsemen, headed by a
+heavy knight on a white horse, who, with drawn sword, approached at
+full gallop.
+
+"The count from Kiel!--the one-eyed count!" cried one of the cowls;
+and, as if by a thunderbolt, the whole band was scattered.
+
+Abandoning the drost, and springing on their horses, in an instant they
+all disappeared, except the two who lay wounded on the road, and whose
+horses, with vacant saddles, followed the others.
+
+Count Gerhard on his white steed, with Henner Friser and the Holstein
+troopers, came up while Skirmen, with much solicitude, was binding up
+his master's right arm.
+
+"The fiend!" cried Count Gerhard, springing from his horse, "have we
+come too late?"
+
+"Time enough to save my life, noble count," replied Drost Peter,
+joyfully extending his left hand.
+
+"Why did you proceed in such haste, sir drost?" cried old Henner,
+gloomily, from his saddle. "Humph!" he added, in a half whisper, after
+a moment's thought, "it is on the track of a lady's car that you bleed
+here. You would rather run the risk of that than follow a gray-beard's
+advice."
+
+"You are right, old man," answered Drost Peter: "youth and the wisdom
+of old age do not go together. Besides, I was on my lawful road, and on
+the king's errand; and if you knew that traitors lay in ambush, you
+should have spoken plainly. Meanwhile, thanks for rede and deed."
+
+When Count Gerhard perceived that his friend was not dangerously hurt,
+he would have pursued the fugitives into the wood, but the drost
+restrained him.
+
+"It is useless," he said: "they have flown like chaff before your storm
+of troopers. A couple of them only remain--let us be content with them.
+Here lies their leader, who fell, as if by lightning, without my hand."
+
+"I hit him," cried Skirmen, joyfully, as he completed the bandage on
+his master's arm. "In three weeks you will again bear your sword, sir;
+but next time you use it, bid me not make music to your sport."
+
+"Thy music helped me more than mine own good sword, Skirmen, and thou
+hast the aim of a David," said the drost, extending his hand to him.
+
+They then approached the fallen leader, from whom Skirmen stripped the
+cowl and cloak, when, in his military buff doublet, they recognised
+with astonishment one of Duke Waldemar's Sleswick troopers. He died,
+however, almost immediately, and without uttering a word. The other had
+a similar doublet under his cloak. He was not mortally wounded; but
+wore a daring look, and neither threats nor promises could make him
+speak. They bound up his wound, and set him pinioned upon a horse.
+
+Henner Friser now dismounted from the tall iron-gray horse he had
+ridden.
+
+"I took your war-steed from the castle-stables, sir drost. You may soon
+require him," he said, with emphasis. "I shall now go on foot to my
+grave, and never more set myself on the high horse. I have done it
+roughly enough in bygone times, I know. Now I have finished with
+worldly affairs; but I shall say an ave by the Holy Grave, for you and
+the young king, if I do not fall suddenly into my own on the way. God
+and St. Christian be with you, noble sir!" he added, with unusual
+emotion. "Fortune is still with you in the midst of misfortune. But be
+on your guard. If you are not beforehand with the mortal foe, he will
+be beforehand with you. The crown you guard has not yet reached his
+head."
+
+Drost Peter mounted his well-known, handsome war-steed, which had
+remained in the castle-stables since the last tilting-match. Sad, and
+in silence, he held forth his hand to the old pilgrim.
+
+"Nonsense!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, as Henner saluted him also, before
+departing. "Thou art too sage a carl, Henner, not to make something
+better than a penitent. I have learned more from thee to-night than
+from all my scribes and wisemen in my life. Stay with me: thou shalt
+carry my banner, and sit at my council. From what thou hast told me of
+my fortune, I should like to know a little more of it."
+
+"It is not well to know too much of that, highborn sir," replied
+Henner, thoughtfully, shaking his gray head, as he leant upon his
+pilgrim's staff. "Neither am I a wizard; but the skilled man knows the
+world, and an old porpoise-hunter can still tell what weather we shall
+have to-morrow. Our Lord's Book does not lie, and it does not quite
+require a scribe to understand it. I know," he continued, looking
+sharply at the count, "that you will get as far with your one honest
+eye, as your wiliest foe with two; but, for all that, you must no more
+depend on Fortune than another. She is a bubble that, as you well know,
+bursts oftenest when it shines the clearest. I should willingly bear
+your banner, highborn count, but what a man has promised to our Lord
+and the Holy Virgin he must abide by. I have a heavy reckoning to
+make, and death gives not long warning. God and St. Christian be with
+you!--Farewell, youth," he said, turning to Skirmen: "I shall answer to
+thee for Aasé, when thou answerest to me and her with thy fidelity and
+bravery."
+
+Skirmen seized the old man's hand, which he pressed warmly to his lips;
+but before he could say a word, the old giant had snatched away his
+hand, and was proceeding with rapid strides on the road to the river.
+
+Drost Peter and Count Gerhard proceeded in silence on their way to
+Kolding, and, following Henner's advice, took the road to the south of
+the Skodborg river. Skirmen and the old jester followed at some
+distance, with the troopers, having the captive highwayman between
+them.
+
+"For the first time I follow you over the Sleswick border, my good
+friend," observed the count, at length breaking the silence. "This
+surprise may import much. In these times every man does not wear his
+heart upon his sleeve. The buff jackets prove little; but trust me,
+nevertheless, the duke is the man. There is more under this, too, than
+thanks for his imprisonment at Sjöborg. The old pilgrim did not boast
+of my one eye without reason. I see, perhaps, even more clearly than
+you; and what the wily duke carries on his shield begins to brighten
+upon me. I should have much pleasure in probing the cunning gentleman a
+little. Listen, my good drost," he continued, after a moment's
+reflection: "if the duke does not appear at the Dane-court in proper
+time, you must be at your post to preserve the queen and the young king
+from being deceived by him. If he is not in a hurry to be chosen
+protector, 'tis because he has a higher dignity in view. The old
+pilgrim explained a riddle to me."
+
+"What means all this, Count Gerhard?" inquired the drost, as he
+scrutinised attentively his unusually grave countenance. "Old Henner
+has not been filling your mind with surmises and whimsies? I have every
+respect for his experience, but he is not always quite sane; and his
+dreamy fancies I shall disregard. Whatever you may propose to do, noble
+count, forget not that, for the safety of the crown and kingdom, we
+must for the present avoid every hostile step against the duke."
+
+"What I take in hand concerns myself, and has nothing to do with the
+crown and kingdom," rejoined the count, "and so you shall not know it.
+Will you confide the captured robber to my charge? I shall answer for
+him."
+
+"Of course," replied the drost: "that treasure you may retain. If it
+concerned myself only, I should forget the adventure, and set the
+prisoner loose; but if it has a higher import, it must be inquired
+into. I believe the wily duke superior to a mere base and personal
+revenge; and he must know me well enough to be assured that I would
+not, contrary to the laws, oppose his election to the protectorship."
+
+"He knows you more than well enough, my good friend," said Count
+Gerhard, with a nod. "You would certainly be a most welcome guest in
+his tower of Nordborg Castle. Yet you are right: we must keep to the
+main business. Should I learn anything of importance to the queen
+and the young king, you shall hear it from my own lips, before the
+Dane-court is concluded. But," added he, confusedly, while the blood
+mounted to his cheeks--"if I should hear that Duke Waldemar and the
+fair Queen Agnes had concluded a private marriage-contract, you must
+excuse me--"
+
+"You astonish me, Count Gerhard!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "Do you
+believe probable what I have long feared might be possible? And think
+you the queen--"
+
+"Of her I think nothing but what is good and fair and excellent,"
+interrupted the count, with much ardour. "But however prudent she may
+be, still she may err. Why should not she, too, be dazzled by a
+glittering exterior? Were the handsome, well-spoken duke a squat,
+one-eyed widower like myself, and a lout at talking with women, perhaps
+it were better for all of us."
+
+They continued their route thoughtfully and in silence. The usually
+lively count, with his eye and some of his corpulence, seemed also to
+have lost a part of his even, contented disposition. The loss of his
+eye, however, did not disfigure him, but rather added to his martial
+and somewhat heroic appearance; and the tinge of secret melancholy,
+that blended at times with his good-natured jests, rendered the brave
+and sturdy lord yet more amiable.
+
+Drost Peter became so absorbed in his own thoughts, that the
+conversation was not resumed. The image of Jomfru Ingé often cast its
+radiance over his dark and gloomy pictures of the future. In every
+cloud of dust he descried on the road, he imagined he caught a glimpse
+of her travelling-car; and would then spur forward his steed so
+rapidly, that the count and his followers had some difficulty in
+keeping pace with him. But his hopes were invariably disappointed.
+Frequently it was but a drove of oxen or a troop of horses he had seen,
+and which, by blocking up the road, would intercept him in his
+impatient career.
+
+They had ridden more than seven miles across the Sleswick border, and
+the sun was not yet high in the heavens, when they caught sight of the
+proud [Oe]rnsborg, or Kolding House, as it was already called. The
+castle was situated on a rising ground above the sea, on the other side
+of the river Kolding; and, as it came in view, the drost's war-steed
+neighed, and sprang lightly forward at his master's bidding.
+
+"But why, in the name of Beelzebub, ride we in such a hurry?"
+impatiently inquired Count Gerhard, puffing. "It is yet eight days to
+the Dane-court; and if we reach Nyborg tomorrow, we shall be time
+enough."
+
+Drost Peter blushed. "I am commanded to make haste," he replied. "The
+wind is fair, but the passage here is longer and more difficult than by
+Snoghoi."
+
+"Pokker, then! why do you not cross from Snoghoi?" asked the count.
+"Yet true," he added, a little crabbedly, "you would fain see your
+heart's dear again."
+
+"How know you that, Count Gerhard?" demanded the drost, with some
+surprise and bashfulness.
+
+"Why, every man in the country knows that," replied his companion. "The
+proud [Oe]rnsborg[37] yonder is Drost Peter Hessel's favourite castle;
+and the eagle on a hill, with its wings displayed, stands on your seal
+with as much propriety as it does in the town-arms. Here it was you
+earned your first laurels against Duke Erik; and we have long known
+that in [Oe]rnsborg you hold the gate and key of the kingdom against
+both myself and the Duke of South Jutland."
+
+"You are speaking of the castle," replied Drost Peter, smiling, "and
+now I understand you. It is, indeed, a fortress dear to me, and of some
+importance to the kingdom. King Erik Christopherson put it in an
+excellent state of defence. It is an eyesore to you Holsteiners, I
+know; but let us be good friends, nevertheless. Were the duke as
+faithful a friend to us as you are, noble count, I should not have been
+so zealous in completing the defences. To speak honestly," he
+continued, extending his hand to the count, "I thought you meant to
+jest with me of my veritable heart's dear; for it is no stone-bride I
+am hurrying on to see. The castle is in good hands, but at present we
+have no time to visit it."
+
+"As a prudent drost, you would scarcely venture on that when a count of
+Holstein is along with you, even although he has but half as many eyes
+as other people."
+
+"With your one eye you would certainly see more defects in the defences
+than I should with both mine," observed the young drost, modestly, and
+with a look of confidence in his companion; "but I know," he added,
+"you would not betray its weakness to another than myself, and thus
+both the castle and I would be gainers."
+
+"I take you at your polite word, Drost Peter," exclaimed Gerhard.
+"Defer your journey but for half an hour, and show me the castle's four
+giant images, and its defences too."
+
+They were now at no great distance from Kolding river. They rode
+straight through the Bridge-wood, as it was called; and as they drew
+near the great drawbridge, which here divides North from South Jutland,
+they perceived approaching them an empty travelling-car, with four
+horses, and attended by twelve horsemen.
+
+"There comes back her carriage," cried Skirmen, hastily riding up to
+his master. "You may still overtake her, as she can hardly yet have
+left the fiord."
+
+"You shall see the castle another time, noble count," exclaimed Drost
+Peter, hurriedly, to his companion, and spurring forward his horse. "I
+may perhaps, instead, show you a fairer image, which I would rather
+bear on my shield than all the world's eagles and castles to boot."
+
+"What the Pokker!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, laughing aloud, "am I
+killing my horse by riding along with a lovesick knight? Well, my good
+friend, if Drost Hessel can think of such follies in these serious
+times, I am not the only fool in company."
+
+They rode rapidly past the empty car, but were obliged to halt at the
+bridge, which had been again drawn up. The drost had here established a
+lucrative toll, and, under pretence of strict superintendence, had
+recently issued an order, that this boundary bridge should be kept
+drawn up, as during war, which caused much delay and inconvenience to
+travellers.
+
+In his impatient haste the drost himself vehemently exclaimed against
+the captain of the burgher-watch, to whom the knights were unknown, and
+who, before he would lower the bridge, demanded a strict account of
+their claims to be admitted with so many soldiers. After some
+altercation, on the drost announcing himself the bridge was lowered,
+and, for the delay, the captain pleaded the fair excuse, that it was
+the drost's own orders that had caused it.
+
+"You are right, my friend," said Drost Peter, recollecting himself, as
+a slight blush overspread his cheeks--"you have done your duty, and I
+had no right to blame you."
+
+The pacified captain saluted the drost, who, with his companion and the
+troopers, proceeded to pass the bridge.
+
+During the short parley, Count Gerhard had with great difficulty
+restrained his laughter, which now broke forth in spite of him, as he
+perceived, while crossing the bridge, how the drost hurried on and
+gazed towards the vessels in the harbour.
+
+"You now see yourself how execrable are your stringent laws, my
+conscientious good sir drost," he said; "you certainly thought not of a
+lover's haste when you ordered this bridge-barring."
+
+"This is grist for your mill," returned the drost, who, although
+somewhat vexed, could not restrain a smile at the good-natured sallies
+with which Count Gerhard indemnified himself for the grievance of the
+toll, which affected the relations of Denmark to Holstein as much as it
+did those to South Jutland.
+
+"If now you overtake not the fair lady, for whom I have ridden so many
+good horses almost to death," continued the count, in the same vein,
+"it will be sad enough: you will then regret having founded a toll at
+this confounded gutter. The deuce take it! it costs me and my brave
+Holsteiners more silver pieces in a year and a day, than the whole of
+this paltry place is worth. Laugh I must, from sheer vexation."
+
+"A truce to this raillery, Count Gerhard," exclaimed the drost,
+hastily. "If I see aright, there is a ship leaving the harbour. If you
+knew of what this cursed delay has robbed me, you would not have the
+heart to laugh."
+
+They had now ridden through the South-port and Bridge-street,
+when the drost, turning to the right, proceeded at a gallop to the
+Cloister-port, and across the large meadow-ground to the harbour,
+followed by the count and his train.
+
+In an instant he stood on the quay, anxiously inquiring who was on
+board the vessel that had just left the harbour under full sail.
+
+"A princess, it was, in sooth," answered an old steersman, as he
+continued to hammer away carelessly at his rudder. "She came here in a
+painted cage, with four horses. The town-governor himself was hat in
+hand, and all were obliged to stand on their pegs before her. It was a
+Swede that ran out with her. If this breeze continues, she will soon be
+in the open sea; and if the skiff only holds together, she will reach
+land; but it is a confounded rotten tub, and wont bear many thumps.
+With the Swede, however, she would go, even had Satan himself been on
+board."
+
+"Lay to, with your fastest sloop!" cried the drost. "I shall pay you
+tenfold. Only make haste!"
+
+"Shall we on a lady-chase, stern sir?" mumbled the old sailor. "Eh,
+well, I like that. The proud maiden has not offended you, I can see. In
+half an hour's time I shall bring you alongside. It was, moreover, too
+good a fare for a Swede."
+
+"True, old man. But be quick!" cried the drost, giving him a handful of
+money.
+
+In a few moments a small sloop lay close to the quay, and Skirmen
+immediately led the horses on board. Drost Peter meanwhile took leave
+of Count Gerhard.
+
+"Heaven prosper you, noble count," he said, as he pressed his hand: "if
+our own hope be a fugitive which we can never overtake, we relinquish
+not the great hope of the country and kingdom: 'for the queen and our
+young king!' is our watchword."
+
+"Well, my good friend," replied Count Gerhard, smiling, "you shall soon
+hear from me. Meantime, forget not to steer the proper course to
+Melfert."
+
+Shortly afterwards the sloop, with Drost Peter and his squire, left
+Kolding Harbour under full sail. Count Gerhard remained smiling on the
+quay. He perceived the light bark speed like an arrow through the
+water, and gain upon the skiff with the blue and yellow sails, that
+conveyed Jomfru Ingé. That she was the lady with whom Drost Peter had
+danced into Rypen House, and whom he now hastened so ardently to
+overtake, was a gratifying supposition. Although the suspicion, of
+which the scar on his breast reminded him, had long since vanished, he
+was not displeased to observe that his chivalrous rival in the queen's
+favour seemed disposed to forget, for the daughter of a knight, all the
+kings and queens in the world.
+
+The two vessels were soon so near, that they could see each other.
+Drost Peter stood on the prow of the one; and a tall female form, in a
+red mantle edged with sable, appeared on the stern of the sloop he was
+pursuing. He knew Lady Ingé and shouted her name.
+
+"For Heaven's sake, slacken sail, and let me conduct you to land!" he
+cried, "Your boat can never keep the sea."
+
+Lady Ingé only shook her head, and, loosening her veil, waved him a
+fond farewell.
+
+"If you wish to board, stern sir knight," cried the old steersman, "I
+can drive in one of the Swede's planks, and I warrant he'll soon
+strike."
+
+"Nay, nay," replied the drost, "no violence. She is free. Steer past
+them, and as near as possible."
+
+An instant more and the vessels were side by side. Drost Peter stood,
+with outstretched arms, a few yards from the beautiful Ingé, whose eyes
+were fixed on him with a look of inexpressible tenderness.
+
+"For Erik the king so young!" she exclaimed, pointing forwards, and at
+the same time relinquishing her veil, which the wind carried over to
+the knight. A piece of the garland from the triumphant dance of the
+previous evening accompanied it, and alighted on his feathered hat.
+
+At the same instant the vessels parted, and the deep abyss again
+widened between the two lovers. Drost Peter fancied he saw a tear in
+the eye of the proud damsel; but the look she had bestowed on him
+filled his soul with the most joyous hopes. He pressed her veil to his
+lips, and, with a perfect confidence of her success, and reverence for
+her firm, immoveable purpose, directed the helmsman to steer for
+Melfert. "God and his mighty angels are with the maiden," he exclaimed:
+"we dare not stay her."
+
+The vessels were already far apart. Drost Peter continued to gaze after
+the retiring skiff, on which he long fancied he could discern a lappet
+of Jomfru Ingé's mantle; and sad, but wonderfully strengthened and
+inspirited by this fond adieu, he hastened on his necessary and
+appointed way.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The almost incredible account was soon spread over the whole kingdom,
+of the manner in which Rypen House had been surprised, and the song of
+the maidens--"For Erik the king so young!" soon became a popular
+ballad. The news was especially gratifying to the queen and the young
+king, and, as first bearer of the tidings, Drost Peter was received
+with double pleasure at Nyborg Castle, where important affairs demanded
+his presence in the council. He also brought better accounts than were
+expected, respecting the chief object of his journey. He had seen
+numerous proofs of the attachment of the people to the royal house, and
+the general hatred of Marsk Stig and his adherents; and he had,
+moreover, learnt important particulars with regard to the conspirators
+and the king's murder. The defences of Marsk Stig on Helgeness and
+Hielm he could describe as an eye-witness, and they were found to be
+far less formidable than they were represented by the duke's reports,
+and by uncertain and alarming rumours.
+
+While magnificent preparations were going on in Nyborg for the
+Dane-court, at which the young king would appear for the first time in
+the seat of judgment, the privy council assembled daily. Drost Peter
+did not conceal his distrust of the duke. His wounded arm excited much
+interest, and his account of the highwaymen's attack gave rise to many
+conjectures, which he himself, however, regarded as highly uncertain,
+for he attached little importance to the occurrence. But old Sir John
+and Master Martinus found in it a strong confirmation of their
+suspicions regarding the duke, when considered in connection with his
+doubtful movements in Viborg, which had caused their hasty and secret
+journey with the royal family to Nyborg.
+
+The chivalrous-minded little king, too, thought they were over
+suspicious and cautious.
+
+"Is not my kinsman the duke a knight and a prince?" he observed, one
+day, when the matter was under discussion in the council; "and does he
+not know that he cannot break faith and promises, without forfeiting
+his honour, and becoming a mockery to the whole world?"
+
+"If God's law does not bind him, my young king and master," replied
+Master Martinus, "the laws of knighthood will have still less power,
+especially as they do not yet properly concern him. True, he is a
+prince of the royal blood; but the stroke of knighthood he has not
+formally received. Your late father, from whose hand alone he could
+worthily accept it, delayed this proof of honour longer, perhaps, than
+was desirable, considering the relation in which they stood."
+
+"Well, I shall give him the stroke of knighthood as soon as I have
+myself received it, and have a right to confer it," answered the young
+king. "My uncle Otto must dub me previous to my coronation; for it is
+not becoming that I should be crowned King of Denmark, before I am duly
+admitted into the noble order of knighthood."
+
+Sir John smiled, and shook his gray head; but Drost Peter contemplated
+his royal pupil with delight. He considered that the desire of the
+young king evinced his respect as much for the crown as for the order
+of knighthood; and he observed that it was not unusual for princes in
+their minority to entertain such a wish, and that they had already, in
+Charlemagne and his son, an example in point, and an illustrious
+instance of knighthood being honoured and followed.
+
+"But, by the laws of chivalry, the minority ceases with the stroke
+which confers knighthood," observed Sir John; "and the constitutional
+law of the kingdom debars us from shortening the period of the king's
+minority."
+
+"Tis true, noble Sir John," replied Drost Peter; "but here the laws of
+chivalry must give way to that greater law, which secures the freedom
+and welfare of the people. To my mind, however, a minor king is not of
+less dignity than any of his knightly servants."
+
+The queen and Master Martinus supported the views of Drost Peter, and
+the wishes of the little king; and, with a shrug, old Sir John gave
+way, considering the question as one of little importance. The duke's
+position in the kingdom was, to him, a subject of far graver concern.
+The necessity of carefully concealing every suspicion, and of
+entrusting the duke with his full share in the government, as well as
+with the guardianship of the king, was stated so clearly by the old
+nobleman, that even Master Martinus, to whom such a course was most
+repugnant, could offer no objections. On this subject the queen
+entertained not the least suspicion, and Drost Peter's personal
+distrust of the duke gave way to the exigency of the occasion, and his
+respect for the laws of the country.
+
+Whilst these important state affairs occupied the council, Drost Peter
+vainly sought an opportunity of conferring with Sir John concerning
+Jomfru Ingé and her journey to Sweden; for, on the slightest allusion
+to the subject, the counsellor, who apparently knew nothing of it,
+immediately started another.
+
+The day fixed for the Dane-court had come. The queen's brothers, the
+Margraves of Brandenburg, had arrived on the previous day, having, two
+days before, left the duke in his camp near Rypen. The duke himself,
+however, had not yet reached Nyborg. To delay the Dane-court until his
+arrival, was repugnant to the dignity of the crown and kingdom. Every
+one was surprised at his apparent indifference on this important
+occasion, when his presence was so essential. The queen, especially,
+was irritated by this want of attention, which seemed to her so unlike
+the usual politeness and knightly behaviour of the duke.
+
+On the first day of Whitsuntide, the Dane-court was held with the
+customary formalities. Its general business was conducted by the
+council, whose decisions were confirmed by the queen and the young
+king, who, equally with his mother, issued and confirmed charters and
+grants to churches and convents, subscribing himself King of the Danes
+and Sclaves, and Duke of Eastland. But the principal business--that
+which related to the king's guardianship, and the regency of the
+kingdom during his minority--was still unsettled. The two first days of
+the court's sittings had passed, and the duke was still absent.
+
+At the close of the second day Drost Peter left the palace, and retired
+to his own dwelling, intending to devote a portion of the night to a
+revision of the business which was to occupy the court on the following
+day. He sat alone in his closet, and, as he recalled to mind old
+Henner's warning, and the suspicions of Count Gerhard, the daring
+thought occurred to him, that they might now, perhaps, with justice,
+pass over the duke's election to the guardianship.
+
+His anxious and uneasy thoughts were disturbed by a noise in the
+palace-square, accompanied by the clattering of horses' hoofs, and the
+horns of the castle-guard--a salute given only on the arrival of a
+princely personage. He hastily approached the window, and perceived the
+duke enter with great pomp, attended by a considerable retinue of
+knights. Among these he observed three with locked visors, and these,
+by their armorial bearings, he recognised as three of the marsk's most
+audacious kinsmen, of whose personal participation in the murder of the
+king he had sure and ample proofs. Hastily seizing his cloak and hat,
+he hurried to the castle, where Sir John, as captain of the trabants,
+had already received the duke, and, at his importunate request, had
+admitted him to a private audience with the queen and her brothers.
+
+Drost Peter learnt these tidings with much concern just as he reached
+the door of the guard-chamber, where little Aagé Jonsen stood sentinel
+among the torch-pages. The drost hastily entered, and approached Sir
+John, who was passing thoughtfully before the door of the royal
+apartments. He did not appear desirous of conversing, as, without
+stopping, he only nodded silently to the drost. The latter once or
+twice vainly endeavoured to find an opportunity of communicating his
+suspicions.
+
+"The council must, of course, again meet to-night," at length he
+observed in an under tone, as Sir John turned to pass him.
+
+"Its present leader is with the queen," replied Sir John, continuing
+his walk.
+
+"Can nothing be done?" whispered the impatient drost, when the old man
+again approached him. "There are traitors in the duke's retinue. The
+queen's mind is dazzled, and this hour probably decides the fate of the
+crown and country."
+
+"It is in the hand of God," replied the old counsellor, in whose eye
+glistened a tear. "He, you know, can cause the blind to see."
+
+He resumed his walk with a lively and careless air, and, in a jesting
+humour, put a few indifferent questions to one of the trabants.
+
+"Unless a miracle happen here," exclaimed Drost Peter, vehemently, as
+the old counsellor again stood by him, "either you or I must speedily
+open the eyes of the queen and people."
+
+"Precipitate man! what think you of?" whispered Sir John. "Your zeal
+will plunge the whole country into misfortune. Be calm, my young
+friend," he immediately added, as he took his hand and led him aside,
+"otherwise you will certainly increase our misfortunes. Some of the
+marsk's friends are here, to defend themselves, it is said. If,
+therefore, we were even certain of what we may apprehend, we must still
+be silent, and submit to necessity."
+
+"What! even if, ere the morrow, it could be demonstrated to the queen
+and the whole people that our new protector is a traitor to the
+country?"
+
+"Even then. He now holds the fate of the kingdom in his hand. By an
+open rupture, we might place him at the head of the rebels. At present,
+he must condemn and punish them, although against his wish. Until Marsk
+Stig falls, the duke must stand. He must be honoured as the prop of the
+throne, if even he be its most deadly foe. All that can at present be
+done is to warn the queen, and guard well the young king. Appear calm,
+then, as I do--and lively, if you can."
+
+Their conference was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the
+court-marshal, who invited them to a supper given by the queen, and
+intended as a feast of welcome to the duke.
+
+"You perceive," exclaimed Drost Peter, when the court-marshal had
+retired, "that our wily and eloquent protector is already in high
+favour."
+
+"'Tis politic, perhaps," replied Sir John. "Our noble mistress is not
+easily duped. We must, however, seem unconcerned, and in good humour.
+In this matter let me be your preceptor, my good drost. If you would be
+a statesman, you must first be master of your own countenance." And,
+with an expression of good-natured gaiety, the old counsellor, with his
+grave young friend, entered the royal apartments, after having
+appointed another trabant captain to take his place.
+
+In a short time all the court officers, the members of the council, and
+the most considerable noblemen who attended the Dane-court, were
+assembled in the great riddersal, where the queen's ladies already
+waited for her. She entered soon after, attired in deep mourning, and
+accompanied by her brothers and young King Erik. At her left hand
+walked Duke Waldemar. He, too, wore a magnificent mourning-suit,
+and his haughty look of triumph betrayed a high degree of
+self-satisfaction, as he endeavoured to conceal his joy at a success
+which seemed no longer doubtful, although he saw it yet only in the
+distance. Sir John saluted him with much politeness and ease, whilst
+Drost Peter observed merely needful courtesies; the demeanour of the
+other counsellors being indicative more of fear than of goodwill.
+
+Drost Peter regarded the queen attentively. He thought he perceived in
+her features a calm contentment, which, with her air of dignity, and a
+quiet, half-melancholy smile, did not ill contrast with her mourning
+attire; and as she cast on him a grave look, he fancied he read therein
+a rebuke for distrusting her sagacity and knowledge of mankind. It
+seemed to him as if she intended, by her whole conduct, to banish every
+doubt, which the friends of the royal house might entertain, of the
+loyalty of the princely personage whom she thought worthy to be
+distinguished as the most important man in the country.
+
+When the general salutations and the customary formalities of court
+were over, she led forward the duke, and presented him to the chief men
+of the kingdom. "Our very princely friend and kinsman," she said, "from
+regard to the welfare of the country and the royal house, has
+magnanimously exposed himself to be misjudged, as well by me as by you.
+He had deferred receiving from this Dane-court his election to the
+protectorship, on account of a rumour which his enemies have
+circulated, concerning a grievous want of confidence in him here,
+and of a party which, therefore, would stir up the people at the
+Dane-court, and create discord in the kingdom. Having learned, however,
+that the report is unfounded, he has no longer hesitated to come
+forward to justify himself. He brings us, moreover, the important and
+satisfactory intelligence, that the rebellious Marsk Stig has returned
+to reason, and has submitted his cause and that of his accomplices to
+the decision of the Dane-court. The duke, by not attacking the rebels,
+has prudently sought to avoid a devastating civil war; whilst, by
+collecting a numerous army, he has overawed and restrained them. He has
+ventured in person within the defences of Marsk Stig, to induce him to
+submit to the laws of the country; and he brings with him, under his
+own conduct, to this Dane-court, three of the marsk's friends, that it
+may not be said that even our most dangerous foes were condemned
+unheard. I look on this enterprise to be as valorous and upright as it
+is wise and politic; and it gladdens me that I can reasonably hope for
+prosperity to the kingdom of Denmark, and at the same time bid the
+noble Duke Waldemar welcome amongst us."
+
+The latter words she addressed to the duke, who advanced, and bowing
+profoundly, in easy and elegant terms acknowledged this flattering
+reception. With apparent animation and sincerity, he avowed his
+attachment to the queen and the young king, at the same time extolling
+the loyal adherents of the royal house with a condescension and an
+insinuating address which were not without effect on the greater part
+of those who heard him.
+
+The doors of the dining-hall were then thrown open, and the duke led
+the queen to the table, where the youthful king took his place at her
+right hand.
+
+This was the first occasion on which any deviation had been made from
+that mournful silence which, since the death of King Erik
+Christopherson, had uniformly prevailed at court. And, even now, the
+feast was in nowise noisy: neither song, nor music, nor loud-voiced joy
+was heard; and, as soon as the table was removed, the company
+separated.
+
+The duke retired to the wing of the castle he usually occupied during
+the Dane-court. Sir John again resumed his station before the royal
+apartments, as captain of the body-guard; and Drost Peter returned to
+his own dwelling, his mind filled with painful doubts and fears.
+
+When the grave drost entered, he found Count Gerhard enjoying himself
+over a goblet of wine; whilst old fostermother Dorothy, who was now her
+master's housekeeper here, loaded the table with viands of every
+description. At a signal from the drost, the bustling nurse left the
+apartment, whilst he greeted his guest not without some uneasy
+apprehensions.
+
+"Welcome home, my good friend!" cried the count, gaily, as he rose,
+after having drained his goblet. "I am here, gathering strength from
+your excellent wine. If your fostermother reared you on this, I wonder
+not you are so strong and active. She is a capital housewife. You could
+never be better treated, even had you an angel for a wife. It is lucky
+she was not hanged or buried alive for her womanly honour's sake. But,
+what's the matter? Am not I welcome? You look as if you were outlawed
+by the Dane-court, or cited before the Ribe-Ret."
+
+"You are heartily welcome, noble Count Gerhard," replied the drost,
+extending his hand; "and if peace and joy are not to be seen in my
+face, it is certainly no fault of your's. You are true to your word, I
+see, and no false prophet. The duke arrived this evening. To-morrow he
+is my master, and that of the royal house. But what have you
+discovered?"
+
+"A very pretty thing, my good friend. You were as near being buried
+alive us your nurse was; and Nordborg Tower was to have been your
+grave. I succeeded in unbinding the highwayman's tongue with the point
+of a good sword at his throat. He confessed he would have broken your
+neck if he could not have taken you prisoner, for you had in your
+pocket important proofs against the regicides."
+
+"And for that reason--ah! I understand," exclaimed Drost Peter. "But
+what farther?"
+
+"Wait a little, my good friend. A man can't live on talk. Your
+confounded state affairs have nearly worn me out." So saying, Count
+Gerhard quietly resumed his seat, and replenished his goblet, whilst
+the drost impatiently awaited his farther communications.
+
+"The duke is a cunning gentleman," began the count, when he had emptied
+his goblet, and again praised the wine; "and I am a downright stormer,
+they say. 'Tis true, indeed, that I mostly cut away right before me,
+and go straight to my object, without deviation. But now you shall see
+that I too, at a pinch, can play the fox--"
+
+"I heartily believe it, my dear count; therefore, for Heaven's sake,
+don't prove it to me now! What know you of the duke? What has he been
+doing? What could have kept him from the Dane-court? Where has he
+been?--"
+
+"Softly, softly, my good friend. A man cannot answer everything at
+once. He has not slept for the last three days--neither have I: you can
+see it in my appearance. I have ridden three horses to death, and
+scarcely hang together myself. But listen to all in due order. When we
+danced with the pretty maidens at Rypen House, the duke lay, you know,
+on the lazy side, in his camp hard by. But on holy St. Germanus'
+day--let me see--yes, it was the 28th of May, the first day of the
+Dane-court here--he was certainly in Sleswick, where, in the presence
+of his own council and that of the bishop, he issued a trading charter,
+in favour of the shopkeepers of Lubeck, of the following tenor--"
+
+"Do you jest with me, Count Gerhard? What possible connection has this
+with the crown and kingdom?"
+
+"More than you dream of, my good friend," replied the count. "The tenor
+of the charter I will spare you, for I cannot remember it, and it is
+nothing to the purpose: but mark you--he performed a public, although
+an insignificant act of government, in Sleswick, on the same day on
+which he should here have been chosen protector and guardian of the
+king. There, now, you have a political riddle, which will become a hard
+nut for posterity to crack; but I can solve it for you. He had, shortly
+before, been at Helgeness, with Marsk Stig--"
+
+"That we know," interrupted the drost, impatiently: "he has not
+concealed it; and it has just been explained to his honour, as a proof
+of his fidelity and zeal for the royal cause."
+
+"I'faith, if you know everything, my sagacious sir drost, then are you
+wiser than even my Daddy Longlegs, as we shall see--"
+
+"Your jester?"
+
+"Aye--you know him. He is mad enough at times: he fancied he was the
+dead king, when he knocked my eye out; but when he is not mad, and has
+a mind to put a wax nose on people, he is a deuce of a carl, and ready
+to laugh himself to death at--"
+
+"But, _min Gud!_ what has a fool to do with state affairs? Forget not,
+on account of that good-for-nothing fellow, what you were about to
+say."
+
+"Respect Longlegs, my good friend. Such a fool can be more sagacious
+than a whole privy council. For the last eight days he has been clad in
+iron from top to toe, and has personated the marsk's confidential
+swain, Mat Jute. He resembled him to a hair, and imitated his Juttish
+accent in a masterly manner: it was thus he came to know that of which
+I had already an inkling, and what old Henner had observed during his
+imprisonment with the marsk. Whilst the duke kept away from the
+Dane-court, a tumult and an outbreak were to be occasioned here, on the
+first court-day, by the aid of the marsk and his friends; but I
+prevented it by causing all the ferries to be closed for three days, so
+that none of the disturbers could come over."
+
+"My God! what do I hear? What would then have happened?"
+
+"Under pretence of a rising against the duke himself, wherein it was
+believed the people would take part, the queen and the young king were
+to be seized during the confusion. We compelled the captive highwayman
+to report that you were in good keeping at Nordborg, and for that lie
+he had his freedom yesterday. Whilst the royal prisoners, with the
+algrev's assistance, were carried to Tönsberg, the duke with his army
+was to proceed to Viborg, and, in order to save the country, was to
+suffer himself, from sheer necessity, to be hailed as king. He was, as
+you have seen, prepared to prove, by a public document, that he was in
+Sleswick during the tumult on the 28th of May; so that the cunning
+gentleman could wash his hands of what had then happened. In the
+meantime, as I expected, he found out the stroke I made in the
+reckoning; and he must have ridden neck or nothing from Sleswick to be
+here to-night."
+
+"Come, Count Gerhard," exclaimed Drost Peter, startled, "this is a
+matter for the closet. I turn giddy at the mere thought of it. If you
+can adduce me clear proofs of this monstrous treachery, he shall be
+overthrown, even if it costs me my own life."
+
+Drost Peter hastily withdrew his guest into his closet, where he noted
+down every word spoken by the count, and every circumstance that could
+throw light on the truth of his narrative. The jester was also
+examined, and his statement duly recorded. Count Gerhard set his seal
+to the depositions, and further bound himself, by his oath and his good
+sword, to make good what might be deficient in formal testimony. With
+the utmost gravity of countenance, the jester likewise set his seal to
+the document with a button of his squire's jacket.
+
+Next morning betimes, before the Dane-court commenced, Drost Peter had
+a private conversation with Sir John; but almost as early, the duke was
+with the Margraves of Brandenburg and the queen.
+
+On this last and most important day of the Dane-court, the business, as
+usual, would be transacted in the open air, in sight of the people, in
+the area before the palace. It was the third day in Whitsun-week, and
+the finest spring weather favoured the solemnities with which the young
+king would, at the same time, be hailed by his Funen subjects.
+Everything was prepared with the utmost magnificence. On each side of
+the throne, which the young king would occupy, was a splendid seat,
+both of nearly the same elevation, provided for the queen and Duke
+Waldemar. Scarlet cloth was spread on the ground, and two semi-circles
+of chairs were placed for the princes and knights, as well as for the
+bishops and prelates; but in the middle of the circle stood a round
+table, covered with black cloth, with three and thirty chairs around
+it, which, however, seemed to occupy but a small portion of the large
+space. This unusual spectacle gave rise to many doubtful observations
+among the people. From an early hour in the morning, an unusually
+large number of burghers and peasants were assembled on the site of the
+Dane-court, and an anxious silence prevailed.
+
+The knights and ecclesiastics afterward assembled, among the latter of
+whom were the worthy dean, Master Jens Grand, and the Archbishop of
+Lund, John Dros, together with the bishops of the entire kingdom.
+
+The eyes of all were now directed to the great doors of the palace,
+from which the royal party was every minute expected to proceed. They
+were at length thrown open, and two heralds, with lofty plumes in their
+helmets, and bearing white rods, appeared, heading the procession, as
+on the occasion of a tournament; although the mourning-dresses imparted
+to the whole more the appearance of a funeral train. The youthful king
+walked gravely and firmly by the side of his stately mother, and was
+followed by Prince Christopher, with the duke and the queen's brothers.
+
+Count Gerhard had unexpectedly placed himself in the princely train.
+Nor had he come alone; for he was accompanied by his two brothers, the
+young Counts of Holstein, and the wise and brave Prince Witzlau of
+Rygen, his private friend, and a loyal vassal of the Danish crown.
+These noblemen had just been presented to the king; but Count Gerhard,
+having had no opportunity of approaching the queen, was forced to
+salute her from a distance.
+
+At the head of the twelve councillors came old Sir John, the Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter. No trace of anxiety was visible on the
+countenance of the aged statesman. Master Martinus also appeared calm;
+but his head was bowed, and his hands folded within the ample sleeves
+of his Dominican habit, as if he were engaged in secret prayer. Drost
+Peter strove in vain entirely to conceal the contest of feelings that
+divided his soul: his wounded arm rested in a sling; and under his
+other, concealed beneath his sable knight's mantle, he carried a bundle
+of documents. When he perceived the proud, triumphant glance of the
+duke, his eyes flashed indignation; but he had promised Sir John to
+control his feelings, and he was himself fully alive to the necessity
+which existed for dissimulation. A bitter smile, however, played for a
+moment on his lips, as it occurred to him that he might then, perhaps,
+with a joyous face, be following the freedom and happiness of his
+country to their grave.
+
+The royal squires, who, after the marsk, under-marsk, and knights,
+closed the procession, were headed by the favourite of the youthful
+king, Aagé Jonsen, who, since the catastrophe at the barn of Finnerup,
+had become singularly quiet and serious. Drost Peter, his own and young
+Erik's weapon-master, was his model of chivalry, and already he wore,
+with almost the dignity of a knight, the squire's sword and silver
+spurs with which his young king had presented him.
+
+When the Dane-court was at length seated, and the people saw the little
+king upon throne, and beheld the noble bearing of the queen, with so
+many wise and faithful counsellors by the side of their youthful
+monarch, the deep, long-held silence was suddenly broken by a deafening
+shout of joy and loyalty.
+
+As when the homage of the people was received at Scanderborg, Sir John
+now read aloud the document respecting the election of the king, and
+the acclamations of the assembly were repeated with redoubled ardour.
+In the midst of this applause the little king rose, and bowed
+gracefully around; the childlike pleasure he felt at being thus
+the object of general homage, adding a grace and simplicity to his
+natural dignity and early knightly bearing that invested him with an
+irresistible charm.
+
+When the king rose, the queen likewise stood up, while Duke Waldemar
+and the other princes, with all the knights and vassals of the kingdom,
+acknowledged the sovereignty of their youthful monarch, by bending
+themselves before the throne.
+
+When this act of homage was concluded, Sir John advanced and read that
+article in the constitution by which the queen and Duke Waldemar were
+entitled to exercise concurrently the functions of government during
+the minority of the king. Notwithstanding the discontent visible in
+many faces, no objection was offered, and the queen and the duke were
+formally confirmed in this authority. When the document, after being
+subscribed by the estates of the kingdom, was read to the people, the
+name of the queen was greeted with loud applause, while that of the
+duke was received in almost unbroken silence. A few voices only, among
+which was that of Master Grand, attempted to raise a shout of "Long
+live Duke Waldemar, the king's guardian, and protector of the kingdom!"
+And although a considerable number joined in it, it was in a tone
+indicative more of compulsion and fear than of goodwill.
+
+The duke having bowed with an air of condescension, the young king
+again arose. A perfect stillness and attention prevailed, while his eye
+rested on Drost Peter and Master Martinus, in whose encouraging looks
+he seemed to read what he had to say. Quickly conquering the bashful
+feeling which for a moment had seized him, he began, with a firm voice,
+and in a tone so loud that all could hear him:--
+
+"My loyal Danish people, I here promise, before God and Our Holy Lady,
+that I will be a good and upright king. I acknowledge the constitution,
+and recognise the will of the people, as just and binding; cheerfully
+submitting myself to the guardianship of my dear mother and of the duke
+until I have attained my majority. And as I am, under this legal
+guardianship, the lawful King of Denmark, and inherit the crown of my
+father and the great Waldemars, I now, confident of the approval of my
+guardians and counsellors, order and command, that the cause against
+the murderers of my late father shall, by this Retter-Ting, be rigidly
+investigated and decided. Stand forward, Drost Peter Hessel. On my
+behalf and that of the crown, you are appointed accuser of the
+regicides."
+
+Drost Peter advanced, and drew forth the documents he carried beneath
+his mantle.
+
+"With the consent of my dear mother and Duke Waldemar," continued the
+youthful Erik, whilst, turning his eyes on Sir John, he recited, almost
+word for word, what that aged statesman had prepared for him, "I
+propose that my worthy uncle, Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, my trusty
+vassal, Prince Witzlau of Rygen, the valiant and upright Count Gerhard
+of Holstein, and his illustrious brothers, together with seven and
+twenty chief men of the Danish nobility and knighthood, be now
+constituted a tribunal, to investigate the accusation and the evidence
+offered by the drost. After which, let them declare who were the men
+that, on St. Cecilia's night, in the barn of Finnerup, laid violent and
+regicidal hands on my late father, King Erik Christopherson. With this
+hand upon his bloody breast, I vowed to his soul and the righteous God
+that, from the throne of Denmark, this should be my first command, and
+that the ungodly regicides should receive the punishment due to their
+crime, according to the strictest justice and the outraged laws of the
+land."
+
+The warmth and earnestness, no less than the authority, with which this
+demand was pronounced, excited general surprise and admiration. The
+latter words, which, to the astonishment of Sir John, had been added by
+the young monarch himself, had brought the tears into his eyes.
+
+When he had resumed his seat, the queen, who appeared prepared for this
+announcement, immediately arose, and said--"I approve of the king's
+proposition. It has already been well considered in the council of the
+nation, and now requires only the approbation of the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar."
+
+"I, likewise, approve of it," said the latter, in a tone which showed
+that he was constrained to acquiesce only by the necessity of his
+position.
+
+By Sir John's arrangements, seven and twenty noblemen, the eldest and
+most respected in the assembly, were then chosen, who, with the princes
+already named, immediately took their seats at the black table within
+the circle, prepared to hear and examine the accusation and evidence
+offered by the drost. Whilst thus engaged, the deep silence of
+expectation pervaded the rest of the assembly. When they had concluded,
+the three knights, strongly guarded, advanced at the signal of the
+duke. As defenders of the accused, they had been brought there under
+his safe conduct. They were completely clad in mail, and wore their
+visors down.
+
+The princes and the other members of the tribunal now approached the
+throne. The Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, who, with a parchment in his
+hand, was at their head, then bowed before the king and the assembly,
+and read aloud and distinctly, in Danish, though with a foreign accent,
+as follows:--
+
+"After the charges laid before us, and the witnesses we have heard, we
+are constrained to name, as proved to have been participators in the
+murder of King Erik Christopherson, the following persons, knights and
+Danish noblemen:--The right princely Count Jacob of Halland; Stig
+Andersen Hvide, marsk of the kingdom of Denmark; High Chamberlain Ové
+Dyré; Sirs Peder Jacobsen, Peder Porsé, Niels Hallandsfar, Arved
+Bengtson, Niels Knudson, and Jacob Blaafod; also Chamberlain Rané and
+Squire Aagé Kaggé. That the abovenamed eleven men, together with a
+twelfth, who has since appeared before a higher tribunal, were present
+in disguised dresses, on St. Cecilia's night, at Finnerup barn, near
+Viborg, and did personally take part in the murder of the king, we do
+here testify and swear, with our hands upon the holy Gospels, in
+presence of the all-seeing God, and before the king and people of
+Denmark."
+
+While the names were read, two of the mailed knights seemed to stagger;
+but the third, a ponderous and stately figure, remained unmoved,
+wrapped, with an air of defiance, in his blue mantle, and his clenched
+hands crossed upon his breast. No sooner had the princes and their
+fellow-judges sworn to the truth of their verdict, than this haughty
+personage, advancing a step, struck his visor up, and, turning round,
+exhibited to the assembly a countenance at once wild and warlike,
+although somewhat pale.
+
+"Count Jacob!--Count Jacob himself!"--ran from mouth to mouth, in a
+subdued murmur of astonishment.
+
+"Yes, I am Count Jacob of Holland, kinsman to the royal house, and a
+general of Denmark," he exclaimed, with an air of pride and defiance;
+"and here stand my faithful friends, the brave Sirs Arved Bengtson and
+Jacob Blaafod, who, along with me, are named among the murderers of
+King Erik Christopherson."
+
+His companions then struck aside the gratings of their helmets, and
+revealed the accused regicides, who, despite their haughty bearing,
+were yet deadly pale, and apparently doubtful of their personal
+security, notwithstanding the safe conduct of the duke.
+
+
+"We mean not to impugn the decision of so many lords and knights,"
+continued the proud count. "Lying and falsehood we bear not upon
+our shields. Danish honesty we expect also here. We have been
+promised, in the name of the king, a safe conduct and just treatment.
+We demand, therefore, not only the right to withdraw from hence
+unmolested, but first to be heard in our defence. That which we have
+done, we feel assured we can defend with our lips as well as with our
+swords, wherever honesty and justice prevail. To defend the right, in
+self-vindication, is nowhere forbidden; and that we call right which we
+have accomplished on a man of violence, who himself had broken every
+law, before we broke the rod over his guilty head."
+
+The queen had risen, and the young king had sprung up, amazed at this
+matchless boldness. The rage of the people was great at beholding
+amongst them the convicted regicide, although his princely rank and his
+known bravery imposed silence on many. His daring, too, pleased some,
+and his exordium about Danish honesty was flattering to a considerable
+portion. The rebels had also secret friends among the people, and a
+dangerous murmur began to pervade the excited assemblage; while a
+multitude of the poorer burghers of Nyborg, who were particularly
+attached to the late king, rushed forward with furious clamour to wreak
+their vengeance on his murderers. With the greatest difficulty could
+the rank of knights keep in restraint the infuriated populace, and the
+uproar threatened to put a stop to the proceedings, when Sir John and
+Drost Peter restored order by announcing that sentence should
+immediately be pronounced on the regicides, and their punishment
+rendered speedy and certain.
+
+"Let them be carried at once to the wheel!" cried Junker
+Christopherson, as he menaced them with his clenched hand.
+
+The queen's indignation was great; but she remained silent, and sank
+back, pale and agitated, on her seat. The appearance of the murderers,
+and the wild faces of the people, painfully reminded her of the
+audacious visit of Marsk Stig, on the morning after the king's
+assassination.
+
+"Had I imagined that these gentlemen had personally participated in the
+deed, they should never have received a safe conduct from me,"
+exclaimed the duke, in some perturbation. "But now, for the sake of my
+own honour and that of the crown, I must demand that they be suffered
+freely to depart, whatever judgment may be pronounced upon them."
+
+"You are right, Duke Waldemar," said the young king, suppressing his
+indignation. "Would we be knights with honour, we must keep faith and
+promise, even with these most impious murderers; and I have vowed to
+God and to Our Lady to rule righteously. If, therefore, on behalf of
+the crown, you have promised them safety, we must suffer them freely to
+depart. But they shall first hear their doom; and, wherever they may
+flee to, by the assistance of the righteous God, it will certainly
+reach them. Read aloud the sentence," he added, hastily, "as it stands
+in King Waldemar's law-book. If they have forfeited life and honour, so
+shall we adjudge."
+
+"No punishment seems to me too severe for so heinous a crime," observed
+the duke, sternly. "But it may assume a different aspect when viewed
+from another point; and, therefore, before any just and impartial
+sentence can be pronounced, the Dane-court should hear what the accused
+have to advance in their defence, and what others, skilled in the laws,
+can state to guide us. Let the accused advance. The king and the people
+will hear their defence."
+
+Count Jacob and Arved Bengtson moved not; but Jacob Blaafod, who was
+celebrated for his eloquence, approached the throne, while the blood
+again mounted to his sun-burnt cheeks. Having bowed on every side with
+knightly grace, he began his defence, and immediately quelled the
+murmurs of the assembly by a short but flattering exordium, in which he
+extolled the justice of the Danish laws, and the love of freedom and
+magnanimity of the people. He then frankly admitted the truth of the
+accusation, but represented the murder of the king as a bold and heroic
+action, as a great sacrifice to the freedom of the nation, and as
+altogether a just and lawful deed. He recounted all the violations of
+his contracts, and of the charters of the kingdom, perpetrated by the
+late king, by which, he affirmed, he had forfeited his crown, and
+placed himself on a level with every knight and nobleman in the
+kingdom, each of whom could defend his own honour and integrity against
+any of his peers, without being guilty of lese-majesty. He then
+proceeded to expose, in bitter language, the deep injustice which had
+been suffered by the chief noblemen in the kingdom; especially
+depicting, in the strongest colour, the crime perpetrated by King Erik
+Christopherson against Marsk Stig and his wife, with its heartrending
+results; and concluded by demanding of the king and the people, in the
+name of Danish justice, honour, and freedom, that the country's
+greatest general, the famed Marsk Stig, with his injured friends and
+kinsmen, should be acquitted of all guilt, and restored to their
+honours and dignities, which they had never lawfully forfeited.
+
+His words made a deep impression, and no inconsiderable number of
+voices were raised in favour of the accused.
+
+The queen had veiled her face; and the youthful Erik, in spite of his
+grief and indignation, could not avoid blushing at the shame of his
+unhappy father, whilst the tears stood in his eyes.
+
+"Speak, Drost Peter, speak!" he cried: "is it not enough that they have
+murdered my father? Must I also sit on Denmark's throne, and hear them
+mock and insult his memory?"
+
+At this heartrending appeal Drost Peter advanced. He exhibited great
+emotion, and some time elapsed before he could command his voice. "In
+what our murdered lord and king has here offended," he began, "he has
+gone to his account before the King of kings. May the Almighty Judge be
+merciful to him, and all of us! They are not men, but monsters, who
+demand that his son and his bereaved subjects should justify his
+actions and defend his fame in the presence of his murderers. It is not
+as the man Erik Christopherson that he is here in question; but as
+Denmark's king, as the wearer of Denmark's crown, whose inviolable
+majesty and sacredness have been profaned by bloody and audacious
+hands: it is the crime against the anointed ruler of the people and of
+the kingdom we are here to judge."
+
+Without reference to the king's personality, he then pourtrayed the
+regicidal crime in language so strong and glowing, that the murderers
+themselves were abashed, and many of those who most severely censured
+the deceased king, and who had just been loudest in their applause of
+Jacob Blaafod's speech, turned away their eyes with horror from the men
+of blood. The eloquent drost then proceeded to recapitulate some of the
+most beneficial measures adopted by his late master; and specially
+pointed out how much that ancient and loyal city owed to his favour and
+clemency. He further instanced numerous benefits which the rebellious
+noblemen themselves had received from the late king, whom they had
+basely and ungratefully murdered, and succeeded in touching the hearts
+of the whole assembly, and in entirely obliterating the impression
+produced by the address of the regicide. He availed himself, finally,
+of this favourable disposition, to unfold the dangerous position of the
+country, and, with impassioned eloquence, charged them to sustain not
+only the majesty and sacredness of the throne, but the dignity and
+freedom of the people, by tearing the mask from the face of every
+secret traitor who had participated, directly or otherwise, in this
+rebellions and audacious crime. His eyes sparkling with animation, he
+then suddenly turned to the duke, as the man bound to the royal house
+by the holiest ties of consanguinity, and demanded of him, in the name
+of the people, by virtue of his new dignity, first to pronounce
+sentence on the guilty, for subsequent confirmation by the estates.
+
+The drost paused; and although the duke had changed colour, he quickly
+rose at this appeal, and, bowing respectfully to the queen, modestly
+yielded to her the prerogative of pronouncing whatever sentence she and
+the council of the kingdom regarded as just and lawful.
+
+"Be it so!" exclaimed the queen, unveiling her face as she rose with an
+air of calmness and decision. "I shall, then, be the first to declare
+what the council of the kingdom and myself think just and legal--what
+must have been already pronounced in the heart of every Dane, if God's
+holy law dwell there:--According to every law, both human and divine,
+an ignominious death is due to murderous traitors. Therefore, for the
+security of the crown and kingdom, let not mercy restrain the arm of
+justice!"
+
+"Whoever has any legal objections to offer, can do so now," said the
+duke, as he directed his eyes towards Dean Grand, who apparently was
+only waiting this summons to step forward.
+
+"In the name of truth and justice, then, I demand to be heard," cried
+the authoritative dean, as he advanced with an open book in his hand.
+"Here is the point of law on which alone the accused can be condemned,
+if, as I maintain they should, they be not with right and justice
+acquitted of all guilt. If the murder had been perpetrated in God's
+holy house, or on the property of the victim himself, the sentence of
+death would be a legal one; but as this was certainly not so in this
+instance, the accused, at worst, can only be adjudged outlaws, and have
+their estates forfeited to the king's exchequer. If the law is to
+prevail here, and not the unrighteous passion of revenge, no severer
+sentence than this can be pronounced."
+
+On this bold assertion, which had found favour with many, a warm debate
+arose, in which the duke, with a flattering and not ineffective
+reference to the great privileges of the people and of the states, and
+to the violation of charters and engagements, declared himself in
+favour of this milder interpretation of the law.
+
+Drost Peter opposed him warmly; but Sir John, to his great astonishment
+and that of the young king, strenuously maintained that, in accordance
+with the strict letter of the law, they could not come nearer the
+criminals. Outlawry, however, he continued, was a punishment which
+could not be regarded as trivial; for it implied no less than civil
+death, constant peril of life, and exclusion from every social or human
+privilege within the bounds of Denmark.
+
+The words of the aged counsellor carried great weight with them. Drost
+Peter, and the other faithful friends of the royal house, quickly
+perceived that, for some new but sufficient reason, this wise statesman
+now defended an opinion he had himself opposed in the council a few
+days before. No further opposition, therefore, was offered to the
+milder sentence on the criminals; the queen and the young king
+declaring themselves satisfied with it, since it was considered just
+and legal by so many able and upright men.
+
+The sentence of outlawry on the regicides was then formally drawn up,
+and immediately subscribed and sealed by the king and both protectors,
+as well as by those chosen for that purpose from the estates; after
+which, it was read aloud by the drost before the assembled Dane-court.
+Under a strong guard, the three knights were then conducted to the
+beach, where they were put on board a boat, with some provisions, and
+thus enabled to escape the enraged populace, against which no convoy
+could any longer protect them.
+
+This important business being thus concluded, the Margrave Otto of
+Brandenburg advanced, and, having bowed respectfully to royalty, turned
+to the assembled knighthood, and said:--"My royal nephew, King Erik
+Erikson of Denmark, has honoured me by requesting to receive, at this
+Dane-court, the stroke of knighthood from my hand. A king's son, who
+has borne the name of king almost from his cradle, may already be
+regarded as exalted by his birth and position over every meaner
+dignity. It is commendable, however, in kings and princes, that they do
+not despise the rank of knighthood, but are generally desirous of being
+invested with that honour before they are anointed and crowned as
+sovereigns over their knights and princely vassals. I dispense,
+therefore, in the case of my royal nephew, with the customary probation
+which the dignity of the order otherwise requires."
+
+He then turned to the young king, and continued, in a tone of
+solemnity:--"I now demand, King Erik Erikson of Denmark, before thy
+loyal people and in presence of the Danish knighthood, in what respect
+thou desirest to be admitted into our order? Wilt thou promise and
+swear to defend the holy Christian faith and the honours of
+knighthood?"
+
+The young king arose and uncovered his head. His cheeks glowed, and his
+dark blue eyes sparkled with youthful pleasure and animation.
+
+"Yea!" he exclaimed, "I will, so help me all holy men! God and Our Holy
+Lady know my heart's wish and my intention. I desire the stroke of
+knighthood from thy hand, my dear uncle, that I may be anointed and
+crowned King of Denmark with honour, and to show my loving people, and
+all men, that not only shall I be a good and upright king, but also a
+knight without reproach, that I may not disgrace the crown of Denmark
+and of the great Waldemars. That which a squire should understand,
+before he can wear the golden spurs, my dear weapon-master, Drost Peter
+Hessel, has already taught me, which I will prove at the first
+tournament. The laws of chivalry I have learned as the holy text; and I
+swear, by St. George and the Holy Virgin, that I shall maintain them
+while I live."
+
+He paused an instant to collect himself; and then continued, with much
+ardour:--"I will not live careless, but will defend my people, and pour
+out my blood for the true and holy Church, which I know is the head,
+whilst the knighthood is the arm, to defend the whole body; and that
+also shall I strive to do. I will protect the widow, the fatherless,
+and the needy; I will be the defender of all pure and virtuous ladies;
+I will be just, valiant, generous, honest, and chaste; I will honour
+God with all humility, and be truthful and faithful to my word; I will
+practise the seven virtues of knighthood, and eschew the seven mortal
+sins, with the assistance of God and the Holy Virgin."
+
+When the youthful king had sworn, as his profession of faith, this
+epitome of the laws of chivalry, which he seemed to know by heart, he
+descended from the throne to receive the symbols and accoutrements of
+knighthood, with which, according to his wish and the usual custom, he
+was to be invested by the most eminent men of the kingdom, and the most
+attached friends of the royal house. Drost Peter bound the golden spurs
+upon his heels, and with tender interest and heartfelt pleasure
+reminded him of their signification. Old Sir John, with a short and
+energetic encouragement to manliness and goodness, equipped him in a
+cuirass of light mail. Count Gerhard, who had requested the charge of
+binding on his wambraces, did so in his usual gay manner, wishing the
+son of the noble Queen Agnes success, strength, and victory in every
+undertaking.
+
+At length the queen herself arose to present him with the glittering
+gauntlets, and to gird him with the golden sword, which the heralds
+brought forward. Having first carried the crossed hilt of the weapon
+reverently to her lips, she girt her son with the gold-embroidered
+sword-belt, on which was wrought, by her own hands, a lily, a balance,
+and a heart, as emblems of purity, justice, and Christian charity; and
+then, kissing him affectionately on the forehead, she exhorted him
+never to forget its meaning.
+
+
+The queen having resumed her seat, and the knights their places, the
+youthful king knelt down, while Margrave Otto, kissing the hilt of his
+drawn sword, solemnly said--"King Erik Erikson of Denmark, in the name
+of God, Our Holy Lady, and St. George, I dub you a knight. Be bold,
+courageous, and true!"
+
+A flourish of trumpets followed, while the margrave, with the flat of
+his sword, touched the noviciate three times on the shoulder.
+
+Tears stood in the eyes of the newly-created knight, whilst he rose and
+folded his hands, as if engaged in silent prayer. He then received from
+the margrave a bright gilded helmet, with a large plume of feathers,
+which caused his eyes to sparkle with pleasure as he placed it on his
+golden locks. Finally, the margrave presented him with a golden lance,
+and hung on the wambrace of his left arm a splendid shield, bearing the
+same device which he had chosen for his first juvenile buckler.
+
+His friend and playmate, Aagé Jonsen, had meanwhile led forth a proud
+milk-white tourney-steed, caparisoned in shining armour, with a lofty
+plume of feathers on his head. The youthful knight instantly vaulted
+into the saddle, without the aid of the stirrups, and then proceeded to
+caracol his steed, poise his lance, and exhibit himself in all the pomp
+of knighthood before the people, who received his graceful and
+condescending salutations with enthusiastic shouts of rejoicing. Thrice
+did he thus make the circle of the Dane-court, whilst the air resounded
+with the braying of trumpets and the loud acclamations of the people.
+
+Even the gravest among the knights seemed pleased at the dexterity and
+address with which the youthful rider managed his steed; and, although,
+as old Sir John turned towards Drost Peter, a quiet smile at this
+exhibition played about his lips, yet the delighted shouts of the
+people, and the general animation excited by the presence of the
+youthful monarch, much affected him, and hastily passing his hands
+across his eyes, he heartily joined in the people's shout--"God bless
+our young king!"
+
+Without being impeded by his armour and weapons, young Erik now sprang
+from his steed with as much agility as he had mounted it, and ordering
+his squire to lead it off, returned calmly and with dignity to the
+throne.
+
+During these ceremonies the duke remained silent and absorbed in
+reflection. Drost Peter, however, had closely observed him; and the
+ill-concealed scorn which he read in his countenance only too strongly
+reminded him that it was not yet time for rejoicings and gladness in
+Denmark.
+
+King Erik then arose, somewhat out of breath with his violent exercise,
+and addressing the duke, said--"As I am now myself a knight, and have a
+right to confer the stroke of knighthood on whom I choose, my princely
+kinsman and guardian, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, shall be the
+first who receives it from my hand."
+
+The duke rose hastily. He seemed taken by surprise, and his proud mien
+betrayed that the proposed honour annoyed more than it flattered him.
+Drost Peter imagined he saw in his constrained smile, an angry feeling
+of wounded pride, that he should now, in presence of the nation, be
+obliged to kneel before the youthful king, even to receive a dignity
+with which he had long anxiously desired to be invested.
+
+The wily duke, however, seemed solicitous to conceal this from himself
+as well as from the knighthood, and, in a tone of easy dignity, he
+thanked the king for this gracious mark of distinction. He then knelt
+before the throne, whilst King Erik pronounced the customary form, and,
+amidst a nourish of trumpets, let fall three times his golden sword on
+the shoulder of the duke.
+
+"Be a knight without reproach," he added: "be, as the laws of chivalry
+command, full of burning zeal for the general good, for the kingdom's
+weal, for the knighthood's honour, for the people's unity and
+prosperity, and for the welfare of your lawful king. God, Our Holy
+Lady, and St. George grant you strength and aid thereto!"
+
+From the lips of the youthful king, this admonition, in which he
+fancied he could trace the influence of Drost Peter, did not at all
+please the proud, ambitious duke; although he went through the
+customary forms with a polite bearing. When he had received his new
+arms, he leaped upon his tourney-steed, and exhibited himself to the
+people with much princely dignity and knightly skill. At a prancing
+gallop he cast his lance aloft and caught it again, at the same time
+saluting the people gracefully and mildly. The applause he coveted was
+freely bestowed on him; but he seemed especially gratified when, after
+he had dismounted, he received the congratulations of the knights and
+of the royal family.
+
+Thus terminated the Dane-court and its grave affairs, apparently to the
+general satisfaction. The royal family, with the duke and the other
+princes present, then returned to the palace, where the king presented
+rich gifts to the duke, to the Margrave Otto, Count Gerhard, and the
+Danish knights. Chargers, gold bridles, magnificent mantles, and arms
+were freely distributed; and all who had participated in the
+ceremonials received some handsome memorial of the day and of the
+king's munificence. Neither was Aagé Jonsen forgotten: his royal master
+presented him with a gilded sword, set with jewels, and bearing as an
+inscription--"The king's defence." For his fidelity to the murdered
+king, Erik would fain have given his youthful playmate the stroke of
+knighthood; but the exception which had been made in his own favour
+could not, from respect to those of riper years, be extended to any of
+lower degree, not even to Junker Christopherson, who appeared to
+consider himself as worthy of being a knight and king as was his
+brother.
+
+This important election to the regency of the kingdom, and the princely
+promotion to the knighthood, were celebrated in the palace with
+magnificent festivities, during which the duke scarcely for a moment
+lost sight of the royal party, and outshone all present in knightly
+bearing, and in refined and polished conversation.
+
+The queen's present confidence in him, and her desire to compensate him
+for the unworthy suspicions she formerly entertained, now led her to
+agree with him in a conclusion altogether opposed to the wishes of the
+council. The representations of the duke to herself and her brothers,
+induced them to consider the juncture too serious for farther
+festivities; and, to look carefully to the security of the royal house,
+they unanimously determined that, instead of carrying the young king to
+Zealand, there to receive the homage of the people, and from thence to
+be crowned at Lund, they should immediately carry him back to the
+strong castle of Viborg, and defer the journey to Zealand and Scania,
+so long as Marsk Stig, with the outlaws and Norse rovers, rendered the
+Belt and Sound unsafe. This determination the queen, in the presence of
+the duke, announced to Sir John and Drost Peter during the evening, in
+a tone so decided as to restrain every objection.
+
+Drost Peter was much alarmed, for he saw in this a new attempt on the
+part of the duke to draw the royal personages within his own and the
+outlaws' power, whilst, by his cunning, he would perhaps succeed in
+deferring the act of homage, and delaying the coronation until he could
+himself unlawfully seize upon the kingdom. Drost Peter burned with
+impatience boldly and openly to unmask the mighty traitor, and testify
+to what he knew of the true reason of his absence from the Dane-court;
+but on a stern look of warning from Sir John, he restrained himself,
+and was silent. The journey to Viborg was, therefore, fixed for the
+next morning, and the company separated.
+
+It was late in the evening. The servants of the palace were busily
+engaged with the requisite preparations for the journey, the din of
+which was heard in the castle-court. The duke and his retinue had
+withdrawn to their own apartments; but it was observed that some of his
+followers had left the castle, and hastily taken the road to
+Middelfert. The young king had retired, and the Margraves of
+Brandenburg had just left the queen in her private apartment. She had
+taken a farewell of her brothers, who, that very night, were to leave
+Denmark for the court of the Emperor Rudolph, to induce him to declare
+the Danish regicides outlaws in Germany. This reason for their sudden
+journey, they had, however, confided only to the queen.
+
+The beautiful young widow sat, her cheek resting on her hand, at a
+table of black marble, on which stood two wax-lights. She wore her
+mourning attire; and, as her dark head-dress was cast aside, her rich
+brown hair hung in tresses over her arms, and fell upon the marble
+slab. Her fair white fingers were engaged in turning over the leaves of
+a beautiful little manuscript volume, the pages of which she frequently
+crossed and marked with a silver needle. In this book she had, in her
+lonely hours, poured out her heart with honest self-acknowledgment, and
+with her own hand had recorded every remarkable circumstance of her
+life. There stood yet the fair delightful dreams of her childhood, like
+half-vanished memories of Paradise. They were, however, soon followed
+by her humiliating espousals. Her early betrothment to King Erik
+Christopherson had been one of the conditions of his release from
+Nordborg Castle, after he was taken prisoner in the war with Duke
+Waldemar's father. The record of this, her alienation to another, was
+but incoherently set down, and it seemed as if she had not yet
+understood the proper connection of events; for, in incoherent words,
+and in traces of tears, she saw the day recorded when, yet little more
+then a child, she had, in blind duty and obedience, suffered herself to
+be adorned as a royal bride, and become the unwitting victim of a cold
+political consideration. Of her wedded state, so void of love and
+tenderness, there were many records; for at this point she appeared
+first to become conscious of her dignity, and of the purpose of life.
+In the midst of the great and glittering world she had often felt
+herself alone and forsaken, although, with youthful energy, she had
+availed herself of her lofty position to occupy her thoughts with
+benevolence, and diffuse peace and joy around her. It was granted her
+to seem fortunate; and whatever success followed her efforts to
+suppress the dangerous voice of rebellion, which threatened the king
+and kingdom with ruin, was due as much to her personal influence as to
+the exalted splendour of the crown.
+
+The kindly interest she felt in Drost Peter was the first bright spot
+in this dark portion of her inner life. His brave chivalrous spirit,
+and the homage he rendered her, had been grateful to her womanly
+nature; while with prudence and delicacy she had concealed, beneath the
+imposing cloak of majesty, every feeling of her heart's desolateness.
+
+As she continued turning over the leaves of this her life's-book, the
+past flitted by her like a dream. At the lively description of the
+tournament at Helsingborg, she found first mentioned the name of Count
+Gerhard, with a witty remark on the awkwardness of his homage, but also
+with expressions of esteem and interest. A few pages farther she saw a
+bitter memorial of the injurious rumour to which her interest in Drost
+Peter had given birth, and a memorandum of her determination to avoid
+for the future every appearance of familiarity with her faithful and
+attached knight.
+
+As she glanced over the account of the festival at Sir John's, and of
+her dance with the wounded Count Gerhard, a slight blush crimsoned her
+cheeks, and she felt that the bold, good-natured dancer had made a
+greater impression upon her than she was, at that time, willing to
+believe. The discreet and respectful attachment to her which had that
+day beamed from his one honest eye, had, in her mind, invested him with
+greater dignity. Her judgment both of him and of the accomplished Duke
+Waldemar she now reviewed with much interest. To the duke she had given
+the preference for his knightly bearing and polished manners; while she
+had found him deficient in the truthfulness and bold sincerity that
+enhanced the nobleness of Count Gerhard and rendered him so entirely
+safe to be relied upon.
+
+Having closed the manuscript, she remained some time in deep thought,
+and was at length about to summon her ladies and retire to rest, when
+she heard a gentle knocking at the private door of the apartment which
+separated her closet from that of the youthful king, and which was
+accessible to the royal family alone.
+
+"Come in, my son," she said, as she turned towards the door, which was
+then softly opened, and the trusty favourite squire, Aagé Jonsen,
+stepped modestly over the threshold.
+
+He remained respectfully at a distance, and, having made his
+salutation, "Pardon my temerity, most gracious queen," he began, in a
+low voice: "my master, the king, has commanded me to open this door, to
+ascertain if your grace was present, and alone. He prays you, for most
+important reasons, to grant him and the drost an audience here, without
+witnesses."
+
+"Drost Hessel!" ejaculated the queen, with astonishment--"here, and at
+this hour? Impossible! What means this?"
+
+"I know not, your grace," replied the grave little squire; "but I
+conclude that it is on business of emergency and importance. The drost
+did not pass through the guard-chamber, but entered by the subterranean
+passage, in company with the tall lord from Kiel."
+
+"Count Gerhard!" exclaimed the queen, as she hastily veiled her face.
+"Is he, too, here? Has he, also, requested to speak with me?"
+
+"That know I not, your grace. I kept watch by the inner door of the
+king's chamber, and knew not there was any secret entrance until it was
+opened, and both the gentlemen stood before me. The drost bade me awake
+the king immediately. I obeyed, and they were both instantly admitted
+to his chamber. Shortly afterwards he rung, and, while he attired
+himself, commanded me to ascertain cautiously whether your grace was
+alone here, and to deliver the request of which I have just informed
+you."
+
+"Well," answered the queen, "tell thy king and master that I await him,
+and whomever else he may think it necessary to bring with him."
+
+Aagé Jonsen bowed and retired; when the queen, who felt some anxiety,
+arose, and opening a little gilded casket, which stood on the table,
+concealed therein her journal. She then walked once or twice across the
+apartment, but at length stopped opposite a large polished steel
+mirror, in which she hastily arranged her fallen tresses. The secret
+door was opened a moment after, and King Erik entered, leading Drost
+Peter by the hand.
+
+"Hear him, my mother!" exclaimed, with excitement, the little
+king--"hear and read what the good drost and Count Gerhard have
+discovered. The duke is false! he will entice us to ruin."
+
+"Let not this disquiet you, noble queen," hastily observed Drost Peter,
+as he saluted her. "The danger is not imminent; although, except on
+high and important grounds, I should not have dared to approach you at
+so undue an hour, and in this unusual manner. To-morrow would have been
+too late. It is necessary, too, for your own and the king's security,
+that you should thus be secretly apprised of it, as it would be
+dangerous if the duke conceived the slightest suspicion that we had
+discovered his daring plans."
+
+"You astonish me, Drost Hessel!" exclaimed the queen, with undisguised
+solicitude. "Have you certain proof of this, whatever it may be? or is
+it but another of the learned chancellor's dreams? The duke must either
+be the wiliest hypocrite under the sun, or he is the true and attached
+friend of myself and the royal house."
+
+"Read, then, your grace," replied Drost Peter, spreading before her the
+parchment bearing Count Gerhard's seal: "every word that stands there
+can be personally attested by the noble Count Gerhard, should you so
+require his oath. He awaits your commands in the next apartment."
+
+The queen seated herself, and hastily perused the evidence set forth
+by Drost Peter to account for the duke's absence from the opening
+of the Dane-Court. As she did so, she became pale, and, rising,
+exclaimed--"Just Heaven! is, then, the fate of the kingdom and of the
+royal house in the hands of such a traitor? And this you knew to-day,
+Drost Hessel, and yet hesitated to tear the mask from the traitor, and
+exhibit him to the scorn of the whole people!"
+
+"God and my own heart know what it has cost me to be silent, noble
+queen," replied the drost, laying his hand upon his breast. "But Sir
+John was right: until Marsk Stig falls, the duke must stand. In his
+present position he is constrained even to punish the outlaws; but the
+moment he throws off the mask, he is our open foe--the head of the
+outlaws, and the leader of the rebels."
+
+"You are right," observed the queen, after a moment's reflection; "and
+I now understand the complaisance of Sir John to-day. Great God! when
+has a traitor stood unmolested so near the throne of Denmark? Let Count
+Gerhard enter."
+
+Drost Peter retired, and in a moment returned with Count Gerhard, who
+remained by the door, bowing bashfully and awkwardly.
+
+"Approach, noble count," said the queen, as she advanced with blushing
+cheeks to meet him. "You have probably saved from destruction the
+kingdom and royal house. But explain how you attained this information.
+How did you divine the plans of the marsk, or suspect the duke of such
+base knavishness?"
+
+"I cannot boast my own penetration, most noble queen," replied Count
+Gerhard, advancing with greater boldness--"that would ill become me. A
+large portion of my sagacity in this matter I owe to a long-headed old
+pilgrim whom I met in Rypen, and who seemed to know the world better
+than the world knew him. I had already noted mischief, and a few hints
+made me clear-eyed. With the subtle Duke Waldemar I may as little
+contend in statecraft as in accomplishments and fine manners; but this
+I dare aver, that when he thought he could reach the throne of Denmark
+without lifting his hand, or losing the semblance of being a true
+friend to the people and kingdom, he was willing to let the marsk
+disturb his election to the regency here, and to bid farewell to the
+honour and happiness of being the protector of your grace and of the
+royal house. It may be only my poor opinion, your grace," he added,
+with some embarrassment, "but that the duke carries a fox on his
+shield, is certain: indeed, he seems even to entertain the boldest
+hopes of your grace's sympathy and confidence."
+
+The queen started, while the count continued:--
+
+"I regret that I have no better proofs of this than my own word and
+sword, and the evidence of my trusty jester. But that many of the
+marsk's adherents were stopped by me on their way to the Dane-court, is
+beyond doubt; and that the duke was really in Sleswick on the first day
+of the Dane-court, he has himself taken care to furnish the best proof.
+With what view he was there, and whether there really would have been a
+tumult here, had they not perceived danger, cannot now be further
+demonstrated. My entire services to your grace and to the royal house,
+most noble queen, are thus but of small avail; and however beneficial
+to the crown and country they may appear, I have only given you
+probable grounds for guarding yourself and the young king against the
+counsels of the duke."
+
+"For this important warning accept my heartiest thanks, noble count,"
+replied the queen, as she extended her hand, which, while he bent
+before her, he pressed to his lips with concealed ardour.
+
+Having quickly resumed his former respectful demeanour, he
+continued:--"I regret that what I and so poor a statesman as my late
+jester have brought to light, must, for the present, remain a secret,
+noble queen. At a Retter-Ting, where it can only be fought with words,
+I am of little service; but I would have willingly proved with my good
+sword, in honest combat with the duke, before the whole knighthood,
+that he is a nidding and a traitor, had not your trusty counsellors
+convinced me that I should thereby only expose your grace and the
+kingdom to the greatest danger. Indeed, I now see clearly that, for the
+present, it imports much to be at peace with him; and therefore he
+shall have peace from me, until a future time. But permit me, noble
+queen, henceforth to join the ranks of your own and the young king's
+bodyguard, and grant that the protection of your royal person may also
+form a portion of my duty."
+
+"I choose you for my knight and protector, brave Count Gerhard,"
+replied the queen, in a cordial tone; "and, as a pledge, accept this
+remembrance of my bereaved and sorrowful position by the throne of
+Denmark."
+
+As she spoke, she untied her black veil, which she handed to him;
+whilst he, kneeling in knightly fashion, pressed the pledge of
+confidence to his lips, and then concealed it in his bosom.
+
+"My colour was formerly crimson," added the queen, in a sorrowful
+accent, as she looked mildly towards Drost Peter. "This faithful friend
+to the royal house once wore it, as you doubtless remember; but no good
+fortune attended it. It was, moreover, borrowed, and, in truth, did not
+become me. I then determined that no man should wear it with my
+consent. The colour of night and disappointment has now become mine, as
+it has become that of Denmark. If its sight inspires you not with pain,
+Count Gerhard, as mine and the country's faithful friend wear it until
+morning again breaks on Denmark."
+
+Count Gerhard, who had again risen, felt more intoxicated with joy than
+he had ever been before.
+
+"As long as God permits me to live in this fair world," he exclaimed,
+while a tear glistened in his eye, "so long at least, noble queen, I
+will think only of showing myself worthy of your confidence, and of
+being, from my heart's core, a faithful friend to your grace and to the
+Danish kingdom. For your sake, so I promised long ago to this your
+brave knight;" adding, as he seized the hand of Drost Peter--"he still
+wears the rosy red in secret; but now I fight not with him concerning
+it, for I know it is Lady Ingé's gage and hairband."
+
+A blush suffused the cheeks of Drost Peter, and the queen also seemed
+perplexed by the indiscreetness of the plain-spoken count.
+
+"True--this is another matter," hastily added the latter, as he
+observed the embarrassment he had caused: "it was perhaps a secret,
+respecting which I should have been silent; but this is what I would
+say, most noble queen, that, next to myself, you have not a more
+sincere admirer in the world than is Drost Hessel. We two shall now
+contend in earnest for the privilege of permanently wearing your
+colour. It imports not to me whether it is black or red, since it is
+your's; but this I know, that if there exists in the world one who can
+restore to your mind that joy and happiness you were surely born to
+possess, I would gladly give my only remaining eye to be that one; and
+then, although I could never more see your fair face and lovely form, I
+should still feel happy in knowing that you were pleased with the blind
+Count Gerhard."
+
+The cordial sincerity with which he uttered these words, caused the
+queen and Drost Peter to overlook their want of delicacy and propriety.
+It was evident, however, from the manner of the queen, that she desired
+to terminate this extraordinary visit, and the direction the
+conversation had taken. Young Erik, too, who had been listening
+attentively, seemed to think that the count's speech had nothing to do
+with the dangerous business that had brought them thither.
+
+"Let this subject be ended, Count Gerhard!" he exclaimed, impatiently.
+"My mother will be happy enough again when we have taken measures
+against the faithlessness of the duke, and restored the kingdom to
+security. We shall not set out to-morrow for Viborg: his traitor-army
+is there encamped, you say. If I am to be King of Denmark, I will be
+anointed and crowned forthwith. If it is the will of Providence that I
+should be betrayed and murdered, as my father and grandfather were, I
+shall die a lawful king, and it shall not be well for the traitors who
+dare to lay hands upon the Lord's anointed, young as he may be."
+
+"Thy will shall be done, my son," replied the queen, patting his
+glowing cheeks. "Thy wish was also Sir John's, and that of the whole
+council, before, in my blindness, I mistook the smooth words of the
+duke for sincere attachment. To-morrow we shall set out, not for
+Viborg, but for Skielskioer; and, when thou art proclaimed in Zealand,
+we shall proceed to the coronation at Lund. But let me advise. The
+duke, as my most courteous knight, shall accompany us. He must not
+perceive the slightest symptom of distrust on our part. To you,
+gentlemen, I confide our security on the way."
+
+"Yes--let it be so!" cried the young king, joyfully. "The Almighty, and
+Our dear Holy Lady, will assuredly protect us. Good night, my dear
+mother. You can now sleep securely, for Sir John is stationed in the
+guard-chamber, and these trusty gentlemen will remain tonight in the
+palace."
+
+"God keep his hand over thee, my son!" exclaimed the queen, as she
+fondly kissed his smooth forehead. "Thank Heaven, with me, for having
+preserved to us these devoted and faithful friends in our hour of need
+and danger."
+
+With queenlike dignity she then bowed to the two knights, who, with the
+young king, retired through the same private door by which they had
+entered.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+At early morning of the following day, the queen's travelling-car, with
+six milk-white steeds attached, stood before the castle-steps, attended
+by many smartly dressed outriders and grooms. More than thirty squires
+were grouped about, with their masters' horses in charge; foremost
+among whom was conspicuous, by his gray suit, emblazoned with the
+Sleswick lions, the attendant of the duke, who, with great ostentation,
+was allowing his master's noble steed, covered with splendid trappings,
+to prance and gambol about. Near him stood Daddy Longlegs, bearing
+Count Gerhard's simple shield, in the shape of a nettle-leaf, and
+holding a strong brown stallion by the bridle. Skirmen, carrying Drost
+Peter's mantle and shield, stood by his master's horse, apparently lost
+in contemplating the faces of the ducal lions, which resembled wolves
+more than the animals they were intended to represent. As he turned
+with his impatient charger in the direction of the Strand-gate, he was
+delighted to observe a great bustle among the ferrymen, and to see the
+royal flag carried from the house of the alderman.
+
+"We are off for Melfert, and then for Jutland," observed Longlegs to
+him. "I thought, however, your master had a keener nose."
+
+"You might wish your's were half as keen, Longlegs," replied Skirmen;
+"and then, perhaps, you would not allow your master's horse to turn his
+tail in the direction he is to ride."
+
+"But I know that people do not ride or drive over the Great Belt in the
+month of May," returned the old jester. "It might be quite as well,
+however, while the wind sits in this quarter."
+
+"What mean you, Longlegs? The wind is in the right quarter for the
+Great Belt."
+
+"Ay, but not for the Little. The boatmen say it is the duke's wind; and
+when we have that against us, a sagacious nose, like that of your
+master, should smell the straw from the barn of Finnerup."
+
+"Turn the car and horses!" ordered Drost Peter, who suddenly appeared
+at the top of the steps: "the royal family ride to the haven."
+
+When the squires had obeyed, Drost Peter re-entered; and in a few
+moments the queen, leaning on the arm of the duke, and the little king,
+with his sister Mereté and Junker Christopherson, issued from the
+palace and entered the car. Notwithstanding the polite behaviour of the
+duke, an air of displeasure was visible in his smile.
+
+"We dare not offer you a seat in a lady's car, Duke Waldemar," observed
+the queen; "and, besides, you are too good a horseman to desire it."
+
+The duke replied by a polite bow, and vaulted into his saddle.
+
+When all were mounted, "To the quay!" cried Sir John to the postilions;
+and, followed by a long train of knights, the royal car rolled across
+the castle-square, down to the old Strand-gate by the canal, and from
+thence to the harbour, accompanied by a great crowd of curious
+spectators, shouting with joy, while the young king saluted them, and
+the queen cordially returned their greetings.
+
+"They are going to have him proclaimed at Skielskioer, and then crowned
+in Lund," they cried; and a thousand shouts of homage and blessing
+ascended from every quarter.
+
+The following day was fixed for the proclamation in Skielskioer; and,
+by the arrangement of Sir John and Drost Peter, the Archbishop of Lund
+had departed over night, in a swift vessel, to prepare everything for
+the king's reception and coronation in Lund.
+
+At Nyborg Haven all was ready for the embarkation, and they were
+speedily on board. In the royal smack, on which the duke had embarked,
+were also the drost, the chancellor, and Count Gerhard, together with
+Sir John and the royal trabants. To the duke's astonishment the royal
+smack was accompanied by six large galleys, strongly manned with
+soldiers. His own numerous train of knights and retainers, with Dean
+Grand, and many ecclesiastics, who had attended the Dane-court, in
+three smaller vessels, followed the king's smack, which, with a brisk
+and favourable wind, left the fiord.
+
+Almost at the same time, a light-built sloop ran out from the coast,
+which Skirmen informed his master he took for a Norse freebooter, and
+on board which he had observed the duke's squire to spring before they
+left the haven. Drost Peter strictly scrutinised the suspicious vessel,
+which, however, was speedily out of sight.
+
+The weather was fine; and as the queen stood at the stern, gazing back
+on the Funen coast, which was still crowded with people, waving their
+caps and cheering lustily, the duke approached her with an air of
+boldness and candour.
+
+"This sudden change in your determination has surprised me, noble
+queen," he observed, in a tone intended for one of reproach more than
+of displeasure: "but I must suppose your grace has weightier reasons
+for it than those you have deigned to communicate to me. I cannot
+believe that a restless night and a singular dream could have such an
+influence on our wise and strong-minded mistress. That, as your dutiful
+knight, I respect and obey as commands even your most inexplicable
+humours, you now perceive. I must, however, observe that, at this
+critical juncture, by these frequent gatherings of the people, and by
+this coronation journey, we expose the kingdom to the greatest danger,
+and afford the outlaws the opportunity they pant for of revenging
+themselves--nothing being too daring for them to attempt, in the first
+flush of their enraged feelings."
+
+"To entertain any such fear, in your presence and that of so many bold
+knights, would but insult you," replied the queen. "Besides, as you may
+observe, I have considerably strengthened my body-guard. I am not
+insensible to your delicacy or your chivalrous submission to what you
+deem my humours and weaknesses," she continued; "and I certainly owe
+you a better explanation than you have yet received of the reasons
+which have led me to change my determination. In important affairs of
+state, it may seem truly unwise to be guided by dreams, presentiments,
+and all such considerations as are held in contempt by your stronger
+sex; and weaknesses of this description have not hitherto been imputed
+to me. But still you must allow, that a dream of warning, in connection
+with the dark remembrances of my life, may justly carry with it a
+considerable weight. Neither is it so unwise to hasten the completion
+of a ceremony which, in the popular estimation, can alone sanctify and
+protect the crown against the vindictiveness of traitors. Besides,
+without any whimsey, as you may term it, the actual sight of the
+regicides, at the Dane-court yesterday, might well dissuade me from
+approaching at present the crypt chapel of Viborg, or the barn of
+Finnerup."
+
+The duke rapidly changed colour. "Most noble queen!" he hastily
+exclaimed, "your dreams and presentiments are surely not connected with
+these horrible events?"
+
+"Partly. You are aware, Duke Waldemar, that grayfriars' cloaks
+concealed the traitors on that fearful St. Cecilia's night. I dreamt
+last night of these twelve men, and that they bore the crown of Denmark
+on the points of their spears. They seemed to me like wolves in sheep's
+clothing, and at their head stood one whose face was entirely concealed
+by his hood."
+
+"And him you took for Marsk Stig?" hastily interrupted the duke. "You
+have reason, indeed, to beware of him, and therefore---"
+
+"And therefore have I changed my resolution," she continued "I saw you,
+too--"
+
+"Me?" ejaculated the duke: "you do me great honour; but I hope that, in
+this dream, you did not find me among those whom your grace knows I
+abhor and condemn."
+
+"Methought you stood by my side, and, by your paleness and agitation, I
+perceived that you, too, trembled at the sight of the tottering crown
+on the murderers' spears. I fancied that the guardian saint of Denmark,
+the holy King Canute, stood before me, and said--'The anointed one
+shall wear the crown until his death.' Can it surprise you, then, that
+such a warning should determine me to accomplish what is already
+desired by the council and by the whole people? Before your arrival in
+Nyborg, it was so resolved; for to delay the proclamation and act of
+homage in Skielskioer, and to defer the coronation, would have but the
+effect of exciting popular discontent."
+
+The queen paused, and looked scrutinisingly at the duke. "If I see
+aright," she added, "one portion of my dream is already fulfilled: you
+are now, assuredly, standing quite pale by my side."
+
+"I cannot at all times bear the sea-breeze," he replied, passing his
+hand across his face. "But indeed, noble queen," he added, in a
+careless tone, "if you consider these ceremonies as so important, I
+shall not persuade you to delay them. Since, however, Denmark's patron
+saint has condescended to make you a revelation, I can only wish that
+he had been somewhat more explicit: to wear the crown until his death,
+is saying little; to wear it long and happily, would be better worth
+revealing. But whether this is the road to it, I know not."
+
+"I know not either," rejoined the queen; "but, in Heaven's name, let us
+try it."
+
+As the young king, accompanied by Sir John and Count Gerhard, now drew
+near, this subject was broken off, and the conversation turned on
+indifferent topics. Sir John was jocular, and the royal party soon
+assumed the appearance of great gaiety. Drost Peter remained silent and
+reserved. But Count Gerhard felt so happy with the secret pledge of the
+queen's confidence which he carried in his bosom, that he yielded
+himself entirely to the current of his natural humour, and far excelled
+the others in amusing the queen. The duke strove in vain to regain his
+pre-eminence; but the endeavour to conceal his uneasy feelings deprived
+him of his usual sprightliness, and his forced compliments and pleasant
+conceits, with Count Gerhard's dry additions, often provoked a laugh,
+by no means flattering to him, but in which he was nevertheless obliged
+to join.
+
+They were now approaching Skielskioer, where multitudes of people
+crowded both sides of the fiord, which divides the town into two almost
+equal parts. Young Erik was standing at the prow, by the side of
+Chancellor Martinus, listening attentively to what that learned
+gentleman was relating concerning Henrik Ĉmeldorf's rebellion against
+his grandfather, King Christopher Waldemarson.
+
+"It is now five and thirty years ago, my young king and master,"
+said the chancellor, "but it appears to me as if it had happened
+but yesterday: it was the very week after I had gained, in the
+chapter-house, my first palm in logic. Here your late grandfather
+landed with his army, to force the proud rebel to submission, and
+compel his homage. The town and castle, you must be aware, were legally
+in the power of the general, having been given him in pledge by King
+Abel for military pay; but he was grievously wrong in refusing homage
+to the king, and in stirring up the people to rebel against him. That
+deep trench there, across the town's-field, was cast up by the
+rebellious Ĉmeldorf, and on the other side he had a strong garrison to
+defend it."
+
+"And my grandfather was beaten, and compelled to fly from the rebels?"
+exclaimed the youthful monarch. "That was truly provoking. Had he,
+then, no brave and trusty men in his army?"
+
+"Many," replied the chancellor; "but what avails our strength, when the
+Lord intends to chastise us? The godless traitors, however, did not
+long retain their advantage. The following year your royal grandfather
+again came, like a stern and mighty judge, and the Lord was with him
+then. The city was taken and burnt, the leader of the rebels obliged to
+fly, and his adherents received the punishment due to traitors on
+yonder field--there, where the Retter-Ting and diets are now held.
+_Soli Deo gloria!_"
+
+"And there shall homage be rendered me to-morrow," observed King Erik.
+"It is strange! If this occurred but thirty years ago, there must be
+many still living whose friends and kinsmen were then executed."
+
+"It certainly may be so," replied the chancellor: "the race of the
+ungodly man is not uprooted from the earth. Might I counsel you, my
+young king, I would say, remove the Zealand Dane-court to another city,
+to avoid those gloomy recollections and forebodings of evil to which
+the superstition of the people will easily give birth. 'Tis true, the
+power and fortunes of kings are in the hands of God alone; but
+shortsighted men will sometimes see evil, where the Lord purposes only
+good; and, on what they deem an unlucky spot, they will not easily
+rejoice or be filled with faith in temporal prosperity."
+
+"Entertain you any distrust of my dear subjects here, reverend
+sir?" inquired Erik. "See how joyfully they wave their caps. And,
+listen--they already salute me with shouts of welcome."
+
+"The people, thank Heaven, are faithful and ardent," replied the
+chancellor; "but should the outlaws appear here, to protest against
+their sentence, they would, I fear much, find many adherents; for
+where, indeed, are not the sons of Satan? Still, you have with you
+faithful men, sir king; and, with the assistance of the King of kings,
+you have nothing to fear. If I see aright, Rimaardson also is here."
+
+The royal smack had now reached the quay, where the royal party were
+received by the town's-governor and the burghers, as also by Sir Bent
+Rimaardson, who, with his galley, had newly arrived from Taarborg. The
+kinsman of the queen, and a faithful friend to the royal house, he was
+justly held in the greatest respect. The execution of his brother,
+along with Niels Breakpeace and his band, had rendered him yet more
+melancholy than before; but he sought, by the most vigilant activity,
+to efface the ignominy that thus attached to his noble race. Since the
+surprisal of Rypen House, in which he had taken an active part, he had
+been cruising about the coasts, for the purpose of protecting them
+against the Norse freebooters; and a pirate-vessel, that he had
+recently captured, now lay in Skielskioer fiord. When he had saluted
+the royal family, he begged to be permitted to accompany them to the
+Hovgaard, as the castle is called, where, he said, he had some tidings
+to impart.
+
+"If your tidings are good, Sir Rimaardson, let us hear them here,"
+exclaimed the youthful king. "Yet, nay," he added, "this is not the
+place for that."
+
+The air of suspicion which Sir Rimaardson wore did not escape old Sir
+John, who also, as well as the chancellor, had observed the duke and
+Master Grand exchange uneasy and significant glances, when they
+discovered the captured pirate in the fiord.
+
+Whilst the royal personages, amidst the acclamations of the people,
+repaired to the castle, Rimaardson hastily took Drost Peter aside.
+"There are traitors in the town," he whispered: "guard well the king,
+and keep an eye upon the duke. Had you crossed the Little Belt to-day,
+you had fallen into the hands of the marsk. A Norse fleet, with, it is
+rumoured, the Norse king himself, is lying at Ekeroe. The marsk, at
+this instant perhaps, burns one half of Funen with--"
+
+"Just Providence!" exclaimed Drost Peter, "when stood a Danish king so
+surrounded by foes and traitors! Would only that he were anointed and
+crowned!"
+
+"Would only that the duke had never left Sjöborg Tower!" whispered
+Rimaardson.
+
+"He may again be there," exclaimed the drost, with flashing eyes; while
+the approach of the duke, at that moment, put an end to their private
+conference.
+
+When the royal party were alone in the castle, they learned from Sir
+Rimaardson what he had just confided to Drost Peter. He produced, at
+the same time, a packet of intercepted letters from Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard in Norway, and from Marsk Stig, to Duke Waldemar, Master
+Grand, and Count Jacob of Halland, by which the league of the outlaws
+with the King of Norway, and their entire plans for overturning the
+Danish throne, were clearly discovered. Of the letters from the duke's
+drost, some were addressed, under ecclesiastical seals, to Dean Grand
+of Roskild, directing him to attend to the duke and the disaffected
+nobles of the kingdom. From these it appeared that Marsk Stig and the
+outlaws intended to place the duke upon the vacant throne, if he would
+faithfully join them, and seize the opportunity of getting the royal
+family into his power. By the letters to Count Jacob it appeared, on
+the contrary, that the marsk and the outlaws could not depend upon the
+duke, and that they had promised the crown of Denmark to the Norse
+king, if he would assist them with a fleet, and promise to reinstate
+them in their rights and dignities. These important letters were found
+on board the captured freebooter, the crew of which were then lying
+bound in the castle-dungeons.
+
+This discovery excited the greatest alarm in the minds of the queen and
+her son, who immediately called into their secret council Sir John,
+Drost Peter, and Master Martin. Every necessary precaution was
+instantly adopted; and, by Sir John's advice, the duke was to be
+admitted only in appearance into their councils, and but half informed
+of what had been discovered. The intercepted letters, which betrayed
+his connection with the outlaws, were carefully concealed; and it was
+deemed prudent to communicate to him only the letters to Count Jacob,
+respecting the marsk's audacious proposals to the Norwegian king.
+
+When this resolution was adopted, they requested the attendance of the
+duke, whose astonishment at the discovery they made to him seemed real
+and natural. The marsk and the other outlaws he reprobated in the
+strongest terms, and cordially approved of all the measures which the
+council had taken to defend the country against the Norwegians.
+
+In the meanwhile, Count Gerhard had disembarked the royal troops, and
+quartered them in the town; and stationing a considerable body of them
+at the castle, he himself took his place in the ante-chamber, as
+captain of the guard.
+
+When Drost Peter and Sir John left the royal closet, the cheeks of the
+former were flushed with anger, by which, and his flashing eyes, it was
+evident that some bold project was in his mind.
+
+"Wretched weakness!" he exclaimed. "Have we not now sufficient proofs
+of his treachery? Why should we not arrest him, as a traitor, on the
+spot?"
+
+"Prudence, my young friend," replied old John.
+
+"Your prudence drives me mad!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "I can no longer
+bear to see the traitor amongst us, as our master and the ruler of the
+kingdom. If we be not beforehand with him, he will be beforehand with
+us, as old Henner said. It must now break or bear--"
+
+"It will break unless we are cautious," interrupted the old knight,
+emphatically. "So long as he contrives to wear the mask, he is of
+service to us; but the moment he casts it aside, he must be
+overthrown."
+
+"Good: one word will suffice for that."
+
+"Beware of that word, Drost Peter, for by it you may perhaps overturn
+the throne of Denmark. Yet one thing," added the old man, in a
+sorrowful tone, as he cast a look of anxious concern on his excited
+friend: "are you aware that the father of our faithful Ingé was the
+bearer of these treasonable letters, and now lies a prisoner in the
+tower?"
+
+Drost Peter seemed horror-struck. "Merciful Heaven!--Sir Lavé!" he
+exclaimed. "I can hardly doubt it. But is his crime quite evident?"
+
+"He was on board the freebooter, and in his care the letters were
+found. What he can urge in his own defence, I know not. To-morrow he is
+to be heard before the council; and on account of our relationship with
+him, I have requested that you and I may be then exempted from sitting
+as his judges."
+
+"Poor Ingé!" sighed Drost Peter. "Where is she? What have you done with
+her? She referred me to you, who have coldly and sternly avoided every
+question on the subject. But I can no longer refrain. What does she in
+Sweden, while we imprison and condemn her father here?"
+
+"You shall know all, and will approve of it," replied Sir John, as he
+seized his hand. "Follow me to the chancellor. For the sake of Ingé, I
+could wish that Sir Lavé might, to-morrow, frustrate us all; although,
+were I his judge, there were small hopes of his deliverance. But that
+office lies with the duke, and one raven does not pick out the eye of
+another. As far as this goes, we may rejoice at the miscarriage of
+justice, and that we have a traitor for the kingdom's protector." So
+saying, he passed his hand over his eyes with much emotion, and drew
+Drost Peter along with him.
+
+In the middle of the castle-yard stood a small gloomy tower, the stone
+vaults of which served as a prison. In one of these subterranean
+dungeons lay Sir Lavé. He stirred not but with dreadful apprehension,
+and seemed terrified at the clank of his own chains. At every sound he
+huddled himself up, and gazed earnestly on the securely bolted iron
+door; but it opened not. A small grating, looking forth upon the
+castle-yard, was situated high in the wall. This, with the aid of an
+old block of wood, which some wretched captive had formerly dragged
+after him, and a few loose stones, he succeeded, after considerable
+labour, in reaching. Here he saw Sir John and Drost Peter pass by; but
+he was afraid to meet his kinsman's look, and indignation choked his
+voice as he was about to call on Drost Peter to save him. He wept and
+wrung his hands, but regained courage when he perceived several of the
+duke's people passing to and fro. He then drew out a little note, which
+he had concealed in his sleeve, anxiously hiding it at every suspicious
+noise, and pulling it forth again when a follower of the duke appeared.
+
+The young king showed himself for a moment on the balcony and was
+received by the curious spectators in the court below with shouts and
+waving of caps. This spectacle greatly agitated the captive, who, again
+concealing the letter, shortly afterwards became absorbed in deep and
+gloomy thought, in which he remained until the moonbeams, penetrating
+his cell, announced to him the approach of night. At that moment he
+perceived the duke descend the castle-stairs, and proceed to that wing
+of the castle appropriated to him. Preceding him was a royal page,
+bearing a torch, and six of his knights attended him at a little
+distance. His air was thoughtful; and, as he approached the grating of
+the dungeon, a gleam of hope inspired with courage the despairing
+prisoner. He coughed. The duke heard it, and looked towards the
+grating.
+
+"Drop your glove, Duke Waldemar," whispered the captive knight, as he
+rolled the letter up, and threw it forth.
+
+The duke dropped his glove as desired, and, in picking it up again,
+also secured the letter.
+
+"There lies one of the traitors from Norway, awaiting the gallows," he
+exclaimed aloud, as he threw an indignant glance towards the dungeon,
+and passed on, regardless of the deep sigh that burst from the heart of
+the despairing prisoner.
+
+Skirmen, who, by his master's orders, was observing every motion of the
+duke, was at this instant concealed in the deep shadow of a corner,
+near the tower. The moment the duke had disappeared, the trusty squire
+came forth, and was hastening to his master, when he was arrested by a
+voice from the grating.
+
+"In the name of the merciful God, listen to me, young man!" exclaimed
+the captive knight. "Art not thou Drost Hessel's squire?"
+
+"At your service," answered Skirmen, as he stopped.
+
+"Inform your master, then," stammered the prisoner, "that the man who
+once saved Drost Peter Hessel's life and preserved his freedom, would
+now converse with him a moment for the sake of his own mind's peace.
+Tell him that I can reveal to him something of great importance. But
+time presses."
+
+"I shall deliver your message," replied Skirmen, as he hastened away.
+
+The prisoner descended from his dangerous seat, and carefully removed
+the means by which he had reached the grating. He then seated himself
+sorrowfully on the block beneath it, and listened anxiously to every
+sound he heard. Some time elapsed thus, when at length the rattling of
+the gaoler's keys, and the withdrawing of the bolts one by one from the
+door, announced a visitor. In another moment Drost Peter stood in the
+cell with him.
+
+The moonlight through the grating fell upon the pale face of the
+prisoner, who remained in a crouching posture, without daring to raise
+his eyes. The drost stood for an instant, silently contemplating him.
+In the half-despairing countenance before him, there was that which
+reminded him bitterly both of Lady Ingé and the brave Sir John--some of
+the lineaments of the noble race of Littles. Tears stood in his eyes.
+
+"Miserable man!" he exclaimed, at length, "what can I effect for your
+peace? And of what have you to unburden yourself to me?"
+
+"Tell me truly, Peter Hessel," asked the prisoner, in a trembling
+voice, but with a tone of parental familiarity that reminded the drost
+of the relation in which they had stood in his youthful days, "are thou
+and Cousin John to be my judges?"
+
+"Nay, Heaven be praised! Our relationship to you exempts us from that
+duty."
+
+"I may, then, hope for mercy; for from thee and Sir John I could expect
+only what you call justice. But God help us all, if we must be treated
+according to our deserts!"
+
+"Sir Lavé," interrupted Drost Peter, "think you, then, that there is
+not a powerful, perhaps an all too-powerful voice, which pleads for you
+both in my breast and that of old kinsman?"
+
+"I believe it, and will prove to thee my sincerity," replied the
+prisoner, "since, as thou art not to sit in judgment on me, I can
+venture to unburden my heart to thee."
+
+He arose, and threw on the drost a penetrating look, while he continued
+in the same familiar tone:--"Misfortune has now taught me what thou in
+vain wouldst have had me believe in time. I now perceive that no
+success or blessing attends rebellion against lawfully constituted
+authority, even when instigated by the purest attachment to freedom and
+fatherland. By the law, my doom is death; but the prerogative of mercy
+lies with the king, in whose hands I place my life and fate. I had no
+share in his father's death, and he can therefore pardon me. Had I seen
+him before, as I have seen him to-day, I should not now be in this
+dungeon. The stern Marsk Stig himself, I firmly believe, could not
+look the youthful monarch in the face and deny him the name of king.
+I cannot now blame thee, Peter Hessel, who wert his tutor and
+weapon-master, for entertaining the greatest hopes of him. If he spare
+my life, I will swear fealty to him, and reveal matters of importance.
+Tell him I will confess my sins to the chancellor, and atone for my
+crimes in a state-prison. Tell him--"
+
+"Kind Heaven!" exclaimed Drost Peter, joyfully, as he seized Sir Lavé's
+trembling hand, "dare I believe? Has, then, the Almighty heard my
+petition, and inclined your heart to faith and honour. You will be
+loyal and attached to our young king--you will confess all, and swear
+him fealty--you will atone your treason--and he will--he must pardon
+you. But he does not govern alone," he added, with a sigh; "and,
+without the concurrence of the queen and the duke, his wishes will
+avail you not."
+
+Sir Lavé's pale cheeks flushed, and for an instant he remained silent.
+"The duke cannot condemn me," at length he whispered, with a smile of
+confidence: "I have taken care of that. The will of the king I know
+thou canst easily determine, and a favourable word to the queen would
+perhaps also find a willing ear. There was a time when Peter Hessel was
+all-powerful with the fair Queen Agnes--"
+
+A frown gathered on Drost Peter's brow, for the expression of Sir
+Lavé's features did not please him. The joy he had felt at his
+conversion quickly disappeared, while the discovery that Skirmen had
+just imparted to him suddenly presented itself to his mind.
+
+"As a man, I may perhaps venture to speak, where, as drost, I must be
+silent," he replied, sternly; "but I can only venture to do so when I
+am convinced of your sincerity, and that you are not, even here, taking
+counsel against the king and country."
+
+"What! do you still doubt me, Drost Peter?" asked Sir Lavé, in a tone
+of terror and bitterness. "I say I am converted to your state-creed.
+Must you see me howl in sackcloth and ashes before you believe me?
+Intercede for me, Peter Hessel! and you will find that I am not
+ungrateful," he continued, fawningly. "Thy father was my friend, and
+what I promised him on his deathbed I have not forgotten. Save my life
+now, as once I saved thine, and my hand shall no longer separate what a
+mightier than mine hath joined together."
+
+Drost Peter was much affected; but observing a cunning smile on Sir
+Lavé's restless features, he felt, with wounded self-esteem, how nearly
+he had been befooled.
+
+"Not even for that prize, Sir Lavé, shall I forfeit my fidelity," he
+exclaimed, warmly. "If, without self-abasement, I intercede and promise
+for you, I must first be convinced that we dare trust you. What
+connection subsists between the duke and you? and what was the purport
+of the letter which, but half an hour ago, you bade him pick up with
+his glove?"
+
+Sir Lavé became pale with terror. "Letter!--what letter?" he stammered
+out. But perceiving the uselessness of denial, he continued:--"Well, as
+you appear to be omniscient, it was so: but I swear it contained
+nothing but what was true--that I was an incautious fool, and had
+brought letters to land which would perhaps occasion the duke
+embarrassment, if I did not explain the nature of them. I can testify
+that they were written by his enemies, and, being intercepted, might
+lay him under the suspicion of having private intercourse with the
+outlaws."
+
+"Wretched man!" interrupted Drost Peter: "on the brink of a gulph you
+are still playing with two sharp-edged swords, both of which will fall
+with deadly force upon your head. I cannot--I dare not, now intercede
+for you. I should myself be an enemy to Denmark and the royal house,
+and a traitor to my country, should I do so. But I will provide for the
+peace of your soul. Within an hour the chancellor will visit you.
+Confess yourself sincerely to him, and bethink of your eternal weal. He
+may then, perhaps, beg mercy for you from the pitying God."
+
+"Alas, alas! let, then, the chancellor come, and prepare me for death!"
+groaned Sir Lavé, as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "I
+must now put my hope in God, for in man there is no mercy! Alas! could
+my Ingé see how hardhearted you are, Drost Peter, she would never love
+the man who can treat so cruelly her unfortunate father."
+
+"Heaven is my witness," sorrowfully exclaimed Drost Peter, laying his
+hand upon his breast, "that it cuts me to the soul that I cannot trust
+you better. You would win the duke with false witness, and me with a
+false hope; and would, if you could, make my affection traitor to my
+loyalty.  Nay, Sir Lavé Little, you are not thus to be saved. Truth
+only can save you, the country, and us all. God give your unstable mind
+constancy and strength to resolve earnestly on that to which you now
+only pretend for the purpose of saving yourself before a human
+tribunal!"
+
+With these words he left the dungeon, and Sir Lavé sank with a groan
+upon the stone floor, where the fear of death wrung a sincere prayer
+from his bosom.
+
+Half an hour afterwards, Chancellor Martinus, in his Dominican habit,
+with his breviary and a candle in his hand, was admitted to the anxious
+captive, whom he found in a state of such bewilderment and mental
+conflict, that the philosophical chancellor found it impossible to
+understand his incoherent and contradictory expressions.
+
+"Is it you who are to prepare me for death?" asked the prisoner,
+starting up with a wild stare. "Ha! it is time. The wheel and stile are
+ready. Drost Peter will not intercede for me; and my child, my poor
+child, she will die of shame for her miserable father. But my
+punishment is just," he continued, sinking his voice to a whisper: "I
+nodded--see, I nodded thus--in that horrible council. That nod cost me
+perhaps my salvation, and King Erik Christopherson his life. Was I not
+among the twelve in Finnerup barn? Nay, nay, that was but a dream!"
+he exclaimed, vehemently--"that night I only betrayed my master's
+castle--his blood is not upon my hand, and will not be visited upon my
+head. But I heard the woe-cry from his coffin: from the grave it
+came--nay, from hell itself! It yet rings in my ears. To be doomed an
+outlaw by men is nothing--but outlawed, eternally outlawed from heaven,
+I became at that hour. I am an unfortunate man!" He paused and sighed.
+"Ha! but misfortune shall not strike me down," he continued, strutting
+boldly across the dungeon--"I am of noble birth, and die not as a
+traitor, but as a patriot and the foe of tyrants. What wilt thou with
+me, clerk? Thou art no confessor of mine--thou art not the bold dean
+who bids defiance to kings and kaisers. I know thee well: thou art the
+book-worm from Antvorskov, the learned chancellor--thou wert the
+tyrants' friend, and now wouldst outlaw and put under the ban every
+free-minded Dane. Comest thou hither to shrive me to-night, ere thou
+doomest me to the wheel to-morrow? Nay, nay--that thou mayst spare
+thyself, my very learned sir. A wise statesman can hold his tongue, and
+die like a heathen, without shrift or penitence."
+
+He continued for some time raving in this wild manner, now accusing
+himself as the greatest criminal, and now boasting his high birth and
+political sagacity, but at length recovered himself, and burst into
+tears.
+
+The learned Master Martinus had several times vainly attempted to stop
+him, to point out the rules in _logica_ against which he was offending;
+but the zealous carer for souls now triumphed over the philosopher,
+and he seized this favourable opportunity of exhorting to repentance
+the despairing sinner before him; and, in the supposition that he had
+been among the regicides, he became stern and vehement, and thundered
+forth the most fearful threatenings of the law against traitors and
+man-slayers.
+
+"Nay, nay!" exclaimed Sir Lavé, "I am no regicide; but still I must
+surely perish, unless there dwells pity with Heaven and the Holy
+Church. Listen, and I will shrive!"
+
+He then threw himself at the feet of the chancellor, and confessed
+every step he had taken, relating how he had been inveigled into the
+conspiracy, and protesting that he had, however, taken no share in his
+kinsman's sanguinary revenge.
+
+"Drost Peter was right," he exclaimed: "the truth alone can save me and
+all of us. Even at that hour I would have deceived him, and he cannot
+trust--he cannot sue for mercy for me. Let justice, then, overtake me.
+Here I must be condemned; but save, oh save my soul from the eternal
+death!"
+
+"Your sin is great," answered the chancellor, who was much affected;
+"but those who abused your weakness, have more to atone for than you
+have." He then, in the blessed words of the Gospel, exhorted him to
+repentance, and in the name of the Holy Church granted him indulgence
+for his sins, should he continue firm in his repentance, and true to
+the change of conduct he had promised. "Even your earthly judges," he
+added, "I hope to soften, after this your confession. What you have
+confided to me no man shall know without your own permission; but allow
+me to reveal it to the queen and our young king, and I promise that
+time shall be accorded you for repentance in a bearable state-prison."
+
+"Reveal it to all!" exclaimed Sir Lavé, embracing his knees with
+trembling arms. "In the wall of my closet at Flynderborg is a secret
+depository, where lie the proofs of my greatest crime. Let all the
+world know it, but let me not die thus in my sin. Spare but my
+life--this wretched life--and I will gladly hide myself and my shame in
+Denmark's darkest prison. Reveal all!" he continued, in the accents of
+fear and anxiety--"tell them, too, that there will be a tumult here
+to-morrow, if they take not means to prevent it. The outlaws are here,
+and, with the assistance of the duke, will possess themselves of the
+king's person. I have even brought the duke the letter respecting it."
+
+"Merciful Heaven!" exclaimed the chancellor, who, terrified, suddenly
+rose and knocked violently at the prison-door, which was quickly opened
+for him.
+
+The prisoner attempted to escape with him; but a violent blow from the
+sturdy turnkey threw him backwards on the stone floor, without
+consciousness.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+An innumerable multitude of people from all quarters of Zealand were
+assembled in Skielskioer, to see and do homage to the young king. All
+the villages in the environs were thronged, for the town, which had
+been half burnt down in the feud between King Christopher and Henrik
+Ĉmeldorf, had not yet recovered its former prosperity, and could with
+difficulty accommodate but an inconsiderable portion of the strangers.
+
+These throngs were further augmented by the friends and adherents of
+the outlawed noblemen, who had assembled in great numbers, in
+consequence of the rumour that the murderers of King Erik
+Christopherson had been personally cited to hear their doom, and that
+they intended to defend their cause before the people, and protest
+against the sentence of outlawry.
+
+As evening approached the tumults and contentions which occurred
+between these partisans and the populace became so frequent, that the
+town-governor was compelled to call on the royal landsknechts to assist
+him in keeping order.
+
+On the following morning, when the matin-bell had rung from the lofty
+spire of St. Nicholas, the people were already assembled in the
+Thing-place, and in the large area before the Hovgaard, to witness the
+procession of the royal family to the Dane-court; but hour after hour
+elapsed, and the royal party appeared not. The castle was encircled
+by the royal landsknechts and a body of the burgher-guard, whilst,
+posted before the gate, at the head of a small party of the queen's
+life-horse, were Drost Peter and Count Gerhard. Both appeared
+thoughtful. Drost Peter still carried his right arm in a sling; but,
+like a skilful swordsman, he knew how to support at need his weapon
+with his left.
+
+As it appeared, they had hoped to prevent all tumult at the
+proclamation, and had found it impolitic to break with the duke. The
+inner courts of the castle had, in the meanwhile, by the drost's
+arrangements, been secretly filled with the remaining portion of the
+queen's life-horse, which were supposed to have been left on board the
+ships. These, the most trusty of the royal troops, had orders to
+advance and secure the duke, the instant they saw the drawn sword in
+the drost's hand.
+
+Not far from Count Gerhard and Drost Peter, in a magnificent suit of
+armour, was the duke, seated on his charger, in the midst of his
+knights and a considerable body of Sleswick horsemen. His looks, as he
+surveyed the multitude, seemed anxious and uneasy, and the dark,
+earnest countenance of Drost Peter did not appear to please him, any
+more than did the bold bearing of Count Gerhard.
+
+The people now began to display symptoms of impatience at the long
+delay; and, with visible discontent, Drost Peter whispered to Count
+Gerhard--"This is the fault of our good, thoughtful chancellor."
+
+Murmurs and expressions of anger speedily followed.
+
+"How long must we remain here upon our pegs, before we see either wet
+or dry?" growled a corpulent burgher, who was standing sentry.
+
+"There is good reason for the delay, Faerlil," answered a long-bearded
+Sleswick horseman: "your king, to be sure, has no need yet to stop to
+polish his beard; but he must be swaddled and suckled. The queen, too,
+must be trim and spruce, that your maids and wives may not tempt Drost
+Hoseol to prove untrue to her."
+
+A boisterous laugh from the horsemen accompanied this coarse joke.
+
+"The people are becoming merry--that pleases me well," observed Count
+Gerhard, who heard the laughter, but not the disgraceful words which
+created it.
+
+Drost Peter, however, had heard them, and burned with indignation,
+which he endeavoured to suppress, looking with apparent inattention in
+the opposite direction; whilst the merriment continued, and was kept up
+with other expressions of a like nature.
+
+"Peace, fellows, or speak of royalty with greater respect!" exclaimed
+the duke, with apparent severity, to his people.
+
+"Yes," added one of his knights, "take care, you fellows! The drost's
+left arm is not to be laughed at. And you, my good man," he observed to
+the burgher--"you should remember the consequences of grumbling in
+Skielskioer at a royal proclamation."
+
+"I'faith, that is true, stern sir knight," growled the burgher: "unless
+we would have our houses again burnt over our heads, we must howl with
+the wolves, and submit to boy-rule and petticoat government."
+
+"Fie for shame on every Danish man," cried another, "that they should
+patiently submit to be ruled by a king in slippers and baby-clothes."
+
+"Thou hast a mind to be outlawed before night, my bold fellow,"
+observed a tall personage, in a monk's habit. "A good word now-a-days
+may bring that on a man."
+
+"Know you the news, holy sir?" exclaimed an awkward, heavy mass-boy to
+the monk: "Marsk Stig and his friends have to-day been put under the
+ban of the Church by the Archbishop of Lund."
+
+"The ban--the ban!" was muttered around from one to the other, with
+increasing discontent.
+
+"They could never be so infatuated," observed a tall man, enveloped in
+a large blue cloak.
+
+"He begins sharply, this little master," exclaimed a jeering voice
+close by the side of the last speaker; "and his pinafore must be as
+wide as a church-door, since he can carry an archbishop in his pocket."
+
+"The apple doesn't fall wide of the tree," remarked the corpulent
+burgher; whilst his neighbour began humming:--
+
+
+                  "And so grows up the little wolf,
+                  With sharp teeth in his jaws."
+
+
+"What else could you expect?" demanded the Sleswick horseman: "all that
+come of the wolf, howl like the wolf, as they say in our country."
+
+One of the queen's horsemen, who was stationed next to the Sleswicker,
+had long sat in his saddle as if on glowing coals. "If there be wolves'
+cubs amongst us," he now at last broke out, in a broad Jutlandic
+accent, "they are rather in your troop than ours, my dainty
+Sleswicker."
+
+"It needs a good dog to smell that out," retorted the other.
+
+"In our country the dogs are as keen as they are true," rejoined the
+North Jute; "but down by Gottorp they ought to be keen indeed, as the
+late King Abel, your duke's grandfather, must well know, seeing that
+three fiery hounds hunt him every night to the infernal regions."
+
+"Whoever says an ill word of my duke or of his race, shall have his
+neck broken!" exclaimed the Sleswick horseman, drawing his sword.
+
+"And whoever slanders my queen or the drost, shall have his nose and
+ears cut off!" vociferated the other, already brandishing his glaive.
+
+As the contention thus grew hot, several joined in it; and although it
+was strictly forbidden that any one should draw his sword before
+orders, many weapons were already seen gleaming among the troopers,
+both of the queen and of the duke.
+
+"Peace, there!" now cried the latter, as, with some uneasiness, he
+examined the multitude around him.
+
+"Whoever strikes a blow without his officer's command, is a dead man!"
+shouted Drost Peter; and the swords were again sheathed, whilst the
+noisy quarrel subsided to a murmur.
+
+A cry of "The king! the king!" was now heard, and the most perfect
+silence instantly pervaded the restless crowd.
+
+At that moment the queen and the young king issued on horseback from
+the castle-gate, escorted by twelve trabants, and attended by Sir John,
+Rimaardson, and Chancellor Martin. The ecclesiastic, who was mounted on
+his palfrey, and wore his Dominican habit, with polished shoes and
+white heels, looked very pale and apprehensive.
+
+Nearly the entire multitude instantly greeted the king with a shout of
+homage, and the quarrel between the troopers was apparently at an end,
+when a powerful voice, from amidst the crowd, exclaimed--"Long live
+Marsk Stig and his friends! Down, down with the tyrants!"
+
+The duke looked hastily around him, whilst Drost Peter narrowly watched
+him, with his left hand on the hilt of his sword.
+
+Although the cheering for the king continued, the shout of "Long live
+the duke! Long live Waldemar Erikson!" still gained ground: it was
+repeated by great numbers of the burghers, and by all the Sleswick
+horsemen; and, as it increased in vehemence and extent, the duke again
+looked round, lifting his hat, and saluting the assemblage with an air
+of bravery.
+
+Li this salute Drost Peter perceived a preconcerted signal; for the
+duke was then cheered on every side, by the same voices that had just
+raised the seditious cry in favour of Marsk Stig. The drost could no
+longer retain his indignation. "Down, down with the traitors!" he
+shouted, as his sword flew from its scabbard, and gleamed in his left
+hand, whilst, at the same instant, the concealed horsemen, rushing
+forward, surrounded the spot.
+
+Duke Waldemar beheld this unexpected movement with astonishment and
+consternation. "Rebellion! treason!" he exclaimed: "defend your
+protector, brave Danes! Seize the drost! He is the traitor.--At them!"
+shouted he to his horsemen; who, however, before they could, in the
+general confusion, range themselves in any order of battle, were, with
+the duke, charged with so much impetuosity by Drost Peter and Count
+Gerhard, at the head of the queen's horsemen, that they were compelled
+to seek for safety in a rapid flight; the whole body hastening from the
+town through a narrow street, which had not yet been blockaded.
+
+"After the duke! Seize the traitor! _He_ is the chief of the
+regicides!" shouted the drost, as, at the head of the queen's troopers,
+he pursued the fugitives.
+
+During this uproar, the noise of which was augmented by the cries and
+clamour of the people, Sir John and Rimaardson, with the chancellor and
+the twelve trabants, had instantly formed a close circle round the
+king, and, without awaiting the issue, had hurried with him across the
+castle-square, and through the excited crowds, down to the fiord.
+
+But the queen had boldly ridden forward amidst her faithful body-guard,
+and soon found herself at their head, between Count Gerhard and Drost
+Peter; whilst before them, and without once looking behind, fled the
+duke and his horsemen, as if panic-struck.
+
+"Noble queen," exclaimed Drost Peter, "here you are exposed to too much
+danger."
+
+"I think myself safer nowhere than between the brave Count Gerhard and
+yourself," was her confident reply.
+
+"Shame befall us," cried Count Gerhard; "if we are not now invincible,
+we never deserve success."
+
+Outside of the town, on Trandrup Field, where Henrik Ĉmeldorf engaged
+King Christopher, the duke first commanded his troopers to halt; and,
+availing himself of his start, he wheeled about, and hastily placed his
+men in order of battle.
+
+The drost, who, with his troop, was rapidly pushing forward, now heard
+the wild shout of assailants behind him, and, on looking round,
+perceived a large body of mail-clad horsemen in his rear, in the
+leaders of which he thought he recognised Count Jacob and the two
+knights who had been outlawed at Nyborg.
+
+"You have ventured too far, most noble queen!" he exclaimed. "The
+traitors have out-man[oe]uvred us. Fall into a circle, lads--place the
+queen in the centre--and you, Count Gerhard, stir not from her side."
+
+"By Beelzebub!" muttered the count, "must I be only a peg in this
+confounded game of skittles? Stay you here, rather, with your wounded
+arm, Drost Hessel."
+
+But the drost heard him not, while the queen's troopers immediately
+obeyed the order of their chief, and formed a circle around their
+mistress, who, although pale and apprehensive, yet retained her
+firmness, and closely observed every movement of the enemy; whilst
+Count Gerhard rode around the circle like a wild beast in a cage.
+
+The foe, meanwhile, had been pressing on from both sides, when the
+drost, commanding the circle to extend, slackened his bridle, and, with
+his sword in his left hand, dashed against the duke and his horsemen.
+
+"Turn you now against the outlaws, Count Gerhard," said the queen,
+calmly.
+
+This was precisely the intention of the skilful warrior, who sprang
+from the circle, shouting;--"Forward, carls, in a line! Follow me!"
+
+The circle, thus dividing, soon formed compact lines, which fought in
+opposite directions against the twofold superior foe. The queen
+remained between the lines, a witness of the sanguinary conflict, which
+cost many of her faithful men their lives. Her checks glowed with
+ardour and excitement whilst she glanced now towards Drost Peter, and
+now towards Count Gerhard; but her eye most frequently rested on the
+valiant count, who had engaged in the fray with the greatest spirit and
+ardour, every stroke of his good sword appearing to drive the enemy a
+step before him.
+
+The space between the two lines of horsemen was every instant
+increasing, and the queen, with lively satisfaction and joy, beheld the
+success of Count Gerhard's bold attack; when, turning her eyes once
+more towards Drost Peter, she uttered a cry of alarm. His troopers were
+in disorder, and he himself was unhorsed in the midst of the duke's
+people, who cast themselves upon him with a savage shout of triumph.
+
+"Merciful Heaven!" she exclaimed, "they will murder him! Save, oh save
+Drost Peter, noble count!" and, heedless of the danger, she rode into
+the midst of the mêlée, where Count Gerhard's horsemen were on the
+point of beating the outlaws from the field, and, pressing close up to
+the side of the count, repeated her request.
+
+"In God's name, be it as you command, noble queen!" he replied.
+"Forword, lads! Think not of me!" And turning his steed, he hastened to
+the assistance of Drost Peter, and endeavoured to restore order to his
+broken ranks.
+
+But his own troops now fell into similar confusion, and the outlaws,
+inspired with new courage, again pressed forward with shouts of
+triumph; whilst, on the opposite side, the all-victorious duke
+continued to pursue the drost's chiefless band.
+
+The attempts of Count Gerhard to rally the flying horsemen, and restore
+them to order, were vain: he found it impossible to collect the
+scattered soldiers; and the enemy pressed on victoriously from both
+sides. The confusion was now at its height, and the slaughter around
+him was dreadful.
+
+"All is lost--we must fly, noble queen!" he at length cried, turning to
+the spot where the queen had stood only a moment before. But he now
+beheld her not. One of her troopers had thrown his cloak over her, and
+in the confusion she had disappeared, whilst the count, who could
+nowhere discover her amidst the tumultuous bands of contending
+horsemen, then became furious, and his blows fell fast on every side,
+directed indiscriminately at friends or foes. His glaring eye sought
+only the queen; but, at last, even his sight began to fail him: the
+scene appeared to whirl around him, and he became unconscious.
+When he recovered his senses, he found himself alone on the dreary
+battle-field, with only dead and wounded around him. His eye was safe,
+but that which was yet dearer to him had disappeared. He looked around
+once more; and then mounting his steed, which had remained near him, he
+proceeded rapidly in the direction of the town.
+
+The tumult there had not yet ceased. Soldiers and armed burghers were
+scouring the streets, and scenes of bloodshed were everywhere enacted.
+Some shouted the names of Marsk Stig and Count Jacob, and exclaimed:
+"Vengeance for the outlaws!" Others had for their rallying cry the name
+of the duke, cutting down all who refused to join in it; whilst a great
+portion of the burghers and badly armed peasants vociferated: "Long
+live our young king! Death to the traitors!" The adherents of the duke
+and those of the outlaws did not seem to be quite certain whether they
+should regard each other as friends or foes; although, in general, they
+made common cause against the royalists.
+
+Meanwhile, the duke, at the head of his Sleswick horsemen, returned
+triumphantly to the castle. The report of his victory, and the defeat
+of the royal party, soon became known, and greatly alarmed the trusty
+burghers and peasants, who had assembled in defence of their youthful
+king. The duke was accompanied by a crowd of savage-looking butchers,
+with blood-stained axes, and by many strangers in disguise, who
+applauded him loudly. A band of mailed horsemen, wearing their visors
+down, and who were supposed to be the outlaws and their followers,
+closed this triumphal procession.
+
+The duke dismounted at the castle, and immediately occupied it with his
+troops.
+
+"Where is the king?" he demanded.
+
+"Out of the fiord, on his flight to Nyborg," replied a heavy butcher.
+
+The duke's triumphant look changed suddenly to one of disappointment.
+He gave a private order to one of his knights, who instantly rode off
+for the haven, with a troop of horsemen.
+
+"And where is her grace the queen?" again inquired the duke.
+
+But this no one knew; and all he could learn was, that Prince
+Christopher and the little Princess Mereté had been taken from the
+castle by Sir Rimaardson's seamen.
+
+"Let there be tranquillity now, brave burghers," he said, addressing
+the noisy crowds that surrounded him; "and let every one retire to his
+abode, for the Dane-court and proclamation are postponed. I have
+succeeded fortunately in quelling this tumult, and the ringleader is
+now in my power. He is the queen's presumptuous favourite, Drost
+Hessel, who so far abused the ear of his royal mistress as to create in
+her distrust of me. His object was to obtain possession of the king's
+person, and so be master of the nation; but you have nothing now to
+fear from the traitor, for he shall never more see the light of day. I
+am still your lawful protector, and shall watch carefully over your
+good and the welfare of the country."
+
+When he had finished this address, which was received with noisy
+acclamation, he saluted his uproarious adherents with all the
+condescension and bearing of a sovereign, and entered the castle,
+accompanied by his gay knights, and the tall mail-clad warrior with the
+closed visor and blue mantle, who had led on the outlaws. With this
+individual, in whom many thought they recognised Count Jacob of
+Halland, he had a short and private conversation, at the close of which
+the unknown warrior left the castle; and, an hour after, not one of the
+outlaws or their followers was to be seen in the town. They had
+departed in anger, it was said, threatening to return with fire and
+sword within a twelvemonth and a day.
+
+The duke himself soon began to think of leaving a town where the king
+possessed many faithful subjects. He therefore directed that the
+captive and sorely-wounded drost should be carried in chains on board
+the ducal vessel, which, with the exception of a lugger, supposed to
+contain some of the queen's people, was the only one then in the haven.
+
+The duke, however, delayed his departure till the evening, as he did
+not consider it advisable to leave the castle until the town was
+entirely quiet. The disappearance of the queen, whom he had himself
+seen, and again lost sight of, in the midst of the fray, gave him much
+uneasiness. He ordered a minute search to be made of the battlefield,
+but no trace was to be found of either the queen or of Count Gerhard. A
+portion, also, of his Sleswick horsemen, who had been separated from
+him in the engagement, had disappeared.
+
+Night began to fall, whilst, with anxious thoughts, he paced up and
+down the riddersal. He felt proud indeed of his victory; but the escape
+of the king altogether thwarted his project, and he feared, with
+reason, that he had prematurely thrown off the mask, and exposed his
+daring plans. Since he had learned the promise of the marsk to the
+Norwegian king, he felt he could not depend on the outlaws; and hence
+his thanks to Count Jacob had been cold and reserved. He now appeared
+wavering and undecided as to the next step towards the object of his
+proud ambition.
+
+"Seize the spirit-compelling sceptre, and thy crown shall be bright as
+the sun," he whispered to himself; feeling as if he were again in
+Sjöborg with his owl, and looking fearfully around the large gloomy
+hall, almost as much afraid of his own words as if the dead bishop had
+spoken.
+
+"Lights! lights!" he now shouted; and his servants, who knew their
+master's great aversion to darkness, instantly produced them. He then
+issued some farther orders respecting; his departure, and again
+despatched messengers to ascertain whether the town was tranquil, and
+the road to the fiord unobstructed.
+
+Shortly after, two of his knights entered with a prisoner, who had
+demanded to be conducted to their master. The captive, who stood
+closely enveloped in a horseman's cloak, with a rainhood over the head,
+for a moment or two seemed to scrutinise the uneasy conqueror, when
+suddenly the hood fell back, and the cloak dropped upon the floor;
+whilst the duke started with surprise, as he beheld before him the fair
+and majestic Queen Agnes, in her magnificent robes of ceremony.
+
+"They say I am your prisoner, Duke Waldemar," she said, with an air of
+calm dignity; "but I maintain that you are mine, as certainly as that
+you are an audacious rebel, and I at this moment the reigning Queen of
+Denmark."
+
+The duke requested his astonished knights to withdraw.
+
+"Noble queen," he then began, courteously and respectfully, "you are,
+in truth, partly right: I am, now and for ever, your knightly prisoner;
+but rebel I am not. On the contrary, I have been attacked by Drost
+Hessel and your men in a manner at once treacherous and unprovoked. At
+your own request I accompanied you hither as joint protector; and here,
+against all faith and law, have I been suddenly set upon, at the moment
+I intended to proclaim the king, and was about to quell the popular
+discontent at the sentence pronounced upon the outlaws. I beheld, with
+astonishment, your grace yourself at the head of my assailants, which
+may plead my excuse if, for a moment, I left the king's side, and
+sought to avoid a conflict in which your precious life would have been
+placed in danger."
+
+"What do I hear!" cried the queen, in amazement. "You deny that you
+were the leader of this tumult, and even dare to impeach me as the
+cause of it!"
+
+"Nay, not you, illustrious queen, but the ambitious and arrogant Drost
+Hessel. On his head lies every drop of blood that has this day been
+shed. He is the rebel and traitor--not I--and Heaven forbid that I
+should accuse you of his faithlessness! He has shamefully abused your
+clemency and grace; and has caused me to suspect that, by my fall, he
+hopes to soar to the regency, or perhaps even to the throne of
+Denmark."
+
+Retiring a step, the queen scrutinised keenly the crafty lord. For an
+instant she appeared in doubt; but, as if a light had suddenly broken
+in upon her, she again approached him, with an air of apparent
+confidence.
+
+"You have revealed to me what may perhaps prove a matchless piece of
+treachery," said she, unable completely to master the tones of her
+voice; "and should this be proved to have been really the drost's
+design, he must be brought to a severe account. Before the king and
+people he must be condemned as the most deceitful of traitors. But
+where is he?"
+
+"In my power," replied the duke, with a polite smile; "and there, with
+your permission, he must remain, while I am protector of Denmark."
+
+"For his life you shall be responsible to me," said the queen, with
+ill-concealed uneasiness. "Be his crime as great as it may, by the king
+and people only can he be tried and doomed; and that in my presence and
+in your's, at the Land-Ting."
+
+"Believe me, your grace, that even my bitterest foe shall have justice!
+But suffer me first, most gracious and illustrious queen, to lay my own
+cause before your judgment-seat," he politely added, as he bowed
+profoundly, and drew forward a gilded chair, upon which the queen
+seated herself. "I clearly perceive that you suspect me," he continued.
+"You are brought here as my prisoner, although, in truth, as I have
+already said, I am your captive for ever, and can easily prove to you
+how innocent I am of this tumult." As he spoke, his air of politeness
+suddenly changed to an expression of intense and passionate admiration,
+and he added, with warmth--"I can give you proof, clear as the sun, how
+foolishly, nay, how madly, I should have acted, to place myself in a
+position of hostility to you." He paused, and appeared to hesitate. "It
+must be dared!" he again broke forth: "I shall now reveal to you what
+has long been the dearest and boldest wish of my heart, and what, as a
+princely scion of the race of the great Waldemars, in my proudest
+moments I have sometimes dared to hope."
+
+He paused again, and looked inquiringly at the queen, over whose
+countenance had passed a sudden change, which caused him to hesitate;
+but the consciousness of his handsome person banished every doubt, and
+the flush of indignation on the queen's cheeks he mistook for an
+indication of bashful surprise.
+
+"Your noble and lofty mind, fairest queen," he continued, boldly,
+"cannot feel offended at a wish which unites the desire for a kingdom's
+happiness with the most respectful attachment to womanly worth--a wish
+which words fail me to express, but which springs from chivalrous
+esteem for your beauty, prudence, and elevation of soul, and which has
+received ardour and strength from those feelings that reduce the prince
+to the man, while, in truth, they exalt the man to the prince."
+
+"You speak prettily and politely, Duke Waldemar," replied the queen,
+with much composure, "and seem to think that when the Queen of Denmark
+is your captive, she cannot refuse her ear to a suit of love, nor buy
+her freedom too dearly by presenting her conqueror with her hand and
+heart?"
+
+The duke started. "Mistake me not in this also, noble queen," he
+resumed, with less ardour. "If I chose this moment for so important a
+declaration, it was but to convince you, in the clearest manner, how
+impossible it is that I should be your enemy. Your captivity here is
+altogether a blunder of my people, and is at an end when you command.
+Here you are equally queen and mistress as if surrounded by your own
+soldiers. But," he added, boldly, as he perceived a proud smile on her
+countenance, "you are too sagacious not to perceive, that, at this
+moment, I hold in my hands your fate and that of Denmark. Far be it
+from me to abuse this accidental advantage. But, if even no responsive
+voice pleads for me in your heart, your keen political sagacity might
+still counsel you not to despise such a proposal at so critical a
+moment."
+
+As he thus spoke, his air of pride and complacency betrayed a wooer who
+intended to allow his prisoner not even the freedom of denial. To
+soften, however, this stroke of policy, he suddenly changed his tone
+and manner, for he felt the importance of bringing the heart of the
+fair queen, or at least her vanity, to favour the considerations of
+political prudence which he had suggested. He therefore again became
+the chivalrous lover, and with much eloquence and apparent ardour broke
+forth in admiration of her beauty and in flattering compliments to her
+lofty mind.
+
+"My life and happiness," he at last exclaimed, as he knelt before her,
+"I place in your hands, most noble queen!"
+
+Agnes remained silent, but bestowed a glance on her kneeling suitor
+that seemed to pierce his soul; and a bitter answer hovered on her
+lips, when the door was suddenly opened, and a knight of the duke's
+retinue entered.
+
+The duke arose, and, stamping furiously--"What means this?" he
+cried--"who dares to--"
+
+"Count Gerhard, stern sir," hastily replied the knight--"Count Gerhard
+of Holstein has surrounded the castle with a superior force, and
+threatens to storm and pull it down, if the Queen of Denmark is not
+instantly set at liberty."
+
+The duke seemed thunderstruck.
+
+"You come right opportunely, sir knight," observed the queen, rising
+with calm dignity. "Your illustrious master was in a posture for which
+he needs not blush: he has acknowledged that a blunder of his soldiers
+has made him appear a rebel, and guilty of lese-majesty, thus placing
+his life and fate in my hands. You are witness, however, that I forgive
+him an error in which he had no share. Your arm, Duke Waldemar: I
+intend to travel within an hour; and the noble Count Gerhard expects me
+with my train."
+
+A loud noise outside the castle was now heard; and the duke, bowing
+profoundly, gave the queen his arm without hesitating. The knight
+preceded them, bearing two lights, and at the duke's signal his pages
+hastened forward with torches. To Count Gerhard's surprise, therefore,
+the queen was thus led forth with the greatest pomp and attention, and,
+without opposition, confided to his protection.
+
+A few hours afterwards, the queen sailed with a fair wind into Nyborg
+Harbour, and Duke Waldemar, with the captive Drost Peter, departed in
+the direction of Alsen.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+While Drost Peter lay a close prisoner in Nordborg Castle, unable to
+serve in any way his king and country, the measures of old Sir John,
+Count Gerhard, the chancellor, and the trusty Rimaardson were
+unceasingly directed to secure the royal house, and to strengthen the
+minor's throne. The duke no longer found it advisable to assert his
+authority as regent. The plan of the outlaws for subjecting Denmark to
+the crown of Norway, and his own fear that he had too soon betrayed his
+daring project, so completely embarrassed him, that he did not even
+appear at the Danish court. Annoyed by the unsuccessful issue of his
+attempt, as well as by the failure of his love-suit to the queen, which
+he felt as a mortifying humiliation, he shortly after withdrew into
+Saxony, and it soon became publicly known that he had suddenly espoused
+Duke Johan's daughter, the pious Princess Sophia.
+
+At the same time, an accidental occurrence averted the invasion with
+which the country was threatened by the Norwegian fleet, which lay at
+Ekeroe; the armament from which, as was reported, was to have been
+conducted by the rude Jarl Mindre-Alf, and the favourite of the
+Norwegian king, Halkell Augmund. The jarl, however, had quarrelled with
+Halkell at the drinking-table, and killed him with a wine-stoup in the
+presence of the king. This led to a sanguinary strife on board the
+fleet, in which two hundred and sixty of the jarl's men were slain or
+executed; he himself being outlawed, and forced to fly to Sweden.
+
+The expedition against Denmark was therefore deferred; but the outlaws
+incessantly ravaged the Danish coasts--burning Middelfert and Hindsholm
+in Funen, and visiting nearly every seaport town in Denmark with blood
+and rapine. The name of Marsk Stig became a terror to every Dane. Nor
+did Rané Jonsen hold the least conspicuous place among the boldest
+pirates who disturbed the country. His castle, Giordslöv, in Stevn's
+Point, where he maintained a garrison, served as a place of refuge for
+his rover-crew. To mislead his pursuers, he always, when on shore, rode
+a horse whose shoes were reversed; and, to warn him of danger, was
+constantly attended by a large, ferocious hound, which could easily
+master the strongest soldier. Rané, as well as the marsk and the other
+outlaws, was included in the ecclesiastical ban pronounced by the
+Archbishop of Lund; but they appeared to despise excommunication as
+much as they did the sentence of outlawry. Most of them had again fled
+to Norway, where they endeavoured to incite the Norwegian king to a
+decisive expedition against Denmark. The marsk, however, continued
+boldly to occupy Hielm, whence he extended his forays to North Jutland
+and the adjacent islands. The proud Count Jacob fortified Hunehal, in
+North Halland, and, like the marsk, prepared to defend himself in the
+country to the last.
+
+The queen and privy council meanwhile had deferred the coronation only
+until a severe winter rendered the Belt and Sound inaccessible to
+enemies and pirates. On Christmas-day, 1287, the young King Erik
+Menved, as he was already called,[38] was solemnly anointed and crowned
+at Lund. This was the last important transaction in which the aged
+Archbishop Johan Dros was engaged, as he died shortly afterwards, and
+before his prayer for the security of the crown was fulfilled.
+
+Not long after the coronation, a treaty of friendship was concluded
+between King Erik and the powerful Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, and
+the double alliance ratified which had previously been privately agreed
+upon: the little Princess Mereté, who had been betrothed to Birger, the
+crown-prince of Sweden, was conducted by Swedish ambassadors to that
+court; and, about the middle of March, the betrothal of King Erik of
+Denmark to the Swedish Princess Ingeborg was publicly declared. On this
+occasion there were great festivities at Helsingborg, where the royal
+betrothals were to be celebrated with a tournament.
+
+The whole Danish and Swedish courts were present at these rejoicings,
+where the youthful King Erik exhibited himself in all the pomp of
+chivalry before his future queen, the beautiful Princess Ingeborg,
+whose childlike beauty and graces none could sufficiently extol--the
+bards of Denmark in their transport having already named her
+Danebod--the hope of the Danes.
+
+The tournament was conducted with great magnificence, and in the manner
+of those of France and Germany. On the preceding day, the arms of the
+different knights were displayed on the cross-walk of the Dominican
+convent, where a stately herald announced the names of those to whom
+they belonged. Here they were visited by Queen Agnes and Queen Hedwig
+of Sweden, Count Gerhard's sister, with the princesses and noble ladies
+at court, for the purpose of touching the shields of those whom they
+judged to be unworthy knights, and who were by this means excluded from
+the lists.
+
+Two shields were thus touched, one of which belonged to the powerful
+Swedish knight, Sir Carl Algotson, who, with the assistance of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, had abducted Sir Thorstenson's rich and distinguished
+bride, Jomfru Ingrid. The Danish queen, who had heard of the affair,
+and of the brave Thorstenson's loss, had touched the shield, which was
+immediately removed by the herald, and an order issued by the Swedish
+king that the matter should be strictly investigated.[39]
+
+The second shield, which had been touched by a noble lady as an
+impeachment of its owner, belonged to a Danish knight--John Rimaardson,
+another brother of the trusty Bent Rimaardson. Although related to
+Queen Agnes, he was instantly excluded from the tourney; and, being
+threatened with the vengeance of the law, as a ravisher and murderer,
+he was forced to seek safety in flight.[40]
+
+At the tournament itself, everything was conducted with the greatest
+pomp and ceremonial. The Queen of Beauty, the fair-haired Princess
+Ingeborg, sat, full of childish joy, between Queen Agnes and her
+mother, the gay, good-natured Queen Hedwig, who strongly resembled her
+brother, the valiant Count Gerhard. On the right of the Swedish queen
+sat the mighty King Magnus Ladislaus, a tall and spare but majestic
+figure, with a stern and warlike air, and wearing a golden crown and a
+mantle of purple and ermine.
+
+Many there were, among the ladies of Princess Ingeborg, who attracted
+looks of homage and tenderness from both Danish and Swedish knights;
+but the tall silent maiden who sat nearest the royal personages,
+excited the greatest attention. This was Jomfru Ingé Little, who
+observed not the interest she awoke, but, with melancholy countenance,
+gazed upon the gay lists, where, as her eye ran over the line of
+knights, she missed the noble figure of Drost Peter. She had heard of
+his imprisonment, and entertained but little hope of his release from
+Nordborg, so long as the variance existed between the duke and the
+royal house of Denmark. Another still heavier sorrow oppressed the
+brave maiden: she knew that her unhappy father lay in Kallundborg
+Castle, awaiting his sentence as a dangerous state-criminal. At times,
+nevertheless, a light spread over her melancholy features, as she
+looked upon the Princess Ingeborg and the young chivalrous king: she
+appeared then to forget her own heart's sorrow in the fair hopes of her
+fatherland; and again the sounds of the song, "For Erik the king so
+young!" echoed in her bosom.
+
+Nearest the barrier, and as judges, sat the oldest of the Danish and
+Swedish knights, chief among whom appeared old Sir John. Within the
+arena were seen a stately king-at-arms, and numerous heralds bearing
+white staves and feathered hats in their hands, whose duty it was to
+preserve order, and, together with their subalterns, the pursuivants,
+closely to attend to every thrust and motion of the antagonists.
+
+The tourney was opened with a joust on horseback, with blunt lances,
+between the Danish King Erik and the little Prince Berger, who carried
+light armour suitable to their years and strength. The Danish king wore
+the sky-blue colour of Princess Ingeborg, and displayed her little
+glove fastened to his helmet. Prince Berger also wore the colour of his
+bride, and his armour was white as Princess Mereté's silken kirtle.
+They both showed themselves active and dexterous; but reciprocal
+courtesy forbade that either should be regarded as the vanquisher.
+
+The jousts were accompanied with song and music, numerous Swedish and
+Danish skalds[41] being present to celebrate the exploits of their
+respective knights, nearly all of whom wore gloves, veils, pearl-bands,
+or some other female ornament in their helmets; while, during the
+battle, they would often shout their peculiar watchwords, which their
+own ladies only understood. Many lances were broken in the fray, and
+many knights unhorsed; but as they fought with blunt weapons, no
+dangerous or serious blow was received. It seemed, indeed, that the
+Danish and Swedish knights, at this joyful festivity, only sought to
+outvie each other in gentle bearing and knightly courtesies.
+
+But the most distinguished on this occasion was Count Gerhard of
+Holstein, who good-naturedly unhorsed six knights without himself being
+shaken. With the black veil of the fair Queen Agnes, he felt himself
+invincible; whilst his watchword was the burthen of a song he had heard
+at Sir John's on the evening he first spoke with the queen. One word in
+it only he changed every time he thrust a knight from his saddle
+shouting delightedly:--
+
+
+                  "For so chaste a dame I dree."
+
+
+All competitors having withdrawn, he was declared victor in the
+tournament; and springing gaily from his saddle, he received, kneeling,
+the prize from the hands of the fair Queen Agnes.
+
+The tilting appeared to be ended, when a strange knight, in bright gilt
+harness, with a crown upon his locked helmet, and mounted on a snorting
+war-steed, presented himself at the barrier. He flung his steel
+gauntlet at Count Gerhard's feet, and, without uttering a word, tore,
+with the sharp end of his lance, the black veil fastened to the count's
+breastplate.
+
+Queen Agues became pale; for by this action he attacked the honour of
+the lady whose gage he had thus outrageously insulted. All eyes were
+instantly turned with surprise and amazement on the strange knight.
+
+"'Tis the duke--Duke Waldemar!" whispered one to another; although none
+was sure that this surmise was well grounded.
+
+Count Gerhard, burning with fury, sprang upon his charger, and resumed
+his place in the lists, having first taken up the stranger's gauntlet,
+to intimate that he accepted the challenge without farther explanation.
+The heralds then opened the barrier, and admitted the strange knight,
+who advanced, proudly man[oe]uvring his steed, and brandishing a sharp
+lance. Count Gerhard, too, armed himself with a similar deadly weapon,
+when the judges reminded them that the present was a festive
+tournament, where no serious fighting was permitted. But the
+exasperated count having demanded that the combat should be as serious
+as the insult, the objection was urged no further.
+
+Like thunderbolts the knights rushed against each other, and in the
+shock Count Gerhard's lance was splintered against the gilded
+breastplate of his antagonist, from whose weapon he received a violent
+blow on the chest, but remained immoveable in his saddle.
+
+The strange knight, who had been lifted slightly from his saddle by the
+violence of the shock, laughed scornfully behind his visor. He cast
+away his lance, and, following the example of the count, drew his
+sword. The blades met, and in the fierce combat that ensued, both
+exhibited great skill and courage. By one blow, Count Gerhard had
+struck the crown off the gilded helmet of his antagonist, who, however,
+lost no advantage offered by the unbridled ardour of the count; while
+the varying fortunes of either combatant were watched by all with the
+most intense interest.
+
+"For the honour of my exalted lady!" shouted Count Gerhard, aiming what
+he intended as a finishing stroke, but by which he exposed himself to
+his antagonist; who, avoiding the blow, had raised his sword against
+the count's unprotected head, when suddenly he became motionless,
+gazing rigidly the while towards the barrier.
+
+At the same instant a powerful voice cried out: "An infamous knight
+fights here!"
+
+All looked in astonishment towards the spot whence the voice proceeded,
+where stood a tall and elegant knight, in steel-blue mail, with closed
+visor, and displaying a magnificent dagger in his outstretched hand.
+
+"Knowest thou this witness, traitor?" he continued, in the same mighty
+voice, while in his hand he turned the dagger, on the hilt of which the
+golden lions gleamed in the bright sunshine.
+
+"That dagger was drawn from the corse of King Erik Christopherson, on
+St. Cecilia's night," cried a loud voice among the people.
+
+"That dagger armourer Troels of Melfert sold to Duke Waldemar," shouted
+another: "I can swear to it."
+
+"It is the marsk's dagger--Marsk Stig's dagger!" cried a third.
+
+The battle had ceased; for the knight in the gilded mail sat as if
+petrified, staring through the grating of his helmet at the blue knight
+and the dagger. The sword fell from his hand, and he was becoming faint
+and giddy, when, at a signal from the young Erik, the king-at-arms
+advanced and cried aloud--"No one shall interrupt the combatants by
+word or gesture, under the penalty of death!"
+
+At this announcement the blue knight bowed respectfully, and placed the
+dagger in his bosom, but remained calmly gazing at Count Gerhard's
+antagonist.
+
+"Hand him his weapon again!" cried the count to a pursuivant: "I know
+that I fight with a false and dishonoured knight; but one of us must
+here lose his life."
+
+Whilst the pursuivant stooped to take up the sword, the golden knight
+suddenly gave the spur to his steed, and cleared the barrier at a
+bound. Every eye followed him with amazement, and a deathlike stillness
+prevailed until he was no longer visible; and when they then turned to
+look for the blue knight, he too had disappeared.
+
+Count Gerhard therefore remained alone in the lists, and was declared
+victor in this conflict of honour; while the unusual occurrence
+caused many and various surmises among the spectators. The tournament
+was then declared to be ended, and the royal party returned to the
+palace, where, as old Sir John passed Lady Ingé, he whispered to her
+softly--"Drost Peter!"
+
+She nodded in silence, while a deep crimson overspread her lovely
+cheeks. She had indeed perceived a rose-red pearl-band on the breast of
+the blue blight, and fancied she recognised in it her own fillet; but
+by what means her captive knight could have been present there was to
+her inexplicable.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Scarcely was the tournament at Helsingborg concluded, before an
+important message summoned the youthful Danish king, with all his
+knights, to Zealand. A Norwegian fleet had been seen in the Cattegat,
+and a landing was apprehended at Elsineur, where the fortress of
+Flynderborg, surrendered by the treachery of Sir Lavé Little, still
+remained in the hands of the rebels.
+
+When Sir John took leave of the faithful Ingé, she whispered a few
+words to him, and placed in his hand a little parchment scroll, on
+which had been hastily sketched a building, and apparently an entrance
+to it, denoted by small crosses. He seemed astonished, but listened
+with attention to what she said. She repeated a few words, and pointed
+to the scroll, which he then, with a sign of well-pleased assent,
+carefully put up, and, imprinting a kiss on her forehead, hastened on
+board with the royal family.
+
+They landed unmolested on the coast of Zealand, in the neighbourhood of
+Elsineur, whence Count Gerhard immediately conducted the queen and
+Junker Christopherson to Rypen House, which, in these unsettled times,
+was considered the most secure abode for the royal family. The young
+king, who could not be induced to accompany them, set out with
+Rimaardson for Tornborg, by Korsöer, for the purpose of inspecting that
+important fortress, and to hasten in person the equipment of the fleet;
+while Sir John prepared to defend North Zealand against any hostile
+attack.
+
+The king ordered the cruizers lying at Korsöer to be manned, and
+stationed opposite the coast of North Jutland, ready to act in unison
+with Sir John. To all the operations connected with these movements the
+young monarch paid close attention, and found time also to examine the
+defences of the castle, which in many points he condemned as
+inefficient. Rimaardson, in acknowledging the correctness of his
+opinions, could not restrain admiration of his early knowledge of
+fortification, which he had acquired from Drost Peter.
+
+Four days after the king's arrival at Tornborg, he was on the ramparts
+early in the morning, attended by Rimaardson, and a knight who had
+brought important tidings from Elsineur. The Norwegians, he informed
+the king, had effected a landing at Orekrog, and burnt the town to
+ashes; but the burghers had received succour from Sir John. Through a
+subterranean passage, to which he had led the way, they penetrated into
+Flynderborg, with the old knight at their head, and, overpowering the
+garrison, had from this strong point repulsed the enemy. The knight
+narrated circumstantially the whole occurrences, and informed the king
+that they had sought in vain for the letters from the outlaws, which
+Sir Lavé Little was accused of having received before the murder of the
+king.
+
+"By all holy men, this pleases me well!" exclaimed young Erik. "The
+faithful Sir John has not wasted a word for his cousin's life; but now
+he has wiped out a portion of his crime. Let the chancellor announce to
+the prisoner at Kallundborg, that his doom is again deferred for a
+year, and this because his trusty cousin has retaken Flynderborg, and
+the proofs of his worst treachery have not been discovered."
+
+Rimaardson eyed the king with a melancholy look. "Would to God and Our
+Lady," he exclaimed, "that every trusty knight you possess could so
+atone for the errors of his relations! There is now scarcely an honest
+man in the country some one of whose kindred is not in tower or on
+gibbet--and the end is not yet come."
+
+The sorrowful knight was thinking of his brother Lavé's fate, and of
+his brother John, who then stood impeached with crimes affecting his
+life.
+
+"The law is supreme over every man," observed the youthful monarch,
+with a sigh: "it was not by my own will that I became king so soon;
+yet, Heaven be praised, I have still many loyal and valiant men. Would
+only that Drost Peter were with me again!"
+
+The king then returned to the castle, attended by the strange knight
+from Elsineur, and Rimaardson proceeded to examine the defences. Whilst
+thus engaged, he observed a short stout figure in the black mantle of a
+mass-boy, and a high cap drawn over his brows, waddling along the
+ramparts with a prayer-book in his hand, seemingly engaged in his
+morning devotions. The rolling boatman's gait of this individual struck
+the commandant, who observed him more narrowly, when, discovering
+traces of a badly-shorn beard, he recognised, to his astonishment, the
+rude Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+"Good morning, my son," he exclaimed, approaching him. "Whither away so
+early?"
+
+"To fetch wine for the priest, that he may pray for your soul,"
+muttered the clumsy-looking mass-boy, in a deep gruff voice.
+
+"Tarry a little," said Rimaardson, while he beckoned a couple of
+landsknechts to approach. "Methinks I should know thee. Did not we two
+once sit on the same bench in Lyse school-house? and didst thou not in
+those times play the tyrant over us all? Methinks thou shouldst be a
+count and jarl; and art thou only a poor mass-boy?" So saying, he
+raised the jarl's cap, and looked him full in the face.
+
+"Betray me not, Bendix Rimaardson, for old acquaintance' sake,"
+whispered the detected algrev. "We are relations, and I behaved to thee
+at school like a brother. I am now done with countship and jarldom. I
+am an outlawed man, and fain to seek protection with the pious. Be a
+good fellow, Bent. Pretend thou dost not know me, and let me run."
+
+"Bind him, lads!" cried Rimaardson to the landsknechts: "he is a riever
+and an incendiary!"
+
+The sturdy viking-chief threw aside his prayer-book and mass-boy's
+mantle, and stood in his knight's dress, prepared apparently to defend
+himself with desperation. The landsknechts, however, succeeded in
+disarming him, when he was instantly chained and fettered, and
+conducted forthwith, under a strong guard, to the criminal prison of
+Haraldsborg, having attempted in vain to bribe Rimaardson for his
+freedom.
+
+The latter cared not to disturb the king with a report of this
+discovery, which might perhaps draw upon himself a reprimand for having
+allowed so dangerous a foe to find his way into the fortress. He
+considered, besides, that the castle was quite secure, and did
+not waste a thought on the insolent and sardonic laughter of the
+pirate-chief while he was dragged to prison. Rimaardson, amidst his
+pressing cares, had not observed that, on the previous night, a
+freebooter had run in close to Tornborg under Danish colours. Not only
+had the daring Jarl Mindre-Alf landed unnoticed, bat Marsk Stig
+himself, with a crew of bold pirates, had privately come on shore; and
+on the evening of that day, Mat Jute, disguised as one of the king's
+landsknechts, stood as sentinel outside the door of the royal
+apartment. The watch was set, and, in the confidence of security, the
+garrison retired to rest.
+
+In the middle of the night the young king was awoke by a fearful noise.
+The whole castle was in flames around him, and the terrible cry--"The
+marsk! the marsk! the outlaws!" was shouted in every direction by the
+surprised and bewildered soldiers. Screams and the din of arms
+resounded from all quarters, while the youthful Erik stood alone, half
+dressed, in his chamber, which was already enveloped in smoke and
+flame.
+
+"Merciful Heaven! must I now be burnt alive by my father's murderers!"
+he exclaimed, whilst he hurriedly threw his cloak around him, grasped
+his little sword, and prepared to rush through the flames.
+
+He now distinguished the voice of his faithful Aagé Jonsen, mingled
+with the clash of weapons, outside his apartment; but the fire at that
+moment burst furiously forth, and the smoke so blinded him that it was
+with difficulty he could find the door. Suddenly he felt himself seized
+by a powerful mailed hand, and at the same instant he became
+unconscious. When he recovered, he found himself in a little open boat,
+speeding through cloud and storm with the rapidity of an arrow.
+
+"Where am I?" he cried. "Am I among my father's murderers?"
+
+"You are with faithful friends and subjects," replied a familiar voice
+by his side; while, through the darkness, he caught a glimpse of a
+knightly figure in full armour.
+
+"Drost Peter! By all holy men, is it you?" he asked joyfully.
+
+"Who I am I dare not say," replied the other; in whom the king now
+thought he recognised the blue knight of the tournament.
+
+"A pledge of honour binds my tongue," continued the knight, "and I must
+hide my face from my king and the whole world. I shall convey you
+safely to Rypen House, but I must myself withdraw to a place of
+darkness. I entreat you, sir king, believe what you will, but tempt me
+not to break my knightly promise."
+
+"Be silent, then, in God's name!" exclaimed the monarch, as he pressed
+the mailed hand of his companion. "Thou art assuredly Drost Peter.
+Thinkest thou I know not thy voice? Thou hast saved my life to-night;
+and if thou still remainest in the power of the duke, I shall set thee
+free, cost what it may."
+
+"Proceed not violently against the duke," replied the knight, with a
+deep sigh: "his prisoner's life is in his hands."
+
+The young king remained silent, while the skiff sped on, and quickly
+disappeared beyond Sporgoe, where the new tower of Marsk Stig stood
+gloomy and frowning in the night.
+
+In a few days the news became generally known that the famous Jarl
+Mindre-Alf had been made prisoner; that Marsk Stig had captured and
+destroyed the castle of Tornborg, in defence of which the faithful Sir
+Rimaardson had been slain; and that the young Erik, mysteriously saved,
+was then in security at Rypen House.
+
+The first important act of the king, after his arrival there, was his
+nomination of the bold commandant of the castle, Sir David Thorstenson,
+to fill the office of drost, so long as Drost Peter was in the duke's
+power. And it was soon known that, in accordance with the new drost's
+advice, the queen had subscribed the death-warrant of Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+The duke was reported to be lying sick in Sleswick, to the great grief
+of his young wife. His mind, it was said, was affected, and the rumours
+of his connection with the world of spirits were again revived. Some
+time previously he had disappeared for a few days, and, on his return,
+after having visited his important prisoner, Drost Peter Hessel, at
+Nordborg, whom he found secure in his chains, he was seized by this
+singular malady, in the paroxysms of which he asserted that he had,
+with his bodily eyes, seen the accusing angel, and that his prisoner in
+Nordborg was in league with devils and mighty spirits against him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The Norwegians and the outlaws long continued to disturb the repose of
+Denmark; and although the Norse king nowhere succeeded in effecting a
+landing, yet, in the then distracted condition of the kingdom, he was
+no contemptible foe. He had committed ravages at Amager and Hveen; made
+a descent on Aalborg, which, however, proved unsuccessful; and had not
+spared even the towns belonging to Duke Waldemar. The council seriously
+thought of entering into a treaty with him; but the negociation
+appeared beset with difficulties, as he had promised the outlaws, in a
+letter of protection, that he would never conclude peace with Denmark
+without the consent of the marsk.
+
+One calm autumn evening, the vaadesang rose mournfully from the crypt
+under King Erik Christopherson's tomb, in Viborg Cathedral. When the
+wind blew from the cathedral across the lake, the deep tones of the
+vigil, which was thus to be chanted night after night until doomsday,
+for the soul of the murdered king, could, at times, be heard at the
+ferry-house on the opposite side. The road to the convent of Asmild lay
+near the ferry-house, where, upon an upturned boat, sat a tall, aged
+pilgrim, his head bent upon his breast in deep thought. By his side
+stood a young girl, also in a pilgrim's habit, and holding by the hand
+a gay-looking dark-haired youth, equipped as a squire, in a buff jerkin
+and steel cap, and bearing, besides the usual arms, a long, gilt,
+flame-shaped sword, apparently intended more for ornament than use.
+
+"Shall we proceed to the convent and knock for admittance, father
+Henner?" asked the youth. "Neither thou nor Aasé can go farther
+to-night."
+
+"Tarry here, Skirmen," replied the old man. "Here we can rest well; for
+many a night have we watched under God's open sky since last we met.
+Until I have seen the arrogant marsk, and have delivered him the
+warning that I have been entrusted with, my penance is not ended. Until
+I have done this, no roof shall cover my head. So have I sworn."
+
+"But, dear father Henner," exclaimed Skirmen, "what, then, dost thou
+here at Viborg? If the marsk be not in either of his strongholds on
+Hielm or Spraa, he must he out on some marauding expedition against the
+king's towns and castles. At Stege he was frustrated," he continued, as
+the old man remained silent; "but Skielskioer and the fortress on
+Samsoe have experienced the fate of Tornborg. Ah, Heaven help us!" he
+added, dejectedly, crushing a reed he held in his hand--"since the
+powerful Ladislaus as dead and gone, there is not a king in the world
+of whom the marsk is afraid, and, least of all, of our young King
+Erik."
+
+"There is one King, my son, that neither the marsk nor any man may defy
+with impunity; and if He is with the young king, the power of the marsk
+is not greater than the reed you have crushed." As he uttered these
+words, the old man pointed solemnly towards the sky. "I may soon
+encounter him," he continued, after a thoughtful pause: "he may be
+nearer us than thou seemest to imagine. He is not on Hielm, but on his
+way to Halland, with his good friend the new archbishop. They were to
+meet in Viborg, or in Asmild convent; where, perhaps, at this very
+moment, they are plotting the ruin of the country."
+
+"Methinks thou knowest everything, father Henner!" exclaimed Skirmen,
+in astonishment. "But what brings the marsk to Halland? Does he carry
+succour to Count Jacob at Hunehal?"
+
+"Canst guess no better than that, Skirmen? thou, who hast had a
+statesman for thy master! No. The council desire to conclude a treaty
+with the Norse king at Varberg; but it cannot be done without the
+marsk's consent; and the fate of two, perhaps of three kingdoms, is now
+in the hands of that incendiary. It is high time he had a message from
+the King of kings."
+
+The old man again relapsed into deep thought; whilst Aasé and Skirmen
+exchanged some tender words, without disturbing him.
+
+"It is odd, however, that we should have met, Skirmen," resumed old
+Henner, as he looked affectionately at the youthful pair. "Aasé and
+thou remain good friends, I perceive. But thou canst not greatly boast
+of fortune, Skirmen. Gold spurs grow not on trees; and a knight thou
+must be, before thou hast her. Yet, courage, my son! If St. George help
+thee not, perhaps St. Christian will. Thou hast my pilgrim-sword, with
+which thou shalt succeed: the holy Michael has borne it for a century
+on a church-steeple. It belongs more to a dancing-slipper than a pair
+of red shoes; but if the cat would catch fish, she must wet her paws.
+What hast thou been about at Harrestrup, whilst thy master is lying in
+chains at Nordborg?"
+
+"Alas! dear father Henner," replied Skirmen, "there is no excuse so
+poor that people will not fly to it in their extremity. My master's
+trusty old nurse, who lies sick at Harrestrup, sent me word that she
+had something important to confide to me, and--"
+
+"Hum! there is but little to be learned from an old woman's gabble,"
+muttered old Henner.
+
+"Well, but what said she to thee?" inquired Aasé, curiously. "It is
+plain that the old nurse made thee feel ashamed of thyself, since thou
+wilt not out with it. She has certainly cared better for thy master,
+than thou--"
+
+"Upbraid me not, dearest Aasé!" replied Skirmen, dejectedly. "On the
+unhappy day that my master was taken prisoner at Skielskioer, he had
+sent me on a message to Rypen House; and, ever since, I have thought of
+little else besides the means of setting him free. Three times have I
+been on Alsen; but the infernal prison-tower is strongly guarded night
+and day. Twice I was caught, and should certainly have been hanged, had
+I not contrived to escape."
+
+"Thou dear, trusty Skirmen!" exclaimed Aasé, throwing her arms around
+him. "That would have been a vile death for a squire who has been so
+long in a fair way of becoming a knight," she added, waggishly. "Yet be
+not angry, Skirmen. I like thee all the better for this; and, indeed,
+thy exploits are quite enchanting. But what said the old nurse?"
+
+"Alas! she is in her dotage, poor creature, and her mind is filled with
+whims and extravagances. She would have me believe that she had lain
+for eight days in my master's prison, instead of him. On Alsen, she
+said, they took her for a witch, and the guard would not deny her
+access to the prison, which my master left, disguised in her clothes;
+having first sworn a solemn oath that he would return and release her
+within eight days, and that during that time he would not show his face
+nor discover himself to any one. The carlin must have been in a dream.
+It could not possibly be as she says."
+
+"Wherefore not, son?" asked old Henner, who had listened attentively:
+"it could easily be done. It is, at least, characteristic of thy true
+and chivalrous master, for the good woman I know not. Yet what purpose
+could it answer, since the faithful drost had to return, and, like a
+wizard, again creep into his prison-hole?"
+
+"I know not: that is the most incredible part of the story, and makes
+me disbelieve it all. Besides, I know that Dorothy could not have
+remained quiet for eight days, nor help betraying herself by song and
+chatter. Yet it is surprising how much she knows concerning the prison.
+She described the exterior exactly as I had seen it myself; and,
+moreover, she gave me this key, swearing deeply and solemnly that it
+would open the innermost prison-doors."
+
+"Ah, then, Skirmen, if thou doubtest longer, thou art an incredulous
+fool!" cried Aasé, joyfully. "If thou believest not that we women-folks
+can be silent to serve a good friend, thou little knowest us; and, if I
+mistake not, thy master could effect more in eight days, than many
+others could in a year. But, at any rate, he had one dear object to
+visit. Give me the key. I, too, can play the witch; and, since the good
+people on Alsen have so much respect for the weird sisterhood, we can
+easily hit on an expedient. We have been to St. Peter's prison, in
+Rome, thou must know, and have there received absolution of all our
+sins, and a dispensation from going to the holy sepulchre. I have not
+sinned greatly since, I believe; and if now our dear Holy Lady or St.
+Christian will make use of me to open a prison, they may well do so,
+though I am not altogether an angel--"
+
+"Be silent, children, and conceal yourselves," suddenly exclaimed old
+Henner. "I hear horsemen on the road from the convent. It may be the
+marsk."
+
+Aasé and Skirmen quickly obeyed, and retired to the thicket near the
+lake, where many a tender word was ex-changed between them.
+
+A troop of well-armed horsemen now appeared, approaching the
+ferry-house from Asmild convent, having two tall personages at their
+head. One of these, who sat with a proud air on his quiet palfrey, was
+the haughty Master Jens Grand, who, after the death of the aged Johan
+Dros, had been, much against the wish of the king, chosen Archbishop of
+Lund. His mail-clad companion, who was stately and warlike, and mounted
+on a champing war-steed, was no other than the famous Marsk Stig
+himself. They halted on the road, while the attendant horsemen
+descended to the lake to water their horses.
+
+"As I observed, sir marsk," said the prelate, "they must restore you
+your rank and estates if you will but allow the boy for the present to
+retain his throne. He is still preferable to your powerful King
+Priesthater."
+
+"Out upon it, your reverence!" exclaimed the marsk: "you are afraid of
+the name priesthater, although it is one he does not deserve. He is the
+ablest monarch that ever sat on the throne of Norway, and possesses
+indeed the lofty soul of a king. When before, without showing fear or
+tyranny, has any northern king endured by his side a powerful brother,
+such as is Duke Hakon? Under such a king, Denmark and Norway will
+become unrivalled for power and greatness. Let me but wield the
+general's staff for ten years, while you bear the crook, and the world
+shall see that the ancient race of Skjalm Hvide have not degenerated
+since the days of Absalom. In Sweden, too, there is now a boy-king on
+the throne, but he will never become a man. What say you to an earthly
+trinity, most reverend father?"
+
+"You will bend the bow until it breaks," replied the archbishop. "You
+forget that you are beyond the pale of the law, and that your large
+estates are in the possession of the crown."
+
+"My will and this good sword is now my law," replied the marsk; "and as
+to estates, my friends and I have ample while all Denmark is in our
+hands."
+
+"Still you must remember that you are an outlaw," observed the
+archbishop, emphatically, "and that you are also under the ban. If,
+then, I obtain you release from the latter, you must not set the
+priesthater as king over me and Denmark. I would rather you mounted the
+throne yourself--a step almost as easy of accomplishment."
+
+"Mean you to tempt me, Grand?" observed his companion, with a smile.
+"Were Marsk Stig to sit on the throne of Denmark, Master Grand might
+occupy St. Peter's chair, and keep his royal kinsman in awe."
+
+"No need of that, sir marsk," rejoined the imperious archbishop. "You
+despise not Holy Church and her chiefs, as does the proud Norseman, and
+you would be too prudent to deny the first prelate of the north that
+obedience and reverence he could extort. I meant not to tempt you; and,
+whilst I know and respect your self-control and magnanimity, you cannot
+be ignorant that it is my prerogative, not your's, to place the crown
+upon the head of him who is to wear it. Hear me, Marsk Stig!" he
+continued, proudly: "that I am your friend, you have had sufficient
+proof. I am now, after the king, the greatest man in Denmark. Acquitted
+of every part I took in your affair, I have even been admitted to his
+confidence, and am commissioned to negotiate a peace with Norway. In
+zealously attempting to effect this, I am labouring, not for the king's
+sake, but for that of the Church and kingdom. I know well, that, with a
+single word, you can annihilate the treaty. But be advised by me, Marsk
+Stig, and do not so. Demand what you will, and rely upon me; but
+remember that I it is who shall hereafter crown Denmark's kings, and I
+need not the authority of St. Peter's chair to bind or loose the
+monarch's soul, any more than those of his knights."
+
+The marsk gazed for some moments with astonishment at the bold prelate.
+"You possess great power, it is true," he at length said; "but I
+believed, of a surety, that the son of Erik Glipping had no greater
+enemy in Denmark than yourself. After his death you persecuted his
+adherents, and caused even their corpses to be dug up from your
+churchyard, and thrown like dogs into a dung-pit. How is it, then, that
+you now cling so zealously to the boy-rule?"
+
+"The boy is now anointed and crowned."
+
+"Were he a thousand times anointed, 'tis the same. I have sworn his
+downfall, and he or I must perish! Upon you I trusted, Grand; but I now
+see that the Archbishop of Lund thinks not as did the Dean of Roskild.
+It is strange that changing his seat should so alter a man. But the
+highest elevated are the soonest giddy. Have you forgotten, reverend
+sir, in the archbishop's chair, what you swore to me in the dean's?"
+
+"That I have not, most valiant marsk," replied the prelate; "but you
+have forgotten what we both promised to Duke Waldemar. He deserves
+truer friends than those who agreed to bestow the crown of Denmark upon
+the priesthater. That I do not support the boy's crown for the boy's
+sake, I have shown; but I was not in your councils when you broke
+promise to the duke."
+
+"Ah! is it thus, your reverence? Now, for the first time, do I
+comprehend you. I had forgotten that you were confessor to the duke.
+But had you desired that I, or any honest man, should depend on that
+wily gentleman, you had trained up your shriveling otherwise than
+you did. As he was so base and faithless as to subscribe my sentence
+of outlawry, he would certainly not have hesitated to sign my
+death-warrant."
+
+"Him you have to thank that you escaped so easily," replied Grand. "The
+duke acted as your most discreet friend, when he subscribed that
+sentence which, as regent, he has still the power to remit; and, if you
+will assist us in effecting this treaty with Norway, you shall no
+longer remain an outlaw. The time may come, too, when you shall sue for
+the saving blessing of the Church, and tremble at its ban. Despise not,
+valiant marsk, the lightning of its curse, which, ere now, has melted
+crowns and overthrown heroes stronger than you."
+
+"A truce with your lightnings and your bans!" indignantly replied the
+marsk, as he erected himself proudly, and rode on. "You see, in me,
+that a brave man can thrive and be strong, despite your thunders of
+excommunication, launched against him from Lund Cathedral. Spiritual
+weapons avail not with Marsk Stig, nor shall they turn him a
+hair's-breadth from his course."
+
+At that moment the vaadesang, from the tomb of the murdered king,
+sounded clearly across the calm lake.
+
+The marsk paused. "What was that?" he asked.
+
+"It was the blood of thy murdered king, crying aloud to Heaven for
+vengeance!" replied a hollow voice beside him, while the tall
+pilgrim-form of Henner Friser rose from the side of the boat, where he
+had been sitting, and, in the moonshine, stood menacingly before him.
+
+The life-stream became cold in the warrior's veins while he gazed on
+the pilgrim as on some horrid spectre, and the mournful tones of the
+vaadesang were again wafted over the lake.
+
+"Listen--listen!" exclaimed the pilgrim: "thus shall that song complain
+and mourn, till, at the last day, King Erik and his murderers stand
+before God's judgment-seat."
+
+"Fiend! who art thou?" cried the marsk, unsheathing his sword.
+
+"A king-killer--as thou art!" was the reply: "but I have atoned for my
+sin; and to thee I bring this last warning--Despise not the ban!
+despise not Heaven's weapons, Marsk Stig! Man's strength is but a reed;
+but the Lord's hand is mighty, and vengeance is his. Repent thee, Stig
+Andersen, or thine hour is near. 'Twas thus the holy father bade me
+warn thee: wash the king's blood from thine hands, and do penance; or
+set thine house in order, and prepare for death and perdition. Thy soul
+is weighed and found wanting--thy day of grace is but short."
+
+"Henner! is it thee?" cried the marsk, as he brandished his sword. "But
+beware! thy crazy grayhead shall not always protect thee."
+
+"Listen--listen!" calmly resumed the pilgrim, who shrunk not at the
+threat, whilst a gentle breeze again bore the vigil-tones over the
+lake, and the mournful chorus swelled louder and louder, vibrating
+overhead in the calm night. "Listen!" he exclaimed: "the tones from the
+grave ascend to heaven: they plead for the soul of the king, hurried
+away in the midst of his sins; but woe and eternal perdition they sound
+to those of his murderers!"
+
+"Peace, accursed one!" exclaimed the enraged marsk, and his sword
+flashed in the direction of Henner's head; but at the same instant it
+was struck violently from his hand, while a sword of flame, as it were,
+gleamed before him in the air. Seized with terror, he spurred his steed
+forward, and galloped away, followed by the ecclesiastic, who, pale and
+frightened, continued to cross himself, as he disappeared along the
+dark road.
+
+Shortly after the marsk's troop of horsemen rode past the pilgrim, who,
+leading Aasé by the hand, strode leisurely along the highway, whilst
+Skirmen still remained silently and gravely by the boat, leaning upon
+the long flame-shaped sword.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Four weeks had elapsed since the night on which the inflexible marsk
+encountered Henner Friser by Viborg Lake, and heard the tones of the
+vigils ascend from the tomb of the murdered king. It was evening, and
+the last golden rays of the sun rested on the turrets of Hielm Castle,
+when the stern marsk, accompanied by his troopers, rode across the
+little island in the direction of his stronghold. He had been attending
+the meeting between the Danish and Norwegian kings at Varberg, at which
+his unyielding pride and imperious demands had entirely frustrated the
+conclusion of the treaty; and although he now returned to Hielm with
+the proud consciousness of his formidable power and influence, his
+haughty features were pale, and his lofty figure seemed to rock in the
+saddle.
+
+In presence of Archbishop Grand, he had concealed the strong impression
+made upon him by the occurrence which we have related, and, indeed,
+laughed at himself and the whole adventure, which he characterised as a
+mere accident, or a piece of trickery, got up by the half-crazed
+Henner. But during his homeward journey, when no longer sustained by
+the archbishop's presence, he had not spoken a word; nor could he shake
+off the conviction that the sword had been shivered in his hand by
+lightning. He still imagined that, while the vaadesang from the royal
+tomb rang in his ears, he had heard death and perdition announced to
+him by a spectre, and that a mighty cherub-sword had struck him with
+its lightning, while the accusing chorus swelled to heaven over his
+guilty head. With heavy soul he rode through the dark gate of Hielm
+Castle, and, dismounting from his steed, entered the arched hall of the
+keep, where sat his daughters.
+
+The quiet Margarethé advanced affectionately to meet him, and proceeded
+to unbuckle his armour; while the impatient little Ulrica overwhelmed
+him with inquisitive questions, as to where he had been, and whether he
+had brought home booty and jewels.
+
+"Hast thou not gold and jewels enough to fill thy young raven's maw?"
+asked the gloomy warrior, without looking at the child. "I have brought
+thee more than ever king's daughter in Denmark possessed. But the time
+may come," he added, in an under tone, "when thou must be contented
+with less. Go to the chamberlain, Rikké," he continued, in a sterner
+tone: "he will open the treasure-closet, and give thee the rosary on
+which King Erik Christopherson told his last prayer. Keep that as thy
+patrimony."
+
+"Thanks, father--thanks!" exclaimed the innocent, rosy-cheeked child.
+"But, why dost thou always seem so angry when thou art kind to me? I
+may, then, now take the handsome string of pearls and diamonds to deck
+myself? Thanks, father--thanks!" she again cried, as she skipped away,
+clapping her hands with delight.
+
+"And thou, my pious Margarethé," continued the marsk to his
+eldest daughter, as with emotion he gazed on her pale and quiet
+features--"thou carest not for my treasures; therefore to thee I give
+my blessing--if haply it carry not with it the weight of a curse!" he
+added, mentally, while he laid his hand upon her head. "Go, my child,"
+he said, aloud, as he felt himself becoming giddy--"go, and send hither
+the chaplain."
+
+"Art thou sick, dear father?" inquired the daughter, with deep concern:
+"thy hand is cold, and thou art quite pale."
+
+"It will pass," he exclaimed, moodily, throwing himself into a seat.
+"Do as I bid thee, and remain in thy chamber until I call. God bless
+thee!"
+
+Margarethé retired, with tears in her eyes; and in a little while a
+timorous-looking clerk entered, and bowed humbly before the master of
+the castle, without uttering a word.
+
+"I have not long to live!" exclaimed the marsk: "prepare me for death,
+if thou canst, and administer to me the holy sacrament. We must at
+last, I perceive, make peace with Heaven, and think of our soul's
+welfare. Shrive, however, I shall not," he continued: "the world knows
+well what I have done, and the Omniscient best of all."
+
+The trembling clerk began a discourse he was wont to use on similar
+occasions, concerning the seven mortal sins and purity of conscience,
+when the marsk impatiently interrupted him.
+
+"This jargon helps me not," he said. "I wish not to hear _thy word_,
+clerk, but God's word. Prepare the sacrament--there is virtue in that!
+King Erik had it not before his death," he added, softly, "but he took
+it with him in his coffin. Haste thee, clerk! why lingerest thou?"
+
+"Alas, stern sir marsk," stammered the clerk, "I cannot--I truly dare
+not. The canonical law, the chapter, and the holy father will condemn
+me, should I administer this holy rite to one who is excommunicated."
+
+"Death and perdition!" exclaimed the marsk, grasping his sword, "thou
+shalt, base clerk, or thou diest!"
+
+"Alas, most gracious master, while the ban of the church is on thee,
+thou hast not the power to--"
+
+"Not the power! By Satan, I swear that, if thou bringest it not
+quickly, thou shalt die!"
+
+The trembling clerk departed hastily, with a humble and obedient mien.
+But he returned not; for, hurrying from the castle as fast as he could,
+he instantly took to flight.
+
+The marsk grew paler and paler, and, as he gazed on the door by which
+the priest had departed, it seemed to him an avenue of heaven, from
+which he expected an angel to bring him redemption. But it opened not.
+He endeavoured to rise, but sank back powerless. He would have shouted;
+but his voice was weak, and no one seemed to hear it.
+
+At length his henchman, Mat Jute, entered. "A stranger of rank is here,
+stern sir marsk," he said, as he remained erect by the door, with his
+hand at his steel cap; "and he seems determined on entering, by fair
+means or foul, and that immediately."
+
+The marsk beckoned for a cup of wine, which somewhat revived him; and
+"The clerk--the chaplain!" he anxiously cried, as his voice returned.
+
+The trusty Mat now perceived with terror the condition of his master,
+and rushed out to bring the priest and a physician.
+
+Scarcely had he left the door, when the stranger he had announced
+appeared. He was tall, and wore a lofty feathered hat, whilst the ample
+folds of a purple mantle, in which he was enveloped, concealed his
+face. They now fell aside, however, and revealed a countenance, pale
+and restless indeed, but on which the stamp of a daring cunning was
+ineffaceably imprinted.
+
+"Duke Waldemar!" exclaimed the marsk, as he endeavoured to rise, but
+again sank back on his seat. "Come you hither to see how the man dies
+whom you have doomed an outlaw?"
+
+"Do I come at an hour so solemn?" asked the duke. "Since, then, the
+angel of retribution has found you first, my design is frustrated.
+Know, however, that I came to defy you to mortal combat."
+
+"You may still have your wish," replied the marsk, erecting himself.
+"But wherefore seek you this? Tell me quickly!"
+
+"Like a perjured traitor, you have broken your knightly word, and have
+promised to the Norwegian king the crown which is mine."
+
+"Ay, but not until you had broken our paction, and declared me an
+outlaw."
+
+"That I did so to save you, you know well; but any excuse is welcome.
+Yet what fidelity could I expect from a regicide?"
+
+"By that word you accuse yourself, Duke Waldemar. That sin--if sin it
+is--you share with me. Deep injuries had I to revenge, which you had
+not. If King Erik's blood stains not your hand, it yet lies as heavy on
+your head as it does on mine. Your counsel and wishes were in Finnerup
+barn, albeit you yourself were absent."
+
+"A mightier Power has judged between us," replied the duke. "I will not
+curse you in your dying hour; but one thing you must tell me--you must
+solve to me a riddle that has driven me mad:--where is the dagger I
+gave you when we swore the tyrant's fall?"
+
+"I left it in his bosom," replied the marsk, "that it might be known
+you were our head and prince. Your name I even had graven on it, that
+no doubt might exist of your participation in the deed, and that thus
+our fortunes might be indissolubly linked together."
+
+"Shameless traitor! And thus it is that you would drag me with you to
+perdition! But say, who was the accuser that displayed the dagger of
+the bloody paction before the eyes of king and people?"
+
+"If it was not Drost Hessel, let your confessor teach you the name of
+the angel who accuses the faithless!"
+
+"It was not the drost," exclaimed the duke, while his brain began to
+reel: "he lay then in chains at Nordborg. But you it was--even you,
+accursed regicide!--or it was the foul fiend himself!"
+
+"Priest, priest! where art thou?" cried the marsk, glancing fearfully,
+around him. "Name not the Evil One, Duke Waldemar! In our bloody
+council we invoked him often enough."
+
+At that instant the door was hastily opened, and Mat Jute entered, much
+excited. "Sir marsk," he cried, "what is to be done? The priest has
+fled, and the island is surrounded by the king's ships. The troops are
+about to land, with Thorstenson at their head, to storm the castle."
+
+"Let the priest speed to the infernal pit!" cried the marsk, rising.
+"Now, I will not die. Come on, King Erik's men! You shall once more see
+what Marsk Stig can accomplish!" He grasped his weapon with the
+suddenly returned strength of a giant. "Away!" he shouted, in a fearful
+voice: "every man to his post! We shall crush them with brynkiöls and
+glowing stones."
+
+In an instant he was gone, and Duke Waldemar remained alone, agitated
+and undecided. The din of arms and soldiers was soon heard outside the
+castle, when at length, seizing his sword, he hurried out.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In the attack on Hielm, the royalists were repulsed with great loss;
+but Thorstenson still continued to beleagure the castle, and was making
+preparations for another assault, whilst the most marvellous stories
+and reports began to circulate among the people. The rumour that the
+marsk was dead spread among the besiegers. It was said by others, that
+he had mysteriously vanished, and that a stranger of eminence, who had
+been with him, had also suddenly disappeared. From this circumstance it
+was generally believed among the people, that the devil had been at
+Hielm, and carried off the awful king-murderer.
+
+Meanwhile, the castle was defended with great bravery by the marsk's
+seven hundred mail-clad men. It was asserted that they were now
+commanded by the former lord of the castle, the outlawed Chamberlain
+Rané; and that his wife, the algrev's daughter, was with him. About the
+same time, too, a small female form, in white garments, with a crucifix
+in her folded hands, was frequently seen upon the ramparts of Hielm,
+where the dark warriors knelt before her as she passed them. The chiefs
+of the besiegers knew it was the marsk's eldest daughter; but many of
+the common soldiers looked on her as a supernatural being, who
+protected the castle, and rendered it impregnable.
+
+One night, shortly after the rumour of the marsk's sudden disappearance
+had been spread abroad, a funeral train, bearing torches, landed from a
+ship lying off the parsonage of Stubberup, on Hindsholm,[42] and
+proceeded with silence and solemnity towards the churchyard. The
+maid-servants of the clergyman, assisted by some maidens from the
+village, were engaged in carding wool, forming what was called a
+carding-guild, which, when the work was over, terminated in dance and
+merriment. The girls were cheerfully at work, in the servants' room,
+where were a number of troughs, with a large tub in the centre,
+while a single dull lamp hung in an iron hook from the rafters, and two
+men-servants lay on a bench asleep.
+
+The busy wool-carders were amusing themselves with singing ballads and
+telling ghost-stories, and were in the middle of a fearful tale
+concerning pirates who infested a wood in the northern part of the
+peninsula, and who had been captured one yule evening by Drost Peter.
+This was the band of Niels Breakpeace and Lavé Rimaardson, whose chiefs
+had then escaped, but who were next year taken and executed at
+Harrestrup. Twelve of these men had perished in captivity on Hindsholm;
+on which achievement there existed a ballad which was generally known,
+and which the maidens were now all engaged in singing with the greatest
+glee. The kitchen-maid, who took the lead, was at the fourteenth
+verse:--
+
+
+                  "It was Drost Peter Hessel,
+                  He called unto his band:
+                  Wake up! wake up! no longer stay.
+                  For news has come to hand.
+                  Wake up! for now the time is come
+                  To don the trusty mail--"
+
+
+when the ballad was suddenly interrupted by the brewer's maid, who
+rushed in, with terror in her looks, exclaiming that she had seen a
+funeral company bearing torches. The maidens dropped their cards, and
+the wool fell from their laps; whilst the men-servants aroused
+themselves, and rubbed their eyes: but none dared to venture forth to
+behold the cause of their fear.
+
+"What scared fools you are!" at last exclaimed a little black-haired
+maiden, who superintended the work. "It must be one of the outlaws
+again, whom his comrades desire to bury in christian ground. Thus it
+was they did with Arved Bengtson, who was slain by Tulé Ebbesen."
+
+"But they don't carry torches, and come with a long train--they sneak
+along, quietly and in darkness, when they go to bury a malefactor,"
+observed the brewer's girl. "This must be a king, or some great man,
+unless, indeed, it is a procession of ghosts, like what old Anders
+Gossip has seen so often."
+
+"Oh, what is it he cannot see, when the ale is in his head?" replied
+the other, laughing. "They are living men, I dare wager; and he is a
+milksop that dares not venture out to see."
+
+"If thou darest venture out to see it, Elsie," rejoined the brewer's
+maid, "do so, and prove to us that thou art as bold as thou boastest!
+The fright has not yet left me: I feel it still in my knees."
+
+"Go, Elsie," cried the kitchen-maid: "thou must, in truth, have a man's
+heart and courage, for the marsk's swain, long Mat Jute, is thy
+sweetheart, and I would not be alone with him, for all the world."
+
+"That I can well believe," replied Elsie, with some pride. "Mat Jute is
+not to be jested with. Indeed, you cannot show me his match, in all
+Funen."
+
+"You dare not let Christen Fiddler hear you so speak!" cried one of the
+girls.
+
+"Why not?" replied Elsie, briskly. "I have told him so more than once.
+Had Mat Jute not fallen into misfortune, along with his master, and
+become such a ferocious strand-fighter, I should have had no fear of
+taking him for a husband. But the Lord preserve me from him now!"
+
+"Aha!" laughed the kitchen-maid: "he kills folk, they say, for the
+smallest ill word said against his master. He must be a perfect fiend."
+
+"Say not so," cried Elsie. "Fierce he is, it is true, but he is still
+an honest fellow. He is true to his master--more's the pity!--and I
+cannot bear anybody to speak ill of him."
+
+"Old love doesn't die," remarked one of the men-servants; "and if Mat
+Jute knew that thou hast now another sweetheart, little Elsie, he would
+yet come and bite thy head off."
+
+"As for that," returned Elsie, "I am truer to him than many Funen lads
+are to their lasses; and, besides, I have only one sweetheart at a
+time."
+
+"If thou wouldst see the show, Elsie, haste thee, or it will be gone,"
+cried the brewer's maid. "It went up to the churchyard; and, if I saw
+truly in my fright, there was a light in the choir."
+
+"Let us call the master!" exclaimed the kitchen-maid: "it is really
+awful. They may be church-robbers; and if they be ghosts, the father
+can read them away."
+
+This was agreed to, and one of the maids went to awake her master.
+
+"It is, more likely, the outlawed marsk, who wants to add to his
+treasury at Eskebjerg," observed one of the men-servants: "he has heaps
+of gold and jewels there, it is said."
+
+"How long you think about it,  Elsie," cried the kitchen-maid--"thou
+who hast been in a fortress. When thou wert at Flynderborg, thou wert
+afraid of neither soldiers nor rievers--thou wert then as bold as thy
+jomfru."
+
+"I did not say that," replied Elsie: "the brave Jomfru Ingé showed more
+courage than I, when the algrev and Niels Breakpeace paid us a visit.
+But you shall see, for all that, that I am not afraid to look at a
+funeral. A dead man can't bite my nose off. If it be an outlaw of mark,
+there are both gold and velvet with him that would make famous pillows
+and coverlets; and it were no sin to cheat the rieving pack of what
+they have plundered from our honest maids and wives. Come along with
+me, girls--I will go first."
+
+Her companions opened their eyes with amazement at this proposal, but
+none of them had the courage to follow her, and the men-servants did
+not seem at all to relish the adventure.
+
+"Very well," exclaimed Elsie, "I shall have all the treasure to myself.
+See it, I will, at any rate."
+
+So saying, she went out alone, and beheld a procession with torches,
+exactly as described by the brewer's maid. As the procession moved
+slowly across the churchyard, towards the low door of the choir, the
+inquisitive and somewhat frightened girl paused, and, hiding herself
+behind a tree, peeped through the palings that fenced the priest's walk
+to the churchyard. She trembled as she plainly perceived the tall,
+muffled figures, who, in heavy iron armour, and with torches in their
+hands, bore forward a long black coffin; while, behind this dark
+funereal train, walked a priest in canonicals, with his hands bound.
+
+Elsie summoned fresh courage, and stole close up to the gate when the
+procession had disappeared in the church. She now ventured to look
+around the churchyard, but not a soul was to be seen, and she then
+boldly advanced a little farther. With a beating heart she stood by the
+door of the choir, and peeped in. All was still and deserted, although
+lights were burning on the altar. Gliding noiselessly inside the
+church, she gazed with fearful curiosity around her, but not a creature
+was visible. The trap-door, however, in the middle of the aisle, was
+open, and, from the vault beneath, the light of many torches was
+reflected upon the arches of the roof. She stood a moment, hesitating
+whether to venture nearer or take to flight; but hastily muttering a
+short prayer to strengthen her, she crept cautiously towards the
+trap-door, where, through a chink between the hinges, she was enabled
+to behold what was going forward below, while, bent upon her knees, she
+scarcely dared to breathe. Twelve armed men, with torches in their
+hands, stood in a circle around a large coffin, covered with black
+velvet, and adorned with a gold-embroidered mort-cloth, upon which lay
+a sword, over the armorial bearings of the deceased. A solemn silence
+prevailed. The priest was unbound; and as the torchlight fell upon his
+face, with surprise and terror the girl recognised her master, the
+clergyman of the parish. The lid of the coffin was then raised, and she
+perceived within a long, gigantic figure, in the complete armour of a
+knight.
+
+"Now, priest, lay God's body on his breast," uttered in a hollow voice
+one of the warriors through his locked helmet: "he had it not before
+his death, although he loudly prayed for it. But now he shall take it
+with him, even were he banned by the holy George and all the archangels
+to boot."
+
+"I do it by compulsion," stammered forth the priest; "and, as I have
+already told you, it thus carries no blessing with it."
+
+"Perform the rite with due propriety, or thou shalt die!" sounded
+fearfully the same hollow voice; while the priest, in trembling
+accents, consecrated the host, which he carefully placed in a little
+silver shrine, and laid on the breast of the corpse. The lid of the
+coffin was again replaced, and the priest, casting upon it three
+spadefuls of earth, repeated aloud the burial-service of the church.
+
+"Amen!" cried all the iron-clad warriors, some of whom appeared to be
+deeply affected.
+
+The procession then prepared to leave the vault, and the girl,
+springing up, essayed to escape by the way she had entered, when, with
+indescribable terror, she perceived the backs of two mailed figures in
+the church-door. She had nearly discovered herself by a shriek, which
+she with difficulty suppressed, as she hastily concealed herself
+beneath one of the benches; and not until she had heard the heavy tread
+of the last warrior over the gravestones in the church-passage--not
+until every sound was hushed, did she venture to peep carefully from
+her lurking-place.
+
+The church was empty, and the door stood ajar, but lights were still
+burning on the altar. The trap-door of the vault remained open, and she
+perceived that there was still a light below. She again stole forth,
+and peeped through the crevice. A lantern stood on the coffin, but all
+the warriors were gone. She took heart, and ventured a step or two
+within: the splendid mort-cloth glittered before her eyes--she
+cautiously approached, and at length stood by the coffin, and beheld
+the armorial bearings on the black velvet pall, which glittered with
+silver and jewels. Under a helmet, with two white wings, blazed a
+silver star, with seven rays of sparkling gems.
+
+"This would make a poor bride rich, and a bridal-bed magnificent," she
+whispered to herself. "What wants the riever with it in the grave?"
+
+The lantern was in her hand, and the diamonds flashed a thousand rays,
+when, no longer able to withstand the temptation, she hastily secured
+the mort-cloth, and crept up the steps with it. But the rustling of
+armour, which she now heard behind her, petrified her with terror,
+and she dropped the lantern; while, at the same moment, a powerful
+hand seized the pall, and a terrible voice, as from the grave,
+cried--"Accursed woman! wilt thou plunder the dead?" She was now
+entirely overcome, and, uttering a piercing shriek, fell backwards
+insensible, into the vault.
+
+"Rievers! pirates!" now shouted numerous voices outside the church; and
+all the young men of Stubberup, who meanwhile had assembled to dance at
+the carding-guild, came rushing up to the church, armed with flails and
+pitchforks, and headed by the priest's farm-servant, with a lantern in
+his hand.
+
+"Go thou first, Christen Fiddler!" exclaimed one of the party: "it may
+be witchcraft and devilry, but thou canst read as well as the father;
+and where thy sweetheart could go alone, thou canst surely venture with
+a dozen."
+
+While they still lingered by the church-door, a tall figure in iron
+mail, and with a drawn sword in his hand, rushed forth, and with a wild
+howl overthrew those who stood before him, and quickly disappeared.
+
+The terrified peasants crossed themselves, and repeated their
+paternosters; none doubting but that it was the Evil One himself whom
+they had seen. At length, recovering their courage, they ventured
+within the church, where they found the vault open, and discovered with
+horror the little Elsie, bleeding and dying, beside the great coffin,
+over which the mort-cloth had again been thrown. They bore the maiden
+to the parsonage, where the priest, who appeared pale and agitated,
+caused them to swear never to divulge what they had seen and heard that
+night.
+
+What the dying girl confided to the priest remained a secret; but,
+three days after, Elsie was committed with all silence to the grave;
+and for many a day the story was told on Hindsholm, that she had been
+murdered by her old sweetheart, Mat Jute, because she would have
+plundered his master's grave.
+
+The priest of Stubberup caused the vault to be built up, and no one
+after, wards dared to open it. Some time after, it was rumoured that
+Marsk Stig had been secretly buried in Rörvig Kirk, in Zealand, where,
+probably, the funeral of one of the outlaws had taken place. In a short
+time, the burial-place of the excommunicated marsk became involved in
+uncertainty, which his friends considered it important to maintain,
+lest, as a man who died under the ban of the Church, his remains should
+be persecuted and maltreated. Some even propagated the report that the
+marsk did not die at Hielm, but on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; by
+which pious invention they thought to protect his grave and redeem his
+memory.
+
+But the story of the priest's maid-servant, who had been killed by the
+marsk's follower, obtained the greatest currency, although it ran
+differently in different quarters; the version nearest the truth
+relating that one of the marsk's trusty servants had betrothed a girl
+upon the spot where his master had been secretly buried; but that
+recognising, on the bolsters of the bridal bed, the velvet of his
+master's pall, he had, in consequence, murdered his young wife on their
+wedding-night.[43]
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The vehement Thorstenson having been appointed drost of the kingdom
+during Drost Peter's imprisonment, the orders issued by him in the
+king's name were of the most stringent character; and the regicides and
+their adherents were prosecuted with a degree of rigour and violence
+that Drost Peter would not have sanctioned. This was in a great measure
+attributable to Junker Christopherson's desire of vengeance; and though
+the king neither approved of nor permitted any base revenge, no one
+dared to entreat his forbearance where his father's murderers and their
+accomplices were concerned.
+
+The death or disappearance of the marsk struck his men with terror; nor
+did the other outlaws deem themselves so secure as heretofore. Rané
+Jonsen, after a fruitless effort to defend his paternal castle against
+the royalists, had abandoned the beleagured fortress, and it was soon
+known that Hielm Castle had been stormed and demolished by Thorstenson.
+One evening, shortly after this event, two little girls came, hand in
+hand, to a miserable peasant-hut, near Helgeness, begging for shelter.
+These were the orphan daughters of Marsk Stig, who, in their flight
+from Denmark, found refuge and protection among the compassionate
+peasantry.
+
+About this time the commandant of Sjöborg, the honest old Poul Hvit,
+was awakened one night by a loud knocking at the gate, which, on being
+opened, gave admission to a troop of royal horsemen and two bound
+prisoners. Poul Hvit himself, with a lantern in his hand, received
+these unexpected visitors; and as he examined the wretched habiliments
+of the prisoners, he appeared surprised that men of their mean
+condition should be conducted thither as state prisoners.
+
+One of them, a tall and haughty figure, wore an old gray jerkin, torn
+down to the skirts; on his head was a dirty, small, open cowl, and he
+was seated in a wooden saddle, stuffed with straw, placed upon the back
+of a lean plough-horse, beneath whose belly his feet were tied together
+with a rope of coarse hair. As the commandant held the lantern to the
+prisoner's face, he recognised with astonishment in the proud
+countenance, although now flushed and swollen with indignation and
+grief, that of the archbishop himself, the haughty Jens Grand, who
+remained silent, and was apparently suffering much from his degraded
+position.
+
+His companion and fellow-prisoner, who was apparelled and mounted in a
+similar manner, was the seditious and mischievous Provost Jacob of
+Lund. They had both been seized in Lund, in the king's name, by Junker
+Christopherson, by whose orders they were conducted through the country
+in this humiliating manner.
+
+The captain of the troop then handed the commandant a royal warrant,
+undersigned by Drost Thorstenson, wherein he was made answerable, under
+pain of death, for the safe custody of the important prisoners, and
+commanded to load them with chains, and place them in the severest
+durance.
+
+"Herregud! we are all sinful men!" ejaculated the castellan, as he
+obeyed, and, without further remark, conducted the half-fainting
+archbishop and his companion to the prison, where, however, he humanely
+procured them refreshment, and bade them master their sorrows before
+they were fettered.
+
+Jarl Mindre-Alf still lay in the felon's dungeon in Haraldsborg. He had
+been condemned to death, but had artfully contrived to have his
+execution deferred from time to time, by occasionally communicating, to
+the commandant of Roskild, new and important information respecting the
+outlaws and their accomplices, which required time for complete
+investigation.
+
+On a dark night in November, a vessel, bearing the Danish flag and
+pennant, ran into Roskild Fiord. On the forecastle stood one whose long
+brown hair was partially concealed by a shaggy cap, whilst a pitched
+wadmel jerkin covered his knight's dress. A huge dog lay growling at
+his feet; and by his side stood a strong, plump female figure, in the
+dress of a fisher-girl, but wearing a fine linen cloth over her plaited
+auburn hair, and a pair of large gold buckles in her shoes.
+
+"The attempt is too daring, thou headstrong woman!" exclaimed the
+knight: "should I be recognised, it will cost me my life."
+
+"But 'tis to save my father's life," replied, in a Norse accent, a
+youthful female voice; "and he is yet a better man than thou wilt ever
+be, my crafty Rané. Yesterday didst thou promise me to set him free,
+and to-day thou refusest. It would cost thee but a word to the
+castellan; yet for this thou wilt not now venture to show thyself where
+thou hast so often landed for plunder. Nay, nay--this time, at least,
+thou _shalt_ keep thy word."
+
+It was Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, the brave Kirstine, who thus spoke,
+while she cast on her husband a look indicative of anything but
+affection. In conjunction with the crew, who were devoted to her, she
+had compelled Rané personally to undertake in earnest what he had
+convinced her was very easy, if he but chose to set about it, but which
+no one except himself could accomplish. Rané had given the viking's
+daughter ample proofs, that, as a daring and wily freebooter, he was
+not deficient in courage or cunning; but she had also early discovered,
+with bitter indignation, that neither was he the redoubtable hero she
+had dreamt of, when she followed him from Norway, and danced with him
+over the castle-bridge of Rypen. The chivalrous wooer soon became the
+rude and imperious spouse; and Kirstine's affection changed to contempt
+and hatred when she learnt that, as an evident participator in the
+king's murder, he had been adjudged and declared an outlaw.
+
+The only tie which still bound them together was one of mutual fear and
+necessity--a rugged bond, which was often well nigh being snapped
+asunder. A ballad was already composed and sung in Norway on the
+unloving pair. It subsequently became popular in Denmark; and it has
+thus been recorded that the faithlessness of Rané to his former king,
+and the sympathy which Kirstine felt for the royal house, was
+frequently the cause of hostile scenes between them.  Their quarrel now
+took this complexion, while steering into Roskild Fiord.
+
+"Beware thou of my faithful hound to-night!" whispered Rané: "he can
+see that thou wilt lead me into misfortune for thy father's sake."
+
+"Pity it was," replied Kirstine, "that thy king had not a hound as
+faithful: he would not then, perhaps, have been basely betrayed by his
+chamberlain."
+
+Rané was so enraged that, with a menacing gesture, he threatened to
+throw her overboard. "I betrayed not the king!" he cried. "Were they
+even my own kinsmen who say so, they are my mortal foes."
+
+The ferocious hound, perceiving the threatening gesture of his master,
+growled and showed his teeth at the shrinking lady.
+
+"Have a care, Rané!" exclaimed Kirstine, holding fast by the cordage.
+"Twice now hast thou laid violent hands on me; but it shall not again
+happen. A single word from me, and the boatmen will fling thee
+overboard. Had I known what kind of a knight thou wert, assuredly I
+should not have offended my father by marrying thee, nor have left my
+fatherland to follow an outlawed regicide."
+
+Rané ground his teeth with rage, and again assumed a threatening
+attitude.
+
+"Beware!" whispered Kirstine, still retaining hold of the cordage.
+"Think not that 'tis so dark here as in the barn of Finnerup! Dost hear
+the song of my trusty countrymen in the forehold? They know my sir
+husband, and apprehend mischief."
+
+Rané, with whose rage alarm had now mingled, heard the Norse boatmen
+singing, whilst two of them approached the forecastle:--
+
+
+            "'The wood has ears, the field has een,
+            And we are outlaws, little Kirstine!'
+
+            "'Oh, had you but King Erik spared,
+            We need not from the land have fared.'
+
+            "Across the table he struck her sore--
+            'Beware this speech our guests before!'
+
+            "And he struck her on the cheek so red--
+            'I did not wish King Erik dead,
+            Though spurned by kith and kin.'"
+
+
+"Dost hear?" again whispered Kirstine: "thou shouldst know the ballad
+well! If thou desirest not a worse ending, assist me now to save my
+father, and then I bid thee farewell for ever. But if thou shouldst act
+treacherously now, my trusty countrymen shall bind and carry thee to
+the King of Denmark."
+
+"Be still, dearest Kirstine! I will do as thou desirest," whispered
+Rané, as he cast a fearful glance towards the sturdy boatmen, who
+appeared to be as faithful and vigilant a body-guard to their lady, as
+was the hound to the faithless knight.
+
+The vessel soon lay to at a remote part of the fiord, where Rané and
+his wife landed, and proceeded in silence to the town. The hound
+followed; and, at a little distance behind, by a signal from Kirstine,
+the two sturdy boatmen.
+
+They passed thus through the streets of Roskild, until they reached the
+prison-tower of Haraldsborg, near which a crowd was collected,
+listening to an old crone singing street-ballads. She was seated on a
+stone, and, although apparently blind, carried a lantern in her hand,
+while on her arm hung a tin-box, on which she accompanied her song, and
+into which her hearers now and then dropped a piece of money. The moon,
+which had now risen, shone brightly on the tower and on the people, who
+apparently had gathered there to catch a glimpse of the famous
+prisoner, and to amuse themselves with the gossip of the town.
+
+"Saw you the drost?" asked a soldier: "such a carl!"
+
+"Ah, Heaven help us!" exclaimed a burgher; "he is under bolt and bar at
+Nordborg; and, until he is free, we shall have neither peace nor luck
+in the land."
+
+"Meanest thou Drost Hessel?" replied the soldier. "Ay, he truly was a
+brave gentleman; but 'twas the new drost I spoke of--he with the long
+beard: he's a tough carl, and, while he advises, neither rogues nor
+traitors shall long be safe in Denmark."
+
+"How long stays he here?" asked the burgher.
+
+"Only till the fleet is ready, and the landfolk assembled," answered
+the other. "The king then comes from Helsingborg, and we shall at the
+duke."
+
+"Bravo! Drost Thorstenson is no fool!" cried a seaman: "he well knows
+there is no road to land except by sea."
+
+"How so, friend?" asked a landsknecht: "was it not on land we got the
+holy banner, without which there is no road, either by sea or shore?
+Now, however, we go together; but if the Norsemen should land again,
+without leave, where were we without the landsmen then?"
+
+"Well, my countryman," replied the seaman, "we will drink to good
+fellowship both on sea and land. You laid by the heels that sea-bear in
+the tower, where he shall no longer plunder and burn our sloops. Sing
+us the ballad anent the corbie in the tower there, carlin!" he cried,
+turning to the crone, "and thou shalt have a silver groat."
+
+"How long will they allow him to remain there, and befool both bailiff
+and hangman?" inquired a burgher.
+
+"Have you not seen the wheel outside the town?" replied the seaman:
+"he'll be safe anchored there in a week hence, for Drost David has
+sworn it. He was, to give the devil his due, a daring sea-cock; but two
+such rievers as the marsk and he would soon have sunk the country."
+
+"Say you the algrev will be executed in a week hence?" exclaimed a
+young girl. "Alas, it is still a sad end for such a rich and
+distinguished gentleman!"
+
+"Come, carlin, sing now!" cried the seaman: "here's my groat. Look!
+there he is, poking his head out of the hole. He wants to see if there
+be any good friends here to help him."
+
+"Merciful Heavens! within a week. Heardst thou that, Rané?" exclaimed
+Kirstine, weeping, and involuntarily grasping the arm of her hated
+husband. "And, see, there he stands looking down to us. Haste thee,
+Rané, and save him! I will forgive thee all, and remain with thee,
+outlaw though thou be--only save him! save him! Thou canst if thou
+wilt."
+
+"Be silent, or, by Satan, thou wilt betray me with thy whimpering!"
+quickly whispered Rané, as he looked anxiously around him.
+
+And his fears were not unfounded, for some of the townspeople had
+already been suspiciously watching the two strange figures; although
+now the attention of all was attracted to the blind crone on the
+kerb-stone, who began to sing:--
+
+
+            "Sir Alf was born in Norraway,
+             Yet lists not there to bide,
+            Though fifteen lordships he doth own,
+             To keep his state and pride.[44]
+
+            "Alf wends upon the rampart green,
+             And cons with care his book;
+            There meets him Bendit Rimaardson,
+             Who is so dour of look.
+
+            "'What brings thee here, carl Mindre-Alf?
+             Thou art of courage rare:
+            If now thou'rt made king's prisoner,
+             The land no worse shall fare.'
+
+            "'But I am not Sir Mindre-Alf--
+             That is no name of mine:
+            A mass-boy, as thou seest, I am,
+             And fetch the priest some wine.'
+
+            "Bent lifted off this mass-boy's cap,
+             And looked him in the een--
+            'An I see right, thou art the Norse
+             Sir Mindre-Alf, I ween.'
+
+            "'And thou wert once a clerk with me,
+             I knew thee well at school,
+            And thou mayst not deny, that oft
+             Thou wrought'st us pain and dool.'
+
+            "'An be it thou, Bent Rimaardson,
+             And thou be kinsman true,
+            An oath, I wiss, thou'lt swear to-day,
+             That me thou never knew.'
+
+            "But now they've ta'en Jarl Mindre-Alf,
+             His feet in fetters bound--"
+
+
+"Away!" shouted the landsknecht who guarded the prison-tower: "finish
+your screaming, carlin, and draw not the whole town hither; for whoever
+comes three steps nearer the keep, will assuredly have a lance run
+through his body."
+
+The crowd drew back, and, with them, Rané, dragging along his wife, who
+still clung to his arm, assailing him with urgent entreaties to redeem
+his promise and save her father.
+
+"Nay, it cannot be done!" exclaimed Rané, in an under tone: "I know
+well he has sworn my death and destruction, and now let him help
+himself!"
+
+So saying, he attempted to shake off his wife, but she held him
+tightly. He then pulled his cap over his eyes to avoid being
+recognised; for, with increased terror, he now observed near him some
+of the late king's servants, whom he had been the means of disgracing
+at court.
+
+"Leave me, woman!" he whispered "thou hast betrayed me--I am
+discovered!"
+
+A growing murmur arose among the crowd, and the cry of "Rané, the
+outlawed chamberlain!" ran from mouth to mouth.
+
+"Thou desirest, then, to cause my death, obstinate woman!" exclaimed
+Rané, with subdued vehemence; while, with a violent effort, he
+succeeded in freeing himself, and immediately took to flight.
+
+"Seize him--seize him!" shouted the crowd: "it is Rané, the outlawed
+chamberlain! Seize the traitor!" And he was followed with loud cries by
+the enraged populace, who threatened to tear him in pieces. His hound,
+however, by furiously attacking his pursuers, several of whom he bit
+and frightened, enabled Rané to escape, both master and dog having
+suddenly disappeared in the vicinity of the Grayfriars' Convent; whilst
+Kirstine, amidst the confusion, was fortunately extricated from the
+crowd by her faithful boatmen.
+
+Rané remained undiscovered for some days, during which, as it was known
+that he had many relatives among the grayfriars, the convent was
+strictly searched by Drost Thorstenson's orders, but no trace was found
+of the dangerous fugitive.
+
+In a narrow street, and under a wooden shed that projected from the
+convent-wall, was a well, out of which a large, ferocious-looking dog
+had been observed to leap, by a girl who went there one morning early
+to draw water. She related the circumstance to her neighbours, who,
+from the description, inferred that it was the hound of the outlawed
+Rané. The authorities were forthwith apprised of the circumstance, and
+the well was examined; when, in it, and against the convent-wall, was
+found a ledge, which was reached with some difficulty. Here was
+discovered a strongly-barred door, which was soon broken open, and
+revealed a low narrow passage, leading to a dark and noisome hole
+between the double convent-walls. The first who ventured into this
+mysterious hiding-place was furiously attacked by the dog, which,
+however, after a desperate encounter, was at last overpowered and
+killed. By the aid of their lanterns, they then carefully searched the
+hole, but no trace of a human being was perceptible.
+
+In one damp corner, swarming with toads and lizards, lay a heap of
+stones and gravel, into which, before leaving the spot, one of the
+soldiers accidentally thrust his lance. This action was followed by a
+smothered cry of pain: the gravel-heap was then speedily removed, and a
+sad and miserable spectacle exposed. Close in the corner, and huddled
+quite together, lay the outlaw Rané, so disfigured by mire and blood
+that he scarcely resembled a human creature. He sprang up, apparently
+irresolute whether to fight or fly, and was instantly seized and
+conducted to Haraldsborg, where the stern Drost Thorstenson, without
+further form or delay, sentenced him to death, in the king's name.
+
+Three days after the capture of Rané, the new Dean of Roskild was
+returning, late in the evening, from a farmhouse in the neighbourhood,
+where he had been administering the last rites of the Church. Two young
+choristers rode before him, carrying torches; and the holy pix and
+anointing-cruse; under a screen, were borne by a couple of lay
+brothers. Their way lay by the place of execution, which was in a waste
+field outside of Roskild, and where the algrev and Rané had suffered
+the same morning. When the boys reached this spot, they became alarmed.
+
+"Sir dean," said one of them, "it is not well to come this way."
+
+"Proceed, children, in God's name!" answered the dean. "They cease now
+from troubling; and, with the Holiest in the midst of us, we need fear
+nothing."
+
+The lads obeyed in silence; but, after advancing a few steps,
+
+"See, see!" cried the younger of them--"there is something stirring up
+yonder."
+
+"And look!" added the other, "now there is a light--candles are burning
+by the dead men."
+
+"Ghosts and devilry!" exclaimed one of the lay brothers. "Read,
+reverend sir, read!"
+
+The dean, who now also became alarmed, halted, and gazing towards the
+mound, on which the fatal wheels were distinctly visible, saw a female
+form, holding in her hand a torch, the light of which, falling full on
+her countenance, revealed an expression of the deepest grief, united
+with so much calmness, that she resembled a Niobe in marble; whilst a
+number of clumsy-looking fellows, in the garb of seamen, were quietly
+but hastily engaged in releasing the bodies of the two malefactors.
+This being accomplished, they deposited them in coffins, and, forming
+themselves into a procession, left the mound, bearing the two corses in
+their midst. The grave female figure preceded them with the torch; and
+the dean, who, with his subordinates, had not stirred, now perceived
+that she wore the scarlet mantle of a princess, or of the lady of some
+knight of eminence.
+
+The funeral train took the road to the fiord, approaching close to
+where the dean was standing; but the calm, melancholy features of the
+lady remained unchanged, nor did the others who composed the procession
+seem at all concerned at the presence of the ecclesiastic and his
+assistants. The latter, folding their hands, remained in silent prayer;
+while, as the train passed by, and the holy pix glittered in the
+torchlight, the grave seamen bowed their heads, and the knight's lady
+knelt down, while tears streamed along her pale cheeks.
+
+As if moved by sympathy, the dean, accompanied by the choristers, then
+commenced singing, in a deep clear voice, a holy vigil for the dead
+men's souls; which they continued until the whole procession had
+passed. The mourners soon disappeared at the fiord, whence, shortly
+afterwards, a vessel departed under full sail.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+After the death of the marsk, Duke Waldemar had openly allied himself
+with the brave Norwegian king, and had sent to the young Danish
+monarch, and his mother the queen, a declaration of war, grounded on
+the demands which he himself, and his brother Prince Erik, advanced for
+the possessions of Svendborg and Langeland. The duke and the Norwegian
+had agreed to commence the war with their united fleets and armies; but
+the impatience of the duke would not allow him to wait the arrival of
+the Norse fleet; and he ran out boldly with his own, which he conducted
+into Grönsund, between Falster and Möen.
+
+Sir John and the council resolved to take advantage of this imprudent
+step, and immediately issued orders to man a number of long-ships and
+cutters, for the purpose of attacking the duke. This fleet, with young
+King Erik himself on board the long-ship Old Waldemar, early one
+morning ran out of Issefiord, and proceeded through the Great Belt to
+Grönsund, where the vessels of the duke had come to anchor on the
+Falster coast. Sir John and the chancellor were on board the king's
+ship, together with the royal trabants, and a numerous body of knights,
+who, in full armour, only knew each other by their helmet jewels and
+armorial bearings.
+
+Close to the king's vessel followed Count Gerhard, in his own
+long-ship, accompanied by a few sloops from Kiel, manned by brave
+Holsteiners. Thorstenson himself commanded one of the largest
+long-ships, and, in conjunction with Sir John, directed the movements
+of the whole fleet.
+
+The commanders still pursued the ancient Danish mode of attacking a
+hostile fleet, seeking to break the position of the enemy by a vigorous
+and combined movement, and, by coming as soon as possible to close
+quarters, to allow the fate of the engagement to be decided, as in land
+battles, by numbers and personal courage. To this end, they immediately
+ordered the whole royal fleet to form in order of battle under the
+coast of Möen, and opposite the duke, bringing all the ships together
+in a single compact line, in the centre of which was the royal vessel,
+from whence the position of both fleets, which were nearly of equal
+force, could be easily seen. The duke, however, put only his largest
+long-ships into line, and these he brought into an advanced position;
+whilst he allowed the lighter and smaller sloops and cutters to remain
+behind, with sails unbent, close under the coast of Falster.
+
+In all the vessels of the king's fleet, the awning was then taken down
+which served to protect the deck from the inclemency of the weather. On
+the poop of the Old Waldemar, surrounded by the most valiant of the
+royal knights, himself the tallest and strongest amongst them, stood
+the standard-bearer, holding aloft the royal banner--the dark
+parti-coloured standard of the murdered king, with its numerous keys,
+wheels, and other remarkable symbols. The hold was filled with the
+common soldiers, who, besides sword and javelin, were armed with bows
+and slings, while a portion of them had the superintendence of the
+heavy war-machines; and at the stern, having the command of the whole
+vessel, stood the steersman, whose office, in the king's ship, was
+filled by old Sir John.
+
+The young king, who, with the Chancellor Martinus, stood by his side,
+now exclaimed--
+
+"Explain to me, Sir John, why the duke allows his sloops to lie
+detached behind the long-ships? Drost Peter, I remember, once informed
+me that Waldemar Seier and old King Waldemar did the same, when they
+had to deal with a stronger foe, and feared to hazard their whole force
+at once. But cannot the duke now surround us with his sloops, and fall
+upon our rear?"
+
+"We will not give him time for that," replied Sir John. "When we have
+first saluted him at a distance, we will row rapidly forwards, working
+our slings and rams; and when we are once alongside of him, the
+engagement can be terminated sword in hand."
+
+"The Almighty grant us victory!" exclaimed the chancellor. "Before you
+give the signal for battle, Sir John, we must permit our people to
+think of their souls, and to pray the Lord of victory to aid us."
+
+"In God's name! But let it be soon and short, for there is little time
+to spare, and the Lord shields his own."
+
+The chancellor then, accompanied by several ecclesiastics, began a
+war-hymn, in which all the soldiers and fighting-men joined; whilst
+many, including the young king, followed the example of the chancellor
+and clerks, and reverently bent the knee.
+
+Scarcely was the solemn war-hymn ended, before the standard-bearer, at
+Sir John's order, gave the signal for battle by waving the royal flag
+three times over his head; and in a moment, although it was clear noon,
+the sky was darkened with the arrows and stones, projected
+simultaneously from every sling and bow on board the royal ships.
+This attack was answered by a similar discharge of missiles from the
+duke's fleet, the foreign soldiers in which now sent forth their wild
+war-cries.
+
+Sir John had ordered a shieldburg[45] to be formed around the young
+king and the clergymen, through which, however, many arrows pierced,
+while the stones and other missiles rattled on the bucklers with a
+frightful din. On the royal vessel there alighted such an enormous mass
+of stones, that it was evident the duke had concentrated his attack on
+it alone. A few men fell, and many were wounded; but the distance was
+still too great for these missiles to take much effect.
+
+On board the king's ship, the standard-bearer now again waved the royal
+banner, and the entire fleet rowed rapidly forward, while the heavy
+engines of war were put in preparation. At the stern of the king's
+vessel was placed an immense prow-hog, which, with its spiked and sharp
+iron crest, broke into the centre of the duke's fleet, and, at the
+first blow, parted two long-ships, thus forcing the duke to fight his
+own vessel without aid from the others.
+
+At the same instant, the sea-rams were vigorously worked. These
+consisted of heavy beams, cased in iron, which, suspended by chains
+from the masts, were swung with crushing effect against the enemies'
+vessels. The duke possessed no such heavy machines; and it was soon
+apparent that the royalists had gained a considerable advantage in this
+first assault, great confusion having been produced in the enemies'
+fleet, the line of which was already almost entirely broken.
+
+It was, however, speedily evident that the lighter arms of the duke
+were not less dangerous. He seemed not yet desirous of boarding,
+but, with his light vessels, evaded the advancing line of heavy
+battle-ships; whilst, besides arrows, stones, and bolts, he continued
+to shower upon them great numbers of caltrops, and of fire-pots, filled
+with pitch, brimstone, and oil. The latter were set on fire with tow,
+and, as they fell, cast forth flames, which, seizing upon the sails and
+cordage, created great damage and confusion in the royal fleet.
+
+The duke immediately availed himself of this to order an attack on its
+rear by his smaller vessels. When he heard, by the shouting, that this
+was in execution, and became sure that the royalists would have to
+fight in opposite directions and with divided strength he no longer
+avoided the attempt to board, but ran his own long-ship close up to
+that of the king.
+
+Thorstenson, who had quickly perceived this cunning man[oe]uvre,
+commanded the cables by which the royal ships were bound together to be
+immediately cut asunder, in order that he might secure a more
+advantageous position; but the caltrops had produced so much disorder,
+and the fire-pots taken such effect, that the men were fully occupied
+in extinguishing the flames, and in defending themselves against the
+boarders, who now threatened them on both sides.
+
+In this extremity young Erik, who stood by the side of the chancellor,
+with his sword in one hand and a javelin in the other, observed the
+duke near him, preparing to leap on board the blazing vessel. The sight
+of the duke enraged him. "'Twas an unchivalrous piece of cunning, Duke
+Waldemar!" he cried, at the same time dashing at him his javelin, which
+struck the feather of the duke's helmet, and carried away its jewel.
+
+At this a shout of delight broke forth on board the king's ship, and,
+abandoning their efforts to extinguish the fire, the whole crew rushed
+forward, to repulse the duke's boarders.
+
+"Be calm, brave countrymen!" shouted Sir John. "Let us first quench the
+fire, and then reckon with them for our house-warming!"
+
+Both fire and attack raged most fiercely at the prow, and the
+standard-bearer, forced to defend himself, had been obliged to fix the
+banner in a plank by his side, where it was soon caught by the flames,
+and fell hissing into the water. This incident, while it raised a wild
+shout of joy on board the duke's fleet, greatly disheartened the
+royalists, who regarded it as an unlucky omen.
+
+"My father's banner has fallen!" exclaimed the young king, in a tone of
+melancholy; "no good fortune attended it."
+
+"That of your great ancestor was always victorious, my royal master!"
+exclaimed the chancellor.
+
+"But it, alas, lies in the duke's stronghold in Sleswick," sighed the
+king. "The Lord, however, can still aid us."
+
+"His help is near when we call upon Him," replied the chancellor:
+"therefore be comforted, sir king!--But see you yonder fisherman, and
+in what he is engaged?"
+
+While the king was gazing in the direction indicated by the chancellor,
+the duke saw with astonishment that the crews on board his vessels were
+slipping and reeling about like drunken men; and he now first perceived,
+running boldly to and fro among his fleet, a small fishing-boat, in which
+stood a tall man, in a black leathern mail, casting pots of soap on board
+the ships. On some of the vessels, too, fell pots of finely powdered lime,
+which blinded the fighting-men; while, to increase his dismay, some of
+the vessels began to fill and sink. In the midst of the terror and
+confusion thus occasioned, a daring black-haired swimmer was seen, with
+a large auger in his hand, diving here and there under the ships.
+
+"Shoot the accursed fisherman! crash the swimmer's head!" furiously
+cried the duke. "Board--storm--all hands!"
+
+The boarding soon became general. No one could any longer stand on the
+slippery deck of the duke's ship; and as the fire had fortunately been
+extinguished in that of the king, there then commenced a hot and
+serious conflict, in which the combatants fought man to man, and in
+which many fell on both sides. Thorstenson, in whose long-ship the
+battle also raged furiously, fought heroically, many falling by his
+hand. Count Gerhard, too, reaped laurels. His ship lay opposite to that
+of Duke Erik of Langeland, Duke Waldemar's brother, and generally known
+as Duke Longlegs. By the side of his master, in the equipments of a
+squire, stood the old jester, who, when the duke appeared on the point
+of boarding them, exclaimed--
+
+"See! there comes my illustrious namesake with the long legs! Hide your
+lady's veil, stern sir, that it may not be again torn!"
+
+Count Gerhard, in the spirit of chivalry and as a defiance to Duke
+Waldemar, had attached the queen's veil to his breastplate; but, that
+he might not now lose it in the fray, he took the advice of his jester,
+and placed it under his mail.
+
+"We shall not run now from hares or cats, stern sir," said the jester,
+while a roguish smile dispelled the gravity of his countenance.
+
+But this remark touched his good-natured master in the tenderest point,
+by reminding him of an unfortunate encounter with the Ditmarshers,
+wherein his troops were really first thrown into disorder by a hare or
+cat.
+
+"Now, by Satan! Longlegs, I shall strike thee dead!" cried the count,
+as he furiously brandished his sword.
+
+"Spare your wrath for the proper Longlegs--see, here he is!" replied
+the jester, as he stepped back, and pointed towards the forecastle,
+where Duke Erik came storming onwards.
+
+"The fiend take all the Longlegs!" shouted the count, as he rushed
+forward to the combat.
+
+The royal ship continued to be closely pressed upon from every side.
+Old Sir John had some trouble to protect the young king, who insisted
+on leaving the shieldburg to take part in the fray. The duke himself
+had struck down the standard-bearer, and, springing on board at the
+forecastle, he was now, backed by his bravest knights, fiercely engaged
+on the rowing-deck with the royal trabants. At every stroke he seemed
+to cut out for himself a path, by which he was advancing nearer to the
+king.
+
+Sir John had placed himself in the narrow passage that led from deck to
+deck, where with calm energy he defended the entrance to the poop,
+where stood the king, between the chancellor and Squire Aagé Jonsen, in
+front of the ecclesiastics. A vigorous stroke from the duke at length
+reached Sir John's helmet, which fell cloven from his gray head, while
+the old man himself sank bleeding between the rowing-benches.
+
+At this sight the king sprang forward. "By all holy men!" he exclaimed,
+"that stroke you shall atone for with your blood, most treacherous
+duke!"
+
+He became furious, and, shaking off all restraints, rushed forward, and
+had slightly wounded the duke, when, in his eagerness, he stumbled over
+a bench. The trabants, who had each an opponent to encounter, did not
+observe the imminent danger of the king; but his squire, Aagé Jonsen,
+darting forward, now closed with the duke, while Chancellor Martinus
+placed himself, with his mass-book in his hand, between young Erik and
+the combatants. Soon, however, the youthful monarch stood again
+prepared for battle, but the chancellor restrained him. Squire Aagé,
+unable to cope with the duke as a swordsman, and bleeding from many
+wounds, was already beginning to give way, when the chancellor, who had
+raised his hands and eyes towards heaven in supplication, suddenly
+exclaimed--
+
+"Behold, behold! Danebrog, Danebrog! The Lord sends us victory--_hoc
+signo victoria!_"[46]
+
+The joyful shout of "Danebrog! Danebrog!" was now raised by the
+royalists; and the duke, on looking up, perceived before him, on a
+rowing-bench, the well-known Danebrog flag, in the hands of a tall
+knight, clad in steel blue harness, and with open visor. It was Drost
+Peter, in whom, with mingled rage and fear, the duke recognised the
+blue knight of the tourney, and saw the well-known lion-hilted dagger
+gleaming in his uplifted right hand.
+
+"Ha! thou--my deadly foe!" he cried, rushing madly towards him; but his
+vision forsook him, and he heard but the clash against his breastplate
+of the dagger, which, glancing aside, remained deep in his left
+shoulder. Uttering a cry of terror, he let fall his sword, and reeled
+backwards.
+
+"Fly, fly! God has doomed us!" he cried, wildly, as, with a desperate
+leap, he regained his own ship.
+
+His knights followed him, and, perceiving the battle was lost, quickly
+hoisted sail and took to flight, leaving the victory in the hands of
+the royalists.
+
+The sudden appearance of the Danebrog seemed to have rendered every man
+of the king's soldiers invincible. From Thorstenson's ship arose a loud
+shout of victory; and Count Gerhard had also so entirely cleared his
+decks, that the severely wounded Duke Erik, finding himself nearly
+alone, sprang overboard, and saved his life by swimming to his
+brother's vessel. The royal ships were filled with slain or captured
+foemen; whilst of the duke's fleet, which was altogether broken up, a
+number of vessels were sunk, and others captured--the duke himself
+escaping with great difficulty and danger.
+
+Old Sir John, whose wound had been bound up, now received, with
+feelings of pleasure, the thanks of the king for the brave defence he
+had made. His wound was not dangerous; although the heavy blow had
+stunned him, and he felt with regret that he could no longer wield his
+sword as in his youthful days. From the poop, and over the heads of the
+king and the aged knight, waved the sacred Dannebrog banner, which had
+been entrusted to the custody of the trabants by Drost Peter, whilst he
+hastened to aid Thorstenson in completing the victory. In the tumult of
+battle, only a few had recognised him.
+
+"The Almighty be praised!" cried the chancellor, kneeling, and raising
+his folded hands towards heaven, as, with a loud voice, he began to
+chaunt the _Te Deum laudamus_, in which the ecclesiastics joined, and
+during which the king and Sir John, with all else on board, continued
+reverently kneeling.
+
+Scarcely was the solemn hymn of victory ended, before the chivalrous
+Drost Peter and Thorstenson were observed in a fishing-boat, hastening
+towards the king's ship, accompanied by old Henner Friser and Skirmen.
+The drost sprang on board, and congratulated the king on his victory,
+whilst, with a loud exclamation of delight, the young victor rushed
+into his arms.
+
+"Thou it was--thou it was!" cried young Erik--"thou broughtest me
+victory with my ancestor's banner."
+
+Drost Peter bowed his head, and raised his hand solemnly towards
+heaven.
+
+"Yea, the Lord be praised! for from Him alone comes victory!" exclaimed
+the king, with emotion, whilst he again embraced his faithful friend.
+
+Drost Peter was greatly exhausted by his hurried journey. He had been
+fearful of arriving too late for the battle, and had also suffered
+much, after his escape from prison, in his exertions to obtain
+possession of the important banner, whose singular influence on the
+people, ever since the days of Waldemar Seier, was well known; it being
+their pious belief that, with this their national standard, and with
+confidence in God, they were sure to conquer. Its effect on Duke
+Waldemar had also been of vital importance. His right arm was paralysed
+from the moment when Drost Peter returned him the traitor-dagger,
+stained with the heart's-blood of King Erik Christopherson, and it was
+now with reason hoped that he would never more raise it against the
+crown of Denmark.
+
+Drost Peter's unexpected arrival produced great joy on board the king's
+ship. All crowded around him, while he briefly related how old Henner,
+with Aasé and Skirmen, had contrived to procure his escape from
+Nordborg Castle, and assisted him in obtaining possession of the
+national standard. He then presented to the king the faithful old
+Henner and the active squire, both of whom had contributed to the
+victory--the latter by boring the holes in the enemy's vessels; while
+the idea of the soap and lime, which the king considered more novel
+than chivalrous, belonged altogether to Henner, who had pretended to
+the drost that he had a design of trading in these articles.
+
+"Kneel!" said the young king, turning to Skirmen: "I shall dub thee a
+knight, for thou hast merited the honour, and I exempt thee from the
+usual proofs."
+
+With tears of joy in his dark eyes, and an exclamation of gratitude,
+the brave squire knelt and received the stroke of knighthood in the
+name of God and the Holy Virgin.
+
+The king then beckoned to Aagé Jonsen, whose numerous yet not dangerous
+wounds had, meanwhile, been bound up. "Thou, too," said the king--"thou
+hast defended my life today like a hero, as thou didst at Tornborg."
+
+Aagé knelt in silence, and arose a knight.
+
+"I desire not knighthood on account of the soap-pots, sir king," said
+old Henner; "but, by my troth, the soap was capital--and the carls
+required it much."
+
+"If thou canst not be a knight, ingenious old man," replied the king,
+"thou canst be a steersman, and such from this day thou art."
+
+Old Henner was greatly affected: he spoke not a word, but bent his
+knee, and kissed the hand of the young king, who, however, hastily
+withdrew it, for a tear which had fallen from the old warrior's eyes
+had scalded him.
+
+In the midst of the general joy, Count Gerhard had come on board, when,
+after having heartily embraced Drost Peter, both he and Thorstenson
+received the thanks and commendations of the king, who now heard in
+detail how matters had fared in the count's ship, and how Duke Longlegs
+had sprung overboard.
+
+"Take the fleetest boat, Count Gerhard," said the king, extending his
+hand to him, "and proceed to Helsingborg, where my mother, the queen,
+is expecting tidings of us. Carry her the account of our victory, and I
+promise you that you shall then obtain what you have so long and so
+ardently desired."
+
+On hearing these words, the brave count could no longer constrain
+himself. He embraced the king, Drost Peter, old Henner, the jester,
+and, in fact, every one around him, and with difficulty refrained from
+taking the young king in his sturdy arms, and dancing with him on the
+poop.
+
+"Shame befall me," he cried, "if there shall not be a dance at
+Helsingborg, in which I'll share." And in an instant he stood in
+Henner's fishing-boat. "Sir Steersman Henner," he exclaimed, "you shall
+take me to Helsingborg. Nobody steers a boat like you."
+
+"Right willingly," cried Henner, following him into the boat. "I
+promised you good luck, and you see I have kept my word."
+
+The boat was already leaving the king's ship, when one long leg,
+followed by another, came sprawling over the gunwale: the long-shanked
+jester would follow his happy master.
+
+The rumour that the great sea-fight was expected to take place in
+Grönsund, had reached Helsingborg the same day on which it was fought.
+On that evening Queen Agnes, in great anxiety, sat in her closet, and
+every other moment quitted her seat to gaze out over the Sound. That
+the young king was with the fleet she knew; and that her devoted knight
+and suitor, Count Gerhard, who had gone to his aid, would dare the
+utmost, she felt certain. On leaving Kiel to join the fleet, he had
+sent to her a formal declaration of his love; and her affectionate
+answer to his letter now lay on the table before her, ready to be
+forwarded to him on the following day. She had despatched three fleet
+skiffs, one after the other, to bring her intelligence from Grönsund;
+but they had encountered a storm in the Sound, and were now all three
+beating about off Dragoe, when Count Gerhard, in Henner's little
+fishing-boat, passed them.
+
+"The cross shield us--they will perish!" cried the seamen from
+Helsingborg, when, by the moonlight, they perceived the little
+fishing-yawl driven by, and every instant threatened with destruction
+by the surging billows.
+
+The queen was ignorant of this her lover's danger; but the violence of
+the storm augmented her apprehensions concerning the battle. To conceal
+her anxiety, she had directed her ladies to retire, and, in her present
+loneliness, she felt as if her own and Denmark's fate depended on the
+message she that night expected. All the gloomy images of her chequered
+life seemed united in one single event, which threatened entirely to
+crush her heart, and banish that bright hope in which she had found a
+recompense for all her losses, and a comfort for all her misfortunes.
+If the battle were lost, and the young king slain, then would there be
+an end of Denmark's freedom and of her own maternal joy; and, if the
+trusty Count Gerhard had fallen, then was her letter to him, which now
+lay before her, but a mournful testimony of the great and true
+happiness she had lost.
+
+The night passed on: the wax-lights flickered on the table, and the
+storm howled in the chimney, but the queen still sat, sorrowfully
+contemplating her letter to Count Gerhard, in the seal of which she was
+represented as kneeling in a church before a virgin and child, with a
+winged cherub holding a crown above her head.[47]
+
+"Take the crown, Lord, and guard it," she sighed, "but let not the
+angel fly away. Leave him to watch over me, and over him who is dearer
+to me than all the crowns in the world."
+
+She had drawn forth her diary, in which the dearest of all her heart's
+confessions was not yet expressly inscribed, although in the latter
+portions of it Count Gerhard was mentioned oftener than herself,
+especially from the time when she had presented him with her veil, and
+chosen him her knight and protector.
+
+The image of her faithful knight had subdued every anxious thought in
+the heart of the fair queen, when suddenly there arose an unusual noise
+from the gardens beneath her window. She approached the balcony, and,
+by the moonlight, perceived a crowd of people on the quay, where the
+pilots were engaged in dragging a small boat through the surf; and
+in the next moment she heard the shout of "Victory, victory! The
+count--the one-eyed count!" She uttered an exclamation of thanksgiving,
+and, overcome with joy, tottered to a seat in her inmost apartment.
+
+Shortly after, the palace resounded with the joyful tidings of victory;
+and, within an hour, the queen, surrounded by her entire court, stood
+in the brilliantly illuminated audience-chamber, where the fortunate
+bearer of the intelligence knelt, and laid at her feet his sword and
+the banner of the vanquished enemy.
+
+Whilst the whole palace shone with light, and re-echoed with sounds of
+mirth and festivity, Count Gerhard learned from the queen's own lips
+what was contained in the letter with the red seal on her table, and
+his happiness was complete.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The joy created by this victory was soon after increased by the
+tidings, that the fortress of Hunehal, in Halland, had been stormed by
+the royalists, and the proud Count Jacob taken prisoner. The victory
+itself was followed by important results; for the Norwegian king, who,
+with his fleet, had arrived too late, abandoned altogether his
+expedition against Denmark; and shortly after a friendly meeting
+between the two monarchs took place at Hindsgavl, where a truce was
+concluded preliminary to a treaty of peace, which in its conditions
+should be equally honourable to both kingdoms. Duke Waldemar, too,
+through his ambassadors, had proposed terms which could be accepted;
+and, after the convention of Hindsgavl, no further measures were taken
+against the outlaws, who, however, were strictly forbidden ever to show
+themselves in the presence of the King of Denmark.
+
+On a fine clear day in autumn great festivities and rejoicings were
+held at Helsingborg Castle. It was the bridal day of the fair Queen
+Agnes and Count Gerhard, whose sister, the dowager Queen Hedvig of
+Sweden, together with the entire Danish and Swedish courts, were
+present. The rejoicings, which were intended to celebrate at once a
+victory, a peace, and a marriage, were attended with a tournament, in
+the tilting of which, however, Count Gerhard took no part. He sat in
+the royal balcony, by the side of Queen Agnes; and although he seemed
+in some constraint in his fine bridal suit, yet the joy that sparkled
+in his honest eye showed him to be supremely happy; whilst, from the
+noble features of his majestic regal bride, beamed an expression of
+unsurpassed sweetness.
+
+Next to her, and as Denmark's future queen, the little Princess
+Ingeborg was the object of universal admiration and knightly homage.
+During the tourney she sat, well pleased and happy, by the side of the
+young, chivalrous King Erik, where they conversed together with all the
+tenderness of brother and sister. Sir John had to dash away a tear of
+joy from his aged eyes when he looked upon this youthful pair, who,
+with innocent childish glee, were playing only, as it were, at
+bridegroom and bride, unconscious of any other affection than that
+which they felt, with mutual ardour, for the land and people over whom
+they were destined to rule.
+
+With similar feelings the Swedish knights and nobles regarded the young
+King Berger and the little Danish Princess Mereté, who, also, as
+parties affianced, sat side by side, witnessing the tournament.
+
+On this occasion, the prize was won by Drost Peter Hessel, who, bowing
+profoundly, received it from the hand of the fair Queen Agnes, whilst,
+as his eyes glanced over the brilliant ranks of dames, they rested with
+a look of intense affection on the tall lady who occupied the chief
+seat among the damsels of the Princess Ingeborg. It was Jomfru Ingé
+Little, whom he had not seen since they parted in Kolding Fiord. Her
+father, he was aware, still lay a prisoner in Kallundborg Castle, it
+being only in tenderness to the feelings of Sir John that the king had
+so long deferred his sentence, because his treason was manifest,
+although his participation in the late king's murder yet wanted proof.
+
+Jomfru Ingé had been absent from the tournament until that moment, and
+Drost Peter had inquired for her in vain. Great was his joy, therefore,
+on now beholding her; but it soon changed to anxious grief, when he
+perceived the impress of a deep sorrow on her beautiful countenance;
+while her look, cast on the ground, seemed studiously averted from his.
+He hastily left the lists, and retired, to indulge his melancholy, near
+the Sound, whilst the royal parties and their respective attendants
+re-entered the riddersal, where the nuptials were farther to be
+celebrated with a ball and sumptuous banquet.
+
+Drost Peter stood long by the Sound, gazing steadfastly in the
+direction of Flynderborg. The days of his childhood came before him,
+and his thoughts reverted to the time when, as a knight and drost, he
+had again seen his childhood's bride, and heard her sing with animation
+of--
+
+
+                  "The king who ruled the castle,
+                  And eke ruled all the land."
+
+
+The dangerous position in which his king and country had been placed
+allowed him of late but little time to think of his own heart's
+affairs; but now the sorrowful image of Jomfru Ingé had awakened in his
+soul a powerful desire to achieve her happiness, and partake it with
+her. That she should feel grief for her father and his uncertain fate,
+was but natural; but why she should now seek to avoid her true and
+attached knight, and even to deny him a kindly look, he could not
+comprehend. The thought that she might have forgotten him for a more
+fortunate suitor, for an instant only, like a threatening demon,
+crossed his mind, but did not reach his heart. He remembered how he had
+regarded, as a messenger of love from her, every friendly bird that
+twittered outside the gratings of his prison; and, shaking his head,
+with a melancholy smile he repeated the beautiful verses of the old
+ballad:--
+
+
+            "A bird so small from the white strand flew,
+            And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?
+
+            "A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,
+            And he sang, O where is my own true bride?"
+
+
+"God strengthen and cheer you, my dear sir drost!" exclaimed the kindly
+voice of young Sir Aagé Jonsen, interrupting his reverie. "I have been
+looking for you," he continued, "for I know you are not happy; and yet
+this is a day of rejoicing such as has hardly ever been seen in
+Denmark. The noble Queen Agnes is now happy, and our young king dances
+blithely with his affianced bride. There is no longer a traitor in the
+country, and Denmark's throne again stands firm. We have peace and
+happy times in prospect, sir drost."
+
+"For which I thank Him who has succoured us," replied Drost Peter. "His
+hand has wonderfully averted the danger, and blessed the crown of the
+Waldemars on the head of our youthful king. I, too, ought to be happy
+today; but, my dear Aagé, there are sorrows of which thou knowest not
+yet."
+
+"I have, nevertheless, already known great ones," replied his grave
+pupil; "and I guess that which now oppresses you--the noble Jomfru
+Ingé--"
+
+"She, alas, is unhappy, Aagé, and will not be consoled while her father
+lies in Kallundborg."
+
+"Our young king is all too stern, in rejecting every petition on his
+behalf," sighed Aagé. "I have, however, heard a rumour, dear sir
+drost--whether well or ill founded, I know not--which yet may prove
+worthy of your investigation. It is said that Sir Lavé Little has
+promised his daughter's hand to the knight who procures his pardon from
+the king; and that you, knowing this, either cannot or will not fulfil
+the conditions."
+
+Drost Peter was startled. "He barters, then, his daughter's happiness
+for his own freedom," he exclaimed, in a tone of contempt. "At that I
+am not astonished. But what says Ingé? Will she submit to be a
+sacrifice for her father's sins?"
+
+"Know you not that she has so resolved?" asked Aagé anxiously; "and are
+you not aware that the rich Sir Thord, from Kongshelle, is here, with
+four ships laden with treasure, which he intends offering to the king
+as the ransom of Sir Lavé Little? I myself saw him but now in the
+riddersal, where he was waiting until the king left the dance, to
+confer alone with him in his closet, and--"
+
+"Just Heaven!" exclaimed Drost Peter, "this shall not be! I will myself
+entreat him for Sir Lavé's freedom: he cannot--he must not refuse me!"
+
+"Hasten, then, sir drost. Sir Thord is perhaps already with the king.
+Alas, I thought you knew of this, but would or could not--Haste,
+haste!"
+
+Pale and agitated, the drost hurried to the riddersal, where his eye
+ran through the rows of dancers. The triumphant Count Gerhard, with
+his fair and majestic bride--the young King Berger, with Princess
+Mereté--and Skirmen, in his new knight's suit, with the lively Aasé
+Hennersdaughter, tripped gaily down the hall; while, among the ladies
+of the Princess Ingeborg, he quickly descried Jomfru Ingé, who sat,
+pale and motionless, gazing with a calm, fixed look on all before her.
+
+The drost perceived not the king, and his eyes began to swim; but,
+accosting a bustling chamberlain, he asked him, falteringly--"Where is
+the king?"
+
+"In his closet," was the answer.
+
+"With whom?"
+
+"Sir Thord, from Kongshelle."
+
+He turned, and darted from the riddersal.
+
+Count Gerhard and King Berger led their ladies from the dance, as King
+Erik re-entered gravely, accompanied by Drost Peter, the expression of
+whose features indicated the greatest anxiety. The king advanced to the
+Princess Ingeborg, who was seated by his mother's side, and, at his
+signal, the dancing ceased, the music was hushed, and the attention of
+all forcibly arrested.
+
+"Noble Princess Ingeborg," said the young king, aloud and solemnly,
+"inform Drost Peter Hessel that King Erik of Denmark can never forget
+what he promised his dead father; but that Denmark's future queen gives
+him the right to declare Sir Lavé Little's pardon and freedom."
+
+"Thanks, thanks, Erik!" exclaimed the little princess, springing up
+joyfully: "thou hast kept thy word, and enabled me to make my dear Ingé
+happy." Then, turning to Drost Peter, she repeated to him the king's
+words, and led the astonished Ingé into his arms.
+
+Great was the joy of the faithful pair, in which all present seemed to
+participate. At a signal from the king, the music again commenced; and,
+when the damsels began to sing--
+
+
+            "On Rypen streets the dance goes light--
+             The castle it is won!
+            There dance the knights so gaily dight--
+             For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+the hearts of Drost Peter and Jomfru Ingé glowed with that same warm
+feeling of love for king and fatherland which first knit their souls
+together. They joined the giddy maze; and, whilst the damsels entwined
+the king and the dancers with a single long garland of flowers, Jomfru
+Ingé, in her true knight's arms, sang with animation--
+
+
+            "So boldly dance we thus, I ween,
+            With true hearts under scarlet sheen--
+             The kingdom it is won!
+
+            "Never saw I a rosy dance
+            So gaily trode, and eyes so glance--
+               For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+
+
+
+                      THE END OF KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+
+
+
+                               APPENDIX.
+
+                           THE SWORD TIRFING.
+
+
+The account of Hervor, the bold skioldmö, and of the sword Tirfing,
+mentioned at page 270, is to be found in the _Harvarar Saga_, or the
+story of Hervor. It was the translator's intention to have given this
+saga entire, to serve at once as a specimen of the character of the
+ancient literature of Scandinavia, and as a picture of the mind and
+manners of an extremely remote and barbarous age. Doubting, however,
+whether the saga, in all its integrity, would possess any great
+interest to the present matter-of-fact age, he has limited himself to
+such an abstract of it as will give a tolerable idea of its nature and
+contents.
+
+In its present form, the saga is supposed to have been compiled in the
+thirteenth century, though parts of it may date as high as the tenth.
+Many of the persons mentioned are entirely fabulous, and several of the
+places have no existence. The only gleam of historical truth it
+contains, is probably in that portion which relates the battle of
+Angantyr and his brothers, on Samsoe, against Hialmar and Oddur, a
+similar account being given by Saxo of the twelve sons of Arngrim the
+Berserk. But to enter upon any critical investigation of this nature,
+would be obviously out of place on the present occasion.
+
+The style of the original is rude and homely, and has evidently been
+cast in heathen mould. The quality most admired is courage; the
+greatest baseness, cowardice. The man of strength, courage, and
+sagacity is ever lord of the ascendant--chief of a band of vikings, or
+king of kingdoms--always a leader. In this and other sagas, we always
+find much romance and much heroism; but it must be acknowledged that
+both the romance and the heroism wear the cold hues of paganism, and
+want those warm tones of colour which render the old Christendom tales
+of chivalry so attractive.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The Turks and Asiatics came from the east, and occupied the north
+country. Their leader's name was Odin, who had many mighty sons. One of
+them, Sigurlami, possessed Gardarike (Russia), and fell in battle with
+the giant Thiasse. His son and successor, Swafurlami, once, while
+hunting, met with two dwarfs, whom he threatened to kill unless they
+made him a sword of the finest qualities. They brought him Tirfing, but
+informed him that it would kill its man every time it was drawn, that
+it would be the instrument of three of the most dastardly actions, and
+that it would, also, be his own bane.
+
+With the aid of Tirfing, Swafurlami revenged his father's death on
+Thiasse, but was slain with his own sword by Arngrim the Berserk. This
+Arngrim was step-son to the giant Starkother, who had eight arms, and
+who was killed by Thor, for having abducted Arngrim's mother from her
+husband during his temporary absence. Tirfing now became the property
+of Arngrim, who bequeathed it to Angantyr, the eldest of his twelve
+warlike sons. Hiorvard, one of the brothers, made love to Ingeborg, the
+daughter of Ingé, King of Sweden; but his rival, Hialmar the Brave,
+challenged him to a holmgang[48] on Samsoe. After Angantyr had wedded
+Jarl Biartmar's daughter, he sailed with his brothers to the place
+appointed. There, when the berserk phrensy came over them, they
+killed all Hialmar's men; but afterwards, when the latter and his
+foster-brother Oddur met them at the holmgang, they were all killed,
+after giving Hialmar a mortal wound.
+
+Tirfing was now deposited in Angantyr's cairn or barrow. After his
+death, his widow gave birth to a daughter, who was called Hervor. From
+her childhood she proved herself of a belligerent and bloodthirsty
+temper; and having heard of her father's cairn on Samsoe, she
+dressed herself in man's clothes, and sallied forth in the company of
+vikings (pirates). One night she went alone to the cairns, where the
+country-people never ventured for fear of spectres, awoke with
+incantations[49] her father's ghost, and conjured him to give her
+Tirfing; which she obtained, but accompanied with the prediction that
+it would be the bane of her race. Under the name of Herward, she now
+visited King Godmund of Jotunheim (the giants' country), and assisted
+the king to play at chess; but when one of his courtiers took Tirfing
+in his hand to admire it, she killed him with it, left the king's
+court, and, after spending some years as a viking, returned at length
+to her foster-father's castle. There she busied herself in womanly
+occupations, and was so beautiful that her fame extended to the court
+of King Godmund, whose son, the famous Haufud, wooed her and became her
+husband.
+
+Hervor had two sons, Angantyr, who resembled his father, and Heidrek,
+who did every one evil. On one occasion their father gave an
+entertainment, to which he did not invite Heidrek, who was brought up
+from home, with an old warrior, and, in consequence, he came to the
+king's court to spoil the mirth of the company. When he had succeeded
+in provoking a quarrel between two of the guests, until one killed the
+other, he laughed, and said, that the feast was never better than when
+the red liquor ran on the tablecloth. The upright Haufud ordered that
+he should be banished from the country, but gave him eight good
+counsels:--never to aid him who had defrauded his master; never to
+trust him who had defrauded his friend; never to let his wife visit her
+kin often, however much she might entreat him; never to tarry late with
+his mistress, nor to entrust her with his secrets; never to ride his
+best horse when he would make speed; never to bring up the child of a
+greater man, nor be ready to accept of his invitations; and never to
+have many thralls along with him as prisoners of war. If he gave heed
+to these instructions, he would be happy. Hervor gave him the sword
+Tirfing, to which his brother added a purse of gold, and accompanied
+him part of his way. Heidrek was most pleased with the sword; but when
+he drew it from its sheath to look at it, the berserk phrensy came upon
+him, and he slew Angantyr.
+
+Heidrek repented the evil he had done, and lived for a space of time in
+the woods; but still wishing to be celebrated like his race, he
+repaired to the coast, where, in defiance of his father's advice, he
+first redeemed one who had defrauded his master, and then one who had
+murdered his friend. Thereupon he became the chief of a crew of
+vikings, was victorious, and soon became greatly renowned. By his
+bravery he set free Harald, King of Ridgothland, and received his
+daughter Helge in marriage, with half his kingdom. In a year of
+scarcity, the wise men declared that the noblest child in the land must
+be offered in sacrifice. Heidrek promised to give his son, on condition
+that every man in the country should swear obedience to him; but,
+raising a great army, he captured King Harek, and sacrificed him and
+his men to Odin. This was the second base deed he had performed with
+the aid of Tirfing. Helge hanged herself in the hall of the Disar
+(goddesses). In a victorious expedition south to Hunaland (the country
+of the Huns), Heidrek took captive King Humle's daughter, Sifka; but
+after she had been for some time his mistress, he sent her home to her
+father, and she gave birth to a son, who was called Hlöd.
+
+Some time after, Heidrek married the beautiful Olofa, daughter of Ake,
+King of Saxland. Being absent on a voyage, he permitted her to go home
+to visit her parents; but when, one evening, he wished to take her by
+surprise there, he found her in the arms of a flaxen-haired thrall.
+Heidrek contented himself with declaring the matter before a Ting,
+drove the thrall out of the country, and retained his wife's rich
+dowry. Thereafter he offered to bring up the son of King Hrollaug of
+Gardarike (Russia), and some time afterwards accepted his invitation to
+a sumptuous banquet. One day, when hunting with his foster-son, he
+begged the latter to hide himself, and thereupon returned, late in the
+evening, to his mistress Sifka, and confided to her that he had killed
+his foster-son. Sifka could not keep the secret, and Hrollaug caused
+Heidrek to be bound, along with the two niddings whom he had formerly
+redeemed. But Heidrek was set at liberty by his own people, whom he had
+placed in ambush; and after much bloodshed, Hrollaug at length learned
+that his son was safe and sound with Heidrek, and was reconciled to
+him, and gave him his daughter to wife.
+
+Heidrek now ceased to make war, gave good laws, and was the best of
+chiefs. Twelve wise men were appointed to judge all important disputes,
+and to guard the hog of Freyr (the god of the sun), the divinity to
+whom, in particular, he sacrificed. Every one who offended against him
+was either to be judged by the twelve, or to propose to him a riddle
+that he could not solve. A herse (ruler of a province), named Gest of
+Ridgothland (probably Smaland), who had highly offended against
+Heidrek, was terrified at both ordeals, and implored Odin to aid him.
+Odin showed himself before him, and proposed to go to the king in his
+stead. Odin proposed many riddles, having relation to natural objects,
+all of which Heidrek guessed; but when at last he asked him--"What said
+Odin in Balder's ear before he was laid on the pile?" Heidrek knew that
+it was Odin himself, and, having rebuked him, would have cut him down
+with his sword Tirfing, had not Odin transformed himself into a falcon,
+and flown away so swiftly that he only lost his train; which is the
+reason that the falcon ever since has worn so short a tail. In his
+flight Odin informed him, that, as a punishment for having broken his
+compact, he should be slain by his meanest thrall. Shortly after, when
+he had ridden out on his best horse, he was murdered in his sleep by
+some Scottish thralls.
+
+His eldest son, Angautyr, avenged his death, and recovered Tirfing; but
+when his step-brother Hlöd demanded half of his inheritance, a hard
+battle was fought between the two brothers. On Dunhede Mark many
+thousands contended against each other; the valley was filled with dead
+bodies, and the wounded were drowned in the streams of blood that
+flowed. Hlöd and all his Huns fell, and Angautyr long continued King of
+Ridgothland.
+
+The remainder of the saga is occupied with a variety of narratives, of
+comparatively little interest. What ultimately became of the fatal
+sword Tirfing is not mentioned; and we are left to infer, that,
+according to the prediction, it caused the extinction of the entire
+race of Hervor.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Many are the wonderful tales of swords in these old northern romances.
+They were generally manufactured by the _dveryar_, or dwarfs, who were
+celebrated for their skill as smiths and jewellers. The sword sometimes
+owed its excellence as much to magic as to the temper and finish it had
+acquired at the hands of the workman. On Tirfing, certain runes or
+magic characters were engraved--a custom which was observed in the
+manufacture of swords for many ages. The sword of the celebrated
+Gustavus Adolphus was covered with a number of hieroglyphs and
+astrological characters, which have been the theme of many learned
+dissertations. The story of the sword Mimung, made by Velint (the
+prototype of Wieland the blacksmith), is a fair specimen of this class
+of marvels.
+
+Wada, who lived in Sealand, had a son called Velint, one of the most
+excellent smiths that ever lived. His father, hearing of the great
+skill of the smith Mimer, in Hunaland, sent him thither in his ninth
+year, where he learnt the trade at the same time with the celebrated
+Sigurd (Siegfried). Afterwards he prosecuted his study with the dwarfs
+in a mountain, and there attained the perfection of his art. His father
+was killed by the fall of a rock, occasioned by an earthquake, which
+his tremendous snoring produced. Velint proceeded to the court of
+Nidung, King of Waringia, living in Jutland, at whose court he was
+challenged by the smith Amilias to a trial of his skill. The latter
+fabricated a suit of armour. Velint, in seven days, forged the sword
+Mimung, with which, in the king's presence, he cut asunder a thread of
+wool, floating on the water. But finding the faulchion heavy and
+unwieldy, he sawed it in pieces, and, in a mixture of milk and meal,
+forged it in a red-hot fire for three days, and, at the end of
+thirteen, produced another sword, which cut through a whole ball of
+wool floating on the water. Still he was not satisfied with its
+excellence, but committed it again to the flames, and, after several
+weeks, having separated every particle of dross from the metal,
+fabricated a faulchion of such exquisite perfection, that it split in
+two a whole bundle of wool, floating on the water. The smith Amilias,
+trusting to the impenetrability of his breastplate and helmet, sat down
+upon a bench, and bade his rival strike at him with the sword. But
+Velint split him to the navel; and, when he complained that he felt as
+if cold iron had passed through his entrails, Velint desired him to
+shake himself a little, upon which his body fell to the ground in two
+pieces.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+        BRUCE AND WYLD PRINTERS, 84, FARRINGDON STREET, LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+                               FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: Erik, Abel, and Christopher I.]
+
+[Footnote 2: "Thing" (pronounced "Ting"), a court of justice: also, the
+name of the ancient Scandinavian parliaments, or assemblies of the
+states of the realm, at which, generally, all the freemen of the nation
+had a right to attend. They were usually held in the open air. The
+"Danehof," or Dane-court, mentioned farther on, was a similar
+institution, at which were present the king and his nobles, the
+principal clergy, burghers, and peasants.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 3: The "marsk" anciently filled an office similar to that of
+the modern marshal, or field-marshal.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 4: A "drost" filled the office of prime-minister to the king.
+He was often required, not only to take a leading part in the councils
+of his sovereign, but to conduct warlike operations in a campaign. A
+prince of the blood might also have his drost, who attended him in the
+capacity of aide-de-camp. The king's drost superseded the marsk, when
+present with the army.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 5: "Et Sondagsbarn." A superstition exists in Sweden and
+Denmark, that a child should not be baptised on the same day it is
+born. Hence it is believed that a child born and baptised on a Sunday
+will not live long; or, should it happen to live, that trolds and
+witches can have no power over it. A Sunday's child may, it is said, be
+known by its clear skin and complexion.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 6: A small Norwegian horse--a kind of pony.]
+
+[Footnote 7: Ale brewed of the herb called sweet gale, or Dutch myrtle,
+instead of hops.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 8: A proverbial expression, said of one who conceives and
+carries out an odd or whimsical idea.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 9: A garter--a punning nickname generally given to Drost
+Peter.]
+
+[Footnote 10: Such was the name given to the municipal law promulgated
+by King Erik Glipping, in 1269, for the government of Ribe, or Rypen,
+in Denmark, It contains many judicious and some singular enactments,
+for the discovery and punishment of offenders against the peace and
+morals of the community. The penalties it attaches to some crimes might
+well give rise to coarse remarks among the discontented nobles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 11: "Nidding." A term of contempt, for which we have no
+equivalent in English. It expresses more than the word coward. In some
+parts of Scotland and of the north of England, a low, mean-spirited
+fellow is termed a "niddy," probably from this Scandinavian
+original.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 12: In allusion to an acute and learned work of Master
+Martin's.]
+
+[Footnote 13: Junker, pronounced "Yungker." A name formerly given to
+the sons of the king of Denmark.]
+
+[Footnote 14: A kind of heroic ballad, or metrical romance, similar to
+"Chevy Chase," or "Sir James the Rose," great numbers of which are
+still extant in Scandinavia.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 15: Thus were called those celebrated sea-rovers and pirates,
+the Norwegian and Danish sea-kings;--the terror of the European
+nations, during the middle ages, for their daring exploits both by sea
+and land.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 16: The name of a powerful Swedish family, from which Magnus
+himself was descended.]
+
+[Footnote 17: Skiold is fabled to have been the first king of Denmark.]
+
+[Footnote 18: The Berserks are celebrated in Scandinavian history and
+romance for their great strength, courage, and daring. They often
+fought naked (hence, probably, their appellation--"bare-shirts"); and
+stimulated their courage to a degree of phrensy or madness by the use
+of strong liquors, or by chewing some herb, in which state they would
+rush against naked swords, dash against rocks, and oppose themselves to
+any odds of antagonists. They were the bullies and bravos of their age,
+and in this capacity were often retained in the service of great men,
+proving at times, however, rather intractable followers, and not always
+to be relied upon.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 19: Thorstenson here intends a pun; and Flynderborg has, for
+the nonce, to be converted into its English equivalent, "Flounder
+Castle,"--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 20: Helsingborg, a fortress on the Swedish coast, at this
+time belonged to the Danes.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 21: There were three courts of judicature in Denmark. The
+"Herred-Ting" was a local court, held weekly, for civil and criminal
+causes. This court was held, or built, in an open field, outside the
+towns and villages, to be at a distance from taverns and ale-houses,
+and strong drink was strictly forbidden to be brought into court. From
+this court there was an appeal to the "Land-Ting"--a provincial court,
+held monthly, in the principal cities of the kingdom. The highest court
+of appeal was the "Retter-Ting," or royal court, where the king himself
+often presided. It was usually opened about the middle of March, by the
+king in person, attended by the various estates of the kingdom, and
+continued its sittings almost daily, until about Christmas. The decrees
+of the "Retter-Ting" were final. Each of these courts had its judges,
+secretaries, and assessors, for the trial of causes, and the
+administration of justice.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 22: The snowdrop is, in Denmark, called "sommergiĉk"--a
+summer "geek," or fool.]
+
+[Footnote 23: "Jomfru," the title of unmarried ladies in Denmark.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 24: It is related in the "Heimskringla," that Harald Hardrada
+(the Stern), king of Norway, in one of his plundering expeditions to
+the coast of Jutland, heard that the daughters of Thorkill Geysu had,
+the previous winter, in mockery, cut their cheeses into the shape of
+anchors, and had boasted that with these anchors they might hold all
+the ships of the Norwegian king. A spy, who had been sent from the
+fleet of King Harald, came to these women, saying, "Thorkill's
+daughters, ye said that King Harald dared not come to Denmark." Dotté,
+Thorkill's daughter, answered, "That was yesterday." The King of
+Norway, having secured them, carried them off to his ships, and
+Thorkill had to ransom them with a large sum.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 25: A diminutive, expressive of endearment. Ingelil--i. e.,
+little Ingé: somewhat similar to our own diminutives in "ie" and
+"y"--as, Annie, Jenny, &c.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 26: Jarl--(pronounced yarl)--an earl.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 27: The Danish mile is rather more than four and a half
+English miles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 28: A kind of chevaux-de-frise.]
+
+[Footnote 29: About fifty English miles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 30: Hamlet, in his feigned madness, made wooden hooks, and
+hardened them by holding them in the heat of a fire. On being asked
+what he meant to do with these books, he replied, "To revenge the death
+of my father!" which all, but the more discerning, regarded as a proof
+of his insanity. The well-informed reader need scarcely be reminded
+that the discussion of Drost Peter and Lady Ingé on Hamlet, had
+reference to that version of his history told by Saxo Grammaticus, and
+not to the more popular and beautiful version given by Shakespeare in
+his immortal tragedy.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 31: King Waldemar Seier (the Victorious) committed an
+injustice on Count Henry of Schwerin, which the latter resolved to
+revenge. He came to the court of Denmark, and contrived to gain the
+king's confidence. One day, when the king was resting in a lonely
+forest, after a day's hard hunting, Count Henry seized him and his
+eldest son, carried them on board a ship, and had them conveyed to the
+dungeons of the strong castle of Schwerin, on the Mecklenburg coast. It
+was only after the interference of the pope and other princes, and the
+payment of a large ransom, that Waldemar and his son regained their
+freedom.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 32: According to popular superstition, the elfin ladies were
+fair to look upon, but hollow behind as a dough-trough, and were, in
+consequence, careful to prevent any one seeing their backs.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 33: These services for the murdered King Erik commenced at
+three in the afternoon and were continued until six the following
+morning. Even after the Reformation, and down to 1633, they were
+continued under the name of a Vaadesang--a song for protection from
+surprise and assassination--when the then reigning king substituted a
+morning service, more in accordance with the usages of the reformed
+Church.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 34: Alfsdaughter. Danish and Norwegian surnames were, and we
+believe still are, formed in the following manner:--The male children
+take the name of the father or family, with the addition of "son;" the
+females the same name, with the addition of "daughter." Thus we have
+Alfson and Alfsdaughter, the children of Alf, Erikson and
+Eriksdaughter, the children of Erik.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 35: Literally, "shield-maids," or amazons. The sword Tirfing,
+like King Arthur's Excalibar, was one of wonderful properties. It could
+never be drawn, even in jest, without causing the death of some one.
+The story of Hervor, and the manner in which she recovered the fatal
+weapon from her father's cairn, or barrow, though interesting, is too
+long for the subject of a note. I have therefore ventured to give it in
+the form of an appendix, at the end of the work.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 36: The original of this ballad, which has little to boast of
+but its great antiquity, will be found in Syr's Kĉmpeviser, p.
+151.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 37: Eagle's-borg or castle.]
+
+[Footnote 38: Perhaps from his favourite expression: "By all holy men!"
+(hellige mĉnd.) Some, however, derive this surname from mĉndevid, or
+mandevid,(pronounced 'menved,' and signifying man-wit,) with reference
+to the young king's manly intelligence and sagacity.]
+
+[Footnote 39: In the year following, Sir Algotson was beheaded on the
+spot where the abduction took place. Thorstenson's intended bride
+subsequently became Abbess of Breta convent.]
+
+[Footnote 40: In a storm at sea, he was, some time afterwards, by
+casting lots, condemned to death as a secret criminal. He then
+confessed his crimes before the crucifix, and leaped overboard. There
+is still extant a ballad, entitled "John Rimaardson's Confession."]
+
+[Footnote 41: Skalds: the appellation anciently given to the bards or
+poets.]
+
+[Footnote 42: A small peninsula on the north coast of Funen.]
+
+[Footnote 43: Several traditions have been preserved respecting Marsk
+Stig's death and funeral, and the abstraction of the pall that covered
+his coffin. One account states that he was interred at Hintzeholm at
+midnight; that the priest's servant-maid, who had secretly witnessed
+the funeral, disclosed it to her master; that the priest ransacked the
+grave, and shared the velvet pall with the maid, who, shortly
+afterwards, was married to one of the marsk's swains; and that her
+husband, who saw the velvet on one of her pillows, and was informed by
+her how she had obtained it, fearful that his master's place of
+sepulchre would be discovered, killed her; although, as the tradition
+says, "he loved her very dearly." Another account, quoted from a
+manuscript (a kind of parish-register, kept by a clergyman from the
+year 1622,) in the royal library of Copenhagen, states, that the marsk
+had a granary on Hielm, strongly fortified with mounds and ditches.
+Opposite Hielm, at Biornkier, he had a barn-yard, bounded on one side
+by the sea, and on three others by a fresh-water lake, a great morass
+which was impassable, and a thick wood. In this wood which he could
+reach in an hour and a half's ride from Hielm, he took his pleasure in
+hunting. It is related that on one of these journeys he became
+overheated and was taken ill, and, being obliged to dismount, he sat
+down on a stone and there died. His body was the same night carried to
+the church of Helgeness, and honourably interred by Our Lady's altar;
+"and the priest, who then lived in the parsonage-house, had a
+maid-servant, who, going out to bring ale from a place under the north
+armoury, stopped and saw how they buried him, and laid a magnificent
+pall over his coffin; and when she found an opportunity, she had the
+grave dug up, and stole it away," &c. This story, the worthy priest
+adds, was told him by honest Danes who were born in these parts, and
+had lived in the country more than a hundred years.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 44: Danske Viser fra Midelalderen, 2 D. p. 215.]
+
+[Footnote 45: Formed by the soldiers placing their shields and bucklers
+together in such a manner, as to present to the projectiles of a foe a
+compact circular wall and roof of iron.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 46: The Danebrog, some readers are probably aware, is a
+Danish order of knighthood. The history of the Danebrog, or Dannebrog,
+however, may not be so well known. It is related that when King
+Waldemar Seier was fighting against the heathenish Laplanders, in order
+to convert them to the Christian faith, Archbishop Andrew of Lund stood
+on an eminence, as did Moses of old, and prayed to Heaven for the
+success of the Danish arms. As long as he was able to keep his arms
+raised, the Danes prevailed; but the moment he let them fall, through
+the feebleness of old age, the heathens gained the advantage; and the
+priests therefore supported his arms while the battle lasted. Then
+happened this miracle, that when the principal banner of the Danes was
+lost in the heat of battle, there descended from heaven a banner with a
+white cross in a field of red, by the influence of which the Danes
+gained the victory. This precious banner was long preserved. The belief
+was general that with it victory was certain, and therefore it was
+called the Dannebrog (the Danes' fort or strength). On the spot where
+the battle took place, was built the town of Wolmar, which takes its
+name from Waldemar.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 47: The legend on this queen's seal was "Agnes, Dei gracia
+Danorum Slavorque Regina."]
+
+[Footnote 48: The "holmgang" was a species of single combat or pitched
+battle. The combatants were placed on an island, and left to fight with
+swords, until all on one or both sides fell. He who refused the
+holmgang, or attempted to escape from it; was called a nidding, and
+subjected to every species of insult and contempt. The "berserk-gang,"
+or fighting phrensy, was, it has been supposed, produced by eating of
+some intoxicating herb.]
+
+[Footnote 49: The incantation of Hervor has been translated by Herbert,
+in the work entitled "Five Pieces of Runic Poetry."]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by 
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by 
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Childhood of King Erik Menved
+       An Historical Romance
+
+Author: Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+Translator: J. Kesson
+
+Release Date: July 5, 2011 [EBook #36626]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by Google Books
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Note:<br>
+
+<br>
+1. Page scan source:<br>
+http://books.google.com/books?id=A-M8AAAAYAAJ&amp;dq</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>THE LIBRARY</h3>
+
+<h5>OF</h5>
+
+<h2>FOREIGN ROMANCE,</h2>
+
+<h4>And Nobel Newspaper:</h4>
+
+<h5>COMPRISING</h5>
+
+<h4>STANDARD ENGLISH WORKS OF FICTION,</h4>
+
+<h5>AND</h5>
+
+<h4>ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS</h4>
+
+<h4>FROM THE MOST CELEBRATED CONTINENTAL AUTHORS.</h4>
+
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<h4>Vol. VII.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h5>CONTAINING</h5>
+
+<h3>THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED.</h3>
+
+<h4>An Historical Romance.</h4>
+
+<h4>TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH OF</h4>
+<h3>B. S. INGEMANN.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr class="W20">
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>LONDON:</h3>
+<h4>BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.</h4>
+<h5>1846.</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<div style="line-height:200%">
+<h3>THE CHILDHOOD</h3>
+
+<h5>OF</h5>
+
+<h2>KING ERIK MENVED.</h2>
+
+
+<h4>An Historical Romance.</h4>
+</div>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>BY B. S. INGEMANN.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4>TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH,</h4>
+<h3>BY J. KESSON.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>LONDON:</h3>
+<h4>BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.</h4>
+<h5>1846.</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="normal">The author has given no preface to this romance; and the translator
+would be contented to follow his example, had the author already
+enjoyed an English celebrity, or could the name of his translator of
+itself suffice to recommend his work to the English public.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the names of Danish writers are comparatively little known in
+England, and the literature and language of Denmark have not here
+received that degree of attention which they so justly merit. While the
+names of the poets and novelists of France and Germany are familiar to
+a numerous section of the reading public, they have yet, in a great
+measure, to become acquainted with the names of Ingemann, Andersen,
+Baggesen, Heiberg, Oehlenschlaeger, and many other Danes of recent
+times, whose productions as poets, novel's, and dramatists, would do
+honour to the literature of any country. It is only in comparatively
+recent times, however, that Denmark has produced a class of writers of
+any considerable note in the higher walks of literature. During the
+last century, with the exception of Holberg's &quot;Niels Klim&quot; and &quot;Peder
+Paars,&quot; there are scarcely any other works, unless of a scientific and
+historical character, that have acquired anything of a European
+celebrity. To investigate fully the causes of this dearth of elegant
+writers would require more than the limits of a preface. They may be
+sought for partly in the depression of the national spirit, consequent
+upon the decay of the kingdom of Denmark, which, from the proud
+position it occupied during the middle ages, as one of the first powers
+of Europe, has gradually dwindled to a third-rate monarchy; and,
+partly, in the undue preference awarded by its own scholars and men of
+letters to the productions of French, German, and English writers. But,
+whatever the causes, within the last thirty years there has been an
+evident desire on the part of the Danes to possess a literature of
+their own, and to take their stand among the <i>literati</i> of Europe in
+every department of the <i>belles-lettres</i>. To accomplish this, it was
+necessary to arouse the dormant spirit of the people--to remind them of
+their former greatness--to revive the memories of the ancient heroes of
+Denmark--to reproduce their old chronicles, sagas, and ballads--and, by
+dwelling on the glories of the past, to kindle bright hopes of the
+future.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">None have laboured with more success in this vocation than Ingemann.
+Already known as a poet and a dramatist, he had still to earn a
+reputation among his countrymen as a novelist. Seizing upon the
+romantic materials of Denmark's former history, he revived the memory
+of the great Waldemars, and the proudest periods of the Danish
+monarchy, investing the heroes who still live in ancient ballad and
+story with greater charms of interest; and he has succeeded in winning
+a place in the hearts and estimation of his countrymen as an author and
+a patriot. He has written wholly for his countrymen, and in the purest
+spirit of the historical romance. His characters are real characters;
+his facts are the facts of his country's history, gleaned from her
+ancient chronicles and popular song, and woven together with the
+slightest texture of fiction, sufficient only to redeem his narrative
+from the character of a dry chronicle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In this respect his romances must suffer when compared with those of
+Sir Walter Scott, where history is made subordinate to fiction, and
+poetic licence usurps the place of historical truth; but they possess
+this advantage--that they are truer transcripts of the past, and
+present us with the men, manners, and institutions of by-gone times,
+with a fidelity that enhances our interest in the history, and with
+fiction enough to make the reading of the history attractive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In present romance Ingemann introduces us to an interesting period in
+the history of Denmark--the last year of the reign of Erik Glipping,
+and the commencement of the reign of his son and successor, Erik
+Menved. He gives us a portraiture of the state of society at the
+time--glimpses of old laws and old customs--snatches of ancient
+fable--and places men before us as they lived and acted towards the
+close of the thirteenth century.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The translator has endeavoured, in the purity of faithfulness, to
+present the reader with both the letter and the spirit of his original.
+In the course of his narrative the author alludes to matters familiar
+enough, no doubt, to his own countrymen, but with which the English
+reader can scarcely be expected to be acquainted. In many of these
+cases the translator has subjoined a note explanatory of a particular
+passage, which, in a work of this description, might otherwise be
+regarded as an editorial impertinence. For the adoption of occasional
+Scottish words and phrases, in translating the various fragments of old
+Danish ballads scattered throughout the narrative, the translator can
+only plead the example of Sir Walter Scott, Jamieson, and others, who
+have followed this course in rendering several of the Kĉmpeviser.
+Indeed, the close similarity of language and phraseology in many of the
+old Scottish and Danish ballads, furnishes an irresistible temptation
+to this mode of translation.</p>
+
+<p style="text-indent:2em; font-size:90%"><i>London</i>, <i>November</i>, 1846.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4>THE</h4>
+<h2>CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.</h2>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h3>PART I.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening in the month of May, 1285, a crowd of seamen and
+porpoise-hunters was assembled on the quay of Gremermarsh, below
+Hindsgavl's meadows, near Middelfert. They regarded, with strained
+attention, a large skiff which had left Snoghoj, and was struggling
+against wind and tide to approach the quay, where the landing was less
+dangerous than in the bad haven of the town. A storm, unusual at this
+mild period of the year, stirred up the unquiet waters of the Little
+Belt. The more experienced ferrymen shook their heads, and thought it
+was most advisable that the skiff should seek shelter under Fanoe or
+the Jutland Weald.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense, fellows!&quot; said a deep, gruff voice; &quot;here they can and
+shall land. They get on bravely, and must have a gallant steersman on
+board. But why stand you here prating? Set light to the brand
+on the quay-head, that they may keep it in sight; and lay out the
+porpoise-boats, that we may fish them up, should they be capsized.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The man who gave these orders was foreman of the ferrymen and
+porpoise-hunters, old Henner Friser, or Henner Hjulmand, as he was
+sometimes called. He had hitherto been quietly seated on a large stone,
+observing the vessel's motions with a keen look; but now he rose like a
+king among his subjects, and the submissiveness with which they heard,
+as well as the activity with which they obeyed him, sufficiently showed
+the respect in which he was held among these sturdy, daring seamen. He
+was uncommonly tall and muscular, and, notwithstanding that he bordered
+upon seventy years, appeared to possess sufficient vigour to enable him
+to attain the age of fourscore. He boasted of being a brother's son of
+the renowned Frisian, Swain Starke, who, in the time of Waldemar the
+Victor, gained a great name among his countrymen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For three and thirty years, Henner Friser had resided in Middelfert, or
+Melfert, as it is commonly called, where he had set on foot the fishing
+or hunting of porpoises, and, by his ability, had obtained presidency
+in the guild of these daring fishers, who, at the same time, attended
+to the ferrying over of passengers. He was skilled in the art of
+boat-building, and, in his youth, had been a wheel-maker, whence his
+by-name of Hjulmand (wheelman), although he no longer followed that
+occupation. That he had taken an active part in the civil wars under
+Erik Ploughpenny and King Abel was generally believed, and contributed
+much to his importance among the seamen, although he always expressed
+himself cautiously on the subject. He appeared to have forsaken the
+marshy shores of Friesland for a reason which he was proud of, and yet
+did not find it prudent to talk about; but that it was for some bold
+and daring act was surmised by everybody.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In his spacious dwelling near the ship-quay of Middelfert, the
+fraternity of porpoise-hunters had a place of deposit for their large
+captures between Martinmas and Candlemas. There met the new guild of
+King Erik; and there had Henner Friser established, likewise, a kind of
+inn for travellers, of which he had sole and sovereign control. Here,
+when the porpoise-hunters held their guildmotes, they often regarded
+with awe the old warrior's armour, which consisted of a kind of long
+javelin, a Danish battle-axe, a steel bow, with a rusty arrow, together
+with a light linen harness. In his everyday dress, old Henner was not
+distinguished from the other ferrymen and porpoise-hunters. Like them,
+he wore a short jerkin of blue wadmel, or of dark canvass in summer; a
+pair of large wading boots, which came high over the knees; and
+over his shaggy gray locks he wore, both summer and winter, a large
+seal-skin cap. His long wrinkled visage was expressive of energy and
+harshness of manner; and his keen look evinced a determination and a
+feeling of superiority, which operated strongly on all his subjects,
+whose esteem and attachment to him was, at the same time, blended
+with what was peculiar to these people--an unusual dread of strife.
+This was, perhaps, chiefly owing to his extraordinary strength, of
+which, even in advanced years, he had given astonishing proofs;
+and he could even now, without exertion, compel the strongest of the
+porpoise-hunters to bend on their knees, merely by pressing his hands
+upon their shoulders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A word from this man was sufficient to set all the idle spectators in
+motion. A light soon blazed on the large stone at the pier's end, and
+thirty hardy fishermen were at work, with ropes and poles, to launch a
+large boat, for the purpose of rendering assistance to those in
+distress. As soon as Henner Friser saw that his orders were punctually
+executed, he again seated himself quietly, and with an air of
+indifference, upon his stone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It must be another cargo of nobles for the Danish court on the day
+after to-morrow,&quot; he muttered. &quot;Should Duke Waldemar be among them, it
+were, perhaps, better for kingdom and country, that we let them go to
+the bottom, neck and crop.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why so, neighbour Henner?&quot; inquired a burgher who stood by his side,
+and whose leather apron, leather cap, and smutty face, proclaimed him a
+smith. &quot;The young duke is a discreet and gracious nobleman: he once
+bought a dagger of me, and paid me twice as much for it as I asked.
+Every time he comes this way, you earn more dollars than I earn
+shillings in a month; and then he talks so civilly to folks, that it is
+a pleasure to hear him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Gold and silver and fair words he does not spare; that we allow,&quot;
+growled the old man; &quot;and if, by so doing, he could throw dust in the
+eyes of every Dane, in twelvemonths and a day he might, perhaps, be
+King of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Marry, then! think you that his thoughts run so high?&quot; inquired the
+armourer, hastily, scratching his ear; &quot;there may be something in it:
+who knows how it may turn out? The old king, Waldemar the Victor, was
+certainly his great-grandfather; the young lord is just twenty years
+old: he may come to be chosen king one day. But there is time enough
+for that yet,&quot; he added; and, after a little reflection: &quot;our king is
+still a young man: according to my reckoning, he cannot be more than
+six and thirty now; and his young son, who succeeds him--let me see--he
+can be scarcely eleven yet. Nay, nay, it is not to be thought of.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What cares the grandson of King Abel about that, think you?&quot; replied
+the old man, in a tone of bitterness. &quot;The young braggart does not want
+daring. He had scarcely cut his colt's-teeth, when he set himself in
+opposition to the king, and would submit himself neither to rod nor
+snaffle; and now it is said for certain, that he will claim the whole
+kingdom; and, if he does not receive from the court of Denmark what he
+aims at, that he will instantly bring down the Swedes upon our heads.
+We have already to thank him for the present outbreak with the
+Norwegians. Nay, nay--he is a fellow we must look after, neighbour
+Troels. We knew his grandfather; and the race of a fratricide no Dane
+shall trust again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man was silent, and became absorbed in deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may well say that, neighbour Henner,&quot; resumed the armourer; &quot;we
+have experienced disasters enough, and may well cross ourselves when we
+think on what has happened in the country since old King Waldemar Seier
+closed his eyes. His sons, all three, were kings,<a name="div2Ref_01" href="#div2_01"><sup>[1]</sup></a> as was said and
+predicted to him; but God shield us from such kings and from such ends!
+In troth, it is awful to think of: I have not yet reached my
+threescore, and the present king is the fifth I can remember; and three
+of these, one after the other, were miserably murdered.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Murdered?&quot; repeated Henner Friser. &quot;Nay, neighbour--that was the case
+with two only of Waldemar's sons, if it be true, as people say, about
+our king's father and the condemned priest in the New Cloister. God
+forgive me, and all good Christians, their sins! but priests should be
+pious men of God; and, when they can forgive kings and princes with
+God's own holy body, then the worst murder of a layman by sword or
+dagger should be reckoned next to nothing. Nay, two only were murdered,
+neighbour,&quot; he continued, after a thoughtful pause, and rising up;
+&quot;nobody shall say that King Abel was murdered: he fell by his own
+conduct, and shamefully enough for himself; but still in open warfare
+with true and valiant subjects, who would not suffer themselves to be
+flayed by the coward who had murdered his brother, and deprived us of
+our lawful king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man's voice waxed loud, and he spoke with great vehemence. He
+appeared to observe a tendency to the same in his neighbour's manner,
+and remarked, in a subdued tone, &quot;We must not talk too loud about this
+matter, neighbour. These are unquiet times, and traitors are abroad.
+Should Duke Waldemar and the great nobles come to rule, we shall have
+to listen to a new tale, which may be worse than the first.&quot; Henner was
+again silent, and resumed his seat, in deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must say, nevertheless, neighbour Henner,&quot; began the armourer anew,
+&quot;that there is nothing so bad, that it may not be good for something.
+If the nobles had not courage to lay restraints on King Erik
+Christopherson, mischief would be the result, for both gentle and
+simple. It were sin to say our king is not severe enough, as he imposes
+penalties on both burgher and peasant; but he cares for neither law nor
+justice; and was compelled, last year, to a compact respecting the
+rights and liberties of the kingdom. Much has not come of that yet: and
+had not Marsk Andersen denounced him, and put him in terror of his
+life, at the last Thing<a name="div2Ref_02" href="#div2_02"><sup>[2]</sup></a> at Viborg, none of us at present could have
+said that his wife or daughter was safe from him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is true, neighbour,&quot; replied old Henner, waking up as if from a
+dream, and appearing only to hear the latter sentence. &quot;A vile story
+was that, regarding Stig Andersen's wife; and I will say that, had I
+been in the marsk's<a name="div2Ref_03" href="#div2_03"><sup>[3]</sup></a> stead, I would, perhaps, have done something
+more than merely threaten. And yet--the Lord preserve our king and his
+son, say I, for the kingdom and country's sake! The father is good for
+nothing: others may call him a villain; yet God preserve the rotten
+stem, for the sake of the fresh shoot! The little Erik has Waldemar
+Seier's eagle eyes; and, should the Lord keep his hand over him, it may
+yet be worth an honest man's while to live in Denmark. It is a
+fortunate thing for him, and for the kingdom, that he has the brave
+Drost<a name="div2Ref_04" href="#div2_04"><sup>[4]</sup></a> Hessel for his instructor in the use of arms. Without Peter
+Hessel, old John Little, and David Thorstenson, it would be a
+lamentable case for all of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If the handsome young drost stand as well with the queen as is
+reported,&quot; observed the smith, smiling, &quot;no wonder he takes so kindly
+to the young prince. He may be a wise and virtuous man; but little
+human frailties he must possess, as others do; and, when King Glip-eye
+has eyes for every other woman but the queen only, she cannot be
+greatly blamed for being so willing to ride a-hunting with the young
+drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So you, too, believe the damnable tittle-tattle!&quot; cried the old man,
+with vehemence and indignation. &quot;I have seen Queen Agnes once, and
+Drost Peter twice only: that was in the guild of our murdered King
+Erik; and, if it be true, as I believe, that every woman's child bears
+its character in its open eyes--and I have so read the characters of
+both high and low, for these seventy years past--our queen, on this
+point, is as pure, in God's sight, as is the sun; and so is Drost Peter
+Hessel--a man who, in all respects, would sooner lose his life than
+forget the oath he openly swore in our guild, or in any way betray his
+country or the royal house. But so it is: when the head is good for
+nothing, the whole body soon bears witness to it; and King Erik
+Christopherson does not blink with his small buck-eyes for nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe, neighbour Henner, you can read more in an eye than many a
+priest can in his big book; and people with reason hold you to
+understand somewhat more than your paternoster. You have given a good
+reason, too,&quot; continued the smith, smiling, &quot;why you lock up your
+pretty little Aasé, every time King Glip-eye comes over the Belt. I saw
+very well how she stood in the pantry yesterday, while the king mounted
+his horse outside, before you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, then, saw you that, my good Troels?&quot; replied the old warrior,
+somewhat ruffled. &quot;It was a piece of foolery; and I shall tell you how
+it happened. He saw her once, and paid her a little more attention than
+I exactly care for. She is my granddaughter, and the apple of my eye,
+as you know. That I lock the cage when the cat is in the room, follows
+of course; otherwise I should have to take the biggest tom-cat by the
+neck, and throw him out of the window, if he proved saucy. It comes to
+this, that my little Aasé, as you may, perhaps, have observed, is a
+Sunday's bairn:<a name="div2Ref_05" href="#div2_05"><sup>[5]</sup></a> that may easily be seen in her complexion. She is
+somewhat palefaced; and, however blithe and sprightly she may be, she
+is, nevertheless, now and then troubled with a kind of dreaming fit.
+But that will wear off as she gets older. Her mother was so troubled
+before her; and I believe it runs in the family, as I am not entirely
+free from it myself. I do not give much heed to such dreaming now; but
+she has never yet said anything, while in this state, that has not
+proved in a manner true; though she can discern nothing, by night or
+day, more than others may do when they are in their senses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My God! is it not quite right with your little Aasé?&quot; asked the smith,
+sympathisingly, and pointing with his finger to his forehead.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She is too sagacious for her years,&quot; answered the old man; &quot;and that
+will not do for this world. But when once she is married, and has other
+matters to think of, this will pass over; and in other respects she has
+a good sound constitution. But this is what I was about to tell you.
+Last night, she rose in her sleep, and came to me: she was frightened,
+and said that the king had returned from hunting, with a death's head
+under his hat, and wanted to come in to her. I awoke her, and then she
+knew nothing of the dream. She laughed, and skipped carelessly to bed.
+I was much inclined to frighten her about what she had told me; but,
+yet I did not want the king to see her yesterday, when he crossed my
+threshold to change his garments; and so I locked her up, as if by
+mistake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This only helps you a little way, my good, careful neighbour,&quot;
+observed the smith, with a sly laugh. &quot;A good hen can lay an egg among
+nettles; where there is a will there is a way. The king saw her very
+well: when he rode off, your grand-daughter, from curiosity, peeped out
+between the bars of your pantry, just as the king's horse made a spring
+on one side. I saw, by the blink of his eye, that he had perceived her;
+and twice he looked behind him towards the little window, after she had
+withdrawn her charming little face.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense, nonsense!&quot; growled the old man. &quot;It shall not happen again,
+I warrant you. You must not talk about this matter, neighbour. It is
+nothing in itself, but would soon give rise to gossip. I shall be
+quiet, for the child's sake. So, now let the matter drop.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But what does the king's chamberlain still do in the village? asked
+the smith.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Chamberlain Rané!&quot; exclaimed Henner, starting: &quot;did he not follow the
+king yesterday?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He did, certainly; but, early this morning, I saw him, and two
+men-at-arms of the king's, go by your house. They stopped under the end
+window, and whispered together, and, as we came out, I saw their horses
+at your back gate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, indeed!&quot; muttered the old man. He arose hastily, his eyes flashing
+fire, and observed, &quot;You might as well have told me this before,
+neighbour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I thought they might have business with you, my good Henner. You are
+not wont to be communicative, and one gets sick of asking questions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Henner cast a sharp look once more over the raging Belt. &quot;The skiff
+is saved,&quot; he said, in a subdued tone, which betrayed violently
+suppressed emotions. &quot;They have caught the warp. Come, neighbour, there
+is no time to lose here any longer, when I have such guests at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With long, hurried steps, the vigorous old man strode away in the
+direction of his house, which was situated in that part of Middelfert
+which bordered on the quay, and about three quarters of a mile from the
+quay of Gremermarsh. The sturdy armourer, though ten years his junior,
+could scarcely keep pace with him. Neither of them spoke, until they
+came to a by-path, leading across a waste field towards Henner Friser's
+premises. Here he stopped, and looked carefully before him, in the
+direction of the gable window of his house, which, in the deepening
+twilight, he could just perceive. Large clouds were continually driven
+by the storm before the moon, which, at this instant, shone on the
+house gable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! no light?&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;this will not do.&quot; He redoubled his
+steps, but suddenly stopped again, exclaiming, &quot;do you not hear the
+tramp of horses, neighbour, on the road to Hegness Wood?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, certainly,&quot; was the reply; &quot;who can it be? The people are in a
+hurry. Can the king's bailiff at Hegness receive guests from Melfert so
+late?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Go to my house, neighbour; see if my Aasé is at home, and taking care
+of the guild brethren. If she be not at home, and I do not return, tell
+them which way I am gone. I am merely a little curious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, he sprang in an opposite direction towards the high
+road, and, from thence, over two ditches and fences, into a by-road
+leading from Middelfert to Hegness Wood, which the riders he had heard
+in the neighbourhood of the town must necessarily turn down, if they
+attended to their safety. Without himself being entirely conscious of
+it, he had drawn out the large knife used in pursuit of the porpoise,
+which he always carried in his right boot. With this knife in his hand,
+he stood still a moment, in a ditch, on one side of the narrow road,
+which he could half reach across with his long arm. He could hear the
+gallop of horses, continually drawing nearer, and could now distinctly
+recognise the clattering hoofs of three.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, give the horses breath for a gallant ride to the castle!&quot; cried a
+man's piping voice: &quot;we are safe now, and here the road is good. Then
+for a bold rush to the fortress, before the old Satan can have returned
+from the quay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Death and hell!&quot; muttered the old man; &quot;that was long Chamberlain
+Rané's cracked pipe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You know the sign and password?&quot; continued the same voice: &quot;in the
+king's name, and three blows with your halberds on the door. If any one
+oppose us, cut him down: I take the consequences.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The listener thought he heard a wailing sound, as if from a
+half-suffocated female voice, which was lost in the howling of the
+storm; and his keen eye recognised, by the glimmer of the moon, the
+white dress of a woman fluttering over the saddle, before the middle
+rider. They now advanced at a gallop. At one bound the old man stood in
+the middle of the way.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold!&quot; he cried, with a terrible voice, as the horsemen came up. The
+long hunting-knife glittered in his right hand, while, with the left,
+he seized the reins of the middle horse. The animal wheeled and
+snorted; and a blow from a sword struck the old warrior on the left
+arm; but, with a convulsive grasp, he held firm the bridle, and groped
+in the dark with the knife, for fear of injuring the female form that
+hung, apparently in a swoon, on the horseman's left arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Forward, in the devil's name! cut him down!&quot; again cried the squeaking
+voice from behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man felt a wound in the shoulder, and, at the same moment,
+received a violent blow from the horse's fore leg. The bridle dropped
+from his hands; he fell to the ground; and the horse sprang over him.
+With desperate strength, he half raised himself, and flung his knife,
+with whizzing rapidity, after the nearest horseman. He heard the
+piercing shriek of a man, and, at a little distance, the indistinct
+voice of his dear Aasé, crying, &quot;Help, grandfather! help!&quot; till it was
+lost in the storm, and in the clatter of the horses' hoofs. Faint with
+loss of blood, the old man fell back unconscious. Twenty paces from
+him, on the dark road, arose the groans of a dying man; and a
+frightened horse, with an empty saddle, bounded away across the fields.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For some time, Henner Friser lay insensible on the road. When he again
+became conscious, he heard several voices around him. He opened his
+eyes, and found himself encircled by his hardy friends, the young
+porpoise-hunters. They stood with lights and cudgels in their hands,
+together with his neighbour the armourer, and some burghers from the
+town, who came to his assistance, with perplexed and sympathising
+exclamations.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Seated on a tall, iron gray stallion, in the middle of the road, was a
+young knight, in a scarlet mantle, fringed with sable, and with a white
+feather in his hat. By the knight's side, holding, in one hand a torch,
+and, with the other, a norback<a name="div2Ref_06" href="#div2_06"><sup>[6]</sup></a> by the bridle, stood a little,
+swarthy squire. The storm was now lulled, and the torch burned clear in
+the still air, illuminating the anxious, noisy group.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Look here, one of you. What is the matter? Are there rievers in the
+district? Has Niels Breakpeace come over?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rievers, truly, my noble knight,&quot; answered old Henner, raising
+himself, with the help of the young fishermen, who, in all haste, had
+already bound up his arm and shoulder, and now withheld their clamour
+from respect to their senior and the distinguished stranger. &quot;The
+cowardly pack!&quot; continued Henner; &quot;they have forcibly carried off my
+grandchild, my little Assé, my only joy and comfort. Had I not been
+afraid of killing the innocent child, all the three scoundrels would
+have been grovelling, with their faces in the dust, where I now lie. If
+you would know to what rieving band they belong, sir knight, you have
+only to ride some twenty paces forward, to find one of them with my
+hunting-knife in his back-ribs. I wish only, for the crown and
+country's sake, it may turn out to be Niels Breakpeace, and no more
+distinguished scoundrel.&quot; He could scarcely speak for passion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;An abduction?&quot; inquired the knight, &quot;and with force and violence?
+rievers, too?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Panderers, traffickers in souls, devils damned!&quot; exclaimed the old
+man; &quot;but if you are a true Danish knight, help me to save my poor
+innocent child. She has been carried to the hell-viper on the Ness,
+yonder, to be polluted.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To Hegness?&quot; inquired the knight, turning pale; and the torchlight
+fell on his youthful, handsome countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whom see I? Drost Peter Hessel?&quot; broke forth the old man, suddenly,
+glad to meet him; &quot;is it you, indeed? Now praised be St. Christian and
+the Holy Erik, that they have sent you to me, in my need and trouble,
+for now we shall soon deliver the lamb from the den of wolves, even
+should King Glip-eye be in the midst of them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Think what you say, old man,&quot; interposed the knight, sternly: &quot;do not
+mix up the king in this vile business. If there has been any
+scoundrel's work here, I shall inquire into it in the king's name, and
+do you justice. If your wounds will permit you, seat yourself on my
+squire's horse, and follow me to the fortress. I shall prove to you and
+these good countrymen, that the king is not a protector of cowards and
+robbers. But where is the man you have slain? He deserves his fate,
+whoever he is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here! here!&quot; cried the young fishermen, who had already discovered the
+body, and were dragging it along; &quot;here we have the fellow, as stiff as
+a speared sea-hog. This is a capital weapon!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight observed the corpse attentively, and appeared to be seized
+with painful surprise. He had been a tall, broad-shouldered fellow,
+with bristly hair and beard; he wore a scarlet doublet; his morion,
+which had fallen from his head, and which was now exhibited by one of
+the fishermen, had no feather, but was marked with the two royal lions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is a coward and a riever, who has stolen the helm and doublet of
+one of the royal guard,&quot; said the knight, sternly. &quot;Pull off his
+doublet, countrymen! Let him no longer wear our king's colours! Drag
+him to a dung-pit, and there hide his infamy, till doomsday! And now
+let us off to Hegness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Henner no longer felt the smart of his wounds; he was already in
+advance, on the little pony, which could scarcely bear him, but yet got
+on tolerably well with his burden, the heavy feet of his rider almost
+touching the ground.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bravo! my little norback!&quot; cried the bold squire, who in a few bounds
+had overtaken Henner and his master; &quot;if you can run with such a karl,
+you deserve a double fodder.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">By the knight's command, some of the fishermen had already dragged the
+slain robber to a height by the wayside, where stood a gallows; whilst
+the others, at a little distance, followed the knight and their wounded
+chief.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How far have we to the castle?&quot; inquired the knight; &quot;can you hold out
+the journey, my brave old man?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For my child, I could ride now to the world's end,&quot; answered Henner:
+&quot;had the losel who gave me the blow not been a blundering lout, without
+pith or metal, he might have laid it on to some purpose; a pair of vile
+scratches he has given me: he shall not brag that it was he who struck
+Henner Friser to the ground; it was his brave Jutland stallion that
+kicked me below the short-ribs. Now that the pain is gone, I can run
+better than this little fellow. Thanks for the loan, my son,&quot; he said
+to the squire, as he leaped off the pony. &quot;We have not a quarter of a
+mile to the castle, and I may almost as well walk as sit upon the
+foal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You shall not find fault with my norback because he is small,&quot;
+answered the young squire, offended: &quot;he can vie with a roebuck when
+occasion serves, but he is certainly not an elephant to carry a tower.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, now, are you angry, my son? If you can ride so fleetly, let me
+see you reach the rievers' nest before we others, and get the gates
+open for us. 'In the king's name!' was the rascals' pass-word, and
+three knocks upon the door was the sign. The road goes right through
+the wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without saying a word, the &gt;&gt;&gt;bold&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt; squire handed the torch to
+Henner, and rode back to the fishermen, who followed them. In an
+instant he returned, with the slain robber's scarlet doublet and morion
+on.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Permit me so, to ride forward and prepare your way, sir drost,&quot; said
+the youth, and whispered a few words in his master's ear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, yes!&quot; answered the knight; &quot;it cannot be a mile off. But be
+careful, Skirmen: we keep the torches. You cannot miss the road, for
+yonder we can see the old castle turrets.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The moon again appeared from behind the clouds, throwing its light over
+a huge, dull, red tower, with embattled walls, which arose high over
+the wood on the promontory of the bay of Middelfert.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The squire was already mounted: he hastily spurred his pony, and was
+out of sight in a moment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A nimble youth!&quot; exclaimed the old man; &quot;he has a falcon's eye, and
+the limbs of a hart. He will make a doughty knight one day. Do I guess
+right that he is from Alsing or Aeroe?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My trusty Claus Skirmen is from Femren,&quot; answered the knight; &quot;his
+father was a brave man for his king and country: for that, he was
+exiled by King Abel, and died in banishment. His grandfather followed
+King Erik Waldemarson to his death, and proved himself a valiant man to
+the last. His body was found by the king's side, among the slain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Has the youth long borne your shield, noble knight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is only his second year; but the silver spurs are scarcely cold
+upon his heels. He is not much more than fifteen yet, and was out last
+year to capture Niels Breakpeace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, fifteen years!&quot; muttered the old man, with a suppressed sigh;
+&quot;that was my poor Aasé's age yesterday. Ride on, sir knight! I shall
+yet succeed.&quot; And he ran on with rapid strides.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter set spurs to his horse, but immediately stopped again. The
+wood was dark, and, as the torch lit up the old man's face, the knight
+saw, with concern, that the grayhaired warrior was pale. The bandages
+had become loose by his exertions, and the blood was flowing fast from
+his left arm and shoulder. The young knight sprang from his horse. &quot;Let
+me tighten the bandages,&quot; he cried, with the air of a skilful leech;
+&quot;your wounds are not so slight as you think. Seat yourself on my horse:
+I have young limbs, and no fresh wound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, good sir! For St. Christian's and all saints' sake, let us not
+delay for such trifles!&quot; cried the hardy old man, impatiently, whilst
+the knight hastily tied up the loosened bandages; &quot;this will do very
+well for a poor devil like me! Thanks! I say; but pray hasten on, and
+redeem your promise. Except the king himself, and his panderers, there
+is no man more powerful than Drost Peter. Never mind me! Hurry on,
+noble sir!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter did not consider a moment longer. He vaulted again into his
+saddle, set spurs to his horse, and rode furiously towards the castle;
+while old Henner, with long and rapid strides, followed after.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the strongly-fortified castle of Hegness all was dark and silent,
+but around the promontory on which it stood still raged the waters of
+the Sound. A flock of cormorants flew, screaming, round the lofty
+tower, which, on the land-side, was bright in the moonshine, while it
+cast its long dark shadow over the rampart, towards the Sound. The
+drawbridge was down; but the great walled gate was locked. On both
+sides of a rampart of earth, sixty feet high, the broad moat was filled
+with muddy water. From one of the upper apartments in the principal
+wing of the castle a light shone into the court-yard, and, before the
+lofty staircase, two sentinels, with lances, walked continually to and
+fro. At the opposite side of the castle, in the backcourt, six horsemen
+were stationed, with two saddled horses, before a little barred door of
+the tower. Here the castle was provided with a private outlet, and a
+narrow drawbridge, now raised, concealed by a thicket of bushes. From a
+room in the tower, which jutted over the back-court, and had a small
+window into the fore-court, shone a single light. In a corner of this
+room a female figure knelt upon the stone floor, with a rosary in her
+hands, and apparently engaged in prayer. Long dark brown braided
+tresses fell over her nut-brown neck and shoulders; she wore a dark
+blue knitted jacket, a linen petticoat of the same colour, with many
+plaits, and a light blue apron. A cloak, composed of white knitted
+thread, lay at her side, as if it had fallen from her shoulders. Her
+back was turned towards the door, and she did not appear to observe
+that it was gently opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man, closely
+wrapped in a travelling cloak, stepped softly in, and looked anxiously
+and carefully around him. He turned towards the door, which stood ajar,
+and, at his beck, a face withdrew, which might have been taken for that
+of a crafty old woman, but for the incipient reddish beard, and the
+bright steel cap, that denoted it to be a young soldier's. The door was
+then softly closed. The tall, disguised figure stood in the middle of
+the apartment, and regarded the kneeling girl. Her head was bowed
+towards the rosary in her small folded hands, upon her knees; and she
+was so deeply absorbed in prayer and supplication, that her outward
+senses took no notice of what surrounded them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this sight, the disguised person was obviously uneasy. He cleared
+his throat several times, as if he would speak, or give intimation of
+his presence; but she continued in the same motionless position. He now
+made a hasty motion with his hand to his forehead, as if he would drive
+away some unpleasant, distressing thought. The hat fell from his head,
+and a strongly-marked countenance was displayed, expressive of severity
+and supreme haughtiness, which appeared in singular contradiction to
+the soft, sensual smile that played round his mouth, and his aimless,
+uneasy glances, which seemed incapable of resting upon any object for
+an instant. His projecting forehead, furrowed by violent passions, was
+half concealed by his thin, flaxen hair, which descended on both sides
+to his shoulders. According to the knightly fashion of the times, he
+wore a short beard on his upper lip and projecting chin; and was
+evidently in the prime of life, bordering upon forty. This singular
+want of character--the contradictory expressions of severity and
+mildness, of strength and weakness, of pride and meanness, of violent
+passion and crafty moderation--deprived his countenance of that dignity
+and loftiness which nature seemed to have intended it originally to
+possess; but that which most disfigured him was the uncertain glance of
+his small gray eyes, and a constant leer, and motion of the eyelids,
+which at once inspired distrust and fear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now stood, as if debating with himself whether he should remain or
+go, when he retreated a few steps, as the kneeling girl suddenly rose
+and turned round. He saw not the somewhat pale, but clear, lively
+countenance of the peasant girl, with the most roguish pair of eyes,
+who had peeped, in curiosity, through the bars of Henner Friser's
+pantry; but a frightened, weeping child, who entreated his pity and
+forbearance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Assé, Henner's daughter, as she was called, after her grandfather, so
+celebrated by every traveller for her beauty, was wonderfully changed;
+yet was she, in a manner, fairer than ever. The cheerful little face of
+the fisher-maiden had the dignity and nobility of a princess's; but
+now she was pale as a dying person. Her lively, often roguishly-playful
+eyes, were closed; but there was an expression in her features as if
+she could penetrate entire nature with a glance, and stood on a
+far-off, mysterious world. She advanced with a slow and solemn step,
+and, in language that otherwise was foreign to her simple nature, and
+with a voice like that of a warning prophetess, while she raised her
+forefinger in admonition, she burst forth:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unhappy king! Thou goest in the way of thy doom. I have prayed for thy
+soul to our Lord and Judge, and he bade me warn thee. A sword hangs by
+a hair over thy head; repent, repent, ere it fall upon thee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! a maniac!&quot; exclaimed the tall personage, turning pale. &quot;Rané!
+Satan! where art thou? whom hast thou brought me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He made a hasty movement towards the door, but recovered himself
+suddenly, and burst into laughter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! thou crafty, cunning child! Hast thou been in the priests' school?
+And is it so thou wilt make a jest of me?&quot; he said, mildly threatening,
+and advancing towards her. &quot;Thou knewest, then, I was here, and couldst
+allow it so saintly and devoutly. No more pious foolery, child: it does
+not sit well upon thee;--but now we understand one another.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He put out his hand, as if he would pat her under the chin; but she
+drew back a step, and, with a powerful, almost convulsive, expression
+of contempt and disgust, said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Approach me not, or thou art dead!&quot; and she raised her hand
+menacingly. The blood returned to her cheeks: it seemed as if, with
+emotion, she would open her long dark eye-lashes, and yet could not
+succeed. &quot;How thine eyes flash!&quot; she cried; &quot;how enraged thou art,
+grandfather! Ah, how thine eyes sparkle! and thy fingers--and thou
+bleedest, thou bleedest!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense, child! there is no one here who flashes and bleeds. Art thou
+here, prepared with these juggling grimaces? or, art thou really
+asleep? If so, I will try whether one can awaken thee or not!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, the tall personage again moved, as if he would
+approach her, but now fell anxiously back, while she directed a pair of
+rigid, extended eyes, without life or animation, towards him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know it well,&quot; she whispered, mysteriously; &quot;I am in the house in
+the wood. The mightiest man in the land stands before me. He will hear
+his fate. Listen, then, my lord! You are erring and unfortunate; you
+are sold and betrayed. If you would save soul and body, hide yourself!
+fly! abandon the road to your doom!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you possessed, girl?&quot; exclaimed the tall personage, stamping his
+foot, and, at the same time, looking anxiously around him; &quot;am I among
+traitors here? Rané! Satan! where art thou?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beware! beware of him!&quot; continued the girl, at the same time
+whispering, mysteriously: &quot;call not upon him! The Evil One is near at
+hand, when one thinks of him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Will she drive me mad?&quot; muttered the disguised person, as he looked,
+with the most painful disquietude, now at the door, now at the strange
+maiden. &quot;Ha! fool that I am, to suffer myself to be deceived by the
+artful cheat!&quot; he at length exclaimed aloud, and again laughed to
+himself, while he cast his cloak aside, and stood before her, in a
+magnificent knightly dress. &quot;Confess now, little Assé, you wanted to
+have me somewhat at an advantage--would see whether you could make King
+Erik Christopherson afraid. But it will not avail you: I know my
+people, and you, too, with your pretty black, bewitching eyes. You
+dreamt that the king visited you, did you not? and that you lived like
+a queen, in one of his castles? And that will come to pass,
+notwithstanding. It depends only on yourself. But, tongue within your
+teeth, little Assé: not a whisper that the king visited you here,
+alone. That is a secret no one must know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The lofty expression on the girl's countenance suddenly disappeared. It
+seemed as if she had now, for the first time, awoke from a dream that
+had changed her entire being: she looked around her bewildered, and
+suddenly sprang towards the door; but, recovering herself again, she
+took courage, and, putting her little hands upon her sides, placed
+herself, proudly, opposite the strange nobleman. He seemed gladly
+surprised at the transformation of the prophetess into the well-known
+pretty little fisher-girl, with the lively, playful eyes, and
+open-hearted boldness, no longer excited and fearful: the sleepwalker's
+sternness and earnestness of manner was lost in a frank and natural
+anger, which made her even more lovely.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who are you, sir knight?&quot; she asked, passionately. &quot;Would you have me
+fancy you are the king? Nay, simple as I am, I know well that the king
+will maintain law and right in the country. Like King Glip-eye, you
+blink disagreeably enough; but I should think myself much to blame,
+were I to suppose the king a riever and godless evil-doer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The nobleman coloured deeply, and regarded the haughty maiden with a
+malicious look. &quot;She has been asleep, then,&quot; he muttered to himself;
+and then said, aloud, &quot;you are right: I am not the king himself, but
+one of his greatest officers. Since you have such a good opinion of the
+king's uprightness, my child,&quot; he continued, in a severe and
+authoritative tone, &quot;it surprises me that it should not occur to you,
+you are a prisoner, at the king's command. You are a suspected woman,
+in the secret practice of witchcraft. With your crafty old grandfather,
+you lodge and conceal traitors to the country, and the open enemies of
+the king. Can you deny that the audacious marsk, who denounced the
+king, has not lodged under your roof for the last eight days, and has
+been spared by you? At this instant, in all probability, the rebellious
+Duke Waldemar sits there, and with his adherents, and plots against the
+king and the nation. Tales are told of your grandfather that, when I
+inquire into them, may cost him his neck. If you would save his life,
+little Assé, it can only be by being friendly and complaisant towards
+his master and judge; and such, in truth, am I.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You only wish to prove my constancy, stern sir knight,&quot; said the girl,
+with less haughtiness, and with more discreet demeanour, but still
+calmly and undauntedly; &quot;you only wish to see whether you can bring me
+to doubt my grandfather's honour and the king's justice. You know, as
+well as I, that my grandfather is obliged to provide quarters for all
+comers, whether they are true subjects or not, so long as the king has
+not driven them from the country and made them outlaws; that I do not
+practice witchcraft, although, at times, I may have strange dreams,
+and, in jest, have read one or two hands, you very well know. You would
+only trifle with me, stern sir. But if you are in earnest,&quot; she
+continued, vehemently, and again placing her hands, with an air of
+defiance, on her sides, &quot;you are as little likely to be one of the
+king's true men as you are to be the king himself. You are, rather, a
+riever and a traitor, seeking to do injustice in the king's name: so
+take care of yourself, good sir. There is yet law and justice in the
+kingdom; and you may happen, by-and-by, to get hanged, for all that you
+may fit yourself into a stately knight's doublet, stolen, probably,
+from some poor man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shameless boldness!&quot; exclaimed the nobleman, stamping with
+indignation; but his wild look fell again upon the girl's beautiful
+face and form, and he continued, in milder tones: &quot;defiance does not
+become you well, little Aasé; and you are nothing handsomer for your
+obstinacy. Before the Lord, I think I could be angry with you in
+earnest. You are not a tame bird; and I see well, you want to make
+yourself precious, that you may afterwards set the higher price upon
+your favour. For variety's sake, that may please me at present; but do
+not carry it farther. I can have patience for a time; but do not make
+me furious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They are coming! they are coming!&quot; exclaimed Aasé, overjoyed, and
+springing to the window looking over the great court-yard: &quot;now shall
+we know whom you are, and whether the king has robbers and ravishers in
+his service.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tramp of horses, and the sound of voices, were heard in the court
+of the castle. The tall personage looked uneasily towards the window:
+at the same time the door was opened, and the young soldier who had
+stood without the door on his first entrance hastily and flurriedly
+entered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We are betrayed, sire!&quot; he whispered, almost breathless. &quot;The court is
+full of people: they demand to be admitted in the king's name, and have
+Drost Peter Hessel at their head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter? Are you mad?&quot; said the nobleman, hastily throwing on his
+cloak. &quot;What wants he here? How did he enter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The gate was locked; nobody knows who let him in. He has terrified the
+warden with his royal authority. They are searching throughout the
+whole castle, and will pull it down if they do not find the girl. I
+expect them here every instant, as they have seen the light from the
+court. If you would not betray yourself to the people, escape by the
+secret passage, sire. Command it so, and I shall take the blame, and
+suffer myself, farther, to be taken prisoner by the drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right, my trusty Rané. The thought is worth gold. Lock the concealed
+door after me. Are our people at the back gate?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All is in perfect order and security, sir knight,&quot; said the young
+man-at-arms, with emphasis, winking; &quot;and not a soul can know that you
+have been here, if she, there, can be silent:&quot; here he pointed
+dubiously towards Aasé, who stood looking with a wild, flashing eye
+from the window. &quot;Tarry no longer, sire. I hear them upon the
+tower-stairs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Betray, with a single word, whom you have seen, and you are dead!&quot;
+whispered the nobleman, hurriedly, to the terrified maiden; and, in an
+instant, he had disappeared through a concealed door in the panel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young soldier hastily withdrew the key from the door, and flung it,
+from the window, into the back court; he then fell in a supplicating
+posture at the young girl's feet. &quot;Have pity on an unhappy lover, fair,
+good-natured Aasé. Thou incomparable fisher-maid,&quot; he began, in a
+shrill, piping voice, &quot;for thy sake, I have exposed myself to the
+greatest danger, and to the anger of our righteous king; for thy sake,
+I dared to make use of the king's name, when I took thee prisoner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And, for thy sake, I will soil my fingers upon such an abominable
+hag's face,&quot; answered the girl, giving him a few hearty boxes on the
+ear, which he appeared to take patiently, continuing, the while, to set
+forth his feigned love tale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was still talking in the same strain, and had laid hold of Aasé's
+apron, when Drost Peter and his squire, together with the warden and a
+band of armed fishermen, entered the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the king's name, Chamberlain Rané, you are my prisoner,&quot; said Drost
+Peter: &quot;bind him, lads!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The page rose, as it taken by surprise. &quot;Stern sir drost,&quot; he said,
+with an impudent smile, &quot;you best know yourself the power of beauty
+over the heart, without distinction of rank or station. You have
+detected me in an indiscretion, which, at our time of life, one does
+wisest to judge with forbearance. At most, you have seen with what
+little success I have sought to tame this lovely wild-cat. If you
+venture on taking me prisoner, good: our common lord shall decide which
+of us is the more blameworthy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, he gave up his short sword, without opposition, into
+the drost's hands, and permitted his own to be bound by Claus Skirmen,
+who performed this ordinary part of a squire's duties with the greatest
+dexterity, at the same time casting a look at the pretty little Aasé,
+whose dark, sparkling eyes ran over the bystanders, as if anxiously in
+search of some one.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My child! my Aasé!&quot; sounded, at length, from a man's deep voice at the
+door; and, with the lively exclamation, &quot;Grandfather! dear
+grandfather!&quot; she flew into old Henner's arms, and overpowered him with
+her childish caresses, without observing his wounds, which, however
+little he regarded them himself, had nevertheless considerably
+exhausted him.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter Hessel and his squire had come over the Belt in the storm,
+with a large company of travellers. On the road from Gremermarsh quay
+to the town, they had met with the armourer Troels, the ferrymen, and a
+band of burghers, in search of Henner Friser and the robbers. Drost
+Peter had landed from the vessel, with a shaggy cap over his ears, and
+a large boatman's jerkin over his knight's dress. They were the last to
+land; and, before the young nobleman had mounted his horse, he had
+taken off the borrowed cap and jerkin, thrown his scarlet cloak upon
+his shoulders, and placed his feathered hat upon his head. Without
+troubling himself about the other travellers, he was ready, at the
+moment, to assist the burghers against the supposed robbers. The rest
+of the travellers, tired with their boisterous passage, were only
+anxious to reach the inn, to rest and refresh themselves.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the quay of Gremermarsh, there still stood, however, in the changing
+moonlight, a boatman, with his arm in a bandage, by the side of a tall,
+knightly figure, in full black armour, with the visor of his helmet
+down. They appeared to talk earnestly and secretly, and, from time to
+time, pointed to the skiff that had newly arrived, and to a smaller
+boat, by which the mailed knight had seemingly come, and which lay
+somewhat apart, below the wood that skirted the Middelfert sound. The
+boatman had arrived with the large company, and appeared to be
+informing the knight whence they had come and whom they had brought.
+They at length separated. The boatman nodded respectfully; and,
+notwithstanding his wound, seemed to take upon himself the execution of
+some commission with which he was entrusted by the stately stranger. He
+departed, with hasty strides, towards the wood where the little boat
+lay; while the knight took, alone, and with thoughtful steps, the road
+to the town.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Although neither Henner Friser nor his pretty granddaughter was
+present, the travellers were received at the inn, by the people of the
+house, with the usual attentions. They had placed before them a flagon
+of ale, and a large dish of stewed flounders, of which they had always
+abundance. With these the greater part of the company appeared to be
+satisfied, as it was Friday, and they were required to observe a fast.
+Not so, however, were they all.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away with these wretched flounders! We want a hearty meal of flesh,&quot;
+said a long, meagre gentleman, with a sagacious but proud and arrogant
+countenance, and strong, passionate-looking features. &quot;For your lives
+and healths' sake, I give you all an indulgence, as far as the day is
+concerned,&quot; he added, with the mien and authority of a pope: &quot;for the
+sake of human infirmities, I am authorised to do this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The flounders were immediately taken away, and a large dish of salt
+meat substituted in their place. This change the majority of the
+company loudly applauded, but the ecclesiastic was now offended.
+Notwithstanding the blue travelling dress he wore, his rank was
+distinguishable by the black calotte that concealed his tonsure; and,
+notwithstanding his leanness, he appeared accustomed to better and
+richer fare. He vehemently decided that the accommodation for
+distinguished travellers, in this new and only licensed place of
+entertainment, was wretched; and that, when the king thought proper to
+meddle in domestic matters, and prohibit people, both lay and clerical,
+from entertaining strangers, he ought to take care that there were
+ordinary cooks in such taverns.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This discontented gentleman was the only ecclesiastic in the company.
+He was usually called Master Grand and Sir Dean; and all treated him
+with the greatest respect. The rest were chiefly knights, and other
+distinguished laymen, with large plumes of feathers in their hats, and
+short travelling cloaks, fringed with sable, of the finest German or
+English cloth, and of the most various colours, according to their own
+or their ladies' tastes. Their doublets were, for the most part, of the
+same colour and material, with a slit in the centre, and ornamented
+with gashed edges, in the fashion of foreign knights. This profuse
+style of dress had, long before, been forbidden in Denmark; and this
+contempt for a law that was observed everywhere around denoted these
+gentlemen to belong to the bold and disaffected aristocratical party.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A tall young man, in a scarlet cloak, with a haughty countenance and
+princely manners, appeared to be the most distinguished in the company.
+An elderly personage, with a firm, warlike bearing, and in a large
+cloak of English blue cloth, seemed likewise to be an individual of
+some note. Some of the younger gentlemen shone forth in suits of bright
+yellow, flame colour, and green. A few of the more elderly wore brown
+and liver-coloured doublets and mantles. There were nearly as many
+squires as there were knights; and their inferior rank was discernible
+by their plain hats, and by their chequered and less, expensive cloaks
+of Scottish cloth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A young, cheerful individual, who did not appear to belong to the
+knights and their train, but attached himself with particular attention
+to the ecclesiastic, was distinguished by his civility and pleasing
+manners, although his unusual corpulency would only allow him to
+perform any rapid motion with difficulty. His round, good-natured face
+beamed with life and jollity. Round his short brown jerkin he wore a
+broad leather belt, with a large knife and fork, a horn spoon, a
+pepper-box, and a number of other tools and appliances pertaining to
+the kitchen and pantry. He had listened with great attention to the
+discontented ecclesiastic's denunciation of the entertainment, while
+his look often glanced upon a plain wooden box, which he had carried
+from the ship himself, and which was now deposited in a corner, near
+the kitchen-door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Spoken after my own poor heart, worthy sir dean,&quot; he at length said,
+with a respectful mien, and yet with a kind of sly humour. &quot;These royal
+hostelries will certainly bring the land to ruin. 'They are dung-pits,'
+as said our worthy Abbot of Ry, in his much-admired fast sermon; 'they
+are dung-pits, where every carrion bird gathers, and where the eagle
+and crow must eat out of the same dish.' They have brought true
+hospitality to decay; and now, as a necessary consequence, harmony and
+jollity, mirth and the noble art of cookery, have come to the ground
+together. Nevertheless, in half an hour's time, I shall prepare my
+worthy masters such a repast as shall make us all forget these doleful
+times, and reconcile us to this godless world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right, my son,&quot; said the churchman, patting him on the shoulder. &quot;Do
+not bury thy rare talents. Have a care for our present wants, cook
+Morten, and trouble not thyself about the preacher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst the travelling cook took his box and proceeded to the kitchen to
+prepare his entertainment, without heeding the growlings of the
+servants, the gentleman in the blue cloak made a trial of the liquor,
+which stood in a pewter tankard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! filthy Danish pors-ale!&quot;<a name="div2Ref_07" href="#div2_07"><sup>[7]</sup></a> he exclaimed, and dashed the tankard
+to the ground. &quot;Fie for Satan! do the rascals mean to treat us to such
+trash? Saxon ale we shall have, and that immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;German ale, that sets people a-crowing, we do not serve here,&quot;
+answered a bold fellow, who acted as tapster: &quot;it is as strictly
+forbidden by the king as are the slashed doublets of yourself and these
+gentlemen. If, therefore, you are not contented with what we have got,
+the door is open; but rough words and fault-finding, neither Henner
+Friser nor his servants put lip with.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The gentleman in blue started, and regarded the man with surprise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shameless fellow! do you know to whom you are talking?&quot; roared the
+churchman, the veins of his forehead swelling with rage. &quot;Where a
+gentleman of the blood royal is present, even a master and a dean is a
+mean man. A bumpkin like you should not grumble, were we to scrub your
+ears with your besom, and fling your villanous Danish ale over your
+dunderhead!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be pacified, good Master Grand,&quot; said the young gentleman of the
+scarlet cloak: &quot;the fellow, truly, did not know us, and only maintains
+the credit of his master. If you have any German ale in the house,
+produce it on my responsibility,&quot; he added, turning to the tapster,
+while he flung down a handful of silver coin upon the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The man was surprised, and loitered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Quick, now!&quot; continued the young lord: &quot;it is Duke Waldemar who
+commands you. The king's prohibition, to which you have already sagely
+adverted in reference to our doublets, does not extend to me and my
+followers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So <i>you</i> may understand the matter, mighty lord,&quot; answered the man,
+bluntly; &quot;but my master says, that, on Danish ground, the king's law
+and prohibition extend to both gentle and simple. There is a butt of
+old German ale in the cellar, which has not been touched for five and
+twenty years; but, before my master comes home and so orders it
+himself, I shall not tap a single stoup of it, even if all of you were
+popes and emperors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let the saucy rogue be thrown out of doors, my lord duke!&quot; exclaimed
+Master Grand, in a passion; and a couple of squires drew near, with
+zealous alacrity, and seemed only to be waiting for a nod to carry the
+proposal into execution.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The blood mounted to the young nobleman's cheeks, and he cast a
+threatening look at the tapster; but his senior, in the blue cloak,
+caught him by the arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Delay a little, sir cousin,&quot; he muttered, in a half whisper. &quot;Let me
+advise. Here we must be good patriots. The king's grace rode his
+cock-horse by the side of Margaret's stallion,&quot;<a name="div2Ref_08" href="#div2_08"><sup>[8]</sup></a> he then continued,
+with a loud voice, &quot;when he performed this exploit, and stuck pegs for
+taps into German ale-barrels. It was a brave action, we must allow: it
+will be long before I achieve as much as a general. At the same time,
+he made his appearance in a new light, and became our instructor in the
+noble art of tailoring. Like good patriots, let us now drink this
+pors-ale to his honour, and have our doublets sewn up like honest
+Danish frocks, that they may see at court that we are as true and
+obedient subjects as John Little and David Thorstenson, and as upright
+friends to this kind of garment as the king himself, and the queen's
+handsome friend, Drost Peter Hosel.<a name="div2Ref_09" href="#div2_09"><sup>[9]</sup></a> Now, then, the king's health in
+thin ale, since there is no better: the king's health, my lords!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This satire, accompanied by a scornful smile, occasioned a burst of
+laughter, and all drank, or pretended to drink, of the despised liquor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Every one shall drink the toast who is not a spy or a traitor,&quot;
+continued the warlike lord in blue: &quot;no distinction of rank or station
+is permitted here. Come, thou fair swain: drink the king's health in
+this precious pors-water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I would have a care of my manners,&quot; answered the tapster: &quot;I am too
+mean to join in the revels of such distinguished company.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Understand, then, that Count Jacob of Halland, as the king's vassal,
+allows you to be chastised as a traitor and secret rebel,&quot; continued
+the lord in blue. &quot;Drag him out, and give him a hearty salute with the
+stirrup-straps,&quot; said he to the squires. &quot;We have all heard that he is
+a rebel who will not drink the king's health.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The stern decree was executed in a moment, notwithstanding a brave
+resistance made by the strong fellow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is the way to baste the fellows with their own lard,&quot; growled
+Count Jacob, as, with a haughty air, he threw himself carelessly back
+on his bench.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps a little too hard,&quot; said the young duke, yet smiling
+contentedly; while all laughed heartily at the rough joke, which did
+not seem to them at all unusual, or in anywise dangerous.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The allusion to King Erik Christopherson's edicts respecting ale and
+slashed doublets, which had given rise to this scene, was followed by
+many jocular remarks on various other of the king's municipal
+regulations, which they affected to extol, whilst, at the same time,
+they were striving to present them in the most ridiculous point of
+view, or as childish and absurd. The stern <i>Ribe-Ret</i>,<a name="div2Ref_10" href="#div2_10"><sup>[10]</sup></a> in
+particular, was the subject of many coarse jokes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The conversation was brought to a close by the entrance, with a large
+dish of seasoned meat, of the indefatigable cook, who invited the
+company to prove whether he had not attained a more worthy post than in
+cooking prison-fare for the hermits of Sjöberg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Should I--as, nevertheless, I hope I shall not,&quot; he added--&quot;have to
+wait on any of my good lords in my celebrated castle, I am glad that,
+beforehand, I have had an opportunity of vindicating my honour with
+those who, not without success, have studied the art of cookery in the
+most learned chapter-houses in the kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art a rogue, Morten!&quot; said Master Grand, playfully threatening
+him. &quot;My pious colleagues taught thee first, perhaps, to sign thyself
+with the token of self-denial; but thy round cheeks bear witness thou
+art a carnal child of the world, who hath transferred his learning to
+ladles and carving-knives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not without a bright and illustrious example,&quot; answered the cook, with
+a cunning smile. &quot;Were I, in troth, your cook, as I am now a godless
+provider for state-prisoners, you could not help being soon as plump as
+I and your worthy colleagues.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now began, like a busy host, to serve out his viands, and selected
+the choicest morsels for his new ecclesiastical patron. He afterwards
+brought from the kitchen a large wooden bowl, and, with many eulogiums,
+recommended the strengthening and enlivening beverage it contained, as
+the fruit of his own invention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Spiced wine!&quot; exclaimed Count Jacob. &quot;Thou art a most excellent
+fellow, Morten! This, then, was the sacred church-treasure that thou
+and sir dean contended for so lustily in the storm, when we were
+obliged to throw all our worldly goods overboard!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thus it is that virtue and good deeds are rewarded, even in the
+present life,&quot; answered the cook. &quot;And I hope that worthy Master Grand
+does not now repent that he so piously took my sacred bottle under his
+protection.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knights praised the excellent liquor, and became merry and noisy.
+Cook Morten poured out for them, and sang them wanton ditties. All
+would join with him; and every one sang the song that pleased himself
+best, without troubling himself about those of others. At length, a
+well-known song obtained the ascendancy, in the midst of general
+laughter: it was a tolerably witty and satirical ballad, relating to
+the king and his favourites, particularly concerning Drost Peter
+Hessel, whom it sometimes nicknamed Peter Hosel (stocking-garter), and
+sometimes Sir Lovmand (lawyer), with coarse inuendoes on the relation
+in which he was accused of standing to the queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the midst of this uproar, the tall mailed knight, with the closed
+visor, who had followed them from the quay, entered unobserved, and
+seated himself in a dark nook, near the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See, now there is some life in the game,&quot; said the cook, snuffing the
+candles; &quot;now it is quite a pleasure to tend upon my worthy masters.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But how came you by the wine?&quot; inquired Master Grand: &quot;it is indeed
+converted into nectar.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The preparation is a secret, my most worthy sir,&quot; answered the cook,
+&quot;the knowledge of which I shall keep to myself, until I make my will:
+then shall I enrich after generations with my invention, if the world
+prove worthy of it. I have named this divine beverage <i>bishop</i>: I hope
+it deserves its title, and that it will hereafter render the name of
+Morten Fynbo immortal, among both learned and simple.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Call it archbishop: it deserves the name better than the carlin we
+have now in Lund,&quot; roared Count Jacob. &quot;Such a bishop is fitted to
+mediate an eternal peace between the temporal and spiritual lords of
+the kingdom; and, at this time, it is much needed. We have made a
+beginning with you, very learned Master Grand,&quot; he continued: &quot;when you
+come hereafter to be archbishop, perhaps it will fare better with
+justice in the land. You are the man to lend me a letter of
+excommunication, when my own sword is too short to recover my feudal
+rents, withheld by a tyrant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand made no reply, but gave the loud-voiced count a familiar
+and significant look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To our noble dean, the pride and honour of Roskild!&quot; resumed Count
+Jacob: &quot;long life to our very learned Master Jens Grand! A rogue is he
+who does not pledge the toast to the bottom; and confusion to all the
+vermin and king's thralls in the country!&quot; With these words, he touched
+the ecclesiastic's cup with his own. His example was followed by Duke
+Waldemar and the knights; the whole bursting out into a simultaneous
+shout of applause, in which the cook heartily joined.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I thank you, my high-born Count Jacob; you, too, my noble duke; and
+you, my valiant lords and knights,&quot; said Master Grand, agreeably
+surprised, while he rose, and regarded all around him with an air of
+seriousness and significance. &quot;The time may come when my deeds shall
+prove to you that it is my highest wish to effect a friendly union
+between the knightly sword and the bishop's staff. Earthly and heavenly
+power must be truly united, when there is anything great to be done in
+the world. But more of this at another time and place,&quot; he said,
+suddenly interrupting himself. &quot;<i>Latet anguis in herbâ</i>--there is a
+snake in the grass, as the saying goes: Satan has his imps everywhere.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, the dean's sharp looks fell on the figure of the tall,
+mailed knight, who sat in the corner, by the door. All eyes were turned
+in the same direction, and a mysterious whispering arose among the
+uneasy guests. The sturdy warlike figure then arose, and advanced with
+firm strides towards the light at the end of the table. He moved his
+head, as if he would observe the guests more narrowly, raised his
+mailed arm, struck the grating of his helmet upwards for a moment,
+and then allowed it to fall. The hasty view thus obtained of the
+strongly-illumined, iron features of the warrior, and the stern glance
+that shot like lightning from beneath his dark bushy eyebrows, struck
+every one with astonishment. They had all risen to bid him welcome; but
+he laid his finger upon the opening of his helmet, and they remained
+standing, as mute as statues, and regarding him with earnest
+expectation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remember your oaths and vows! Prudence is still our safeguard,&quot; said
+the mailed knight, in a deep, hollow voice. &quot;There is no security, or
+room for insolent bravado, where traitors may go in and out, and every
+door stands open. The tyrant is near at hand. Drost Peter Hessel was
+among you on the Belt, and you knew him not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter!&quot; they repeated, with astonishment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Damnation!&quot; exclaimed the young duke, stamping: &quot;it was reported
+otherwise. But how came he there? I did not see him. Where did he
+land?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Spite of the devil, I should think it would have been known if the
+drost had been on board,&quot; said Count Jacob. &quot;Two boatmen and a youth
+excepted, there was not a cat on board I did not know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who was the man who sprang from the mast, and seized the rudder, when
+the steersman's arm was wounded?&quot; demanded the stern knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He--the daring young fellow,&quot; said Count Jacob--&quot;he who, at the very
+nick of time, came as if he had dropped from the clouds, and saved our
+lives--was he not a boatman?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was Drost Peter Hessel,&quot; said the black knight; &quot;and the lad who
+waited upon him was his squire--a youth with ears in his head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend!&quot; exclaimed one after another.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the noise and confusion I was both deaf and blind,&quot; began Master
+Grand; &quot;otherwise, I should have seen whether we had Philistines on
+board. On the skiff I saw no one: but who was the knight in the scarlet
+mantle, who followed us from the quay, and rode off in pursuit of
+rievers or virgins, or on some such sort of carnal, hair-brained
+exploit?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was Drost Peter,&quot; answered the mailed knight. &quot;Where were your
+keen eyes, Master Grand? Our deadly foe sat to-day by the rudder, and
+you knew him not; to-morrow he sits at the helm of the state, and will
+know you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Death and perdition! All is lost? We are betrayed!&quot; exclaimed one
+after the other; and the commotion became general.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not yet,&quot; said the mailed knight, quietly, and raised his voice.
+&quot;Until the Dane-court is brought to a close, the law protects you. This
+law only protects me,&quot; and he struck his large, rattling sword. &quot;The
+moment the Danish court is terminated, separate. In half an hour, I am
+again on board. Yet three words in private with your and my future
+lord.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young duke hastened anxiously forward, and fervently seized the
+knight's mailed hand. They retired a few steps, and the mysterious
+knight whispered some words into his ear, which he only heard, but at
+which the bold duke's cheeks changed colour. The knight regarded him
+with a keen look, laid his hand encouragingly upon his shoulder, and
+nodded. The duke regained his composure, and, with a haughty look, made
+a hasty motion with his sword. Without adding a single word more, the
+tall, iron-clad knight saluted the company, and quietly strode out at
+the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A general silence ensued, while the young duke appeared struggling to
+overcome some anxious, disquieting thought. Hastily seizing his cup,
+&quot;Long life to our trusty, watchful friend!&quot; he said: &quot;may he return
+safe: he has done much for our sakes to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had he uttered the words, and put the goblet to his lips, ere
+the door was opened, and Drost Peter Hessel, with old Henner Friser,
+entered, accompanied by a crowd of burghers and seamen, carrying with
+them the bound Swain Rané. Old Henner led his daughter by the hand. She
+cast back a kindly look towards the door, where the squire, Claus
+Skirmen, was standing, with his master's scarlet cloak upon his arm,
+and surprised apparently at the sight of so many strangers; whilst his
+eyes speedily forsook the fair, dark-eyed damsel, and rested, with
+earnest attention, upon his master's every look and motion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the young drost entered, Duke Waldemar and the knights hastily
+replaced their uplifted goblets on the table, and looked at one another
+with amazement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter did not appear to notice the general confusion which his
+entrance had occasioned. Having saluted the company with knightly
+politeness, &quot;I perceive,&quot; he said, in a lively, unaffected tone, &quot;I am
+yet in time, my lords, to greet you in my own doublet, and to thank you
+for your excellent travelling society. I had my reasons for appearing
+as a boatman: that scarcely any of my noble lords will doubt. It
+gladdens me that I was fortunate steersman enough, and had the
+opportunity, of bringing so many important patriots safe to land. I
+would have thanked you for your confidence immediately upon our
+landing, my lords; but I have been delayed by a little unpleasant
+adventure, which is now happily finished.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young duke recovered his self-possession. He returned the drost's
+salutation with a princely air, and answered, in the same courteous
+tone, &quot;It was handsome to return to us, Drost Hessel, and not to
+withdraw yourself from our thankful acknowledgments. But a minute ago,
+we learned that we were fortunate enough to have had you on board,
+without knowing you, and that you were the brave boatman who so
+opportunely caught hold of the rudder in our danger. That chance or
+necessity, and no deceitful intention, made us fellow-voyagers to-day,
+notwithstanding our difference of opinion in various matters, I am
+willing to believe. Accept, therefore, the acknowledgments of myself
+and friends; and permit us, as we were just proposing, to drain this
+cup to your welfare.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the duke's signal, the active cook handed the drost a goblet of
+wine; and, with forced politeness, Count Jacob made room for him on the
+duke's right hand, and begged him to be seated.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, no one evinced any disposition to do honour to the
+proposed toast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter observed this, and said, hastily: &quot;I thank you, my lords,
+for the intended honour; but permit me, as the reward of my pilotage,
+merely to beg the favour, that I may quaff this first goblet on Funen
+ground, with Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and these worthy gentlemen, to
+a peaceful and happy issue to the Dane-court, and to the welfare of our
+country, and of our lawful king's house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, he emptied his goblet, and replaced it on the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Every friend of his country who participates in my wish,&quot; he added,
+&quot;will certainly not hesitate on doing justice to my toast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All eyes were turned upon Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob; and as both
+these lords, although with secret indignation, emptied their cups, and
+set them on the table, the other knights followed their example.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fat cook smiled knavishly. &quot;A bitter addition to my magnificent
+liquor,&quot; he whispered to Master Grand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The ecclesiastic burned with indignation. He had not yet raised the
+goblet to his lips; and, grasping it in his hand, with the wine
+dripping upon his fingers, he now dashed it violently upon the stone
+floor. &quot;I drink no slavish token of homage by constraint,&quot; he
+exclaimed, in a rage. &quot;On what footing I, as Dean of Roskild, stand
+with King Erik Christopherson, is known to every man in the country who
+knows that St. Michael's Church, in Slagelse, belongs to the deanery of
+Roskild, and has been taken from me with shameful injustice. If I have
+not been afraid to protest openly against the king's illegal
+encroachments on my rights of office, neither am I now afraid to
+declare openly to his drost, that I will suffer thirst till doomsday,
+rather than, like a miserable hypocrite, drink a single drop to worldly
+arrogance and injustice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And I hold to that, with our very learned sir dean,&quot; said Count Jacob,
+with a loud voice, and striking his long sword vehemently against the
+floor. &quot;Every man here has his freedom; and no one shall compel us to
+drink any other toast than we please. I only drank, because I was
+thirsty, and the wine was good. I regard myself, then, so little as a
+wretch or a hypocrite, that no one with impunity shall call me a
+traitor to the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It were far from me to upbraid any man with hypocrisy, or to accuse
+any of these gentlemen of so horrible a crime as treason,&quot; said Drost
+Peter, quietly. &quot;In Denmark, God be praised, thoughts, and their rudest
+expression, are still free, when the law of the land is not
+transgressed; and I regard no Dane as the enemy of his country because,
+perhaps, he does not join in our common wish for its welfare, and in
+personal attachment to the royal house, with the same warmth as myself.
+In such unsettled and unhappy times as the present, we must, alas!
+experience that the opinions of the best Danish men differ on many
+important matters. But, my brave lords and countrymen,&quot; he continued,
+with warmth, &quot;excuse me that I do not see any place or opportunity too
+unsuitable to say an earnest word in a matter that concerns every Dane.
+If variance and discord are not soon to rend asunder all, even the best
+of Danish hearts, and if the people are not to rebel and sink into ruin
+by such devastating strife, we must necessarily be united in one
+object; and that is, in lawful obedience to the majesty and divinity of
+the crown, upon whatever head it may legally and by justice rest.
+Mournful, certainly, it will be, if we, as men, as knights, or as
+servants of God's word, do not, at all times, love and do homage to the
+personality which is inseparable from majesty. But, as we would be true
+to our country, we are bound, heart and hand, to defend the king to the
+last drop of our blood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I may respect your manner of thinking, Drost Hessel, though it is not
+mine,&quot; replied young Duke Waldemar, with warmth, and approaching him a
+step or two, with great haughtiness, whilst he appeared to regard the
+embarrassment of his friends with indignation. &quot;I do not misunderstand
+the zeal that permits you to forget where you are, and to whom you are
+speaking. But I may beg you to remember, that we are here in a public
+tavern; and that I, and the highborn Count Jacob of Halland, are
+present. As the king's kinsmen, we were most justified in holding
+discourse against sedition and lese-majesty, had we found it convenient
+or necessary. If you have anything to complain of against us, bring it
+before the king and people, in the Dane-court, where you shall find us
+all assembled, and where I hope to settle amicably the points in
+dispute between us and our royal kinsman. But, here, we order and
+command you, in virtue of our rank and dignity, to be silent, and not
+approach me or my friends, with an audacity that becomes you not, and
+with ill-timed admonitions respecting our duty to the Danish crown. And
+now, my lords, to horse. Here we shall no longer tarry, to give
+occasion for uproar, which this king and <i>queen's</i> zealous friend
+should have been the very first to have avoided.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The latter words were spoken in a bitter tone of ridicule, which called
+up a disdainful smile on the countenance of the young knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very good,&quot; said Count Jacob, in a rude tone of derision. &quot;We shall
+yield the battle-field to the amorous young sir drost, since it is in a
+tavern, where one only cares to fight with words, or, at most, with
+fists and empty pitchers. If we contend, hereafter, upon a more worthy
+arena, sir drost, perhaps you may find it convenient to be the first to
+withdraw.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, both the princely lords left the room; the
+ecclesiastic, with the cook, and all the knights, accompanying them.
+The horses had already, for some time, been standing saddled before the
+door; the squires hastened to hold the stirrups for their masters; and,
+in a minute after, the numerous train departed, laughing and talking
+aloud, through the streets of Middelfert.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young drost stood, silent and thoughtful, in the guests' room, and
+appeared to be considering whether he had not been too precipitate. Old
+Henner, quietly, and with the greatest interest, had given heed to
+every one of his words, and to his whole conduct. The burghers and
+fishermen, after their president's example, remained silent witnesses
+of the contest between the distinguished lords. Claus Skirmen stood by
+the door, without losing sight of his master's face, although, at
+times, he cast a sidelong glance at the little dark-haired Aasé, who,
+with curious and playful eyes, watched the illustrious stranger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The artful chamberlain had, in the meantime, profited by the general
+attention given to the clamorous lords. He had given jovial cook
+Morten, who pretended to know him, the wink, and, with the help of the
+carving-knife which hung at the cook's girdle, the cords that bound him
+were cut without it being observed. He could not, however, immediately
+avail himself of this freedom, while so many stood around him, but
+remained quietly, with his hands behind his back, as if he had been
+still bound. But, now that the door was open, he suddenly sprang under
+the arms of his guards, and was gone in an instant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the fiend! is he loose?&quot; exclaimed the astonished fishermen,
+springing after him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Stay, let him run!&quot; cried Drost Peter, stopping them. &quot;If he escape,
+it will please me better, as he would soon have been set free. He will
+scarcely venture into the net so soon again, however; and we have a
+traitor the less among us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fishermen stood on the alert, ready to bring back the fugitive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, ay: let him run to Satan, as the knight says,&quot; growled old Henner
+Friser. &quot;The lanky youth may soon be settled: he shall frighten nobody.
+Another time that we lay our fingers upon him, let us crack his neck on
+the instant. Now, let him grease his houghs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This speech the fishermen seemed to comprehend, and they remained
+accordingly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now shall you have thanks for your assistance and interest in this
+matter, my nimble countrymen,&quot; continued Drost Peter. &quot;Every one betake
+himself to his home, and keep himself easy. From robbers you have
+nothing to fear; and the safety of your brave alderman I will provide
+for.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nobody shall touch a hair of his head, so long as there is a
+porpoise-hunter in Melfert Sound,&quot; replied a young fisherman.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And should he get into any trouble concerning the royal squire we
+pitched into the dung-pit,&quot; said Troels the armourer, &quot;we brethren of
+the guild will stand by him. Twelve of us keep watch here to-night;
+and, if he wishes to make his escape, there are six men at the yawl,
+with a boat and all that is needful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, my children, good,&quot; replied old Henner. &quot;But go, now: I will
+consider the matter, and tell you, perhaps, my intentions before
+morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At his beck, the burghers and fishermen left the room. The old man
+fervently seized Drost Peter's hand. &quot;God and St. Christian bless you,
+my wellborn young gentleman, for what you have this night done for me
+and my little Aasé!&quot; he said, with emotion. &quot;If ever I forget it, I am
+a scoundrel. Neither shall I readily forget the words you addressed to
+these distinguished rascals: they have stirred up my sinful old soul
+more than I could have thought.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The restrained but violent emotions which the tones of his voice
+betrayed appeared to surprise the little Aasé, as somewhat unusual. Her
+grandfather, observing this, suddenly relaxed his hold of the knight's
+hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Go, now, to bed, my child,&quot; he said gently, turning to her: &quot;go to
+bed, and sleep securely until I call you. Dream neither of rievers nor
+big demons. This hand already has punished the doughtiest; but it is
+not so nimble now--it begins to feel the rascals. But the world is
+wide: if we cannot be in peace any longer here, I have other plans.
+Now, good night, child. Pray to our Lord, and our good patron St.
+Christian, to afford us their protection, and not to lead us into
+temptation. Now, quick, to bed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Allow me first to look to your wound, dear grandfather,&quot; replied the
+little Aasé, entreatingly, while she took hold of his hand and kissed
+it tenderly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly not, child: I will not hear a word about the gnat-bite. Did
+you not hear what I said?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">From the old man's stern tone, and the silence with which she prepared,
+though reluctantly, to obey him, it might be seen that the old
+grandfather was not accustomed to opposition. She still lingered,
+however; and, as he looked at her more attentively, he observed the
+furtive, sidelong glances of her eyes towards the door, where the young
+squire was still standing. &quot;That is true--the youth by the door--he has
+had no supper, and well deserves one. Without him, we had not got hold
+of you. Now run, then, Aasé, and take care of him in the kitchen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, Claus Skirmen,&quot; said Aasé, cheerfully, and as familiarly as if
+she had known him for a long time; while she sprang to the door where
+he stood, took him by the hand, and drew him merrily along with her to
+the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Singular child!&quot; muttered the old man to himself: &quot;now she is the
+little wild cat again, and a single word can make her glad or
+sorrowful. But when the strong dreaming spirit comes over her, not a
+sinner would willingly look into her eyes. Well, well: it is a sad
+thing for our strength.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter stood in deep thought, and unobservant of what was passing.
+He had taken a sheet of parchment from his breast pocket, and on this
+he gazed intently, without appearing to know what he was reading.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have you received disastrous tidings, noble sir?&quot; at length inquired
+old Henner, regarding him with sympathy; &quot;or is it your evening prayer
+you are reading? If your soul is in converse with the Lord, I shall not
+disturb you; but, then, you should look happier. You are young, and can
+scarcely have any grievous sins upon your conscience. You may well read
+your ave and paternoster, without looking whether the evil one stands
+grinning behind you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What said you, brave old man?&quot; inquired the knight, recovering
+himself, and hastily folding the parchment. &quot;It is late, and I stand in
+need of rest: the noise and journey have wearied me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, refresh yourself first, noble sir. My best apartment is ready
+for you. But I have now a word to say to you, for God knows when I may
+see you again. You are wearied, and I perceive you have important
+matters in your head. Come, sir drost, you will not refuse a stoup of
+good Danish pors-ale? What the fiend! have their lordships transformed
+my ale into wine? Well, that was indeed handsome of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They then both set themselves down to cook Morten's half-emptied bowl
+of spiced wine; and when a cup of the potent beverage had enlivened
+them, old Henner resumed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You spake an earnest word this evening, noble sir. My illustrious
+guests considered it ill-timed, and perhaps you now may think that you
+were over hasty; but it was a word at the right time, to me and many
+more. Yes, you are right, noble sir. The crown is holy, whoever bears
+it: for the king is the Lord's anointed; and no one shall with impunity
+raise his hand against him, were it the foul fiend himself whom God has
+set over us for a season.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I did not say exactly, old man,&quot; said the drost, interrupting
+him; &quot;yet it is not far from my meaning. But how came you now upon this
+matter? Did you know these lords?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who does not know the haughty Duke Waldemar and the crabbed Count
+Jacob?&quot; answered Henner. &quot;I knew their good friends, too. What these
+good people carry in their bosoms is no secret. This dean from Roskild
+is a learned, dangerous man; and the Lord preserve us from him! Thought
+and thew, he is the old Archbishop Jacob to a hair--he that was
+imprisoned by the king's father, and brought the whole kingdom under
+the ban. The long, big-nosed dean comes of the same brood. People dare
+not say it openly; but you and everybody else know, nevertheless, that
+this Satan's archbishop had a finger in the pie when King Christopher
+was poisoned with our Lord's holy body.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art right, old man; and so much the worse,&quot; said Drost Peter:
+&quot;this audacious Master Grand is Jacob Erlandsen's kinsman, both by
+descent and in spirit. He is the most crafty of them all, however
+hot-headed and open-mouthed he may be in his insolent moods.&quot; He again
+drew forth the parchment, and examined it. &quot;Do you know Sir Tuko
+Abildgaard, the duke's drost?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, indeed: that was the proud, smooth-faced gentleman, who sat so
+stiff where you are now sitting, with the light green cloak and
+doublet. I knew every one of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Lavé Little was not here--God be praised!&quot; said Drost Peter, with
+a suppressed sigh. &quot;They are a noble race, these Littles: would that
+they all took after the old Knight John! A truer man there is not in
+Denmark, although he has almost as much injustice to complain of as
+have his kinsmen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We must not judge them too severely, noble sir,&quot; resumed Henner. &quot;Sir
+Lavé came over the Belt yesterday. It was sad to look upon the man. He
+had visited his kinsman for some purpose: that might well be seen in
+him. Shame is a hard cross. Old Pallé has certainly lost his wits about
+it; and the bold, proud Stig Andersen himself--I cannot think of him
+without feeling my heart ready to burst my bosom. A greater leader has
+Denmark never seen since the days of Count Albert of Northalbing and
+King Waldemar Seier. Even the mighty King Ladislaus of Sweden has him
+to thank for his crown. Oh, noble sir drost! when I fancy myself in
+this man's situation, dark thoughts arise within me. I could not say
+that the crown was holy, if I saw it borne by the destroyer of my
+wife's honour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And yet, brave Henner, you might say so, even were you in his place,
+if your fatherland were dearer to you than yourself, and your soul's
+salvation more precious than revenge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Salvation!&quot; said Henner, gloomily; &quot;talk not so decidedly about a
+man's salvation, sir drost. A bishop would not so readily undertake to
+do so. Believe you, then, of a truth, that the man shall be for ever
+damned who lifts his hand against a crowned nidding?&quot;<a name="div2Ref_11" href="#div2_11"><sup>[11]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us condemn no one, that we be not ourselves condemned,&quot; said the
+knight, with deep seriousness; &quot;least of all, let us condemn him whom
+none human can condemn, but who has his Judge above the stars.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Awell, you may be right, sir, when that is spoken of a righteous king,
+who has been chosen by the free-will of his people, and who has not
+acquired his crown by perjury and the murder of a brother, like King
+Abel. If, now, you were to see the man who shot the arrow into King
+Abel's breast, noble sir, would you be able to look him in the face,
+and say that he was a godless traitor and a regicide, who must be for
+ever doomed to perdition?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What brings this into your head, old man?&quot; inquired the knight,
+astonished: &quot;I have, indeed, said I dare condemn no one, and, truly,
+least of all dare I condemn the man whom the Righteous Judge chose to
+raise up to vindicate the pious King Erik Waldemarson, and to hurl a
+fratricide from the throne of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That man stands now before you, sir drost!&quot; said Henner Friser,
+rising: &quot;with this hand I shot the arrow that entered King Abel's false
+heart; there hangs the steel bow that carried the doom of death and
+eternal punishment to the fratricide.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight looked up, and regarded with a degree of dread the tall,
+powerful old man, who, pale and frightful as the ghost of a hero, now
+stood before him in the dimly-lighted apartment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did you that deed, old man?&quot; he said, with an effort. &quot;Then let me be
+the last man you entrust with the dreadful secret. And have a care of
+yourself. Had Duke Waldemar known what this bow has done, there is not
+a man in the country who could save you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That gives me but little uneasiness,&quot; answered the old man. &quot;You, I
+know, will not betray me; and, saving yourself, there is not a soul in
+the world knows what old Henner thinks in the midnight storm, when the
+wild hunter rides over his roof with his howling hounds. Fancy not that
+I rue the best act of my life. Nay, God and St. Christian be praised! I
+dread not the hour when I shall stand, with King Abel, before our
+Lord's judgment-seat. And yet, sir knight, it gives rise to strange
+thoughts, to have withdrawn a soul from mercy, and dispatched a sinner
+to everlasting punishment before his time. But it is the weakness of
+old age: I know it well. It is, besides, at night only that such
+thoughts come upon me. By day, when I look upon the bow, I feel proud
+that this hand once rescued Denmark from destruction. As I have said,
+it is only at night that my heart softens, and that I feel compassion
+for the sinner whom I slew.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pray the God of mercy for his soul!&quot; said the knight, with a feeling
+of uneasiness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, that can I not, sir drost--and it but little matters. What I
+could do for him, by the aid of a nervous arm, that I have done; but it
+is in vain--he is doomed to eternal misery. I drove a six-ells stake,
+of good charred oak, through his rotten carcase in the bog of Gottorp;
+but what availed that? The proud devil will not rest in the swamp, nor
+will he suffer others to sleep in peace. You have heard, no doubt, what
+is told about his night-hunts? Constantly, at midnight, he rides out,
+raven-black, on his courser, over Gottorp heath, with three fiery
+hell-hounds at his heels. God be praised! I have not seen it myself;
+but every midnight, be my sleep ever so sound, it whines and howls in
+my ears till I awake. Perhaps it is mere rumour and superstition, and
+perhaps it is but the blood which rushes to my head when I recline; but
+now, for three and thirty years, I have never been able to close an eye
+until two hours after the accursed midnight. And--hear you aught? Lord!
+how it howls and whines again!&quot; He held both hands before his eyes, and
+shook his gray head in an uneasy and anxious manner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unhappy old man!&quot; said the knight, &quot;mayhap it is neither the blood nor
+the dead that disquiets you. I rather believe that there is a secret
+doubt in your honest heart of the justice of the deed, or that it was
+well-pleasing to God. Shrive yourself, in this matter, to a God-fearing
+clerk; and seek to make your peace with the Lord, (who, in truth, can
+alone give and take it away,) not only for the sake of the past, but
+also for what has happened to-day. It was not the Chamberlain Rané, but
+a greater man, that we both saw well, who had fixed upon your Aasé for
+his victim. I knew him, and so much the worse. Me, perhaps, he will
+spare, for prudential reasons; but he will not relinquish his object
+because he has once miscarried. It will be a serious matter with you,
+too, on account of the squire who lies in the dung-pit. I know but one
+course, old Henner: you must over the Belt with the maiden before it is
+day. Your house and goods may be sold afterwards. But proceed, without
+delay, to my warden at Harrestrup. I shall provide you with a letter to
+him, and he will direct you to my vacant hunting-lodge near Finnerup.
+There, both you and the little Aasé are safe. The wind is favourable.
+Take not too long to think of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man had seated himself upon a bench: he leant with his elbows
+on the table, and his wrinkled forehead rested in his giant hands.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, I shall follow your advice, and accept your offer with respect
+and thanks, my illustrious young sir,&quot; said he at last, with decision,
+as he arose. &quot;It is not for the sake of this gray head: were it doomed
+to fall beneath the axe, I should not take flight, in my old days, to
+escape the blow. But the maiden must be saved: she is the apple of my
+eye and my soul's joy--she is good and innocent. She does not yet
+understand her strange dreams. God grant they may never be fulfilled!
+She must be saved; and you are right--time presses. You have also
+pointed my way to peace, sir drost, and I will follow it. I shall bid
+good night to my worldly calling, and, in your hunting-lodge, reconcile
+myself to my God and Judge as best I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, he shook the knight's hand fervently, and went out,
+to make the necessary preparations for his departure.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The drost hastily drew forth the sheet of parchment that he had been
+reading, tore off a portion on which there was no writing, and, with a
+silver style which he carried about him, wrote upon it a few words to
+his warden at Harrestrup-Gaard, near Viborg. Scarcely had he finished
+the brief epistle, before long-withstood weariness overpowered him. The
+style fell from his hand; his long, dark-haired eyelids closed in spite
+of him; and he leant back on the bench, until he rested against the
+wall. Seated in this manner, in a few minutes he was fast asleep, and
+was busied, apparently, in his dreams, with some dear and familiar
+object. The soft gleam of the nearly-expiring light fell on his
+youthful but strong and almost stern countenance, which now, however,
+was lit up with a kindly smile; while, in his right hand, he held a
+rosary of rubies, which he wore concealed about his neck, and to which
+was attached a solitary amber jewel, which had seemingly belonged
+to a lady's necklace. His left hand still rested firmly, and with a
+half-conscious carefulness, upon the parchment that lay open before him
+on the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was still securely slumbering in this position, when the door was
+gently opened, and a face peered in, which, though half concealed
+beneath a fisherman's shaggy cap, yet, with its thin, sandy beard and
+crafty features, betrayed the Chamberlain Rané. He was dressed entirely
+like a fisherman. He allowed the door to stand ajar, and, gliding
+noiselessly into the apartment, advanced on tiptoe to the table, where
+the knight's left hand still rested on the documents. After a
+scrutinising glance at the sleeper, his small gray eyes rested with
+curiosity upon the letter. He paused, and was about to slip it away;
+but the knight just then making a motion with his right hand, the
+artful spy hastily stepped back. He again approached carefully, looked
+upon the letter with strained attention, and turned pale when he saw
+his own name among a long list of others, in the open document, headed
+&quot;Conspirators.&quot; He groped with one hand for a dagger, whose bright
+silver hilt projected from his breast-pocket; but appeared suddenly to
+restrain himself, as his eye fell upon the small slip addressed to the
+warden of Harrestrup. He seemed surprised on reading it, and, with a
+smile of triumph, went out as gently and cautiously as he had entered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after, Drost Peter awoke, completely refreshed by his short
+slumber, and heard, in the apartment, loud noise and laughter, the
+jingling of bells, and the tread of iron-heeled boots with clattering
+spurs. He opened his eyes, and beheld a strong, heavy, and somewhat
+corpulent personage, whose round, jovial countenance, and strong brown
+beard, bespoke him to be in the prime of life. With a pair of large
+gold spurs on his heels, he trod the paved apartment firmly, and,
+casting his mantle aside with a gentle motion of his arm, exposed a
+knight's magnificent dress, and a pair of glittering gold chains. He
+paced the apartment backwards and forwards, in lively conversation with
+two less elegantly attired knights, and a lanky, awkwardly-built
+personage, whose short jingling jacket, and peaked cap with a long
+fox's tail behind, denoted his rank as a jester.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Surprised, the young drost seized the parchment document, which still
+lay open before him, and placed it hastily in his bosom. Thereupon he
+arose, and saluted the strangers with polite apologies that he had not
+sooner taken notice of them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do I see aright?&quot; he said: &quot;is it the highborn Count Gerhard of
+Holstein I have the honour to salute?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Quite right, sir knight,&quot; answered the bluff, merry gentleman; &quot;and,
+if I am not mistaken, you were my fortunate rival at the Swedish
+coronation tourney, last year--Sir Peter Hessel. Is it not so? and now,
+quite a drost, I hear?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight gave an affirmative, by modestly bowing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You here behold a fortunate youth, my lords,&quot; continued Count Gerhard,
+turning to his companions: &quot;this young gentleman can already boast of
+standing in higher favour at the Danish court than myself and some
+princely vassals of the blood. He wears the fair Queen Agnes' colours,
+and, as you perceive, watches over kingdom and country, like a true
+drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The strange knights smiled, and the lanky jester made up a droll face,
+while he set his bells a-jingling, and bowed before the drost until his
+nose almost touched the ground, the fox's tail flying over his cap, and
+striking the knight on the hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter cast a careless look at the buffoon, and, with quiet
+self-possession, turned towards the princely lord. &quot;The brave and wise
+Count Gerhard does not envy me the colours I wear,&quot; he began; &quot;and, if
+you think I am not worthy of them, sir count, it is still open to you
+to settle the dispute; but only with sword and lance, and not with
+jeers and empty jinglings, or flaps from the fox-tail of your jester.
+Weariness, after unusual exertions, surprised me here for a moment. If,
+on this account, you think I am not so vigilant a servant of the king
+and country as beseems a drost, I nevertheless feel confident that I
+can vie in vigilance with you, or any gentleman of princely blood who
+calls himself a friend of the royal house of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You understand a jest, then, fair Drost Hessel?&quot; answered the count,
+with a good-natured smile. &quot;It was far from my wish to offend such a
+man as you. Only, you must not be angry with me, that, with a sincere
+heart, I hate your good fortune with a certain lady, and envy your last
+prize at the tourney. I accept with pleasure your invitation to break a
+lance with you upon occasion, and will most heartily settle your
+disputed rank as the fairest lady's knight: not at all in enmity, sir
+drost, but in all friendliness, cheerfully and pleasantly, as it
+becomes brave and honourable knights to contend. Do not be offended
+with my long-legged old man there,&quot; he continued, pointing to the
+jester: &quot;he has, at present, a privilege with me and my friends, and
+intended nothing amiss. With every respect for honour, I do not think
+it sits so loosely on either me or others, that a privileged fool can
+shake it off with a fox's tail. You might even stand in need of such a
+fellow. In these very serious times, it is certainly highly necessary
+that one should keep a fool to jest for him, when he can no longer jest
+himself. It is, besides, both comely and christian-like, I think, to
+remind us that we are all as fools before our Lord. Now peace and good
+understanding.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he concluded, he held forth his hand in a friendly manner, and the
+young knight accepted this token of reconciliation with joy. He now
+learned that Count Gerhard had just come over the Belt with his
+followers, on his way to Nyborg, to participate in the festivities at
+the Dane-court about to be held there. As Drost Peter was proceeding in
+the same direction, they soon agreed to travel in each other's company,
+and to start as soon as the count's followers had refreshed themselves.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While the newly-arrived guests sat merrily down to the table, which was
+still abundantly furnished with what they required, Drost Peter left
+the apartment. He proceeded to the kitchen, where he found Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter, prepared for their journey; and, having
+given the old man his brief dispatch to the warden of Harrestrup, he
+hastened their flight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Henner had now his weapons and armour brought him, and quietly and
+thoughtfully equipped himself. With the long spear in his hand, the
+Frisian hempen mail on his breast, and the old rusty steel bow in a
+leather thong upon his back, he then took the young knight by the hand,
+to bid him adieu, and pressed it fervently, without saying a word. With
+tears in her dark eyes, the little Aasé seized the drost's hand, and
+pressed it to her lips, unable to say more than, &quot;Thanks, sir knight.
+Farewell!&quot; He patted her kindly on the cheek, and now first perceived
+the maiden's singular beauty, and that blending of dignity and
+childlike simplicity, which caused her countenance to beam with so much
+intelligence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Claus Skirmen, also, seemed to expect a tender parting with Aasé. He
+had assumed a fearless air, not to appear moved, or to betray what was
+secretly passing in his heart; but she drove him, with her mantle,
+playfully towards his master, while she dried her eyes, and skipped out
+of the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before sunrise, Drost Peter, with Count Gerhard and his followers, rode
+merrily away through the streets of Middelfert. Claus Skirmen followed
+on his norback, along with the count's most grave jester. The bold
+young squire looked once more in the direction of the quay. There stood
+the armourer Troels, among a number of burghers and porpoise-hunters,
+all silently and earnestly regarding a little skiff, which was making
+way, with a favourable wind, across the Belt, and from which Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter still beckoned them a friendly farewell.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a beautiful spring morning. A light mist hovered upon the
+meadows. Bright dew-pearls trembled glitteringly in the dawn, on the
+slender cobwebs, amidst the newly-sprung bushes by the road-side. The
+knights had arrived at a height just beyond Middelfert. The sun now
+arose directly before them, enlivening the magnificent landscape, while
+a thousand larks poured forth their lively songs overhead.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the travellers rode leisurely along, the better to enjoy the
+charming scene, a tall, lanky horseman galloped swiftly past them: he
+was dressed as a fisherman, with a large hairy cap drawn over his eyes.
+The knights had not taken much notice of him; but Claus Skirmen rode
+hastily up to his master. &quot;That was Chamberlain Rané, sir drost!&quot; he
+said, eagerly: &quot;his sharp fox's nose stuck out beneath his cap. Shall I
+after him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not requisite,&quot; answered Drost Peter, knitting his brows. &quot;If he
+travels this way, we shall meet him, time enough, at Nyborg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, should <i>he</i> speak first with the king, sir, you know well how it
+will go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I know very well,&quot; answered the drost: &quot;let him ride on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young squire was silent, and discreetly returned to his former
+station, behind his master and his distinguished companions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A magnificent country!&quot; exclaimed Count Gerhard, surveying, with
+delight, the shining, fragrant meadows, which, gilded by the morning
+sun, lay beautifully extended before his happy, cheerful eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truly so,&quot; answered Drost Peter, with a melancholy seriousness. &quot;Were
+the people as happy as the land is fair and pleasant to behold, Denmark
+were still a terrestrial paradise. But we have come into the world a
+few generations too late, noble count. It was quite other times to
+those who lived in the youthful days of Waldemar Seier, or in the days
+of his exalted father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not only is the land the same, sir drost,&quot; said the count, &quot;but the
+people, at bottom, are also the same. Let only a great Waldemar once
+more arise among you, and you will have the renowned old days again.
+The glory you now deplore made many eyes overflow, in the time of my
+brave ancestors; and we counts of Holstein have no great reason to
+desire a renewal of their splendour. Yet I were but an indifferent
+knight, if I did not admire these glorious times; and I do not blame
+any Dane who regrets them. But what say you of our young Prince
+Erik--the little king, as we may already call him? I know he has you
+for his instructor in the art of arms, and he ought to be half a knight
+already.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On him now repose my hopes, and those of every Danish heart,&quot; replied
+the drost; &quot;and, if it please God, we shall not be ashamed of it. Allow
+time for the bud to expand, and I promise you, at least, that none in
+the land shall do a cowardly or unrighteous deed with impunity: and
+that is much. Denmark, to be happy, requires at all times a great man
+upon the throne. The glorious days that it would be imperishable honour
+to win, I do not expect to be brought about in our times. A hundred
+years hence, and perhaps no one will remember the names we now hear
+most frequently at the court of Denmark; but the pillars that support a
+tottering throne stand not there in vain, though they may be hidden
+beneath its ruins, and forgotten.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whom do you reckon among the pillars, then, sir drost, besides
+yourself?&quot; inquired Count Gerhard, in a half-jocular tone, and as if
+unwilling to enter too deeply into a conversation so serious, that did
+not comport with his habitual careless gaiety.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I regret that I cannot yet number myself among the meritorious men of
+the country, and deserving adherents of the royal house,&quot; replied the
+young drost, modestly; &quot;but, should I live to become as old and
+sagacious as our brave John Little, as stout and bold as David
+Thorstenson or Benedict Rimaardson, and as wise as the prior of
+Antvorskov, our learned Master Martin, I should hope to earn a name
+that, in our times, at least, no friend of Denmark and the Danish
+monarchy should forget.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In troth, four brave and able men are those,&quot; replied the count. &quot;And
+yet, I have heard say that old Sir John is a stern, hard-hearted
+taskmaster.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is a strict and upright man, and must, therefore, in such lax and
+lawless times, hear of much wickedness,&quot; said the drost, zealously. &quot;He
+holds by law and justice, and makes no distinction between the peasant
+and the prelate. But whilst he is stern and bold, he is also sagacious
+and prudent: he effected the reconciliation with Archbishop Jacob, and
+relieved the country from ban and interdict--he was umpire in the
+dispute for the Swedish crown, and told King Magnus some hard
+truths--and he was not afraid to take part against his own king when,
+last year, he was judge respecting the inheritance of the princesses. A
+more upright and able man you cannot show me in Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, indeed, I know that he is your pattern of a statesman,&quot; replied
+the count, with a smile; &quot;and I have a great regard for the man. But
+the learned gentleman you mention, you must admit, with all his piety
+and wisdom, to be a great fool, nevertheless. I can readily believe
+that he is a great theologian and philosopher; but when he comes with
+his antiquities and his logicorum, or whatever it is called, he does
+not concern himself about those he may be talking to, and, with his
+learning, almost drives laymen crazy. Come hither, Daddy Longlegs: thou
+canst show us how the learned gentleman behaves himself--him we saw
+with the Count of Hennegau last year--he who had come straight from
+Paris, and who had made the learned discovery--Master Morten Mogesen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Magister Martinus de Dacia, surnamed Magni Filius, which signifies
+'Son of the Great,'&quot; said the half-learned jester, pedantically. &quot;No
+learned man would condescend to call himself Master Morten Mogesen,
+after having once passed to the other side of the isthmus.&quot; Here he
+suddenly assumed the grave demeanour of a schoolman, drew himself up,
+and spoke in a kind of mysterious whisper.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Capital! there we have the man exactly!&quot; exclaimed the count,
+laughing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Maintaining the same posture, the jester began a discourse, full of
+logical terms, on the importance of adequately understanding the
+Martinian modi significandi in logica.<a name="div2Ref_12" href="#div2_12"><sup>[12]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">The complete caricature of the famous Master Martin's entire mode and
+manner, as well as of his voice and countenance, amused Count Gerhard
+exceedingly: he held his sides, and laughed until tears ran from his
+eyes. The two young knights belonging to his train also laughed
+immoderately; and Drost Peter smiled in spite of himself,
+notwithstanding that the jest highly displeased and vexed him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must confess, sir count,&quot; he said, gravely, as soon as the general
+laughter permitted him to speak, &quot;your jester perfectly understands how
+to make sensible people ridiculous, by imitating and exaggerating their
+personal defects and foibles, excluding, however, whatever is worthy
+and honourable in their character, which grimacing cannot counterfeit.
+In my young days, this was called making faces at people, and, as a
+malicious kind of waggery, was rewarded with a switch and a sound
+drubbing. The famous Master Martin is my preceptor and confessor; and
+those who, after this explanation, continue to jeer or find fault with
+him, were it even yourself, illustrious count, shall have to do with
+me, as long as I can move an arm or raise my knightly sword.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, you must permit me to indulge my humour at your own expense, sir
+drost,&quot; replied the count, still laughing. &quot;Are people in Denmark such
+barbarians, that they have neither sense to enjoy the frank mimic art
+themselves, nor allow others to be amused with it? What signify to me
+your learned confessor's virtues, when I require only his follies to
+promote my health and exercise my lungs in an innocent, good-natured
+manner? If, indeed, we must fall out about that, sir knight, at the
+proper time and place it will afford me an excellent joke; but as I
+never fight for trifles in the morning, or upon an empty stomach, we
+can, if it please you, defer it until we have had dinner at Odense. In
+the meanwhile, let me assure you that I have a great esteem for your
+learned Master Martin, and heartily believe him to be a worthy and
+distinguished man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whom I honour and esteem, I can never make a jest of,&quot; replied Drost
+Peter, zealously. &quot;It may, perhaps, be the fashion in other countries;
+but, praise to God, we Danes do not yet understand it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is, indeed, a fault with all of you,&quot; replied the count; &quot;and
+therefore you are often, with injustice, regarded as simple-minded,
+although, in fact, it is only the want of a gay, light humour. You are,
+in consequence, as much one-sided in your praise as in your blame.
+Human nature is not yet perfect. It promotes truth, and nourishes
+humility, when one has an eye for the defective as well as for the
+excellent, as they lie in heaps in this fair, comical world. I know no
+one who has not his folly and his ridiculous side: with the most
+distinguished men, this is the more perceptible; and my best friends
+may perceive that I laugh at what is ridiculous in them, while I
+respect their virtues as they deserve. The same freedom I allow to
+every one who knows me; and, should you ever feel disposed to laugh at
+my expense, you will see that it does not annoy me. Come, Daddy
+Longlegs, show this gentleman how I behave myself when seriousness
+turns me crazy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The jester bowed upon his horse in a respectful manner, and then
+assumed a comical expression of great good humour, which speedily
+passed from laughter to the deepest earnestness, and, from that, to the
+most uncontrollable fury. To carry out this farce in a fitting manner,
+he drew his wooden sword, and attacked the company, without
+distinction, like a madman.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold, hold! Enough, Longlegs! You will drive our horses wild, and that
+will be confoundedly bad,&quot; shouted the count, reining in his steed with
+difficulty, while he laughed, and rubbed his left arm, upon which the
+jester had dealt him a blow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If this be the way in which people divert themselves at your court,
+sir count, I have not more to complain of than yourself,&quot; said Drost
+Peter, laughing; &quot;but still, you have not convinced me of the propriety
+of your singular amusement.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jesting in this friendly manner, they continued their journey to
+Odense, where Count Gerhard and the knights were to dine. When they
+recommenced their journey towards Nyborg, in the afternoon, their
+little difference appeared to be altogether forgotten. The count and
+Drost Peter had now become such good friends, that they had sent their
+followers in advance, to be able to discourse together more freely, and
+without interruption. Their conversation was of the Dane-court, which
+was to be held on the following day at Nyborg, and respecting the
+unhappy dispute with Duke Waldemar, who had laid claim to the entire
+kingdom, and insisted upon his heirship to Alsen and many of the crown
+possessions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For my part, they may decide the matter to-morrow as they please,&quot;
+said Count Gerhard, with apparent indifference; &quot;but, if you would know
+my opinion, sir drost, I must honestly confess that I consider the
+young duke to be in the right, so long as he only demands his
+ancestorial fief intact, and does not aim at higher objects. The son
+can never forget what his father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, was
+obliged to undergo. His right of succession to the dukedom was
+unquestionable; but he was feasted with empty promises, until, at
+length, he became maddened, and appealed to the umpire which every
+prince and knight carries by his side. I do not blame him for that;
+but, that he became a pious hang-the-head when that miscarried, and
+died of vexation in a cloister, was stupid. The manner in which they
+have since treated the son, you cannot defend; for it is unnecessary.
+Had you been well advised in time, it would never have happened.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But you must, nevertheless, confess that it was in the highest degree
+unjust, and a matchless piece of foolhardiness,&quot; interrupted Drost
+Peter, warmly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know what you would say,&quot; continued the count; &quot;but the one
+injustice has now taken the other by the tail. Duke Waldemar, as the
+king's ward by compulsion, might have grown old and gray before he
+could obtain a foot of land of his ancestor's fief, had he not, while a
+youth, taken the bull by the horns, and manfully insisted upon his
+rights. He managed the matter bravely, and it might now be amicably
+settled. But why do they continue, so meanly and pitifully, to irritate
+him, and withhold the beggarly islets from him? Hence the entire
+misfortune. But for this injustice, he would scarcely have opened his
+mouth so wide, and threatened to swallow the whole of Denmark. Now he
+is of age, and has become too strong for you: he is haughty and
+unmanageable, and you must beware how you hold out the rod to him.
+These are troublous times, sir drost. The discontent of the nobles
+happens opportunely for the duke. But do not let us any longer think on
+these perplexing matters. I do not mix myself up in state affairs, so
+long as I am left in peace. I am going, as I said, to the Dane-court,
+to amuse myself, and to see the charming Queen Agnes; and that, you
+must confess, is a fair and legitimate object for my journey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the last turn which the count gave to the conversation, Drost Peter
+blushed, and appeared to hesitate. &quot;The homage you would pay our noble
+queen, sir count,&quot; he began, gravely, &quot;she most truly deserves, and no
+one can blame you that you do not yield in courtesy to any of our
+Danish chivalry; but, that you travel to the Danish court for that
+purpose alone, I cannot credit. If you intend to support Duke
+Waldemar's audacious demands, consider it well. The independence of the
+crown and kingdom is at stake. If they do not allow the matter to be
+legally settled by umpires, and if both sides are not contented with
+such an arrangement, a sanguinary civil war is to be apprehended.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As I have already told you, sir drost, I do not in any way mix myself
+up in these state affairs. Is it certain, then, that the whole court,
+with the fair and lovely queen, is at Nyborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That, at least, was the determination,&quot; replied Drost Peter, coldly,
+feeling much annoyed by the count's frankness, which he appeared to
+consider as injurious to the queen's person and the royal house. &quot;I
+think it singular, sir count,&quot; he continued, with suppressed
+indignation, &quot;that you should express so unreservedly what every
+discreet knight and admirer of beauty is wont only to display in his
+colours or on his shield; especially in a case like this, where
+knightly homage has its narrow and prescribed limits. I cannot
+reconcile this extreme admiration for the fair with your affliction as
+a widower.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have, in general, a quiet and contented mind, sir drost,&quot; replied
+the count, carelessly; &quot;and that accounts for it, you may be assured. I
+contract my narrow world more than is consistent with my health and
+happiness. What pleases or displeases me I can make no secret of, least
+of all before friends; and if you find any singularity or amusement in
+that, you are welcome. I am glad when I can reconcile my pleasures with
+those of others.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But this candour and amusement of your's, sir count, I consider as
+offensive to the exalted lady whose colours I bear with profound
+respect, as well as to my master and king himself; and you must excuse
+me, if I venture to disturb your calm and happy humour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, so!&quot; interrupted the count, suddenly changing his air of
+indifference for one of the utmost sternness. &quot;Is that the case? Now I
+know what I have to expect, and shall be at your service immediately,
+as I promised you in the morning. But, first, I will make my candour
+intelligible, sir drost. If you come in harness against me, for my
+undisguised attachment to your exalted mistress, I shall only see
+established the truth of certain unintelligible rumours, which you are
+probably as well acquainted with as I am.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rumours?&quot; rejoined the young drost, becoming fiery red: &quot;if they are
+rumours that sully my own honour, or that of a more exalted personage,
+they are liars and slanderers who utter them, and shameless niddings
+who credit them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What respects the exalted lady who suffers most from these rumours,&quot;
+returned the count, with a look of fire, &quot;I am far from believing. But,
+as regards you, my young high-flying gentleman, I have reason now to
+believe that the height to which fortune has carried you has made you
+somewhat giddy, and that the eagle on your crest spreads his wings so
+wide that they stand in need of clipping.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter became pale with indignation, and grasped his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I might choose other means to bring you back to reflection, and to
+awake you from a mad and perilous dream,&quot; continued the enraged count:
+&quot;you walk, with closed eyes, upon a precipice. I need only mention your
+name, at the proper time and place, to see you fall headlong; but I
+dream, in a manner, the same dream myself. I readily admit that, in me,
+it is a folly, leading only to a bedlam: but that is my affair. My
+madness is still, at least, disinterested; and I do not use it as a
+degrading means of soaring aloft by a woman's favour. I have not yet,
+like you, brought our noble mistress into evil repute, by improper
+familiarities before the eyes of others. As her true knight and
+defender, I intend now to chastise your insolence. My sword is drawn,
+sir drost--defend yourself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Like two flashing beams, the swords of both knights descended and met.
+They fought long, with the greatest ardour, but with about equal skill,
+without either being able to inflict on the other any considerable
+wound. After a time, Drost Peter recovered his self-possession, and his
+blows did not fall so fast, but were better directed. On the other
+hand, Count Gerhard's arm and shoulder bled; and, becoming furious, he
+struck so wildly about him, in all directions, that the most skilful
+swordsman could not reckon on parrying all his blows. Drost Peter was
+already bleeding from several wounds, and his strength began to fail
+him; but now his infuriated antagonist, meaning to inflict a mortal
+wound in his neck, laid himself entirely open. The wounded knight
+dexterously availed himself of this critical moment, and suddenly
+disarmed the count, at the same time wounding him deeply in the breast,
+when Gerhard fell back on his horse, and the sword dropped from his
+hand. Scarcely had the decisive stroke been given, ere Drost Peter,
+springing from his horse, came to his antagonist's assistance; but,
+before he could reach him, the count sank, fainting, from the saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Like a practised chirurgeon, Drost Peter immediately sought for the
+wound, and found it deep, but not mortal. He took the necessary
+bandages, and a healing salve, which he usually carried at his
+saddle-bow, and, when the count again opened his eyes, he found himself
+bound up most carefully. His rage had disappeared, and his countenance
+again assumed its gay good humour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was, in truth, a warm tussle, that had not much fun in it,&quot; he
+said. &quot;I have besmeared you vilely, drost. Your wounds bleed freely,
+and yet you have bound mine first. That is more than I could have
+expected from a rival. Suffer me now to do you a similar service: or
+can you do it yourself? I am a bad hand at it.&quot; He would have risen,
+but fell back with faintness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your wound is tolerably deep, but not dangerous, noble count,&quot; said
+Drost Peter: &quot;when you have somewhat recovered your strength, I shall
+assist you to your saddle. I think, indeed, we may reach Nyborg, if we
+travel gently. You have so hacked and hewed me, right and left,
+contrary to all rule, that I shall have enough to do to patch all the
+slits. But they are nothing to signify. The chink in the neck
+incommodes me the most: I believe you had a special wish to behead me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Naturally enough,&quot; replied the count; &quot;unless, indeed, the head had
+not supplanted me with the fair lady, in whose honour we shall now
+present ourselves, like live hashed-meat, at the Dane-court. I have
+not, however, cut you so deep in the neck, but that your head can sit
+steadily. And, now that I think of it, it was but an absurd, confounded
+rumour we quarrelled about. You have hewed me altogether so bravely,
+that I cannot longer believe any ill of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had, in the meantime, bound a linen cloth about his
+bleeding neck, and, for this purpose, had been obliged to unloose the
+ruby rosary to which the amber bead was attached. With a quiet smile,
+he held out the trinket to his wounded antagonist.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In my own justification, I shall inform you, excellent Count Gerhard,
+that this pearl is a love-token from my future wife. I have not
+seen her, indeed, since she played with dolls, and I myself rode a
+cock-horse; but still she is my destined bride: I promised this, with
+childish thoughtlessness, to my dying father. She now only presents
+herself to my mind as an innocent, angelic child--a half-forgotten
+vision. Perhaps I shall not be able to love her when I again see her.
+Nevertheless, to none other shall I give my hand; and, by my knightly
+honour, I am not conscious of any faithlessness to her. What I feel
+towards our common exalted mistress is only admiration and chivalrous
+respect, which neither love nor hate shall deprive me of.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here is my hand!&quot; exclaimed Count Gerhard, heartily. &quot;We two are
+trusty friends in life and in death. He who, from this day forward,
+says an evil word of Drost Peter Hessel, shall have his nose and ears
+hacked off by me, as sure as my name is Count Gerhard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter heartily reciprocated his warm grasp, and assisted him upon
+his horse. He then sprang quickly into his own saddle, and, with
+friendly interchange of confidence, the wounded knights leisurely
+continued their journey.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was late in the evening as they approached Nyborg. They were riding
+northward, between Helletoft and Sprotoft, where the road leads to the
+town, which, however, could not yet be seen, on account of the great
+wood of oak and beech which concealed it from the land side. It was a
+fine, clear, spring evening. The waning moon had just risen, and
+lighted up the knotted oaks, with their still naked branches; while the
+newly-blossomed beeches formed, as it were, over the travellers, the
+arches of a peaceful temple. The warm combat and its consequences, as
+well as the friendly relations that had since been established between
+the knights, rendered them thoughtful, and they now rode in silence
+through the wood, busied, seemingly, with their own reflections, while,
+from the adjacent copse, the thrilling notes of the nightingale fell
+upon their ears.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But how far are we now from the town? I thought we had been in its
+vicinity,&quot; said Count Gerhard, at length, a little impatiently, under
+the smarting of his wound. &quot;Another time, perhaps, you may put a better
+edge upon your sword, Drost Peter: it will tear the flesh less, and go
+a little deeper. I cannot bear to be scratched to death.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Had it gone a finger's-breadth deeper, noble count, we had not heard
+the nightingales together this evening,&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;But, God
+and our lady be praised! there is no danger, and the wound will not
+trouble you long, if you be only a little careful. I know my salve: it
+is from Henrik Harpestrĉng's prescription.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;May your words prove true,&quot; returned the count. &quot;He certainly spread
+the plaster for Waldemar Seier's eye. But how shall I manage in this
+plight?&quot; he continued, somewhat annoyed: &quot;I shall not be able to show
+myself at the palace in this figure, like a ruffled cock, and I am not
+much acquainted with the town. Is there an ordinary inn?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Of inns there is no lack, noble sir. Since the Dane-court has been
+held here so frequently, the little town has been wonderfully extended.
+But, since you cannot go wounded to the palace, to frighten all the
+queen's fair maids, accept of a lodging and attendance with me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With you, drost bachelor? When, then, did you turn citizen, and become
+a Nyborg housekeeper?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Last year, if you will, though on a small scale. In my position, you
+know, I have scarcely a home anywhere. My ancestral seat, at
+Harrestrup, I rare see once a year. When the court is at Rypen, I
+reside with the prince in the palace; but that is seldom long. When
+here, I lodge alone. The palace can scarcely accommodate the numerous
+princely lords who here assemble for the Dane-court. I have, therefore,
+followed the example of the last drost, and, like Knight John, built
+for myself a good stone house, by the Nordre-Dam. There, I am near the
+court and palace, in the midst of the counsellors and king's tenants,
+and yet my own master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, that is well. I am your guest, then, without farther ceremony. And
+since, after the good old fashion, you understand how to heal as well
+as how to break the skin, it could not have happened better.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is certainly the last time this hand shall perform such a piece of
+surgery on you,&quot; replied Drost Peter, holding out a friendly hand to
+his companion. &quot;Meantime, you must accept of a bachelor's
+accommodation. I am not much versed in housekeeping; but my old
+foster-mother, Dorothy, is well skilled in it. I intended, previously,
+to be your host to-night, and my squire has taken care to provide an
+entertainment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A goblet of potent wine,&quot; said the count, &quot;is needful after such a
+bloodletting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is not exactly in accordance with old Master Henrik's
+receipt-book; but, still, with your strong constitution, I think you
+may venture it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A fig for your receipt-book and old Master Henrik! He was only a
+clerk: what should he understand of the constitution of a count of
+Holstein? Wine I can bear, were I even lying in extreme unction, like
+my blessed father--God rest his soul! I shall not die, as long as I can
+swallow a good draught of wine, nor shall a heart-sore of any kind ever
+overcome me. There are not, indeed, many people who get fat upon
+unfortunate love,&quot; he added, with a light sigh; &quot;but still, with wine
+and a jester, one may succeed. I may not be able to boast of my success
+in love, yet, as you may perceive, I am in good condition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You still sorrow, then, over the death of your young wife,&quot; said Drost
+Peter, sympathisingly; &quot;that I could well see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sorrow! Who dares to say that I sorrow?&quot; interrupted the count. &quot;When
+any one grieves at my court, I give my fool permission to bang him with
+cats'-tails. Now, since you are my trusty friend,&quot; he continued, &quot;I
+shall tell you how matters stand with me. Had I seen the Danish
+queen before last year, I had still been a bachelor perhaps, not a
+widower--and I had never wooed a Swedish princess. It is accursed state
+policy that makes almost every prince a fool; but I had the reward I
+merited. The princess found the Holstein count too poor to live with,
+and so she died; and all the honour I have gained is that of being
+son-in-law to a fool of an ex-king, whom any Danish knight could tear
+into shreds, and who is now running about from land to land, like a
+madman, along with a bastard woman.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For some time they rode along in silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No one can have great respect for your unfortunate father-in-law,&quot;
+said Drost Peter, thoughtfully, as he dwelt, in imagination, on the
+Swedish King Waldemar's dethronement. &quot;He did no honour to his great
+name, it is true; but, still, he was king of Sweden, by law and right.
+To me, it is a sad thought, that the unfortunate example has been set
+to other nations, of a crowned and anointed king being so overthrown.
+It was one of our proud Stig Andersen's doings; and therein he exceeded
+the king's mandate and authority. The Swedish people will not better
+themselves by the bargain: for a weak and sensual, but a good-natured,
+and, at times, even a devout king, they have taken a strong and
+prudent, but a fierce and sanguinary tyrant. For the despised log, they
+have taken a hydra. King Magnus has now taught them, with his
+headsman's axe, that no Swedish knight carries his head so high, that
+he may not strike it off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;An able king is the Swedish Magnus--that you must, nevertheless,
+admit,&quot; replied the count. &quot;I do not boast of him because he is my
+brother-in-law; but this I know, that he is not called Magnus, or
+Ladislaus, in vain. If he does, at times, strike off the heads of some
+of the haughty great ones, still the small have reason to extol him: he
+has put locks upon their doors in earnest, and suffers not petty
+tyrants to rule where he sways the sceptre.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There you are right, Count Gerhard. He thinks that one great tyrant is
+quite enough for Sweden, and, with your and Queen Hedwig's permission,
+that he himself should be the man. Matters are not yet come to this
+extremity in Denmark, however bad they may be; but if Stig Andersen and
+his friends were at liberty to dethrone and set up kings at their
+pleasure, you would soon see in what a sea of blood we should swim.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With such conversation, they arrived at the town-gate, where they were
+stopped by an armed burgher, who, in the governor's name, sternly,
+demanded, who they were, and whither they were going. As soon as Drost
+Peter had announced his own name and that of Count Gerhard of Holstein,
+the stern officer made a profound bow, but still reminded the
+distinguished travellers of the seventh article in the civic law of
+Nyborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; replied the drost: &quot;it is right to remind us thereof.&quot; And they
+rode on without hindrance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They must be very strict here,&quot; said the count, &quot;when the drost
+himself must be reminded of the law. What have their tiresome bye-laws
+to do with us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was in his orders,&quot; answered Drost Peter. &quot;No stranger must here
+carry his weapon farther than to his inn; and every traveller must be
+apprised of this. The presence of the king, and of the numerous
+strangers, render such a precaution necessary. Of what use are strict
+laws, unless they are enforced? The man did not know me; but he knew
+that I do not suffer myself to be made an exception in these matters.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The plague! Are we prisoners of war here, in the midst of peace? This
+is ridiculous!&quot; exclaimed the count. &quot;Is the monstrous Riben bye-law in
+force here? God preserve us from the Ribe-Ret! as we say in Kiel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us not talk too loud about this, noble count,&quot; replied Drost
+Peter, riding closer up to him, while he continued, in a subdued tone:
+&quot;it is truly a great misfortune, when the law itself renders its
+transgression necessary. What has made the Ribe-Ret to be so decried
+there, has here, in part, fallen into disuse. In some points, however,
+the bye-laws here are too severe, and almost cruel. If it please God,
+in due time it shall be otherwise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now rode past the old Lady Kirk, which, with its lofty spire,
+stood in a green space, called Helletoft, where also stood several
+separate buildings, in the same Gothic style as the church, with
+pointed gables and small round windows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who lives here?&quot; inquired the count: &quot;it looks as still and dreary as
+a convent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here abide the clerks and vergers of Our Lady's Kirk,&quot; answered Drost
+Peter. &quot;If you yearn after life and merriment, they will not be wanting
+here, when we pass to the palace. There are twice as many people in the
+town now as there are at other times, and, on such occasions, the mead
+and strong ale are not stinted. Fighting and disorder follow as a
+consequence; but these are, perhaps, looked after with greater
+vigilance, and punished with more severity, than is requisite. Those
+armed fellows you see there are the governor's people: they, too, will
+probably stop us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It happened as Drost Peter had surmised: the travellers found their
+horses seized by six armed burghers, who demanded whether they did not
+know the bye-law, that they rode armed. Upon the drost's explanation,
+that they had just entered the town, and were riding to their dwelling,
+they were allowed to proceed; followed, however, by three of the strict
+officials, to watch their motions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here the king should be secure enough,&quot; whispered the count, much
+annoyed. &quot;The fellows look upon us as if they suspected a traitor in
+every stranger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unfortunately, there is reason for it, noble count; but here we are
+accustomed to it. It disturbs no burgher's merriment. Hear you, now,
+how they are singing there, by the old stone house with the pointed
+gable? It is the burgher-watch of the Town-hall. Now they are drinking
+the king's health.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There are not a few. Has Nyborg so many burghers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;These are only a third part of them. The rest are on guard at the
+palace. The king has not more devoted subjects. He has also done much
+for the town, and specially favours it. Were he not in greater security
+here than elsewhere, the Dane-court would be removed to some other
+town, and then there would be an end to Nyborg's prosperity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now rode past the palace. It was a strong building, of
+considerable extent, with four wings, built of free-stone and burnt
+bricks, and protected by a massive wall, a deep moat, and four lofty
+turrets. From the small round windows streamed the light of numerous
+torches, and the music of flutes and violins was audible. A promiscuous
+crowd was in motion outside the walls, but without much noise, and with
+an order and gentleness amounting almost to anxiety, whilst the armed
+officials went to and fro, frequently exhorting them to quietness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is to be seen here?&quot; inquired the count.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Over the wall there may be seen the dancing in the knights' saloon,&quot;
+replied Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard became attentive: he observed a tall, majestic female
+figure flit past the middle window, and he stopped his horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The queen!--see, the queen!&quot; he heard the curious spectators whisper
+to one another.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the duke she is dancing with,&quot; said one.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, that it is not: it is the handsome young Drost Hessel. Look, how
+proud he dances! Lofty thoughts he has, you may trow,&quot; exclaimed
+another.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, noble count,&quot; said Drost Peter, hastily, &quot;let us not get into
+the crowd, with our unruly horses. We are now close to my dwelling.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They rode on a little way, and stopped at a dark-looking house, where,
+on the high stone steps, stood a squire, bearing a torch.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are arrived at last, sir,&quot; cried Claus Skirmen, springing towards
+him with the torch. &quot;Has any mischance befallen you? I ventured not to
+disobey your commands by leaving the house myself; but I have sent all
+the servants out in search of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have had a little encounter with a pair of hasty young knights on
+our way,&quot; said Drost Peter, &quot;and my noble guest has been somewhat
+severely wounded. Assist him carefully from his horse. Is all in
+order?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As you have commanded, sir. But are you not also wounded? Shall I
+bring a surgeon?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is unnecessary, so long as you and I are here. We would have no
+talk about the matter. Attend only to the count.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not without wincing and sundry oaths did the wounded Count Gerhard
+dismount from his horse, and ascend the high stone steps, where his two
+knights and the lanky jester received him with sympathising attentions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A truce with condolences,&quot; said the count. &quot;I am both bound and
+salved. Let me only get to table, and have something to live on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Claus Skirmen went hastily forwards, and conducted the count, through
+an ante-room, into a spacious vaulted apartment, where stood a covered
+table, with tall wax-lights, and well garnished with provisions and
+bright silver wine-flagons.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard regarded these preparations with satisfaction, and
+immediately threw himself into a chair; and, the better to seat
+himself, he released his sword from its belt. As he held it in his
+hand, he recollected the intimation he had received at the city-gate.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Sdeath!&quot; he said, &quot;if we must behave as you say, sir drost, we must
+now, like prisoners of war, hand you over our weapons, since you are
+host.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, indeed,&quot; replied Drost Peter, &quot;it is well you recollected it;
+for, truth to say, I had forgotten it; and, if I had not, I should have
+been forced to request you to do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But if now I should not obey the mandate,&quot; inquired the count, &quot;what
+are the consequences?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you were ignorant of the law, and by a solemn oath could pledge
+yourself to that effect, the penalty is only a mark-penny to the
+governor, and one to the town. The same penalty is inflicted on the
+housekeeper who does not inform his guest of the law.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, now that I know this stupid ordinance, and yet will not allow
+myself to be disarmed, what great misfortune follows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Without being displeased, allow me to answer you in the words of the
+law itself, Count Gerhard. 'If the guest is reminded, and wears his
+weapon nevertheless,' it says, 'then, with the same spear, sword, or
+knife, shall he be run through.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, what a mischance! Not through the heart or gizzard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Through the hand, noble count. There hangs the table of the law: you
+can read it yourself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The devil take such stupidities! There lies my sword. You do the same,
+gentlemen.&quot; With these words Count Gerhard cast his sword into a
+corner. His knights followed his example.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter took his own sword, and placed it by the side of the
+others. &quot;I must submit to the same law,&quot; he said, with a courteous bow;
+&quot;and I hope, my honoured guests, that you will not think ill of me, on
+account of its strictness here. Be seated, gentlemen, and let us be
+merry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This invitation to merriment was supported by the jester, who had
+already seated himself, and now arose with a look of the most grave
+importance. He approached Drost Peter with solemn step, and, with a
+deep bow, handed him his wooden sword. &quot;Take care of that, honoured sir
+host,&quot; he said: &quot;it is the famous sword Tyrfing, which cannot be
+unsheathed without shedding blood. Look to it, that it does no mischief
+in this excellent city.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter handed him his sword back again, as a mark of honour, at
+which they all laughed heartily, and took their places in the heavy,
+high-backed oaken chairs. The articles of silver, and the costly table
+appointments, testified that they were in the house of a person of
+opulence. Of male attendants, and supple pages, there was no lack; and
+yet it appeared extraordinary, that the polished floor was not swept,
+and that the dust lay thick on the backs of the chairs, and upon the
+window-sills.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is old Dorothy?&quot; asked Drost Peter of the squire, whilst Count
+Gerhard and the strangers were engaged with the viands. &quot;She was wont
+to keep the house as bright as a shield.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, that is true, sir,&quot; answered Skirmen; &quot;but poor Dorothy
+Brushbroom has gone quite crazy. She took a little bit of lead from a
+window of Our Lady's Kirk, to cure a girl who was bewitched. She has
+been thrown into the thieves' hole, and, it is said, will be sentenced
+to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God pity her!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, warmly, rising from the table.
+&quot;The unfortunate creature!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is the matter, my worthy host?&quot; inquired Count Gerhard. &quot;Has
+anything disastrous happened in the house? With wife and child I know
+you are not embarrassed. What household sorrow, then, can thus trouble
+a bachelor?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A greater affliction than any one trows,&quot; answered Drost Peter. &quot;I
+have an old trusty nurse: she has loved and been with me since I was
+quite a child. She is a true affectionate soul, who would readily die
+for me. She is the best wife in the world, and has kept house for me
+with the greatest order and trustworthiness; but her head is filled
+with stories of goblins, witches, and dwarfs; and, as soon as any one
+is taken ill, she believes, in the simplicity of her heart, that they
+have seen the elfin-king, or have been bewitched by Nixes, and then
+will she have a remedy of holy church lead, or such-like singular
+means. Now she is taken and imprisoned for a bit of metal that cannot
+be worth a doit. The poor creature!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Some of the gentlemen smiled, and the jester made one of his droll
+faces.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, what great misfortune is there in this?&quot; inquired Count Gerhard.
+&quot;The bit of lead you can outweigh with a silver penny. The old soul
+will be released in a day or two, and, in the meantime, another may
+sweep your floor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is death to her, Count Gerhard, even if it had not happened in the
+church. You are not aware of the laws of Nyborg. Every man who is
+guilty of theft is hanged; but a woman is buried alive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And are you all mad, then?&quot; demanded Count Gerhard. &quot;Shall a woman be
+thus inhumanly punished? Is the crime more atrocious in her than in a
+man? You jest, sir drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you do not believe me, noble sir, read for yourself. There are the
+bye-laws affixed to the door-post. Read but the twenty-ninth article,
+and you will see that, unfortunately, I am not jesting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Read it, Longlegs!&quot; cried out the count to his jester: &quot;I have some
+difficulty in rising; and, truly, such confounded laws are not worth
+rising for.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The twenty-ninth article,&quot; commenced the jester, taking up a candle,
+which threw a light upon the large table of laws on the door-post.
+&quot;Here I have it. Give ear, my masters: it is the golden word of
+justice, and a sufficient reason is alleged.&quot; He then began to read, in
+a grave judicial manner: &quot;'<i>What woman soever shall be guilty of theft,
+and deserves to be hanged, with the stolen goods by her side, shall,
+for her womanly honour's sake, be buried alive</i>.' Now, in truth, this
+is an honour that one takes straightways with him to eternity. It is no
+transient honour, my masters; and, therefore, it has been reserved for
+the fair and more fortunate sex.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you, then, insane?&quot; exclaimed the count. &quot;What honour is there in
+being buried alive?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is your wisdom, my wellborn sir?&quot; replied the jester: &quot;for a
+woman, it is manifestly a far more honourable and becoming way of
+dying, than if she were to be hanged, like a man--like a male thief, on
+a gallows. Think of the scandal it would occasion her father
+confessor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is, nevertheless, a madness,&quot; exclaimed the count. &quot;Is it out of
+mere strait-laced modesty that they are so cruel here? May the foul
+fiend take all clerks and hang-the-heads who give out such laws and
+regulations! Are you alike scrupulous, Drost Peter? And will you suffer
+your good old nurse to be buried alive, merely that your wise king's
+law may not be transgressed?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She shall--she must be saved!&quot; exclaimed the young drost, who had
+hitherto stood silent and thoughtful, with his hand on the document in
+his breast. &quot;Excuse me, gentlemen: I must to the king.&quot; With these
+words, he left the room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The seriousness which this circumstance had for a moment called forth
+was soon dispelled by the efforts of the jester, who, with comic
+gravity, began a legal discourse on the stern Ribe-Ret, wherein he
+dwelt more particularly on a certain notorious and scandalous
+punishment, setting it forth circumstantially, and not exactly in the
+most becoming manner. He concluded with the well-known Jutlandic joke:
+&quot;Thank God you are out of the way of the Ribe-Ret, my child; as the old
+woman said when she saw her son hanging on the gibbet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard laughed till his eyes ran over, and screamed with pain
+from the wound in his breast, which his violent laughter had caused to
+open. He became suddenly pale, and fell back on his chair, without
+consciousness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The greatest grief and trouble took the place of the previous
+mirthfulness. Message after message was dispatched for the surgeon and
+physician, and all present were seriously alarmed for the count's life.
+He was carried to bed, and Claus Skirmen undertook, in his master's
+absence, to tighten the bandages, and stanch the bleeding with wine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Half an hour passed away: the count still lay insensible, and no
+physician had arrived. The knights were impatient, and the lanky jester
+behaved like one out of his wits. He tore his hair, and accused himself
+of having killed his master with his accursed jokes. The door at length
+opened, and Drost Peter hurried in. He had been already advised of the
+critical condition of his guest, and had hastened to his aid. He found
+the wound properly bound up by his expert squire and pupil. By means of
+a burnt feather, he at length succeeded in restoring the count to a
+state of consciousness; and, as soon as he had opened his eyes, the
+drost's mind was at ease, and he declared him out of danger. For the
+greater satisfaction of the stranger knights, and of his afflicted,
+inconsolable jester, Drost Peter sent his squire to the palace, to
+bring the king's surgeon. In the meanwhile, he desired that they should
+all leave the apartment, and remained alone with the sick man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as Count Gerhard had completely recovered his senses, and saw
+Drost Peter by his bed, he held forth his hand, and nodded. &quot;It was the
+fault of your cursed Ribe-Ret,&quot; he said; &quot;but I must not think more
+about it, or I shall laugh myself ill again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is not right: you talk too much,&quot; said the knightly leech,
+examining his pulse with satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, but it is right. Although you did not exactly dub me a knight
+today, you certainly did not dub me a speechless animal. But how got
+you on with the king and the carlin? Is she to be hanged, or buried
+alive for her womanly honour's sake?&quot; He was on the point of renewing
+his laughter, but repressed his desire on feeling the smart of his
+wound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God be praised, she is saved this time!&quot; said Drost Peter; &quot;but with
+some difficulty: the king was not to be spoken with.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then you took her out of prison yourself? That was settling the matter
+in the right way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, Count Gerhard. Rather than I should have dealt so contumaciously
+with the laws, the unfortunate woman had been left to her fate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the deuce have you done, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I went to the queen--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aha! I can understand. Happy knight! But why did you not allow me to
+crave a boon for the poor old creature? I have still a heart in my
+body, I know; and I should not have risen from the queen's feet, nor
+taken her hand from my burning lips, till the carlin had been saved,
+even had it been till gray in the morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You talk too much for your wound, noble count; and you think on
+matters that do not tend to calm your blood. I shall now send my
+liberated nurse to watch over you; and, if you must still talk
+enthusiastically of beauty, talk so, in God's name, only before her:
+and sleep well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, Drost Peter left his merry, sick guest, and immediately
+afterwards a wrinkled old woman hobbled into the apartment, and sat
+down by the count's pillow; but he closed his eyes in vexation, and
+would not notice her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was midnight, and Drost Peter walked restlessly up and down his
+chamber. He had reassured his knightly guests, and left them to repose.
+But the royal surgeon had not arrived, and the jester would not believe
+that his master was out of danger. In a closet, by the side of the
+count's bed-chamber, sat the grave joker, listening at the door, to be
+at hand at the slightest disturbance he might hear. Drost Peter could
+not think of going to sleep. He was not, indeed, alarmed for his
+wounded guest, but still wished to be ready, at any moment, to go to
+his aid, should he be called by the nurse. His thoughts, besides, were
+in a tumult, that forbade him to think of repose. His adventure with
+Henner Friser and little Aasé, and his strong suspicion of the king's
+participation in the affair, disquieted him. The crafty Chamberlain
+Rané's escape, and the revenge he might, with reason, apprehend from
+this royal favourite, ran likewise in his thoughts. Deep suspicions of
+a conspiracy, of which he had in vain endeavoured to apprise the king,
+appeared to him now, in the night's loneliness, of greater importance,
+the more he dwelt upon it. His strife with Count Gerhard, and its
+occasion, also caused him the greatest uneasiness. The report, so
+injurious to his own and the queen's honour, which he had first learnt
+upon this occasion, troubled him more particularly; and he examined
+with scrupulous care the whole of the last year of his life, from the
+day he first held conversation with Queen Agnes, at Helsingborg
+tournament. He could not deny that her beauty and noble feminine
+graces, as well as her bold and resolute character, exercised a
+wonderful power over him. He owed, undeniably, to the queen's favour,
+his rapid rise from a simple knight to be drost of the kingdom; and,
+though it vexed him much, that he should, in consequence, be blamed as
+a fortunate adventurer, who had been raised to eminence through a
+woman's favour, these usual whisperings of envy were not of a nature to
+drown the voice of bold self-consciousness in his bosom. He was himself
+fully assured that he was perfectly competent for the high situation he
+filled, and that the royal house had not a more efficient servant in
+these dangerous times. Besides, his important vocation as tutor to the
+young Prince Erik, and as his master in the use of arms, gave to his
+life an activity, and a degree of importance both to himself and to the
+kingdom, that he could not regard without a degree of pride; and he
+entertained a confident expectation that, indirectly, the whole fate of
+a coming generation, and of Denmark, was in his hands. He stood on a
+lofty but dangerous eminence, near a tottering throne, and must take
+heed that he did not become giddy and fall. It was only necessary for
+some malicious foe to whisper in the king's ear what rumour said
+concerning the drost and Queen Agnes, to see him carried, within four
+and twenty hours, a prisoner for life, to the dungeons of Sjöberg, or,
+indeed, without law or trial, to the rack and wheel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While these and similar distracting thoughts occupied his mind, a loud
+knocking was heard at the entrance of the apartment. He started
+involuntarily, but recovered himself, and opened the door. Astonished,
+he beheld his young squire, Claus Skirmen, standing, pale and
+breathless, on the threshold, with a parchment roll and two swords in
+his hands.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is this? What want you so late with me?&quot; demanded the drost,
+hastily. &quot;You are pale: has anything happened amiss? Say, youth, what
+is it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Read, sir--read, and take your sword!&quot; replied the squire, handing him
+the parchment and one of the swords.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He hastily seized both, and, going to the light, he turned pale on
+recognising the Gothic characters, and the king's well-known seal and
+signature.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Deposed!&quot; he said; &quot;and not only so--condemned to secret imprisonment,
+without law or justice; and this to be carried into execution before
+the Dane-court commences! How came this unfortunate document into your
+hands, Skirmen? It is a royal private warrant. Carry it back, or it may
+cost thy life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It concerns your life still more, sir. When you are safe in prison,
+you are to be secretly murdered. I know it all: I have heard it with my
+own ears.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you mad? Is it possible? Rané, then--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right, sir. Chamberlain Rané procured this prison-warrant; the rest
+was hatched by himself and his good friends. He sat triumphantly, with
+this letter in his hand, in a company of topers at the palace, along
+with Duke Waldemar, Master Grand, Count Jacob, and all the gay company
+with whom we crossed the Belt. I was inquiring, by your command, for
+the king's own surgeon for Count Gerhard, when I was directed to the
+western wing of the palace. I had to go along the dark passage that
+leads to the duke's apartments. The door stood ajar, with only a
+tapestry hanging before it. I heard your name mentioned: I concealed
+myself behind the tapestry, and--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And you listened: come, out with it! Fair and honourable it was not
+altogether. And so you heard--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What I have told you, sir. Not, indeed, in clear and distinct words;
+but, by putting one with the other, I could plainly guess their
+meaning. You must be got rid of, it was said, and in such a way as that
+you could not come to light again, in case the king's humour should
+change. Above all, you are not to receive the least intimation of this,
+nor to be allowed to have any conversation with the king; and tomorrow
+betimes, or even to-night, you are to be seized, and secretly
+imprisoned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To-morrow--Trinity Sunday--before the court meets! So, so! But, since
+it is to be done so early, it shall be done this midnight. So long as I
+hold this scrap in my hand, time may be gained. It must now be decided
+who shall first speak with the king. I must ascertain where he sleeps
+tonight, and whether he has an ear for truth or falsehood on the
+morrow. But how did you obtain this hellish document? Could they be so
+careless as to slip the halter when they had it so nearly round my
+neck?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did not quit my hiding-place till they had drank success to Duke
+Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Stig Andersen so often, that one might have
+pricked them all in the eye. I knew there was no danger to the wounded
+gentleman, but that there was to you, and I did not hesitate on
+remaining. Rané held out the longest before he got drunk; and they paid
+him great respect, on account of his relationship to Stig Andersen's
+wife, and because of his cunning in retaining the king's good opinion,
+whilst he still remained true to his friends and kinsmen. The duke
+having promised to procure him the rich Count Mindre-Alf's daughter,
+they already hailed him as future Count of Tönsberg; and thereupon he
+drank so deeply, that at length he was obliged to go out to obtain a
+breath of air, I was not seen; and, as I was alone with him in the dark
+passage, it was only the turn of a wrist to fling him on the ground,
+and take the letter from him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then it was not me alone that this concerned? And Rané makes common
+cause against the king? Heard you aught of what should happen when I am
+murdered or in prison?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, indeed, sir. Horrible things, concerning war, and rebellion, and
+aid from Sweden and Norway. But I only gave special attention to what
+referred to you. And, now, do not hesitate a moment, sir. If you will
+take to flight, our horses shall be saddled immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, my brave Skirmen. You have never seen your master yield at
+tourney, nor yet at sharper fighting; much less shall you see him now
+give way. Here, indeed, I cannot defend my life and honour with this
+sword; but, if God wills, I will try another, that, without being a
+traitor to my country, I can use against my lord and king himself. My
+tongue must now be my sword, and righteousness my shield; now, it
+concerns not me alone, but the crown and kingdom. The revolt, it seems,
+is to be aided by Sweden and Norway. Now, then, I must to the king,
+even should the way to him lie amid serpents. But there must be
+quietness and vigour. Nothing can be done for three hours more. I will
+try if I can rest the while. This is now the third night that I have
+watched. Arouse me as soon as it is day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, for the sake of security, shall I not quietly assemble the
+servant-men, and arm them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That would be illegal, Skirmen. If I cannot gain life and liberty with
+justice, with injustice I will not. It is already so, when this blade
+is in my hand, instead of in the city-governor's. Still, this I will
+defend, before God and men. Good night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With that tranquillity which only a pure conscience, strong
+determination, and utter contempt for his enemies could afford him,
+Drost Peter threw himself, in his clothes, upon his pallet. &quot;Place the
+light on my shield, and do not extinguish it,&quot; he said to his trusty
+squire. &quot;And now God guard me! I am weary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The squire obeyed, and left the chamber. But he did not move three
+steps from the threshold. With his back against the door, he sat on the
+stone floor, that he might guard his master's slumbers until the dawn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had the cock crowed, and the first dim gleam of day entered
+the dark passage through a little grated window, when Claus Skirmen
+arose, and, opening the door of his master's apartment, he found him in
+a calm, deep sleep. The squire could scarcely venture to disturb him;
+but, hearing the sound of footsteps in the street, and the subdued
+clang of arms, he no longer delayed. &quot;It is morning,&quot; he said, &quot;and we
+are not the only persons who are awake. Resolve quickly, therefore,
+what you intend to do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter arose, and grasped his sword; but, recollecting himself, he
+hastily laid it down again. &quot;Nay,&quot; he said, &quot;this I will not take with
+me. No one can yet have legal authority to seize me. I shall venture to
+awake the king: it concerns his safety, as well as mine. You shall
+follow me. You can testify, on oath, to what you have heard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I can, sir. But, still, let us take weapons with us. Who knows
+what we may encounter? The governor's people are difficult to deal
+with; and Sir Lavé Little keeps guard at the palace with the
+halberdiers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Lavé! Great God! my little Ingé's father! He was in the duke's
+train in Jutland, and I trust him not. Yet, perhaps this is fortunate.
+He was not with the traitors, then, last night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, sir; he must have arrived the day before yesterday, and entered
+with old Sir John. Last night, he mounted guard at the palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If the prudent John can trust him, so can I. Come, let us leave the
+sword. The righteous God must now protect us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without farther deliberation, Drost Peter threw his large scarlet
+mantle about him, placed his feathered hat on his head, and went forth
+with a firm, determined step. The squire followed him in silence, after
+once more looking back dejectedly on the forbidden weapon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To avoid creating an alarm in the house, Drost Peter and his squire
+went down the stone steps, and closed the door after them. The street
+was still and deserted. The faint twilight showed them the castle, at a
+little distance, lying gloomily behind the strong walls, whilst all
+around it appeared to be still in deep repose, except a few
+landsknechts, who kept watch outside the locked gate, and who paced
+backwards and forwards, with measured steps, their halberds and lances
+in their hands. Drost Peter and his squire approached the palace with
+rapid strides. The young drost had not omitted to take with him a
+token, which, by virtue of his important office, gave him a right to
+demand admittance into the palace, and to the king's person, at all
+times. This token consisted of a plate of gold, on which was impressed
+the royal seal, with the two crowns.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With this in his hand, the drost strode forward towards the outer
+sentinel, and passed the corner house in the broad King-street, when he
+found himself suddenly stopped, and surrounded by twelve armed
+burghers. A respectable man, with a large silver staff in his hand,
+stepped forward from among them, and said, with much seriousness, while
+he raised his staff: &quot;Sir Drost Peter Hessel, the governor of the town
+takes you prisoner in the king's name. Be pleased to follow us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not one step,&quot; replied Drost Peter, &quot;until you show me my king and
+master's express order for this treatment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can produce no written order,&quot; said the governor; &quot;but that such an
+order was issued by the king yesterday, and taken from his chamberlain
+with cunning and violence, by your people, has been proved to me by the
+testimony of respectable persons. If you will not follow me willingly,
+you must excuse me if I employ force. Men, do your duty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The armed burghers drew near to lay hands upon their prisoner. Drost
+Peter now held out, with an air of bold authority, the token, with the
+royal seal. &quot;Know you that?&quot; he demanded. &quot;By virtue of my power and
+authority, as drost of the kingdom, I command you to follow me
+immediately to the king himself. Unless you can show me an order in the
+king's own writing, none of you shall dare to lay a hand upon me. If
+there should happen to be any deceit in this, and I cannot justify
+myself before the king, I am willing to follow you to prison, or, if
+the king commands it, to death. But, at present, you must follow me. I
+am still drost of the kingdom, and your master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The determination and authority with which he spoke confounded the
+burghers, who looked at one another, and then at the governor, with
+perplexity. The latter, also, appeared to be surprised and undecided.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;According to the letter of the law, you appear to be right, sir
+drost,&quot; began the governor; &quot;but what does it avail you to make all
+this disturbance? You know yourself, better than any one else, that you
+are deposed from office, and that we are obeying the king's express
+command. You will not aid your case much, by awaking him at the present
+hour, to hear your doom from his own lips. Besides, it is strictly
+forbidden to allow you to approach the palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not by the king, but by his and my deadly foes,&quot; interrupted Drost
+Peter, with vehemence. &quot;You have allowed yourself to receive an illegal
+message from those who seek the king's life, and you will hinder me
+from warning him. If you would not be condemned as traitors to the
+country, and abettors of treason against the royal person, you will
+follow me instantly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God in mercy preserve us!&quot; broke forth the terrified burghers, one
+after the other. &quot;What shall we do, sir governor? You must answer for
+all. We know nothing--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If it be true, as you say, that the king's life is in danger,&quot; said
+the governor, hesitatingly, &quot;who tells us, then, that you, yourself,
+are not a traitor? Appearances are much against you, sir drost. What
+want you at the palace, at this hour?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As you have heard: that which I still shall do, and which you shall
+not prevent. I will to the king, by virtue of my office, to warn him
+against traitors. No excuses, governor. Follow me instantly, or it may
+be as much as your life is worth.&quot; Without waiting for a reply, Drost
+Peter walked rapidly towards the palace, the frightened burghers
+respectfully giving way before him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very well,&quot; said the governor: &quot;we must follow him, if he still
+commands it; but farther than the halberdiers he shall not go. Take
+care, however, that he does not escape. And what have you to do with
+this, young man?&quot; said he to Skirmen, who anxiously followed at his
+master's heels. &quot;You, perhaps, would assist your cunning master in
+treating us like fools? Pack off! We have no orders to guard you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He will follow me, and you shall permit him,&quot; ordered Drost Peter,
+turning round: &quot;whom I take with me to the king, I answer for.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The governor was silent, and they passed on. The palace sentinels, who
+knew the drost, objected not to open the gates, but did not deem
+themselves warranted to admit the burghers and the governor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Suffer them to enter on my responsibility--they belong to my train,&quot;
+said the drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The governor and burghers were admitted, and they now appeared to
+entertain a better opinion of their powerful prisoner, who ruled them
+all in such a wonderful manner. They crossed the court-yard of the
+palace to the northern wing, which the king himself occupied.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If this is a mistake, sir drost,&quot; said the governor, in an under tone,
+as they ascended the castle-stairs, &quot;and if I have been deceived by
+traitors, I entreat you, for God and Our Lady's sake, that you do not
+lead me and these brave men into trouble. We were acting as we judged
+best.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who gave you the right so to do, governor? You are to act according to
+law and justice, and not after your own or any other man's judgment.
+Still, this I know: that you have been deceived. Meantime, let one half
+of your people remain here on the stairs, that the king may not be
+disturbed with too much noise. Should the Chamberlain Rané, or any of
+Duke Waldemar's people, approach from the opposite wing, stop them
+here, on my responsibility. Do you understand me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It shall be as you command, sir drost,&quot; answered one of the burghers,
+who, with six men, remained behind on the staircase.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The rest followed the drost and his squire to the guard-room. Here, the
+drost ordered the other burghers to take their station outside the
+door, with the same instructions, which they received without
+objection. He then, with his squire and the town-governor, walked into
+the large guard-room. Twelve knights, armed with long halberds, here
+guarded the door of the royal closet. Some paced to and fro, without
+the least noise, on thick woollen matting; others stood in gentle
+conversation, here and there, about the room. No one was seated: there
+was not, indeed, a single bench or chair in the apartment. The faint
+glimmer of a dozen expiring wax-lights blended with the gray dawn. The
+lights were placed on brackets, beneath bright shields; and, at one end
+of the hall, glittered the royal arms, on which two lions and two
+crowns were represented. Over the arms, suspended crosswise, were two
+variegated banners, in the centre of which the white cross of the
+national standard was, indeed, to be seen, but almost concealed by the
+numerous swords, stars, keys, crescents, anchors, wheels, and other
+arbitrary decorations and symbols that people were accustomed to see on
+the royal coinage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the door was opened, the trabants raised their halberds, and
+looked with surprise on the intruders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The drost--the young Drost Hessel!&quot; said one to the other, saluting
+him respectfully.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What brings Drost Peter Hessel here so early?&quot; demanded a man,
+advanced in years, stepping towards him with a singularly undecided and
+uneasy countenance, whose frequent changes did not inspire confidence.
+Like the other knights, he wore a high trabant's cap, with a large
+plume of feathers, and carried a long halberd, more richly ornamented.
+At his breast hung a magnificent gold chain, and his short mantle of
+red lawn was adorned with jewels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It may well surprise you, stern Sir Lavé, to see me here at such an
+unseasonable hour,&quot; replied Drost Peter, regarding him with a sharp and
+penetrating glance; &quot;but, in the execution of my office, I have an
+important and private matter to lay before the king, and must needs
+speak with him without delay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;An important and private matter!&quot; repeated Sir Lavé, changing colour.
+&quot;I know not that there is any sedition in the town, sir drost; but,
+even were that the case, I dare not awake the king thus early, so long
+as the palace is secure and well guarded.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, if there should be at this moment secret traitors within the
+walls of the palace, stern sir knight?&quot; said the young drost, in a half
+whisper, without taking his keen look from Sir Lavé's disturbed
+countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rood shield us! What is it you say?&quot; whispered the chief of the
+body-guard, grasping him convulsively by the arm, and drawing him to
+one side. &quot;From your future father-in-law you can have no secrets, my
+young friend,&quot; he continued, in a soft and trembling voice. &quot;If you
+think you have discovered a conspiracy, or anything of the kind, inform
+me, that we may avert the mischief in time. But the thing is
+impossible. If, however, any of the discontented vassals should have
+dropped a word that may appear suspicious, consider well what you are
+about, before you take upon yourself the hateful office of accuser,
+and, mayhap, bring into mischief brave men, who have only regarded the
+present posture of affairs with greater freedom. Have you proofs
+against any one?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I may not say here,&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;Our private relations,
+sir knight, must give way to our public duties. I must simply request
+you to awake the king. That is your duty, when I demand it. In case of
+need, as you are aware, I do not require to be announced, and no one
+has a right to deny me admittance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I have yet to learn, my bold young sir,&quot; replied the knight,
+assuming a stern and consequential air. &quot;Those whom the king entrusts
+to guard his slumbers may justly demand to know why he is to be
+disturbed; and I and these gentlemen are commanded to keep guard, that
+no one, without due reason, disturbs the king's rest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is not the time and place to dispute as to your rights,&quot; resumed
+Drost Peter, with suppressed vehemence. Perceiving the strained
+attention with which they were regarded by the body-guard, he
+continued: &quot;Only one word in confidence, Sir Lavé;&quot; and, as he withdrew
+the perplexed knight more aside, he said mildly, but with a tone of
+lively interest, &quot;it would grieve me bitterly, Sir Lavé Little, should
+I be compelled to mention your name in connection with a confederacy,
+of which it is evident that your faithful friend, old Sir John, can
+have no idea, seeing the important post you at present occupy here. The
+company you quitted eight days ago were not friends of the royal house;
+but I am willing to believe, that, if you then shared their
+discontents, you do not yet take part in their plans, and that there is
+still time for you to draw back from an inevitable gulph.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How? What plans? I do not understand you, Drost Peter. You will never
+accuse me for opinions that a free Danish knight may dare to express,
+without danger, among his friends?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am no spy or secret accuser, who will bring you, or any brave man,
+into mischief for thoughts and opinions,&quot; replied the young drost. &quot;I
+know nothing yet, God be praised, that should deprive me of the hope of
+one day calling you father. I know you were not at the secret council
+last night, that pronounced my doom, the more easily to compass the
+king's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé paused, and became deadly pale. A struggle seemed to be
+passing in his unquiet soul; but he suddenly seized the young knight's
+hand. &quot;Nay, nay,&quot; said he, &quot;in this council I had neither part nor lot.
+Had I known that such was the intention, I should not have chosen my
+post by this threshold. You were, nevertheless, a dangerous man to me
+and my friends, yesterday, Knight Hessel,&quot; he continued, with greater
+resolution. &quot;It depends upon me whether you shall be so to-day. Perhaps
+it depends on a single step over this threshold. I can forbid your
+entrance, and with justice. I have promised as much: whether I keep
+this promise, depends upon myself. At this moment you are no longer
+drost of the kingdom, and can have nothing to say here. I have seen a
+royal letter, by which you are deposed, and doomed to imprisonment,
+from the hour the cock crows after midnight. A conversation with the
+king may, perhaps, save you. If it only concerns your post and freedom,
+I would, without hesitation, cause you to be taken prisoner on the
+spot, by the king's command; but, if it concerns your life--if it is
+true--&quot; He stopped abort, and gazed inquiringly on the young knight,
+who had changed colour, and stood as if thunderstruck.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I tell you no falsehood,&quot; said Drost Peter, recovering himself. &quot;At
+this moment you are a powerful man: you have, perhaps, my life, as well
+as that of the king, in your hand. But, whatever you may now do, you
+will have to answer for, before the righteous God, at your hour of
+death.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who are these two persons you bring with you?&quot; demanded Sir Lavé.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The town-governor, who was to conduct me to prison, and my squire, who
+was witness to this secret tribunal of blood. Should I tarry here a
+moment longer, it may be too late. My deadly foes watch under the same
+roof that now shelters us: they have the door of my prison, and of
+their den of murder, standing open--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, I will believe you,&quot; said Sir Lavé, with extreme uneasiness. &quot;I
+would lend my aid to overthrow you; but your blood I will not have upon
+my head, and I stand not here to betray the life I guard. From this day
+forth, however, all engagements between us are at an end. Yet I was
+your father's friend. If I have saved your life to-day, remember it,
+young man, if, perchance, mine and my friends' lives should one day be
+in your hands.&quot; Tears stood in his eyes, and he grasped the young
+knight's hand almost convulsively. &quot;I go to awake the king,&quot; he said,
+with more composure, and hastily entered the royal closet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For some minutes, Drost Peter stood as if on burning coals. He heard
+loud voices without, demanding admittance, and recognised the shrill
+tones of Chamberlain Rané, who, in the king's name, ordered the
+burghers to open the door. The guards were surprised. Two of them
+hurried out into the passage, to learn the cause of the uproar. The
+door of the guard-room was again immediately opened, and Drost Peter
+saw Rané at the entrance, between the two guards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant, the door of the king's closet was opened, and Sir
+Lavé Little stepped hastily over the threshold, and beckoned Drost
+Peter. With hurried steps he obeyed the signal. Sir Lavé locked the
+door of the king's closet after the drost, and ordered the guards to
+station themselves before it, without troubling themselves about the
+enraged chamberlain, who, insolently, and loud-voiced, stood in the
+middle of the ante-room, and accused the captain of the guard of having
+failed in his knightly promise, and of having transgressed the king's
+order.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whether Drost Peter has been improperly admitted at this door or not,
+we shall soon know,&quot; answered Sir Lavé. &quot;So long as I have not the
+king's counter-order, it is my duty to admit the drost; but a
+chamberlain has nothing to do here at this hour, were he ten times the
+king's favourite. Be pleased to assist him out, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Three of the guards, with raised halberds, approached the enraged Rané,
+who gnashed his teeth, and left the guard-room, casting a look of
+vengeance at Sir Lavé.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Between the guard-room and the king's bed-closet was a large arched
+apartment, hung with gold-embroidered tapestry, with a round table in
+the middle, covered with scarlet cloth and long gold fringes. Here the
+king received those he would hold conversation with, and here the drost
+was obliged to wait for some time, until the attendant pages had
+assisted his majesty in dressing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the door of the royal sleeping-chamber stood a handsome youth, about
+eleven years of age, in the red lawn suit of a torch-page, and with a
+wax-light in his hand. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, while he
+admired, and regarded with respect, the tall, serious knight who had
+ventured to disturb the king's morning slumber. This page was the
+little Prince Erik's playmate, Aagé Jonsen. He was of the same age as
+the prince, and daily shared with him his martial exercises, and the
+various instructions in chivalry under Drost Peter's guidance. The
+youth's tender, almost maidenly features, were lighted up by the torch;
+and, as he thus stood, with his long golden locks falling over his
+linen collar, and his dark blue eyes resting, with respectful surprise,
+on his knightly teacher, the appearance of the friendly youth seemed to
+restore calmness to Drost Peter, and to fill his bosom with bold and
+lively confidence in his innocence and the justice of his case.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good morning, Aagé,&quot; he said, patting the lad kindly on the cheek:
+&quot;have you been awoke too early this morning? You stand, indeed, as if
+you were yet dreaming. Is your little king still asleep?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, dear sir drost. We were both much fatigued from wrestling with
+Junker<a name="div2Ref_13" href="#div2_13"><sup>[13]</sup></a> Christopher yesterday evening; and I took the torch-watch. I
+remained awake here, by the door, the whole night; but towards morning
+I could not keep my eyes open, and, at the moment Sir Lavé came, the
+torch was nearly out. You are not angry with me, then, for this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know you are a bold, vigilant lad, who, otherwise, would not sleep
+when you should be awake, and that is an important matter, Aagé. These
+are times wherein one should early learn both to watch and pray.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have prayed, likewise,&quot; answered the youth. &quot;I prayed to God and Our
+Lady, both for Prince Erik and you, for the queen, and all good men;
+but still my eyes closed, and, had the king called me, I should have
+been unhappy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall give thee good advice, Aagé. When thou watchest by the king's
+door, or by that of the prince, never forget that murderers may be
+lurking without, who will break in and do violence as soon as thou
+closest an eye; and I warrant thee thou wilt keep thine eyes open.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rood shield us, sir drost! This is something that never can
+possibly happen: Our Lord and the Holy Virgin take care of that!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truly they care for us, otherwise it would little avail if all the
+armies in the world guarded us,&quot; replied the drost; &quot;but we are not,
+therefore, to live securely and carelessly in the world, much less a
+future knight and guardian of the king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A clear sound, as of a silver bell, was now heard. The folding-doors
+into the king's bed-chamber were thrown open, and, by each, stood a
+page with a torch. Drost Peter stepped leisurely back to the end of the
+saloon; and little Aagé hastily lowered his torch towards the stone
+floor, and took some steps backwards into the saloon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A tall, dignified person walked over the threshold, with short,
+uncertain steps. In his right hand he carried, like a staff, a large
+sword, of three fingers' breadth, and seven quarters in length, with a
+cross-guard, and gilded brass pommel. A short mantle hung loose over
+his shoulders. He paused for a moment, and cast a sharp, uneasy glance
+around the apartment, till, at length, his blinking eye rested for an
+instant on the queen's favourite, who respectfully saluted his majesty,
+and remained standing at a distance. The king now advanced a few
+steps, and, giving the pages a signal, they placed their torches in a
+brass frame, suspended at half-an-ell's distance from the tapestry,
+after which they made an obeisance, and retired backwards into the
+bed-chamber, through the half-open doors of which were seen four of the
+body-guard, with their bright halberds. The king advanced just as far
+from the door as was necessary to converse with the knight unobserved
+by his attendants.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You dare to come into my presence, and at this hour, Knight Hessel!&quot;
+he said, in a harsh and imperious tone. &quot;You pretend, as an excuse, to
+have an important and private matter to lay before us, respecting the
+safety of our royal person. If you think, by such foolish pretexts, to
+obtain pardon, you are mistaken. Speak! but not a word about yourself.
+What do you know that affects our own and the throne's security?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know, and can testify, sire,&quot; replied the young knight, frankly,
+&quot;that you have slept this night under the same roof with men who, eight
+days ago, at the manor of Möllerup, took counsel, with the daring Stig
+Andersen, against the crown and kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Prove it!&quot; said the king, turning pale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can, if you regard the worthy prior of Antvorskov, Master Martin
+Mogesen, as an upright and trustworthy man, and will rather believe his
+testimony than mine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Master Martin?&quot; repeated the king. &quot;Ay, indeed, he is true, and
+attached to me, and has never, by untimely artifices and crooked
+devices, sought to approach my throne. Is he present?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, sire,&quot; replied the knight, with burning cheeks, and subduing,
+with an effort, his injured feelings of honour, where self-justification
+was denied him; &quot;but he gave me a hint, which I am only half justified
+in revealing. You know his seal and handwriting, sire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right well: he was for three years my chancellor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then read this letter, my stern lord and judge, and you will see that
+it was not to crave a boon I so urgently entreated an opportunity of
+conversing with you yesterday evening, and that it is not merely to
+vindicate myself that I stand here just now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a word about yourself! Silence, now!&quot; The king read the letter
+hurriedly and anxiously, raising his eyes from it at times, and
+regarding the knight furtively and suspiciously. &quot;Now, indeed, it is
+true that this was a highly suspicious meeting,&quot; he said; &quot;yet,
+after all, they are only doubts and conjectures. There is no certain
+proof--no act for which I can cause any one to be punished. But where
+are the well-known names referred to here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In my memory, sire. The document which contained them I was requested
+to destroy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Name them! They shall be imprisoned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To such violent measures it were far from me to advise you. Whom the
+law has not sentenced, my king will not condemn. I come not to accuse,
+but to forewarn. What Master Martin writes here, cannot affect the life
+of any one. It is only a hint, but still an important one, in these
+disturbed times.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king made an uneasy and anxious gesture.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The reverend gentleman admits that he knows more than he can venture
+to tell,&quot; continued the knight. &quot;I can almost believe that some
+penitent confederate has disclosed to him, as confessor, what he dare
+not reveal. But all the individuals he mentioned to me as suspicious,
+he has talked with himself, and has vainly exhorted them to loyalty.
+With most of them I recently came over the Belt myself; and, although I
+am not yet prepared with proofs against any of them, I have,
+nevertheless, good reason to agree with Master Martin, and pray you to
+be on your guard with respect to the discontented vassals, and have
+your eye upon their entire conduct. The meeting at Möllerup is enough
+to warrant this. Your intimate Chamberlain Rané will be able to bear
+witness to that; for he himself was present.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rané?&quot; exclaimed the king, in astonishment: &quot;he has not told me of
+this. He is my spy, I may tell you, and has a right to seek what
+company he chooses, and say what he likes, if, only, he informs me of
+it. If he was at this meeting, it may have been to spy out the
+malcontents, and he may have important reasons for his silence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight shook his head. &quot;I trust him not, sire. But this much is
+certain: this meeting took place, and the malcontents we know.
+Respecting one of them, I shall, perhaps, within eight days, furnish
+you with clear proof that he is confederated with the enemies of the
+kingdom, and has likewise a project in his mind as audacious as it is
+dangerous.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Which of them is this? Speak! He shall not depart hence alive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He must do so, your grace,&quot; replied Drost Peter, dauntlessly. &quot;Here he
+is a guest, and defenceless, and the privileges of the Dane-court
+protect him. I cannot name him now. Before I can prove, I cannot
+accuse, sire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remember whom you talk with!&quot; broke forth the king, vainly striving to
+conceal his uneasiness by a stern and imperious tone. &quot;What more have
+you to report?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you will now permit me to touch upon a matter that regards myself,
+I shall prove, by a sworn witness, that a secret council, held last
+night, decreed my death, in order that I might not betray what I know,
+and that the traitors may be able to accomplish, with greater security,
+their most criminal designs against the crown and kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What? Who here, save I, dares to condemn any one to death? I have
+doomed you to imprisonment, it is true; but ere I decree your death, I
+will bethink me. But, to the main point. These most criminal plans
+against the crown and kingdom I will know. What are they? Who has heard
+them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My trusty squire, Claus Skirmen. I have brought him with me. He stands
+without, and will confirm his evidence by an oath.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let him enter,&quot; ordered the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter opened the door, and beckoned. Frank and fearless, the
+young squire entered, and related, briefly yet distinctly, what he had
+heard behind the tapestry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the king had heard him to an end, he held out towards him the
+cross hilt of his sword. &quot;Swear!&quot; he said: &quot;imprecate a curse upon
+thyself if thou hast said anything untrue to save thy master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is truth, so help me God and the Holy Virgin!&quot; said Claus Skirmen,
+in a loud and firm voice, and laying his hand on the hilt of the sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good! Now thou mayest go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Claus Skirmen bowed silently, and retired, casting a sympathising
+glance towards his master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Chamberlain Rané in this, too?&quot; said the king, thoughtfully. &quot;But,
+indeed, he had the right. The worst word of rebellion he uttered was
+with my permission, in order to sound the others. That the duke and his
+friends are discontented, we have long known; but to what do their
+projects tend?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As far as I can conjecture, to a revolution in the state, similar to
+that effected by your grace, Marsk Andersen, and Count Jacob, in
+Sweden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Conjecture--mere conjecture! If you know nothing decided, of what use
+to me are your hints and warnings? If there are traitors and
+treasonable persons in the country--if they have even presumed to
+penetrate into the palace as guests--let them be seized, and the
+headsman have them! If such be the case, it is time to show these
+haughty gentlemen that we have as sharp axes here as they have in
+Sweden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remember, sire, that the throne founded in blood by these Swedish axes
+was not the ancient and righteous throne, but one built by rebels, on
+the ruins of the laws and monarchy. If the privileges and majesty of
+the crown are to be held sacred, the law must be their guardian; and
+here there are no good grounds for preventing a rebellion by a
+tyrannical and arbitrary slaughter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What wilt thou have, then? Say, my valiant Drost Peter!&quot; exclaimed the
+king, anxiously: &quot;thou art my brave subject. What was between us, I
+will forget. Now, speak! What thinkest thou is to be done here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I think, at present, it were most prudent that we should be altogether
+quiet, and not exhibit the least suspicion of the existence of such a
+conspiracy. Whilst the Dane-court lasts, let us merely double the
+night-watch, but treat the distinguished guests with all civility. At
+court, let matters take their ordinary course, without the least
+disposition to bear against the opposite party. Legally chosen umpires
+may, upon oath and conscience, settle the points in dispute. If the
+chief withdraw from the country, it will then be evident that he seeks
+foreign aid, and will return at the head of an army; and then we may
+speedily devise measures to oppose him. If he retire peaceably to his
+castle, we have nothing to apprehend: the storm will be over; and then,
+perhaps, may peace and restored vigour, but, above all, strict justice,
+save the land and kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are a pearl in my crown, Drost Peter, and I was a fool when I cast
+it away for the sake of a whim,&quot; said the king, pacified, and clapping
+him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. &quot;The warrant I yesterday
+issued in an evil humour--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I have brought with me, my king and master, to hear it confirmed
+or disowned by your own lips.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the deuce! In your hands, and not in those of the town-governor?
+Now must I say, if you can be as vigilant, when it concerns the king,
+as when it concerns yourself, you are worth gold, Peter Hessel. Give it
+to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter handed him the order for his arrest, which the king tore
+asunder, and threw on the ground, while he laughed, and said, in a
+jesting tone: &quot;See, there lie your prison-walls, my trusty drost. I see
+I can rely upon you in important matters, and I will not come into
+opposition with you in minor ones. Since there is no danger just now,
+and you have promised to prevent whatever may be apprehended, I will
+follow your advice, and, for the present, appear unconcerned. But now
+confess to me honestly, my prudent young sir knight,&quot; he continued, in
+a seemingly indifferent tone, &quot;can you boast yourself of any particular
+familiarity with a certain fair lady, whose colours you bear? Nay, do
+not blush. No one knows better than I how enchanting she can be at
+times; and for an amorous word, a bold look, even a familiar pressure
+of the hand, I should not doom you to death. I know the fair ones
+tolerably well: the strictest, the chastest, are not insensible to an
+amiable young knight, who possesses both wit and manners. You have,
+perhaps, observed that I do not reckon such trifles so precisely; and
+that I myself, now and then, forget the crown's descent, and the stern
+reverence of majesty, for a little lively adventure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter blushed deeply under this rebuke, ashamed to turn his eyes
+upon the king who condescended to such expressions. At length he
+recovered himself, and observed the crafty and unstable smile on the
+king's countenance, with a mixture of wounded pride, contempt, and
+secret horror, that did not escape his fickle and whimsical ruler. He
+laid his hand solemnly on his breast, and was silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, indeed, you understand a joke,&quot; said the king, suddenly becoming
+serious; &quot;but one, perhaps, should not joke in such fashion. Whatever
+lady a knight may worship chastely and honourably, does not concern the
+king. Enough of this. As regards the malcontents, you assure me, that,
+at present, there is no danger. You shall, therefore, take the
+requisite numbers for guarding the palace as well as the Dane-court.
+When it is over, take heed to the chief; and, as soon as he sets foot
+on forbidden ground, he is our prisoner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Solely, however, your grace, if the information arrives which I still
+expect?&quot; observed Drost Peter. &quot;Such violent steps the most urgent
+circumstances can alone defend, when probability borders on certainty;
+and, according to the forms and laws of the kingdom--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A truce with that!&quot; exclaimed the king, warmly: &quot;no law binds my arm
+against traitors. You are too conscientious for me, Drost Peter. But no
+more of this for the present. Conduct everything well and carefully. As
+a proof that I now again regard you as my most prudent and virtuous
+servant, accept of this mark of esteem.&quot; So saying, he took from his
+own neck a large gold chain, set with costly stones, and hung it on
+that of the drost, at the same time extending him his hand to kiss.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Silently, and with the bitter feeling that he could not from his heart,
+as he inwardly wished, respect the hand of the individual, still,
+prompted by the homage due to the sacred sceptre, the knight half bent
+his knee to the ground, and gently saluted the gracious hand with his
+lips. Thereupon he arose, and awaited the signal to withdraw.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yet one word,&quot; said the king. &quot;My chamberlain, Rané Jonsen, I know you
+have long doubted and mistrusted. You caught him in a foolish
+adventure, and made him a prisoner. I have pardoned him. Let that
+matter be henceforth forgotten. But what reason have you continually to
+distrust him, when you hear that he only goes about in disguise among
+my enemies, secretly to serve me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To speak honestly, sire, the purposes for which he permits himself to
+be used do him no honour; and such a double-tongued individual bears no
+one fealty. He has not yet acquainted you with what was last transacted
+at Möllerup: perhaps Master Martin will be able to give you better
+information.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Send a messenger, without delay, to Antvorskov, for the pious, prudent
+gentleman,&quot; said the king. &quot;I shall have the matter cleared up, and the
+worthy man may be able to tell us somewhat more.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is already on his journey hither, and will arrive before midday.
+But I saw the chamberlain in the guard-chamber: he will, assuredly, not
+fail in ingenuity, in vindicating himself. I pray you, sire, trust him
+not too much. Remember that he is the sister's son of Stig Andersen's
+unfortunate wife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; replied the king, coldly, and changing colour. &quot;You need not
+remind me of that. The brave Sir John, and Sir Lavé of Flynderborg,
+your own future father-in-law, are of the same family. As long as Rané
+obeys me faithfully, and adheres to me, I have no reason to distrust
+him. Mere honesty will not carry a man through the world, and a crafty
+servant may, also, be put to a good use. But an end of this. Depart
+now, my valiant Drost Peter,&quot; added the king, suddenly, in a mild and
+familiar tone. &quot;Let me henceforth see that you are worthy of my
+confidence. Inform Sir John and David Thorstenson of all, and advise
+with them what is to be done. God protect you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king turned round hastily, and Drost Peter withdrew.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the guard-room, Sir Lavé had been relieved by his kinsman, old Sir
+John Little. He was a short, strongly built man, with stiff gray hair,
+but nimble, and almost youthful in his movements. His sagacious,
+penetrating eye, and stern, commanding air, as well as the brevity and
+decision with which he expressed himself, denoted the old warrior and
+leader. His mere presence, without any external mark of distinction,
+proved his superiority over the most notable of the body-guard, and
+indicated him as their chief, and as the supreme counsellor of the
+kingdom. This remarkable man, whom the young drost loved and esteemed
+as a fatherly friend, had, on the present occasion, resorted to the
+palace somewhat earlier than usual, and had taken his kinsman's post as
+captain of the guards. He had already been informed of the danger which
+Drost Peter had so fortunately escaped. He was engaged in earnest
+conversation with the town-governor, when he saw Drost Peter, with the
+king's well-known gold chain about his neck, issue from the door of the
+royal apartment. With heartfelt joy he approached him, and warmly shook
+him by the hand. A tear glittered in his stern eye; but, without saying
+a word to his young friend, he turned quietly, and with a smile, to the
+town-governor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As you perceive, my good governor,&quot; he said, in a careless tone, &quot;Sir
+Drost Peter Hessel brings with him a new proof of the king's favour and
+satisfaction. The whole must have been a mistake. You have erred, but
+circumstances excuse you. Go, with God's blessing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The governor bowed respectfully, as well to the old counsellor as to
+Drost Peter, and departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can you favour me with an hour's conversation before the court
+assembles, sir counsellor?&quot; inquired Drost Peter: &quot;I have an important
+matter to communicate to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly, when I have spoken with the king. Expect me home in about
+half an hour. Thorstenson is here. The palace-guard is doubled; there
+is no danger: only, be calm and collected.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he turned hastily away, and, giving a signal to one of the
+halberdiers, went in immediately to the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight to whom the old lord had given the signal was a tall,
+dark-visaged man, with a long brown beard, which fell in two locks upon
+his collar, and united with two large bushy and closely-curled
+whiskers, which half concealed a tolerably youthful, but spare and
+vigorous, warlike countenance. His dark eyes were full of fire, and
+betrayed vehemence and passion. In the counsellor's absence, he took
+the place of captain of the guards, and placed himself nearest the door
+of the king's apartments. This was Sir David Thorstenson.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter went up to him as to an intimate friend, and extended his
+hand. They spoke a few words privately together. Knight Thorstenson
+nodded, and cast a sharp look to the door. Hereupon, Drost Peter bowed
+to the observant halberdiers, and left the guard-chamber with a quick
+step, without, however, betraying haste or uneasiness. As he proceeded,
+the servants and people about court stepped respectfully to one
+side, and regarded him with surprise and curiosity. The rumour that
+something unusual had happened to Drost Peter Hessel, and that the
+queen's powerful favourite had fallen into disgrace, had put all in
+commotion at the palace; and now, all the cooks, waiting-maids, and
+kitchen-wenches were struggling to get a sight of him as he descended
+the palace-stairs, with the king's large gold chain across his breast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To be the object of the people's attention was nothing new to the young
+drost, and was, indeed, not displeasing to him. That he felt himself
+flattered thereby he could not deny, although, now and then, he saw
+some one whisper and smile in a fashion that would have deeply offended
+him, had he heard what was said concerning his supposed intimacy with
+the queen. But the curiosity with which he was observed bespoke, on the
+whole, esteem and goodwill; and his handsome, stately figure, in
+particular, recommended him to all the charming little waiting-maids
+who beheld him. At the palace-gate, he met a number of stranger knights
+and stately gentlemen, whom it was unusual to see abroad so early.
+Among them he perceived Duke Waldemar and Chamberlain Rané. They
+whispered together when they saw him; but he proceeded quietly
+forwards, and felt, with secret pride, that he met them as a conqueror.
+Still, he took care not to betray this feeling in his look and manner;
+but as he went silently and gravely past them, he saluted them coldly,
+yet with all courtesy. They, also, without betraying the slightest
+ill-feeling or unpleasant surprise, returned his salutation with equal
+indifference.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Squire Skirmen had awaited his master on the palace-stairs, and now
+followed him with undisguised joy. As Skirmen passed Rané and the duke,
+he could not refrain from smiling with self-satisfaction; and, making
+his salute, he strutted along, much taller than usual. His master
+observed this.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us not triumph too early, my bold and trusty Skirmen,&quot; said he,
+earnestly. &quot;Our enemies are still powerful; and pride goes often before
+a fall. I cannot entirely acquit myself on this point. We are all prone
+to be haughty when successful; but it is a temptation we must endeavour
+to contend against.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen blushed, and was silent: the air of triumph disappeared from
+his countenance, and, with modest resignation, he followed his master
+to his dwelling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here, Drost Peter found his wounded guest awake and merry. He examined
+his wound, in company with the royal surgeon, who had now arrived. The
+count was enjoined to keep his bed for a few days, and to remain quiet.
+This inactivity did not quite please Count Gerhard. He bargained with
+the doctor, that he might be up within eight days, to be present at the
+festival with which the Dane-court was to be concluded. The leech gave
+him hopes of this, and, on these terms, he consented to remain at rest;
+but it seemed to him a hard penance, that, for eight days, he must
+neither drink wine, nor laugh to his heart's content, to chase away the
+tedious hours, in company with his jester.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter now committed him to the care of the surgeon and his
+house-people, requesting the count and his followers to consider
+themselves at home, and to excuse his absence on the necessary duties
+of his office. Thereupon, he hastened to Sir John's residence, where
+the old counsellor shortly after arrived. They had an hour's private
+conversation on highly-important state affairs; after which they went
+to mass together, in Our Lady's Kirk, where the whole court was
+present, and where Sir John's wife, Lady Ingefried, and his daughter,
+Cecilia, sat on the royal seat, next to the beautiful Queen Agnes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As Sir John and the drost entered the church, all eyes were turned to
+the young knight and the royal seat; and some thought they could
+observe a slight blush on the queen's fair cheeks, as she hastily
+returned the salutations of Sir John and the drost. As soon as mass was
+over, the knights and ecclesiastics proceeded in crowds to the long
+saloon of the palace, where the Dane-court was now held, instead of in
+the open air--an old custom, which, by degrees, fell more and more into
+disuse, much to the discontent of the people, because, by this means,
+it was sought to exclude the burghers and peasants from taking part in
+the proceedings of the Danish parliament.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This day, the king alone dispensed and confirmed certain gifts and
+privileges to churches and convents. He seemed somewhat uneasy and out
+of temper, and terminated the proceedings as soon as possible. Next day
+he appeared in better humour, and the matters before the parliament
+went on in their usual course, quietly, and without interruption. The
+precautions that had been privately taken by Sir John, David
+Thorstenson, and the vigilant Drost Peter, completely assured the king,
+and no notice was taken of the discontented vassals. They did not wish
+it to appear that the contest between the king and Duke Waldemar was
+the chief matter, although it excited expectation in the highest
+degree. Judgment, in this case, was reserved to the last day of the
+Dane-court, the 28th of May. The seven preceding days were employed in
+settling less important disputes between feudal lords and their
+tenants, and in reconciling the various differences between the
+temporal and spiritual lords, who frequently accused each other of
+violence and oppression, or of encroachments on one another's rights
+and liberties.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The most considerable lay and ecclesiastical lords in the country were
+present at this parliament. Here were now to be seen the Archbishop
+John Dros of Lund, and Bishop Tygé of Aarhaus, as well as the bishops
+of Viborg, Rypen, Roskild, Odense, and Börglum. These spiritual lords
+had already, on Sunday, in conjunction and with the consent of the
+feudal lords and knights, or, as it was called, according to the <i>Best
+Council</i>, come to the determination, that they should appoint twelve
+intelligent men of Denmark, to form a <i>Worthel</i>, or council of jurors,
+who should say and swear to whom the lands and estates in dispute
+between the king and duke of right belonged. The stern old Sir John had
+been chosen one of these jurors. Before judgment was delivered, the
+jurors daily assembled in the counsellor's house, where they considered
+the subject in quietness, with locked doors.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John kept an hospitable house, and received them all with the
+greatest politeness. He possessed one of the largest mansions in
+Nyborg, where his wife and daughter resided with him during the
+Dane-court. Every evening, great numbers of both lay and spiritual
+lords were here assembled; and one might observe that Duke Waldemar and
+his adherents were here to be found as often as Drost Peter, David
+Thorstenson, and others attached to the royal house. At times, the
+queen, with her ladies, and the young princes, might be seen at these
+evening assemblies. On such occasions, the old lord was particularly
+merry and cheerful; but, if any one ventured to speak a word to him on
+state affairs, he would become suddenly silent, or punish the
+unmannerly busybody with a biting jest. From the time that the council
+of jurors began to sit, Sir John would receive no one except at a time
+when there was company with him; and he would not talk alone with any
+one, not even with Drost Peter, who, at other times, had daily and
+familiar access to him. He had also declared, that, until the
+Dane-court was closed, he could not, and would not, converse alone,
+even with the king himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The day before the termination of the Dane-court, Sir John sat, in the
+forenoon, for the last time, in the council of jurors, with locked
+doors. His house-steward was strictly forbidden to admit any one
+whatever. Meanwhile, admission was authoritatively demanded by a tall,
+powerful man, in a hooded cap, who either did not know, or did not
+trouble himself, about this necessary precaution. In his vehemence, the
+cap slipped on one side, and the house-steward suddenly became so
+terrified that he lost both speech and self-possession, and,
+notwithstanding the strict order to the contrary, hastily withdrew the
+bar from the closed door. But, at the same instant, a bolt was secured
+inside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All twelve are here,&quot; shouted old Sir John: &quot;we have no room for a
+thirteenth, if even he bore the crown and sceptre!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tall man in the hooded cap stamped wrathfully on the floor, and,
+with hasty strides, left the knight's house, without saying a word.
+Before evening, this occurrence was known all over Nyborg, with various
+explanatory additions; and Sir John was highly commended for his
+hardihood by Duke Waldemar and his adherents, who drew from it
+conclusions favourable to their case.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the evening, as usual, there was a numerous assemblage at Sir
+John's. The queen and the young princes were also expected. Drost Peter
+was invited, together with his guests. When Count Gerhard heard that
+the queen was to be there, he sprang from the reclining chair, for
+which he had now exchanged his bed, and swore, loud and deeply, that he
+would go, if he should have to keep his bed for it a whole month
+afterwards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,&quot; he said. &quot;If I have not
+permission to-morrow, or the day after, to attend the court
+festivities, and if I should die of tedium in the meanwhile, I shall
+lie with a long nose in my grave. This surgeon is a tiresome fellow. He
+makes as much ado about this scratch as if I were a maiden, and wraps
+me up like a suckling. And you, fortune's favourite, whose head,
+nevertheless, I almost hewed off--you strut there, bold and nimble
+enough: I trow, indeed, you have had your head linked to your neck with
+chains of honour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have a good skin for healing,&quot; replied Drost Peter; &quot;and, this time,
+the sword did not penetrate far into it. In one sense, however, you are
+right,&quot; he added: &quot;my head has not sat looser upon me for a long time;
+and this chain has certainly somewhat secured it. But leave the
+junketings alone, noble count. The skin is but thin upon your wound,
+and, to-night, you might easily be thrown into excitement.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Excitement! that is just what I am intent upon,&quot; interrupted the
+count. &quot;A person must still draw breath, however thin-skinned he may
+be. I cannot live in this fashion, like a mummy, much longer. I know I
+am master of my body: pity it is that we should let clerks and ghostly
+fathers be masters of our sinful souls! Give me my court-doublet and
+new mantle, Longlegs. Somewhat clumsy I may be in these wrappings, but
+I shall leave them on to please you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Farther objections were vain. He donned his bright red lawn doublet,
+placed his feathered hat on his head, and cast a stiff, gold-fringed,
+purple mantle over his broad shoulders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, so!&quot; he said; &quot;I know now that I look whole and sound enough.
+Henceforth, I resign Dorothy Brushbroom to you, Longlegs: you, also,
+shall know what it is to be taken care of.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I trust you may find the distinguished ladies as interested about your
+person as she has been, my gracious master,&quot; replied the jester; &quot;but,
+since you seldom go so near them that they can see you, you should take
+my jingling-jacket, that they may hear you in the distance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There! you hear, Drost Peter, what I must digest, and give the clown
+food and wages for, merely to exercise me in Christian humbleness and
+patience. You are right, Longlegs. I am a little too sheepish on
+certain occasions; but that is a virtue your losel should respect, and
+apply himself to. To-night you shall see otherwise, and that I shall do
+you honour, Longlegs,&quot; continued the count, gaily: &quot;I have not had such
+courage to talk with the ladies for a long time. Your nurse can bear
+witness, sir drost, that it is a falsehood and a slander, when foul
+tongues say I lose heart and speech with the ladies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No one shall say so of you any longer, gracious sir. I was shamefully
+unjust,&quot; replied Longlegs, bowing. &quot;If I could not hear you snore, for
+some nights past, as I would have given much to have done, I had,
+nevertheless, at times, the pleasure of hearing your most gracious
+growlings; and, for these, I thanked the Holy Virgin. They are, at all
+times, a sure sign of life. Now, therefore, if you should like to
+cudgel me for your amusement, gracious master, you must stop at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without listening farther to his jester, the count set out with his
+knight and Drost Peter. In his impatience to reach old Sir John's
+abode, he hurried on so fast, that his attentive host held him back, to
+remind him that such haste was dangerous to him. But the count suddenly
+slackened his pace, as soon as he perceived the magnificently
+illuminated building, where, under the linden trees, at the foot of the
+grand staircase, stood two rows of the royal household servants, with
+lighted torches.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am also to see the young princes to-night,&quot; he said. &quot;Your pupil,
+the young heir to the throne, should be like his mother. You are a
+happy man, Drost Peter, who can train and bring up such a noble shoot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I fully acknowledge it,&quot; replied Drost Peter, with ardour. &quot;I hope he
+shall become a worthy descendant of Waldemar Seier, his illustrious
+ancestor, whose chivalrous manner of thinking, and regard for truth and
+justice, I believe he already inherits. With God's help, he will do
+honour to his race.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But is the mother really there, too, in the house of a simple knight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A simple knight!&quot; repeated Drost Peter, somewhat offended. &quot;Old Sir
+John is a son's son of Esbern Snaré's daughter: he numbers the great
+Absalom in his race. But were he even a simple knight, without
+distinguished birth, he is still a man of such merit, that the king and
+queen need not be ashamed of being his guests. Both his wife and
+daughter are the queen's dearest friends.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sooth to say, my good friend,&quot; observed Count Gerhard, in a half
+whisper, and drawing Drost Peter aside, &quot;you give quality a good day;
+but I am almost ashamed to show myself before the queen. I only saw her
+at that devil's tourney at Helsingborg, where you took the prize from
+me, and I could not say a single word to her from sheer bashfulness.
+Among men, I have not the reputation of sheepishness; and, when I walk
+before the eyes of kings and emperors, I feel myself to be as good as
+they: but, plague on it! all my confidence vanishes when I want to
+express myself gracefully before the fair ones.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Notwithstanding your backwardness, you are not unknown to the queen,
+noble count,&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;Tour valour and discretion in the
+lists were not unobserved; and I were a fool should I brag of the
+superiority of which you were deprived by a mere casual accident.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She has spoken of me, say you, without dwelling on my awkward homage,
+when I made the attempt to salute her during the tilting?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If she has smiled at that, noble count, I can still assure you that
+neither mockery nor contempt--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mockery and contempt!&quot; interrupted the count, proudly: &quot;by Satan! who
+thinks of that? Had the most amiable lady in Christendom contemned
+Count Gerhard, she must have sent her knight into the field to make me
+reparation. I am not quite so bashful as to be afraid of that. But tell
+me frankly,&quot; continued he, &quot;am I not too stout and stiff, in these
+frightful swaddling bands, to show myself becomingly in such company?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are not at all amiss,&quot; answered Drost Peter, smiling. &quot;A bandage
+over the breast never disfigures a knightly gentleman: in my eyes, it
+even makes you somewhat majestic in your bearing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very good, my brave friend. I have you to thank for the majestic
+bearing. But you are right: if a knight has only his fame whole and
+sound, his body may be in what condition it may; he, at least, must be
+esteemed as most valiant by every noble and high-souled lady.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard now boldly ascended the steps of Sir John's dwelling,
+attended by Drost Peter and the two knights. In the ante-room servants
+received their hats and mantles, and opened the large oaken door
+leading into a magnificent vaulted apartment, which was illumined by
+wax-lights, on tall candelabra, borne by brazen wolves. Ladies and
+knights stood, here and there, in groups, on the polished oaken floor,
+engaged in lively conversation; while others sat, playing at chess, and
+similar amusements. From another saloon, still larger, the door of
+which stood open, came the music of flutes and violins. A
+<i>kĉmpevise</i><a name="div2Ref_14" href="#div2_14"><sup>[14]</sup></a> was played, accompanied by the voices of a number of
+maidens and an elegantly performed dance. A knight, in magnificent
+attire, was seen in stately motion with a majestic lady in a scarlet
+kirtle, glittering with gold and precious stones.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The queen!&quot; whispered Count Gerhard into the drost's ear, and remained
+standing, astonished, at the first door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And Duke Waldemar!&quot; added Drost Peter, who also stood surprised, but
+not at the beauty and noble bearing of the queen, which he had so often
+admired: the young duke's haughty, self-complacent countenance first
+struck his eyes. A distressing thought flashed suddenly as a
+thunderbolt through his soul, and, involuntarily, he grasped Count
+Gerhard by the arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is the matter with you, my good friend?&quot; whispered Count Gerhard:
+&quot;have you, too, become giddy at the sight? I have had enough already.
+By our Lady! it is a beauty unapproachable.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John, as soon as he was made aware of the entrance of the
+newly-arrived guests, advanced gaily and courteously towards them.
+&quot;Welcome, my lords,&quot; said the old knight. &quot;I am rejoiced that the noble
+Count Gerhard can contradict, in person, the rumour that is current
+respecting a dangerous wound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A false rumour, sir counsellor; which has, nevertheless, induced me to
+keep my room for a few days,&quot; replied the count, in a jocular tone.
+&quot;Here are life and merriment, I see; and one may be given up for death,
+if he do not find himself well here. Be pleased to present me to your
+noble lady and daughter; and, when the dance is over, to her grace the
+queen.&quot; The latter words he added in a subdued tone, and drew a long
+breath after having uttered them, his eyes again turning towards the
+dancing saloon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As you command,&quot; replied the lively old knight, with a sportive smile.
+&quot;It is easily to be seen what portion of the human family Count Gerhard
+sets the highest value upon. My daughter, I perceive, is now standing
+up for the dance; but I can present you to my wife immediately, if you
+please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard had not heard a single word. He stared, like one in a
+dream, into the dancing-saloon, where the fair queen had, just at that
+instant, curtsied with noble dignity to her princely partner, and, on
+his arm, moved down the room to her seat, amidst the dazzling young
+daughters of the chivalrous guests, and eclipsing them all with her
+loveliness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A new piece of music and song was commenced, and a new couple were in
+motion on the floor. The lady was Sir John's daughter, Cecilia. She
+could not vie with the queen in dazzling beauty and majesty, but quite
+equalled her in the spirit and grace of her motions. With an
+earnestness that better suited the song than her partner's smiling
+mien, she regarded, with her dark, lustrous eyes, the knight who
+extended his hand to her, and who, in gracefulness and courtesy, seemed
+to vie with Duke Waldemar. This polite cavalier was the duke's drost,
+Sir Tuko Abildgaard, a bold and ambitious gentleman, celebrated for his
+influence over the duke, and as famed for his good fortune with the
+fair sex as for his fickleness in love, and his haughty, soaring claims
+to distinction. He appeared intent on distinguishing the Lady Cecilia
+among all the ladies at court. He seemed to give but little heed to the
+song to which they danced: it was a sweet and melancholy air, to the
+ballad of Sir Sverkel's unfortunate love to his unknown sister. Drost
+Peter listened to it with much interest; and even the otherwise merry
+Count Gerhard stood silent and serious, while the young damsels sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, hind,<br>
+That I may forget the little Kirstine;</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, roe,<br>
+That I may forget my true love so.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The foul fiend!&quot; muttered Count Gerhard to himself; and, to his own
+astonishment, his eyes almost overflowed as the young damsels
+continued:</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;He prayed the hart, and prayed the hind,<br>
+But never was the maiden from his mind;</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">He prayed the hart, and prayed the roe,<br>
+But could not forget his true love so.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard's absent gaze into the dancing-saloon caused old Sir John
+to cast an attentive look in the same direction, and the sight of his
+daughter's undisguised interest in Sir Abildgaard did not seem to
+please him. His cheerful countenance suddenly assumed an air of deep
+seriousness, while the damsels now sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The knight he from his land was driven,<br>
+And the lady to a cloister given.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Both the old and the younger knight appeared absorbed in the same
+dreamy mood which the melancholy song was calculated to produce, but
+each in a different manner, according to the ideas they associated
+therewith. Yet, in the midst of the general merriment and splendour of
+the festivity, there were, apparently, but few who gave heed to the
+tenor of the song. Its conclusion, in particular, affected Drost Peter
+to melancholy. He involuntarily laid hold of the ruby rosary on his
+breast, that served to remind him of his half-forgotten child-bride,
+while the damsels sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;A bird so small from the white strand flew,<br>
+And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?<br>
+A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,<br>
+And he sang, O where is my own true bride?<br>
+For chastest maiden I dree.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is allowed that you are a lover of the dance and song, illustrious
+Count Gerhard,&quot; said old Sir John, in his usual social tone, and
+turning, with a cheerful countenance, to his abstracted guest. &quot;If you
+wish, now I shall conduct you to the queen and the young ladies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard bowed stiffly, and followed the old knight, without
+observing the breach of propriety of which he had been guilty, in
+not greeting the noble and matronly Lady Ingefried, who went round
+among the guests, and received their salutations, accompanied by a
+waiting-maid, bearing a silver salver with filled wine-cups.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Drost Peter, as a well-known and daily guest, saluted the worthy
+house-mother, old Sir John and his distinguished attendant, before they
+reached the dancing-saloon, were stopped by two handsomely attired
+youths in scarlet jackets, with gold chains about their fine linen
+collars. They were both flushed with anger, and had come from the
+dice-table, where they had had a dispute. The one was the eleven years'
+old Prince Erik, who, from his second year, had taken the name of king,
+and the other, his brother, Junker Christopher, two years his junior,
+and half a head shorter, but apparently his superior in strength,
+though not in sprightliness and beauty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You shall decide between us, Sir John: you know what right is,&quot; said
+the little king, warmly. &quot;Suppose the gold dice are islands and
+countries, and the counters knights and swains: have I, as eldest, the
+privilege of taking first? And suppose, further, that I, with my
+knights and swains, surround and conquer all Christopher's islands and
+countries, are they, by right, mine? If he will merely admit that, he
+shall readily have them back again. What care I for the dice!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'That depends upon the laws of your game, my little hasty gentlemen,&quot;
+replied the old knight. &quot;Besides, the eldest ought not only to take
+first, but also to be the first in good sense and magnanimity. The
+game, moreover, is good for nothing,&quot; he added, gravely. &quot;Has not Drost
+Hessel taught you yet, my little king, that we do not play dice with
+islands and countries, and do not convert knights and swains into
+counters?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Prince Erik went away, silent, and blushing with shame. Christopher
+followed him, jeeringly. Drost Peter had been attracted by the dispute
+of the princes, and had drawn near when he heard his name mentioned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See now, sir counsellor,&quot; whispered he: &quot;our little king surrenders
+the whole table to his brother, with chivalrous magnanimity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, indeed, but with wounded pride,&quot; said the old man, softly. &quot;Could
+we only get the pride and thoughtlessness eradicated from him, the
+country might, in time, expect much of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was silent, and sank into deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Excuse me, Count Gerhard. You wish to be presented to the queen,&quot; said
+old Sir John, aloud, and turning to the count. &quot;Permit me to conduct
+you.&quot; He strode nimbly forward, and Count Gerhard followed him to the
+polished threshold of the dancing-saloon. There the count remained,
+standing with his back to the door-post, and bowed stiffly to the queen
+from that extreme distance, without troubling himself about Sir John,
+who, with active steps, had entered the saloon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The noble Count Gerhard of Holstein desires to salute your grace,&quot;
+said the old knight, who had approached the queen, and fancied he had
+still the count by his side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Count Gerhard!&quot; repeated the queen, with much interest. &quot;Where is he,
+then? I do not see him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! has he disappeared?&quot; exclaimed Sir John, looking behind him with
+surprise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By the door yonder, your grace,&quot; observed the duke, with a derisive
+smile, and a proud sense of superiority. &quot;The noble count makes great
+efforts to testify his devotion to your grace at a respectful distance.
+I certainly think he would beg the favour to be honoured with your hand
+in the dance, but seemingly wants words to express his wishes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Inform him, sir counsellor, that I shall willingly tread a measure
+with him,&quot; said the queen to the old knight. &quot;Bid him approach. I have
+long wished to speak with so gallant and esteemed a gentleman.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John bowed, and carried to Count Gerhard the surprising message of
+condescension.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The holy St. George stand by me!&quot; exclaimed the count, terrified. &quot;I
+never danced in all my born days, and, in this devil's swathing, I can
+scarcely stir; but, if the queen commands it, I should be able to fly.
+Holy Virgin!&quot; he muttered to himself, &quot;if I escape from this with life,
+it is a miracle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He hastily recovered himself, and, not to appear embarrassed, assumed
+as brave an air as if he were on the point of taking a fortress by
+storm. With long strides and a stiff carriage, he walked up to the
+queen and bowed. Duke Waldemar turned to one side, and only half
+concealed his laughter. But the familiar manner in which the queen
+conversed with Count Gerhard soon restored his self-possession, and
+brought back his even, good-tempered simplicity of character. He spoke
+of his mischance at the tournament at Helsingborg, when he ventured to
+contend for the queen's colours, without being able to honour them with
+victory; and the humorous manner in which he complained of himself in
+the affair, and jested at his own awkwardness, greatly amused the
+queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may well jest at the vile mischance,&quot; she observed, with
+undisguised goodwill and respect: &quot;your knightly honour you have
+established on more important and more serious occasions. You look
+well, I perceive,&quot; she added, remarking his round figure, and the
+difficult movements of his arm: &quot;the world does not consume you, sir
+count.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I ought, certainly, as a young widower, to look lean and dismal,&quot;
+replied Count Gerhard, colouring; &quot;but you must kindly excuse me, your
+grace. The happiness whose loss cannot be seen in me, I have not been
+so fortunate as to possess rightly. It is, certainly, one of my
+greatest mishaps in life; but I have the singular fate to thrive by
+mishaps. This I have just recently experienced. But appearances are
+deceitful, your grace; and I hope, in about eight days, to be much
+thinner, if your grace commands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How?&quot; inquired the queen, laughing: &quot;can you become thin at pleasure?
+I am glad that, in such a case, you can preserve your cheerfulness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without, however, entering farther into the frank Count Gerhard's heart
+affairs, and the inappropriate theme of his personal appearance, the
+queen suddenly broke off the conversation by a few indifferent
+questions, to which he replied somewhat in confusion, fearing that he
+had said something improper.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Knight Abildgaard and the Lady Cecilia had already, for some time,
+stepped out of the dance, and were standing in the recess of a window,
+in pleasing conversation. The flutes and violins now struck up a quick,
+lively air, and the young maidens sang the queen's favourite ballad,
+about King Didrik and the Lion's fight with the Dragon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I like this ballad very well,&quot; said the queen, &quot;Every age has its
+dragons, I fancy; but, against the paction of king and lion, there is
+small chance for the dragon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is a true saying, noble queen,&quot; replied the count, with much
+interest, in reference to the allusion. &quot;There are still lions by the
+side of the Danish throne; but, in these chivalrous times, they would
+rather serve the queen than the king, I trow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you please, we will tread a dance to the song,&quot; added the queen,
+interrupting him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard's embarrassment returned with painful force; but he took
+refuge in his usual expedient, and, holding the queen by the hand, he
+advanced, with martial strides, to the middle of the floor. He had not
+the slightest knowledge of dancing; but he moved about as well as he
+could, in the same manner as the queen, imitating her turnings, on the
+contrary side, with the utmost attention. Fortunately, the dance was
+itself a simple one, and he had naturally a good ear for time.
+Notwithstanding his stiffness, and although he trod the floor with his
+spurred heels until it thundered again, he did not behave himself
+amiss; indeed, he even looked noble and majestic. Before the first
+measure was over, the constraint in his deportment had disappeared. The
+cheerful song, and the queen's benignant smile, enlivened him; his
+good-natured countenance beamed with courage and heartfelt glee, and he
+swung his arm lustily as the damsels sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;It was Master King Didrik<br>
+Would prove what his sword could dow,<br>
+He hewed into the hard rock<br>
+Till the hill was all in a low.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">He continued dancing, with the happiest face in the world, till the
+maidens sang the thirty-third verse of the ballad:</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The lion roared, and King Didrik hewed,<br>
+Till the hill stood all in flame;<br>
+And had the lion not helped him out,<br>
+The king had died with shame.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">But now he suddenly beheld the queen turn pale, and then heard her
+exclaim--&quot;My God, he bleeds!&quot; and, for the first time, he perceived
+that the wound in his breast had again opened, and that the blood ran
+from it in streams.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pardon me, your grace,&quot; said he, hastily, and concealing the streaming
+blood with his arm: &quot;I ought certainly to have remained quiet a few
+days longer, in consequence of a slight wound I received; but, in that
+case, I should not have been invited to the present festival. This is
+the first time in my life I have ever danced: but your grace makes
+everything possible; and perhaps this is the only mode in which it may
+be permitted me to pour out my blood for the fairest and noblest of
+ladies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He made an attempt to take his leave, but his legs tottered under him,
+and he became deadly pale. Drost Peter, and the count's own knights,
+hastened to his assistance, and led him from the saloon. He cast a
+respectful look towards the queen, who was in the greatest uneasiness;
+and, without further consciousness of what had happened to him, he was
+carried back to Drost Peter's residence, where the sympathising jester
+received him with a terrified scream, and where he was immediately
+waited upon by the surgeon and his alarmed friends with the greatest
+tenderness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This mishap broke up the entertainment at Sir John's. The queen had
+shortly after left the company. Betimes in the morning, she sent to
+inquire after Count Gerhard's health. The surgeon pronounced him out of
+danger, although he would not, for some time, be able to leave his bed,
+and had not yet recovered his consciousness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The last day of the sittings of the Dane-court had now arrived. On this
+day, according to ancient custom, the proceedings were to take place in
+the open air, in the large green space before the palace. Here were
+admitted not only the vassals of noble extraction, the prelates and
+bishops of the kingdom, but also the peasants and burghers, more
+especially the wealthy merchants, who insisted upon the maintenance of
+their ancient privileges, though, within the last few years, their
+influence had greatly diminished. The place was surrounded with royal
+landsknechts; but, within the area, no one was permitted to bear a
+weapon. Around a raised seat, beneath a canopy of red velvet, fringed
+with gold, stood on the right, in the form of a semicircle, a long row
+of bishops and prelates, in their ecclesiastical orders, with the old
+archbishop of Lund, John Dros, at their head.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next to him stood Master Martinus de Dacia. This learned individual had
+arrived from Antvorskov, of which he was prior, eight days previously.
+He had had a long private conversation with the king immediately after,
+and, for the second time, had been appointed chancellor of the kingdom
+and keeper of the royal seal. He was a man above fifty, of a notable
+appearance, although without much clerical dignity in mien and
+carriage. He quite filled his ample Dominican dress, generally
+concealing his hands, as if they were cold, in the sleeves of his
+tunic. Sometimes he would suddenly stoop, and stare vacantly before
+him, as if in deep thought; and then as suddenly look up with surprise,
+and quit his place, to talk with some of the more learned of the
+bishops and prelates on some particular theological or philosophical
+subject, without waiting for an introduction. His tonsure, augmented by
+a natural want of hair, extended to the whole of his head, which was
+covered with an octagonal cap of black velvet. He wore his shoes with
+white heels, in the manner of the clerks of Paris; and appeared, on the
+whole, to affect elegance and punctilio in his dress, although
+everything sat stiff and awkwardly upon him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Among the ecclesiastics might also be seen Duke Waldemar's travelling
+companion, the notable dean of Roskild, Master Jens Grand, who
+disdainfully regarded the still vacant royal seat, with a jeering
+side-glance at the learned chancellor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the left side of the throne stood a semicircle of princely vassals,
+counts, knights, and noble governors. In the uppermost place among
+these was the young Duke Waldemar, in a knight's brilliant suit of red
+lawn, and a purple velvet mantle, adorned with the Sleswick lions in
+gold. Over his brown curls he wore a Russian hat, decked with rubies
+and ostrich feathers. He spoke softly, and with a sagacious, crafty
+air, to his brother, Count Erik of Langeland, who had newly arrived at
+court.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next to these gentlemen stood the plump Count Jacob of Halland, in his
+general's uniform, and haughtily enveloped in his blue mantle; whilst
+the person by his side, the fastidious Sir Abildgaard, seemed to be
+amusing him with satirical or mischievous jokes on some of the
+ecclesiastics.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Chief, in the rank of knights, stood eight of the king's counsellors,
+among whom Drost Hessel and old John Little were still missing. Among
+the knights who had arrived with the duke were to be seen many proud
+and daring countenances: Jacob Blaafod, and Count Jacob's brother,
+Niels Hallandfar, seemed, in particular, by their appearance, to betray
+considerable anxiety as to the issue of the day's transactions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Behind these two semicircles of lay and spiritual lords stood a number
+of respectable peasants, in their short blue Sunday smocks, with clear
+silver buttons, and mostly with their cowl-caps in their hands; whilst
+the wealthy merchant-burghers, in their long civic gaberdines, pressed
+before them, among many curious spectators of all classes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A gentle murmur was heard in the assembly, the eyes of which were
+turned impatiently towards the palace-stairs. At length the large oaken
+doors were opened, and a royal herald, bearing a white wand, came
+forth, making way for the king and his train. In his royal purple
+mantle, and wearing his crown and sceptre, the tall and stately king
+slowly descended the steps, between the two princes, attended by Drost
+Hessel, his marshal and under-marshal, the chief chamberlain, Ové Dyré,
+Chamberlain Rané, and a number of pages, among whom the fair Aagé
+Jonsen walked first. The people stood respectfully on one side, and the
+knights' semicircle opened, whilst the king and his followers ascended
+to the throne. He bowed, unsteadily, on all sides, and cast a transient
+look over the assemblage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as he had taken his seat on the throne, with Prince Erik on his
+right and Junker Christopherson on his left hand, three trumpet-blasts
+announced that the Dane-court was seated. After a moment of expectant
+silence, the king arose, and, taking the crown from his head, laid it
+on a red velvet cushion, which was handed by the marshal to the
+archbishop. In like manner, the sceptre was handed to the learned
+Chancellor Martinus, who placed it, with great care and reverence, on a
+velvet cushion, making an evident effort to avoid falling into other
+thoughts, or losing sight of it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To-day I am not judge here,&quot; began the king: &quot;I am myself a party in
+the cause whereupon you have to decide, and which concerns the rights
+of the crown and kingdom. Herald, let the jurors come forward!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the name of the Dane-court,&quot; shouted the herald, &quot;come forward, ye
+sworn men!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There now stepped forth, into the middle of the circle, old John Little
+and nine grave and distinguished individuals. The jurors were all
+well-known and esteemed men, from various provinces of the kingdom.
+They bared their heads before the throne and the assembly, and their
+gray hairs showed that they were among the oldest of all assembled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John stood forward as their foreman and spokesman. Having bowed to
+the throne and to both sides of the court, he then said, with an
+audible voice, &quot;Proclaim the cause before the people and the
+Dane-court, sir drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, having bowed in like manner, advanced, with his
+high-feathered hat under his left arm, and, unfolding a sheet of
+parchment, read from it, slowly and distinctly, the matter in dispute
+between the king and Duke Waldemar, respecting the possession of Als
+Island. Having finished, he returned to his place among the counsellors
+of the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Sir John again spoke. &quot;It is known to us all,&quot; he began, in a calm
+and firm voice, &quot;that the illustrious Duke Waldemar of South Jutland,
+two years since, when he was still under the guardianship of the Danish
+king, Erik Christopherson, believed himself entitled to make certain
+demands, which were refused by the king and council, as opposed to the
+constitution of the kingdom and the privileges of the crown.
+Notwithstanding, King Erik has not refused to his illustrious kinsman,
+now of full age, the privilege of laying before this Dane-court the
+claims he believes he is still entitled to make; and the settlement of
+the question is confided, by both the illustrious parties, to the
+present parliament. By the National Council of Best Men, was I,
+Counsellor Sir John Little, with eleven Danish men, under oath and
+duty, authorised to pronounce sentence in this matter. Two of these men
+have withdrawn from the council of jurors, and have refused to witness
+and decide in the cause, as not being perfectly known to them; but,
+after mature consideration, have we ten other men, who stand here, on
+oath and conscience pronounced sentence, as we mean to answer for it
+before God and man. If any one wishes to make protestation against the
+sentence, on account of the withdrawal of these two jurors, let him say
+so now, before it is made known, and then the final settlement of the
+matter must be deferred until a new Worthel has been chosen by the next
+Dane-court; otherwise, the present parliament declares the sentence of
+the ten jurors to be valid and just.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man paused, and regarded the assembly with an earnest,
+penetrating look. A general silence ensued, and the straining
+countenances of all announced the deep interest and anxious
+expectations that were felt. The king made an uneasy gesture, but was
+also silent. Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Master Grand regarded the
+king attentively; they also looked meaningly at each other, but said
+nothing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We proceed, then, to announce the sentence,&quot; resumed Sir John; and, at
+his signal, the eldest of the jurors handed him a large parchment-deed,
+from which were suspended seventeen seals, with green silk ribbons. The
+old counsellor unfolded the document, and read aloud and distinctly:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We, the undersigned sworn Danish men, Mogens Peterson, Niels Dué, Turé
+Menersson of Jutland, John Bartson of Fyen, Niels, formerly governor of
+Lund, John Little, Mogens Corvigson of Skaane, Anders Nielson, Oluf
+Tygeson of Zealand, and Jacob Flep of Laalund, say and swear, of our
+full knowledge and counsel, that dominion over the whole of Alseland,
+with the fortresses, palace, and inhabitants thereof, belongs of right
+to the crown and kingdom of Denmark; the peasants belong to the king on
+the crown's account, the paternal estate of the king's children
+excepted, which was recognised and conceded to them after the death of
+King Waldemar. The said estate is known to us by means of a patent
+instrument, by which it was formerly granted to Duke Erik of South
+Jutland, Duke Waldemar's father. If the whole country had belonged to
+them, this estate would not have been specially given. Therefore, to
+the king and crown do we adjudge dominion, with full right and
+jurisdiction, over the whole of Alsen. In testimony whereof, we have
+sworn this upon the holy sacrament, in presence of the archbishop and
+six bishops, who, in further confirmation thereof, have attached their
+seals hereto, along with ours.&quot; He then recited the names of the
+subscribers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When he ceased, he calmly surveyed the various expressions on the
+countenances of those around him. On the king's features, although he
+blinked uneasily, might be seen a triumphant smile, as he cast a
+suspicious glance towards Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob, whose cheeks
+glowed with rage, while their hands were rigidly clenched in the folds
+of their mantles.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter's eyes did not forsake the duke's countenance, which
+quickly changed into a smile, as he gave a shrug to denote that he
+despised his loss. All were silent, however.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But now stepped forth, from the rank of ecclesiastics, the insolent
+Master Grand. &quot;The sentence is invalid,&quot; said he, with a loud voice:
+&quot;two of the jurors' names are wanting; the Worthel is not perfect. This
+requires an express ecclesiastical confirmation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This protest is of no avail,&quot; replied Sir John, calmly. &quot;The court was
+silent on my timely summons, and thereby recognised the sentence as
+valid. Please to add the ecclesiastical confirmation, worthy Archbishop
+Johannes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this summons, the aged archbishop came forward, and, with a calm
+assurance of his authority, raised his crook, and said--&quot;In the name of
+the Holy Church, I hereby declare what I shall add, in writing, to the
+present document, under my own and the Church's seal, by which all
+shall know that the aforesaid estate, within the dukedom of South
+Jutland, with moneys of the mint, and other privileges in the said
+dukedom, is legally pronounced and adjudged, by this royal court, to
+the king of Denmark, for ever to possess; and we forbid, under pain of
+excommunication, that any one should meddle with the jurisdiction over
+Als, or with the forenamed estate in anywise, except with the consent
+and knowledge of King Erik or his successors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Notwithstanding that the old archbishop appeared inconsiderable and
+indistinct by the side of Master Grand, he pronounced these words with
+a quiet dignity that did not mar their effect. He then stepped back.
+Master Grand bit his lips with rage, and walked silently to his place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The stillness of death for a moment pervaded the assembly; when the
+king suddenly arose, and declared the Dane-court at an end, his words
+being accompanied by three loud trumpet-blasts. The archbishop and
+chancellor thereupon came forward with the crown and sceptre. The king
+pressed the crown firmly on his head, grasped the sceptre, and hastily
+descended from the throne. The row of knights opened, the people fell
+back, and the king, with the princes and his train, returned to the
+palace.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The assembly broke up in the greatest order; but the knights of the
+various parties regarded each other with a silence at once unusual and
+painful. From Count Jacob and Master Grand alone were heard a few loud
+words, the involuntary outbreak of subdued wrath. Duke Waldemar,
+however, preserved a better appearance: his sagacious eye ran over the
+rank of his attached knights, and then, making a rapid gesture with his
+forefinger to his mouth, he departed, with his lively drost by his
+side, to that part of the palace where he had his apartments.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the evening, after these important transactions, a magnificent
+entertainment was given at the palace, wherein the queen, with the
+little Princess Mereté and their ladies, participated, and where the
+king was also present, with both the young princes, in full court
+state. Both the palace and the town were brilliantly illuminated.
+Flutes and violins resounded from the knights' saloon, and the serious
+business of the morning appeared to be wholly forgotten in social
+enjoyments, and in the varied display of wit and gravity, chivalrous
+courtesies and disguised passions, in which a thousand hidden qualities
+of the heart were concerned. Love and jealousy, hope and fear, pride
+and vanity, combined as powerfully to set the unstable, youthful soul
+into lively motion, as did the music and dancing to bring into action
+the feet of knights and ladies on the polished floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As at the previous evening's entertainment at Sir John's, Duke Waldemar
+was here, in an extremely good humour. Not a trace of discontent was
+visible in his countenance, and he attracted general attention, as much
+by his cheerfulness and affability as by his princely bearing and
+dazzling grandeur. His variance with the king was the reason that he
+had not yet received the honour of knighthood, which he could not
+accept from any meaner hand. He dressed, notwithstanding, in the style
+of the most elegant knight, and, to conceal his want of the gold spurs,
+wore silver ones, thickly studded with gems. He suffered no opportunity
+to pass of showing himself attentive and devoted to the queen; his bold
+and artful drost, Sir Abildgaard, attaching himself, in a similar way,
+to Counselor John's fair daughter, Lady Cecilia.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, to the surprise of all, was extremely reserved and silent.
+He was wont, on festive occasions at court, to be the soul of the
+company, and, in particular, to entertain the queen and her ladies by
+an ingenious blending of the grave and gay, with a freedom and
+liveliness which could only be derived from a consciousness of the
+favour in which he stood. Since the first morning of the Dane-court,
+when it was reported that he was ruined and in disgrace, and yet was
+seen, shortly after, leaving the king's closet as the most favoured of
+favourites, it was observed by every one, that a remarkable alteration
+had taken place in his demeanour. He had become grave and taciturn, as
+people fancied, from pride. He appeared to avoid with care, almost with
+anxiety, every approach to the queen; whilst, at the same time, he
+often watched her, and closely observed Duke Waldemar's efforts to
+please her. In this behaviour, the queen's sharp-sighted ladies fancied
+that they perceived the jealous favourite, who kept back from wounded
+vanity, and esteemed himself too highly to vie with Duke Waldemar in
+knightly civilities. He himself believed that he had far more important
+grounds for his altered conduct. The experience of the last few days
+had taught him how hazardous it was, in a court like this, to allow his
+frank and lively nature to be displayed without disguise, and, like a
+courteous knight, to worship beauty without reservation, even where he
+honoured it in combination with true innate greatness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The only occasion on which he had spoken to the queen, since his
+arrival at the present court, was at an unusual time, and with a degree
+of agitation that might have been easily misinterpreted: it was on the
+evening of his arrival, when he had in vain sought an audience of the
+king, and when recourse to this step was necessary in order to save his
+unfortunate foster-mother. He had, as usual, found the amiable and
+virtuous queen extremely gracious, and favourably disposed towards him
+and his business. By immediately granting his request, and effecting
+his nurse's release from prison, she had given him a new proof of her
+goodwill. The danger he had subsequently incurred, and his fortunate
+escape, which she learnt on the following day, filled her with the
+liveliest interest; but the grounds of his danger were only half known,
+and what the attendants fancied they did know, no one thought it
+becoming to inform her of. She had not spoken a single word to him
+since. The evident care with which he appeared to avoid her, surprised
+and displeased her; and, as he had neglected several favourable
+opportunities of approaching her, she appeared no longer to notice his
+presence, but confined her conversation to Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob,
+and the other princely gentlemen in the company.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Late in the evening, the king quietly left the saloon, attended by
+Chamberlain Rané. Drost Peter observed his sudden departure; and as it
+took place on a signal from the crafty chamberlain, he concluded that
+it had reference to some private understanding, and to one of those
+frequent but discreditable assignations wherein Rané was at all times
+the king's familiar and agent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter dared not follow, to warn him of Rané, who had already
+vindicated himself, and regained the king's favour. The young drost
+stood, alone and dejected, by one of the windows, during a wild and
+merry dance. He felt, with some disquietude, his peculiar position at
+court, where it was his first duty to guard from temptation the young
+heir to the throne. It was nearly impossible to watch over the security
+of a king who so continually exposed himself to insult and danger by
+his debaucheries, and by honouring with his confidence men who only
+flattered his inclinations to promote their own ends and lead him into
+temptation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;His better part I cannot save,&quot; said the drost, mentally. &quot;I can only
+think of the crown's security.&quot; He stood armed with full royal
+authority to seize the duke the moment he should display the least
+intention to quit the kingdom. Information had been received of
+sufficient importance to justify such a step, were it needful. Should
+the duke be permitted to withdraw, unmolested, into Sweden, there was
+little doubt that he would return at the head of a hostile army, in
+conjunction with Marsk Andersen, to lay waste the country, and overturn
+the throne. The probability that this was the plan of the conspirators
+now bordered upon certainty, although full and legal proof was still
+wanting. The drost, in conjunction with Knight Thorstenson, had orders
+to watch all the motions of the duke. Their horses stood saddled within
+the palace-gates, and a light sloop lay in the harbour, ready to sail
+at whatever time they chose to cross the Great Belt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Many doubts occupied the drost's mind. At this moment he possessed I
+the king's highest favour and confidence; and it was not improbable
+that the fate of the monarch depended on the important and difficult
+business with which he was entrusted. In his absence, however, it might
+be easy for the crafty Rané, and his kinsman, the chief chamberlain,
+Ové Dyré, to ruin him with the unstable king, and destroy the fruits of
+his dangerous undertaking. Still, so long as Master Martinus and Sir
+John were in the king's council, he believed this fear unfounded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His eye now fell on the young Prince Erik, who danced lightly and gaily
+past him. For the security of this highly important individual, he had
+also reason to be apprehensive; and he was only consoled by reflecting
+that, in his absence, old Sir John would fulfil the duties of drost to
+the heir to the throne.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lighthearted, and free from care, the prince danced, hand in hand, with
+his sister Mereté. She was only twelve years old, and was already
+looked upon as betrothed to the Swedish Prince Berger. By this
+arrangement, the differences between the new royal house of Sweden and
+that of Denmark had been accommodated, after the vacillating King Erik
+Christopherson had in vain endeavoured to reinstate the dethroned
+Swedish King Waldemar, whom he had himself assisted to overturn. Still,
+it was scarcely believed that peace with the powerful King Ladislaus
+could be depended upon, and haste had accordingly been made to obtain
+the pope's dispensation for this union, on account of the consanguinity
+of the parties.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Another victim to our wavering policy,&quot; whispered a deep, well-known
+voice into Drost Peter's ear. It was the grave Sir Thorstenson, who had
+approached him unobserved, and who had been regarding the little lively
+princess with a look of compassion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Thorstenson!&quot; said Drost Peter, recalled from his serious musings:
+&quot;are you, too, an idle observer of the world's vanities to-night?
+Perhaps you may be somewhat mistaken in what you disapprove of so
+absolutely.&quot; As he spoke, he drew him aside into the next apartment,
+where the tables were unoccupied, and where they could converse without
+observation. &quot;You pity our princess,&quot; continued he: &quot;for her I am the
+least concerned: Sweden hopes as much for its heir-apparent as we do
+for ours. This betrothing of children is now the custom of the age, in
+knightly as well as in princely families. As you are aware, I was
+myself betrothed in the same fashion, from my cradle, and I have not
+felt myself unhappy in consequence. I am now released from the
+engagement, yet do I not feel myself happier. Children have their
+ministering angels before the sight of God, says Master Martin. God
+only knows what is best for us, and He can dispose of events
+accordingly. It may not be long, perhaps, before we hear of a similar
+betrothal of our young heir-apparent to the beautiful royal maid of
+Sweden, whom we saw at the tournament. The king appears to desire it
+ardently, and I dare offer no objections.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Barbarous--atrocious!&quot; murmured the knight. &quot;But I have something else
+to tell you. Are you prepared to travel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not yet time. As long as the handsome gentleman glitters and
+dances within, he can hardly think of leaving the kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You know, then, that he has taken leave of the king? He departs
+tonight for Sleswick, it is reported; but I know that two highly
+distinguished gentlemen are to pass over to Korsöer to-night. These are
+certainly he and his drost. The ship they have hired is said to be
+Swedish; but I believe it is Norse, and, in fact, a pirate-vessel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know it,&quot; answered Drost Peter. &quot;Our little sloop is ready to sail.
+It is all in good hands, and I am fully authorised in this matter. Sir
+Benedict Rimaardson, of Tornborg, follows us in Zealand. As soon as the
+bird takes wing, we fly after him; but on this side the Sound he has
+his freedom. If he think proper to visit Zealand, it is no one's
+business.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We understand one another,&quot; replied Thorstenson, nodding. &quot;We, too,
+are only making a pleasant excursion, to visit our good friends. With
+Sir Lavé Little, at Flynderborg we can best guard the passage of the
+Sound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter hesitated, as if half embarrassed by the proposition. &quot;Very
+good: we can determine on that tomorrow,&quot; he said, hastily. &quot;But we
+must be at our post. Remain you here till the moment this cunning
+gentleman leaves the palace. I shall send my squire to the quay, to
+keep an eye upon the strange skiff. Before midnight, I shall be at the
+palace-gates, with our horses.&quot; He pressed Thorstenson's hand, went
+hastily past the dancers in the saloon, and, as he approached the
+queen, paused for a moment, to give her a respectful salutation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A word, Drost Hessel,&quot; said the quean, in an unusually authoritative
+tone, and seating herself upon a chair, at some distance from the
+dancers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter stopped, and approached her attentively.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How do you find your wounded guest?&quot; she inquired. &quot;I regret that I
+was, in some measure, the cause of his relapse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;His life is out of danger, your grace. I am at this moment going to
+visit him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tell him that I am concerned for his mishap,&quot; she continued; &quot;so much
+the more, as I hear it occurred in a chivalrous onset respecting a
+lady's honour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter blushed deeply. &quot;How, gracious queen?&quot; he stammered: &quot;who
+has said--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That this was the case?&quot; interrupted the queen. &quot;It has just been told
+me that he had a dispute, on his journey from Middelfert, with a
+certain conceited young knight, who boasted too loudly and indiscreetly
+of his good fortune with a lady whose colours he wears, but one who can
+never consent to be the object of any other favour from a knight than
+true and discreet service.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He who told you so, noble queen,&quot; replied Drost Peter, with a deep
+feeling of wounded honour, &quot;I must pronounce a base slanderer, did he
+even wear a princely crown; and I will make good my assertion by
+honourable combat for life and death. This much only is true, that our
+common admiration of the exalted lady whose colours I wear was,
+undoubtedly, the cause of our untoward strife. But, by my knightly
+honour, the noble Count Gerhard himself can bear witness that his
+antagonist was guilty of no indiscretion.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your word of honour, brave Drost Hessel, is ample surety to me for the
+truth of what you state,&quot; said the queen, mildly; &quot;but it is my express
+wish that not a word more be said about this matter, and that you
+carefully avoid every dispute with which my name may, in the slightest
+degree, be associated. From henceforth, neither you nor any other
+knight shall wear my colours with my consent. I shall see you only when
+it is highly needful, and when I call you. This conduct, I know, you
+will not misunderstand. Go, now, to your sick guest, noble knight, and
+be assured of my unchanged goodwill.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With bitter feelings, Drost Peter unfastened a rose-coloured silken
+rosette, which he wore upon his doublet, and, handing it to the queen
+with a suppressed sigh, he bowed silently and respectfully, and
+withdrew.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was almost midnight. Count Gerhard lay impatiently in bed, unable to
+sleep. He seemed to hear, from the palace, the flutes and violins, and
+had conceived such a desire for dancing, since his first essay in the
+art on the preceding evening, that his legs were in constant motion,
+though the surgeon had enjoined him to be still, and to allow himself
+to be bound, if he could not restrain this singular fancy, which he
+thought must be a result of the fever produced by his wound. His
+adventure with Sir John, in the early part of the evening, occurred to
+him almost like a dream, and he would not ask any one how it had
+happened. All society and amusement were strictly forbidden him, and
+he saw no one but the surgeon and old Dorothy, who watched quietly by
+his couch. Still, when he could not sleep, she told him a variety of
+ghost-stories, and tales of trolds and nixes, the truth of which she
+piously believed and affirmed. The count would only answer with a
+growl, and a brief exclamation of &quot;Nonsense! confounded nonsense,
+carlin!&quot; but in the best-tempered tone in the world.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Dorothy was not at all disconcerted by such objections. She saw plainly
+that her stories amused the sick man, and therefore regarded his
+discontented expressions merely as a peculiar mode of speaking, and a
+well-meant sign that he was listening. She sat quietly by his pillow,
+with her lean, wrinkled visage opposite to the lamp, and had almost
+finished a long story about a nix who had his quarters in Our Lady's
+steeple, and played people all sorts of pranks--sometimes in the form
+of a horse, at a ford, where he took travellers upon his back, and,
+laughing, threw them off in the middle of a bog--sometimes as a
+beautiful princess, or fairy queen, who would dance with vain gallants
+in her palace of mist, and become changed into a wisp of straw when
+they attempted to embrace her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense! cursed nonsense!&quot; again growled the count. &quot;But you are
+right, carlin. The fools were properly served, if there are such nixes.
+Are not you, yourself, a confounded witch, who will plague and play
+cantrips with me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old woman crossed herself. The door was gently opened, and Drost
+Peter put in his head to inquire after the sick man. The simple gray
+dress of a burgher was the attire in which he had disguised himself for
+his secret journey, and, in place of his feathered hat, he wore a red
+cloth travelling-cap over his fair locks. When Dorothy saw him in this
+dress, she started up, terrified.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;St. Gertrude and all saints save us!&quot; she cried, &quot;here he comes!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who?&quot; growled the count: &quot;has Satan got you, carlin? Who is it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you are not asleep, noble count,&quot; said Drost Peter, entering, &quot;I
+shall merely wish you a speedy recovery, and bid you farewell. I must
+travel tonight, and have fortified myself against the night air.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, my gracious young master, it is you!&quot; cried Dorothy. &quot;I thought,
+by the Lord's truth, it was the gray nix with the red cap, who had
+changed himself into a handsome young gentleman to make a fool of me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your nurse is crazy, and is well nigh making me crazy too,&quot; said Count
+Gerhard, recognising Drost Peter, and extending his hand. &quot;You are for
+travelling--and I lying here. Well, then, set out in God's name. I
+require nothing, as you may see, and have entertaining company. But
+were you at the palace entertainment? How gets it on? With whom does
+the queen dance?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With dukes and princes of the blood. She inquired after you, and bade
+me inform you that she is concerned for your mischance. Leave us for a
+moment, Dorothy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Dorothy left the room, casting back a look of curiosity, and allowing
+the door to stand ajar. Drost Peter, who knew her failing, closed the
+door, and took a chair by the count's pillow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did she really inquire after me?&quot; asked the count. &quot;There is nothing
+of the nix in your nature, my good friend; therefore you cannot see
+whether I am one of your nurse's vain gallants, who have a fancy for
+dancing with a bundle of straw.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter looked at him with surprise, and thought he was delirious.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is nonsense--stupid nursery jargon, I know very well,&quot; continued
+the count. &quot;But as I have nothing to do but lie here and dream, it
+almost crazes me. But let that pass. What said you concerning the
+queen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She has been inaccurately informed of the occasion of our dispute,&quot;
+replied Drost Peter. &quot;I have not mentioned the circumstance to any one;
+so that you must yourself--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Only in confidence, to my dear Longlegs, and then in a highly
+figurative manner. But what said she to that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the queen's wish that nothing more be said about the matter,&quot;
+continued Drost Peter. &quot;She no longer permits any knight to wear her
+colours, and, as you may perceive, my red rosette is gone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have nothing to say against that,&quot; exclaimed the count, with
+undisguised pleasure: &quot;it did not well become you. You are about to
+travel, then, and do not accompany the court?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not at present. But, before taking my departure, a serious word, in
+confidence. I know well that you cannot be greatly attached to the
+royal house of Denmark, and you may greatly disapprove of what has
+taken place here; but you hate all knavery, and mean well and
+honourably with everybody.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good: on that point you may rest satisfied. But if you require me to
+show you as much by deeds, say on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;These are bewildering and deceiving times, noble Count Gerhard, and
+even the best are liable to be misled. The king's friends are few, and
+I dare not reckon you among them. Has enemies are numerous and
+powerful; but the noble Queen Agnes is not less prized in your eyes
+than in mine. Promise me, for her sake, however much you may condemn
+the measures of the Danish government, that you will not enter into any
+secret league against the crown and kingdom; but, like a faithful
+vassal, make common cause with me, to preserve the legitimate order of
+affairs in Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have not, as yet, had the least thought of doing mischief,&quot; replied
+the count, smiling; &quot;and, seeing the condition in which I now am, have
+you not taken care that I shall not be a dangerous neighbour in a
+hurry? I am, to speak frankly, no great admirer either of your policy
+or your king, and should have nothing to complain of if there happened
+a regular insurrection, like that which he himself supported in Sweden.
+It gave people something to do, and one had not time to lie dreaming
+about nixes and enchanted princesses. But you are right: for the
+queen's sake alone, it were a sin and a shame to desire an
+insurrection. I am well aware that the great men and vassals are
+dissatisfied; but I have hitherto kept myself aloof, and I will not
+belong to their councils, if they have not reference to an open and
+orderly feud, which, besides, is both just and lawful in itself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;More than this I cannot desire, noble count. Give me your knightly
+hand upon it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There it is. I have no objection to people fighting, when they cannot
+agree; but with conspiracies and mutinies I shall have nothing to do:
+you have my word for it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That word is worth more to me than the most formal treaty,&quot; replied
+Drost Peter, pressing his hand with glad confidence. &quot;Farewell, now,
+noble count, and a speedy recovery. Make my house your home as long as
+you please, and bear me in friendly remembrance, in whatever way fickle
+fortune may be disposed to play ball with me. However much we may
+differ on many points, on one we are agreed. The illustrious fair one
+who, against her wish, brought us to contend against each other, shall
+hereafter, like a spirit of peace and reconciliation, unite our hands
+and hearts in that gloomy warfare wherein friends and foes know not
+each other. God be with you! Farewell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he once more ardently pressed the count's hand, and hastily
+left him. The count nodded, and fell into deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Dorothy shortly afterwards again hobbled into the apartment, and
+took her master's place by the count's bed; but finding him so
+completely abstracted, she did not venture again to disturb him with
+more adventures.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">It was two hours after midnight. The streets of Nyborg were still and
+deserted. There was no moon in the heavens; but the sky was clear, and,
+in the faint starlight, two tall individuals, wrapped in hooded cloaks,
+issued from the outer gates of the palace. They walked silently and
+hastily towards the quay.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Immediately afterwards, two horsemen, in gray cloaks, rode out of the
+palace-gate, and speedily disappeared in the same direction, without
+the slightest noise, as if their horses were shod with list.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the extremity of the quay lay a skiff, with red sails, upon which a
+number of silent figures were in motion. The quay was quiet and
+solitary. At length, a few rapid footsteps and the clank of spurs were
+heard, and, under the outer plank of the bulwark, a little, peeping,
+curly head concealed itself. The two tall persons in hooded cloaks now
+paused: one of them coughed, and, in a subdued voice, pronounced a name
+or pass-word, which was answered from the ship by a whistle; upon which
+they went on board. In a moment the red sails were set. A steady breeze
+blew from the south-west, and the skiff passed rapidly by the eastern
+point, out of the haven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as the vessel was in motion, the little black curly head of the
+spy once more appeared from beneath the bulwark. At one bound, Claus
+Skirmen stood in a boat, and, with a few hasty strokes of the oars,
+came alongside a small yacht lying in the inner part of the haven, and
+in which his master and Sir Thorstenson already expected him. Scarcely
+had the red-sailed skiff passed Canute's Head, the extreme eastern
+point of coast, before the smaller and quicker yacht ran out from
+Nyborg haven. It bore away, at first with some difficulty, as near as
+possible to the wood-covered west coast of the firth, to avoid drifting
+too far northwards, and to be able to steer in a direct line south of
+Sporgoe, towards Zealand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter seated himself silently by the rudder, and looked grave.
+Sir Thorstenson and Skirmen also preserved a deep silence; and, during
+the whole passage, the usual and necessary words of command to the
+boatmen only were heard. The skiff with the red sails had just
+disappeared from sight, and was steering to the north of Sporgoe. As
+the morning dawned, they were close by Korsöer. Drost Peter gazed
+incessantly, and somewhat uneasily, towards the north. At length he
+caught a glimpse of the red sail, and saw that the strange skiff was
+bearing down the Belt. He now ordered the yacht to be run in to Korsöer
+harbour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two knights landed unrecognised. They stood in their gray cloaks,
+like travelling merchants, and silently bowed before a large crucifix,
+which, surrounded by a gilt circle or halo, stood on the quay-head.
+Skirmen hastily brought the horses on shore; and, in an instant, the
+knights had mounted them, and the squire leaped on his hardy norback,
+when, without delay, the three horsemen proceeded through the
+slumbering town. Over almost every door there stood a cross, in a ring,
+as upon the quay. This holy symbol, at once the ancient arms of the
+town and the origin of its name, was not wanting on any craftsman's
+sign. Although there was not awaking soul to be seen in the place, the
+knights saluted almost every second house, mindful, even in their
+haste, of this customary token of reverence. They rode through the
+town-gate, and along the frith to the left or northwards, where the
+road wound near Tornborg. In the wood, close by Tornborg, they ceased
+their hard gallop, and allowed their horses to breathe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Now, for the first time, Drost Peter broke the long silence. &quot;You are
+perfectly sure it was them, Skirmen?&quot; he said to his squire.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As sure as I am that it is yourself and Sir Thorstenson who are riding
+here,&quot; replied the squire. &quot;The duke and his drost stood on the beam
+right over my head, at the quay, and I could count every soul on board
+the skiff.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How many were there, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I counted nine and twenty, including soldiers and boatmen. They
+looked a most atrocious pack of rievers. One could hardly see their
+faces, for their black and red beards; and those who did not sit on the
+rowing-benches, had large knives in their girdles, and battle-axes in
+their hands. He who whistled appeared the worst of them all: he was a
+huge, sturdy fellow, with a face like a bear. I could only see him
+indistinctly, on account of the red sail that flapped about his ears;
+but I dare stake my head that it was no one else than Niels Breakpeace
+himself, the captain of the Jutland rievers, who escaped from us last
+year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Niels Breakpeace!&quot; repeated both knights, in astonishment. &quot;But was
+not the vessel Norwegian, then?&quot; inquired Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The boatmen were Norsemen, sir--audacious-looking fellows, with
+large cleavers and shaggy caps. He who sat by the rudder was also a
+Norseman--a little sturdy fellow, dressed like a knight, with a gilded
+dagger-hilt in his belt. They called him Count Alf.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The algrev--Mindre-Alf!&quot; exclaimed both knights, regarding each other
+with renewed astonishment; while Sir Thorstenson, repeating the name,
+became pale with indignation, and grasped the hilt of his sword in his
+powerful hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Stand!&quot; he exclaimed, stopping his horse: &quot;could I but break the
+algrev's neck, I would give half my life for it. But who has said they
+are coming in this direction?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter held the skirt of his cloak to the wind. &quot;Do you see?&quot; he
+said: &quot;the wind has gone round to the north. They must have already
+landed on the coast here. That they will to Sweden, we know very well;
+and that they were steering down the Belt, we saw. They will certainly
+land either here or at Skjelskjoer, to cross the Sound by Orekrog. If
+we are rightly informed, the duke must first to Zealand; he and the
+marsk have powerful friends here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They will certainly not land at Skjelskjoer,&quot; said Thorstenson; &quot;the
+algrev was too well known there last year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We shall soon see them here, then,&quot; said Drost Peter. &quot;These Norse
+vikings<a name="div2Ref_15" href="#div2_15"><sup>[15]</sup></a> will hardly venture far from the vessel. The duke will also
+bethink him well of passing through the country openly, with a gang of
+rievers at his heels. He will scarcely come with a large train; but, in
+any case, we can surprise the whole band, if requisite.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That we can, with half a score of Sir Rimaardson's coast-jagers,&quot; said
+Thorstenson. &quot;Yonder lies Tornborg. I think we should take our post by
+the road here, and send your squire to the castle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter nodded assent, and immediately dispatched Claus Skirmen to
+Tornborg with a verbal message; whilst he and Sir Thorstenson, leaving
+the horses to graze in a little green spot in the wood, close to the
+road, ascended an eminence, from which they had an extensive view over
+the Belt. From this spot they saw the red sail of the freebooter, under
+a woody shelter, near the coast, and were now satisfied that they were
+upon the right track.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Tornborg lay scarcely three hundred yards from the eminence where the
+knights stood. The nimble Skirmen was soon back, and brought
+intelligence that Sir Rimaardson had gone out hunting for the day, and
+would not return home before evening.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We must assist ourselves, then, as we best can,&quot; said Drost Peter. &quot;We
+can stay here until the duke has passed. Although every royal castellan
+will stand by us, yet the fewer we are the better: we must avoid
+publicity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, should the pirates impede our progress, we must cut our way
+through the pack,&quot; remarked Thorstenson. &quot;I take upon me to crack the
+algrev's neck, and perhaps those of a couple of his scoundrels. Yet,
+however, we are only two-men-and-a-half strong.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may safely reckon us as three whole men, and a little more, stern
+sir knight,&quot; said Skirmen, strutting bravely: &quot;what I want in length, I
+can make up for, perhaps, in another shape. At any rate, you and my
+master alone may well pass for three doughty men.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No bragging, Skirmen,&quot; said Drost Peter, interrupting his squire. &quot;Off
+now, and get under the stone trough, by the roadside yonder, and bring
+us word, as soon as you see them. They cannot do otherwise than cross
+the brook.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen leapt from his norback, and left it to graze in the wood. He
+then ran to the post indicated, and the two knights took their seats on
+the hillock.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, could we only catch the algrev!&quot; broke out Sir Thorstenson,
+vehemently.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is a matter of secondary importance, my noble knight,&quot; observed
+Drost Peter. &quot;In our anxiety to secure a freebooter, let us not forget
+the far more important object for which we are here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right,&quot; said Thorstenson: &quot;in thinking of the infernal viking,
+I had almost forgotten everything else. Respecting the duke, it is
+rather a dangerous undertaking. If we allow him to cross the Sound, we
+may chance to have him in our power; but, if it so happen, it is then
+extremely doubtful whether we are not doing exactly that which the king
+and the friends of the country would prevent. Think you not that such
+apparent violence, towards so powerful a vassal, would give a vent for
+the general dissatisfaction, and arm every traitor in the country?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a hazardous but necessary step,&quot; replied Drost Peter; &quot;and,
+after what we have now seen, is nowise unjust. Besides, if this exalted
+personage is in league with the country's open enemies, and even with
+outlawed criminals, like Niels Breakpeace, we should be quite justified
+were we to seize him on the spot. Were that possible, we shall not
+exceed our authority one single step.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Could we but lay hold of the algrev at the same time, it would not so
+much matter,&quot; began Sir Thorstenson, after a pause, his eyes flashing
+with passion. &quot;Since the cursed sea-hound is so saucy as to risk
+himself on land, before our very eyes, I can scarcely refrain from
+giving him chase, even before we deal with the other. It were shame and
+a scandal should the notorious algrev be permitted to pass through
+Zealand, instead of being hanged on a gallows by the way. There is
+scarcely a sea-town in Denmark that he has not plundered: he has
+committed more atrocities in the world than he has hairs on his curly
+head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you know anything of him beyond report?&quot; inquired Drost Peter.
+&quot;Craft and courage he should not lack.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know him better than any clerk or bishop knows the foul fiend,&quot;
+replied the enraged knight. &quot;He passes for a hero and a great man, both
+in Norway and Sweden; but here he passes, with good reason, for a vile
+sea-rover, an incendiary, and a ravisher. And yet such a fellow brags
+of his princely descent, and scorns an honest and irreproachable
+knight! Know you not that it is he who, with Justice Algot of West
+Gothland, and his powerful sons, is guardian to Prince Svantopolk's
+daughter, and the cause of all my misfortunes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know you speak reluctantly about this affair, my noble knight. You
+were inclined towards the prince's fair daughter, and she gave you her
+troth against her kinsman's wish; but, as far as I am aware, it was not
+the algrev, but Justice Algot's son, who carried off the Lady Ingrid.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was by the algrev's help, then; and not at all from true affection,
+but from pride and a love of rapine. The whole of this haughty race are
+in conspiracy against us. Chancellor Peter and Bishop Brynjalf of
+Sweden wished to force her into a convent; but the algrev would give
+her to Sir Algotson, that half her fief and estates might remain in his
+riever claws. My only hope now is in the bold Swedish king, and in
+seeing this algrev on a gibbet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, my dear, brave Thorstenson, do not you make too large claims on
+kings and princes, when you set your eyes so seriously on a prince's
+daughter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am as doughty and wellborn a knight as Algotson,&quot; replied
+Thorstenson: &quot;but, were I even the meanest scullion, and loved an
+emperor's daughter, by Him who lives above! I would show the world I
+was worthy of her, and lay my life on winning her, spite of the world
+and all its rulers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You cannot, however, entirely despise the limits that birth and
+station oppose to our wishes,&quot; continued Drost Peter, with friendly
+interest. &quot;However highly you may esteem a free and independent nature,
+my valiant friend, you must still admit, that there is something higher
+and greater than in blindly following its instincts to happiness. You
+cannot be ignorant of the great law of self-denial: that law, the
+powerful ones of the earth ought most of all to obey. Those who stand
+nearest to kings, part with heart and fortune, my friend; yea, the
+heart must be silent, where a higher voice speaks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend take your higher voice and law of self-denial!&quot; replied
+Thorstenson. &quot;That law may do for reigning princes. They are bred and
+born to be the victims of state policy, and of their people. For that,
+they bear the crown and sceptre; for that, they rule over us, and hide
+their miseries in purple; but free, noble-born knights cannot recognise
+a necessity at variance with the ordinances of God and of nature. I
+well know what has possessed you with this fancy, my brave friend: it
+is respect for a deceased father's last foolishness. Such respect is,
+no doubt, very proper; but the usurpations of fathers and kinsmen over
+our childhood can never constitute a sacred obligation to sacrifice our
+own freedom and happiness, and stifle the best feelings of our nature.
+You may be glad that your foolish juvenile betrothment is at an end; it
+now behoves you no longer to befool yourself with fancies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I was not thinking of myself at the moment,&quot; replied Drost Peter, with
+calm animation, lying back on the green height, his clear blue eye
+resting on the deep vault of the spring-heaven over his head. &quot;I was
+thinking of our young heir to the throne, and the little Princess
+Ingeborg of Sweden. They are already, one may say, bride and
+bridegroom, although they are yet both children. They played together
+at that tourney festival where the proud Ingrid gave you her troth, and
+you, with grave self-confidence, believed you could determine your
+fortune. It was to me a wonderful thought, when I saw the children
+playing together, that I knew what neither of them yet could dream
+of--that these two innocent beings were already secretly destined for
+one another, and chosen to become the bond of union between two
+kingdoms and people. It did not in any manner move me: it occurred to
+me, not as an audacious interference with the designs of Providence by
+a cold, calculating state policy, or as an unnatural usurpation, as you
+term it, by short-sighted men; it appeared to me as a mysterious
+carrying out of God's will, and as if these children had been destined
+for each other before any of the individuals were in being by whose
+plans and counsels it should be accomplished. I will not defend these
+views: I know you will call them fanatical, or even superstitious and
+foolish; but in the same manner has my own dim destination hitherto
+come before my eyes. This fanaticism, as you may readily term it, has,
+thanks to God! preserved me from a bewilderment of heart, that might
+have driven me mad, or, what were worse, have lost me my peace of mind,
+here and hereafter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe I guess what you mean, my brave friend,&quot; said Sir
+Thorstenson, heartily shaking his hand. &quot;I will not enter into argument
+with your pious fancies. Your heart has the least share in your
+aristocratic bigotry; for, fortunately, your fancies have juggled the
+heart into a slumber. But ask not that I should regard, in the same
+calm manner, the dull obstacles to my happiness as a wise ordination. I
+esteem you fortunate that you really do not experience that vehemence
+of passion you seem to dread, and which would destroy your world of
+fancy, quick as a stormblast destroys the glittering cobweb.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All hearts are not alike,&quot; replied Drost Peter; and his manly voice
+trembled, from a deep, suppressed feeling. &quot;When it boils and tosses in
+you, as in the mighty ocean, in my soul it burns deep and still. If,
+then, I could not fix my eye on the great, calm, eternal depth above,
+and find peace in its contemplation, I should waste in secret; whilst
+you find relief and consolation in wild outbreaks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They continued to converse together for some time, in a familiar and
+friendly manner. They had long been friends, notwithstanding the great
+difference in their modes of thinking, as well as in their nature and
+dispositions. The zeal and fidelity with which they both served their
+king were grounded upon a far from common opinion of the sacredness of
+the crown and of the kingly power. A steady regard to this made Drost
+Peter what he was with respect to the crown and kingdom; and his
+earnest hope to be able to support a tottering throne, and to preserve
+the crown untarnished for its hopeful and legally chosen heir, gave him
+strength for every sacrifice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With Sir Thorstenson, it was the idea of honour, and the inviolability
+of a knight's promise, which alone bound him to a king he could neither
+love nor respect. He shared, in many points, the contempt of the
+discontented noblemen for a kingly power, which, circumscribed as it
+was, was still so frequently perverted to unjust and arbitrary ends;
+but he hated, in almost an equally high degree, the pride of birth, and
+the imperious conduct of the aristocracy, as well as the efforts of the
+ecclesiastics to establish a spiritual tyranny. He was, consequently,
+disposed to justify the rebellious spirit of the oppressed commoners,
+and was an ardent admirer of the Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, who
+guarded the privileges of the commons, while he tamed the most powerful
+of the nobility with violence, and, at times, with cruelties. On this
+subject he had again entered into a warm controversy with Drost Peter,
+who, since the cruel execution of the Folkungar,<a name="div2Ref_16" href="#div2_16"><sup>[16]</sup></a> without form of
+law, had a strong aversion to the Swedish king, which he expressed
+without reserve, and considered Denmark, with all her miseries,
+fortunate in not having such a sanguinary tyrant and upstart monarch
+for a ruler.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, my good friend,&quot; cried Thorstenson, starting up: &quot;rather an able
+tyrant, who treads every law under foot, than a vile turncoat, who
+gives laws every day and keeps no law himself. Rather an active, hardy
+warrior, who hacks off heads like cabbages from their stocks, than a
+mean craven, who can only run after women in the dark, and cannot look
+an honest man in the face in open day. Nay, nay,&quot; he continued,
+striking his sword on the ground: &quot;I consider Sweden fortunate in her
+Magnus, even were he to lay one half of it waste in order that flowers
+and glory might spring up in the other. Rather a despotic ruler, with a
+determined will, who dares to wrest a crown from a crazy head, and
+defend it, than a legitimate madman, a dullard, without head or brains,
+and wrinkled like a clout under the symbol of majesty. We serve the
+vilest master in the world,&quot; continued he, with subdued vehemence:
+&quot;that we cannot gainsay. You are true to him, Drost Peter; but, to
+defend him with a true word--that you leave alone. I must make free to
+say of him what I please, if even you are angry thereat; but he has
+once had my word, and he may rely on my fealty, though he is not worthy
+to have an honest dog in his service. Great honour no one earns here,
+either as knight or warrior: that you must yourself admit; but what
+honour I have, I shall take care to keep, notwithstanding. If, now, we
+have to make war on Sweden, as I respect my knightly word, I shall not
+sheathe my sword until I have washed the stain from the hand that gave
+it me, with the blood of heroes who now, with reason, despise us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter sprang up with warmth. &quot;With reason, no one can despise
+us,&quot; he said; &quot;and, without reason, no one shall dare to do so with
+impunity. The days of Denmark's glory are over, it is true; but honour
+even our worst foes shall leave us untouched. If we scorn the master we
+serve, we scorn ourselves,&quot; he continued. &quot;The faults and errors of the
+king I cannot defend: it were despicable to respect them; but, as
+faithful servants, we should cover them with the cloak of charity when
+we can, and not place our glory in revealing his shame.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To you, and between ourselves, I can state my mind without disguise,&quot;
+replied Thorstenson. &quot;On this subject, you know, I am silent before
+strangers; and, were a stranger to venture to say to me what I have
+just been saying to you, I would break his neck on the spot, without a
+moment's hesitation.----But how is this? The wood is full of people!&quot;
+He sprang hastily to his feet. &quot;And where are our horses? They are not
+where we left them grazing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter looked round him in astonishment. They heard many voices,
+and the noise of hunters and hounds, on all sides; and now they
+perceived, beside them on the height, a tall gentleman, of knightly
+appearance, attired in a green doublet, and mounted on a light brown
+horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who are you?&quot; shouted the huntsman, in a stern, commanding voice.
+&quot;Rievers have landed hereabouts, and I have a right to make the demand:
+I am the king's captain at Tornborg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have sought you in vain, Sir Benedict Rimaardson,&quot; replied Drost
+Peter, taking off his red cap, and at the same time handing him the
+king's authority. &quot;Who we are, this will inform you, if you have not
+already recognised us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel! Sir Thorstenson!&quot; exclaimed the knight, with surprise,
+and springing from his horse: &quot;who would have expected you in this
+guise?&quot; He extended a friendly hand to them, and cast a hasty glance
+over the document, while Drost Peter pointed it out, and laid his
+finger on his lips.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Although the huntsman had, apparently, some trouble in reading it, he
+quickly understood its meaning. &quot;So, so! teeth before the tongue!&quot; said
+he, in a tone of surprise, and handing back the parchment to Drost
+Peter. &quot;I have something better to do, then, than to hunt after these
+horse-stealers. But still it was an accursed piece of impudence in
+them,&quot; continued he, enraged. &quot;Did you not see a gang of long-bearded
+fellows, looking like shipwrecked seamen? A little while since they
+carried off all our horses, almost to the one I luckily sit upon. They
+did it in a twinkling, as my huntsmen were taking their morning's meal
+down by the moss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Our horses, also, have disappeared,&quot; said Sir Thorstenson. &quot;Here there
+is no time to be lost. But, first, procure us three horses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you more than two, gentlemen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My squire is on the outlook, down by the road,&quot; replied Drost Peter:
+&quot;see, here he comes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Squire Skirmen bounded forward like a hart. &quot;They are coming!&quot; he
+exclaimed: &quot;there are four on horseback. I know the duke's red mantle,
+and the little Norse gentleman's burly beard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The algrev!&quot; cried Thorstenson: &quot;death and destruction! let us after
+him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That illustrious individual is not to be stopped here, if I understand
+the pothooks rightly,&quot; said the huntsman; &quot;but we must be certain
+whether it is him. How fall you upon the algrev? Follow me, gentlemen:
+I know the wood. They shall pass close by us without seeing us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Skirmen held the huntsman's horse, he led the nimble Drost Peter
+and Sir Thorstenson into a thicket of white thorns and young beeches,
+close by the roadside. By his advice, they laid themselves on the
+ground, having in sight, before them, a portion of the road from
+Korsöer. They had not waited long in this position, before they heard
+the trampling of horses close at hand. Drost Peter bent the boughs
+aside, and Sir Thorstenson made a hasty movement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Still! keep still, my good sirs!&quot; said the hunter: &quot;game of this sort
+must not be frightened. Here we have them. Bight: it is the duke and
+his drost. The pompous little gentleman, with the bullock head, I do
+not know; and yet--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The algrev! Mindre-Alf!&quot; interrupted Thorstenson, in a low voice, as
+he was on the point of starting up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remember the main business, and restrain your vehemence,&quot; whispered
+Drost Peter, holding him back.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let them only get in advance, and we are sure of them,&quot; whispered the
+hunter. &quot;But who is that heavy fellow, in the squire's mantle, who
+rides behind? He does not look at all like a fine gentleman's
+attendant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Niels Breakpeace, the Jutland rover,&quot; answered Drost Peter, softly:
+&quot;but let him pass on. In the duke's livery, he has now free convoy
+through Zealand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The four important travellers passed, and the knights arose.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is hard enough,&quot; said Rimaardson, &quot;that I, as chief of Tornborg,
+should see two such notorious robbers pass along, under my very nose as
+it were, and dare not stop and seize them. If it was their marauding
+band that took our horses, there is no more security in the country for
+the present. Permit me to ride on before you to Tornborg, gentlemen.
+Measures shall be taken instantly. We may still reach Slagelse before
+the duke has left it. We must keep at some distance, and be not too
+numerous, or he may apprehend mischief.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he spoke he hastily mounted his horse, which Skirmen, at his sign,
+had brought him, and rode off at a gallop towards the castle. The
+knights and Skirmen followed him with rapid steps.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Benedict or Bent Rimaardson was about forty years of age, with a
+brave huntsman's countenance, embrowned by exposure to the sun and open
+air. He was tall and spare, and exceedingly nimble in his movements.
+All his paternal ancestors were Danes; but, on the mother's side, he
+was related to the Margraves of Brandenburg and Queen Agnes. In
+consequence of his fidelity to the king, he was at variance with his
+younger brother, Sir Lavé Rimaardson, who had been deprived of his
+estates, and outlawed as a traitor and fomenter of rebellion among the
+peasants. These family cares severely depressed the otherwise bold and
+lively knight; for his wild, unruly brother was still dear to him, and
+it often wounded him deeply to hear the name of Rimaardson associated
+with those of the most audacious transgressors of the laws of the land.
+He lived, unmarried, with his brother John, as chief of Tornborg, where
+he watched over the security of the coast with great strictness, and
+constantly lay in wait for the Norwegian freebooters. He was a
+distinguished sea-warrior, and had often been successful in capturing
+pirates with his longboat. What sometimes interfered with his vigilance
+was his passion for the chase--his only recreation at this lonely
+castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">That a Norwegian pirate-vessel had arrived at Korsöer, and landed
+rovers, whilst he thought the seas secure, and was diverting himself
+with the chase, provoked him highly; but this recent mission, with
+which the king had entrusted him, gave him something else to think of.
+In a few minutes he had reached the castle; and, when his guests
+arrived, they found the horses already saddled in the court-yard. They
+allowed themselves no time to inspect the famous castle, from which the
+place derived its name, or even to refresh themselves. The chief,
+having entrusted the care of the castle to his brother John, dispatched
+a troop of huntsmen into the wood in search of the rievers; and then,
+along with his guests, mounted his horse, without changing his green
+doublet. He ordered four jagers to follow them at a short distance, and
+started from Tornborg at a gallop, in the direction of Slagelse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The road between Korsöer and Slagelse, in the western part of Zealand,
+is crossed, at Vaarby, by a rivulet, running between tolerably high
+banks, and was, anciently, broad and deep enough to be navigable for
+small vessels. Between Vaarby Banks the road gradually became narrower,
+and a wooden bridge led across the river where it was deepest. This
+bridge was not wider than what would allow a wain to drive over: it
+rested upon upright beams, taller than a ship's mast, and, as was
+usual, was unprovided with rails at the side. The river at this spot
+was very deep, though it did not rise nearly so high as it did when the
+bridge was built; from which it has been inferred that, from the bridge
+to the surface of the stream, there was a depth of more than six
+fathoms. Several large, almost rocklike stones, rose above the water on
+both sides, the remains, apparently, of a stone bridge, which had been
+swept away by the violence of the current: a proof that the river had
+formerly swollen into a mighty torrent. The steep banks were overgrown
+with brushwood, which almost concealed them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here, Niels Breakpeace's twelve daring robbers, with nine well-armed
+Norse freebooters from the pirate-vessel, together with the stolen
+horses, were concealed in a thicket. In order to deceive the huntsmen
+and coast-guards who had pursued them, a smaller number of the Norse
+pirates had fled, with much noise and clamour, in an opposite
+direction, and had gained their ship before their pursuers could come
+up with them; when they immediately hoisted sail, and bore away to the
+south, under Egholm and Aggersoe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the thicket near Vaarby Bridge, the shaggy-bearded fellows,
+stretched on the grass, held a short council, at the same time making
+good cheer from one of the huntsmen's wallets. A tall young man, with a
+knight's feathered hat over his handsome brown locks, but otherwise
+dressed as a seaman, in coarse pitched wadmel, alone stood up among
+them, and appeared to be their leader. He had an expression of daring
+in his features, which yet presented a fine noble outline, and a pair
+of dark eyes flashed audaciously from under his bushy eyebrows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is no time now for stretching and lounging,&quot; said he, in an
+imperious, commanding tone. &quot;Give heed, fellows! To-day, I am both
+count of Tönsberg and Niels Breakpeace; and he who dares to disobey me,
+I shall cut down on the spot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fellows seemed to understand this discourse, without being at all
+intimidated. They appeared to expect such a speech; and only half
+rising from their recumbent position, regarded him with silence and
+attention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Over this bridge,&quot; he continued, &quot;not a living soul from Korsöer
+crosses to-day, were he even king of Denmark. Whoever sets foot upon
+the bridge is our prisoner. If he resists, we cut him down, or pitch
+him into the river, without more ado. I remain at this side, with my
+Norwegian bears; you, Morten Longknife, with your own men, shall guard
+the other end. If you budge a foot when it comes to the pinch, it costs
+you your neck. To Korsöer may travel who will; but not a cat to
+Slagelse. Do you understand?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A tall, red-bearded fellow, with a knife an ell long in his belt, had
+sprung up, with ten others, sturdy and dirty-looking enough. &quot;That is
+easy to be understood, stern knight,&quot; said he, in the dialect of a
+Jutland peasant, and nodding his head. &quot;You and the northmen break
+backs to-day, and we Jutes cleave brainpans. For that I can be depended
+upon: it is a token that you know us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are to lie quiet in yonder thicket until I whistle, when you shall
+spring up, and close the bridge in three ranks. As soon as I call out,
+'Hack away!' cleave to the foot whoever comes. Now, off to your post!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Morten Longknife nodded assent. With his ten men, he went immediately
+over the bridge, and disappeared in the thicket on the opposite bank of
+the river.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, in the meantime, rode between Sir Thorstenson and Bent
+Rimaardson, at a brisk trot, along the road towards Vemmelöv and
+Vaarby. They were silent, and seemed to be considering the most prudent
+way of accomplishing their difficult undertaking.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Squire Skirmen followed upon a lean hunter, and sorely grieved for the
+loss of his norback. But he soon got into a lively conversation with
+Sir Rimaardson's four huntsmen. They related to him many of their
+master's daring exploits, when he allowed freebooters to land, that he
+might catch and hang them. In return, Skirmen told them of his master's
+feats in the Sleswick war, and at tilts and jousts, and gave them a
+description of the magnificent tournament at Helsingborg, which he had
+himself seen. Thereupon, he struck up a lively tourney song, and jigged
+on his saddle as he sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;There shines upon the fourth shield</p>
+<p class="t1">An eagle, and he is red;</p>
+<p class="t0">And it is borne by Holger Danske;</p>
+<p class="t1">Who killed the giant dead.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My master bears an eagle on his seal,&quot; he added. &quot;Were I in his place,
+I would set the eagle in the shield, instead of the red bend. Do you
+know what I shall have on my shield, when once I am a knight? It shall
+be Folker Fiddler's mark. But there must be more than that: of my
+shield it will be hereafter sung:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;There stands a maiden in the shield,</p>
+<p class="t1">And a sword, and fiddle, and bow;</p>
+<p class="t0">And it is borne by bold Skirmen,</p>
+<p class="t1">Who will sing, not sleep, I trow.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">While the young squire thus gave expression to his pleasing
+expectations, they had passed Vemmelöv, and were approaching Vaarby
+Bridge. The neighing, as of a foal, was presently heard from the copse
+by the river-side, and Skirmen exclaimed, with surprise--&quot;My little
+norback!&quot; In a moment he was by his master's side, and communicated to
+him his discovery.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter stopped his horse. All was still. &quot;If my squire has
+heard aright,&quot; said the drost, &quot;we shall, without doubt, meet our
+horse-stealers here. They have probably riders with them, who will
+oppose our progress. If they have ascertained who we are, and the
+errand on which we ride, it was not imprudent of them to occupy this
+important post.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Both knights paused, and regarded the long, narrow bridge with an air
+of thoughtfulness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With twelve men, I could defend the bridge against a whole army,&quot; said
+Sir Rimaardson. &quot;We have two choices: either we must proceed at a
+gallop, and endeavour to cut our way through; or we must ride hastily
+down, and see if our horses can swim across. To ride back, and delay
+ourselves by bringing aid, I will not propose to such valiant
+gentlemen. Besides, at this moment, I have not a single able horseman
+at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us cut our way through at a gallop,&quot; said Sir Thorstenson. &quot;But
+there is not a soul to be seen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If Skirmen is right, we shall soon see more than we may care for,&quot;
+replied Drost Peter. &quot;Swim your horses well, Sir Rimaardson?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The two that you and your squire ride I will answer for, if it be not
+too muddy,&quot; replied the knight; &quot;mine and Sir Thorstenson's are too
+heavy: they will stick fast where there is the least mud.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is no choice, then,&quot; said Drost Peter: &quot;we must onwards, and, in
+God's name, may cut our way through. Follow close after us, huntsmen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Off!&quot; cried Thorstenson, already spurring his horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Stay a moment!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter: &quot;whether we may get over the
+bridge alive, is uncertain; but our warrant must be secured. My bold
+squire's dexterity I can depend upon; and it will not be difficult for
+him to swim over, whilst we give the robbers something more to do than
+to think of stopping him. If you agree with me, good sirs, we shall
+entrust him with the king's letter and warrant: if we receive any
+hindrance, he takes it to the governor of Haraldsborg, or destroys the
+letter if he cannot escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are cautious, noble knight,&quot; said Sir Rimaardson; &quot;but I grant you
+are right: we must be provided against every accident.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed Thorstenson. &quot;If we must make our wills, let it be
+done speedily. My fingers itch to get at the hounds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There, my trusty Skirmen,&quot; said Drost Peter, giving to his squire the
+carefully wrapt-up letter. &quot;You perfectly understand us? This concerns
+the security of the crown and royal house. If I demand not this letter
+from you on the other side of the bridge, account to me for it beyond
+the greatest bridge.&quot; He pointed gravely towards the heavens, and was
+silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The blood mounted into the brave squire's cheeks. &quot;I must flee, then,
+like a frightened wild goose, and not fight my way, gaily, by your
+side? It is a hard command, sir drost; but you will it so, and I obey.
+God be with you! We shall certainly meet beyond <i>that</i> bridge.&quot; Again
+came a neighing from the thicket. &quot;My norback!&quot; cried Skirmen,
+joyfully; and, spurring his horse, he rode hastily down a little
+by-path that led into the thicket near the river.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant the three knights started, at a rapid gallop, and
+with drawn swords, towards the bridge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;One at a time, or we shall throw one another into the river,&quot; cried
+Thorstenson, taking the lead.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They had almost reached the bridge, and not a soul was to be seen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A false alarm!&quot; cried Thorstenson: &quot;there is no one here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On, on!&quot; shouted Drost Peter, riding past him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was not my meaning,&quot; grumbled Thorstenson; angrily, endeavouring
+to regain the lead.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the first horse-shoe already clattered upon the narrow bridge, and
+Sir Thorstenson was obliged to rein in his steed, lest he should plunge
+his friend into the river. To their surprise, no one opposed them: the
+seventh horse had already his forelegs on the bridge; and Drost Peter,
+having arrived within a few paces of the opposite bank, began to think
+their suspicions were groundless, when the shrill blast of a whistle
+was heard in the rear. A gleam came suddenly from the thicket, and a
+threefold impenetrable wall of gigantic, bearded men, with uplifted
+halberds, stood at the end of the bridge, and barred the passage. At
+the same instant, a similar barrier of Norwegian pirates was formed
+behind them, and a powerful voice shouted--&quot;Hold! or you are dead men!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter's horse reared before the bright halberds, and was nearly
+falling backwards into the river.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On, on!&quot; cried Thorstenson, getting to his left side, and seizing the
+rearing horse by the bridle: the animal plunged to the very brink of
+the bridge, and appeared in imminent danger of falling into the gulph.
+&quot;On, on!&quot; still shouted Thorstenson; but both he and Drost Peter vainly
+sought to urge on their shy and strange steeds. This sudden stoppage
+brought all the horses in the rear close together, and in the greatest
+disorder, so that none of them could now stir without the certainty of
+forcing another over the bridge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Lay down your arms!&quot; shouted the voice behind them, &quot;or we pitch you
+over, one and all!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Presently, Drost Peter's sword rang among the halberds, and Morten
+Longknife fell, as his long blade whistled past Drost Peter's ear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Throw them over, the dogs! hack away!&quot; cried the young robber chief,
+behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With a wild shout, they commenced a furious onslaught from both sides
+at once. Drost Peter and Thorstenson fought a dubious fight on the
+brink of the bridge, in which their plunging horses were severely
+wounded in the chest by the long halberds. A frightful battle raged
+behind: the pirates pressed on, and the four huntsmen in the rear were
+hurled, with their backs broken, together with their horses, into the
+deep.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rimaardson could now, for the first time, stir; and he dexterously
+turned his horse about, to avoid the same fate as his unhappy jagers.
+He was on the point of rushing upon the wild, shouting freebooters,
+when his eye fell on the young robber chief, who wore the knight's hat.
+The sword fell from his hand, and both grew pale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold, fellows! give place for them!&quot; cried the leader of the pirates:
+&quot;in Satan's name, let them ride on!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an instant, not a single rover was to be seen on the bridge. Drost
+Peter and Sir Thorstenson were relieved as by a miracle, and rode
+hastily over the suddenly vacated bridge. Sir Rimaardson followed them
+silently, and as pale as a ghost. They rode up the height above the
+thicket, and there drew up their tired and bleeding horses. Presently
+they saw the ten rovers take flight, with their dead comrade's body,
+and disappear in the thicket at the opposite end of the bridge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How was this?&quot; asked Drost Peter: &quot;did the angel of death fight on our
+side, and strike the murderers with terror? Are you also safe, Sir
+Rimaardson?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Safe?&quot; he repeated, gloomily: &quot;yes, in Satan's name, I am safe. Better
+for me that I were lying, crushed and mangled, with my huntsmen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What has happened to you? Are you wounded?&quot; inquired Thorstenson.
+&quot;There is not a drop of blood in your cheek, and you are not the man to
+grow pale in danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have received no wound in my body,&quot; replied the knight; &quot;but a
+two-edged sword has entered my soul. The unhappy robber chief, with the
+knight's hat, was my outlawed brother, Lavé. God be gracious to his
+sinful soul! If he fall into the hands of my coast-guards, I myself
+must doom him to the rack and wheel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Both the knights were amazed; and, whilst they could now comprehend the
+reason of their wonderful deliverance, they also felt, with horror,
+their fellow-traveller's bitterness of soul.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Think no more of it, brave Sir Bent,&quot; said Thorstenson, at length,
+consolingly. &quot;In these mad times, a young hot-head may easily go
+astray. If he was leader of these fellows, he deserves to stand at the
+head of an army of warriors. The ambush was craftily and boldly
+planned, if he knew us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If it was the sight of your loyal countenance that struck him with
+repentance and dread, noble knight,&quot; said Drost Peter, &quot;there is still
+hope of his salvation. Our gracious queen's kinsman cannot be so deeply
+fallen but that, with God and the Holy Virgin's aid, he can rise again,
+if time be granted him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rimaardson shook his head, and was silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Welcome, welcome to this side of the bridge, noble sirs,&quot; cried a
+cheerful, lively voice; and Squire Skirmen came along, waving his cap
+with joy. He was mounted on his little norback, and leading the horses
+of Drost Peter and Sir Thorstenson. In an instant he was on the height
+along with them. He dismounted, and returned his master the packet
+confided to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here is the king's letter, sir,&quot; he said, joyously: &quot;not a drop of
+water has touched it, though there is not a dry thread on my body.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My old dapplegray!&quot; exclaimed Thorstenson, springing from his wounded
+horse, which he set at liberty. The tall, gray steed appeared delighted
+again to see his master, who patted and caressed him like a restored
+friend, as he swung himself gladly into his own saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, having again taken possession of the king's warrant,
+extolled his trusty squire for his dexterity and management. He, too,
+had descended from his strange horse, which bled profusely, and could
+scarcely bear him any longer. He first examined the animal's wounds,
+and bound his scarf about its chest; then, turning him over to the care
+of his squire, he patted his own favourite brown steed, which pawed the
+ground impatiently. &quot;It was skilfully done,&quot; he said to Skirmen, as he
+sprang into his saddle. &quot;How did you get hold of the horses?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;While you were all fighting, I did not wish to be idle,&quot; replied
+Skirmen. &quot;I soon found my little norback: he nearly pawed me to death
+with joy, the dear fellow! The other two horses were also grazing by
+the river. Giving a smack to the hack I rode, I let him gallop home;
+and, had it not been for my little norback, I should have been sitting
+in the mud.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art a devil's imp!&quot; said Thorstenson; &quot;and, if it were not that
+thou art so stunted, there might be made a doughty wight of thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You, too, were stunted once on a time,&quot; replied Skirmen, offended;
+&quot;else Satan was the mother of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were now all mounted, and Thorstenson was already several paces in
+advance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But my poor huntsmen!&quot; exclaimed Sir Rimaardson, pausing: &quot;might any
+of them yet be saved?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I saw them hurled over,&quot; replied Skirmen: &quot;it was a shocking sight. I
+was already over the river, but I rode in again to save them. The black
+steed was nimble, and swam ashore; but the three Wallachians are in the
+mud.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But the men--the unfortunate huntsmen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas! that was the most lamentable part of the affair,&quot; replied
+Skirmen, with a light sigh: &quot;they had neither life nor a whole limb. I
+had them drawn to land, and said, hastily, three paters and an ave for
+their souls. Their corpses an old female peasant promised me to care
+for.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Brother, brother! this blood is upon thee!&quot; sighed Rimaardson, with a
+choking voice, and giving his horse the spur.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They shortly overtook Sir Thorstenson, and pursued their journey in
+silence, and in earnest thought.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">It was towards evening of the following day. In Flynderborg, which lay
+near Orekrog or Elsineur, and almost in the same spot as the present
+Cronberg, sat, in a large arched apartment, an elderly man in a brown
+house-suit. There was a chess-board before him, and, opposite, was a
+young and beautiful girl. It was Sir Lavé Little, and his daughter
+Ingé. She wore the then customary in-door black dress of ladies, with
+her rich, golden tresses bound with a fillet of pearls, worked in the
+form of lilies.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After his conversation with Drost Peter in the guard-chamber, and his
+short dispute with Chamberlain Rané, the anxious and wavering Sir Lavé
+had not had an hour's rest. In the face of his stern kinsman, old Sir
+John, he fancied he read that he was suspected of a private
+understanding with the rebellious noblemen. His conscience did not
+acquit him; and no sooner had he been relieved by Sir John from his
+post in the guard-room, at an unusual hour, than he hurried away from
+Nyborgand the Dane-court, that he might not be farther enticed into the
+dangerous projects there on foot. He was the royal governor of
+Flynderborg Castle, which, with huge wall-slings on its ramparts,
+protected the entrance of the Sound, and received the ancient Sound
+dues, as has since been more effectually done by the far more
+distinguished Cronberg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé Little certainly had not been guilty of any act that could
+have been brought against him as evidence of treason; but he had been
+at the recent Möllerup meeting with Stig Andersen, and had there, for
+his friend and kinsman's sake, declared himself against the king with
+more decision than formerly. That this meeting and its transactions had
+been discovered, he knew; and he now feared, with reason, that he would
+be called to account for expressions he could not deny, or even be
+deprived, without legal trial, of his important post as commandant of
+this castle. This secret anxiety pained him the more, that he was
+obliged to confine it to his own breast. He held no familiar
+intercourse with any soul in the castle. He lived there as a widower,
+with his daughter, whom he regarded as still in some degree a child,
+and feared to entrust her too freely with his affairs.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This, his only child, he loved exceedingly, albeit she little agreed
+with him on many important public questions, in which she appeared to
+take more interest than might have been expected in a girl of her age.
+She was scarcely fifteen, but of a tall, erect growth; and already
+expressed her will so decidedly, as often to astonish her wavering,
+hesitating father. She was a granddaughter of the recently deceased,
+powerful Sir Absalom Andersen, who traced his lineage from Asker Bag
+and Skjalm Hvide, and who, in his testament, had duly remembered Sir
+Lavé Little and his daughter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Proud Ingé, as the froward damsel was already called by the people of
+the castle, exceedingly resembled her high-souled deceased mother, and
+had not only inherited the genuine Danish exterior of her mother and
+the whole Absalom family, but also their ancient patriotic spirit, true
+love of country, and attachment to the legitimate reigning family, in
+inseparable conjunction. When she heard of the perils that threatened
+the crown and kingdom, her dark blue eyes flashed, and she wished that
+she could only, like her noble kinsmen, John Little, or David
+Thorstenson, or Drost Peter Hessel, watch over the safety of the throne
+and country with manly vigilance and vigour. Drost Peter's name she
+seldom mentioned, and; as it always seemed, with somewhat of dislike.
+That she had, from her childhood, been destined as his future wife, was
+to her an insufferable thought, and aroused her sense of freedom and
+womanly dignity to the bitterest degree. She could only faintly
+remember the drost as a handsome, kindly youth, whom she had played
+with when a child. At that time she appeared to have had some fondness
+for him; but, from the moment that she became aware that she was
+destined for his wife, his remembrance had become loathsome to her. It
+was as if an unseen power had made him her hereditary enemy, and he was
+the only man of whom she was disposed to think ill, without sufficient
+reasons. She could not, however, conceal the interest she felt in the
+many good deeds and excellent qualities she had lately heard ascribed
+to the active young drost, whose important services to the crown tended
+still further to elevate him in her estimation. Sometimes, indeed, she
+would even forget their hated relationship, and break forth into
+involuntary expressions of admiration. But the reports that, during the
+last year, had been circulated to the drost's prejudice, had also come
+to her ears. That he was much indebted to his comeliness and talents
+for his rapid promotion, was a general opinion among the people, even
+where they expressed themselves with the most delicacy and reserve; and
+the supposed taint on Drost Peter's honour, which envy was only all too
+zealous to exaggerate, converted Ingé's esteem for her preordained
+bridegroom into contempt, almost amounting to abhorrence. She had
+often, from that instant, begged her father rather to bury her in a
+convent for life, than wed her to a men who, with all his merit, she
+could never love and respect.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Until recently, the father had given only vague replies to these
+petitions, and begged her at least to suspend her judgment until she
+had seen him, and renewed her half-forgotten acquaintanceship. The
+drost, he told her, was a distinguished man, a true favourite of
+fortune, and that, except in case of absolute necessity, a promise made
+to a deceased friend should be held sacred. Moreover, its fulfilment
+had reference to the fortunes and future fate of two illustrious
+families, through their prosperity and influence. But, during the last
+half year, the father had frequently expressed himself dissatisfied
+with Drost Peter, and with his zealous efforts to exalt the misused
+power of the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On these points, however, proud Ingé warmly defended his conduct, and
+also extolled him as a brave friend to his sovereign and country; yet
+her joy was great when her father, on his return from the Dane-court,
+declared her entirely free from every engagement with respect to Drost
+Peter Hessel. He had given her his assurance that she should never be
+required to wed this zealous royalist, whom every open-minded Dane had
+the greatest reason to shun, though a certain degree of respect could
+not be denied him for his sagacity and bold uprightness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Never had proud Ingé felt herself so glad and lighthearted as on that
+day; and she now seized every opportunity to evince her gratitude to
+her father for a promise that first gave her a full consciousness of
+her womanly dignity, and of being the free, highborn daughter of a
+knight. When needful, she played draughts and chess with him, and
+induced him to drive away his anxiety and discontent with a recreation
+to which he was exceedingly attached. She was careful, however, to
+conceal from him the slight interest with which she removed the taken
+pieces, whilst her thoughts flew over the whole free and glorious world
+she now saw opened up to her, and she joyfully recalled to her
+imagination a long line of famous ancestors, amongst whom the noblest
+women of Denmark had, from her earliest childhood stood before her eyes
+as glorious images of light.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Father and daughter were still sitting silently at the game of chess,
+and the Lady Ingé perceived that her abstracted parent heeded not his
+moves, and often lost his pieces. He seemed as if in a dream.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But tell me, then, dear father,&quot; she said at length, breaking the long
+silence, &quot;do you think it possible, as it was asserted when you were
+away, that King Waldemar's grandson, the foolhardy Duke Waldemar,
+really aspires to the crown, after the king's death?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence, child! Do not speak thus! It may cost us our lives,&quot; replied
+the father, anxiously, and looking round him. &quot;It is mere silly talk.
+But those who bring such reports into circulation ought never more to
+see the light. Do not listen to such conversation, my dear, good Ingé,
+and give no heed to things you cannot understand. Discreet young
+damsels should not busy themselves with state affairs, but attend to
+their looms and household matters: I have often told you so. I rebuke
+you needfully, my good child; for your discourse frequently makes me
+anxious and uneasy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But when it concerns the country and kingdom, my father, we young
+damsels are as much Danes as the young knights and swains; and it is
+not the first time that Danish women have been obliged to think on
+affairs of equal importance. Had the Lady Ingé, and the proud
+Ingefried, not dared to think on something more than their looms and
+kitchens, they had not bored Swain Grathé's fleet, and sank it to the
+bottom; and then, perhaps, the great Waldemar had not been King of
+Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where get you these stories, my dearest child? Whom have you heard
+repeat these silly old tales that you have always at the tip of your
+tongue? You have never heard them from me--that I know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, my mother related them to me when I was very young; and she, also,
+it was who taught me so many of our pretty old ballads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ballads! There we have it! All ballads and chronicles lie, my child.
+They are but fables and superstitions, which people invent who have
+nothing to do but to please fools and children. When do you hear me
+relate stories or sing ballads? People who have serious matters in
+their heads, have other things to think about than such silly trifles.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truly, father, never have I heard you sing ballads or tell tales; but
+my mother loved the old songs much, and delighted to sing them, and to
+recite the pretty tales. If there were no true ballads, and if our wild
+young maidens did not sing about our old kings and heroes, and our true
+noble women, no great man or woman would be remembered longer than a
+lifetime. Then it were not worth living in the world, when the most
+glorious events that happen among us were mere passing show. What
+avails it that we are rich and powerful, if we perform nothing that
+deserves to be remembered when we are dead? and what to posterity would
+be the lives of the greatest of mankind, if people had not a pleasure
+in preserving their names and their exploits in songs and chronicles?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, child, dearest child! this is only enthusiasm and superstition.
+Whatever is worth being preserved is remembered well enough without
+writing chronicles and singing songs about it; and in our times, people
+should have something better to think of than such trifles and old
+stories. Yet sing, in God's name, as much as you please, about old
+kings and warriors: it will do no greater harm than it has done; only,
+leave alone what happens in our own times. There is nothing in these
+worth singing or talking about. 'No one is happy until he is laid in
+his grave,' said a wise man; and it is a true saying. In these
+unsettled times, my child, one cannot be too cautious: a thoughtless
+word may do greater mischief than you dream of. Look out once more, and
+see, by the banner, how the wind lies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ingé rose, and looked, from the little round window, into the
+court-yard of the castle, where, over the arched gateway, waved a lofty
+banner, adorned with the two royal lions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The wind is gone towards the east,&quot; said Ingé, carelessly, again
+sitting down; &quot;you expect some one from Scania, to-night, perhaps?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not exactly so,&quot; answered the knight, rising. &quot;An easterly
+wind--hem!--and it was north-westerly only an hour ago. With this wind
+no one can cross the Sound to-night. I must go and speak with the
+ferrymen. I expect some strange gentlemen, child--people of
+distinction, and my good friends. Should they arrive in my absence,
+receive them in a friendly manner, and set before them the best there
+is in the house. Entertain them as I know thou canst; but ask them
+neither their names, nor whither they journey: that would not beseem
+thee. Above all things, say not a word on state affairs, or of what
+thou thinkest or dost not think on such matters. This is something that
+thou must not have an opinion about. Now, now! redden not thus, my
+child! Thou canst not surely be angry with thy father? Understand me
+rightly. Thou mayest, in God's name, think what thou wilt--that nobody
+can forbid thee: but these are not the times to say aloud what thou
+dost think; and thou art never cautious, little Ingé: thou often
+talkest, loudly and boldly, things that I dare scarcely repeat to
+myself in my closet. Forget not, therefore, what I have been saying. I
+shall ride, perhaps, to meet the strangers, and be back again in an
+hour. If they come by another road than I expect, and arrive here
+before me, see to their wants, like a good housekeeper. The porter and
+steward know discretion; and, to-night, the castle stands open for
+every traveller, without any one being required to announce himself.
+Thou art not afraid to be alone, my child? Thou hast thy waiting-maids
+at hand, and the castle is full of servants.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Afraid?&quot; repeated proud Ingé, colouring still more deeply; &quot;nay,
+father, of what should I be afraid? Thy friends cannot be thy
+daughter's foes. But thou art so strange, my father--so mysterious--and
+not glad, and at ease. Art thou unwell?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, my child; but I have some unpleasant matters to think about, which
+thou canst not understand. But take no heed of this. Do not sit here
+alone, in the twilight. Get a light, and let thy maidens come in, and
+sing ballads with thee. Thou mayest sing ballads, my child: it is
+suiting to thine years. What I said about ballads I did not mean to
+refer to thee. Only, be cheerful now, and be not uneasy on my account.
+Nothing shall happen.&quot; With these words, he patted her kindly on the
+cheek, and departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It began to grow dark. Her father's mysterious inquietude and
+ill-disguised anxiety had made a singular impression on the young girl,
+who otherwise had never known fear; and, as she now sat alone, in the
+great gloomy hall, various alarming thoughts took possession of her
+mind. She had heard many, in part unfounded, rumours of pirates and
+robbers: these she cared little about. But that the land was full of
+secret traitors, who threatened the destruction of the king, and all
+his more trusty and attached friends, was a general, and, to the Lady
+Ingé, a far more distressing rumour. This important fortress had
+usually been kept strongly barred against every stranger who did not,
+in the first place, give his name and errand with much preciseness. Why
+an exception was to be made this evening, she could not comprehend; and
+why her father had been induced to leave the castle at a time when he
+expected important and distinguished guests, was equally inconceivable.
+From his uneasy attention to the direction of the wind, and his
+disappointment when he found it easterly, as well as from his
+command not to ask the strangers their names, or whither they were
+journeying, she supposed that he might be expecting some friends, who
+were eluding pursuit, and intended passing over to Sweden that night.
+Notwithstanding her father's reserve and cautiousness, she had observed
+that he took a zealous part in the quarrel Stig Andersen and his
+kinsmen were fomenting against the king. She was, however, only
+imperfectly acquainted with the reasons for this quarrel. That the king
+had outraged Stig Andersen's wife, and had been denounced by the
+powerful marsk, she had heard; but of the particular circumstances she
+knew nothing. According to her notions of a king, and the idea she had
+formed in her childhood, from her mother's descriptions of the great
+Waldemars, she entertained such a deep reverence for the name of
+royalty, that she could not conceive how a subject should be offended
+with his king, or that he should, in anywise, have a right to oppose
+himself to his sovereign. That her father should be induced, either
+from friendship, or on account of family ties, to forget his allegiance
+to the king, was a thought she dreaded to dwell distinctly upon; but
+now she secretly began to fear such a disaster, which, of all others,
+she considered the greatest; and, for the first time in her life, she
+felt herself in a state of anxiety. She looked round the gloomy
+apartment, and fancied she beheld a lurking regicide, with a gleaming
+dagger, in every corner. She hastily arose to call for lights; but
+scarcely had she risen, before the door was gently opened, and a rough,
+heavy male figure, closely wrapt in a coarse wadmel cloak, slipped
+cautiously and stealthily across the threshold. The last faint traces
+of expiring day revealed to her glance a wild, shaggy, filthy
+countenance, more like that of a savage animal than of a human being.
+She stepped back, and was on the point of uttering a cry of alarm; but,
+blushing at her fears, she controlled herself, and recalled to mind her
+father's instructions, that she should receive all his guests with a
+dignity becoming the mistress of the house.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Welcome, stranger,&quot; she said, as boldly as she could, though her voice
+trembled, as she advanced a step or two. &quot;My father will be here
+immediately,&quot; she added; &quot;allow me to procure a light.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, no light, fair maiden. Are you alone, here, in the castle?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This question, in a deep, gruff voice, which struck her with its
+subdued and mysterious tone, increased her alarm; and the tall, clumsy,
+gigantic form advanced a few steps farther into the hall. She stepped
+hastily back, and laid her hand on the latch of the kitchen-door, but
+again took courage, and remained.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alone?&quot; she repeated. &quot;Nay: I am, it is true, a knight's daughter, but
+I do not take upon myself to defend a royal fortress alone. If you wish
+to see the garrison of the castle, you may do so in one moment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let me not frighten you away, fair madden,&quot; said the stranger,
+stepping back; &quot;I have just come off the sea, and am not in train to
+appear before fine women-folks. I am only an humble groom, sent hither
+an my master's errand, to inquire whether Sir Lavé Little can shelter
+his friends to-night; and whether a couple of royal hounds have not
+arrived here this evening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My father's friends are welcome,&quot; replied the knight's daughter: &quot;he
+has gone out to meet them, and will be here forthwith. Of the hounds I
+have heard nothing. If you are the strange gentleman's servant, you
+shall immediately be provided for in the servants' hall.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She was about to lift the latch of the kitchen-door; but the stranger
+raised his hand, almost menacingly. &quot;Stay! No light. I go immediately,&quot;
+he muttered. &quot;There are no strange guests here, then--no travellers
+from Nyborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not that I am aware of,&quot; replied Ingé; &quot;but the castle is large, and,
+although many royal soldiers be here, there is still room enough for
+guests who are true to their king and country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good. I shall bear my master this answer; and, if he is satisfied with
+it, you shall soon see us. Farewell fair maiden. Although you do not
+seem to wish that I should approach near you, I dare, nevertheless,
+take my oath that you are as handsome as brave. You need not make an
+alarm on my account, nor call the garrison together. I come here as a
+good friend: my master's good friends are also thine.&quot; With these
+words, be hastily departed through the door by which he had entered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To prevent his re-entrance before there were lights and other persons
+present, Lady Ingé first proceeded to lock the door after him. Then
+calling her handmaids, she caused them to light all the wax-lights,
+which were placed before bright shields, on the whitened walls of the
+large hall. In the round side apartment, she ordered a table to be
+spread for the mysterious guests who had been invited; and went,
+herself, through the kitchen, to the castle-wards, to see that the
+men-servants were present. She found them all, twelve in number, seated
+at the supper-table, and returned to the kitchen without betraying her
+anxiety. As soon as she had given the cooks and pantry-maids the
+necessary orders, she retraced her steps, with evident composure, to
+the lighted-up hall, withdrew the bolts from the front door, according
+to the hospitable usage of the house, and desired two only of her
+handmaidens to remain with her. They sat down, as usual, to their
+sewing-table, and drew forth the various articles of feminine
+handicraft they were busied upon. One of the maidens was a young,
+lively girl, always full of news, and having much to tell. She looked
+surprised at the numerous lights, and the sumptuous preparations, and
+asked, inquisitively, who were the guests expected so late, and with
+such unusual state.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not,&quot; answered Ingé, in an indifferent tone. &quot;But tell us
+something new, little Elsie,&quot; she added, hastily, and seemingly to
+amuse herself. &quot;Have you heard anything lately concerning your
+sweetheart? Does he come over to take you away this summer?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It will be some time to that yet, lady,&quot; replied Elsie, and
+immediately broke off into her favourite topic. &quot;He cares more about
+his valiant master, at Möllerup, than about me, or all the girls in the
+world. Since he has been with the marsk, in the Swedish war, he has
+become somewhat proud; but I don't blame him for that: he can still say
+he has helped to pull a king off his throne. You open your eyes, lady;
+but it is, nevertheless, true and certain. Was not the Swedish king
+dethroned? and by our valiant Marsk Andersen and his brave people? Mat
+Jute is the marsk's right hand: he is almost as tall as his master, and
+a daring fellow, you may trow. Shame fall it! were he not a poor
+peasant's son, he would one day be a knight. But if he does not soon
+let me hear from him,&quot; she continued, tossing back her head, &quot;I shall
+be no leaning-stick, indeed. If he no longer cares for little Elsie, I
+shall bid him good-day, and look out for another. There are as brave
+and handsome fellows in Zealand, and I am not exactly going to fall
+sick for a Juttish landsknecht.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You do not resemble your faithful namesake in the ballad,&quot; said Lady
+Ingé--&quot;she who fretted herself to death for Sir Aagé.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It must certainly have been a long time since that happened, you well
+may trow, my high-born lady. At present the world is wiser, and girls
+are not so simple. Were they to fret themselves to death, now-a-days,
+on account of young men's inconstancy, there would soon not be a living
+maiden in the country. Nay, nay,&quot; she continued, humming over a song:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;As, who that trusts the rotten bough,<br>
+So, she who trusts a young man's vow.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;As, who would grasp the eel, must fail,<br>
+So, she who trusts a young man's tale.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This song is new,&quot; said Lady Ingé; &quot;it is not so said in the old one:
+there the faithful lovers are borne to the grave together.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Much good might it do them!&quot; exclaimed the maiden. &quot;I cannot yet say
+that I should be pleased, if Mat Jute were to die: a dead bridegroom
+would never become a living one, were one to go ten times to the grave
+with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There must have been more fidelity in the olden times,&quot; said Ingé,
+seriously. &quot;It was better also for king and country. They must have
+been happy people who then lived in Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What happiness there was in dying of grief, noble lady, I cannot well
+conceive; and what does it signify to the king and country, that there
+is no constancy in a love-smit soldier?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can tell you, little Elsie, that when there is no constancy in a
+soldier in this respect, there is little in any other; and so he cannot
+be depended upon when he is called on to defend the throne and the
+realm. He who can forget and forsake his sweetheart, can still more
+easily forget and forsake his master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By my troth, so does not Mat Jute,&quot; replied Elsie. &quot;He would rather
+slay every man alive, than permit any one to say a bad word concerning
+his master. He once lifted his knife against me, on that very score,
+though he vowed he loved me as the apple of his eye. He would not be
+afraid to make a thrust at the king himself, if a regular war should
+break out between him and the marsk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you mad, girl?&quot; exclaimed Lady Ingé, in astonishment. &quot;The marsk
+is the king's subject. If he should wage war against the king, he would
+be a traitor and shameless rebel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not understand that,&quot; said Elsie; &quot;but this I know well, that if
+the marsk could not have his wife secure against our king, when he was
+waging war for him like a brave man, it is not so unreasonable, that,
+as a brave man, he should feel angry, and do the best he can to right
+himself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is certainly a false and shameful rumour. A genuine Skiolding<a name="div2Ref_17" href="#div2_17"><sup>[17]</sup></a>
+can never disgrace his high lineage.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is all the same to me,&quot; answered the maiden; &quot;but I should be quite
+as well satisfied if Mat Jute would only keep himself aloof from the
+great and their quarrels. The small suffer at last, and he may one day
+meet with some great mishap. I well remember how the ballad goes:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The knight, and eke his swain,<br>
+They rode from the Ting together:<br>
+The knight they let go free--<br>
+The swain they hanged in a tether.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us rather sing one of the good old ballads, little Elsie,&quot; said
+Lady Ingé, interrupting the light-minded maiden; &quot;and lay rightly to
+heart what you are singing, and so perhaps you may one day come to
+recollect that you are a Danish girl.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can well bear that in mind,&quot; replied Elsie: &quot;I can never understand
+a word of German, and have trouble enough with the Jutlandish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But a Danish girl is true to her lover, and a Danish man deserts not
+king or country. Do you remember the ballad of King Didrik? Let us sing
+that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé began, and her two handmaidens accompanied her:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The king he rules the castle,<br>
+And else he rules the land,<br>
+And he rules many a warrior bold,<br>
+With drawn sword in his hand:</.>
+<p class="t2">For the king he rules the castle.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">While they were singing, the door was opened; but Lady Ingé was
+thinking only of the old heroic ballad that her mother had sung to her
+when a child, and which always led her to fancy a king like Waldemar
+the Great, and a castle like Flynderborg, where she was sitting, the
+only castle she was acquainted with. The bold notes of the song, and
+the remembrances of her childhood which it awakened within her, always
+put her in a gay and happy frame of mind; and she felt herself secure
+in the castle, which the king ruled with his warriors bold. Upon this
+occasion, the song had the usual inspiriting effect. She had forgotten
+all that so recently disturbed her: her eyes sparkled with lively
+animation; and the maidens could only give ear to her, while she sang
+alone, in her unusually deep-toned voice, in continuation:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Let the peasant rule his house and home,<br>
+His steed, the warrior bold--<br>
+The king of Denmark ruleth<br>
+The castle, keep, and hold.</p>
+<p class="t2">For the king he rules the castle.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé and her maidens now for the first time noticed the tread of
+spurred heels on the floor. They rose in astonishment, and Lady Ingé
+with unwonted precipitation. They perceived three strangers in the
+middle of the hall. One was in the dress of a huntsman, and the two
+others were clad as citizens on a journey; nevertheless, under their
+gray cloaks they had long swords, like those worn by knights. It was
+Sir Rimaardson, with Drost Peter, and Sir Thorstenson. The mien and
+expression of the fair songstress, on their entrance, astonished them;
+and they remained standing, unwilling to interrupt her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now approached with much politeness, and saluted the knight's fair
+daughter. Although they were not dressed as knights, their bearing and
+manners instantly denoted them to be men of high station and dignity;
+and Lady Ingé supposed them the distinguished guests of whom her father
+had spoken. The first glance at their interesting and friendly
+countenances gave her confidence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are welcome, noble sirs,&quot; said she, with entire self-possession,
+and returning their salute. &quot;My father has been expecting you, and has
+ridden out to meet you. You must have come by another road than he
+anticipated. Your groom or squire has doubtless told you that there are
+no strangers here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have only this instant arrived, noble lady,&quot; began Sir Thorstenson;
+&quot;and our squire could have told us nothing regarding the state of the
+house, seeing that he has not yet penetrated farther than the stables.
+That your father has expected us, we cannot at all suppose: indeed, we
+thought we should have surprised him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To our astonishment, the gates were opened to us without any one
+inquiring our name or business,&quot; said Sir Rimaardson. &quot;This confidence
+is flattering. Your song, fair maiden, we would not dare to disturb: it
+was an assurance that, even although unknown, we should be welcome to
+you, as men true to our king and country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For none else stands this castle open,&quot; replied Ingé. &quot;Your names and
+errand no one may presume to inquire about, noble sirs. You are
+specially welcome to my father, I can assure you.&quot; So saying, she
+regarded their manly, honest countenances with satisfaction and
+confidence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had not yet said a word, but stood perplexed, and almost
+bashfully, before her, with a singular expression of surprise and
+melancholy, and with a kind of dreamy pleasure in his calm, earnest
+look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Step nearer, gentlemen,&quot; continued Lady Ingé, with a light heart, and
+completely relieved from any doubt of disloyalty in her father's
+connections, and from every uneasiness regarding the mysterious guests
+expected: &quot;you find here an open lady's room, where, truth to say, I am
+glad to see the friends of my father, who can occupy his place in his
+absence. He left me half an hour since, to return in an hour if he did
+not meet you. A fellow, who represented himself as your groom, almost
+frightened me in the dusk of the evening. The castle, at other times,
+is never so accessible. Under these circumstances, you are to me the
+more welcome. If you would please to take refreshment, gentlemen, it is
+already prepared.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knights looked at each other with astonishment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Some mistake must have occurred here, noble lady,&quot; said Sir
+Rimaardson; &quot;but, if you will permit us, we shall avail ourselves of
+it, and defer the explanation until your father arrives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Permit me a question, noble lady,&quot; said Drost Peter, appearing at
+length to wake from his sweet dream; his eyes, meanwhile, resting with
+kindly interest on the maiden's open countenance and noble form; &quot;and
+pardon me if it is amiss. Is your Christian name Ingé? and are you the
+daughter of the governor of this castle, Sir Lavé Little, and his noble
+wife, deceased, the Lady Margarethé, Absalom Andersen's youngest
+daughter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You knew my mother, noble sir,&quot; exclaimed Lady Ingé, joyfully, and, in
+her joy, forgetting his question and his singular solemnity of manner:
+&quot;but, nay, you could scarcely have known her, else you would have known
+me also; for I am said to resemble my blessed mother exceedingly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have seen your mother in my childhood,&quot; said the young drost; &quot;but
+she was then no longer young: she was, however, about your height. You
+have inherited her eyes, noble lady, and, as I can hear, her deep,
+sweet voice, and her fondness for our old heroic ballads. The one you
+have just sung, I seem to have heard in my cradle: it recalls a time
+when I had happy dreams about the days of our Waldemars, and of him who
+ruled the castle, and so many warriors bold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was no mere dream, noble knight,&quot; replied Ingé, with lively
+interest. &quot;That you and these good gentlemen are knights, I must permit
+myself at once to believe, though I am not at liberty to put the
+question. That the king, God be praised! still rules over every Danish
+land and castle, and over many bold and doughty heroes, is no dream, I
+know: this, at least, you and these good gentlemen will admit. If,
+then, you have heard heroic ballads in your cradle, noble sir,&quot; she
+added, with a look of confidence, &quot;they have certainly not been sung in
+vain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter blushed, but raised his eyes boldly, and with a look of
+frankness. &quot;If it please God and Our Lady,&quot; he said, &quot;there is no dream
+so marvellous that it cannot be fulfilled, and the good old times may
+yet return.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A page now opened the door of the dining-hall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have probably travelled far, and need refreshment,&quot; said Lady
+Ingé, remembering her duty as housekeeper, and pointing to the opened
+door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, who was accustomed to courtly manners, involuntarily
+offered his arm to the knight's daughter. She led him to the end of the
+table, in the round turret apartment, and gave the maidens a signal for
+their attendance. Sir Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson followed the young
+hostess, and Thorstenson took his place on her right hand. Two stately
+pages set forth, on the fringed table-cloth, roast game and baked
+barley-bread, while an active cupbearer took care to fill the wine-cups
+from a large silver flagon. The two handmaidens stood respectfully
+behind Lady Ingé's chair, with modest, downcast eyes, but ever and anon
+contrived to cast a look of curiosity towards the strangers; the
+handsome young drost, in particular, appearing much to attract them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The conversation soon became general. Lady Ingé carefully guarded
+herself against any expression that would appear to betray curiosity;
+but still she would not have been displeased if her guests had chosen
+voluntarily to discover who they were.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Dane-court is over, it is said,&quot; she remarked, when a fitting
+pause ensued. &quot;I regret that I have never been present at a Dane-court,
+for one does not hear or see much in this lonely fortress. You must
+have seen the king, noble sirs: I should like to know if he looks as I
+picture him to myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What kind of person do you fancy him, then, noble lady?&quot; inquired Sir
+Thorstenson. &quot;I'll be bound you think him, at least, a head taller than
+I am, and like King Didrik of Bern, or some other of those valiant
+kings you sing about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé looked at the tall knight with the long plaited beard. &quot;More
+valiant than you appear, he needs scarcely be,&quot; she answered; &quot;but such
+like I do not imagine him. At the head of a band of bold troopers, I
+should think you were in your place; but--excuse me, sir knight--you
+seem too hasty in your conduct to govern a kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson stroked his beard. &quot;In that you may be right, fair lady,&quot;
+he muttered; confirming, by his air of chagrin, the young lady's frank
+expression.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Were I to compare any of you with my idea of the king,&quot; continued Lady
+Ingé &quot;it would be this gentleman;&quot; and her calm blue eyes rested
+searchingly on Drost Peter. He started at the compliment, which a
+playful smile seemed instantly to contradict. &quot;But such a comparison
+might not astonish you, noble sir,&quot; she continued, &quot;if, instead of
+deploring the departure of the days of the great Waldemars, you had
+power to bring them back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The guests regarded with surprise the knight's young daughter, who
+jested so good-humouredly; and, at the same time, with the dignity of a
+princess, exercised over them a secret mastery, of which she did not
+appear to be aware. Drost Peter's cheeks reddened; and he felt himself
+both attracted and repelled, in a singular manner, by the bold,
+composed girl. But, at her latter words, he seemed almost to forget
+himself and his position, in a higher and more important thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The power you speak of, noble lady,&quot; he commenced, with calmness and
+earnestness, his large eyes sparkling with fire and energy--&quot;that power
+which shall recall to a people days of departed glory, you may well
+miss, where it cannot be found save by a miracle. That power has no
+knight or hero in Denmark--that power has no monarch in this world: it
+must come from above, and it is not the lot of any single man to
+possess and exercise it. If it flashes not from many thousand eyes
+united, and pours not forth from every heart in Denmark, the greatest
+king in the universe cannot raise the fallen, nor restore to the people
+the lofty spirit of our ancestors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may be right, noble sir,&quot; replied Lady Ingé, with an interest that
+gave her cheeks a deeper tinge, and her eyes an almost dazzling
+radiance; &quot;but who has told you that this spirit is fled? Our king
+himself I know not, and he is arrogantly blamed by many; but still I
+know he has men by his side who boldly and bravely watch over the
+security of the crown and the honour of the people. Among these, I may
+venture to mention my own kinsman, the old Sir John: every Danish man,
+I know, must respect him. Were the proud marsk, at Möllerup, as loyal
+as he is brave, Denmark had yet perhaps an Axel Hvide, or a Count
+Albert. David Thorstenson, too, I have heard named among the heroes of
+our time; and you must certainly know, yourselves, many other names
+which do honour to our age.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Thorstenson nodded, and felt himself highly flattered to hear his
+name among those of the young damsel's heroes. The adventure in which
+he and his friends found themselves amused him greatly, and he took a
+fancy to know the patriotic young lady's opinion of his comrades. &quot;But
+the best you forget, fair maiden,&quot; said he, merrily. &quot;What say you of
+Sir Bent Rimaardson, of Tornborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He guards our coasts like another Vetheman, they say: I and every
+woman in Zealand have to thank him that we need not fear the wild
+Norwegian algrev and the ruthless Niels Breakpeace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rimaardson bit his lips, and was silent in the presence of a renown
+that his own eyes had so recently shown him to be unmerited.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson wished to compensate for the failure of his joke, and
+thought to give his other companion better cause to thank him for his
+sally.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But if you would name the eminent men of the king and country,&quot; said
+he, hastily, &quot;you ought, first and foremost, to have mentioned the
+young Drost Peter Hessel, who so soon has had the good fortune to stand
+so near the throne, and so deservedly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé was silent for an instant, and her animation appeared
+suddenly to be converted into coldness. A short and general silence
+ensued; but to the young drost it was an eternity of torment. If he did
+not expect to be extolled and admired by his childhood's bride, neither
+did he expect to be, the object of her dislike and contempt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My father tarries long,&quot; said the knight's daughter, breaking the
+irksome silence. &quot;I am conversing with you, noble sirs, on matters
+which probably are not befitting among strangers,&quot; she added. &quot;But you
+must excuse me, gentlemen. On certain subjects I forget, at times, that
+my sex is seldom allowed the pleasure even of talking about the happy,
+busy life in which we are not permitted to take an active part.
+Respecting the person you last mentioned, you must allow me to be
+silent. It matters little to him what a Danish maiden thinks of him, if
+she cannot, like the queen, advance his power and fortune.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter paled. He felt himself so deeply wounded with these words,
+that he was on the point of making himself known, or, at least, of
+defending himself against the last severe accusation; but, at that
+moment, the door of the outer hall was opened, and well-known voices
+were heard near at hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The duke!&quot; whispered Sir Rimaardson; and, to their surprise, they
+perceived the duke with his drost, together with the algrev and Sir
+Lavé, approaching the door of the dining-room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé rose to receive her father and the new comers. The knights
+also arose, and Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked doubtingly at each
+other; but Drost Peter now felt himself entirely at his ease. The
+injurious mistake had awakened all his pride; and the consciousness
+that his own energy and merits had raised him to the honours he held,
+gave him a boldness that bordered almost on insolence. He felt here all
+the importance of his position, where, travelling on the king's errand,
+he had right and power, if required, to act with royal authority. He
+advanced towards the duke and his followers with politeness and
+dignity, but without letting it appear that he knew them in the plain
+gray cloaks in which they had wrapped themselves, as if they did not
+wish to be recognised. He directed his salutation principally to Sir
+Lavé, as governor and chief of the castle. The astonished Sir Lavé
+instantly recognised the drost, and changed colour, but hastily took
+occasion, from the drost's plain outer garment, to greet him as a
+stranger of humble rank, that he had never before seen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I and these gentlemen are not unwelcome to you, then?&quot; said Drost
+Peter, while, without the least embarrassment, he presented to him his
+travelling companions, without naming them. &quot;We have, as you perceive,
+sir knight, partaken of your hospitality without hesitation. We have,
+besides, an errand to you, as royal governor here, which we shall
+impart to you at your convenience.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé bowed, silently and distantly, with an anxious side look to
+the duke and his followers, who did not appear the least surprised at
+this meeting, and had hastily turned their backs towards Drost Peter
+and his friends.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We flatter ourselves that we are known to you,&quot; continued Drost Peter,
+&quot;notwithstanding the strange dress we prefer travelling in. The rumours
+respecting the insecurity of the roads are not unfounded: we have had
+serious proofs of that. You perceive that those good gentlemen there
+have used the same precaution,&quot; he added, as he pointed to the duke and
+Count Mindre-Alf, who, along with Sir Abildgaard, were engaged in
+private conversation, in the dimmest part of the outer hall, and
+closely wrapped in their large cloaks, with their backs towards the
+dining-room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé, in the meanwhile, had recovered himself. &quot;Be pleased to
+follow me to my private apartment, gentlemen,&quot; he said, with apparent
+calmness. &quot;I see my daughter has already cared for your entertainment;
+I am, therefore, now at your service, and can hear your business
+without interruption. Take care of my new guests, in the meantime, my
+daughter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He gave the servants a signal, on which they hastily took a wax-light
+in each hand, and opened a little concealed door in the wall of the
+circular dining-room. One of the servants led the way into a long dark
+passage, whilst the other remained standing by the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let me show you the way,&quot; said Sir Lavé, going before them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as Drost Peter and his two companions had entered the dark
+passage, the servant who had held the door open disappeared. It was
+suddenly dark behind them, and the door closed with a hollow clang,
+which made the knights start.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is a convenient arrangement,&quot; said Sir Lavé, in an indifferent
+tone. &quot;I must be prepared for all kinds of guests, you know. Gentlemen
+like you, who come on important state affairs, I invariably converse
+with as privately as possible, to avoid interruption.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The long passage led to the eastern wing of the castle, which projected
+into the Sound. It was terminated by a narrow, vaulted, spiral
+staircase.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must beg you to go one at a time here,&quot; said Sir Lavé: &quot;the stair is
+somewhat small, and you may be incommoded in getting a few steps
+upwards. I often find this way troublesome; but one cannot be cautious
+enough in these times, and a private message from the king must be
+heard in private.&quot; As he spoke, he ascended hastily, without looking
+behind him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, who followed him closely, paused once or twice, and put a
+few indifferent questions to him on the construction of the castle, at
+the same time pointing behind him; but Sir Lavé continued to ascend,
+and answered his inquiries without stopping or turning.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Singular!&quot; whispered Sir Rimaardson to Thorstenson. &quot;Were he not the
+brave John Little's kinsman, we should barely trust him. Saw you his
+perplexity, and his look towards the duke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If he betray us, it shall cost him his life,&quot; whispered Thorstenson,
+laying his hand on the hilt of his sword: &quot;he shall not go three
+strides from us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, observing that his companions whispered suspiciously
+behind him, turned round, and laid his finger on his lips. &quot;The wind is
+still easterly,&quot; he remarked, in a careless tone: &quot;nobody can well
+think of crossing the Sound to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is scarcely possible,&quot; replied Sir Lavé: &quot;you must determine on
+taking your abode with me to-night, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is not our intention,&quot; said Drost Peter: &quot;beside, you have
+guests, who probably have greater claims upon your hospitality, and
+from whose society we necessarily detain you too long. Shall we soon
+reach your private apartment, sir knight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In a moment,&quot; he replied, as he redoubled his pace.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had mentally counted the number of steps, and had reckoned
+the sixtieth, when they halted on a landing. An iron-studded door was
+opened, and they entered a narrow turret-chamber, where there was only
+a single window, which stood open, but was provided with strong iron
+bars. The wax-lights flickered in the current of air, and the servant
+lighted a large lantern suspended from the roof.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your closet almost resembles a prison,&quot; observed Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is sometimes used for that purpose,&quot; replied Sir Lavé: &quot;it is the
+most secure part of the castle. This tower, as you may perceive,
+stands half in the water, but it commands an excellent view over the
+Sound.----Now you may go,&quot; he said, turning to the servant: &quot;nobody
+must disturb us here. Desire my daughter and the strangers not to wait
+for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The servant went out, and the knight locked the heavy door himself, and
+put the key in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, I am quite at your service, gentlemen. What weighty message does
+the king send me by three such important persons? Prudence forbade me
+to recognise you sooner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We are sent by the king on a business of much consequence,&quot; said Drost
+Peter, calmly and self-possessed; &quot;and I, Drost Peter Hessel, am
+authorised to demand active assistance from every royal governor in the
+country. The object of our journey is a secret that no one is at
+liberty to inquire into. But that you, Sir Lavé Little, as the king's
+servant, and commandant of this castle, are bound, without objection,
+to provide us with thirty armed men and a vessel, this letter patent,
+to every royal governor in the country, will show you.&quot; So saying, he
+handed the astonished knight an open letter to this effect, with which,
+in addition to the royal warrants, he had taken care to provide
+himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knight perused the missive with evident uneasiness; taking a
+considerable time to get through it, as if he found some difficulty in
+deciphering the writing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have nothing to object to this, sir drost,&quot; he said, at length. &quot;A
+ship and crew are at your service, whenever you choose to give the
+order. But, as you have just remarked, in the present state of the wind
+nobody can think of crossing the Sound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You perceive by the same letter royal,&quot; continued Drost Peter, &quot;that I
+am empowered, on my own authority, to demand aid from every royal
+governor, to seize and conduct to Sjöberg whatever Danish knight or
+vassal I may find on any suspicious business.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I see so, with surprise,&quot; replied Sir Lavé. &quot;But I still hope, sir
+drost, that you do not mean to avail yourself of an authority so
+extensive and arbitrary. Such a step, as you well know, is at variance
+with the king's obligations to the laws and charters of the kingdom. He
+cannot issue a letter to imprison any man, until he has been legally
+accused before a provincial or state court of justice, and has had the
+advantage of a legal trial.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You forget the exceptions, Sir Lavé',&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;This
+privilege extends not to rovers and criminals, and, of course, to
+traitors least of all. Therefore, in virtue of this royal warrant, I
+must demand of you, in the king's name, that you cause the castle to be
+locked up, and deliver over to me, under safe escort, every stranger at
+present within these walls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé grew pale. &quot;You are somewhat too harsh, sir drost,&quot; he said,
+looking anxiously towards the window: &quot;you would not compel me to
+betray my guests? They are not accused of any crime; and, without
+apprehending such treatment, they have confidingly entered beneath my
+roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This castle is not your's, but the king's,&quot; replied Drost Peter,
+apparently striving to subdue a feeling of pity, as he regarded the
+anxious castellan. &quot;I fulfil a disagreeable duty,&quot; he continued; &quot;but
+where I meet the enemies of the king and country, I must insist on
+their detention, without reference to personal feelings. One of these
+gentlemen, moreover, to whom you have opened this royal castle, is an
+open enemy of his country--that most notorious freebooter and
+incendiary, the Count of Tönsberg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What say you? the algrev!&quot; stammered the castellan, terrified, and
+apparently highly astonished. &quot;If that be true, then I am certainly to
+blame. But I assure you that one of these gentlemen was quite unknown
+to me: he came in the duke's train, and it is impossible I should
+know--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am willing to believe you, Sir Lavé, though appearances are against
+you. You are not aware, then, that your illustrious friend and guest
+has the famous pirate, Niels Breakpeace, with him, as his squire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You alarm me, noble sir!&quot; again stammered the castellan, in the
+greatest embarrassment. &quot;If I had suspected this, they had never set
+foot within these walls. What is now to be done? If the castle is full
+of traitors and pirates, our whole garrison is scarcely strong enough
+to oppose them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By Satan! let <i>us</i> take care of that,&quot; observed Thorstenson,
+impatiently. &quot;Lock up the doors straightway, now that you know our
+errand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Courtesy I must beg of you for the present, and the matter must be
+well considered,&quot; replied Sir Lavé, delaying. &quot;With such powerful
+criminals, it is a difficult business. I shall immediately give the
+castle-warden a private signal to bar the gates, and prevent all
+egress.&quot; He ran anxiously to the open grated window, and called out, in
+a subdued voice, &quot;Lock the gate, fellow! not a living soul must be
+allowed to slip out!&quot; He then took the key from his pocket, and struck
+upon the gratings with it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Lock it yourself, rather,&quot; said Drost Peter, making a hasty movement
+to take the key from his hand; but, at the same instant, they heard a
+clank on the stones in the water beneath the tower.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What have you done, sir drost!&quot; exclaimed Sir Lavé, as if in the
+highest degree terrified: &quot;you have knocked the key out of my hand, and
+now we are all prisoners here. The Sound roars loud, and not a soul can
+hear us, as no one ventures near enough to this turret to liberate us.
+And my daughter--my poor child--is now alone, amidst these traitors
+and rievers.&quot; All started.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your daughter!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, with great uneasiness. &quot;Nay,
+nay,&quot; he added, with more composure, &quot;the traitors and rievers will
+respect her. The duke and his drost are not rude and shameless
+criminals, although they have niddings in their train. If you had
+feared for your daughter, Sir Lavé, you would scarcely have brought
+home such dangerous guests, and perhaps would not so readily have lost
+the key of our prison here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé was silent, and walked uneasily backwards and forwards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson observed the anxious castellan with
+scrutinising looks, betraying, at the same time, their indignation at
+this singular imprisonment at a moment of such great importance. None
+of them any longer doubted that the duke had recognised them, and
+suspected the object of their journey. It was, therefore, probable that
+he would now seize on every means of escape, to carry out his daring
+plans.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A suspicion of this had first crossed Drost Peter and his friends on
+their way to the tower; and Thorstenson and Rimaardson had, therefore,
+nodded to each other approvingly, when they heard the drost's bold
+determination, on his own responsibility, to seize the duke on the
+spot, notwithstanding that the royal warrant, strictly speaking,
+required them to defer this step until they encountered the duke on
+Swedish ground. This new and daring plan was now rendered impossible;
+and, while the castellan shared the imprisonment of his unwelcome
+guests, the duke and his dangerous train would, in all likelihood,
+place themselves in complete security.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While such thoughts as these flashed rapidly athwart the minds of Drost
+Peter and the cool Sir Rimaardson, Thorstenson gave vent to his
+indignation, and broke out into the most violent invectives against the
+troubled castellan, whom he did not hesitate to designate as a crafty
+traitor, and an abettor of rebels and foreign pirates. He immediately
+endeavoured to break open the door, and beat against it, like a madman,
+with his iron-heeled boots, but in vain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Open the door on the instant!&quot; he roared, at the same time drawing his
+long sword; &quot;or, by St. Canute, it shall cost your life, you cowardly,
+crafty cheat!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At his terrible threat, Sir Lavé sprang towards Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is impossible!&quot; he stammered, in terror. &quot;Protect me from this
+madman, sir drost, until I can myself defend my life and honour. You
+can bear witness that it is not I, but yourself, who have caused our
+present imprisonment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For what has happened here, this gentleman shall be answerable when we
+demand it,&quot; said Drost Peter, placing himself between Sir Lavé and the
+enraged Thorstenson. &quot;The commandant, as you perceive, is unarmed,
+noble knight. Whatever may have been his conduct in this affair, he now
+stands sheltered by the laws of chivalry and my protection. Let us
+endeavour, with our united strength, to burst our prison-door. If we do
+not succeed, we must be patient until we can procure aid.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, sir drost,&quot; muttered Thorstenson, sheathing his sword;
+&quot;niddings are never safer than when they go unarmed amongst honest men.
+Let us now make a rush at the door together, and it may give way. Put
+forth your strength, sir commandant, and let us see you do not spare
+your boot-heels. You can then say, for your honour, that you have
+fought with your heels.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without answering this sarcasm, Sir Lavé, apparently with his utmost
+effort, together with the three other knights, applied themselves to
+the iron-studded door. The united shock made a fearful noise, which
+rolled like thunder among the arches of the lonely tower; but as the
+door turned inwards, and was provided with strong oaken posts, it was
+not to be forced open in this fashion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Greatly embittered, Thorstenson went to the window-grating, and
+shouted, as if he would awaken the dead--&quot;Up hither, fellow! or it may
+cost your master, the commandant, his life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But there was no reply. The restless Sound roared loudly beneath, and
+no sign of a human being was to be seen on this side the tower, in the
+stormy, murky night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meantime, Lady Ingé, in her father's absence, had taken care of
+the last-arrived guests, and invited them to the newly-furnished board.
+As soon as the duke and his followers observed that their cautious host
+had rid them of unexpected and disagreeable company, they relied upon
+his cunning, and resolved to await his return, or, at least, to remain
+quiet until Niels Breakpeace brought word that they might set sail.
+They had thrown aside their gray cloaks, and shown themselves, before
+their fair hostess, in their dress as knights.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young duke, with politeness and princely grace, took his seat at
+table, and on the young hostess' left hand. Sir Abildgaard took
+Rimaardson's vacated seat; and the daring Norse freebooter stretched
+himself rudely on the chair where Thorstenson had been sitting.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The strangers had not announced themselves; but, on their entrance,
+Lady Ingé had heard Rimaardson's subdued exclamation of surprise--'The
+duke!' and she surmised, with secret dread, that one of them must be
+the, to her, hateful Duke Waldemar of South Jutland. Any other duke she
+had not heard mentioned; and what was told her of Duke Waldemar's
+ambitious and dangerous designs against the crown and kingdom, had
+inspired her with so unfavourable an opinion of this personage, that
+she had conceived as repulsive a picture of his appearance as was
+possible. When she heard him mentioned among her father's new guests,
+it inspired her with so much fear, that she had difficulty in
+concealing it; and, when her father left the room with the three other
+gentlemen, it cost her a great effort to fulfil, with apparent
+calmness, her duties as mistress of the house, towards these dangerous
+visitors, whose secret connection with her father filled her soul with
+painful alarm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Reserved, and sparing in her words, she now sat at table among them,
+and only partially heard all the polite remarks which the duke and his
+drost strove, in emulation, to address to her. These two personages
+appeared to engross the smallest share of her attention, although their
+easy, unconstrained manners denoted them to be fine, courtly gentlemen.
+Their thoughtless countenances, and the trifling conversation in which
+they indulged, did not appear to her to indicate men who could be
+dangerous; and she deemed it impossible that, in either of them, she
+saw the daring duke. At the same time, she believed it certain that, in
+their companion, she beheld the hated pursuer of the king's life and
+crown. He had not yet spoken a word; but his sharp look, and bold and
+impudent features, betokened a craftiness and an audacity without
+parallel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With politeness, but without interest, Lady Ingé replied to the duke's
+questions--whether she had ever been at court, whether she liked
+dancing and tournaments, hawking or chess, and how she amused herself
+in this solitary castle? She did not appear to notice the duke's
+admiration of her beauty, and his easy, flattering remarks thereupon
+to his drost. On the contrary, she gave closer heed to the short,
+stout-built personage at the corner of the table on her right, who was
+equipped, partly as a seaman, and partly as a knight of princely blood.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He had stretched himself, with vulgar carelessness, upon his seat, and
+his fierce-looking eyes ran round the hall, as if he did not feel
+himself quite secure, and, at the same time, had a contempt of danger.
+His broad, low, animal forehead, was indicative of energy and defiance;
+his short, crisped, sandy-coloured hair united with his matted beard,
+and concealed his brutish, almost hideous under-jaw. His wide mouth was
+greedily distended, and only half concealed two rows of strong,
+shining, white teeth. His wild, rolling eyes met almost close to his
+crooked nose, and lay deeply buried under a pair of bushy eyebrows. He
+ate rapidly, gnawing, with a species of ravenousness, the largest
+bones; while his sinewy hand often rested on a dagger-hilt, set with
+precious stones. Whenever he raised the cup to his mouth, which was not
+seldom, he drained it to the bottom. He appeared at length to have
+satisfied his hunger and thirst. His brown cheeks were heated and
+flushed with wine, and he began to cast lewd and impudent glances, now
+at Lady Ingé, and now at her handmaids, as if comparing them, in order
+to decide upon which his choice should fall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now for pleasure, gentlemen,&quot; he broke forth at length, in a rough,
+harsh voice, and in a singing Norwegian pronunciation. &quot;What signify
+your fine manners on a journey? and why stand the pretty wenches behind
+the lady's chair? Take you the demure flat-nose, sir drost; I will hold
+to the little roguish brunette; and thus we shall allow his grace to
+retain the high-born, proud damsel for his own share.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He seemed about to rise, and the two handmaids, frightened, retreated a
+step.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé was also alarmed, but she overcame her fear in an instant.
+The guest's impudence, and his rude tones, provoked her. From his
+foreign accent, she immediately knew that he was not the duke. With a
+contemptuous look towards the unmanneredly freebooter, she rose from
+the table, and turned, with calm dignity, to the other two gentlemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;One of <i>you</i> must be the duke, then,&quot; said she; &quot;and I am glad of it;
+though, as the daughter of a Danish knight, I cannot rejoice to see a
+man here who dares to revolt against the Danish crown. But, whichever
+of you may be he, I appeal to him to protect me from the insolence of
+that rude man, who is probably one of your grooms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Satan fetch the saucy minx!&quot; exclaimed the pirate chief, laughing.
+&quot;Take you me for a groom, proud maiden, because I do not relish fine
+talking, like these polite courtiers? When needful, I understand that
+art, too; and, spite of any one, not a queen shall think herself too
+good to sit at table with the Count of Tönsberg, or to embrace him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Recollect yourself, brave count,&quot; said the duke, in a tone of
+authority, and rising: &quot;we are not on board, nor in a tavern, but in
+the house of an honourable knight, and one of my friends. This lady and
+her handmaids are under my protection here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the fiend! my young big-nosed duke, are you already tired of good
+fellowship, and desire a quarrel?&quot; growled the algrev, projecting his
+legs, while he leant back on his chair, with his arms folded on his
+breast. &quot;I would rather advise you not to try such a joke. The Count of
+Tönsberg can sup broth out of the same dish with both a Norse and
+Swedish king, and has not need to make himself a dog for the favour. I
+am not to be cowed by the biggest emperor in the world, least of all by
+a little duke. As I sit here, I will undertake to turn you and your
+genteel drost heels over head, if you have a mind to know whether you
+or the algrev is the strongest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke grew pale with indignation. Sir Abildgaard sprang up, and
+placed himself, with his hand upon his sword, by the duke's side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Call the house-carls,&quot; said Lady Ingé to her maidens; and the
+frightened girls, screaming, ran out of the room to give the alarm: the
+lofty, earnest maiden herself remained standing, and regarded the
+enraged men with attention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is not the time and place to prove our strength, Count Alf; and I
+am no boatman, who will drag a rope against a seahorse,&quot; said the duke,
+with supreme contempt, and laying his hand on his sword. &quot;The wine has
+proved too strong for you; and what you say to-night, you will scarcely
+repeat tomorrow. If you were to bear in mind where we are, and what
+kind of a wind we have, you would perhaps come to your senses,&quot; he
+added, in a haughty, threatening tone. &quot;Here, the Count of Tönsberg is
+of no more avail than Niels Breakpeace, or any other vile highwayman;
+and if you do not wish to prove your strength with Danish gaolers, and
+measure your height with the gallows of Orekrog, you will tame your
+unbridled, berserk<a name="div2Ref_18" href="#div2_18"><sup>[18]</sup></a> courage, without the aid of the house-carls and
+castle-warden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They already heard a noise without, and the kitchen-door flew open.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bar the passage!&quot; cried Lady Ingé; and the kitchen-door was again
+closed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The eyes of the maddened freebooter rolled wildly in his head. He
+seized a massive silver trencher from the table, and seemed about to
+hurl it at the duke's head; but, recollecting himself, he was satisfied
+with twisting the heavy salver into the form of a rope. When he had
+thus vented his rage, and given his opponents an astonishing proof of
+his enormous strength, he appeared entirely calm and pacified.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;People don't understand joking in Denmark,&quot; he muttered. &quot;We Norse
+sea-dogs are not accustomed to weigh words. Be at your ease, proud
+maiden; and sit you quietly down again, my noble young gentlemen. The
+wine, perhaps, runs a little in my noddle, and so I don't like
+standing. We sit here tolerably snug. But where is she off to, the
+little roguish brunette? Let her come hither, and pour out for me; and,
+death and the devil! you may have all the others: but the first
+house-carl that sets foot in the room, I will fell him like an ox!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now appeared drowsy and heavy-headed, and lolled comfortably back on
+his chair, as if he would go to sleep; but still kept his eyes half
+open, whilst his left hand rested on the hilt of his dagger, and in his
+right was clenched the silver trencher, which he had converted into a
+heavy truncheon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is inebriated, as you perceive, noble lady,&quot; now said the duke,
+softly, to Ingé, while he offered her his arm, and led her into the
+farther hall. &quot;Pardon us for having brought with us this rude
+travelling companion, who is, otherwise, a brave Norse knight, and of
+noble birth; but, when in this state, there is no controlling him: he
+becomes crazy, and fancies himself the powerful freebooter, Count
+Mindre-Alf of Tönsberg. We must, at such times, talk to him after his
+own fashion; and, in order to tame him, threaten him with rack and
+gibbet. He will not now rise from the drinking-table so long as there
+is a drop in the flagon, and therefore we can leave him. When he falls
+fast asleep, he will suffer himself to be carried on board, like a log,
+without moving. To-morrow, he will again be the smartest knight in the
+universe, if he does not dream that he has been Count of Tönsberg
+to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a singular weakness for a man so strong,&quot; replied Lady Ingé,
+examining the duke with an earnest, penetrating look: &quot;perhaps, also,
+it was in consequence of his intoxication that he took you for the
+duke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay: there he was right, noble lady. I am truly Duke Waldemar; and,
+although I am not welcome to you, your father has received me as his
+guest. For his sake, as well as for mine, I pray you to send the
+house-carls back, and not betray this private visit by any needless
+alarm. Notwithstanding that I feel confident of being able to justify
+myself against every accusation, I am at this moment misunderstood, and
+under pursuit. It may coat your father his life, if people here should
+recognise me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé tottered and grew pale. The servants of the house had, in the
+meanwhile, barred all egress, and some of them now came, storming
+noisily, into the hall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Back!&quot; cried Lady Ingé, suddenly recovering herself, and stepping with
+calm authority towards them: &quot;it was a mistake. There is no danger at
+present. These are peaceful travellers, and my father's friends. One of
+them has become intoxicated, and has frightened us with his wild
+raving. You may return to the castle-stairs, and remain quiet until I
+call; but three of you remain in the kitchen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The house-carls obeyed, and went back; but the frightened handmaidens
+did not venture to show themselves, and Ingé remained alone with the
+duke and his drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are Duke Waldemar, then?&quot; she said, regarding the proud young
+nobleman with a composed and searching look, while she placed herself
+so near to the kitchen-door that she could open it whenever she
+chose. &quot;Your drunken comrade within is likewise the open enemy of the
+country--the notorious Norse freebooter and incendiary; your groom is
+also a riever; and yet, with such a train, you dare to make yourself a
+guest in a royal castle! You have betrayed my father: his life is,
+perhaps, in danger. Where he has gone, you must know better than I. The
+pursuers you speak of are probably here, in the castle. It is to me a
+fearful riddle; but this I know, that at this instant I am mistress of
+your freedom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke started, and looked at the lofty, earnest girl with
+astonishment; while Sir Abildgaard glanced uneasily round him, and made
+an involuntary movement towards the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The passage is barred,&quot; continued Lady Ingé; &quot;but it costs me only a
+nod, and it stands open to you. Promise me, Duke Waldemar, truly and
+piously, that, from this time forth, you will undertake no enterprise
+against the kingdom and country, and I shall then no longer prevent
+your departure from this castle; but if you cannot or will not promise
+me this, I instantly call the house-carls to seize you, as the
+accomplices of this audacious freebooter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke and Sir Abildgaard regarded each other with the highest
+astonishment, and, for a moment, both appeared irresolute.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Excellent!&quot; exclaimed the duke, at length, in a gay and courtly tone
+of politeness: &quot;to a lady's humour we may, with all honour, give way.&quot;
+But observing Lady Ingé's beautiful, serious countenance and determined
+mien, he suddenly changed his manner. &quot;I promise you, noble lady,&quot; he
+continued, solemnly, &quot;that I shall take no step that I do not hope to
+be able to defend, before the Danish people, at every legal tribunal.
+My conduct you cannot pronounce sentence upon; and you have no other
+right or power to be our mistress here than we freely concede to your
+beauty and patriotic spirit. If, then, you would not place your own
+father in peril of death, you will allow the castle to be opened for
+us, and not betray to any one what guests have been here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé was silent. A mighty conflict seemed violently to agitate
+her bosom: she held one hand tremblingly before her eyes, and, with
+the other, indicated that they might depart. She then opened the
+kitchen-door, and gave the house-servants orders to re-open the barred
+passages.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The door of the fore-hall was immediately opened, and she perceived,
+standing in the doorway, the same clumsy-looking fellow who had so much
+alarmed her, at dusk, with his wild, brutish countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It blows south-east, and we can sail,&quot; said he: &quot;all is clear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; answered the duke: &quot;we are ready. Take care of the gentleman
+within. Farewell, noble lady,&quot; he continued, turning to the knight's
+fair daughter, with a genuine expression of respect: &quot;I am sorry I must
+number you among my foes; but I shall never forget this hour, and never
+cease to esteem and admire you. Had Denmark many such women, scarcely
+any man would need to boast of his valour.&quot; With these flattering
+words, he raised her hand to his lips, bowed politely, and, with his
+drost, hastened from the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tall, rude groom had, in the meanwhile, according to the duke's
+instructions, proceeded to the dining-room, where he first made free
+with what remained in the wine-flagons. He then put all the silver
+goblets into his pocket, and, taking the sleeping algrev's silver
+truncheon from his hand, he placed it among the rest of his booty. He
+then disposed himself to lift the drunken gentleman upon his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not needful, Niels,&quot; whispered the algrev: &quot;I am not so drunk
+but that I can well walk; yet I have been drinking stupidly, and must
+allow I have enough. So just take me under your arm, and let us off to
+sea.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He thereupon began to growl forth a snatch of some wanton song, and,
+resting on the arm of his sturdy comrade, reeled into the next
+apartment. Here Ingé was still standing, with her hand on the latch of
+the kitchen-door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A proud little tit-bit, Niels,&quot; whispered the algrev to his rough
+attendant. &quot;Could we but take her with us, we should not leave Zealand
+without a prime booty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It would be an easy matter for me to whip her up,&quot; whispered Niels;
+&quot;but, should she scream, we are betrayed. Ill birds are about already.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend take the proud wench, then! I would rather have the little
+roguish brunette. But let the birds fly. Farewell, proud lady,&quot; he
+said, aloud, as, staggering towards her, he kissed his finger. &quot;Salute
+our good friend, your worthy father. Thank him handsomely, for having
+allowed us to drink a goblet here in peace, and put the hounds on a
+false scent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé answered not: she stood, as if rivetted to the floor with
+terror; and, as soon as the fearful guests were gone, she bolted the
+door after them. Exhausted by these unusual efforts, she sank on a
+chair, almost unconscious. She still appeared to hear footsteps in the
+court-yard of the castle; but soon all was still, and the castle-gates
+were shut with a hollow sound. The noise aroused her from her stupor,
+and, collecting her strength, she tried to recall what had happened.
+The idea of her father's connection with the terrible guests fell on
+her soul like an enormous burden. A flood of tears burst suddenly from
+her eyes, and she wrung her hands in deep and boundless grief.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But where is he?&quot; she broke out again, in anguish; &quot;and where are the
+three brave men who went with him?&quot; The angry sea-rover's parting words
+occurred to her, and she made a hurried movement towards the door,
+without exactly knowing what she intended to do.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this moment, she heard a loud knocking at the front hall-door. She
+started, but did not long hesitate, and withdrew the bolts. An active
+stranger youth, in the habit of a squire, entered, and saluted her
+respectfully. It was Claus Skirmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be not alarmed, lady,&quot; he said, hastily; &quot;but may I inform you, if you
+do not know it already, that there are pirates in the castle; whilst my
+master, and the two knights who came with him, together with the
+governor of the castle himself, are shut up in the eastern tower.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shut up by pirates! my father imprisoned!&quot; exclaimed Lady Ingé, with a
+burst of joy, incomprehensible to the young squire. &quot;Are you certain
+the pirates have shut him up? and how know you it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who has locked them in, I know not,&quot; replied Skirmen; &quot;but, noble
+lady, understand me rightly: they are prisoners in the tower. I was out
+on the beach, washing our horses, when I heard some one shouting from
+above, and I rode out of the water towards the tower, in the direction
+from whence the sound came. They bade me look about, right under the
+tower, for a prison-key: it was lying, fortunately, upon a great stone,
+and here it is; but the entrance to the tower I could not discover. In
+the court-yard they were shouting that pirates are here, and I could
+not be heard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Give it me!&quot; exclaimed Lady Ingé, anxiously snatching it from the
+squire's hand. &quot;Bring the lantern from the stable: make haste!&quot; And she
+hurried out across the court-yard, while Skirmen ran to the stable for
+the lantern.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the castle-yard there was a great noise. The servants were all in
+commotion, and the old warden came towards her in great terror. &quot;Ah,
+God pity us!&quot; he whined: &quot;the vile sea-cats! Has any misfortune
+happened, lady?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My father is imprisoned,&quot; she hastily replied, &quot;and the strangers are
+gone. Unlock the eastern tower for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, God pity us!&quot; whined the warden, once more, and hurried to the
+tower. &quot;It was by your father's orders I locked his friends both in and
+out, and asked them neither their names nor errand. That Satan who last
+went out wrenched the key of the castle-gate from my hand, and opened
+it before my very nose. They must have been rovers and heretics. I saw
+them, from the castle-walls, hoist sail, and leave the haven, taking
+the direction of Scania--and in this flying storm, too. God grant that
+they may go to the bottom, neck and crop!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My father is locked in,&quot; exclaimed Lady Ingé, impatiently: &quot;instantly
+open the tower for us, I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, the infernal rogues! have they locked the governor in? God grant
+they may sink!&quot; cried the old man, obeying.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hence now, hammer and tongs, and break open the gates of the
+tower--despatch!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tower-gate was now open. Skirmen came with the lantern, and hastily
+preceded Ingé up the narrow, winding staircase. When she reached the
+top, she heard high words within the prison, and recognised the voices
+of her father and the strangers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This treason you shall pay for, Sir Lavé!&quot; she heard exclaimed by a
+harsh-toned voice, which she recognised as that of the stranger with
+the large plaited beard. &quot;If Drost Hessel will still be your defender,&quot;
+continued the angry speaker, &quot;he cannot save your life when I denounce
+you, and prove you to be a traitor to the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At these words, which only seemed to confirm her own cruel suspicions,
+the unhappy daughter was well nigh sinking upon the spot. The name of
+Drost Hessel had also attracted her attention in the highest degree,
+and the key fell from her hands. It rolled a few steps downwards, and
+Skirmen picked it up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Still, there is no proof of so heinous a crime,&quot; she now heard uttered
+in the voice of the young gentleman who had known her mother, and who
+had seemed to her so kingly. &quot;Appearances are very much against you,
+Sir Lavé,&quot; continued the same voice; &quot;but we ought to think the best of
+Sir John's kinsman as long as possible; and for what has yet happened
+here, no one can legally condemn you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At these words, a gleam of hope lighted up the soul of the magnanimous
+daughter. &quot;Yes, he may still be innocent!&quot; she exclaimed, hastily
+thrusting into the lock the key which Skirmen had handed to her. The
+door was instantly opened, and the sight of the courageous girl
+astonished the knights. Her father appeared still more surprised to see
+her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are the strangers still here?&quot; he hastily inquired.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay,&quot; replied the daughter, scarcely daring to look in her father's
+face, lest she should read in his manner a confirmation of the crime
+that she still hoped was a matter of doubt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! escaped! Perdition seize them!&quot; exclaimed Thorstenson, stamping
+with rage. &quot;Now, the object of our detention is clear enough.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you know whether they have gone seawards or landwards, noble lady?&quot;
+inquired Drost Peter. &quot;Can you tell us, with certainty, which route
+they have taken? Your word is my surety that they are withdrawn, and
+are not concealed within these walls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé was about to answer, but her father seized her hastily by the
+arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be thou silent, my daughter!&quot; he commanded her, in a sterner tone than
+he was wont at other times to use. &quot;My persecuted guests, as you hear,
+are no longer in the castle,&quot; he said, turning to the knights, and
+suddenly becoming bold and determined. &quot;It is now your affair to pursue
+them farther, if you believe yourselves authorised to do so. I am
+obliged to furnish you with fighting-men, and to provide you with a
+sea-boat, if you demand it; but not to be a spy and an accuser. To such
+meanness you shall not compel my daughter; and none of my people in the
+castle shall give evidence in this matter until they are summoned to
+the Lands-Ting, and in presence of their lawful judges. That I have
+received the king's own kinsman, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, into
+this castle, I need neither deny nor feel ashamed of. I know of no
+sentence passed upon him, as an enemy to the king or the country. Whom
+he had in his train I know not, nor does it concern me. His servants
+and followers were my guests, as well as he. I am glad that this
+singular accident has saved him from a pursuit which I consider to be
+alike illegal and tyrannical.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked with wonder on the previously
+desponding castellan. Thorstenson struck his sword wrathfully on the
+stone floor; but Drost Peter advanced calmly towards him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This concerns the safety of the crown and kingdom,&quot; he remarked,
+sternly and gravely. &quot;What has happened may be regarded as an accident,
+and I do not intend to make Sir Lavé Little answerable for it. But if
+you, Lady Ingé Little, know where the traitors and their piratical
+train have gone, I, Drost Peter Hessel, demand of you, in the name of
+your king and country, to reveal it, that we may not, by a bootless
+journey, expose the royal house and the nation to the greatest peril.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé grew pale, and Lady Ingé regarded the authoritative young
+drost with wondering eyes. She saw her father's embarrassment, and
+observed a secret sign he gave her, by pointing towards the west; but
+her resolution was taken.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you are Drost Peter Hessel,&quot; she said, calmly and firmly, &quot;I know
+that you have royal power and authority to demand faithful testimony
+from every loyal subject. As a knight's free daughter, I cannot debase
+myself by becoming a spy and an accuser, least of all, by betraying my
+father's friends and guests. But the persons you speak of cannot be my
+father's friends. They have not come as guests, but as disguised
+robbers. According to the warden's account, who himself has seen them,
+they are fled over the Sound, towards Sweden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the name of our king and country, I thank you for this important
+evidence, noble Lady Ingé,&quot; said Drost. Peter, taking her hand warmly.
+&quot;Yet a word in my own name, in the presence of your father, and of
+these brave men. I hope the time may yet come, when you will as little
+mistake Drost Peter Hessel's heart and conduct, as you now do his
+fealty to his king and country. If you do not reject the hand which I
+now give as a friend, it will be my greatest pride and happiness to
+proffer it to you hereafter with a dearer title.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Never, never shall that time come, as long as my eyes are open!&quot;
+exclaimed Sir Lavé, bitterly, and tearing their hands asunder.
+&quot;Silence, and go to your chamber, my daughter, I command you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé cast a look of fervent esteem towards her childhood's
+bridegroom; and saluting him and his friends with silence and dignified
+composure, she departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen ran down the stairs before her with the lantern, and across the
+court-yard. On his return, his master and both the knights had already
+gone out of the opened castle-gate. He hastened to bring their horses
+from the stable, and followed his master. He rejoined them on the quay,
+where Sir Lavé commanded the ferrymen to convey the gentlemen, in their
+fleetest sloop, and without delay, to Helsingborg. Thirty men of the
+castle garrison stood armed on the quay, and received the castellan's
+orders to follow and obey the strangers. Having done this, Sir Lavé
+took a short and cold leave of Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson. To Sir
+Thorstenson he silently handed his glove, and returned, with hasty and
+troubled steps, to the castle. Thorstenson flung the glove
+contemptuously after him, and leaped on board.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a brief space, the knights, with their armed followers, were
+embarked. Skirmen took charge of the horses. The wind was blowing
+strong from the south. Drost Peter placed himself at the helm, and
+ordered all sails to be set; and the sloop dashed along at a rapid
+rate, cutting through the troubled waters of the Sound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The night was intensely dark, a few stars only being visible. They
+steered in the direction of Helsingborg, Drost Peter sitting silently
+at the rudder; while Thorstenson, exasperated, paced up and down the
+deck with Rimaardson, giving vent to his indignation against the crafty
+castellan.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who would have believed it of him?&quot; he growled: &quot;I always took him for
+a flounder, and thought it his only claim to be governor of Flounder
+Castle.&quot;<a name="div2Ref_19" href="#div2_19"><sup>[19]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not speak so loud, noble knight,&quot; whispered Rimaardson. &quot;They are
+his people we have on board; and see you not how they lay their heads
+together? Should mutiny break out in the ship during this murky night,
+our condition then may be worse than that we have just escaped from.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The first man that grumbles, I shall cut down,&quot; muttered Thorstenson.
+&quot;Every Dane has not yet become a traitor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen now ascended from the hold of the vessel, and approached his
+grave master, who sat thoughtfully, with his arm over the rudder, now
+and then casting back a look to the huge dark castle, where a single
+light only was visible, shining from a turret-chamber in the
+south-eastern angle. There, he knew that Lady Ingé, in her childhood,
+had her apartment; and there, as children, they had often played
+together.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Master,&quot; said Skirmen, advancing a little nearer, &quot;be not offended if
+I disturb you in the midst of important thoughts. But steer you not
+rather too much to the south?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, Skirmen,&quot; answered Drost Peter, hastily turning the
+helm: &quot;yes, this must be the right course. It is dark, and we need to
+have our eyes about us. Fortunately, I can see the light, yonder. Now,
+tell me somewhat. You followed the lady from the tower. How was she
+affected? Did she converse with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a word, sir, until I had set down the lantern, and was about to
+depart: then, indeed, she asked me if I was your squire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And what did you answer?&quot; asked the drost, hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Eh? what could I answer save 'yes,' sir? But now, are you not steering
+rather southerly again?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter hastily corrected his error. &quot;Said she nothing more to
+you?&quot; he resumed, after a pause.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, true: as she was entering the door, she dropped her red hair-band,
+which I picked up, and restored to her. That I might not appear a lout,
+without a word to say, I remarked that she wore the queen's colours as
+well as my master, the drost. I perceived that she started on hearing
+this; on which I drew myself up a little; for I know it is an honour
+that no knight but yourself can boast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Stupidity--cursed bravado!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, with unusual
+vehemence. &quot;Moreover, it is untrue: I no longer wear the queen's
+colours.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I knew not, stern sir. You wore them, however, when we travelled
+from Melfert.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But now, as I tell you, I no longer wear them; and, for the sake of
+bragging, you should say nothing but what you know for certain to be
+true.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen was abashed, and remained silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And what said she to this stupid boasting?&quot; continued Drost Peter, in
+a milder tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nothing, stern sir. Yet it occurred to me, that she was much moved
+thereat.----But be not angry, stern sir: the helm is a little wrong
+again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly not: let me attend to that. Moved, say you? Why think you
+she was moved? What foolish talk is this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truly by this, my master: she turned away from me, blushed deeply,
+and, as it seemed to me, there were tears in her eyes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense, Skirmen! you must have mistaken.--Spring forwards, and put
+that sail to rights!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen hastened to obey his master's order, although he could not
+conceive why he was so singularly abrupt and abstracted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young drost heaved a deep sigh, and looked back once more for the
+light in the turret-window. It was no longer to be seen; and it seemed
+to him as if, with that distant light, the fair, newly-risen star was
+also extinguished from his childhood's heaven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The wind now blew strong, and they already began to perceive lights on
+the Swedish coast, when suddenly a wild shout was heard on board, and
+torches flared in the midst of clashing swords and lances. Drost Peter,
+surprised, sprang from the helm, and saw, with consternation, Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson engaged in fierce conflict with the
+thirty lancers from Flynderborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter threw himself with drawn sword amidst the combatants.
+&quot;Peace here, in the king's name, or you are dead men!&quot; he commanded, in
+a voice which, without being alarming, had singular weight and
+authority. They all paused, and gazed at him. Even the maddened Sir
+Thorstenson, who had felled one man and wounded another, subdued his
+rage, and stood quietly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Speak! what has happened?&quot; demanded the drost. &quot;Here, I am supreme
+judge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rebellion--mutiny!&quot; cried Thorstenson: &quot;there lies the ringleader.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They think that we have arbitrarily compelled the commandant, and that
+we are leading them into mischief,&quot; said Rimaardson.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The uproarious landsknechts pressed forward, uttering defiance, and
+shouting lustily to one another: &quot;We are free Danes, and will not
+suffer ourselves to be cowed by three rovers. We know well enough, that
+you would have murdered the castellan in the tower; and here are we,
+carried off in the murky night, like cattle for slaughter, and no one
+knows whither.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence!&quot; cried the drost. &quot;Is there any one amongst you who knows the
+king's hand and seal?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That does wise Christen--yes, that does Christen Fynbo,&quot; cried the
+fellows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let him come hither, then,&quot; commanded the drost, taking forth the
+royal warrant addressed to governors of castles. &quot;A torch here! and now
+attend.&quot; He then read aloud, and distinctly, the order that he should
+be supplied with a force, whenever it should be demanded. &quot;There you
+see the king's seal and signature.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is well attested, comrades,&quot; said the book-learned Fynbo; and the
+greater number were pacified: still, a few solitary murmurs were heard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now you have seen black on white for our right and authority,
+fellows,&quot; continued Drost Peter, sternly; &quot;but, even without this, you
+ought to obey, when your governor has commanded you. Meantime are you
+all my prisoners: I cannot employ fellows like you in the king's
+service. Your leader has met with his reward. Cast him overboard, and
+let the fish devour him. The rest of you lay down your arms
+immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The soldiers delayed, and a subdued murmur ran among them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you hesitate?&quot; cried the drost. &quot;Will you be doomed as traitors?
+Cast the rebel's corpse overboard: his sentence is passed here--God be
+merciful to his soul!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Two of the landsknechts, who stood nearest the drost, silently laid
+hold of the body of their fallen comrade, and heaved it overboard. It
+splashed into the deep, and for a moment there was a fearful silence.
+No one, however, had yet laid down his weapon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have been misled, and in a mistake, countrymen,&quot; said the drost,
+in a milder tone: &quot;I shall intercede for you, for this time. But, now,
+instantly lay down your arms, and descend quietly to the forehold.
+Whoever murmurs, forfeits his life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The astonished soldiers obeyed: in a moment they were all disarmed, and
+shut down, within the fastenings of the forehold. The drost then went
+quietly back to the helm, which Skirmen in the meantime, at his signal,
+had undertaken to guide. There was a death-stillness on board. Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson stood, with drawn swords, by the
+hatchway of the prison-room, while Skirmen attended to the sails. The
+storm had lulled, and day began to dawn over the Swedish coast, when
+the last tack was made, and the ship glided in a right line towards the
+haven of Helsingborg.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4>THE</h4>
+<h2>CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.</h2>
+<br>
+<h3>PART II.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="normal">It was still the gray of the morning, when, in the upper hall of
+Helsingborg<a name="div2Ref_20" href="#div2_20"><sup>[20]</sup></a> Castle, young Duke Waldemar and his drost walked
+backwards and forwards on the bare paved floor. Their mantles, soaked
+with sea-water, lay upon a bench.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was a stiff breeze, gracious sir,&quot; observed Sir Abildgaard, rubbing
+his hands; &quot;and it was fortunate we had the algrev with us: drunk as he
+was, however, he has set us on dry land, like a brave fellow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rude, wild sea-bear!&quot; exclaimed the duke: &quot;he had nearly ruined
+everything. At sea, he is invaluable; but he shall never more set foot
+on land by my side. It seems, however, that he was sober when we
+landed, and understood my meaning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He offered no objections, and he owned that he rued his folly. It is
+well we did not break with him: he is a fellow that may still be put to
+use.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Was the daring Niels Breakpeace with him? for, at present, it is as
+well to have him also as a reserve; but we must not have the fellow
+here with us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a soul landed your highness. I strictly repeated your injunction,
+that they should sail immediately. I assisted the algrev to spell the
+marsk's letter, as well as that of the Norwegian king, and he has sworn
+to be at Stockholm within eight days, with thirty transports to convey
+troops.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good--very good!&quot; said the duke, thoughtfully. &quot;Were we only well over
+the Scanian border, if need there be, it shall and must succeed. When
+King Magnus hears our weighty plans, he must concur with them, and
+afford us his aid. This betrothment of children, and all their other
+miserable arts, shall not save them. But why, do they tarry?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The morning light began to increase; and as the large hall, on the
+western side of the castle, looked out upon the sea, they saw, from the
+balcony, the Count of Tönsberg's rover, in which they had arrived, run
+out of the haven with a brisk side-wind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See, there goes the algrev,&quot; said Sir Abildgaard: &quot;he must certainly
+feel it hard to run from a Danish coast without booty. But how is this?
+A sloop, with blue sails, lies at the jetty. We saw it not when we
+landed; and it is not a Scanian.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Gudsdöd!&quot; exclaimed the duke, &quot;it is a royal sloop, from Orekrog. But
+it cannot have come in pursuit of us, unless Sir Lavé has been
+frightened, and allowed that infernal drost to slip loose. Where is the
+castellan? Did you instruct him not to say who we are, and that he
+should straightway send us an escort as royal ambassadors?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, sir; and there is no obstacle in the way. When the guards and
+servants heard your name, they made the utmost haste. The castellan had
+not risen, but he will be here instantly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is no time to lose,&quot; said the duke, with uneasiness. &quot;If we have
+not the escort immediately, we must set off without it. Are the horses
+ready, and at hand?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They stand saddled by the castle-stairs, sir. But, list! They are
+coming!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now heard a bustle in the castle, and the sound of armed men
+running to and fro. The large hall, on the eastern side, looked over
+the castle-yard. There, too, they heard a noise, and went anxiously to
+the window.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They are closing the castle-gates!&quot; exclaimed Sir Abildgaard; &quot;and the
+court-yard is full of armed men.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Gudsdöd! What means this? Are we betrayed?&quot; exclaimed the duke. &quot;Come,
+Tuko: there must be an outlet here. We must away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Four large doors opened from the hall. Two of these they found barred.
+They went to the third, which was not locked, and hastily opened it;
+but on the outside stood six armed men, with the Danish arms upon their
+helmets.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No one can pass out here!&quot; exclaimed a gruff voice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Astonished, they hastened to the fourth door; but, before they reached
+it, it was opened, and Drost Peter stood before them, along with Sir
+Rimaardson and Sir Thorstenson, and accompanied by a middle-aged
+gentleman, in the dress of a Danish knight, with a baton in his hand.
+This was the governor of Helsingborg. Twelve men-at-arms followed him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your arms, gentlemen, in the king's name,&quot; said Drost Peter, calmly:
+&quot;you are our prisoners.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! How is this?&quot; cried the duke, stamping on the paved floor. &quot;Who
+dares to take Duke Waldemar prisoner?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I, Drost Peter Hessel, and these Danish knights, in the name of our
+king and master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know you not. You have no power over a duke of the royal blood, and
+a free royal vassal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You know the king's hand and seal, illustrious sir,&quot; replied Drost
+Peter, handing him his warrant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke perused it, with anger-flashing eyes. &quot;This is illegal,&quot; he
+cried: &quot;it is contrary to the laws and statutes of the kingdom. I have
+not been accused at any Herred-Ting or Land-Ting,<a name="div2Ref_21" href="#div2_21"><sup>[21]</sup></a> and I formally
+protest against this proceeding, as arbitrary and unjust. You are my
+witness, governor, that I declare this warrant null and void, and I
+shall answer to my country for destroying it.&quot; So saying, he tore the
+royal warrant, and cast it on the ground. &quot;As the king's kinsman, and
+Duke of South Jutland, I now command you,&quot; he continued, in a lordly
+tone of authority, &quot;that you immediately take prisoners these audacious
+persons, who dare to misuse the royal authority in this lawless
+manner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan looked doubtfully, now at the duke, now at Drost Peter,
+as if uncertain how to act. Thorstenson struck his sword angrily
+against the pavement, and Rimaardson was on the point of speaking, when
+Drost Peter anticipated him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whether this proceeding be just or not,&quot; he commenced, &quot;and whether
+the king is warranted in ordering this illustrious gentleman to be made
+prisoner, before he has been accused at a Land-Ting, is not now the
+question: that, the king must himself answer. My authority is the royal
+warrant you have seen: it cannot be destroyed; and, in virtue thereof,
+I demand that the king's will may be obeyed without delay or
+hesitation. If you will not deliver up your weapons willingly,
+gentlemen, I shall be obliged to resort to force.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter's calm and decided manner embarrassed the duke, and
+overcame every doubt of the castellan.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For the present, you must submit to necessity, illustrious duke,&quot; said
+this grave personage, courteously, at the same time stooping, and
+picking up the royal warrant. &quot;Perhaps this is a mistake; in which case
+you must be set at liberty, and will have your grounds of prosecution
+against this gentleman for his abuse of the royal authority. At this
+moment he is fully empowered, and must be obeyed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke clenched his teeth, and, with averted eyes, handed Drost Peter
+his sword. Sir Abildgaard followed his lord's example; and not another
+word was uttered by the exasperated state-prisoners. To the castellan's
+polite inquiry, whether they wished to take any refreshment, the duke
+indignantly shook his head. A strong guard of soldiers having
+surrounded the captives, Drost Peter and his companions courteously
+saluted the governor, who returned to the drost the torn warrant, and
+accompanied them to the jetty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before the sun was yet up, Drost Peter had departed for Zealand with
+his important prisoners. The rebellious landsknechts from Flynderborg
+were handed over to the castellan of Helsingborg, who sent them,
+carefully bound, in another vessel to Orekrog.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Claus Skirmen had now enough to attend to; and, although he regarded
+his master with proud satisfaction, he carefully avoided any of those
+haughty airs by which the feelings of the duke and his drost might be
+wounded. As for Thorstenson and Rimaardson, the moment they found
+themselves alone with Drost Peter at the rudder, they shook him
+heartily by the hand, and extolled his good fortune.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yet, after all, it is provoking to be engaged on any hazardous
+adventure with you,&quot; grumbled Thorstenson; &quot;for before I have had an
+opportunity of using my good sword, you have achieved all that is
+required by a few words, with your sword in its sheath.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We may yet need your good sword quite soon enough,&quot; replied Drost
+Peter, in a suppressed voice: &quot;we have ventured upon a greater piece of
+daring than any one perhaps may trow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The discourse of the grave knights was extremely brief, and
+their princely captive deigned them not a word. With suppressed
+bitterness, he resigned himself to his fate; and, by the side of his
+fellow-prisoner, paced the deck as proudly as if he had been master of
+the ship. At length he appeared even gay and indifferent; but Drost
+Peter frequently noted in his countenance an expression of vindictive
+hope, which rendered him in the highest degree thoughtful and earnest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The vigilant drost took the helm himself; and when he again saw the
+dark towers of Flynderborg, he cast a melancholy glance towards the
+little turret-window from which he had seen the light twinkling on the
+previous evening; but the window was now closed, and seemed to be
+screened inside by a dark tapestry. The entire mighty fortress, which
+at the present moment he did not care to visit, lay half enveloped in
+the mist of the calm spring morning, and seemed to him dark and
+enigmatical as his own future, and undefined as his unhappy country's
+fate.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">It was soon known throughout the whole kingdom that Duke Waldemar and
+his drost had been sent prisoners to Sjöborg. This bold step on the
+part of the king and his active ministers struck the discontented
+nobles with astonishment, and it now seemed as if even the most daring
+vassals had lost courage to defy the kingly power, or to meditate
+dangerous enterprises against the crown and kingdom. A great number of
+the most powerful Danish nobles, as well as many foreign princes,
+sought to accommodate, in an amicable manner, the dangerous differences
+between the king and the duke, and to obtain the misguided nobleman's
+release from prison; but one month passed by after another, without any
+arrangement being effected.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king, as usual, passed the summer in moving about the kingdom, and
+spent the winter at Ribehuus. The drost, it was said, was in high
+favour; but it was doubted whether the terms that he and the stern old
+Sir John deemed necessary for the security of the crown, in reference
+to the liberation of the duke, would be submitted to by the proud young
+prince, so long as he could depend upon his powerful connections, both
+within the kingdom and abroad.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was one of the latter days of March, 1286. The captive duke and
+his knightly companion, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, sat opposite each other,
+at a chess-table, in a gloomy turret-chamber in Sjöborg Castle, where
+they had now spent three beautiful months of summer, and more than six
+of autumn and winter. They were strictly guarded, but without
+harshness, and with every respect and distinction that such notable
+state-prisoners could desire. They lacked none of the necessaries and
+comforts that could be obtained in this retired spot, or that could be
+granted them without danger of aiding them to escape, or enabling them
+to hold intercourse with their friends and adherents.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Each of the prisoners had his own apartment; but, as it was not
+forbidden them to be in each other's company, their apartments
+communicated by a door, which they used at pleasure. The narrow
+chambers were kept clean and airy, and as warm as the prisoners
+themselves desired. The rooms were, further, provided with all suitable
+furniture for their convenience, besides various kinds of chess-boards,
+and a few old manuscript chronicles. Some volumes of homilies, and
+other edifying writings, were also to be found; together with a lyre, a
+David's harp, and many similar things, to lighten their captivity and
+beguile the time. But lights and writing-materials were both denied
+them; and they saw not a soul except the deaf turnkey, (who never spoke
+a word when he waited upon them,) and the stern castellan, Poul Hvit
+himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The latter visited them daily, at uncertain hours, and never left their
+side during the time they were permitted to take exercise in the open
+air, under his charge, in the court-yard of the castle. Every day,
+well-cooked food was brought them, on silver dishes, and the rarest
+fruits of the season at all times graced their lonely board. To the
+handle of their silver wine-flagon, a fresh nosegay was very frequently
+attached, even in the severest winter months; but who it was that
+showed them this friendly mark of attention, they had never been able
+to discover.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Further, to give their uniform life a little variety, they feigned to
+be alternately each other's guests, and on this day Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard was host. The dinner-table was cleared, but the wine-flagon
+and two goblets still remained.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Gaily, now, my noble guest,&quot; said the mannerly knight: &quot;if you are
+tired of mating me, leave the stupid pieces alone, and let us rather
+drink a cup together. The wine is excellent. Had we only a couple of
+pretty lively little damsels to bear us company, our imprisonment
+would not seem to me, after all, so great a calamity. Who knows from
+what fair hand these lovely flowers are constantly brought us, and
+whether one of us may not have fallen on good fortune here, among the
+weaving-damsels and pantry-maids.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou hast a happy mind, Tuko,&quot; replied the duke; &quot;and I do not envy
+thee it. So long as thou lackest not wine and giddy girls, I believe
+thou couldst be happy in purgatory itself. But yet there was a time,
+Tuko, when thou sharedst my proud dreams,&quot; he continued, after a
+thoughtful pause, and pushing the chess-pieces to one side: &quot;even in
+the midst of our most thoughtless follies, thou didst not forget that
+thou wert the friend of an injured prince, and labouredst with him for
+the attainment of the greatest object man can desire. Thou wert
+initiated into the great secret of my life: with me, thou proudly
+soaredst above the ignorant mass and the despicable puppets we played
+with, whenever thou thoughtest what thou, too, couldst perform when
+Duke Waldemar was in possession of his great ancestor's glorious
+crown.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Think not that I have now forgotten it, noble sir,&quot; replied the
+knight. &quot;But of what use is it to fret yourself pale and lean, between
+these thick walls, where we cannot take a single step towards our
+object?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We can do battle here, Tuko. In that narrow room I have, perhaps,
+already made a more important progress than if I had stood free, in the
+midst of a noisy and juggling court. Read, in the chronicles, of the
+greatest men, and thou shalt find that they buried themselves in
+deserts and lonely dens, to prove themselves and their own powers in
+secret, before they entered upon the career destined to astonish after
+generations, and be remembered through long centuries. When thou hast
+been sleeping here, dreaming of trifles and handsome maidens, many a
+night have I been awake in my den, there. The wide and mighty world of
+thought has been laid open before me in my prison, and the great
+spirits of departed times have been near me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rood shield us, noble sir! If you have become a ghost-seer, I
+wonder not that you are so pale and thin. Reveries, and night-watchings
+of this kind, must lay waste your strength, and carry you even a step
+farther. What have you thought of, then? and what are the fruits of
+these perilous struggles? To me, you look as grave and solemn as a
+clerk spent with fasting; and, indeed, I scarcely know you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But thou and the world shall learn to know me,&quot; said the duke. &quot;Now,
+for the first time, I know myself--now know I, that I have been a
+light-brained fool. Miserable, insolent boyishness it was, when I would
+deny my tyrant's right of guardianship, and quarrel with my powerful
+oppressor about petty islands and paltry mint privileges, when I had
+his crown in view. Stupid, immeasurably stupid, it was, when I suffered
+myself to be misled by thee and other thoughtless persons, into making
+a claim to the kingdom, before I was certain that I was the people's
+spiritual lord.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand you not, noble sir. A spiritual dominion you cannot
+claim: that must be left to the pope and clergy. But you are right: to
+strike the sceptre from the hand of a tyrant, guarded by strong and
+blindfolded slaves, you certainly required a marshal's baton and an
+army. It was, undeniably, an error, to betray your aims unseasonably,
+and thus put arms into the hands of opponents before you were
+sufficiently accoutred yourself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was my least mistake, Tuko, and that I have sufficiently atoned
+for within these walls. My greatest error was, that I fancied actual
+dominion was to be obtained over a people, ere they had freely chosen
+and done homage to me as their lord; and that a crown could be won,
+like a castle or a piece of land, by daring heroism and foreign armies,
+so long as the people I desired to rule had yet a spark of strength and
+spirit; and I did not first conquer the souls whose lord and king I
+should wish, in reality, to be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;These are vagaries, noble sir, the consequences of prison air,
+unseasonable night-watchings, and want of exercise. What think you the
+great ignorant masses of the people care about their ruler's inner
+worth and being? He who has the power and authority, is obeyed by the
+crowd: the ruler who has the largest army, and can swing the longest
+sword over the heads of the people, they readily acknowledge as their
+king and heart-beloved father, if only he does not impose higher taxes
+than his predecessors, and maintains something like law and justice in
+the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, Tuko, nay,&quot; resumed the pale and earnest duke, with warmth; &quot;this
+imprudent contempt for the lives and spirit of a people has misled the
+greatest ruling spirits in the world. The mere external dominion, which
+has not its roots in the deepest heart of the people, and is not bound
+up with the popular mind and true renown, is worthless and despicable,
+did it even extend over the whole universe. It is a throne raised on
+the breath of pride, on the mists and vapours of a miserable vanity. It
+is dissipated by a blast of wind; and the first free and energetic
+spirit who stands up among a people so oppressed, and misgoverned by
+mere rude brute force, has might enough to overthrow such a monarch and
+his soulless hosts.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You surprise me, noble sir. Whence have you all this new wisdom? I
+should almost fancy you have had revelations in your wisdom-den, and
+have been used to converse with spirits; or some similar folly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, thou shalt see my spirits,&quot; said the duke, rising: &quot;I shall show
+thee that I am not the first who has thought earnestly, within these
+walls, on the condition of a people and their ruler.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sjöborg has held many statesmen of importance,&quot; said the knight; &quot;but
+I doubt whether any of them has imparted a new thought to you. The most
+notable I remember, that occupied this state-prison, was the mad Bishop
+Waldemar, who struggled for the sixth Canute and Waldemar Seier's life
+and crown, and finished his days, a crazy saint, in Lockum Cloister.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is possible that he became crazy at last,&quot; replied the duke; &quot;but
+what made others crazy, may perhaps make us wise. You have guessed
+aright, Tuko. I have my sleeping-chamber in the prison-cell where that
+unfortunate bishop, of royal descent and royal mind, sat chained to a
+block, and gave vent to his indignation by cursing the world and
+mankind. But that he also had his lucid moments, and saw clearer into
+the world and its blind rulers than perhaps any one dreamt of, I shall
+show you memorials that perhaps no human eye save mine has before
+seen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They had now entered the duke's narrow prison-cell, which looked upon
+the castle-yard by a grated window, eighteen ells from the ground. Here
+was still a block, with a rusty iron ring and a heavy chain, made fast
+to the wall. By the side of the chain lay a large, torn-up paving
+stone, which appeared to have been used for barricading the door from
+within. The castellan would have removed these painful relics of former
+occupants of the cell; but the duke had expressly desired to retain
+them, when he heard of what powerful kinsman they were memorials.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the dingy walls were many scratches, like runes and oriental
+characters. To these the duke pointed; but it was beginning to grow
+dark, and it was impossible to discern any of the words distinctly: the
+interpretation of the inscriptions appeared also to demand a degree of
+learning which neither Sir Abildgaard nor his princely master was
+possessed of.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If this is the book of wisdom you have read in of a night, noble sir,&quot;
+said the gay young knight, &quot;you must have become profoundly learned in
+a hurry, and must certainly have borrowed a pair of eyes from some of
+the friendly owls or cats that now and then pay you their dutiful
+respects through the grating. In this nook, even in broad daylight, I
+should not be able to tell an X from a U, were I ever so clear-eyed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have guessed better than you imagine, Tuko. The bird of wisdom
+himself has, with his fire-eyes, been a light to my bewildered path.&quot;
+So saying, the duke opened a chest, which, otherwise, served him to
+keep shoes in. &quot;Look here,&quot; he said, taking out a large tame owl, with
+beautiful flaxen-coloured feathers, and a pair of uncommonly bright
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Fie, sir!&quot; cried the knight, springing back. &quot;It is the dismal
+screech-owl, which people call the dead man's bird. What do you with
+it? It is not worth having for a guest, and the devil may have touched
+it. Have you never heard that there is always sure to be a death in the
+house where it perches?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The pest may come to Sjöborg for me, as soon as we are well out of
+it,&quot; said the duke; &quot;but, as you perceive, the dead man's bird and I
+are at present good friends. One night, as I lay awake with troubled
+thoughts, I saw these eyes glaring upon me from the ledge on the wall.
+I started, and it seemed to me as if the fiend were standing, staring
+me through the soul with glowing eyes, in the silent, mysterious night.
+I sprang up, and discovered my mistake. But while I approached to seize
+my unbidden night-guest, he turned his shining eyes towards the wall: a
+gleam of moonshine entered at the same instant; and, whether it was the
+light of the bird's eyes, or the moonshine, that illumined the wall, I
+know not, but I perceived there a dim inscription, which I could not
+then read. I took care to mark the spot; and, having placed my prisoner
+in the box here, I went to sleep. Next morning, however, betimes I
+examined the wall and the writing. When the morning sun shines in, it
+can be easily read. It is in Latin, and it cost me much trouble to
+understand it. You know we did not make great progress with the
+complaisant clerk who was to make us book-learned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What made you of the characters, then, illustrious sir?&quot; inquired
+Tuko. &quot;But do throw that hideous death-bird out of the grating. It
+glares upon us, as if it would burn our eyes out, in exchange for the
+wisdom it has taught you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay: this wise bird shall now be my companion in weal or woe,&quot; said
+the duke, patting the bird kindly, and replacing it in the box. &quot;If it
+forebodes death, it must be the death of our enemies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But what did you read, sir?&quot; inquired Sir Abildgaard, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I read many horrible words I shall not repeat, but which have often
+made my hair stand on end. A sentence, however, stood there, which has
+told me why I am come hither, and what I have to do in this miserable
+world. '<i>Thou who dreamedst of a crown and awokest in chains</i>,' it
+runs, '<i>lay hold of that sceptre which constrains spirits, and thy
+crown shall be bright as the sun!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is the nimbus which already played in the brain of the crazy
+bishop,&quot; observed Sir Abildgaard; &quot;or it is the black art and magical
+incantations he brooded over. Be not thus disquieted, noble sir, and
+suffer not the madness of becoming a saint to infect you. I dare be
+sworn that neither you nor I carry it to this extremity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not so understand it,&quot; replied the duke, whilst his eyes
+glistened. &quot;I interpret these words in a secular sense, and as
+containing no folly, but, on the contrary, deep and sound policy. I do
+not abandon my bold life's-plan: that I shall never relinquish, so long
+as there is a drop of Waldemar Seier's blood in my heart. How? is the
+only question. The means and power I no longer seek for in foreign
+princes and armies, nor in an unworthy conspiracy with rebellious
+subjects. They would fail as much in their loyalty to me afterwards, as
+they had failed towards my predecessor. I shall not hinder or oppose an
+enterprise which may probably be advantageous to me; but I have learned
+to despise it. The hand that would bear a sceptre without trembling,
+must be unstained with the blood of kindred. The forehead which the
+crown would not burn, must not bear a secret Cain's-mark under its
+splendour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There we have it!&quot; interrupted Tuko. &quot;You will be a saint, then. Good:
+but there is a medium in all things, gracious sir. On the other hand,
+if you are at all aware of what is to be undertaken, and what you
+already know--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall know nothing that I need have the slightest occasion to blush
+for before the knights and princes of Europe,&quot; continued the duke; &quot;and
+what I do know, Tuko--yes, that I shall forget, and bury in my deepest
+heart as a phrenzied dream. I shall not bear the crown as my
+unfortunate, bewildered grandfather bore it, to be murdered by
+rebellious subjects, after a brief period of splendour. If conspirators
+will play into my hands, let them. I did not invoke the storm. Our only
+concern now is, to allow time, and gain confidence. I shall renounce
+Alsen--yea, even my ducal crown: more they cannot well demand for my
+freedom. The undermined throne may yet fall without me; but none shall
+again raise it, save a Waldemar. I shall show the people that I do not
+bear the name of Waldemar in vain, and that I can vanquish myself. By
+submitting to injustice, I shall win hearts like castles. First, I
+shall seize the invisible sceptre that constrains spirits; and then the
+crown will be offered me, by a fortunate change in the Ting. Therefore,
+Tuko, 'tis not an ĉrial crown, nor a saint's halo, but a crown that
+shall sit fast on this brow, and shine through centuries, like that of
+the great Waldemars'.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, indeed, I begin to understand you, gracious sir,&quot; replied Sir
+Abildgaard, opening his eyes. &quot;The storm that breaks down the rotten
+stem, bears with it the boughs and shoots, you think, and without you
+needing to risk your neck for it. I, too, begin to get clear-eyed, and
+to entertain a respect for your good friend in the box. Come, noble
+sir, let us drink a rousing cup, like our old heathen ancestors, to
+this noble conclusion. Hail to your wisdom-bird, my prince and master!
+When you come to your kingdom, we shall take the lion from your shield,
+and put the sagacious bird in its stead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke followed his lively friend to the festive board, and was, once
+more, the jovial-spirited youth. His pale cheeks became flushed, and
+his somewhat sunken eyes sparkled with lofty and daring expectations.
+In the meantime it had become dark; but, ere long, the moon shone
+through the iron grating, and lighted their little drinking-table. Sir
+Abildgaard sang merry songs, in which the duke joined with wild glee,
+frequently emptying his goblet the meanwhile. In the midst of their
+merriment, the door was opened, and a grave, stalwart man, in a pelt
+doublet and shaggy cap, entered, with a light in his hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Heyday, Poul Hvit! our acute friend, deep skilled in knowledge of
+mankind--our cautious host. Your health!&quot; cried Sir Abildgaard, in
+frolicsome mood: &quot;everything is in the best order, you see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your health, my good friend,&quot; said the duke; and the half-intoxicated
+prisoners gaily emptied their goblets to the health of the castellan.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I thank you for the honour you show me, my illustrious young
+gentlemen,&quot; said the quiet and serious Poul Hvit, bowing politely, at
+the same time doffing his cap, and examining them closely, with a
+self-satisfied look. &quot;I am glad you relish the wine, and do not take
+the world, with its unstable fortunes, more to heart than is worth. I
+know the world and men,&quot; he added, nodding with self-assurance: &quot;it is
+always a good sign when state-prisoners are merry. I am, besides, the
+bearer of a message which I think will be welcome to you,&quot; he
+continued, letting the light fall on their flushed faces, and seeming
+to study their appearance carefully. &quot;To-morrow, betimes, when you are
+less merry, and more disposed for serious business, a person will have
+the honour of bringing you a proposal for an agreement with the king,
+my master. If, as I hope, you accede to it, I may soon have the
+pleasure of opening this door for you altogether. Meantime, I wish you
+a good night, and quietness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He then bowed, and departed: the heavy door was closed with a loud
+noise, and the prisoners again sat alone in the moonlight. The
+castellan's announcement brought the young gentlemen at once to their
+senses, and they remained long in consultation as to what terms they
+could accept or refuse. At length they retired to rest, in anxious
+doubt whether the following morning would bring them freedom, or more
+rigorous and prolonged imprisonment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan returned to the ancient knights' hall, which, in his
+time, was furnished and in good condition, and the place where he
+received guests of distinction. A fire was burning cheerfully in the
+great chimney, and in the middle of the hall stood a richly spread
+supper-table, with a brazen candlestick of three branches. A young
+gentleman, apparently a knight, walked up and down the hall with rapid
+strides. It was Drost Peter Hessel. Claus Skirmen stood by the
+fireplace, enjoying the warmth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, my good Poul Hvit,&quot; said the drost, advancing towards the
+well-pleased castellan, &quot;what say your prisoners? Will they see me
+to-night, or in the morning?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a pleasure to see the prisoners,&quot; replied the castellan: &quot;they
+do not mope and moan like hapless criminals; and you may trow, sir
+drost, for all their bewilderment, that there are good honest hearts in
+them. They have made so merry with the wine flagon, noble sir, that it
+is out of the question to think of talking with them, to-night, on any
+subject of importance. In their present state they would, perhaps,
+subscribe to every proposal; but that, I know, neither you nor my
+master the king would wish to be done. Man is a finite being, let me
+tell you; and, when we men are not entirely sober, we cannot behave
+like free and rational creatures: so said my worthy schoolmaster of
+Horsens.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We understand each other,&quot; replied the drost; &quot;only when they have
+recovered their senses, shall they hear my proposition: for this is a
+grave matter, which they shall have time and opportunity to consider.
+In the morning, then. Can I sleep in the castle here, to-night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Of course, sir drost: I have already made arrangements for that. We
+are all mortal; and, whilst the soul is active in good deeds, the body
+must not lack rest and refreshment. Be seated, then; and, if you will
+permit it, there is also room for your squire here. The ploughing ox
+should not be muzzled, and the man--yes, a man is still a man,&quot; he
+added, hastily, as no more profound observation occurred to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter smiled at the castellan's awkwardly finished sentence, and
+sat down to table. Skirmen stationed himself discreetly behind his
+chair, and blushed when the courteous castellan directed him to take a
+vacant seat by the drost's side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be seated, Skirmen,&quot; said Drost Peter, kindly: &quot;we are not at court
+here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen obeyed, and seated himself on a corner of the chair. He
+maintained, as he was wont, a modest silence when his elders were
+speaking, and gave close heed to his master's wants and wishes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, your important prisoners, my good Poul Hvit, submit to their fate
+without rage or bitterness?&quot; said the drost. &quot;I am glad to hear it;
+for, notwithstanding their sad infatuation, there are excellent, ay,
+almost great qualities, in both of them. It is from painful necessity
+that we have been obliged to deprive them so long of their freedom; but
+I know you have not made their imprisonment harsher than is necessary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have punctually followed your orders, sir drost; and--I think I know
+a little bit of the world, and of man kind. Prisoners that are well
+treated, seldom even dream of making their escape. We shall see now if
+loneliness has brought them to reflection: if they are stubborn, and
+you wish them to be treated with greater severity, it shall be done. I
+am only an humble servant, and what is commanded me, I perform, without
+respect of persons. 'Man,'--said the never-to-be-forgotten schoolmaster
+of Horsens--God bless his soul!--'man cannot always endure prosperous
+days.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A stout, double-chinned cook now entered, and placed a dish upon the
+table. Drost Peter observed him, and started, but was silent until he
+had left the room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have you had this cook any considerable time, my good Poul Hvit?&quot; he
+then inquired; &quot;and are you sure of his fidelity?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He has served me since the end of May, last year,&quot; replied the
+castellan; &quot;and I should be a bad judge of mankind if I could doubt his
+fidelity: he does his business, and troubles himself about nothing else
+in the world. He is always chatting and singing in the kitchen, and
+never says a serious word. If I had only such people about me, I could
+sleep soundly, even had I kings and kaisers to take charge of. I trow,
+as I have said, I know a little of the world and mankind, sir drost.
+But have you any grounds for doubting my cook's fidelity, noble sir?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not exactly so,&quot; answered the drost; &quot;but have an eye upon him.
+It was, perhaps, an accident; but I saw him, shortly before the
+Dane-court, in Henner Friser's inn at Melfert, in a company of
+travellers that did not quite consist of the best friends of the crown
+and realm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It must have been a mere accident, noble sir,&quot; replied the castellan,
+with calm self-satisfaction. &quot;I know my men, and nobody shall so easily
+palm a wax-nose upon me. Cook Morten cares little about state affairs,
+I know; and he is a merry, good-natured carl, in whom I find much
+amusement. He is also gardener to the castle; and I have availed myself
+of him to prove the disposition of the prisoners, and to augment my
+knowledge of mankind. I gave him private orders to supply the prisoners
+with flowers. They are not aware from whom the civility comes, and I
+have observed that it serves to amuse the young gentlemen, and put
+love-whimsies into their heads. Folks who can think on such fooleries
+arc not likely to be dangerous to the crown and kingdom, I fancy. The
+plump Morten never sees them; but he is ready to laugh himself to death
+when he hears them singing amorous ditties to the fair hand that binds
+up their nosegays.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter smiled, but shook his head, and would have dissuaded the
+castellan from this mode of studying the characters of his prisoners.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, cook Morten had again entered the hall; and
+immediately afterwards the door-keeper announced the arrival of an
+ecclesiastic, with greetings and a message from the Abbot of Esrom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let him come in,&quot; said the castellan. &quot;Have you any objection, sir
+drost? It is probably one of the abbot's friends, who wishes to
+transact business with me respecting some lands. But it is a singular
+time o'night to come at,&quot; he added, doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter replied by a polite bow, and appeared to be thinking of
+other matters. The door was opened, and a respectable clerical
+personage entered. They rose to greet him; but he retreated a step, in
+surprise, on recognising Drost Peter. The drost was equally astonished;
+but the castellan did not notice their mutual surprise, and received
+his new guest with polite attention, and an interest that betrayed the
+importance of the business this visit concerned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A friend, probably, of the worthy Abbot Magnus,&quot; said he. &quot;Be pleased
+to come nearer. What we have to treat of, this true friend of the king,
+Drost Peter Hessel, will bear witness to, more especially as, at this
+late hour, I dare not receive any stranger into the castle. There are
+people present who know the world and mankind, let me say; and
+stringent regulations here are necessary. May I presume to ask my
+worthy sir his name?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Drost Peter Hessel knows me,&quot; answered the ecclesiastic, with a
+haughty air, and drawing nearer. &quot;To the learned world, the name of
+Magister Janus Roskildensis is enough; to laymen, I am known by the
+name of Dean Jens Grand. Are you the castellan, Poul Hvit?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;At your service, worthy sir.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good. What I have to say to you every one may hear. I have come from
+Esrom Cloister; and, as I was to pass this way, I have undertaken, in
+the name of the abbot and convent, to bring you the deed of conveyance
+for certain lands in Grimstop, and to settle the matter to your wishes;
+but if you have any doubts or objections about receiving me, the
+business can be deferred, and I immediately set off again on my
+journey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God forbid! Do not so far wrong me, sir. You are heartily welcome,&quot;
+exclaimed Poul Hvit, hastily. &quot;Think not ill of my cautiousness. We are
+all men, and one must look to himself in these times. It often happens
+that wolves come here in sheep's clothing, and I ought to know whom I
+receive. Since the drost knows you, I may bid you welcome without the
+least hesitation. I should be but a poor discerner of mankind, if I did
+not see that you are a learned servant of the Lord's, and a trusty
+friend of the worthy Abbot Magnus. If you have the deed with you, we
+can arrange the matter to-morrow. Be my guest in the meantime, worthy
+sir, and embrace the present opportunity. Be pleased to take a seat
+with us.&quot; So saying, he brought a seat for this addition to the
+company.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was reserved, and sparing of words, and the dean did not
+find himself altogether in his element. Skirmen, on his entrance, had
+arisen, and taken his place behind his master's chair. The castellan
+alone was exceedingly good-humoured, and strove industriously to
+animate the conversation. He touched upon every affair and circumstance
+which, at that period, engaged the public attention. The Norse war, and
+the piracies of Count Mindre-Alf of Tönsberg on the Danish coast, he
+discoursed of with a zeal that proved him a man of a true and patriotic
+mind. He had a family in Horsens, and related minutely what this town
+had suffered from the remorseless freebooter's attacks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Count of Tönsberg is certainly our foe,&quot; commenced Master Grand;
+&quot;but he is a brave and famous foe, whom no one should accuse of being a
+rover and freebooter. He is certainly not one of your dainty lords, who
+take the eyes of ladies at a tournament; but at the present day we have
+not a doughtier knight: he is the greatest sea-hero of our times, and
+may soon expect to be elevated to a jarl.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But when, on his own account, he ravages and plunders our coasts with
+barbarity, and the greatest lust of rapine,&quot; replied Drost Peter, &quot;he
+does little honour to chivalry. He is a common vulgar riever, however
+bold and powerful he may be, even though he be of royal descent, and
+aspires to the name of jarl. We Danish laymen, far less our teachers of
+Christianity, have no reason to honour him with a nobler name.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand was silent, and endeavoured to conceal his anger; and the
+castellan again resumed the conversation. He strongly censured Count
+Jacob of Halland for having received the honour of knighthood from the
+Norwegian king, in a time of war. Drost Peter supported him, and
+thought highly of the honest castellan; but Master Grand could no
+longer suppress his indignation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is well,&quot; said he, jeeringly, &quot;that the merits of the deserving men
+of Denmark are recognised by a foreign prince, when they are suspected
+and wronged at home. It is magnanimous of the Norwegian king thus to
+distinguish an esteemed enemy; and I cannot blame the noble Count Jacob
+for accepting an honour so well merited.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pardon me, sir dean,&quot; said Drost Peter, calmly: &quot;a true Dane never
+receives a mark of honour from the enemy of his country. It is
+impossible, however, as a friend of your country, that you can
+seriously defend such conduct.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To be a reasonable and Christian friend of my country,&quot; said Master
+Grand, bitterly, &quot;I have no occasion to turn my cloak to the
+court-wind, like a favoured courtier. In my station, thank God, no one
+need conceal the truth, or defend baseness, to fulfil the duties of his
+office. With God's holy word and the canon-law before my eyes, I am not
+afraid to say plainly, before the mightiest favourite of the king and
+queen, that I only love and esteem my earthly country in so far as the
+divine laws of my heavenly country are esteemed and maintained in it.
+If you would have proof of this, sir drost, obtain me permission to
+preach a single fast-sermon before the king and queen, with all their
+courtly flatterers; and you shall then hear that I am the man to hold
+up the mirror of truth before the mighty of this world, in such wise
+that many a cheek shall crimson if there is yet a remnant of honour or
+conscience in the court of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Such a corrective sermon, reverend sir,&quot; answered Drost Peter, with
+energy, &quot;might certainly be preached often enough among lay persons, as
+well as learned. I could wish, however, that you would, with the same
+impartiality, introduce such conversation wherever, on your pious way,
+you meet with princely personages and royal vassals, who, in the sins
+and errors of their liege lord, seek justification for their own
+crimes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand was again silent. The castellan looked at his discordant
+guests with surprise, and hastily broke off a conversation, whose
+bitter issue he could see no grounds for. He then abruptly inquired
+whether either of the honoured gentlemen, in the course of their
+journey, had seen the newly-rebuilt church? and, as this was answered
+with a brief &quot;nay,&quot; he inquired if either of them knew where the
+deposed Swedish king was residing, and whether it was true that he had
+deserted his queen for a certain famous Lady Kristine?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is but too true,&quot; replied the dean, zealously, appearing to seize
+upon the occasion to give vent to his anger: &quot;there, again, we have a
+proof of the ungodliness of our times, and of the sin-pest that is
+spread abroad from our great ones. It is no wonder the Lord visits such
+princes in anger, and shows the mighty rulers of the world that there
+is a Judge over us all, who is not to be mocked, and who, from the
+skies, laughs in derision when the lofty ones of the earth swell and
+burst with pride. It is a comforting and elevating thought,&quot; he added,
+with an air of pride, &quot;that the Mighty One, who holds the universe in
+his hand, can as easily cast down kings and princes, and their
+favourites, as he can raise the poor and meek of spirit.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan had devoutly folded his hands, as at a sermon. &quot;Ah,
+indeed!&quot; he sighed, &quot;we are all mortal: might and rank are indeed
+transitory.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Many of the misfortunes of our times are certainly well-merited,
+reverend sir,&quot; remarked Drost Peter, with considerable warmth, and a
+keen look at the dean, &quot;when sinful men presume to call down and carry
+out the chastisements of the Lord. The unfortunate king you have
+mentioned I shall not defend; but if people can justly dethrone their
+kings because they are not what they ought to be, then can no throne
+and no kingdom exist, until pure angels are sent from heaven to govern
+us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is not requisite,&quot; replied the dean, swelling with the air and
+authority of a pope. &quot;So long as the Lord's vicegerent sits in St.
+Peter's holy chair, and as long as he and the servants of the word are
+regarded as the messengers of the truth among the people, so long no
+nation need be doubtful how great a worldly burden they may bear with
+patience, or how great a sinner the Lord will endure among his
+anointed. Unless you are an arch-heretic, sir drost, you cannot
+possibly deny this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter did not answer; and cook Morten, who had just set a choice
+dish before the ecclesiastic, appeared, by his roguish smile, to enjoy
+the manner in which the bold dean had silenced the drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without betraying the slightest anger, Drost Peter turned again
+to the triumphant dignitary. &quot;As a knight, I have sworn to offer my
+life for the faith, as well as for my lawful king,&quot; he said, with an
+expression of deep earnestness; &quot;and I am not afraid of being doomed,
+as a heretic, to stake and brand, if even I am of opinion that a
+lawfully-crowned and anointed sovereign cannot be hurled from his
+throne by the mightiest anathemas of the Vatican and of Lund. That our
+Danish kings, at least, have been of the same mind, your own kinsman,
+Archbishop Erlandsen, among others, experienced. I would not advise any
+prelate in Denmark to follow so dangerous an example. This prison,
+reverend sir, might at least remind you that even an archbishop's crook
+is unable to undo these doors, when they have been locked by command of
+a king of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, Drost Peter arose, and begged of the astonished castellan
+that he might be shown to his sleeping apartment. Master Grand, with a
+haughty mien, also arose, and expressed the same wish.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They saluted each other, coldly and silently; and the castellan
+himself, with a three-branched candlestick, conducted Drost Peter.
+Skirmen followed his master, with his mantle and sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Cook Morten, on a sign from the castellan, led the ecclesiastic to a
+chamber, by the side of the knights' hall. It was narrow and gloomy,
+and the door, which was standing ajar, opened only outwards. A strong
+gust of wind had nearly extinguished the light. A reclining chair, a
+stool and table, composed the whole of the furniture, and iron bars
+were fixed in the walls, across the small window.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Master Grand entered this chamber, he started, and looked
+anxiously around him. &quot;What means this?&quot; he inquired; &quot;do you show me
+to a prison-cell for a bed-chamber?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For that you must give us absolution, your reverence,&quot; replied Morten,
+at the same time placing the flickering light on the stone table, and,
+with a long pole, closing the shutter of the little, round, grated
+window, which was placed high in the wall. &quot;There, now it is rather
+more snug,&quot; he continued. &quot;Nobody, in general, passes the night here,
+except a bewildered owl. There is only one guest-apartment in the
+castle, where the inmate is master of the door; and that room the drost
+occupies. For unexpected guests, we have only this little mean
+apartment. It is said to have been a torture-room in former days; and
+here must have hung all kinds of horrid instruments, to torture
+obstinate criminals into an acknowledgment of their guilt. It is still
+dismal-looking enough, you perceive. But it is a pity I cannot show you
+the ingenious old machines for torturing. I know you are a great
+admirer of suchlike learned trumpery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The proud dean became pale, and an involuntary shudder crept over him.
+&quot;My good friend,&quot; said he to the cook, &quot;methinks we should be known to
+each other. Cook Morten, from Ry? Is it not so?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;At your service, reverend sir. That you could have room in your
+learned brain for the image of my poor but tolerably ample person, I
+should not have expected; but so long as my head has leave to sit
+between my shoulders, and my throat is not tightened so that I cannot
+drink and sing a merry song with it, so long shall I not forget your
+brave and learned reverence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Speak seriously, Morten. What mean you by this conversation?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We are quite snug here,&quot; continued the fat cook; &quot;and you are just the
+man of God to whom I can, without danger, confide my sins. I may tell
+you, then, that when you saved my flask-case from being thrown
+overboard, on crossing the Little Belt, you freed me, at the same time,
+from a confounded itching about the neck, on account of certain letters
+that lay concealed under the flasks. I had consented to take them, out
+of pure obligingness and virtue, for a good friend, who, I am afraid,
+the devil will some day get hold of. What these love-letters contained,
+I know not, and it does not concern me; but this I know, that had they
+been fished up, or seen by any mother's son, I had been certain of an
+elevation that would have been confoundedly unsuited to my health.
+Hence I have vowed to the blessed Virgin and the holy Martin, to serve
+you in turn, whenever I can; and now, if you have anything to command,
+I shall stand on tiptoe for you with all my heart and strength.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand started. &quot;So, so, my son,&quot; said he boldly, and calmly
+drawing breath again; &quot;have you been employed as a letter-pigeon in
+these disturbed times? Your cheerfulness bears witness that, otherwise,
+you have a good conscience; and, for the sake of your honest
+countenance, I give you absolution for what you sinned in at that time.
+To whom brought you the letters, my son?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To one of your shrivelings and good friends, your reverence,&quot; replied
+Morten, with a smile; &quot;but I do not exactly feel the necessity of
+confessing to you yet: therefore, if you will impose any penance on me
+in consequence, say it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, my son--good. I wish not to know; but it was an illegal
+transaction, and might have cost you dear. To atone for it, you can
+perhaps convey a word of comfort, in mine and the Church's service, to
+a bewildered soul, that needs my counsels, within these walls; or, what
+I would prefer, help me to a private interview.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My heart! readily, your reverence. But are you jesting? You do not
+look upon me in the same light as do the weak children of the world?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is not in my nature, Morten. I have renounced the vain follies
+that thou in thy worldliness thinkest of. In my sacred station, pure
+Christian love alone should guide our most secret as well as our most
+open steps. The young duke, who lies imprisoned here, is inexperienced,
+thou knowest; and has been misguided into foolish conduct, that may
+make him in the highest degree miserable, if he does not turn and
+repent. Regard for his soul's salvation has moved me to come hither, to
+speak with him, if possible, or to have conveyed to him a good counsel
+in writing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you would converse with him, pious sir, you must change yourself
+into an owl or a flitter-mouse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But if a conversation is impossible, can you get me merely two words
+with him, before he speaks with Drost Hessel to-morrow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you mean two words, but no more, I think it can be managed,&quot;
+replied the cook, with a crafty air, after a moment's consideration;
+&quot;but I must see the two words, and even give them voice and wings. If
+you cannot trust me, your reverence, then can neither I nor the holy
+Martin help you. If you are afraid the walls may hear, just whisper the
+words in my ear. Who knows but that they may also turn and save my
+sinful soul; and thus you would be killing two birds with one stone,
+pious sir.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hair-brained mocker that thou art!&quot; said the dean, gravely, and
+regarding him with a searching look; after which, he bent himself
+leisurely, and whispered a few words in his ear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; exclaimed Morten. &quot;Ah, by St. Martin! I can fancy that I am
+made pious on the instant, and that I already begin to entertain
+scruples. Had it been a paction with the Evil One that the talk had
+been about, what then, your reverence? But you are a pious man of God:
+I know it well; and your high-born penitent shall certainly receive
+your good counsel tomorrow, on a fasting heart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Once more--if the young duke is not free by sunset to-morrow, I must
+speak with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That will be difficult, your reverence. How many nights do you intend
+doing us the honour of studying antiquity's barbarities in this
+torture-room?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand once more looked uneasily around him. &quot;Lay the stool
+across the threshold, my son, and let the door stand ajar,&quot; he said:
+&quot;locked in I shall not be. I remain no longer here than is necessary;
+but I must contrive to protract my stay until the day after to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, then, in that case we may hit upon a plan,&quot; observed the cook,
+moving the stool. &quot;I know you do not lack courage. If you only mean to
+preach a penitential sermon to the illustrious prisoner, one or other
+of the saints must point your way. An angel in your form, on a
+celestial ladder, or, for want of that, on a fire-ladder, would
+certainly be highly edifying to a bewildered soul. Now, good night,
+your reverence. Tomorrow, betimes, I shall bring your ale-posset. There
+is no joke in that; and so you may sleep soundly. I must hasten away,
+and sing in the kitchen, or the castellan will begin to doubt me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, the jolly cook was already out of the door, and sang
+so lustily, that the knights' hall rang again:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;O, it was lanky Berner Rise,<br>
+Grew so tall that none could find him:<br>
+He was mad, and never wise;<br>
+Not a man could hold or bind him.</p>
+<p class="t2">But the wood stands all in flowers.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Next morning, when Duke Waldemar awoke, a silver cup of warm ale was
+already on the table by his bedside. He arose hastily, and dressed
+himself. As soon as he had done so, he raised the silver cup to his
+lips, as usual, by the handle; but set it down again with surprise, on
+observing in his hand a summer-fool<a name="div2Ref_22" href="#div2_22"><sup>[22]</sup></a> that had come off, and which
+appeared to have been loosely attached to the handle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who wants to make a fool of me here?&quot; said he, angrily, throwing the
+flower on the table; but, at the same instant, he perceived a little
+slip of parchment, which stuck out from its beautiful chalice. He
+seized the tiny flower-letter, and read the single word, &quot;Subscribe.&quot;
+He gazed for some time on the mysterious billet, and fell into deep
+thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What means this?&quot; he exclaimed, at length, as if awoke from a dream.
+&quot;Who sends me this mysterious advice? Is it friend or foe? Subscribe!
+That is easily said: but if it concerns my honour--if it concerns my
+heart and soul, and the great aim of my life, I would rather subscribe
+my own death-warrant than the terms I may expect to-day.&quot; He gazed,
+once more, upon the slip, and sank into a reverie.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Already in the council-chamber, noble sir?&quot; exclaimed his lively
+fellow-prisoner, who now entered. &quot;If I am not mistaken, you have had a
+morning visit from your wise and entertaining spirit. Methinks you were
+just now talking with some one--perhaps with your good friend in the
+chest?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, Tuko,&quot; replied the duke; &quot;but watchful spirits are near us. It is
+not the dead bishop alone who speaks to me from these walls: living
+beings also take an interest in my fate, and would control my will ere
+I know it myself. See what I found in this flower.&quot; He handed him the
+flower and the scrap of parchment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A summer-fool! That you must beware of, noble sir, if it comes not
+from a pretty little hand, who will only joke in disguise, to make its
+winter-fool happy in earnest. Subscribe! Short and good advice,
+i'faith, in the tone of a dominant mistress. Had it been in German, I
+know whom I should have guessed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, so! think you my unseen protecting spirit is German? Say, whom
+mean you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Eh! whom other should I mean than the Duke of Saxony's little saintly
+daughter, who was more concerned about your faith and salvation than
+your ducal crown and all your proud expectations. You still wear, in
+secret, her invisible chains.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sophia--the good, pious child?&quot; exclaimed the duke, raising his hands
+to his brow. &quot;Do you believe she still thinks of me and my fate? Nay,
+Tuko; that I cannot desire: it would unpleasantly vex me. The last half
+year has erased that wonderful image from my heart: I have had more
+important matter to think of than the little daughter of a duke, and
+her pious, circumscribed religion. I have, happily, torn myself from
+that foolishness. I cannot now suffer myself to be dazzled or impeded
+by a pair of loving saintly eyes, that have their home in a convent or
+on an altar-table. Speak no more of her, Tuko. You know it only serves
+to grieve me; and, truth to say, since our plans drew us to the high
+Dane-court, I have blushed for myself when I thought of her. But you
+are right,&quot; he continued, with emotion: &quot;these chaste and lovely
+flowers, that for almost an entire year have so kindly and gently
+reminded us of spring and summer, and of life's calm joys, in our
+prison--they might well have reminded me of her; and this white and
+innocent spring-flower, that has now found a voice, and begs of me to
+accede and subscribe----Ha! subscribe an agreement that may perhaps
+render me a pious slave to my own conscience, to the day of my
+death--and then----There was a time when such thraldom appeared to me
+real liberty.&quot; He was silent, and again relapsed into deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was a sad time, sir,&quot; resumed Tuko, hastily: &quot;they had nearly
+converted you into a hang-the-head. I also say, subscribe, whatever the
+deuce it may be. Freedom cannot be purchased too dearly. But be not
+therefore the slave of a pen's stroke. The pretty little enthusiast
+will, at last, transform you into a quiet complaisant duke of South
+Jutland, who, in this life, will never think of being anything more,
+but, renouncing all his daring schemes, take to himself a quiet and
+pious wife, say good-night to this world's fleeting dreams of
+sovereignty, and sleep soundly in a Sleswick castle, like a true and
+loyal Danish vassal. That must be a charming life, sir! What we have
+here suffered, we shall not think of taking revenge for. Fie! that were
+ignoble and unchristian: we must kiss the rod like good children, and
+be gentle and amiable. And what a beautifully peaceful life! Your
+highest office will be to protect the goslings from the fox, or to
+strike down, with your own illustrious hand, a savoury roe for the
+frugal ducal table, where the pious house-mother sits, with folded
+hands, while the well-behaved amiable children say grace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha, nay, Tuko!&quot; exclaimed the duke, vehemently, waking up as from a
+dream: &quot;I shall show thee that Waldemar Seier was mine ancestor. He,
+too, sat once in prison; but he forgot not vengeance until he was old
+and gray; and, in misfortune, he forgot not his crown and his royal
+dignity!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that instant, a knocking was heard at the prison-door, and the
+conversation was broken off. In obedience to their request, the polite
+castellan now entered, and inquired whether it was convenient for the
+illustrious duke to receive Drost Hessel?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel?&quot; repeated the duke, with bitter indignation--&quot;well, let
+him enter;&quot; and he seated himself, proudly and calmly, by the table,
+whilst Sir Abildgaard took upon himself the office of a respectful
+servant, and stationed himself, with a cunning smile, behind the chair
+of his princely master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan bowed respectfully, and retired; and immediately after,
+Drost Peter entered. He made his salutation courteously and gravely.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke half rose from his seat, and sat down again. &quot;What has Drost
+Hessel to submit to the Duke of South Jutland?&quot; said he, in a calm
+voice, but with suppressed indignation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Illustrious sir,&quot; began Drost Peter, &quot;my master, the king, listening
+to the representations of your friends, has resolved to offer you
+reconciliation and freedom, if you will subscribe and confirm the terms
+which I have, in the king's name, to lay before you.&quot; So saying, he
+drew forth a large parchment-deed, and, with a polite inclination,
+handed it to the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Read it for me, my drost,&quot; said the duke, carelessly handing the deed
+to Sir Abildgaard, and leaning back on his chair with an air of
+indifference.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard stepped firmly before his lord, and read. The deed had
+been prepared by the chancellor in Danish, and in the usual stiff and
+pedantic style of such documents. Drost Peter remained standing at a
+respectful distance, and closely observing the duke's manner. The duke
+did not appear to notice him, but gazed, gloomily and thoughtfully, on
+the dingy prison-wall, covered with writing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The introduction to the agreement recited the names of the duke's
+friends who had procured it, and among these he seemed particularly
+interested to find the Duke of Saxony, of whose daughter he had just
+been talking. The name of the good-natured Count Gerhard of Holstein
+seemed also to surprise him; the more so, perhaps, as he remembered
+that he had endeavoured to turn this brave gentleman into ridicule, at
+the Dane-court of Nyborg. The introduction ran as follows:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To all who see or hear read the present letter: Herman, by the grace
+of God, Bishop of Schwerin; Johannes, Duke of Saxony; Gerhard,
+Johannes, and Adolph, Counts of Holstein; Helmold, Claus, Counts of
+Schwerin; Geert, Count of Hoya; Johannes and Henrik, Counts of
+Meeklinburg; eternal health with God. That all may be witness, that on
+account of Duke Waldemar of Sleswick, it was humbly desired by us, that
+we might be permitted to promise for him, that he should hold to the
+articles of the under-written letter, which is a deed of agreement
+between King Erik of Denmark and him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who has requested these good lords to promise, on my behalf, that
+which I do not yet know?&quot; asked the duke. &quot;But this may be merely the
+usual form. To the point, then.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard now read the agreement itself, which, in the duke's
+name, began as follows:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Waldemar, by God's grace, Duke of South Jutland, eternal health with
+God. It is the glory and honour of princes, that they hear and grant
+the prayers of their petitioners; and thus, by augmenting the loyalty
+and affection of their subjects, they augment and strengthen the
+ruler's name, honour, and title--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is Drost Hessel's pretty thought, and Master Martin's pretty
+style,&quot; said the duke, interrupting the reading, with an air of
+mockery. &quot;But continue, drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Therefore shall it be made manifest to all,&quot; continued Sir Abildgaard,
+with a suppressed smile, and in an humble tone, &quot;that we were led, by
+youthful inexperience and childish counsel, to claim that, respecting
+Alsen, which belongs to the crown, contrary to the injunction of our
+lord, King Erik; wherein we acknowledge to have done wrong, as it
+appeared to us, and others our friends, that the laws of our country
+were too stringent and severe: wherefore, the before-mentioned king,
+after our humble supplication, his prelates' and other trusty men's
+counsel, hath remitted us all blame and crime, which we have
+imprudently committed against him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Then followed everything relating to the dispute concerning Alsen, the
+mint privileges, and the king's right to wage war for South Jutland: at
+all which the duke smiled carelessly, and seemed to think it scarcely
+worth his attention; although, at the same time, he gave the closest
+heed to every word. But his assumed indifference was changed into
+evident uneasiness, as Sir Abildgaard read--&quot;We promise, therefore,
+that we shall never plot or contrive the king's death or imprisonment,
+nor counsel or demand that he should be deprived of his lands, towns,
+cities, or fortresses; nor league, conspire, or practise aught against
+him or the kingdom; nor instigate, or take part with, any one in
+<i>crimen lĉsĉ majestatis</i>; but shall show him all honour, subjection,
+reverence, and fealty. And if we do anything against him, or if it can
+be proved against us, according to the laws and usages of the country,
+that we have secretly done so, then shall all our fief and estates
+thereby become forfeited, so that our lord and king, of his own
+authority, may seize them for the use of the crown, and do therewith,
+as a lasting possession, as to his grace may seem fit; also, that he
+may punish us in the body, or spare us, as his grace may pronounce.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here Sir Abildgaard paused, and regarded his master with astonishment.
+But the duke's uneasiness had disappeared, and a proud defiance
+sparkled in his eyes, whilst he raised his head haughtily and boldly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now know I both your word and spirit, Drost Hessel,&quot; he said. &quot;To this
+extent you gladly carry the point, when a blinded king gives you
+authority.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter gravely shook his head, and was silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Continue,&quot; said the duke; and Sir Abildgaard proceeded:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We consent, moreover, that the prelates of Denmark may proclaim the
+ban of the Church against us, without previous warning, if it so
+happens, (which God forbid,) that we do anything contrary to the tenor
+of the foregoing.&quot; Sir Abildgaard again paused, and observed his lord
+with an inquiring look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Exactly so,&quot; said the duke; &quot;do not forget the holy letters of
+excommunication: they may be required. Is there anything further?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard now read a few articles relating to the obligations of
+the duke to stand by the king in his wars, and to attend the assemblies
+of the estates; which he appeared to care little about. But it farther
+recited--&quot;We shall not maintain outlawed people. Item, for this our
+imprisonment we shall not wage war against the king, his sons, or any
+one, within or without the kingdom, or cause any evil, on account
+thereof, to any person, but hold them free and blameless. We shall not
+make any covenant or alliance with any person whatsoever, from whom his
+majesty and the realm may suffer damage; and if we have already made
+any such alliance, shall renounce the same.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lastly, to the duke's great astonishment, it thus proceeded--&quot;And, that
+there should not be any doubt concerning what is now promised, we have,
+by a solemn oath upon the holy Gospels, sworn and pledged ourselves
+that we shall adhere to all that is above written, without fraud or
+guile; renouncing every exception, device, force, threat, aid of
+secular or spiritual jurisdiction, law, or custom, whereby the foresaid
+letter may be infringed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke became pale. He did not hear the conclusion, which contained
+the names of the bishops and princes who had witnessed the articles,
+and had attached their seals thereto; and he appeared to regain his
+self-possession only as he heard the last words--&quot;And we shall seal
+this at the first opportunity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, truly, as soon as the opportunity occurs,&quot; exclaimed he, with the
+utmost bitterness, and rising from his seat. &quot;And such is the agreement
+you dare to bring me, Drost Hessel? And you fancied that I was coward
+and fool enough to sign and seal it? You have a worthy pattern for this
+precious document, in black Count Henry's devilish paction with the
+captured King Waldemar. But I shall not tread in my great ancestor's
+footsteps, and purchase my freedom so dearly. If you think to compel
+me, try. If you have chains with you, out with them! Call your hangman,
+and see if I shall shrink, or debase myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You mistake me grievously, highborn sir,&quot; said Drost Peter, with
+wounded feelings. &quot;Think not that I am pleased to see a noble-born
+gentleman, like yourself, in this prison. Believe, least of all, that I
+am so base-hearted that I would see your free will constrained by
+unworthy means. Not from hatred or revenge, but for the security of the
+crown and kingdom, are you bereft of freedom. The moment you give up
+the unwarrantable and sufficiently evident objects that have rendered
+your imprisonment here necessary, you again stand free, in the exalted
+station whereto you were born and bred. You will retain, without
+abatement, all your legal privileges as Duke of South Jutland, and, all
+will be forgotten. The moment you subscribe this covenant, the
+castellan has orders to open these prison-doors, and to conduct you,
+with safe escort, to my master the king; and, as soon as you have
+publicly acknowledged your subscription, before the estates of the
+realm, and confirmed it with your seal and oath, you can retire,
+unmolested, to your dukedom; and neither my master the king, nor any
+other right-minded man in Denmark, will in future doubt your fidelity
+towards your king and country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, Drost Peter laid his silver style upon the table, together
+with the parchment, which Sir Abildgaard had delivered back to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke, however, stood unmoved, and gazed upon the wall, without
+deigning the king's messenger a word or look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My lord,&quot; continued Drost Peter, &quot;take counsel, now, with the
+all-knowing God and your own conscience. I leave the agreement in your
+hands: you may destroy or subscribe it, as you think best. Till the sun
+goes down, I may await your determination; and, in twenty-four hours,
+the doors of your prison stand open on these terms. The moment you have
+subscribed, pull the bell-string there, and your prison will be opened.
+Meantime I leave you, with the hope that you will consider your
+temporal, as you would your eternal welfare. Mistake not, in this
+matter, either my master the king, or myself. The all-knowing God and
+all holy men are my witnesses, that nothing is here done out of hatred
+of yourself. I dare witness before God, at the last day, that I have
+only dealt towards you according to my oath, and my duty to the crown
+and kingdom.&quot; So saying, Drost Peter bowed, and hastily left the
+turret-chamber, not without emotion, and a strong feeling of melancholy
+interest in the imprisoned duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The prison-door was again closed and locked. On the table lay the
+important parchment, and by its side the silver style, which Drost
+Peter had left for the purpose of signing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard regarded his master with a disturbed and inquiring look.
+The duke was pacing the floor with agitated steps: his eyes rolled
+wildly, and his cheeks were flashed with anger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Never, never shall I subscribe this hellish paction!&quot; he exclaimed,
+&quot;if I must sit here till the day of my death. If I subscribe, with a
+solemn oath, what stands here, I must either renounce the great object
+of my life, or become a perjurer and a nidding to all the world. Nay,
+nay, never shall this be so! I will show them that Duke Waldemar does
+not value his miserable dukedom higher than his honour and free
+unconstrained will. I will not foully and basely sell them my soul and
+my will's freedom, to breathe the air in a larger prison, like a
+debased, mean-spirited slave. Now, Tuko, now is the time to think
+seriously of escape, and to burst these walls by craft or violence, or
+any other possible mode. Let me once stand free, beyond this infernal
+prison--beyond the bounds of Denmark, and I shall no longer hesitate
+about what, in my sickly humour, I was well nigh on the point of
+relinquishing. I shall then shake the dust from my feet, and never more
+place them on Danish ground until I stand here at the head of an army
+that shall overthrow the tyrant's throne, crushing beneath it him and
+all his wretched advisers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Were only the first step taken,&quot; replied the knight, with a
+shrug--&quot;were we once our own masters, I should heartily admire your
+lofty thoughts and brave conclusions; but so long as your great adviser
+can only speak to you from these walls, and cannot, as a potent spirit
+should, blow them away like cobwebs, so long, gracious sir, are all
+your heroic schemes but castles in the air--mere beautiful dreams,
+which but poorly compensate the loss of a free joyous life and
+Sleswick's ducal crown.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How, Tuko! Wouldst thou not despise me were I to subscribe this
+agreement?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Far be such a thought from me, sir. It is a foolish bird that will not
+fly when the cage is open. See: there lies the crowbar, that, without
+witchcraft, can break these walls. The good drost has left you here his
+silver style: a single stroke on the parchment with this enchanter's
+wand, and our prison is open; the fair, wide world lies before us; we
+withdraw from this unfortunate country, till we can say thanks to the
+King of Denmark for this last good turn. We shall find a welcome with
+the Duke of Saxony, and how will not the fair Princess Sophia be
+rejoiced--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold, tempter, hold!&quot; exclaimed the duke, advancing towards him. &quot;Is
+this thy constancy, Tuko? this thy inspiration for my lofty, distant
+aim? What matters it that the bird is free, when its wings are clipped
+for life? If thou art weary of sharing my lot, I can easily set thee
+free. Swear thyself to the foul fiend, and go! I shall remain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You mistake me, my noble duke,&quot; replied Tuko, seriously. &quot;I have
+shared your captivity, and been happy, even to this hour. I shall
+furthermore share it, without complaining, as long as you please. The
+main point I have not lost sight of. You have yourself discovered how
+you can reach it without moving a hand; and your conscience can be
+easily reconciled to your freedom. Will you hear me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay--not one word will I hear. Leave me now, Tuko: to-morrow thou
+shalt know my determination. This concerns myself, and my whole future
+life, and I will myself cast the die that is to decide it. Neither thou
+nor any other man shall guide my will in this matter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard was silent, and retired to his own cell. The duke closed
+the intermediate door, and barred it with the stone. He then threw
+himself upon his chair, and indulged in gloomy thought. Thus he sat,
+motionless, the whole day, and without allowing any one to enter, or
+partaking of any refreshment. In the fortress, all was quiet as usual.
+Before the sun went down, his cogitations were disturbed for a moment
+by the sound of horses' feet in the castle-court. It was Drost Peter
+and his squire leaving the castle. The duke rose, and went to the
+grating. His hand was clenched convulsively, when he saw, in the rays
+of the setting sun, the young drost, free and vigorous, managing his
+brown steed. The princely prisoner heaved a deep sigh, closed the
+shutter before the grating, and, turning into the darkest nook of his
+cell, he threw himself upon his unmade bed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The inside shutter of the iron grating, which the prisoner could open
+or shut at pleasure, was provided with a thin plate of horn, through
+which the daylight could scarcely penetrate. This shutter he usually
+allowed to remain open, unless the night was very cold, and the wind
+blew in that direction; for it had frequently happened to him, when it
+was closed, that he had started at midnight from a dreamy sleep, and
+fancied himself buried alive in the old chapel of his ancestors. But,
+now, life and every gleam of light and cheerfulness had become hateful
+to him; and, with a sort of spiteful pleasure, he had deprived himself
+of the scanty glimmer of daylight that still remained.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come forth, my brother in misfortune, and teach me to look into the
+night of my futurity with thy glowing eyes,&quot; he muttered. &quot;Let them
+call thee death's-bird, and corpse-bird, as they will: thou still seest
+clearly, when we and others are blind; and if thou shouldst now screech
+of death and misfortune, so much the better! that song now pleaseth me
+best.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst, with subdued voice, he thus gave expression to his gloomy
+thoughts, he opened the box, and took out the great night-bird, which
+perched itself familiarly upon his arm, and allowed itself to be
+caressed. The duke leant back on his pallet, and continued absorbed in
+moody reveries. The stillness of death reigned throughout the castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">By the faint light through the pane of horn, the prisoner was aware
+that the moon was shining. He at length closed his eyes, and fell into
+a slumber, without having first, as usual, shut up the owl. He wist not
+that he had been asleep, when the same fearful idea, that had before
+awoke him at midnight, again overwhelmed him: he fancied that he lay in
+his coffin, in the tomb of his fathers, and, in a kind of agony, half
+rose on his couch. He was not yet fully awake, when a frightful screech
+completely aroused him from his dream: he opened his eyes, and, in a
+ledge of the wall, near the mysterious inscriptions, he again saw the
+glowing eyes of the corpse-bird. It again screamed, and far more
+hideously than it was wont, at the same time staring at the dim light
+through the horn of the closed shutter. The duke looked in the same
+direction, and, to his astonishment, fancied he caught a glimpse of a
+face, half concealed in a hat, before the grating. A singular terror
+seized him, and he remained motionless, half erect, in bed. He now
+heard a gentle tap on the shutter, and sprang up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who is there?&quot; he cried. &quot;If you are human, speak!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knocking at the shutter became a little louder, and a low,
+mysterious voice whispered--&quot;Open, Duke Waldemar: a good friend would
+speak with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is it possible?&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;a man? a good friend? Ha! be thou the
+Evil One himself, I fear not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He hastily opened the shutter. A human countenance, sufficiently
+palpable, met his eyes at the grating, but so thoroughly shaded, the
+moon falling only on the outlines, that it was impossible for him to
+perceive a single feature.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You know me not, Duke Waldemar?&quot; said the unexpected night-guest. &quot;I
+risk my life, perhaps, to speak with you. You must subscribe, or all is
+lost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Grand! Master Grand!&quot; exclaimed the duke, astonished. &quot;Are you a
+wizard, and can fly? What stand you on?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A storming-ladder,&quot; replied the daring ecclesiastic. &quot;Cook
+Morten steadies it, and keeps watch. The time is precious, fair
+duke--subscribe!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;From you, then, pious sir, came the good advice this morning. But I do
+not thus, even were both heaven and hell to shout--subscribe! Shall I
+forswear every thought of my high vocation--shall I forswear even
+vengeance? For what, then, have I dared so much? For what have I
+sustained so much? I will not subscribe. If you would free me, let it
+be by craft or force, and I am yours: I will then place myself openly
+at the head of the conspiracy, and it shall succeed or perish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In this way all would be lost, sir. Nothing can be undertaken until
+you are legally free and secure. Your imprisonment binds up every hand;
+but subscribe, and all are as free as your own. If you do not wish to
+abide by your oath, the holy father can relieve you from it, as he did
+your ancestor. If you wish to keep it, it is well: you can stand aloof,
+and still be the head. The marsk and his friends will act alone--of
+that you need know nothing--and the vacant place becomes yours. You
+understand, sir? You can keep your oath, and, with a sound conscience,
+come forward when the time arrives. Then, with law and justice, you can
+seize the minor's sceptre; and when you have won the people's hearts,
+and shown that you are worthy of the crown, it will fall of its own
+accord upon your head; whilst you will have broken neither oath nor
+bond.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! is it you, yourself, sagacious Master Grand? or is it the dead
+bishop, who has lent you voice and form to teach me wisdom? You are
+right: thus may I grasp the sceptre that constrains spirits, and win
+the crown that shines pure as the sun. Now, know I what I will. You are
+not the first who has taught me this. You have only told me how. Good:
+I subscribe. From the hour I have subscribed, I know nothing, and will
+know nothing, of your projects. Do what you will and defend it as best
+you can. I go my own way; and when we meet at the goal--then--then
+first I know you, and dare name you my friend. You understand me,
+Grand?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand you, sir. It is certain, then, that you subscribe, and
+withdraw from this place to-morrow. At the Dane-court of Nyborg, you
+can confirm the agreement, and calmly await what shall come to pass.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This secret conversation was here interrupted by a sudden uproar in the
+court-yard of the castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have him, master--I have him, the crafty clerk!&quot; cried the voice of
+cook Morten; &quot;he shall not escape now. I guessed at once what he bore
+on his shield, and helped him up the storming-ladder myself. Shall I
+now pull it down, and let him break his neck? or will you have him
+alive?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am betrayed!&quot; exclaimed Master Grand, with alarm: &quot;the infernal cook
+has betrayed me. Now for it.&quot; He descended the ladder, and was
+immediately surrounded by ten house-carls bearing torches, in the midst
+of whom stood the castellan, half-dressed, with a large sword in his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can I believe my own eyes, sir dean?&quot; cried the honest Poul Hvit.
+&quot;Have you come hither to baffle my vigilance, and to assist an
+important state-prisoner to escape?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hear me, worthy Poul Hvit,&quot; replied Master Grand, with a bold,
+authoritative voice, &quot;and you shall not mistake a servant of the Lord,
+who, in this secret and unusual way, has been on the service of his
+Heavenly King. That it was not my intention to liberate your prisoner,
+contrary to the laws of the country, you can satisfy yourself by
+searching my clothes and the prison. I have neither file nor other tool
+about me, with which it were possible to open the grating or assist the
+prisoner to escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan seemed perplexed and undecided.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I demand this search for my own honour's sake,&quot; continued Master
+Grand, throwing aside his cloak, and turning out his pockets. &quot;If you
+are now convinced of my innocence in this respect, you may with reason
+demand to know my intentions in making this night visit. I was aware
+that admission to the prisoner was denied me; but I knew, at the same
+time, that a powerful word from God, spoken at the right time, might
+effect much in a bewildered sinner's heart. The haughty young duke, as
+you know, would not subscribe the agreement with the king, and
+relinquish his rebellious projects; but I have now so spoken to him,
+with the mighty power of God's word, that he has repented, and has
+penitently acknowledged his great sin. He has consented to subscribe
+the agreement, and will henceforth become the king's faithful subject.
+This have I done, and this is my offence. If you see reason to make me
+answerable for this Christian undertaking, I am then your prisoner. But
+if, as I presume, you are a god-fearing man, uniting respect for my
+station and sacred office with strict fidelity to your king, you will
+only suffer me to remain guarded here, until you have searched the
+prison, and satisfied yourself of the truth of my statement; when you
+will allow me to depart, in the peace of the Lord, within an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Guard him!&quot; said the castellan, as he went hastily to the tower with a
+light. He opened the prison-door, and found all right in the first
+apartment, occupied by Sir Abildgaard. At his request, the duke opened
+his barred door. The castellan entered, and, without saying a word,
+examined the grating narrowly. He then placed the light on the table,
+and observed the duke attentively. &quot;Tell me, highborn sir,&quot; he
+inquired, &quot;is it truth, that Dean Grand has spoken with you, and that
+you have considered, and will subscribe the agreement?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the truth,&quot; replied the duke, taking up the silver style: &quot;it
+shall be done instantly. See, here stands my name.&quot; He handed the
+castellan the document, and threw himself, thoughtfully, on his chair.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now I congratulate you on your restoration to freedom, and your
+country in having a true man restored to it,&quot; said the castellan,
+gladly. &quot;I did not deceive myself, then: I know the world and mankind;
+and I well saw, from your nature and manner, that you were a noble
+young gentleman, who had only transgressed from the thoughtlessness of
+youth. Rest now, if it so please you, on your good and pious
+resolution, until it is day; and then, noble sir, I shall bring you
+with honour from your prison, and conduct you myself to my king and
+master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; said the duke. &quot;But go now, and do not suffer the worthy
+Master Grand to experience any inconvenience. He only preached me a
+night-sermon, which, as you have seen, has converted me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The castellan bowed, and retired. Sir Abildgaard, who had overheard
+what had just taken place, hastened to his master with lively
+satisfaction, to receive a full explanation of the reasons which had so
+unexpectedly decided him to subscribe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, Master Grand stood amidst the wondering house-carls,
+who, agreeably to the castellan's orders, guarded him closely, but with
+a reverence that, by his authoritative air, he knew how to obtain. Cook
+Morten stood, smiling, by the storming-ladder, and seemed to find
+amusement in the night's adventure. Master Grand directed towards him
+an upbraiding and disdainful look, without saying a word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I thought at least he would have slipped down,&quot; said the cook
+to the house-carls. &quot;I had never before seen a worthy dean upon a
+storming-ladder, and could not resist the temptation; but I would have
+shunned the dangerous joke, had I not known that you and the castellan
+were in the neighbourhood. It will now be seen whether I have done the
+pious gentleman an ill turn. Nobody can find fault with me, for having
+taken him for a crafty cheat. Who else in the world is so zealous in
+the cure of souls, that he puts his neck in jeopardy to save a single
+couple? It was fortunate for the learned clerk that you came; for I was
+just on the point of drawing the ladder from under him, and then his
+reverence might have hung suspended by his hands on the iron bars, like
+a cat on a bird-cage, till I had brought you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wretched, faithless soul!&quot; exclaimed Master Grand, vehemently. &quot;I told
+you that my intentions were pious and god-fearing, and yet you could
+conceive the idea of depriving a servant of the Lord of his life!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall answer for that to my master, and his grace our most precious
+king,&quot; replied Morten: &quot;here, we have no respect of persons. We lock up
+princes and great lords, when we have instructions to regard them as
+rascals. I place the most guilty on the spit, when I have orders to
+regard them as capons; and, if even the pope or kaiser wills to creep
+through the window to them, I shall answer for it before all
+Christendom, if I suffer them to break their high and holy necks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Cook Morten was becoming noisy, and the castellan, who had now returned
+from the prison, on hearing these insolent words, ordered him to
+moderate his zeal, and to talk with more reverence to the pious worthy
+sir dean, who was entirely innocent, and had, at the same time, done a
+deed for which every brave Dane ought to thank him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe I know the world and mankind tolerably well,&quot; said he, with
+a self-satisfied air, to Master Grand; &quot;and I am rejoiced, your
+reverence, that I was not mistaken in my good opinion of you. That your
+intentions towards the king and country are good, I am now satisfied,
+albeit you spoke hard words, yesterday evening, against the sins and
+errors of the great. As a faithful man of God, you had a right to do
+so; but, Herregud! we are all human, and even the most virtuous among
+us may be suspected, and have appearances against him. That I have
+myself just experienced, pious sir. You are now free to depart, at what
+instant you please, but I shall be delighted if you will be my guest
+until it is day. Night is no man's friend; and, though you are a pious
+servant of the Lord, you might still go astray.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I fear not that,&quot; replied Master Grand: &quot;I have nothing further to do
+here, if you are satisfied with the deed of conveyance, my good, honest
+Poul Hvit?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Entirely so, pious sir. Bear Abbot Magnus my respectful salutations;
+and, since it must be so, God be with you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the castellan's order, Master Grand's palfrey was immediately led
+out. The lofty ecclesiastic saluted the castellan with calm dignity,
+and gave the token of benediction, with three fingers, to the
+respectful house-carls; whereupon, attended by a lay-brother who acted
+in the capacity of his groom, he quitted Sjöborg in the quiet moonlight
+night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A few hours after, and when the sun had risen, Duke Waldemar and his
+drost, accompanied by Poul Hvit and twelve armed troopers, rode from
+the castle-gates of Sjöborg, and took the road to Korsöer, in order to
+cross over to Nyborg, where the king and his Best Men were residing,
+and where the agreement, under seal and oath, was required to be
+ratified by the Dane-court, before the duke and his drost could obtain
+their full liberty.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">After an unusually severe winter, during which the Baltic had been
+frozen over, spring once more, with rapid steps, extended her lovely
+and flowery reign over the favoured plains of Denmark. In the middle of
+May, the beech-woods were in leaf; and, notwithstanding the miserable
+condition of the people, and the private discords that divided so many
+hearts, to those who were unacquainted with its disjointed internal
+condition, the country seemed a peaceful and happy paradise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On one of the finest days of spring, a company of travellers on
+horseback, consisting of two distinguished knights and two ladies,
+together with an ecclesiastic of eminence, and accompanied by a young
+squire, two grooms, and two waiting-maids, rode in through the gate of
+Flynderborg Castle, near Orekrog. On the castle-stairs stood the
+commandant, Sir Lavé Little, uncovered, to receive his honoured guests
+with due respect. The tall Lady Ingé stood by her father's side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst the knights assisted their ladies to dismount, and conducted
+them up the stairs, the corpulent ecclesiastic remained quietly seated
+on his palfrey, reading a Latin inscription over the doorway: he was
+the chancellor of the kingdom, the learned Master Martinus de Dacia.
+The short, gray-haired, but still hale and nimble knight, who first
+ascended the castle-stairs, with a tall, middle-aged lady upon his arm,
+was Counsellor Sir John Little, with his wife, Fru Ingefried. His
+daughter Cecilia was accompanied by a young, knightly gentleman, in
+whose tall form Jomfru<a name="div2Ref_23" href="#div2_23"><sup>[23]</sup></a> Ingé, with blushing cheeks, immediately
+recognised Drost Peter Hessel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not without a certain degree of embarrassment and secret uneasiness did
+Sir Lavé receive his guests. Despite his extreme politeness, he
+appeared to scan, with much anxiety, his old kinsman's looks. Having
+saluted Drost Peter with repulsive coldness, Sir Lavé seemed to regard
+the learned chancellor, who had at length reached the top of the stairs
+with a shy, suspicious glance; but when the learned gentleman at once
+commenced his inquiries respecting the age of the castle and its
+antiquities, Sir Lavé appeared somewhat more at ease, and referred him
+to his daughter, who, as he said, knew better about such odd kind of
+things than any one else in the castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You must live here like a little king, my good Lavé,&quot; observed Sir
+John, looking round the large arched hall, which occupied the whole
+breadth of the wing, and from which two large doors opened into the
+castle-garden, commanding a most beautiful view over the Sound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, indeed, sir counsellor: the castle is royal enough, and your
+presence gives it its proper lustre,&quot; replied Sir Lavé, in a submissive
+tone, which showed at once the dependent relation in which he stood to
+his renowned kinsman, whose preponderance, both in rank and intellect,
+he only too oppressively felt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are too polite, cousin,&quot; replied Sir John. &quot;Lustre, you know well
+enough, is not my affair. But if the castle is as strong as it is fair
+and pleasant, I should like to be governor of it in time of war. Have
+you been here before, Drost Peter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In my childhood I was often in these halls, and I here regain the
+memory of my dearest, fairest years,&quot; replied Drost Peter, with a
+glance at Jomfra Ingé, whom he had yet only silently saluted, and who
+appeared to be entirely busied with Fru Ingefried and Lady Cecilia. Her
+eyes now met his, and he observed, with pleasure, that this remembrance
+did not appear indifferent to her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have you not been here since?&quot; inquired Sir John; but Drost Peter did
+not hear him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are under a spell, I think. Have you been here since, Peter
+Hessel?&quot; he repeated.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Last year,&quot; answered Drost Peter, somewhat embarrassed, &quot;in the course
+of my unpleasant duty respecting Duke Waldemar's arrest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At these words Sir Lavé turned, highly uneasy, towards the old
+counsellor, and overwhelmed him with half a score of questions at once,
+principally about court news, and indifferent matters.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not trouble myself concerning such fooleries,&quot; replied Sir John,
+gravely, looking at his uneasy kinsman with a sharp, inquiring glance;
+&quot;but the best and most important news is already well known to you,
+cousin--that, since the king has regained a faithful subject in Duke
+Waldemar, we may now hope for peace and unity in the country. We may
+therefore reasonably expect that every Danish knight who may have been
+mistaken, but who still means honestly towards his country, will follow
+the young duke's example, and sincerely forswear every thought of
+turbulent resistance and rebellious defiance to the laws of the
+kingdom. In some instances a strict inquiry may perhaps be deemed
+necessary,&quot; he added; &quot;but I hope that many adherents of the audacious
+Marsk Andersen are not to be found in the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé had become deadly pale; and on the stern Sir John's
+countenance appeared a mingled expression of anger and deep sorrow,
+which, however, immediately disappeared, as he turned playfully to
+Jomfru Ingé, with reference to one of her childhood's heroines, proud
+Dotté, whose history was represented on the old wrought tapestry of the
+hall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you still hold by this proud damsel?&quot; he inquired, pointing to the
+picture, representing a lady chained, on board a ship, with a little
+anchor in her hand. &quot;Can you still sing about her cheese-anchors, with
+which she would have kept the whole of Harald Hardrada's fleet from
+Denmark?&quot;<a name="div2Ref_24" href="#div2_24"><sup>[24]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you still remember that, my noble kinsman?&quot; asked Lady Ingé
+blushing. &quot;When I sang that song by your side, and defended Dotté
+against your jokes, I was still a child, and you laughed at my zeal:
+but I must still defend her, my noble kinsman. Had the men of Denmark,
+in her time, been as brave as she calculated upon, they would have
+found steel enough to defend her cheese-anchors, and not have suffered
+the Norwegian pirate-king to carry off a Danish maiden in chains, on
+account of a bold word. Somewhat of haughtiness, and of childish
+defiance towards a superior power, there certainly was in the whole
+jest,&quot; she continued, with warmth; &quot;but a little innocent boasting was
+still a sign that she had good faith in Danish manhood and fidelity.
+Had she been your daughter, I am certain that you would have gladly
+paid a double ransom for her freedom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That may well be,&quot; replied Sir John, patting his brave kinswoman on
+the cheek. &quot;Right, proud Ingelil!<a name="div2Ref_25" href="#div2_25"><sup>[25]</sup></a> Thou art thy brave mother's
+daughter. The girl is right in some things,&quot; he continued, turning to
+the learned chancellor: &quot;she is better acquainted with these ancient
+heroes than I am. This Harald Hardrada was little better than a bold,
+skilful pirate: a lofty, kingly soul, he never had. His doings in
+Denmark and Myklegaard redounded not to his honour; and I look upon the
+daring Jarl Mindre-Alf, of our own times, as his worthy
+representative.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In mind and deed, abundance of similar representatives might be
+mentioned, with sanguinary, heathenish souls in Christian bodies,&quot;
+replied Master Martin.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Jarl Mindre-Alf!&quot; repeated Jomfru Ingé, starting: &quot;the coarse, rude
+algrev--the little, fierce, brutish sea-rover--is he a jarl?<a name="div2Ref_26" href="#div2_26"><sup>[26]</sup></a> I
+thought he was only Count of Tönsberg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is a mighty jarl, and, next to King Erik the Priesthater, and Duke
+Hakon, the greatest man in Norway,&quot; answered Sir John. &quot;But thou art
+right, child: he is a coarse, rude carl, and more like a beast than a
+man. Thou hast never seen him, hast thou?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have heard more of him than I could have desired,&quot; she replied,
+hastily, avoiding the question, which occasioned her father great
+anguish.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter still hoped that Sir Lavé, notwithstanding his present
+palpable embarrassment, had been more imprudent than guilty on the
+occasion of the suspicious visit to which this accidental allusion had
+just been made. In order, therefore, to rid him of this uneasiness, and
+to relieve him from every fear of being called upon to answer for that
+transaction, the drost turned, with perfect good nature, to Lady Ingé's
+father, and informed him that the real object of the present journey,
+which gave him an opportunity of revisiting so dear a spot, was an
+embassy to the Swedish court of Stockholm; and that Sir John was, at
+the same time, taking his family to their summer residence, Tommerup
+Guard, in Scania.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This explanation instantly brightened up Sir Lavé's features. He seemed
+at once to comprehend the drost's good-natured intention in this
+communication, and held out his hand to him with unrestrained emotion.
+&quot;You are welcome to me, sir drost,&quot; he said, with a trembling voice,
+and drawing him aside to the open garden-door. &quot;What has occurred
+between us concerns nobody,&quot; he continued, anxiously, descending the
+garden-steps with him. He cast back a look towards the saloon, and
+perceiving old Sir John in lively conversation with the chancellor and
+the ladies, he drew Drost Peter hastily into a by-path in the garden.
+&quot;A word in confidence, Drost Hessel,&quot; he continued, in a fatherly tone,
+that reminded the drost of his childhood: &quot;what occurred when you were
+last here, might be misinterpreted in a manner dangerous to my honour
+and rank; but I have sufficient confidence in your integrity to rest
+assured that you will not abuse the advantage which circumstances gave
+you over me, to ruin and destroy me. Will you give me your word of
+honour thereupon?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By my knightly honour!&quot; answered Drost Peter, much affected, and
+giving him his hand. &quot;God be praised, I have never deemed myself bound
+to come forward as your accuser; and Heaven forbid that I should ever
+be obliged to do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good,&quot; exclaimed Sir Lavé, reassured: &quot;I only desired to know that I
+was safe in your hands as regards the past; and for that, your honour
+is now my pledge: the future, I shall myself take care of. Our old
+relationship is now dissolved, and a new one cannot be formed between
+us. We two can now be as if dead to one another.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He turned to depart; but Drost Peter retained him. &quot;Hear me, Sir Lavé,&quot;
+he exclaimed, warmly. &quot;I have also an important word to say to you. I
+do not regard that relationship as dissolved, which I first learned to
+prize highly at the moment it appeared to be torn asunder. That which
+estranges you from me, binds me to your house and noble race still more
+firmly, and with a bond that no earthly power can dissolve. It is the
+same bond that unites Denmark's crown and Denmark's hearts together. In
+this, your noble-hearted daughter shares my views, and that, too, with
+an ardour and animation that have enchained my soul irrevocably with
+her's, spite of every opposing or doubtful circumstance. I have not
+spoken a word to her but what you have yourself heard, and what I now
+with certainty know I feel for her. Whether she entertains the same
+feelings towards me, I dare not yet say; but I have a great and fond
+hope, which I will not relinquish while I live, unless she herself,
+which God forbid! should rob me of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Every word of this is now superfluous, sir drost,&quot; interrupted Sir
+Lavé, coldly and strangely. &quot;For me, you may hope and feel what you
+will. My will, as her father, you know. Your connections and principles
+render me, and every open-minded Dane, common heretics in your eyes;
+and, for the future, I can never think of any union with you. Let us
+mutually esteem each other's hearts and good intentions, however
+dissimilar, in other respects, we may be in our views,&quot; he added, with
+less coldness: &quot;let us not, as professors of a different political
+faith, condemn one another for the sake of our opinions. So, let us bid
+each other a peaceful farewell--for ever!&quot; With these words, and with
+averted face, he extended his hand to Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This, then, is the last time you give me your hand, Sir Lavé?&quot;
+exclaimed Drost Peter, with subdued grief. &quot;Oh, that I could hold fast
+by this hand, and drag you from the uncertain, tortuous path on which
+you falter--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unhand me, man! and be silent!&quot; whispered Sir Lavé, looking uneasily
+about him. &quot;Would you bring me to misfortune by your discourse? My way
+is not your's; but I had learnt to go alone, before you were born.
+Unhand me! We belong not to each other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pity 'tis that you are right!&quot; sighed Drost Peter, with secret horror,
+as he relinquished the cold, trembling hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without again looking at him, Sir Lavé hastily returned to his other
+important guests; whilst Drost Peter, violently agitated, took his way
+along a gloomy arched walk in the garden.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the garden-hall, to his great comfort, Sir Lavé found old Sir John
+still engaged in jocular conversation with Master Martinus; whilst Fru
+Ingefried and her daughter, in company with Lady Ingé, were about
+leaving it, to view the castle-garden.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel is already outside, enjoying the beautiful prospect,&quot;
+said the commandant, bowing to the stranger ladies. &quot;My daughter will
+conduct you to some of those remarkable spots where the clear waters
+and the green trees furnish abundant themes for the most passionate
+admirers of their country's beauties. I am not so fortunate as to
+appreciate these things myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The ladies smiled courteously at these careless remarks, and descended
+the garden-steps. Sir Lavé cast an inquiring look at the weathercock
+over the castle-gate, and then approached the two gentlemen, without
+disturbing their conversation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You astonish me, learned sir chancellor,&quot; said Sir John, laughing
+heartily. &quot;Who could have believed that dry philosophy should be so
+amusing? And this is altogether your own discovery?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly, sir counsellor,&quot; replied the learned chancellor, gravely,
+with a self-satisfied air: &quot;it is the fruit of many a waking night's
+inquiries. I had already thought of it before I took degrees at Paris;
+but it first became quite clear to me in my peaceful <i>otium</i> at
+Antvorskov, and now it is taught in all the universities of Europe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And this is the famous Martinian mod--mod--what do you call it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;<i>Modi significandi Martiniani</i>,&quot; said the chancellor, correcting him.
+&quot;It is a treasury of learning, and a fund of science, which I ought not
+to boast of; but I still hope, in all humility, that, with God and the
+Holy Virgin's aid, this important discovery in logic will preserve my
+name in the history of philosophy, and be remembered as long as solid
+learning and universities exist.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, indeed, that I can understand,&quot; replied Sir John, with a
+suppressed smile. &quot;Sooth to say, it must be learned and philosophic,
+for I will give you my head if I can understand a word of it. But what
+can a layman, and others like myself, know of such things?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How, sir counsellor!&quot; exclaimed the chancellor, astonished, and wiping
+the perspiration from his bald forehead. &quot;Is it not as clear and
+evident as God's daylight? and have I not taken pains to translate for
+you all the Greek and Latin terms, which are a great ornament in such
+matters, though, perhaps, dark to the uninitiated? Allow me, and I will
+again explain to you the whole system from the beginning. By <i>modus
+significandi</i>, is to be understood, in logic--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, for heaven's sake--nay, best of chancellors!&quot; interrupted Sir
+John, hastily; &quot;plunge me no deeper into the science. I have every
+respect for it, and believe that it will immortalise you, among the
+learned, to the end of time; but, if I cannot become immortal by other
+means, my memory must perish, and I must be contented, in God's name,
+to do the best I can when living, and leave our Lord to care for the
+rest. Seriously speaking, sir chancellor: if a man cannot become wise
+and intelligent without all this vexatious trouble, and if I must twist
+and turn my thoughts by this method, before I can know whether they are
+wise or foolish--by the Lord's truth! I should be a hundred years old
+before I could master a single common thought, and should require the
+lifetime of three men before I could put an excellent thought into
+practice. Nay: I must make use of another method. When I know what I
+wish to say, I say it; and when I know what I wish and ought to do, I
+do it; and do not trouble myself whether the world stands or falls.
+There you have the whole of my system. It is not so learned as your's;
+but that you also follow it, in the main, you have given me excellent
+proof, for which I have every esteem and honour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he shook the learned chancellor heartily by the hand, and
+cast a look towards Sir Lavé. &quot;See, there stands my cousin, the
+commandant,&quot; he continued, gaily: &quot;he is nearly five years younger than
+I, and can perhaps still learn something in the world. If you can bring
+him to see how we should think justly and reasonably, in these crazy
+times, it may not perhaps be out of the way. But I must out, and draw a
+breath of fresh air in the garden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Surrendering Sir Lavé to the somewhat tiresome, philosophic chancellor,
+he made his exit hastily by the garden-door, and was soon plunged in
+serious thought in the arched walk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On a green knoll, commanding a magnificent view over the Sound, Drost
+Peter stood, meanwhile, between Jomfru Ingé and Lady Cecilia, in lively
+conversation respecting those notable events of olden times, of which
+the traditions and supposed memorials were still preserved in this
+glorious region. Contrary to Jomfru Ingé's opinion, Drost Peter
+maintained that these events must be referred to other, and, to him,
+well-known spots in Jutland. The subject of their conversation was the
+great tragical legend of Hamlet. Fru Ingefried listened with interest,
+whilst the animated, patriotic Jomfru Ingé enlivened her description of
+these events by traditions and snatches of popular ballads, and pointed
+to every spot where, as a child, she had heard and believed that they
+must have happened. Fru Ingefried now perceived her husband by the end
+of the arched walk, and went to meet him; while Drost Peter and Jomfru
+Ingé continued to converse of Hamlet and his daring plans, the sagacity
+of which Drost Peter admired, but maintained that they still wanted
+truth, justice, and noble grandeur.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This knavish cunning,&quot; he said--&quot;this merely apparent love of truth,
+by means of which the real truth is concealed, when it is spoken
+ambiguously and figuratively--this crafty play with sound sense and
+madness, with jest and cruel earnest, is to me sufficiently detestable;
+but these features of the tradition, however un-Danish they may appear,
+are still founded on a remarkable peculiarity in the character of our
+people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What mean you, Drost Peter?&quot; inquired Lady Ingé, with wounded pride.
+&quot;Do you accuse yourself, and all of us, with a base proneness to craft
+and falsehood?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Understand me rightly, noble lady. The craft of Hamlet is, in the
+main, completely Danish, though I cannot prize it as in anywise great
+and noble. This kind of craft ever betrays itself in a respect for
+truth, even when it may not and dare not be spoken openly. Every period
+of disquiet and internal disturbance in Denmark will show us that, with
+the best and noblest of the people, our honesty, justice, and love of
+truth never entirely disappear, but reveal themselves where the mere
+semblance of truth is used as a cloak to deceit. The greatest deceiver
+and nidding amongst us will always blush to deny or disguise the truth
+openly: he is too proud to lie, even were it to save his life; and he
+will speak the truth even where it may endanger him, but so darkly and
+figuratively, that himself only and his friends can understand it,
+while his foes receive it in an opposite sense.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Therein, perhaps, you maybe right,&quot; said Jomfru Ingé, gravely; &quot;but a
+wish to wrest and distort the truth does not, in consequence, lie in
+the people's mode of thinking.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Far be it from me to assert that it does,&quot; replied Drost Peter; &quot;but I
+have observed that even the most upright of our commoners take a
+singular pleasure, whilst jesting, in striving to tack something on a
+person's sleeve, as they term it, strictly, however, without telling an
+untruth. In this consists a great portion of the craft and wit of our
+common people. It may be highly good-natured and innocent; but, in
+times like these, it is still a dangerous quality, which renders it
+extremely difficult to distinguish the true friends of the crown from
+its secret enemies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay,&quot; exclaimed Jomfru Ingé, gladly; &quot;in this you greatly err,
+Drost Peter. You know our brave and trusty countrymen better. I often
+see and converse with the poorest and humblest of them. They speak
+openly and impatiently of their burdens, and, in their language, do not
+spare the great and powerful. They are not afraid to utter the boldest
+truths, even as regards the king and his favourites; but, when I speak
+to them of the crown and kingdom, with the view of ascertaining their
+opinions respecting an illegally imposed king, you should see how
+readily they forget their own grievances, and how uprightly they
+express their devoted attachment to the ancient, legitimate, royal
+family. It is true that, when jesting, they often find great amusement
+in figurative language, and in befooling each other with old proverbs,
+and suchlike; but this good-natured sort of waggishness I rather
+admire, and certainly think there is nothing wrong in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not blame that which is so natural to the people, and, in a
+manner, born with them,&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;None of us are entirely
+free from it,&quot; he added. &quot;We have both, perhaps, to-day, noble Jomfru
+Ingé, and even at this very hour, concealed what we know, and avoided
+the truth, to spare ourselves or others, without having said an untrue
+word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé blushed. &quot;Every one has a right to do so,&quot; she said,
+earnestly. &quot;What I will not and ought not to say, no power on earth
+shall compel me to speak. If we could not be veracious and upright,
+without telling everything we know, there would be few honest men in
+existence. You shall judge between us, good Cecilia,&quot; she continued,
+turning playfully to her relation, who had hitherto been a silent
+listener. &quot;Think you Drost Peter himself is so upright, that he would
+tell us truly, were we to ask him, which colour he esteems most
+highly?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We need not ask him that,&quot; replied Cecilia: &quot;the colour you now wear
+in your hairband, is that worn by the drost--last year, at least.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter blushed deeply. &quot;I wore it last year, because it was the
+queen's colour,&quot; he replied. &quot;I won the right to do so at the
+Helsingborg tourney. But for twelve months before last May I have not
+worn it; although it has, since then, become dearer to me than ever. I
+fancy I have known from my childhood that crimson band, with the small
+pearl-lilies, and it is the only band I would suffer to bind me
+prisoner; but were Jomfru Ingé even now to present me with it, I dare
+not openly wear it. The reason, too, must remain a secret.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé had hastily raised her hand to the crimson fillet, as if she
+would remove it; but, on hearing Drost Peter's latter words, she only
+secured it more firmly, and changed the conversation to another
+subject.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Look at my handsome, watchful bird,&quot; she said, merrily. &quot;Had Hamlet
+possessed him, he would certainly have known how to make use of him.&quot;
+As she said this, she patted a large tame fowl that had flown towards
+her, alarmed, as it appeared, by Claus Skirmen, who was in search of
+his master, to inform him, as he had been ordered, of the state of the
+wind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter paid no attention to his squire's announcement. He praised
+the noble bird, and looked at his mistress with a singularly blended
+sentiment of joy and melancholy, while many fond memories of childhood
+flitted across his soul, and mingled with his feelings of the present
+moment. It almost seemed to him as if he were in a dream, and that the
+knight's tall, fair daughter was again changed into the child-bride of
+former days.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meantime Sir John, with his wife, was leisurely approaching
+the knoll. He stopped, and gazed at the young man on the green
+strand-height. &quot;A fine, brave, excellent young man,&quot; he said, pointing
+to Drost Peter; &quot;he is quite another drost than Sir Abildgaard. Our
+Cecilia's interest in that subtle knight does not please me. The
+suspicions that have attached to him, since his imprisonment, ought to
+have cured her of her whimsy. Has she not determined yet?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your silence has made her anxious,&quot; replied the mother, with concern;
+&quot;and, without your consent, she gives him no decisive answer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She is free; but from me, she shall not hear a syllable on the matter.
+What I think of him, she well knows.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then she never becomes Drost Abildgaard's wife. God strengthen her!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter takes his time,&quot; interrupted Sir John, hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;His childhood's bride no longer hates him,&quot; replied Fru Ingefried; &quot;he
+does not delay thus merely on account of the wind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John cast a look at the vane on the turret. &quot;You are right,&quot; he
+observed: &quot;we must away. If our good Drost Peter means to jest with us,
+he shall have the worst of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were now close to the knoll.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter!&quot; shouted Sir John, &quot;the wind is fair, and we are ready to
+set sail. If you will with us, come quickly.&quot; Whereupon, the old
+gentleman hastily returned to the garden-hall, and the whole company
+followed him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Sir John entered the great hall, he found the learned chancellor
+alone, deeply engrossed in a small, neat manuscript.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Up to the ears in study again?&quot; said Sir John. &quot;Is that your Logica?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay, noble sir,&quot; exclaimed the learned chancellor, as his eyes
+sparkled with almost youthful liveliness. &quot;See, here I have found some
+of the glorious old Danish ballads I heard in my childhood, besides
+many excellent national ones I never knew of. Your cousin, the
+commandant, must be a brave, patriotic-souled man, and well versed in
+our old legends and histories. There are some capital notes in the
+margin of the songs; and here, of a truth, pour living fountains from
+the people themselves.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is brave!&quot; exclaimed Sir John, with singular interest: &quot;that is
+more than I could have imagined of my good sir cousin, and I like him
+all the better. The ballads themselves may be pretty enough. I do not
+understand much of these wares; but, when they are sung, I listen to
+them willingly. One half of these ballads are fictions and fables, I
+doubt not; but their intention is good, and they must have been a brave
+Danish people who made them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jomfru Ingé, with the other ladies and Drost Peter, now entered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ingelil, child,&quot; called Sir John to her, &quot;when did thy father become
+so learned, and take such pleasure in old songs and ballads? Formerly,
+he could never endure them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not my father's--it is my own little song-book,&quot; replied Lady
+Ingé. &quot;My blessed mother wrote many of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And the glosses--the marginal notes?&quot; inquired Master Martinus.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, nothing more than what I heard from my old spinning-women, and
+what I sometimes thought of myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this discovery, Master Martinus seemed almost to blush at his zeal
+for a work that he had only women and unlettered lay-people to thank
+for; but his true attachment to the ancient ballads overcame this shock
+to his learned pride, and he grasped Jomfru Ingé's hand warmly, while
+he returned her the manuscript. &quot;You have rejoiced my soul, noble
+lady,&quot; he said, much affected; &quot;and I could almost, in exchange for
+this unlearned feminine manuscript, give you my own sufficiently
+well-known work, <i>De Modis Significandi</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Such an exchange the girl would not much desire,&quot; said Sir John,
+interrupting him. &quot;But where is thy father, Ingelil? We must bid him
+farewell, and get on board immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will seek him,&quot; answered Ingé, as she went hastily away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The commandant is in his closet, in conversation with a good friend,&quot;
+said Master Martin: &quot;I had forgotten him, over the book. He is
+travelling in great haste.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you know this good friend?&quot; inquired Sir John, with apparent
+indifference.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must relinquish this,&quot; replied the chancellor, in a half-absent
+manner, and still keeping his eye on the manuscript, which Lady Ingé
+had laid on the table. &quot;He wore his visor down: it was a warlike
+figure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A masked warrior?&quot; inquired Sir John, attentively.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Probably, a coast-guardsman,&quot; answered the chancellor. &quot;In a royal
+castle, one is always in a state of war. The commandant seems to be as
+cautious as he is vigilant; and I do not blame him, that, in these
+troublous times, he should avail himself of spies and disguised
+servitors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jomfru Ingé had now returned. She was deadly pale, and sought in vain
+to conceal her deep anguish and embarrassment. &quot;My father,&quot; she said,
+with half-choked utterance--&quot;my father will be here immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, alarmed, advanced a step or two towards her, with an
+expression of deep concern; but he paused and was silent, as he
+suddenly guessed the cause of her perplexity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What ails thee, my child?&quot; demanded Sir John, with an uneasy inquiring
+look. &quot;Thou hast run too fast,&quot; he added, considerately, giving her
+time to answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am not quite well,&quot; she answered, as she supported herself by a
+chair. &quot;He will come immediately: I have sent a message to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is engaged officially, I hear, and we will not disturb him. Salute
+him, and say we were in haste. God bless thee, child! Come, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anger and deep sorrow were visible in the countenance of the old
+knight, and, as he regarded the pale Lady Ingé, a tear stole into his
+eye; but in another moment he was again calm, as usual. &quot;See, here we
+have the vigilant sir commandant still,&quot; he said, in his customary
+lively tone, as Sir Lavé opened the door, and entered with a
+constrained but smiling countenance. &quot;No excuses, cousin,&quot; added Sir
+John: &quot;the king's service takes precedence of every other. We must,
+therefore, in all haste bid you farewell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Already, sir counsellor!&quot; stammered Sir Lavé: &quot;I thought the wind--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have not the most favourable wind, if your weathercock may be
+depended on,&quot; replied the old gentleman; &quot;but I fear a person would be
+misled, were he to depend upon that. I go by the king's yacht; and I
+know that vessel can make head against a contrary wind tolerably well.
+I understand a little of sailing, too; and we have, moreover, a good
+steersman in Drost Peter. Farewell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These apparently indifferent words, which the old counsellor pronounced
+with a peculiar emphasis, had to Sir Lavé a serious and fearful
+signification, that deprived him of the power of utterance. He bowed
+civilly, though with embarrassment, as he followed his guests to the
+door. Old John once more gave his hand to Jomfru Ingé, with a warmth
+and heartiness unusual in him. Drost Peter bowed to her with a look
+that carried comfort to her soul; and Master Martinus again thanked her
+for the pleasure her songbook had yielded him. Fru Ingefried and Lady
+Cecilia, like the worthy chancellor, seemed to have no idea of the
+cause of her indisposition. The ladies, however, would not permit her
+to follow them to the door; and having embraced her with hearty
+affection, the mother, with kind solicitude, gave her all the domestic
+remedies she could think of, for sudden depression of spirits.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had they left the door, before Lady Ingé burst into a flood of
+tears, and sank into a chair, with her hands before her eyes. She sat
+thus, immovable, for some minutes. When she took her hands from her
+eyes, her father stood before her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is this? What means this conduct, child?&quot; he inquired, in tones
+that sounded almost harshly. &quot;Dear, best Ingé!&quot; he added, with greater
+mildness, &quot;compose yourself. What is the matter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Father, father!&quot; she exclaimed, eagerly, as she rose, &quot;is the strange
+knight still in your closet?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What leads thee to trouble thyself about my official business?&quot;
+inquired the father, perplexed: &quot;I do not permit this interference in
+my affairs. Go to thy chamber, and make ready my travelling-wallet. I
+journey from hence in half an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou travellest, father? and leavest me behind alone? How long
+remainest thou away?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But a few days: it is on important business. When wert thou wont to be
+afraid of being alone? I shall provide for the safeguard of the castle
+during my absence. Thou canst therefore be calm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For thee, too, father? Nay, nay, I cannot maintain this painful
+silence: thou must know the truth, father. I tremble for thy secret
+schemes--I tremble for thy terrible friends--I am tortured by the most
+dreadful anguish for thy soul!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Art thou mad, girl?&quot; exclaimed the uneasy father, exasperated, and
+stamping violently. &quot;Hast thou, too, conspired against me? Is it not
+enough that my own tyrannical kinsman and his understrappers must
+torture me in my own house, and threaten me, covertly, with the
+despotic kingly power? Shall my own child be my betrayer? Must I not
+converse with a trusty friend in my closet, without being suspected and
+betrayed by my own? Get thee to thy apartment, child, and weep not; or,
+if thou must weep, let it be only in private. Guard thy tongue, also,
+that thou betrayest not thy father's life with thy childish nonsense.
+My affairs thou understandest not; and for my soul thou needest not
+care. I know what I dare do: my confessor is a man who better
+understands my salvation than thou and the conscientious Drost Peter.
+Do as I say, my good child, and be reasonable. I shall not have time,
+after this, to bid thee farewell. The gentleman I travel with is my
+friend, and a man I can depend upon. Farewell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words he hastily departed. The unhappy daughter wept no
+longer: she appeared calm, almost to indifference, and proceeded to her
+chamber to execute her father's orders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had she finished packing her father's portmanteau, ere a
+trooper appeared, to take it to him. He was a tall, strange carl, in
+complete iron mail, and with a wild, audacious countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is thy name, and who is thy master, countryman?&quot; asked Lady Ingé,
+as she looked at him calmly and keenly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I need not conceal my honest name here,&quot; replied the man, with a
+Jutland accent: &quot;people call me long Mat Jute. My master has a better
+name, but I dare not mention it on Zealand's ground. The three rogues
+who have just left, are not worthy to see his face. He never sets foot
+on shore here, without being cased in steel from top to toe; and
+whoever merely catches a glimpse of his eyes, through the bars of his
+helmet, is seized--with decency be it spoken--with the gripes, on the
+spot. But with your father it is quite another matter, fair jomfru: he
+is a brave man, I wot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mat Jute!&quot; repeated Jomfru Ingé: &quot;my little maiden Elsie's
+sweetheart?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;O yes, fair jomfru,&quot; smirked the man, stroking his beard: &quot;a little
+sweethearting one must have, wherever he goes: it never binds him, and
+it is good for both man and beast. But there goes my master to the
+skiff. Farewell, fair jomfru.&quot; And seizing the tolerably heavy
+portmanteau by the thongs, with two of his fingers he swang it on his
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé went to the window. At the door stood Elsie, to bid farewell
+to her warlike sweetheart once more. He did not waste time, however, in
+a long and touching adieu, giving her only one hearty kiss in passing
+along the narrow passage, and then pushing her aside to overtake his
+master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé stood as if rivetted to the window. She saw her father,
+closely wrapt in his travelling-cloak, cross the court-yard of the
+castle, by the side of a tan, stalwart knight, who, in a dark,
+tarnished steel harness, strode proudly towards the castle-gates. The
+castellan paused once or twice, as if he had forgotten something, or
+was undecided; but the strange knight seemed to give no heed to this.
+Near the entrance of the dark archway, the tall, giant-like figure
+stopped and turned round, and Lady Ingé now saw that his face was
+concealed by a black iron visor. He raised his mail-clad arm and
+beckoned. Sir Lavé still lingered a moment. The sword of the strange
+knight rang sharply against the stones at his feet, and again he
+beckoned, with an authoritative motion of his arm, like a general, and
+turned away. Sir Lavé hastily followed him, and both disappeared under
+the dark archway of the gate.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To Lady Ingé, it seemed as if her father was drawn into an abyss by the
+dreadful iron giant. &quot;Merciful God! Stig Andersen himself!&quot; she
+exclaimed, as, with a scream, she fell back, devoid of consciousness,
+on the floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When her recollection returned, she found herself in the arms of her
+waiting-maid; and little Elsie, with all her giddiness, was almost
+weeping over her dear jomfru's condition. But Lady Ingé soon recovered.
+A sudden thought seemed to inspire her with new strength and courage,
+and, rising hastily, she left her waiting-maids. Taking her bunch of
+keys, she proceeded to her father's private closet, at the door of
+which she stopped doubtfully, and searched uneasily among the keys;
+but, to her surprise, she found the closet door ajar. On examination,
+however, she found that it had been locked, but probably in such haste
+and agitation, that the iron staple, which should have held it, was
+broken. This accident seemed to relieve her from every doubt, and she
+stepped promptly over the threshold, and looked around her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Her attention was first directed to a well-known cabinet in the wall,
+wherein her father kept his private letters. The steel knob, by which
+it could be opened, glistened in her eyes like a dangerous snake's
+head. She pressed the knob, the cabinet sprang open, and a bundle of
+papers and letters came to view, which she instantly recognised.
+Shortly before Duke Waldemar's visit, in the previous year, she had
+seen her father receive, with great anxiety, this well-known packet
+from a lively, fat carl, who had sung merry songs in the servants'
+hall, and assisted the maids in the kitchen. That these letters were of
+an important and dangerous character, was, to her, only too evident.
+Without stopping to examine them, she placed them in an iron box,
+wherein her father was accustomed to keep the royal toll-money, but
+which now stood, empty and unlocked, near the door. Having locked the
+box, and placed the key in her bosom, she sank down in a praying
+posture, and thus remained, for the rest of the day, in the lonely
+closet. As soon as it was dark, she dragged the heavy iron box down
+into the castle-garden, where, with great effort, she buried it in the
+knoll, near the Sound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God forgive me!&quot; she sighed; &quot;he is my father! I bury his infamy, and
+thus save his name and honour! But, away from me, the key to the
+horrible secret! It presses on my heart with the weight of a mountain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As if seized with extreme horror, she took from her bosom the key of
+the box, and threw it with all her might into the deep Sound, that
+roared at the foot of the height. She then returned, quietly and
+thoughtfully, into the fortress.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">In the southern part of the parish of Felballe, in the diocese of
+Aarhuus, stood the famous castle, Möllerup, close by a stream with a
+few water-mills, and near a dark wood of half a mile<a name="div2Ref_27" href="#div2_27"><sup>[27]</sup></a> in extent. It
+was a strongly-fortified place, in the heavy Gothic style of building,
+with thick walls of hewn stone, and a lofty square tower in the centre.
+The fortress was provided with earthen ramparts and wide ditches, both
+before and behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here resided the celebrated Marsk Stig Andersen Hvide, with his family.
+He had himself erected and fortified this castle, whose lofty tower was
+visible, from a considerable distance, over the wood. On the flat
+summit of the tower, within the battlements, stood four iron-clad men,
+day and night, as sentinels, who constantly kept their looks fixed
+towards the four quarters, like the stone giants on Kolding Castle. The
+heavy drawbridge was already up, and over the arched gateway fluttered
+a large banner, adorned with the arms of the lord of the castle--a
+seven-rayed star on azure, under a helmet with two white wings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the ramparts stood large bliders, or wall-slings--a kind of wooden
+machine, by which immense stones were thrown. At great expense, the
+marsk had here collected numerous defensive machines, some of which had
+been made in Roskild, by German artificers. Here might be seen the
+fearful igel-cat<a name="div2Ref_28" href="#div2_28"><sup>[28]</sup></a> with oak-peg bristles on the back, used for
+crushing besiegers; here, also, was to be found the dangerous brynkiöl,
+of iron, with crooked steel spikes, and pointed iron claws, whose
+purpose was, when let down from the ramparts, to seize besiegers, and
+drag them up. Shot-waggons, for red-hot stones, stood ready for
+defence, night and day. Seven hundred men in armour guarded the
+fortress. The order and quietness that reigned within the walls denoted
+the strictest discipline. The grim, ironclad men moved about with a
+silence and regularity that fearfully indicated the dark temper which
+ruled in that fortress.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The powerful master of the castle was now absent, but his return was
+daily expected; and the place was filled with grave and quiet guests.
+Every night the drawbridge was lowered at a secret signal, and the gate
+opened for the admission of strangers, who came disguised in the gray
+cloaks of friars, or in knight's full armour. In the large riddersal,
+and in the lofty arched apartments, were daily assembled a great number
+of guests; and although the clatter of knives, and other table
+utensils, might be heard, there was no loud conversation, nor any sound
+of social glee. Among these guests no woman was to be seen; a remote
+wing of the castle being devoted to the female portion of its
+inhabitants, who there passed their hours in almost conventual
+separation from the more warlike community.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was now the afternoon of the third day after Sir Lavé's departure
+from Flynderborg with the mailed knight, in whom, for the first time,
+and with so much terror, Lady Ingé had seen the powerful marsk. In the
+women's vaulted apartment of Möllerup sat the reserved lady of a
+knight, in a dark coloured dress, with her countenance concealed by a
+black head-dress.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Two little maidens, also in black, but without veils, sat on high
+stools by her side. They were both beautiful children, with light hair
+and blue eyes. One, who was almost a head taller than the other, and
+had her smooth, plaited locks tied up with a dark pearl-band, appeared
+to be about fourteen years old: her cheeks were so faintly coloured,
+and her skin was so clear and white, that she almost resembled a
+beautiful marble statue, miraculously endowed with life, but still only
+half belonging to the world of mortals. A deep, calm melancholy
+overspread her fair, earnest countenance: there was nothing painful and
+consuming, however, in its grief, which was softened by a pious and
+kindly expression, as if she had already overcome some awful sorrow,
+and had found her lost, youthful joys in the far-off mysterious world
+to which she appeared to belong. She sat, with a weaving-frame in her
+lap, working, with threads of silk and gold, a picture of the Virgin
+and Child, surrounded by a halo of worshiping angels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The other little girl had yellow flaxen hair, which hung down her neck
+in ringlets. She did not appear more than nine years old, and had a
+merry and extremely lively, childish countenance, red rosy cheeks, and
+a pair of wild, playful eyes, which were never at rest, but constantly
+twinkling. She was rather handsome, but violent, impatient, and
+restless: scarcely remaining quiet for an instant on her stool; now
+throwing aside her work, and then taking it up again; with a thousand
+other antics, which she abandoned as rapidly as they were conceived.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Still, Rikké!&quot; said the veiled lady, without looking at the child, or
+uncovering her face. &quot;Wilt thou into the nursery again?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, willingly, mother: it is much more pleasant,&quot; exclaimed the
+little restless girl, running out.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The veiled lady heaved a deep sigh, and relapsed into her former
+silence. She was busied in rubbing spots of rust from a large broad
+battle-blade, which lay across her knees; but she appeared to direct
+her thoughts to her work with difficulty, and her hands often fell
+inertly on her knees.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mother,&quot; said the quiet, grave maiden with the gold embroidery, &quot;I am
+thinking of what our Lord and Redeemer would say, if he still journeyed
+about the world, and were to come to us here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If the Just One stood amongst us, child, he would ask why justice
+slumbers so long.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, mother, think you not he would rather say as he said to the holy
+Peter, the night he was betrayed by the false Judas?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have forgotten it,&quot; answered the mother. &quot;Has Father Anton taught it
+you? What said he, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It stands in the holy text, dear mother.&quot; And she repeated, with
+folded hands, and in a singing tone, the passage in Matthew--&quot;'Put up
+again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall
+perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
+Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of
+angels?'&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mother was silent, and sank into a gloomy reverie. &quot;Thou art a
+pious child, my Margarethé,&quot; she said, at length; &quot;but thou art little
+like thy brave father. Thou art still too young to understand the cruel
+injustice and the monstrous scandal that befell his house. Thou canst
+not understand wherefore thy mother will not suffer any one in the
+world to look upon her face. There are stains, unmerited stains, that
+can only be washed out in a manner that is costly, and dangerous, and
+dreadful, but necessary as eternal justice. Thy mother has not quite
+forgotten the pious instructions of her childhood. Knowest thou what
+our righteous Lord and Judge said, when he foresaw the cruel injustice
+he should suffer?--'He who hath not a sword, let him sell his garment
+and buy one!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yea, right, right, my daughter Ingeborg!&quot; was uttered by a broken,
+aged voice, from an obscure corner of the apartment: &quot;so it stands
+written. It is God's own word. Buy me a sword for my garment: I need no
+garments. All the garments in the world will not hide our shame!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The person who thus spoke now made his appearance--a little, bent, aged
+figure, greatly emaciated, who groped his way forward, for his red,
+half-shut eyes were without vision. His head, almost entirely bald,
+appeared all scratched and torn; and his coarse gray beard was in
+tufts, as if it had been half plucked out. His lean fingers were
+crooked, and provided with monstrous nails. His dress was of a new and
+fine black fur, but hung about him in tatters; and his wild, crazy
+expression clearly enough indicated that he had thus maltreated it
+himself, in his fits of madness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, poor old grandfather!&quot; exclaimed the little Margarethé: &quot;he has
+got his hands loose, and has been tearing himself again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Call a couple of the house-carls, child,&quot; whispered the mother,
+hastily; &quot;but with all quietness. Perhaps I, myself, can talk to him
+best.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The little Margarethé went hastily out, with her hands folded over her
+breast, as if praying.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Quiet, quiet, father!&quot; said the veiled lady, placing the sword under
+the table, and advancing leisurely towards him. &quot;The time is not yet
+come; but it draws near: thou shalt yet, perhaps, before thou diest,
+hear thy daughter's voice without blushing. To see me and my scandal,
+thou art free.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha, ha!&quot; laughed the old man, wildly: &quot;that freedom, old Pallé Little
+has taken himself; for that he has asked neither king nor pope. If thou
+wilt bind me again, my daughter, do so; but quickly, and touch not my
+claws, I advise thee! They will serve to tear out the tiger-heart and
+the blinking goats' eyes. Only promise me that you will yourself unbind
+me, and hand me my Toké's sword, when the time arrives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I have already sworn and promised you, dearly and holily, my
+father. But you must also keep the promise you have given me, and
+ill-use neither yourself nor others in the meanwhile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, bind me, then, child, and lead me back to my owlet's hole. You
+spoke of a sword, my daughter, and I thought the time had come. It is
+long, long--it is now nine long winters. There is not much life left in
+me; but die I cannot, before it comes to pass: that knowest thou well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unhappy father!&quot; sighed the tall female form. She knelt; and, with her
+own wasted fingers, took up the crooked and trembling hands of the old
+man, which she kissed through her veil, and then bound loosely, behind
+his back, with a silk riband. &quot;Now that thou art again bound, my
+father,&quot; she continued, rising, &quot;let me lead thee back to thy corner of
+hope. Refuse not, father. The day of retribution is certain, and not
+far distant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Quietly and silently the trembling old man followed her to his nook,
+where he sank, as if in a slumber.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The little Margarethé now returned with two servants, who remained
+standing by the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold back! I require you not!&quot; said the lady, giving them a signal to
+go. The servants bowed respectfully, and retired in silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The dear Holy Virgin be praised! grandfather again sleeps calmly,&quot;
+said little Margarethé, sitting quietly down to her work.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mother and daughter remained a long time in silence, and all was as
+still as death around them, until they heard the noise of horses in the
+courtyard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Listen! more strangers have come,&quot; said Margarethé: &quot;there are still
+many of father's good friends to defend us.&quot; She went to the window.
+&quot;It is father himself, and a strange gentleman,&quot; she exclaimed,
+hastily: &quot;he dismounts on the great stone by the stairs. God be
+praised, he is come! I was almost afraid of so many strangers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The unhappy house-mother heard this account, with emotions that
+betrayed a momentary gladness. She arose, but, without saying a word,
+again seated herself, with a deep sigh.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the large riddersal of Möllerup, thirteen grave strangers awaited
+the arrival of the master of the castle. They were seated at a long
+oaken table, which stood in the middle of the hall, covered with black
+cloth. Eighteen chairs stood around the table. One of these chairs was
+higher than the rest, and covered with red velvet: it was vacant. That
+on the left side of it was also vacant; but on the right sat the heavy
+Count Jacob of Halland, with his legs stretched out, and drumming on
+the table with his fingers. Between him and his brother, Niels
+Hallandsfar, who resembled him in manner and disposition, sat the
+notable dean, Master Jens Grand, regarding, with a grave and
+scrutinising look, the assembled personages, most of whom were his
+kinsmen, and as proud as himself of belonging to the great family of
+the Absaloms. He appeared particularly gratified at seeing four
+knights, whose dark visages and haughty mien indicated displeasure and
+resoluteness for revenge. These were Sir Jacob Blaafod, Arved Bengtson,
+Peder Jacobsen, and Niels Knudson of Scania, who had all distinguished
+themselves, under Stig Andersen and Count Jacob, in the Swedish war,
+but had, along with their general, fallen into disgrace for their
+arbitrary proceedings in dethroning the previous Swedish king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The dean had, opposite to him, a smart young gentleman, with a proud
+but lively and frivolous countenance: this was Duke Waldemar's drost,
+and fellow-prisoner in Sjöborg, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. Next to him
+sat a personage who had long been regarded as one of the king's true
+men--Chamberlain Ové Dyré: he, and the man by his side, Peder Porsé,
+had recently come to an open rupture with the king, on account of a
+debt which the latter would not acknowledge; and in consequence of this
+quarrel, they had taken refuge with King Magnus in Sweden.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All these gentlemen the dean seemed to observe with satisfaction. A
+noble old squire, Aagé Kaggé, who had long vainly expected the honour
+of knighthood from the king, the dean likewise appeared to regard with
+confidence and pleasure; but he cast a doubtful glance at the tall,
+overgrown person by his side, whose crafty countenance wore a smile of
+self-satisfaction, while he seemed to fancy himself a man of
+considerable importance in this secret council. This was the king's
+double-minded, cunning counsellor, Chamberlain Rané.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the midst of the company, with an air of boorish pride, sat a short,
+coarse, splendidly dressed personage, with diamonds on the hilt of his
+dagger, and a gold chain about his animal-looking neck. His countenance
+was fierce, rough, and hideous, and he seemed to be tired of the long
+silence. This was the Norwegian freebooter chief, Jarl Mindre-Alf.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by Satan! how long will it be ere they get off their horses?&quot; he
+at length growled forth, breaking the silence. &quot;They must first in, and
+comfort the women, we shall find. I have ridden three beasts to death
+to be in time, and yet I have to wait. My time is precious, but here
+have I now been sitting for half an hour, like an empty barrel, without
+tasting either wet or dry. I have only three words to tell you from my
+good king, ye worthy gentlemen, but they are worth gold: if you keep me
+much longer, I must ride my own way, with the devil's help; and then,
+we shall see what comes of all your whispering and sour mouths.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Highborn sir jarl,&quot; replied Master Grand, hastily, &quot;after such a
+hurried journey, you must needs require a heart-strengthening, before
+you can think of more grave affairs. Please to follow me into the next
+apartment: there we shall find a magnificent gammon, and excellent old
+wine, which you have scarcely found a match for in any of our
+convents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha, I can understand that!&quot; growled the heavy gentleman, rising &quot;You
+are a man who understands both body and soul: you know what an honest
+sea-dog stands in need of, on the cursed land. A house without a host,
+or wine, or women, the devil may set foot into! Come, then. But it must
+only be a slight strengthener,&quot; he added, thoughtfully: &quot;if I set
+myself regularly down to the drinking-board, you will scarcely get a
+word out of me concerning these vile land-crab affairs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand took him hastily by the arm, and led him out of the
+riddersal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By St. Canute! I think I shall go too,&quot; said Count Jacob, rising: &quot;my
+good comrade the marsk does not remember whom he has invited as
+guests.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There he is! there is the marsk!&quot; exclaimed one knight to another.
+Count Jacob remained standing, while all the others rose, and looked,
+with fixed attention, towards the door, which was thrown open for the
+powerful lord of the castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Proud and majestic, entered the well-known heroic figure, in his black
+harness and closed visor. He was accompanied by Sir Lavé Little, who
+looked anxiously around him, and appeared highly disquieted as his eye
+fell on Chamberlain Rané.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk saluted the company in silence, and advanced to the table,
+where he placed himself on the left side of the vacant, velvet-covered
+chair. He then struck aside the visor of his helmet, and made a
+scrutinising and earnest survey of the company. On his stern,
+energetic, and commanding countenance was an expression of almost
+painful sadness, which singularly affected them all. &quot;Be seated,&quot; he
+said, with a subdued voice: &quot;my father-in-law and my wife are agreed in
+what we may determine; their seats may therefore remain empty. But I
+miss two important men.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that instant, the door of the side apartment opened, and Master
+Grand led the pacified jarl into the hall. They both bowed in silence,
+and took their places. The lofty marsk alone remained standing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Secure the doors--we are all here,&quot; he said to the two at the further
+end of the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Squire Kaggé and Chamberlain Rané rose, and placed bars across both
+doors of the hall. They again took their seats, and there was an
+expectant silence, all eyes being fastened on the marsk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You all know wherefore we are again assembled, my trusty friends,&quot;
+began the grave marsk, in a deep, subdued voice, betraying powerfully
+suppressed indignation: &quot;you all know what has rendered this castle,
+for the last nine years, a dismal and sorrowful abode. I declared it
+before the people of Denmark, and before all the world, in the hour
+when I denounced the King of Denmark in the Ting of Viborg, and swore
+to revenge my shame or to lose my life. I have not had my revenge, and
+Marsk Stig Andersen still lives. Had I delayed so long from base fear,
+and had I rather wished to be a braggart and perjurer than to risk my
+life for my honour, then might you all despise me--then might every
+drop of blood in my body suffuse these cheeks with shame, in presence
+of my friends and kinsmen. But see! I blush not: I am calm and cool, as
+beseems a man who can keep his revenge until his hair becomes gray, and
+suffer his thoughts to grow until they ripen. My own disdain I have
+hitherto borne for your sakes and for the sake of my country. I have
+had a greater and more important aim in view than merely to wipe out
+the stains on my own and my house's honour. The great hour of
+retribution has not yet arrived; but it approaches. No impatience--no
+precipitation, friends--and it shall surely come. I see no one present
+who has not been deeply wronged and injured by this same tyrant, whom I
+have denounced, and whose death and downfall I have sworn; but none of
+you have so much to revenge as I. So long, then, as Stig Andersen can
+brook delay, so long may you also.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Jacob exhibited some impatience, and seemed desirous to speak;
+but a look from the marsk immediately quieted him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is for more than one man's revenge,&quot; he continued; &quot;more than the
+weal and woe of our whole race together: it is for the deliverance of a
+degenerate, but still a noble, though cast-down and unhappy people. It
+is not enough that we overthrow the tyrant who contemns all law, both
+human and divine: he must fall, but the throne must stand. While we
+overthrow the nidding, we must not only secure ourselves and our
+privileges, but must, at the same time, secure a worthy ruler for the
+throne. We certainly hoped to have found him, and we hope so still; but
+his imprisonment put a stop to our grand designs, and his oath and
+renunciation have, for the present, deprived us of his participation in
+our council. We have him not amongst us--his elevated seat stands
+empty; but I see here, nevertheless, his chivalrous friend and
+fellow-prisoner; and I see, moreover, his confessor, the sagacious,
+worthy sir dean. Speak, noble sirs: what may we expect of the duke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Everything--everything possible!&quot; replied Drost Tuko Abildgaard,
+rising. &quot;These are not the words of my prince and master, but my own.
+The oath binds his tongue; but I know his heart, and dare pledge my
+head, that now, as formerly, he is your friend and secret defender, and
+that, when the time comes, he will step forward and act with energy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I confirm this testimony,&quot; began Master Grand, solemnly, and rising
+with bold dignity. &quot;Our secretly chosen David has selected me for his
+spokesman here. I have, with peril to my life, shown him the way to
+freedom, as you desired; and he is now serving our heaven-abandoned
+Saul till the hour of doom arrives. He is too conscientious to break
+his oath, and too magnanimous to demand a dispensation of it from the
+father of Christendom. He cannot, and will not, at present, take any
+open part in your great undertakings. He will and ought not to know
+anything that his friends may determine for the freedom of the country.
+But when the time arrives, to which, in calm self-denial, he looks
+forward--when the way and place stand open for him--he will come
+forward, with the aid of the Church and the Almighty, as he can and
+ought, and, with honour, crown the work. This, in his name and by his
+princely soul, I dare swear to you, faithfully and piously.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well!&quot; resumed Stig Andersen: &quot;two such creditable witnesses we
+may rely upon. But the tyrant has bold and sagacious friends: a great
+portion of the blinded people remain inconceivably firm, both with him
+and his sons; and without certainty of powerful assistance from the
+noble Norwegian king, our undertaking would be foolishness. I see our
+trusty sworn friend, the bold Jarl Alf of Tönsberg, in the midst of us.
+The answer he brings from his king must determine us when to act.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, then, by Beelzebub! comes my turn, at last, to say a word,&quot;
+muttered the pirate chief, who had long been impatiently rubbing the
+jewels on his dirk. &quot;My king's answer is short and good, Marsk
+Andersen,&quot; he continued, aloud, rising leisurely, and standing with his
+legs apart, as if he had been on a ship in motion. &quot;You are a man,
+every inch of you, says my king and master; and he is to you a faithful
+friend, whether in fair weather or foul. Your friends are also his; and
+he who offends you has to do with him. With your secret councils he
+will have nothing to do; but as a true and honest Norseman, he will
+openly defend you against every foe, and stand by you with a fleet when
+it is wanted. His land and kingdom are open to you and your friends,
+should mischance befall you; and I, his jarl and admiral, do not quit
+these coasts with my own seadogs, so long as you want help, and there
+is anything to take a hand in. In all this I am clear and ready. What
+you farther do here does not concern me. What comes in at the one ear,
+I shall let go out of the other. Talk is not my business; and you
+have had my oath once. But, sooth to say, you go on too quietly and
+sour-mouthed here. I cannot relish these secret councils and fine
+projects. I am good for nothing but the rude work of giving the order,
+and setting to, without more ado. In a word: I will burn all Denmark
+before your eyes, if that will help you. As for the rest, it matters
+not to me who is king of the country. So long as good booty is to be
+had, I am with you; and how I can hit, you well know. Let me now drink
+to your health, and waste no more time in talk. Do you understand me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perfectly, sir jarl,&quot; answered the marsk. &quot;Yet a word. Will you keep
+the promise you made to Duke Waldemar, concerning my wife's sister's
+son, Chamberlain Rané Jonsen, who is sitting there? On that condition
+he is our friend; and his assistance is of greater importance than you
+may suppose.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While the marsk uttered these words, Chamberlain Rané had risen, and
+approached the jarl.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is it thee who would be my son-in-law?&quot; inquired the jarl, with a
+smile, and measuring him with a proud look. &quot;Now this I must say, that
+thou dost not look exactly the kind of carl who should woo a jarl's
+daughter. I gave the duke the word in an honest guzzle, and I doubt if
+my daughter will say yea to it. But if you are as cunning a fellow as
+you have credit for, we can talk of it when the time comes: if the
+child don't refuse you, well, the sober jarl will answer for what the
+Count of Tönsberg promised when he was drunk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Farther my bold wishes do not extend, sir jarl,&quot; replied Rané. &quot;When
+the terms on my side are fulfilled, I shall show you that I have not
+aimed higher than I can reach.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good: with the time comes the care!&quot; muttered the jarl. &quot;Show me
+first, by some able exploit, what thou art worth, and in exchange I
+will dub thee a knight with a stroke that shall crack thy puny
+collar-bone?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is the word, sir jarl. You all hear this, gentlemen?&quot; said Rané,
+looking boldly round the assembly. He then returned to his seat; whilst
+the freebooter, without giving farther heed to him, nodded to the
+others, and withdrew into the drinking-room. At the marsk's signal, all
+the rest resumed their seats, and there was a death stillness amongst
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have held counsel long and often enough,&quot; resumed the marsk,
+mysteriously. &quot;What shall and must happen, we all know. The time has
+now arrived when we ought to take the last resolute determination. But
+what is to be resolved in our souls at this hour, even these silent
+walls shall not hear. An approving or disapproving sign is sufficient,
+and we understand one another.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thereupon he whispered a few words in Count Jacob's ear, who
+immediately answered by a grave nod. In the same manner the secret word
+was communicated from man to man. A long and deep silence prevailed
+during this proceeding. Several of the gentlemen considered long before
+they nodded, and among these was Sir Lavé Little. He, at length, made a
+motion with his head, which was understood to be a nod, but which more
+resembled an involuntary convulsive contraction of the muscles.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At last it came to Chamberlain Rané's turn. The marsk scrutinised him
+with a penetrating look, and Master Grand's eyes were fixed upon his
+countenance. The crafty chamberlain heard the whispered word, and he
+opened his eyes as if greatly astonished, whilst with secret pleasure
+he seemed to enjoy the triumph of beholding the general attention
+turned on him alone. He assumed a highly thoughtful air, and still
+delayed giving the decisive nod. It was necessary that all should be
+unanimous in a project which the meanest of the witnesses could betray
+and ruin. The chamberlain was the last, and, next to Squire Kaggé, the
+humblest in rank of all; but, as the king's familiar, he was an
+important man; and he seemed to feel with pride that a king's life,
+and perhaps the weal or woe of a whole nation, solely depended on a
+slight motion of his cunning head. Whilst he thus remained considering,
+and apparently undecided, three knocks were heard at the barred
+entrance-door. All started, and looked in that direction. At a signal
+from the marsk, Squire Aagé Kaggé opened it, and the gaze of all was
+turned with a degree of terror towards the open door, through which a
+tall veiled lady, dressed in black, entered, leading by the arm a
+blind, decrepid old man, whose hands were bound behind his back, and on
+whose sightless countenance appeared an expression of quiet, but horrid
+insanity. These two silent figures remained standing at the end of the
+table. All arose, and remained motionless as statues.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Friends and kinsmen!&quot; exclaimed the marsk, in a voice nearly
+suffocated with anger and sorrow--&quot;descendants of the great race of
+Absalom! look upon my wife and her hapless father! Need I say more?
+Would you see the unmerited blush of shame through that veil, which,
+for nine years, has concealed, even from me, the face of my wife? Would
+you hear the mad, despairing shriek of her dishonoured father? Is there
+one amongst you who yet hesitates in coming to the conclusion that
+shall cast down the tyrant, and free our unhappy fatherland?&quot; As he
+uttered these words, his keen glance rested on Chamberlain Rané, who
+also, for a moment, appeared surprised and affected.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané nodded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well!&quot; continued the marsk: &quot;you have all approved. Now, lay your
+hands on the holy Gospels, and swear!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He gave Master Grand a signal, and the ecclesiastic drew forth a large
+book, bound in black velvet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It shall be truly done, so help us God and his Holy Word!&quot; said the
+dean, slowly and solemnly, laying his own hand first upon the Gospels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The book then passed from man to man. After a violent internal
+conflict, which was visible in every feature, Sir Lavé also laid his
+trembling hand upon the book, and stammered out the oath. When it came
+to Rané's turn, he repeated the same words audibly and distinctly; but
+his lips continued to move after he had pronounced the oath, although
+none could hear what he seemed to add to it secretly. Thereupon he laid
+his hand upon the book, without farther hesitation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unbind me--unbind me, my daughter Ingeborg!&quot; cried the crazy old man,
+suddenly waking up, as if from a dream. &quot;I will swear and bind myself,
+so that the Almighty above shall hear it, and all the devils shall
+shake and tremble!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Still, still, father! Remember thy promise,&quot; whispered Fru Ingeborg;
+while the marsk gave her a sign to lead out the unhappy old man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But before any one could prevent it, he had torn asunder his bands with
+almost inconceivable strength, and stretched forth his liberated arms
+with a wild and fearful burst of laughter. &quot;For ever, for ever doomed
+to perdition may I be, if I be not the first,&quot; he shouted, striking the
+Gospels with his clenched hand: &quot;if old Pallé is not the first who
+strikes, I shall wander on earth till doomsday!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Master Grand had nearly lost his hold of the book. The marsk again
+beckoned, and two knights led the crazy old man from the hall. A
+profound silence followed, during which the dean had recovered himself,
+and now stood with the Holy Book in his hand, before Fru Ingeborg. She
+bowed her head affirmatively, and, in a voice that penetrated the souls
+of all who heard her, repeated the oath they had all sworn, while she
+bent her knee, and touched the book with her wasted hand. She remained
+without changing her posture, and, at the marsk's signal, all the
+others silently withdrew. Involuntarily, as it were, the gloomy master
+of the castle stretched forth his mailed arm towards his unhappy wife,
+but again let it fall by his side. He hastily pulled a bell-rope, when
+Fru Ingeborg's waiting-maidens entered, and carried their fainting lady
+to her own apartments.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">What had taken place at Möllerup was a secret known only to the
+initiated. The disguised strangers left the castle, one by one, at
+different times, and generally by night, as they had come. Even in the
+immediate neighbourhood, no one seemed to have been aware of this
+secret gathering. In the castle itself no change took place. The four
+mailed watchers were still constantly to be seen on the tower. The
+drawbridge, as usual, was kept raised; and, notwithstanding its
+numerous garrison, everything was as quiet and still as if the fortress
+had been waste and deserted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The contract with Duke Waldemar had set the royal mind at rest; and the
+council of the kingdom did not appear apprehensive of any danger. The
+king and queen passed the beautiful summer at Scanderborg Castle,
+surrounded by their whole court, and the most considerable people of
+the country. Old Sir John, Master Martinus, and Drost Peter, had
+returned from Stockholm with good tidings concerning the object of
+their mission.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The negociations opened with King Magnus chiefly referred to a closer
+alliance between the two royal houses, by means of a double marriage.
+The little Danish Princess Mereté, who had been betrothed to the
+Swedish crown-prince, was to be sent to the court of Stockholm during
+the following year, where her education, according to agreement, was to
+be completed. In the same way the little Swedish Princess Ingeborg was
+to be educated at the court of Denmark, if the request were made. Her
+betrothment to the Danish crown-prince was concluded by a written
+document, but the public announcement of this alliance was to be
+deferred for a few years.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With lively satisfaction, the Danish ambassadors had beheld the little
+Swedish princess, whom they hoped would one day be Denmark's future
+queen; and even old Sir John, who did not expect to live to see the
+time, could not speak of the pretty kindly child without particular
+animation, as if he expected in her another Dagmar, who would bring
+peace and blessings to Denmark. This prudent statesman, as well as
+Drost Peter, placed all his hopes of better times for Denmark in the
+hopeful heir to its throne and his descendants. Old Sir John often
+sought to be useful to the young prince; and, with all his esteem for
+Drost Peter, he frequently shook his head when he saw how the young
+chivalrous drost desired to educate the prince's feelings of honour and
+justice to a degree that appeared to him dangerous.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One day the old knight was present, with the queen's household, at
+Scanderborg, to witness the prince's exercises in arms, and observed
+how he sought to convert these sports and exercises into gay and costly
+imitations of the ordinary jousts and tournaments; the young king, as
+he was always called, dispensing royal gifts to the squires, and
+pronouncing sentence with excessive severity on every transgressor of
+the laws of chivalry, as applicable to the game. The old counsellor
+smiled, and seemed to participate in the pleasure evinced by the queen
+and Drost Peter on the occasion; but, when the game was ended, he
+called the drost to his private room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am old,&quot; he said, seriously, &quot;but I do not think I am niggardly or
+avaricious, although I may set greater store by outward fortune than
+you approve of. It is right that the prince should be liberal and
+magnanimous; but do not therefore teach our future king to be a
+spendthrift, and to despise the wealth of his people and their
+possessions, like the dust on which he treads. Take care that he has
+not more regard for knightly pomp and splendour than for substantial
+power, true achievements, and real greatness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God forbid!&quot; said Drost Peter. &quot;But, if the days of the great
+Waldemars are to be restored--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good. I know what you would say,&quot; interrupted the old knight:
+&quot;therefore, if you would make a Waldemar Seier of Prince Erik, take
+care that his love of honour is not mere empty love of glitter, and his
+love of justice untimely obstinacy. He is a youth that, with God's
+help, much may be made of. You have a great charge, Drost Peter:
+consider it well. The swiftest falcon never makes an eagle. It is
+dangerous to attempt to create God's work anew; and he is a fool who
+tries to add a cubit to his own or another's stature.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he warmly pressed the hand of his young friend, and left
+him. The drost found him, afterwards, as lively as usual; and it did
+not appear that he cared farther about giving his opinion in the
+matter. Sir John's warning, however, disposed the drost to very serious
+thoughts, and he could not deny that the sagacious old man was right in
+many of his views.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The learned Master Martinus, too, with the tenderest zeal, took upon
+himself, in his own fashion, the education of the prince; but he
+endeavoured in vain to form him into a philosopher, or to teach him his
+dry, logical <i>Modos Significandi</i>. The prince had great respect for the
+learned chancellor, but was never better pleased than when he could
+escape from his Latin.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Scanderborg, the merry, lively heir-apparent was most happy when
+engaged in games of chivalry with his active squires and pages, among
+whom the little friendly Aagé Jonsen was his dearest comrade. When, at
+such times, Junker Christopher would spoil the game by some wanton
+boyish trick, or cause division among the pages, the little king was
+always umpire; and his strict impartiality rendered him as much beloved
+by the young pages, as disliked by his quarrelsome brother. When his
+daily exercise in arms was over, it often pleased Prince Erik to take
+diversion on the lake at Scanderborg, where his skilful tutor, Drost
+Peter, had also taught him to steer a boat easily and safely, even when
+the waters were roughest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter's active participation in the affairs of government, as
+well as his care for the important crown-prince, forbade him almost to
+think of himself and his private affairs of the heart. But frequently,
+when boating with his pupil on the Scanderborg lake till late in the
+evening, he would fall into deep thought, while steering the little
+vessel in the direction of the light from the ladies' apartment, that,
+from a lofty turret, looked out on the waters, like Jomfru Ingé's
+chamber at Flynderborg. He would often, on these occasions, sit for
+hours in a kind of reverie, and steer for the distant light, without
+observing what was taking place around him, until a lusty squall or an
+uneasy tossing of the boat brought him to his senses. At times, when
+in these reveries, he would suddenly start up and reproach himself with
+his forgetfulness, when the daring Prince Erik had made a hazardous
+alteration of the sails, and, by so doing, had embroiled himself in a
+violent dispute with Junker Christopherson.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king's chief amusement was hunting, of which he was passionately
+fond, and for which he frequently neglected the most important state
+affairs. Chamberlain Rané was still his constant favourite. The crafty
+chamberlain was often absent on secret errands; but these appeared to
+have reference merely to the usual love affairs, or to miserable
+adventures of the basest description, which were generally pursued in
+connection with the king's frequent hunting expeditions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen did not appear desirous of knowing anything concerning them.
+Since the last Dane-court at Nyborg, she had become singularly reserved
+and serious; and though she still affected the splendours of royalty,
+and showed herself with dignity at court festivals, she no longer took
+any part in the dancing, and withdrew herself more and more from the
+pleasures of the court. She seemed now to prefer the quiet, retired
+country life of the beautiful castle of Scanderborg, where she partly
+busied herself with useful occupations. Sometimes, when the king's
+absence embarrassed his advisers, the prudent queen would take his
+place in the council; and, on such occasions, all admired the delicacy
+with which she conducted the business, and avoided every appearance of
+assumption, while she sought to maintain the dignity of the throne, and
+to promote every plan that could alleviate the burdens of the people,
+or quench the still smouldering embers of sedition. With Drost Peter
+she conversed with favour and confidence, but with remarkable attention
+to the strictest forms of court. She never spoke to him except in the
+council, or in the presence of old Sir John, when she had anything of
+importance to say to him in reference to the prince's education.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Notwithstanding the increased admiration with which he now regarded the
+fair and prudent queen, he felt, in her presence, as if bereft of his
+usual freedom and liveliness. But his heart did not take the same warm
+share in this admiration, as when, acknowledged as her knight and
+distinguished favourite, he wore her colours. When he now beheld her in
+her scarlet robe, and with a diadem of rubies in her dark hair, he
+still, indeed, thought her beautiful and majestic; but the tall and
+noble Jomfru Ingé, with all her simplicity, was, in his eyes, far more
+dignified, and the crimson hair-band in her golden locks far more
+beautiful than the glittering diadem of the queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Notwithstanding the king's partiality to Rané, he always reposed the
+greatest confidence in Drost Peter, on whom he had bestowed many
+honourable proofs of his favour, especially since the drost's important
+and successful undertaking respecting the duke's imprisonment, and
+after the contract with that dangerous nobleman, who had ever since
+remained quietly at his castle in Sleswick. No royal letter of any
+importance was issued which was not signed and sealed by Drost Peter,
+Sir John, and the learned chancellor; whilst many important Ordinances
+were prepared by the drost alone; and he was justly regarded as one of
+the king's most influential and favoured men.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king had often proposed to visit Drost Peter at his ancestral
+castle at Harrestrup, where deer-hunting, especially in autumn, was
+excellent. This visit of honour was fixed for the month of September,
+and the drost made sumptuous preparations for the reception of the king
+and his court. But, on account of one diversion or another, the visit
+was postponed from week to week. The month of October passed away; and
+the drost began to think that the king had either forgotten it
+altogether, or intended to defer it until the following autumn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was already the middle of November, but the autumn did not seem
+willing to give way to winter, and the many-coloured leaves had not yet
+all fallen in the woods. One morning, Drost Peter was surprised with a
+message from the king, brought by Chamberlain Rané, that his majesty
+would pay him a visit, next day, at Harrestrup, and amuse himself for
+eight days in hunting. Sudden resolves of this nature were not unusual
+on the part of the king, especially when they had reference to hunting
+expeditions, and were verbally announced by the chamberlain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Although it was unpleasant for Drost Peter to receive Rané's
+announcement, delivered, as it was on the present occasion, in a
+somewhat authoritative manner, he still behaved courteously, and left
+Scanderborg without delay, to prepare everything to the king's wishes,
+and that he might, on the following day, receive him at his castle in
+person, with that respectful distinction which the forms of court-life
+demanded. He heard with pleasure that Sir John would accompany the
+king, and that Sir Rimaardson would remain at Scanderborg, as captain
+of the body-guard, with the queen and the young princes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">From Scanderborg to Harrestrup Castle, by the tortuous and uneven road,
+was a distance of above ten miles.<a name="div2Ref_29" href="#div2_29"><sup>[29]</sup></a> It was somewhat advanced in the
+morning when Drost Peter left the palace, attended merely by his
+squire, Claus Skirmen, who had a second horse with him to change on the
+way.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The drost rode so rapidly, and was so much engrossed in his own
+thoughts, that his squire several times began and broke off a
+conversation in which he could not bring his master to take the least
+interest. It was somewhat past noon when they caught sight of an
+eminence, of considerable height, at no great distance from Harrestrup,
+which, from the south and west, can be seen at a distance of four
+miles, and may be known by the blueish haze, arising from the adjacent
+morass, that almost invariably covers it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Seest thou Daugberg-Daas, Skirmen?&quot; asked Drost Peter, pointing to the
+hill, as he drew up, and dismounted to change his horse. &quot;Six miles
+have been got over quickly. We may easily reach Harrestrup before
+evening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We shall get to Harrestrup time enough,&quot; said Skirmen, as he sprang
+from his norback and brought his master the other horse. &quot;Would that we
+may be only as fortunate in leaving it, sir!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How so, Skirmen? Thou art not wont to be so reflective. What has
+happened to thee? Thou seemest rather downcast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nothing is the matter with me,&quot; replied Skirmen, holding the stirrup
+for his master, &quot;if nothing is the matter with yourself, or, perhaps,
+with the king. You may believe me or not, as you choose--but all is not
+right. 'Tis true, indeed, they were so drunk that they could not see a
+fly on the wall; but a drunken man's jabber is not always to be
+despised. In our old ballads it is often said, that wisdom may be
+learnt in the song of birds, when it is understood. People, however,
+are not so wise now-a-days; yet still I think I can guess what the cock
+crowed this morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Art thou crazed, Skirmen? I cannot understand a word of this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That, in sooth, is not my fault, stern sir,&quot; replied Skirmen, mounting
+his horse, and riding on by his master's side. &quot;For five long hours you
+have not cared to listen to what I have been telling you, but have
+allowed me to speak to the wind. Trust me, something will come of this
+journey to Harrestrup. Did you not perceive how glad the crafty
+chamberlain was, when you rode off? Did you not mark how eagerly he
+repeated, that the king would meet you at home like a careful host, I
+and that you were not, on any account, to ride out to meet him
+to-morrow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, truly: but that is merely a curious whimsy of the king's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But none can better lead the king to your abode than yourself, sir.
+And is it not singular that you should be sent off beforehand, dancing
+to the chamberlain's pipe--you that are both a knight and a drost?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No childish vanities, Skirmen. I must obey the king's message, whoever
+brings it to me. I find nothing more remarkable in this than I have
+heretofore discovered in your sage suspicions respecting certain
+grayfriar monks, and hens, and Rypen burghers. If the king will visit
+me, it follows, as a matter of course, that I must be at home
+beforehand, to receive him becomingly. Sir John accompanies him, with
+his trusty jagers; and the country around here is perfectly quiet and
+secure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How know you that, sir? No one can tell where Niels Breakpeace is; and
+the algrev is constantly cruising on our coasts; to say nothing of the
+marsk, at Möllerup.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is a knight, and not a highwayman; and Niels Breakpeace is no
+general. A prudent robber will never rub against the king's arm; and no
+pirate will venture within the coast-guard. So long as Sir John and I
+are not afraid of highwaymen or rebels, you may make yourself quite
+easy, my good Skirmen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But have you not heard of the numerous grayfriar monks at Rypen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you there again, with your monks? Why, there are plenty of them
+everywhere.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But they are not wont to ride about in troops, and during the night;
+and if, as people say, they have swords and knights' harness under
+their gray cloaks, it is not on God's service that these good gentlemen
+have sneaked into monks' habits.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who told you this?&quot; inquired Drost Peter, with more attention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The three men from Rypen, who yesterday desired to speak with the
+king--they whom the king told, through Chamberlain Rané, that he had
+something more to do than listen to their stupid quarrels: it was on
+that account they were so angry. When I met them at the tavern, in the
+evening, they were completely drunk; but this much I could gather from
+their conversation--that it was not for nothing they had seen three
+suns in the heavens--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sheer twaddle, Skirmen! Drunken people can see as many suns in the
+heavens as there are stars.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Many sober people have also seen the same, sir. It betides a great
+misfortune, they said, and they could reveal things of great importance
+to the king. But he must now take care of himself, since he was too
+proud to speak with honest burghers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, this is the loyalty now-a-days,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter,
+indignantly: &quot;when a man is offended, he bids his king and country a
+good day. If you thought there was anything more than vile superstition
+and silly braggadocia in this ale-gossip, why did not you inform me
+immediately?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You were, with Sir John, in attendance upon the queen and the princes,
+sir; and I did not wish to raise a blind alarm, on the instant, about
+such loose talk. The Rypen burghers seemed as if they would take their
+ease for some days at the tavern, and this morning I was there betimes
+to meet them sober; but they had disappeared overnight, it was said,
+and no one knew what had become of them. I could not get speech of you
+this morning, on account of the chamberlain, and your many
+distinguished visitors; and ever since you mounted your horse, you have
+not listened to one word of all I have already told you--not even about
+the handsome cock with the necklace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Enough. To what does all this trifling tend? How can you imagine that
+I have leisure to think of your cock and his battles?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But what if it should be the same bird you so much admired at
+Flynderborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Flynderborg?&quot; repeated Drost Peter, starting: &quot;who talks of
+Flynderborg? Was it not at Scanderborg the marvellous cock was to be
+seen, that gained the victory over all the rest?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truly, sir; but it came from Flynderborg, nevertheless: it is the
+selfsame bird respecting which you held such fair conversation with
+Lady Ingé, when she stroked his wings in the garden, on the hillock
+near the strand. I stood by, and ventured not to interrupt you. You had
+just been talking of Hamlet's cunning, with his charred wooden
+hooks,<a name="div2Ref_30" href="#div2_30"><sup>[30]</sup></a> and with the gad-fly and the straw; and Lady Ingé thought
+that her watchful bird had been a better sign of warning against
+treachery and danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And this bird, you say, is now at Scanderborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is no doubt that it is the same: I made the discovery this
+morning. You may remember the fowler from Zealand, who, one evening
+lately, forced his way to you into the palace, and wanted you to look
+at his hens? You closed the door against him, and thought him a
+simpleton. I, too, thought the man crazy, when he ran away, and let
+loose his best cock in the court of the palace. It first occurred to me
+this morning that the brave pugnacious bird was an old acquaintance.
+The falconer had caught him, for the sake of a crimson pearl-band he
+had about his neck. I procured the band, and certainly think I know it.
+You may, perhaps, know it yourself, sir.&quot; So saying, he drew forth a
+crimson riband, wrought with pearls in the form of a few white flowers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With blushing cheeks Drost Peter recognised Lady Ingé's hair-band. &quot;Let
+me have it,&quot; he said, eagerly; &quot;it is mine.&quot; He pressed it closely to
+his lips, then concealed it in his bosom, and, setting spurs to his
+horse, rode on in the strangest frame of mind. He felt himself happy
+beyond measure, yet at the same time disquieted and uneasy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the joyful hope awakened in his breast by the possession of the
+band, did not long sustain him. The mysterious warning, and the summons
+to vigilance, associated with this fond memorial, had, to him, a
+signification that almost forbade him to think of himself and his
+affection. What the patriotic maiden intended to communicate to him, by
+this mysterious symbol, appeared to him to have reference to the crown
+and the royal house alone. He suddenly checked his horse, and reflected
+whether he ought not at once to ride back to Scanderborg, and accompany
+the king himself on the following day, or, rather, induce him to
+abandon the visit entirely. But when he considered how absurd such a
+course would appear to the king and his court, and the ridicule to
+which it might expose him, he relinquished the thought, with a smile at
+his own credulity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen, in the meantime, had overtaken his master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, now,&quot; said the drost, &quot;the cock may still be right. We shall be
+cautious; although, as the king travels with a considerable retinue,
+there is no rational ground for apprehending any impending danger. I
+shall, however, ride to meet him to-morrow, and follow him through the
+wood with my people. At Harrestrup he can be safer than at Scanderborg
+itself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I think with you,&quot; replied Skirmen: &quot;at present, indeed, nothing
+farther can be done. But that there are night-birds in the moss, I
+certainly believe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now rode on thoughtfully, and in silence. The night was beginning
+to darken as they passed Daugberg Church, and they continued their
+course northwards towards the town, through a long valley between
+considerable heights, wherein deep pits had been formed by the
+important lime-stone quarries. The dark green, newly-sprung winter corn
+grew on the heights, between heaps of stones and half-fallen groups of
+trees. The sight of this wild, picturesque spot awoke many youthful
+memories in the mind of the drost, and dissipated his uneasy thoughts.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here have I often played at robbers in my childhood,&quot; he said: &quot;little
+thought I, then, that I should now be riding here in this serious
+mood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Look, sir!&quot; said Skirmen, riding close up to his master: &quot;see you not
+something twinkling, and in motion, in that great gloomy pit?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you dreaming of robbers?&quot; inquired the drost. &quot;I see nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, also, do I see nothing,&quot; replied Skirmen; &quot;but the pit is full
+seventy ells deep--it could conceal a whole band.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The place is well suited for such fellows,&quot; observed the drost; &quot;but
+hitherto, this spot has been secure enough. My brave warden Tygé is not
+to be trifled with. Do you see the old wheel on Daugberg-Daas? It still
+stands there, as a grave warning to rievers and highwaymen. The wood
+would better suit such gentry; but, there, old Henner Friser is on the
+outlook.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Henner Friser!&quot; repeated Skirmen, in astonishment: &quot;is he here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is true, indeed. You should not have known it, Skirmen; but
+you can be silent. You may remember that he killed a royal squire in
+self-defence; and, to be out of the way of trouble on that account, he
+is attached to one of my hunting-seats.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Which, sir? That of Finnerup?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, then, since you have guessed so much, he resides there. But you
+must be silent on the subject.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand you, sir,&quot; replied Skirmen, highly delighted: &quot;I shall
+take care not to bring the brave old man and the pretty little Aasé
+into trouble. But had they not better leave the hunting-seat for the
+next few days? How easily the king and his huntsmen might discover
+them! And, should that cursed coxcomb, Rané, meet them--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Skirmen,&quot; replied the drost, &quot;you are more circumspect than I.
+To-morrow, betimes, you can ride over and warn them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks, sir, thanks!&quot; exclaimed Skirmen, jigging gaily in his saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now entered a little plantation of young beeches and poplars.
+Twilight descended, but they could still see the tall white trees.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I scarcely know my little Kjĉlderriis again,&quot; said the drost: &quot;see how
+proud my poplars are grown.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;However good a look-out Henner Friser may keep, there are still
+poachers enough here,&quot; said Skirmen. &quot;I heard the twang of a steel-bow
+just now; and--do you not hear that rustling in the thicket there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense, Skirmen. It is my poplars, rustling me a welcome,&quot; replied
+the drost, &quot;or a startled roebuck among the leaves. The rascals,
+however, should not be admitted here,&quot; he added: &quot;probably the fences
+are not in good condition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were soon out of the plantation, and then rode through a deep
+dale. The last glimmer of day still lighted up the brow of a
+considerable hill, which rose nobly from the valley. Harrestrup Castle
+lay before them, on the smooth and almost circular summit of the
+height. The castle was small, but so well fortified by nature that it
+required no artificial trenches; and its steep; lofty walls and
+buttresses seemed inaccessible to the most daring assailants. The
+entire castle appeared to consist of a single round tower, built of
+bricks and hewn stone. It was approached only by a steep and narrow
+pathway, which the tired horses had some trouble to ascend; the road,
+at every step, becoming narrower and steeper.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter and his squire at length dismounted, and led their horses
+over the most difficult spot, between two steep gullies crossed by a
+small drawbridge. As usual in time of peace, the bridge was down. At
+length the travellers stood by the castle-gate, which was closed. High
+over Drost Peter's head, on the summit of the wall above the gate,
+waved a large banner, adorned with the armorial bearings of the master
+of the castle--three parallel descending bars, <i>gules</i> on a field
+<i>d'or</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have brought the horn, Skirmen,&quot; said the drost: &quot;blow a merry
+stave, that they may know we are here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen carried a curved golden horn in a band over his shoulder. He
+set it to his lips, and blew the commencement of the air of the merry
+old ballad about Sir John, who took the bride from her loutish lover.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This signal was immediately answered from the tower by a brisk,
+youthful voice, which sang the burden to the well-known song:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Bind up your golden helmet--<br>
+Bind up, and follow Sir John.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is it you, stern sir?&quot; then inquired the voice from the wall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, truly. Open, Tygé,&quot; replied the drost; and the great iron-studded
+door was instantly opened, and Drost Peter was received, with hearty
+pleasure, by his bold young warden and a numerous band of house-carls,
+all active young men, and, as was the warden, armed with round steel
+caps and bright halberds. A number of grooms and torchbearers also
+pressed forward to see and salute their master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter shook hands with his warden, patted some of his house-carls
+on the shoulder, and nodded kindly to them all.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is everything in order?&quot; he inquired. &quot;To-morrow the king will be
+here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Came a kaiser himself here, sir,&quot; answered the warden, &quot;you would not
+be ashamed of your house. Dorothy has had the waxlights placed, and the
+tables covered, these two months. The whole castle has been cleaned,
+and is as bright as are our halberds. The pantry is full of choice
+viands, and the cellar of prime ale and sweet wine. If the king should
+stay the whole winter, he will not have to lick his fingers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And the hunters, the hounds, and the falcons?&quot; inquired the drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They are fleet and well-trained. You shall get honour by them, sir.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;One thing more, Tygé. Is the neighbourhood secure? Are there no
+poachers in Kjĉlderriis, and no loose and suspicious people in Daugberg
+quarries?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why should such an idea enter your thoughts, sir? Beggars and tinkers
+pass by here now and then: we give them bread and meat in God's name,
+and they touch not a rabbit in the woods, nor a feather in the
+hen-house. If the district were unsafe, we must have heard of it. No
+thief or robber may venture near Harrestrup Castle, so long as your
+banner hangs over the gate. Have you perceived anything, sir?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not I. It was only a fancy that seized Skirmen on the road.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What, Claus Skirmen!&quot; exclaimed the lively warden; &quot;when wert thou
+wont to have old women's fancies?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you will trust me with half a score of house-carls, sir,&quot; said
+Skirmen, quickly and decidedly, to the drost, &quot;I shall yet perhaps,
+before you go to bed, show your confident warden that I have not had
+old women's fancies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, if you have a desire to see a little about you, you may have ten
+carls, willingly. If you do not break your neck in the pits, you must
+be here again before midnight. The moon rises late: have you torches?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They are not required,&quot; said Skirmen: &quot;the darker the better. On
+foot, we can find our way blindfolded. Take good care of my norback,
+lads. I shall have none of you with me but you, nimble John, and you,
+warder Soeren, and you--&quot; And he thus selected ten of the most active
+house-carls, and hastened from the gate with them, whilst the grooms
+led the horses to the stable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter accompanied the castle-warden across the court, and up the
+stone steps, to the dwelling-house.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before the young master of the castle partook of either rest or
+refreshment, he inspected the whole arrangements. He found everything
+in the best order, and prepared sumptuously to receive the king and his
+train. Drost Peter's old nurse, the careful Dorothy, with a broom and
+dish-cloth in her hand, bustled towards him from the kitchen, and, in
+her extreme joy, would have embraced him. She was not a little proud of
+having been entrusted with the entire management of the domestic
+affairs of the castle. She wept with joy at the proud thought that she
+should be hostess to the royal party; and it was to her an honour
+without parallel, to be reigning queen of the kitchen and pantry on so
+important an occasion--the crowning event of her life. She dragged her
+young master about with her everywhere, to show him all the choice
+arrangements she had made for the convenience of the king and his great
+lords, and was inexhaustible in explaining to him how she had prepared
+for every hour of the day, so long as the royal visit should last.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good, my dear Dorothy,&quot; said Drost Peter, at length, somewhat
+impatiently, and patting her kindly on the shoulder: &quot;you have done
+everything excellently. I do not understand these matters, but I well
+know that you care for the honour of the house, as much as if you were
+my wife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, dear young master,&quot; replied Dorothy, kissing his hand, &quot;when shall
+I have the heart's joy of seeing you cared for and received by a pious
+and handsome young housewife in the castle here? You truly deserve that
+one of God's dear angels should come to you. God's blessing rests here,
+and, like the prosperous Joseph, you are, next to the king, the first
+man in the land; and, I dare be sworn, should Potiphar's wife tempt
+you--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Enough, enough, Dorothy,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, interrupting her, and
+blushing. &quot;I do not doubt your good opinion of me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah!&quot; continued Dorothy, &quot;but what avail you honour and fortune, my
+dear young master, when you live in this way, like a lonely bird in the
+world. Trow me, fair sir, it is not good for man to be alone. So my
+blessed husband always said, God gladden his soul! He banged me well at
+times, the blessed creature, when he did not get warm hashed meat to
+supper--it was always a favourite dish of his--and every mortal has his
+weakness; but he was still a good sort of man, and as pious as an
+angel, after he had his supper. Ay, ay; everything in the world is
+transitory. My happy days have gone by; and now I have no greater joy
+than to see you comfortable, my dearest young master; and could I once
+see my good Peter Hessel married, and rock his children and his
+children's children in my arms, I should willingly close my old eyes,
+and bid this weary world good night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, she wiped a few tears from her withered cheeks with her
+kitchen-apron, without noticing warden Tygé's dry remark how much she
+would be beyond a hundred years of age before all her wishes were
+fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But come in now, my dear master, and take something to live upon,&quot; she
+added, going before him to open the door: &quot;you are famishing, God help
+me, in your own house, and in the midst of all God's blessings.&quot; So
+saying, she ran back, and drew him with her into the clean, polished
+day-room, where she compelled him to sit down, while she busied herself
+about his refreshment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had still much to say to his warden; and having at length
+prevailed on Dorothy to go to bed, he remained alone with Tygé in the
+apartment. He then made inquiries into the condition of his estates and
+his subordinates, during which some hours elapsed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The warden had gone out to inspect his people, and had again returned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is late, Tygé,&quot; said the drost, with a feeling of weariness: &quot;what
+has become of Skirmen? It is time all were retired to rest. Before
+daybreak we must ride to meet the king, with our boldest swains. You
+have taken care that they hold themselves ready to start betimes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The knechts are already as sound asleep as stones,&quot; replied the
+warden; &quot;but this is not according to my way of management. Three of
+the carls who should have kept watch to-night, followed Skirmen, and
+their posts stand vacant. This is sad irregularity, sir drost: it has
+never happened to me before, and you must graciously excuse me. It is
+strange enough, sir, but we two are the only souls awake in the castle.
+Our house-carls are, at other times, brave and sober fellows; but, out
+of joy at your return, they have all looked a little too deep into the
+ale-can, and have tapped the German tun.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What? have you German ale in the castle?&quot; inquired the drost, much
+displeased. &quot;That, you know, I have strictly forbidden: it is contrary
+to the king's orders, which I and my people ought to be the first to
+obey.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have said so, stern sir; but it was on Dorothy's account: she would
+not let me have either peace or quiet until I had brought her a couple
+of barrels from Viborg. Without German ale, she thought it would be
+impossible to entertain the king's people becomingly, even if the king
+had ten times forbidden it. If he himself and his people thought good
+of it, there would be no sin in it, she argued.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis like her,&quot; said the drost, smiling; &quot;and it must be so for the
+present; but to-morrow, betimes, let every drop of it run down the
+drain, whether Dorothy be sour or mild.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It shall be done, sir; but for the sake of peace in the house, had you
+not better inform her of it, yourself? What now is this?&quot; he continued,
+listening: &quot;I fancied I heard a creaking at the door of the riddersal.
+I thought Dorothy was sound asleep, but it would seem she is still
+bustling about. She is so zealous in her housewifery, that, at times,
+she gets up in the middle of the night, and dusts everything anew. It
+will be a God's blessing, however, if she does not get crazy with joy
+at all this magnificence. But, if you will allow me, sir, I will just
+see if it be her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Taking one of the lights, he proceeded towards the door of the
+riddersal; but before he reached it, it was softly opened, and a wild,
+shaggy face peeped in, but instantly disappeared, and the door was
+immediately closed again.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter quickly rose, and the young castle-warden stood, as if
+petrified, with the light in his hand, in the middle of the floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Death and misfortune!&quot; he whispered: &quot;Skirmen has gone off with the
+court-warder, and has left the gate open. For a certainty, there are
+thieves or robbers in the house. Let me rouse the house-carls? One does
+not know how strong the rascals may muster. I shall go through the
+kitchen, and do not open this door until I return.&quot; And as he spoke, he
+hastily placed the bar on the door of the riddersal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, make haste!&quot; said Drost Peter: &quot;if I saw aright, it was the
+bull's face of Niels Breakpeace. So, then, Skirmen was right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The warden went quickly away, and Drost Peter stood alone in the
+apartment. He had drawn his sword, and leant upon it to collect himself
+and listen. He heard many voices in the riddersal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is he here--is he here? how many are there?&quot; inquired a number of low
+voices in the same breath.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There are only two men, and the cursed drost is one of them,&quot; uttered
+a deep gruff voice. &quot;Come, fellows: he shall not lead us into mischance
+again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They attacked the door violently, but the bar held fast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They have secured the door; but we can easily snap the bar,&quot; said the
+same harsh voice. &quot;Run against it, lads. Let us break open the door--it
+yields!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The bar gave way with a frightful crash, the door flew open, and nine
+wild, sturdy fellows, with Niels Breakpeace at their head, rushed in,
+with short battle-axes and shining daggers in their hands. Drost Peter
+retreated a few steps, and placed himself with his back against the
+wall, in a position where he could defend himself for a time, and keep
+the rievers at bay with his long sword. He looked at the wild fellows
+sternly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you such vile niddings,&quot; he cried, &quot;that ten of you must fight
+against one? I see at least one man amongst you who has received the
+honour of knighthood from Denmark's king; and so far as I know, the
+stroke has not yet been washed from his shoulder with boiling water.
+Stand forth, Sir Lavé Rimaardson! You are the only one of these fellows
+with whom I can worthily do single battle for life or death. If there
+is yet a spark of honour in you, advance!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Niels Breakpeace and his comrades did not appear to notice this
+challenge, but pressed forward to overwhelm their single antagonist.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Out of the way, rascals!&quot; shouted a vehement youthful voice; and a
+handsome fellow, with a red feather in his cap, and a wild, audacious
+countenance, sprang forward. &quot;Whoever dares to touch the drost, save I,
+I cut down on the spot,&quot; he continued: &quot;one to one, and ten to Satan!
+Come, Drost Peter Hessel! This is the second time we have met since you
+made me an outlaw in Denmark. On Vaarby Bridge I had a hindrance: had
+my brother's blood not been a little thicker than the water of the
+stream, you should never have crossed the bridge. We stand now on a
+greater bridge--one that leads from earth to heaven, or--hell, as it
+may happen; for here must either you or I bid this fair and pleasant
+world good night!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words, he threw aside his battle-axe and drew his sword,
+which was of the same length as Drost Peter's; and, that he might not
+have any advantage over his antagonist, who stood bareheaded before
+him, he cast his feathered cap on the floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, if it is to be a regular cockfight, I am quite willing,&quot; growled
+Niels Breakpeace; &quot;but if you don't make quick work of him, Sir
+Bigsnout, I shall.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The coarse robber chief and his comrades laughed, well pleased, and
+formed a close circle round the two antagonists. There then began a
+warm and serious combat, but conducted according to all the laws and
+usages of chivalry. Placing foot to foot, they swerved not a hair's
+breadth from their positions. Neither of them used the point of the
+sword, but hewed with the sharp edge, and aimed only at the head and
+breast, or between the four limbs, as it is termed. The single light on
+the table only partially illumined the apartment; and the clashing
+swords of the knights met so quickly, that a glimpse of them could
+scarcely be caught. Every instant threatened a mortal blow to one of
+them; but they both appeared equally skilled in their weapon, and
+neither of them could succeed in wounding his adversary, though, like
+constant lightning, their blades flashed over their heads.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall I put an end to the game?&quot; growled Niels Breakpeace, raising his
+broad battle-axe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By Satan! are you invulnerable?&quot; shouted the robber-knight, springing
+impatiently towards his antagonist, and, contrary to the rules, with a
+daring and dangerous lunge. But at the same instant the sword fell from
+his grasp to the floor, together with the first three fingers of his
+right hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, you shall never more swear falsely to your king and knighthood!&quot;
+cried Drost Peter, enraged.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Cut him down, the Satan!&quot; shouted the furious robbers, pressing in
+upon the drost, who, with his back against the wall, defended himself
+desperately.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He had already received some wounds, and was bleeding freely, when the
+kitchen-door flew open, and warden Tygé rushed in, with half a dozen
+half-intoxicated house-carls. They came staggering forward to assist
+their master, and a sanguinary battle commenced with daggers and axes.
+The robbers had still a great advantage over the reeling house-carls,
+who could scarcely distinguish friend from foe. With wild shouts they
+tumbled among one another, and Drost Peter and Tygé alone fought with
+deliberation and security; but they were nearly overwhelmed, when a
+noise in the court and the sound of a horn were heard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Skirmen!&quot; joyfully exclaimed Drost Peter and Tygé at the same time,
+and their blows fell with redoubled energy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The robbers, taken by surprise, retreated with their crafty leader
+towards the entrance of the riddersal; but, in the next moment, the
+shattered door was entirely driven in, and Skirmen rushed to his
+master's aid with ten active house-carls, two of whom had some trouble
+in restraining the fury of three men, whom they guarded, bound, between
+them. After a short but desperate resistance, the powerful Niels
+Breakpeace and his comrades were disarmed and bound. They cursed and
+vociferated furiously; but, at the drost's command, they were
+immediately led off to the tower-prison.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lavé Rimaardson still lay, with his hand mutilated, on the floor. The
+proud young robber had been for some moments without consciousness;
+and, when he now recovered his senses, he learnt what had happened, and
+found himself bound, and in the hands of his enemies. Drost Peter was
+about to bind up his wounded hand; but he instantly sprang up, tore
+away the bandage with his teeth, glared wildly around him, and would
+not suffer it to be dressed, cursing his limb, and conducting himself
+so furiously that it was requisite to use force with him. As soon as
+his hand was bandaged, his feet were set at liberty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Attend to him closely,&quot; said Drost Peter, as the warden was dragging
+him, struggling, from the door. &quot;Give him the best prison, and good
+fare. A great man may yet be made of him; and although his life is now
+in the king's hands, I shall rejoice if he can be saved from the
+wheel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter Hessel,&quot; exclaimed the young robber, pausing on the
+threshold, in an attitude of defiance, &quot;I hate you to the death; but
+you are a brave fellow, and I should not be ashamed of falling by your
+hand. If you can save me from the wheel, do so. But not for my sake: I
+can die on a wheel, in the open air, as easily as on a wretched bed.
+But I have a brother--and I bear a noble name:--you understand me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He paused, and a convulsive motion of the muscles around his mouth
+betrayed feelings for which he instantly seemed to blush, as he strove
+to control them. &quot;Bear in mind that I am your fair queen's kinsman,
+and, perhaps, a little allied to yourself,&quot; he added, with a bitter
+smile. &quot;But think not that I am afraid of death; and expect no thanks
+from me, if you save my life!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away--away with him!&quot; cried Drost Peter, provoked by his coarse
+allusions, and the daring accusation couched in his words and haughty
+mien. &quot;By a perjured and dishonoured knight, no honest man need feel
+affronted,&quot; he added, turning his back on the prisoner, as the warden
+thrust him out of the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are bleeding, sir,&quot; exclaimed Skirmen: &quot;allow me to bandage you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All in good time,&quot; replied the drost. &quot;I would first hear whether you
+deserve praise or censure. Did you withdraw the court-warder from the
+open gate, and suffer the robbers to slip in, in order that you might
+look after them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If the gate was not locked after us, warden Tygé must answer for that,
+stern sir,&quot; replied Skirmen. &quot;I did not trouble myself on that score. I
+led the carls to the great Daugberg lime-pit, and there found something
+of what we were in search: three unruly fellows we have fettered and
+brought with us, and as much gold and silver as we could drag. When we
+returned, we found the gate open, and instantly noticed the confusion.
+It was a God's blessing we returned in time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art a smart youth, Skirmen,&quot; said Drost Peter, patting him on the
+shoulder; &quot;I have seen thee fight like the best knight. The booty thou
+shalt bring to the king with thy own hands; and if he does not dub thee
+a knight, within a year and a day I will do it myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Master! dear, good master!&quot; cried Skirmen, with the utmost glee, and
+warmly kissing his master's hand: &quot;if ever I deserve to be knighted,
+let it be by this hand! It will do me far more honour than such a
+king's--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Skirmen!&quot; interrupted Drost Peter, sternly and gravely, &quot;dost thou,
+too, dare to censure my king and master? Thou servest me at present:
+if, hereafter, thou shouldst be made a knight, thou wilt then serve the
+king and country; and no servant should despise his master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But can you in your own heart, then, noble sir drost--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can be silent, where the heart cannot speak without making the
+tongue a traitor; and that is ever the case when it contemns majesty.
+Be thou now also silent, and bandage me. There was still hero-blood in
+the arm that gave me this wound,&quot; he added, sadly, as he bared his arm.
+&quot;This wild Rimaardson fights well. God support his noble kinsman, when
+he learns what has happened here!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, attended by his careful squire, then went to his
+bed-chamber, and everything was soon as quiet in Harrestrup Castle as
+if nothing had occurred.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before daybreak next morning, Drost Peter, together with twelve smart
+house-carls, was already on horseback, and rode off to meet the king.
+The castle-warden and the remaining house-carls he left behind, to wash
+out the traces of the night's encounter, and to guard the prisoners,
+who were chained in the tower. Skirmen, with his master's permission,
+rode to the hunting-seat where Henner Friser and his granddaughter
+resided, to inform them of the king's arrival, and to attend to their
+security.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter did not regard his wounds as of much consequence, and had
+not troubled himself about Skirmen's scruples, or his foster-mother
+Dorothy's inconvenient attentions. It was not until long after the
+conflict with the robbers was over, that the old lady awoke, and became
+aware of what had occurred, when, in her anxiety for her dear young
+master, she went and awoke him in the middle of his most refreshing
+sleep, to ascertain his actual condition; and, notwithstanding his
+order to the contrary, she kept watch at his door for the remainder of
+the night. In fact, it was not until she had seen him lively and active
+on horse back, that she found time to cross herself whilst lamenting
+over the sad havoc and confusion that pervaded her hitherto well-swept
+and polished apartment; and whilst she sought to remedy the disaster by
+the aid of brooms and scouring-cloths, she was doomed to the farther
+sorrow of beholding, on a fasting stomach, the pitiless Tygé tap the
+whole of the German ale into the sewer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sun had not yet risen when Drost Peter, with the twelve
+house-carls, rode by Daugberg quarries. He stopped to examine the spot,
+and inquired of the house-carl John, who had accompanied Skirmen, how
+they had managed to seize the three fellows, and to possess themselves
+of the immense booty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I shall soon tell you, sir,&quot; replied the house-carl. &quot;As we stood
+on this spot, we saw a light in yonder big hole. None of us had exactly
+a fancy to enter it; but the mad Skirmen outshamed us, and immediately
+crept into the mouth. We then took courage to follow him. The light
+must have been that of Satan himself, and we were certainly a hundred
+ells under ground before the steps ended. One could not see the other,
+and many of us came down on our faces on the confounded smooth
+limestone. We were, however, as still as mice, and I could hear porter
+Soeren breathing through his nose. Where Skirmen had got to, God only
+knows; but we suddenly heard a wild cry, and the noise and clash of
+weapons in the dark, a little way before us. We started forward after
+the sound, and I got hold of a long nose, and held fast; but to the
+nose there belonged a pair of sturdy fists, and I had a long struggle
+with the fellow before I got him on the ground. Porter Soeren had also
+his work to do with a fellow still stronger. One, Skirmen overpowered;
+and those who had not taken a robber, struggled with one another to
+their heart's content. At last Jasper Strongwind arrived with a lighted
+brand he had got hold of; and as soon as we saw how matters stood, and
+that we had got hold of all that were to be found, we bound them hand
+and foot, and resolved to empty the treasury; and then the job was
+done.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The luck was better than the judgment,&quot; said Drost Peter; &quot;but still,
+I must confess that Skirmen is a bold fellow. I should not like to
+imitate this adventure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While they were yet speaking, a horseman, in a gray cloak, and mounted
+on a gray steed, overtook and passed them at full gallop. None of them
+had seen him on the way, and they therefore supposed that he had issued
+from one of the quarries.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Light the torches, carls,&quot; cried Drost Peter, dismounting. &quot;We must
+search these robbers' dens before we go farther.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They lighted some of the torches which they had brought with them to
+illuminate the road, if the king should arrive late; and, whilst six of
+the house-carls were left with the horses, Drost Peter, with the
+others, proceeded to search the suspicious pits and holes. From the
+first quarry which they examined, they brought several weapons, and two
+gray cloaks and hood-masks; the other pits they found empty, and
+without any traces of having been recently used as a retreat for
+robbers. For perfect security, however, Drost Peter left behind four
+carls, as a watch over them, and, in profound thought, rode forward
+with the others on the way to Scanderborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king, according to his appointment, had left the palace early; for,
+however frequently he might change his mind on other matters, he was
+extremely punctual with regard to journeys of pleasure. Drost Peter met
+him half way from Harrestrup; and when he informed him of what had
+occurred there, and mentioned the large booty which had been taken from
+the robbers, the king appeared much gratified, and continued his
+journey without delaying. Old John Little, as well as Chamberlain Rané,
+and a number of huntsmen, who accompanied the king, seemed to listen to
+the drost's relation with some doubtfulness; while his sharp looks
+detected an uneasy expression in Rané's countenance. But when the drost
+informed them that he had himself searched the Daugberg quarries, and
+set a watch over them, the doubts of the old knight appeared to vanish,
+and he laughed, and jested gaily, but at the same time kept his eye,
+unobserved, on every look and gesture of the chamberlain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was past midday when the king and his train stopped at the
+celebrated lime-quarry, which he had previously determined to examine,
+and which he could not now pass without some attention. When he
+perceived the armed house-carls before the pits, he started, and
+inquired of the drost if they were his people, and with what view they
+kept watch there, since the robbers had been seized, and the caves
+searched.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is still possible that we have not discovered them all, sir king,&quot;
+replied the drost. &quot;Perhaps, too, they belong to a confederacy which it
+were important to root out. So long as your grace remains at
+Harrestrup, I consider it my duty to watch these lurking-holes
+closely.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The house-carls, with lighted torches, stood by the entrance to the
+largest pit, when the king, dismounting, advanced a few steps and
+looked timidly into it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not worth wasting time upon,&quot; he exclaimed, suddenly, and
+proceeded to remount. &quot;Whoever chooses may descend. Run thou, Rané: it
+was thou who had so much to tell me of this lime-quarry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is certainly worth seeing, sir king,&quot; replied Rané, as he zealously
+prepared himself to descend, along with a number of huntsmen and
+falconers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Sir John had also dismounted; and, taking a torch, he examined the
+pit with much interest, but without venturing down.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was a good capture, Drost Peter,&quot; observed the king, as they rode
+leisurely on: &quot;they were a daring and dangerous band. This famous Niels
+Breakpeace shall not again escape; for, before sunset, they shall all
+be executed. We can thus sleep soundly to-night, and begin the chase
+early in the morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter remained mute.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why are you silent?&quot; continued the king. &quot;Have they not been seized by
+yourself in the open commission of robbery? Such fellows deserve not a
+long trial.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They arc all punishable with death,&quot; replied Drost Peter, &quot;but it is
+still desirable that they were allowed time to shrive themselves, and
+look to the salvation of their sinful souls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The time will not permit,&quot; replied the king. &quot;I shall not sleep under
+the same roof with robbers and murderers. If I am to be your guest,
+Drost Hessel, these malefactors must sleep on the wheel to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you command it, sir king, they can be conducted this evening to
+Viborg prison, and you need neither rest under the same roof with them,
+nor consign them to so sudden a doom. There are men amongst them born
+to something better than to end their lives so shamefully and
+unexpectedly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;None are born to that,&quot; replied the king, musingly. &quot;If one could know
+what was sung at his cradle, if it had any meaning,&quot; he continued, &quot;I
+should be glad to learn what was sung at ours: it would be well to know
+that in these times. Is there any one of note among them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is one of them, at least, who belongs not to the outcasts of
+humanity--in whom there is still left a remnant of honour and of lofty
+mind; and whose soul, perhaps, may still be saved. His birth and rank
+are certainly now his strongest accusers: he is of high and noble
+blood, and from your own royal hand, sir king, he had the honour to
+receive the stroke of knighthood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That does not plead for him, truly. There you are right. He must die:
+a noble-born knight deserves to be punished with tenfold severity, when
+found among robbers and highwaymen. Who is he?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Lavé Rimaardson--your noble queen's kinsman, and brother of the
+trusty Bent Rimaardson.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king started, and drawing up his horse, he threw on Drost Peter a
+scrutinising glance, in which, as he blinked uneasily, a secret
+suspicion might be traced.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The queen's kinsman, say you?&quot; he exclaimed--&quot;the outlaw, Lavé
+Rimaardson?--he who has dared to defy me, and to stir up the peasants
+to rebellion?--he whom you yourself assisted to adjudge an outlaw?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Even he, sir king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And you would now defend a rebel, and intercede for so vile a
+criminal, Drost Hessel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Defend him I will not, sir king; but to crave mercy for a sinner, I
+still may dare. With the most righteous of all judges, clemency is the
+greatest quality. I pray you, my king, to consider his brother's
+services to the crown and country, and his relation to yourself and the
+royal house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No! I shall now prove to you, and to my faithful subjects,&quot; replied
+the king, with secret satisfaction, &quot;that, in the exercise of justice,
+I have no respect to high descent and birth, nor even to those allied
+to me by consanguinity and princely blood. Sir Lavé Rimaardson I will
+myself see upon the wheel before the sun goes down. Onwards!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king set spurs to his horse, and all followed. Those who had been
+examining the pit, hastened to overtake him, and Sir John again rode by
+his side. The old knight had not heard the conversation just related,
+but he observed that the king was chafed and disquieted. He rode on in
+silence, for some minutes, with unusual rapidity, but not inattentive
+to the king's angry looks and Drost Peter's uneasiness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why hasten you thus, sir king?&quot; at length inquired the old knight.
+&quot;Yonder you may see the tower of Harrestrup Castle, and the sun is yet
+far up in the heavens.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So much the better!&quot; observed the king. &quot;Who is the executioner of
+felons here? Where resides the hangman of the district?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Daugberg-Daas is the place appointed for executions, sir king,&quot;
+replied Sir John, who was well acquainted with everything relating to
+the administration of law in the country: &quot;that was the wheel, which we
+saw above the lime-quarries, yonder. The officer of justice you inquire
+for has free quarters in Daugberg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good: let him be summoned immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old knight was surprised, but obeyed without replying, and
+instantly dispatched a huntsman back to Daugberg for the executioner.
+He then continued to ride silently by the king's side until he
+considered his momentary irritation was allayed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You do not intend to render your entrance to the castle of Harrestrup
+memorable by a sudden execution, sir king?&quot; asked the old counsellor,
+as he now rode alone with him up the narrow pathway. &quot;I do not intend
+to intercede for such gross offenders: severity is, in these times,
+highly necessary; but, when we have them securely captive, and there is
+no rebellion in the country, I like not such hasty justice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king was silent, and blinked uneasily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Such haste, my king,&quot; continued old John, &quot;may easily lead to
+injustice, or be regarded as a sign of fear, which may weaken the
+confidence of your people in the power of the state. A giant, conscious
+of his strength, need not hasten, for his security, to slay a few
+captive pigmies. Besides, not even the greatest criminal ought to be
+sentenced without a legal trial.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The crime is manifest,&quot; exclaimed the king, erecting himself; &quot;the law
+is well known; and doom I now pronounce:--they shall be broken on the
+wheel. You shall conduct them to the place of execution, Sir John; and
+you will be answerable to me that the law and sentence are fulfilled,
+in all their severity, before the sun goes down. I will hear no
+objections--it is my royal will.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John remained silent, and they rode slowly up the steep path to the
+castle, where Drost Peter dismounted, and placed himself by the side of
+the king's horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The train of attendants had stopped, and there was now heard,
+behind, the quick tread of horses, and the rumbling of wheels. The
+huntsmen and falconers looked back: it was the messenger Sir John had
+dispatched for the headsman. He approached at full gallop, with a
+little broad-shouldered companion, on a miserable hack. The stranger
+wore a hairy cap, and a short, blood-red cloak; and held a large bright
+axe in his hand, whilst a sword of unusual length hung over his
+saddle-bow. A couple of rough-looking fellows followed with a small
+cart, in which were chains, fetters, a wheel, and all manner of
+horrible instruments of death and torture.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With this fearful train, the king and his company ascended to
+Harrestrup Castle. Drost Peter was silent, and Sir John spake not a
+word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Outside the gate, and unknown to her master, old Dorothy had erected a
+triumphal arch, which was adorned with wreaths of box, yew, holly, and
+all the flowers that could be procured at that season of the year;
+whilst she herself stood by the side of it, arrayed in white, with a
+large nosegay in her hand, and attended by her pantry-maids and
+milkmaids, prepared to receive the king in a fashion which she intended
+should please and surprise both him and her dear young master. Since
+the king had pardoned her, when she was condemned to be buried alive
+for her womanly honour's sake, she had never been able sufficiently to
+extol his clemency and graciousness; and now, on this extraordinary
+occasion, to show her gratitude, she had, for more than two months,
+been exercising all the servant-maids of the castle in a ballad, which
+they had never heard sung before, but which was necessarily joined to a
+popular old tune. This song, which she had received from her confessor,
+was a free translation from the Schwabian meistersinger, Reinmar von
+Zweter's, flattering verses on the king, wherein, however, some of the
+true features of royalty were caught.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Outside the arch, and opposite to Dorothy and her maidens, stood the
+warden Tygé, with a portion of the brave garrison of the castle.
+Dorothy had decked their helmets with silk ribands and green sprigs,
+and, with their bright halberds in their hands, they stood in a
+respectful posture, and as immoveable as statues.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Drost Peter perceived these festive preparations, so little suited
+to his own frame of mind, and to the harsh appearance of the royal
+train, he was singularly and painfully affected. The slightly-built
+arch was not unlike a gallows; and the old nurse, in her white dress,
+reminded him of the so-called corpse-women, who conducted interments in
+commercial towns. At the head of the ridiculously dressed-up milkmaids,
+who were intended to represent fine ladies, Dorothy felt as dignified
+as a queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a less serious mood, this spectacle would perhaps have extorted a
+smile from the lively young drost; but now it augmented most painfully
+his gloomy state of mind. The king did not appear to give much
+attention to these tokens of homage, which he was accustomed to see in
+every small trading town, and even where he knew that he was detested
+by the majority of the inhabitants. Such demonstrations of homage were
+most frequently got up by the crafty chamberlain, who sagaciously
+reckoned that, if these flatteries did not always obtain the king's
+applause, they seldom called forth his displeasure.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Notwithstanding the tastelessness and farcical character of this
+parade, it was apparent that it was prompted by simple good-nature and
+true respect for the king, when the old nurse, with her thin, tremulous
+notes, and accompanied by the grating voices of the Juttish milkmaids,
+offered to him, in Danish, the German meister-singer's homage:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;I prize the king who wears the crown,<br>
+And brings the country great renown.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;He helps the widow in her need;<br>
+His bounty doth the orphan feed.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;He guards his land--his name is dear<br>
+To all his people, far and near.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;His heart is warm, and great his mind;<br>
+His speech to one and all is kind.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;His hand is just to great and small,<br>
+Nor riches do his heart enthral.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;And he whose fair renown I sing.<br>
+Is Erik, Denmark's famous king.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">The aged but zealous leader of the songstresses now first fixed her
+eyes upon the king, and when she beheld his austere countenance and
+blinking eyelids, she became deadly pale. She stared at him, like a
+sorceress who had conjured up some fearful spirit, and was suddenly
+horrified on beholding the mighty unknown which her incantations had
+summoned forth. She involuntarily crossed herself, and turned away her
+look; but the apparition of the executioner and his rough assistants,
+who closed the procession, raised her terror so high that her senses
+forsook her, and, with a convulsive shriek, she fell to the ground. The
+king succeeded in curbing his startled horse, and rode hastily in with
+his retinue.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, who had not observed what occurred, hastened to assist the
+king from his saddle, and conduct him to the large riddersal, where
+stood a table magnificently spread, and where the king, by another of
+Dorothy's arrangements, was received with a burst of music more
+sprightly than harmonious. The band was composed of rustic fiddlers and
+shawm-blowers, who were wont to exercise their skill at the weddings
+and merry-makings of the peasants. They scraped and blew with might and
+main, until the perspiration stood on their foreheads. They bowed so
+profoundly, too, and were at the same time so zealous to please the
+king, that they produced the most woful discords. Drost Peter silenced
+them, and sent them away; whilst the irritated monarch held his ears,
+and Chamberlain Rané, with a malicious smile, praised Drost Hessel's
+ingenuity in providing so pleasant a surprise for his majesty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This device of my old foster-mother's is better meant than happily
+executed, sir king,&quot; said Drost Peter. &quot;I hope you will excuse such an
+innocent blunder of my domestics, who are not acquainted with courtly
+manners.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king, who had become absorbed in thought, made no reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am not very tenderhearted,&quot; observed Sir John; &quot;but I confess that
+this cat-music has quite softened me, for I perceive that it was well
+and honestly meant.&quot; The king appeared not to hear this remark; and Sir
+John addressed himself to the drost: &quot;Was it your nurse who sang to us
+outside, Drost Peter? I scarcely recognised her in her finery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I scarcely knew her myself,&quot; replied the drost: &quot;in her simplicity,
+she wanted to surprise me, too, with all this pomp.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She screeched like an owl; but, nevertheless, it was quite touching,&quot;
+said the old knight, in his usual gay and careless tone, desirous to
+bring the king into a better humour, and dispose him to defer the
+executions he had so suddenly determined on. &quot;The good women sang your
+grace and clemency, my king,&quot; he continued; &quot;but they lost their voices
+when they perceived the hangman in your train. Will you not, then,
+sleep on your resolution tonight, and allow us to send the prisoners to
+Viborg? Methinks it were better to partake of an enlivening meal here,
+than to dwell on such serious matters?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This latter suggestion, which Drost Peter supported by pointing to the
+seat of honour, seemed to meet the king's approbation. He remained
+silent, but took his place at the table, and swallowed one or two
+goblets of wine. Old Sir John attempted to introduce some lively
+conversation, but failed in his design of putting the king into better
+humour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the court, opposite the window, sat the executioner on his raw-boned
+horse, awaiting, with his ferocious assistants, the king's commands.
+Dorothy was carried sick to bed; and the sight which had operated so
+violently upon her, had also made a singularly painful impression on
+the other domestics. Warden Tygé, in the meanwhile, attended to the
+huntsmen, falconers, and pages, who were sumptuously entertained in
+three different apartments. But throughout the castle as great a
+silence reigned as if a funeral company had been assembled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king suddenly arose. &quot;I will see the fellows,&quot; he said, in a tone
+of determination: &quot;there can be nothing wrong in that. Let them be
+brought hither, drost; but heavily chained, and under a strong guard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter immediately left the apartment to execute this order, and
+in a minute afterwards he again entered the riddersal. The king was
+pacing the floor with rapid steps, whilst Sir John and the chamberlain
+stood silently watching the changing expression of his countenance.
+Drost Peter had also been standing for some moments in silence before
+the king's eyes met his.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They will be here instantly, sir king,&quot; he said, advancing. &quot;Permit me
+yet one word. None of these men were taken in any robbery. They have
+not deprived me of my property; and Sir Lavé Rimaardson did not attack
+me until I challenged him to single combat. He cannot be condemned as a
+robber before investigation, and a formal trial, according to the laws
+of the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence!&quot; replied the king: &quot;an outlaw has no rights. But here we have
+them: I shall examine them myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Niels Breakpeace and twelve chained robbers now entered, under guard of
+warden Tygé and his armed house-carls. The robber-chief stepped forward
+with an air of proud defiance, at the head of his comrades; but Lavé
+Rimaardson, who seemed to blush at being found in such company,
+remained in the rear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who is your leader?&quot; inquired the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I!&quot; answered Niels Breakpeace, looking so daringly at him that he
+retreated a step.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is your name?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That every child in Denmark knows,&quot; replied the haughty robber: &quot;with
+it the mothers can still their cubs, if even they have a knife in their
+throats. My name is sufficient to scare into corners all the wenches in
+your kingdom, and many a big-nosed fellow, too. If I had but an arm
+free, sir king, I should not give you time to hear my name out. Niels
+Breakpeace I am called. If you were as able a king as I am a robber, it
+would be better for kingdom and country, and perhaps I should now have
+been at your right hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You confess, then, you are a robber, and that these fellows are your
+accomplices?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Were we to deny it, we should be scoundrels and mean scurvy fellows,&quot;
+replied Niels Breakpeace. &quot;Lies and deceit you are perhaps accustomed
+to at court. I and my comrades are still honest in this respect.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed the king. &quot;You all know, then, the punishment to
+which the law condemns you. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to die
+within an hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As well first as last, sir king! We all go the same way. But if you
+will suffer me to live till to-morrow, I will tell you something that
+may be of service to you, and that will, perhaps, defer our otherwise
+speedy meeting in another place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king opened wide his eyes, and cast a glance at Chamberlain Rané,
+who gave him a secret wink, and pointed to the dirk-handle which
+projected from the breast-pocket of the robber-chief.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, indeed!&quot; said the king, again turning to the robber. &quot;So, fellow!
+you would raise fear and curiosity in me, to obtain a respite, that you
+might escape, and do fresh mischief. No, no! That trick is stale and
+worn-out. If you cannot hit upon something better, you shall not live
+out the present hour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well! Let me go before, and prepare your place. This service I
+shall do you for old acquaintance' sake. There, now, you need not look
+so lofty, your grace! We two will soon be the same height, on the
+straw. What you and your equals do in the great way, I and mine have
+done in the small, you see: that is all the difference. If, for that,
+you will make me your herald to the other world, I must submit; today,
+you have still the power to do so: but you will rue it, sir king! We
+shall soon meet again, and then you will confess that Niels Breakpeace
+intended better towards you than yourself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Put him aside!&quot; commanded the king: &quot;he shall be executed the last. If
+he does not confess that which he says he can acquaint us with, he
+shall be put to the severest torture: you hear, Sir John--the
+severest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John replied by a silent bow to this stern mandate. An expression
+of sorrow was visible in the countenance of the old knight; but he
+hastily drew his hand across his furrowed brow, and was again calm and
+composed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come forward, Lavé Rimaardson,&quot; cried the king; and the wild and
+desperate youth advanced, with an air that awoke the utmost pity and
+compassion in all, save the king and Chamberlain Rané, both of whom
+regarded him with secret anxiety.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was you whom I dubbed a knight with this sword, three years ago,&quot;
+said the king; &quot;and now the hangman of your native town shall break
+your knightly weapon, and suspend your shield, reversed, beneath the
+gallows. You confess that you have been associated with these audacious
+and notorious robbers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, King Erik Christopherson,&quot; answered the young robber; &quot;I confess
+that, and more: had we two met in Daugberg quarry, half an hour since,
+you should no more have seen the sun go down than I now expect to do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! a conspiracy!&quot; exclaimed the king. &quot;You are not merely robbers and
+highwaymen--you are traitors, and audacious regicides! Who has paid you
+for the King of Denmark's life?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am not a hired assassin,&quot; replied Lavé Rimaardson, proudly: &quot;I am a
+knight of princely blood, and no king shall offend me with impunity. In
+the hour that you adjudged me an outlaw, I swore your death and
+downfall, King Erik! And were my right hand now free, I should keep my
+oath, and this moment would be your last.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Madman!&quot; exclaimed the king, stepping back; &quot;if, by such audacious
+confession, you think to gain a respite, you are mistaken: you shall
+not even have time to name your accomplices, if you have them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There you are wise, King Erik,&quot; replied Rimaardson, with a
+contemptuous laugh. &quot;Be sparing of the moments you have yet at your
+disposal. You know not how few they are; and, when your hour of
+reckoning comes, you will have more to account for than the sinners you
+now condemn to the rack and wheel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Peace, wretch!&quot; cried the king, enraged; but an uneasy blinking of his
+eye seemed to indicate a sudden change in his feelings. &quot;Your life is
+in my hands,&quot; he continued: &quot;you are an outlaw and a rebel, a robber
+and murderer, and have even sought the life of your king and master;
+but Drost Hessel has testified that there is still within you a remnant
+of honour and of chivalrous spirit. Your brother Bent, too, is a trusty
+and deserving man; and your ignominious death, in company with these
+felons, would cast a shadow even on my throne. Think you not now, that
+King Erik Christopherson could still show you favour?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes! with endless imprisonment in fair Sjöborg: is it not so?&quot; replied
+the haughty prisoner. &quot;No! I do not, by a perjury, sell my soul and
+salvation, or, to save my life, forswear my revenge: it shall and must
+arrive, if not by my hand, by another's! When the harvest is ripe,
+reapers enough are to be found--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Satan, speak out! What mean you?&quot; cried the king, in painful
+uncertainty. &quot;Wretched felon! know you not that I have racks at hand?
+Look through that window: there stands he who can unbind your tongue.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is unnecessary, King Erik,&quot; replied the prisoner, suppressing his
+voice, but raising his head and gazing on the king with a dreadful
+look: &quot;your hangman need not cut me for being tongue-tied. If you will
+hear the truth, I shall not conceal it in my dying hour. However great
+may be my crimes,&quot; he continued, in a louder tone, &quot;I am still superior
+to the nidding who betrayed and dishonoured the wife of his best
+friend, whilst he bled in the nidding's behalf in the field of battle.
+If the brave Stig Andersen does not take full revenge for his wife's
+dishonour--if the blind, crazy father of Fru Ingeborg has not sight and
+sense enough remaining, to guide his sword into the false heart of King
+Erik--then there is not an honest drop of blood in the hearts of Danish
+nobles, and they deserve no better king than they have got.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king had become deadly pale, whilst he foamed with rage, and his
+hand convulsively clutched the hilt of his large sword. He plucked the
+weapon from its scabbard, and rushed furiously on the prisoner, who
+remained immoveable, and laughing wildly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter sprang between them. &quot;This is no place of execution, sir
+king,&quot; he said, warmly; &quot;and you are no executioner, to slay a
+defenceless prisoner. He is an insolent traitor, it is true, and I no
+longer intercede for his life; but my house shall not be stained by a
+deed unworthy of yourself and your crown. If you will and must have the
+blood of this youth, you have brought an executioner with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The wild rage of the king had suddenly abated. He angrily bit his lips,
+as he sheathed his sword, and cast a look at the daring drost, which
+plainly enough indicated that this was the last time he should suffer
+himself to be guided by such a bold adviser.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, Drost Hessel,&quot; he said, coldly, &quot;you are right: I had nearly
+forgotten my kingly dignity in the insolence of this daring criminal,
+and you have not been far from forgetting the respect you owe to your
+king. I shall, however, follow your wise advice. Have the prisoners
+conducted to the place of execution, Sir John. Lavé Rimaardson is the
+first who falls: that honour I award to his high birth. He shall die by
+the sword; but his head shall be placed on a pole, and the foxes shall
+tear his limbs to pieces. The others shall be broken alive on the
+wheel. Now, away!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John gave the warden a signal to lead forth the prisoners. Lavé
+Rimaardson cast a look of contempt towards the king. In going, he laid
+his wounded right hand upon his breast, and, with averted face, he
+silently pressed Drost Peter's hand with his left.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the door, Niels Breakpeace sprang strongly upwards, rattling his
+chains. &quot;Merry now, comrades!&quot; he cried, with a shout of wild laughter:
+&quot;let me now see you behave yourselves like men, and thrust out your
+tongues bravely until they are bit off. Follow my example till the
+last, and do honour to your chief. When you have seen them all on the
+wheel, sir king,&quot; he cried, in a tone of mockery, and once more turning
+round haughtily, &quot;then comes the turn of those of greater note. If you
+come yourself, and, like a merciful headsman, give me my finishing
+stroke, I shall whisper a secret in your ear, of which you will know
+the truth when St. Cecilia's day is gone by.&quot; With these words he
+departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king turned away with a look of contempt, but seemed discomposed by
+the parting words of the robber-chief. &quot;Stay!&quot; he cried. &quot;Yet, nay,
+they shall not befool me, the crafty vermin! I know their tricks. With
+such mysterious talk has many a hardened villain escaped the gallows.
+Let my horse be brought forth, Rané. I shall observe, from a distance,
+whether they maintain their defiance to the last.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané went out, and soon afterwards returned, saying, &quot;The horse is at
+the door, your grace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your's, too?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;At your command, sir king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I think, however, I shall consider. People do not sleep soundly after
+such sights, and we must be up betimes in the morning. All is ready for
+the chase, Drost Hessel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nothing shall be wanting, sir king,&quot; replied the drost, with a look of
+composure, which ill concealed the agitation of his feelings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall, nevertheless, ride to Daugber-Daas,&quot; observed the king: &quot;it
+is still a diversion, and people may shut their eyes on what they do
+not care to see. You must confess yourself, my conscientious drost,
+that, in this matter, I have been both just and gracious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter bowed, but said nothing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My polite host bears me company, of course?&quot; added the king, in an
+apparently friendly tone, but with anger in his heart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It will be much against my feelings, my king; but if you so command, I
+obey. No injustice has taken place, I confess: but this is not a royal
+spectacle, and I wished you worthier entertainment on this visit,
+which, now, I dare not call gracious.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us set off. You can follow me,&quot; said the king, as he departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané smiled; and Drost Peter followed his royal guest, with a tortured
+heart, and in the gloomiest mood.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next morning, when the sun arose, he shone on the corpses of the
+thirteen robbers on Daugberg-Daas. In the valley beneath was heard the
+merry sound of horns and the baying of hounds, as a magnificent
+hunting-train rode by. At its head, between Sir John and Drost Peter,
+was the king, in a handsome green hunting-suit. Behind them, bearing
+falcons and other hunting-gear, rode six smartly dressed pages, among
+whom was the little kindhearted Aagé Jonsen, bearing the king's
+favourite falcon. Next came, at the head of a troop of royal huntsmen,
+having thirty hounds in leashes, the Chamberlain Rané, who, like those
+he headed, was lightly armed with a bow and short hunting-knife; but he
+wore, besides, a magnificent small sword, with glittering gems in a
+hilt of silver, which the king had recently presented to him as a
+testimony of his favour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Squire Skirmen was absent, as he had not yet returned from his visit to
+Henner Friser at the forest-lodge. He had obtained permission to remain
+until the afternoon of this day; and his place was now taken by warden
+Tygé, who closed the cavalcade in company with some archers, and a few
+active huntsmen from Harrestrup.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the king passed Daugberg-Daas, he closed his eyes, and gave the spur
+to his steed. When they had left the hill some distance behind, he
+turned to his right, and addressed old Sir John.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They obstinately maintained their defiance, then?&quot; he said. &quot;Yesterday
+evening, I wished not to disturb my night's rest by listening to the
+end of your narrative; and I went not so near to the spot myself that I
+could hear what they said. Would the audacious Niels Breakpeace reveal
+nothing?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a word, sir king; but he laughed horribly in the pangs of death,
+and promised that, within eight days, he would tell you all he knew.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king blinked anxiously, and became pale. &quot;Tell me, my dear Sir
+John,&quot; said he: &quot;do you think all the threats and warnings the fellow
+hinted at, were anything more than crafty inventions, with which he
+hoped to escape the gallows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not that, sir king; but, in your place, I should not have so
+greatly hurried the execution of their sentence. The mere fact that an
+outlawed knight, of such high birth, was found among these robbers,
+seemed to me, even without their own confession, certain proof that
+they were here on a more important and daring undertaking than
+plundering the pantries and wine-cellars of Harrestrup. They might have
+given us valuable information.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king, as he listened to Sir John, became more and more uneasy. &quot;By
+Satan!&quot; he exclaimed, warmly, &quot;I felt constrained to make quick work of
+them, effectually to prevent any of their daring designs being
+accomplished. But why did you not inform me of these wise conclusions
+when they were alive? Your prudence comes too late now, Sir John.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You would not hear a word from me, sir king; and when I have an
+express royal command, I must be silent and obey; especially where, as
+in the present case, it is undeniably just, and according to the letter
+of the law.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by the rood! we shall think no more of it,&quot; exclaimed the king,
+endeavouring to overcome his uneasiness; and at the same time he set
+spurs to his horse, and ordered the huntsmen to strike up a lively
+hunting-air.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was grave and silent. The king had not yet spoken a word to
+him; and the sharp-sighted drost read in his manner, as well as in that
+of the crafty chamberlain, that his fall was determined on, and that
+the formal announcement was only delayed in order that it might not mar
+the day's pleasure. But the depressing conviction that his power and
+influence were at an end, was outweighed by doubts of far greater
+importance respecting the welfare of the kingdom, which had been called
+forth by Lady Ingé's admonition to watchfulness, and the circumstances
+connected with the capture and execution of the robbers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John, on the contrary, appeared to have abandoned every gloomy and
+disquieting thought. In his youth he had been a bold huntsmen, but for
+many years had not partaken of this noble diversion. The sound of the
+horns and the cries of the chase awoke within him lively recollections
+of his early days, and, as the king's companion in the sport, he
+considered it his duty to be as cheerful and entertaining as possible.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the first game was started, the king engaged eagerly and
+passionately in pursuit. For dexterity in the chase he was without a
+rival; and he now rushed with wild impetuosity among the huntsmen and
+unleashed hounds, and, as usual, was highly admired by the strangers,
+as well for his rapidity, as for the certainty with which he brought
+down his game. Not without difficulty could old Sir John follow him;
+although he took care to make it appear that it did not cost him any
+exertion. Recalling the memory of his young days, he gave his
+mettlesome hunter the reins, and took the most daring leaps over
+ditches and fences.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was accustomed to such violent sport, but on this occasion
+he often felt himself painfully reminded of his recent wounds. This
+gloomy mood was speedily augmented by the concern he felt for Sir John,
+who, he plainly saw, was exerting himself beyond his strength; and he
+knew that it was useless to caution the old knight concerning it.
+However merry the latter appeared, he had, nevertheless, intimated to
+the drost, by a look, that he shared his grave doubts, and considered
+it highly essential that the hunt should keep together. If, now and
+then, they paused by a fallen deer, the chamberlain had instantly
+another in sight, and the king again dashed off with renewed ardour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length they reached a beautiful forest-glade, in which they halted
+to rest their horses, and to partake of a midday meal; during the
+preparation of which the chamberlain was inexhaustible in entertaining
+the king with pleasant hunting-stories. They seated themselves on the
+trunk of a fallen oak-tree. The cloth was spread on the fresh moss; at
+a little distance the huntsmen had encamped themselves, and the spoils
+of the chase were piled up close by. The pages waited on the king, who
+appeared in a good humour, and well contented.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a chivalrous and right royal diversion,&quot; said Sir John, in
+answer to the king's question whether he had enjoyed himself. &quot;In my
+young days, I was passionately fond of it; but now I am too old and
+stiff for the sport. Another time, sir king, I shall do better to
+remain at home, like the old hunting-steed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You would come with me, however,&quot; said the king. &quot;Your fancy for it
+certainly surprised me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was not entirely for the sake of the chase, sir king,&quot; said the old
+man, gravely, and with an observant look at Rané. &quot;I am but little
+acquainted with this part of Jutland,&quot; he added, hastily: &quot;I am glad,
+also, to see our good Drost Hessel in the capacity of host.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have seen, then, that he is master of his own house, and keeps
+strict watch over the security of his guests,&quot; replied the king, with a
+bitter smile: &quot;even highwaymen and murderers are safe beneath his
+roof.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If in that he went a little too far, your grace,&quot; said Sir John, &quot;I
+pray you, for my sake, not to be offended with it. I did not regard the
+prisoners as so dangerous.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must confess, sir king,&quot; observed Drost Peter, &quot;that this business
+of the robbers was of more importance than I believed; but they have
+now ended their lives and crimes together. If on that occasion I erred,
+and for a moment forgot the respect I owed my royal guest, let not this
+day's sun go down upon your wrath, my king. If I have lost your royal
+grace in consequence, suffer me at least--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Enough of this!&quot; interrupted the king, coldly. &quot;I have come here to
+amuse myself, and not to sit in judgment every day. I am master of my
+own thoughts, and you shall know my determination at the proper time.
+Let the huntsmen strike up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané hastily gave a signal to the royal horn-blowers, who stood on a
+rising ground, at a little distance, and who immediately commenced a
+bold hunting-air, called King Waldemar Seier's Hunt, and to which the
+king was extremely partial.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A painful silence followed the king's ungracious remarks to Drost
+Peter. Rané smiled maliciously as he filled his master's goblet, and
+endeavoured, by some buffooneries, to restore mirthfulness; but the
+king left the wine untouched, and fell into deep thought. The rapid
+exercise and the consciousness of his skill in the chase, as well as
+his anger against Drost Peter, appeared to have banished from his
+countenance the undecided and contradictory shades of passion which so
+often disfigured it; and for an instant there beamed from it an
+expression of true kingly dignity and greatness, while, with his hand
+on his ponderous sword, he regarded his three chief counsellors with
+the air of one who could free himself from them at any moment he chose.
+The only one in which he reposed any kind of confidence was Rané; but
+him, in his better moments, he despised, as the wretched instrument of
+his vilest pleasures. The power which old Sir John exercised over him,
+with so much prudence and consideration, seemed to him just now a
+crafty invasion of the royal prerogative; and Drost Peter's bold
+superiority he regarded as an intolerable assumption. It appeared as if
+the quick, heart-stirring tones of Waldemar Seier's Hunt, which he had
+known from his childhood, recalled the daring dreams of his youth, with
+the memory of the time when, by his noble mother's side, he was saluted
+with the name of king, and felt the blood of the Waldemars in a bold
+and unsullied heart. But this proud expression quickly vanished as his
+whole misspent life of royalty passed before him, and the painful
+conviction seized him that he now sat, alone and hated, in the midst of
+his kingdom, without a single friend. His melancholy and despondency
+seemed on the point of overwhelming him; but he struggled against the
+humiliating feeling, and a wild defiance and sternness flashed from his
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter sat silent and thoughtful: in his dejected but candid
+countenance it could be plainly seen how much the king's displeasure
+went to his heart. His entire future efficiency seemed destroyed by a
+single hasty and incautious word. He could not acquit himself of
+arrogance whilst vindicating his sense of justice, on that occasion,
+when, by a too daring expression, he had drawn his master's wrath upon
+his head; and it was to him a bitter feeling to have offended his king
+at the moment when, as a guest, he had entered his house. At this
+instant it was almost more bitter than the thought of having lost the
+king's favour. But the monarch's stern look now fell upon him, and its
+excessive harshness seemed to recall him to himself. The undauntedness
+with which he encountered it was, however, little calculated to appease
+the offended king; who, instead of penitence and humility, was met by
+strong self-confidence and calm courage, which no displeasure of his
+could humble.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané and old Sir John were attentive observers of this significant play
+of looks, which filled up the pause in the conversation caused by the
+music. The sagacious old statesman appeared calm and indifferent;
+though a tear, which he speedily dashed away, glistened in his eye, as
+he observed the remains of loftiness and dignity which had lit up the
+passion-worn countenance of the king. He saw with concern that the fall
+of the trusty Drost Peter was determined on, and that his own influence
+was also endangered; but what most annoyed him was the ill-concealed
+triumph of the cunning chamberlain, and the busy zeal with which he
+prepared for the continuance of the chase. The old knight observed that
+Rané now made an unusual gesture; on which the king nodded to him, as
+if in accordance with some private understanding. His majesty seemed
+about to rise, but again relapsed into deep thought. The music still
+continued.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Herregud!&quot; exclaimed old Sir John, breaking the long silence, &quot;they
+are playing Waldemar Seier's Hunt. It is a strange thought, sir king.
+If your great ancestor, of blessed memory, had had Count Albert and the
+trusty Charles of Risé by his side, when this air was played at the
+unfortunate hunting on Ly Island, the black Count Henry had perhaps
+never got him into his clutches.&quot;<a name="div2Ref_31" href="#div2_31"><sup>[31]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A stag! a stag!&quot; shouted Chamberlain Rané, springing up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king hastily arose, as a herd of deer, with a stag at their head,
+rushed past. In an instant the huntsmen were on horseback, the horns
+sounded lustily, and the dogs broke away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away!&quot; ordered the king, swinging himself into his saddle; and Drost
+Peter and Sir John started off by his side. The chamberlain rode in
+advance; and the chase now recommenced with redoubled ardour. They
+frequently lost and again found the track of the herd; and thus
+continued for several hours, without any pause.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir king,&quot; said Drost Peter, at length, riding close up to him as he
+stopped an instant to observe the hounds and the track, &quot;permit us a
+slight pause. Sir John's years make this violent exercise painful to
+him; and my wounds are bleeding through the bandages.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Those who cannot follow, may stay behind,&quot; replied the king: &quot;I have
+huntsmen enough with me, and require you not. Away, Rané!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The hunt was pursued with enthusiasm, but neither Sir John nor Drost
+Peter remained behind. The day at length began to close, and Drost
+Peter again rode in between Rané and the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you would get back to Harrestrup before night, sir king,&quot; he said,
+with visible uneasiness, &quot;we must now turn, and give the deer a respite
+for to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall do as it pleases me!&quot; cried the king, irritated. He had just
+wounded the stag they were in pursuit of. &quot;That stag shall be mine,&quot; he
+shouted, &quot;should I pursue him till to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They continued at a flying gallop over stump and stone, through brake
+and briar, with hounds yelling and horns winding. Drost Peter and Sir
+John still followed, and did not lose sight of the king for an instant;
+until, in taking a dangerous leap, Sir John's horse fell with him, and
+he received a violent blow on the side, which for an instant deprived
+him of consciousness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter sprang from his horse to his aid, and found, with
+consternation, that the old knight had broken a rib. &quot;Hold! for God's
+sake, hold!&quot; he shouted, with all his might.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The huntsmen stopped when they heard the drost's powerful voice, which
+they were accustomed to obey. They quickly came to assist, and a litter
+of boughs was soon made, on which to carry the old man, every one
+showing for him the greatest sympathy. But, in the meanwhile, the king
+and Chamberlain Rané, with two of the fleetest falconers, had gone out
+of sight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as Sir John regained his senses, and found himself on the
+litter, surrounded by Drost Peter and the anxious huntsmen, he inquired
+with concern and alarm respecting the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He would not stop,&quot; answered Drost Peter; &quot;but he must be back
+immediately. It is impossible to continue the hunt longer, for it is
+almost night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;After him, Drost Peter!&quot; cried the old man; &quot;for Heaven's sake, after
+him! What think you of?&quot; he whispered: &quot;he is alone with Rané! Your
+people can care for me. Away!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Care well for him, Tygé--he is the king's most important counsellor,&quot;
+said Drost Peter to his castle-warden, as he sprang on his horse. &quot;Bear
+him, with your huntsmen, carefully to Harrestrup. You others follow me.
+God be with you, noble sir!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In another instant Drost Peter, with the royal huntsmen, had
+disappeared in the forest; whilst warden Tygé and his men leisurely and
+gently bore Sir John back to Harrestrup.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">In a little lonely forest-house, in the neighbourhood of Finnerup,
+stood, at about the same hour of the evening, Claus Skirmen, with his
+squire's cap in his hand. Before him were old Henner Friser and Aasé.
+The powerful, gigantic old man seemed to have prepared himself for the
+worst. He stood, leaning on a long javelin, in his Frisian war-suit of
+leathern mail, with his seal-skin cap drawn over his straggling gray
+hairs. The pretty little Aasé appeared occupied with far more peaceful
+thoughts. She wore the same dark blue jacket, plaited kirtle, and light
+blue apron, in which Skirmen had first seen her, when he assisted in
+liberating her from Hegness. She held him familiarly by the hand, and
+bent on him tenderly her dark playful eyes, whilst he, half ashamed,
+seemed to expect some important reply from old Henner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks for thy warning, brave youth,&quot; said the latter, shaking Skirmen
+heartily by the hand. &quot;It is well thou camest so early, to assist us
+with our slender preparations for defence. Our persecutors may now come
+when they will: none shall see us longer than we ourselves list. If thy
+account be true--and I do not take thee for a braggart--thou art a
+smart youth--the affair of the robbers was no jesting matter. If thou
+goest on thus, and thy master, with a good conscience, can hereafter
+give thee the stroke of knighthood, I have no objection that my little
+Aasé should love thee, and thou her. But when we meet again, we shall
+talk more of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen and Aasé embraced each other with transport, and hugged the old
+man with the utmost joy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good, my children. God and St. Christian bless ye!&quot; continued
+old Henner, with emotion. &quot;But this is not the time to prattle and
+think of love. Thou must off, Skirmen, and inform thy master of what we
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have done so already,&quot; replied Skirmen: &quot;what the Rypen burghers
+said in the tavern, he knows; but he does not think it has any great
+meaning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tell him, then, from me,&quot; said the old man, &quot;that it certainly means
+no less than folks say the three suns portend which we saw in the
+heavens on St. Remy's day. It was the day before the feast of All
+Saints, and the learned clerks speak much of a heathen goddess of
+revenge that used to be worshipped on that day. Our Lord knows the
+witch, and I am not skilled in the signs of the sun and moon; but this
+I know, that when disaffected knights creep about in monks' cowls, it
+is for no good or holy purpose. So beg thy master, first and foremost,
+to take care of himself and the king, as he passes the barn of
+Finnerup. And now away! Give him a kiss, Aasé, and let him run. Thy
+norback, Skirmen, is more zealous than thyself in the king's service.
+Hearest thou not how impatiently he neighs?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Farewell, father Henner--farewell, dear Aasé!&quot; exclaimed Skirmen,
+hastily. &quot;But be cautious, Aasé! If thou passest for an elf, be as
+cunning as one; and, for God's sake, disappear as soon as you observe
+any mischief.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Take care, my young knight, that I am not an elf in reality!&quot; cried
+Aasé, playfully, as she embraced him. &quot;Seest thou not my blue kirtle,
+and brown two-peaked hood? Ay, right! look in my eyes and not to my
+back, for I am as hollow there as a dough-trough.<a name="div2Ref_32" href="#div2_32"><sup>[32]</sup></a> Away, now--out
+with thee! save thy king and master, or thou deservest never to be a
+knight, and I will have nothing more to say to thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen embraced her hastily, and hurried out, accompanied by his
+sweetheart and the old man. Shortly afterwards he was riding through
+the wood at a gallop, and Henner Friser re-entered the cottage with his
+granddaughter. Neither of them spoke. He barred the door, cast his
+spear into a corner, and sat down musingly on his rush-cushioned seat.
+Aasé took her distaff, and sat down to work by the window, for the
+interior of the room was now quite dark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Light the lamp, Aasé,&quot; said the old man, at length, breaking the
+silence, and rising with uneasiness. &quot;It is still too early to go to
+rest in the hole inside, and thou knowest I cannot bear to sit in the
+dark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But were it not better to-night, dear grandfather?&quot; replied Aasé.
+&quot;If even I were to hang my apron before the window, the light would
+still shine through; and, if we would keep concealed, were it not
+advisable--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am not a carlin,&quot; exclaimed Henner. &quot;I am not so much afraid of man,
+that I must sit in the dark, and be tormented by the devil. The living
+I fear not: would only that the restless dead would grant me peace!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dost thou again think of the dead, dear grandfather?&quot; said Aasé, with
+a sigh, as she lighted the lamp and hung it on an iron hook attached to
+the low rafters; having first, however, taken care to hang her thin
+light blue apron before the horn-window that looked out on the wood.
+&quot;It is not the dead, but the living, that persecute us, dear
+grandfather,&quot; she continued, sitting down to her work opposite his
+chair. &quot;It is only the storm tearing the dry boughs from the trees, and
+the wild birds hooting dismally in the woods, that sometimes make thee
+uncomfortable at night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It seems always to come from Gottorp,&quot; muttered the old man, who had
+resumed his seat: &quot;'tis there he lies, with the stake through his
+heart--the accursed king, who caused his brother to be cast into the
+river Sley!--and he it is who hunts through the forest at midnight. I
+long regarded it as a delusion and a superstition, but now I must
+believe it, since I have myself seen it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rood save us!&quot; exclaimed Aasé; &quot;when didst thou see it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On the night after St. Remy's day, when we saw the wonderful sight in
+the air--yesterday three weeks: it was Sunday, and we had been in
+church. You remember how it howled in the storm. You fell asleep in the
+corner there; but I could not close an eye because of the horrid din. I
+stood up at last, and looked through the window into the forest, and
+then I knew it was no delusion. I saw, in the moonshine, a coal-black
+figure riding at full speed through the woods, on a steed of raven
+blackness. The animal snorted and neighed as if possessed by the Evil
+One, and sparks flew from his hoofs. Behind him came one of an iron
+mould, who must have been the foul fiend himself. Three big hounds
+followed, glistening in the moonlight; but whether or not they were
+fiery, as people say, I cannot, however, be certain. I had enough of
+what I had seen; and no one shall now convince me that King Abel's wild
+hunt is mere nonsense and superstition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I certainly saw the same two riders last Monday evening,&quot; replied
+Aasé; &quot;but thou mayst believe me, grandfather, they were living men.
+The forester's Mary also saw them, and she thought they must have been
+the dreadful Stig Andersen from Möllerup, and the sturdy Mat Jute, who
+always attends him. It was shortly before we heard of the grayfriar
+monks of Rypen, and the apparitions in Finnerup barn, which thou
+thyself believest to be conspirators lying in wait for the king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou mayst be right, child!&quot; ejaculated Henner, more composed, yet
+shaking his gray head dubiously: &quot;I am an old fool to take such fancies
+in my head. But were it even the accursed King Abel himself,&quot; he
+continued, rising, &quot;let him come when he will! I have not been afraid
+to look him in the face before now. I have yet my old steel-bow; and my
+good Frisian spear shall still keep every nidding at bay, be he dead or
+alive.&quot; He remained standing in the middle of the floor, his arms
+crossed, and in deep thought. &quot;If it should really have been Stig
+Andersen?&quot; he exclaimed, suddenly--&quot;if he should be here, and be
+himself one of the apparitions at the barn, there is far more danger
+than I had supposed; and this is not the time to be creeping under
+cover from one's own shadow. It were better I rode over to the drost.
+Skirmen is a nimble youth; but, now that thou hast put love-whimsies
+into his head, he cannot be so much depended on. He has been as awkward
+about everything to-day as if he had never before taken spade or axe in
+his hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is the son of a knight, grandfather, and has not been accustomed to
+such kind of work. But you shall see that he is smart enough when the
+safety of his king's life is concerned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou mayst talk of thy squire as thou wilt. If he be not a better
+squire than woodman, he will never in his life be a knight. Tell me,
+Aasé, art thou afraid to be left alone to-night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Afraid, grandfather?&quot; she replied, quickly, colouring: &quot;nay, not
+exactly that--if thou hadst not spoken of the vile dead king. But it
+does not matter,&quot; she continued, gaily, as she observed a shade of
+displeasure and uneasiness in the countenance of the old man: &quot;I am not
+easily frightened, grandfather. I am an elf, thou knowest; and, when I
+do not wish to be seen, I have only to make myself invisible.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That thou canst well, child,&quot; said the grandfather, regarding her with
+tender interest: &quot;brave Frisian blood runs in thy veins, and thou hast
+now been long free from thy dreaming-sickness. That is some assurance
+for thy safety; but if thou art at all anxious, I will not leave thee.
+Thou art the apple of mine eye, Aasé, and I have nothing else in the
+world much to care for; but when danger threatens the land, every true
+Frisian will be watchful, if our Lord and St. Christian permit him.
+This is an important business, thou knowest well. For the king,
+himself, I would not give a rotten rope's end; but still, as regards
+the crown and country, his life is of importance, until Drost Hessel
+has reared a better king for us. The drost saved thy honour, and,
+perhaps, my life: he is true to his king, like a brave fellow; and I am
+bound to serve, as best I can, both him and his master. If thou canst
+suffer to be left alone, I shall ride immediately, and find Drost
+Hessel and the king, wherever they may be. On such an errand, I should
+think I am safe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ride, in God and the Holy Virgin's name, grandfather, if thou oughtest
+and must. I am not afraid, and can guard myself,&quot; replied Aasé, boldly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man hesitated no longer. &quot;Come, then, a morsel of bread in my
+wallet, whilst I saddle my horse,&quot; he said, as he passed through the
+kitchen, and across the yard to the stable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aasé accompanied him into the kitchen, and immediately afterwards
+returned alone, with some victuals, which she placed in a badger-skin
+wallet that hung suspended from a deer's antler near the fireplace.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst thus occupied, the apron fell from the little horn-window; but
+unobserved by her, as she stood at the table opposite the light, with
+her back turned towards the casement. The point of a slender sword had
+pierced the horn, undone the fastening of the apron, and was then
+hastily withdrawn. A wily face, with a reddish beard, now peeped in. It
+disappeared, and immediately gave place to another, which likewise
+disappeared as Aasé turned round. She now first observed that the apron
+had fallen from the window, and proceeded quietly to hang it up again,
+without observing the small puncture in the horn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Her grandfather re-entered by the kitchen, equipped for his journey.
+&quot;I shall ride out by the back gate,&quot; he said, as he threw his
+hunting-wallet over his broad shoulders. &quot;And thou art, then, really
+not afraid, child? If thou noticest anything suspicious, thou knowest
+what to do. If thou darest not have a light, put out the lamp.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be tranquil on my account, grandfather,&quot; replied Aasé, without the
+least symptom of fear; &quot;but, since thou hast talked so much about the
+dead, I shall not extinguish the lamp. The living I can guard against.
+When may I expect thy return?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Before daybreak,&quot; replied the old man. &quot;Bar the kitchen-door after me,
+and open it to no one until thou hearest nine strokes on it. God bless
+thee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He fondly embraced her, and departed through the door by which he had
+entered. Aasé fastened it after him, and returned to the lonely room.
+Shortly afterwards she heard the hoofs of a horse in the forest, and
+recognised the firm gallop of her grandfather.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">About a bow-shot from the little forest-house, behind a close thicket
+of white thorns, stood two saddled horses, held by two stately pages,
+who themselves were seated on a pair of small hunters, and carried each
+a falcon on his arm; and at a few paces from it stood the king and
+Chamberlain Rané, whispering together, behind some elder-bushes that
+entirely concealed them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was the old man who rode out,&quot; whispered Rané: &quot;it could not have
+happened better. And heard you, sir?--nine strokes on the door opens
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Humph! I had rather have given up the whole sport,&quot; muttered the king,
+with much uneasiness. &quot;You should have sought out the road.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sooth to say, sir king, I was better acquainted with the forest than I
+pretended; but I wished to give you a surprise, and keep my promise.
+Now you have yourself seen that she is here, and concealed from you by
+Drost Hessel. This is his forest-house, and here has he maintained both
+the girl and the regicide since last year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence!&quot; whispered the king, with growing fear; &quot;name not the damned
+word! He has not yet gone far, and who knows that traitors are not at
+hand? It was imprudent in you, Rané, to lead me, on such foolery, so
+far into the forest, at this hour. How easily you might have carried me
+into the claws of the old Satan! The little minx I should like to get
+hold of, but I shall not risk too much for her: I have not quite
+forgotten what the daring Niels Breakpeace and the fearful Lavé
+Rimaardson said to me yesterday. They are now on the wheel, and will
+grin horribly in the moonshine as we ride by.----Rané,&quot; he continued,
+after a thoughtful pause, &quot;I have not been in a church for many a year,
+and am not versed in saints' days. When is St. Cecilia's?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Faith, I know not, sire,&quot; replied the chamberlain: &quot;I am not a whit
+more saintly than yourself. But it cannot be far off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The bold ruffian said that that day must be past before I could know
+his secret. This is not a time for fooleries and wench-hunting. It is
+night, and I have not a man with me except yourself. Thou wilt not
+betray thy king, Master Rané? Thou art not yet so godless as to lead me
+into a snare?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The cross defend me, your grace! How can you think so?&quot; stammered
+Rané.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They had approached the house, and a faint glimmer from the chink in
+the curtained window fell on Rané's face. The king looked at his crafty
+chamberlain with an anxious, scrutinising glance, and kept his hand
+constantly on the hilt of his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have many a time confided in thee,&quot; he continued, &quot;and we have had
+many pleasant adventures together; but whom in the world am I now to
+trust, when Drost Hessel can be traitor enough to conceal a regicide,
+and even old Sir John is not to be depended upon?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I only half distrust them, sir king,&quot; said Rané, quickly; &quot;and it is
+still possible I may be mistaken. But so long as I am with you, you are
+safe. When the least danger threatens, I shall warn you. If I had
+intended to betray you, sire, I should have taken care not to inform
+you of what I had heard and seen at Möllerup.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But thou, too, didst lay thy hand upon the book, Rané--thou, too,
+didst swear thy king's downfall; what thou didst add to thine oath, no
+one heard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I were but a poor spy for you, sir king, did your enemies not believe
+me worthy of credit. But think no more of these things. Here you are
+safe. I hoped to have earned thanks from you to-night for a pleasant
+surprise, instead of which I am paid with doubts and scruples, whilst
+you squander here the precious moments. The pretty Aasé sits within,
+and wearies. Perhaps she is already asleep, and sweetly dreams of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Talk not of her dreams, Rané, for they are frightful: she nearly drove
+me mad with them at Hegness. Beautiful she is, it is true, but as
+cunning as a she-devil. It is said that she has really power to
+foretell the future, and I almost believe it. If it be so, there are
+one or two things worth knowing from her. Heard you what the peasant
+said about the three suns?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mere superstition and nonsense, sir king. In truth, I did not half
+comprehend him. But what he said about elfin-moss I could understand.
+From his description, it was neither more nor less than our little
+Aasé. She is cunning enough, perhaps, to avail herself of the credulity
+of the peasants, to render herself of importance, and drive a sly trade
+in the hidden arts. So, sir king, if you too are superstitious, and
+wish to have your fate unriddled, you have here an opportunity of
+gratifying your curiosity: you are but a few paces from the elf-woman;
+and, from such a pretty little mouth, you can hear no unpleasant
+prediction. In any case this will be a sufficient excuse for your
+unexpected visit, and give more zest to the adventure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So be it, then. I will visit her, Rané; but take care that no one
+surprises us, and be at hand when I call.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are perfectly safe, sir king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tall huntsman then approached the door of the little forest-house,
+cautiously and irresolutely. He first looked through the horn-pane, but
+could only distinguish the light of the lamp and an ill-defined female
+form, reclining, apparently, on a bench. He stood by the door and
+raised his hand, but let it fall again. At length he summoned
+resolution to strike the door nine times, gently, with the hilt of his
+sword. He heard a light, slow footstep in the room. The bar inside was
+withdrawn, and all was again still. He lingered a moment, as if
+undecided; and then half opened the door gently, and peeped in. The
+lamp burned dimly beneath the rafters, and on the bench by the table
+lay the beautiful little Aasé, apparently asleep. He now wholly opened
+the door, and softly entered. Having closed and bolted it after him, he
+approached the sleeping girl and gazed at her with admiration in his
+blinking eyes. Never, he thought, had he seen a more beautiful woman.
+Her little cap lay on the table, by the side of a breviary written in
+Gothic characters and in the Frisian dialect. The jet black locks of
+the maiden were released from their bands, and fell freely down and
+over her virgin neck and shoulders. The king, not to frighten her with
+his long sword, hung it on a small wooden hook on the wall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aasé--little Aasé--wake up!&quot; he whispered. &quot;Thou must grant me a
+kindly welcome to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sleeping girl leisurely arose; but her eyes were closed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not fall asleep again, little Aasé,&quot; he continued: &quot;I had enough of
+this jest before. Open thy pretty eyes, and look on me. Dost thou not
+know me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She opened her eyes, but they did not look on him: they were widely
+extended, and her gaze fixed, without play or animation; and her little
+handsome countenance, which was deadly pale, wore the solemn and
+fearful expression of somnambulism.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by my soul!&quot; exclaimed the king, falling back, perplexed, &quot;if
+thou art a witch or sorceress, I shall hold no farther parley with
+thee. Thou shalt be burnt one day, when thou fallest into the hands of
+the clerks. Yet, nay: thou art too beautiful for that,&quot; he added,
+recovering his calmness, and looking at her keenly. &quot;Ha, woman! is this
+real, and no crafty jugglery? If thou canst gaze down upon the damned,
+say what the dead robber on the Daugberg wheel is about? What would he
+tell King Erik Christopherson within eight days?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The robber on the wheel?&quot; repeated Aasé in a soft, toneless voice, and
+without changing her mien or posture--&quot;he is now in the black pit, and
+calls on King Erik Christopherson.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king started: he gazed on her again, and blinked with much
+uneasiness and suspicion, as he looked around. &quot;Deceive me, cheat, and
+it shall cost thee thy life!&quot; he muttered, with his hand on the hilt of
+his dagger, and retreating a step farther towards the door. &quot;Whom seest
+thou in the pit?&quot; he again inquired, in a low tone, appearing no longer
+to doubt that she was in some wonderful state that enabled her to see
+into the Hidden, and perhaps to reveal the Future which he dreaded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She hesitated to reply, as it seemed to cost her a painful effort to
+look on that which presented itself to her interior sense--a sense so
+different from that denoted by her rigid, motionless, extended eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the pit I see robbers--murderers--ravishers!&quot; she said, at length,
+in the same whispering, toneless voice: &quot;there are kings, princes, and
+bishops among them. And, lo! there he sits--the murderer of his
+brother--on a throne of dead men's bones, with cushions of fiery
+serpents! He prepares a place for his brother's son! Hearest thou?--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Woman! demon! What devilry dreamest thou of?&quot; exclaimed the king,
+overcome with fearful anguish. &quot;Answer me! Speak! Can I yet be saved?
+How long a respite have I?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ask the sword that rattles on the wall!&quot; replied the somnambulist in a
+louder voice, pointing to the king's sword, but without turning her
+eyes towards it: &quot;when that falls, thy time is near at hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With a convulsive motion, the king snatched at his sword; but the
+slender hook that supported it gave way, and it fell, rattling, on the
+stone floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is the sword of a king, and not that of a headsman!&quot; exclaimed
+the king, proudly and vehemently, as he hastily took up the weapon,
+appearing, as he grasped it, to recover strength to overcome his
+terror. &quot;When the heading-sword rattles on the wall, well I know it
+waits for blood,&quot; he muttered; &quot;but this shall drink that of my foes.
+Ha! tell me, thou fearful woman!&quot; he continued, looking anxiously
+around him, &quot;who are the accursed traitors that lay wait for me? Where
+are they, and how many?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If thou wilt know their number, reckon it on thy belt,&quot; replied Aasé.
+&quot;Beware of the grayfriar cloaks: they conceal bold warriors. They ride,
+with drawn swords, through the forest. See! look!--the blind, bald
+monk!--he laughs, and whets his sword on his nails!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! Pallé, Pallé!--is it thee?&quot; muttered the king, staring wildly
+in the direction on which the fearful dreamer's gaze seemed to be
+fixed.----&quot;Seest thou more?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I see a man, with glowing eyes, clad in iron,&quot; replied Aasé, in a
+fainter voice, apparently exhausted, and almost sinking to the ground:
+&quot;he spurs his black steed, and his great sword is drawn! Now will he
+revenge the dishonour of his wife!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king still stared wildly before him. &quot;Sorceress! she-devil!&quot; he at
+length shouted madly, &quot;if thou art leagued with my deadly foes, thou
+shalt be the first to fall by this sword.&quot; And he sprang, with
+phrensied violence, to seize her by the throat; but his hand grasped
+only her loose kerchief, whilst his uplifted sword rattled against the
+lamp, which fell, extinguished, on the floor; and at the same moment
+he heard a shriek, and a hollow sound like the closing of a large
+chest-lid.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The girl had suddenly disappeared. The king raved wildly, and laid his
+sword about him in the darkness. A dreadful anguish overwhelmed him;
+and he would have called out, but was unable. He groped for the door,
+but could not find it; and then rushed madly against a wooden
+partition, which gave way, when the house seemed to fall about him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A cold breeze now met him. He stumbled, and fancied he had fallen into
+some frightful murder-den. His senses became bewildered, and he saw
+before him all the hideous forms he most dreaded. The pale Fru
+Ingeborg, with raised dagger, nodded at him with her lean, skeleton
+head; her blind, crazy father danced around him with wild laughter,
+groping at random for his prey; and the terrible Stig Andersen stood
+threatening him, whichever way he turned, with the same fearful look of
+revenge as when he denounced him at the Thing of Viborg. A cold
+perspiration stood on his forehead. The ground seemed to shake under
+him; and he reeled forward, without knowing where, till he stumbled
+over a stone, and tore his face among thorns. This recalled his senses,
+and he now found himself in the midst of a wild thicket in the forest.
+The faint starlight shone dubiously, and he looked despairingly around
+him. There was no house to be seen, and the apparition of the girl
+occurred to him like a frightful dream.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now recovered his voice. &quot;Am I mad or bewitched?&quot; he exclaimed.
+&quot;Rané, Rané! where art thou?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He heard a rustling among the bushes, and Rané stood, terrified, before
+him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The rood protect us, sire!&quot; stammered the astonished chamberlain: &quot;how
+have you come hither? and whither has the house vanished? I fancied I
+heard you calling from the thicket, and sprang towards the sound: I
+then rushed wildly into the cursed elfin-moss, but could find no traces
+of the house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is devilry and sorcery,&quot; said the king: &quot;if thou, too, hadst not
+seen both the girl and the house, I could have sworn I had been
+dreaming, or was mad. Where are the horses?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Close by, sire. I hear them snorting and pawing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away!&quot; cried the king: &quot;lead me from this infernal spot. I am mad or
+bewitched, and while I remain here I am less than a man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall I bring the horses, sire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, do not leave me! Lead me to them. Give me thy hand, Rané!&quot; And he
+grasped the chamberlain's hand convulsively. &quot;Thou art still true to
+me? thou art not in league with my murderers, and wilt not basely
+betray thy king and master's life?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How can you doubt me, sir king? I have been in the most deadly fear
+for you. You may be right, however, in your suspicions of sorcery: for
+this cannot be so in the usual nature of things--a house cannot thus,
+by human means, sink suddenly into the earth. But how did you fall
+among the thorns?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not, Rané. Where are the horses?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We shall reach them instantly, sire. Follow me, and fear not. We shall
+find a way out of this bewitched forest. Ho, pages! Hither with the
+horses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Little Aagé Jonsen and his comrade now approached with the animals.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Has there happened any misfortune?&quot; inquired Aagé. &quot;I fancied I heard
+the king shouting?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He had only got bewildered in the thicket,&quot; replied Rané. &quot;Here is
+your horse, sir king. Allow me to assist you, and to lead you through
+the thorns, until we reach a road or pathway.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king mounted his horse in silence, and allowed Rané to lead him
+through the bushes. They proceeded thus for some time, but could find
+neither road nor path. The pages were leading their horses in the rear,
+and one of them began to cry. &quot;We shall never get out of the forest,&quot;
+he whimpered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be quiet, Bent,&quot; replied Aagé, &quot;and do not let the king perceive that
+you are so silly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is there no end to this?&quot; exclaimed the king, impatiently. &quot;Whither
+dost thou lead me, Rané? The farther we go the worse it seems. Where
+are we?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We must soon find an outlet, sire!&quot; replied Rané: &quot;I can already see
+an open space; but where we are I am unable to say, were it to save my
+life. Yet, stay; now I can see a light. Here lies a whole village: it
+must be Finnerup. We cannot reach Harrestrup tonight, and you must be
+wearied, sir king: let us therefore rest at Finnerup, at least until
+the moon rises. There you may be tranquil, sire. They are brave people
+in Finnerup; and no evil shall befall you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the name of God and all the saints!&quot; exclaimed the king, anxiously,
+&quot;let us only get under cover, and out of this infernal forest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a short time they reached an open field, and a pathway that led to
+the little country village. They all mounted. The king felt himself
+relieved when he again saw lights, and the sign of human beings. They
+were not far from the village, but it was getting late, and, one after
+another, the lights were extinguished.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It must be bedtime with them,&quot; observed Rané, &quot;and we may find some
+difficulty in obtaining shelter, unless we make ourselves known. But if
+you can bear with the scanty accommodation, we can at least find
+admission to the large barn of Finnerup. They are bound to give
+travellers shelter there; and that they are honest people, I need not
+tell you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This would be safest,&quot; said the king. &quot;But should there be any
+dangerous travellers there, who might recognise us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will first enter, and look after the accommodation, sire. See,
+yonder stands the barn: it is open, and the lights are still burning.
+Let us hasten, sire, before they also are extinguished.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now set spurs to their horses, and rode at a brisk trot towards
+the straw-thatched building, which lay in a remote corner of the
+village, near a little mean hut, occupied by an alehouse keeper, and
+frequented only by peasants and the poorer sort of people. This
+ale-house was closed and dark; and at the open door of the barn they
+saw only a couple of stablemen, about to lead out some horses.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remain here, sire--I shall return again instantly,&quot; said Rané.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He rode up to the barn, looked carefully around him, spoke a few words
+with the stablemen, and returned immediately.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is not a soul in the barn,&quot; he said, hastily; &quot;there is
+excellent clean straw to rest upon, and the people do not know us.
+Follow me, your grace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He rode forward, and the king followed him to the long, gloomy barn,
+which was dimly lighted up by a solitary horn-lantern, suspended by a
+rope from a centre beam. As the king passed the stablemen, he threw on
+them a sharp scrutinising look; but they doffed their goat-skin caps
+carelessly, and did not appear to know him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shut the barn-door, Rané, and fasten it well,&quot; he said, dismounting
+from his horse, which the pages took, together with Rané's and their
+own, and led to the long mangers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king, who was much fatigued, then threw himself on a bundle of
+straw, but kept his look upon Rané, who, with much noise, was
+apparently fastening one of the lower bars of the door. There still
+remained a bolt to be shot in at the top; but this seemed too high for
+the chamberlain to reach. He therefore, laid down, close to the door, a
+bundle of straw, on which he stood, and secured the upper bolt firmly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There, now,&quot; he said, returning towards the king, and panting for
+breath, &quot;I have fastened both bolt and bar. It was as much as I could
+do to manage the large bar. It is as thick as a beam, and the man who
+can break it is not born of woman.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well, my trusty Rané&quot; said the king, kindly: &quot;repose thyself now
+beside me. Thou hast suffered enough to-night on my account. When we
+remember what Marsk Stig said at Viborg, we should avoid such
+adventures,&quot; he continued, familiarly, though with inquietude. &quot;We
+shall never again ride out in Jutland during the night. Humph! had I
+outlawed him at that time, perhaps I had done well; but old John
+considered it more prudent to deal mildly with him. This Marsk Stig is
+a violent man, and singularly true to his word. More than once, lately,
+have I imagined I saw him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is now certainly at his table, drinking wine with his good friends,
+at Möllerup,&quot; replied Rané, who remained standing, respectfully; &quot;and
+little dreams that the King of Denmark reposes to-night on straw, in a
+wretched barn. Marsk Braggart would be glad to be on terms with you,&quot;
+continued Rané, &quot;although he fancies that it is he who defends the
+whole nation, since he got you to acknowledge the laws and edicts of
+the kingdom. But if you would have him alive, Möllerup is not
+impregnable. The foolhardy marsk should bear in mind what the ballad
+says.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What says the ballad?&quot; inquired the king, abstractedly and pensively.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have not, in sooth, much dependence on ballad wisdom, sir king,&quot;
+replied Rané; &quot;but it is a true saying, nevertheless, if rightly
+understood:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The lapwing would fain guard everywhere,</p>
+<p class="t1">And about the field doth fly;</p>
+<p class="t0">But she guardeth not the little hill</p>
+<p class="t1">Whereon she might rely.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, yes, my trusty Rané,&quot; replied the king, sorrowfully; &quot;and the
+saying is as applicable to me. But did you fasten the door carefully? I
+thought I heard it shake in the wind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It does not shut closely, sire; but the bar will hold it against the
+greatest force. I fear the light is going out,&quot; he continued, hastily:
+&quot;there must be a thief in the candle. Shall I lower it and see?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may; but be cautious, as there is so much straw lying about; and
+take care that a gust of wind does not extinguish it. Come, I shall
+trim it myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst they were busied with the light, the loud trampling of horses
+was heard outside the barn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There are numerous travellers arriving, sire,&quot; exclaimed Rané, taking
+the candle in his hand: &quot;shall we suffer them to enter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, for God's sake, nay!&quot; replied the king, in perturbation. &quot;If they
+want to come in, say the barn is full, and that there is no room.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were silent, and held their breath to listen; but all was now
+quiet again.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They have gone past, perhaps,&quot; whispered the king, as he sat half
+erect on the straw, in a listening posture, and with his hand on the
+hilt of his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Both the pages had crept up to them, and all listened for some minutes,
+but there was a profound silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What day is this?&quot; at length inquired the king; &quot;for a worse I have
+never lived.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is St. Cecilia's night, sir king,&quot; replied little Aagé, who
+perceived with terror that the king instantly became pale. &quot;Ah,
+gracious sir king,&quot; continued the page, &quot;suffer us to pray the holy
+Cecilia that she keep her hand over you this night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pray!--pray thou, child! I cannot,&quot; replied the king. &quot;Mass-bell and
+church-hymn, I never followed: the holy Cecilia aids not me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The little Aagé folded his hands and prayed. Rané still held the
+lantern, which he now opened, and a stronger light fell upon the king,
+who, with a profound melancholy in his countenance, sat among the
+straw, fumbling thoughtfully with his belt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is well, Rané: light me, and help me to reckon,&quot; he whispered.
+&quot;How many studs are there in my belt?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané held the light closer. &quot;I count twelve,&quot; he replied: &quot;but why
+desire you to know that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was a singular woman in the forest, Rané. She could see up into
+heaven and down among the damned. She bade me count the studs upon my
+belt, if I would know the number of my traitors. Twelve only you
+reckoned? I fancied I had counted fourteen. Thirteen there are, at
+least.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who would be guided by the number of buttons, sire?&quot; replied Rané.
+&quot;When a man cannot make up his mind, I have heard that he should count
+his buttons; but that is suited only to children, sire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou thinkest, then, that we should be decided, Rané? Reckon again,
+and, perhaps, thou mayst consider. Is it not so?--there are thirteen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, possibly,&quot; replied Rané, shutting the lantern; &quot;but thirteen is
+not a lucky number, sir king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art right. Thirteen was the number when the false Judas betrayed
+his heavenly Lord and King. But, why becomest thou so pale, Rané?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have fasted the whole day, your grace,&quot; replied Rané, looking
+towards the door: &quot;it is, therefore, no wonder if I am a little
+palefaced. But listen! What is that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lusty blows were now heard on the barn-door, as if with spears and
+poles.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Arise, King Erik, and come forth to us!&quot; shouted a powerful voice
+outside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am betrayed!&quot; exclaimed the king, springing up. &quot;That was the
+terrible Stig Anderson's voice.&quot; He had drawn his sword; but stood
+irresolute and perplexed, and pale as a spectre.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The chamberlain, with the lantern in his hand, ran to the door. &quot;King
+Erik is not here--that you must surely know,&quot; he cried. &quot;Conceal
+yourself, sire,&quot; he whispered to the agitated monarch. &quot;Lay yourself
+down: I will cover you with straw, and no one shall see you.&quot; He
+extinguished the candle, and threw the lantern from him, and they now
+stood in total darkness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rané, Rané! wilt thou betray thy king and master?&quot; whispered the
+wretched king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hide yourself--hide yourself, sire! I shall defend you to the last
+drop of my blood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So shall I too!&quot; cried little Aagé Jonsen, who had hitherto knelt and
+prayed, but who now sprang up with fire and spirit. &quot;Alas! had I but a
+sword!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The little Bent wept and cried aloud, whilst the noise without
+continued.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be still--be still, youth! Resistance is useless here,&quot; whispered the
+king to Aagé. &quot;Do not betray me with your whining, Bent,&quot; he added;
+&quot;but cover me with straw, and set yourselves down quietly in a corner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They hastily concealed the king with straw, and did as he had commanded
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The noise outside was still increasing. The assailants hammered lustily
+against the barn-door, until the slight bolt at the top snapped, when
+it flew open as easily as if it had been only barred with a wisp of
+straw. Twelve men, disguised in masks and gray friar cloaks, entered
+silently, with drawn swords, one of them holding a flaming torch. They
+looked quickly around in every direction, and seemed astonished at not
+finding what they were in search of.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is he? He hides himself, the base tyrant!&quot; exclaimed a powerful
+voice from the midst of them. They searched fruitlessly every spot,
+except where Rané stood, with drawn sword, by the heap of straw.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Save my life, my trusty Rané!&quot; whispered the king from beneath the
+straw, &quot;and I give thee my own sister in marriage.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My king and master is not here, but I guard his jewels and treasures,&quot;
+cried Rané, as he pointed to the spot where the king lay; &quot;and I shall
+cleave the skull of the first who approaches.&quot; And he swung his puny
+sword wildly about him, striking it against the pole of a waggon and a
+clump of wood lying on the barn-floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You defend your king like a rogue and a traitor!&quot; whispered Aagé:
+&quot;give me your sword, if you will not use it better.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away, boy!&quot; shouted Rané, furiously, as he aimed a blow at the head of
+the page, but without touching him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Among the armed, monk-like figures was a little, decrepit man, who
+tottered forward, with the uncertain steps of old age and blindness, by
+the side of a powerful and gigantic form. These two pressed on at the
+head of the disguised band, the blind man holding fast by the skirt of
+the other, until they reached the spot to which Rané had pointed. They
+both stopped by the heap of straw that concealed the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here!&quot; uttered a hollow voice, proceeding from the visor of the tall
+masked figure, and his mailed arm uplifted a huge sword. At the same
+instant the weapons of all the others gleamed aloft in the lurid light
+of the torch.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aha!&quot; shouted the blind old man, with wild maniacal laughter, as he
+suddenly flung himself, with his long sword, deep into the heap of
+straw.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A scream of horror, blended with the madman's half-suffocated laughter,
+issued from beneath the straw which concealed the king and his raving
+murderer. In their struggles both rolled from under it, and the whole
+of the armed band then fell at once upon the unfortunate monarch.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané continued to lay wildly about him, without, however, wounding any
+one. At last he sprang forward, and plucked the torch from the hand of
+him who carried it. &quot;Help, help! They are murdering my king and
+master!&quot; he cried, as he flung the torch into the straw, and rushed
+furiously from the barn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A fierce blaze instantly lit up the horrible scene.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The gory body of the king was dragged to the middle of the barn, where
+it lay, pierced at once by twelve swords. The fearful monk-like forms
+stood in silence round the body, with their dripping weapons in their
+hands, and gazed through their masks with straining eyes on the
+murdered Erik, whose features were now horribly distorted in the throes
+of death.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is dead--let the flames devour him!&quot; exclaimed at last their
+leader, breaking the fearful silence. &quot;Away! To horse!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an instant all had left the barn except the aged maniac, who had
+once more thrown himself raving on the king's body, as if he would have
+torn it asunder with his nails.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two pages had hitherto sat, concealed and weeping, under the
+mangers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Monster!&quot; now cried the little Aagé; and rushing towards him, he
+plucked the sword from the dead king's hand, and thrust it into the
+madman's heart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good--now I can die! Blessed be the angel from heaven who has
+redeemed me!&quot; he murmured, as he sank back lifeless by the side of the
+murdered king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One half of the barn was already in flames. The four horses in the
+stalls sprang wildly over the bodies, and rushed through the open door;
+and the falcons flew, screaming, after them. The flames burst through
+the thatched roof, whilst a suffocating smoke filled the frightful den
+of murder; and outside, sounded the alarm of fire, and the noise of
+persons hurrying to the scene.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Help me to save the king's corpse, Bent,&quot; said Aagé to his weeping
+comrade. And with great exertion the lads dragged the heavy body to the
+entrance, before reaching which they were nearly suffocated.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God be merciful to the soul of the old monster inside!&quot; exclaimed
+Aagé, as he looked back once more: &quot;he must now be burned. Make haste!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were hardly out of the barn when the roof fell in with a loud
+crash, and buried beneath it the old man's corpse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A great number of people had now assembled; but they gave little heed
+to the conflagration, being seized with fright and horror on beholding
+the mangled body of the king, and hearing the recital of the pages. The
+crowd continued to increase around the royal corpse and the weeping
+youths in front of the burning pile. The feelings awakened in the minds
+of the majority by the cruel spectacle, seemed to testify that the
+murdered king was less hated by the people than was generally believed.
+The consternation and the confusion were great. They screamed and
+shouted from one to the other.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pursue the murderers!&quot; cried some.--&quot;Take care of the king's body!&quot;
+cried others.--&quot;Send word to Harrestrup!&quot;--&quot;Bring the drost! bring Sir
+John!&quot;--&quot;Send word to Scanderborg! there are still the queen and the
+young king!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Such were the various suggestions that were loudly and rapidly uttered,
+but no one stirred to give them effect. Women and children thronged
+towards the body: the children screamed; the women wept at the
+frightful sight; whilst the men swore and clamoured. Many commanded,
+but none obeyed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length was heard, in the midst of the hubbub, the cry of--&quot;Room,
+room! the drost is coming!&quot; and the noisy crowd was divided by three
+horsemen, who urged their panting steeds eagerly through them. It was
+Drost Peter, with Skirmen and old Henner Friser. Behind them followed a
+troop of huntsmen, having Chamberlain Rané, bound, in their midst.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence here--give place!&quot; cried Drost Peter, springing from his
+horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The crowd fell respectfully to one side, and a dead silence ensued. The
+drost beheld the king's body with horror. He hastily examined it, and
+found that there was no longer any sign of life. He counted fifty-six
+wounds, all of which were mortal. Under the king's vest he also found a
+dagger, which had not been withdrawn from where it had been planted in
+his bosom. He drew it out, and examined it closely: it was a
+magnificent weapon, wrought with great skill, its hilt representing a
+gilded lion. Having displayed it to the nearest spectators, he put it
+carefully aside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;King Erik Christopherson is dead,&quot; he cried, with a loud voice, whilst
+he rose from the corpse and surveyed the crowd, whose earnest and
+sympathising faces were illumined by the flames of the barn: &quot;he has
+been shamefully murdered, and this atrocious crime shall not remain
+unpunished, as certain as there is a righteous Judge above us!&quot; He
+paused an instant, and a deep silence prevailed around.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The young King Erik Erikson is now our lawful lord and king,&quot; he
+continued, with greater calmness, and raising his right hand: &quot;the
+people of Denmark have themselves elected and sworn allegiance to him.
+The holy Church will ratify his election; and soon shall he sit,
+anointed and crowned, on the throne of his ancestors. If you be true to
+him, brave Danish people, he shall, if it please God, be a good and
+righteous king, and shall severely punish the cruel and audacious
+murderers of his father. May the Almighty give him strength, and throw
+his protecting arm over him and his loyal people!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Long live King Erik Erikson! long live our young king!&quot; shouted the
+multitude; whilst a few cries of &quot;Vengeance--vengeance on his
+murderers!&quot; were heard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter waved his hand for silence, and turned to those who stood
+nearest to him. &quot;Who here has the fleetest horse?&quot; he demanded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I--I have!&quot; cried Skirmen, springing forward.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right--none can speed as thou canst. Bide instantly to Scanderborg, my
+trusty Skirmen. Speed thee, and carry to the queen the woful tidings.
+Relate what thou hast heard and seen. Say to Sir Thorstenson, in my
+name, that every avenue to the palace and to our young king must be
+instantly closed and well guarded. To-morrow, I shall arrive myself,
+with Sir John, when I have properly cared for the dead king's body.
+Away! God be with thee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen was mounted in an instant, and flew off, with the speed of an
+arrow, on his little norback.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou, trusty old Henner!&quot; continued Drost Peter, turning to the
+grave old man, who had remained by his side immoveable, on his tall
+horse, and gazing upon the royal corpse with a strong expression of
+sorrow--&quot;thou, and the royal huntsmen, pursue the murderers
+immediately. Take Rané with thee, and compel him to lead thee in their
+track.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Henner Friser nodded, and turned his horse. A minute afterwards, the
+giant-like old man, with Rané by his side, bound, rode at full gallop
+past the blazing barn, followed by the huntsmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ye good Danish men,&quot; continued Drost Peter, turning to some of the
+more respectable peasants who stood nearest to him, and who appeared to
+regard the royal corpse with most sympathy, &quot;ye shall bear the body of
+our murdered king with me to Viborg. Bleeding, as it now lies, shall it
+be exposed to the gaze of the people. Lay four planks over that
+harvest-waggon, and yoke to it six of your best horses. Spread my
+mantle over the planks, and lay the corpse carefully upon it. You,
+children, follow me,&quot; he said to the two weeping pages, who, in the
+meantime, had caught the king's steed, and one of the falcons. &quot;Tie the
+king's horse to the waggon, Aagé: he shall follow his master. Give me
+the falcon, Bent. Light two fir-torches, and place yourselves at the
+king's feet. You shall bear the lights for him to-night, for the last
+time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The boys wept and obeyed; and the peasants soon executed the orders of
+the drost. His scarlet cloak had now become the king's pall; and he
+himself sat quietly on his steed, with the king's favourite falcon on
+his arm, and saw that everything was done becomingly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Many people still crowded around, but there was no noisy commotion.
+From the women only was heard a solitary sigh, or a subdued expression
+of pity; but among the men, astonishment at the unheard-of deed
+appeared more general than sorrow or commiseration.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter perceived this with deep emotion. &quot;King Erik's last journey
+is dark. Take brands from the barn, and light us,&quot; he said, in a
+sorrowful tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Some men from Harrestrup instantly obeyed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Honour the dead; for the crown he bore, and for the sake of the royal
+race from which he was descended. Follow him, as many as can, yet as a
+freewill token of affection: none else is wanted. Withdraw which way
+you will; but depart with quietness, and repeat at least a prayer for
+his soul. When the sun last set, he was a powerful king, and our lawful
+lord and master. Let that den of murder burn,&quot; he added, with horror:
+&quot;its foundation shall be razed, and every trace of it rooted from the
+earth. Where it stood, shall no man rest any more; but, for centuries
+to come, shall prayers be said, night and day, for the soul of the
+murdered king. May the merciful God be gracious to him and all of us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With emotion he raised his hand to his eyes and gave a signal, when the
+procession slowly moved forwards. The crowd dispersed quietly and in
+silence; twelve peasants only attending, who walked, with blazing
+fir-torches, on both sides of the waggon. Near to the king's head rode
+Drost Peter, with the falcon on his arm; whilst the steed followed his
+dead master. As the procession moved past the flaming barn, a strong
+light fell on the drost's earnest countenance, and the royal corpse lay
+aloft on the waggon, visible to all. At its feet sat the two pages,
+with torches in their hands. Silently and slowly the gloomy funeral
+train disappeared in the deep night; and here and there, on the
+highways and byways, along the road to Viborg, stood astonished
+peasants, gazing in wonder.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">At Scanderborg, the queen and the young princes were still in deep
+slumber, at the early hour when Claus Skirmen reached the palace on his
+panting norback, which had carried his light rider more than forty
+English miles in six hours.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The landsknechts who held watch at the castle-gate and by the
+palace-stairs recognised the drost's squire, and instantly admitted
+him. They were surprised at his haste.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pull up the drawbridge, and lock the gates!&quot; he cried: &quot;the foe is at
+my heels!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The grave landsknechts were amazed: no enemy was perceptible in the
+misty dawn, and they were not accustomed to receive orders from a
+squire. Whilst they hesitated and delayed, Skirmen leaped from his
+saddle, and hurried up to the queen's large ante-chamber, where Sir
+Thorstenson himself kept night-watch with the royal body-guards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The king is murdered!&quot; cried Skirmen, almost breathless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The whole of the knight's men in the hall sprang up, and stood as if
+thunderstruck or petrified.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Murdered!&quot; exclaimed Sir Thorstenson: &quot;art thou in thy right senses,
+Skirmen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Murdered!&quot; repeated Skirmen; &quot;and the murderers are not half a mile
+distant: they are approaching, with a numerous band of horsemen. If you
+would not have the palace surprised, sir, let it be barricaded
+instantly!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wilt thou drive us mad, Skirmen? Bar the palace, trabants! and every
+man to his arms! Righteous God! murdered!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The alarmed trabants hastily quitted the hall, with scarcely sense
+enough left to execute the orders of their captain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by Satan, speak, Skirmen!&quot; exclaimed the enraged Thorstenson,
+stamping. &quot;Who has ventured on this atrocious deed? Ha! was it the
+algrev--the accursed algrev?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, stern sir: if it were not the devil and his imps, it was Marsk
+Stig and his kinsmen. At the barn of Finnerup the deed was done.&quot; And
+Skirmen then related all he had himself heard and seen, and what the
+drost had charged him to say. &quot;And my master was right,&quot; he added: &quot;had
+he not dispatched me instantly, the murderers themselves had perhaps
+first brought you the intelligence. An hour ago they held a council on
+Tulstrup Heath. They sat on horseback, and clothed in mail: in the fog
+I had nearly ridden into the midst of them; but the moon broke forth
+over their heads, and revealed to me their bloody swords. I hurried
+past them, and they pursued me up to the forest. There were certainly
+more than seventy men, and some amongst them were disguised as
+grayfriars. They must be here instantly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let them come!&quot; cried Thorstenson: &quot;they shall find us awake. You are
+right: none has dared this deed but Marsk Stig. He has now fulfilled
+his oath, and slain King Erik. He may next aim at the prince's life;
+but his vengeance shall not reach it. Is everything in order,
+trabants?&quot; he inquired of some of them who had returned to the
+ante-chamber. They informed him of what had been done for the defence
+of the place, and were again dispatched with fresh orders; and the
+utmost activity prevailed in the palace.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The sudden noise awoke the queen, who rang for her maids, and inquired
+what the disturbance meant. They were all frightened, but none of them
+yet knew what had happened. The queen arose and dressed hastily, to
+proceed to the guard-chamber. The noise in the palace increased. People
+ran about bewildered, as if a thunderbolt had fallen among them; but
+where, no one could tell. Every one knew that a great misfortune had
+happened; but what it was, no tongue ventured to ask. In the guard-room
+the knights stood in complete armour, awaiting the orders of their
+chief. The hall looked out on the palace-yard, and was provided with a
+balcony, commanding a view of the high road. Here stood Sir Thorstenson
+and Skirmen, watching, on the road to the palace, a great cloud of
+dust, which they were now first able plainly to distinguish from the
+gray mist of the morning.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, Skirmen,&quot; said Thorstenson, with a nod: &quot;it is a large
+band of horsemen; they will actually treat us here on fasting stomachs.
+No matter--they shall have their morning meal before us. Are the
+archers on the tower?&quot; he inquired of one of the trabants.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, sir knight,&quot; was the reply: &quot;they have occupied all the
+loopholes, and are ready, with arrows on their bowstrings, as you
+commanded.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good: but let no one draw a shaft until I wave this banner over the
+balcony,&quot; he commanded, as he seized the large royal banner which stood
+at the end of the saloon. &quot;The more time we can gain the better,&quot; he
+added: &quot;if it comes to a storming, we must use our shot-waggons; for
+the fellows deserve a warm breakfast. Let the fire rage under the
+stones, and they will soon he hot enough. We must melt these mailed
+flinty hearts.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The trabant departed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same moment the queen entered, attended by her ladies and
+maidens. &quot;What mean these preparations?&quot; she inquired, looking
+anxiously around her, and at the same time, with her customary dignity,
+acknowledging the military salute given her by the trabants.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God and Our Lady support you, my noble queen!&quot; exclaimed Sir
+Thorstenson, advancing, and lowering the banner respectfully before
+her: &quot;I did not think your grace was up, and I would not suffer you to
+be awoke with evil tidings. Prepare to hear them with resolution, my
+noble-hearted queen. Drost Hessel has sent us this messenger; and in
+the colours of night ought he and we to be standing here, for the news
+he brings is dark and gloomy as the grave.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That, then, has happened which I have so long dreaded,&quot; said the
+queen, becoming pale: &quot;my lord and king is dead? Speak, young man!&quot; she
+continued, turning to Skirmen, &quot;what unhappy tidings dost thou bring of
+my unfortunate husband? Speak! The Queen of Denmark shall not be
+crushed by a word, though the dread of it may chase the blood from her
+cheeks! My lord and king is dead?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have spoken it, noble queen,&quot; replied Skirmen, approaching her
+respectfully, whilst Thorstenson retired to the balcony, over which he
+looked with strained attention. &quot;Traitors surprised him last night,&quot;
+continued Skirmen: &quot;it happened in an evil hour, when he had lost
+himself in the forest, near Finnerup, and his trusty men were not by
+his side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Murdered, then--miserably murdered!--as is now every king of Denmark!&quot;
+exclaimed the queen, leaning for support on one of her maidens.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is unfortunately so, my noble queen,&quot; replied Skirmen, with strong
+sympathy, although the expression of the queen's countenance seemed
+rather to indicate bitter anger than deep, heartfelt sorrow. &quot;Drost
+Hessel was the first to find your unhappy husband, after the fearful
+deed was done, and the murderers had fled. He immediately examined his
+wounds, and found them numerous, and all mortal. He would not quit the
+royal body before it was placed beyond the reach of farther
+indignities; but, for the security of yourself and the princes, he bade
+me hasten hither; and, with God's help, I have made such speed, that I
+am here before the traitors. God preserve you, my queen, and the young
+prince, who shall now rule Denmark's kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is he?&quot; exclaimed the queen, anxiously looking around her;
+&quot;where is the prince? where is my little Erik? Come the murderers this
+way? Are they near?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be calm, my noble queen,&quot; replied Thorstenson. &quot;A band of armed
+horsemen ride, indeed, towards the palace, with some disguised traitors
+at their head; but, so long as I and a single Dane remain alive, no
+enemy to the royal house shall set foot within these walls. I have sent
+for the princes, and they will be here immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can the castle be defended?&quot; inquired the queen, hastily: &quot;are the
+traitors all beyond its walls? Are there none amongst us? And was it
+not a Dane who murdered Denmark's king?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Overwhelmed with doubts and apprehensions, the queen turned round, and
+looked at the dark, armed men who filled the hall; but among them she
+saw not one who had been heartily attached to the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The castle can and shall be defended, so long as one stone stands upon
+another,&quot; replied Thorstenson, with glowing cheeks. &quot;The traitors are
+near us, but you have true men around you. Affront not every Dane by
+such dishonouring suspicions, illustrious queen. In this bloody treason
+the true Danish people had no part. Your royal husband was not beloved;
+nor was he, indeed, any favourite of mine either--that truth it is of
+no use to conceal; but we are not, on that account, either traitors or
+perjurers. Marsk Stig Andersen is the author of this horrid deed: and
+even he is not perjured, for he has fearfully performed what he
+promised: but henceforth he is the deadly foe of every honest Dane. We
+will protect the royal house; and your royal son shall wear with
+security the crown of Denmark, to which he was chosen by a free and
+loyal people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We will protect the royal house!&quot; exclaimed the grave knights and
+trabants: &quot;long live the queen and our young king!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where are these traitors?&quot; now inquired the queen, with more
+composure: &quot;can we see them?&quot; She went hastily to the balcony, and
+perceived the dark troop of horsemen approaching, with the disguised,
+hooded men at their head. &quot;They are numerous,&quot; she continued; &quot;but not
+sufficient to intimidate my protectors. They approach the castle
+apparently with peaceful intentions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let them come close up to the walls, noble queen. They must not
+imagine that we are afraid to look them in the face. They have neither
+archers nor storming-ladders with them; and if they have anything to
+say to us, we can hold a parley with safety from the balcony. The
+moment they commence an attack, I send them a salute of a shower of
+arrows from the tower.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well, Sir Thorstenson!&quot; replied the queen, raising her head with
+proud indignation. &quot;They shall behold the Queen of Denmark--they shall
+behold their young lord and king; and shall find that justice does not
+slumber, and that the sceptre of Denmark, even in the hand of a minor,
+has still power to set at defiance a band of murderers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The princes now entered the guardroom, attended by two knights. The
+young king was pale with horror at the fearful tidings he had just
+heard; but his brother, Junker Christopherson, was burning with wrath
+and indignation. The queen turned from the balcony and approached them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My sons,&quot; she said, &quot;your royal father is dead! Bear this sorrow as
+beseems his sons and avengers! Those who caused his death, thirst after
+your blood, and mine also, and are now approaching this castle with
+bold audacity; but if you are my children, these tidings will not alarm
+you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Junker Christopherson now became pale and uneasy: he looked over the
+balcony, and stepped hastily back with alarm. But that which so
+frightened him, brought back the blood into the cheeks of the little
+King Erik.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My sword and my royal helmet!&quot; he cried, in a tone of command. &quot;I am
+now your king, and it is my business to defend this castle and the
+kingdom. It shall be my first duty to proclaim the death and downfall
+of my father's godless murderer. Is the castle in a state of defence,
+Sir Thorstenson?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The bold knight regarded with astonishment the prince, who now, for the
+first time, spoke to him with the authority of a chief and king. He
+bowed respectfully, and hastily informed him of all that had been done
+for the defence of the castle; taking care, at the same time, not to
+lose sight of the movements of the hostile horsemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good!&quot; said Erik, nodding.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A trabant now presented to the young king a short sword with a gilt
+handle, and a little gilt helmet with a crown and high feather. Erik
+hung the sword by his side, placed the helmet on his head, and, with
+his mother, stepped on to the balcony.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The troop of horsemen had halted at some distance from the palace, and
+the monk-clad chiefs seemed to be holding council.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length a tall, gigantic figure, in a gray cloak and hood,
+accompanied by two persons of less stature, but in the same disguise,
+rode leisurely towards the side of the outer ditch nearest the lofty
+balcony, high above the fortress walls, where stood the queen and the
+young king, closely attended by trabants, ready, on a signal from their
+chief, to form a shield of defence around the royal personages. The sun
+had just arisen, and shone upon the noble form and fair, pale face of
+the queen, sad the chivalrous young king on her right.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This spectacle appeared to make a singular impression on the hostile
+giant-like figure, who more than once stopped his horse. At length he
+reached the ditch opposite the balcony, where, throwing the monk's hood
+and cloak from his head and shoulders, he appeared, in closed helmet
+and tarnished black steel harness, like a statue of bronze on his
+charger, as, with sparkling eyes, he gazed upon the queen and the
+prince through the grating of his visor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Queen!&quot; he said, in a deep, warlike voice, &quot;you called the man a crazy
+braggart who denounced King Erik at the Thing of Viborg. You imagined
+that the man was not in Denmark who dared put so bold a speech in
+practice. Behold, then, in me, the Dane who has kept his promise to the
+king. The fire is now in the house of the mocker; and here you see the
+hand that cast the brand--here you behold the face from which your
+craven lord concealed his royal countenance in the straw of a stable.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words he struck his visor up; and the queen retreated a
+step, with horror, before the flashing, vengeful eyes and the haughty
+features of the warrior. But speedily recovering herself, she again
+stepped forward, with proud indignation; whilst the youthful king by
+her side grasped the hilt of his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come you yourself, Marsk Stig Andersen, self-made king!&quot; said the
+queen, with lofty dignity--&quot;come you in person to hear your doom? Know,
+then, it was pronounced in that bloody midnight hour, and that here
+stands now your king and master, who will, if God spare him life, by a
+wave of his youthful hand, accomplish Heaven's judgment upon you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A self made king I am not,&quot; replied the marsk, with a subdued voice:
+&quot;such an accursed thought never entered my soul; but who shall now be
+Denmark's king, the mighty spirit of the people and this sword shall
+determine. The time for that has not yet arrived; and I have not sped
+hither to contend with women and children. I came here to see what I
+now behold. You yourself best know who was a self-made king in Denmark.
+My deed of last night has not made you a mourning widow, nor brought
+you sorrow and heart-pangs, Queen Agnes. I bear you, instead, a welcome
+message.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the queen heard these words, it seemed for a moment that she would
+have sunk upon the earth: it was as if the terrible avenger gave life
+to a secret picture, of which she had once, with horror, had a glimpse
+in her dreams. She blushed as red as her scarlet kirtle, and
+immediately became pale as the linen collar on her fair neck; but she
+collected her strength, and, with a deep feeling of wounded honour,
+exclaimed, with dignity and pride--&quot;For these words, Stig Andersen, I
+shall answer you, when we meet before God's judgment-seat! Here, you
+stand deeply under the Queen of Denmark's wrath.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let me speak, mother!&quot; interrupted little Erik: &quot;I am his judge and
+master. Thou blood-besprinkled regicide!&quot; he cried, with singular
+strength and firmness, and with a look that caused the powerful warrior
+to start--&quot;thou hast murdered my royal father, and mocked the queen, my
+mother, and shalt surely die! From this hour thou art an outlaw, as
+certainly as I shall wear the crown of Denmark!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Junker Christopherson now made his appearance on the balcony: &quot;The rack
+and wheel shall be thy reward, accursed murderer!&quot; he cried, wildly and
+angrily, clenching his hand with excess of passion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The impression made upon the marsk by the words and looks of the little
+king was effaced by his passionate brother.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The threats of children do not alarm me,&quot; replied the giant knight.
+&quot;But know this, however, thou young sire-avenger, with the infant
+crown!--If I must roam the country at thy bidding, there shall be in
+the land more widows than thy mother--if Marsk Stig must lie, an
+outlaw, in wood and den, Denmark shall pay perpetual tribute to him and
+his followers! Away!&quot; he shouted to his attendants, raising his right
+arm, and turning his proud steed: &quot;let not the blood of children smear
+our hands! The kingdom and country can yet be saved!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Thorstenson could no longer suppress his indignation. &quot;Down with
+the traitor!&quot; he shouted, waving the royal banner from the balcony.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the signal a shower of arrows was discharged at the daring regicide
+from the loopholes of the castle-tower. The marsk turned his horse and
+laughed loudly at the impotent shafts, which, coming from so great a
+distance, fell harmlessly from his steel armour, and remained hanging
+in the cloaks of his disguised attendants. As if in derision of this
+fruitless attack, he calmly stopped for a moment, and received with
+scornful laughter another shower of arrows, which took no greater
+effect; but, as he was now about to turn his horse, a red hot stone,
+discharged from one of the slings on the wall, tore open the entrails
+of the noble steed, which, with a wild spring, fell under him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant the drawbridge was lowered, and a troop of archers
+rushed towards him with bows drawn. The marsk hastily leaped on another
+horse, and galloped off with his mailed companions, at a speed which
+contradicted the contempt with which he appeared to receive the shower
+of hissing arrows and glowing balls from the castle of the infant king.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Twenty-four hours after the king's murder, the rumour of it had spread
+over nearly the whole kingdom; but the accounts differed widely in
+relating the manner of his death.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Kiel Castle, Count Gerhard received as guests the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar and his drost, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. They had arrived, late in
+the evening, from a journey through Brandenburg, and were accompanied
+by both the brothers of Queen Agnes--the Margraves Otto and Conrad of
+Brandenburg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In these brave noblemen Duke Waldemar had, in the course of his
+journey, made new acquaintances, whom he seemed highly to prize, and
+had invited them to accompany him to Sleswick. The margraves were the
+intimate friends of the good-natured, excellent Count Gerhard, and they
+had therefore invited the duke to rest a few hours at the hospitable
+Kiel Castle--a proposition to which he could not refuse acquiescence,
+without creating reasonable surprise at the haste with which he
+journeyed homewards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke had not met Count Gerhard since the evening he had seen him in
+company with Sir John, at the Dane-court of Nyborg, shortly before his
+own imprisonment. The interest with which the count had afterwards
+laboured to obtain his freedom, and to procure him terms with the king,
+had impressed the duke with a degree of shame for having, on many
+previous occasions, slighted the plain, gay-hearted gentleman, and made
+himself merry at the expense of his somewhat ungainly figure, as well
+as his bashfulness and lack of courtly language, when he desired to
+shine in presence of the ladies. That the brave, honest count,
+notwithstanding his awkwardness in the dance with the queen on that
+evening, had awakened far greater interest with her than his more
+polished rival, was a piece of good fortune which the proud, ambitious
+duke had never been able to forgive him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard had received them with his wonted openness and gay good
+humour; for the rumours respecting the important crisis of affairs in
+Denmark had not yet reached Kiel. His guests and himself were seated at
+the drinking-board, entertaining each other with merry songs.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Margrave Otto, who was about the middle age, with a calm and
+reflective countenance, was a skilful knight, an esteemed general, and
+a prince who cherished and encouraged the arts and sciences. He was a
+great admirer of the German minne-singers, and sang several of their
+lays in a fine deep bass voice. To satisfy the Danish gentlemen that
+his royal brother-in-law, King Erik Christopherson, was more esteemed
+in Germany than by his own people, he sang Reinmar von Zweter's
+well-known eulogium on the king, which, in the Schwabian dialect, thus
+commences:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Ein kunig der wol gekroenet gat:&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">and which may be thus translated:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;A king so well becrown'd, and true,<br>
+And eke a crown beking'd well, too,</p>
+<p class="t1">Maintains that crown aright:</p>
+<p class="t0">Should thus the king his crown adorn,<br>
+That crown adorns him in return,</p>
+<p class="t1">And each does each requite.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">It was almost the same ballad as that with which the king had been
+welcomed at Harrestrup, and wherein it was boasted of him, that he
+comforted the widow and the orphan, that he maintained peace, and that
+his heart and courage were great and bold.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pokker i Vold! To the deuce with your becrowned king and bekinged
+crown, my good friend!&quot; said Count Gerhard, laughing, when Margrave
+Otto repeated the commencement as a chorus. &quot;Your good Master Reinmar
+is somewhat too bookish for me, and lays it on too thick; otherwise, I
+could wish the song were Danish, and that the people might sing it from
+the bottom of their hearts. Yet I have no great relish for songs for
+the people that have to be brought to them from other lands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, now, my dear Count Gerhard,&quot; said the margrave, &quot;this is not a
+people's song, but a complimentary ode. How otherwise would you like to
+be sung?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Plainly and straightforward, so that folks might know me; or not at
+all. Songs of this sort, to be good for anything,&quot; he continued, gaily,
+&quot;must not be mere praise and flattery from beginning to end, but should
+give us a pleasant yet faithful picture of the whole man--of his faults
+and follies, as well as of his virtues and merits--so that one might
+see him truly and entirely, as in a bright shield. Nay, I prize more
+highly the art of my old Daddy Longlegs: he does more with his
+countenance than all our learned master-singers with their lira-la-la.
+You must see his pleasant gifts, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At his summons, the grave, lanky jester stepped forward, and applied
+himself diligently to entertain his master's guests by imitating the
+appearance and manner of all the notable personages he had ever seen.
+This mightily amused Count Gerhard himself: he laughed till his eyes
+ran over, whilst the jester, with the utmost gravity, represented a
+learned controversy between two ecclesiastics, whose voices, looks, and
+manners he mimicked by turns. In this representation the guests
+immediately recognised the learned, abstracted, and pedantic Master
+Martinus de Dacia, and his zealous opponent, the proud, passionate
+Master Grand, who could well match him as a dialectician and learned
+theologian. The dean's spare figure and authoritative air the jester
+could more especially imitate to the life.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke and Sir Abildgaard, as well as the courtly margraves, who were
+enlivened by the wine, laughed most heartily at the exhibition.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Excellent!&quot; said the duke: &quot;that is our bold Master Grand to
+perfection. But if our stern sir dean knew that we so enjoyed ourselves
+with this imitation of his manner and reverend person, he would regard
+it as a shameless and unpardonable outrage on himself and the entire
+holy Church.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is not pope yet,&quot; replied Count Gerhard; &quot;and more than one
+infallible clerk we are not bound to believe in. I have great respect
+for the abilities of the learned dean; but he is still a fallible man,
+and, like a good Christian, he must allow that even his best friends
+are not blind to his infirmities. To show you, gentlemen, that we here
+do not limit our selection of persons, when, at a merry moment, we have
+a mind to see them amongst us, without putting them to the
+inconvenience of a journey, Daddy Longlegs shall now give us a copy
+from nature, which it will probably cost you no great effort to
+recognise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He whispered a few words to the jester, who nodded, and left the room.
+He shortly returned, attired in a princely purple mantle, with a gilded
+parchment crown on his head, over a tuft of thin combed-out hair. His
+face expressed a singular mixture of majesty and meanness, of wild
+strength and effeminate weakness: he seemed both to threaten and smile
+at the same time, and blinked constantly. He strode leisurely forward,
+stopping at times, as if in doubt, and supporting himself on his long
+wooden sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Duke Waldemar saw this, he became pale. Count Gerhard laughed
+immoderately; and the knightly margraves seemed perplexed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let this rather daring jest alone, noble Count Gerhard,&quot; at length
+said Margrave Otto, earnestly: &quot;it is not becoming in us to be
+spectators whilst our royal brother-in-law is turned to ridicule.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the deuce, my brave sirs, are you afraid of the spectre of your
+royal brother-in-law?&quot; cried Count Gerhard, laughing. &quot;As you intend
+shortly to visit him in person, you will do well to accustom yourself
+to look him boldly in the face, without being embarrassed by his
+blinking, or scared by his anger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The jester had withdrawn to the farther end of the apartment, where he
+stood in the shade, observing the effects of his mimicry. At that
+moment the door was opened, and two young knights, half intoxicated,
+stumbled in.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;News! news!&quot; they shouted in a breath: &quot;there is an insurrection in
+Denmark, and the king is slain!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All sprang up in astonishment, except Duke Waldemar, who swooned, and
+sank back in his chair. In the general confusion, this was observed by
+Sir Abildgaard only, who hastily came to his assistance, and chafed his
+temples with wine, giving no alarm, but placing himself before him, and
+concealing him with his mantle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The others gazed with alarm on the young knights who had brought the
+unexpected intelligence. But the terror of the jester was beyond
+control. Notwithstanding his talent for drollery, he was subject to a
+deep melancholy, which at times bordered on madness. A fearful horror
+now overwhelmed him, and he fancied that the ghost of the murdered king
+had actually taken possession of him, to revenge the mockery of which
+he had made him the subject. Longshanks became so deadly pale, and
+remained so motionless, that now he really personified a fearful
+spectre of the murdered king, whose mask he had assumed in a playful
+mood.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard had suddenly become grave; but the young knights who
+brought the message of death did not observe, in their half-inebriated
+state, the effects which their intelligence had produced; nor knew
+they that the two strangers were Margraves of Brandenburg, and
+brothers-in-law of the murdered king. They now related, in a careless
+and almost merry tone, what they had heard of the king's murder.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is no doubt about it, sir count,&quot; said he who stood nearest him:
+&quot;he fell, appropriately, in a love adventure in Finnerup Forest; and
+could not himself have desired a fairer or pleasanter death. Let us now
+drink a happy journey to him, and a better and more faithful mate to
+his fair queen. Merrily, sirs! The health of King Erik Christopherson,
+wherever he may be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard stood in agony during this unseemly and inconsiderate
+speech in presence of the margraves. He would have reprimanded the
+thoughtless knight, but the jester anticipated him. Rushing madly
+forward, in the guise of the dead king, he seized the bone of a roebuck
+from a silver dish on the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;King Erik Christopherson thanks you for the toast!&quot; cried he, assuming
+with fearful truthfulness the monarch's voice: &quot;to you, and to all his
+merry friends here, he sends a greeting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he threw the large bone at the forehead of the young knight,
+but it missed its aim, and struck Count Gerhard, who fell to the
+ground, with the blood streaming from his left eye, which was laid open
+by the blow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All crowded around him, alarmed. During the commotion the duke regained
+his senses: he cast an anxious look towards the end of the hall, where
+the jester had stood; and as he no longer saw the threatening form of
+royalty, he appeared entirely to recover his self-possession.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the moment the accident happened to the count, the jester had cast
+aside his parchment crown and purple mantle, and thrown himself, with
+an exclamation of intense grief, over his wounded master; but Count
+Gerhard quickly arose, holding his hand over his bleeding wound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Our untimely jest has cost me an eye,&quot; he said, with composure; &quot;but
+that is a matter of little consequence at present. If what we have
+heard be true, the kingdom and our noble queen are in a critical
+position. Haste, my lords, and stand by her with aid and counsel! As
+soon as possible, I shall place myself at the service of the crown and
+country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard left the drinking-room to commit himself to the care of
+his surgeon; and his guests instantly departed from Kiel Castle, and
+hastily took the road to Scanderborg.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">On the same evening the inmates of Möllerup were in a state of anxious
+expectation, for the lord of the castle had departed eight days before
+with a portion of the garrison. The gates were closed, and the
+drawbridge was drawn up as usual. The four watchers stood on the tower,
+and all was stillness in the strong, gloomy fortress.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the women's apartment, as midnight approached, sat the tall, veiled
+Fru Ingeborg, in her dark mourning dress, engaged in sewing a long
+white linen garment. On the work-table before her, stood a lamp. The
+little, restless Ulrica she had sent to bed; but the quiet Margarethé
+sat by her side, industriously employed on the sacred picture, which
+she worked with silk and threads of gold, and which was destined to
+adorn a holy altar-cloth in the castle-chapel of Möllerup.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall soon have it finished now, mother!&quot; exclaimed the daughter.
+&quot;Look once more. The red shines beautifully in the light: to me it
+seems as if the little angels smiled, and as if there really came a
+radiance from the faces of the infant Jesus and the dear Mother of
+God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good, good, my pious child,&quot; replied the mother, patting her pale
+cheek, and casting on the work a passing glance through her veil. &quot;I,
+too, shall soon be done,&quot; she added, with a suppressed sigh.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But what is this long linen garment for, dear mother? It is neither a
+table-cloth nor a sheet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When I am dead, my child,&quot; answered the mother, &quot;thou shalt thank the
+merciful God, and wrap my body and face in this linen cloth: then shall
+I have put off the dark dress of mourning, and be clad in white
+garments--white is the colour of innocence and purity, my child.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, mother! cannot we wear that garment, then, when we are living?
+But our Lord and Saviour took all our sins upon himself, when he died
+for us on the cross. Angels came to his grave in white raiment; and,
+when we become as little children, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us,
+as to the angels.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Put on thy white kirtle to-morrow, my child,&quot; replied the mother.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, mother, mother!&quot; sighed Margarethé, &quot;when shall I see thy face
+again, and thy beautiful tender eyes? I well remember seeing them when
+I was very little; but that is long, long ago. Poor little Rikké has
+never seen thy face, and she is thy child also.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Soon, soon shall ye both see me face to face, I hope,&quot; replied the
+mother, with a trembling voice. &quot;Look at the sand-glass, child: is it
+near midnight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is past midnight, mother. Dost thou expect father to-night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He promised to be here, or to send a messenger, before midnight,&quot;
+replied the mother, anxiously; &quot;and he is not wont to forget what he
+promises. But he has a great pledge to redeem; and before that is done
+I shall not hear from him: until then, there is peace for none of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas! wherefore not, mother? Rememberest thou not that the holy text
+speaks of the peace which is higher than human understanding? That
+peace the Lord has given to us all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, truly, child: that peace the righteous shall find: they shall
+enter into their peace--they shall rest on their beds, it stands. But
+everything in its time: first war--then peace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was now heard the howling of dogs in the court-yard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Listen, mother, listen!&quot; said Margarethé: &quot;the dogs are noisy. They
+certainly expect father; but they were never wont to howl so
+fearfully.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It betokens a message of death,&quot; said the mother. &quot;Keep silence, my
+child; methinks I hear thy father's hunting-horn; and, list! the
+watchword rings from the tower.--He comes!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Footsteps now sounded in the court. In the still night they could hear
+the drawbridge lowered and the gate turn on its grating hinges, and
+shortly after came the noise of many horses and horsemen in the court.
+Margarethé ran to the window.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is father and his men!&quot; she cried. &quot;But what is this? There are
+grayfriars among them, with torches! Father has now dismounted, and is
+coming straight to us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Fru Ingeborg attempted hastily to rise, but sank back on her chair,
+powerless. &quot;Seest thou thy grandfather, too?--Seest thou my hapless old
+father?&quot; she inquired.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, poor old grandfather I do not see, mother. I can see all, but
+grandfather is not amongst them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The door into the women's apartment was now opened, and the tall lord
+of the castle stood in his steel armour on the threshold. His visor was
+raised, and his stern, serious face was pale. He remained on the
+threshold without uttering a word, but made a sign to intimate that the
+child should be sent away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Go into the nursery, my child,&quot; said the mother, rising slowly, and
+trembling: &quot;what thy father has to tell me, thou art not to hear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Margarethé had approached her father, to greet him and kiss his hand;
+but she saw clots of blood on his gauntlet, and ran back affrighted.
+She folded her hands, and left the apartment, weeping.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk then stepped over the threshold. &quot;It is done!&quot; he said: &quot;take
+the veil of shame from thy face, my wife, and embrace, at last, thy
+husband and thine avenger! Thy scandal is washed out with the tyrant's
+blood: thou shalt no longer blush to be called the wife of Stig
+Andersen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With a violent, almost convulsive action, Fru Ingeborg tore away her
+veil, and the rays of the lamp fell on her deadly pale and wasted face,
+which still bore the traces of a beauty seldom surpassed; but her dark
+blue sparkling eyes were deeply sunk in their large sockets. She
+stretched out her meagre hands, and approached the marsk. He drew back
+a step, surprised; but in another instant he rushed forward with wild
+ardour into her outstretched arms, while two large tears rolled down
+his iron cheeks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My Ingeborg! my unhappy Ingeborg! is it thus I again embrace thee!&quot; he
+exclaimed: &quot;has an age passed over our heads, and have we both grown
+old since last I looked upon thy face, and held thee in these arms?
+Live, live now, my hapless wife, and become young again! All thy griefs
+are over: thy years of sorrow and thy dishonour are avenged--fearfully
+avenged! Never was a polluter of woman more severely punished than he
+who murdered thy peace. Thy father was the first whose sword pierced
+his false heart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah! my father, my father! where is he?&quot; inquired Fru Ingeborg,
+starting, alarmed, from her husband's bloody arms. &quot;And thou art
+bleeding--thou art wounded!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the tyrant's blood--I swore thou shouldst see it. I am myself
+unscathed, my wife! but thy father--thy poor crazy father--he followed
+us not from the burning barn. I hurried back to drag him from the
+flames, but it was too late!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Burned! burned alive!&quot; shrieked Fru Ingeborg. &quot;Righteous God! thus
+does the Almighty Judge crush us for our vengeance!&quot; And she fell
+senseless on the winding-sheet, which lay upon the floor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When she again opened her eyes, she was on a chair, and her husband, in
+his bloody harness, yet stood alone with her. &quot;Comfort thee, my wife!&quot;
+said the marsk: &quot;thy unhappy father lay not long in pain; his soul
+soared peacefully on the flames to that promised land of freedom for
+which he so long vainly sighed. Comfort thee, wife! Hear what I have to
+tell thee! It now concerns our own lives. Our great plans respecting
+the kingdom and country are not yet to be thought of. A panic has
+seized all our friends: every one thinks but of himself and his own
+safety. The people will not declare in our favour; but wail, like
+madmen, over the slaughter of the king. I myself am an outlaw: the
+young king has so proclaimed me, though without trial or judgment. I
+laughed thereat--but it struck my followers with dismay. And, truly,
+the words of the child appeared to me most marvellous. People may say
+what they will; but the child is now a king, however. I cannot rely on
+Duke Waldemar; and, therefore, we must away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Never, never! I remain here!&quot; exclaimed Fru Ingeborg, with decision,
+as he raised her head.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is requisite, my wife, thou mayst believe me! I never retreated a
+step when it was possible to advance. Wilt thou now follow a poor
+outlawed man, my Ingeborg, or tarry behind, with a foul name, among our
+powerful foes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At these words the powers of life returned to Fru Ingeborg for an
+instant, with mighty force. She arose calmly, and regarded her husband
+with a look of surprise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A foul name I have borne long enough!&quot; she said: &quot;I shall no longer
+bear it in this world, even were I to be made Queen of Denmark. Thanks
+for having taken away my reproach--for me, no one shall further grieve.
+But if I am again the wife of Marsk Stig Andersen, hear now the last
+words which, in this world, I have to say to thee. My hours are
+numbered. The hour's honour I have won was not worth nine years'
+anguish, and that horrible night of fire and murder. Has the panic
+which struck our friends, seized also the mighty Marsk Stig? Art thou
+the man to be frightened by a child, and to flee the land at the
+bidding of a boy? Nay, nay, my bold avenger! It is the mist of the
+dusky night of blood that now obscures thy vision and weighs down thy
+soul--it is the kingly gore upon thy wambraces that paralyses thine
+arm. Stay here till dawn. Cleanse the blood from thy harness, and
+bethink thee why it flowed. 'Twas not merely that thou shouldst behold
+this pallid countenance. Tonight, I stand before thee as a spectre only
+to remind thee why thou hast tarried so long, and then to descend with
+honour into my grave. But when thou hast closed these eyes--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Live, live, my brave wife!&quot; interrupted the marsk; &quot;and thou shalt see
+that I will act in a manner worthy of thee. But, alone and unaided, not
+even the strongest can overthrow the throne of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When wert thou left alone? Hast thou not lords and knights of thine
+own kindred? Art thou not in league with kings and princes? Live Duke
+Waldemar and Count Jacob no longer? And are not Ové Dyré and Jacob
+Blaafod yet remaining? Our powerful kinsmen will not desert thee. In
+Norway, King Erik is thy steady friend: he is mighty in people and
+ships: him thou canst depend upon. Remain here, then. Let not our race
+be rooted out, and the land be lost. Build a castle on Hielm, that
+shall stand firm against shaft, and shot, and sling. Take not thy
+mighty hand from Denmark, my brave, proud Stig Andersen! Set the crown
+on a head that can bear it, and suffer not the families of Toké and
+Hvide to be banished, so long as thine eyes are open! Give me thy hand
+upon this, if my peace and salvation are dear to thee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, my wife, I promise you!&quot; said the marsk, holding forth his
+mailed hand to her: &quot;if it please God, it shall so be done!&quot; He became
+silent and thoughtful.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They stood thus for a few moments, hand in hand. The fire in the pale
+Ingeborg's eyes was quenched, and a cloud overspread her countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks, thanks! now am I at rest,&quot; she said, slowly and solemnly; &quot;now
+can I lie still in my grave, and grieve no more over my lacerated life,
+and over the blood that has been shed for my womanly honour. I shall
+not hear my forsaken daughters weep--I shall not hear my father's
+death-shriek in the flames. For the last time my eyes swim in
+darkness,&quot; she whispered, faintly, tottering. &quot;Good night, my avenger!
+Thanks! Thou hast brought me the last message which I shall hear in the
+world. It was a message of victory, but of a terrible one. I am again
+thy lawful wife--but only beyond purgatory can I be what I was nine
+years ago--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ingeborg, dearest Ingeborg! talk not so wildly!&quot; exclaimed the marsk,
+anxiously; &quot;retire to rest--thou art unwell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I go to rest,&quot; she whispered, and staring wildly before her. &quot;Father,
+father! burn no longer for thy daughter! Now shall she pass with thee
+through the flames! Good night!&quot; She pressed the marsk's hand
+fervently, and fell suddenly to the ground, as if struck with apoplexy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Alarmed, the marsk called for help; but, before the servants arrived,
+their unhappy mistress lay, without sign of life, in the blood-stained
+arms of her husband.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Ere Duke Waldemar and the Margraves of Brandenburg reached Scanderborg
+Castle, Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson stood at the head of a
+considerable array of soldiers before the palace, where a camp had been
+pitched, whilst crowds of people flocked to do homage to the young
+king. Old Sir John had been brought to the palace on a litter; and the
+strictest regulations had been adopted. No seditious voice dared to
+make itself heard. Duke Waldemar and his train had ridden day and
+night, without intermission. On the second morning after they left
+Kiel, they beheld the camp of Scanderborg in the distance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We come too late,&quot; said the duke. &quot;Tarry a moment, my lords: if I see
+aright, there is an army here.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;An army of seven or eight hundred men,&quot; replied Margrave Otto, whose
+glance at the encampment indicated the experienced general.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel and Sir John have lost no time in this matter,&quot; continued
+the duke: &quot;they receive the homage of the people without waiting for
+the chief men of the country, and the nearest kinsmen of the royal
+family. In this, you may see the presumption of these gentlemen. But
+the power is their's for the moment, and we must be silent. The boy has
+been declared King of Denmark; and your wise and illustrious sister,
+noble sirs, must, for the present, be content to exercise, along with
+me, the functions of guardianship. Even in that position we must remain
+quiet. So long as the present commotion agitates every mind, confidence
+is nowhere to be expected, and no rational measure to be thought of.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They continued their way in doubt and silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your conclusion, my noble duke, seems to me somewhat precipitate,&quot;
+said Margrave Otto, at length: &quot;your eloquence had for a moment, in the
+present unexpected posture of affairs, somewhat dazzled me. The royal
+election has long since been legally determined; and any alteration, in
+it would be a culpable encroachment on the privileges of the people. My
+sister, the queen, would certainly hesitate to exclude her own son from
+the crown, for the vanity of being called queen-regnant; the more
+especially as, in reality, she will be so, as long as the young king is
+a minor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I fully concur in my brother's opinion,&quot; observed Margrave Conrad, who
+appeared to be considerably younger than the other, in whose views,
+however, he generally coincided, although he betrayed a certain
+independence of mind and character. &quot;We feel grateful for your concern
+on behalf of our unhappy sister, noble duke,&quot; he continued; &quot;but it has
+misled you. Let us not speak to her of a project so dangerous and
+seducing, and which has certainly never yet entered her thoughts.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, noble sirs,&quot; said the duke, quickly: &quot;it was too hasty
+a conclusion. We must allow matters to take their necessary course. The
+thought was prompted by respect for the wisdom and rare qualities of
+your illustrious sister, and as a means of salvation for Denmark in the
+present conjuncture. What I have said on it must be a secret between
+us, in all the trust and honour of knighthood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand you,&quot; replied Margrave Otto, examining the duke with a
+scrutinising glance: &quot;during the past week you have been singularly
+absorbed in, and have almost distracted us with, your state policy. I
+could almost swear you had a presentiment of what was about to happen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke changed colour; and Sir Tuko Abildgaard, who had been silent
+during the whole journey, hastily turned his steed, and seemed busied
+only in guiding him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So much the worse,&quot; said the duke, hastily. &quot;Who can have paid
+attention to the unhappy state of Denmark, and to the variances that
+have long existed between the king and his powerful nobles, without
+fearing the worst? There was a time,&quot; he continued, &quot;when, as you know,
+I took an active part in Danish affairs: with the inconsiderateness of
+youth. I hoped, by a daring undertaking, to bring about internal peace
+and good government. My attempt miscarried; and now I rejoice, that my
+reconciliation with the king, and my renunciatory oath, exempt me from
+the most distant suspicion of having participated in this
+insurrectionary movement. Even my stay with you, noble sirs, in these
+dreadful times, I regard as the most fortunate circumstance of my life.
+In conjunction with you and your noble sister, I may now perhaps,
+unsuspected, aid in restoring order to my distracted country, and in
+chastising those audacious nobles who would lord it over the nation. We
+have seen, at least, that they are not afraid of resorting to the most
+violent measures to advance their own petty claims, and to gratify a
+miserable private rancour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is my hand, noble Duke Waldemar!&quot; exclaimed Margrave Otto,
+extending it cordially: &quot;you intend honestly by the people and the
+unhappy royal house, and we shall henceforth give you both aid and
+counsel in restoring peace and order in the country. Let us no longer
+tarry. I long to see my noble sister, and to give her comfort in her
+hour of need.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They set spurs to their horses, and rode swiftly towards the camp of
+Scanderborg, where they were stopped, and their names demanded by the
+sentinels, who, however, respectfully allowed them to pass, on
+ascertaining that they were Duke Waldemar and the queen's brothers. On
+reaching the palace they found the drawbridge occupied by a strong
+guard of landsknechts, and were obliged to dismount, in consequence of
+the number of people who blocked up the way. The crowd fell back
+respectfully on each side before the three princely personages, whose
+handsome dresses and gold-embroidered mantles indicated their elevated
+rank. They were, however, often stopped in their progress, and their
+squires were obliged to remain behind, with the horses. During these
+stoppages many expressions were heard from amongst the people, which
+the duke and Sir Abildgaard listened to with special attention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have they caught the murderers?&quot; inquired a burgher.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By the foul fiend, nay!&quot; replied another: &quot;the carls were well
+disguised, and who could know them? They had crept into monks' cloaks.
+For aught we know, they may be here, in the midst of us--nobody can
+tell a hound by his hairs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The wood has ears, and the field has eyes--what has been hidden in the
+snow, comes up in the thaw,&quot; observed an old woman on a crutch: &quot;if Sir
+John or Drost Hessel catch them, they will be hanged, without doubt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hanged?&quot; cried a young fellow--&quot;where now, Dorothy Ketch? The rascals
+would dance for joy below the gallows, and hug the halter, if they
+could get off so easily. Nay, nay; the dogs must be broken, and be upon
+the wheel. The king wasn't just what he should be, it is true, and was
+too fond of hunting after wives and wenches; but they had no right, for
+all that, to kill him, like a mad bull, in a barn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When our young king grows bigger, he will revenge his father, like a
+good Christian,&quot; observed a sturdy peasant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But where is he? Are we never to get a sight of him?&quot; cried another:
+&quot;they haven't surely slain him, too?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay--the Lord put a bar to that,&quot; replied the peasant: &quot;they were
+here the same morning early, before the devil had his shoes on, and
+would fain have laid hands on the young king; but he was up as soon as
+they were. When they saw him on the balcony, they grew pale in the
+nose, and durst not crook a hair at him. If, as they say, it was really
+the valiant marsk, he was frightened enough when he heard himself
+outlawed; and the fear of the Evil One seized on all of them before
+they could knock at the door.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rack and wheel were promised them, and red-hot stones they took with
+them on their journey,&quot; said the young fellow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That was brave! He will be a doughty king,&quot; cried many voices at once:
+&quot;he will be another sort of man to his father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There he is! there he is!&quot; was now vociferated by the crowd; and on
+the balcony was seen the young king, in his little regal helmet and a
+knight's black suit, by the side of his mother, who stood clothed in
+black velvet, with a diadem on her dark tresses. Her face was pale and
+tranquil, and she surveyed the crowd with great earnestness and
+composure. On the left side of the little king was placed Sir John, in
+an arm-chair; and behind him were seen Sir Thorstenson, and a body of
+royal trabants, with halberds and bucklers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Long live King Erik Erikson!&quot; shouted a powerful voice from the
+balcony; and old Sir John, with an effort, rose and waved his hat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A thousand voices repeated the shout of homage. The little king bowed
+to the people with the bearing of a knight, and uttered a few words,
+which, however, were only heard by those who were nearest, although
+they were instantly responded to by the entire voices of the multitude.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See how the young braggart struts and swells!&quot; whispered Sir
+Abildgaard: &quot;he has learnt betimes to play the knight and king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Duke Waldemar angrily bit his under-lip, and gave a private signal to
+Sir Tuko, who left his side, and mingled with the crowd.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after, a voice from among them shouted--&quot;No more Eriks! We must
+have a Waldemar for king!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This exclamation, although no one knew whence it proceeded, was caught
+up by a considerable number, and a discontented murmur commenced in the
+assemblage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But old Sir John again arose, and, notwithstanding the excessive pain
+he suffered, read, with a loud and distinct voice, a document which,
+ten years previously, had been signed and sealed by the bishops and
+estates of the kingdom, and again renewed by the people in 1280,
+confirming Erik's legal election to the crown. He then repeated the
+shout of homage, and every rebellious and opposing voice was drowned in
+the overwhelming cry of &quot;Long live King Erik! long live our lawful
+king! Down, down with the traitors!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Duke Waldemar endeavoured hastily to escape from the clamorous
+multitude, justly fearing that they might tear him in pieces as the
+instigator of the seditious cry. He therefore joined, with a loud
+voice, in the shout for King Erik, and happily succeeded, together with
+the Margraves of Brandenburg, in getting within the palace-gates.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The proclamation having been made, the royal party retired from the
+balcony, and the people soon afterwards dispersed. In the riddersal,
+the queen received her princely brothers with considerable emotion, and
+greeted Duke Waldemar with a coldness which was to him altogether
+unexpected.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had, in the meanwhile, been receiving from the soldiers the
+oath of allegiance to the young king; and, a few hours afterwards, he
+conducted the whole royal family, with a numerous escort, on the way to
+Viborg. The queen's car, containing the little Princess Mereté and her
+governess, accompanied them, the queen herself sometimes riding in it
+when tired of horseback.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a grand and solemn mourning procession. In a black velvet
+mantle, with ravens' feathers in her pearl-bound hat, and mounted on a
+snow-white palfrey, the queen, attended by her sons, rode through the
+villages on the route. Prince Christopher was also attired in a
+magnificent suit of mourning; but the young king chiefly attracted
+attention. He rode on a tall coal-black steed. Under his black velvet
+mantle, which was lined with sable and figured with golden crowns, he
+wore a full suit of knights' armour, the wise precaution of Drost Peter
+and Sir John. In his little crowned helmet waved a plume of ravens'
+feathers, and on his arm he bore a small shield, on which was
+represented a helmet with two golden horns, on the extremities of which
+were affixed two peacocks' feathers. The youthful king had not yet been
+dubbed a knight; and although, from his second year, he had been
+accustomed to hear himself addressed by the title of royalty, he set
+much greater store on being accounted a knight, and on displaying his
+arms. It was from this childish love of pomp that he had himself caused
+to be painted the shield with which he was now for the first time
+publicly seen, and which he bore with a mien as grave and manly as if
+he confidently felt he was henceforth called upon to protect the
+kingdom and country with his puny buckler.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nearest the royal personages rode the Margraves of Brandenburg, with
+Duke Waldemar and his drost. After them followed the chancellor,
+the learned Master Martinus, together with the high-marshal, the
+under-marshal, and all the counsellors of the kingdom, old John Little
+excepted, whose recent accident obliged him to remain at Scanderborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After these came the royal trabants, and twelve pages bearing torches.
+At the head of the procession rode Sir Thorstenson, with a numerous
+band of landsknechts; and Drost Peter Hessel, with Sir Bent Rimaardson,
+closed it in, and guarded the royal personages on both sides with their
+bold and trusty horsemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The procession advanced slowly and quietly towards Viborg, which was
+reached, after numerous stoppages, on the evening of the following day,
+when the body of the murdered king, which, from St. Cecilia's night,
+had been exposed to public view in the great cathedral of that city,
+was to be laid in its coffin and interred.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the procession approached Viborg, Master Martinus first broke the
+long and solemn silence that had prevailed during the whole journey.
+Notwithstanding the deep sorrow that bowed him down over the
+misfortunes of the kingdom, the patriotic old man had so strong a
+desire to unbosom himself, that he forgot for a moment the private
+suspicions he harboured against Duke Waldemar, as the secret head and
+protector of the regicides. They happened to be riding side by side,
+when the chancellor turned to the duke, with an antiquarian remark, on
+the name and origin of the ancient city of Viborg, which he thought was
+derived from a certain Queen <i>Vebeca</i>, or from the Gothic people
+<i>Viti</i>, or, perhaps, with better reason, from its elevated position and
+ancient use as a place of sacrifice; or even from the heathen war-god
+<i>Vig</i>; and hence that the place had been originally called
+<i>Vigbierg</i>--the hill of Vig.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very possibly, sir chancellor,&quot; replied the duke, abstractedly: &quot;as a
+man of learning, you must understand that best.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the chancellor continued to allude to several conjectures regarding
+Odin's surname, <i>Vigner</i>, and concerning the amazon <i>Vebiorg</i>, who is
+mentioned in the dithyramb on the race of Bravalla.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It may be all very true, sir chancellor,&quot; exclaimed the duke,
+peevishly; &quot;but I am not versed in these profoundedly learned matters,
+and therefore do not concern myself respecting them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If we examine the town-arms,&quot; continued the chancellor, zealously,
+without noticing the duke's impatience, &quot;they may perhaps confirm the
+opinion of these who hold that the town was first called <i>Vigletsborg</i>;
+the more especially if we suppose the two figures in the shield to be
+King Viglet and his queen. Some learned persons, however, have
+conjectured these to be Adam and Eve, with the tree of knowledge of
+good and evil between them; but, again, if we compare the shield with
+the city seal, (<i>sigillum senatorum Vibergensis civitatis</i>,) it is
+evident that the Adam and Eve of one party, and the King Viglet and his
+queen of the other, are in reality male persons, one old and the other
+young, who undeniably represent two judges; and I deem it singularly
+right and judicious that the young judge should have the older and more
+experienced one by his side; as, in like manner, our young king may now
+consider it fortunate, in the midst of these disasters, that he has his
+father's old, tried, and trusty friends by his side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your learning, worthy sir chancellor, must be especially advantageous
+to him,&quot; replied the duke, jeeringly; &quot;and if you could help him to
+discover the origin of the name of Denmark, it would certainly be a
+great assistance to him in governing the kingdom wisely.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If we do not derive the name of our dear fatherland from <i>Danais</i>, as
+the antiquarian historian Dudo supposes, but from old King Dan, as
+Father Saxo maintains,&quot; replied the chancellor, calmly, although he
+noticed the sarcasm, &quot;it is a thought well calculated to awake kingly
+aspirations in our young master's soul, that he can reckon his birth
+and descent from that ancient king, who gave a name to his people and
+country. Such knowledge is never to be despised.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He ceased, and fell into deep thought, during which he nodded, as if
+approving some idea that had occurred to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When I behold this great and fair city, with its lofty ramparts,&quot; he
+said, resuming the conversation, &quot;my hope in the Almighty God is
+strengthened, that he will henceforth keep his hand over the people and
+their lawful king. From this point the great light of Christianity was
+spread abroad among the people by means of the holy Bishop Poppo's
+wonderful miracles. On yon heathy summit our ancient kings received
+homage; and there the holy martyr, King Canute, got the true aid of the
+brave Viborgers against traitors and rebels. Here the great Waldemar
+was first proclaimed king; and here he found help and refuge with the
+trusty burghers, after that treacherous and crying slaughter at
+Roskild. Here, also, alas, three and thirty years ago, was homage paid
+to this same unhappy king, then an innocent child, whose ensanguined
+corse we are now about to see carried to its resting-place. Accursed be
+his murderers, and they who have caused this disaster! I would they
+were present in the midst of us, that our murdered king and master
+might turn upon them his glassy eyes, and discover them to us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he uttered these words he examined the duke closely. It was getting
+dark, but he could nevertheless plainly perceive an expression of
+uneasiness in his countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you not share my wish, highborn sir?&quot; he inquired. &quot;And think you
+any one of the regicides, or of their accomplices in the horrid deed,
+is so hardened and godless that he would not grow pale and betray his
+guilt in presence of the murdered king?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke's horse began to plunge, and as soon as he had brought him
+into a steady pace again, he replied to the chancellor's question,
+without, however, turning his face towards him. &quot;You would not make a
+good inquisitor, sir chancellor,&quot; he said, quickly, &quot;if you think you
+could detect the criminals in this fashion. You may rest assured,
+worthy sir, that I shall cause search to be made for them in every
+direction; but I should least of all expect to discover them here. The
+audacious murderers will certainly be careful, on such an occasion, not
+to come hither, where they might be so easily detected. That Marsk Stig
+is the ringleader, we well know; but if we were to regard every one as
+a participator in the horrid act who may happen to grow pale or be
+affected during this solemnity,&quot; he continued, &quot;we must first denounce
+ourselves and all the most attached friends of the country and the
+royal house; for who can barely think of the dreadful deed without
+emotion? When the margraves and I first heard the report of it, in
+Count Gerhard's castle at Kiel, we were almost overwhelmed with horror.
+The daring marsk has accomplices, most assuredly. I have dispatched
+spies throughout the country; and if you can discover the murderers
+before I do, sir chancellor, you will be entitled to our thanks. As our
+young king's nearest kinsman and natural guardian, I consider myself
+bound to pursue them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The learned chancellor was silent, and again relapsed into thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The town soon lay distinctly before them, with its numerous churches
+and chapels, from which more than twenty towers and steeples rose
+towards the heavens.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hark, how the funeral bells are tolling from the steeple of Our Lady's
+Church,&quot; exclaimed now the grave chancellor: &quot;soon will they be thus
+tolled from every steeple in Denmark; and think you not, illustrious
+sir, they will ring like the knell of doomsday in the ears of the
+murderers, wherever they may be?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While he was yet speaking the sounds of bells increased, coming louder
+and more distinctly from the twenty churches of the city, and from
+every village steeple in the neighbourhood. Night closed in, and the
+flambeaux of the pages lighted up the mourning procession. Duke
+Waldemar's horse plunged about wildly among the flaring torches,
+seemingly affrighted at the tolling from the bells.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, hark again to the small bell on the gable of the grayfriars'
+church, behind the cathedral: how clearly it sounds beyond every other,
+although it has no belfry!&quot; exclaimed Master Martinus to the duke, who
+was warm with curbing his unruly steed. &quot;The poor grayfriars!&quot;
+continued the chancellor: &quot;they ring zealously to-night; desirous,
+perhaps, to let us know that they had no share in what their cloaks
+concealed in the barn of Finnerup.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke replied not, but addressed himself to his drost. &quot;Do we not
+enter by St. Mogen's Gate?&quot; he inquired, in an indifferent tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, illustrious sir: that is the entrance from the Aaborg road,&quot;
+replied Sir Abildgaard: &quot;here we have the sea and the Borrewold on our
+right, and must enter by St. Michael's Gate, and along St. Michael's
+Street to the cathedral.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art right, Tuko. This noise has confused me. Is it not respecting
+St. Mogen's Gate they relate that stupid fable?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, i'faith, sir,&quot; replied the knight, laughing--&quot;of a bronze horse,
+under ground, that is said to sound whenever we have war in the
+country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The concealed horse, under the gate of St. Mogen, has been the
+palladium of the city from the earliest times, gentlemen,&quot; observed
+Master Martin, gravely: &quot;it is said that no traitor and enemy of his
+country has heard it ring, and survived.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The deuce!&quot; exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, with forced pleasantry; &quot;it is a
+pity the good St. Michael has not such a wonderful horse under his
+gate: we should then soon have certain proof whether we are all as good
+patriots as our learned chancellor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The holy Michael gives no warning,&quot; replied the chancellor, &quot;but
+brandishes his flaming sword against the doomed. That is his image,
+gentlemen, we perceive over the gate there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The procession was now entering the arch of the gate, and the torches
+illumined a knight-like, brazen statue, that stood over it, with one
+foot on a dragon, and a long flaming sword in its hand. The sword was
+gilded, and shone bright, in the light of the flambeaux, above the
+duke's head. He looked up, and fancied the statue moved and bent
+towards him; and quickly spurring his horse, he dashed under the gloomy
+archway.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did I not know it was a brazen statue,&quot; he whispered to his drost, &quot;I
+could have sworn it was alive, and had Marsk Stig for its shadow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mourning train proceeded slowly along St. Michael's Street to the
+cathedral. Every window was lighted, and the streets were filled with
+people of all ranks, among whom as deep a silence prevailed as if they
+had been inanimate forms. The train approached the great illumined
+cathedral, whoso immense bells, with their deep, hollow tones, drowned
+those of every other.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the large area surrounding the cathedral the mourners dismounted,
+and the procession advanced on foot, in the order in which it had
+arrived. Black cloth had been laid along the path leading to the doors
+of the church, which stood, grand and majestic, with its two lofty
+spires, and its four chapels, as it had been enlarged by King Niels,
+and completed by Bishop Nicolaus, in the twelfth century.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The procession entered, proceeding along the principal aisle, and past
+the four chapels, wherein candles burned on fourteen altars. The chapel
+of St. Kield, the patron saint of the city, on the northern side of the
+cathedral, was brilliantly illuminated. In it candles were burnt night
+and day, under St. Kield's golden shrine, which was suspended by gilded
+links from the vaulted roof; and here was seen, in passing, the tomb of
+the murdered Svend Grathé.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The last of the train had not entered the church-porch when the first
+halted opposite the high altar. Here the arms of the murdered king,
+bearing the two lions and the two crowns, half concealed by a veil of
+long black crape, were lighted up with twelve wax-candles; and here
+stood the provost, in full canonicals, with two other prelates, an
+archdeacon, a chanter, and twelve minor canons, with tapers in their
+hands. They sang a solemn requiem over a large oaken coffin, covered
+with lead, on which lay the great sword of King Erik Christopherson, by
+the side of a silver shrine containing the holy sacrament, which was
+now to follow him to the grave; as his sudden and violent death had
+prevented his receiving it whilst alive. On the shrine was engraved the
+Latin inscription: &quot;<i>Panis adest verĉ domini sponsalia vitĉ</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When mass had been sung, the provost pronounced a short oration. He
+then raised the lid of the coffin, and placed the shrine between the
+folded hands of the corpse. Every one who desired to see the royal
+body, now received permission to advance. A few only approached so near
+that they could see it, and among these was the young King Erik. He
+bowed in silence over his father's corpse, laid his hand upon its gory
+breast, and said a few words which no one heard. He then stepped back,
+and hid his weeping face in his mantle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">No other person approaching, the prelate replaced the coffin-lid, and
+having again laid the sword over it, the canons raised the coffin, and
+bore it, at the head of the mourners, behind the high altar, where they
+placed it in a vaulted tomb, raised an ell above the ground; whilst a
+deep and solemn dirge sounded from a crypt directly underneath. The
+prelate then cast three spadefuls of earth on the coffin, and
+pronounced, with a loud voice, the usual burial-service of the Church.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He then announced to the people, that the betrayed and murdered king,
+five years before his sudden death, as if impelled by a wonderful
+presentiment, had endowed the cathedral with gifts and estates, in
+order that masses and vigils should be maintained until the last day
+for the repose of his soul.<a name="div2Ref_33" href="#div2_33"><sup>[33]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The requiem,&quot; said he, &quot;which is now sounding, shall never cease.
+Every night this song shall ascend from the depths of the earth to the
+throne of the Almighty. Day and night we shall pray for the soul of our
+murdered lord, and implore the King of kings, that King Erik may be the
+last monarch of Denmark who shall fall by the hands of traitors and
+murderers. The Lord have mercy on the soul of his anointed! Woe! woe to
+his murderers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This woe-cry was repeated by all the canons, and by many of the
+mourners, among whom the voice of the young King Erik sounded with
+wonderful distinctness. Three times the woe-cry was repeated by the
+invisible chorus in the subterranean chapel beneath the tomb.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During the whole of these solemnities Master Martinus had been closely
+scrutinising every countenance around him, although he was inwardly
+much affected, and held his folded hands on his breast. In some, he
+beheld deep emotion; but many exhibited only coldness and indifference;
+and in others he remarked even a degree of bravado that alarmed him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke and his drost stood with their faces turned from him, and
+appeared to have their attention fixed on St. Kield's Chapel. But when
+the hymn sounded from the crypt under their feet, and the deep woe-cry
+echoed among the arches of the church, the duke had to support himself
+on his sword, and laid his hand on his forehead; whilst Sir Abildgaard
+hastily whispered a few words in his ear. At the same moment a subdued
+shriek was heard, and a momentary confusion took place amongst the
+people at the church-door, where a man, who had swooned away, was
+carried out.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The train of mourners slowly quitted the church. During the funeral
+solemnities Drost Peter had stood quietly by a pillar of the choir,
+with his hands folded on the hilt of his drawn sword, which he held
+point upwards, while the Gospel was read. In this chivalrous and
+devotional posture, which signified that the knight was prepared to
+defend the holy faith, he had inwardly prayed for the soul of his
+murdered king, as well as for the future welfare of the young monarch
+and his kingdom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the procession had retired from the church, he observed a tall
+female form, in a simple black dress, and with a dark veil over her
+face, kneeling with folded hands near the high altar, where she seemed
+to pray with great devotion, without observing what was taking place
+around her. Her noble and beautiful figure reminded him, beyond all the
+women of Denmark, of her who was dearest to him; and, notwithstanding
+her simple dress, and the improbability of her being the Lady Ingé, he
+remained, absorbed in reverie. It was not until the tall form rose to
+depart, that he became aware that the procession had already withdrawn,
+and that the lights on the altar had been extinguished. He then
+sheathed his sword, and advanced slowly towards her. When he stood
+before her in the deserted aisle, which was still faintly lighted up by
+the candles of St. Kield's Chapel, she started, as if surprised at the
+meeting, and appeared anxious to avoid him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ingé--noble Jomfru Ingé! if it be you,&quot; said he, &quot;oh, do not avoid me,
+but say what weighty reason brings you hither? It is well that our
+prayers should unite at the royal tomb, and before God's altar, on this
+great day of mourning!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter Hessel,&quot; replied the maiden, pausing, &quot;here then, perhaps,
+we meet for the last time in this world. I will no longer attempt to
+conceal my face from you; although the cause of my appearance here must
+remain a mystery to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The veil was thrown aside, and revealed her whom the dear and
+well-known voice had already announced: the brave Lady Ingé stood
+before him. She regarded him with a countenance on which a deep
+although calm grief was imprinted; but its expression was softened by
+pious confidence, and by a calm demeanour announcing a firm and
+powerful will.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For heaven's sake, what has happened to you?&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter,
+alarmed. &quot;I see you for the last time, say you? What mean you, noble
+Jomfru Ingé? Why are you here alone? and where is your father?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Inquire not, Drost Peter--I cannot, I dare not answer you. Give me
+your word of honour as a knight that you will not follow me from this
+holy place, nor seek to learn the road that I shall take.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How can you think, noble Ingé, that I should follow you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Remember who I am, and you will then understand me. This only can I
+tell you: I am fulfilling a heavy but necessary duty in quitting this
+unhappy land. God knows when I shall again see it; but here only my
+heart and soul are at home. Yet one thing more must I declare to you,&quot;
+she continued, with a trembling voice--&quot;for my justification and
+your own peace. You must know it--that it is the truth, you have my
+word:--my unhappy father was at Flynderborg on St. Cecilia's night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter saw how much it had cost her to utter these word's; and he
+heard them with a feeling of joy, which, however, was restrained by a
+thrill of horror at the frightful thought they concealed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The merciful God be praised!&quot; he exclaimed. &quot;Take my word as a knight,
+noble Jomfru Ingé, that although my whole soul follows you wherever you
+may journey, mine eye shall not attempt to spy out your way, whoever
+accompanies you. We stand here on a divided road,&quot; he continued, deeply
+affected; &quot;and I see too well that we must be parted for a time; but by
+my God and Saviour, in whose presence I stand, I shall not resign the
+hope of again seeing you! You were my childhood's bride, Jomfru Ingé!
+Our angels before God's throne united our infant souls, before they
+knew each other. If you may not or will not hereafter become my bride
+in reality, when these turmoils which now part us have ceased, and
+Denmark's throne again stands fast--I now vow to God, and by every
+saint, that Drost Peter Hessel shall go down unwedded into his grave,
+but never shall he forget his childhood's bride! Answer me not,
+noble-hearted Ingé! Crush not with a word the fairest hope of my life!
+I have an important work to perform in the world, and feel, by the
+blessing of God, strength and courage to complete it faithfully, even
+with this greatest loss. But with you is torn away the blossom of my
+heart's life, the fruit of which I must be condemned never to taste.
+Deprive me not, then, of my fair hopes, but rather, with one word, bid
+them live. Say but that word, and my courage and strength shall
+increase tenfold, to realise with cheerfulness the thoughts which first
+brought our souls to know each other. Ingé, dearest Ingé! canst thou
+hereafter love me?&quot; With these words he seized her hand, and cast on
+her a look beaming with the strongest affection.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She withdrew her hand. &quot;I can, my childhood's bridegroom,&quot; she replied,
+with inward emotion; &quot;yea, I can love thee deeply, so that, even should
+I never more behold thee with these eyes, I can preserve thine image in
+my soul, until we meet in that greater fatherland where no strife and
+guile can prevail, and where no might can sever us. But I am a
+daughter, Drost Peter,&quot; she continued, retreating a step--&quot;I am an
+unhappy daughter. You are--you must be--the enemy of the man who gave
+me life. Do, in God's name, what you must and ought, and let no thought
+of me lead your mind from truth and duty. The Almighty shall determine
+whether we again meet in this world or not!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It shall, it must be, noble, dearest Ingé! the compassionate Creator
+will not for ever divide us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That no one knows, save He who knows all. Farewell, my childhood's
+bridegroom--farewell! God and all his saints be with thee and our
+fatherland! He who is merciful be gracious to us all! Farewell!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, she hid her face in her veil, and disappeared along the dark
+aisle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter dared not follow her. He stood as if rivetted to the
+pavement; and it seemed to him as if the dark and baleful spirit that
+sped over the land had now torn away from him also the delight and joy
+of his life; but he felt, at the same time, with a melancholy pleasure,
+that this farewell hour had shown him a glimpse of a blessedness of
+which no separation, and no power on earth, could rob him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He had been standing for some time, gazing on a tombstone in the floor
+of the church, when he raised his eyes to the image on the cross, above
+the door of the choir, and it seemed to him as if the drooping head of
+the Redeemer shone with glory in the rays proceeding from the lights of
+St. Kield's Chapel. Suddenly he felt a powerful blow on his left
+shoulder, as if from a strong, mailed hand. He turned, and a tall man,
+clad in armour, with his visor down, stood before him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We are met, Drost Peter Hessel--we are met!&quot; uttered a deep and
+powerful voice. &quot;If you are the knight who is placed to guard the
+infant throne, defend it if you can! You now behold the man who swears
+to overturn it, or perish in the attempt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! Marsk Stig! regicide!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, drawing his sword.
+But at that instant all the lights in St. Kield's Chapel, which had
+alone illuminated the church, were suddenly extinguished; the powerful,
+gigantic form disappeared, and Drost Peter groped alone, with his drawn
+sword, among the tombs in the dark cathedral.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4>THE</h4>
+<h2>CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.</h2>
+<br>
+<h3>PART III.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="normal">Half an hour after Lady Ingé had left Drost Peter in Viborg Cathedral,
+by the grave of the murdered king, she departed, in the plain dress of
+a citizen's daughter, through St. Mogen's Gate, in company with her
+father. Many travellers were proceeding the same way; but before
+midnight, by order of the young king, every gate was barred.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Duke Waldemar and Sir Abildgaard had accompanied the procession from
+the cathedral. The old Borrewold Castle had been prepared for the
+reception of the royal family and their followers; and there, late in
+the evening, the queen and the young king held a council, with locked
+doors, at which were present the Margraves of Brandenburg, Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter, who had hurried from the church with the
+important intelligence that Marsk Stig himself was in Viborg, and had
+had the audacity to be present at the funeral. Every precautionary
+measure was instantly adopted. The approaches to the royal apartments
+in the Borrewold were guarded by Sir Thorstenson and Benedict
+Rimaardson, with the royal trabants. Mailed horsemen and landsknechts
+blocked up every avenue to the castle. The trusty civic guard of Viborg
+was armed, and, at the chancellor's suggestion, the orders of the king
+were immediately issued to shut the gates of the city, and to institute
+a strict search throughout it, during which every suspicious person was
+seized and imprisoned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was past midnight. The duke, with great inquietude, paced up and
+down his sleeping chamber, situated in the eastern wing of the castle,
+facing the Viborg lake. The events of the journey and the interment had
+strongly excited his fears. The expressions of the chancellor on their
+way to the city, and his searching looks in the cathedral, had created
+in him a feeling of uneasiness, which he in vain endeavoured to
+overcome. His anxiety was farther increased by the stern preparations
+going forward in the castle, which had not escaped his notice. On every
+side he heard the tread of armed men--in the court-yard, as well as in
+the passage outside his chamber.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Although both himself and his drost were waited upon with the greatest
+attention, and even with regal pomp, it still appeared to him that all
+his movements were watched; and the strong guard outside his door was
+far from pleasing to him. He had despatched Tuko Abildgaard into the
+city, an hour before, to ascertain the cause of the excessive noise and
+clang of arms he heard there, and he had not yet returned. The door was
+at length opened, and the young knight entered, breathless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What is the meaning of the din?&quot; inquired the duke: &quot;is the town in an
+uproar?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not precisely so; but matters look suspicious,&quot; replied Sir
+Abildgaard, with some agitation. &quot;They are searching everywhere for the
+marsk. I have been three times laid hold of, and your name was barely
+powerful enough to liberate me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have they seized the marsk?&quot; asked the duke, hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, sir duke: it is rumoured that he left the town before the gates
+were secured. The Stig knew well what he was about; but what he wanted
+here to-day, I am at a loss to conceive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is easily understood,&quot; replied the duke. &quot;To know in what temper
+the people are, must be to him of much importance. Great grief or
+lamentation I did not observe; neither saw I peasant or burgher in the
+procession.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But now the wind has shifted, sir. The sight of the queen and of the
+young king has worked a wonderful change in the mob. You should hear
+how they growl against the daring marsk and his friends, and how they
+lament and extol the deceased king, the soft-hearted fools! We shall
+now have Reinmar von Zweter and all the German poets in vogue, and Erik
+Glipping will become a great man in his grave. But it is always thus.
+When the wild beast, that every one pursued, has fallen, even his
+greatest foes lament over him, as if he had suffered shameful
+injustice; and they admire the monster for his powerful claws, when
+they have no longer anything to fear from them. That wavering turncoat,
+Sir Lavé, from Flynderborg, has been here, with the marsk: he was
+seized with qualms in the church, it is said, and behaved like a madman
+during the funeral. Fortunately, he has disappeared. Had they caught
+him, he was in a condition to betray us all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Us?&quot; repeated the duke, suddenly changing his tone of familiarity to
+one of pride and coldness: &quot;remember to whom you are addressing
+yourself, Tuko! What connection had I with these conspirators? Look to
+your own safety. After what you have stated, I would advise you to be
+careful. Rely not on my name: unless you can, like me, wash your hands
+of what has happened, and swear you had no part in it, I cannot aid
+you. I am here, with the young king, as his nearest kinsman and
+protector. With Marsk Stig and his transactions, I can have nothing
+to do. The late conspiracy at Möllerup is already talked of as a
+well-known affair, and you are named as having been concerned in it.
+But for me, I knew nothing of it, and nothing will I know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, most gracious sir,&quot; exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, in astonishment,
+&quot;you stated no objections when you accorded me permission to travel;
+and, though you did not expressly send any message by me, we perfectly
+understood each other. What I promised in your name, I have never
+doubted but that you would fulfil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What you have promised, you must yourself perform. I have promised
+nothing that I dare not proclaim to the world. That which I promised
+and swore to the deceased king, in our covenant at Sjöborg, I have kept
+to the letter. From that hour I have undertaken no step against the
+crown and kingdom, and yet here they have no confidence in me. I must
+remain contented with respectful servants, and an ample guard of
+honour, while the margraves and Drost Hessel are present in the
+council. But I shall speedily teach these gentlemen who is the guardian
+of the king, the legal protector of the kingdom; and the daring rebels,
+too, shall know that I am not the man who, contrary to his oath and
+duty, will be found protecting traitors and regicides.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Abildgaard stood as if thunderstruck. &quot;My noble duke,&quot; he said, at
+length, &quot;you must be jesting? You will not strike down, in his moment
+of need, the faithful friend who has placed his life in jeopardy for
+your sake? I, who so cheerfully shared imprisonment and adversity with
+you--you cannot seriously propose to use me as a mere tool, which you
+can suffer to be broken and cast aside with unconcern, when you have no
+farther need of me? If this, however, be the friendship of princes, I
+must indeed have been the most obtuse animal in the world, when I
+thought I had discovered generosity and magnanimity under purple.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tuko,&quot; said the duke, with a transient expression of emotion, and a
+proud commanding look, &quot;link not your common notions of friendship and
+generosity with that great chain of thought that binds my princely life
+to the throne of Denmark. Have you been familiar with me from my
+childhood, and not yet learnt to separate the thought from the word?
+Think you this hand can ever be so mean and base, as to crush the true
+and active friend of my youth, who spoke and acted, while I was forced
+to sleep and hold my peace? Learn truly to estimate your princely
+master, who ceases not to be your friend, although he must now, for
+loftier reasons, assume the appearance of a stern enemy. If, with me,
+you have discovered the true meaning of living for a great and noble
+object, know also that the paltry vulgar virtues, which people call
+friendship, fidelity, gratitude, and I know not what, are at bottom but
+pompous nothings, which only command the respect of children in spirit
+and statecraft, and which the matured ruler-mind hesitates not to cast
+aside when, from the puppet masses, he can embody for himself the great
+idea for which he lives and labours. If you now comprehend me, Tuko,
+you will at once acknowledge and respect that mighty spirit you
+nurtured in its developement, and by whose side you shall again stand
+when I have reached my goal, and you have acquired strength to follow
+me. Meantime, you must depart: this night must you fly; and by your
+flight accuse yourself, and betray what you can no longer conceal. You,
+and all the other delinquents, I adjudge outlaws. As the king's
+guardian, and protector of the realm, I shall pursue you with rigour
+when the proper moment has arrived. But if there be a great spirit in
+you, as I have believed, you will not therefore hate or mistake me; and
+when the season of persecution is over, you shall find that Duke
+Waldemar was not a selfish or faithless friend, and that you were no
+credulous fool when you trusted to generosity and magnanimity under
+purple.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, I understand and admire you, noble sir,&quot; replied the artful
+knight, bowing profoundly, &quot;though I must flee you as from a stern
+pursuer. What I have done for you in secret shall cast no shadow on
+your glory. You can stand high and pure by the infant throne, and
+condemn your friends without blushing. Good--I shall fly--whither I
+dare not say; but wherever, in the north, there sits enthroned a
+powerful protector of Marsk Stig, there is the place of shelter for his
+persecuted friends. Farewell, noble duke: your drost shall soon be
+gone. Spare not the hardened sinner when he gains a respectable
+distance; but remember also, that none of us are immaculate, and let
+mercy take the place of justice when the hour of condemnation has
+arrived.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he retired into a side apartment, and speedily returned
+disguised as a right handsome pantry-maid. He curtsied to the duke,
+mimicking with much drollery the bashful manners of a servant-wench.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dearest gentleman,&quot; he said, with the accent of a Jutland
+peasant-girl, &quot;I am a modest, innocent lass, and hardly know how I
+could have found my way into the presence of such a grand young lord.
+Pardon my intrusion, and allow me to quit this place pure and
+uninjured, that the slanderous world may think no ill of me. That you
+are a dangerous gentleman for such as me, is well known; and your guard
+of honour will certainly not be surprised if I conceal my modest face
+from them. Thanks, worthy gentleman, for your gracious kindness. For
+your sake I must now hide from the world for a long time, and you must
+pretend not to know me, though I shall probably grieve for what is
+yours, and you will not certainly repel the hand of your humble
+servant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Art thou a fool? Is this a time for jesting?&quot; exclaimed the duke, in a
+low tone; and, opening the door into the passage, &quot;Good night, my
+child,&quot; he said, aloud, patting the cheeks of the pretended girl in the
+open doorway. &quot;Run on, now: these brave soldiers will not harm thee.
+But take care, in future, that thou dost not thus go astray after
+wedlock fancies, and mistake a knight's closet for the pantry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The rough landsknecht outside the door smiled in his beard, and,
+without suspicion, allowed the tall pantry-maid to slip past.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke closed the door, and cast himself, in gloomy thoughtfulness,
+on a chair.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Flee, miserable coxcomb!&quot; he muttered, &quot;and find a shelter now where
+thou canst! Thou wilt hardly escape without getting thy wings
+scorched.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a minute afterwards he fancied he heard a scream. He approached the
+window with some uneasiness, and distinguished a cry of &quot;Seize her! it
+is a disguised traitor!&quot; shouted by a gruff voice in the street. There
+followed some shrieking and tumult, which, however, soon died away in
+the distance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The departure of the intimate friend of his youth, and concern for his
+fate, seemed to have disposed the duke to melancholy; but the feeling
+was not of long duration.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bah!&quot; he said to himself, as he proudly paced the floor, &quot;when the
+ancient heroes tied fire beneath the wings of swallows, and sent them
+forth as instruments of conquest, what cared they for the piping of the
+little creatures?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He again threw himself on a chair, and fell into deep thought. Since
+his imprisonment at Sjöborg, where he had often held converse the whole
+night with his owl and his dead kinsman, as if the latter answered him
+from the inscribed prison-wall, he would frequently, in his closet,
+talk half aloud to himself; and it was rumoured and believed by many,
+that he was leagued with powerful spirits.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As far as I know,&quot; continued he, wrapt in his gloomy fancies, &quot;the
+first great stage is mounted: it requires courage to stand upon it, for
+it is bloody and slippery; but I did not stir a hand--not a word
+escaped my lips. I stand pure and free; and where is he who can accuse
+me? The next stage is a minor. It, too, must be ascended--but without
+crime. The fair hand that shall help me up is cold, but it may be
+warmed. It will lose me a pious soul, but a love-dream shall not stand
+in my way. On! on!--and then--then shall no one say, 'Behold! there
+goes King Abel in his grandson!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next forenoon, when Duke Waldemar left his apartment to appear in the
+royal presence, the guard of honour lowered their lances respectfully
+before him. The queen and the young king received him with an attention
+that surprised him; whilst Drost Peter's salutation, though somewhat
+cold, was courteous. The duke surmised that the council had resolved to
+invest him with that full power and authority which they could not
+refuse him without overstepping the law of the land, and rousing a
+dangerous and powerful enemy, who, in open league with the
+conspirators, could easily overthrow the yet unstable throne.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The consciousness of this power, and the feeling that he was already
+secretly dreaded, although his authority was not publicly acknowledged,
+imparted to him an air of confidence and almost kingly dignity that did
+not ill become him. He approached the queen with as much ease and
+freedom as if he had already been for a long time her adviser, and the
+guardian of the young king. He spoke of the critical state of the
+kingdom, and of the measures to be adopted, with sagacity and zeal, but
+at the same time with the decisive air of a co-regent. This demeanour
+was, however, attended with so much politeness, and respectful
+acknowledgment of the queen's important influence as royal mother, that
+the fair and proud Queen Agnes could not possibly be offended. She
+appeared to have already been more favourably disposed towards the duke
+by her brothers; and, now, she could not but admire the delicacy with
+which he advanced his claims, without seeming at all assuming or
+importunate.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The constraint which was apparent in the queen's demeanour at the
+beginning of the conversation soon disappeared, and Drost Peter
+observed with concern the manner in which the duke, by his subtle
+flatteries and vehement denunciation of the conspirators, contrived to
+disarm the queen of every suspicion that had previously attached to
+him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a horrible conspiracy!&quot; exclaimed the duke, warmly. &quot;Many of the
+most important men of the country appear to be engaged in it. A rigid
+investigation has become necessary, that the guilty may be discovered,
+and the innocent remain unsuspected. My former misunderstanding with
+the king, and that youthful folly for which I had justly to atone at
+Sjöborg, and which there I also learnt to forswear and repent, may have
+exposed me to a distrust, which I hope soon to remove by faithful deed
+and counsel. In a magnanimous soul an unfounded suspicion can never
+take deep root, though there be spirits mean and distrustful enough to
+nourish it. I blame no one, however, for being vigilant and cautious,&quot;
+he continued. &quot;In these unhappy times, distrust insinuates itself into
+the closest relations of friendship and kindred. Would you believe it,
+noble queen, even the friend of my youth, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, had
+given me cause for strong suspicions, which, I regret to say, are now
+confirmed; for last night he disappeared.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How?&quot; exclaimed the queen, with surprise: &quot;your drost--the young Sir
+Abildgaard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Even he, noble queen! Is it not melancholy? A man, whom I regarded for
+so many years as my friend--he who shared my youthful follies, and was,
+indeed, partly the cause of them--though for that he shared my
+imprisonment in Sjöborg, which he left, as I believed, with the same
+abjuration of his errors that I made--I have now reason to believe that
+he was present with the conspirators at Möllerup, in the foolish
+expectation that I should approve that horrible project, if it could be
+executed before I dreamt of it. Yesterday, having heard with what
+horror I condemned the conspirators, he fled, and I have not since
+heard of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Respecting this affair, illustrious sir,&quot; observed Drost Peter, &quot;I
+have to inform you, that Sir Tuko Abildgaard was last night apprehended
+in a suspicious disguise, but afterwards escaped by a daring artifice,
+and is not yet discovered.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke remained silent, and merely raised his hand to his eyes, as if
+unable to restrain an emotion that seemed to do honour to his heart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Noble duke!&quot; exclaimed the queen, with warm interest, &quot;what you have
+lost in that false friend you have gained in my esteem and confidence.
+That your drost was among the conspirators was well known to me; and
+there was a moment when even those who defended you most zealously were
+forced to admit that your intimate connection with this knight was
+unaccountable. My brothers are your friends. From them I have learnt
+your disinterested sympathy, as well for me, as for the crown and
+kingdom. They were witnesses of your horror upon first hearing of this
+audacious crime; and it will greatly rejoice them to learn, that the
+incomprehensible enigma of your relation with Sir Abildgaard has thus
+been solved.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke blushed slightly; but hastily availed himself of the
+advantageous impression he had made upon the queen. He advised that a
+Dane-court should be held at Nyborg in the spring, where he would
+himself be present, and, in conjunction with the queen, assume the
+guardianship of the young king. In the meantime he hoped to show
+himself worthy of that important office, by securing the country
+against the daring marsk and the rebels. He suggested that the queen
+should, for the present, remain with the young king at Viborg, where
+the strong garrison and the fidelity of the burghers rendered any
+hostile attack impossible. This had been the advice of Drost Peter and
+the chancellor, in which the Margraves of Brandenburg had also
+concurred.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The same day the duke left Viborg, apparently on the best terms with
+the royal house. A short time afterwards it was announced that he had
+raised an army in South Jutland, to oppose the marsk and his adherents.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Drost Peter trusted him not; and old Sir John, who, quite
+recovered, soon arrived at Viborg, shook his head doubtfully at these
+tidings. They suspected that the duke merely pretended to arm himself
+against the marsk, in order to muster a respectable force, with which
+he could assert his claims at the Dane-court, and secure his election
+to the regency.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst nearly all the conspirators, stricken with horror at their own
+deed, had sought refuge in Norway, Marsk Stig had buried his wife, and,
+with his two daughters, had left Möllerup, where he no longer
+considered himself secure. At great personal risk he had been present
+at the king's interment, and had marked how little favourable to him
+and his cause was the temper of the people.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nevertheless, it was quickly rumoured that Rypen House and Flynderborg
+were in the hands of the rebels, and that the valiant marsk, with seven
+hundred men in iron, and his warlike engines from Möllerup, had taken a
+strong position on Helgeness and Hielm, from which points he appeared
+resolved to carry devastation through the country.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Helgeness is a peninsula, girded by immense heights. It stretches, like
+a promontory, from Molsherred towards Samsoe, between the bay of
+Vegtrup and that of Ebeltoft. The neck of land by which this peninsula
+is connected with North Jutland, is only two hundred paces in breadth.
+With the utmost haste, the marsk had caused this approach to be cut off
+by a deep trench, and a wall of large hewn stones, at which they
+laboured day and night; the old castle on Hielm Island being fortified
+at the same time.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This singular little island is only about an English mile in
+circumference. It lies in the Cattegat, about two miles east of
+Helgeness, and about a mile from the point that runs out from Ebeltoft
+parish. The old castle on the island is said to have been built in
+pagan times, by the famous King Jarmerik, who was there slain. The
+island and castle belonged, at the period of which we treat, to
+Chamberlain Rané Jonsen, as did also a tenement or farm-house on the
+point, which, for many ages after, was called Rané's barn-yard. The
+island possessed a good haven, where lay Jarl Mindre-Alf with his
+pirate-vessels. There was no want of fresh water; and Fru Ingeborg had,
+with much prudence, advised her husband to make this his place of
+refuge. Here he was in greater security than at Möllerup, had firm
+footing on the Danish coasts, and could receive supplies from Norway
+without impediment. The island was already, from its situation and
+heights, so well fortified by nature, and the old castle was so
+favourably situated, that it did not seem difficult to make the place
+impregnable. There were now added two lofty towers, with loopholes and
+strong battlements, and the castle was provided with deep double
+trenches.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk had not awaited the permission of his kinsman, the crafty
+Chamberlain Rané, to occupy this important position, and probably he
+did not expect much complacency from him. The latter, indeed, appeared
+to have intended this secure asylum for himself, should all miscarry.
+Hence, on the marsk's arrival, he found a brave little garrison in the
+castle, who had strict orders from the chamberlain to defend it against
+every one to the last extremity. The marsk had therefore to take the
+place with the strong hand, and was so exasperated by the unexpected
+resistance he encountered, that he allowed the whole garrison to be
+slain. For this reason, it was afterwards sung, in the old ballad:--.</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Marsk Stig he captured Hielm so steep--</p>
+<p class="t1">The truthful tale I tell:</p>
+<p class="t0">Full many a cheek was blanched that day,</p>
+<p class="t1">And many a hero fell.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Here the marsk erected his lithers and other formidable machines on the
+old rock-fast walk and visited Helgeness almost daily, to superintend
+the fortifications there. His seven hundred ironclad men were
+garrisoned in Hielm, and on the peninsula. Some of the peasants in the
+neighbourhood had voluntarily declared for him; but many he caused to
+be seized, and compelled them to bear stones and labour on the works.
+The towers on Hielm speedily arose, as if by miracle, terrifying the
+oppressed peasants all around, who were constrained not only to work on
+the walls of Helgeness, but also to supply provisions for the garrisons
+of both places.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These misfortunes were attributed by the depressed people to the bad
+government of the murdered king; and the feelings they then indulged
+are plainly indicated in the ballad which, a few months after the
+king's death, blended mournfully with the blithe spring song of the
+birds, and in which the new fortress was described as a monster who had
+risen from the sea, with horns like towers. Therein it was sadly
+sung:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The peasant he goes out o'er the field,</p>
+<p class="t1">And there he sows his corn:</p>
+<p class="t0">Help us, our Father in heaven high,</p>
+<p class="t1">Now Hielm has got the horn!</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;God pity us poor peasants gray,</p>
+<p class="t1">That Glipping e'er did reign:</p>
+<p class="t0">Alas, that he was ever born</p>
+<p class="t1">To be the peasants' bane!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">This ballad the stern marsk himself heard a young peasant-girl singing,
+one fair morning in the beginning of May, while, mounted on his
+war-steed, he was surveying with pride the strong defences, to which a
+few peasants and prisoners of war were still engaged in dragging the
+last stones.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One of the strongest workmen on the walls was a stalwart old man, in a
+worn-out leathern harness, who, notwithstanding the presence of the
+marsk, had sat quietly down on an angle of the wall, his arms crossed,
+and regarded the proud general with a wild, disdainful look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The peasant-girl, carrying bandages in her hand, advanced leisurely
+along a footpath, beyond the wall. Her song seemed to surprise the
+marsk. The old prisoner on the wall also listened attentively. The girl
+first sang aloud, at some distance:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;They were full seven score men and seven</p>
+<p class="t1">Upon the muir who met:</p>
+<p class="t0">The king is slain--how rede we now?</p>
+<p class="t1">And where now shall we get?</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;The king is slain, and lies a corse--</p>
+<p class="t1">The peace we've broken down;</p>
+<p class="t0">Here we can neither bide nor bigg</p>
+<p class="t1">In field or burrow-town.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;But we will on to Scanderborg,</p>
+<p class="t1">And bid the queen good-day,</p>
+<p class="t0">And ask the lady how she doth</p>
+<p class="t1">Before we farther gae.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;She may forget how she would mock,</p>
+<p class="t1">And all our words deride:</p>
+<p class="t0">The fire is now in the mocker's house,</p>
+<p class="t1">And she the stour maun bide.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Marsk Stig started. He heard his own words to the conspirators, at the
+council on the heath immediately after the king's murder, and something
+of what had passed between the queen and him at Scanderborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The peasant-girl drew nearer, and sang, with a loud voice, what had
+been preserved in the ballad of the words of the queen and the young
+king:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Welcome, Marsk Stig, thou self-made king!</p>
+<p class="t1">Now shalt thou have thy due;</p>
+<p class="t0">This night of blood, should King Erik live,</p>
+<p class="t1">Full dearly shalt thou rue.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then up spake Erik Erikson,</p>
+<p class="t1">Little though he mot be:</p>
+<p class="t0">From Denmark thou'rt outlawed, as sure</p>
+<p class="t1">As the crown belongs to me.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk became irritated, and reined in his steed; whilst the
+prisoner on the wall laughed aloud.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pray be not angry, stern sir marsk,&quot; he muttered: &quot;only hear the
+ballad out. There is not a word of falsehood in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The peasant-girl seemed to concern herself only with her bandages and
+her song, which went on to relate how the marsk went home to Lady
+Ingeborg, at Möllerup, and how she advised him to fortify Hielm. With
+deep grief, Stig Andersen heard some of the last words of his unhappy
+wife, as the girl continued her song:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;For nine long winters have I pined--</p>
+<p class="t1">In secret borne the blight;</p>
+<p class="t0">My heart is now laid in the grave--</p>
+<p class="t1">Good night, my lord, good night!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">The anger of the marsk changed to a deep melancholy. He sat on his
+horse motionless as a statue, listening to the two last verses of the
+ballad, which the girl sang with such an expression of sadness, that it
+pierced his heart, and he felt as if, in these tones of sorrow, the
+whole grief of the country had united to penetrate his bosom with
+reproaches, as with a sharp two-edged sword. The words were simple and
+touching:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The sturdy oaks in the greenwood stand,</p>
+<p class="t1">When the storm comes down amain,</p>
+<p class="t0">But the hazel and the birchen tree</p>
+<p class="t1">Are rooted from the plain.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;What kings and courtiers do amiss</p>
+<p class="t1">Upon the poor doth fall;</p>
+<p class="t0">Then pity us wretched peasants, God!</p>
+<p class="t1">Have mercy on us all!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My Aasé, my Aasé!&quot; suddenly exclaimed the old prisoner on the wall,
+springing up and extending his arms towards the dark-eyed country-girl,
+who, with the delighted cry of &quot;Grandfather, dear grandfather, have I
+at last found you?&quot; dropped her bandages, and with outstretched hands
+ran towards him as eagerly as if she would have crossed the deep ditch
+and sealed the wall that separated them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What now, child?&quot; exclaimed the marsk, riding up to her. &quot;Wilt thou be
+the first to carry Marsk Stig's fortress by storm? Is this thy
+daughter, old graybeard?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My grandchild--my blessed little Aasé she is, stern sir marsk!&quot; cried
+old Henner Friser, so deeply affected that, for a moment, he forgot his
+feeling of defiance. &quot;She has sought for me the whole country round.
+Ah, if you have a human heart, sir marsk, deny me not the pleasure of
+clasping her again to my old bosom, and blessing her once more, before
+I drag myself to death on your accursed wall.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou art an intractable and audacious carl,&quot; replied the marsk: &quot;even
+when thou beggest a favour, thou defiest me, and cursest my work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I dare not curse your work, sir,&quot; replied Henner: &quot;my hand is not
+purer than your's; but my help will bring you no blessing. Every stone
+I have rolled hither will most assuredly be scattered: therefore have I
+toiled like a beast of burthen, and have not every day laid my hands in
+my lap. And well may I call this wall accursed; it bears the ban in its
+own foundations. It will fall, as surely as it now stands, proud and
+bold, a devilish barrier between Danish hearts. It parts even fathers
+and children; for here I stand, a miserable, thrall-bound man,
+forbidden to embrace my own child.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Strange old man!&quot; exclaimed the marsk, with a vague feeling of
+dread--&quot;thou art free. Descend! Bid the landsknechts unbind thee, and
+depart in peace with thy child!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks, stern sir,&quot; cried little Aasé, seizing the marsk's mailed
+hand, and pressing it to her lips: &quot;for this deed will the merciful God
+forgive you all the sorrow you have caused me. Come, come, grandfather!
+Thou art free--hearest thou not, thou art free!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Free I have always been,&quot; replied the old man, proudly, and without
+moving. &quot;I have not raised a single stone more than I chose, and from
+this day forth I should never have raised another. It might have cost
+me my head; but that I have worn long enough, and I would never wish it
+to fall by an abler hand than Marsk Stig's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou singular old man!&quot; exclaimed the marsk, thoughtfully, &quot;thou
+shouldst never have fallen by my hand, however much thy insolence might
+have deserved it. Neither of us, I perceive, should condemn the other.
+Thou art a man who, hadst thou so willed it, might have stood by the
+side of Marsk Stig.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do stand by your side, Stig Andersen!&quot; interrupted Henner, raising
+himself proudly erect on the lofty wall above him: &quot;at this instant I
+stand as high, not merely on this wall, which separates you from your
+country, but on the mighty boundary between the land of the living and
+the dead. Many days of penance I have not remaining, unless, like the
+shoemaker of Jerusalem, I have to roam the earth like a spectre till
+the day of doom. What I have to say to you at parting, I shall say
+aloud, before the whole world. Would that my voice could reach every
+ear in Denmark!&quot; And he cried, loudly: &quot;Cursed--cursed is the hand that
+is lifted against kings and crowns, were it strong as St.
+Christopher's, and pure as that of the Holy Virgin. The murderer of a
+king shall never know peace: his race shall perish from the earth--his
+best deeds shall be as the flax, that is consumed in smoke and flame--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Silence!--thou art mad, old man!&quot; cried the marsk, in anger, and with
+a threatening gesture.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the old warrior remained immoveable, and gazed full in his flashing
+eyes. &quot;We two are able to look angry men in the face,&quot; he continued,
+calmly: &quot;but you are right--neither of us should condemn the other. I
+have not much to tell you, Stig Andersen. You slew the false ravisher,
+King Glipping. I, Henner Hjulmand Friser, slew the accursed fratricide,
+King Abel. We are thus equals. I can hold out my hand to you as a
+comrade--the one bloody hand cannot smear the other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha, old Henner! wert thou that bold Frisian?&quot; cried the marsk, in
+astonishment. &quot;Come hither! I shall dub thee a knight, even in thine
+old days.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That shall you not, Stig Andersen,&quot; replied the old man. &quot;In deeds I
+am your equal; and you shall now see that, without the stroke of
+knighthood, I stand as high as you. I have not repented my act, nor
+have you repented your's. But I did not persecute the dead in his
+innocent race--I did not undertake, with blood-besmeared hands, to
+distribute crowns, nor desire to become an idol among men. I would
+free, not lay waste, my country. I built no wall between hearts and
+hearts. Yet I perceive that there can be no blessing with us, and such
+as we. For this was I unable to seize you and your accomplices; but was
+led into this stronghold by the crafty demon that I myself had bound.
+And here have I atoned my temerity, by slaving for a greater regicide
+than myself. It is the reward I merited. I perceive this now, proud
+marsk, and am therefore a higher man than you. The time will come, Stig
+Andersen, when you shall see it in the same way. We then may meet
+again, and toil like trusty comrades on a greater rebel-defence than
+this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He paused for a moment, and the wildness of his countenance gave place
+to melancholy. &quot;Yet, nay,&quot; he continued, in a subdued tone, &quot;there is
+still pardon for us both; but not thus--not thus--mighty marsk. I am on
+my way thereto: if you will with me, tear down your accursed defences,
+and follow me yonder, to where the sun rises!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he descended from the wall on the inner side. His words had
+made a singular impression on the marsk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Humph! he is still half crazy, however,&quot; muttered the gloomy warrior,
+as he rode in silence to the gate by which the liberated prisoner was
+to issue.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Alarmed by her grandfather's words, Aasé, pale and trembling, followed
+the knight. As they reached the gate, Henner Friser, with a long staff
+in his hand, advanced towards it. He still wore a link of his heavy
+iron chain, which did not, however, obstruct his movements. The marsk's
+trusty attendant, Mat Jute, who superintended the fortifications,
+followed the haughty old man, to hear his liberation confirmed by the
+marsk himself, before he removed the link.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Loose him--he is free!&quot; ordered the marsk, and Mat Jute obeyed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;One word farther only, Henner,&quot; said the warrior. &quot;Whither wouldst
+thou I should follow thee?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thither, where yonder tree once grew, and bore the eternal fruit of
+mercy,&quot; answered Henner, pointing to a large cross, which stood by the
+roadside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk laughed wildly. &quot;Yes, truly, when I have reached my second
+childhood,&quot; he replied. &quot;Depart in peace, old man. Thy deed was greater
+than thyself; and so it overcomes thee. Go get thyself a letter of
+pardon: turn saint if thou canst; and let us see who shall first reach
+the goal. When thou returnest, thou shalt be welcome to me, wherever I
+am. We can then discuss, to better purpose, which of us stood the
+highest, or performed the most.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk spurred his horse and disappeared within the fortification.
+Henner Friser silently extended his hand to little Aasé, and they
+departed leisurely, without once looking behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They thus continued their way for some time, in painful silence. Aasé
+at length broke it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dear, good grandfather,&quot; she said, tenderly, &quot;why dost thou not speak
+to me? I have not seen thee for many a day--not since that dreadful St.
+Cecilia's night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What sayest thou, my child?&quot; inquired the old man, as if awaking from
+a dream--&quot;ay, let us hear: what became of thee on that fearful night?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, fearful it was, truly! When thou and Skirmen had both left me, I
+fell asleep on the bench, and my dreams were frightful. When I awoke, I
+was in the cellar, beneath the floor, and I thought that I had seen the
+king, and warned him of the grayfriars. It was daybreak, and I ran to
+the forester's. There I heard of the king's murder, and that thou hadst
+followed the murderers. I waited for thee three days, in the greatest
+anxiety, which I could endure no longer. I then exchanged clothes with
+the forester's maid, took our little hoard, and resolved to travel the
+country over until I had found thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My true, my dearest Aasé!&quot; exclaimed the old man, patting her cheek:
+&quot;thou hast had better fortune than I. And no wonder: the pure angels of
+God attend thee; but I--I had an imp of the Evil One for my guide. I,
+too, at length found those I sought; but my guide was craftier than I
+and my companions. That artful fox, Rané, befooled us long enough, and
+took us all round Jutland with him. But at last I became impatient, and
+threatened that my good sword should despatch him. He then swore with
+an oath that if the regicides were in the country, I should discover
+them at Helgeness. There, sure enough, I found their ringleader, was
+overpowered, and, as you witnessed, made a beast of burden. Ha! I
+merited the reward! How can Henner Hjulmand enter into judgment with
+regicides!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dear, dear grandfather, now do I know what has so troubled thee when
+it stormed of a night. But, trow me, it was not the dead King Abel who
+rode through Finnerup Forest in the dark: it was the marsk and his man;
+for I knew them both again. And now be comforted, dear grandfather. Our
+Lord will no longer be angry with thee for that deed. The ungodly King
+Abel, like another Cain, had surely slain his brother, and did not
+deserve to live. But if thou hast not rest therefore, dear, good
+grandfather, let us make a pilgrimage to Rome, or to the holy
+sepulchre, as you intended, and there obtain pardon of all our sins.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yea, that will we, my child. Had I no greater burden to bear than thou
+hast, this path would be easy to me. Now, however, that thou knowest
+what oppresses me, I am already lighter of heart. I have never wished
+this deed undone, but still it has robbed me of my peace. If, however,
+it please God and St. Christian, my soul shall yet regain tranquillity
+ere I die. Whatever penance the holy father lays on me I shall perform,
+unless he require that I should repent. We shall succeed; and, if thou
+hast brought the gold-box with thee, we shall not suffer want on our
+journey. 'Tis time enough yet to fast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See, grandfather, here it is: I have not touched it. I bound up wounds
+by the way, and thus earned more dalers than I have spent.&quot; So saying,
+she handed the old man a little wooden box, and another containing
+copper money. &quot;But, alas, dear grandfather,&quot; she continued, &quot;is it true
+that the dreadful marsk is stirring up the whole land to rebellion
+against the young king?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aye, child, and more's the pity: he is the ablest carl I have known;
+but Denmark has given birth to him to her own ruin. He has powerful
+friends, both at home and abroad. The country is full of traitors.
+There is something to be done here worth having a hand in, were I still
+young, and dared defer this penance. Flynderborg has been betrayed by
+Sir Lavé, and at Rypen House the marsk's banner of rebellion waves over
+the castle-gate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, grandfather, there will be terrible times. The duke, with a large
+army, is before Rypen, but nobody believes that he intends honestly by
+our young king and country. Drost Peter is also expected there--and
+Skirmen will certainly be with him--when, it is said, the castle will
+be taken by storm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst they were thus conversing, they heard behind them the gallop of
+horses. They turned, and beheld two tall peasants, mounted on noble
+steeds, attended by a peasant-lad on a norback, and leading two saddled
+horses behind him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter!--Skirmen!&quot; cried old Henner and Aasé, in the same breath.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an instant the peasant-lad had dismounted, and was in Aasé's arms.
+Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson, for the disguised peasants were no
+other, then stopped. They soon learned from old Henner what he knew of
+the marsk's strength at Helgeness and Hielm, which, in their disguise,
+they had already closely approached, and were therefore almost as well
+acquainted with the state of the defences as Henner himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Follow us to Rypen, brave old man,&quot; said Drost Peter. &quot;Until that
+royal burgh is ours, I shall not appear in the presence of the queen
+and our young king. Good counsel is precious here; and if you know more
+than your paternoster, now is the time to show it. You and Aasé may
+mount our spare horses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Little Aasé was soon on horseback, and they proceeded at a brisk trot
+on the road to Rypen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the way Drost Peter learned from Henner that the crafty Rané was
+greatly embittered at seeing his ancestral castle on Hielm in the hands
+of the marsk; but that, dissembling his feelings, he had been
+despatched from Helgeness, no doubt with a message to Norway, or
+probably to bring reinforcements. How he had accomplished his errand,
+however, Henner knew not.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">An important change had, in the meanwhile, taken place with Rané.
+Neither the marsk nor the Norse freebooter had received him as he had
+expected when he led Henner Friser and the royal huntsmen into their
+stronghold at Helgeness. The marsk had offered him no compensation for
+the island of Hielm and his ancestral fortress; and the jarl, instead
+of redeeming his promise to receive him as his son-in-law, had merely
+given him the stroke of knighthood, and told him to be contented with
+that honour for the present. Rané was too prudent to betray his
+indignation: he therefore appeared only zealous to serve the marsk, and
+to show the jarl that he was not deficient in daring courage. He had
+sailed from Helgeness in one of the freebooter's pirate-ships, giving
+them the assurance that he should soon prove he had not received the
+golden spurs unworthily. But instead of bearing to Kongshelle, as he
+had promised, where the Norwegian king, Erik the Priest-hater, and Duke
+Hakon, were residing, he steered direct for Tönsberg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané, since he had received the stroke of knighthood, seemed to have
+acquired a spirit of daring which was strikingly manifested in his
+whole deportment and appearance. His squeaking voice had, in the course
+of the last half year, become transformed into a somewhat rough bass,
+not deficient in strength; his reddish downy beard had become darker
+and stronger; and the feminine expression of his countenance gave place
+to one of strong and wild passionateness. The feeling of the important
+influence he had acquired in these great state affairs, and the
+dangerous position he had placed himself in, from which he could
+extricate himself only by his own sagacity and abilities, gave a stamp
+of confidence to his air and manner which considerably mitigated the
+unpleasantness of his crafty smile.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Tönsberg Castle dwelt the daughter of Jarl Mindre-Alf, Kirstine
+Alfsdatter,<a name="div2Ref_34" href="#div2_34"><sup>[34]</sup></a> or Jomfru Buckleshoe, as she was called, from the large
+gold buckles she wore. She was about sixteen years of age, strong,
+plump, with dark brown hair, very lively blue eyes, and a pert, little,
+turned-up nose. She had been brought up in Tönsberg, like a future
+princess. Her mother died during her infancy, and her father she had
+seldom seen. She had been indulged in every humour; and, whilst the
+algrev was absent on his viking expeditions, his daughter lived free
+and happy in the castle, where she soon ruled not only the old warden,
+but the whole garrison.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Yet with all her wildness and self-will, she did not lack a certain
+polish of education. Snorro's nephew, the famous Icelandic skald and
+saga-writer, Sturlé Thordarson, had visited Tönsberg three years
+previously, and shortly before his death; and this old man of
+three score and ten, with his lively and characteristic narratives of
+King Hagen Hagensen's exploits, and his spirit-stirring poems
+respecting old Norwegian heroes, awakened in the heart of the young
+girl so strong a desire for a life of activity, that, ever since, she
+had formed no higher wish than to set out on a cruise like her father,
+or live to see some grand event take place. A few months before the
+period our narrative has reached, she had made the acquaintance of
+Jomfru Ingé, who had followed her fugitive father to Tönsberg, and at
+his wish had remained there, whilst he continued his journey to
+Kongshelle, where most of the conspirators had found protection with
+King Erik the Priest-hater and Duke Hakon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé suffered much from witnessing the grief of his daughter,
+occasioned by his treachery to the royal house of Denmark. Her presence
+awoke a constant warfare and inquietude in his wavering soul. He could,
+indeed, read nothing but filial solicitude in his daughter's looks,
+since she had witnessed his repentance and his agony during their
+flight from Viborg, after the king's funeral; yet, notwithstanding
+this, he had embraced the first opportunity of separating from her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Tönsberg Castle Jomfru Ingé again breathed freely, and conquered the
+feelings of dejection which her father's presence had inspired. Still
+it was to her a painful thought, that she was living in the castle
+of a hostile pirate; for, while it belonged to a vassal like Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, it did not seem to her like the ancient royal castle
+erected by King Hagen Hagensen. The assurance that the rude
+pirate-chief was not expected home for a considerable time, could alone
+reconcile her; and her horror of the algrev did not extend to his
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The bold Norwegian girl and the high-souled daughter of the Danish
+knight soon became intimate friends. Norwegian skald-songs and
+Danish kĉmpeviser seemed, from their lips, lays of the same stock.
+Jomfru Buckleshoe rode out with her Danish friend to the fells, and
+proudly exhibited to her the glories of her native land; whilst the
+noble-hearted Ingé admired the land of rocks and Norwegian heroism with
+as much sincerity, as she sang with pathos and animation the quiet
+beauties of her own fatherland, and extolled her own faithful and
+constant countrymen, who, in these unhappy times, were defending
+against rebels the crown of Denmark and its youthful king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ingé's attachment to the royal house to which her father was opposed,
+strongly influenced the courageous daughter of the jarl. This spirit of
+independence recommended itself powerfully to the mind of the Norwegian
+damsel. She was provoked that her own father and the King of Norway
+should render assistance to the enemies of the youthful king, who, from
+Lady Ingé's account of his dangerous situation, stood before her as the
+personification of that peculiar form of adventure in which her
+imagination was most prone to feel an interest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One day, as the two maidens were riding by the strand, they perceived a
+ship, under full sail, run into Tönsberg Fiord.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See, see!&quot; cried Kirstine, joyfully, &quot;one of my father's galleys. And
+seest thou that haughty knight by the prow? Who can it be? Take heed,
+proud Ingé! 'tis one of thy countrymen, who can no longer bear thy
+absence!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis one of thy father's ships, Kirstine,&quot; replied Ingé, &quot;and
+therefore can bear no friend of mine or Denmark's. One only grieves my
+absence, and he it cannot be: he would not forsake his king and country
+in their need to visit me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps a wooer to me, then,&quot; cried Kirstine, laughing. &quot;If he be a
+Danish knight, and please me, I may yet perhaps be in Denmark,
+defending your youthful king. Is it not tiresome,&quot; she continued,
+pettishly, tossing her head, &quot;that we girls must always sit with our
+hands in our laps, and allow the men to act as they think proper,
+without ever being asked our opinion, as if it were a matter of course
+that we must have none at variance with their own? I should think,
+however, that we are quite as numerous as they, and have souls as whole
+and true in every respect. In what concerns myself, I have a will as
+resolute and free as any damsel in Denmark; and, as my father supports
+your rebels, I shall support thee and thy true countrymen. In the olden
+times, our Norwegian damsels were not so submissive as they now are:
+then, there were whole armies of <i>skioldmöer</i>,<a name="div2Ref_35" href="#div2_35"><sup>[35]</sup></a> which the valiant
+Stĉrkodder himself had reason to acknowledge. Knowest thou the lay of
+the brave Hervor, who compelled her father to hand her the sword of
+Tirfing from his barrow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She was a Danish skioldmö,&quot; replied Ingé, &quot;but a wild and godless
+pagan. Heaven preserve every Christian soul from such mad temerity!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She was a damsel, nevertheless, who not only knew what she could do,
+but also dared to do it, in spite of any man,&quot; rejoined Kirstine. &quot;Old
+Sturlé taught me the lay concerning her. Listen: this is the verse I
+like best.&quot; And, with a voice so clear that it re-echoed across the
+fiord, she sang:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t0">&quot;I dare to touch<br>
+And take in my hand<br>
+The sharp-edged sword--<br>
+Would only I had it!<br>
+Never, I trow,<br>
+Shall the fire consume me,<br>
+That playeth around<br>
+The dead hero's eyes.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sing not that pagan song, dear Kirstine,&quot; cried Ingé, interrupting the
+enthusiastic songstress. &quot;Hervor herself was terrified at her ungodly
+deed, and as she left her father's grave saw the air in flames around
+her. Such unnatural self-will never comes to good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sturlé told me, however, that at last she got the hero she relied on,&quot;
+replied Kirstine. &quot;Certainly, no luck attended the sword; but still she
+must have led a right pleasant skioldmö's life. It is her I intented to
+represent in the lady with the sword on the burning height, which you
+may see, wrought, in my father's riddersal. I should like to be a
+skioldmö: then should I away to Denmark, to defend your young king.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dear Kirstine,&quot; exclaimed Ingé, with much solicitude, seizing her
+hand, &quot;thanks for thy concern for me and my unhappy fatherland; but let
+it not withdraw thee from fidelity and obedience to thy father. I
+praise God and the Holy Virgin that I can still obey my father, even
+when I appear most wayward. Let me entrust thee with an important
+secret, Kirstine. Thou knowest I am in fact a prisoner here; but I mean
+to escape, and thou must aid me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With all my heart,&quot; replied Kirstine, joyously; &quot;but then I must
+accompany thee, for I am tired of this uniform life. Cannot two such
+damsels as we do something in the world? Wilt thou to Denmark, Ingé?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To Denmark or Sweden--I have kinsfolk in both.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If I am to help thee, I must know everything. That letter brought thee
+by the foreign clerk the other day, was certainly from Drost Hessel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé blushed. &quot;Nay,&quot; she answered, with a suppressed sigh; &quot;but,
+since thou wilt know all, read it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They halted. Kirstine seized the letter, and eagerly opened it.
+&quot;<i>Martinus de Dacia</i>,&quot; she began to read. &quot;Thou art befooling me, Ingé!
+This is certainly Latin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is only a man's name,&quot; replied Ingé: &quot;so our learned chancellor,
+Master Martin Maagenson, calls himself. He is a trusty friend of the
+royal house, and has written the letter for my dear old kinsman John.
+They wish me to proceed to Stockholm, to the young Princess Ingeborg,
+who is destined for our king's bride. She must have the daughter of a
+Danish knight for a companion, that she may learn from a native to know
+her future people. I am chosen for this, which they say is the only way
+in which I may be able to benefit my father, and serve my unhappy
+country. I have considered it closely, and no longer hesitate. My
+father has left me here, and I must not follow him. He is now safe at
+Kongshelle. I have his permission privately; but he dares not openly
+avow it: his dangerous position compels him to be silent. It must
+appear, therefore, that I escaped without his consent or knowledge.
+Your old warden has to-day been requested to detain me. Now, dear
+Kirstine, assist me to escape from hence: if I can only get safely from
+Tönsberg, my way is open. As well in Denmark as in Sweden, every
+castle-warden and governor is bound to accelerate my journey when I
+produce this letter.&quot; So saying, she took from the pocket of her mantle
+a roll of parchment, with three seals attached.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Kirstine opened her eyes in astonishment. &quot;So, indeed--I understand
+thee now,&quot; she said: &quot;thou hast powerful friends, I see. But we must be
+prudent. The warden will henceforth look after thee strictly, and will
+scarcely give thee liberty to ride out with me. But let us see who this
+strange knight is, who has arrived in my father's ship. If he returns
+to Denmark, he may be persuaded to take thee with him; and if it can be
+done, I shall accompany thee. It will be surprising if two fair
+damsels, like us, cannot get a knight to carry us off, and make him
+fancy it was against our wishes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Giddy girl! thy thoughts are engaged with adventures and daring
+freaks; but, for God and the Holy Virgin's sake, be prudent, and reveal
+not what I have confided to thee; for in its success lies my freedom
+and all my hopes of the future. Yet one thing more thou must hear,&quot; she
+added, with a deep sigh: &quot;the powerful commandant at Kongshelle, Sir
+Thord--dost thou know him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The wealthy Thord, with the long red nose--what of him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He has demanded me in marriage, and my father dare not say him nay. A
+hasty flight alone can save me, for within eight days he will be here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And then his nose will be twice as long!&quot; cried Kirstine. &quot;Come along,
+dear Ingé!--thou shalt quickly away from hence, and I myself will carry
+thee off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They now rode back towards the little town of Tönsberg, in the midst of
+which lay the castle, called Tönsberg House. The fiord, and the painted
+wooden houses of the town on both sides the hill, with the sun shining
+on its nine convents and the fourteen Kings' Chapels, as they are
+called, presented a scene at once beautiful and picturesque. It failed
+just then, however, to attract the notice of the two maidens, who had
+become thoughtful, as they dared no longer speak aloud among the crowds
+of seamen and busy merchants whom they encountered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When they reached the castle, they found that the vessel they had seen
+entering the fiord had, in the meanwhile, arrived. The stately young
+knight whom it conveyed had landed, and presented himself with much
+pomp to the warden of Tönsberg House, with whom he had held a private
+conversation. Arrangements were made to entertain the stranger as a
+distinguished guest. The two young damsels entered the large day-room
+of the castle, where they sat down in silence to their embroidery,
+occasionally casting expectant glances towards a side-door, by which
+they knew the warden would introduce the Danish knight, who, they had
+already determined, should aid them in their important enterprise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The door was at length opened, and the old warden entered, accompanied
+by Chamberlain Rané, whom he presented to the daughter of the jarl as a
+man whom her father had honoured with knighthood, and who had arrived
+at Tönsberg on an affair of importance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané saluted the fair ones with much politeness. When Lady Ingé saw
+him, and heard his name, she became somewhat alarmed. His crafty smile
+and well-bred, insinuating manners, were highly repulsive to her, and
+she remembered to have heard him mentioned as the confidant of the
+murdered king, in many an affair that was neither to his own honour nor
+that of his former master. She had also heard of his suspicious conduct
+in reference to the king's murder; and, when she now beheld him as a
+messenger from Mindre-Alf, she might justly regard him as an open
+traitor. She could not conceal the contempt and loathing he inspired,
+which did not escape his observation while conversing with the lively
+Kirstine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The warden having left them, Rané appeared desirous to draw Lady Ingé
+into the conversation, and endeavoured to conciliate her by some
+expressions of concern for Denmark, and the dangerous position of the
+young king. Who Lady Ingé was, and her attachment to the royal house,
+he well knew; and he had already observed, with some surprise, that the
+daughter of the Norwegian jarl shared her sympathies with much spirit.
+He immediately availed himself of this discovery to place himself in an
+advantageous light before both young ladies; while, to flatter them
+with his confidence, he entrusted to them, as a dangerous secret, that
+he was a faithful friend to the royal family of Denmark, and had
+ventured hither on far other grounds than those which were alleged as
+the object of his visit.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young damsels were astonished. In order to strengthen his
+statement, and allay every suspicion, Rané then painted in glowing
+colours, yet with apparent modesty, his valorous defence of the
+unfortunate king in Finnerup barn. He related to them how,
+notwithstanding this, he had been suspected in the most shameful
+manner; and assured them that, to justify himself in the eyes of every
+loyal Dane, he would risk his life in the most dangerous undertaking on
+behalf of the young king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My fidelity to my former king and master,&quot; he added, &quot;has already cost
+me my fair ancestral castle on Hielm. Marsk Stig has seized it by
+storm, and slain my faithful garrison. I have been constrained to use
+stratagem against force; but, with the aid I pretend to obtain here for
+the marsk, I mean to convince him and your brave father, noble Jomfru
+Kirstine, that I am not unworthy of the stroke of knighthood with which
+the jarl has honoured me, while even I venture to expose myself to his
+anger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are as bold as you are frank, Sir Rané!&quot; exclaimed Kirstine, with
+astonishment. &quot;What assures you that Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, after
+this confession, will permit you to slip free from Tönsberg Castle?
+Suppose now, that I instantly order you to be cast into the tower--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then I shall have greatly mistaken your lofty, noble mind, illustrious
+damsel,&quot; replied Rané; &quot;although I should not consider it a very
+serious misfortune even were I compelled to be your prisoner. But this
+I know, that the friend of Jomfru Ingé Little can never hate or
+persecute any adherent of Denmark's royal house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That you should not altogether depend upon, sir knight,&quot; replied the
+jarl's daughter. &quot;The Danish kings have not left behind them the
+fairest memorials at Tönsberg. Tales are still told here of Harald
+Bluetooth's cruelty; and there are ruins lying around us from the times
+of your valorous King Waldemar. If you imagine that the damsels of
+Norway are less patriotis than those of Denmark, you mistake us much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For an instant Rané seemed alarmed; but he soon recovered himself on
+perceiving a roguish smile in the countenance of the bold jomfru, and
+the glance she directed to her Danish friend. He bent his knee before
+the jocular damsel. &quot;My freedom, perhaps my life, is in your hands,&quot; he
+said; &quot;yet I repent not my avowal. In the presence of Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+fair daughter, it were, indeed, impossible to make a more daring
+admission; but I could not look on you, and for a moment forget what I
+bear on my shield. With the fair ones of Norway the knights of Denmark
+never made war, and the misdeeds of our kings and princes should not be
+visited on their innocent subjects--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Enough, Sir Rané--rise! the warden is approaching,&quot; said Jomfru
+Kirstine, hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He kissed her hand respectfully while she raised him; and the warden
+now entering, a conversation on indifferent topics was gaily resumed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Jomfru Ingé placed no confidence in the crafty Rané. In the
+evening, when alone with Kirstine, she warned her of him; for she had
+well observed that his respectful homage to her beauty, and his
+flattery of her free spirit and independence, had not been without
+effect. Lady Ingé at the same time was forced to acknowledge that Sir
+Rané was not deficient in courage, and possessed much sagacity and
+eloquence. She even admitted that her distrust of him might possibly be
+unfounded; but, in the eyes of Kirstine, he was a true and doughty
+knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next day Rané eagerly sought an opportunity of conversing with Kirstine
+alone. He found it, and soon confided to her that the fame of her
+beauty had long made him her passionate admirer. He informed her that
+her father had formerly accorded him permission to solicit her hand in
+person, but that the jarl now sought to evade his promise; and,
+finally, that his present journey, and the hazard to which he thereby
+exposed his life, having been undertaken solely for the purpose of
+seeing her, there was now no enterprise so dangerous that he would not
+venture on it for her sake.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She listened to all his protestations without any apparent displeasure,
+but gave him no decided answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Four days elapsed, during which Rané continued his efforts to win
+Kirstine, and to inspire Jomfru Ingé with a more favourable opinion of
+him. Many secret councils had been held between the two damsels, and it
+was finally concluded that, before they confided in him, they should,
+at all events, put his fidelity to a stern proof.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané had spoken highly of the swiftness of his vessel, and of his
+powerful connections in Denmark. A hint, or an apparently accidental
+occurrence, was therefore all that was required for flight or an
+abduction. Kirstine planned the hazardous design, to which, from
+necessity and her dangerous situation, Jomfru Ingé was forced to
+accede.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the fifth day after the arrival of Rané, Ingé was alarmed by the
+intelligence that her father, with Sir Thord, was expected from
+Kongshelle on the following day, and that festive preparations, as for
+a wedding, were going forward in the castle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané's vessel lay ready to sail in Tönsberg Fiord, a few bow-shots from
+the strand. It was manned by a numerous crew, whom Rané had gained over
+with gold and promises. The crafty young knight had proposed a walk by
+the beach, where, a little before sunset, he proceeded, accompanied by
+Kirstine and Lady Ingé. The old warden attended them, although he was
+heartily tired of hearing of fells, and waterfalls, and all the other
+beauties of nature which strangers extol so highly. Rané conversed with
+the young ladies with much politeness: he greatly admired the beauty of
+the landscape. &quot;But,&quot; he observed, &quot;the view from the sea must be far
+more magnificent. When I arrived, the sky was not so clear as it now
+is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It appears to me, however,&quot; observed the warden, with a yawn, &quot;that it
+was just as clear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is possible,&quot; replied Rané; &quot;but towards evening the coast assumes
+a more beautiful appearance. Here is a boat close by, with part of my
+crew: the ladies, perhaps, would like to row a little way on the
+fiord.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, yes!&quot; exclaimed Kirstine, pulling Ingé along with her into the
+boat: &quot;the weather is fine, and I can show thee that the sun does not
+set over a nobler land than Norway. Will you go with us, warden?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané had placed himself beside the ladies. The warden was displeased;
+but, unwilling to oppose himself to the will of the proud young damsel,
+he entered the boat grumbling, and it rapidly glided from the beach.
+Whilst Rané dilated with animation on the beauties of the scenery, the
+boatmen, who had been previously instructed, rowed straight to the
+vessel, which lay with her sails half unfurled, and her crew ready to
+heave the anchor as soon as their master was on board.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The invitation of Rané to inspect the ship was accepted. The objections
+of the warden were silenced by the eloquent knight, who, the moment
+they stood on deck, gave a signal, and the vessel stood out under full
+sail. The terrified warden was conducted, as a prisoner, to the cabin;
+while Rané, throwing himself upon his knee before Kirstine, poured out
+a torrent of flattering apologies for carrying off her friend and her
+to Denmark; where, he said, he as certainly hoped to obtain her
+forgiveness, as he was now prepared by every deed of chivalry to
+deserve the hand of the fairest maiden in Norway.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé, as well as Kirstine, was half terrified at this sudden
+abduction, although it was their own plan which the crafty knight,
+without knowing it, was carrying into effect. They both remained silent
+and thoughtful; but Lady Ingé was too proud to carry dissimulation
+farther.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, Sir Rané,&quot; she said, gravely, &quot;I follow you willingly to
+Denmark, for I desire to leave Tönsberg.&quot; And with this avowal she
+retired to the other side of the vessel, leaving it to her companion to
+simulate anger at his daring conduct.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">By this step Sir Rané had gained a great object. As long as the fate of
+the conspirators was uncertain, it was important that he should be
+able, in some satisfactory manner, to justify his connection with them.
+By this daring action he also hoped to increase his reputation as a
+bold knight in the estimation of Marsk Stig and the jarl; while in the
+daughter of the powerful algrev he possessed a hostage that would
+secure him from their enmity. Neither did it escape his observation,
+that, in the eyes of the brave daughter of the viking, he had
+established his character as an adventurous knight; and he now clearly
+perceived that she secretly favoured him as her suitor, notwithstanding
+the rage and scorn which she pretended to heap upon him. As long, too,
+as Lady Ingé remained in his power, he supposed that her kinsman, old
+Sir John, and Drost Hessel, would reflect before they took any steps
+against him.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">On a beautiful evening in the middle of May, there was a torch-dance
+and great rejoicing in the streets of Rypen. Such festivities, where
+the burghers mingled in the gay crowd of knights, were not uncommon;
+but at a time so serious, and so soon after the murder of the king,
+these public rejoicings gave great scandal to the friends of the royal
+house among the burghers of the place; while the adherents of Marsk
+Stig heartily entered into them, as a proof of the security with which
+the rebel governor of the castle, Sir Tagé Muus, defied the royal
+party. In this way, the revolted chief showed, too, how well he
+understood, and how much he disregarded, the feigned threats with which
+Duke Waldemar had summoned him to surrender.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke, with his army, was encamped about half a mile south of Rypen.
+His forces consisted chiefly of South Jutlanders; although among them
+there were also a few Brandenburg and Saxon horsemen. On the evening to
+which we have alluded, the duke entertained, in his magnificent crimson
+tent, the two Margraves of Brandenburg, old Duke Johan of Saxony, and
+Count Gerhard of Holstein; the latter having reached the army the
+previous day, at the head of a chosen troop of Holstein horse. The
+brave count had scarcely awaited his recovery from the unfortunate blow
+which had cost him an eye, before he had armed himself for the defence
+of Queen Agnes and the young king. He had united his forces to those of
+the duke without suspicion; but was received at the camp with a
+coldness that surprised him. The queen's brothers had newly arrived
+from Viborg, to hasten some decisive attempt against Marsk Stig and his
+adherents. The aged Duke of Saxony, who had been the youthful friend of
+Duke Waldemar's father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, had often manifested
+a fatherly interest in the ambitious young Waldemar. He had arrived,
+uninvited, at the head of his brave troops, not solely to strengthen
+the duke, but for the purpose of preventing, by his presence, any
+thoughtless step which might be prompted by his ambitious aspirations,
+of which the old nobleman was not ignorant. He had been partly moved to
+this by his daughter, the pious Princess Sophia, of whom Duke Waldemar
+had, two years before, been an ardent suitor, without having received
+any decisive answer. At that time she was not quite fifteen, and had
+declared that in three years she would determine, should her wooer then
+renew his suit. She was well aware that she had made a strong
+impression on the young duke, whom she loved tenderly, but without
+passion, and she also entertained well-grounded doubts of his
+constancy. She therefore dreaded his ambitious plans, and felt more
+solicitous about his honour and the welfare of his soul than the loss
+of his heart, which she already looked upon as having escaped her, for
+she had not seen him for two years. She awaited, however, the
+expiration of the third year, when she intended to bid farewell to the
+world, and assume the veil.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The upright old Duke Johan had approved his daughter's views and
+determination. Without alluding to her, he had, like a true and
+fatherly friend, spoken seriously to the young duke relative to his
+present position and his duties to the Danish crown. His words were not
+without effect; but the idea that wholly engrossed the young nobleman
+was the proud consciousness that he possessed the power to decide the
+fate of the royal house of Denmark by casting his sword into either
+scale of the nicely balanced parties.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The presence of the margraves and the honest Count Gerhard, however,
+and their unanimous demand that something decisive should be attempted,
+caused him some embarrassment. A council of war was held in the duke's
+tent, at which, after those noblemen had each expressed his opinion
+boldly and frankly, the duke arose.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Here, my lords, I am commander,&quot; he said, firmly; &quot;and with every
+respect for your advice and sincere intentions, I must still follow my
+own convictions. Before the Dane-court has decided how Marsk Stig and
+his friends are to be treated, and until I myself have been formally
+recognised as protector, nothing decisive can be undertaken. Within
+twelve days the Dane-court will be held, and, consequently, my presence
+in Nyborg will be necessary. Until then no campaign can be commenced,
+far less completed. From what I have heard of Marsk Stig's
+preparations, a greater force than we possess will be necessary to
+subdue him. Besides, by the law of the land, he and his friends have
+still the right to defend themselves before the Dane-court, if they
+choose to risk it; and, as I have already said, no decisive step can be
+taken until it is legally determined in what quality I stand here, and
+with whom we have to contend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With your leave, illustrious duke,&quot; began Count Gerhard, &quot;I think we
+know right well who we are, and what we have to do. That we two, at
+least, stand here as vassals of the Danish crown, requires no
+confirmation. That the commander of Rypen House, by placing the banner
+of Marsk Stig where that of the king should wave, has openly declared
+himself an enemy of the crown, is certain enough. Before we advance
+against Helgeness and Hielm, Rypen House must be ours. With what forces
+we have here the place can be stormed within twelve hours; and it seems
+to me shameful and indefensible that we should lie here idly, and
+tamely permit a royal castle to remain in the hands of rebels.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If, with your own troopers, you choose to storm Rypen House, brave
+Count Gerhard,&quot; replied the duke, carelessly, &quot;you are welcome; but it
+must be on your own responsibility; and you will further have to answer
+before the Dane-court for kindling a civil war before the conduct of
+these men has been legally condemned, and without knowing by what law
+and authority you yourself are acting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So, then, illustrious duke,&quot; exclaimed Count Gerhard, with suppressed
+indignation, &quot;in God and St. George's name I shall act alone, and I
+doubt not that I shall be able to defend my conduct well.&quot; He then
+bowed, and retired.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly afterwards he left the camp, at the head of fifty horsemen, and
+took the road to Rypen. By his side, attired as a squire, rode Daddy
+Longlegs, who, since the unfortunate foolery which had cost his master
+an eye, had laid aside the dignity and dress of a jester, but still
+followed his master, to whom he was indispensable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As Count Gerhard approached the Nipsaa, which defended the town from
+the south, his anger gradually abated; prudence returned, and he
+perceived the absurdity of attempting, with his handful of men, to
+storm a well-fortified castle like Rypen House. Shame, however,
+deterred him from returning to the camp, and he rode leisurely forward.
+His troopers followed silently; but he perceived, by their thoughtful
+and serious looks, how certainly fatal they considered the enterprise
+on which their master and prince was conducting them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us make good speed, gracious sir,&quot; observed Longlegs, in a tone of
+grave raillery, &quot;before they at Rypen House behold our terrible army
+and surrender themselves. It would be a sad misfortune should we miss
+this chance of immortality, and have no opportunity of using our
+storming-ladders and lithers--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I rely upon thee being a wizard, Longlegs, who can as easily knock out
+the eye of the enemy as thou didst mine, and so prevent him from seeing
+our strength,&quot; replied the count, entering at once, as usual, into the
+humour of his jester. &quot;But who has informed thee that I mean to storm
+Rypen House? There are banquetings and rejoicings in Rypen, thou
+knowest; and what if I should intend to treat myself and all of you to
+a romp with the fair maids of Rypen?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah! that is another matter, sir. A right merry dance it will be; and,
+besides, we come not unbidden to the junkettings, for the letter
+brought you in the gloaming by the old pilgrim was doubtless an
+invitation to sport and joviality.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard nodded. &quot;Didst thou know him, Longlegs?&quot; he inquired.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If I am not mistaken, it was our old host in Middelfert, Henner
+Friser. He is a daring carl, and, it is said, knows something more than
+his paternoster. He fled from Middelfert for a murder: so take care,
+sir, that he does not lead you into a snare.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If thou hadst heard what he said, Longlegs, thou wouldst not fear
+that. Onwards.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not far from the Southgate Bridge and Hostorg Port, on what is called
+the Marshland, Count Gerhard ordered his troopers to halt and dismount.
+Having set them the example, he remained for a moment in profound
+thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, my men,&quot; he at length said, good-humouredly, &quot;I shall conduct you
+to the feast to-night. You see the torches are flaring on the bridge.
+Well, there is mirth in Rypen, and only merry guests are expected. The
+grooms will remain with the horses, and you others, one by one, will
+follow me on foot, with your swords beneath your cloaks, for the sake
+of security. If you can get a torch in one hand, and a girl in the
+other, dance away. But the jig must pass through Southgate-street to
+Grayfriars-street, and then along Crutched-friars, to the large
+bleaching-green by the castle. There you must gather around me when you
+hear my hunting-horn. What further fun is to be had, must depend on
+luck and opportunity. You understand me, carls?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A general shout of applause announced the acquiescence of the troopers
+in the adventurous project of their master. He immediately crossed the
+bridge, followed, singly and at a distance, by the others, who mingled
+with the crowds of merrymakers that filled the streets.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mirth had reached its height. Torches blazed and songs were sung in
+every street leading to the castle. Gaily-dressed knights, and ladies
+in mantles of silk and scarlet, mingled in the dance. Count Gerhard
+strode along in his heavy riding-boots, without taking any active part
+in the festivities. When he had reached and was about to pass the
+gateway into the court-yard of the Crutched-friars, he received a nod
+of recognition from a brave, well-known face, concealed under a
+peasant's hood, while, with a hearty shake of the hand, he was drawn
+beneath the arch.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel!--you here, and in this disguise!&quot; he exclaimed, with
+astonishment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have you come to join our dance, noble count?&quot; inquired Drost Peter,
+hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend take the dance! I am here to storm Rypen House, in spite of
+the duke and his fine prudential considerations.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well! You are in the dance, then, whether you will or not. But
+whence comes it? Who is the leader?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He that comes first, I should think. But, by Beelzebub! you must well
+know that, Drost Hessel. Ask not me, for I know nothing: I have had
+only a private hint, which I am undecided whether I ought to act upon
+or not. Do you know old Henner Friser, from Melfert?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Him we can rely upon,&quot; replied Drost Peter, gladly; &quot;and if the hint
+came from him, we may safely follow it. What force is with you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a great one; but still, I can muster half a hundred with a blast
+of my horn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed the drost: &quot;there is, then, some meaning in it, and I
+now begin to be in earnest; for, hitherto, the whole affair has
+appeared to me somewhat like a joke. I know not with whom the daring
+idea originated, and I came here with only two companions, merely to
+discover the temper of the people. On my way I met Henner Friser, and
+the mysterious old man predicted me success, and then disappeared. It
+seems he has good friends here. The disposition of the burghers is
+favourable; but the duke delays, and I have no faith in him. To storm
+the place without an army would never have occurred to me; but there
+must be amongst us a spirit more inventive and daring than we were
+aware of. An hour since a stranger invited me to be the second knight
+in the row of dancers, when the Danish maidens should begin the
+song;--'For Erik the king so young.' But what avails it without a
+storm?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand,&quot; exclaimed the count rubbing his hands with delight:
+&quot;for the young king, then. True, I would rather sing, 'For Queen Agnes
+the fair;' but it is the same. Dance only, in God's name, across the
+castle-bridge. I dance behind, and follow you with my men. 'For our
+young king,' is the watchword; and he who hesitates to give it tongue,
+shall be cut down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This conversation was interrupted by a party of boisterous young
+knights, with black plumes in their helmets, and torches in their
+hands, who danced into the court-yard of the convent, summoning the
+terrified monks to open the refectory for them, and bawling for wine
+and Saxon ale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Saw you the black-plumes? That is a band of Marsk Stig's adherents,&quot;
+observed Drost Peter, as he retired with Count Gerhard to an obscure
+corner of the gateway, unable to conceal his indignation at such
+audacious proceedings, which were not unusual during this unsettled
+period.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The clamour in the convent-yard subsided for an instant, while a
+reverend friar came forth, and reminded the disturbers that they were
+not in an enemy's country, and that it was the duty of the brave
+gentlemen at Rypen House to protect the town, and not to plunder it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The priest was answered with mockery and threats; and one of the
+overbearing young knights, brandishing his torch, swore he would set
+fire to the convent, if their demands were longer resisted. The door of
+the refectory was then instantly opened, and the unwelcome guests were
+admitted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter boiled with indignation. &quot;Behold, Count Gerhard!&quot; he
+exclaimed, vehemently: &quot;these are the men who would be masters in
+Denmark. Let us after them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, let them drink till they cannot see a hole through a
+storming-ladder,&quot; cried Count Gerhard, laughing--&quot;the better will go
+our dance. When does it begin, and where?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Two hours after the ave, and on the bleach-green, near the castle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis well. The time is near: therefore let us hence. There is some
+meaning in this dance, and an honest warrior can engage in it without
+being laughed at. Plague take it! if the queen were only here, she
+should see me dance better and more gaily than I did the last time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They proceeded hastily to the bleach-green, where a great crowd was
+assembled. In the middle of the open space stood a table, covered with
+refreshments. Merry music filled the air, while many torches shed their
+light upon the scene, and numerous gaily dressed ladies occupied the
+benches around. Drost Peter and Count Gerhard observed with attention
+and surprise the glittering knights and dames about them, most of whom
+had their faces fantastically painted, and all sharing in the merriment
+with spirit and joyousness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As Count Gerhard was making his remarks on this, Skirmen hastily
+approached, and whispered a few words to his master, who immediately,
+with joyful surprise, directed his eyes to a bench, on which sat three
+ladies veiled. In the nearest he thought he recognised the black-haired
+little Aasé. She who sat in the middle, Skirmen, with a roguish smile,
+had informed him was the lady who had invited him to the dance. Skirmen
+had again disappeared, and Drost Peter fixed his eyes on the tall
+stranger lady with a feeling of delight he could not express, although
+a painful anxiety mingled with it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can it be possible? Can she be here, and engaged in this dangerous
+sport?&quot; he exclaimed, half aloud, as he felt the ground spin round with
+him. He began to think he was in some wonderful dream. He again looked
+round for Skirmen, but without success, and was at last obliged to
+support himself on a bench near where he stood.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that moment the three maidens arose, and began to sing:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">
+&quot;On Rypen streets the dance goes light,<br>
+With ladys gay and gentle knight.<br>
+On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod:<br>
+There dance the knights so gaily shod--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">When the burthen was heard, the flutes and horns chimed in, and a
+number of knights sprang forward with their ladies, and formed a long
+row of dancers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter distinguished Jomfru Ingé's clear and mellow voice, and in
+the middle singer he now plainly recognised her tall and noble form. He
+started up and clasped her in his arms. &quot;Ingé, dearest Ingé!&quot; he
+whispered, &quot;what daring is this? Are you come hither to dance to the
+death with me? If so, then joyfully for Denmark and our young king! But
+unriddle to me this mystery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My knight follows me to the royal castle and to victory,&quot; whispered
+Ingé: &quot;if our leader deceive us not, we shall succeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who, then, is our leader?&quot; inquired the drost, eagerly. &quot;If any one
+leads here, I should do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The gates of the rebels' castle are not opened to Drost Hessel,&quot; she
+rejoined, hastily. &quot;There stands our leader, but you must not know him.
+If he were free, I should trust him as little as you do; but here he is
+in our power, and must now dance himself to a bride--or die.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She pointed to a stately young knight, with long yellow hair, who stood
+near them, with a torch in his hand, and apparently hesitating whether
+he should place himself at the head of the dancers or not. He had
+hitherto stood with his back towards them; but as he now turned to one
+side, the light of his torch fell on his cheek, and Drost Peter
+exclaimed, in the highest astonishment--&quot;Rané!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be silent,&quot; whispered Ingé: &quot;with a fox we must catch a fox to-night;
+but not like Hamlet. With May-garlands, and, as I hope, without the red
+rose, will we bind our enemies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Meanwhile, the music continued, many singing to it a well-known ballad
+that suited the tune. Whilst Rané stood, as if yet undecided, the row
+of dancers was constantly increasing; and Jomfru Ingé, in a few words,
+acquainted Drost Peter with the whole daring plan. Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+daughter and herself had persuaded Rané, who knew the governor, to
+bring about the present festival. The bitter feeling of the knight
+towards Marsk Stig, and his anxiety to show himself a friend to the
+royal house, had favoured the project of the young damsels. Through
+Skirmen and Aasé, old Henner Friser had been induced to engage in it.
+The proximity of Drost Peter had redoubled the courage of his
+betrothed, although she feared that his co-operation with Rané might
+defeat the whole scheme.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And now, my dear sir knight,&quot; she added, playfully, &quot;the numerous
+chivalrous gentlemen you perceive around you are our trusty Rypen
+burghers and their sons, who, at the request of their wives and
+sweethearts, will dance tonight to the songs of the maidens.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Having given this explanation, she then, with the other damsels, again
+renewed the song, whilst the knights proceeded to arrange themselves in
+conformity with the words of the ballad, wherein themselves and their
+ladies were indicated by feigned names, taken for the most part from
+old romances, but the application of which they all knew well. The only
+one who was named aright was the governor of Rypen House, who was at
+that moment sitting at a drinking-bout in the castle, but whose name,
+being sung aloud as if he were engaged in the dance, assured any of his
+adherents who might be present, and suspicious of the game.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst those nearest the castle arranged themselves as directed by the
+song, the others at the extremity of the line formed a long chain, and
+danced around the green, to assure themselves that none were present in
+the dance but those engaged in the plot. Rané, meanwhile, still stood
+undecided by the bench on which Jomfru Kirstine was seated, when Jomfru
+Ingé and the others began to sing:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Riber Ulf first dances here--<br>
+A king is he without compeer.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis you, Sir Rané!&quot; exclaimed the daughter of the Norwegian
+jarl--&quot;'tis you: you are Riber Ulf to-night. Show me now that you are a
+king without compeer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané, however, did not seem to hear her. The song continued:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then dances Tagé Muns so free--<br>
+Captain of Rypen House is he.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter had cast aside his hood, and donned a high feathered hat,
+which Skirmen had brought him, together with a scarlet mantle, which he
+threw over his peasant's dress.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now are you captain of Rypen House,&quot; whispered Jomfru Ingé. His dress,
+which was the same as the court-suit of the castellan, and which they
+had procured on purpose, caused the knight to be mistaken by many for
+Sir Tagé Muus himself; his portly bulk, derived from his peasant's
+clothes beneath, greatly favouring the deception. In this guise he
+danced forward in the ranks with Jomfru Ingé, who, with the maidens,
+continued to sing:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then dancing comes Sir Saltensee,<br>
+And so come on his kinsmen three.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then dance the noble Limbeks trim,<br>
+And they were kings of sturdy limb.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then after dances Byrge Green,<br>
+And many a gentle knight I ween.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;And now comes dancing Hanke Kann,<br>
+And eke his wife, hight Lady Ann.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then dancing comes a noble pair--<br>
+Sir Rank, and Lady Berngerd fair.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then rich Sir Wolfram, with his dame,<br>
+A lady fair, without a name.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">At this verse Sir Bent Rimaardson, who had received the same invitation
+as Drost Peter, joined the dancers, with an unknown lady by his side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the last couplet--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Then dancing came Sir Iver Helt:<br>
+He followed the king across the Belt:&quot;<a name="div2Ref_36" href="#div2_36"><sup>[36]</sup></a></p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">to his great surprise, Drost Peter perceived the brave Sir Thorstenson
+advance, conducting a smart peasant-girl by the hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! Sir Thorstenson here, too!&quot; he exclaimed, as he turned to Lady
+Ingé, who hastily informed him that the bold knight was there to
+accompany him to Nyborg, whither he had conducted the king and the
+whole court, and that he had immediately approved of and entered into
+her project.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané, however, had yet shown no disposition to take his part in the
+dance. They had twice danced round the open space, and each time that
+Lady Ingé had approached him, she had sung in a louder tone:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Riber Ulf first dances here,<br>
+A king is he without compeer.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">She was now drawing near a third time; but he still remained as if in
+deep thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you afraid that your fair hair will get entangled, Sir Rané, that
+you so long delay leading me to the dance?&quot; exclaimed the courageous
+Jomfru Kirstine, mockingly, and with a gesture of impatience.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, noble jomfru,&quot; answered Rané: &quot;both head and hair may
+easily be entangled here. My hair is a little red, as you must have
+observed; but in this dance it might quickly become redder--&quot;</p>
+
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And your rosy cheeks might become all too white,&quot; interrupted she,
+derisively.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right in that also, fair jomfru,&quot; replied Rané, smiling slyly.
+&quot;You would have little service of the boldest bridegroom, when his
+cheeks were as pale as those of a corpse. It is natural that a man
+should hesitate before he springs into a death-dance, even with a
+damsel ever so rich and fair.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you hesitate a moment longer, Sir Rané,&quot; angrily exclaimed the bold
+jomfru, &quot;I shall consider that I have been shamefully wronged and
+insulted by you; and then, instead of being the bridegroom of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf's daughter, you shall become the laughing-stock of every
+girl in Norway. Yet, nay,&quot; she added, in a milder tone--&quot;you will never
+heap such shame and scorn on both yourself and me. Shall Ingé's words
+prove true, and shall her knight behold your weakness and hesitation?
+See how proudly he dances with her, the brave Drost Hessel!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel!&quot; exclaimed Rané with surprise, as the blood forsook his
+cheeks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel, of course. Surely you are not afraid of the name. If you
+are as brave as you pretend to be, and my father has really given you
+the stroke of knighthood, convince us now that you are worthy of it,
+and show the proud drost that you are not allied to rebels and
+traitors. He is severe, it is said, and old Friser has sworn your death
+if you deceive us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mistake me not, noble jomfru,&quot; said Rané, hastily. &quot;I dread neither
+the drost nor the ferocious innkeeper--for fear of them I stir not a
+single step. But for your sake alone, fairest Kirstine, and my own
+knightly honour, shall I stake my head upon the game, and dance with
+you even to the castle-gate. When it is opened at my signal, I shall
+have kept my word; but will you then as truly and honestly do what you
+have promised, and accompany me from Rypen as my bride?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What I have promised I shall perform, like an honest Norwegian
+maiden,&quot; replied Jomfru Kirstine, gladly, as she quickly rose, and gave
+him her hand. &quot;Dance but through the castle-gate with me, and you are
+the bold and noble hero I believed you, and worthy of the daughter of
+any jarl.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané seemed transformed as by some sudden inspiration; he sprang nimbly
+forward with his lady, and placed himself at the head of the dancers,
+who had now for the third time nearly made the circuit of the area.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before Lady Ingé had again sung the first verse of the ballad, calling
+on Riber Ulf, Rané was dancing gaily along, with Jomfru Kirstine on his
+arm. Lightly tripping it, he sang aloud, while all the damsels and
+knights accompanied him:</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;And on Rypen streets the dance goes light,<br>
+With ladye gay and gentle knight--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right!&quot; exclaimed the lively Norwegian lady, whom he whirled along,
+her silken ribbons fluttering in her plaited hair, as she danced the
+lightest and nimblest of them all. &quot;Dance thus over the bridge, and I
+shall praise your courage; and dance thus through the gate, and I give
+you my plighted troth.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané waved his scarf when they reached the drawbridge, and it was
+instantly lowered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ingé, dearest Ingé, it succeeds!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, as he warmly
+pressed the arm of his partner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The heavy boots of the knights thundered on the drawbridge, amidst the
+light tread of shoes, and all sang merrily:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod;<br>
+There dance the knights so gaily shod--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané now clapped his hands, and the castle-gates were opened. With song
+and shout and merriment, the whole of the dancers were soon within.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard, who still stood on the bleach-green, laughing heartily,
+then blew a merry strain on his horn; and in an instant he was
+surrounded by his fifty men, who followed him with great glee to the
+open gate. Here he posted one half of his force, and with the other
+followed quickly after the dancers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A considerable portion of the castle garrison were dispersed throughout
+the town. The governor, Sir Tagé Muus, was sitting half intoxicated,
+with thirty other knights, in the large royal riddersal. He heard,
+without surprise, the singing and dancing in the castle-court and in
+the passage of the riddersal; for he had given permission to his good
+friend Rané and his young knights to conduct the fair daughters of the
+citizens to him, with dance and song. In a few seconds the doors flew
+open, and the whole company danced in, the knights holding their ladies
+by the left hand and carrying blazing torches in their right. The whole
+of them were linked together by a chain of green May-leaves,
+interspersed with rare roses. By a sudden movement the ladies formed a
+cluster, waving the torches, while the knights, in a compact circle,
+surrounded the table with drawn swords in their hands.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The governor and his thirty knights now first became aware of their
+betrayal, and started up in alarm to defend themselves. But in an
+instant, and without bloodshed, the castellan and his entire force were
+disarmed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Beyond the circle of knights and their captives, the maidens now began
+to dance, and with loud jubilation sang:</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;And thus we danced the castle in,<br>
+With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--</p>
+<p class="t1">The castle it is won!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For Erik the king so young!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, stepping forward.
+He then, in the king's name, took possession of the castle, and sent
+the rebel governor and his adherents, bound, to the dungeon of the
+fort.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To the great joy of the loyal Rypen burghers, the royal banner was seen
+shortly after waving over the castle-gate, where it had been planted by
+a tall and beautiful maiden. Now was there in Rypen a true feast of
+gladness. While Drost Peter and Count Gerhard were placing trusty men
+at every post, and adopting the strictest precautions, the dancing was
+continued in the castle, as well as in the city, with the utmost
+rejoicing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the necessary measures for the defence and security of the
+fortress had been taken, Drost Peter returned with longing haste to the
+riddersal, where he had left Lady Ingé, with Skirmen and Sir
+Thorstenson, in the midst of a gay dance of victory. The meeting with
+his childhood's bride, and the whole daring exploit, still presented
+itself to his imagination like a wonderful dream. The artifice by which
+the castle had been taken, and Rané's traitorous co-operation in it,
+did not please him; but joy at having once more seen the brave Lady
+Ingé, and the hope that her return to Denmark was no more a fleeting
+vision than the whole night's adventure, inspired him with a feeling of
+happiness that banished every other sentiment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Doubt and inquietude, however, soon seized him, for nowhere could he
+find her. He saw only the cheerful knights and disguised burghers, who,
+with laughter, song, and merriment, whirled around with the nimble
+Rypen damsels. He saw Sir Thorstenson, and the otherwise melancholy
+Bent Rimaardson, glide past him in the mazes of the dance, as if
+intoxicated with the general hilarity; while Count Gerhard clattered
+away in his heavy boots, and sang lustily from the bottom of his heart.
+In the song, to which they were now dancing with so much animation,
+Drost Peter heard not the mellow voice of Lady Ingé, while both knights
+and ladies repeated the words of their former bold songstress:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;And thus we danced the castle in,<br>
+With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--</p>
+<p class="t1">The castle it is won!
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;With rosy wreath and ridder dance,<br>
+A keep so won I ne'er saw chance--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">The general delight would certainly have again communicated itself to
+Drost Peter, had he anywhere caught a glimpse of Lady Ingé. But her
+sudden disappearance was a painful mystery; and his anxiety augmented
+when he perceived that Rané, too, had vanished. He knew that this
+crafty knight had been her attendant from Norway; and notwithstanding
+the apparent change in his sentiments, and his important share in
+surprising the castle, he still considered him as the most treacherous
+and dangerous foe of himself and the royal house. Neither could he
+perceive the brave Norwegian maiden, whom Ingé had called her friend,
+and who, with Rané, had led the dancers. That she was the daughter of
+Jarl Mindre-Alf he knew, and Ingé's connection with this family
+increased his uneasiness. While he was assailed by these doubts and
+fears, Sir Thorstenson approached him and extended his hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This, by my troth, I call a merry maiden's victory, Drost Peter!&quot;
+exclaimed the warlike knight, gaily. &quot;The fair damsels are likely to
+win the honours of war from us. To-night, at all events, the wreath of
+victory certainly belongs to them. Next time, I hope it will be our's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They retired to a corner, when Sir Thorstenson informed his anxious and
+abstracted friend how, on his arrival at Rypen a few hours before, he
+had been dragged into this singular adventure, whose important and
+successful issue might excuse him for not having immediately attended
+to his proper duty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Truth to say, my good friend,&quot; he added, &quot;your cool mind and knightly
+sword, no less than your authority as drost, were required to help us
+to success; but I would rather dispense with your all too conscientious
+scruples. Therefore it was that I persuaded Jomfru Ingé to take you by
+surprise. If this deserves punishment, let the offence be visited only
+on me. You are my superior, and can now, if you choose, place me in
+arrest for neglecting my duty, and taking counsel against you with your
+betrothed--for such, in truth, I suppose she is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Know you what has become of her?&quot; inquired Drost Peter, hastily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That know I not,&quot; replied Thorstenson; &quot;but leave the maidens to
+dance, and let us no longer lose our wit over this conceit of the fair
+ones.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was silent, and Thorstenson continued: &quot;The duke's
+preparations for war, notwithstanding the queen's confidence in him,
+are regarded by the council as suspicious. Old Sir John considered the
+young king as no longer safe in Viborg; and, in your absence, I was
+obliged secretly to convey him to Nyborg. I myself believe that there
+are evil birds about. Sir John informed me that I should meet you here,
+and he charged me with these letters for you, both from himself and the
+queen. I know that you must on to Nyborg. But here you now command.
+Whilst you follow the king's orders, I must follow your's. I shall do
+so, however, with pride and pleasure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter hastily perused the letters. &quot;I must depart before day,&quot; he
+said; and, after a moment's reflection, added--&quot;you are governor of
+Rypen House, Sir Thorstenson. This important fortress cannot be
+entrusted to an abler knight; and, as a punishment for acting on your
+own counsel, I require you to defend it to the last extremity, should
+even the duke and Marsk Stig agree to storm it with their united
+strength.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well,&quot; exclaimed Thorstenson, joyfully, &quot;a more honourable punishment
+could not have been awarded me. You show your displeasure, Drost Peter,
+in a noble manner. Thanks for your confidence! There are brave men
+amongst the burghers to defend the castle; and while one stone stands
+upon another, nor foe nor traitor shall set foot within it. If the king
+has no other place of security in the country, bring him hither. Rypen
+House is and shall remain the strongest royal castle in Denmark. Within
+a month it shall be impregnable.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bravely spoken!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter. &quot;Within half an hour the keys
+of the castle, with your authority as commandant legally drawn out,
+shall be delivered to you. Meantime let the festivities be brought to a
+close, and let all leave the castle who do not belong to it. If you
+will, at the same time, do me a friendly service,&quot; he added, whilst
+endeavouring to conceal his anxiety, &quot;let search be made, with all
+haste, for Jomfru Ingé Little. Perhaps she will allow me to be her
+escort to her kinsman, the counsellor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson nodded, and, warmly pressing his hand, prepared to depart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yet one word!&quot; exclaimed the drost, with much inquietude. &quot;If you
+encounter Rané, he is our prisoner until his conduct has been
+investigated. He must be sought for diligently. Let the town-gates be
+locked, and suffer no vessel to leave the river within the next four
+and twenty hours. God be with you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson nodded, and, with the joyful sense of his new dignity, he
+departed hastily to execute the injunctions of the drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The latter proceeded to the governor's private chamber, where he found
+everything that was requisite to enable him to complete the necessary
+instructions and authorities. Notwithstanding his anxiety, and the
+pressure of his own dearest heart affairs, he fully felt the duty
+imposed on him by his important station, and prepared the necessary
+formulas with perfect deliberation. He had already put his large
+signet-ring, bearing the flying eagle, to the wax of Thorstenson's
+appointment, when the door was opened, and Claus Skirmen entered, in
+great haste, and almost breathless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have found you at last, stern sir,&quot; joyfully exclaimed the trusty
+squire. &quot;I have been searching for you everywhere; and bring you many
+salutations, besides a pretty little letter, from Jomfru Ingé. I saw
+her depart in excellent style, in the town-governor's own carriage,
+drawn by four horses, with twelve troopers for an escort.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What sayest thou, Skirmen?&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, in astonishment.
+&quot;She travels! and whither?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Know you not, sir? Was it not your own arrangement? But you shall
+hear. When she had placed the royal banner over the castle-gate, she
+directed me to follow her to the town-governor, to whom she showed a
+letter, bearing three large seals. He bowed to her as if she had been
+the queen herself, and immediately ordered the horses to be yoked--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whither, I ask--where does she journey to? But you have a letter--give
+it me quickly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She travels to Kolding, and from thence to Sweden, sir,&quot; replied
+Skirmen, as he handed him a slip of parchment, tied with a
+rose-coloured silk ribbon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While the drost hastily perused the billet, he blushed deeply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Farewell, my childhood's bridegroom!&quot; it ran. &quot;'For Erik the king so
+young,' I still sing in my heart, and the torch in the hand of my true
+knight still gleams before mine eyes. He who is powerful in the feeble,
+has given me also a work to do. The true Sir John knows of it. Ask of
+him, but follow me not. In Denmark's darkest night we have danced a
+victor-dance together; and, God be praised! it cost no blood. When the
+child-king is Denmark's lord, and the crown sits firmly on his brow, we
+may perhaps see each other in a happier hour. My father alone can unite
+our hands. But our hearts, which God in truth hath joined together, no
+man can ever sunder.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter heaved a deep sigh, although his eyes sparkled with a great
+and glorious hope. He concealed the note in his bosom, and turned again
+to Skirmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To Kolding, sayest thou--and from thence to Sweden? Who told thee
+this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I gathered it from what I heard her tell the town-governor, and the
+Norse jomfru or fru--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Norse jomfru!&quot; interrupted Drost Peter, hastily. &quot;She and Sir Rané
+have not accompanied her?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, the saints forbid, sir! Had I thought so, I should never have
+allowed her to go, had I been compelled to keep her back by main force.
+But I thought you knew all, and--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But Rané, Rané--where sawest thou him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On the way to the town-governor we encountered the snake. He was
+leaving the Grayfriars' Chapel with the Norse jomfru, where, it is
+said, they have already been made man and wife. Jomfru Ingé cried
+bitterly, and embraced the Norse lady with great emotion; but Rané--the
+fiend take him!--would not delay. Within half an hour, he said, they
+must be on the open sea; and he talked of his sea-dogs, and looked
+about as if they were not far distant. He offered one arm to Jomfru
+Ingé, while he held fast his young fru with the other. But Jomfru Ingé
+withstood the indignity. She bade him a cold and formal farewell, and
+turned hastily away. I was much tempted to measure my squire's sword
+with the glaive of the newly-coined knight. My sword, I believe,
+indeed, accidentally left the sheath, and certainly I did not look very
+mildly at the crafty sir fox. I saw that he perfectly remembered how
+last I waited for him outside the duke's door at Nyborg Castle; for he
+suddenly became pale-nosed when he saw me about to spring at him.
+Jomfru Ingé seized me by the arm; and, before I had time to call him a
+traitorous nidding, he had disappeared with the pretty fru, whom he has
+cajoled and stolen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter again breathed easily. &quot;Now, God be praised!&quot; he exclaimed.
+&quot;the wretch has no longer any power over her!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I trow he has, though!&quot; cried Skirmen: &quot;he took her with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! art thou mad?--Ingé?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, Heaven forfend, sir!--Her I held fast by--but the pretty Norse
+jomfru--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In God's name, so be it! She was his wife, Skirmen; and thou hast
+conducted thyself like a brave fellow. She has set out alone, then, for
+Kolding--Ingé, I mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, with twelve horsemen, besides car-swains.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very well: let our horses be instantly saddled.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Already?&quot; exclaimed Skirmen, colouring: &quot;I thought we should tarry
+here to-night. Truth to say, sir, I have appointed a meeting with
+little Aasé and her grandfather, by the Stone-gate. They are about to
+make a pious pilgrimage, and I may not again see her for a long time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You can meet them as we go, for we shall pass through that gate. Quick
+with the horses!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen left the room, with a sigh, and Drost Peter threw himself
+thoughtfully on a seat. He again drew forth Lady Ingé's letter, read it
+once more, and had just pressed it to his lips, when the door opened,
+and Sir Thorstenson entered, furious with rage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! it was the cursed algrev's daughter!&quot; he exclaimed, vehemently:
+&quot;and they are gone--Jomfru Ingé, with--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know it,&quot; interrupted Drost Peter, concealing the letter as he rose.
+&quot;Here is your appointment and authority, brave Thorstenson, and Heaven
+protect you! Rané has escaped us; but this time, however, we owe him
+thanks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Confound him! it was the algrev's daughter he ran away with,&quot;
+continued Thorstenson, with indignation: &quot;they were on the open sea
+before the river could be blocked. Ha! why knew I not this an hour ago?
+Death and destruction! The algrev's daughter should have sat a prisoner
+in Rypen House until Sir Algotson had been hanged, and proud Ingrid had
+become Thorstenson's wife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was well, then, you knew not the bold viking's daughter,&quot; replied
+the drost, &quot;otherwise you would have had to do with me. It would have
+been disgraceful to every Dane had not the brave adventurous maiden
+been permitted to retire from Rypen as freely as she came. Had she not
+infused her courage into our wily leader of the dance to-night, the
+bravest Danish maiden had sung her song in vain, and you had not now
+been governor of Rypen House.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, by Satan! she is the daughter of the infernal algrev!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What of that? She is a heroine, to whom we owe both thanks and honour;
+and she has paid dearly enough for her bold adventure, if she has given
+Rané her troth as its guerdon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, Drost Peter,&quot; replied Thorstenson, cooling: &quot;the girl
+was worthy of a better husband, and should surely have had a better
+father. Let her fly, then, the bold rock-bird! She may yet make a hero,
+or at least a wily pirate, of our vile knight. But--death and
+destruction!--had I known she was the algrev's daughter--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Even then, you would have respectfully kissed her hand, David
+Barmhead!&quot; interrupted the drost, smiling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The horses are ready, sir drost,&quot; cried Skirmen at the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter took a hurried leave of the brave governor of Rypen House,
+and left the castle; having first prudently put on a light breastplate
+under his travelling-cloak. He rode off rapidly, followed by Skirmen,
+along Green-street to the Market-place, without noticing the noisy
+merriment of the burghers. In Merchant-street the crowds had
+dispersed, and Skirmen observed several dark figures stealing about,
+coffin-bearers apparently of the order of the Dominicans, having hoods
+with large eyeholes over their faces; although, from their suspicious
+movements and long strides, they more resembled disguised soldiers. The
+trusty squire directed the attention of his master to these men, who
+appeared to be closely watching him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Coffin-bearers, about to carry a body somewhere,&quot; observed the drost:
+&quot;what is remarkable in that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It depends on what kind of body they are to carry,&quot; returned Skirmen;
+&quot;and whether it is not the first they meet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The suspicious hoods disappeared, however, at the corner of
+Ship-street, and Drost Peter rode over the bridge to the Middle-dam.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What ails thee, Skirmen?&quot; he inquired, stopping his horse in a
+by-street. &quot;Since yesterday, methinks thou hast laid thy valour aside.
+Thou wert quite another carl when the robbers were seized by thee in
+Daugberg quarry. Now, however, I see thou hast got a sweetheart in thy
+head; and hast forgotten that the gold spurs are not to be won by
+timidity and weakness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen felt his cheeks tingle. &quot;Had you not taken me for a timid fool
+on the morning that we rode to Harrestrup, and had you not supposed the
+grayfriar cloaks covered honest men,&quot; he replied, suppressing his
+emotion, &quot;then, perhaps, stern sir, had King Erik Christopherson last
+year given me the stroke of knighthood, as on that evening you bade me
+hope he would. I would then rather have received it from your hand,&quot; he
+added, with a trembling voice; &quot;but, if now you consider me a timid
+coward, because I fear for your life, I desire nothing more than to
+remain your trusty squire while I live. Warn you I must, however; for I
+would rather go with silver spurs to my grave, than with gold ones
+follow you to your's.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My faithful Skirmen!&quot; exclaimed the drost, much affected, as he
+extended his hand to him, &quot;I know it well: thou art more concerned for
+my life than for thine own. But I am not an outlaw: I am here, well
+armed, on the king's errand, and every cowl-cloak we see does not
+conceal a traitor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;These fellows have been sneaking after us during the whole day, stern
+sir,&quot; replied Skirmen, &quot;and I dare be sworn they are the duke's people.
+I thought Count Gerhard and his troopers were to follow us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The count is his own master,&quot; observed the drost: &quot;I know not whether
+he purposes to attend the Dane-court or no.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But Sir Rimaardson, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He goes from hence by sea. So, let us on. In these times, defenceless
+travellers and princely personages only require an escort.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen was silent. They crossed the bridge to the Lower-dam, and
+another leading across the third arm of the Nipsaa to the Stone-gate,
+at the eastern end of the town. When they reached the gate, they found
+it closed, by the orders of Sir Thorstenson. At the drost's command and
+well-known sign it was immediately opened to them; and they were about
+proceeding on their journey, when Skirmen heard himself called by a
+clear female voice from above the gateway.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For God's sake, dear master, let us halt,&quot; he exclaimed, eagerly,
+springing from his horse. &quot;Aasé is certainly in the Gatehouse prison.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Free us, noble sir drost,&quot; cried Aasé from the prison-grating over the
+arched gateway. &quot;You can bear witness that my grandfather and I are
+neither spies nor traitors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the word of the drost, and his explanation to the watch, the
+prisoners were liberated; and old Henner, in the long cloak of a
+pilgrim, and leading Aasé by the hand, stepped forth. He extended his
+hand to Drost Peter, while Aasé flew delighted into Skirmen's arms.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;One word, sir drost,&quot; said Henner, in an under-tone. &quot;If you would
+ride safely to Snoghoi or Kolding to-night, tarry here till I return,
+or at least allow the road to stand open for good friends. Run, Aasé!
+Time presses!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What meanest thou, old man?&quot; inquired Drost Peter, impatiently.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But he received no answer; for, with a few tremendous bounds, aided by
+his staff, in the manner of the old Frisians, the tall pilgrim had
+suddenly disappeared in the gloom. Shortly after, the strokes of an oar
+were heard on the river, northward of the gate, and a glimpse was
+caught of a boat running down the stream towards the castle with
+incredible rapidity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the instant the old man disappeared, little Aasé also sprang nimbly
+from Skirmen's arms, and was quickly out of sight; but as Skirmen
+fancied he heard her footsteps on the bridge leading to the Lower-dam,
+he mounted his norback, and was about to follow her, when his master
+called him loudly and impatiently the other way. &quot;Come, Skirmen, let us
+forward. Henner is half crazed, and I cannot wait here to please his
+whimsies. You may open the gate for the old man, if he again comes,&quot; he
+added, turning to the burgher-guard; &quot;or, should any one inquire for
+me, do not detain him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he rode off hastily. Skirmen followed him with a downcast
+heart, and looking back every minute after his dear Aasé, to whom he
+had scarcely had time to give a farewell kiss but in the faint
+starlight he saw only the gloomy archway, and a long mailed hand
+projecting threateningly from its walls.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What means that hideous hand, dear master, on the town-gate there?&quot; he
+inquired, as a pretext for lingering a little longer, while he
+continued gazing on the path by which Aasé had disappeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The hand is placed there as a terror to transgressors of the laws,&quot;
+replied the drost, relaxing his speed, as he looked behind. &quot;Whoever,
+by forestalling, causes a scarcity in the town, loses his hand. But if
+I mistake not, Skirmen, it is another hand, less stiff and cold, thou
+art now looking after. Thou wouldst once more take leave of thy little
+Aasé? Well, she is a fair maiden, and one day shall be thy wife. When
+we have restored peace to the land, I shall care for your welfare. But
+meanwhile banish all such weaknesses, and be strong. I dare not take a
+single step from my appointed course, even for the sake of her who is
+dearer to me than all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;True: but you are now both travelling in the same direction, and
+perhaps you may meet her at Kolding. But thanks, noble sir, for your
+care for us,&quot; added Skirmen, &quot;although lands and wealth I require not.
+Aasé only desires that I should, like you, be a doughty knight, and do
+you and our young king honour. Ride on, sir: I shall not longer detain
+you. Our Lord may yet permit me to see my dear little Aasé again.&quot; He
+hastily passed his hand over his eyes, and set spurs to his norback.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As they rode rapidly forward, Drost Peter tried to conjecture what
+the warning of old Henner could mean, and why he had requested the
+town-gate to be left open.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was thoughtless, Skirmen,&quot; he observed, &quot;to humour the whim of the
+old man about the gate. If the fellows you spoke of be traitors on our
+track, we have ourselves opened the way for them to follow us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after, they heard the sound of horses' hoofs behind them. They
+turned, and in the twilight perceived a troop of horsemen approaching.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us turn aside, sir,&quot; said Skirmen: &quot;it is certainly the men in
+cowls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">About an hundred paces behind them, and running into the wood to the
+right, was a by-road, down which the suspicious troop disappeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They have business elsewhere,&quot; said the drost, taking his hand from
+his sword.--&quot;Let us on!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They resumed their journey at a brisk trot.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps they prefer meeting us at the outlet of the wood,&quot; observed
+Skirmen. &quot;We have still the start; but it were most advisable, I think,
+to return to Rypen for aid. It was not for nothing that old Henner
+begged us to tarry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, we shall use our advantage,&quot; said the drost, in a tone of
+decision, as he spurred his horse: &quot;if they be foes, they are in a
+condition to overtake Jomfru Ingé before us, and who knows what her
+twelve troopers are good for?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After a sharp gallop they reached the outlet of the wood, where the
+road became very narrow, and inclosed on both sides by steep banks.
+Skirmen was a short distance in advance of his master, when he suddenly
+wheeled about, and rode back.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The hollow way is intercepted, sir,&quot; he cried. &quot;And see, yonder come
+the same troops again from the wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter halted, looked around him, and drew his sword. &quot;So much the
+worse!&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;they have us in a trap. But we shall not suffer
+ourselves to be caught like rats. Thy norback can climb like a cat,
+Skirmen: ride up the height, then, and sound thy horn. If Henner brings
+us aid, he will hear it, and hasten on. With God's assistance I can
+manage to keep the fellows at bay for an hour. Quick, now!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With much reluctance at leaving his master in this extremity, Skirmen
+obeyed; and patting the neck of his norback, he soon reached the top of
+the steep bank.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meanwhile the horsemen were approaching from both sides; but
+before they could exhibit any hostile intention the horn of Skirmen
+resounded loudly from the bank above. Both troops paused, apparently
+surprised; but when they perceived only the single hornblower on the
+height, they pressed forward rapidly, and had nearly surrounded the
+drost, who, however, succeeded in placing his back to the steep bank.
+He now first perceived whom he had before him; and recognised in the
+band that came from the town the pretended coffin-bearers, with their
+cowls over their faces, and long drawn swords in their hands. The other
+band wore the same suspicious dress; and they numbered altogether more
+than twenty, all on horseback. They maintained a profound silence, and
+seemed to expect the drost to throw down his sword and surrender.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Speak, fellows! what would you with me?&quot; he shouted, brandishing his
+sword on every side: &quot;the first who advances, dies. If you be soldiers,
+say under whose orders you act, that I may know the traitor; and if
+there be a spark of honour in you, you will engage me singly, man to
+man. But if you are robbers and highwaymen, expect no booty from me.
+Bloody crowns are all you shall get, so long as I can wield my sword.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They answered not, but continued to press closer round him, none daring
+first to begin the attack; for Drost Peter, as weapon-master of the
+young king, was well known and generally feared for his skill with the
+sword. In the meanwhile, the horn of Skirmen continued to sound
+lustily, and was now answered by another from the direction of Rypen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by Satan! quick! dead or alive!&quot; cried a rough voice from among
+the disguised horsemen, three of whom at once rushed in upon the drost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One instantly fell wounded, the two others, and as many more as could
+press forward, warmly continuing the assault. Drost Peter vigorously
+defended himself, and kept them at bay, the violent plunging and
+rearing of his steed preventing their blows from reaching him. The
+irritated assassins, perceiving this, wounded the noble animal, which
+rushed furiously into the midst of them, and fell.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter lay for an instant on one knee, hemmed in on all sides by
+the troopers, who threatened to crush him beneath their horses' hoofs.
+He still retained his sword, although the blood streamed over his
+fingers from a wound in his arm. By a flourish of his weapon he
+succeeded in driving back the horses, and once more regained his feet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant, Skirmen, who perceived the critical position of
+his master, darted his squire's sword from the bank above, and the
+leader of the gang rolled from his saddle, mortally wounded. The whole
+troop then sprang from their horses, to overpower the unaided knight by
+their united strength; but ere they could accomplish this, the blast of
+the horn, in answer to Skirmen's, sounded close at hand. The maskers,
+whom the fall of their leader seemed to have embarrassed, looked
+behind, and caught sight of a well-armed troop of horsemen, headed by a
+heavy knight on a white horse, who, with drawn sword, approached at
+full gallop.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The count from Kiel!--the one-eyed count!&quot; cried one of the cowls;
+and, as if by a thunderbolt, the whole band was scattered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Abandoning the drost, and springing on their horses, in an instant they
+all disappeared, except the two who lay wounded on the road, and whose
+horses, with vacant saddles, followed the others.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard on his white steed, with Henner Friser and the Holstein
+troopers, came up while Skirmen, with much solicitude, was binding up
+his master's right arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend!&quot; cried Count Gerhard, springing from his horse, &quot;have we
+come too late?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Time enough to save my life, noble count,&quot; replied Drost Peter,
+joyfully extending his left hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why did you proceed in such haste, sir drost?&quot; cried old Henner,
+gloomily, from his saddle. &quot;Humph!&quot; he added, in a half whisper, after
+a moment's thought, &quot;it is on the track of a lady's car that you bleed
+here. You would rather run the risk of that than follow a gray-beard's
+advice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, old man,&quot; answered Drost Peter: &quot;youth and the wisdom
+of old age do not go together. Besides, I was on my lawful road, and on
+the king's errand; and if you knew that traitors lay in ambush, you
+should have spoken plainly. Meanwhile, thanks for rede and deed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Count Gerhard perceived that his friend was not dangerously hurt,
+he would have pursued the fugitives into the wood, but the drost
+restrained him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is useless,&quot; he said: &quot;they have flown like chaff before your storm
+of troopers. A couple of them only remain--let us be content with them.
+Here lies their leader, who fell, as if by lightning, without my hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I hit him,&quot; cried Skirmen, joyfully, as he completed the bandage on
+his master's arm. &quot;In three weeks you will again bear your sword, sir;
+but next time you use it, bid me not make music to your sport.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thy music helped me more than mine own good sword, Skirmen, and thou
+hast the aim of a David,&quot; said the drost, extending his hand to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They then approached the fallen leader, from whom Skirmen stripped the
+cowl and cloak, when, in his military buff doublet, they recognised
+with astonishment one of Duke Waldemar's Sleswick troopers. He died,
+however, almost immediately, and without uttering a word. The other had
+a similar doublet under his cloak. He was not mortally wounded; but
+wore a daring look, and neither threats nor promises could make him
+speak. They bound up his wound, and set him pinioned upon a horse.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Henner Friser now dismounted from the tall iron-gray horse he had
+ridden.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I took your war-steed from the castle-stables, sir drost. You may soon
+require him,&quot; he said, with emphasis. &quot;I shall now go on foot to my
+grave, and never more set myself on the high horse. I have done it
+roughly enough in bygone times, I know. Now I have finished with
+worldly affairs; but I shall say an ave by the Holy Grave, for you and
+the young king, if I do not fall suddenly into my own on the way. God
+and St. Christian be with you, noble sir!&quot; he added, with unusual
+emotion. &quot;Fortune is still with you in the midst of misfortune. But be
+on your guard. If you are not beforehand with the mortal foe, he will
+be beforehand with you. The crown you guard has not yet reached his
+head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter mounted his well-known, handsome war-steed, which had
+remained in the castle-stables since the last tilting-match. Sad, and
+in silence, he held forth his hand to the old pilgrim.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nonsense!&quot; exclaimed Count Gerhard, as Henner saluted him also, before
+departing. &quot;Thou art too sage a carl, Henner, not to make something
+better than a penitent. I have learned more from thee to-night than
+from all my scribes and wisemen in my life. Stay with me: thou shalt
+carry my banner, and sit at my council. From what thou hast told me of
+my fortune, I should like to know a little more of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not well to know too much of that, highborn sir,&quot; replied
+Henner, thoughtfully, shaking his gray head, as he leant upon his
+pilgrim's staff. &quot;Neither am I a wizard; but the skilled man knows the
+world, and an old porpoise-hunter can still tell what weather we shall
+have to-morrow. Our Lord's Book does not lie, and it does not quite
+require a scribe to understand it. I know,&quot; he continued, looking
+sharply at the count, &quot;that you will get as far with your one honest
+eye, as your wiliest foe with two; but, for all that, you must no more
+depend on Fortune than another. She is a bubble that, as you well know,
+bursts oftenest when it shines the clearest. I should willingly bear
+your banner, highborn count, but what a man has promised to our Lord
+and the Holy Virgin he must abide by. I have a heavy reckoning to
+make, and death gives not long warning. God and St. Christian be with
+you!--Farewell, youth,&quot; he said, turning to Skirmen: &quot;I shall answer to
+thee for Aasé, when thou answerest to me and her with thy fidelity and
+bravery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen seized the old man's hand, which he pressed warmly to his lips;
+but before he could say a word, the old giant had snatched away his
+hand, and was proceeding with rapid strides on the road to the river.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter and Count Gerhard proceeded in silence on their way to
+Kolding, and, following Henner's advice, took the road to the south of
+the Skodborg river. Skirmen and the old jester followed at some
+distance, with the troopers, having the captive highwayman between
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For the first time I follow you over the Sleswick border, my good
+friend,&quot; observed the count, at length breaking the silence. &quot;This
+surprise may import much. In these times every man does not wear his
+heart upon his sleeve. The buff jackets prove little; but trust me,
+nevertheless, the duke is the man. There is more under this, too, than
+thanks for his imprisonment at Sjöborg. The old pilgrim did not boast
+of my one eye without reason. I see, perhaps, even more clearly than
+you; and what the wily duke carries on his shield begins to brighten
+upon me. I should have much pleasure in probing the cunning gentleman a
+little. Listen, my good drost,&quot; he continued, after a moment's
+reflection: &quot;if the duke does not appear at the Dane-court in proper
+time, you must be at your post to preserve the queen and the young king
+from being deceived by him. If he is not in a hurry to be chosen
+protector, 'tis because he has a higher dignity in view. The old
+pilgrim explained a riddle to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What means all this, Count Gerhard?&quot; inquired the drost, as he
+scrutinised attentively his unusually grave countenance. &quot;Old Henner
+has not been filling your mind with surmises and whimsies? I have every
+respect for his experience, but he is not always quite sane; and his
+dreamy fancies I shall disregard. Whatever you may propose to do, noble
+count, forget not that, for the safety of the crown and kingdom, we
+must for the present avoid every hostile step against the duke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What I take in hand concerns myself, and has nothing to do with the
+crown and kingdom,&quot; rejoined the count, &quot;and so you shall not know it.
+Will you confide the captured robber to my charge? I shall answer for
+him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Of course,&quot; replied the drost: &quot;that treasure you may retain. If it
+concerned myself only, I should forget the adventure, and set the
+prisoner loose; but if it has a higher import, it must be inquired
+into. I believe the wily duke superior to a mere base and personal
+revenge; and he must know me well enough to be assured that I would
+not, contrary to the laws, oppose his election to the protectorship.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He knows you more than well enough, my good friend,&quot; said Count
+Gerhard, with a nod. &quot;You would certainly be a most welcome guest in
+his tower of Nordborg Castle. Yet you are right: we must keep to the
+main business. Should I learn anything of importance to the queen
+and the young king, you shall hear it from my own lips, before the
+Dane-court is concluded. But,&quot; added he, confusedly, while the blood
+mounted to his cheeks--&quot;if I should hear that Duke Waldemar and the
+fair Queen Agnes had concluded a private marriage-contract, you must
+excuse me--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You astonish me, Count Gerhard!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter. &quot;Do you
+believe probable what I have long feared might be possible? And think
+you the queen--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Of her I think nothing but what is good and fair and excellent,&quot;
+interrupted the count, with much ardour. &quot;But however prudent she may
+be, still she may err. Why should not she, too, be dazzled by a
+glittering exterior? Were the handsome, well-spoken duke a squat,
+one-eyed widower like myself, and a lout at talking with women, perhaps
+it were better for all of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They continued their route thoughtfully and in silence. The usually
+lively count, with his eye and some of his corpulence, seemed also to
+have lost a part of his even, contented disposition. The loss of his
+eye, however, did not disfigure him, but rather added to his martial
+and somewhat heroic appearance; and the tinge of secret melancholy,
+that blended at times with his good-natured jests, rendered the brave
+and sturdy lord yet more amiable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter became so absorbed in his own thoughts, that the
+conversation was not resumed. The image of Jomfru Ingé often cast its
+radiance over his dark and gloomy pictures of the future. In every
+cloud of dust he descried on the road, he imagined he caught a glimpse
+of her travelling-car; and would then spur forward his steed so
+rapidly, that the count and his followers had some difficulty in
+keeping pace with him. But his hopes were invariably disappointed.
+Frequently it was but a drove of oxen or a troop of horses he had seen,
+and which, by blocking up the road, would intercept him in his
+impatient career.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They had ridden more than seven miles across the Sleswick border, and
+the sun was not yet high in the heavens, when they caught sight of the
+proud &#338;rnsborg, or Kolding House, as it was already called. The
+castle was situated on a rising ground above the sea, on the other side
+of the river Kolding; and, as it came in view, the drost's war-steed
+neighed, and sprang lightly forward at his master's bidding.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But why, in the name of Beelzebub, ride we in such a hurry?&quot;
+impatiently inquired Count Gerhard, puffing. &quot;It is yet eight days to
+the Dane-court; and if we reach Nyborg tomorrow, we shall be time
+enough.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter blushed. &quot;I am commanded to make haste,&quot; he replied. &quot;The
+wind is fair, but the passage here is longer and more difficult than by
+Snoghoi.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pokker, then! why do you not cross from Snoghoi?&quot; asked the count.
+&quot;Yet true,&quot; he added, a little crabbedly, &quot;you would fain see your
+heart's dear again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How know you that, Count Gerhard?&quot; demanded the drost, with some
+surprise and bashfulness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why, every man in the country knows that,&quot; replied his companion. &quot;The
+proud &#338;rnsborg<a name="div2Ref_37" href="#div2_37"><sup>[37]</sup></a> yonder is Drost Peter Hessel's favourite castle;
+and the eagle on a hill, with its wings displayed, stands on your seal
+with as much propriety as it does in the town-arms. Here it was you
+earned your first laurels against Duke Erik; and we have long known
+that in &#338;rnsborg you hold the gate and key of the kingdom against
+both myself and the Duke of South Jutland.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are speaking of the castle,&quot; replied Drost Peter, smiling, &quot;and
+now I understand you. It is, indeed, a fortress dear to me, and of some
+importance to the kingdom. King Erik Christopherson put it in an
+excellent state of defence. It is an eyesore to you Holsteiners, I
+know; but let us be good friends, nevertheless. Were the duke as
+faithful a friend to us as you are, noble count, I should not have been
+so zealous in completing the defences. To speak honestly,&quot; he
+continued, extending his hand to the count, &quot;I thought you meant to
+jest with me of my veritable heart's dear; for it is no stone-bride I
+am hurrying on to see. The castle is in good hands, but at present we
+have no time to visit it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As a prudent drost, you would scarcely venture on that when a count of
+Holstein is along with you, even although he has but half as many eyes
+as other people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With your one eye you would certainly see more defects in the defences
+than I should with both mine,&quot; observed the young drost, modestly, and
+with a look of confidence in his companion; &quot;but I know,&quot; he added,
+&quot;you would not betray its weakness to another than myself, and thus
+both the castle and I would be gainers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I take you at your polite word, Drost Peter,&quot; exclaimed Gerhard.
+&quot;Defer your journey but for half an hour, and show me the castle's four
+giant images, and its defences too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were now at no great distance from Kolding river. They rode
+straight through the Bridge-wood, as it was called; and as they drew
+near the great drawbridge, which here divides North from South Jutland,
+they perceived approaching them an empty travelling-car, with four
+horses, and attended by twelve horsemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There comes back her carriage,&quot; cried Skirmen, hastily riding up to
+his master. &quot;You may still overtake her, as she can hardly yet have
+left the fiord.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You shall see the castle another time, noble count,&quot; exclaimed Drost
+Peter, hurriedly, to his companion, and spurring forward his horse. &quot;I
+may perhaps, instead, show you a fairer image, which I would rather
+bear on my shield than all the world's eagles and castles to boot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What the Pokker!&quot; exclaimed Count Gerhard, laughing aloud, &quot;am I
+killing my horse by riding along with a lovesick knight? Well, my good
+friend, if Drost Hessel can think of such follies in these serious
+times, I am not the only fool in company.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They rode rapidly past the empty car, but were obliged to halt at the
+bridge, which had been again drawn up. The drost had here established a
+lucrative toll, and, under pretence of strict superintendence, had
+recently issued an order, that this boundary bridge should be kept
+drawn up, as during war, which caused much delay and inconvenience to
+travellers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In his impatient haste the drost himself vehemently exclaimed against
+the captain of the burgher-watch, to whom the knights were unknown, and
+who, before he would lower the bridge, demanded a strict account of
+their claims to be admitted with so many soldiers. After some
+altercation, on the drost announcing himself the bridge was lowered,
+and, for the delay, the captain pleaded the fair excuse, that it was
+the drost's own orders that had caused it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, my friend,&quot; said Drost Peter, recollecting himself, as
+a slight blush overspread his cheeks--&quot;you have done your duty, and I
+had no right to blame you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The pacified captain saluted the drost, who, with his companion and the
+troopers, proceeded to pass the bridge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During the short parley, Count Gerhard had with great difficulty
+restrained his laughter, which now broke forth in spite of him, as he
+perceived, while crossing the bridge, how the drost hurried on and
+gazed towards the vessels in the harbour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You now see yourself how execrable are your stringent laws, my
+conscientious good sir drost,&quot; he said; &quot;you certainly thought not of a
+lover's haste when you ordered this bridge-barring.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is grist for your mill,&quot; returned the drost, who, although
+somewhat vexed, could not restrain a smile at the good-natured sallies
+with which Count Gerhard indemnified himself for the grievance of the
+toll, which affected the relations of Denmark to Holstein as much as it
+did those to South Jutland.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If now you overtake not the fair lady, for whom I have ridden so many
+good horses almost to death,&quot; continued the count, in the same vein,
+&quot;it will be sad enough: you will then regret having founded a toll at
+this confounded gutter. The deuce take it! it costs me and my brave
+Holsteiners more silver pieces in a year and a day, than the whole of
+this paltry place is worth. Laugh I must, from sheer vexation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A truce to this raillery, Count Gerhard,&quot; exclaimed the drost,
+hastily. &quot;If I see aright, there is a ship leaving the harbour. If you
+knew of what this cursed delay has robbed me, you would not have the
+heart to laugh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They had now ridden through the South-port and Bridge-street,
+when the drost, turning to the right, proceeded at a gallop to the
+Cloister-port, and across the large meadow-ground to the harbour,
+followed by the count and his train.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an instant he stood on the quay, anxiously inquiring who was on
+board the vessel that had just left the harbour under full sail.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A princess, it was, in sooth,&quot; answered an old steersman, as he
+continued to hammer away carelessly at his rudder. &quot;She came here in a
+painted cage, with four horses. The town-governor himself was hat in
+hand, and all were obliged to stand on their pegs before her. It was a
+Swede that ran out with her. If this breeze continues, she will soon be
+in the open sea; and if the skiff only holds together, she will reach
+land; but it is a confounded rotten tub, and wont bear many thumps.
+With the Swede, however, she would go, even had Satan himself been on
+board.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Lay to, with your fastest sloop!&quot; cried the drost. &quot;I shall pay you
+tenfold. Only make haste!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall we on a lady-chase, stern sir?&quot; mumbled the old sailor. &quot;Eh,
+well, I like that. The proud maiden has not offended you, I can see. In
+half an hour's time I shall bring you alongside. It was, moreover, too
+good a fare for a Swede.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;True, old man. But be quick!&quot; cried the drost, giving him a handful of
+money.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a few moments a small sloop lay close to the quay, and Skirmen
+immediately led the horses on board. Drost Peter meanwhile took leave
+of Count Gerhard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Heaven prosper you, noble count,&quot; he said, as he pressed his hand: &quot;if
+our own hope be a fugitive which we can never overtake, we relinquish
+not the great hope of the country and kingdom: 'for the queen and our
+young king!' is our watchword.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, my good friend,&quot; replied Count Gerhard, smiling, &quot;you shall soon
+hear from me. Meantime, forget not to steer the proper course to
+Melfert.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly afterwards the sloop, with Drost Peter and his squire, left
+Kolding Harbour under full sail. Count Gerhard remained smiling on the
+quay. He perceived the light bark speed like an arrow through the
+water, and gain upon the skiff with the blue and yellow sails, that
+conveyed Jomfru Ingé. That she was the lady with whom Drost Peter had
+danced into Rypen House, and whom he now hastened so ardently to
+overtake, was a gratifying supposition. Although the suspicion, of
+which the scar on his breast reminded him, had long since vanished, he
+was not displeased to observe that his chivalrous rival in the queen's
+favour seemed disposed to forget, for the daughter of a knight, all the
+kings and queens in the world.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two vessels were soon so near, that they could see each other.
+Drost Peter stood on the prow of the one; and a tall female form, in a
+red mantle edged with sable, appeared on the stern of the sloop he was
+pursuing. He knew Lady Ingé and shouted her name.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For Heaven's sake, slacken sail, and let me conduct you to land!&quot; he
+cried, &quot;Your boat can never keep the sea.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Lady Ingé only shook her head, and, loosening her veil, waved him a
+fond farewell.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you wish to board, stern sir knight,&quot; cried the old steersman, &quot;I
+can drive in one of the Swede's planks, and I warrant he'll soon
+strike.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay,&quot; replied the drost, &quot;no violence. She is free. Steer past
+them, and as near as possible.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">An instant more and the vessels were side by side. Drost Peter stood,
+with outstretched arms, a few yards from the beautiful Ingé, whose eyes
+were fixed on him with a look of inexpressible tenderness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For Erik the king so young!&quot; she exclaimed, pointing forwards, and at
+the same time relinquishing her veil, which the wind carried over to
+the knight. A piece of the garland from the triumphant dance of the
+previous evening accompanied it, and alighted on his feathered hat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant the vessels parted, and the deep abyss again
+widened between the two lovers. Drost Peter fancied he saw a tear in
+the eye of the proud damsel; but the look she had bestowed on him
+filled his soul with the most joyous hopes. He pressed her veil to his
+lips, and, with a perfect confidence of her success, and reverence for
+her firm, immoveable purpose, directed the helmsman to steer for
+Melfert. &quot;God and his mighty angels are with the maiden,&quot; he exclaimed:
+&quot;we dare not stay her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The vessels were already far apart. Drost Peter continued to gaze after
+the retiring skiff, on which he long fancied he could discern a lappet
+of Jomfru Ingé's mantle; and sad, but wonderfully strengthened and
+inspirited by this fond adieu, he hastened on his necessary and
+appointed way.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">The almost incredible account was soon spread over the whole kingdom,
+of the manner in which Rypen House had been surprised, and the song of
+the maidens--&quot;For Erik the king so young!&quot; soon became a popular
+ballad. The news was especially gratifying to the queen and the young
+king, and, as first bearer of the tidings, Drost Peter was received
+with double pleasure at Nyborg Castle, where important affairs demanded
+his presence in the council. He also brought better accounts than were
+expected, respecting the chief object of his journey. He had seen
+numerous proofs of the attachment of the people to the royal house, and
+the general hatred of Marsk Stig and his adherents; and he had,
+moreover, learnt important particulars with regard to the conspirators
+and the king's murder. The defences of Marsk Stig on Helgeness and
+Hielm he could describe as an eye-witness, and they were found to be
+far less formidable than they were represented by the duke's reports,
+and by uncertain and alarming rumours.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While magnificent preparations were going on in Nyborg for the
+Dane-court, at which the young king would appear for the first time in
+the seat of judgment, the privy council assembled daily. Drost Peter
+did not conceal his distrust of the duke. His wounded arm excited much
+interest, and his account of the highwaymen's attack gave rise to many
+conjectures, which he himself, however, regarded as highly uncertain,
+for he attached little importance to the occurrence. But old Sir John
+and Master Martinus found in it a strong confirmation of their
+suspicions regarding the duke, when considered in connection with his
+doubtful movements in Viborg, which had caused their hasty and secret
+journey with the royal family to Nyborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The chivalrous-minded little king, too, thought they were over
+suspicious and cautious.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is not my kinsman the duke a knight and a prince?&quot; he observed, one
+day, when the matter was under discussion in the council; &quot;and does he
+not know that he cannot break faith and promises, without forfeiting
+his honour, and becoming a mockery to the whole world?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If God's law does not bind him, my young king and master,&quot; replied
+Master Martinus, &quot;the laws of knighthood will have still less power,
+especially as they do not yet properly concern him. True, he is a
+prince of the royal blood; but the stroke of knighthood he has not
+formally received. Your late father, from whose hand alone he could
+worthily accept it, delayed this proof of honour longer, perhaps, than
+was desirable, considering the relation in which they stood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, I shall give him the stroke of knighthood as soon as I have
+myself received it, and have a right to confer it,&quot; answered the young
+king. &quot;My uncle Otto must dub me previous to my coronation; for it is
+not becoming that I should be crowned King of Denmark, before I am duly
+admitted into the noble order of knighthood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John smiled, and shook his gray head; but Drost Peter contemplated
+his royal pupil with delight. He considered that the desire of the
+young king evinced his respect as much for the crown as for the order
+of knighthood; and he observed that it was not unusual for princes in
+their minority to entertain such a wish, and that they had already, in
+Charlemagne and his son, an example in point, and an illustrious
+instance of knighthood being honoured and followed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, by the laws of chivalry, the minority ceases with the stroke
+which confers knighthood,&quot; observed Sir John; &quot;and the constitutional
+law of the kingdom debars us from shortening the period of the king's
+minority.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tis true, noble Sir John,&quot; replied Drost Peter; &quot;but here the laws of
+chivalry must give way to that greater law, which secures the freedom
+and welfare of the people. To my mind, however, a minor king is not of
+less dignity than any of his knightly servants.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen and Master Martinus supported the views of Drost Peter, and
+the wishes of the little king; and, with a shrug, old Sir John gave
+way, considering the question as one of little importance. The duke's
+position in the kingdom was, to him, a subject of far graver concern.
+The necessity of carefully concealing every suspicion, and of
+entrusting the duke with his full share in the government, as well as
+with the guardianship of the king, was stated so clearly by the old
+nobleman, that even Master Martinus, to whom such a course was most
+repugnant, could offer no objections. On this subject the queen
+entertained not the least suspicion, and Drost Peter's personal
+distrust of the duke gave way to the exigency of the occasion, and his
+respect for the laws of the country.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst these important state affairs occupied the council, Drost Peter
+vainly sought an opportunity of conferring with Sir John concerning
+Jomfru Ingé and her journey to Sweden; for, on the slightest allusion
+to the subject, the counsellor, who apparently knew nothing of it,
+immediately started another.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The day fixed for the Dane-court had come. The queen's brothers, the
+Margraves of Brandenburg, had arrived on the previous day, having, two
+days before, left the duke in his camp near Rypen. The duke himself,
+however, had not yet reached Nyborg. To delay the Dane-court until his
+arrival, was repugnant to the dignity of the crown and kingdom. Every
+one was surprised at his apparent indifference on this important
+occasion, when his presence was so essential. The queen, especially,
+was irritated by this want of attention, which seemed to her so unlike
+the usual politeness and knightly behaviour of the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the first day of Whitsuntide, the Dane-court was held with the
+customary formalities. Its general business was conducted by the
+council, whose decisions were confirmed by the queen and the young
+king, who, equally with his mother, issued and confirmed charters and
+grants to churches and convents, subscribing himself King of the Danes
+and Sclaves, and Duke of Eastland. But the principal business--that
+which related to the king's guardianship, and the regency of the
+kingdom during his minority--was still unsettled. The two first days of
+the court's sittings had passed, and the duke was still absent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the close of the second day Drost Peter left the palace, and retired
+to his own dwelling, intending to devote a portion of the night to a
+revision of the business which was to occupy the court on the following
+day. He sat alone in his closet, and, as he recalled to mind old
+Henner's warning, and the suspicions of Count Gerhard, the daring
+thought occurred to him, that they might now, perhaps, with justice,
+pass over the duke's election to the guardianship.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His anxious and uneasy thoughts were disturbed by a noise in the
+palace-square, accompanied by the clattering of horses' hoofs, and the
+horns of the castle-guard--a salute given only on the arrival of a
+princely personage. He hastily approached the window, and perceived the
+duke enter with great pomp, attended by a considerable retinue of
+knights. Among these he observed three with locked visors, and these,
+by their armorial bearings, he recognised as three of the marsk's most
+audacious kinsmen, of whose personal participation in the murder of the
+king he had sure and ample proofs. Hastily seizing his cloak and hat,
+he hurried to the castle, where Sir John, as captain of the trabants,
+had already received the duke, and, at his importunate request, had
+admitted him to a private audience with the queen and her brothers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter learnt these tidings with much concern just as he reached
+the door of the guard-chamber, where little Aagé Jonsen stood sentinel
+among the torch-pages. The drost hastily entered, and approached Sir
+John, who was passing thoughtfully before the door of the royal
+apartments. He did not appear desirous of conversing, as, without
+stopping, he only nodded silently to the drost. The latter once or
+twice vainly endeavoured to find an opportunity of communicating his
+suspicions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The council must, of course, again meet to-night,&quot; at length he
+observed in an under tone, as Sir John turned to pass him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Its present leader is with the queen,&quot; replied Sir John, continuing
+his walk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can nothing be done?&quot; whispered the impatient drost, when the old man
+again approached him. &quot;There are traitors in the duke's retinue. The
+queen's mind is dazzled, and this hour probably decides the fate of the
+crown and country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is in the hand of God,&quot; replied the old counsellor, in whose eye
+glistened a tear. &quot;He, you know, can cause the blind to see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He resumed his walk with a lively and careless air, and, in a jesting
+humour, put a few indifferent questions to one of the trabants.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unless a miracle happen here,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, vehemently, as
+the old counsellor again stood by him, &quot;either you or I must speedily
+open the eyes of the queen and people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Precipitate man! what think you of?&quot; whispered Sir John. &quot;Your zeal
+will plunge the whole country into misfortune. Be calm, my young
+friend,&quot; he immediately added, as he took his hand and led him aside,
+&quot;otherwise you will certainly increase our misfortunes. Some of the
+marsk's friends are here, to defend themselves, it is said. If,
+therefore, we were even certain of what we may apprehend, we must still
+be silent, and submit to necessity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! even if, ere the morrow, it could be demonstrated to the queen
+and the whole people that our new protector is a traitor to the
+country?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Even then. He now holds the fate of the kingdom in his hand. By an
+open rupture, we might place him at the head of the rebels. At present,
+he must condemn and punish them, although against his wish. Until Marsk
+Stig falls, the duke must stand. He must be honoured as the prop of the
+throne, if even he be its most deadly foe. All that can at present be
+done is to warn the queen, and guard well the young king. Appear calm,
+then, as I do--and lively, if you can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Their conference was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the
+court-marshal, who invited them to a supper given by the queen, and
+intended as a feast of welcome to the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You perceive,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, when the court-marshal had
+retired, &quot;that our wily and eloquent protector is already in high
+favour.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis politic, perhaps,&quot; replied Sir John. &quot;Our noble mistress is not
+easily duped. We must, however, seem unconcerned, and in good humour.
+In this matter let me be your preceptor, my good drost. If you would be
+a statesman, you must first be master of your own countenance.&quot; And,
+with an expression of good-natured gaiety, the old counsellor, with his
+grave young friend, entered the royal apartments, after having
+appointed another trabant captain to take his place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a short time all the court officers, the members of the council, and
+the most considerable noblemen who attended the Dane-court, were
+assembled in the great riddersal, where the queen's ladies already
+waited for her. She entered soon after, attired in deep mourning, and
+accompanied by her brothers and young King Erik. At her left hand
+walked Duke Waldemar. He, too, wore a magnificent mourning-suit,
+and his haughty look of triumph betrayed a high degree of
+self-satisfaction, as he endeavoured to conceal his joy at a success
+which seemed no longer doubtful, although he saw it yet only in the
+distance. Sir John saluted him with much politeness and ease, whilst
+Drost Peter observed merely needful courtesies; the demeanour of the
+other counsellors being indicative more of fear than of goodwill.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter regarded the queen attentively. He thought he perceived in
+her features a calm contentment, which, with her air of dignity, and a
+quiet, half-melancholy smile, did not ill contrast with her mourning
+attire; and as she cast on him a grave look, he fancied he read therein
+a rebuke for distrusting her sagacity and knowledge of mankind. It
+seemed to him as if she intended, by her whole conduct, to banish every
+doubt, which the friends of the royal house might entertain, of the
+loyalty of the princely personage whom she thought worthy to be
+distinguished as the most important man in the country.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the general salutations and the customary formalities of court
+were over, she led forward the duke, and presented him to the chief men
+of the kingdom. &quot;Our very princely friend and kinsman,&quot; she said, &quot;from
+regard to the welfare of the country and the royal house, has
+magnanimously exposed himself to be misjudged, as well by me as by you.
+He had deferred receiving from this Dane-court his election to the
+protectorship, on account of a rumour which his enemies have
+circulated, concerning a grievous want of confidence in him here,
+and of a party which, therefore, would stir up the people at the
+Dane-court, and create discord in the kingdom. Having learned, however,
+that the report is unfounded, he has no longer hesitated to come
+forward to justify himself. He brings us, moreover, the important and
+satisfactory intelligence, that the rebellious Marsk Stig has returned
+to reason, and has submitted his cause and that of his accomplices to
+the decision of the Dane-court. The duke, by not attacking the rebels,
+has prudently sought to avoid a devastating civil war; whilst, by
+collecting a numerous army, he has overawed and restrained them. He has
+ventured in person within the defences of Marsk Stig, to induce him to
+submit to the laws of the country; and he brings with him, under his
+own conduct, to this Dane-court, three of the marsk's friends, that it
+may not be said that even our most dangerous foes were condemned
+unheard. I look on this enterprise to be as valorous and upright as it
+is wise and politic; and it gladdens me that I can reasonably hope for
+prosperity to the kingdom of Denmark, and at the same time bid the
+noble Duke Waldemar welcome amongst us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The latter words she addressed to the duke, who advanced, and bowing
+profoundly, in easy and elegant terms acknowledged this flattering
+reception. With apparent animation and sincerity, he avowed his
+attachment to the queen and the young king, at the same time extolling
+the loyal adherents of the royal house with a condescension and an
+insinuating address which were not without effect on the greater part
+of those who heard him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The doors of the dining-hall were then thrown open, and the duke led
+the queen to the table, where the youthful king took his place at her
+right hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was the first occasion on which any deviation had been made from
+that mournful silence which, since the death of King Erik
+Christopherson, had uniformly prevailed at court. And, even now, the
+feast was in nowise noisy: neither song, nor music, nor loud-voiced joy
+was heard; and, as soon as the table was removed, the company
+separated.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke retired to the wing of the castle he usually occupied during
+the Dane-court. Sir John again resumed his station before the royal
+apartments, as captain of the body-guard; and Drost Peter returned to
+his own dwelling, his mind filled with painful doubts and fears.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the grave drost entered, he found Count Gerhard enjoying himself
+over a goblet of wine; whilst old fostermother Dorothy, who was now her
+master's housekeeper here, loaded the table with viands of every
+description. At a signal from the drost, the bustling nurse left the
+apartment, whilst he greeted his guest not without some uneasy
+apprehensions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Welcome home, my good friend!&quot; cried the count, gaily, as he rose,
+after having drained his goblet. &quot;I am here, gathering strength from
+your excellent wine. If your fostermother reared you on this, I wonder
+not you are so strong and active. She is a capital housewife. You could
+never be better treated, even had you an angel for a wife. It is lucky
+she was not hanged or buried alive for her womanly honour's sake. But,
+what's the matter? Am not I welcome? You look as if you were outlawed
+by the Dane-court, or cited before the Ribe-Ret.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are heartily welcome, noble Count Gerhard,&quot; replied the drost,
+extending his hand; &quot;and if peace and joy are not to be seen in my
+face, it is certainly no fault of your's. You are true to your word, I
+see, and no false prophet. The duke arrived this evening. To-morrow he
+is my master, and that of the royal house. But what have you
+discovered?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A very pretty thing, my good friend. You were as near being buried
+alive us your nurse was; and Nordborg Tower was to have been your
+grave. I succeeded in unbinding the highwayman's tongue with the point
+of a good sword at his throat. He confessed he would have broken your
+neck if he could not have taken you prisoner, for you had in your
+pocket important proofs against the regicides.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And for that reason--ah! I understand,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter. &quot;But
+what farther?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wait a little, my good friend. A man can't live on talk. Your
+confounded state affairs have nearly worn me out.&quot; So saying, Count
+Gerhard quietly resumed his seat, and replenished his goblet, whilst
+the drost impatiently awaited his farther communications.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The duke is a cunning gentleman,&quot; began the count, when he had emptied
+his goblet, and again praised the wine; &quot;and I am a downright stormer,
+they say. 'Tis true, indeed, that I mostly cut away right before me,
+and go straight to my object, without deviation. But now you shall see
+that I too, at a pinch, can play the fox--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I heartily believe it, my dear count; therefore, for Heaven's sake,
+don't prove it to me now! What know you of the duke? What has he been
+doing? What could have kept him from the Dane-court? Where has he
+been?--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Softly, softly, my good friend. A man cannot answer everything at
+once. He has not slept for the last three days--neither have I: you can
+see it in my appearance. I have ridden three horses to death, and
+scarcely hang together myself. But listen to all in due order. When we
+danced with the pretty maidens at Rypen House, the duke lay, you know,
+on the lazy side, in his camp hard by. But on holy St. Germanus'
+day--let me see--yes, it was the 28th of May, the first day of the
+Dane-court here--he was certainly in Sleswick, where, in the presence
+of his own council and that of the bishop, he issued a trading charter,
+in favour of the shopkeepers of Lubeck, of the following tenor--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you jest with me, Count Gerhard? What possible connection has this
+with the crown and kingdom?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;More than you dream of, my good friend,&quot; replied the count. &quot;The tenor
+of the charter I will spare you, for I cannot remember it, and it is
+nothing to the purpose: but mark you--he performed a public, although
+an insignificant act of government, in Sleswick, on the same day on
+which he should here have been chosen protector and guardian of the
+king. There, now, you have a political riddle, which will become a hard
+nut for posterity to crack; but I can solve it for you. He had, shortly
+before, been at Helgeness, with Marsk Stig--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That we know,&quot; interrupted the drost, impatiently: &quot;he has not
+concealed it; and it has just been explained to his honour, as a proof
+of his fidelity and zeal for the royal cause.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I'faith, if you know everything, my sagacious sir drost, then are you
+wiser than even my Daddy Longlegs, as we shall see--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your jester?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aye--you know him. He is mad enough at times: he fancied he was the
+dead king, when he knocked my eye out; but when he is not mad, and has
+a mind to put a wax nose on people, he is a deuce of a carl, and ready
+to laugh himself to death at--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, <i>min Gud!</i> what has a fool to do with state affairs? Forget not,
+on account of that good-for-nothing fellow, what you were about to
+say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Respect Longlegs, my good friend. Such a fool can be more sagacious
+than a whole privy council. For the last eight days he has been clad in
+iron from top to toe, and has personated the marsk's confidential
+swain, Mat Jute. He resembled him to a hair, and imitated his Juttish
+accent in a masterly manner: it was thus he came to know that of which
+I had already an inkling, and what old Henner had observed during his
+imprisonment with the marsk. Whilst the duke kept away from the
+Dane-court, a tumult and an outbreak were to be occasioned here, on the
+first court-day, by the aid of the marsk and his friends; but I
+prevented it by causing all the ferries to be closed for three days, so
+that none of the disturbers could come over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My God! what do I hear? What would then have happened?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Under pretence of a rising against the duke himself, wherein it was
+believed the people would take part, the queen and the young king were
+to be seized during the confusion. We compelled the captive highwayman
+to report that you were in good keeping at Nordborg, and for that lie
+he had his freedom yesterday. Whilst the royal prisoners, with the
+algrev's assistance, were carried to Tönsberg, the duke with his army
+was to proceed to Viborg, and, in order to save the country, was to
+suffer himself, from sheer necessity, to be hailed as king. He was, as
+you have seen, prepared to prove, by a public document, that he was in
+Sleswick during the tumult on the 28th of May; so that the cunning
+gentleman could wash his hands of what had then happened. In the
+meantime, as I expected, he found out the stroke I made in the
+reckoning; and he must have ridden neck or nothing from Sleswick to be
+here to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, Count Gerhard,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, startled, &quot;this is a
+matter for the closet. I turn giddy at the mere thought of it. If you
+can adduce me clear proofs of this monstrous treachery, he shall be
+overthrown, even if it costs me my own life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter hastily withdrew his guest into his closet, where he noted
+down every word spoken by the count, and every circumstance that could
+throw light on the truth of his narrative. The jester was also
+examined, and his statement duly recorded. Count Gerhard set his seal
+to the depositions, and further bound himself, by his oath and his good
+sword, to make good what might be deficient in formal testimony. With
+the utmost gravity of countenance, the jester likewise set his seal to
+the document with a button of his squire's jacket.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next morning betimes, before the Dane-court commenced, Drost Peter had
+a private conversation with Sir John; but almost as early, the duke was
+with the Margraves of Brandenburg and the queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On this last and most important day of the Dane-court, the business, as
+usual, would be transacted in the open air, in sight of the people, in
+the area before the palace. It was the third day in Whitsun-week, and
+the finest spring weather favoured the solemnities with which the young
+king would, at the same time, be hailed by his Funen subjects.
+Everything was prepared with the utmost magnificence. On each side of
+the throne, which the young king would occupy, was a splendid seat,
+both of nearly the same elevation, provided for the queen and Duke
+Waldemar. Scarlet cloth was spread on the ground, and two semi-circles
+of chairs were placed for the princes and knights, as well as for the
+bishops and prelates; but in the middle of the circle stood a round
+table, covered with black cloth, with three and thirty chairs around
+it, which, however, seemed to occupy but a small portion of the large
+space. This unusual spectacle gave rise to many doubtful observations
+among the people. From an early hour in the morning, an unusually
+large number of burghers and peasants were assembled on the site of the
+Dane-court, and an anxious silence prevailed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The knights and ecclesiastics afterward assembled, among the latter of
+whom were the worthy dean, Master Jens Grand, and the Archbishop of
+Lund, John Dros, together with the bishops of the entire kingdom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The eyes of all were now directed to the great doors of the palace,
+from which the royal party was every minute expected to proceed. They
+were at length thrown open, and two heralds, with lofty plumes in their
+helmets, and bearing white rods, appeared, heading the procession, as
+on the occasion of a tournament; although the mourning-dresses imparted
+to the whole more the appearance of a funeral train. The youthful king
+walked gravely and firmly by the side of his stately mother, and was
+followed by Prince Christopher, with the duke and the queen's brothers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard had unexpectedly placed himself in the princely train.
+Nor had he come alone; for he was accompanied by his two brothers, the
+young Counts of Holstein, and the wise and brave Prince Witzlau of
+Rygen, his private friend, and a loyal vassal of the Danish crown.
+These noblemen had just been presented to the king; but Count Gerhard,
+having had no opportunity of approaching the queen, was forced to
+salute her from a distance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the head of the twelve councillors came old Sir John, the Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter. No trace of anxiety was visible on the
+countenance of the aged statesman. Master Martinus also appeared calm;
+but his head was bowed, and his hands folded within the ample sleeves
+of his Dominican habit, as if he were engaged in secret prayer. Drost
+Peter strove in vain entirely to conceal the contest of feelings that
+divided his soul: his wounded arm rested in a sling; and under his
+other, concealed beneath his sable knight's mantle, he carried a bundle
+of documents. When he perceived the proud, triumphant glance of the
+duke, his eyes flashed indignation; but he had promised Sir John to
+control his feelings, and he was himself fully alive to the necessity
+which existed for dissimulation. A bitter smile, however, played for a
+moment on his lips, as it occurred to him that he might then, perhaps,
+with a joyous face, be following the freedom and happiness of his
+country to their grave.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The royal squires, who, after the marsk, under-marsk, and knights,
+closed the procession, were headed by the favourite of the youthful
+king, Aagé Jonsen, who, since the catastrophe at the barn of Finnerup,
+had become singularly quiet and serious. Drost Peter, his own and young
+Erik's weapon-master, was his model of chivalry, and already he wore,
+with almost the dignity of a knight, the squire's sword and silver
+spurs with which his young king had presented him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the Dane-court was at length seated, and the people saw the little
+king upon throne, and beheld the noble bearing of the queen, with so
+many wise and faithful counsellors by the side of their youthful
+monarch, the deep, long-held silence was suddenly broken by a deafening
+shout of joy and loyalty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As when the homage of the people was received at Scanderborg, Sir John
+now read aloud the document respecting the election of the king, and
+the acclamations of the assembly were repeated with redoubled ardour.
+In the midst of this applause the little king rose, and bowed
+gracefully around; the childlike pleasure he felt at being thus
+the object of general homage, adding a grace and simplicity to his
+natural dignity and early knightly bearing that invested him with an
+irresistible charm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the king rose, the queen likewise stood up, while Duke Waldemar
+and the other princes, with all the knights and vassals of the kingdom,
+acknowledged the sovereignty of their youthful monarch, by bending
+themselves before the throne.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When this act of homage was concluded, Sir John advanced and read that
+article in the constitution by which the queen and Duke Waldemar were
+entitled to exercise concurrently the functions of government during
+the minority of the king. Notwithstanding the discontent visible in
+many faces, no objection was offered, and the queen and the duke were
+formally confirmed in this authority. When the document, after being
+subscribed by the estates of the kingdom, was read to the people, the
+name of the queen was greeted with loud applause, while that of the
+duke was received in almost unbroken silence. A few voices only, among
+which was that of Master Grand, attempted to raise a shout of &quot;Long
+live Duke Waldemar, the king's guardian, and protector of the kingdom!&quot;
+And although a considerable number joined in it, it was in a tone
+indicative more of compulsion and fear than of goodwill.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke having bowed with an air of condescension, the young king
+again arose. A perfect stillness and attention prevailed, while his eye
+rested on Drost Peter and Master Martinus, in whose encouraging looks
+he seemed to read what he had to say. Quickly conquering the bashful
+feeling which for a moment had seized him, he began, with a firm voice,
+and in a tone so loud that all could hear him:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My loyal Danish people, I here promise, before God and Our Holy Lady,
+that I will be a good and upright king. I acknowledge the constitution,
+and recognise the will of the people, as just and binding; cheerfully
+submitting myself to the guardianship of my dear mother and of the duke
+until I have attained my majority. And as I am, under this legal
+guardianship, the lawful King of Denmark, and inherit the crown of my
+father and the great Waldemars, I now, confident of the approval of my
+guardians and counsellors, order and command, that the cause against
+the murderers of my late father shall, by this Retter-Ting, be rigidly
+investigated and decided. Stand forward, Drost Peter Hessel. On my
+behalf and that of the crown, you are appointed accuser of the
+regicides.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter advanced, and drew forth the documents he carried beneath
+his mantle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With the consent of my dear mother and Duke Waldemar,&quot; continued the
+youthful Erik, whilst, turning his eyes on Sir John, he recited, almost
+word for word, what that aged statesman had prepared for him, &quot;I
+propose that my worthy uncle, Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, my trusty
+vassal, Prince Witzlau of Rygen, the valiant and upright Count Gerhard
+of Holstein, and his illustrious brothers, together with seven and
+twenty chief men of the Danish nobility and knighthood, be now
+constituted a tribunal, to investigate the accusation and the evidence
+offered by the drost. After which, let them declare who were the men
+that, on St. Cecilia's night, in the barn of Finnerup, laid violent and
+regicidal hands on my late father, King Erik Christopherson. With this
+hand upon his bloody breast, I vowed to his soul and the righteous God
+that, from the throne of Denmark, this should be my first command, and
+that the ungodly regicides should receive the punishment due to their
+crime, according to the strictest justice and the outraged laws of the
+land.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The warmth and earnestness, no less than the authority, with which this
+demand was pronounced, excited general surprise and admiration. The
+latter words, which, to the astonishment of Sir John, had been added by
+the young monarch himself, had brought the tears into his eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When he had resumed his seat, the queen, who appeared prepared for this
+announcement, immediately arose, and said--&quot;I approve of the king's
+proposition. It has already been well considered in the council of the
+nation, and now requires only the approbation of the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I, likewise, approve of it,&quot; said the latter, in a tone which showed
+that he was constrained to acquiesce only by the necessity of his
+position.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">By Sir John's arrangements, seven and twenty noblemen, the eldest and
+most respected in the assembly, were then chosen, who, with the princes
+already named, immediately took their seats at the black table within
+the circle, prepared to hear and examine the accusation and evidence
+offered by the drost. Whilst thus engaged, the deep silence of
+expectation pervaded the rest of the assembly. When they had concluded,
+the three knights, strongly guarded, advanced at the signal of the
+duke. As defenders of the accused, they had been brought there under
+his safe conduct. They were completely clad in mail, and wore their
+visors down.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The princes and the other members of the tribunal now approached the
+throne. The Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, who, with a parchment in his
+hand, was at their head, then bowed before the king and the assembly,
+and read aloud and distinctly, in Danish, though with a foreign accent,
+as follows:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;After the charges laid before us, and the witnesses we have heard, we
+are constrained to name, as proved to have been participators in the
+murder of King Erik Christopherson, the following persons, knights and
+Danish noblemen:--The right princely Count Jacob of Halland; Stig
+Andersen Hvide, marsk of the kingdom of Denmark; High Chamberlain Ové
+Dyré; Sirs Peder Jacobsen, Peder Porsé, Niels Hallandsfar, Arved
+Bengtson, Niels Knudson, and Jacob Blaafod; also Chamberlain Rané and
+Squire Aagé Kaggé. That the abovenamed eleven men, together with a
+twelfth, who has since appeared before a higher tribunal, were present
+in disguised dresses, on St. Cecilia's night, at Finnerup barn, near
+Viborg, and did personally take part in the murder of the king, we do
+here testify and swear, with our hands upon the holy Gospels, in
+presence of the all-seeing God, and before the king and people of
+Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While the names were read, two of the mailed knights seemed to stagger;
+but the third, a ponderous and stately figure, remained unmoved,
+wrapped, with an air of defiance, in his blue mantle, and his clenched
+hands crossed upon his breast. No sooner had the princes and their
+fellow-judges sworn to the truth of their verdict, than this haughty
+personage, advancing a step, struck his visor up, and, turning round,
+exhibited to the assembly a countenance at once wild and warlike,
+although somewhat pale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Count Jacob!--Count Jacob himself!&quot;--ran from mouth to mouth, in a
+subdued murmur of astonishment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, I am Count Jacob of Holland, kinsman to the royal house, and a
+general of Denmark,&quot; he exclaimed, with an air of pride and defiance;
+&quot;and here stand my faithful friends, the brave Sirs Arved Bengtson and
+Jacob Blaafod, who, along with me, are named among the murderers of
+King Erik Christopherson.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His companions then struck aside the gratings of their helmets, and
+revealed the accused regicides, who, despite their haughty bearing,
+were yet deadly pale, and apparently doubtful of their personal
+security, notwithstanding the safe conduct of the duke.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We mean not to impugn the decision of so many lords and knights,&quot;
+continued the proud count. &quot;Lying and falsehood we bear not upon
+our shields. Danish honesty we expect also here. We have been
+promised, in the name of the king, a safe conduct and just treatment.
+We demand, therefore, not only the right to withdraw from hence
+unmolested, but first to be heard in our defence. That which we have
+done, we feel assured we can defend with our lips as well as with our
+swords, wherever honesty and justice prevail. To defend the right, in
+self-vindication, is nowhere forbidden; and that we call right which we
+have accomplished on a man of violence, who himself had broken every
+law, before we broke the rod over his guilty head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen had risen, and the young king had sprung up, amazed at this
+matchless boldness. The rage of the people was great at beholding
+amongst them the convicted regicide, although his princely rank and his
+known bravery imposed silence on many. His daring, too, pleased some,
+and his exordium about Danish honesty was flattering to a considerable
+portion. The rebels had also secret friends among the people, and a
+dangerous murmur began to pervade the excited assemblage; while a
+multitude of the poorer burghers of Nyborg, who were particularly
+attached to the late king, rushed forward with furious clamour to wreak
+their vengeance on his murderers. With the greatest difficulty could
+the rank of knights keep in restraint the infuriated populace, and the
+uproar threatened to put a stop to the proceedings, when Sir John and
+Drost Peter restored order by announcing that sentence should
+immediately be pronounced on the regicides, and their punishment
+rendered speedy and certain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let them be carried at once to the wheel!&quot; cried Junker
+Christopherson, as he menaced them with his clenched hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen's indignation was great; but she remained silent, and sank
+back, pale and agitated, on her seat. The appearance of the murderers,
+and the wild faces of the people, painfully reminded her of the
+audacious visit of Marsk Stig, on the morning after the king's
+assassination.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Had I imagined that these gentlemen had personally participated in the
+deed, they should never have received a safe conduct from me,&quot;
+exclaimed the duke, in some perturbation. &quot;But now, for the sake of my
+own honour and that of the crown, I must demand that they be suffered
+freely to depart, whatever judgment may be pronounced upon them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right, Duke Waldemar,&quot; said the young king, suppressing his
+indignation. &quot;Would we be knights with honour, we must keep faith and
+promise, even with these most impious murderers; and I have vowed to
+God and to Our Lady to rule righteously. If, therefore, on behalf of
+the crown, you have promised them safety, we must suffer them freely to
+depart. But they shall first hear their doom; and, wherever they may
+flee to, by the assistance of the righteous God, it will certainly
+reach them. Read aloud the sentence,&quot; he added, hastily, &quot;as it stands
+in King Waldemar's law-book. If they have forfeited life and honour, so
+shall we adjudge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No punishment seems to me too severe for so heinous a crime,&quot; observed
+the duke, sternly. &quot;But it may assume a different aspect when viewed
+from another point; and, therefore, before any just and impartial
+sentence can be pronounced, the Dane-court should hear what the accused
+have to advance in their defence, and what others, skilled in the laws,
+can state to guide us. Let the accused advance. The king and the people
+will hear their defence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Jacob and Arved Bengtson moved not; but Jacob Blaafod, who was
+celebrated for his eloquence, approached the throne, while the blood
+again mounted to his sun-burnt cheeks. Having bowed on every side with
+knightly grace, he began his defence, and immediately quelled the
+murmurs of the assembly by a short but flattering exordium, in which he
+extolled the justice of the Danish laws, and the love of freedom and
+magnanimity of the people. He then frankly admitted the truth of the
+accusation, but represented the murder of the king as a bold and heroic
+action, as a great sacrifice to the freedom of the nation, and as
+altogether a just and lawful deed. He recounted all the violations of
+his contracts, and of the charters of the kingdom, perpetrated by the
+late king, by which, he affirmed, he had forfeited his crown, and
+placed himself on a level with every knight and nobleman in the
+kingdom, each of whom could defend his own honour and integrity against
+any of his peers, without being guilty of lese-majesty. He then
+proceeded to expose, in bitter language, the deep injustice which had
+been suffered by the chief noblemen in the kingdom; especially
+depicting, in the strongest colour, the crime perpetrated by King Erik
+Christopherson against Marsk Stig and his wife, with its heartrending
+results; and concluded by demanding of the king and the people, in the
+name of Danish justice, honour, and freedom, that the country's
+greatest general, the famed Marsk Stig, with his injured friends and
+kinsmen, should be acquitted of all guilt, and restored to their
+honours and dignities, which they had never lawfully forfeited.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His words made a deep impression, and no inconsiderable number of
+voices were raised in favour of the accused.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen had veiled her face; and the youthful Erik, in spite of his
+grief and indignation, could not avoid blushing at the shame of his
+unhappy father, whilst the tears stood in his eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Speak, Drost Peter, speak!&quot; he cried: &quot;is it not enough that they have
+murdered my father? Must I also sit on Denmark's throne, and hear them
+mock and insult his memory?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this heartrending appeal Drost Peter advanced. He exhibited great
+emotion, and some time elapsed before he could command his voice. &quot;In
+what our murdered lord and king has here offended,&quot; he began, &quot;he has
+gone to his account before the King of kings. May the Almighty Judge be
+merciful to him, and all of us! They are not men, but monsters, who
+demand that his son and his bereaved subjects should justify his
+actions and defend his fame in the presence of his murderers. It is not
+as the man Erik Christopherson that he is here in question; but as
+Denmark's king, as the wearer of Denmark's crown, whose inviolable
+majesty and sacredness have been profaned by bloody and audacious
+hands: it is the crime against the anointed ruler of the people and of
+the kingdom we are here to judge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without reference to the king's personality, he then pourtrayed the
+regicidal crime in language so strong and glowing, that the murderers
+themselves were abashed, and many of those who most severely censured
+the deceased king, and who had just been loudest in their applause of
+Jacob Blaafod's speech, turned away their eyes with horror from the men
+of blood. The eloquent drost then proceeded to recapitulate some of the
+most beneficial measures adopted by his late master; and specially
+pointed out how much that ancient and loyal city owed to his favour and
+clemency. He further instanced numerous benefits which the rebellious
+noblemen themselves had received from the late king, whom they had
+basely and ungratefully murdered, and succeeded in touching the hearts
+of the whole assembly, and in entirely obliterating the impression
+produced by the address of the regicide. He availed himself, finally,
+of this favourable disposition, to unfold the dangerous position of the
+country, and, with impassioned eloquence, charged them to sustain not
+only the majesty and sacredness of the throne, but the dignity and
+freedom of the people, by tearing the mask from the face of every
+secret traitor who had participated, directly or otherwise, in this
+rebellions and audacious crime. His eyes sparkling with animation, he
+then suddenly turned to the duke, as the man bound to the royal house
+by the holiest ties of consanguinity, and demanded of him, in the name
+of the people, by virtue of his new dignity, first to pronounce
+sentence on the guilty, for subsequent confirmation by the estates.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The drost paused; and although the duke had changed colour, he quickly
+rose at this appeal, and, bowing respectfully to the queen, modestly
+yielded to her the prerogative of pronouncing whatever sentence she and
+the council of the kingdom regarded as just and lawful.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be it so!&quot; exclaimed the queen, unveiling her face as she rose with an
+air of calmness and decision. &quot;I shall, then, be the first to declare
+what the council of the kingdom and myself think just and legal--what
+must have been already pronounced in the heart of every Dane, if God's
+holy law dwell there:--According to every law, both human and divine,
+an ignominious death is due to murderous traitors. Therefore, for the
+security of the crown and kingdom, let not mercy restrain the arm of
+justice!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whoever has any legal objections to offer, can do so now,&quot; said the
+duke, as he directed his eyes towards Dean Grand, who apparently was
+only waiting this summons to step forward.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the name of truth and justice, then, I demand to be heard,&quot; cried
+the authoritative dean, as he advanced with an open book in his hand.
+&quot;Here is the point of law on which alone the accused can be condemned,
+if, as I maintain they should, they be not with right and justice
+acquitted of all guilt. If the murder had been perpetrated in God's
+holy house, or on the property of the victim himself, the sentence of
+death would be a legal one; but as this was certainly not so in this
+instance, the accused, at worst, can only be adjudged outlaws, and have
+their estates forfeited to the king's exchequer. If the law is to
+prevail here, and not the unrighteous passion of revenge, no severer
+sentence than this can be pronounced.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On this bold assertion, which had found favour with many, a warm debate
+arose, in which the duke, with a flattering and not ineffective
+reference to the great privileges of the people and of the states, and
+to the violation of charters and engagements, declared himself in
+favour of this milder interpretation of the law.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter opposed him warmly; but Sir John, to his great astonishment
+and that of the young king, strenuously maintained that, in accordance
+with the strict letter of the law, they could not come nearer the
+criminals. Outlawry, however, he continued, was a punishment which
+could not be regarded as trivial; for it implied no less than civil
+death, constant peril of life, and exclusion from every social or human
+privilege within the bounds of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The words of the aged counsellor carried great weight with them. Drost
+Peter, and the other faithful friends of the royal house, quickly
+perceived that, for some new but sufficient reason, this wise statesman
+now defended an opinion he had himself opposed in the council a few
+days before. No further opposition, therefore, was offered to the
+milder sentence on the criminals; the queen and the young king
+declaring themselves satisfied with it, since it was considered just
+and legal by so many able and upright men.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sentence of outlawry on the regicides was then formally drawn up,
+and immediately subscribed and sealed by the king and both protectors,
+as well as by those chosen for that purpose from the estates; after
+which, it was read aloud by the drost before the assembled Dane-court.
+Under a strong guard, the three knights were then conducted to the
+beach, where they were put on board a boat, with some provisions, and
+thus enabled to escape the enraged populace, against which no convoy
+could any longer protect them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This important business being thus concluded, the Margrave Otto of
+Brandenburg advanced, and, having bowed respectfully to royalty, turned
+to the assembled knighthood, and said:--&quot;My royal nephew, King Erik
+Erikson of Denmark, has honoured me by requesting to receive, at this
+Dane-court, the stroke of knighthood from my hand. A king's son, who
+has borne the name of king almost from his cradle, may already be
+regarded as exalted by his birth and position over every meaner
+dignity. It is commendable, however, in kings and princes, that they do
+not despise the rank of knighthood, but are generally desirous of being
+invested with that honour before they are anointed and crowned as
+sovereigns over their knights and princely vassals. I dispense,
+therefore, in the case of my royal nephew, with the customary probation
+which the dignity of the order otherwise requires.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He then turned to the young king, and continued, in a tone of
+solemnity:--&quot;I now demand, King Erik Erikson of Denmark, before thy
+loyal people and in presence of the Danish knighthood, in what respect
+thou desirest to be admitted into our order? Wilt thou promise and
+swear to defend the holy Christian faith and the honours of
+knighthood?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young king arose and uncovered his head. His cheeks glowed, and his
+dark blue eyes sparkled with youthful pleasure and animation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yea!&quot; he exclaimed, &quot;I will, so help me all holy men! God and Our Holy
+Lady know my heart's wish and my intention. I desire the stroke of
+knighthood from thy hand, my dear uncle, that I may be anointed and
+crowned King of Denmark with honour, and to show my loving people, and
+all men, that not only shall I be a good and upright king, but also a
+knight without reproach, that I may not disgrace the crown of Denmark
+and of the great Waldemars. That which a squire should understand,
+before he can wear the golden spurs, my dear weapon-master, Drost Peter
+Hessel, has already taught me, which I will prove at the first
+tournament. The laws of chivalry I have learned as the holy text; and I
+swear, by St. George and the Holy Virgin, that I shall maintain them
+while I live.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He paused an instant to collect himself; and then continued, with much
+ardour:--&quot;I will not live careless, but will defend my people, and pour
+out my blood for the true and holy Church, which I know is the head,
+whilst the knighthood is the arm, to defend the whole body; and that
+also shall I strive to do. I will protect the widow, the fatherless,
+and the needy; I will be the defender of all pure and virtuous ladies;
+I will be just, valiant, generous, honest, and chaste; I will honour
+God with all humility, and be truthful and faithful to my word; I will
+practise the seven virtues of knighthood, and eschew the seven mortal
+sins, with the assistance of God and the Holy Virgin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the youthful king had sworn, as his profession of faith, this
+epitome of the laws of chivalry, which he seemed to know by heart, he
+descended from the throne to receive the symbols and accoutrements of
+knighthood, with which, according to his wish and the usual custom, he
+was to be invested by the most eminent men of the kingdom, and the most
+attached friends of the royal house. Drost Peter bound the golden spurs
+upon his heels, and with tender interest and heartfelt pleasure
+reminded him of their signification. Old Sir John, with a short and
+energetic encouragement to manliness and goodness, equipped him in a
+cuirass of light mail. Count Gerhard, who had requested the charge of
+binding on his wambraces, did so in his usual gay manner, wishing the
+son of the noble Queen Agnes success, strength, and victory in every
+undertaking.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length the queen herself arose to present him with the glittering
+gauntlets, and to gird him with the golden sword, which the heralds
+brought forward. Having first carried the crossed hilt of the weapon
+reverently to her lips, she girt her son with the gold-embroidered
+sword-belt, on which was wrought, by her own hands, a lily, a balance,
+and a heart, as emblems of purity, justice, and Christian charity; and
+then, kissing him affectionately on the forehead, she exhorted him
+never to forget its meaning.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen having resumed her seat, and the knights their places, the
+youthful king knelt down, while Margrave Otto, kissing the hilt of his
+drawn sword, solemnly said--&quot;King Erik Erikson of Denmark, in the name
+of God, Our Holy Lady, and St. George, I dub you a knight. Be bold,
+courageous, and true!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A flourish of trumpets followed, while the margrave, with the flat of
+his sword, touched the noviciate three times on the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Tears stood in the eyes of the newly-created knight, whilst he rose and
+folded his hands, as if engaged in silent prayer. He then received from
+the margrave a bright gilded helmet, with a large plume of feathers,
+which caused his eyes to sparkle with pleasure as he placed it on his
+golden locks. Finally, the margrave presented him with a golden lance,
+and hung on the wambrace of his left arm a splendid shield, bearing the
+same device which he had chosen for his first juvenile buckler.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His friend and playmate, Aagé Jonsen, had meanwhile led forth a proud
+milk-white tourney-steed, caparisoned in shining armour, with a lofty
+plume of feathers on his head. The youthful knight instantly vaulted
+into the saddle, without the aid of the stirrups, and then proceeded to
+caracol his steed, poise his lance, and exhibit himself in all the pomp
+of knighthood before the people, who received his graceful and
+condescending salutations with enthusiastic shouts of rejoicing. Thrice
+did he thus make the circle of the Dane-court, whilst the air resounded
+with the braying of trumpets and the loud acclamations of the people.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Even the gravest among the knights seemed pleased at the dexterity and
+address with which the youthful rider managed his steed; and, although,
+as old Sir John turned towards Drost Peter, a quiet smile at this
+exhibition played about his lips, yet the delighted shouts of the
+people, and the general animation excited by the presence of the
+youthful monarch, much affected him, and hastily passing his hands
+across his eyes, he heartily joined in the people's shout--&quot;God bless
+our young king!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Without being impeded by his armour and weapons, young Erik now sprang
+from his steed with as much agility as he had mounted it, and ordering
+his squire to lead it off, returned calmly and with dignity to the
+throne.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During these ceremonies the duke remained silent and absorbed in
+reflection. Drost Peter, however, had closely observed him; and the
+ill-concealed scorn which he read in his countenance only too strongly
+reminded him that it was not yet time for rejoicings and gladness in
+Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">King Erik then arose, somewhat out of breath with his violent exercise,
+and addressing the duke, said--&quot;As I am now myself a knight, and have a
+right to confer the stroke of knighthood on whom I choose, my princely
+kinsman and guardian, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, shall be the
+first who receives it from my hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke rose hastily. He seemed taken by surprise, and his proud mien
+betrayed that the proposed honour annoyed more than it flattered him.
+Drost Peter imagined he saw in his constrained smile, an angry feeling
+of wounded pride, that he should now, in presence of the nation, be
+obliged to kneel before the youthful king, even to receive a dignity
+with which he had long anxiously desired to be invested.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The wily duke, however, seemed solicitous to conceal this from himself
+as well as from the knighthood, and, in a tone of easy dignity, he
+thanked the king for this gracious mark of distinction. He then knelt
+before the throne, whilst King Erik pronounced the customary form, and,
+amidst a nourish of trumpets, let fall three times his golden sword on
+the shoulder of the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be a knight without reproach,&quot; he added: &quot;be, as the laws of chivalry
+command, full of burning zeal for the general good, for the kingdom's
+weal, for the knighthood's honour, for the people's unity and
+prosperity, and for the welfare of your lawful king. God, Our Holy
+Lady, and St. George grant you strength and aid thereto!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">From the lips of the youthful king, this admonition, in which he
+fancied he could trace the influence of Drost Peter, did not at all
+please the proud, ambitious duke; although he went through the
+customary forms with a polite bearing. When he had received his new
+arms, he leaped upon his tourney-steed, and exhibited himself to the
+people with much princely dignity and knightly skill. At a prancing
+gallop he cast his lance aloft and caught it again, at the same time
+saluting the people gracefully and mildly. The applause he coveted was
+freely bestowed on him; but he seemed especially gratified when, after
+he had dismounted, he received the congratulations of the knights and
+of the royal family.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus terminated the Dane-court and its grave affairs, apparently to the
+general satisfaction. The royal family, with the duke and the other
+princes present, then returned to the palace, where the king presented
+rich gifts to the duke, to the Margrave Otto, Count Gerhard, and the
+Danish knights. Chargers, gold bridles, magnificent mantles, and arms
+were freely distributed; and all who had participated in the
+ceremonials received some handsome memorial of the day and of the
+king's munificence. Neither was Aagé Jonsen forgotten: his royal master
+presented him with a gilded sword, set with jewels, and bearing as an
+inscription--&quot;The king's defence.&quot; For his fidelity to the murdered
+king, Erik would fain have given his youthful playmate the stroke of
+knighthood; but the exception which had been made in his own favour
+could not, from respect to those of riper years, be extended to any of
+lower degree, not even to Junker Christopherson, who appeared to
+consider himself as worthy of being a knight and king as was his
+brother.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This important election to the regency of the kingdom, and the princely
+promotion to the knighthood, were celebrated in the palace with
+magnificent festivities, during which the duke scarcely for a moment
+lost sight of the royal party, and outshone all present in knightly
+bearing, and in refined and polished conversation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen's present confidence in him, and her desire to compensate him
+for the unworthy suspicions she formerly entertained, now led her to
+agree with him in a conclusion altogether opposed to the wishes of the
+council. The representations of the duke to herself and her brothers,
+induced them to consider the juncture too serious for farther
+festivities; and, to look carefully to the security of the royal house,
+they unanimously determined that, instead of carrying the young king to
+Zealand, there to receive the homage of the people, and from thence to
+be crowned at Lund, they should immediately carry him back to the
+strong castle of Viborg, and defer the journey to Zealand and Scania,
+so long as Marsk Stig, with the outlaws and Norse rovers, rendered the
+Belt and Sound unsafe. This determination the queen, in the presence of
+the duke, announced to Sir John and Drost Peter during the evening, in
+a tone so decided as to restrain every objection.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was much alarmed, for he saw in this a new attempt on the
+part of the duke to draw the royal personages within his own and the
+outlaws' power, whilst, by his cunning, he would perhaps succeed in
+deferring the act of homage, and delaying the coronation until he could
+himself unlawfully seize upon the kingdom. Drost Peter burned with
+impatience boldly and openly to unmask the mighty traitor, and testify
+to what he knew of the true reason of his absence from the Dane-court;
+but on a stern look of warning from Sir John, he restrained himself,
+and was silent. The journey to Viborg was, therefore, fixed for the
+next morning, and the company separated.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was late in the evening. The servants of the palace were busily
+engaged with the requisite preparations for the journey, the din of
+which was heard in the castle-court. The duke and his retinue had
+withdrawn to their own apartments; but it was observed that some of his
+followers had left the castle, and hastily taken the road to
+Middelfert. The young king had retired, and the Margraves of
+Brandenburg had just left the queen in her private apartment. She had
+taken a farewell of her brothers, who, that very night, were to leave
+Denmark for the court of the Emperor Rudolph, to induce him to declare
+the Danish regicides outlaws in Germany. This reason for their sudden
+journey, they had, however, confided only to the queen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The beautiful young widow sat, her cheek resting on her hand, at a
+table of black marble, on which stood two wax-lights. She wore her
+mourning attire; and, as her dark head-dress was cast aside, her rich
+brown hair hung in tresses over her arms, and fell upon the marble
+slab. Her fair white fingers were engaged in turning over the leaves of
+a beautiful little manuscript volume, the pages of which she frequently
+crossed and marked with a silver needle. In this book she had, in her
+lonely hours, poured out her heart with honest self-acknowledgment, and
+with her own hand had recorded every remarkable circumstance of her
+life. There stood yet the fair delightful dreams of her childhood, like
+half-vanished memories of Paradise. They were, however, soon followed
+by her humiliating espousals. Her early betrothment to King Erik
+Christopherson had been one of the conditions of his release from
+Nordborg Castle, after he was taken prisoner in the war with Duke
+Waldemar's father. The record of this, her alienation to another, was
+but incoherently set down, and it seemed as if she had not yet
+understood the proper connection of events; for, in incoherent words,
+and in traces of tears, she saw the day recorded when, yet little more
+then a child, she had, in blind duty and obedience, suffered herself to
+be adorned as a royal bride, and become the unwitting victim of a cold
+political consideration. Of her wedded state, so void of love and
+tenderness, there were many records; for at this point she appeared
+first to become conscious of her dignity, and of the purpose of life.
+In the midst of the great and glittering world she had often felt
+herself alone and forsaken, although, with youthful energy, she had
+availed herself of her lofty position to occupy her thoughts with
+benevolence, and diffuse peace and joy around her. It was granted her
+to seem fortunate; and whatever success followed her efforts to
+suppress the dangerous voice of rebellion, which threatened the king
+and kingdom with ruin, was due as much to her personal influence as to
+the exalted splendour of the crown.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The kindly interest she felt in Drost Peter was the first bright spot
+in this dark portion of her inner life. His brave chivalrous spirit,
+and the homage he rendered her, had been grateful to her womanly
+nature; while with prudence and delicacy she had concealed, beneath the
+imposing cloak of majesty, every feeling of her heart's desolateness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As she continued turning over the leaves of this her life's-book, the
+past flitted by her like a dream. At the lively description of the
+tournament at Helsingborg, she found first mentioned the name of Count
+Gerhard, with a witty remark on the awkwardness of his homage, but also
+with expressions of esteem and interest. A few pages farther she saw a
+bitter memorial of the injurious rumour to which her interest in Drost
+Peter had given birth, and a memorandum of her determination to avoid
+for the future every appearance of familiarity with her faithful and
+attached knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As she glanced over the account of the festival at Sir John's, and of
+her dance with the wounded Count Gerhard, a slight blush crimsoned her
+cheeks, and she felt that the bold, good-natured dancer had made a
+greater impression upon her than she was, at that time, willing to
+believe. The discreet and respectful attachment to her which had that
+day beamed from his one honest eye, had, in her mind, invested him with
+greater dignity. Her judgment both of him and of the accomplished Duke
+Waldemar she now reviewed with much interest. To the duke she had given
+the preference for his knightly bearing and polished manners; while she
+had found him deficient in the truthfulness and bold sincerity that
+enhanced the nobleness of Count Gerhard and rendered him so entirely
+safe to be relied upon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Having closed the manuscript, she remained some time in deep thought,
+and was at length about to summon her ladies and retire to rest, when
+she heard a gentle knocking at the private door of the apartment which
+separated her closet from that of the youthful king, and which was
+accessible to the royal family alone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come in, my son,&quot; she said, as she turned towards the door, which was
+then softly opened, and the trusty favourite squire, Aagé Jonsen,
+stepped modestly over the threshold.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He remained respectfully at a distance, and, having made his
+salutation, &quot;Pardon my temerity, most gracious queen,&quot; he began, in a
+low voice: &quot;my master, the king, has commanded me to open this door, to
+ascertain if your grace was present, and alone. He prays you, for most
+important reasons, to grant him and the drost an audience here, without
+witnesses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Hessel!&quot; ejaculated the queen, with astonishment--&quot;here, and at
+this hour? Impossible! What means this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not, your grace,&quot; replied the grave little squire; &quot;but I
+conclude that it is on business of emergency and importance. The drost
+did not pass through the guard-chamber, but entered by the subterranean
+passage, in company with the tall lord from Kiel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Count Gerhard!&quot; exclaimed the queen, as she hastily veiled her face.
+&quot;Is he, too, here? Has he, also, requested to speak with me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That know I not, your grace. I kept watch by the inner door of the
+king's chamber, and knew not there was any secret entrance until it was
+opened, and both the gentlemen stood before me. The drost bade me awake
+the king immediately. I obeyed, and they were both instantly admitted
+to his chamber. Shortly afterwards he rung, and, while he attired
+himself, commanded me to ascertain cautiously whether your grace was
+alone here, and to deliver the request of which I have just informed
+you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well,&quot; answered the queen, &quot;tell thy king and master that I await him,
+and whomever else he may think it necessary to bring with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aagé Jonsen bowed and retired; when the queen, who felt some anxiety,
+arose, and opening a little gilded casket, which stood on the table,
+concealed therein her journal. She then walked once or twice across the
+apartment, but at length stopped opposite a large polished steel
+mirror, in which she hastily arranged her fallen tresses. The secret
+door was opened a moment after, and King Erik entered, leading Drost
+Peter by the hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hear him, my mother!&quot; exclaimed, with excitement, the little
+king--&quot;hear and read what the good drost and Count Gerhard have
+discovered. The duke is false! he will entice us to ruin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let not this disquiet you, noble queen,&quot; hastily observed Drost Peter,
+as he saluted her. &quot;The danger is not imminent; although, except on
+high and important grounds, I should not have dared to approach you at
+so undue an hour, and in this unusual manner. To-morrow would have been
+too late. It is necessary, too, for your own and the king's security,
+that you should thus be secretly apprised of it, as it would be
+dangerous if the duke conceived the slightest suspicion that we had
+discovered his daring plans.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You astonish me, Drost Hessel!&quot; exclaimed the queen, with undisguised
+solicitude. &quot;Have you certain proof of this, whatever it may be? or is
+it but another of the learned chancellor's dreams? The duke must either
+be the wiliest hypocrite under the sun, or he is the true and attached
+friend of myself and the royal house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Read, then, your grace,&quot; replied Drost Peter, spreading before her the
+parchment bearing Count Gerhard's seal: &quot;every word that stands there
+can be personally attested by the noble Count Gerhard, should you so
+require his oath. He awaits your commands in the next apartment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen seated herself, and hastily perused the evidence set forth
+by Drost Peter to account for the duke's absence from the opening
+of the Dane-Court. As she did so, she became pale, and, rising,
+exclaimed--&quot;Just Heaven! is, then, the fate of the kingdom and of the
+royal house in the hands of such a traitor? And this you knew to-day,
+Drost Hessel, and yet hesitated to tear the mask from the traitor, and
+exhibit him to the scorn of the whole people!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God and my own heart know what it has cost me to be silent, noble
+queen,&quot; replied the drost, laying his hand upon his breast. &quot;But Sir
+John was right: until Marsk Stig falls, the duke must stand. In his
+present position he is constrained even to punish the outlaws; but the
+moment he throws off the mask, he is our open foe--the head of the
+outlaws, and the leader of the rebels.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right,&quot; observed the queen, after a moment's reflection; &quot;and
+I now understand the complaisance of Sir John to-day. Great God! when
+has a traitor stood unmolested so near the throne of Denmark? Let Count
+Gerhard enter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter retired, and in a moment returned with Count Gerhard, who
+remained by the door, bowing bashfully and awkwardly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Approach, noble count,&quot; said the queen, as she advanced with blushing
+cheeks to meet him. &quot;You have probably saved from destruction the
+kingdom and royal house. But explain how you attained this information.
+How did you divine the plans of the marsk, or suspect the duke of such
+base knavishness?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I cannot boast my own penetration, most noble queen,&quot; replied Count
+Gerhard, advancing with greater boldness--&quot;that would ill become me. A
+large portion of my sagacity in this matter I owe to a long-headed old
+pilgrim whom I met in Rypen, and who seemed to know the world better
+than the world knew him. I had already noted mischief, and a few hints
+made me clear-eyed. With the subtle Duke Waldemar I may as little
+contend in statecraft as in accomplishments and fine manners; but this
+I dare aver, that when he thought he could reach the throne of Denmark
+without lifting his hand, or losing the semblance of being a true
+friend to the people and kingdom, he was willing to let the marsk
+disturb his election to the regency here, and to bid farewell to the
+honour and happiness of being the protector of your grace and of the
+royal house. It may be only my poor opinion, your grace,&quot; he added,
+with some embarrassment, &quot;but that the duke carries a fox on his
+shield, is certain: indeed, he seems even to entertain the boldest
+hopes of your grace's sympathy and confidence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen started, while the count continued:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I regret that I have no better proofs of this than my own word and
+sword, and the evidence of my trusty jester. But that many of the
+marsk's adherents were stopped by me on their way to the Dane-court, is
+beyond doubt; and that the duke was really in Sleswick on the first day
+of the Dane-court, he has himself taken care to furnish the best proof.
+With what view he was there, and whether there really would have been a
+tumult here, had they not perceived danger, cannot now be further
+demonstrated. My entire services to your grace and to the royal house,
+most noble queen, are thus but of small avail; and however beneficial
+to the crown and country they may appear, I have only given you
+probable grounds for guarding yourself and the young king against the
+counsels of the duke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For this important warning accept my heartiest thanks, noble count,&quot;
+replied the queen, as she extended her hand, which, while he bent
+before her, he pressed to his lips with concealed ardour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Having quickly resumed his former respectful demeanour, he
+continued:--&quot;I regret that what I and so poor a statesman as my late
+jester have brought to light, must, for the present, remain a secret,
+noble queen. At a Retter-Ting, where it can only be fought with words,
+I am of little service; but I would have willingly proved with my good
+sword, in honest combat with the duke, before the whole knighthood,
+that he is a nidding and a traitor, had not your trusty counsellors
+convinced me that I should thereby only expose your grace and the
+kingdom to the greatest danger. Indeed, I now see clearly that, for the
+present, it imports much to be at peace with him; and therefore he
+shall have peace from me, until a future time. But permit me, noble
+queen, henceforth to join the ranks of your own and the young king's
+bodyguard, and grant that the protection of your royal person may also
+form a portion of my duty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I choose you for my knight and protector, brave Count Gerhard,&quot;
+replied the queen, in a cordial tone; &quot;and, as a pledge, accept this
+remembrance of my bereaved and sorrowful position by the throne of
+Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As she spoke, she untied her black veil, which she handed to him;
+whilst he, kneeling in knightly fashion, pressed the pledge of
+confidence to his lips, and then concealed it in his bosom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My colour was formerly crimson,&quot; added the queen, in a sorrowful
+accent, as she looked mildly towards Drost Peter. &quot;This faithful friend
+to the royal house once wore it, as you doubtless remember; but no good
+fortune attended it. It was, moreover, borrowed, and, in truth, did not
+become me. I then determined that no man should wear it with my
+consent. The colour of night and disappointment has now become mine, as
+it has become that of Denmark. If its sight inspires you not with pain,
+Count Gerhard, as mine and the country's faithful friend wear it until
+morning again breaks on Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard, who had again risen, felt more intoxicated with joy than
+he had ever been before.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As long as God permits me to live in this fair world,&quot; he exclaimed,
+while a tear glistened in his eye, &quot;so long at least, noble queen, I
+will think only of showing myself worthy of your confidence, and of
+being, from my heart's core, a faithful friend to your grace and to the
+Danish kingdom. For your sake, so I promised long ago to this your
+brave knight;&quot; adding, as he seized the hand of Drost Peter--&quot;he still
+wears the rosy red in secret; but now I fight not with him concerning
+it, for I know it is Lady Ingé's gage and hairband.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A blush suffused the cheeks of Drost Peter, and the queen also seemed
+perplexed by the indiscreetness of the plain-spoken count.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;True--this is another matter,&quot; hastily added the latter, as he
+observed the embarrassment he had caused: &quot;it was perhaps a secret,
+respecting which I should have been silent; but this is what I would
+say, most noble queen, that, next to myself, you have not a more
+sincere admirer in the world than is Drost Hessel. We two shall now
+contend in earnest for the privilege of permanently wearing your
+colour. It imports not to me whether it is black or red, since it is
+your's; but this I know, that if there exists in the world one who can
+restore to your mind that joy and happiness you were surely born to
+possess, I would gladly give my only remaining eye to be that one; and
+then, although I could never more see your fair face and lovely form, I
+should still feel happy in knowing that you were pleased with the blind
+Count Gerhard.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The cordial sincerity with which he uttered these words, caused the
+queen and Drost Peter to overlook their want of delicacy and propriety.
+It was evident, however, from the manner of the queen, that she desired
+to terminate this extraordinary visit, and the direction the
+conversation had taken. Young Erik, too, who had been listening
+attentively, seemed to think that the count's speech had nothing to do
+with the dangerous business that had brought them thither.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let this subject be ended, Count Gerhard!&quot; he exclaimed, impatiently.
+&quot;My mother will be happy enough again when we have taken measures
+against the faithlessness of the duke, and restored the kingdom to
+security. We shall not set out to-morrow for Viborg: his traitor-army
+is there encamped, you say. If I am to be King of Denmark, I will be
+anointed and crowned forthwith. If it is the will of Providence that I
+should be betrayed and murdered, as my father and grandfather were, I
+shall die a lawful king, and it shall not be well for the traitors who
+dare to lay hands upon the Lord's anointed, young as he may be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thy will shall be done, my son,&quot; replied the queen, patting his
+glowing cheeks. &quot;Thy wish was also Sir John's, and that of the whole
+council, before, in my blindness, I mistook the smooth words of the
+duke for sincere attachment. To-morrow we shall set out, not for
+Viborg, but for Skielskioer; and, when thou art proclaimed in Zealand,
+we shall proceed to the coronation at Lund. But let me advise. The
+duke, as my most courteous knight, shall accompany us. He must not
+perceive the slightest symptom of distrust on our part. To you,
+gentlemen, I confide our security on the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes--let it be so!&quot; cried the young king, joyfully. &quot;The Almighty, and
+Our dear Holy Lady, will assuredly protect us. Good night, my dear
+mother. You can now sleep securely, for Sir John is stationed in the
+guard-chamber, and these trusty gentlemen will remain tonight in the
+palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God keep his hand over thee, my son!&quot; exclaimed the queen, as she
+fondly kissed his smooth forehead. &quot;Thank Heaven, with me, for having
+preserved to us these devoted and faithful friends in our hour of need
+and danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With queenlike dignity she then bowed to the two knights, who, with the
+young king, retired through the same private door by which they had
+entered.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">At early morning of the following day, the queen's travelling-car, with
+six milk-white steeds attached, stood before the castle-steps, attended
+by many smartly dressed outriders and grooms. More than thirty squires
+were grouped about, with their masters' horses in charge; foremost
+among whom was conspicuous, by his gray suit, emblazoned with the
+Sleswick lions, the attendant of the duke, who, with great ostentation,
+was allowing his master's noble steed, covered with splendid trappings,
+to prance and gambol about. Near him stood Daddy Longlegs, bearing
+Count Gerhard's simple shield, in the shape of a nettle-leaf, and
+holding a strong brown stallion by the bridle. Skirmen, carrying Drost
+Peter's mantle and shield, stood by his master's horse, apparently lost
+in contemplating the faces of the ducal lions, which resembled wolves
+more than the animals they were intended to represent. As he turned
+with his impatient charger in the direction of the Strand-gate, he was
+delighted to observe a great bustle among the ferrymen, and to see the
+royal flag carried from the house of the alderman.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We are off for Melfert, and then for Jutland,&quot; observed Longlegs to
+him. &quot;I thought, however, your master had a keener nose.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You might wish your's were half as keen, Longlegs,&quot; replied Skirmen;
+&quot;and then, perhaps, you would not allow your master's horse to turn his
+tail in the direction he is to ride.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But I know that people do not ride or drive over the Great Belt in the
+month of May,&quot; returned the old jester. &quot;It might be quite as well,
+however, while the wind sits in this quarter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What mean you, Longlegs? The wind is in the right quarter for the
+Great Belt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, but not for the Little. The boatmen say it is the duke's wind; and
+when we have that against us, a sagacious nose, like that of your
+master, should smell the straw from the barn of Finnerup.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Turn the car and horses!&quot; ordered Drost Peter, who suddenly appeared
+at the top of the steps: &quot;the royal family ride to the haven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the squires had obeyed, Drost Peter re-entered; and in a few
+moments the queen, leaning on the arm of the duke, and the little king,
+with his sister Mereté and Junker Christopherson, issued from the
+palace and entered the car. Notwithstanding the polite behaviour of the
+duke, an air of displeasure was visible in his smile.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We dare not offer you a seat in a lady's car, Duke Waldemar,&quot; observed
+the queen; &quot;and, besides, you are too good a horseman to desire it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke replied by a polite bow, and vaulted into his saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When all were mounted, &quot;To the quay!&quot; cried Sir John to the postilions;
+and, followed by a long train of knights, the royal car rolled across
+the castle-square, down to the old Strand-gate by the canal, and from
+thence to the harbour, accompanied by a great crowd of curious
+spectators, shouting with joy, while the young king saluted them, and
+the queen cordially returned their greetings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They are going to have him proclaimed at Skielskioer, and then crowned
+in Lund,&quot; they cried; and a thousand shouts of homage and blessing
+ascended from every quarter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The following day was fixed for the proclamation in Skielskioer; and,
+by the arrangement of Sir John and Drost Peter, the Archbishop of Lund
+had departed over night, in a swift vessel, to prepare everything for
+the king's reception and coronation in Lund.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Nyborg Haven all was ready for the embarkation, and they were
+speedily on board. In the royal smack, on which the duke had embarked,
+were also the drost, the chancellor, and Count Gerhard, together with
+Sir John and the royal trabants. To the duke's astonishment the royal
+smack was accompanied by six large galleys, strongly manned with
+soldiers. His own numerous train of knights and retainers, with Dean
+Grand, and many ecclesiastics, who had attended the Dane-court, in
+three smaller vessels, followed the king's smack, which, with a brisk
+and favourable wind, left the fiord.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Almost at the same time, a light-built sloop ran out from the coast,
+which Skirmen informed his master he took for a Norse freebooter, and
+on board which he had observed the duke's squire to spring before they
+left the haven. Drost Peter strictly scrutinised the suspicious vessel,
+which, however, was speedily out of sight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The weather was fine; and as the queen stood at the stern, gazing back
+on the Funen coast, which was still crowded with people, waving their
+caps and cheering lustily, the duke approached her with an air of
+boldness and candour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This sudden change in your determination has surprised me, noble
+queen,&quot; he observed, in a tone intended for one of reproach more than
+of displeasure: &quot;but I must suppose your grace has weightier reasons
+for it than those you have deigned to communicate to me. I cannot
+believe that a restless night and a singular dream could have such an
+influence on our wise and strong-minded mistress. That, as your dutiful
+knight, I respect and obey as commands even your most inexplicable
+humours, you now perceive. I must, however, observe that, at this
+critical juncture, by these frequent gatherings of the people, and by
+this coronation journey, we expose the kingdom to the greatest danger,
+and afford the outlaws the opportunity they pant for of revenging
+themselves--nothing being too daring for them to attempt, in the first
+flush of their enraged feelings.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To entertain any such fear, in your presence and that of so many bold
+knights, would but insult you,&quot; replied the queen. &quot;Besides, as you may
+observe, I have considerably strengthened my body-guard. I am not
+insensible to your delicacy or your chivalrous submission to what you
+deem my humours and weaknesses,&quot; she continued; &quot;and I certainly owe
+you a better explanation than you have yet received of the reasons
+which have led me to change my determination. In important affairs of
+state, it may seem truly unwise to be guided by dreams, presentiments,
+and all such considerations as are held in contempt by your stronger
+sex; and weaknesses of this description have not hitherto been imputed
+to me. But still you must allow, that a dream of warning, in connection
+with the dark remembrances of my life, may justly carry with it a
+considerable weight. Neither is it so unwise to hasten the completion
+of a ceremony which, in the popular estimation, can alone sanctify and
+protect the crown against the vindictiveness of traitors. Besides,
+without any whimsey, as you may term it, the actual sight of the
+regicides, at the Dane-court yesterday, might well dissuade me from
+approaching at present the crypt chapel of Viborg, or the barn of
+Finnerup.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke rapidly changed colour. &quot;Most noble queen!&quot; he hastily
+exclaimed, &quot;your dreams and presentiments are surely not connected with
+these horrible events?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Partly. You are aware, Duke Waldemar, that grayfriars' cloaks
+concealed the traitors on that fearful St. Cecilia's night. I dreamt
+last night of these twelve men, and that they bore the crown of Denmark
+on the points of their spears. They seemed to me like wolves in sheep's
+clothing, and at their head stood one whose face was entirely concealed
+by his hood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And him you took for Marsk Stig?&quot; hastily interrupted the duke. &quot;You
+have reason, indeed, to beware of him, and therefore---&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And therefore have I changed my resolution,&quot; she continued &quot;I saw you,
+too--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Me?&quot; ejaculated the duke: &quot;you do me great honour; but I hope that, in
+this dream, you did not find me among those whom your grace knows I
+abhor and condemn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Methought you stood by my side, and, by your paleness and agitation, I
+perceived that you, too, trembled at the sight of the tottering crown
+on the murderers' spears. I fancied that the guardian saint of Denmark,
+the holy King Canute, stood before me, and said--'The anointed one
+shall wear the crown until his death.' Can it surprise you, then, that
+such a warning should determine me to accomplish what is already
+desired by the council and by the whole people? Before your arrival in
+Nyborg, it was so resolved; for to delay the proclamation and act of
+homage in Skielskioer, and to defer the coronation, would have but the
+effect of exciting popular discontent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen paused, and looked scrutinisingly at the duke. &quot;If I see
+aright,&quot; she added, &quot;one portion of my dream is already fulfilled: you
+are now, assuredly, standing quite pale by my side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I cannot at all times bear the sea-breeze,&quot; he replied, passing his
+hand across his face. &quot;But indeed, noble queen,&quot; he added, in a
+careless tone, &quot;if you consider these ceremonies as so important, I
+shall not persuade you to delay them. Since, however, Denmark's patron
+saint has condescended to make you a revelation, I can only wish that
+he had been somewhat more explicit: to wear the crown until his death,
+is saying little; to wear it long and happily, would be better worth
+revealing. But whether this is the road to it, I know not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not either,&quot; rejoined the queen; &quot;but, in Heaven's name, let us
+try it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the young king, accompanied by Sir John and Count Gerhard, now drew
+near, this subject was broken off, and the conversation turned on
+indifferent topics. Sir John was jocular, and the royal party soon
+assumed the appearance of great gaiety. Drost Peter remained silent and
+reserved. But Count Gerhard felt so happy with the secret pledge of the
+queen's confidence which he carried in his bosom, that he yielded
+himself entirely to the current of his natural humour, and far excelled
+the others in amusing the queen. The duke strove in vain to regain his
+pre-eminence; but the endeavour to conceal his uneasy feelings deprived
+him of his usual sprightliness, and his forced compliments and pleasant
+conceits, with Count Gerhard's dry additions, often provoked a laugh,
+by no means flattering to him, but in which he was nevertheless obliged
+to join.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were now approaching Skielskioer, where multitudes of people
+crowded both sides of the fiord, which divides the town into two almost
+equal parts. Young Erik was standing at the prow, by the side of
+Chancellor Martinus, listening attentively to what that learned
+gentleman was relating concerning Henrik Ĉmeldorf's rebellion against
+his grandfather, King Christopher Waldemarson.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is now five and thirty years ago, my young king and master,&quot;
+said the chancellor, &quot;but it appears to me as if it had happened
+but yesterday: it was the very week after I had gained, in the
+chapter-house, my first palm in logic. Here your late grandfather
+landed with his army, to force the proud rebel to submission, and
+compel his homage. The town and castle, you must be aware, were legally
+in the power of the general, having been given him in pledge by King
+Abel for military pay; but he was grievously wrong in refusing homage
+to the king, and in stirring up the people to rebel against him. That
+deep trench there, across the town's-field, was cast up by the
+rebellious Ĉmeldorf, and on the other side he had a strong garrison to
+defend it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And my grandfather was beaten, and compelled to fly from the rebels?&quot;
+exclaimed the youthful monarch. &quot;That was truly provoking. Had he,
+then, no brave and trusty men in his army?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Many,&quot; replied the chancellor; &quot;but what avails our strength, when the
+Lord intends to chastise us? The godless traitors, however, did not
+long retain their advantage. The following year your royal grandfather
+again came, like a stern and mighty judge, and the Lord was with him
+then. The city was taken and burnt, the leader of the rebels obliged to
+fly, and his adherents received the punishment due to traitors on
+yonder field--there, where the Retter-Ting and diets are now held.
+<i>Soli Deo gloria!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And there shall homage be rendered me to-morrow,&quot; observed King Erik.
+&quot;It is strange! If this occurred but thirty years ago, there must be
+many still living whose friends and kinsmen were then executed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It certainly may be so,&quot; replied the chancellor: &quot;the race of the
+ungodly man is not uprooted from the earth. Might I counsel you, my
+young king, I would say, remove the Zealand Dane-court to another city,
+to avoid those gloomy recollections and forebodings of evil to which
+the superstition of the people will easily give birth. 'Tis true, the
+power and fortunes of kings are in the hands of God alone; but
+shortsighted men will sometimes see evil, where the Lord purposes only
+good; and, on what they deem an unlucky spot, they will not easily
+rejoice or be filled with faith in temporal prosperity.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Entertain you any distrust of my dear subjects here, reverend
+sir?&quot; inquired Erik. &quot;See how joyfully they wave their caps. And,
+listen--they already salute me with shouts of welcome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The people, thank Heaven, are faithful and ardent,&quot; replied the
+chancellor; &quot;but should the outlaws appear here, to protest against
+their sentence, they would, I fear much, find many adherents; for
+where, indeed, are not the sons of Satan? Still, you have with you
+faithful men, sir king; and, with the assistance of the King of kings,
+you have nothing to fear. If I see aright, Rimaardson also is here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The royal smack had now reached the quay, where the royal party were
+received by the town's-governor and the burghers, as also by Sir Bent
+Rimaardson, who, with his galley, had newly arrived from Taarborg. The
+kinsman of the queen, and a faithful friend to the royal house, he was
+justly held in the greatest respect. The execution of his brother,
+along with Niels Breakpeace and his band, had rendered him yet more
+melancholy than before; but he sought, by the most vigilant activity,
+to efface the ignominy that thus attached to his noble race. Since the
+surprisal of Rypen House, in which he had taken an active part, he had
+been cruising about the coasts, for the purpose of protecting them
+against the Norse freebooters; and a pirate-vessel, that he had
+recently captured, now lay in Skielskioer fiord. When he had saluted
+the royal family, he begged to be permitted to accompany them to the
+Hovgaard, as the castle is called, where, he said, he had some tidings
+to impart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If your tidings are good, Sir Rimaardson, let us hear them here,&quot;
+exclaimed the youthful king. &quot;Yet, nay,&quot; he added, &quot;this is not the
+place for that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The air of suspicion which Sir Rimaardson wore did not escape old Sir
+John, who also, as well as the chancellor, had observed the duke and
+Master Grand exchange uneasy and significant glances, when they
+discovered the captured pirate in the fiord.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst the royal personages, amidst the acclamations of the people,
+repaired to the castle, Rimaardson hastily took Drost Peter aside.
+&quot;There are traitors in the town,&quot; he whispered: &quot;guard well the king,
+and keep an eye upon the duke. Had you crossed the Little Belt to-day,
+you had fallen into the hands of the marsk. A Norse fleet, with, it is
+rumoured, the Norse king himself, is lying at Ekeroe. The marsk, at
+this instant perhaps, burns one half of Funen with--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Just Providence!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, &quot;when stood a Danish king so
+surrounded by foes and traitors! Would only that he were anointed and
+crowned!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Would only that the duke had never left Sjöborg Tower!&quot; whispered
+Rimaardson.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He may again be there,&quot; exclaimed the drost, with flashing eyes; while
+the approach of the duke, at that moment, put an end to their private
+conference.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the royal party were alone in the castle, they learned from Sir
+Rimaardson what he had just confided to Drost Peter. He produced, at
+the same time, a packet of intercepted letters from Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard in Norway, and from Marsk Stig, to Duke Waldemar, Master
+Grand, and Count Jacob of Halland, by which the league of the outlaws
+with the King of Norway, and their entire plans for overturning the
+Danish throne, were clearly discovered. Of the letters from the duke's
+drost, some were addressed, under ecclesiastical seals, to Dean Grand
+of Roskild, directing him to attend to the duke and the disaffected
+nobles of the kingdom. From these it appeared that Marsk Stig and the
+outlaws intended to place the duke upon the vacant throne, if he would
+faithfully join them, and seize the opportunity of getting the royal
+family into his power. By the letters to Count Jacob it appeared, on
+the contrary, that the marsk and the outlaws could not depend upon the
+duke, and that they had promised the crown of Denmark to the Norse
+king, if he would assist them with a fleet, and promise to reinstate
+them in their rights and dignities. These important letters were found
+on board the captured freebooter, the crew of which were then lying
+bound in the castle-dungeons.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This discovery excited the greatest alarm in the minds of the queen and
+her son, who immediately called into their secret council Sir John,
+Drost Peter, and Master Martin. Every necessary precaution was
+instantly adopted; and, by Sir John's advice, the duke was to be
+admitted only in appearance into their councils, and but half informed
+of what had been discovered. The intercepted letters, which betrayed
+his connection with the outlaws, were carefully concealed; and it was
+deemed prudent to communicate to him only the letters to Count Jacob,
+respecting the marsk's audacious proposals to the Norwegian king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When this resolution was adopted, they requested the attendance of the
+duke, whose astonishment at the discovery they made to him seemed real
+and natural. The marsk and the other outlaws he reprobated in the
+strongest terms, and cordially approved of all the measures which the
+council had taken to defend the country against the Norwegians.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, Count Gerhard had disembarked the royal troops, and
+quartered them in the town; and stationing a considerable body of them
+at the castle, he himself took his place in the ante-chamber, as
+captain of the guard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Drost Peter and Sir John left the royal closet, the cheeks of the
+former were flushed with anger, by which, and his flashing eyes, it was
+evident that some bold project was in his mind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wretched weakness!&quot; he exclaimed. &quot;Have we not now sufficient proofs
+of his treachery? Why should we not arrest him, as a traitor, on the
+spot?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Prudence, my young friend,&quot; replied old John.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your prudence drives me mad!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter. &quot;I can no longer
+bear to see the traitor amongst us, as our master and the ruler of the
+kingdom. If we be not beforehand with him, he will be beforehand with
+us, as old Henner said. It must now break or bear--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It will break unless we are cautious,&quot; interrupted the old knight,
+emphatically. &quot;So long as he contrives to wear the mask, he is of
+service to us; but the moment he casts it aside, he must be
+overthrown.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good: one word will suffice for that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beware of that word, Drost Peter, for by it you may perhaps overturn
+the throne of Denmark. Yet one thing,&quot; added the old man, in a
+sorrowful tone, as he cast a look of anxious concern on his excited
+friend: &quot;are you aware that the father of our faithful Ingé was the
+bearer of these treasonable letters, and now lies a prisoner in the
+tower?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter seemed horror-struck. &quot;Merciful Heaven!--Sir Lavé!&quot; he
+exclaimed. &quot;I can hardly doubt it. But is his crime quite evident?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He was on board the freebooter, and in his care the letters were
+found. What he can urge in his own defence, I know not. To-morrow he is
+to be heard before the council; and on account of our relationship with
+him, I have requested that you and I may be then exempted from sitting
+as his judges.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Poor Ingé!&quot; sighed Drost Peter. &quot;Where is she? What have you done with
+her? She referred me to you, who have coldly and sternly avoided every
+question on the subject. But I can no longer refrain. What does she in
+Sweden, while we imprison and condemn her father here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You shall know all, and will approve of it,&quot; replied Sir John, as he
+seized his hand. &quot;Follow me to the chancellor. For the sake of Ingé, I
+could wish that Sir Lavé might, to-morrow, frustrate us all; although,
+were I his judge, there were small hopes of his deliverance. But that
+office lies with the duke, and one raven does not pick out the eye of
+another. As far as this goes, we may rejoice at the miscarriage of
+justice, and that we have a traitor for the kingdom's protector.&quot; So
+saying, he passed his hand over his eyes with much emotion, and drew
+Drost Peter along with him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the middle of the castle-yard stood a small gloomy tower, the stone
+vaults of which served as a prison. In one of these subterranean
+dungeons lay Sir Lavé. He stirred not but with dreadful apprehension,
+and seemed terrified at the clank of his own chains. At every sound he
+huddled himself up, and gazed earnestly on the securely bolted iron
+door; but it opened not. A small grating, looking forth upon the
+castle-yard, was situated high in the wall. This, with the aid of an
+old block of wood, which some wretched captive had formerly dragged
+after him, and a few loose stones, he succeeded, after considerable
+labour, in reaching. Here he saw Sir John and Drost Peter pass by; but
+he was afraid to meet his kinsman's look, and indignation choked his
+voice as he was about to call on Drost Peter to save him. He wept and
+wrung his hands, but regained courage when he perceived several of the
+duke's people passing to and fro. He then drew out a little note, which
+he had concealed in his sleeve, anxiously hiding it at every suspicious
+noise, and pulling it forth again when a follower of the duke appeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young king showed himself for a moment on the balcony and was
+received by the curious spectators in the court below with shouts and
+waving of caps. This spectacle greatly agitated the captive, who, again
+concealing the letter, shortly afterwards became absorbed in deep and
+gloomy thought, in which he remained until the moonbeams, penetrating
+his cell, announced to him the approach of night. At that moment he
+perceived the duke descend the castle-stairs, and proceed to that wing
+of the castle appropriated to him. Preceding him was a royal page,
+bearing a torch, and six of his knights attended him at a little
+distance. His air was thoughtful; and, as he approached the grating of
+the dungeon, a gleam of hope inspired with courage the despairing
+prisoner. He coughed. The duke heard it, and looked towards the
+grating.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drop your glove, Duke Waldemar,&quot; whispered the captive knight, as he
+rolled the letter up, and threw it forth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke dropped his glove as desired, and, in picking it up again,
+also secured the letter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There lies one of the traitors from Norway, awaiting the gallows,&quot; he
+exclaimed aloud, as he threw an indignant glance towards the dungeon,
+and passed on, regardless of the deep sigh that burst from the heart of
+the despairing prisoner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Skirmen, who, by his master's orders, was observing every motion of the
+duke, was at this instant concealed in the deep shadow of a corner,
+near the tower. The moment the duke had disappeared, the trusty squire
+came forth, and was hastening to his master, when he was arrested by a
+voice from the grating.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the name of the merciful God, listen to me, young man!&quot; exclaimed
+the captive knight. &quot;Art not thou Drost Hessel's squire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;At your service,&quot; answered Skirmen, as he stopped.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Inform your master, then,&quot; stammered the prisoner, &quot;that the man who
+once saved Drost Peter Hessel's life and preserved his freedom, would
+now converse with him a moment for the sake of his own mind's peace.
+Tell him that I can reveal to him something of great importance. But
+time presses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I shall deliver your message,&quot; replied Skirmen, as he hastened away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The prisoner descended from his dangerous seat, and carefully removed
+the means by which he had reached the grating. He then seated himself
+sorrowfully on the block beneath it, and listened anxiously to every
+sound he heard. Some time elapsed thus, when at length the rattling of
+the gaoler's keys, and the withdrawing of the bolts one by one from the
+door, announced a visitor. In another moment Drost Peter stood in the
+cell with him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The moonlight through the grating fell upon the pale face of the
+prisoner, who remained in a crouching posture, without daring to raise
+his eyes. The drost stood for an instant, silently contemplating him.
+In the half-despairing countenance before him, there was that which
+reminded him bitterly both of Lady Ingé and the brave Sir John--some of
+the lineaments of the noble race of Littles. Tears stood in his eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Miserable man!&quot; he exclaimed, at length, &quot;what can I effect for your
+peace? And of what have you to unburden yourself to me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tell me truly, Peter Hessel,&quot; asked the prisoner, in a trembling
+voice, but with a tone of parental familiarity that reminded the drost
+of the relation in which they had stood in his youthful days, &quot;are thou
+and Cousin John to be my judges?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, Heaven be praised! Our relationship to you exempts us from that
+duty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I may, then, hope for mercy; for from thee and Sir John I could expect
+only what you call justice. But God help us all, if we must be treated
+according to our deserts!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Lavé,&quot; interrupted Drost Peter, &quot;think you, then, that there is
+not a powerful, perhaps an all too-powerful voice, which pleads for you
+both in my breast and that of old kinsman?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe it, and will prove to thee my sincerity,&quot; replied the
+prisoner, &quot;since, as thou art not to sit in judgment on me, I can
+venture to unburden my heart to thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He arose, and threw on the drost a penetrating look, while he continued
+in the same familiar tone:--&quot;Misfortune has now taught me what thou in
+vain wouldst have had me believe in time. I now perceive that no
+success or blessing attends rebellion against lawfully constituted
+authority, even when instigated by the purest attachment to freedom and
+fatherland. By the law, my doom is death; but the prerogative of mercy
+lies with the king, in whose hands I place my life and fate. I had no
+share in his father's death, and he can therefore pardon me. Had I seen
+him before, as I have seen him to-day, I should not now be in this
+dungeon. The stern Marsk Stig himself, I firmly believe, could not
+look the youthful monarch in the face and deny him the name of king.
+I cannot now blame thee, Peter Hessel, who wert his tutor and
+weapon-master, for entertaining the greatest hopes of him. If he spare
+my life, I will swear fealty to him, and reveal matters of importance.
+Tell him I will confess my sins to the chancellor, and atone for my
+crimes in a state-prison. Tell him--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Kind Heaven!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, joyfully, as he seized Sir Lavé's
+trembling hand, &quot;dare I believe? Has, then, the Almighty heard my
+petition, and inclined your heart to faith and honour. You will be
+loyal and attached to our young king--you will confess all, and swear
+him fealty--you will atone your treason--and he will--he must pardon
+you. But he does not govern alone,&quot; he added, with a sigh; &quot;and,
+without the concurrence of the queen and the duke, his wishes will
+avail you not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé's pale cheeks flushed, and for an instant he remained silent.
+&quot;The duke cannot condemn me,&quot; at length he whispered, with a smile of
+confidence: &quot;I have taken care of that. The will of the king I know
+thou canst easily determine, and a favourable word to the queen would
+perhaps also find a willing ear. There was a time when Peter Hessel was
+all-powerful with the fair Queen Agnes--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A frown gathered on Drost Peter's brow, for the expression of Sir
+Lavé's features did not please him. The joy he had felt at his
+conversion quickly disappeared, while the discovery that Skirmen had
+just imparted to him suddenly presented itself to his mind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As a man, I may perhaps venture to speak, where, as drost, I must be
+silent,&quot; he replied, sternly; &quot;but I can only venture to do so when I
+am convinced of your sincerity, and that you are not, even here, taking
+counsel against the king and country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What! do you still doubt me, Drost Peter?&quot; asked Sir Lavé, in a tone
+of terror and bitterness. &quot;I say I am converted to your state-creed.
+Must you see me howl in sackcloth and ashes before you believe me?
+Intercede for me, Peter Hessel! and you will find that I am not
+ungrateful,&quot; he continued, fawningly. &quot;Thy father was my friend, and
+what I promised him on his deathbed I have not forgotten. Save my life
+now, as once I saved thine, and my hand shall no longer separate what a
+mightier than mine hath joined together.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was much affected; but observing a cunning smile on Sir
+Lavé's restless features, he felt, with wounded self-esteem, how nearly
+he had been befooled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not even for that prize, Sir Lavé, shall I forfeit my fidelity,&quot; he
+exclaimed, warmly. &quot;If, without self-abasement, I intercede and promise
+for you, I must first be convinced that we dare trust you. What
+connection subsists between the duke and you? and what was the purport
+of the letter which, but half an hour ago, you bade him pick up with
+his glove?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir Lavé became pale with terror. &quot;Letter!--what letter?&quot; he stammered
+out. But perceiving the uselessness of denial, he continued:--&quot;Well, as
+you appear to be omniscient, it was so: but I swear it contained
+nothing but what was true--that I was an incautious fool, and had
+brought letters to land which would perhaps occasion the duke
+embarrassment, if I did not explain the nature of them. I can testify
+that they were written by his enemies, and, being intercepted, might
+lay him under the suspicion of having private intercourse with the
+outlaws.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wretched man!&quot; interrupted Drost Peter: &quot;on the brink of a gulph you
+are still playing with two sharp-edged swords, both of which will fall
+with deadly force upon your head. I cannot--I dare not, now intercede
+for you. I should myself be an enemy to Denmark and the royal house,
+and a traitor to my country, should I do so. But I will provide for the
+peace of your soul. Within an hour the chancellor will visit you.
+Confess yourself sincerely to him, and bethink of your eternal weal. He
+may then, perhaps, beg mercy for you from the pitying God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, alas! let, then, the chancellor come, and prepare me for death!&quot;
+groaned Sir Lavé, as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead. &quot;I
+must now put my hope in God, for in man there is no mercy! Alas! could
+my Ingé see how hardhearted you are, Drost Peter, she would never love
+the man who can treat so cruelly her unfortunate father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Heaven is my witness,&quot; sorrowfully exclaimed Drost Peter, laying his
+hand upon his breast, &quot;that it cuts me to the soul that I cannot trust
+you better. You would win the duke with false witness, and me with a
+false hope; and would, if you could, make my affection traitor to my
+loyalty. Nay, Sir Lavé Little, you are not thus to be saved. Truth
+only can save you, the country, and us all. God give your unstable mind
+constancy and strength to resolve earnestly on that to which you now
+only pretend for the purpose of saving yourself before a human
+tribunal!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With these words he left the dungeon, and Sir Lavé sank with a groan
+upon the stone floor, where the fear of death wrung a sincere prayer
+from his bosom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Half an hour afterwards, Chancellor Martinus, in his Dominican habit,
+with his breviary and a candle in his hand, was admitted to the anxious
+captive, whom he found in a state of such bewilderment and mental
+conflict, that the philosophical chancellor found it impossible to
+understand his incoherent and contradictory expressions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is it you who are to prepare me for death?&quot; asked the prisoner,
+starting up with a wild stare. &quot;Ha! it is time. The wheel and stile are
+ready. Drost Peter will not intercede for me; and my child, my poor
+child, she will die of shame for her miserable father. But my
+punishment is just,&quot; he continued, sinking his voice to a whisper: &quot;I
+nodded--see, I nodded thus--in that horrible council. That nod cost me
+perhaps my salvation, and King Erik Christopherson his life. Was I not
+among the twelve in Finnerup barn? Nay, nay, that was but a dream!&quot;
+he exclaimed, vehemently--&quot;that night I only betrayed my master's
+castle--his blood is not upon my hand, and will not be visited upon my
+head. But I heard the woe-cry from his coffin: from the grave it
+came--nay, from hell itself! It yet rings in my ears. To be doomed an
+outlaw by men is nothing--but outlawed, eternally outlawed from heaven,
+I became at that hour. I am an unfortunate man!&quot; He paused and sighed.
+&quot;Ha! but misfortune shall not strike me down,&quot; he continued, strutting
+boldly across the dungeon--&quot;I am of noble birth, and die not as a
+traitor, but as a patriot and the foe of tyrants. What wilt thou with
+me, clerk? Thou art no confessor of mine--thou art not the bold dean
+who bids defiance to kings and kaisers. I know thee well: thou art the
+book-worm from Antvorskov, the learned chancellor--thou wert the
+tyrants' friend, and now wouldst outlaw and put under the ban every
+free-minded Dane. Comest thou hither to shrive me to-night, ere thou
+doomest me to the wheel to-morrow? Nay, nay--that thou mayst spare
+thyself, my very learned sir. A wise statesman can hold his tongue, and
+die like a heathen, without shrift or penitence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He continued for some time raving in this wild manner, now accusing
+himself as the greatest criminal, and now boasting his high birth and
+political sagacity, but at length recovered himself, and burst into
+tears.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The learned Master Martinus had several times vainly attempted to stop
+him, to point out the rules in <i>logica</i> against which he was offending;
+but the zealous carer for souls now triumphed over the philosopher,
+and he seized this favourable opportunity of exhorting to repentance
+the despairing sinner before him; and, in the supposition that he had
+been among the regicides, he became stern and vehement, and thundered
+forth the most fearful threatenings of the law against traitors and
+man-slayers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, nay!&quot; exclaimed Sir Lavé, &quot;I am no regicide; but still I must
+surely perish, unless there dwells pity with Heaven and the Holy
+Church. Listen, and I will shrive!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He then threw himself at the feet of the chancellor, and confessed
+every step he had taken, relating how he had been inveigled into the
+conspiracy, and protesting that he had, however, taken no share in his
+kinsman's sanguinary revenge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter was right,&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;the truth alone can save me and
+all of us. Even at that hour I would have deceived him, and he cannot
+trust--he cannot sue for mercy for me. Let justice, then, overtake me.
+Here I must be condemned; but save, oh save my soul from the eternal
+death!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your sin is great,&quot; answered the chancellor, who was much affected;
+&quot;but those who abused your weakness, have more to atone for than you
+have.&quot; He then, in the blessed words of the Gospel, exhorted him to
+repentance, and in the name of the Holy Church granted him indulgence
+for his sins, should he continue firm in his repentance, and true to
+the change of conduct he had promised. &quot;Even your earthly judges,&quot; he
+added, &quot;I hope to soften, after this your confession. What you have
+confided to me no man shall know without your own permission; but allow
+me to reveal it to the queen and our young king, and I promise that
+time shall be accorded you for repentance in a bearable state-prison.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Reveal it to all!&quot; exclaimed Sir Lavé, embracing his knees with
+trembling arms. &quot;In the wall of my closet at Flynderborg is a secret
+depository, where lie the proofs of my greatest crime. Let all the
+world know it, but let me not die thus in my sin. Spare but my
+life--this wretched life--and I will gladly hide myself and my shame in
+Denmark's darkest prison. Reveal all!&quot; he continued, in the accents of
+fear and anxiety--&quot;tell them, too, that there will be a tumult here
+to-morrow, if they take not means to prevent it. The outlaws are here,
+and, with the assistance of the duke, will possess themselves of the
+king's person. I have even brought the duke the letter respecting it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Merciful Heaven!&quot; exclaimed the chancellor, who, terrified, suddenly
+rose and knocked violently at the prison-door, which was quickly opened
+for him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The prisoner attempted to escape with him; but a violent blow from the
+sturdy turnkey threw him backwards on the stone floor, without
+consciousness.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">An innumerable multitude of people from all quarters of Zealand were
+assembled in Skielskioer, to see and do homage to the young king. All
+the villages in the environs were thronged, for the town, which had
+been half burnt down in the feud between King Christopher and Henrik
+Ĉmeldorf, had not yet recovered its former prosperity, and could with
+difficulty accommodate but an inconsiderable portion of the strangers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These throngs were further augmented by the friends and adherents of
+the outlawed noblemen, who had assembled in great numbers, in
+consequence of the rumour that the murderers of King Erik
+Christopherson had been personally cited to hear their doom, and that
+they intended to defend their cause before the people, and protest
+against the sentence of outlawry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As evening approached the tumults and contentions which occurred
+between these partisans and the populace became so frequent, that the
+town-governor was compelled to call on the royal landsknechts to assist
+him in keeping order.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the following morning, when the matin-bell had rung from the lofty
+spire of St. Nicholas, the people were already assembled in the
+Thing-place, and in the large area before the Hovgaard, to witness the
+procession of the royal family to the Dane-court; but hour after hour
+elapsed, and the royal party appeared not. The castle was encircled
+by the royal landsknechts and a body of the burgher-guard, whilst,
+posted before the gate, at the head of a small party of the queen's
+life-horse, were Drost Peter and Count Gerhard. Both appeared
+thoughtful. Drost Peter still carried his right arm in a sling; but,
+like a skilful swordsman, he knew how to support at need his weapon
+with his left.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As it appeared, they had hoped to prevent all tumult at the
+proclamation, and had found it impolitic to break with the duke. The
+inner courts of the castle had, in the meanwhile, by the drost's
+arrangements, been secretly filled with the remaining portion of the
+queen's life-horse, which were supposed to have been left on board the
+ships. These, the most trusty of the royal troops, had orders to
+advance and secure the duke, the instant they saw the drawn sword in
+the drost's hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not far from Count Gerhard and Drost Peter, in a magnificent suit of
+armour, was the duke, seated on his charger, in the midst of his
+knights and a considerable body of Sleswick horsemen. His looks, as he
+surveyed the multitude, seemed anxious and uneasy, and the dark,
+earnest countenance of Drost Peter did not appear to please him, any
+more than did the bold bearing of Count Gerhard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The people now began to display symptoms of impatience at the long
+delay; and, with visible discontent, Drost Peter whispered to Count
+Gerhard--&quot;This is the fault of our good, thoughtful chancellor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Murmurs and expressions of anger speedily followed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How long must we remain here upon our pegs, before we see either wet
+or dry?&quot; growled a corpulent burgher, who was standing sentry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is good reason for the delay, Faerlil,&quot; answered a long-bearded
+Sleswick horseman: &quot;your king, to be sure, has no need yet to stop to
+polish his beard; but he must be swaddled and suckled. The queen, too,
+must be trim and spruce, that your maids and wives may not tempt Drost
+Hoseol to prove untrue to her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A boisterous laugh from the horsemen accompanied this coarse joke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The people are becoming merry--that pleases me well,&quot; observed Count
+Gerhard, who heard the laughter, but not the disgraceful words which
+created it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter, however, had heard them, and burned with indignation,
+which he endeavoured to suppress, looking with apparent inattention in
+the opposite direction; whilst the merriment continued, and was kept up
+with other expressions of a like nature.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Peace, fellows, or speak of royalty with greater respect!&quot; exclaimed
+the duke, with apparent severity, to his people.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes,&quot; added one of his knights, &quot;take care, you fellows! The drost's
+left arm is not to be laughed at. And you, my good man,&quot; he observed to
+the burgher--&quot;you should remember the consequences of grumbling in
+Skielskioer at a royal proclamation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I'faith, that is true, stern sir knight,&quot; growled the burgher: &quot;unless
+we would have our houses again burnt over our heads, we must howl with
+the wolves, and submit to boy-rule and petticoat government.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Fie for shame on every Danish man,&quot; cried another, &quot;that they should
+patiently submit to be ruled by a king in slippers and baby-clothes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou hast a mind to be outlawed before night, my bold fellow,&quot;
+observed a tall personage, in a monk's habit. &quot;A good word now-a-days
+may bring that on a man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Know you the news, holy sir?&quot; exclaimed an awkward, heavy mass-boy to
+the monk: &quot;Marsk Stig and his friends have to-day been put under the
+ban of the Church by the Archbishop of Lund.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The ban--the ban!&quot; was muttered around from one to the other, with
+increasing discontent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They could never be so infatuated,&quot; observed a tall man, enveloped in
+a large blue cloak.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He begins sharply, this little master,&quot; exclaimed a jeering voice
+close by the side of the last speaker; &quot;and his pinafore must be as
+wide as a church-door, since he can carry an archbishop in his pocket.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The apple doesn't fall wide of the tree,&quot; remarked the corpulent
+burgher; whilst his neighbour began humming:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;And so grows up the little wolf,<br>
+With sharp teeth in his jaws.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What else could you expect?&quot; demanded the Sleswick horseman: &quot;all that
+come of the wolf, howl like the wolf, as they say in our country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One of the queen's horsemen, who was stationed next to the Sleswicker,
+had long sat in his saddle as if on glowing coals. &quot;If there be wolves'
+cubs amongst us,&quot; he now at last broke out, in a broad Jutlandic
+accent, &quot;they are rather in your troop than ours, my dainty
+Sleswicker.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It needs a good dog to smell that out,&quot; retorted the other.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In our country the dogs are as keen as they are true,&quot; rejoined the
+North Jute; &quot;but down by Gottorp they ought to be keen indeed, as the
+late King Abel, your duke's grandfather, must well know, seeing that
+three fiery hounds hunt him every night to the infernal regions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whoever says an ill word of my duke or of his race, shall have his
+neck broken!&quot; exclaimed the Sleswick horseman, drawing his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And whoever slanders my queen or the drost, shall have his nose and
+ears cut off!&quot; vociferated the other, already brandishing his glaive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As the contention thus grew hot, several joined in it; and although it
+was strictly forbidden that any one should draw his sword before
+orders, many weapons were already seen gleaming among the troopers,
+both of the queen and of the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Peace, there!&quot; now cried the latter, as, with some uneasiness, he
+examined the multitude around him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Whoever strikes a blow without his officer's command, is a dead man!&quot;
+shouted Drost Peter; and the swords were again sheathed, whilst the
+noisy quarrel subsided to a murmur.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A cry of &quot;The king! the king!&quot; was now heard, and the most perfect
+silence instantly pervaded the restless crowd.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that moment the queen and the young king issued on horseback from
+the castle-gate, escorted by twelve trabants, and attended by Sir John,
+Rimaardson, and Chancellor Martin. The ecclesiastic, who was mounted on
+his palfrey, and wore his Dominican habit, with polished shoes and
+white heels, looked very pale and apprehensive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nearly the entire multitude instantly greeted the king with a shout of
+homage, and the quarrel between the troopers was apparently at an end,
+when a powerful voice, from amidst the crowd, exclaimed--&quot;Long live
+Marsk Stig and his friends! Down, down with the tyrants!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke looked hastily around him, whilst Drost Peter narrowly watched
+him, with his left hand on the hilt of his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Although the cheering for the king continued, the shout of &quot;Long live
+the duke! Long live Waldemar Erikson!&quot; still gained ground: it was
+repeated by great numbers of the burghers, and by all the Sleswick
+horsemen; and, as it increased in vehemence and extent, the duke again
+looked round, lifting his hat, and saluting the assemblage with an air
+of bravery.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Li this salute Drost Peter perceived a preconcerted signal; for the
+duke was then cheered on every side, by the same voices that had just
+raised the seditious cry in favour of Marsk Stig. The drost could no
+longer retain his indignation. &quot;Down, down with the traitors!&quot; he
+shouted, as his sword flew from its scabbard, and gleamed in his left
+hand, whilst, at the same instant, the concealed horsemen, rushing
+forward, surrounded the spot.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Duke Waldemar beheld this unexpected movement with astonishment and
+consternation. &quot;Rebellion! treason!&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;defend your
+protector, brave Danes! Seize the drost! He is the traitor.--At them!&quot;
+shouted he to his horsemen; who, however, before they could, in the
+general confusion, range themselves in any order of battle, were, with
+the duke, charged with so much impetuosity by Drost Peter and Count
+Gerhard, at the head of the queen's horsemen, that they were compelled
+to seek for safety in a rapid flight; the whole body hastening from the
+town through a narrow street, which had not yet been blockaded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;After the duke! Seize the traitor! <i>He</i> is the chief of the
+regicides!&quot; shouted the drost, as, at the head of the queen's troopers,
+he pursued the fugitives.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During this uproar, the noise of which was augmented by the cries and
+clamour of the people, Sir John and Rimaardson, with the chancellor and
+the twelve trabants, had instantly formed a close circle round the
+king, and, without awaiting the issue, had hurried with him across the
+castle-square, and through the excited crowds, down to the fiord.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the queen had boldly ridden forward amidst her faithful body-guard,
+and soon found herself at their head, between Count Gerhard and Drost
+Peter; whilst before them, and without once looking behind, fled the
+duke and his horsemen, as if panic-struck.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Noble queen,&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, &quot;here you are exposed to too much
+danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I think myself safer nowhere than between the brave Count Gerhard and
+yourself,&quot; was her confident reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shame befall us,&quot; cried Count Gerhard; &quot;if we are not now invincible,
+we never deserve success.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Outside of the town, on Trandrup Field, where Henrik Ĉmeldorf engaged
+King Christopher, the duke first commanded his troopers to halt; and,
+availing himself of his start, he wheeled about, and hastily placed his
+men in order of battle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The drost, who, with his troop, was rapidly pushing forward, now heard
+the wild shout of assailants behind him, and, on looking round,
+perceived a large body of mail-clad horsemen in his rear, in the
+leaders of which he thought he recognised Count Jacob and the two
+knights who had been outlawed at Nyborg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have ventured too far, most noble queen!&quot; he exclaimed. &quot;The
+traitors have out-man&#339;uvred us. Fall into a circle, lads--place the
+queen in the centre--and you, Count Gerhard, stir not from her side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By Beelzebub!&quot; muttered the count, &quot;must I be only a peg in this
+confounded game of skittles? Stay you here, rather, with your wounded
+arm, Drost Hessel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the drost heard him not, while the queen's troopers immediately
+obeyed the order of their chief, and formed a circle around their
+mistress, who, although pale and apprehensive, yet retained her
+firmness, and closely observed every movement of the enemy; whilst
+Count Gerhard rode around the circle like a wild beast in a cage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The foe, meanwhile, had been pressing on from both sides, when the
+drost, commanding the circle to extend, slackened his bridle, and, with
+his sword in his left hand, dashed against the duke and his horsemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Turn you now against the outlaws, Count Gerhard,&quot; said the queen,
+calmly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was precisely the intention of the skilful warrior, who sprang
+from the circle, shouting;--&quot;Forward, carls, in a line! Follow me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The circle, thus dividing, soon formed compact lines, which fought in
+opposite directions against the twofold superior foe. The queen
+remained between the lines, a witness of the sanguinary conflict, which
+cost many of her faithful men their lives. Her checks glowed with
+ardour and excitement whilst she glanced now towards Drost Peter, and
+now towards Count Gerhard; but her eye most frequently rested on the
+valiant count, who had engaged in the fray with the greatest spirit and
+ardour, every stroke of his good sword appearing to drive the enemy a
+step before him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The space between the two lines of horsemen was every instant
+increasing, and the queen, with lively satisfaction and joy, beheld the
+success of Count Gerhard's bold attack; when, turning her eyes once
+more towards Drost Peter, she uttered a cry of alarm. His troopers were
+in disorder, and he himself was unhorsed in the midst of the duke's
+people, who cast themselves upon him with a savage shout of triumph.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Merciful Heaven!&quot; she exclaimed, &quot;they will murder him! Save, oh save
+Drost Peter, noble count!&quot; and, heedless of the danger, she rode into
+the midst of the mêlée, where Count Gerhard's horsemen were on the
+point of beating the outlaws from the field, and, pressing close up to
+the side of the count, repeated her request.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In God's name, be it as you command, noble queen!&quot; he replied.
+&quot;Forword, lads! Think not of me!&quot; And turning his steed, he hastened to
+the assistance of Drost Peter, and endeavoured to restore order to his
+broken ranks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But his own troops now fell into similar confusion, and the outlaws,
+inspired with new courage, again pressed forward with shouts of
+triumph; whilst, on the opposite side, the all-victorious duke
+continued to pursue the drost's chiefless band.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The attempts of Count Gerhard to rally the flying horsemen, and restore
+them to order, were vain: he found it impossible to collect the
+scattered soldiers; and the enemy pressed on victoriously from both
+sides. The confusion was now at its height, and the slaughter around
+him was dreadful.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All is lost--we must fly, noble queen!&quot; he at length cried, turning to
+the spot where the queen had stood only a moment before. But he now
+beheld her not. One of her troopers had thrown his cloak over her, and
+in the confusion she had disappeared, whilst the count, who could
+nowhere discover her amidst the tumultuous bands of contending
+horsemen, then became furious, and his blows fell fast on every side,
+directed indiscriminately at friends or foes. His glaring eye sought
+only the queen; but, at last, even his sight began to fail him: the
+scene appeared to whirl around him, and he became unconscious.
+When he recovered his senses, he found himself alone on the dreary
+battle-field, with only dead and wounded around him. His eye was safe,
+but that which was yet dearer to him had disappeared. He looked around
+once more; and then mounting his steed, which had remained near him, he
+proceeded rapidly in the direction of the town.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tumult there had not yet ceased. Soldiers and armed burghers were
+scouring the streets, and scenes of bloodshed were everywhere enacted.
+Some shouted the names of Marsk Stig and Count Jacob, and exclaimed:
+&quot;Vengeance for the outlaws!&quot; Others had for their rallying cry the name
+of the duke, cutting down all who refused to join in it; whilst a great
+portion of the burghers and badly armed peasants vociferated: &quot;Long
+live our young king! Death to the traitors!&quot; The adherents of the duke
+and those of the outlaws did not seem to be quite certain whether they
+should regard each other as friends or foes; although, in general, they
+made common cause against the royalists.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Meanwhile, the duke, at the head of his Sleswick horsemen, returned
+triumphantly to the castle. The report of his victory, and the defeat
+of the royal party, soon became known, and greatly alarmed the trusty
+burghers and peasants, who had assembled in defence of their youthful
+king. The duke was accompanied by a crowd of savage-looking butchers,
+with blood-stained axes, and by many strangers in disguise, who
+applauded him loudly. A band of mailed horsemen, wearing their visors
+down, and who were supposed to be the outlaws and their followers,
+closed this triumphal procession.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke dismounted at the castle, and immediately occupied it with his
+troops.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is the king?&quot; he demanded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Out of the fiord, on his flight to Nyborg,&quot; replied a heavy butcher.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke's triumphant look changed suddenly to one of disappointment.
+He gave a private order to one of his knights, who instantly rode off
+for the haven, with a troop of horsemen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And where is her grace the queen?&quot; again inquired the duke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But this no one knew; and all he could learn was, that Prince
+Christopher and the little Princess Mereté had been taken from the
+castle by Sir Rimaardson's seamen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let there be tranquillity now, brave burghers,&quot; he said, addressing
+the noisy crowds that surrounded him; &quot;and let every one retire to his
+abode, for the Dane-court and proclamation are postponed. I have
+succeeded fortunately in quelling this tumult, and the ringleader is
+now in my power. He is the queen's presumptuous favourite, Drost
+Hessel, who so far abused the ear of his royal mistress as to create in
+her distrust of me. His object was to obtain possession of the king's
+person, and so be master of the nation; but you have nothing now to
+fear from the traitor, for he shall never more see the light of day. I
+am still your lawful protector, and shall watch carefully over your
+good and the welfare of the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When he had finished this address, which was received with noisy
+acclamation, he saluted his uproarious adherents with all the
+condescension and bearing of a sovereign, and entered the castle,
+accompanied by his gay knights, and the tall mail-clad warrior with the
+closed visor and blue mantle, who had led on the outlaws. With this
+individual, in whom many thought they recognised Count Jacob of
+Halland, he had a short and private conversation, at the close of which
+the unknown warrior left the castle; and, an hour after, not one of the
+outlaws or their followers was to be seen in the town. They had
+departed in anger, it was said, threatening to return with fire and
+sword within a twelvemonth and a day.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke himself soon began to think of leaving a town where the king
+possessed many faithful subjects. He therefore directed that the
+captive and sorely-wounded drost should be carried in chains on board
+the ducal vessel, which, with the exception of a lugger, supposed to
+contain some of the queen's people, was the only one then in the haven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke, however, delayed his departure till the evening, as he did
+not consider it advisable to leave the castle until the town was
+entirely quiet. The disappearance of the queen, whom he had himself
+seen, and again lost sight of, in the midst of the fray, gave him much
+uneasiness. He ordered a minute search to be made of the battlefield,
+but no trace was to be found of either the queen or of Count Gerhard. A
+portion, also, of his Sleswick horsemen, who had been separated from
+him in the engagement, had disappeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Night began to fall, whilst, with anxious thoughts, he paced up and
+down the riddersal. He felt proud indeed of his victory; but the escape
+of the king altogether thwarted his project, and he feared, with
+reason, that he had prematurely thrown off the mask, and exposed his
+daring plans. Since he had learned the promise of the marsk to the
+Norwegian king, he felt he could not depend on the outlaws; and hence
+his thanks to Count Jacob had been cold and reserved. He now appeared
+wavering and undecided as to the next step towards the object of his
+proud ambition.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Seize the spirit-compelling sceptre, and thy crown shall be bright as
+the sun,&quot; he whispered to himself; feeling as if he were again in
+Sjöborg with his owl, and looking fearfully around the large gloomy
+hall, almost as much afraid of his own words as if the dead bishop had
+spoken.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Lights! lights!&quot; he now shouted; and his servants, who knew their
+master's great aversion to darkness, instantly produced them. He then
+issued some farther orders respecting; his departure, and again
+despatched messengers to ascertain whether the town was tranquil, and
+the road to the fiord unobstructed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after, two of his knights entered with a prisoner, who had
+demanded to be conducted to their master. The captive, who stood
+closely enveloped in a horseman's cloak, with a rainhood over the head,
+for a moment or two seemed to scrutinise the uneasy conqueror, when
+suddenly the hood fell back, and the cloak dropped upon the floor;
+whilst the duke started with surprise, as he beheld before him the fair
+and majestic Queen Agnes, in her magnificent robes of ceremony.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;They say I am your prisoner, Duke Waldemar,&quot; she said, with an air of
+calm dignity; &quot;but I maintain that you are mine, as certainly as that
+you are an audacious rebel, and I at this moment the reigning Queen of
+Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke requested his astonished knights to withdraw.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Noble queen,&quot; he then began, courteously and respectfully, &quot;you are,
+in truth, partly right: I am, now and for ever, your knightly prisoner;
+but rebel I am not. On the contrary, I have been attacked by Drost
+Hessel and your men in a manner at once treacherous and unprovoked. At
+your own request I accompanied you hither as joint protector; and here,
+against all faith and law, have I been suddenly set upon, at the moment
+I intended to proclaim the king, and was about to quell the popular
+discontent at the sentence pronounced upon the outlaws. I beheld, with
+astonishment, your grace yourself at the head of my assailants, which
+may plead my excuse if, for a moment, I left the king's side, and
+sought to avoid a conflict in which your precious life would have been
+placed in danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What do I hear!&quot; cried the queen, in amazement. &quot;You deny that you
+were the leader of this tumult, and even dare to impeach me as the
+cause of it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, not you, illustrious queen, but the ambitious and arrogant Drost
+Hessel. On his head lies every drop of blood that has this day been
+shed. He is the rebel and traitor--not I--and Heaven forbid that I
+should accuse you of his faithlessness! He has shamefully abused your
+clemency and grace; and has caused me to suspect that, by my fall, he
+hopes to soar to the regency, or perhaps even to the throne of
+Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Retiring a step, the queen scrutinised keenly the crafty lord. For an
+instant she appeared in doubt; but, as if a light had suddenly broken
+in upon her, she again approached him, with an air of apparent
+confidence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have revealed to me what may perhaps prove a matchless piece of
+treachery,&quot; said she, unable completely to master the tones of her
+voice; &quot;and should this be proved to have been really the drost's
+design, he must be brought to a severe account. Before the king and
+people he must be condemned as the most deceitful of traitors. But
+where is he?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In my power,&quot; replied the duke, with a polite smile; &quot;and there, with
+your permission, he must remain, while I am protector of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For his life you shall be responsible to me,&quot; said the queen, with
+ill-concealed uneasiness. &quot;Be his crime as great as it may, by the king
+and people only can he be tried and doomed; and that in my presence and
+in your's, at the Land-Ting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Believe me, your grace, that even my bitterest foe shall have justice!
+But suffer me first, most gracious and illustrious queen, to lay my own
+cause before your judgment-seat,&quot; he politely added, as he bowed
+profoundly, and drew forward a gilded chair, upon which the queen
+seated herself. &quot;I clearly perceive that you suspect me,&quot; he continued.
+&quot;You are brought here as my prisoner, although, in truth, as I have
+already said, I am your captive for ever, and can easily prove to you
+how innocent I am of this tumult.&quot; As he spoke, his air of politeness
+suddenly changed to an expression of intense and passionate admiration,
+and he added, with warmth--&quot;I can give you proof, clear as the sun, how
+foolishly, nay, how madly, I should have acted, to place myself in a
+position of hostility to you.&quot; He paused, and appeared to hesitate. &quot;It
+must be dared!&quot; he again broke forth: &quot;I shall now reveal to you what
+has long been the dearest and boldest wish of my heart, and what, as a
+princely scion of the race of the great Waldemars, in my proudest
+moments I have sometimes dared to hope.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He paused again, and looked inquiringly at the queen, over whose
+countenance had passed a sudden change, which caused him to hesitate;
+but the consciousness of his handsome person banished every doubt, and
+the flush of indignation on the queen's cheeks he mistook for an
+indication of bashful surprise.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your noble and lofty mind, fairest queen,&quot; he continued, boldly,
+&quot;cannot feel offended at a wish which unites the desire for a kingdom's
+happiness with the most respectful attachment to womanly worth--a wish
+which words fail me to express, but which springs from chivalrous
+esteem for your beauty, prudence, and elevation of soul, and which has
+received ardour and strength from those feelings that reduce the prince
+to the man, while, in truth, they exalt the man to the prince.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You speak prettily and politely, Duke Waldemar,&quot; replied the queen,
+with much composure, &quot;and seem to think that when the Queen of Denmark
+is your captive, she cannot refuse her ear to a suit of love, nor buy
+her freedom too dearly by presenting her conqueror with her hand and
+heart?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke started. &quot;Mistake me not in this also, noble queen,&quot; he
+resumed, with less ardour. &quot;If I chose this moment for so important a
+declaration, it was but to convince you, in the clearest manner, how
+impossible it is that I should be your enemy. Your captivity here is
+altogether a blunder of my people, and is at an end when you command.
+Here you are equally queen and mistress as if surrounded by your own
+soldiers. But,&quot; he added, boldly, as he perceived a proud smile on her
+countenance, &quot;you are too sagacious not to perceive, that, at this
+moment, I hold in my hands your fate and that of Denmark. Far be it
+from me to abuse this accidental advantage. But, if even no responsive
+voice pleads for me in your heart, your keen political sagacity might
+still counsel you not to despise such a proposal at so critical a
+moment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he thus spoke, his air of pride and complacency betrayed a wooer who
+intended to allow his prisoner not even the freedom of denial. To
+soften, however, this stroke of policy, he suddenly changed his tone
+and manner, for he felt the importance of bringing the heart of the
+fair queen, or at least her vanity, to favour the considerations of
+political prudence which he had suggested. He therefore again became
+the chivalrous lover, and with much eloquence and apparent ardour broke
+forth in admiration of her beauty and in flattering compliments to her
+lofty mind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My life and happiness,&quot; he at last exclaimed, as he knelt before her,
+&quot;I place in your hands, most noble queen!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Agnes remained silent, but bestowed a glance on her kneeling suitor
+that seemed to pierce his soul; and a bitter answer hovered on her
+lips, when the door was suddenly opened, and a knight of the duke's
+retinue entered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke arose, and, stamping furiously--&quot;What means this?&quot; he
+cried--&quot;who dares to--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Count Gerhard, stern sir,&quot; hastily replied the knight--&quot;Count Gerhard
+of Holstein has surrounded the castle with a superior force, and
+threatens to storm and pull it down, if the Queen of Denmark is not
+instantly set at liberty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke seemed thunderstruck.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You come right opportunely, sir knight,&quot; observed the queen, rising
+with calm dignity. &quot;Your illustrious master was in a posture for which
+he needs not blush: he has acknowledged that a blunder of his soldiers
+has made him appear a rebel, and guilty of lese-majesty, thus placing
+his life and fate in my hands. You are witness, however, that I forgive
+him an error in which he had no share. Your arm, Duke Waldemar: I
+intend to travel within an hour; and the noble Count Gerhard expects me
+with my train.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A loud noise outside the castle was now heard; and the duke, bowing
+profoundly, gave the queen his arm without hesitating. The knight
+preceded them, bearing two lights, and at the duke's signal his pages
+hastened forward with torches. To Count Gerhard's surprise, therefore,
+the queen was thus led forth with the greatest pomp and attention, and,
+without opposition, confided to his protection.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A few hours afterwards, the queen sailed with a fair wind into Nyborg
+Harbour, and Duke Waldemar, with the captive Drost Peter, departed in
+the direction of Alsen.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">While Drost Peter lay a close prisoner in Nordborg Castle, unable to
+serve in any way his king and country, the measures of old Sir John,
+Count Gerhard, the chancellor, and the trusty Rimaardson were
+unceasingly directed to secure the royal house, and to strengthen the
+minor's throne. The duke no longer found it advisable to assert his
+authority as regent. The plan of the outlaws for subjecting Denmark to
+the crown of Norway, and his own fear that he had too soon betrayed his
+daring project, so completely embarrassed him, that he did not even
+appear at the Danish court. Annoyed by the unsuccessful issue of his
+attempt, as well as by the failure of his love-suit to the queen, which
+he felt as a mortifying humiliation, he shortly after withdrew into
+Saxony, and it soon became publicly known that he had suddenly espoused
+Duke Johan's daughter, the pious Princess Sophia.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same time, an accidental occurrence averted the invasion with
+which the country was threatened by the Norwegian fleet, which lay at
+Ekeroe; the armament from which, as was reported, was to have been
+conducted by the rude Jarl Mindre-Alf, and the favourite of the
+Norwegian king, Halkell Augmund. The jarl, however, had quarrelled with
+Halkell at the drinking-table, and killed him with a wine-stoup in the
+presence of the king. This led to a sanguinary strife on board the
+fleet, in which two hundred and sixty of the jarl's men were slain or
+executed; he himself being outlawed, and forced to fly to Sweden.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The expedition against Denmark was therefore deferred; but the outlaws
+incessantly ravaged the Danish coasts--burning Middelfert and Hindsholm
+in Funen, and visiting nearly every seaport town in Denmark with blood
+and rapine. The name of Marsk Stig became a terror to every Dane. Nor
+did Rané Jonsen hold the least conspicuous place among the boldest
+pirates who disturbed the country. His castle, Giordslöv, in Stevn's
+Point, where he maintained a garrison, served as a place of refuge for
+his rover-crew. To mislead his pursuers, he always, when on shore, rode
+a horse whose shoes were reversed; and, to warn him of danger, was
+constantly attended by a large, ferocious hound, which could easily
+master the strongest soldier. Rané, as well as the marsk and the other
+outlaws, was included in the ecclesiastical ban pronounced by the
+Archbishop of Lund; but they appeared to despise excommunication as
+much as they did the sentence of outlawry. Most of them had again fled
+to Norway, where they endeavoured to incite the Norwegian king to a
+decisive expedition against Denmark. The marsk, however, continued
+boldly to occupy Hielm, whence he extended his forays to North Jutland
+and the adjacent islands. The proud Count Jacob fortified Hunehal, in
+North Halland, and, like the marsk, prepared to defend himself in the
+country to the last.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen and privy council meanwhile had deferred the coronation only
+until a severe winter rendered the Belt and Sound inaccessible to
+enemies and pirates. On Christmas-day, 1287, the young King Erik
+Menved, as he was already called,<a name="div2Ref_38" href="#div2_38"><sup>[38]</sup></a> was solemnly anointed and crowned
+at Lund. This was the last important transaction in which the aged
+Archbishop Johan Dros was engaged, as he died shortly afterwards, and
+before his prayer for the security of the crown was fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not long after the coronation, a treaty of friendship was concluded
+between King Erik and the powerful Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, and
+the double alliance ratified which had previously been privately agreed
+upon: the little Princess Mereté, who had been betrothed to Birger, the
+crown-prince of Sweden, was conducted by Swedish ambassadors to that
+court; and, about the middle of March, the betrothal of King Erik of
+Denmark to the Swedish Princess Ingeborg was publicly declared. On this
+occasion there were great festivities at Helsingborg, where the royal
+betrothals were to be celebrated with a tournament.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The whole Danish and Swedish courts were present at these rejoicings,
+where the youthful King Erik exhibited himself in all the pomp of
+chivalry before his future queen, the beautiful Princess Ingeborg,
+whose childlike beauty and graces none could sufficiently extol--the
+bards of Denmark in their transport having already named her
+Danebod--the hope of the Danes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tournament was conducted with great magnificence, and in the manner
+of those of France and Germany. On the preceding day, the arms of the
+different knights were displayed on the cross-walk of the Dominican
+convent, where a stately herald announced the names of those to whom
+they belonged. Here they were visited by Queen Agnes and Queen Hedwig
+of Sweden, Count Gerhard's sister, with the princesses and noble ladies
+at court, for the purpose of touching the shields of those whom they
+judged to be unworthy knights, and who were by this means excluded from
+the lists.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Two shields were thus touched, one of which belonged to the powerful
+Swedish knight, Sir Carl Algotson, who, with the assistance of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, had abducted Sir Thorstenson's rich and distinguished
+bride, Jomfru Ingrid. The Danish queen, who had heard of the affair,
+and of the brave Thorstenson's loss, had touched the shield, which was
+immediately removed by the herald, and an order issued by the Swedish
+king that the matter should be strictly investigated.<a name="div2Ref_39" href="#div2_39"><sup>[39]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">The second shield, which had been touched by a noble lady as an
+impeachment of its owner, belonged to a Danish knight--John Rimaardson,
+another brother of the trusty Bent Rimaardson. Although related to
+Queen Agnes, he was instantly excluded from the tourney; and, being
+threatened with the vengeance of the law, as a ravisher and murderer,
+he was forced to seek safety in flight.<a name="div2Ref_40" href="#div2_40"><sup>[40]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the tournament itself, everything was conducted with the greatest
+pomp and ceremonial. The Queen of Beauty, the fair-haired Princess
+Ingeborg, sat, full of childish joy, between Queen Agnes and her
+mother, the gay, good-natured Queen Hedwig, who strongly resembled her
+brother, the valiant Count Gerhard. On the right of the Swedish queen
+sat the mighty King Magnus Ladislaus, a tall and spare but majestic
+figure, with a stern and warlike air, and wearing a golden crown and a
+mantle of purple and ermine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Many there were, among the ladies of Princess Ingeborg, who attracted
+looks of homage and tenderness from both Danish and Swedish knights;
+but the tall silent maiden who sat nearest the royal personages,
+excited the greatest attention. This was Jomfru Ingé Little, who
+observed not the interest she awoke, but, with melancholy countenance,
+gazed upon the gay lists, where, as her eye ran over the line of
+knights, she missed the noble figure of Drost Peter. She had heard of
+his imprisonment, and entertained but little hope of his release from
+Nordborg, so long as the variance existed between the duke and the
+royal house of Denmark. Another still heavier sorrow oppressed the
+brave maiden: she knew that her unhappy father lay in Kallundborg
+Castle, awaiting his sentence as a dangerous state-criminal. At times,
+nevertheless, a light spread over her melancholy features, as she
+looked upon the Princess Ingeborg and the young chivalrous king: she
+appeared then to forget her own heart's sorrow in the fair hopes of her
+fatherland; and again the sounds of the song, &quot;For Erik the king so
+young!&quot; echoed in her bosom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nearest the barrier, and as judges, sat the oldest of the Danish and
+Swedish knights, chief among whom appeared old Sir John. Within the
+arena were seen a stately king-at-arms, and numerous heralds bearing
+white staves and feathered hats in their hands, whose duty it was to
+preserve order, and, together with their subalterns, the pursuivants,
+closely to attend to every thrust and motion of the antagonists.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tourney was opened with a joust on horseback, with blunt lances,
+between the Danish King Erik and the little Prince Berger, who carried
+light armour suitable to their years and strength. The Danish king wore
+the sky-blue colour of Princess Ingeborg, and displayed her little
+glove fastened to his helmet. Prince Berger also wore the colour of his
+bride, and his armour was white as Princess Mereté's silken kirtle.
+They both showed themselves active and dexterous; but reciprocal
+courtesy forbade that either should be regarded as the vanquisher.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The jousts were accompanied with song and music, numerous Swedish and
+Danish skalds<a name="div2Ref_41" href="#div2_41"><sup>[41]</sup></a> being present to celebrate the exploits of their
+respective knights, nearly all of whom wore gloves, veils, pearl-bands,
+or some other female ornament in their helmets; while, during the
+battle, they would often shout their peculiar watchwords, which their
+own ladies only understood. Many lances were broken in the fray, and
+many knights unhorsed; but as they fought with blunt weapons, no
+dangerous or serious blow was received. It seemed, indeed, that the
+Danish and Swedish knights, at this joyful festivity, only sought to
+outvie each other in gentle bearing and knightly courtesies.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the most distinguished on this occasion was Count Gerhard of
+Holstein, who good-naturedly unhorsed six knights without himself being
+shaken. With the black veil of the fair Queen Agnes, he felt himself
+invincible; whilst his watchword was the burthen of a song he had heard
+at Sir John's on the evening he first spoke with the queen. One word in
+it only he changed every time he thrust a knight from his saddle
+shouting delightedly:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t0">&quot;For so chaste a dame I dree.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">All competitors having withdrawn, he was declared victor in the
+tournament; and springing gaily from his saddle, he received, kneeling,
+the prize from the hands of the fair Queen Agnes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The tilting appeared to be ended, when a strange knight, in bright gilt
+harness, with a crown upon his locked helmet, and mounted on a snorting
+war-steed, presented himself at the barrier. He flung his steel
+gauntlet at Count Gerhard's feet, and, without uttering a word, tore,
+with the sharp end of his lance, the black veil fastened to the count's
+breastplate.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Queen Agues became pale; for by this action he attacked the honour of
+the lady whose gage he had thus outrageously insulted. All eyes were
+instantly turned with surprise and amazement on the strange knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis the duke--Duke Waldemar!&quot; whispered one to another; although none
+was sure that this surmise was well grounded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard, burning with fury, sprang upon his charger, and resumed
+his place in the lists, having first taken up the stranger's gauntlet,
+to intimate that he accepted the challenge without farther explanation.
+The heralds then opened the barrier, and admitted the strange knight,
+who advanced, proudly man&#339;uvring his steed, and brandishing a sharp
+lance. Count Gerhard, too, armed himself with a similar deadly weapon,
+when the judges reminded them that the present was a festive
+tournament, where no serious fighting was permitted. But the
+exasperated count having demanded that the combat should be as serious
+as the insult, the objection was urged no further.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Like thunderbolts the knights rushed against each other, and in the
+shock Count Gerhard's lance was splintered against the gilded
+breastplate of his antagonist, from whose weapon he received a violent
+blow on the chest, but remained immoveable in his saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The strange knight, who had been lifted slightly from his saddle by the
+violence of the shock, laughed scornfully behind his visor. He cast
+away his lance, and, following the example of the count, drew his
+sword. The blades met, and in the fierce combat that ensued, both
+exhibited great skill and courage. By one blow, Count Gerhard had
+struck the crown off the gilded helmet of his antagonist, who, however,
+lost no advantage offered by the unbridled ardour of the count; while
+the varying fortunes of either combatant were watched by all with the
+most intense interest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For the honour of my exalted lady!&quot; shouted Count Gerhard, aiming what
+he intended as a finishing stroke, but by which he exposed himself to
+his antagonist; who, avoiding the blow, had raised his sword against
+the count's unprotected head, when suddenly he became motionless,
+gazing rigidly the while towards the barrier.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant a powerful voice cried out: &quot;An infamous knight
+fights here!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All looked in astonishment towards the spot whence the voice proceeded,
+where stood a tall and elegant knight, in steel-blue mail, with closed
+visor, and displaying a magnificent dagger in his outstretched hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Knowest thou this witness, traitor?&quot; he continued, in the same mighty
+voice, while in his hand he turned the dagger, on the hilt of which the
+golden lions gleamed in the bright sunshine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That dagger was drawn from the corse of King Erik Christopherson, on
+St. Cecilia's night,&quot; cried a loud voice among the people.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That dagger armourer Troels of Melfert sold to Duke Waldemar,&quot; shouted
+another: &quot;I can swear to it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the marsk's dagger--Marsk Stig's dagger!&quot; cried a third.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The battle had ceased; for the knight in the gilded mail sat as if
+petrified, staring through the grating of his helmet at the blue knight
+and the dagger. The sword fell from his hand, and he was becoming faint
+and giddy, when, at a signal from the young Erik, the king-at-arms
+advanced and cried aloud--&quot;No one shall interrupt the combatants by
+word or gesture, under the penalty of death!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this announcement the blue knight bowed respectfully, and placed the
+dagger in his bosom, but remained calmly gazing at Count Gerhard's
+antagonist.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hand him his weapon again!&quot; cried the count to a pursuivant: &quot;I know
+that I fight with a false and dishonoured knight; but one of us must
+here lose his life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst the pursuivant stooped to take up the sword, the golden knight
+suddenly gave the spur to his steed, and cleared the barrier at a
+bound. Every eye followed him with amazement, and a deathlike stillness
+prevailed until he was no longer visible; and when they then turned to
+look for the blue knight, he too had disappeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard therefore remained alone in the lists, and was declared
+victor in this conflict of honour; while the unusual occurrence
+caused many and various surmises among the spectators. The tournament
+was then declared to be ended, and the royal party returned to the
+palace, where, as old Sir John passed Lady Ingé, he whispered to her
+softly--&quot;Drost Peter!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She nodded in silence, while a deep crimson overspread her lovely
+cheeks. She had indeed perceived a rose-red pearl-band on the breast of
+the blue blight, and fancied she recognised in it her own fillet; but
+by what means her captive knight could have been present there was to
+her inexplicable.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely was the tournament at Helsingborg concluded, before an
+important message summoned the youthful Danish king, with all his
+knights, to Zealand. A Norwegian fleet had been seen in the Cattegat,
+and a landing was apprehended at Elsineur, where the fortress of
+Flynderborg, surrendered by the treachery of Sir Lavé Little, still
+remained in the hands of the rebels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Sir John took leave of the faithful Ingé, she whispered a few
+words to him, and placed in his hand a little parchment scroll, on
+which had been hastily sketched a building, and apparently an entrance
+to it, denoted by small crosses. He seemed astonished, but listened
+with attention to what she said. She repeated a few words, and pointed
+to the scroll, which he then, with a sign of well-pleased assent,
+carefully put up, and, imprinting a kiss on her forehead, hastened on
+board with the royal family.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They landed unmolested on the coast of Zealand, in the neighbourhood of
+Elsineur, whence Count Gerhard immediately conducted the queen and
+Junker Christopherson to Rypen House, which, in these unsettled times,
+was considered the most secure abode for the royal family. The young
+king, who could not be induced to accompany them, set out with
+Rimaardson for Tornborg, by Korsöer, for the purpose of inspecting that
+important fortress, and to hasten in person the equipment of the fleet;
+while Sir John prepared to defend North Zealand against any hostile
+attack.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king ordered the cruizers lying at Korsöer to be manned, and
+stationed opposite the coast of North Jutland, ready to act in unison
+with Sir John. To all the operations connected with these movements the
+young monarch paid close attention, and found time also to examine the
+defences of the castle, which in many points he condemned as
+inefficient. Rimaardson, in acknowledging the correctness of his
+opinions, could not restrain admiration of his early knowledge of
+fortification, which he had acquired from Drost Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Four days after the king's arrival at Tornborg, he was on the ramparts
+early in the morning, attended by Rimaardson, and a knight who had
+brought important tidings from Elsineur. The Norwegians, he informed
+the king, had effected a landing at Orekrog, and burnt the town to
+ashes; but the burghers had received succour from Sir John. Through a
+subterranean passage, to which he had led the way, they penetrated into
+Flynderborg, with the old knight at their head, and, overpowering the
+garrison, had from this strong point repulsed the enemy. The knight
+narrated circumstantially the whole occurrences, and informed the king
+that they had sought in vain for the letters from the outlaws, which
+Sir Lavé Little was accused of having received before the murder of the
+king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By all holy men, this pleases me well!&quot; exclaimed young Erik. &quot;The
+faithful Sir John has not wasted a word for his cousin's life; but now
+he has wiped out a portion of his crime. Let the chancellor announce to
+the prisoner at Kallundborg, that his doom is again deferred for a
+year, and this because his trusty cousin has retaken Flynderborg, and
+the proofs of his worst treachery have not been discovered.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rimaardson eyed the king with a melancholy look. &quot;Would to God and Our
+Lady,&quot; he exclaimed, &quot;that every trusty knight you possess could so
+atone for the errors of his relations! There is now scarcely an honest
+man in the country some one of whose kindred is not in tower or on
+gibbet--and the end is not yet come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sorrowful knight was thinking of his brother Lavé's fate, and of
+his brother John, who then stood impeached with crimes affecting his
+life.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The law is supreme over every man,&quot; observed the youthful monarch,
+with a sigh: &quot;it was not by my own will that I became king so soon;
+yet, Heaven be praised, I have still many loyal and valiant men. Would
+only that Drost Peter were with me again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king then returned to the castle, attended by the strange knight
+from Elsineur, and Rimaardson proceeded to examine the defences. Whilst
+thus engaged, he observed a short stout figure in the black mantle of a
+mass-boy, and a high cap drawn over his brows, waddling along the
+ramparts with a prayer-book in his hand, seemingly engaged in his
+morning devotions. The rolling boatman's gait of this individual struck
+the commandant, who observed him more narrowly, when, discovering
+traces of a badly-shorn beard, he recognised, to his astonishment, the
+rude Jarl Mindre-Alf.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good morning, my son,&quot; he exclaimed, approaching him. &quot;Whither away so
+early?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;To fetch wine for the priest, that he may pray for your soul,&quot;
+muttered the clumsy-looking mass-boy, in a deep gruff voice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tarry a little,&quot; said Rimaardson, while he beckoned a couple of
+landsknechts to approach. &quot;Methinks I should know thee. Did not we two
+once sit on the same bench in Lyse school-house? and didst thou not in
+those times play the tyrant over us all? Methinks thou shouldst be a
+count and jarl; and art thou only a poor mass-boy?&quot; So saying, he
+raised the jarl's cap, and looked him full in the face.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Betray me not, Bendix Rimaardson, for old acquaintance' sake,&quot;
+whispered the detected algrev. &quot;We are relations, and I behaved to thee
+at school like a brother. I am now done with countship and jarldom. I
+am an outlawed man, and fain to seek protection with the pious. Be a
+good fellow, Bent. Pretend thou dost not know me, and let me run.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bind him, lads!&quot; cried Rimaardson to the landsknechts: &quot;he is a riever
+and an incendiary!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sturdy viking-chief threw aside his prayer-book and mass-boy's
+mantle, and stood in his knight's dress, prepared apparently to defend
+himself with desperation. The landsknechts, however, succeeded in
+disarming him, when he was instantly chained and fettered, and
+conducted forthwith, under a strong guard, to the criminal prison of
+Haraldsborg, having attempted in vain to bribe Rimaardson for his
+freedom.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The latter cared not to disturb the king with a report of this
+discovery, which might perhaps draw upon himself a reprimand for having
+allowed so dangerous a foe to find his way into the fortress. He
+considered, besides, that the castle was quite secure, and did
+not waste a thought on the insolent and sardonic laughter of the
+pirate-chief while he was dragged to prison. Rimaardson, amidst his
+pressing cares, had not observed that, on the previous night, a
+freebooter had run in close to Tornborg under Danish colours. Not only
+had the daring Jarl Mindre-Alf landed unnoticed, bat Marsk Stig
+himself, with a crew of bold pirates, had privately come on shore; and
+on the evening of that day, Mat Jute, disguised as one of the king's
+landsknechts, stood as sentinel outside the door of the royal
+apartment. The watch was set, and, in the confidence of security, the
+garrison retired to rest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the middle of the night the young king was awoke by a fearful noise.
+The whole castle was in flames around him, and the terrible cry--&quot;The
+marsk! the marsk! the outlaws!&quot; was shouted in every direction by the
+surprised and bewildered soldiers. Screams and the din of arms
+resounded from all quarters, while the youthful Erik stood alone, half
+dressed, in his chamber, which was already enveloped in smoke and
+flame.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Merciful Heaven! must I now be burnt alive by my father's murderers!&quot;
+he exclaimed, whilst he hurriedly threw his cloak around him, grasped
+his little sword, and prepared to rush through the flames.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now distinguished the voice of his faithful Aagé Jonsen, mingled
+with the clash of weapons, outside his apartment; but the fire at that
+moment burst furiously forth, and the smoke so blinded him that it was
+with difficulty he could find the door. Suddenly he felt himself seized
+by a powerful mailed hand, and at the same instant he became
+unconscious. When he recovered, he found himself in a little open boat,
+speeding through cloud and storm with the rapidity of an arrow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where am I?&quot; he cried. &quot;Am I among my father's murderers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are with faithful friends and subjects,&quot; replied a familiar voice
+by his side; while, through the darkness, he caught a glimpse of a
+knightly figure in full armour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Drost Peter! By all holy men, is it you?&quot; he asked joyfully.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who I am I dare not say,&quot; replied the other; in whom the king now
+thought he recognised the blue knight of the tournament.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A pledge of honour binds my tongue,&quot; continued the knight, &quot;and I must
+hide my face from my king and the whole world. I shall convey you
+safely to Rypen House, but I must myself withdraw to a place of
+darkness. I entreat you, sir king, believe what you will, but tempt me
+not to break my knightly promise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be silent, then, in God's name!&quot; exclaimed the monarch, as he pressed
+the mailed hand of his companion. &quot;Thou art assuredly Drost Peter.
+Thinkest thou I know not thy voice? Thou hast saved my life to-night;
+and if thou still remainest in the power of the duke, I shall set thee
+free, cost what it may.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Proceed not violently against the duke,&quot; replied the knight, with a
+deep sigh: &quot;his prisoner's life is in his hands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young king remained silent, while the skiff sped on, and quickly
+disappeared beyond Sporgoe, where the new tower of Marsk Stig stood
+gloomy and frowning in the night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a few days the news became generally known that the famous Jarl
+Mindre-Alf had been made prisoner; that Marsk Stig had captured and
+destroyed the castle of Tornborg, in defence of which the faithful Sir
+Rimaardson had been slain; and that the young Erik, mysteriously saved,
+was then in security at Rypen House.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The first important act of the king, after his arrival there, was his
+nomination of the bold commandant of the castle, Sir David Thorstenson,
+to fill the office of drost, so long as Drost Peter was in the duke's
+power. And it was soon known that, in accordance with the new drost's
+advice, the queen had subscribed the death-warrant of Jarl Mindre-Alf.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke was reported to be lying sick in Sleswick, to the great grief
+of his young wife. His mind, it was said, was affected, and the rumours
+of his connection with the world of spirits were again revived. Some
+time previously he had disappeared for a few days, and, on his return,
+after having visited his important prisoner, Drost Peter Hessel, at
+Nordborg, whom he found secure in his chains, he was seized by this
+singular malady, in the paroxysms of which he asserted that he had,
+with his bodily eyes, seen the accusing angel, and that his prisoner in
+Nordborg was in league with devils and mighty spirits against him.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">The Norwegians and the outlaws long continued to disturb the repose of
+Denmark; and although the Norse king nowhere succeeded in effecting a
+landing, yet, in the then distracted condition of the kingdom, he was
+no contemptible foe. He had committed ravages at Amager and Hveen; made
+a descent on Aalborg, which, however, proved unsuccessful; and had not
+spared even the towns belonging to Duke Waldemar. The council seriously
+thought of entering into a treaty with him; but the negociation
+appeared beset with difficulties, as he had promised the outlaws, in a
+letter of protection, that he would never conclude peace with Denmark
+without the consent of the marsk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One calm autumn evening, the vaadesang rose mournfully from the crypt
+under King Erik Christopherson's tomb, in Viborg Cathedral. When the
+wind blew from the cathedral across the lake, the deep tones of the
+vigil, which was thus to be chanted night after night until doomsday,
+for the soul of the murdered king, could, at times, be heard at the
+ferry-house on the opposite side. The road to the convent of Asmild lay
+near the ferry-house, where, upon an upturned boat, sat a tall, aged
+pilgrim, his head bent upon his breast in deep thought. By his side
+stood a young girl, also in a pilgrim's habit, and holding by the hand
+a gay-looking dark-haired youth, equipped as a squire, in a buff jerkin
+and steel cap, and bearing, besides the usual arms, a long, gilt,
+flame-shaped sword, apparently intended more for ornament than use.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall we proceed to the convent and knock for admittance, father
+Henner?&quot; asked the youth. &quot;Neither thou nor Aasé can go farther
+to-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Tarry here, Skirmen,&quot; replied the old man. &quot;Here we can rest well; for
+many a night have we watched under God's open sky since last we met.
+Until I have seen the arrogant marsk, and have delivered him the
+warning that I have been entrusted with, my penance is not ended. Until
+I have done this, no roof shall cover my head. So have I sworn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But, dear father Henner,&quot; exclaimed Skirmen, &quot;what, then, dost thou
+here at Viborg? If the marsk be not in either of his strongholds on
+Hielm or Spraa, he must he out on some marauding expedition against the
+king's towns and castles. At Stege he was frustrated,&quot; he continued, as
+the old man remained silent; &quot;but Skielskioer and the fortress on
+Samsoe have experienced the fate of Tornborg. Ah, Heaven help us!&quot; he
+added, dejectedly, crushing a reed he held in his hand--&quot;since the
+powerful Ladislaus as dead and gone, there is not a king in the world
+of whom the marsk is afraid, and, least of all, of our young King
+Erik.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is one King, my son, that neither the marsk nor any man may defy
+with impunity; and if He is with the young king, the power of the marsk
+is not greater than the reed you have crushed.&quot; As he uttered these
+words, the old man pointed solemnly towards the sky. &quot;I may soon
+encounter him,&quot; he continued, after a thoughtful pause: &quot;he may be
+nearer us than thou seemest to imagine. He is not on Hielm, but on his
+way to Halland, with his good friend the new archbishop. They were to
+meet in Viborg, or in Asmild convent; where, perhaps, at this very
+moment, they are plotting the ruin of the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Methinks thou knowest everything, father Henner!&quot; exclaimed Skirmen,
+in astonishment. &quot;But what brings the marsk to Halland? Does he carry
+succour to Count Jacob at Hunehal?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Canst guess no better than that, Skirmen? thou, who hast had a
+statesman for thy master! No. The council desire to conclude a treaty
+with the Norse king at Varberg; but it cannot be done without the
+marsk's consent; and the fate of two, perhaps of three kingdoms, is now
+in the hands of that incendiary. It is high time he had a message from
+the King of kings.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man again relapsed into deep thought; whilst Aasé and Skirmen
+exchanged some tender words, without disturbing him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is odd, however, that we should have met, Skirmen,&quot; resumed old
+Henner, as he looked affectionately at the youthful pair. &quot;Aasé and
+thou remain good friends, I perceive. But thou canst not greatly boast
+of fortune, Skirmen. Gold spurs grow not on trees; and a knight thou
+must be, before thou hast her. Yet, courage, my son! If St. George help
+thee not, perhaps St. Christian will. Thou hast my pilgrim-sword, with
+which thou shalt succeed: the holy Michael has borne it for a century
+on a church-steeple. It belongs more to a dancing-slipper than a pair
+of red shoes; but if the cat would catch fish, she must wet her paws.
+What hast thou been about at Harrestrup, whilst thy master is lying in
+chains at Nordborg?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas! dear father Henner,&quot; replied Skirmen, &quot;there is no excuse so
+poor that people will not fly to it in their extremity. My master's
+trusty old nurse, who lies sick at Harrestrup, sent me word that she
+had something important to confide to me, and--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hum! there is but little to be learned from an old woman's gabble,&quot;
+muttered old Henner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, but what said she to thee?&quot; inquired Aasé, curiously. &quot;It is
+plain that the old nurse made thee feel ashamed of thyself, since thou
+wilt not out with it. She has certainly cared better for thy master,
+than thou--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Upbraid me not, dearest Aasé!&quot; replied Skirmen, dejectedly. &quot;On the
+unhappy day that my master was taken prisoner at Skielskioer, he had
+sent me on a message to Rypen House; and, ever since, I have thought of
+little else besides the means of setting him free. Three times have I
+been on Alsen; but the infernal prison-tower is strongly guarded night
+and day. Twice I was caught, and should certainly have been hanged, had
+I not contrived to escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou dear, trusty Skirmen!&quot; exclaimed Aasé, throwing her arms around
+him. &quot;That would have been a vile death for a squire who has been so
+long in a fair way of becoming a knight,&quot; she added, waggishly. &quot;Yet be
+not angry, Skirmen. I like thee all the better for this; and, indeed,
+thy exploits are quite enchanting. But what said the old nurse?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas! she is in her dotage, poor creature, and her mind is filled with
+whims and extravagances. She would have me believe that she had lain
+for eight days in my master's prison, instead of him. On Alsen, she
+said, they took her for a witch, and the guard would not deny her
+access to the prison, which my master left, disguised in her clothes;
+having first sworn a solemn oath that he would return and release her
+within eight days, and that during that time he would not show his face
+nor discover himself to any one. The carlin must have been in a dream.
+It could not possibly be as she says.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Wherefore not, son?&quot; asked old Henner, who had listened attentively:
+&quot;it could easily be done. It is, at least, characteristic of thy true
+and chivalrous master, for the good woman I know not. Yet what purpose
+could it answer, since the faithful drost had to return, and, like a
+wizard, again creep into his prison-hole?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know not: that is the most incredible part of the story, and makes
+me disbelieve it all. Besides, I know that Dorothy could not have
+remained quiet for eight days, nor help betraying herself by song and
+chatter. Yet it is surprising how much she knows concerning the prison.
+She described the exterior exactly as I had seen it myself; and,
+moreover, she gave me this key, swearing deeply and solemnly that it
+would open the innermost prison-doors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, then, Skirmen, if thou doubtest longer, thou art an incredulous
+fool!&quot; cried Aasé, joyfully. &quot;If thou believest not that we women-folks
+can be silent to serve a good friend, thou little knowest us; and, if I
+mistake not, thy master could effect more in eight days, than many
+others could in a year. But, at any rate, he had one dear object to
+visit. Give me the key. I, too, can play the witch; and, since the good
+people on Alsen have so much respect for the weird sisterhood, we can
+easily hit on an expedient. We have been to St. Peter's prison, in
+Rome, thou must know, and have there received absolution of all our
+sins, and a dispensation from going to the holy sepulchre. I have not
+sinned greatly since, I believe; and if now our dear Holy Lady or St.
+Christian will make use of me to open a prison, they may well do so,
+though I am not altogether an angel--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be silent, children, and conceal yourselves,&quot; suddenly exclaimed old
+Henner. &quot;I hear horsemen on the road from the convent. It may be the
+marsk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aasé and Skirmen quickly obeyed, and retired to the thicket near the
+lake, where many a tender word was ex-changed between them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A troop of well-armed horsemen now appeared, approaching the
+ferry-house from Asmild convent, having two tall personages at their
+head. One of these, who sat with a proud air on his quiet palfrey, was
+the haughty Master Jens Grand, who, after the death of the aged Johan
+Dros, had been, much against the wish of the king, chosen Archbishop of
+Lund. His mail-clad companion, who was stately and warlike, and mounted
+on a champing war-steed, was no other than the famous Marsk Stig
+himself. They halted on the road, while the attendant horsemen
+descended to the lake to water their horses.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As I observed, sir marsk,&quot; said the prelate, &quot;they must restore you
+your rank and estates if you will but allow the boy for the present to
+retain his throne. He is still preferable to your powerful King
+Priesthater.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Out upon it, your reverence!&quot; exclaimed the marsk: &quot;you are afraid of
+the name priesthater, although it is one he does not deserve. He is the
+ablest monarch that ever sat on the throne of Norway, and possesses
+indeed the lofty soul of a king. When before, without showing fear or
+tyranny, has any northern king endured by his side a powerful brother,
+such as is Duke Hakon? Under such a king, Denmark and Norway will
+become unrivalled for power and greatness. Let me but wield the
+general's staff for ten years, while you bear the crook, and the world
+shall see that the ancient race of Skjalm Hvide have not degenerated
+since the days of Absalom. In Sweden, too, there is now a boy-king on
+the throne, but he will never become a man. What say you to an earthly
+trinity, most reverend father?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You will bend the bow until it breaks,&quot; replied the archbishop. &quot;You
+forget that you are beyond the pale of the law, and that your large
+estates are in the possession of the crown.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My will and this good sword is now my law,&quot; replied the marsk; &quot;and as
+to estates, my friends and I have ample while all Denmark is in our
+hands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Still you must remember that you are an outlaw,&quot; observed the
+archbishop, emphatically, &quot;and that you are also under the ban. If,
+then, I obtain you release from the latter, you must not set the
+priesthater as king over me and Denmark. I would rather you mounted the
+throne yourself--a step almost as easy of accomplishment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mean you to tempt me, Grand?&quot; observed his companion, with a smile.
+&quot;Were Marsk Stig to sit on the throne of Denmark, Master Grand might
+occupy St. Peter's chair, and keep his royal kinsman in awe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No need of that, sir marsk,&quot; rejoined the imperious archbishop. &quot;You
+despise not Holy Church and her chiefs, as does the proud Norseman, and
+you would be too prudent to deny the first prelate of the north that
+obedience and reverence he could extort. I meant not to tempt you; and,
+whilst I know and respect your self-control and magnanimity, you cannot
+be ignorant that it is my prerogative, not your's, to place the crown
+upon the head of him who is to wear it. Hear me, Marsk Stig!&quot; he
+continued, proudly: &quot;that I am your friend, you have had sufficient
+proof. I am now, after the king, the greatest man in Denmark. Acquitted
+of every part I took in your affair, I have even been admitted to his
+confidence, and am commissioned to negotiate a peace with Norway. In
+zealously attempting to effect this, I am labouring, not for the king's
+sake, but for that of the Church and kingdom. I know well, that, with a
+single word, you can annihilate the treaty. But be advised by me, Marsk
+Stig, and do not so. Demand what you will, and rely upon me; but
+remember that I it is who shall hereafter crown Denmark's kings, and I
+need not the authority of St. Peter's chair to bind or loose the
+monarch's soul, any more than those of his knights.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk gazed for some moments with astonishment at the bold prelate.
+&quot;You possess great power, it is true,&quot; he at length said; &quot;but I
+believed, of a surety, that the son of Erik Glipping had no greater
+enemy in Denmark than yourself. After his death you persecuted his
+adherents, and caused even their corpses to be dug up from your
+churchyard, and thrown like dogs into a dung-pit. How is it, then, that
+you now cling so zealously to the boy-rule?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The boy is now anointed and crowned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Were he a thousand times anointed, 'tis the same. I have sworn his
+downfall, and he or I must perish! Upon you I trusted, Grand; but I now
+see that the Archbishop of Lund thinks not as did the Dean of Roskild.
+It is strange that changing his seat should so alter a man. But the
+highest elevated are the soonest giddy. Have you forgotten, reverend
+sir, in the archbishop's chair, what you swore to me in the dean's?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I have not, most valiant marsk,&quot; replied the prelate; &quot;but you
+have forgotten what we both promised to Duke Waldemar. He deserves
+truer friends than those who agreed to bestow the crown of Denmark upon
+the priesthater. That I do not support the boy's crown for the boy's
+sake, I have shown; but I was not in your councils when you broke
+promise to the duke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah! is it thus, your reverence? Now, for the first time, do I
+comprehend you. I had forgotten that you were confessor to the duke.
+But had you desired that I, or any honest man, should depend on that
+wily gentleman, you had trained up your shriveling otherwise than
+you did. As he was so base and faithless as to subscribe my sentence
+of outlawry, he would certainly not have hesitated to sign my
+death-warrant.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Him you have to thank that you escaped so easily,&quot; replied Grand. &quot;The
+duke acted as your most discreet friend, when he subscribed that
+sentence which, as regent, he has still the power to remit; and, if you
+will assist us in effecting this treaty with Norway, you shall no
+longer remain an outlaw. The time may come, too, when you shall sue for
+the saving blessing of the Church, and tremble at its ban. Despise not,
+valiant marsk, the lightning of its curse, which, ere now, has melted
+crowns and overthrown heroes stronger than you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A truce with your lightnings and your bans!&quot; indignantly replied the
+marsk, as he erected himself proudly, and rode on. &quot;You see, in me,
+that a brave man can thrive and be strong, despite your thunders of
+excommunication, launched against him from Lund Cathedral. Spiritual
+weapons avail not with Marsk Stig, nor shall they turn him a
+hair's-breadth from his course.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that moment the vaadesang, from the tomb of the murdered king,
+sounded clearly across the calm lake.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk paused. &quot;What was that?&quot; he asked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was the blood of thy murdered king, crying aloud to Heaven for
+vengeance!&quot; replied a hollow voice beside him, while the tall
+pilgrim-form of Henner Friser rose from the side of the boat, where he
+had been sitting, and, in the moonshine, stood menacingly before him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The life-stream became cold in the warrior's veins while he gazed on
+the pilgrim as on some horrid spectre, and the mournful tones of the
+vaadesang were again wafted over the lake.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Listen--listen!&quot; exclaimed the pilgrim: &quot;thus shall that song complain
+and mourn, till, at the last day, King Erik and his murderers stand
+before God's judgment-seat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Fiend! who art thou?&quot; cried the marsk, unsheathing his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A king-killer--as thou art!&quot; was the reply: &quot;but I have atoned for my
+sin; and to thee I bring this last warning--Despise not the ban!
+despise not Heaven's weapons, Marsk Stig! Man's strength is but a reed;
+but the Lord's hand is mighty, and vengeance is his. Repent thee, Stig
+Andersen, or thine hour is near. 'Twas thus the holy father bade me
+warn thee: wash the king's blood from thine hands, and do penance; or
+set thine house in order, and prepare for death and perdition. Thy soul
+is weighed and found wanting--thy day of grace is but short.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Henner! is it thee?&quot; cried the marsk, as he brandished his sword. &quot;But
+beware! thy crazy grayhead shall not always protect thee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Listen--listen!&quot; calmly resumed the pilgrim, who shrunk not at the
+threat, whilst a gentle breeze again bore the vigil-tones over the
+lake, and the mournful chorus swelled louder and louder, vibrating
+overhead in the calm night. &quot;Listen!&quot; he exclaimed: &quot;the tones from the
+grave ascend to heaven: they plead for the soul of the king, hurried
+away in the midst of his sins; but woe and eternal perdition they sound
+to those of his murderers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Peace, accursed one!&quot; exclaimed the enraged marsk, and his sword
+flashed in the direction of Henner's head; but at the same instant it
+was struck violently from his hand, while a sword of flame, as it were,
+gleamed before him in the air. Seized with terror, he spurred his steed
+forward, and galloped away, followed by the ecclesiastic, who, pale and
+frightened, continued to cross himself, as he disappeared along the
+dark road.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after the marsk's troop of horsemen rode past the pilgrim, who,
+leading Aasé by the hand, strode leisurely along the highway, whilst
+Skirmen still remained silently and gravely by the boat, leaning upon
+the long flame-shaped sword.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Four weeks had elapsed since the night on which the inflexible marsk
+encountered Henner Friser by Viborg Lake, and heard the tones of the
+vigils ascend from the tomb of the murdered king. It was evening, and
+the last golden rays of the sun rested on the turrets of Hielm Castle,
+when the stern marsk, accompanied by his troopers, rode across the
+little island in the direction of his stronghold. He had been attending
+the meeting between the Danish and Norwegian kings at Varberg, at which
+his unyielding pride and imperious demands had entirely frustrated the
+conclusion of the treaty; and although he now returned to Hielm with
+the proud consciousness of his formidable power and influence, his
+haughty features were pale, and his lofty figure seemed to rock in the
+saddle.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In presence of Archbishop Grand, he had concealed the strong impression
+made upon him by the occurrence which we have related, and, indeed,
+laughed at himself and the whole adventure, which he characterised as a
+mere accident, or a piece of trickery, got up by the half-crazed
+Henner. But during his homeward journey, when no longer sustained by
+the archbishop's presence, he had not spoken a word; nor could he shake
+off the conviction that the sword had been shivered in his hand by
+lightning. He still imagined that, while the vaadesang from the royal
+tomb rang in his ears, he had heard death and perdition announced to
+him by a spectre, and that a mighty cherub-sword had struck him with
+its lightning, while the accusing chorus swelled to heaven over his
+guilty head. With heavy soul he rode through the dark gate of Hielm
+Castle, and, dismounting from his steed, entered the arched hall of the
+keep, where sat his daughters.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The quiet Margarethé advanced affectionately to meet him, and proceeded
+to unbuckle his armour; while the impatient little Ulrica overwhelmed
+him with inquisitive questions, as to where he had been, and whether he
+had brought home booty and jewels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hast thou not gold and jewels enough to fill thy young raven's maw?&quot;
+asked the gloomy warrior, without looking at the child. &quot;I have brought
+thee more than ever king's daughter in Denmark possessed. But the time
+may come,&quot; he added, in an under tone, &quot;when thou must be contented
+with less. Go to the chamberlain, Rikké,&quot; he continued, in a sterner
+tone: &quot;he will open the treasure-closet, and give thee the rosary on
+which King Erik Christopherson told his last prayer. Keep that as thy
+patrimony.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks, father--thanks!&quot; exclaimed the innocent, rosy-cheeked child.
+&quot;But, why dost thou always seem so angry when thou art kind to me? I
+may, then, now take the handsome string of pearls and diamonds to deck
+myself? Thanks, father--thanks!&quot; she again cried, as she skipped away,
+clapping her hands with delight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And thou, my pious Margarethé,&quot; continued the marsk to his
+eldest daughter, as with emotion he gazed on her pale and quiet
+features--&quot;thou carest not for my treasures; therefore to thee I give
+my blessing--if haply it carry not with it the weight of a curse!&quot; he
+added, mentally, while he laid his hand upon her head. &quot;Go, my child,&quot;
+he said, aloud, as he felt himself becoming giddy--&quot;go, and send hither
+the chaplain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Art thou sick, dear father?&quot; inquired the daughter, with deep concern:
+&quot;thy hand is cold, and thou art quite pale.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It will pass,&quot; he exclaimed, moodily, throwing himself into a seat.
+&quot;Do as I bid thee, and remain in thy chamber until I call. God bless
+thee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Margarethé retired, with tears in her eyes; and in a little while a
+timorous-looking clerk entered, and bowed humbly before the master of
+the castle, without uttering a word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have not long to live!&quot; exclaimed the marsk: &quot;prepare me for death,
+if thou canst, and administer to me the holy sacrament. We must at
+last, I perceive, make peace with Heaven, and think of our soul's
+welfare. Shrive, however, I shall not,&quot; he continued: &quot;the world knows
+well what I have done, and the Omniscient best of all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The trembling clerk began a discourse he was wont to use on similar
+occasions, concerning the seven mortal sins and purity of conscience,
+when the marsk impatiently interrupted him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This jargon helps me not,&quot; he said. &quot;I wish not to hear <i>thy word</i>,
+clerk, but God's word. Prepare the sacrament--there is virtue in that!
+King Erik had it not before his death,&quot; he added, softly, &quot;but he took
+it with him in his coffin. Haste thee, clerk! why lingerest thou?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, stern sir marsk,&quot; stammered the clerk, &quot;I cannot--I truly dare
+not. The canonical law, the chapter, and the holy father will condemn
+me, should I administer this holy rite to one who is excommunicated.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Death and perdition!&quot; exclaimed the marsk, grasping his sword, &quot;thou
+shalt, base clerk, or thou diest!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Alas, most gracious master, while the ban of the church is on thee,
+thou hast not the power to--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not the power! By Satan, I swear that, if thou bringest it not
+quickly, thou shalt die!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The trembling clerk departed hastily, with a humble and obedient mien.
+But he returned not; for, hurrying from the castle as fast as he could,
+he instantly took to flight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk grew paler and paler, and, as he gazed on the door by which
+the priest had departed, it seemed to him an avenue of heaven, from
+which he expected an angel to bring him redemption. But it opened not.
+He endeavoured to rise, but sank back powerless. He would have shouted;
+but his voice was weak, and no one seemed to hear it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length his henchman, Mat Jute, entered. &quot;A stranger of rank is here,
+stern sir marsk,&quot; he said, as he remained erect by the door, with his
+hand at his steel cap; &quot;and he seems determined on entering, by fair
+means or foul, and that immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The marsk beckoned for a cup of wine, which somewhat revived him; and
+&quot;The clerk--the chaplain!&quot; he anxiously cried, as his voice returned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The trusty Mat now perceived with terror the condition of his master,
+and rushed out to bring the priest and a physician.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had he left the door, when the stranger he had announced
+appeared. He was tall, and wore a lofty feathered hat, whilst the ample
+folds of a purple mantle, in which he was enveloped, concealed his
+face. They now fell aside, however, and revealed a countenance, pale
+and restless indeed, but on which the stamp of a daring cunning was
+ineffaceably imprinted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Duke Waldemar!&quot; exclaimed the marsk, as he endeavoured to rise, but
+again sank back on his seat. &quot;Come you hither to see how the man dies
+whom you have doomed an outlaw?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do I come at an hour so solemn?&quot; asked the duke. &quot;Since, then, the
+angel of retribution has found you first, my design is frustrated.
+Know, however, that I came to defy you to mortal combat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may still have your wish,&quot; replied the marsk, erecting himself.
+&quot;But wherefore seek you this? Tell me quickly!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Like a perjured traitor, you have broken your knightly word, and have
+promised to the Norwegian king the crown which is mine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ay, but not until you had broken our paction, and declared me an
+outlaw.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I did so to save you, you know well; but any excuse is welcome.
+Yet what fidelity could I expect from a regicide?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;By that word you accuse yourself, Duke Waldemar. That sin--if sin it
+is--you share with me. Deep injuries had I to revenge, which you had
+not. If King Erik's blood stains not your hand, it yet lies as heavy on
+your head as it does on mine. Your counsel and wishes were in Finnerup
+barn, albeit you yourself were absent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A mightier Power has judged between us,&quot; replied the duke. &quot;I will not
+curse you in your dying hour; but one thing you must tell me--you must
+solve to me a riddle that has driven me mad:--where is the dagger I
+gave you when we swore the tyrant's fall?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I left it in his bosom,&quot; replied the marsk, &quot;that it might be known
+you were our head and prince. Your name I even had graven on it, that
+no doubt might exist of your participation in the deed, and that thus
+our fortunes might be indissolubly linked together.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shameless traitor! And thus it is that you would drag me with you to
+perdition! But say, who was the accuser that displayed the dagger of
+the bloody paction before the eyes of king and people?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If it was not Drost Hessel, let your confessor teach you the name of
+the angel who accuses the faithless!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was not the drost,&quot; exclaimed the duke, while his brain began to
+reel: &quot;he lay then in chains at Nordborg. But you it was--even you,
+accursed regicide!--or it was the foul fiend himself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Priest, priest! where art thou?&quot; cried the marsk, glancing fearfully,
+around him. &quot;Name not the Evil One, Duke Waldemar! In our bloody
+council we invoked him often enough.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that instant the door was hastily opened, and Mat Jute entered, much
+excited. &quot;Sir marsk,&quot; he cried, &quot;what is to be done? The priest has
+fled, and the island is surrounded by the king's ships. The troops are
+about to land, with Thorstenson at their head, to storm the castle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let the priest speed to the infernal pit!&quot; cried the marsk, rising.
+&quot;Now, I will not die. Come on, King Erik's men! You shall once more see
+what Marsk Stig can accomplish!&quot; He grasped his weapon with the
+suddenly returned strength of a giant. &quot;Away!&quot; he shouted, in a fearful
+voice: &quot;every man to his post! We shall crush them with brynkiöls and
+glowing stones.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an instant he was gone, and Duke Waldemar remained alone, agitated
+and undecided. The din of arms and soldiers was soon heard outside the
+castle, when at length, seizing his sword, he hurried out.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">In the attack on Hielm, the royalists were repulsed with great loss;
+but Thorstenson still continued to beleagure the castle, and was making
+preparations for another assault, whilst the most marvellous stories
+and reports began to circulate among the people. The rumour that the
+marsk was dead spread among the besiegers. It was said by others, that
+he had mysteriously vanished, and that a stranger of eminence, who had
+been with him, had also suddenly disappeared. From this circumstance it
+was generally believed among the people, that the devil had been at
+Hielm, and carried off the awful king-murderer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Meanwhile, the castle was defended with great bravery by the marsk's
+seven hundred mail-clad men. It was asserted that they were now
+commanded by the former lord of the castle, the outlawed Chamberlain
+Rané; and that his wife, the algrev's daughter, was with him. About the
+same time, too, a small female form, in white garments, with a crucifix
+in her folded hands, was frequently seen upon the ramparts of Hielm,
+where the dark warriors knelt before her as she passed them. The chiefs
+of the besiegers knew it was the marsk's eldest daughter; but many of
+the common soldiers looked on her as a supernatural being, who
+protected the castle, and rendered it impregnable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One night, shortly after the rumour of the marsk's sudden disappearance
+had been spread abroad, a funeral train, bearing torches, landed from a
+ship lying off the parsonage of Stubberup, on Hindsholm,<a name="div2Ref_42" href="#div2_42"><sup>[42]</sup></a> and
+proceeded with silence and solemnity towards the churchyard. The
+maid-servants of the clergyman, assisted by some maidens from the
+village, were engaged in carding wool, forming what was called a
+carding-guild, which, when the work was over, terminated in dance and
+merriment. The girls were cheerfully at work, in the servants' room,
+where were a number of troughs, with a large tub in the centre,
+while a single dull lamp hung in an iron hook from the rafters, and two
+men-servants lay on a bench asleep.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The busy wool-carders were amusing themselves with singing ballads and
+telling ghost-stories, and were in the middle of a fearful tale
+concerning pirates who infested a wood in the northern part of the
+peninsula, and who had been captured one yule evening by Drost Peter.
+This was the band of Niels Breakpeace and Lavé Rimaardson, whose chiefs
+had then escaped, but who were next year taken and executed at
+Harrestrup. Twelve of these men had perished in captivity on Hindsholm;
+on which achievement there existed a ballad which was generally known,
+and which the maidens were now all engaged in singing with the greatest
+glee. The kitchen-maid, who took the lead, was at the fourteenth
+verse:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;It was Drost Peter Hessel,</p>
+<p class="t1">He called unto his band:</p>
+<p class="t0">Wake up! wake up! no longer stay.</p>
+<p class="t1">For news has come to hand.</p>
+<p class="t0">Wake up! for now the time is come</p>
+<p class="t1">To don the trusty mail--&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">when the ballad was suddenly interrupted by the brewer's maid, who
+rushed in, with terror in her looks, exclaiming that she had seen a
+funeral company bearing torches. The maidens dropped their cards, and
+the wool fell from their laps; whilst the men-servants aroused
+themselves, and rubbed their eyes: but none dared to venture forth to
+behold the cause of their fear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What scared fools you are!&quot; at last exclaimed a little black-haired
+maiden, who superintended the work. &quot;It must be one of the outlaws
+again, whom his comrades desire to bury in christian ground. Thus it
+was they did with Arved Bengtson, who was slain by Tulé Ebbesen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But they don't carry torches, and come with a long train--they sneak
+along, quietly and in darkness, when they go to bury a malefactor,&quot;
+observed the brewer's girl. &quot;This must be a king, or some great man,
+unless, indeed, it is a procession of ghosts, like what old Anders
+Gossip has seen so often.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, what is it he cannot see, when the ale is in his head?&quot; replied
+the other, laughing. &quot;They are living men, I dare wager; and he is a
+milksop that dares not venture out to see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If thou darest venture out to see it, Elsie,&quot; rejoined the brewer's
+maid, &quot;do so, and prove to us that thou art as bold as thou boastest!
+The fright has not yet left me: I feel it still in my knees.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Go, Elsie,&quot; cried the kitchen-maid: &quot;thou must, in truth, have a man's
+heart and courage, for the marsk's swain, long Mat Jute, is thy
+sweetheart, and I would not be alone with him, for all the world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That I can well believe,&quot; replied Elsie, with some pride. &quot;Mat Jute is
+not to be jested with. Indeed, you cannot show me his match, in all
+Funen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You dare not let Christen Fiddler hear you so speak!&quot; cried one of the
+girls.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why not?&quot; replied Elsie, briskly. &quot;I have told him so more than once.
+Had Mat Jute not fallen into misfortune, along with his master, and
+become such a ferocious strand-fighter, I should have had no fear of
+taking him for a husband. But the Lord preserve me from him now!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Aha!&quot; laughed the kitchen-maid: &quot;he kills folk, they say, for the
+smallest ill word said against his master. He must be a perfect fiend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Say not so,&quot; cried Elsie. &quot;Fierce he is, it is true, but he is still
+an honest fellow. He is true to his master--more's the pity!--and I
+cannot bear anybody to speak ill of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Old love doesn't die,&quot; remarked one of the men-servants; &quot;and if Mat
+Jute knew that thou hast now another sweetheart, little Elsie, he would
+yet come and bite thy head off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;As for that,&quot; returned Elsie, &quot;I am truer to him than many Funen lads
+are to their lasses; and, besides, I have only one sweetheart at a
+time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If thou wouldst see the show, Elsie, haste thee, or it will be gone,&quot;
+cried the brewer's maid. &quot;It went up to the churchyard; and, if I saw
+truly in my fright, there was a light in the choir.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let us call the master!&quot; exclaimed the kitchen-maid: &quot;it is really
+awful. They may be church-robbers; and if they be ghosts, the father
+can read them away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was agreed to, and one of the maids went to awake her master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is, more likely, the outlawed marsk, who wants to add to his
+treasury at Eskebjerg,&quot; observed one of the men-servants: &quot;he has heaps
+of gold and jewels there, it is said.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How long you think about it, Elsie,&quot; cried the kitchen-maid--&quot;thou
+who hast been in a fortress. When thou wert at Flynderborg, thou wert
+afraid of neither soldiers nor rievers--thou wert then as bold as thy
+jomfru.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did not say that,&quot; replied Elsie: &quot;the brave Jomfru Ingé showed more
+courage than I, when the algrev and Niels Breakpeace paid us a visit.
+But you shall see, for all that, that I am not afraid to look at a
+funeral. A dead man can't bite my nose off. If it be an outlaw of mark,
+there are both gold and velvet with him that would make famous pillows
+and coverlets; and it were no sin to cheat the rieving pack of what
+they have plundered from our honest maids and wives. Come along with
+me, girls--I will go first.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Her companions opened their eyes with amazement at this proposal, but
+none of them had the courage to follow her, and the men-servants did
+not seem at all to relish the adventure.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Very well,&quot; exclaimed Elsie, &quot;I shall have all the treasure to myself.
+See it, I will, at any rate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, she went out alone, and beheld a procession with torches,
+exactly as described by the brewer's maid. As the procession moved
+slowly across the churchyard, towards the low door of the choir, the
+inquisitive and somewhat frightened girl paused, and, hiding herself
+behind a tree, peeped through the palings that fenced the priest's walk
+to the churchyard. She trembled as she plainly perceived the tall,
+muffled figures, who, in heavy iron armour, and with torches in their
+hands, bore forward a long black coffin; while, behind this dark
+funereal train, walked a priest in canonicals, with his hands bound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Elsie summoned fresh courage, and stole close up to the gate when the
+procession had disappeared in the church. She now ventured to look
+around the churchyard, but not a soul was to be seen, and she then
+boldly advanced a little farther. With a beating heart she stood by the
+door of the choir, and peeped in. All was still and deserted, although
+lights were burning on the altar. Gliding noiselessly inside the
+church, she gazed with fearful curiosity around her, but not a creature
+was visible. The trap-door, however, in the middle of the aisle, was
+open, and, from the vault beneath, the light of many torches was
+reflected upon the arches of the roof. She stood a moment, hesitating
+whether to venture nearer or take to flight; but hastily muttering a
+short prayer to strengthen her, she crept cautiously towards the
+trap-door, where, through a chink between the hinges, she was enabled
+to behold what was going forward below, while, bent upon her knees, she
+scarcely dared to breathe. Twelve armed men, with torches in their
+hands, stood in a circle around a large coffin, covered with black
+velvet, and adorned with a gold-embroidered mort-cloth, upon which lay
+a sword, over the armorial bearings of the deceased. A solemn silence
+prevailed. The priest was unbound; and as the torchlight fell upon his
+face, with surprise and terror the girl recognised her master, the
+clergyman of the parish. The lid of the coffin was then raised, and she
+perceived within a long, gigantic figure, in the complete armour of a
+knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, priest, lay God's body on his breast,&quot; uttered in a hollow voice
+one of the warriors through his locked helmet: &quot;he had it not before
+his death, although he loudly prayed for it. But now he shall take it
+with him, even were he banned by the holy George and all the archangels
+to boot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do it by compulsion,&quot; stammered forth the priest; &quot;and, as I have
+already told you, it thus carries no blessing with it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perform the rite with due propriety, or thou shalt die!&quot; sounded
+fearfully the same hollow voice; while the priest, in trembling
+accents, consecrated the host, which he carefully placed in a little
+silver shrine, and laid on the breast of the corpse. The lid of the
+coffin was again replaced, and the priest, casting upon it three
+spadefuls of earth, repeated aloud the burial-service of the church.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Amen!&quot; cried all the iron-clad warriors, some of whom appeared to be
+deeply affected.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The procession then prepared to leave the vault, and the girl,
+springing up, essayed to escape by the way she had entered, when, with
+indescribable terror, she perceived the backs of two mailed figures in
+the church-door. She had nearly discovered herself by a shriek, which
+she with difficulty suppressed, as she hastily concealed herself
+beneath one of the benches; and not until she had heard the heavy tread
+of the last warrior over the gravestones in the church-passage--not
+until every sound was hushed, did she venture to peep carefully from
+her lurking-place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The church was empty, and the door stood ajar, but lights were still
+burning on the altar. The trap-door of the vault remained open, and she
+perceived that there was still a light below. She again stole forth,
+and peeped through the crevice. A lantern stood on the coffin, but all
+the warriors were gone. She took heart, and ventured a step or two
+within: the splendid mort-cloth glittered before her eyes--she
+cautiously approached, and at length stood by the coffin, and beheld
+the armorial bearings on the black velvet pall, which glittered with
+silver and jewels. Under a helmet, with two white wings, blazed a
+silver star, with seven rays of sparkling gems.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This would make a poor bride rich, and a bridal-bed magnificent,&quot; she
+whispered to herself. &quot;What wants the riever with it in the grave?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The lantern was in her hand, and the diamonds flashed a thousand rays,
+when, no longer able to withstand the temptation, she hastily secured
+the mort-cloth, and crept up the steps with it. But the rustling of
+armour, which she now heard behind her, petrified her with terror,
+and she dropped the lantern; while, at the same moment, a powerful
+hand seized the pall, and a terrible voice, as from the grave,
+cried--&quot;Accursed woman! wilt thou plunder the dead?&quot; She was now
+entirely overcome, and, uttering a piercing shriek, fell backwards
+insensible, into the vault.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rievers! pirates!&quot; now shouted numerous voices outside the church; and
+all the young men of Stubberup, who meanwhile had assembled to dance at
+the carding-guild, came rushing up to the church, armed with flails and
+pitchforks, and headed by the priest's farm-servant, with a lantern in
+his hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Go thou first, Christen Fiddler!&quot; exclaimed one of the party: &quot;it may
+be witchcraft and devilry, but thou canst read as well as the father;
+and where thy sweetheart could go alone, thou canst surely venture with
+a dozen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While they still lingered by the church-door, a tall figure in iron
+mail, and with a drawn sword in his hand, rushed forth, and with a wild
+howl overthrew those who stood before him, and quickly disappeared.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The terrified peasants crossed themselves, and repeated their
+paternosters; none doubting but that it was the Evil One himself whom
+they had seen. At length, recovering their courage, they ventured
+within the church, where they found the vault open, and discovered with
+horror the little Elsie, bleeding and dying, beside the great coffin,
+over which the mort-cloth had again been thrown. They bore the maiden
+to the parsonage, where the priest, who appeared pale and agitated,
+caused them to swear never to divulge what they had seen and heard that
+night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">What the dying girl confided to the priest remained a secret; but,
+three days after, Elsie was committed with all silence to the grave;
+and for many a day the story was told on Hindsholm, that she had been
+murdered by her old sweetheart, Mat Jute, because she would have
+plundered his master's grave.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The priest of Stubberup caused the vault to be built up, and no one
+after, wards dared to open it. Some time after, it was rumoured that
+Marsk Stig had been secretly buried in Rörvig Kirk, in Zealand, where,
+probably, the funeral of one of the outlaws had taken place. In a short
+time, the burial-place of the excommunicated marsk became involved in
+uncertainty, which his friends considered it important to maintain,
+lest, as a man who died under the ban of the Church, his remains should
+be persecuted and maltreated. Some even propagated the report that the
+marsk did not die at Hielm, but on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; by
+which pious invention they thought to protect his grave and redeem his
+memory.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But the story of the priest's maid-servant, who had been killed by the
+marsk's follower, obtained the greatest currency, although it ran
+differently in different quarters; the version nearest the truth
+relating that one of the marsk's trusty servants had betrothed a girl
+upon the spot where his master had been secretly buried; but that
+recognising, on the bolsters of the bridal bed, the velvet of his
+master's pall, he had, in consequence, murdered his young wife on their
+wedding-night.<a name="div2Ref_43" href="#div2_43"><sup>[43]</sup></a></p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">The vehement Thorstenson having been appointed drost of the kingdom
+during Drost Peter's imprisonment, the orders issued by him in the
+king's name were of the most stringent character; and the regicides and
+their adherents were prosecuted with a degree of rigour and violence
+that Drost Peter would not have sanctioned. This was in a great measure
+attributable to Junker Christopherson's desire of vengeance; and though
+the king neither approved of nor permitted any base revenge, no one
+dared to entreat his forbearance where his father's murderers and their
+accomplices were concerned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The death or disappearance of the marsk struck his men with terror; nor
+did the other outlaws deem themselves so secure as heretofore. Rané
+Jonsen, after a fruitless effort to defend his paternal castle against
+the royalists, had abandoned the beleagured fortress, and it was soon
+known that Hielm Castle had been stormed and demolished by Thorstenson.
+One evening, shortly after this event, two little girls came, hand in
+hand, to a miserable peasant-hut, near Helgeness, begging for shelter.
+These were the orphan daughters of Marsk Stig, who, in their flight
+from Denmark, found refuge and protection among the compassionate
+peasantry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">About this time the commandant of Sjöborg, the honest old Poul Hvit,
+was awakened one night by a loud knocking at the gate, which, on being
+opened, gave admission to a troop of royal horsemen and two bound
+prisoners. Poul Hvit himself, with a lantern in his hand, received
+these unexpected visitors; and as he examined the wretched habiliments
+of the prisoners, he appeared surprised that men of their mean
+condition should be conducted thither as state prisoners.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One of them, a tall and haughty figure, wore an old gray jerkin, torn
+down to the skirts; on his head was a dirty, small, open cowl, and he
+was seated in a wooden saddle, stuffed with straw, placed upon the back
+of a lean plough-horse, beneath whose belly his feet were tied together
+with a rope of coarse hair. As the commandant held the lantern to the
+prisoner's face, he recognised with astonishment in the proud
+countenance, although now flushed and swollen with indignation and
+grief, that of the archbishop himself, the haughty Jens Grand, who
+remained silent, and was apparently suffering much from his degraded
+position.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His companion and fellow-prisoner, who was apparelled and mounted in a
+similar manner, was the seditious and mischievous Provost Jacob of
+Lund. They had both been seized in Lund, in the king's name, by Junker
+Christopherson, by whose orders they were conducted through the country
+in this humiliating manner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The captain of the troop then handed the commandant a royal warrant,
+undersigned by Drost Thorstenson, wherein he was made answerable, under
+pain of death, for the safe custody of the important prisoners, and
+commanded to load them with chains, and place them in the severest
+durance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Herregud! we are all sinful men!&quot; ejaculated the castellan, as he
+obeyed, and, without further remark, conducted the half-fainting
+archbishop and his companion to the prison, where, however, he humanely
+procured them refreshment, and bade them master their sorrows before
+they were fettered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jarl Mindre-Alf still lay in the felon's dungeon in Haraldsborg. He had
+been condemned to death, but had artfully contrived to have his
+execution deferred from time to time, by occasionally communicating, to
+the commandant of Roskild, new and important information respecting the
+outlaws and their accomplices, which required time for complete
+investigation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On a dark night in November, a vessel, bearing the Danish flag and
+pennant, ran into Roskild Fiord. On the forecastle stood one whose long
+brown hair was partially concealed by a shaggy cap, whilst a pitched
+wadmel jerkin covered his knight's dress. A huge dog lay growling at
+his feet; and by his side stood a strong, plump female figure, in the
+dress of a fisher-girl, but wearing a fine linen cloth over her plaited
+auburn hair, and a pair of large gold buckles in her shoes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The attempt is too daring, thou headstrong woman!&quot; exclaimed the
+knight: &quot;should I be recognised, it will cost me my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But 'tis to save my father's life,&quot; replied, in a Norse accent, a
+youthful female voice; &quot;and he is yet a better man than thou wilt ever
+be, my crafty Rané. Yesterday didst thou promise me to set him free,
+and to-day thou refusest. It would cost thee but a word to the
+castellan; yet for this thou wilt not now venture to show thyself where
+thou hast so often landed for plunder. Nay, nay--this time, at least,
+thou <i>shalt</i> keep thy word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, the brave Kirstine, who thus spoke,
+while she cast on her husband a look indicative of anything but
+affection. In conjunction with the crew, who were devoted to her, she
+had compelled Rané personally to undertake in earnest what he had
+convinced her was very easy, if he but chose to set about it, but which
+no one except himself could accomplish. Rané had given the viking's
+daughter ample proofs, that, as a daring and wily freebooter, he was
+not deficient in courage or cunning; but she had also early discovered,
+with bitter indignation, that neither was he the redoubtable hero she
+had dreamt of, when she followed him from Norway, and danced with him
+over the castle-bridge of Rypen. The chivalrous wooer soon became the
+rude and imperious spouse; and Kirstine's affection changed to contempt
+and hatred when she learnt that, as an evident participator in the
+king's murder, he had been adjudged and declared an outlaw.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The only tie which still bound them together was one of mutual fear and
+necessity--a rugged bond, which was often well nigh being snapped
+asunder. A ballad was already composed and sung in Norway on the
+unloving pair. It subsequently became popular in Denmark; and it has
+thus been recorded that the faithlessness of Rané to his former king,
+and the sympathy which Kirstine felt for the royal house, was
+frequently the cause of hostile scenes between them. Their quarrel now
+took this complexion, while steering into Roskild Fiord.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beware thou of my faithful hound to-night!&quot; whispered Rané: &quot;he can
+see that thou wilt lead me into misfortune for thy father's sake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pity it was,&quot; replied Kirstine, &quot;that thy king had not a hound as
+faithful: he would not then, perhaps, have been basely betrayed by his
+chamberlain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané was so enraged that, with a menacing gesture, he threatened to
+throw her overboard. &quot;I betrayed not the king!&quot; he cried. &quot;Were they
+even my own kinsmen who say so, they are my mortal foes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The ferocious hound, perceiving the threatening gesture of his master,
+growled and showed his teeth at the shrinking lady.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have a care, Rané!&quot; exclaimed Kirstine, holding fast by the cordage.
+&quot;Twice now hast thou laid violent hands on me; but it shall not again
+happen. A single word from me, and the boatmen will fling thee
+overboard. Had I known what kind of a knight thou wert, assuredly I
+should not have offended my father by marrying thee, nor have left my
+fatherland to follow an outlawed regicide.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané ground his teeth with rage, and again assumed a threatening
+attitude.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beware!&quot; whispered Kirstine, still retaining hold of the cordage.
+&quot;Think not that 'tis so dark here as in the barn of Finnerup! Dost hear
+the song of my trusty countrymen in the forehold? They know my sir
+husband, and apprehend mischief.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané, with whose rage alarm had now mingled, heard the Norse boatmen
+singing, whilst two of them approached the forecastle:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;'The wood has ears, the field has een,<br>
+And we are outlaws, little Kirstine!'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;'Oh, had you but King Erik spared,<br>
+We need not from the land have fared.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Across the table he struck her sore--<br>
+'Beware this speech our guests before!'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;And he struck her on the cheek so red--<br>
+'I did not wish King Erik dead,</p>
+<p class="t1">Though spurned by kith and kin.'&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dost hear?&quot; again whispered Kirstine: &quot;thou shouldst know the ballad
+well! If thou desirest not a worse ending, assist me now to save my
+father, and then I bid thee farewell for ever. But if thou shouldst act
+treacherously now, my trusty countrymen shall bind and carry thee to
+the King of Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be still, dearest Kirstine! I will do as thou desirest,&quot; whispered
+Rané, as he cast a fearful glance towards the sturdy boatmen, who
+appeared to be as faithful and vigilant a body-guard to their lady, as
+was the hound to the faithless knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The vessel soon lay to at a remote part of the fiord, where Rané and
+his wife landed, and proceeded in silence to the town. The hound
+followed; and, at a little distance behind, by a signal from Kirstine,
+the two sturdy boatmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They passed thus through the streets of Roskild, until they reached the
+prison-tower of Haraldsborg, near which a crowd was collected,
+listening to an old crone singing street-ballads. She was seated on a
+stone, and, although apparently blind, carried a lantern in her hand,
+while on her arm hung a tin-box, on which she accompanied her song, and
+into which her hearers now and then dropped a piece of money. The moon,
+which had now risen, shone brightly on the tower and on the people, who
+apparently had gathered there to catch a glimpse of the famous
+prisoner, and to amuse themselves with the gossip of the town.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Saw you the drost?&quot; asked a soldier: &quot;such a carl!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, Heaven help us!&quot; exclaimed a burgher; &quot;he is under bolt and bar at
+Nordborg; and, until he is free, we shall have neither peace nor luck
+in the land.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Meanest thou Drost Hessel?&quot; replied the soldier. &quot;Ay, he truly was a
+brave gentleman; but 'twas the new drost I spoke of--he with the long
+beard: he's a tough carl, and, while he advises, neither rogues nor
+traitors shall long be safe in Denmark.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How long stays he here?&quot; asked the burgher.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Only till the fleet is ready, and the landfolk assembled,&quot; answered
+the other. &quot;The king then comes from Helsingborg, and we shall at the
+duke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bravo! Drost Thorstenson is no fool!&quot; cried a seaman: &quot;he well knows
+there is no road to land except by sea.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How so, friend?&quot; asked a landsknecht: &quot;was it not on land we got the
+holy banner, without which there is no road, either by sea or shore?
+Now, however, we go together; but if the Norsemen should land again,
+without leave, where were we without the landsmen then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, my countryman,&quot; replied the seaman, &quot;we will drink to good
+fellowship both on sea and land. You laid by the heels that sea-bear in
+the tower, where he shall no longer plunder and burn our sloops. Sing
+us the ballad anent the corbie in the tower there, carlin!&quot; he cried,
+turning to the crone, &quot;and thou shalt have a silver groat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How long will they allow him to remain there, and befool both bailiff
+and hangman?&quot; inquired a burgher.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have you not seen the wheel outside the town?&quot; replied the seaman:
+&quot;he'll be safe anchored there in a week hence, for Drost David has
+sworn it. He was, to give the devil his due, a daring sea-cock; but two
+such rievers as the marsk and he would soon have sunk the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Say you the algrev will be executed in a week hence?&quot; exclaimed a
+young girl. &quot;Alas, it is still a sad end for such a rich and
+distinguished gentleman!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Come, carlin, sing now!&quot; cried the seaman: &quot;here's my groat. Look!
+there he is, poking his head out of the hole. He wants to see if there
+be any good friends here to help him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Merciful Heavens! within a week. Heardst thou that, Rané?&quot; exclaimed
+Kirstine, weeping, and involuntarily grasping the arm of her hated
+husband. &quot;And, see, there he stands looking down to us. Haste thee,
+Rané, and save him! I will forgive thee all, and remain with thee,
+outlaw though thou be--only save him! save him! Thou canst if thou
+wilt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be silent, or, by Satan, thou wilt betray me with thy whimpering!&quot;
+quickly whispered Rané, as he looked anxiously around him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And his fears were not unfounded, for some of the townspeople had
+already been suspiciously watching the two strange figures; although
+now the attention of all was attracted to the blind crone on the
+kerb-stone, who began to sing:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;Sir Alf was born in Norraway,</p>
+<p class="t1">Yet lists not there to bide,</p>
+<p class="t0">Though fifteen lordships he doth own,</p>
+<p class="t1">To keep his state and pride.<a name="div2Ref_44" href="#div2_44"><sup>[44]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Alf wends upon the rampart green,</p>
+<p class="t1">And cons with care his book;</p>
+<p class="t0">There meets him Bendit Rimaardson,</p>
+<p class="t1">Who is so dour of look.</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;'What brings thee here, carl Mindre-Alf?</p>
+<p class="t1">Thou art of courage rare:</p>
+<p class="t0">If now thou'rt made king's prisoner,</p>
+<p class="t1">The land no worse shall fare.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;'But I am not Sir Mindre-Alf--</p>
+<p class="t1">That is no name of mine:</p>
+<p class="t0">A mass-boy, as thou seest, I am,</p>
+<p class="t1">And fetch the priest some wine.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Bent lifted off this mass-boy's cap,<.p>
+<p class="t1">And looked him in the een--</p>
+<p class="t0">'An I see right, thou art the Norse</p>
+<p class="t1">Sir Mindre-Alf, I ween.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;'And thou wert once a clerk with me,</p>
+<p class="t1">I knew thee well at school,</p>
+<p class="t0">And thou mayst not deny, that oft</p>
+<p class="t1">Thou wrought'st us pain and dool.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;'An be it thou, Bent Rimaardson,</p>
+<p class="t1">And thou be kinsman true,</p>
+<p class="t0">An oath, I wiss, thou'lt swear to-day,</p>
+<p class="t1">That me thou never knew.'</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;But now they've ta'en Jarl Mindre-Alf,</p>
+<p class="t1">His feet in fetters bound--&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Away!&quot; shouted the landsknecht who guarded the prison-tower: &quot;finish
+your screaming, carlin, and draw not the whole town hither; for whoever
+comes three steps nearer the keep, will assuredly have a lance run
+through his body.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The crowd drew back, and, with them, Rané, dragging along his wife, who
+still clung to his arm, assailing him with urgent entreaties to redeem
+his promise and save her father.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nay, it cannot be done!&quot; exclaimed Rané, in an under tone: &quot;I know
+well he has sworn my death and destruction, and now let him help
+himself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he attempted to shake off his wife, but she held him
+tightly. He then pulled his cap over his eyes to avoid being
+recognised; for, with increased terror, he now observed near him some
+of the late king's servants, whom he had been the means of disgracing
+at court.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Leave me, woman!&quot; he whispered &quot;thou hast betrayed me--I am
+discovered!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A growing murmur arose among the crowd, and the cry of &quot;Rané, the
+outlawed chamberlain!&quot; ran from mouth to mouth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou desirest, then, to cause my death, obstinate woman!&quot; exclaimed
+Rané, with subdued vehemence; while, with a violent effort, he
+succeeded in freeing himself, and immediately took to flight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Seize him--seize him!&quot; shouted the crowd: &quot;it is Rané, the outlawed
+chamberlain! Seize the traitor!&quot; And he was followed with loud cries by
+the enraged populace, who threatened to tear him in pieces. His hound,
+however, by furiously attacking his pursuers, several of whom he bit
+and frightened, enabled Rané to escape, both master and dog having
+suddenly disappeared in the vicinity of the Grayfriars' Convent; whilst
+Kirstine, amidst the confusion, was fortunately extricated from the
+crowd by her faithful boatmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rané remained undiscovered for some days, during which, as it was known
+that he had many relatives among the grayfriars, the convent was
+strictly searched by Drost Thorstenson's orders, but no trace was found
+of the dangerous fugitive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a narrow street, and under a wooden shed that projected from the
+convent-wall, was a well, out of which a large, ferocious-looking dog
+had been observed to leap, by a girl who went there one morning early
+to draw water. She related the circumstance to her neighbours, who,
+from the description, inferred that it was the hound of the outlawed
+Rané. The authorities were forthwith apprised of the circumstance, and
+the well was examined; when, in it, and against the convent-wall, was
+found a ledge, which was reached with some difficulty. Here was
+discovered a strongly-barred door, which was soon broken open, and
+revealed a low narrow passage, leading to a dark and noisome hole
+between the double convent-walls. The first who ventured into this
+mysterious hiding-place was furiously attacked by the dog, which,
+however, after a desperate encounter, was at last overpowered and
+killed. By the aid of their lanterns, they then carefully searched the
+hole, but no trace of a human being was perceptible.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In one damp corner, swarming with toads and lizards, lay a heap of
+stones and gravel, into which, before leaving the spot, one of the
+soldiers accidentally thrust his lance. This action was followed by a
+smothered cry of pain: the gravel-heap was then speedily removed, and a
+sad and miserable spectacle exposed. Close in the corner, and huddled
+quite together, lay the outlaw Rané, so disfigured by mire and blood
+that he scarcely resembled a human creature. He sprang up, apparently
+irresolute whether to fight or fly, and was instantly seized and
+conducted to Haraldsborg, where the stern Drost Thorstenson, without
+further form or delay, sentenced him to death, in the king's name.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Three days after the capture of Rané, the new Dean of Roskild was
+returning, late in the evening, from a farmhouse in the neighbourhood,
+where he had been administering the last rites of the Church. Two young
+choristers rode before him, carrying torches; and the holy pix and
+anointing-cruse; under a screen, were borne by a couple of lay
+brothers. Their way lay by the place of execution, which was in a waste
+field outside of Roskild, and where the algrev and Rané had suffered
+the same morning. When the boys reached this spot, they became alarmed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir dean,&quot; said one of them, &quot;it is not well to come this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Proceed, children, in God's name!&quot; answered the dean. &quot;They cease now
+from troubling; and, with the Holiest in the midst of us, we need fear
+nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The lads obeyed in silence; but, after advancing a few steps,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See, see!&quot; cried the younger of them--&quot;there is something stirring up
+yonder.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And look!&quot; added the other, &quot;now there is a light--candles are burning
+by the dead men.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ghosts and devilry!&quot; exclaimed one of the lay brothers. &quot;Read,
+reverend sir, read!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The dean, who now also became alarmed, halted, and gazing towards the
+mound, on which the fatal wheels were distinctly visible, saw a female
+form, holding in her hand a torch, the light of which, falling full on
+her countenance, revealed an expression of the deepest grief, united
+with so much calmness, that she resembled a Niobe in marble; whilst a
+number of clumsy-looking fellows, in the garb of seamen, were quietly
+but hastily engaged in releasing the bodies of the two malefactors.
+This being accomplished, they deposited them in coffins, and, forming
+themselves into a procession, left the mound, bearing the two corses in
+their midst. The grave female figure preceded them with the torch; and
+the dean, who, with his subordinates, had not stirred, now perceived
+that she wore the scarlet mantle of a princess, or of the lady of some
+knight of eminence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The funeral train took the road to the fiord, approaching close to
+where the dean was standing; but the calm, melancholy features of the
+lady remained unchanged, nor did the others who composed the procession
+seem at all concerned at the presence of the ecclesiastic and his
+assistants. The latter, folding their hands, remained in silent prayer;
+while, as the train passed by, and the holy pix glittered in the
+torchlight, the grave seamen bowed their heads, and the knight's lady
+knelt down, while tears streamed along her pale cheeks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As if moved by sympathy, the dean, accompanied by the choristers, then
+commenced singing, in a deep clear voice, a holy vigil for the dead
+men's souls; which they continued until the whole procession had
+passed. The mourners soon disappeared at the fiord, whence, shortly
+afterwards, a vessel departed under full sail.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">After the death of the marsk, Duke Waldemar had openly allied himself
+with the brave Norwegian king, and had sent to the young Danish
+monarch, and his mother the queen, a declaration of war, grounded on
+the demands which he himself, and his brother Prince Erik, advanced for
+the possessions of Svendborg and Langeland. The duke and the Norwegian
+had agreed to commence the war with their united fleets and armies; but
+the impatience of the duke would not allow him to wait the arrival of
+the Norse fleet; and he ran out boldly with his own, which he conducted
+into Grönsund, between Falster and Möen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John and the council resolved to take advantage of this imprudent
+step, and immediately issued orders to man a number of long-ships and
+cutters, for the purpose of attacking the duke. This fleet, with young
+King Erik himself on board the long-ship Old Waldemar, early one
+morning ran out of Issefiord, and proceeded through the Great Belt to
+Grönsund, where the vessels of the duke had come to anchor on the
+Falster coast. Sir John and the chancellor were on board the king's
+ship, together with the royal trabants, and a numerous body of knights,
+who, in full armour, only knew each other by their helmet jewels and
+armorial bearings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Close to the king's vessel followed Count Gerhard, in his own
+long-ship, accompanied by a few sloops from Kiel, manned by brave
+Holsteiners. Thorstenson himself commanded one of the largest
+long-ships, and, in conjunction with Sir John, directed the movements
+of the whole fleet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The commanders still pursued the ancient Danish mode of attacking a
+hostile fleet, seeking to break the position of the enemy by a vigorous
+and combined movement, and, by coming as soon as possible to close
+quarters, to allow the fate of the engagement to be decided, as in land
+battles, by numbers and personal courage. To this end, they immediately
+ordered the whole royal fleet to form in order of battle under the
+coast of Möen, and opposite the duke, bringing all the ships together
+in a single compact line, in the centre of which was the royal vessel,
+from whence the position of both fleets, which were nearly of equal
+force, could be easily seen. The duke, however, put only his largest
+long-ships into line, and these he brought into an advanced position;
+whilst he allowed the lighter and smaller sloops and cutters to remain
+behind, with sails unbent, close under the coast of Falster.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In all the vessels of the king's fleet, the awning was then taken down
+which served to protect the deck from the inclemency of the weather. On
+the poop of the Old Waldemar, surrounded by the most valiant of the
+royal knights, himself the tallest and strongest amongst them, stood
+the standard-bearer, holding aloft the royal banner--the dark
+parti-coloured standard of the murdered king, with its numerous keys,
+wheels, and other remarkable symbols. The hold was filled with the
+common soldiers, who, besides sword and javelin, were armed with bows
+and slings, while a portion of them had the superintendence of the
+heavy war-machines; and at the stern, having the command of the whole
+vessel, stood the steersman, whose office, in the king's ship, was
+filled by old Sir John.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young king, who, with the Chancellor Martinus, stood by his side,
+now exclaimed--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Explain to me, Sir John, why the duke allows his sloops to lie
+detached behind the long-ships? Drost Peter, I remember, once informed
+me that Waldemar Seier and old King Waldemar did the same, when they
+had to deal with a stronger foe, and feared to hazard their whole force
+at once. But cannot the duke now surround us with his sloops, and fall
+upon our rear?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We will not give him time for that,&quot; replied Sir John. &quot;When we have
+first saluted him at a distance, we will row rapidly forwards, working
+our slings and rams; and when we are once alongside of him, the
+engagement can be terminated sword in hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Almighty grant us victory!&quot; exclaimed the chancellor. &quot;Before you
+give the signal for battle, Sir John, we must permit our people to
+think of their souls, and to pray the Lord of victory to aid us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In God's name! But let it be soon and short, for there is little time
+to spare, and the Lord shields his own.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The chancellor then, accompanied by several ecclesiastics, began a
+war-hymn, in which all the soldiers and fighting-men joined; whilst
+many, including the young king, followed the example of the chancellor
+and clerks, and reverently bent the knee.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely was the solemn war-hymn ended, before the standard-bearer, at
+Sir John's order, gave the signal for battle by waving the royal flag
+three times over his head; and in a moment, although it was clear noon,
+the sky was darkened with the arrows and stones, projected
+simultaneously from every sling and bow on board the royal ships.
+This attack was answered by a similar discharge of missiles from the
+duke's fleet, the foreign soldiers in which now sent forth their wild
+war-cries.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John had ordered a shieldburg<a name="div2Ref_45" href="#div2_45"><sup>[45]</sup></a> to be formed around the young
+king and the clergymen, through which, however, many arrows pierced,
+while the stones and other missiles rattled on the bucklers with a
+frightful din. On the royal vessel there alighted such an enormous mass
+of stones, that it was evident the duke had concentrated his attack on
+it alone. A few men fell, and many were wounded; but the distance was
+still too great for these missiles to take much effect.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On board the king's ship, the standard-bearer now again waved the royal
+banner, and the entire fleet rowed rapidly forward, while the heavy
+engines of war were put in preparation. At the stern of the king's
+vessel was placed an immense prow-hog, which, with its spiked and sharp
+iron crest, broke into the centre of the duke's fleet, and, at the
+first blow, parted two long-ships, thus forcing the duke to fight his
+own vessel without aid from the others.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the same instant, the sea-rams were vigorously worked. These
+consisted of heavy beams, cased in iron, which, suspended by chains
+from the masts, were swung with crushing effect against the enemies'
+vessels. The duke possessed no such heavy machines; and it was soon
+apparent that the royalists had gained a considerable advantage in this
+first assault, great confusion having been produced in the enemies'
+fleet, the line of which was already almost entirely broken.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was, however, speedily evident that the lighter arms of the duke
+were not less dangerous. He seemed not yet desirous of boarding,
+but, with his light vessels, evaded the advancing line of heavy
+battle-ships; whilst, besides arrows, stones, and bolts, he continued
+to shower upon them great numbers of caltrops, and of fire-pots, filled
+with pitch, brimstone, and oil. The latter were set on fire with tow,
+and, as they fell, cast forth flames, which, seizing upon the sails and
+cordage, created great damage and confusion in the royal fleet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The duke immediately availed himself of this to order an attack on its
+rear by his smaller vessels. When he heard, by the shouting, that this
+was in execution, and became sure that the royalists would have to
+fight in opposite directions and with divided strength he no longer
+avoided the attempt to board, but ran his own long-ship close up to
+that of the king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thorstenson, who had quickly perceived this cunning man&#339;uvre,
+commanded the cables by which the royal ships were bound together to be
+immediately cut asunder, in order that he might secure a more
+advantageous position; but the caltrops had produced so much disorder,
+and the fire-pots taken such effect, that the men were fully occupied
+in extinguishing the flames, and in defending themselves against the
+boarders, who now threatened them on both sides.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In this extremity young Erik, who stood by the side of the chancellor,
+with his sword in one hand and a javelin in the other, observed the
+duke near him, preparing to leap on board the blazing vessel. The sight
+of the duke enraged him. &quot;'Twas an unchivalrous piece of cunning, Duke
+Waldemar!&quot; he cried, at the same time dashing at him his javelin, which
+struck the feather of the duke's helmet, and carried away its jewel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this a shout of delight broke forth on board the king's ship, and,
+abandoning their efforts to extinguish the fire, the whole crew rushed
+forward, to repulse the duke's boarders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Be calm, brave countrymen!&quot; shouted Sir John. &quot;Let us first quench the
+fire, and then reckon with them for our house-warming!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Both fire and attack raged most fiercely at the prow, and the
+standard-bearer, forced to defend himself, had been obliged to fix the
+banner in a plank by his side, where it was soon caught by the flames,
+and fell hissing into the water. This incident, while it raised a wild
+shout of joy on board the duke's fleet, greatly disheartened the
+royalists, who regarded it as an unlucky omen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;My father's banner has fallen!&quot; exclaimed the young king, in a tone of
+melancholy; &quot;no good fortune attended it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That of your great ancestor was always victorious, my royal master!&quot;
+exclaimed the chancellor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But it, alas, lies in the duke's stronghold in Sleswick,&quot; sighed the
+king. &quot;The Lord, however, can still aid us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;His help is near when we call upon Him,&quot; replied the chancellor:
+&quot;therefore be comforted, sir king!--But see you yonder fisherman, and
+in what he is engaged?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While the king was gazing in the direction indicated by the chancellor,
+the duke saw with astonishment that the crews on board his vessels were
+slipping and reeling about like drunken men; and he now first perceived,
+running boldly to and fro among his fleet, a small fishing-boat, in which
+stood a tall man, in a black leathern mail, casting pots of soap on board
+the ships. On some of the vessels, too, fell pots of finely powdered lime,
+which blinded the fighting-men; while, to increase his dismay, some of
+the vessels began to fill and sink. In the midst of the terror and
+confusion thus occasioned, a daring black-haired swimmer was seen, with
+a large auger in his hand, diving here and there under the ships.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shoot the accursed fisherman! crash the swimmer's head!&quot; furiously
+cried the duke. &quot;Board--storm--all hands!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The boarding soon became general. No one could any longer stand on the
+slippery deck of the duke's ship; and as the fire had fortunately been
+extinguished in that of the king, there then commenced a hot and
+serious conflict, in which the combatants fought man to man, and in
+which many fell on both sides. Thorstenson, in whose long-ship the
+battle also raged furiously, fought heroically, many falling by his
+hand. Count Gerhard, too, reaped laurels. His ship lay opposite to that
+of Duke Erik of Langeland, Duke Waldemar's brother, and generally known
+as Duke Longlegs. By the side of his master, in the equipments of a
+squire, stood the old jester, who, when the duke appeared on the point
+of boarding them, exclaimed--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;See! there comes my illustrious namesake with the long legs! Hide your
+lady's veil, stern sir, that it may not be again torn!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard, in the spirit of chivalry and as a defiance to Duke
+Waldemar, had attached the queen's veil to his breastplate; but, that
+he might not now lose it in the fray, he took the advice of his jester,
+and placed it under his mail.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We shall not run now from hares or cats, stern sir,&quot; said the jester,
+while a roguish smile dispelled the gravity of his countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But this remark touched his good-natured master in the tenderest point,
+by reminding him of an unfortunate encounter with the Ditmarshers,
+wherein his troops were really first thrown into disorder by a hare or
+cat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now, by Satan! Longlegs, I shall strike thee dead!&quot; cried the count,
+as he furiously brandished his sword.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Spare your wrath for the proper Longlegs--see, here he is!&quot; replied
+the jester, as he stepped back, and pointed towards the forecastle,
+where Duke Erik came storming onwards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The fiend take all the Longlegs!&quot; shouted the count, as he rushed
+forward to the combat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The royal ship continued to be closely pressed upon from every side.
+Old Sir John had some trouble to protect the young king, who insisted
+on leaving the shieldburg to take part in the fray. The duke himself
+had struck down the standard-bearer, and, springing on board at the
+forecastle, he was now, backed by his bravest knights, fiercely engaged
+on the rowing-deck with the royal trabants. At every stroke he seemed
+to cut out for himself a path, by which he was advancing nearer to the
+king.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sir John had placed himself in the narrow passage that led from deck to
+deck, where with calm energy he defended the entrance to the poop,
+where stood the king, between the chancellor and Squire Aagé Jonsen, in
+front of the ecclesiastics. A vigorous stroke from the duke at length
+reached Sir John's helmet, which fell cloven from his gray head, while
+the old man himself sank bleeding between the rowing-benches.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this sight the king sprang forward. &quot;By all holy men!&quot; he exclaimed,
+&quot;that stroke you shall atone for with your blood, most treacherous
+duke!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He became furious, and, shaking off all restraints, rushed forward, and
+had slightly wounded the duke, when, in his eagerness, he stumbled over
+a bench. The trabants, who had each an opponent to encounter, did not
+observe the imminent danger of the king; but his squire, Aagé Jonsen,
+darting forward, now closed with the duke, while Chancellor Martinus
+placed himself, with his mass-book in his hand, between young Erik and
+the combatants. Soon, however, the youthful monarch stood again
+prepared for battle, but the chancellor restrained him. Squire Aagé,
+unable to cope with the duke as a swordsman, and bleeding from many
+wounds, was already beginning to give way, when the chancellor, who had
+raised his hands and eyes towards heaven in supplication, suddenly
+exclaimed--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Behold, behold! Danebrog, Danebrog! The Lord sends us victory--<i>hoc
+signo victoria!</i>&quot;<a name="div2Ref_46" href="#div2_46"><sup>[46]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">The joyful shout of &quot;Danebrog! Danebrog!&quot; was now raised by the
+royalists; and the duke, on looking up, perceived before him, on a
+rowing-bench, the well-known Danebrog flag, in the hands of a tall
+knight, clad in steel blue harness, and with open visor. It was Drost
+Peter, in whom, with mingled rage and fear, the duke recognised the
+blue knight of the tourney, and saw the well-known lion-hilted dagger
+gleaming in his uplifted right hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ha! thou--my deadly foe!&quot; he cried, rushing madly towards him; but his
+vision forsook him, and he heard but the clash against his breastplate
+of the dagger, which, glancing aside, remained deep in his left
+shoulder. Uttering a cry of terror, he let fall his sword, and reeled
+backwards.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Fly, fly! God has doomed us!&quot; he cried, wildly, as, with a desperate
+leap, he regained his own ship.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His knights followed him, and, perceiving the battle was lost, quickly
+hoisted sail and took to flight, leaving the victory in the hands of
+the royalists.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sudden appearance of the Danebrog seemed to have rendered every man
+of the king's soldiers invincible. From Thorstenson's ship arose a loud
+shout of victory; and Count Gerhard had also so entirely cleared his
+decks, that the severely wounded Duke Erik, finding himself nearly
+alone, sprang overboard, and saved his life by swimming to his
+brother's vessel. The royal ships were filled with slain or captured
+foemen; whilst of the duke's fleet, which was altogether broken up, a
+number of vessels were sunk, and others captured--the duke himself
+escaping with great difficulty and danger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Sir John, whose wound had been bound up, now received, with
+feelings of pleasure, the thanks of the king for the brave defence he
+had made. His wound was not dangerous; although the heavy blow had
+stunned him, and he felt with regret that he could no longer wield his
+sword as in his youthful days. From the poop, and over the heads of the
+king and the aged knight, waved the sacred Dannebrog banner, which had
+been entrusted to the custody of the trabants by Drost Peter, whilst he
+hastened to aid Thorstenson in completing the victory. In the tumult of
+battle, only a few had recognised him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Almighty be praised!&quot; cried the chancellor, kneeling, and raising
+his folded hands towards heaven, as, with a loud voice, he began to
+chaunt the <i>Te Deum laudamus</i>, in which the ecclesiastics joined, and
+during which the king and Sir John, with all else on board, continued
+reverently kneeling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely was the solemn hymn of victory ended, before the chivalrous
+Drost Peter and Thorstenson were observed in a fishing-boat, hastening
+towards the king's ship, accompanied by old Henner Friser and Skirmen.
+The drost sprang on board, and congratulated the king on his victory,
+whilst, with a loud exclamation of delight, the young victor rushed
+into his arms.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thou it was--thou it was!&quot; cried young Erik--&quot;thou broughtest me
+victory with my ancestor's banner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter bowed his head, and raised his hand solemnly towards
+heaven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yea, the Lord be praised! for from Him alone comes victory!&quot; exclaimed
+the king, with emotion, whilst he again embraced his faithful friend.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was greatly exhausted by his hurried journey. He had been
+fearful of arriving too late for the battle, and had also suffered
+much, after his escape from prison, in his exertions to obtain
+possession of the important banner, whose singular influence on the
+people, ever since the days of Waldemar Seier, was well known; it being
+their pious belief that, with this their national standard, and with
+confidence in God, they were sure to conquer. Its effect on Duke
+Waldemar had also been of vital importance. His right arm was paralysed
+from the moment when Drost Peter returned him the traitor-dagger,
+stained with the heart's-blood of King Erik Christopherson, and it was
+now with reason hoped that he would never more raise it against the
+crown of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter's unexpected arrival produced great joy on board the king's
+ship. All crowded around him, while he briefly related how old Henner,
+with Aasé and Skirmen, had contrived to procure his escape from
+Nordborg Castle, and assisted him in obtaining possession of the
+national standard. He then presented to the king the faithful old
+Henner and the active squire, both of whom had contributed to the
+victory--the latter by boring the holes in the enemy's vessels; while
+the idea of the soap and lime, which the king considered more novel
+than chivalrous, belonged altogether to Henner, who had pretended to
+the drost that he had a design of trading in these articles.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Kneel!&quot; said the young king, turning to Skirmen: &quot;I shall dub thee a
+knight, for thou hast merited the honour, and I exempt thee from the
+usual proofs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With tears of joy in his dark eyes, and an exclamation of gratitude,
+the brave squire knelt and received the stroke of knighthood in the
+name of God and the Holy Virgin.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The king then beckoned to Aagé Jonsen, whose numerous yet not dangerous
+wounds had, meanwhile, been bound up. &quot;Thou, too,&quot; said the king--&quot;thou
+hast defended my life today like a hero, as thou didst at Tornborg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aagé knelt in silence, and arose a knight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I desire not knighthood on account of the soap-pots, sir king,&quot; said
+old Henner; &quot;but, by my troth, the soap was capital--and the carls
+required it much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If thou canst not be a knight, ingenious old man,&quot; replied the king,
+&quot;thou canst be a steersman, and such from this day thou art.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Henner was greatly affected: he spoke not a word, but bent his
+knee, and kissed the hand of the young king, who, however, hastily
+withdrew it, for a tear which had fallen from the old warrior's eyes
+had scalded him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the midst of the general joy, Count Gerhard had come on board, when,
+after having heartily embraced Drost Peter, both he and Thorstenson
+received the thanks and commendations of the king, who now heard in
+detail how matters had fared in the count's ship, and how Duke Longlegs
+had sprung overboard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Take the fleetest boat, Count Gerhard,&quot; said the king, extending his
+hand to him, &quot;and proceed to Helsingborg, where my mother, the queen,
+is expecting tidings of us. Carry her the account of our victory, and I
+promise you that you shall then obtain what you have so long and so
+ardently desired.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On hearing these words, the brave count could no longer constrain
+himself. He embraced the king, Drost Peter, old Henner, the jester,
+and, in fact, every one around him, and with difficulty refrained from
+taking the young king in his sturdy arms, and dancing with him on the
+poop.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shame befall me,&quot; he cried, &quot;if there shall not be a dance at
+Helsingborg, in which I'll share.&quot; And in an instant he stood in
+Henner's fishing-boat. &quot;Sir Steersman Henner,&quot; he exclaimed, &quot;you shall
+take me to Helsingborg. Nobody steers a boat like you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Right willingly,&quot; cried Henner, following him into the boat. &quot;I
+promised you good luck, and you see I have kept my word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The boat was already leaving the king's ship, when one long leg,
+followed by another, came sprawling over the gunwale: the long-shanked
+jester would follow his happy master.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The rumour that the great sea-fight was expected to take place in
+Grönsund, had reached Helsingborg the same day on which it was fought.
+On that evening Queen Agnes, in great anxiety, sat in her closet, and
+every other moment quitted her seat to gaze out over the Sound. That
+the young king was with the fleet she knew; and that her devoted knight
+and suitor, Count Gerhard, who had gone to his aid, would dare the
+utmost, she felt certain. On leaving Kiel to join the fleet, he had
+sent to her a formal declaration of his love; and her affectionate
+answer to his letter now lay on the table before her, ready to be
+forwarded to him on the following day. She had despatched three fleet
+skiffs, one after the other, to bring her intelligence from Grönsund;
+but they had encountered a storm in the Sound, and were now all three
+beating about off Dragoe, when Count Gerhard, in Henner's little
+fishing-boat, passed them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The cross shield us--they will perish!&quot; cried the seamen from
+Helsingborg, when, by the moonlight, they perceived the little
+fishing-yawl driven by, and every instant threatened with destruction
+by the surging billows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The queen was ignorant of this her lover's danger; but the violence of
+the storm augmented her apprehensions concerning the battle. To conceal
+her anxiety, she had directed her ladies to retire, and, in her present
+loneliness, she felt as if her own and Denmark's fate depended on the
+message she that night expected. All the gloomy images of her chequered
+life seemed united in one single event, which threatened entirely to
+crush her heart, and banish that bright hope in which she had found a
+recompense for all her losses, and a comfort for all her misfortunes.
+If the battle were lost, and the young king slain, then would there be
+an end of Denmark's freedom and of her own maternal joy; and, if the
+trusty Count Gerhard had fallen, then was her letter to him, which now
+lay before her, but a mournful testimony of the great and true
+happiness she had lost.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The night passed on: the wax-lights flickered on the table, and the
+storm howled in the chimney, but the queen still sat, sorrowfully
+contemplating her letter to Count Gerhard, in the seal of which she was
+represented as kneeling in a church before a virgin and child, with a
+winged cherub holding a crown above her head.<a name="div2Ref_47" href="#div2_47"><sup>[47]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Take the crown, Lord, and guard it,&quot; she sighed, &quot;but let not the
+angel fly away. Leave him to watch over me, and over him who is dearer
+to me than all the crowns in the world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She had drawn forth her diary, in which the dearest of all her heart's
+confessions was not yet expressly inscribed, although in the latter
+portions of it Count Gerhard was mentioned oftener than herself,
+especially from the time when she had presented him with her veil, and
+chosen him her knight and protector.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The image of her faithful knight had subdued every anxious thought in
+the heart of the fair queen, when suddenly there arose an unusual noise
+from the gardens beneath her window. She approached the balcony, and,
+by the moonlight, perceived a crowd of people on the quay, where the
+pilots were engaged in dragging a small boat through the surf; and
+in the next moment she heard the shout of &quot;Victory, victory! The
+count--the one-eyed count!&quot; She uttered an exclamation of thanksgiving,
+and, overcome with joy, tottered to a seat in her inmost apartment.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after, the palace resounded with the joyful tidings of victory;
+and, within an hour, the queen, surrounded by her entire court, stood
+in the brilliantly illuminated audience-chamber, where the fortunate
+bearer of the intelligence knelt, and laid at her feet his sword and
+the banner of the vanquished enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst the whole palace shone with light, and re-echoed with sounds of
+mirth and festivity, Count Gerhard learned from the queen's own lips
+what was contained in the letter with the red seal on her table, and
+his happiness was complete.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">The joy created by this victory was soon after increased by the
+tidings, that the fortress of Hunehal, in Halland, had been stormed by
+the royalists, and the proud Count Jacob taken prisoner. The victory
+itself was followed by important results; for the Norwegian king, who,
+with his fleet, had arrived too late, abandoned altogether his
+expedition against Denmark; and shortly after a friendly meeting
+between the two monarchs took place at Hindsgavl, where a truce was
+concluded preliminary to a treaty of peace, which in its conditions
+should be equally honourable to both kingdoms. Duke Waldemar, too,
+through his ambassadors, had proposed terms which could be accepted;
+and, after the convention of Hindsgavl, no further measures were taken
+against the outlaws, who, however, were strictly forbidden ever to show
+themselves in the presence of the King of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On a fine clear day in autumn great festivities and rejoicings were
+held at Helsingborg Castle. It was the bridal day of the fair Queen
+Agnes and Count Gerhard, whose sister, the dowager Queen Hedvig of
+Sweden, together with the entire Danish and Swedish courts, were
+present. The rejoicings, which were intended to celebrate at once a
+victory, a peace, and a marriage, were attended with a tournament, in
+the tilting of which, however, Count Gerhard took no part. He sat in
+the royal balcony, by the side of Queen Agnes; and although he seemed
+in some constraint in his fine bridal suit, yet the joy that sparkled
+in his honest eye showed him to be supremely happy; whilst, from the
+noble features of his majestic regal bride, beamed an expression of
+unsurpassed sweetness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Next to her, and as Denmark's future queen, the little Princess
+Ingeborg was the object of universal admiration and knightly homage.
+During the tourney she sat, well pleased and happy, by the side of the
+young, chivalrous King Erik, where they conversed together with all the
+tenderness of brother and sister. Sir John had to dash away a tear of
+joy from his aged eyes when he looked upon this youthful pair, who,
+with innocent childish glee, were playing only, as it were, at
+bridegroom and bride, unconscious of any other affection than that
+which they felt, with mutual ardour, for the land and people over whom
+they were destined to rule.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With similar feelings the Swedish knights and nobles regarded the young
+King Berger and the little Danish Princess Mereté, who, also, as
+parties affianced, sat side by side, witnessing the tournament.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On this occasion, the prize was won by Drost Peter Hessel, who, bowing
+profoundly, received it from the hand of the fair Queen Agnes, whilst,
+as his eyes glanced over the brilliant ranks of dames, they rested with
+a look of intense affection on the tall lady who occupied the chief
+seat among the damsels of the Princess Ingeborg. It was Jomfru Ingé
+Little, whom he had not seen since they parted in Kolding Fiord. Her
+father, he was aware, still lay a prisoner in Kallundborg Castle, it
+being only in tenderness to the feelings of Sir John that the king had
+so long deferred his sentence, because his treason was manifest,
+although his participation in the late king's murder yet wanted proof.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jomfru Ingé had been absent from the tournament until that moment, and
+Drost Peter had inquired for her in vain. Great was his joy, therefore,
+on now beholding her; but it soon changed to anxious grief, when he
+perceived the impress of a deep sorrow on her beautiful countenance;
+while her look, cast on the ground, seemed studiously averted from his.
+He hastily left the lists, and retired, to indulge his melancholy, near
+the Sound, whilst the royal parties and their respective attendants
+re-entered the riddersal, where the nuptials were farther to be
+celebrated with a ball and sumptuous banquet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter stood long by the Sound, gazing steadfastly in the
+direction of Flynderborg. The days of his childhood came before him,
+and his thoughts reverted to the time when, as a knight and drost, he
+had again seen his childhood's bride, and heard her sing with animation
+of--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;The king who ruled the castle,<br>
+And eke ruled all the land.&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">The dangerous position in which his king and country had been placed
+allowed him of late but little time to think of his own heart's
+affairs; but now the sorrowful image of Jomfru Ingé had awakened in his
+soul a powerful desire to achieve her happiness, and partake it with
+her. That she should feel grief for her father and his uncertain fate,
+was but natural; but why she should now seek to avoid her true and
+attached knight, and even to deny him a kindly look, he could not
+comprehend. The thought that she might have forgotten him for a more
+fortunate suitor, for an instant only, like a threatening demon,
+crossed his mind, but did not reach his heart. He remembered how he had
+regarded, as a messenger of love from her, every friendly bird that
+twittered outside the gratings of his prison; and, shaking his head,
+with a melancholy smile he repeated the beautiful verses of the old
+ballad:--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;A bird so small from the white strand flew,<br>
+And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,<br>
+And he sang, O where is my own true bride?&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;God strengthen and cheer you, my dear sir drost!&quot; exclaimed the kindly
+voice of young Sir Aagé Jonsen, interrupting his reverie. &quot;I have been
+looking for you,&quot; he continued, &quot;for I know you are not happy; and yet
+this is a day of rejoicing such as has hardly ever been seen in
+Denmark. The noble Queen Agnes is now happy, and our young king dances
+blithely with his affianced bride. There is no longer a traitor in the
+country, and Denmark's throne again stands firm. We have peace and
+happy times in prospect, sir drost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;For which I thank Him who has succoured us,&quot; replied Drost Peter. &quot;His
+hand has wonderfully averted the danger, and blessed the crown of the
+Waldemars on the head of our youthful king. I, too, ought to be happy
+today; but, my dear Aagé, there are sorrows of which thou knowest not
+yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have, nevertheless, already known great ones,&quot; replied his grave
+pupil; &quot;and I guess that which now oppresses you--the noble Jomfru
+Ingé--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;She, alas, is unhappy, Aagé, and will not be consoled while her father
+lies in Kallundborg.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Our young king is all too stern, in rejecting every petition on his
+behalf,&quot; sighed Aagé. &quot;I have, however, heard a rumour, dear sir
+drost--whether well or ill founded, I know not--which yet may prove
+worthy of your investigation. It is said that Sir Lavé Little has
+promised his daughter's hand to the knight who procures his pardon from
+the king; and that you, knowing this, either cannot or will not fulfil
+the conditions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Drost Peter was startled. &quot;He barters, then, his daughter's happiness
+for his own freedom,&quot; he exclaimed, in a tone of contempt. &quot;At that I
+am not astonished. But what says Ingé? Will she submit to be a
+sacrifice for her father's sins?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Know you not that she has so resolved?&quot; asked Aagé anxiously; &quot;and are
+you not aware that the rich Sir Thord, from Kongshelle, is here, with
+four ships laden with treasure, which he intends offering to the king
+as the ransom of Sir Lavé Little? I myself saw him but now in the
+riddersal, where he was waiting until the king left the dance, to
+confer alone with him in his closet, and--&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Just Heaven!&quot; exclaimed Drost Peter, &quot;this shall not be! I will myself
+entreat him for Sir Lavé's freedom: he cannot--he must not refuse me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hasten, then, sir drost. Sir Thord is perhaps already with the king.
+Alas, I thought you knew of this, but would or could not--Haste,
+haste!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Pale and agitated, the drost hurried to the riddersal, where his eye
+ran through the rows of dancers. The triumphant Count Gerhard, with
+his fair and majestic bride--the young King Berger, with Princess
+Mereté--and Skirmen, in his new knight's suit, with the lively Aasé
+Hennersdaughter, tripped gaily down the hall; while, among the ladies
+of the Princess Ingeborg, he quickly descried Jomfru Ingé, who sat,
+pale and motionless, gazing with a calm, fixed look on all before her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The drost perceived not the king, and his eyes began to swim; but,
+accosting a bustling chamberlain, he asked him, falteringly--&quot;Where is
+the king?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In his closet,&quot; was the answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With whom?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Sir Thord, from Kongshelle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He turned, and darted from the riddersal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Count Gerhard and King Berger led their ladies from the dance, as King
+Erik re-entered gravely, accompanied by Drost Peter, the expression of
+whose features indicated the greatest anxiety. The king advanced to the
+Princess Ingeborg, who was seated by his mother's side, and, at his
+signal, the dancing ceased, the music was hushed, and the attention of
+all forcibly arrested.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Noble Princess Ingeborg,&quot; said the young king, aloud and solemnly,
+&quot;inform Drost Peter Hessel that King Erik of Denmark can never forget
+what he promised his dead father; but that Denmark's future queen gives
+him the right to declare Sir Lavé Little's pardon and freedom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thanks, thanks, Erik!&quot; exclaimed the little princess, springing up
+joyfully: &quot;thou hast kept thy word, and enabled me to make my dear Ingé
+happy.&quot; Then, turning to Drost Peter, she repeated to him the king's
+words, and led the astonished Ingé into his arms.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Great was the joy of the faithful pair, in which all present seemed to
+participate. At a signal from the king, the music again commenced; and,
+when the damsels began to sing--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;On Rypen streets the dance goes light--</p>
+<p class="t1">The castle it is won!</p>
+<p class="t0">There dance the knights so gaily dight--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">the hearts of Drost Peter and Jomfru Ingé glowed with that same warm
+feeling of love for king and fatherland which first knit their souls
+together. They joined the giddy maze; and, whilst the damsels entwined
+the king and the dancers with a single long garland of flowers, Jomfru
+Ingé, in her true knight's arms, sang with animation--</p>
+
+<div class="poem1">
+<p class="t0">&quot;So boldly dance we thus, I ween,</p>
+<p class="t0">With true hearts under scarlet sheen--</p>
+<p class="t1">The kingdom it is won!</p>
+
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0">&quot;Never saw I a rosy dance<br>
+So gaily trode, and eyes so glance--</p>
+<p class="t1">For Erik the king so young!&quot;</p>
+</div>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>THE END OF KING ERIK MENVED.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>APPENDIX.</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SWORD TIRFING.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The account of Hervor, the bold skioldmö, and of the sword Tirfing,
+mentioned at page 270, is to be found in the <i>Harvarar Saga</i>, or the
+story of Hervor. It was the translator's intention to have given this
+saga entire, to serve at once as a specimen of the character of the
+ancient literature of Scandinavia, and as a picture of the mind and
+manners of an extremely remote and barbarous age. Doubting, however,
+whether the saga, in all its integrity, would possess any great
+interest to the present matter-of-fact age, he has limited himself to
+such an abstract of it as will give a tolerable idea of its nature and
+contents.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In its present form, the saga is supposed to have been compiled in the
+thirteenth century, though parts of it may date as high as the tenth.
+Many of the persons mentioned are entirely fabulous, and several of the
+places have no existence. The only gleam of historical truth it
+contains, is probably in that portion which relates the battle of
+Angantyr and his brothers, on Samsoe, against Hialmar and Oddur, a
+similar account being given by Saxo of the twelve sons of Arngrim the
+Berserk. But to enter upon any critical investigation of this nature,
+would be obviously out of place on the present occasion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The style of the original is rude and homely, and has evidently been
+cast in heathen mould. The quality most admired is courage; the
+greatest baseness, cowardice. The man of strength, courage, and
+sagacity is ever lord of the ascendant--chief of a band of vikings, or
+king of kingdoms--always a leader. In this and other sagas, we always
+find much romance and much heroism; but it must be acknowledged that
+both the romance and the heroism wear the cold hues of paganism, and
+want those warm tones of colour which render the old Christendom tales
+of chivalry so attractive.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">The Turks and Asiatics came from the east, and occupied the north
+country. Their leader's name was Odin, who had many mighty sons. One of
+them, Sigurlami, possessed Gardarike (Russia), and fell in battle with
+the giant Thiasse. His son and successor, Swafurlami, once, while
+hunting, met with two dwarfs, whom he threatened to kill unless they
+made him a sword of the finest qualities. They brought him Tirfing, but
+informed him that it would kill its man every time it was drawn, that
+it would be the instrument of three of the most dastardly actions, and
+that it would, also, be his own bane.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With the aid of Tirfing, Swafurlami revenged his father's death on
+Thiasse, but was slain with his own sword by Arngrim the Berserk. This
+Arngrim was step-son to the giant Starkother, who had eight arms, and
+who was killed by Thor, for having abducted Arngrim's mother from her
+husband during his temporary absence. Tirfing now became the property
+of Arngrim, who bequeathed it to Angantyr, the eldest of his twelve
+warlike sons. Hiorvard, one of the brothers, made love to Ingeborg, the
+daughter of Ingé, King of Sweden; but his rival, Hialmar the Brave,
+challenged him to a holmgang<a name="div2Ref_48" href="#div2_48"><sup>[48]</sup></a> on Samsoe. After Angantyr had wedded
+Jarl Biartmar's daughter, he sailed with his brothers to the place
+appointed. There, when the berserk phrensy came over them, they
+killed all Hialmar's men; but afterwards, when the latter and his
+foster-brother Oddur met them at the holmgang, they were all killed,
+after giving Hialmar a mortal wound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Tirfing was now deposited in Angantyr's cairn or barrow. After his
+death, his widow gave birth to a daughter, who was called Hervor. From
+her childhood she proved herself of a belligerent and bloodthirsty
+temper; and having heard of her father's cairn on Samsoe, she
+dressed herself in man's clothes, and sallied forth in the company of
+vikings (pirates). One night she went alone to the cairns, where the
+country-people never ventured for fear of spectres, awoke with
+incantations<a name="div2Ref_49" href="#div2_49"><sup>[49]</sup></a> her father's ghost, and conjured him to give her
+Tirfing; which she obtained, but accompanied with the prediction that
+it would be the bane of her race. Under the name of Herward, she now
+visited King Godmund of Jotunheim (the giants' country), and assisted
+the king to play at chess; but when one of his courtiers took Tirfing
+in his hand to admire it, she killed him with it, left the king's
+court, and, after spending some years as a viking, returned at length
+to her foster-father's castle. There she busied herself in womanly
+occupations, and was so beautiful that her fame extended to the court
+of King Godmund, whose son, the famous Haufud, wooed her and became her
+husband.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Hervor had two sons, Angantyr, who resembled his father, and Heidrek,
+who did every one evil. On one occasion their father gave an
+entertainment, to which he did not invite Heidrek, who was brought up
+from home, with an old warrior, and, in consequence, he came to the
+king's court to spoil the mirth of the company. When he had succeeded
+in provoking a quarrel between two of the guests, until one killed the
+other, he laughed, and said, that the feast was never better than when
+the red liquor ran on the tablecloth. The upright Haufud ordered that
+he should be banished from the country, but gave him eight good
+counsels:--never to aid him who had defrauded his master; never to
+trust him who had defrauded his friend; never to let his wife visit her
+kin often, however much she might entreat him; never to tarry late with
+his mistress, nor to entrust her with his secrets; never to ride his
+best horse when he would make speed; never to bring up the child of a
+greater man, nor be ready to accept of his invitations; and never to
+have many thralls along with him as prisoners of war. If he gave heed
+to these instructions, he would be happy. Hervor gave him the sword
+Tirfing, to which his brother added a purse of gold, and accompanied
+him part of his way. Heidrek was most pleased with the sword; but when
+he drew it from its sheath to look at it, the berserk phrensy came upon
+him, and he slew Angantyr.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Heidrek repented the evil he had done, and lived for a space of time in
+the woods; but still wishing to be celebrated like his race, he
+repaired to the coast, where, in defiance of his father's advice, he
+first redeemed one who had defrauded his master, and then one who had
+murdered his friend. Thereupon he became the chief of a crew of
+vikings, was victorious, and soon became greatly renowned. By his
+bravery he set free Harald, King of Ridgothland, and received his
+daughter Helge in marriage, with half his kingdom. In a year of
+scarcity, the wise men declared that the noblest child in the land must
+be offered in sacrifice. Heidrek promised to give his son, on condition
+that every man in the country should swear obedience to him; but,
+raising a great army, he captured King Harek, and sacrificed him and
+his men to Odin. This was the second base deed he had performed with
+the aid of Tirfing. Helge hanged herself in the hall of the Disar
+(goddesses). In a victorious expedition south to Hunaland (the country
+of the Huns), Heidrek took captive King Humle's daughter, Sifka; but
+after she had been for some time his mistress, he sent her home to her
+father, and she gave birth to a son, who was called Hlöd.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Some time after, Heidrek married the beautiful Olofa, daughter of Ake,
+King of Saxland. Being absent on a voyage, he permitted her to go home
+to visit her parents; but when, one evening, he wished to take her by
+surprise there, he found her in the arms of a flaxen-haired thrall.
+Heidrek contented himself with declaring the matter before a Ting,
+drove the thrall out of the country, and retained his wife's rich
+dowry. Thereafter he offered to bring up the son of King Hrollaug of
+Gardarike (Russia), and some time afterwards accepted his invitation to
+a sumptuous banquet. One day, when hunting with his foster-son, he
+begged the latter to hide himself, and thereupon returned, late in the
+evening, to his mistress Sifka, and confided to her that he had killed
+his foster-son. Sifka could not keep the secret, and Hrollaug caused
+Heidrek to be bound, along with the two niddings whom he had formerly
+redeemed. But Heidrek was set at liberty by his own people, whom he had
+placed in ambush; and after much bloodshed, Hrollaug at length learned
+that his son was safe and sound with Heidrek, and was reconciled to
+him, and gave him his daughter to wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Heidrek now ceased to make war, gave good laws, and was the best of
+chiefs. Twelve wise men were appointed to judge all important disputes,
+and to guard the hog of Freyr (the god of the sun), the divinity to
+whom, in particular, he sacrificed. Every one who offended against him
+was either to be judged by the twelve, or to propose to him a riddle
+that he could not solve. A herse (ruler of a province), named Gest of
+Ridgothland (probably Smaland), who had highly offended against
+Heidrek, was terrified at both ordeals, and implored Odin to aid him.
+Odin showed himself before him, and proposed to go to the king in his
+stead. Odin proposed many riddles, having relation to natural objects,
+all of which Heidrek guessed; but when at last he asked him--&quot;What said
+Odin in Balder's ear before he was laid on the pile?&quot; Heidrek knew that
+it was Odin himself, and, having rebuked him, would have cut him down
+with his sword Tirfing, had not Odin transformed himself into a falcon,
+and flown away so swiftly that he only lost his train; which is the
+reason that the falcon ever since has worn so short a tail. In his
+flight Odin informed him, that, as a punishment for having broken his
+compact, he should be slain by his meanest thrall. Shortly after, when
+he had ridden out on his best horse, he was murdered in his sleep by
+some Scottish thralls.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His eldest son, Angautyr, avenged his death, and recovered Tirfing; but
+when his step-brother Hlöd demanded half of his inheritance, a hard
+battle was fought between the two brothers. On Dunhede Mark many
+thousands contended against each other; the valley was filled with dead
+bodies, and the wounded were drowned in the streams of blood that
+flowed. Hlöd and all his Huns fell, and Angautyr long continued King of
+Ridgothland.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The remainder of the saga is occupied with a variety of narratives, of
+comparatively little interest. What ultimately became of the fatal
+sword Tirfing is not mentioned; and we are left to infer, that,
+according to the prediction, it caused the extinction of the entire
+race of Hervor.</p>
+
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="normal">Many are the wonderful tales of swords in these old northern romances.
+They were generally manufactured by the <i>dveryar</i>, or dwarfs, who were
+celebrated for their skill as smiths and jewellers. The sword sometimes
+owed its excellence as much to magic as to the temper and finish it had
+acquired at the hands of the workman. On Tirfing, certain runes or
+magic characters were engraved--a custom which was observed in the
+manufacture of swords for many ages. The sword of the celebrated
+Gustavus Adolphus was covered with a number of hieroglyphs and
+astrological characters, which have been the theme of many learned
+dissertations. The story of the sword Mimung, made by Velint (the
+prototype of Wieland the blacksmith), is a fair specimen of this class
+of marvels.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Wada, who lived in Sealand, had a son called Velint, one of the most
+excellent smiths that ever lived. His father, hearing of the great
+skill of the smith Mimer, in Hunaland, sent him thither in his ninth
+year, where he learnt the trade at the same time with the celebrated
+Sigurd (Siegfried). Afterwards he prosecuted his study with the dwarfs
+in a mountain, and there attained the perfection of his art. His father
+was killed by the fall of a rock, occasioned by an earthquake, which
+his tremendous snoring produced. Velint proceeded to the court of
+Nidung, King of Waringia, living in Jutland, at whose court he was
+challenged by the smith Amilias to a trial of his skill. The latter
+fabricated a suit of armour. Velint, in seven days, forged the sword
+Mimung, with which, in the king's presence, he cut asunder a thread of
+wool, floating on the water. But finding the faulchion heavy and
+unwieldy, he sawed it in pieces, and, in a mixture of milk and meal,
+forged it in a red-hot fire for three days, and, at the end of
+thirteen, produced another sword, which cut through a whole ball of
+wool floating on the water. Still he was not satisfied with its
+excellence, but committed it again to the flames, and, after several
+weeks, having separated every particle of dross from the metal,
+fabricated a faulchion of such exquisite perfection, that it split in
+two a whole bundle of wool, floating on the water. The smith Amilias,
+trusting to the impenetrability of his breastplate and helmet, sat down
+upon a bench, and bade his rival strike at him with the sword. But
+Velint split him to the navel; and, when he complained that he felt as
+if cold iron had passed through his entrails, Velint desired him to
+shake himself a little, upon which his body fell to the ground in two
+pieces.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<hr class="W20">
+<h5>BRUCE AND WYLD PRINTERS, 84, FARRINGDON STREET, LONDON.</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+<br>
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_01" href="#div2Ref_01">Footnote 1</a>: Erik, Abel, and Christopher I.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_02" href="#div2Ref_02">Footnote 2</a>: &quot;Thing&quot; (pronounced &quot;Ting&quot;), a court of justice: also, the
+name of the ancient Scandinavian parliaments, or assemblies of the
+states of the realm, at which, generally, all the freemen of the nation
+had a right to attend. They were usually held in the open air. The
+&quot;Danehof,&quot; or Dane-court, mentioned farther on, was a similar
+institution, at which were present the king and his nobles, the
+principal clergy, burghers, and peasants.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_03" href="#div2Ref_03">Footnote 3</a>: The &quot;marsk&quot; anciently filled an office similar to that of
+the modern marshal, or field-marshal.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_04" href="#div2Ref_04">Footnote 4</a>: A &quot;drost&quot; filled the office of prime-minister to the king.
+He was often required, not only to take a leading part in the councils
+of his sovereign, but to conduct warlike operations in a campaign. A
+prince of the blood might also have his drost, who attended him in the
+capacity of aide-de-camp. The king's drost superseded the marsk, when
+present with the army.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_05" href="#div2Ref_05">Footnote 5</a>: &quot;Et Sondagsbarn.&quot; A superstition exists in Sweden and
+Denmark, that a child should not be baptised on the same day it is
+born. Hence it is believed that a child born and baptised on a Sunday
+will not live long; or, should it happen to live, that trolds and
+witches can have no power over it. A Sunday's child may, it is said, be
+known by its clear skin and complexion.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_06" href="#div2Ref_06">Footnote 6</a>: A small Norwegian horse--a kind of pony.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_07" href="#div2Ref_07">Footnote 7</a>: Ale brewed of the herb called sweet gale, or Dutch myrtle,
+instead of hops.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_08" href="#div2Ref_08">Footnote 8</a>: A proverbial expression, said of one who conceives and
+carries out an odd or whimsical idea.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_09" href="#div2Ref_09">Footnote 9</a>: A garter--a punning nickname generally given to Drost
+Peter.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_10" href="#div2Ref_10">Footnote 10</a>: Such was the name given to the municipal law promulgated
+by King Erik Glipping, in 1269, for the government of Ribe, or Rypen,
+in Denmark, It contains many judicious and some singular enactments,
+for the discovery and punishment of offenders against the peace and
+morals of the community. The penalties it attaches to some crimes might
+well give rise to coarse remarks among the discontented nobles.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_11" href="#div2Ref_11">Footnote 11</a>: &quot;Nidding.&quot; A term of contempt, for which we have no
+equivalent in English. It expresses more than the word coward. In some
+parts of Scotland and of the north of England, a low, mean-spirited
+fellow is termed a &quot;niddy,&quot; probably from this Scandinavian
+original.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_12" href="#div2Ref_12">Footnote 12</a>: In allusion to an acute and learned work of Master
+Martin's.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_13" href="#div2Ref_13">Footnote 13</a>: Junker, pronounced &quot;Yungker.&quot; A name formerly given to
+the sons of the king of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_14" href="#div2Ref_14">Footnote 14</a>: A kind of heroic ballad, or metrical romance, similar to
+&quot;Chevy Chase,&quot; or &quot;Sir James the Rose,&quot; great numbers of which are
+still extant in Scandinavia.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_15" href="#div2Ref_15">Footnote 15</a>: Thus were called those celebrated sea-rovers and pirates,
+the Norwegian and Danish sea-kings;--the terror of the European
+nations, during the middle ages, for their daring exploits both by sea
+and land.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_16" href="#div2Ref_16">Footnote 16</a>: The name of a powerful Swedish family, from which Magnus
+himself was descended.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_17" href="#div2Ref_17">Footnote 17</a>: Skiold is fabled to have been the first king of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_18" href="#div2Ref_18">Footnote 18</a>: The Berserks are celebrated in Scandinavian history and
+romance for their great strength, courage, and daring. They often
+fought naked (hence, probably, their appellation--&quot;bare-shirts&quot;); and
+stimulated their courage to a degree of phrensy or madness by the use
+of strong liquors, or by chewing some herb, in which state they would
+rush against naked swords, dash against rocks, and oppose themselves to
+any odds of antagonists. They were the bullies and bravos of their age,
+and in this capacity were often retained in the service of great men,
+proving at times, however, rather intractable followers, and not always
+to be relied upon.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_19" href="#div2Ref_19">Footnote 19</a>: Thorstenson here intends a pun; and Flynderborg has, for
+the nonce, to be converted into its English equivalent, &quot;Flounder
+Castle,&quot;--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_20" href="#div2Ref_20">Footnote 20</a>: Helsingborg, a fortress on the Swedish coast, at this
+time belonged to the Danes.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_21" href="#div2Ref_21">Footnote 21</a>: There were three courts of judicature in Denmark. The
+&quot;Herred-Ting&quot; was a local court, held weekly, for civil and criminal
+causes. This court was held, or built, in an open field, outside the
+towns and villages, to be at a distance from taverns and ale-houses,
+and strong drink was strictly forbidden to be brought into court. From
+this court there was an appeal to the &quot;Land-Ting&quot;--a provincial court,
+held monthly, in the principal cities of the kingdom. The highest court
+of appeal was the &quot;Retter-Ting,&quot; or royal court, where the king himself
+often presided. It was usually opened about the middle of March, by the
+king in person, attended by the various estates of the kingdom, and
+continued its sittings almost daily, until about Christmas. The decrees
+of the &quot;Retter-Ting&quot; were final. Each of these courts had its judges,
+secretaries, and assessors, for the trial of causes, and the
+administration of justice.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_22" href="#div2Ref_22">Footnote 22</a>: The snowdrop is, in Denmark, called &quot;sommergiĉk&quot;--a
+summer &quot;geek,&quot; or fool.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_23" href="#div2Ref_23">Footnote 23</a>: &quot;Jomfru,&quot; the title of unmarried ladies in Denmark.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_24" href="#div2Ref_24">Footnote 24</a>: It is related in the &quot;Heimskringla,&quot; that Harald Hardrada
+(the Stern), king of Norway, in one of his plundering expeditions to
+the coast of Jutland, heard that the daughters of Thorkill Geysu had,
+the previous winter, in mockery, cut their cheeses into the shape of
+anchors, and had boasted that with these anchors they might hold all
+the ships of the Norwegian king. A spy, who had been sent from the
+fleet of King Harald, came to these women, saying, &quot;Thorkill's
+daughters, ye said that King Harald dared not come to Denmark.&quot; Dotté,
+Thorkill's daughter, answered, &quot;That was yesterday.&quot; The King of
+Norway, having secured them, carried them off to his ships, and
+Thorkill had to ransom them with a large sum.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_25" href="#div2Ref_25">Footnote 25</a>: A diminutive, expressive of endearment. Ingelil--i. e.,
+little Ingé: somewhat similar to our own diminutives in &quot;ie&quot; and
+&quot;y&quot;--as, Annie, Jenny, &amp;c.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_26" href="#div2Ref_26">Footnote 26</a>: Jarl--(pronounced yarl)--an earl.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_27" href="#div2Ref_27">Footnote 27</a>: The Danish mile is rather more than four and a half
+English miles.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_28" href="#div2Ref_28">Footnote 28</a>: A kind of chevaux-de-frise.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_29" href="#div2Ref_29">Footnote 29</a>: About fifty English miles.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_30" href="#div2Ref_30">Footnote 30</a>: Hamlet, in his feigned madness, made wooden hooks, and
+hardened them by holding them in the heat of a fire. On being asked
+what he meant to do with these books, he replied, &quot;To revenge the death
+of my father!&quot; which all, but the more discerning, regarded as a proof
+of his insanity. The well-informed reader need scarcely be reminded
+that the discussion of Drost Peter and Lady Ingé on Hamlet, had
+reference to that version of his history told by Saxo Grammaticus, and
+not to the more popular and beautiful version given by Shakespeare in
+his immortal tragedy.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_31" href="#div2Ref_31">Footnote 31</a>: King Waldemar Seier (the Victorious) committed an
+injustice on Count Henry of Schwerin, which the latter resolved to
+revenge. He came to the court of Denmark, and contrived to gain the
+king's confidence. One day, when the king was resting in a lonely
+forest, after a day's hard hunting, Count Henry seized him and his
+eldest son, carried them on board a ship, and had them conveyed to the
+dungeons of the strong castle of Schwerin, on the Mecklenburg coast. It
+was only after the interference of the pope and other princes, and the
+payment of a large ransom, that Waldemar and his son regained their
+freedom.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_32" href="#div2Ref_32">Footnote 32</a>: According to popular superstition, the elfin ladies were
+fair to look upon, but hollow behind as a dough-trough, and were, in
+consequence, careful to prevent any one seeing their backs.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_33" href="#div2Ref_33">Footnote 33</a>: These services for the murdered King Erik commenced at
+three in the afternoon and were continued until six the following
+morning. Even after the Reformation, and down to 1633, they were
+continued under the name of a Vaadesang--a song for protection from
+surprise and assassination--when the then reigning king substituted a
+morning service, more in accordance with the usages of the reformed
+Church.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_34" href="#div2Ref_34">Footnote 34</a>: Alfsdaughter. Danish and Norwegian surnames were, and we
+believe still are, formed in the following manner:--The male children
+take the name of the father or family, with the addition of &quot;son;&quot; the
+females the same name, with the addition of &quot;daughter.&quot; Thus we have
+Alfson and Alfsdaughter, the children of Alf, Erikson and
+Eriksdaughter, the children of Erik.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_35" href="#div2Ref_35">Footnote 35</a>: Literally, &quot;shield-maids,&quot; or amazons. The sword Tirfing,
+like King Arthur's Excalibar, was one of wonderful properties. It could
+never be drawn, even in jest, without causing the death of some one.
+The story of Hervor, and the manner in which she recovered the fatal
+weapon from her father's cairn, or barrow, though interesting, is too
+long for the subject of a note. I have therefore ventured to give it in
+the form of an appendix, at the end of the work.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_36" href="#div2Ref_36">Footnote 36</a>: The original of this ballad, which has little to boast of
+but its great antiquity, will be found in Syr's Kĉmpeviser, p.
+151.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_37" href="#div2Ref_37">Footnote 37</a>: Eagle's-borg or castle.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_38" href="#div2Ref_38">Footnote 38</a>: Perhaps from his favourite expression: &quot;By all holy men!&quot;
+(hellige mĉnd.) Some, however, derive this surname from mĉndevid, or
+mandevid,(pronounced 'menved,' and signifying man-wit,) with reference
+to the young king's manly intelligence and sagacity.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_39" href="#div2Ref_39">Footnote 39</a>: In the year following, Sir Algotson was beheaded on the
+spot where the abduction took place. Thorstenson's intended bride
+subsequently became Abbess of Breta convent.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_40" href="#div2Ref_40">Footnote 40</a>: In a storm at sea, he was, some time afterwards, by
+casting lots, condemned to death as a secret criminal. He then
+confessed his crimes before the crucifix, and leaped overboard. There
+is still extant a ballad, entitled &quot;John Rimaardson's Confession.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_41" href="#div2Ref_41">Footnote 41</a>: Skalds: the appellation anciently given to the bards or
+poets.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_42" href="#div2Ref_42">Footnote 42</a>: A small peninsula on the north coast of Funen.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_43" href="#div2Ref_43">Footnote 43</a>: Several traditions have been preserved respecting Marsk
+Stig's death and funeral, and the abstraction of the pall that covered
+his coffin. One account states that he was interred at Hintzeholm at
+midnight; that the priest's servant-maid, who had secretly witnessed
+the funeral, disclosed it to her master; that the priest ransacked the
+grave, and shared the velvet pall with the maid, who, shortly
+afterwards, was married to one of the marsk's swains; and that her
+husband, who saw the velvet on one of her pillows, and was informed by
+her how she had obtained it, fearful that his master's place of
+sepulchre would be discovered, killed her; although, as the tradition
+says, &quot;he loved her very dearly.&quot; Another account, quoted from a
+manuscript (a kind of parish-register, kept by a clergyman from the
+year 1622,) in the royal library of Copenhagen, states, that the marsk
+had a granary on Hielm, strongly fortified with mounds and ditches.
+Opposite Hielm, at Biornkier, he had a barn-yard, bounded on one side
+by the sea, and on three others by a fresh-water lake, a great morass
+which was impassable, and a thick wood. In this wood which he could
+reach in an hour and a half's ride from Hielm, he took his pleasure in
+hunting. It is related that on one of these journeys he became
+overheated and was taken ill, and, being obliged to dismount, he sat
+down on a stone and there died. His body was the same night carried to
+the church of Helgeness, and honourably interred by Our Lady's altar;
+&quot;and the priest, who then lived in the parsonage-house, had a
+maid-servant, who, going out to bring ale from a place under the north
+armoury, stopped and saw how they buried him, and laid a magnificent
+pall over his coffin; and when she found an opportunity, she had the
+grave dug up, and stole it away,&quot; &amp;c. This story, the worthy priest
+adds, was told him by honest Danes who were born in these parts, and
+had lived in the country more than a hundred years.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_44" href="#div2Ref_44">Footnote 44</a>: Danske Viser fra Midelalderen, 2 D. p. 215.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_45" href="#div2Ref_45">Footnote 45</a>: Formed by the soldiers placing their shields and bucklers
+together in such a manner, as to present to the projectiles of a foe a
+compact circular wall and roof of iron.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_46" href="#div2Ref_46">Footnote 46</a>: The Danebrog, some readers are probably aware, is a
+Danish order of knighthood. The history of the Danebrog, or Dannebrog,
+however, may not be so well known. It is related that when King
+Waldemar Seier was fighting against the heathenish Laplanders, in order
+to convert them to the Christian faith, Archbishop Andrew of Lund stood
+on an eminence, as did Moses of old, and prayed to Heaven for the
+success of the Danish arms. As long as he was able to keep his arms
+raised, the Danes prevailed; but the moment he let them fall, through
+the feebleness of old age, the heathens gained the advantage; and the
+priests therefore supported his arms while the battle lasted. Then
+happened this miracle, that when the principal banner of the Danes was
+lost in the heat of battle, there descended from heaven a banner with a
+white cross in a field of red, by the influence of which the Danes
+gained the victory. This precious banner was long preserved. The belief
+was general that with it victory was certain, and therefore it was
+called the Dannebrog (the Danes' fort or strength). On the spot where
+the battle took place, was built the town of Wolmar, which takes its
+name from Waldemar.--<span class="sc">Tr</span>.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_47" href="#div2Ref_47">Footnote 47</a>: The legend on this queen's seal was &quot;Agnes, Dei gracia
+Danorum Slavorque Regina.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_48" href="#div2Ref_48">Footnote 48</a>: The &quot;holmgang&quot; was a species of single combat or pitched
+battle. The combatants were placed on an island, and left to fight with
+swords, until all on one or both sides fell. He who refused the
+holmgang, or attempted to escape from it; was called a nidding, and
+subjected to every species of insult and contempt. The &quot;berserk-gang,&quot;
+or fighting phrensy, was, it has been supposed, produced by eating of
+some intoxicating herb.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_49" href="#div2Ref_49">Footnote 49</a>: The incantation of Hervor has been translated by Herbert,
+in the work entitled &quot;Five Pieces of Runic Poetry.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by 
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
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+
diff --git a/36626.txt b/36626.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b870d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/36626.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,23100 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Childhood of King Erik Menved
+       An Historical Romance
+
+Author: Bernhard Severin Ingemann
+
+Translator: J. Kesson
+
+Release Date: July 5, 2011 [EBook #36626]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by Google Books
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+   1. Page scan source:
+      http://books.google.com/books?id=A-M8AAAAYAAJ&dq
+
+   2. The diphthong oe is represented by {Oe] and [oe].
+
+
+
+
+
+                              THE LIBRARY
+
+                                   OF
+
+                            FOREIGN ROMANCE,
+
+                          And Nobel Newspaper:
+
+                               COMPRISING
+
+                   STANDARD ENGLISH WORKS OF FICTION,
+
+                                  AND
+
+                         ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS
+
+              FROM THE MOST CELEBRATED CONTINENTAL AUTHORS.
+
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+                               Vol. VII.
+
+
+                               CONTAINING
+
+                   THE CHILDHOOD OF KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+                         An Historical Romance.
+
+                     TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH OF
+                            B. S. INGEMANN.
+
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.
+                                 1846.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                             THE CHILDHOOD
+
+                                   OF
+
+                           KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+
+                         An Historical Romance.
+
+
+
+                           BY B. S. INGEMANN.
+
+
+
+                      TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH,
+                             BY J. KESSON.
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                 BRUCE AND WYLD, 84, FARRINGDON STREET.
+                                 1846.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
+
+
+The author has given no preface to this romance; and the translator
+would be contented to follow his example, had the author already
+enjoyed an English celebrity, or could the name of his translator of
+itself suffice to recommend his work to the English public.
+
+But the names of Danish writers are comparatively little known in
+England, and the literature and language of Denmark have not here
+received that degree of attention which they so justly merit. While the
+names of the poets and novelists of France and Germany are familiar to
+a numerous section of the reading public, they have yet, in a great
+measure, to become acquainted with the names of Ingemann, Andersen,
+Baggesen, Heiberg, Oehlenschlaeger, and many other Danes of recent
+times, whose productions as poets, novel's, and dramatists, would do
+honour to the literature of any country. It is only in comparatively
+recent times, however, that Denmark has produced a class of writers of
+any considerable note in the higher walks of literature. During the
+last century, with the exception of Holberg's "Niels Klim" and "Peder
+Paars," there are scarcely any other works, unless of a scientific and
+historical character, that have acquired anything of a European
+celebrity. To investigate fully the causes of this dearth of elegant
+writers would require more than the limits of a preface. They may be
+sought for partly in the depression of the national spirit, consequent
+upon the decay of the kingdom of Denmark, which, from the proud
+position it occupied during the middle ages, as one of the first powers
+of Europe, has gradually dwindled to a third-rate monarchy; and,
+partly, in the undue preference awarded by its own scholars and men of
+letters to the productions of French, German, and English writers. But,
+whatever the causes, within the last thirty years there has been an
+evident desire on the part of the Danes to possess a literature of
+their own, and to take their stand among the _literati_ of Europe in
+every department of the _belles-lettres_. To accomplish this, it was
+necessary to arouse the dormant spirit of the people--to remind them of
+their former greatness--to revive the memories of the ancient heroes of
+Denmark--to reproduce their old chronicles, sagas, and ballads--and, by
+dwelling on the glories of the past, to kindle bright hopes of the
+future.
+
+None have laboured with more success in this vocation than Ingemann.
+Already known as a poet and a dramatist, he had still to earn a
+reputation among his countrymen as a novelist. Seizing upon the
+romantic materials of Denmark's former history, he revived the memory
+of the great Waldemars, and the proudest periods of the Danish
+monarchy, investing the heroes who still live in ancient ballad and
+story with greater charms of interest; and he has succeeded in winning
+a place in the hearts and estimation of his countrymen as an author and
+a patriot. He has written wholly for his countrymen, and in the purest
+spirit of the historical romance. His characters are real characters;
+his facts are the facts of his country's history, gleaned from her
+ancient chronicles and popular song, and woven together with the
+slightest texture of fiction, sufficient only to redeem his narrative
+from the character of a dry chronicle.
+
+In this respect his romances must suffer when compared with those of
+Sir Walter Scott, where history is made subordinate to fiction, and
+poetic licence usurps the place of historical truth; but they possess
+this advantage--that they are truer transcripts of the past, and
+present us with the men, manners, and institutions of by-gone times,
+with a fidelity that enhances our interest in the history, and with
+fiction enough to make the reading of the history attractive.
+
+In present romance Ingemann introduces us to an interesting period in
+the history of Denmark--the last year of the reign of Erik Glipping,
+and the commencement of the reign of his son and successor, Erik
+Menved. He gives us a portraiture of the state of society at the
+time--glimpses of old laws and old customs--snatches of ancient
+fable--and places men before us as they lived and acted towards the
+close of the thirteenth century.
+
+The translator has endeavoured, in the purity of faithfulness, to
+present the reader with both the letter and the spirit of his original.
+In the course of his narrative the author alludes to matters familiar
+enough, no doubt, to his own countrymen, but with which the English
+reader can scarcely be expected to be acquainted. In many of these
+cases the translator has subjoined a note explanatory of a particular
+passage, which, in a work of this description, might otherwise be
+regarded as an editorial impertinence. For the adoption of occasional
+Scottish words and phrases, in translating the various fragments of old
+Danish ballads scattered throughout the narrative, the translator can
+only plead the example of Sir Walter Scott, Jamieson, and others, who
+have followed this course in rendering several of the Kaempeviser.
+Indeed, the close similarity of language and phraseology in many of the
+old Scottish and Danish ballads, furnishes an irresistible temptation
+to this mode of translation.
+
+_London_, _November_, 1846.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                                PART I.
+
+
+One evening in the month of May, 1285, a crowd of seamen and
+porpoise-hunters was assembled on the quay of Gremermarsh, below
+Hindsgavl's meadows, near Middelfert. They regarded, with strained
+attention, a large skiff which had left Snoghoj, and was struggling
+against wind and tide to approach the quay, where the landing was less
+dangerous than in the bad haven of the town. A storm, unusual at this
+mild period of the year, stirred up the unquiet waters of the Little
+Belt. The more experienced ferrymen shook their heads, and thought it
+was most advisable that the skiff should seek shelter under Fanoe or
+the Jutland Weald.
+
+"Nonsense, fellows!" said a deep, gruff voice; "here they can and
+shall land. They get on bravely, and must have a gallant steersman on
+board. But why stand you here prating? Set light to the brand
+on the quay-head, that they may keep it in sight; and lay out the
+porpoise-boats, that we may fish them up, should they be capsized."
+
+The man who gave these orders was foreman of the ferrymen and
+porpoise-hunters, old Henner Friser, or Henner Hjulmand, as he was
+sometimes called. He had hitherto been quietly seated on a large stone,
+observing the vessel's motions with a keen look; but now he rose like a
+king among his subjects, and the submissiveness with which they heard,
+as well as the activity with which they obeyed him, sufficiently showed
+the respect in which he was held among these sturdy, daring seamen. He
+was uncommonly tall and muscular, and, notwithstanding that he bordered
+upon seventy years, appeared to possess sufficient vigour to enable him
+to attain the age of fourscore. He boasted of being a brother's son of
+the renowned Frisian, Swain Starke, who, in the time of Waldemar the
+Victor, gained a great name among his countrymen.
+
+For three and thirty years, Henner Friser had resided in Middelfert, or
+Melfert, as it is commonly called, where he had set on foot the fishing
+or hunting of porpoises, and, by his ability, had obtained presidency
+in the guild of these daring fishers, who, at the same time, attended
+to the ferrying over of passengers. He was skilled in the art of
+boat-building, and, in his youth, had been a wheel-maker, whence his
+by-name of Hjulmand (wheelman), although he no longer followed that
+occupation. That he had taken an active part in the civil wars under
+Erik Ploughpenny and King Abel was generally believed, and contributed
+much to his importance among the seamen, although he always expressed
+himself cautiously on the subject. He appeared to have forsaken the
+marshy shores of Friesland for a reason which he was proud of, and yet
+did not find it prudent to talk about; but that it was for some bold
+and daring act was surmised by everybody.
+
+In his spacious dwelling near the ship-quay of Middelfert, the
+fraternity of porpoise-hunters had a place of deposit for their large
+captures between Martinmas and Candlemas. There met the new guild of
+King Erik; and there had Henner Friser established, likewise, a kind of
+inn for travellers, of which he had sole and sovereign control. Here,
+when the porpoise-hunters held their guildmotes, they often regarded
+with awe the old warrior's armour, which consisted of a kind of long
+javelin, a Danish battle-axe, a steel bow, with a rusty arrow, together
+with a light linen harness. In his everyday dress, old Henner was not
+distinguished from the other ferrymen and porpoise-hunters. Like them,
+he wore a short jerkin of blue wadmel, or of dark canvass in summer; a
+pair of large wading boots, which came high over the knees; and
+over his shaggy gray locks he wore, both summer and winter, a large
+seal-skin cap. His long wrinkled visage was expressive of energy and
+harshness of manner; and his keen look evinced a determination and a
+feeling of superiority, which operated strongly on all his subjects,
+whose esteem and attachment to him was, at the same time, blended
+with what was peculiar to these people--an unusual dread of strife.
+This was, perhaps, chiefly owing to his extraordinary strength, of
+which, even in advanced years, he had given astonishing proofs;
+and he could even now, without exertion, compel the strongest of the
+porpoise-hunters to bend on their knees, merely by pressing his hands
+upon their shoulders.
+
+A word from this man was sufficient to set all the idle spectators in
+motion. A light soon blazed on the large stone at the pier's end, and
+thirty hardy fishermen were at work, with ropes and poles, to launch a
+large boat, for the purpose of rendering assistance to those in
+distress. As soon as Henner Friser saw that his orders were punctually
+executed, he again seated himself quietly, and with an air of
+indifference, upon his stone.
+
+"It must be another cargo of nobles for the Danish court on the day
+after to-morrow," he muttered. "Should Duke Waldemar be among them, it
+were, perhaps, better for kingdom and country, that we let them go to
+the bottom, neck and crop."
+
+"Why so, neighbour Henner?" inquired a burgher who stood by his side,
+and whose leather apron, leather cap, and smutty face, proclaimed him a
+smith. "The young duke is a discreet and gracious nobleman: he once
+bought a dagger of me, and paid me twice as much for it as I asked.
+Every time he comes this way, you earn more dollars than I earn
+shillings in a month; and then he talks so civilly to folks, that it is
+a pleasure to hear him."
+
+"Gold and silver and fair words he does not spare; that we allow,"
+growled the old man; "and if, by so doing, he could throw dust in the
+eyes of every Dane, in twelvemonths and a day he might, perhaps, be
+King of Denmark."
+
+"Marry, then! think you that his thoughts run so high?" inquired the
+armourer, hastily, scratching his ear; "there may be something in it:
+who knows how it may turn out? The old king, Waldemar the Victor, was
+certainly his great-grandfather; the young lord is just twenty years
+old: he may come to be chosen king one day. But there is time enough
+for that yet," he added; and, after a little reflection: "our king is
+still a young man: according to my reckoning, he cannot be more than
+six and thirty now; and his young son, who succeeds him--let me see--he
+can be scarcely eleven yet. Nay, nay, it is not to be thought of."
+
+"What cares the grandson of King Abel about that, think you?" replied
+the old man, in a tone of bitterness. "The young braggart does not want
+daring. He had scarcely cut his colt's-teeth, when he set himself in
+opposition to the king, and would submit himself neither to rod nor
+snaffle; and now it is said for certain, that he will claim the whole
+kingdom; and, if he does not receive from the court of Denmark what he
+aims at, that he will instantly bring down the Swedes upon our heads.
+We have already to thank him for the present outbreak with the
+Norwegians. Nay, nay--he is a fellow we must look after, neighbour
+Troels. We knew his grandfather; and the race of a fratricide no Dane
+shall trust again."
+
+The old man was silent, and became absorbed in deep thought.
+
+"You may well say that, neighbour Henner," resumed the armourer; "we
+have experienced disasters enough, and may well cross ourselves when we
+think on what has happened in the country since old King Waldemar Seier
+closed his eyes. His sons, all three, were kings,[1] as was said and
+predicted to him; but God shield us from such kings and from such ends!
+In troth, it is awful to think of: I have not yet reached my
+threescore, and the present king is the fifth I can remember; and three
+of these, one after the other, were miserably murdered."
+
+"Murdered?" repeated Henner Friser. "Nay, neighbour--that was the case
+with two only of Waldemar's sons, if it be true, as people say, about
+our king's father and the condemned priest in the New Cloister. God
+forgive me, and all good Christians, their sins! but priests should be
+pious men of God; and, when they can forgive kings and princes with
+God's own holy body, then the worst murder of a layman by sword or
+dagger should be reckoned next to nothing. Nay, two only were murdered,
+neighbour," he continued, after a thoughtful pause, and rising up;
+"nobody shall say that King Abel was murdered: he fell by his own
+conduct, and shamefully enough for himself; but still in open warfare
+with true and valiant subjects, who would not suffer themselves to be
+flayed by the coward who had murdered his brother, and deprived us of
+our lawful king."
+
+The old man's voice waxed loud, and he spoke with great vehemence. He
+appeared to observe a tendency to the same in his neighbour's manner,
+and remarked, in a subdued tone, "We must not talk too loud about this
+matter, neighbour. These are unquiet times, and traitors are abroad.
+Should Duke Waldemar and the great nobles come to rule, we shall have
+to listen to a new tale, which may be worse than the first." Henner was
+again silent, and resumed his seat, in deep thought.
+
+"I must say, nevertheless, neighbour Henner," began the armourer anew,
+"that there is nothing so bad, that it may not be good for something.
+If the nobles had not courage to lay restraints on King Erik
+Christopherson, mischief would be the result, for both gentle and
+simple. It were sin to say our king is not severe enough, as he imposes
+penalties on both burgher and peasant; but he cares for neither law nor
+justice; and was compelled, last year, to a compact respecting the
+rights and liberties of the kingdom. Much has not come of that yet: and
+had not Marsk Andersen denounced him, and put him in terror of his
+life, at the last Thing[2] at Viborg, none of us at present could have
+said that his wife or daughter was safe from him."
+
+"That is true, neighbour," replied old Henner, waking up as if from a
+dream, and appearing only to hear the latter sentence. "A vile story
+was that, regarding Stig Andersen's wife; and I will say that, had I
+been in the marsk's[3] stead, I would, perhaps, have done something
+more than merely threaten. And yet--the Lord preserve our king and his
+son, say I, for the kingdom and country's sake! The father is good for
+nothing: others may call him a villain; yet God preserve the rotten
+stem, for the sake of the fresh shoot! The little Erik has Waldemar
+Seier's eagle eyes; and, should the Lord keep his hand over him, it may
+yet be worth an honest man's while to live in Denmark. It is a
+fortunate thing for him, and for the kingdom, that he has the brave
+Drost[4] Hessel for his instructor in the use of arms. Without Peter
+Hessel, old John Little, and David Thorstenson, it would be a
+lamentable case for all of us."
+
+"If the handsome young drost stand as well with the queen as is
+reported," observed the smith, smiling, "no wonder he takes so kindly
+to the young prince. He may be a wise and virtuous man; but little
+human frailties he must possess, as others do; and, when King Glip-eye
+has eyes for every other woman but the queen only, she cannot be
+greatly blamed for being so willing to ride a-hunting with the young
+drost."
+
+"So you, too, believe the damnable tittle-tattle!" cried the old man,
+with vehemence and indignation. "I have seen Queen Agnes once, and
+Drost Peter twice only: that was in the guild of our murdered King
+Erik; and, if it be true, as I believe, that every woman's child bears
+its character in its open eyes--and I have so read the characters of
+both high and low, for these seventy years past--our queen, on this
+point, is as pure, in God's sight, as is the sun; and so is Drost Peter
+Hessel--a man who, in all respects, would sooner lose his life than
+forget the oath he openly swore in our guild, or in any way betray his
+country or the royal house. But so it is: when the head is good for
+nothing, the whole body soon bears witness to it; and King Erik
+Christopherson does not blink with his small buck-eyes for nothing."
+
+"I believe, neighbour Henner, you can read more in an eye than many a
+priest can in his big book; and people with reason hold you to
+understand somewhat more than your paternoster. You have given a good
+reason, too," continued the smith, smiling, "why you lock up your
+pretty little Aase, every time King Glip-eye comes over the Belt. I saw
+very well how she stood in the pantry yesterday, while the king mounted
+his horse outside, before you."
+
+"Ay, then, saw you that, my good Troels?" replied the old warrior,
+somewhat ruffled. "It was a piece of foolery; and I shall tell you how
+it happened. He saw her once, and paid her a little more attention than
+I exactly care for. She is my granddaughter, and the apple of my eye,
+as you know. That I lock the cage when the cat is in the room, follows
+of course; otherwise I should have to take the biggest tom-cat by the
+neck, and throw him out of the window, if he proved saucy. It comes to
+this, that my little Aase, as you may, perhaps, have observed, is a
+Sunday's bairn:[5] that may easily be seen in her complexion. She is
+somewhat palefaced; and, however blithe and sprightly she may be, she
+is, nevertheless, now and then troubled with a kind of dreaming fit.
+But that will wear off as she gets older. Her mother was so troubled
+before her; and I believe it runs in the family, as I am not entirely
+free from it myself. I do not give much heed to such dreaming now; but
+she has never yet said anything, while in this state, that has not
+proved in a manner true; though she can discern nothing, by night or
+day, more than others may do when they are in their senses."
+
+"My God! is it not quite right with your little Aase?" asked the smith,
+sympathisingly, and pointing with his finger to his forehead.
+
+"She is too sagacious for her years," answered the old man; "and that
+will not do for this world. But when once she is married, and has other
+matters to think of, this will pass over; and in other respects she has
+a good sound constitution. But this is what I was about to tell you.
+Last night, she rose in her sleep, and came to me: she was frightened,
+and said that the king had returned from hunting, with a death's head
+under his hat, and wanted to come in to her. I awoke her, and then she
+knew nothing of the dream. She laughed, and skipped carelessly to bed.
+I was much inclined to frighten her about what she had told me; but,
+yet I did not want the king to see her yesterday, when he crossed my
+threshold to change his garments; and so I locked her up, as if by
+mistake."
+
+"This only helps you a little way, my good, careful neighbour,"
+observed the smith, with a sly laugh. "A good hen can lay an egg among
+nettles; where there is a will there is a way. The king saw her very
+well: when he rode off, your grand-daughter, from curiosity, peeped out
+between the bars of your pantry, just as the king's horse made a spring
+on one side. I saw, by the blink of his eye, that he had perceived her;
+and twice he looked behind him towards the little window, after she had
+withdrawn her charming little face."
+
+"Nonsense, nonsense!" growled the old man. "It shall not happen again,
+I warrant you. You must not talk about this matter, neighbour. It is
+nothing in itself, but would soon give rise to gossip. I shall be
+quiet, for the child's sake. So, now let the matter drop."
+
+"But what does the king's chamberlain still do in the village? asked
+the smith.
+
+"Chamberlain Rane!" exclaimed Henner, starting: "did he not follow the
+king yesterday?"
+
+"He did, certainly; but, early this morning, I saw him, and two
+men-at-arms of the king's, go by your house. They stopped under the end
+window, and whispered together, and, as we came out, I saw their horses
+at your back gate."
+
+"So, indeed!" muttered the old man. He arose hastily, his eyes flashing
+fire, and observed, "You might as well have told me this before,
+neighbour."
+
+"I thought they might have business with you, my good Henner. You are
+not wont to be communicative, and one gets sick of asking questions."
+
+Old Henner cast a sharp look once more over the raging Belt. "The skiff
+is saved," he said, in a subdued tone, which betrayed violently
+suppressed emotions. "They have caught the warp. Come, neighbour, there
+is no time to lose here any longer, when I have such guests at home."
+
+With long, hurried steps, the vigorous old man strode away in the
+direction of his house, which was situated in that part of Middelfert
+which bordered on the quay, and about three quarters of a mile from the
+quay of Gremermarsh. The sturdy armourer, though ten years his junior,
+could scarcely keep pace with him. Neither of them spoke, until they
+came to a by-path, leading across a waste field towards Henner Friser's
+premises. Here he stopped, and looked carefully before him, in the
+direction of the gable window of his house, which, in the deepening
+twilight, he could just perceive. Large clouds were continually driven
+by the storm before the moon, which, at this instant, shone on the
+house gable.
+
+"Ha! no light?" he exclaimed: "this will not do." He redoubled his
+steps, but suddenly stopped again, exclaiming, "do you not hear the
+tramp of horses, neighbour, on the road to Hegness Wood?"
+
+"Ay, certainly," was the reply; "who can it be? The people are in a
+hurry. Can the king's bailiff at Hegness receive guests from Melfert so
+late?"
+
+"Go to my house, neighbour; see if my Aase is at home, and taking care
+of the guild brethren. If she be not at home, and I do not return, tell
+them which way I am gone. I am merely a little curious."
+
+With these words, he sprang in an opposite direction towards the high
+road, and, from thence, over two ditches and fences, into a by-road
+leading from Middelfert to Hegness Wood, which the riders he had heard
+in the neighbourhood of the town must necessarily turn down, if they
+attended to their safety. Without himself being entirely conscious of
+it, he had drawn out the large knife used in pursuit of the porpoise,
+which he always carried in his right boot. With this knife in his hand,
+he stood still a moment, in a ditch, on one side of the narrow road,
+which he could half reach across with his long arm. He could hear the
+gallop of horses, continually drawing nearer, and could now distinctly
+recognise the clattering hoofs of three.
+
+"Now, give the horses breath for a gallant ride to the castle!" cried a
+man's piping voice: "we are safe now, and here the road is good. Then
+for a bold rush to the fortress, before the old Satan can have returned
+from the quay."
+
+"Death and hell!" muttered the old man; "that was long Chamberlain
+Rane's cracked pipe."
+
+"You know the sign and password?" continued the same voice: "in the
+king's name, and three blows with your halberds on the door. If any one
+oppose us, cut him down: I take the consequences."
+
+The listener thought he heard a wailing sound, as if from a
+half-suffocated female voice, which was lost in the howling of the
+storm; and his keen eye recognised, by the glimmer of the moon, the
+white dress of a woman fluttering over the saddle, before the middle
+rider. They now advanced at a gallop. At one bound the old man stood in
+the middle of the way.
+
+"Hold!" he cried, with a terrible voice, as the horsemen came up. The
+long hunting-knife glittered in his right hand, while, with the left,
+he seized the reins of the middle horse. The animal wheeled and
+snorted; and a blow from a sword struck the old warrior on the left
+arm; but, with a convulsive grasp, he held firm the bridle, and groped
+in the dark with the knife, for fear of injuring the female form that
+hung, apparently in a swoon, on the horseman's left arm.
+
+"Forward, in the devil's name! cut him down!" again cried the squeaking
+voice from behind.
+
+The old man felt a wound in the shoulder, and, at the same moment,
+received a violent blow from the horse's fore leg. The bridle dropped
+from his hands; he fell to the ground; and the horse sprang over him.
+With desperate strength, he half raised himself, and flung his knife,
+with whizzing rapidity, after the nearest horseman. He heard the
+piercing shriek of a man, and, at a little distance, the indistinct
+voice of his dear Aase, crying, "Help, grandfather! help!" till it was
+lost in the storm, and in the clatter of the horses' hoofs. Faint with
+loss of blood, the old man fell back unconscious. Twenty paces from
+him, on the dark road, arose the groans of a dying man; and a
+frightened horse, with an empty saddle, bounded away across the fields.
+
+For some time, Henner Friser lay insensible on the road. When he again
+became conscious, he heard several voices around him. He opened his
+eyes, and found himself encircled by his hardy friends, the young
+porpoise-hunters. They stood with lights and cudgels in their hands,
+together with his neighbour the armourer, and some burghers from the
+town, who came to his assistance, with perplexed and sympathising
+exclamations.
+
+Seated on a tall, iron gray stallion, in the middle of the road, was a
+young knight, in a scarlet mantle, fringed with sable, and with a white
+feather in his hat. By the knight's side, holding, in one hand a torch,
+and, with the other, a norback[6] by the bridle, stood a little,
+swarthy squire. The storm was now lulled, and the torch burned clear in
+the still air, illuminating the anxious, noisy group.
+
+"Look here, one of you. What is the matter? Are there rievers in the
+district? Has Niels Breakpeace come over?"
+
+"Rievers, truly, my noble knight," answered old Henner, raising
+himself, with the help of the young fishermen, who, in all haste, had
+already bound up his arm and shoulder, and now withheld their clamour
+from respect to their senior and the distinguished stranger. "The
+cowardly pack!" continued Henner; "they have forcibly carried off my
+grandchild, my little Asse, my only joy and comfort. Had I not been
+afraid of killing the innocent child, all the three scoundrels would
+have been grovelling, with their faces in the dust, where I now lie. If
+you would know to what rieving band they belong, sir knight, you have
+only to ride some twenty paces forward, to find one of them with my
+hunting-knife in his back-ribs. I wish only, for the crown and
+country's sake, it may turn out to be Niels Breakpeace, and no more
+distinguished scoundrel." He could scarcely speak for passion.
+
+"An abduction?" inquired the knight, "and with force and violence?
+rievers, too?"
+
+"Panderers, traffickers in souls, devils damned!" exclaimed the old
+man; "but if you are a true Danish knight, help me to save my poor
+innocent child. She has been carried to the hell-viper on the Ness,
+yonder, to be polluted."
+
+"To Hegness?" inquired the knight, turning pale; and the torchlight
+fell on his youthful, handsome countenance.
+
+"Whom see I? Drost Peter Hessel?" broke forth the old man, suddenly,
+glad to meet him; "is it you, indeed? Now praised be St. Christian and
+the Holy Erik, that they have sent you to me, in my need and trouble,
+for now we shall soon deliver the lamb from the den of wolves, even
+should King Glip-eye be in the midst of them!"
+
+"Think what you say, old man," interposed the knight, sternly: "do not
+mix up the king in this vile business. If there has been any
+scoundrel's work here, I shall inquire into it in the king's name, and
+do you justice. If your wounds will permit you, seat yourself on my
+squire's horse, and follow me to the fortress. I shall prove to you and
+these good countrymen, that the king is not a protector of cowards and
+robbers. But where is the man you have slain? He deserves his fate,
+whoever he is."
+
+"Here! here!" cried the young fishermen, who had already discovered the
+body, and were dragging it along; "here we have the fellow, as stiff as
+a speared sea-hog. This is a capital weapon!"
+
+The knight observed the corpse attentively, and appeared to be seized
+with painful surprise. He had been a tall, broad-shouldered fellow,
+with bristly hair and beard; he wore a scarlet doublet; his morion,
+which had fallen from his head, and which was now exhibited by one of
+the fishermen, had no feather, but was marked with the two royal lions.
+
+"This is a coward and a riever, who has stolen the helm and doublet of
+one of the royal guard," said the knight, sternly. "Pull off his
+doublet, countrymen! Let him no longer wear our king's colours! Drag
+him to a dung-pit, and there hide his infamy, till doomsday! And now
+let us off to Hegness."
+
+Old Henner no longer felt the smart of his wounds; he was already in
+advance, on the little pony, which could scarcely bear him, but yet got
+on tolerably well with his burden, the heavy feet of his rider almost
+touching the ground.
+
+"Bravo! my little norback!" cried the bold squire, who in a few bounds
+had overtaken Henner and his master; "if you can run with such a karl,
+you deserve a double fodder."
+
+By the knight's command, some of the fishermen had already dragged the
+slain robber to a height by the wayside, where stood a gallows; whilst
+the others, at a little distance, followed the knight and their wounded
+chief.
+
+"How far have we to the castle?" inquired the knight; "can you hold out
+the journey, my brave old man?"
+
+"For my child, I could ride now to the world's end," answered Henner:
+"had the losel who gave me the blow not been a blundering lout, without
+pith or metal, he might have laid it on to some purpose; a pair of vile
+scratches he has given me: he shall not brag that it was he who struck
+Henner Friser to the ground; it was his brave Jutland stallion that
+kicked me below the short-ribs. Now that the pain is gone, I can run
+better than this little fellow. Thanks for the loan, my son," he said
+to the squire, as he leaped off the pony. "We have not a quarter of a
+mile to the castle, and I may almost as well walk as sit upon the
+foal."
+
+"You shall not find fault with my norback because he is small,"
+answered the young squire, offended: "he can vie with a roebuck when
+occasion serves, but he is certainly not an elephant to carry a tower."
+
+"Now, now, are you angry, my son? If you can ride so fleetly, let me
+see you reach the rievers' nest before we others, and get the gates
+open for us. 'In the king's name!' was the rascals' pass-word, and
+three knocks upon the door was the sign. The road goes right through
+the wood."
+
+Without saying a word, the >>>bold<<<< squire handed the torch to
+Henner, and rode back to the fishermen, who followed them. In an
+instant he returned, with the slain robber's scarlet doublet and morion
+on.
+
+"Permit me so, to ride forward and prepare your way, sir drost," said
+the youth, and whispered a few words in his master's ear.
+
+"Yes, yes!" answered the knight; "it cannot be a mile off. But be
+careful, Skirmen: we keep the torches. You cannot miss the road, for
+yonder we can see the old castle turrets."
+
+The moon again appeared from behind the clouds, throwing its light over
+a huge, dull, red tower, with embattled walls, which arose high over
+the wood on the promontory of the bay of Middelfert.
+
+The squire was already mounted: he hastily spurred his pony, and was
+out of sight in a moment.
+
+"A nimble youth!" exclaimed the old man; "he has a falcon's eye, and
+the limbs of a hart. He will make a doughty knight one day. Do I guess
+right that he is from Alsing or Aeroe?"
+
+"My trusty Claus Skirmen is from Femren," answered the knight; "his
+father was a brave man for his king and country: for that, he was
+exiled by King Abel, and died in banishment. His grandfather followed
+King Erik Waldemarson to his death, and proved himself a valiant man to
+the last. His body was found by the king's side, among the slain."
+
+"Has the youth long borne your shield, noble knight?"
+
+"This is only his second year; but the silver spurs are scarcely cold
+upon his heels. He is not much more than fifteen yet, and was out last
+year to capture Niels Breakpeace."
+
+"Alas, fifteen years!" muttered the old man, with a suppressed sigh;
+"that was my poor Aase's age yesterday. Ride on, sir knight! I shall
+yet succeed." And he ran on with rapid strides.
+
+Drost Peter set spurs to his horse, but immediately stopped again. The
+wood was dark, and, as the torch lit up the old man's face, the knight
+saw, with concern, that the grayhaired warrior was pale. The bandages
+had become loose by his exertions, and the blood was flowing fast from
+his left arm and shoulder. The young knight sprang from his horse. "Let
+me tighten the bandages," he cried, with the air of a skilful leech;
+"your wounds are not so slight as you think. Seat yourself on my horse:
+I have young limbs, and no fresh wound."
+
+"Nay, good sir! For St. Christian's and all saints' sake, let us not
+delay for such trifles!" cried the hardy old man, impatiently, whilst
+the knight hastily tied up the loosened bandages; "this will do very
+well for a poor devil like me! Thanks! I say; but pray hasten on, and
+redeem your promise. Except the king himself, and his panderers, there
+is no man more powerful than Drost Peter. Never mind me! Hurry on,
+noble sir!"
+
+Drost Peter did not consider a moment longer. He vaulted again into his
+saddle, set spurs to his horse, and rode furiously towards the castle;
+while old Henner, with long and rapid strides, followed after.
+
+At the strongly-fortified castle of Hegness all was dark and silent,
+but around the promontory on which it stood still raged the waters of
+the Sound. A flock of cormorants flew, screaming, round the lofty
+tower, which, on the land-side, was bright in the moonshine, while it
+cast its long dark shadow over the rampart, towards the Sound. The
+drawbridge was down; but the great walled gate was locked. On both
+sides of a rampart of earth, sixty feet high, the broad moat was filled
+with muddy water. From one of the upper apartments in the principal
+wing of the castle a light shone into the court-yard, and, before the
+lofty staircase, two sentinels, with lances, walked continually to and
+fro. At the opposite side of the castle, in the backcourt, six horsemen
+were stationed, with two saddled horses, before a little barred door of
+the tower. Here the castle was provided with a private outlet, and a
+narrow drawbridge, now raised, concealed by a thicket of bushes. From a
+room in the tower, which jutted over the back-court, and had a small
+window into the fore-court, shone a single light. In a corner of this
+room a female figure knelt upon the stone floor, with a rosary in her
+hands, and apparently engaged in prayer. Long dark brown braided
+tresses fell over her nut-brown neck and shoulders; she wore a dark
+blue knitted jacket, a linen petticoat of the same colour, with many
+plaits, and a light blue apron. A cloak, composed of white knitted
+thread, lay at her side, as if it had fallen from her shoulders. Her
+back was turned towards the door, and she did not appear to observe
+that it was gently opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man, closely
+wrapped in a travelling cloak, stepped softly in, and looked anxiously
+and carefully around him. He turned towards the door, which stood ajar,
+and, at his beck, a face withdrew, which might have been taken for that
+of a crafty old woman, but for the incipient reddish beard, and the
+bright steel cap, that denoted it to be a young soldier's. The door was
+then softly closed. The tall, disguised figure stood in the middle of
+the apartment, and regarded the kneeling girl. Her head was bowed
+towards the rosary in her small folded hands, upon her knees; and she
+was so deeply absorbed in prayer and supplication, that her outward
+senses took no notice of what surrounded them.
+
+At this sight, the disguised person was obviously uneasy. He cleared
+his throat several times, as if he would speak, or give intimation of
+his presence; but she continued in the same motionless position. He now
+made a hasty motion with his hand to his forehead, as if he would drive
+away some unpleasant, distressing thought. The hat fell from his head,
+and a strongly-marked countenance was displayed, expressive of severity
+and supreme haughtiness, which appeared in singular contradiction to
+the soft, sensual smile that played round his mouth, and his aimless,
+uneasy glances, which seemed incapable of resting upon any object for
+an instant. His projecting forehead, furrowed by violent passions, was
+half concealed by his thin, flaxen hair, which descended on both sides
+to his shoulders. According to the knightly fashion of the times, he
+wore a short beard on his upper lip and projecting chin; and was
+evidently in the prime of life, bordering upon forty. This singular
+want of character--the contradictory expressions of severity and
+mildness, of strength and weakness, of pride and meanness, of violent
+passion and crafty moderation--deprived his countenance of that dignity
+and loftiness which nature seemed to have intended it originally to
+possess; but that which most disfigured him was the uncertain glance of
+his small gray eyes, and a constant leer, and motion of the eyelids,
+which at once inspired distrust and fear.
+
+He now stood, as if debating with himself whether he should remain or
+go, when he retreated a few steps, as the kneeling girl suddenly rose
+and turned round. He saw not the somewhat pale, but clear, lively
+countenance of the peasant girl, with the most roguish pair of eyes,
+who had peeped, in curiosity, through the bars of Henner Friser's
+pantry; but a frightened, weeping child, who entreated his pity and
+forbearance.
+
+Asse, Henner's daughter, as she was called, after her grandfather, so
+celebrated by every traveller for her beauty, was wonderfully changed;
+yet was she, in a manner, fairer than ever. The cheerful little face of
+the fisher-maiden had the dignity and nobility of a princess's; but
+now she was pale as a dying person. Her lively, often roguishly-playful
+eyes, were closed; but there was an expression in her features as if
+she could penetrate entire nature with a glance, and stood on a
+far-off, mysterious world. She advanced with a slow and solemn step,
+and, in language that otherwise was foreign to her simple nature, and
+with a voice like that of a warning prophetess, while she raised her
+forefinger in admonition, she burst forth:
+
+"Unhappy king! Thou goest in the way of thy doom. I have prayed for thy
+soul to our Lord and Judge, and he bade me warn thee. A sword hangs by
+a hair over thy head; repent, repent, ere it fall upon thee!"
+
+"Ha! a maniac!" exclaimed the tall personage, turning pale. "Rane!
+Satan! where art thou? whom hast thou brought me?"
+
+He made a hasty movement towards the door, but recovered himself
+suddenly, and burst into laughter.
+
+"Ha! thou crafty, cunning child! Hast thou been in the priests' school?
+And is it so thou wilt make a jest of me?" he said, mildly threatening,
+and advancing towards her. "Thou knewest, then, I was here, and couldst
+allow it so saintly and devoutly. No more pious foolery, child: it does
+not sit well upon thee;--but now we understand one another."
+
+He put out his hand, as if he would pat her under the chin; but she
+drew back a step, and, with a powerful, almost convulsive, expression
+of contempt and disgust, said:
+
+"Approach me not, or thou art dead!" and she raised her hand
+menacingly. The blood returned to her cheeks: it seemed as if, with
+emotion, she would open her long dark eye-lashes, and yet could not
+succeed. "How thine eyes flash!" she cried; "how enraged thou art,
+grandfather! Ah, how thine eyes sparkle! and thy fingers--and thou
+bleedest, thou bleedest!"
+
+"Nonsense, child! there is no one here who flashes and bleeds. Art thou
+here, prepared with these juggling grimaces? or, art thou really
+asleep? If so, I will try whether one can awaken thee or not!"
+
+With these words, the tall personage again moved, as if he would
+approach her, but now fell anxiously back, while she directed a pair of
+rigid, extended eyes, without life or animation, towards him.
+
+"I know it well," she whispered, mysteriously; "I am in the house in
+the wood. The mightiest man in the land stands before me. He will hear
+his fate. Listen, then, my lord! You are erring and unfortunate; you
+are sold and betrayed. If you would save soul and body, hide yourself!
+fly! abandon the road to your doom!"
+
+"Are you possessed, girl?" exclaimed the tall personage, stamping his
+foot, and, at the same time, looking anxiously around him; "am I among
+traitors here? Rane! Satan! where art thou?"
+
+"Beware! beware of him!" continued the girl, at the same time
+whispering, mysteriously: "call not upon him! The Evil One is near at
+hand, when one thinks of him!"
+
+"Will she drive me mad?" muttered the disguised person, as he looked,
+with the most painful disquietude, now at the door, now at the strange
+maiden. "Ha! fool that I am, to suffer myself to be deceived by the
+artful cheat!" he at length exclaimed aloud, and again laughed to
+himself, while he cast his cloak aside, and stood before her, in a
+magnificent knightly dress. "Confess now, little Asse, you wanted to
+have me somewhat at an advantage--would see whether you could make King
+Erik Christopherson afraid. But it will not avail you: I know my
+people, and you, too, with your pretty black, bewitching eyes. You
+dreamt that the king visited you, did you not? and that you lived like
+a queen, in one of his castles? And that will come to pass,
+notwithstanding. It depends only on yourself. But, tongue within your
+teeth, little Asse: not a whisper that the king visited you here,
+alone. That is a secret no one must know."
+
+The lofty expression on the girl's countenance suddenly disappeared. It
+seemed as if she had now, for the first time, awoke from a dream that
+had changed her entire being: she looked around her bewildered, and
+suddenly sprang towards the door; but, recovering herself again, she
+took courage, and, putting her little hands upon her sides, placed
+herself, proudly, opposite the strange nobleman. He seemed gladly
+surprised at the transformation of the prophetess into the well-known
+pretty little fisher-girl, with the lively, playful eyes, and
+open-hearted boldness, no longer excited and fearful: the sleepwalker's
+sternness and earnestness of manner was lost in a frank and natural
+anger, which made her even more lovely.
+
+"Who are you, sir knight?" she asked, passionately. "Would you have me
+fancy you are the king? Nay, simple as I am, I know well that the king
+will maintain law and right in the country. Like King Glip-eye, you
+blink disagreeably enough; but I should think myself much to blame,
+were I to suppose the king a riever and godless evil-doer."
+
+The nobleman coloured deeply, and regarded the haughty maiden with a
+malicious look. "She has been asleep, then," he muttered to himself;
+and then said, aloud, "you are right: I am not the king himself, but
+one of his greatest officers. Since you have such a good opinion of the
+king's uprightness, my child," he continued, in a severe and
+authoritative tone, "it surprises me that it should not occur to you,
+you are a prisoner, at the king's command. You are a suspected woman,
+in the secret practice of witchcraft. With your crafty old grandfather,
+you lodge and conceal traitors to the country, and the open enemies of
+the king. Can you deny that the audacious marsk, who denounced the
+king, has not lodged under your roof for the last eight days, and has
+been spared by you? At this instant, in all probability, the rebellious
+Duke Waldemar sits there, and with his adherents, and plots against the
+king and the nation. Tales are told of your grandfather that, when I
+inquire into them, may cost him his neck. If you would save his life,
+little Asse, it can only be by being friendly and complaisant towards
+his master and judge; and such, in truth, am I."
+
+"You only wish to prove my constancy, stern sir knight," said the girl,
+with less haughtiness, and with more discreet demeanour, but still
+calmly and undauntedly; "you only wish to see whether you can bring me
+to doubt my grandfather's honour and the king's justice. You know, as
+well as I, that my grandfather is obliged to provide quarters for all
+comers, whether they are true subjects or not, so long as the king has
+not driven them from the country and made them outlaws; that I do not
+practice witchcraft, although, at times, I may have strange dreams,
+and, in jest, have read one or two hands, you very well know. You would
+only trifle with me, stern sir. But if you are in earnest," she
+continued, vehemently, and again placing her hands, with an air of
+defiance, on her sides, "you are as little likely to be one of the
+king's true men as you are to be the king himself. You are, rather, a
+riever and a traitor, seeking to do injustice in the king's name: so
+take care of yourself, good sir. There is yet law and justice in the
+kingdom; and you may happen, by-and-by, to get hanged, for all that you
+may fit yourself into a stately knight's doublet, stolen, probably,
+from some poor man."
+
+"Shameless boldness!" exclaimed the nobleman, stamping with
+indignation; but his wild look fell again upon the girl's beautiful
+face and form, and he continued, in milder tones: "defiance does not
+become you well, little Aase; and you are nothing handsomer for your
+obstinacy. Before the Lord, I think I could be angry with you in
+earnest. You are not a tame bird; and I see well, you want to make
+yourself precious, that you may afterwards set the higher price upon
+your favour. For variety's sake, that may please me at present; but do
+not carry it farther. I can have patience for a time; but do not make
+me furious."
+
+"They are coming! they are coming!" exclaimed Aase, overjoyed, and
+springing to the window looking over the great court-yard: "now shall
+we know whom you are, and whether the king has robbers and ravishers in
+his service."
+
+The tramp of horses, and the sound of voices, were heard in the court
+of the castle. The tall personage looked uneasily towards the window:
+at the same time the door was opened, and the young soldier who had
+stood without the door on his first entrance hastily and flurriedly
+entered.
+
+"We are betrayed, sire!" he whispered, almost breathless. "The court is
+full of people: they demand to be admitted in the king's name, and have
+Drost Peter Hessel at their head."
+
+"Drost Peter? Are you mad?" said the nobleman, hastily throwing on his
+cloak. "What wants he here? How did he enter?"
+
+"The gate was locked; nobody knows who let him in. He has terrified the
+warden with his royal authority. They are searching throughout the
+whole castle, and will pull it down if they do not find the girl. I
+expect them here every instant, as they have seen the light from the
+court. If you would not betray yourself to the people, escape by the
+secret passage, sire. Command it so, and I shall take the blame, and
+suffer myself, farther, to be taken prisoner by the drost."
+
+"Right, my trusty Rane. The thought is worth gold. Lock the concealed
+door after me. Are our people at the back gate?"
+
+"All is in perfect order and security, sir knight," said the young
+man-at-arms, with emphasis, winking; "and not a soul can know that you
+have been here, if she, there, can be silent:" here he pointed
+dubiously towards Aase, who stood looking with a wild, flashing eye
+from the window. "Tarry no longer, sire. I hear them upon the
+tower-stairs."
+
+"Betray, with a single word, whom you have seen, and you are dead!"
+whispered the nobleman, hurriedly, to the terrified maiden; and, in an
+instant, he had disappeared through a concealed door in the panel.
+
+The young soldier hastily withdrew the key from the door, and flung it,
+from the window, into the back court; he then fell in a supplicating
+posture at the young girl's feet. "Have pity on an unhappy lover, fair,
+good-natured Aase. Thou incomparable fisher-maid," he began, in a
+shrill, piping voice, "for thy sake, I have exposed myself to the
+greatest danger, and to the anger of our righteous king; for thy sake,
+I dared to make use of the king's name, when I took thee prisoner."
+
+"And, for thy sake, I will soil my fingers upon such an abominable
+hag's face," answered the girl, giving him a few hearty boxes on the
+ear, which he appeared to take patiently, continuing, the while, to set
+forth his feigned love tale.
+
+He was still talking in the same strain, and had laid hold of Aase's
+apron, when Drost Peter and his squire, together with the warden and a
+band of armed fishermen, entered the door.
+
+"In the king's name, Chamberlain Rane, you are my prisoner," said Drost
+Peter: "bind him, lads!"
+
+The page rose, as it taken by surprise. "Stern sir drost," he said,
+with an impudent smile, "you best know yourself the power of beauty
+over the heart, without distinction of rank or station. You have
+detected me in an indiscretion, which, at our time of life, one does
+wisest to judge with forbearance. At most, you have seen with what
+little success I have sought to tame this lovely wild-cat. If you
+venture on taking me prisoner, good: our common lord shall decide which
+of us is the more blameworthy."
+
+With these words, he gave up his short sword, without opposition, into
+the drost's hands, and permitted his own to be bound by Claus Skirmen,
+who performed this ordinary part of a squire's duties with the greatest
+dexterity, at the same time casting a look at the pretty little Aase,
+whose dark, sparkling eyes ran over the bystanders, as if anxiously in
+search of some one.
+
+"My child! my Aase!" sounded, at length, from a man's deep voice at the
+door; and, with the lively exclamation, "Grandfather! dear
+grandfather!" she flew into old Henner's arms, and overpowered him with
+her childish caresses, without observing his wounds, which, however
+little he regarded them himself, had nevertheless considerably
+exhausted him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Drost Peter Hessel and his squire had come over the Belt in the storm,
+with a large company of travellers. On the road from Gremermarsh quay
+to the town, they had met with the armourer Troels, the ferrymen, and a
+band of burghers, in search of Henner Friser and the robbers. Drost
+Peter had landed from the vessel, with a shaggy cap over his ears, and
+a large boatman's jerkin over his knight's dress. They were the last to
+land; and, before the young nobleman had mounted his horse, he had
+taken off the borrowed cap and jerkin, thrown his scarlet cloak upon
+his shoulders, and placed his feathered hat upon his head. Without
+troubling himself about the other travellers, he was ready, at the
+moment, to assist the burghers against the supposed robbers. The rest
+of the travellers, tired with their boisterous passage, were only
+anxious to reach the inn, to rest and refresh themselves.
+
+On the quay of Gremermarsh, there still stood, however, in the changing
+moonlight, a boatman, with his arm in a bandage, by the side of a tall,
+knightly figure, in full black armour, with the visor of his helmet
+down. They appeared to talk earnestly and secretly, and, from time to
+time, pointed to the skiff that had newly arrived, and to a smaller
+boat, by which the mailed knight had seemingly come, and which lay
+somewhat apart, below the wood that skirted the Middelfert sound. The
+boatman had arrived with the large company, and appeared to be
+informing the knight whence they had come and whom they had brought.
+They at length separated. The boatman nodded respectfully; and,
+notwithstanding his wound, seemed to take upon himself the execution of
+some commission with which he was entrusted by the stately stranger. He
+departed, with hasty strides, towards the wood where the little boat
+lay; while the knight took, alone, and with thoughtful steps, the road
+to the town.
+
+Although neither Henner Friser nor his pretty granddaughter was
+present, the travellers were received at the inn, by the people of the
+house, with the usual attentions. They had placed before them a flagon
+of ale, and a large dish of stewed flounders, of which they had always
+abundance. With these the greater part of the company appeared to be
+satisfied, as it was Friday, and they were required to observe a fast.
+Not so, however, were they all.
+
+"Away with these wretched flounders! We want a hearty meal of flesh,"
+said a long, meagre gentleman, with a sagacious but proud and arrogant
+countenance, and strong, passionate-looking features. "For your lives
+and healths' sake, I give you all an indulgence, as far as the day is
+concerned," he added, with the mien and authority of a pope: "for the
+sake of human infirmities, I am authorised to do this."
+
+The flounders were immediately taken away, and a large dish of salt
+meat substituted in their place. This change the majority of the
+company loudly applauded, but the ecclesiastic was now offended.
+Notwithstanding the blue travelling dress he wore, his rank was
+distinguishable by the black calotte that concealed his tonsure; and,
+notwithstanding his leanness, he appeared accustomed to better and
+richer fare. He vehemently decided that the accommodation for
+distinguished travellers, in this new and only licensed place of
+entertainment, was wretched; and that, when the king thought proper to
+meddle in domestic matters, and prohibit people, both lay and clerical,
+from entertaining strangers, he ought to take care that there were
+ordinary cooks in such taverns.
+
+This discontented gentleman was the only ecclesiastic in the company.
+He was usually called Master Grand and Sir Dean; and all treated him
+with the greatest respect. The rest were chiefly knights, and other
+distinguished laymen, with large plumes of feathers in their hats, and
+short travelling cloaks, fringed with sable, of the finest German or
+English cloth, and of the most various colours, according to their own
+or their ladies' tastes. Their doublets were, for the most part, of the
+same colour and material, with a slit in the centre, and ornamented
+with gashed edges, in the fashion of foreign knights. This profuse
+style of dress had, long before, been forbidden in Denmark; and this
+contempt for a law that was observed everywhere around denoted these
+gentlemen to belong to the bold and disaffected aristocratical party.
+
+A tall young man, in a scarlet cloak, with a haughty countenance and
+princely manners, appeared to be the most distinguished in the company.
+An elderly personage, with a firm, warlike bearing, and in a large
+cloak of English blue cloth, seemed likewise to be an individual of
+some note. Some of the younger gentlemen shone forth in suits of bright
+yellow, flame colour, and green. A few of the more elderly wore brown
+and liver-coloured doublets and mantles. There were nearly as many
+squires as there were knights; and their inferior rank was discernible
+by their plain hats, and by their chequered and less, expensive cloaks
+of Scottish cloth.
+
+A young, cheerful individual, who did not appear to belong to the
+knights and their train, but attached himself with particular attention
+to the ecclesiastic, was distinguished by his civility and pleasing
+manners, although his unusual corpulency would only allow him to
+perform any rapid motion with difficulty. His round, good-natured face
+beamed with life and jollity. Round his short brown jerkin he wore a
+broad leather belt, with a large knife and fork, a horn spoon, a
+pepper-box, and a number of other tools and appliances pertaining to
+the kitchen and pantry. He had listened with great attention to the
+discontented ecclesiastic's denunciation of the entertainment, while
+his look often glanced upon a plain wooden box, which he had carried
+from the ship himself, and which was now deposited in a corner, near
+the kitchen-door.
+
+"Spoken after my own poor heart, worthy sir dean," he at length said,
+with a respectful mien, and yet with a kind of sly humour. "These royal
+hostelries will certainly bring the land to ruin. 'They are dung-pits,'
+as said our worthy Abbot of Ry, in his much-admired fast sermon; 'they
+are dung-pits, where every carrion bird gathers, and where the eagle
+and crow must eat out of the same dish.' They have brought true
+hospitality to decay; and now, as a necessary consequence, harmony and
+jollity, mirth and the noble art of cookery, have come to the ground
+together. Nevertheless, in half an hour's time, I shall prepare my
+worthy masters such a repast as shall make us all forget these doleful
+times, and reconcile us to this godless world."
+
+"Right, my son," said the churchman, patting him on the shoulder. "Do
+not bury thy rare talents. Have a care for our present wants, cook
+Morten, and trouble not thyself about the preacher."
+
+Whilst the travelling cook took his box and proceeded to the kitchen to
+prepare his entertainment, without heeding the growlings of the
+servants, the gentleman in the blue cloak made a trial of the liquor,
+which stood in a pewter tankard.
+
+"What! filthy Danish pors-ale!"[7] he exclaimed, and dashed the tankard
+to the ground. "Fie for Satan! do the rascals mean to treat us to such
+trash? Saxon ale we shall have, and that immediately."
+
+"German ale, that sets people a-crowing, we do not serve here,"
+answered a bold fellow, who acted as tapster: "it is as strictly
+forbidden by the king as are the slashed doublets of yourself and these
+gentlemen. If, therefore, you are not contented with what we have got,
+the door is open; but rough words and fault-finding, neither Henner
+Friser nor his servants put lip with."
+
+The gentleman in blue started, and regarded the man with surprise.
+
+"Shameless fellow! do you know to whom you are talking?" roared the
+churchman, the veins of his forehead swelling with rage. "Where a
+gentleman of the blood royal is present, even a master and a dean is a
+mean man. A bumpkin like you should not grumble, were we to scrub your
+ears with your besom, and fling your villanous Danish ale over your
+dunderhead!"
+
+"Be pacified, good Master Grand," said the young gentleman of the
+scarlet cloak: "the fellow, truly, did not know us, and only maintains
+the credit of his master. If you have any German ale in the house,
+produce it on my responsibility," he added, turning to the tapster,
+while he flung down a handful of silver coin upon the table.
+
+The man was surprised, and loitered.
+
+"Quick, now!" continued the young lord: "it is Duke Waldemar who
+commands you. The king's prohibition, to which you have already sagely
+adverted in reference to our doublets, does not extend to me and my
+followers."
+
+"So _you_ may understand the matter, mighty lord," answered the man,
+bluntly; "but my master says, that, on Danish ground, the king's law
+and prohibition extend to both gentle and simple. There is a butt of
+old German ale in the cellar, which has not been touched for five and
+twenty years; but, before my master comes home and so orders it
+himself, I shall not tap a single stoup of it, even if all of you were
+popes and emperors."
+
+"Let the saucy rogue be thrown out of doors, my lord duke!" exclaimed
+Master Grand, in a passion; and a couple of squires drew near, with
+zealous alacrity, and seemed only to be waiting for a nod to carry the
+proposal into execution.
+
+The blood mounted to the young nobleman's cheeks, and he cast a
+threatening look at the tapster; but his senior, in the blue cloak,
+caught him by the arm.
+
+"Delay a little, sir cousin," he muttered, in a half whisper. "Let me
+advise. Here we must be good patriots. The king's grace rode his
+cock-horse by the side of Margaret's stallion,"[8] he then continued,
+with a loud voice, "when he performed this exploit, and stuck pegs for
+taps into German ale-barrels. It was a brave action, we must allow: it
+will be long before I achieve as much as a general. At the same time,
+he made his appearance in a new light, and became our instructor in the
+noble art of tailoring. Like good patriots, let us now drink this
+pors-ale to his honour, and have our doublets sewn up like honest
+Danish frocks, that they may see at court that we are as true and
+obedient subjects as John Little and David Thorstenson, and as upright
+friends to this kind of garment as the king himself, and the queen's
+handsome friend, Drost Peter Hosel.[9] Now, then, the king's health in
+thin ale, since there is no better: the king's health, my lords!"
+
+This satire, accompanied by a scornful smile, occasioned a burst of
+laughter, and all drank, or pretended to drink, of the despised liquor.
+
+"Every one shall drink the toast who is not a spy or a traitor,"
+continued the warlike lord in blue: "no distinction of rank or station
+is permitted here. Come, thou fair swain: drink the king's health in
+this precious pors-water."
+
+"I would have a care of my manners," answered the tapster: "I am too
+mean to join in the revels of such distinguished company."
+
+"Understand, then, that Count Jacob of Halland, as the king's vassal,
+allows you to be chastised as a traitor and secret rebel," continued
+the lord in blue. "Drag him out, and give him a hearty salute with the
+stirrup-straps," said he to the squires. "We have all heard that he is
+a rebel who will not drink the king's health."
+
+The stern decree was executed in a moment, notwithstanding a brave
+resistance made by the strong fellow.
+
+"This is the way to baste the fellows with their own lard," growled
+Count Jacob, as, with a haughty air, he threw himself carelessly back
+on his bench.
+
+"Perhaps a little too hard," said the young duke, yet smiling
+contentedly; while all laughed heartily at the rough joke, which did
+not seem to them at all unusual, or in anywise dangerous.
+
+The allusion to King Erik Christopherson's edicts respecting ale and
+slashed doublets, which had given rise to this scene, was followed by
+many jocular remarks on various other of the king's municipal
+regulations, which they affected to extol, whilst, at the same time,
+they were striving to present them in the most ridiculous point of
+view, or as childish and absurd. The stern _Ribe-Ret_,[10] in
+particular, was the subject of many coarse jokes.
+
+The conversation was brought to a close by the entrance, with a large
+dish of seasoned meat, of the indefatigable cook, who invited the
+company to prove whether he had not attained a more worthy post than in
+cooking prison-fare for the hermits of Sjoeberg.
+
+"Should I--as, nevertheless, I hope I shall not," he added--"have to
+wait on any of my good lords in my celebrated castle, I am glad that,
+beforehand, I have had an opportunity of vindicating my honour with
+those who, not without success, have studied the art of cookery in the
+most learned chapter-houses in the kingdom."
+
+"Thou art a rogue, Morten!" said Master Grand, playfully threatening
+him. "My pious colleagues taught thee first, perhaps, to sign thyself
+with the token of self-denial; but thy round cheeks bear witness thou
+art a carnal child of the world, who hath transferred his learning to
+ladles and carving-knives."
+
+"Not without a bright and illustrious example," answered the cook, with
+a cunning smile. "Were I, in troth, your cook, as I am now a godless
+provider for state-prisoners, you could not help being soon as plump as
+I and your worthy colleagues."
+
+He now began, like a busy host, to serve out his viands, and selected
+the choicest morsels for his new ecclesiastical patron. He afterwards
+brought from the kitchen a large wooden bowl, and, with many eulogiums,
+recommended the strengthening and enlivening beverage it contained, as
+the fruit of his own invention.
+
+"Spiced wine!" exclaimed Count Jacob. "Thou art a most excellent
+fellow, Morten! This, then, was the sacred church-treasure that thou
+and sir dean contended for so lustily in the storm, when we were
+obliged to throw all our worldly goods overboard!"
+
+"Thus it is that virtue and good deeds are rewarded, even in the
+present life," answered the cook. "And I hope that worthy Master Grand
+does not now repent that he so piously took my sacred bottle under his
+protection."
+
+The knights praised the excellent liquor, and became merry and noisy.
+Cook Morten poured out for them, and sang them wanton ditties. All
+would join with him; and every one sang the song that pleased himself
+best, without troubling himself about those of others. At length, a
+well-known song obtained the ascendancy, in the midst of general
+laughter: it was a tolerably witty and satirical ballad, relating to
+the king and his favourites, particularly concerning Drost Peter
+Hessel, whom it sometimes nicknamed Peter Hosel (stocking-garter), and
+sometimes Sir Lovmand (lawyer), with coarse inuendoes on the relation
+in which he was accused of standing to the queen.
+
+In the midst of this uproar, the tall mailed knight, with the closed
+visor, who had followed them from the quay, entered unobserved, and
+seated himself in a dark nook, near the door.
+
+"See, now there is some life in the game," said the cook, snuffing the
+candles; "now it is quite a pleasure to tend upon my worthy masters."
+
+"But how came you by the wine?" inquired Master Grand: "it is indeed
+converted into nectar."
+
+"The preparation is a secret, my most worthy sir," answered the cook,
+"the knowledge of which I shall keep to myself, until I make my will:
+then shall I enrich after generations with my invention, if the world
+prove worthy of it. I have named this divine beverage _bishop_: I hope
+it deserves its title, and that it will hereafter render the name of
+Morten Fynbo immortal, among both learned and simple."
+
+"Call it archbishop: it deserves the name better than the carlin we
+have now in Lund," roared Count Jacob. "Such a bishop is fitted to
+mediate an eternal peace between the temporal and spiritual lords of
+the kingdom; and, at this time, it is much needed. We have made a
+beginning with you, very learned Master Grand," he continued: "when you
+come hereafter to be archbishop, perhaps it will fare better with
+justice in the land. You are the man to lend me a letter of
+excommunication, when my own sword is too short to recover my feudal
+rents, withheld by a tyrant."
+
+Master Grand made no reply, but gave the loud-voiced count a familiar
+and significant look.
+
+"To our noble dean, the pride and honour of Roskild!" resumed Count
+Jacob: "long life to our very learned Master Jens Grand! A rogue is he
+who does not pledge the toast to the bottom; and confusion to all the
+vermin and king's thralls in the country!" With these words, he touched
+the ecclesiastic's cup with his own. His example was followed by Duke
+Waldemar and the knights; the whole bursting out into a simultaneous
+shout of applause, in which the cook heartily joined.
+
+"I thank you, my high-born Count Jacob; you, too, my noble duke; and
+you, my valiant lords and knights," said Master Grand, agreeably
+surprised, while he rose, and regarded all around him with an air of
+seriousness and significance. "The time may come when my deeds shall
+prove to you that it is my highest wish to effect a friendly union
+between the knightly sword and the bishop's staff. Earthly and heavenly
+power must be truly united, when there is anything great to be done in
+the world. But more of this at another time and place," he said,
+suddenly interrupting himself. "_Latet anguis in herba_--there is a
+snake in the grass, as the saying goes: Satan has his imps everywhere."
+
+So saying, the dean's sharp looks fell on the figure of the tall,
+mailed knight, who sat in the corner, by the door. All eyes were turned
+in the same direction, and a mysterious whispering arose among the
+uneasy guests. The sturdy warlike figure then arose, and advanced with
+firm strides towards the light at the end of the table. He moved his
+head, as if he would observe the guests more narrowly, raised his
+mailed arm, struck the grating of his helmet upwards for a moment,
+and then allowed it to fall. The hasty view thus obtained of the
+strongly-illumined, iron features of the warrior, and the stern glance
+that shot like lightning from beneath his dark bushy eyebrows, struck
+every one with astonishment. They had all risen to bid him welcome; but
+he laid his finger upon the opening of his helmet, and they remained
+standing, as mute as statues, and regarding him with earnest
+expectation.
+
+"Remember your oaths and vows! Prudence is still our safeguard," said
+the mailed knight, in a deep, hollow voice. "There is no security, or
+room for insolent bravado, where traitors may go in and out, and every
+door stands open. The tyrant is near at hand. Drost Peter Hessel was
+among you on the Belt, and you knew him not."
+
+"Drost Peter!" they repeated, with astonishment.
+
+"Damnation!" exclaimed the young duke, stamping: "it was reported
+otherwise. But how came he there? I did not see him. Where did he
+land?"
+
+"Spite of the devil, I should think it would have been known if the
+drost had been on board," said Count Jacob. "Two boatmen and a youth
+excepted, there was not a cat on board I did not know."
+
+"Who was the man who sprang from the mast, and seized the rudder, when
+the steersman's arm was wounded?" demanded the stern knight.
+
+"He--the daring young fellow," said Count Jacob--"he who, at the very
+nick of time, came as if he had dropped from the clouds, and saved our
+lives--was he not a boatman?"
+
+"It was Drost Peter Hessel," said the black knight; "and the lad who
+waited upon him was his squire--a youth with ears in his head."
+
+"The fiend!" exclaimed one after another.
+
+"In the noise and confusion I was both deaf and blind," began Master
+Grand; "otherwise, I should have seen whether we had Philistines on
+board. On the skiff I saw no one: but who was the knight in the scarlet
+mantle, who followed us from the quay, and rode off in pursuit of
+rievers or virgins, or on some such sort of carnal, hair-brained
+exploit?"
+
+"That was Drost Peter," answered the mailed knight. "Where were your
+keen eyes, Master Grand? Our deadly foe sat to-day by the rudder, and
+you knew him not; to-morrow he sits at the helm of the state, and will
+know you."
+
+"Death and perdition! All is lost? We are betrayed!" exclaimed one
+after the other; and the commotion became general.
+
+"Not yet," said the mailed knight, quietly, and raised his voice.
+"Until the Dane-court is brought to a close, the law protects you. This
+law only protects me," and he struck his large, rattling sword. "The
+moment the Danish court is terminated, separate. In half an hour, I am
+again on board. Yet three words in private with your and my future
+lord."
+
+The young duke hastened anxiously forward, and fervently seized the
+knight's mailed hand. They retired a few steps, and the mysterious
+knight whispered some words into his ear, which he only heard, but at
+which the bold duke's cheeks changed colour. The knight regarded him
+with a keen look, laid his hand encouragingly upon his shoulder, and
+nodded. The duke regained his composure, and, with a haughty look, made
+a hasty motion with his sword. Without adding a single word more, the
+tall, iron-clad knight saluted the company, and quietly strode out at
+the door.
+
+A general silence ensued, while the young duke appeared struggling to
+overcome some anxious, disquieting thought. Hastily seizing his cup,
+"Long life to our trusty, watchful friend!" he said: "may he return
+safe: he has done much for our sakes to-day."
+
+Scarcely had he uttered the words, and put the goblet to his lips, ere
+the door was opened, and Drost Peter Hessel, with old Henner Friser,
+entered, accompanied by a crowd of burghers and seamen, carrying with
+them the bound Swain Rane. Old Henner led his daughter by the hand. She
+cast back a kindly look towards the door, where the squire, Claus
+Skirmen, was standing, with his master's scarlet cloak upon his arm,
+and surprised apparently at the sight of so many strangers; whilst his
+eyes speedily forsook the fair, dark-eyed damsel, and rested, with
+earnest attention, upon his master's every look and motion.
+
+As the young drost entered, Duke Waldemar and the knights hastily
+replaced their uplifted goblets on the table, and looked at one another
+with amazement.
+
+Drost Peter did not appear to notice the general confusion which his
+entrance had occasioned. Having saluted the company with knightly
+politeness, "I perceive," he said, in a lively, unaffected tone, "I am
+yet in time, my lords, to greet you in my own doublet, and to thank you
+for your excellent travelling society. I had my reasons for appearing
+as a boatman: that scarcely any of my noble lords will doubt. It
+gladdens me that I was fortunate steersman enough, and had the
+opportunity, of bringing so many important patriots safe to land. I
+would have thanked you for your confidence immediately upon our
+landing, my lords; but I have been delayed by a little unpleasant
+adventure, which is now happily finished."
+
+The young duke recovered his self-possession. He returned the drost's
+salutation with a princely air, and answered, in the same courteous
+tone, "It was handsome to return to us, Drost Hessel, and not to
+withdraw yourself from our thankful acknowledgments. But a minute ago,
+we learned that we were fortunate enough to have had you on board,
+without knowing you, and that you were the brave boatman who so
+opportunely caught hold of the rudder in our danger. That chance or
+necessity, and no deceitful intention, made us fellow-voyagers to-day,
+notwithstanding our difference of opinion in various matters, I am
+willing to believe. Accept, therefore, the acknowledgments of myself
+and friends; and permit us, as we were just proposing, to drain this
+cup to your welfare."
+
+At the duke's signal, the active cook handed the drost a goblet of
+wine; and, with forced politeness, Count Jacob made room for him on the
+duke's right hand, and begged him to be seated.
+
+In the meanwhile, no one evinced any disposition to do honour to the
+proposed toast.
+
+Drost Peter observed this, and said, hastily: "I thank you, my lords,
+for the intended honour; but permit me, as the reward of my pilotage,
+merely to beg the favour, that I may quaff this first goblet on Funen
+ground, with Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and these worthy gentlemen, to
+a peaceful and happy issue to the Dane-court, and to the welfare of our
+country, and of our lawful king's house."
+
+With these words, he emptied his goblet, and replaced it on the table.
+
+"Every friend of his country who participates in my wish," he added,
+"will certainly not hesitate on doing justice to my toast."
+
+All eyes were turned upon Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob; and as both
+these lords, although with secret indignation, emptied their cups, and
+set them on the table, the other knights followed their example.
+
+The fat cook smiled knavishly. "A bitter addition to my magnificent
+liquor," he whispered to Master Grand.
+
+The ecclesiastic burned with indignation. He had not yet raised the
+goblet to his lips; and, grasping it in his hand, with the wine
+dripping upon his fingers, he now dashed it violently upon the stone
+floor. "I drink no slavish token of homage by constraint," he
+exclaimed, in a rage. "On what footing I, as Dean of Roskild, stand
+with King Erik Christopherson, is known to every man in the country who
+knows that St. Michael's Church, in Slagelse, belongs to the deanery of
+Roskild, and has been taken from me with shameful injustice. If I have
+not been afraid to protest openly against the king's illegal
+encroachments on my rights of office, neither am I now afraid to
+declare openly to his drost, that I will suffer thirst till doomsday,
+rather than, like a miserable hypocrite, drink a single drop to worldly
+arrogance and injustice."
+
+"And I hold to that, with our very learned sir dean," said Count Jacob,
+with a loud voice, and striking his long sword vehemently against the
+floor. "Every man here has his freedom; and no one shall compel us to
+drink any other toast than we please. I only drank, because I was
+thirsty, and the wine was good. I regard myself, then, so little as a
+wretch or a hypocrite, that no one with impunity shall call me a
+traitor to the country."
+
+"It were far from me to upbraid any man with hypocrisy, or to accuse
+any of these gentlemen of so horrible a crime as treason," said Drost
+Peter, quietly. "In Denmark, God be praised, thoughts, and their rudest
+expression, are still free, when the law of the land is not
+transgressed; and I regard no Dane as the enemy of his country because,
+perhaps, he does not join in our common wish for its welfare, and in
+personal attachment to the royal house, with the same warmth as myself.
+In such unsettled and unhappy times as the present, we must, alas!
+experience that the opinions of the best Danish men differ on many
+important matters. But, my brave lords and countrymen," he continued,
+with warmth, "excuse me that I do not see any place or opportunity too
+unsuitable to say an earnest word in a matter that concerns every Dane.
+If variance and discord are not soon to rend asunder all, even the best
+of Danish hearts, and if the people are not to rebel and sink into ruin
+by such devastating strife, we must necessarily be united in one
+object; and that is, in lawful obedience to the majesty and divinity of
+the crown, upon whatever head it may legally and by justice rest.
+Mournful, certainly, it will be, if we, as men, as knights, or as
+servants of God's word, do not, at all times, love and do homage to the
+personality which is inseparable from majesty. But, as we would be true
+to our country, we are bound, heart and hand, to defend the king to the
+last drop of our blood."
+
+"I may respect your manner of thinking, Drost Hessel, though it is not
+mine," replied young Duke Waldemar, with warmth, and approaching him a
+step or two, with great haughtiness, whilst he appeared to regard the
+embarrassment of his friends with indignation. "I do not misunderstand
+the zeal that permits you to forget where you are, and to whom you are
+speaking. But I may beg you to remember, that we are here in a public
+tavern; and that I, and the highborn Count Jacob of Halland, are
+present. As the king's kinsmen, we were most justified in holding
+discourse against sedition and lese-majesty, had we found it convenient
+or necessary. If you have anything to complain of against us, bring it
+before the king and people, in the Dane-court, where you shall find us
+all assembled, and where I hope to settle amicably the points in
+dispute between us and our royal kinsman. But, here, we order and
+command you, in virtue of our rank and dignity, to be silent, and not
+approach me or my friends, with an audacity that becomes you not, and
+with ill-timed admonitions respecting our duty to the Danish crown. And
+now, my lords, to horse. Here we shall no longer tarry, to give
+occasion for uproar, which this king and _queen's_ zealous friend
+should have been the very first to have avoided."
+
+The latter words were spoken in a bitter tone of ridicule, which called
+up a disdainful smile on the countenance of the young knight.
+
+"Very good," said Count Jacob, in a rude tone of derision. "We shall
+yield the battle-field to the amorous young sir drost, since it is in a
+tavern, where one only cares to fight with words, or, at most, with
+fists and empty pitchers. If we contend, hereafter, upon a more worthy
+arena, sir drost, perhaps you may find it convenient to be the first to
+withdraw."
+
+With these words, both the princely lords left the room; the
+ecclesiastic, with the cook, and all the knights, accompanying them.
+The horses had already, for some time, been standing saddled before the
+door; the squires hastened to hold the stirrups for their masters; and,
+in a minute after, the numerous train departed, laughing and talking
+aloud, through the streets of Middelfert.
+
+The young drost stood, silent and thoughtful, in the guests' room, and
+appeared to be considering whether he had not been too precipitate. Old
+Henner, quietly, and with the greatest interest, had given heed to
+every one of his words, and to his whole conduct. The burghers and
+fishermen, after their president's example, remained silent witnesses
+of the contest between the distinguished lords. Claus Skirmen stood by
+the door, without losing sight of his master's face, although, at
+times, he cast a sidelong glance at the little dark-haired Aase, who,
+with curious and playful eyes, watched the illustrious stranger.
+
+The artful chamberlain had, in the meantime, profited by the general
+attention given to the clamorous lords. He had given jovial cook
+Morten, who pretended to know him, the wink, and, with the help of the
+carving-knife which hung at the cook's girdle, the cords that bound him
+were cut without it being observed. He could not, however, immediately
+avail himself of this freedom, while so many stood around him, but
+remained quietly, with his hands behind his back, as if he had been
+still bound. But, now that the door was open, he suddenly sprang under
+the arms of his guards, and was gone in an instant.
+
+"What the fiend! is he loose?" exclaimed the astonished fishermen,
+springing after him.
+
+"Stay, let him run!" cried Drost Peter, stopping them. "If he escape,
+it will please me better, as he would soon have been set free. He will
+scarcely venture into the net so soon again, however; and we have a
+traitor the less among us."
+
+The fishermen stood on the alert, ready to bring back the fugitive.
+
+"Ay, ay: let him run to Satan, as the knight says," growled old Henner
+Friser. "The lanky youth may soon be settled: he shall frighten nobody.
+Another time that we lay our fingers upon him, let us crack his neck on
+the instant. Now, let him grease his houghs."
+
+This speech the fishermen seemed to comprehend, and they remained
+accordingly.
+
+"Now shall you have thanks for your assistance and interest in this
+matter, my nimble countrymen," continued Drost Peter. "Every one betake
+himself to his home, and keep himself easy. From robbers you have
+nothing to fear; and the safety of your brave alderman I will provide
+for."
+
+"Nobody shall touch a hair of his head, so long as there is a
+porpoise-hunter in Melfert Sound," replied a young fisherman.
+
+"And should he get into any trouble concerning the royal squire we
+pitched into the dung-pit," said Troels the armourer, "we brethren of
+the guild will stand by him. Twelve of us keep watch here to-night;
+and, if he wishes to make his escape, there are six men at the yawl,
+with a boat and all that is needful."
+
+"Good, my children, good," replied old Henner. "But go, now: I will
+consider the matter, and tell you, perhaps, my intentions before
+morning."
+
+At his beck, the burghers and fishermen left the room. The old man
+fervently seized Drost Peter's hand. "God and St. Christian bless you,
+my wellborn young gentleman, for what you have this night done for me
+and my little Aase!" he said, with emotion. "If ever I forget it, I am
+a scoundrel. Neither shall I readily forget the words you addressed to
+these distinguished rascals: they have stirred up my sinful old soul
+more than I could have thought."
+
+The restrained but violent emotions which the tones of his voice
+betrayed appeared to surprise the little Aase, as somewhat unusual. Her
+grandfather, observing this, suddenly relaxed his hold of the knight's
+hand.
+
+"Go, now, to bed, my child," he said gently, turning to her: "go to
+bed, and sleep securely until I call you. Dream neither of rievers nor
+big demons. This hand already has punished the doughtiest; but it is
+not so nimble now--it begins to feel the rascals. But the world is
+wide: if we cannot be in peace any longer here, I have other plans.
+Now, good night, child. Pray to our Lord, and our good patron St.
+Christian, to afford us their protection, and not to lead us into
+temptation. Now, quick, to bed."
+
+"Allow me first to look to your wound, dear grandfather," replied the
+little Aase, entreatingly, while she took hold of his hand and kissed
+it tenderly.
+
+"Certainly not, child: I will not hear a word about the gnat-bite. Did
+you not hear what I said?"
+
+From the old man's stern tone, and the silence with which she prepared,
+though reluctantly, to obey him, it might be seen that the old
+grandfather was not accustomed to opposition. She still lingered,
+however; and, as he looked at her more attentively, he observed the
+furtive, sidelong glances of her eyes towards the door, where the young
+squire was still standing. "That is true--the youth by the door--he has
+had no supper, and well deserves one. Without him, we had not got hold
+of you. Now run, then, Aase, and take care of him in the kitchen."
+
+"Come, Claus Skirmen," said Aase, cheerfully, and as familiarly as if
+she had known him for a long time; while she sprang to the door where
+he stood, took him by the hand, and drew him merrily along with her to
+the kitchen.
+
+"Singular child!" muttered the old man to himself: "now she is the
+little wild cat again, and a single word can make her glad or
+sorrowful. But when the strong dreaming spirit comes over her, not a
+sinner would willingly look into her eyes. Well, well: it is a sad
+thing for our strength."
+
+Drost Peter stood in deep thought, and unobservant of what was passing.
+He had taken a sheet of parchment from his breast pocket, and on this
+he gazed intently, without appearing to know what he was reading.
+
+"Have you received disastrous tidings, noble sir?" at length inquired
+old Henner, regarding him with sympathy; "or is it your evening prayer
+you are reading? If your soul is in converse with the Lord, I shall not
+disturb you; but, then, you should look happier. You are young, and can
+scarcely have any grievous sins upon your conscience. You may well read
+your ave and paternoster, without looking whether the evil one stands
+grinning behind you."
+
+"What said you, brave old man?" inquired the knight, recovering
+himself, and hastily folding the parchment. "It is late, and I stand in
+need of rest: the noise and journey have wearied me."
+
+"Come, refresh yourself first, noble sir. My best apartment is ready
+for you. But I have now a word to say to you, for God knows when I may
+see you again. You are wearied, and I perceive you have important
+matters in your head. Come, sir drost, you will not refuse a stoup of
+good Danish pors-ale? What the fiend! have their lordships transformed
+my ale into wine? Well, that was indeed handsome of them."
+
+They then both set themselves down to cook Morten's half-emptied bowl
+of spiced wine; and when a cup of the potent beverage had enlivened
+them, old Henner resumed:
+
+"You spake an earnest word this evening, noble sir. My illustrious
+guests considered it ill-timed, and perhaps you now may think that you
+were over hasty; but it was a word at the right time, to me and many
+more. Yes, you are right, noble sir. The crown is holy, whoever bears
+it: for the king is the Lord's anointed; and no one shall with impunity
+raise his hand against him, were it the foul fiend himself whom God has
+set over us for a season."
+
+"That I did not say exactly, old man," said the drost, interrupting
+him; "yet it is not far from my meaning. But how came you now upon this
+matter? Did you know these lords?"
+
+"Who does not know the haughty Duke Waldemar and the crabbed Count
+Jacob?" answered Henner. "I knew their good friends, too. What these
+good people carry in their bosoms is no secret. This dean from Roskild
+is a learned, dangerous man; and the Lord preserve us from him! Thought
+and thew, he is the old Archbishop Jacob to a hair--he that was
+imprisoned by the king's father, and brought the whole kingdom under
+the ban. The long, big-nosed dean comes of the same brood. People dare
+not say it openly; but you and everybody else know, nevertheless, that
+this Satan's archbishop had a finger in the pie when King Christopher
+was poisoned with our Lord's holy body."
+
+"Thou art right, old man; and so much the worse," said Drost Peter:
+"this audacious Master Grand is Jacob Erlandsen's kinsman, both by
+descent and in spirit. He is the most crafty of them all, however
+hot-headed and open-mouthed he may be in his insolent moods." He again
+drew forth the parchment, and examined it. "Do you know Sir Tuko
+Abildgaard, the duke's drost?"
+
+"Yes, indeed: that was the proud, smooth-faced gentleman, who sat so
+stiff where you are now sitting, with the light green cloak and
+doublet. I knew every one of them."
+
+"Sir Lave Little was not here--God be praised!" said Drost Peter, with
+a suppressed sigh. "They are a noble race, these Littles: would that
+they all took after the old Knight John! A truer man there is not in
+Denmark, although he has almost as much injustice to complain of as
+have his kinsmen."
+
+"We must not judge them too severely, noble sir," resumed Henner. "Sir
+Lave came over the Belt yesterday. It was sad to look upon the man. He
+had visited his kinsman for some purpose: that might well be seen in
+him. Shame is a hard cross. Old Palle has certainly lost his wits about
+it; and the bold, proud Stig Andersen himself--I cannot think of him
+without feeling my heart ready to burst my bosom. A greater leader has
+Denmark never seen since the days of Count Albert of Northalbing and
+King Waldemar Seier. Even the mighty King Ladislaus of Sweden has him
+to thank for his crown. Oh, noble sir drost! when I fancy myself in
+this man's situation, dark thoughts arise within me. I could not say
+that the crown was holy, if I saw it borne by the destroyer of my
+wife's honour."
+
+"And yet, brave Henner, you might say so, even were you in his place,
+if your fatherland were dearer to you than yourself, and your soul's
+salvation more precious than revenge."
+
+"Salvation!" said Henner, gloomily; "talk not so decidedly about a
+man's salvation, sir drost. A bishop would not so readily undertake to
+do so. Believe you, then, of a truth, that the man shall be for ever
+damned who lifts his hand against a crowned nidding?"[11]
+
+"Let us condemn no one, that we be not ourselves condemned," said the
+knight, with deep seriousness; "least of all, let us condemn him whom
+none human can condemn, but who has his Judge above the stars."
+
+"Awell, you may be right, sir, when that is spoken of a righteous king,
+who has been chosen by the free-will of his people, and who has not
+acquired his crown by perjury and the murder of a brother, like King
+Abel. If, now, you were to see the man who shot the arrow into King
+Abel's breast, noble sir, would you be able to look him in the face,
+and say that he was a godless traitor and a regicide, who must be for
+ever doomed to perdition?"
+
+"What brings this into your head, old man?" inquired the knight,
+astonished: "I have, indeed, said I dare condemn no one, and, truly,
+least of all dare I condemn the man whom the Righteous Judge chose to
+raise up to vindicate the pious King Erik Waldemarson, and to hurl a
+fratricide from the throne of Denmark."
+
+"That man stands now before you, sir drost!" said Henner Friser,
+rising: "with this hand I shot the arrow that entered King Abel's false
+heart; there hangs the steel bow that carried the doom of death and
+eternal punishment to the fratricide."
+
+The knight looked up, and regarded with a degree of dread the tall,
+powerful old man, who, pale and frightful as the ghost of a hero, now
+stood before him in the dimly-lighted apartment.
+
+"Did you that deed, old man?" he said, with an effort. "Then let me be
+the last man you entrust with the dreadful secret. And have a care of
+yourself. Had Duke Waldemar known what this bow has done, there is not
+a man in the country who could save you."
+
+"That gives me but little uneasiness," answered the old man. "You, I
+know, will not betray me; and, saving yourself, there is not a soul in
+the world knows what old Henner thinks in the midnight storm, when the
+wild hunter rides over his roof with his howling hounds. Fancy not that
+I rue the best act of my life. Nay, God and St. Christian be praised! I
+dread not the hour when I shall stand, with King Abel, before our
+Lord's judgment-seat. And yet, sir knight, it gives rise to strange
+thoughts, to have withdrawn a soul from mercy, and dispatched a sinner
+to everlasting punishment before his time. But it is the weakness of
+old age: I know it well. It is, besides, at night only that such
+thoughts come upon me. By day, when I look upon the bow, I feel proud
+that this hand once rescued Denmark from destruction. As I have said,
+it is only at night that my heart softens, and that I feel compassion
+for the sinner whom I slew."
+
+"Pray the God of mercy for his soul!" said the knight, with a feeling
+of uneasiness.
+
+"Nay, that can I not, sir drost--and it but little matters. What I
+could do for him, by the aid of a nervous arm, that I have done; but it
+is in vain--he is doomed to eternal misery. I drove a six-ells stake,
+of good charred oak, through his rotten carcase in the bog of Gottorp;
+but what availed that? The proud devil will not rest in the swamp, nor
+will he suffer others to sleep in peace. You have heard, no doubt, what
+is told about his night-hunts? Constantly, at midnight, he rides out,
+raven-black, on his courser, over Gottorp heath, with three fiery
+hell-hounds at his heels. God be praised! I have not seen it myself;
+but every midnight, be my sleep ever so sound, it whines and howls in
+my ears till I awake. Perhaps it is mere rumour and superstition, and
+perhaps it is but the blood which rushes to my head when I recline; but
+now, for three and thirty years, I have never been able to close an eye
+until two hours after the accursed midnight. And--hear you aught? Lord!
+how it howls and whines again!" He held both hands before his eyes, and
+shook his gray head in an uneasy and anxious manner.
+
+"Unhappy old man!" said the knight, "mayhap it is neither the blood nor
+the dead that disquiets you. I rather believe that there is a secret
+doubt in your honest heart of the justice of the deed, or that it was
+well-pleasing to God. Shrive yourself, in this matter, to a God-fearing
+clerk; and seek to make your peace with the Lord, (who, in truth, can
+alone give and take it away,) not only for the sake of the past, but
+also for what has happened to-day. It was not the Chamberlain Rane, but
+a greater man, that we both saw well, who had fixed upon your Aase for
+his victim. I knew him, and so much the worse. Me, perhaps, he will
+spare, for prudential reasons; but he will not relinquish his object
+because he has once miscarried. It will be a serious matter with you,
+too, on account of the squire who lies in the dung-pit. I know but one
+course, old Henner: you must over the Belt with the maiden before it is
+day. Your house and goods may be sold afterwards. But proceed, without
+delay, to my warden at Harrestrup. I shall provide you with a letter to
+him, and he will direct you to my vacant hunting-lodge near Finnerup.
+There, both you and the little Aase are safe. The wind is favourable.
+Take not too long to think of it."
+
+The old man had seated himself upon a bench: he leant with his elbows
+on the table, and his wrinkled forehead rested in his giant hands.
+
+"Well, I shall follow your advice, and accept your offer with respect
+and thanks, my illustrious young sir," said he at last, with decision,
+as he arose. "It is not for the sake of this gray head: were it doomed
+to fall beneath the axe, I should not take flight, in my old days, to
+escape the blow. But the maiden must be saved: she is the apple of my
+eye and my soul's joy--she is good and innocent. She does not yet
+understand her strange dreams. God grant they may never be fulfilled!
+She must be saved; and you are right--time presses. You have also
+pointed my way to peace, sir drost, and I will follow it. I shall bid
+good night to my worldly calling, and, in your hunting-lodge, reconcile
+myself to my God and Judge as best I can."
+
+With these words, he shook the knight's hand fervently, and went out,
+to make the necessary preparations for his departure.
+
+The drost hastily drew forth the sheet of parchment that he had been
+reading, tore off a portion on which there was no writing, and, with a
+silver style which he carried about him, wrote upon it a few words to
+his warden at Harrestrup-Gaard, near Viborg. Scarcely had he finished
+the brief epistle, before long-withstood weariness overpowered him. The
+style fell from his hand; his long, dark-haired eyelids closed in spite
+of him; and he leant back on the bench, until he rested against the
+wall. Seated in this manner, in a few minutes he was fast asleep, and
+was busied, apparently, in his dreams, with some dear and familiar
+object. The soft gleam of the nearly-expiring light fell on his
+youthful but strong and almost stern countenance, which now, however,
+was lit up with a kindly smile; while, in his right hand, he held a
+rosary of rubies, which he wore concealed about his neck, and to which
+was attached a solitary amber jewel, which had seemingly belonged
+to a lady's necklace. His left hand still rested firmly, and with a
+half-conscious carefulness, upon the parchment that lay open before him
+on the table.
+
+He was still securely slumbering in this position, when the door was
+gently opened, and a face peered in, which, though half concealed
+beneath a fisherman's shaggy cap, yet, with its thin, sandy beard and
+crafty features, betrayed the Chamberlain Rane. He was dressed entirely
+like a fisherman. He allowed the door to stand ajar, and, gliding
+noiselessly into the apartment, advanced on tiptoe to the table, where
+the knight's left hand still rested on the documents. After a
+scrutinising glance at the sleeper, his small gray eyes rested with
+curiosity upon the letter. He paused, and was about to slip it away;
+but the knight just then making a motion with his right hand, the
+artful spy hastily stepped back. He again approached carefully, looked
+upon the letter with strained attention, and turned pale when he saw
+his own name among a long list of others, in the open document, headed
+"Conspirators." He groped with one hand for a dagger, whose bright
+silver hilt projected from his breast-pocket; but appeared suddenly to
+restrain himself, as his eye fell upon the small slip addressed to the
+warden of Harrestrup. He seemed surprised on reading it, and, with a
+smile of triumph, went out as gently and cautiously as he had entered.
+
+Shortly after, Drost Peter awoke, completely refreshed by his short
+slumber, and heard, in the apartment, loud noise and laughter, the
+jingling of bells, and the tread of iron-heeled boots with clattering
+spurs. He opened his eyes, and beheld a strong, heavy, and somewhat
+corpulent personage, whose round, jovial countenance, and strong brown
+beard, bespoke him to be in the prime of life. With a pair of large
+gold spurs on his heels, he trod the paved apartment firmly, and,
+casting his mantle aside with a gentle motion of his arm, exposed a
+knight's magnificent dress, and a pair of glittering gold chains. He
+paced the apartment backwards and forwards, in lively conversation with
+two less elegantly attired knights, and a lanky, awkwardly-built
+personage, whose short jingling jacket, and peaked cap with a long
+fox's tail behind, denoted his rank as a jester.
+
+Surprised, the young drost seized the parchment document, which still
+lay open before him, and placed it hastily in his bosom. Thereupon he
+arose, and saluted the strangers with polite apologies that he had not
+sooner taken notice of them.
+
+"Do I see aright?" he said: "is it the highborn Count Gerhard of
+Holstein I have the honour to salute?"
+
+"Quite right, sir knight," answered the bluff, merry gentleman; "and,
+if I am not mistaken, you were my fortunate rival at the Swedish
+coronation tourney, last year--Sir Peter Hessel. Is it not so? and now,
+quite a drost, I hear?"
+
+The knight gave an affirmative, by modestly bowing.
+
+"You here behold a fortunate youth, my lords," continued Count Gerhard,
+turning to his companions: "this young gentleman can already boast of
+standing in higher favour at the Danish court than myself and some
+princely vassals of the blood. He wears the fair Queen Agnes' colours,
+and, as you perceive, watches over kingdom and country, like a true
+drost."
+
+The strange knights smiled, and the lanky jester made up a droll face,
+while he set his bells a-jingling, and bowed before the drost until his
+nose almost touched the ground, the fox's tail flying over his cap, and
+striking the knight on the hand.
+
+Drost Peter cast a careless look at the buffoon, and, with quiet
+self-possession, turned towards the princely lord. "The brave and wise
+Count Gerhard does not envy me the colours I wear," he began; "and, if
+you think I am not worthy of them, sir count, it is still open to you
+to settle the dispute; but only with sword and lance, and not with
+jeers and empty jinglings, or flaps from the fox-tail of your jester.
+Weariness, after unusual exertions, surprised me here for a moment. If,
+on this account, you think I am not so vigilant a servant of the king
+and country as beseems a drost, I nevertheless feel confident that I
+can vie in vigilance with you, or any gentleman of princely blood who
+calls himself a friend of the royal house of Denmark."
+
+"You understand a jest, then, fair Drost Hessel?" answered the count,
+with a good-natured smile. "It was far from my wish to offend such a
+man as you. Only, you must not be angry with me, that, with a sincere
+heart, I hate your good fortune with a certain lady, and envy your last
+prize at the tourney. I accept with pleasure your invitation to break a
+lance with you upon occasion, and will most heartily settle your
+disputed rank as the fairest lady's knight: not at all in enmity, sir
+drost, but in all friendliness, cheerfully and pleasantly, as it
+becomes brave and honourable knights to contend. Do not be offended
+with my long-legged old man there," he continued, pointing to the
+jester: "he has, at present, a privilege with me and my friends, and
+intended nothing amiss. With every respect for honour, I do not think
+it sits so loosely on either me or others, that a privileged fool can
+shake it off with a fox's tail. You might even stand in need of such a
+fellow. In these very serious times, it is certainly highly necessary
+that one should keep a fool to jest for him, when he can no longer jest
+himself. It is, besides, both comely and christian-like, I think, to
+remind us that we are all as fools before our Lord. Now peace and good
+understanding."
+
+As he concluded, he held forth his hand in a friendly manner, and the
+young knight accepted this token of reconciliation with joy. He now
+learned that Count Gerhard had just come over the Belt with his
+followers, on his way to Nyborg, to participate in the festivities at
+the Dane-court about to be held there. As Drost Peter was proceeding in
+the same direction, they soon agreed to travel in each other's company,
+and to start as soon as the count's followers had refreshed themselves.
+
+While the newly-arrived guests sat merrily down to the table, which was
+still abundantly furnished with what they required, Drost Peter left
+the apartment. He proceeded to the kitchen, where he found Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter, prepared for their journey; and, having
+given the old man his brief dispatch to the warden of Harrestrup, he
+hastened their flight.
+
+Old Henner had now his weapons and armour brought him, and quietly and
+thoughtfully equipped himself. With the long spear in his hand, the
+Frisian hempen mail on his breast, and the old rusty steel bow in a
+leather thong upon his back, he then took the young knight by the hand,
+to bid him adieu, and pressed it fervently, without saying a word. With
+tears in her dark eyes, the little Aase seized the drost's hand, and
+pressed it to her lips, unable to say more than, "Thanks, sir knight.
+Farewell!" He patted her kindly on the cheek, and now first perceived
+the maiden's singular beauty, and that blending of dignity and
+childlike simplicity, which caused her countenance to beam with so much
+intelligence.
+
+Claus Skirmen, also, seemed to expect a tender parting with Aase. He
+had assumed a fearless air, not to appear moved, or to betray what was
+secretly passing in his heart; but she drove him, with her mantle,
+playfully towards his master, while she dried her eyes, and skipped out
+of the kitchen.
+
+Before sunrise, Drost Peter, with Count Gerhard and his followers, rode
+merrily away through the streets of Middelfert. Claus Skirmen followed
+on his norback, along with the count's most grave jester. The bold
+young squire looked once more in the direction of the quay. There stood
+the armourer Troels, among a number of burghers and porpoise-hunters,
+all silently and earnestly regarding a little skiff, which was making
+way, with a favourable wind, across the Belt, and from which Henner
+Friser and his granddaughter still beckoned them a friendly farewell.
+
+It was a beautiful spring morning. A light mist hovered upon the
+meadows. Bright dew-pearls trembled glitteringly in the dawn, on the
+slender cobwebs, amidst the newly-sprung bushes by the road-side. The
+knights had arrived at a height just beyond Middelfert. The sun now
+arose directly before them, enlivening the magnificent landscape, while
+a thousand larks poured forth their lively songs overhead.
+
+As the travellers rode leisurely along, the better to enjoy the
+charming scene, a tall, lanky horseman galloped swiftly past them: he
+was dressed as a fisherman, with a large hairy cap drawn over his eyes.
+The knights had not taken much notice of him; but Claus Skirmen rode
+hastily up to his master. "That was Chamberlain Rane, sir drost!" he
+said, eagerly: "his sharp fox's nose stuck out beneath his cap. Shall I
+after him?"
+
+"It is not requisite," answered Drost Peter, knitting his brows. "If he
+travels this way, we shall meet him, time enough, at Nyborg."
+
+"But, should _he_ speak first with the king, sir, you know well how it
+will go."
+
+"That I know very well," answered the drost: "let him ride on."
+
+The young squire was silent, and discreetly returned to his former
+station, behind his master and his distinguished companions.
+
+"A magnificent country!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, surveying, with
+delight, the shining, fragrant meadows, which, gilded by the morning
+sun, lay beautifully extended before his happy, cheerful eyes.
+
+"Truly so," answered Drost Peter, with a melancholy seriousness. "Were
+the people as happy as the land is fair and pleasant to behold, Denmark
+were still a terrestrial paradise. But we have come into the world a
+few generations too late, noble count. It was quite other times to
+those who lived in the youthful days of Waldemar Seier, or in the days
+of his exalted father."
+
+"Not only is the land the same, sir drost," said the count, "but the
+people, at bottom, are also the same. Let only a great Waldemar once
+more arise among you, and you will have the renowned old days again.
+The glory you now deplore made many eyes overflow, in the time of my
+brave ancestors; and we counts of Holstein have no great reason to
+desire a renewal of their splendour. Yet I were but an indifferent
+knight, if I did not admire these glorious times; and I do not blame
+any Dane who regrets them. But what say you of our young Prince
+Erik--the little king, as we may already call him? I know he has you
+for his instructor in the art of arms, and he ought to be half a knight
+already."
+
+"On him now repose my hopes, and those of every Danish heart," replied
+the drost; "and, if it please God, we shall not be ashamed of it. Allow
+time for the bud to expand, and I promise you, at least, that none in
+the land shall do a cowardly or unrighteous deed with impunity: and
+that is much. Denmark, to be happy, requires at all times a great man
+upon the throne. The glorious days that it would be imperishable honour
+to win, I do not expect to be brought about in our times. A hundred
+years hence, and perhaps no one will remember the names we now hear
+most frequently at the court of Denmark; but the pillars that support a
+tottering throne stand not there in vain, though they may be hidden
+beneath its ruins, and forgotten."
+
+"Whom do you reckon among the pillars, then, sir drost, besides
+yourself?" inquired Count Gerhard, in a half-jocular tone, and as if
+unwilling to enter too deeply into a conversation so serious, that did
+not comport with his habitual careless gaiety.
+
+"I regret that I cannot yet number myself among the meritorious men of
+the country, and deserving adherents of the royal house," replied the
+young drost, modestly; "but, should I live to become as old and
+sagacious as our brave John Little, as stout and bold as David
+Thorstenson or Benedict Rimaardson, and as wise as the prior of
+Antvorskov, our learned Master Martin, I should hope to earn a name
+that, in our times, at least, no friend of Denmark and the Danish
+monarchy should forget."
+
+"In troth, four brave and able men are those," replied the count. "And
+yet, I have heard say that old Sir John is a stern, hard-hearted
+taskmaster."
+
+"He is a strict and upright man, and must, therefore, in such lax and
+lawless times, hear of much wickedness," said the drost, zealously. "He
+holds by law and justice, and makes no distinction between the peasant
+and the prelate. But whilst he is stern and bold, he is also sagacious
+and prudent: he effected the reconciliation with Archbishop Jacob, and
+relieved the country from ban and interdict--he was umpire in the
+dispute for the Swedish crown, and told King Magnus some hard
+truths--and he was not afraid to take part against his own king when,
+last year, he was judge respecting the inheritance of the princesses. A
+more upright and able man you cannot show me in Denmark."
+
+"Now, indeed, I know that he is your pattern of a statesman," replied
+the count, with a smile; "and I have a great regard for the man. But
+the learned gentleman you mention, you must admit, with all his piety
+and wisdom, to be a great fool, nevertheless. I can readily believe
+that he is a great theologian and philosopher; but when he comes with
+his antiquities and his logicorum, or whatever it is called, he does
+not concern himself about those he may be talking to, and, with his
+learning, almost drives laymen crazy. Come hither, Daddy Longlegs: thou
+canst show us how the learned gentleman behaves himself--him we saw
+with the Count of Hennegau last year--he who had come straight from
+Paris, and who had made the learned discovery--Master Morten Mogesen."
+
+"Magister Martinus de Dacia, surnamed Magni Filius, which signifies
+'Son of the Great,'" said the half-learned jester, pedantically. "No
+learned man would condescend to call himself Master Morten Mogesen,
+after having once passed to the other side of the isthmus." Here he
+suddenly assumed the grave demeanour of a schoolman, drew himself up,
+and spoke in a kind of mysterious whisper.
+
+"Capital! there we have the man exactly!" exclaimed the count,
+laughing.
+
+Maintaining the same posture, the jester began a discourse, full of
+logical terms, on the importance of adequately understanding the
+Martinian modi significandi in logica.[12]
+
+The complete caricature of the famous Master Martin's entire mode and
+manner, as well as of his voice and countenance, amused Count Gerhard
+exceedingly: he held his sides, and laughed until tears ran from his
+eyes. The two young knights belonging to his train also laughed
+immoderately; and Drost Peter smiled in spite of himself,
+notwithstanding that the jest highly displeased and vexed him.
+
+"I must confess, sir count," he said, gravely, as soon as the general
+laughter permitted him to speak, "your jester perfectly understands how
+to make sensible people ridiculous, by imitating and exaggerating their
+personal defects and foibles, excluding, however, whatever is worthy
+and honourable in their character, which grimacing cannot counterfeit.
+In my young days, this was called making faces at people, and, as a
+malicious kind of waggery, was rewarded with a switch and a sound
+drubbing. The famous Master Martin is my preceptor and confessor; and
+those who, after this explanation, continue to jeer or find fault with
+him, were it even yourself, illustrious count, shall have to do with
+me, as long as I can move an arm or raise my knightly sword."
+
+"Now, you must permit me to indulge my humour at your own expense, sir
+drost," replied the count, still laughing. "Are people in Denmark such
+barbarians, that they have neither sense to enjoy the frank mimic art
+themselves, nor allow others to be amused with it? What signify to me
+your learned confessor's virtues, when I require only his follies to
+promote my health and exercise my lungs in an innocent, good-natured
+manner? If, indeed, we must fall out about that, sir knight, at the
+proper time and place it will afford me an excellent joke; but as I
+never fight for trifles in the morning, or upon an empty stomach, we
+can, if it please you, defer it until we have had dinner at Odense. In
+the meanwhile, let me assure you that I have a great esteem for your
+learned Master Martin, and heartily believe him to be a worthy and
+distinguished man."
+
+"Whom I honour and esteem, I can never make a jest of," replied Drost
+Peter, zealously. "It may, perhaps, be the fashion in other countries;
+but, praise to God, we Danes do not yet understand it."
+
+"That is, indeed, a fault with all of you," replied the count; "and
+therefore you are often, with injustice, regarded as simple-minded,
+although, in fact, it is only the want of a gay, light humour. You are,
+in consequence, as much one-sided in your praise as in your blame.
+Human nature is not yet perfect. It promotes truth, and nourishes
+humility, when one has an eye for the defective as well as for the
+excellent, as they lie in heaps in this fair, comical world. I know no
+one who has not his folly and his ridiculous side: with the most
+distinguished men, this is the more perceptible; and my best friends
+may perceive that I laugh at what is ridiculous in them, while I
+respect their virtues as they deserve. The same freedom I allow to
+every one who knows me; and, should you ever feel disposed to laugh at
+my expense, you will see that it does not annoy me. Come, Daddy
+Longlegs, show this gentleman how I behave myself when seriousness
+turns me crazy."
+
+The jester bowed upon his horse in a respectful manner, and then
+assumed a comical expression of great good humour, which speedily
+passed from laughter to the deepest earnestness, and, from that, to the
+most uncontrollable fury. To carry out this farce in a fitting manner,
+he drew his wooden sword, and attacked the company, without
+distinction, like a madman.
+
+"Hold, hold! Enough, Longlegs! You will drive our horses wild, and that
+will be confoundedly bad," shouted the count, reining in his steed with
+difficulty, while he laughed, and rubbed his left arm, upon which the
+jester had dealt him a blow.
+
+"If this be the way in which people divert themselves at your court,
+sir count, I have not more to complain of than yourself," said Drost
+Peter, laughing; "but still, you have not convinced me of the propriety
+of your singular amusement."
+
+Jesting in this friendly manner, they continued their journey to
+Odense, where Count Gerhard and the knights were to dine. When they
+recommenced their journey towards Nyborg, in the afternoon, their
+little difference appeared to be altogether forgotten. The count and
+Drost Peter had now become such good friends, that they had sent their
+followers in advance, to be able to discourse together more freely, and
+without interruption. Their conversation was of the Dane-court, which
+was to be held on the following day at Nyborg, and respecting the
+unhappy dispute with Duke Waldemar, who had laid claim to the entire
+kingdom, and insisted upon his heirship to Alsen and many of the crown
+possessions.
+
+"For my part, they may decide the matter to-morrow as they please,"
+said Count Gerhard, with apparent indifference; "but, if you would know
+my opinion, sir drost, I must honestly confess that I consider the
+young duke to be in the right, so long as he only demands his
+ancestorial fief intact, and does not aim at higher objects. The son
+can never forget what his father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, was
+obliged to undergo. His right of succession to the dukedom was
+unquestionable; but he was feasted with empty promises, until, at
+length, he became maddened, and appealed to the umpire which every
+prince and knight carries by his side. I do not blame him for that;
+but, that he became a pious hang-the-head when that miscarried, and
+died of vexation in a cloister, was stupid. The manner in which they
+have since treated the son, you cannot defend; for it is unnecessary.
+Had you been well advised in time, it would never have happened."
+
+"But you must, nevertheless, confess that it was in the highest degree
+unjust, and a matchless piece of foolhardiness," interrupted Drost
+Peter, warmly.
+
+"I know what you would say," continued the count; "but the one
+injustice has now taken the other by the tail. Duke Waldemar, as the
+king's ward by compulsion, might have grown old and gray before he
+could obtain a foot of land of his ancestor's fief, had he not, while a
+youth, taken the bull by the horns, and manfully insisted upon his
+rights. He managed the matter bravely, and it might now be amicably
+settled. But why do they continue, so meanly and pitifully, to irritate
+him, and withhold the beggarly islets from him? Hence the entire
+misfortune. But for this injustice, he would scarcely have opened his
+mouth so wide, and threatened to swallow the whole of Denmark. Now he
+is of age, and has become too strong for you: he is haughty and
+unmanageable, and you must beware how you hold out the rod to him.
+These are troublous times, sir drost. The discontent of the nobles
+happens opportunely for the duke. But do not let us any longer think on
+these perplexing matters. I do not mix myself up in state affairs, so
+long as I am left in peace. I am going, as I said, to the Dane-court,
+to amuse myself, and to see the charming Queen Agnes; and that, you
+must confess, is a fair and legitimate object for my journey."
+
+At the last turn which the count gave to the conversation, Drost Peter
+blushed, and appeared to hesitate. "The homage you would pay our noble
+queen, sir count," he began, gravely, "she most truly deserves, and no
+one can blame you that you do not yield in courtesy to any of our
+Danish chivalry; but, that you travel to the Danish court for that
+purpose alone, I cannot credit. If you intend to support Duke
+Waldemar's audacious demands, consider it well. The independence of the
+crown and kingdom is at stake. If they do not allow the matter to be
+legally settled by umpires, and if both sides are not contented with
+such an arrangement, a sanguinary civil war is to be apprehended."
+
+"As I have already told you, sir drost, I do not in any way mix myself
+up in these state affairs. Is it certain, then, that the whole court,
+with the fair and lovely queen, is at Nyborg?"
+
+"That, at least, was the determination," replied Drost Peter, coldly,
+feeling much annoyed by the count's frankness, which he appeared to
+consider as injurious to the queen's person and the royal house. "I
+think it singular, sir count," he continued, with suppressed
+indignation, "that you should express so unreservedly what every
+discreet knight and admirer of beauty is wont only to display in his
+colours or on his shield; especially in a case like this, where
+knightly homage has its narrow and prescribed limits. I cannot
+reconcile this extreme admiration for the fair with your affliction as
+a widower."
+
+"I have, in general, a quiet and contented mind, sir drost," replied
+the count, carelessly; "and that accounts for it, you may be assured. I
+contract my narrow world more than is consistent with my health and
+happiness. What pleases or displeases me I can make no secret of, least
+of all before friends; and if you find any singularity or amusement in
+that, you are welcome. I am glad when I can reconcile my pleasures with
+those of others."
+
+"But this candour and amusement of your's, sir count, I consider as
+offensive to the exalted lady whose colours I bear with profound
+respect, as well as to my master and king himself; and you must excuse
+me, if I venture to disturb your calm and happy humour."
+
+"So, so!" interrupted the count, suddenly changing his air of
+indifference for one of the utmost sternness. "Is that the case? Now I
+know what I have to expect, and shall be at your service immediately,
+as I promised you in the morning. But, first, I will make my candour
+intelligible, sir drost. If you come in harness against me, for my
+undisguised attachment to your exalted mistress, I shall only see
+established the truth of certain unintelligible rumours, which you are
+probably as well acquainted with as I am."
+
+"Rumours?" rejoined the young drost, becoming fiery red: "if they are
+rumours that sully my own honour, or that of a more exalted personage,
+they are liars and slanderers who utter them, and shameless niddings
+who credit them."
+
+"What respects the exalted lady who suffers most from these rumours,"
+returned the count, with a look of fire, "I am far from believing. But,
+as regards you, my young high-flying gentleman, I have reason now to
+believe that the height to which fortune has carried you has made you
+somewhat giddy, and that the eagle on your crest spreads his wings so
+wide that they stand in need of clipping."
+
+Drost Peter became pale with indignation, and grasped his sword.
+
+"I might choose other means to bring you back to reflection, and to
+awake you from a mad and perilous dream," continued the enraged count:
+"you walk, with closed eyes, upon a precipice. I need only mention your
+name, at the proper time and place, to see you fall headlong; but I
+dream, in a manner, the same dream myself. I readily admit that, in me,
+it is a folly, leading only to a bedlam: but that is my affair. My
+madness is still, at least, disinterested; and I do not use it as a
+degrading means of soaring aloft by a woman's favour. I have not yet,
+like you, brought our noble mistress into evil repute, by improper
+familiarities before the eyes of others. As her true knight and
+defender, I intend now to chastise your insolence. My sword is drawn,
+sir drost--defend yourself!"
+
+Like two flashing beams, the swords of both knights descended and met.
+They fought long, with the greatest ardour, but with about equal skill,
+without either being able to inflict on the other any considerable
+wound. After a time, Drost Peter recovered his self-possession, and his
+blows did not fall so fast, but were better directed. On the other
+hand, Count Gerhard's arm and shoulder bled; and, becoming furious, he
+struck so wildly about him, in all directions, that the most skilful
+swordsman could not reckon on parrying all his blows. Drost Peter was
+already bleeding from several wounds, and his strength began to fail
+him; but now his infuriated antagonist, meaning to inflict a mortal
+wound in his neck, laid himself entirely open. The wounded knight
+dexterously availed himself of this critical moment, and suddenly
+disarmed the count, at the same time wounding him deeply in the breast,
+when Gerhard fell back on his horse, and the sword dropped from his
+hand. Scarcely had the decisive stroke been given, ere Drost Peter,
+springing from his horse, came to his antagonist's assistance; but,
+before he could reach him, the count sank, fainting, from the saddle.
+
+Like a practised chirurgeon, Drost Peter immediately sought for the
+wound, and found it deep, but not mortal. He took the necessary
+bandages, and a healing salve, which he usually carried at his
+saddle-bow, and, when the count again opened his eyes, he found himself
+bound up most carefully. His rage had disappeared, and his countenance
+again assumed its gay good humour.
+
+"It was, in truth, a warm tussle, that had not much fun in it," he
+said. "I have besmeared you vilely, drost. Your wounds bleed freely,
+and yet you have bound mine first. That is more than I could have
+expected from a rival. Suffer me now to do you a similar service: or
+can you do it yourself? I am a bad hand at it." He would have risen,
+but fell back with faintness.
+
+"Your wound is tolerably deep, but not dangerous, noble count," said
+Drost Peter: "when you have somewhat recovered your strength, I shall
+assist you to your saddle. I think, indeed, we may reach Nyborg, if we
+travel gently. You have so hacked and hewed me, right and left,
+contrary to all rule, that I shall have enough to do to patch all the
+slits. But they are nothing to signify. The chink in the neck
+incommodes me the most: I believe you had a special wish to behead me."
+
+"Naturally enough," replied the count; "unless, indeed, the head had
+not supplanted me with the fair lady, in whose honour we shall now
+present ourselves, like live hashed-meat, at the Dane-court. I have
+not, however, cut you so deep in the neck, but that your head can sit
+steadily. And, now that I think of it, it was but an absurd, confounded
+rumour we quarrelled about. You have hewed me altogether so bravely,
+that I cannot longer believe any ill of you."
+
+Drost Peter had, in the meantime, bound a linen cloth about his
+bleeding neck, and, for this purpose, had been obliged to unloose the
+ruby rosary to which the amber bead was attached. With a quiet smile,
+he held out the trinket to his wounded antagonist.
+
+"In my own justification, I shall inform you, excellent Count Gerhard,
+that this pearl is a love-token from my future wife. I have not
+seen her, indeed, since she played with dolls, and I myself rode a
+cock-horse; but still she is my destined bride: I promised this, with
+childish thoughtlessness, to my dying father. She now only presents
+herself to my mind as an innocent, angelic child--a half-forgotten
+vision. Perhaps I shall not be able to love her when I again see her.
+Nevertheless, to none other shall I give my hand; and, by my knightly
+honour, I am not conscious of any faithlessness to her. What I feel
+towards our common exalted mistress is only admiration and chivalrous
+respect, which neither love nor hate shall deprive me of."
+
+"Here is my hand!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, heartily. "We two are
+trusty friends in life and in death. He who, from this day forward,
+says an evil word of Drost Peter Hessel, shall have his nose and ears
+hacked off by me, as sure as my name is Count Gerhard."
+
+Drost Peter heartily reciprocated his warm grasp, and assisted him upon
+his horse. He then sprang quickly into his own saddle, and, with
+friendly interchange of confidence, the wounded knights leisurely
+continued their journey.
+
+It was late in the evening as they approached Nyborg. They were riding
+northward, between Helletoft and Sprotoft, where the road leads to the
+town, which, however, could not yet be seen, on account of the great
+wood of oak and beech which concealed it from the land side. It was a
+fine, clear, spring evening. The waning moon had just risen, and
+lighted up the knotted oaks, with their still naked branches; while the
+newly-blossomed beeches formed, as it were, over the travellers, the
+arches of a peaceful temple. The warm combat and its consequences, as
+well as the friendly relations that had since been established between
+the knights, rendered them thoughtful, and they now rode in silence
+through the wood, busied, seemingly, with their own reflections, while,
+from the adjacent copse, the thrilling notes of the nightingale fell
+upon their ears.
+
+"But how far are we now from the town? I thought we had been in its
+vicinity," said Count Gerhard, at length, a little impatiently, under
+the smarting of his wound. "Another time, perhaps, you may put a better
+edge upon your sword, Drost Peter: it will tear the flesh less, and go
+a little deeper. I cannot bear to be scratched to death."
+
+"Had it gone a finger's-breadth deeper, noble count, we had not heard
+the nightingales together this evening," replied Drost Peter. "But, God
+and our lady be praised! there is no danger, and the wound will not
+trouble you long, if you be only a little careful. I know my salve: it
+is from Henrik Harpestraeng's prescription."
+
+"May your words prove true," returned the count. "He certainly spread
+the plaster for Waldemar Seier's eye. But how shall I manage in this
+plight?" he continued, somewhat annoyed: "I shall not be able to show
+myself at the palace in this figure, like a ruffled cock, and I am not
+much acquainted with the town. Is there an ordinary inn?"
+
+"Of inns there is no lack, noble sir. Since the Dane-court has been
+held here so frequently, the little town has been wonderfully extended.
+But, since you cannot go wounded to the palace, to frighten all the
+queen's fair maids, accept of a lodging and attendance with me."
+
+"With you, drost bachelor? When, then, did you turn citizen, and become
+a Nyborg housekeeper?"
+
+"Last year, if you will, though on a small scale. In my position, you
+know, I have scarcely a home anywhere. My ancestral seat, at
+Harrestrup, I rare see once a year. When the court is at Rypen, I
+reside with the prince in the palace; but that is seldom long. When
+here, I lodge alone. The palace can scarcely accommodate the numerous
+princely lords who here assemble for the Dane-court. I have, therefore,
+followed the example of the last drost, and, like Knight John, built
+for myself a good stone house, by the Nordre-Dam. There, I am near the
+court and palace, in the midst of the counsellors and king's tenants,
+and yet my own master."
+
+"Ay, that is well. I am your guest, then, without farther ceremony. And
+since, after the good old fashion, you understand how to heal as well
+as how to break the skin, it could not have happened better."
+
+"It is certainly the last time this hand shall perform such a piece of
+surgery on you," replied Drost Peter, holding out a friendly hand to
+his companion. "Meantime, you must accept of a bachelor's
+accommodation. I am not much versed in housekeeping; but my old
+foster-mother, Dorothy, is well skilled in it. I intended, previously,
+to be your host to-night, and my squire has taken care to provide an
+entertainment."
+
+"A goblet of potent wine," said the count, "is needful after such a
+bloodletting."
+
+"That is not exactly in accordance with old Master Henrik's
+receipt-book; but, still, with your strong constitution, I think you
+may venture it."
+
+"A fig for your receipt-book and old Master Henrik! He was only a
+clerk: what should he understand of the constitution of a count of
+Holstein? Wine I can bear, were I even lying in extreme unction, like
+my blessed father--God rest his soul! I shall not die, as long as I can
+swallow a good draught of wine, nor shall a heart-sore of any kind ever
+overcome me. There are not, indeed, many people who get fat upon
+unfortunate love," he added, with a light sigh; "but still, with wine
+and a jester, one may succeed. I may not be able to boast of my success
+in love, yet, as you may perceive, I am in good condition."
+
+"You still sorrow, then, over the death of your young wife," said Drost
+Peter, sympathisingly; "that I could well see."
+
+"Sorrow! Who dares to say that I sorrow?" interrupted the count. "When
+any one grieves at my court, I give my fool permission to bang him with
+cats'-tails. Now, since you are my trusty friend," he continued, "I
+shall tell you how matters stand with me. Had I seen the Danish
+queen before last year, I had still been a bachelor perhaps, not a
+widower--and I had never wooed a Swedish princess. It is accursed state
+policy that makes almost every prince a fool; but I had the reward I
+merited. The princess found the Holstein count too poor to live with,
+and so she died; and all the honour I have gained is that of being
+son-in-law to a fool of an ex-king, whom any Danish knight could tear
+into shreds, and who is now running about from land to land, like a
+madman, along with a bastard woman."
+
+For some time they rode along in silence.
+
+"No one can have great respect for your unfortunate father-in-law,"
+said Drost Peter, thoughtfully, as he dwelt, in imagination, on the
+Swedish King Waldemar's dethronement. "He did no honour to his great
+name, it is true; but, still, he was king of Sweden, by law and right.
+To me, it is a sad thought, that the unfortunate example has been set
+to other nations, of a crowned and anointed king being so overthrown.
+It was one of our proud Stig Andersen's doings; and therein he exceeded
+the king's mandate and authority. The Swedish people will not better
+themselves by the bargain: for a weak and sensual, but a good-natured,
+and, at times, even a devout king, they have taken a strong and
+prudent, but a fierce and sanguinary tyrant. For the despised log, they
+have taken a hydra. King Magnus has now taught them, with his
+headsman's axe, that no Swedish knight carries his head so high, that
+he may not strike it off."
+
+"An able king is the Swedish Magnus--that you must, nevertheless,
+admit," replied the count. "I do not boast of him because he is my
+brother-in-law; but this I know, that he is not called Magnus, or
+Ladislaus, in vain. If he does, at times, strike off the heads of some
+of the haughty great ones, still the small have reason to extol him: he
+has put locks upon their doors in earnest, and suffers not petty
+tyrants to rule where he sways the sceptre."
+
+"There you are right, Count Gerhard. He thinks that one great tyrant is
+quite enough for Sweden, and, with your and Queen Hedwig's permission,
+that he himself should be the man. Matters are not yet come to this
+extremity in Denmark, however bad they may be; but if Stig Andersen and
+his friends were at liberty to dethrone and set up kings at their
+pleasure, you would soon see in what a sea of blood we should swim."
+
+With such conversation, they arrived at the town-gate, where they were
+stopped by an armed burgher, who, in the governor's name, sternly,
+demanded, who they were, and whither they were going. As soon as Drost
+Peter had announced his own name and that of Count Gerhard of Holstein,
+the stern officer made a profound bow, but still reminded the
+distinguished travellers of the seventh article in the civic law of
+Nyborg.
+
+"Good," replied the drost: "it is right to remind us thereof." And they
+rode on without hindrance.
+
+"They must be very strict here," said the count, "when the drost
+himself must be reminded of the law. What have their tiresome bye-laws
+to do with us?"
+
+"It was in his orders," answered Drost Peter. "No stranger must here
+carry his weapon farther than to his inn; and every traveller must be
+apprised of this. The presence of the king, and of the numerous
+strangers, render such a precaution necessary. Of what use are strict
+laws, unless they are enforced? The man did not know me; but he knew
+that I do not suffer myself to be made an exception in these matters."
+
+"The plague! Are we prisoners of war here, in the midst of peace? This
+is ridiculous!" exclaimed the count. "Is the monstrous Riben bye-law in
+force here? God preserve us from the Ribe-Ret! as we say in Kiel."
+
+"Let us not talk too loud about this, noble count," replied Drost
+Peter, riding closer up to him, while he continued, in a subdued tone:
+"it is truly a great misfortune, when the law itself renders its
+transgression necessary. What has made the Ribe-Ret to be so decried
+there, has here, in part, fallen into disuse. In some points, however,
+the bye-laws here are too severe, and almost cruel. If it please God,
+in due time it shall be otherwise."
+
+They now rode past the old Lady Kirk, which, with its lofty spire,
+stood in a green space, called Helletoft, where also stood several
+separate buildings, in the same Gothic style as the church, with
+pointed gables and small round windows.
+
+"Who lives here?" inquired the count: "it looks as still and dreary as
+a convent."
+
+"Here abide the clerks and vergers of Our Lady's Kirk," answered Drost
+Peter. "If you yearn after life and merriment, they will not be wanting
+here, when we pass to the palace. There are twice as many people in the
+town now as there are at other times, and, on such occasions, the mead
+and strong ale are not stinted. Fighting and disorder follow as a
+consequence; but these are, perhaps, looked after with greater
+vigilance, and punished with more severity, than is requisite. Those
+armed fellows you see there are the governor's people: they, too, will
+probably stop us."
+
+It happened as Drost Peter had surmised: the travellers found their
+horses seized by six armed burghers, who demanded whether they did not
+know the bye-law, that they rode armed. Upon the drost's explanation,
+that they had just entered the town, and were riding to their dwelling,
+they were allowed to proceed; followed, however, by three of the strict
+officials, to watch their motions.
+
+"Here the king should be secure enough," whispered the count, much
+annoyed. "The fellows look upon us as if they suspected a traitor in
+every stranger."
+
+"Unfortunately, there is reason for it, noble count; but here we are
+accustomed to it. It disturbs no burgher's merriment. Hear you, now,
+how they are singing there, by the old stone house with the pointed
+gable? It is the burgher-watch of the Town-hall. Now they are drinking
+the king's health."
+
+"There are not a few. Has Nyborg so many burghers?"
+
+"These are only a third part of them. The rest are on guard at the
+palace. The king has not more devoted subjects. He has also done much
+for the town, and specially favours it. Were he not in greater security
+here than elsewhere, the Dane-court would be removed to some other
+town, and then there would be an end to Nyborg's prosperity."
+
+They now rode past the palace. It was a strong building, of
+considerable extent, with four wings, built of free-stone and burnt
+bricks, and protected by a massive wall, a deep moat, and four lofty
+turrets. From the small round windows streamed the light of numerous
+torches, and the music of flutes and violins was audible. A promiscuous
+crowd was in motion outside the walls, but without much noise, and with
+an order and gentleness amounting almost to anxiety, whilst the armed
+officials went to and fro, frequently exhorting them to quietness.
+
+"What is to be seen here?" inquired the count.
+
+"Over the wall there may be seen the dancing in the knights' saloon,"
+replied Drost Peter.
+
+Count Gerhard became attentive: he observed a tall, majestic female
+figure flit past the middle window, and he stopped his horse.
+
+"The queen!--see, the queen!" he heard the curious spectators whisper
+to one another.
+
+"It is the duke she is dancing with," said one.
+
+"Nay, that it is not: it is the handsome young Drost Hessel. Look, how
+proud he dances! Lofty thoughts he has, you may trow," exclaimed
+another.
+
+"Come, noble count," said Drost Peter, hastily, "let us not get into
+the crowd, with our unruly horses. We are now close to my dwelling."
+
+They rode on a little way, and stopped at a dark-looking house, where,
+on the high stone steps, stood a squire, bearing a torch.
+
+"You are arrived at last, sir," cried Claus Skirmen, springing towards
+him with the torch. "Has any mischance befallen you? I ventured not to
+disobey your commands by leaving the house myself; but I have sent all
+the servants out in search of you."
+
+"We have had a little encounter with a pair of hasty young knights on
+our way," said Drost Peter, "and my noble guest has been somewhat
+severely wounded. Assist him carefully from his horse. Is all in
+order?"
+
+"As you have commanded, sir. But are you not also wounded? Shall I
+bring a surgeon?"
+
+"That is unnecessary, so long as you and I are here. We would have no
+talk about the matter. Attend only to the count."
+
+Not without wincing and sundry oaths did the wounded Count Gerhard
+dismount from his horse, and ascend the high stone steps, where his two
+knights and the lanky jester received him with sympathising attentions.
+
+"A truce with condolences," said the count. "I am both bound and
+salved. Let me only get to table, and have something to live on."
+
+Claus Skirmen went hastily forwards, and conducted the count, through
+an ante-room, into a spacious vaulted apartment, where stood a covered
+table, with tall wax-lights, and well garnished with provisions and
+bright silver wine-flagons.
+
+Count Gerhard regarded these preparations with satisfaction, and
+immediately threw himself into a chair; and, the better to seat
+himself, he released his sword from its belt. As he held it in his
+hand, he recollected the intimation he had received at the city-gate.
+
+"'Sdeath!" he said, "if we must behave as you say, sir drost, we must
+now, like prisoners of war, hand you over our weapons, since you are
+host."
+
+"Now, indeed," replied Drost Peter, "it is well you recollected it;
+for, truth to say, I had forgotten it; and, if I had not, I should have
+been forced to request you to do so."
+
+"But if now I should not obey the mandate," inquired the count, "what
+are the consequences?"
+
+"If you were ignorant of the law, and by a solemn oath could pledge
+yourself to that effect, the penalty is only a mark-penny to the
+governor, and one to the town. The same penalty is inflicted on the
+housekeeper who does not inform his guest of the law."
+
+
+"But, now that I know this stupid ordinance, and yet will not allow
+myself to be disarmed, what great misfortune follows?"
+
+"Without being displeased, allow me to answer you in the words of the
+law itself, Count Gerhard. 'If the guest is reminded, and wears his
+weapon nevertheless,' it says, 'then, with the same spear, sword, or
+knife, shall he be run through.'"
+
+"Oh, what a mischance! Not through the heart or gizzard?"
+
+"Through the hand, noble count. There hangs the table of the law: you
+can read it yourself."
+
+"The devil take such stupidities! There lies my sword. You do the same,
+gentlemen." With these words Count Gerhard cast his sword into a
+corner. His knights followed his example.
+
+Drost Peter took his own sword, and placed it by the side of the
+others. "I must submit to the same law," he said, with a courteous bow;
+"and I hope, my honoured guests, that you will not think ill of me, on
+account of its strictness here. Be seated, gentlemen, and let us be
+merry."
+
+This invitation to merriment was supported by the jester, who had
+already seated himself, and now arose with a look of the most grave
+importance. He approached Drost Peter with solemn step, and, with a
+deep bow, handed him his wooden sword. "Take care of that, honoured sir
+host," he said: "it is the famous sword Tyrfing, which cannot be
+unsheathed without shedding blood. Look to it, that it does no mischief
+in this excellent city."
+
+Drost Peter handed him his sword back again, as a mark of honour, at
+which they all laughed heartily, and took their places in the heavy,
+high-backed oaken chairs. The articles of silver, and the costly table
+appointments, testified that they were in the house of a person of
+opulence. Of male attendants, and supple pages, there was no lack; and
+yet it appeared extraordinary, that the polished floor was not swept,
+and that the dust lay thick on the backs of the chairs, and upon the
+window-sills.
+
+"Where is old Dorothy?" asked Drost Peter of the squire, whilst Count
+Gerhard and the strangers were engaged with the viands. "She was wont
+to keep the house as bright as a shield."
+
+"Alas, that is true, sir," answered Skirmen; "but poor Dorothy
+Brushbroom has gone quite crazy. She took a little bit of lead from a
+window of Our Lady's Kirk, to cure a girl who was bewitched. She has
+been thrown into the thieves' hole, and, it is said, will be sentenced
+to-morrow."
+
+"God pity her!" exclaimed Drost Peter, warmly, rising from the table.
+"The unfortunate creature!"
+
+"What is the matter, my worthy host?" inquired Count Gerhard. "Has
+anything disastrous happened in the house? With wife and child I know
+you are not embarrassed. What household sorrow, then, can thus trouble
+a bachelor?"
+
+"A greater affliction than any one trows," answered Drost Peter. "I
+have an old trusty nurse: she has loved and been with me since I was
+quite a child. She is a true affectionate soul, who would readily die
+for me. She is the best wife in the world, and has kept house for me
+with the greatest order and trustworthiness; but her head is filled
+with stories of goblins, witches, and dwarfs; and, as soon as any one
+is taken ill, she believes, in the simplicity of her heart, that they
+have seen the elfin-king, or have been bewitched by Nixes, and then
+will she have a remedy of holy church lead, or such-like singular
+means. Now she is taken and imprisoned for a bit of metal that cannot
+be worth a doit. The poor creature!"
+
+Some of the gentlemen smiled, and the jester made one of his droll
+faces.
+
+"Now, what great misfortune is there in this?" inquired Count Gerhard.
+"The bit of lead you can outweigh with a silver penny. The old soul
+will be released in a day or two, and, in the meantime, another may
+sweep your floor."
+
+"It is death to her, Count Gerhard, even if it had not happened in the
+church. You are not aware of the laws of Nyborg. Every man who is
+guilty of theft is hanged; but a woman is buried alive."
+
+"And are you all mad, then?" demanded Count Gerhard. "Shall a woman be
+thus inhumanly punished? Is the crime more atrocious in her than in a
+man? You jest, sir drost."
+
+"If you do not believe me, noble sir, read for yourself. There are the
+bye-laws affixed to the door-post. Read but the twenty-ninth article,
+and you will see that, unfortunately, I am not jesting."
+
+"Read it, Longlegs!" cried out the count to his jester: "I have some
+difficulty in rising; and, truly, such confounded laws are not worth
+rising for."
+
+"The twenty-ninth article," commenced the jester, taking up a candle,
+which threw a light upon the large table of laws on the door-post.
+"Here I have it. Give ear, my masters: it is the golden word of
+justice, and a sufficient reason is alleged." He then began to read, in
+a grave judicial manner: "'_What woman soever shall be guilty of theft,
+and deserves to be hanged, with the stolen goods by her side, shall,
+for her womanly honour's sake, be buried alive_.' Now, in truth, this
+is an honour that one takes straightways with him to eternity. It is no
+transient honour, my masters; and, therefore, it has been reserved for
+the fair and more fortunate sex."
+
+"Are you, then, insane?" exclaimed the count. "What honour is there in
+being buried alive?"
+
+"Where is your wisdom, my wellborn sir?" replied the jester: "for a
+woman, it is manifestly a far more honourable and becoming way of
+dying, than if she were to be hanged, like a man--like a male thief, on
+a gallows. Think of the scandal it would occasion her father
+confessor."
+
+"It is, nevertheless, a madness," exclaimed the count. "Is it out of
+mere strait-laced modesty that they are so cruel here? May the foul
+fiend take all clerks and hang-the-heads who give out such laws and
+regulations! Are you alike scrupulous, Drost Peter? And will you suffer
+your good old nurse to be buried alive, merely that your wise king's
+law may not be transgressed?"
+
+"She shall--she must be saved!" exclaimed the young drost, who had
+hitherto stood silent and thoughtful, with his hand on the document in
+his breast. "Excuse me, gentlemen: I must to the king." With these
+words, he left the room.
+
+The seriousness which this circumstance had for a moment called forth
+was soon dispelled by the efforts of the jester, who, with comic
+gravity, began a legal discourse on the stern Ribe-Ret, wherein he
+dwelt more particularly on a certain notorious and scandalous
+punishment, setting it forth circumstantially, and not exactly in the
+most becoming manner. He concluded with the well-known Jutlandic joke:
+"Thank God you are out of the way of the Ribe-Ret, my child; as the old
+woman said when she saw her son hanging on the gibbet."
+
+Count Gerhard laughed till his eyes ran over, and screamed with pain
+from the wound in his breast, which his violent laughter had caused to
+open. He became suddenly pale, and fell back on his chair, without
+consciousness.
+
+The greatest grief and trouble took the place of the previous
+mirthfulness. Message after message was dispatched for the surgeon and
+physician, and all present were seriously alarmed for the count's life.
+He was carried to bed, and Claus Skirmen undertook, in his master's
+absence, to tighten the bandages, and stanch the bleeding with wine.
+
+Half an hour passed away: the count still lay insensible, and no
+physician had arrived. The knights were impatient, and the lanky jester
+behaved like one out of his wits. He tore his hair, and accused himself
+of having killed his master with his accursed jokes. The door at length
+opened, and Drost Peter hurried in. He had been already advised of the
+critical condition of his guest, and had hastened to his aid. He found
+the wound properly bound up by his expert squire and pupil. By means of
+a burnt feather, he at length succeeded in restoring the count to a
+state of consciousness; and, as soon as he had opened his eyes, the
+drost's mind was at ease, and he declared him out of danger. For the
+greater satisfaction of the stranger knights, and of his afflicted,
+inconsolable jester, Drost Peter sent his squire to the palace, to
+bring the king's surgeon. In the meanwhile, he desired that they should
+all leave the apartment, and remained alone with the sick man.
+
+As soon as Count Gerhard had completely recovered his senses, and saw
+Drost Peter by his bed, he held forth his hand, and nodded. "It was the
+fault of your cursed Ribe-Ret," he said; "but I must not think more
+about it, or I shall laugh myself ill again."
+
+"This is not right: you talk too much," said the knightly leech,
+examining his pulse with satisfaction.
+
+"Ay, but it is right. Although you did not exactly dub me a knight
+today, you certainly did not dub me a speechless animal. But how got
+you on with the king and the carlin? Is she to be hanged, or buried
+alive for her womanly honour's sake?" He was on the point of renewing
+his laughter, but repressed his desire on feeling the smart of his
+wound.
+
+"God be praised, she is saved this time!" said Drost Peter; "but with
+some difficulty: the king was not to be spoken with."
+
+"Then you took her out of prison yourself? That was settling the matter
+in the right way."
+
+"Nay, Count Gerhard. Rather than I should have dealt so contumaciously
+with the laws, the unfortunate woman had been left to her fate."
+
+"What the deuce have you done, then?"
+
+"I went to the queen--"
+
+"Aha! I can understand. Happy knight! But why did you not allow me to
+crave a boon for the poor old creature? I have still a heart in my
+body, I know; and I should not have risen from the queen's feet, nor
+taken her hand from my burning lips, till the carlin had been saved,
+even had it been till gray in the morning."
+
+"You talk too much for your wound, noble count; and you think on
+matters that do not tend to calm your blood. I shall now send my
+liberated nurse to watch over you; and, if you must still talk
+enthusiastically of beauty, talk so, in God's name, only before her:
+and sleep well."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter left his merry, sick guest, and immediately
+afterwards a wrinkled old woman hobbled into the apartment, and sat
+down by the count's pillow; but he closed his eyes in vexation, and
+would not notice her.
+
+It was midnight, and Drost Peter walked restlessly up and down his
+chamber. He had reassured his knightly guests, and left them to repose.
+But the royal surgeon had not arrived, and the jester would not believe
+that his master was out of danger. In a closet, by the side of the
+count's bed-chamber, sat the grave joker, listening at the door, to be
+at hand at the slightest disturbance he might hear. Drost Peter could
+not think of going to sleep. He was not, indeed, alarmed for his
+wounded guest, but still wished to be ready, at any moment, to go to
+his aid, should he be called by the nurse. His thoughts, besides, were
+in a tumult, that forbade him to think of repose. His adventure with
+Henner Friser and little Aase, and his strong suspicion of the king's
+participation in the affair, disquieted him. The crafty Chamberlain
+Rane's escape, and the revenge he might, with reason, apprehend from
+this royal favourite, ran likewise in his thoughts. Deep suspicions of
+a conspiracy, of which he had in vain endeavoured to apprise the king,
+appeared to him now, in the night's loneliness, of greater importance,
+the more he dwelt upon it. His strife with Count Gerhard, and its
+occasion, also caused him the greatest uneasiness. The report, so
+injurious to his own and the queen's honour, which he had first learnt
+upon this occasion, troubled him more particularly; and he examined
+with scrupulous care the whole of the last year of his life, from the
+day he first held conversation with Queen Agnes, at Helsingborg
+tournament. He could not deny that her beauty and noble feminine
+graces, as well as her bold and resolute character, exercised a
+wonderful power over him. He owed, undeniably, to the queen's favour,
+his rapid rise from a simple knight to be drost of the kingdom; and,
+though it vexed him much, that he should, in consequence, be blamed as
+a fortunate adventurer, who had been raised to eminence through a
+woman's favour, these usual whisperings of envy were not of a nature to
+drown the voice of bold self-consciousness in his bosom. He was himself
+fully assured that he was perfectly competent for the high situation he
+filled, and that the royal house had not a more efficient servant in
+these dangerous times. Besides, his important vocation as tutor to the
+young Prince Erik, and as his master in the use of arms, gave to his
+life an activity, and a degree of importance both to himself and to the
+kingdom, that he could not regard without a degree of pride; and he
+entertained a confident expectation that, indirectly, the whole fate of
+a coming generation, and of Denmark, was in his hands. He stood on a
+lofty but dangerous eminence, near a tottering throne, and must take
+heed that he did not become giddy and fall. It was only necessary for
+some malicious foe to whisper in the king's ear what rumour said
+concerning the drost and Queen Agnes, to see him carried, within four
+and twenty hours, a prisoner for life, to the dungeons of Sjoeberg, or,
+indeed, without law or trial, to the rack and wheel.
+
+While these and similar distracting thoughts occupied his mind, a loud
+knocking was heard at the entrance of the apartment. He started
+involuntarily, but recovered himself, and opened the door. Astonished,
+he beheld his young squire, Claus Skirmen, standing, pale and
+breathless, on the threshold, with a parchment roll and two swords in
+his hands.
+
+"What is this? What want you so late with me?" demanded the drost,
+hastily. "You are pale: has anything happened amiss? Say, youth, what
+is it?"
+
+"Read, sir--read, and take your sword!" replied the squire, handing him
+the parchment and one of the swords.
+
+He hastily seized both, and, going to the light, he turned pale on
+recognising the Gothic characters, and the king's well-known seal and
+signature.
+
+"Deposed!" he said; "and not only so--condemned to secret imprisonment,
+without law or justice; and this to be carried into execution before
+the Dane-court commences! How came this unfortunate document into your
+hands, Skirmen? It is a royal private warrant. Carry it back, or it may
+cost thy life."
+
+"It concerns your life still more, sir. When you are safe in prison,
+you are to be secretly murdered. I know it all: I have heard it with my
+own ears."
+
+"Are you mad? Is it possible? Rane, then--"
+
+"Right, sir. Chamberlain Rane procured this prison-warrant; the rest
+was hatched by himself and his good friends. He sat triumphantly, with
+this letter in his hand, in a company of topers at the palace, along
+with Duke Waldemar, Master Grand, Count Jacob, and all the gay company
+with whom we crossed the Belt. I was inquiring, by your command, for
+the king's own surgeon for Count Gerhard, when I was directed to the
+western wing of the palace. I had to go along the dark passage that
+leads to the duke's apartments. The door stood ajar, with only a
+tapestry hanging before it. I heard your name mentioned: I concealed
+myself behind the tapestry, and--"
+
+"And you listened: come, out with it! Fair and honourable it was not
+altogether. And so you heard--"
+
+"What I have told you, sir. Not, indeed, in clear and distinct words;
+but, by putting one with the other, I could plainly guess their
+meaning. You must be got rid of, it was said, and in such a way as that
+you could not come to light again, in case the king's humour should
+change. Above all, you are not to receive the least intimation of this,
+nor to be allowed to have any conversation with the king; and tomorrow
+betimes, or even to-night, you are to be seized, and secretly
+imprisoned."
+
+"To-morrow--Trinity Sunday--before the court meets! So, so! But, since
+it is to be done so early, it shall be done this midnight. So long as I
+hold this scrap in my hand, time may be gained. It must now be decided
+who shall first speak with the king. I must ascertain where he sleeps
+tonight, and whether he has an ear for truth or falsehood on the
+morrow. But how did you obtain this hellish document? Could they be so
+careless as to slip the halter when they had it so nearly round my
+neck?"
+
+"I did not quit my hiding-place till they had drank success to Duke
+Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Stig Andersen so often, that one might have
+pricked them all in the eye. I knew there was no danger to the wounded
+gentleman, but that there was to you, and I did not hesitate on
+remaining. Rane held out the longest before he got drunk; and they paid
+him great respect, on account of his relationship to Stig Andersen's
+wife, and because of his cunning in retaining the king's good opinion,
+whilst he still remained true to his friends and kinsmen. The duke
+having promised to procure him the rich Count Mindre-Alf's daughter,
+they already hailed him as future Count of Toensberg; and thereupon he
+drank so deeply, that at length he was obliged to go out to obtain a
+breath of air, I was not seen; and, as I was alone with him in the dark
+passage, it was only the turn of a wrist to fling him on the ground,
+and take the letter from him."
+
+"Then it was not me alone that this concerned? And Rane makes common
+cause against the king? Heard you aught of what should happen when I am
+murdered or in prison?"
+
+"Ay, indeed, sir. Horrible things, concerning war, and rebellion, and
+aid from Sweden and Norway. But I only gave special attention to what
+referred to you. And, now, do not hesitate a moment, sir. If you will
+take to flight, our horses shall be saddled immediately."
+
+"Nay, my brave Skirmen. You have never seen your master yield at
+tourney, nor yet at sharper fighting; much less shall you see him now
+give way. Here, indeed, I cannot defend my life and honour with this
+sword; but, if God wills, I will try another, that, without being a
+traitor to my country, I can use against my lord and king himself. My
+tongue must now be my sword, and righteousness my shield; now, it
+concerns not me alone, but the crown and kingdom. The revolt, it seems,
+is to be aided by Sweden and Norway. Now, then, I must to the king,
+even should the way to him lie amid serpents. But there must be
+quietness and vigour. Nothing can be done for three hours more. I will
+try if I can rest the while. This is now the third night that I have
+watched. Arouse me as soon as it is day."
+
+"But, for the sake of security, shall I not quietly assemble the
+servant-men, and arm them?"
+
+"That would be illegal, Skirmen. If I cannot gain life and liberty with
+justice, with injustice I will not. It is already so, when this blade
+is in my hand, instead of in the city-governor's. Still, this I will
+defend, before God and men. Good night."
+
+With that tranquillity which only a pure conscience, strong
+determination, and utter contempt for his enemies could afford him,
+Drost Peter threw himself, in his clothes, upon his pallet. "Place the
+light on my shield, and do not extinguish it," he said to his trusty
+squire. "And now God guard me! I am weary."
+
+The squire obeyed, and left the chamber. But he did not move three
+steps from the threshold. With his back against the door, he sat on the
+stone floor, that he might guard his master's slumbers until the dawn.
+
+Scarcely had the cock crowed, and the first dim gleam of day entered
+the dark passage through a little grated window, when Claus Skirmen
+arose, and, opening the door of his master's apartment, he found him in
+a calm, deep sleep. The squire could scarcely venture to disturb him;
+but, hearing the sound of footsteps in the street, and the subdued
+clang of arms, he no longer delayed. "It is morning," he said, "and we
+are not the only persons who are awake. Resolve quickly, therefore,
+what you intend to do."
+
+Drost Peter arose, and grasped his sword; but, recollecting himself, he
+hastily laid it down again. "Nay," he said, "this I will not take with
+me. No one can yet have legal authority to seize me. I shall venture to
+awake the king: it concerns his safety, as well as mine. You shall
+follow me. You can testify, on oath, to what you have heard?"
+
+"That I can, sir. But, still, let us take weapons with us. Who knows
+what we may encounter? The governor's people are difficult to deal
+with; and Sir Lave Little keeps guard at the palace with the
+halberdiers."
+
+"Sir Lave! Great God! my little Inge's father! He was in the duke's
+train in Jutland, and I trust him not. Yet, perhaps this is fortunate.
+He was not with the traitors, then, last night?"
+
+"No, sir; he must have arrived the day before yesterday, and entered
+with old Sir John. Last night, he mounted guard at the palace."
+
+"If the prudent John can trust him, so can I. Come, let us leave the
+sword. The righteous God must now protect us."
+
+Without farther deliberation, Drost Peter threw his large scarlet
+mantle about him, placed his feathered hat on his head, and went forth
+with a firm, determined step. The squire followed him in silence, after
+once more looking back dejectedly on the forbidden weapon.
+
+To avoid creating an alarm in the house, Drost Peter and his squire
+went down the stone steps, and closed the door after them. The street
+was still and deserted. The faint twilight showed them the castle, at a
+little distance, lying gloomily behind the strong walls, whilst all
+around it appeared to be still in deep repose, except a few
+landsknechts, who kept watch outside the locked gate, and who paced
+backwards and forwards, with measured steps, their halberds and lances
+in their hands. Drost Peter and his squire approached the palace with
+rapid strides. The young drost had not omitted to take with him a
+token, which, by virtue of his important office, gave him a right to
+demand admittance into the palace, and to the king's person, at all
+times. This token consisted of a plate of gold, on which was impressed
+the royal seal, with the two crowns.
+
+With this in his hand, the drost strode forward towards the outer
+sentinel, and passed the corner house in the broad King-street, when he
+found himself suddenly stopped, and surrounded by twelve armed
+burghers. A respectable man, with a large silver staff in his hand,
+stepped forward from among them, and said, with much seriousness, while
+he raised his staff: "Sir Drost Peter Hessel, the governor of the town
+takes you prisoner in the king's name. Be pleased to follow us."
+
+"Not one step," replied Drost Peter, "until you show me my king and
+master's express order for this treatment."
+
+"I can produce no written order," said the governor; "but that such an
+order was issued by the king yesterday, and taken from his chamberlain
+with cunning and violence, by your people, has been proved to me by the
+testimony of respectable persons. If you will not follow me willingly,
+you must excuse me if I employ force. Men, do your duty."
+
+The armed burghers drew near to lay hands upon their prisoner. Drost
+Peter now held out, with an air of bold authority, the token, with the
+royal seal. "Know you that?" he demanded. "By virtue of my power and
+authority, as drost of the kingdom, I command you to follow me
+immediately to the king himself. Unless you can show me an order in the
+king's own writing, none of you shall dare to lay a hand upon me. If
+there should happen to be any deceit in this, and I cannot justify
+myself before the king, I am willing to follow you to prison, or, if
+the king commands it, to death. But, at present, you must follow me. I
+am still drost of the kingdom, and your master."
+
+The determination and authority with which he spoke confounded the
+burghers, who looked at one another, and then at the governor, with
+perplexity. The latter, also, appeared to be surprised and undecided.
+
+"According to the letter of the law, you appear to be right, sir
+drost," began the governor; "but what does it avail you to make all
+this disturbance? You know yourself, better than any one else, that you
+are deposed from office, and that we are obeying the king's express
+command. You will not aid your case much, by awaking him at the present
+hour, to hear your doom from his own lips. Besides, it is strictly
+forbidden to allow you to approach the palace."
+
+"Not by the king, but by his and my deadly foes," interrupted Drost
+Peter, with vehemence. "You have allowed yourself to receive an illegal
+message from those who seek the king's life, and you will hinder me
+from warning him. If you would not be condemned as traitors to the
+country, and abettors of treason against the royal person, you will
+follow me instantly."
+
+"God in mercy preserve us!" broke forth the terrified burghers, one
+after the other. "What shall we do, sir governor? You must answer for
+all. We know nothing--"
+
+"If it be true, as you say, that the king's life is in danger," said
+the governor, hesitatingly, "who tells us, then, that you, yourself,
+are not a traitor? Appearances are much against you, sir drost. What
+want you at the palace, at this hour?"
+
+"As you have heard: that which I still shall do, and which you shall
+not prevent. I will to the king, by virtue of my office, to warn him
+against traitors. No excuses, governor. Follow me instantly, or it may
+be as much as your life is worth." Without waiting for a reply, Drost
+Peter walked rapidly towards the palace, the frightened burghers
+respectfully giving way before him.
+
+"Very well," said the governor: "we must follow him, if he still
+commands it; but farther than the halberdiers he shall not go. Take
+care, however, that he does not escape. And what have you to do with
+this, young man?" said he to Skirmen, who anxiously followed at his
+master's heels. "You, perhaps, would assist your cunning master in
+treating us like fools? Pack off! We have no orders to guard you."
+
+"He will follow me, and you shall permit him," ordered Drost Peter,
+turning round: "whom I take with me to the king, I answer for."
+
+The governor was silent, and they passed on. The palace sentinels, who
+knew the drost, objected not to open the gates, but did not deem
+themselves warranted to admit the burghers and the governor.
+
+"Suffer them to enter on my responsibility--they belong to my train,"
+said the drost.
+
+The governor and burghers were admitted, and they now appeared to
+entertain a better opinion of their powerful prisoner, who ruled them
+all in such a wonderful manner. They crossed the court-yard of the
+palace to the northern wing, which the king himself occupied.
+
+"If this is a mistake, sir drost," said the governor, in an under tone,
+as they ascended the castle-stairs, "and if I have been deceived by
+traitors, I entreat you, for God and Our Lady's sake, that you do not
+lead me and these brave men into trouble. We were acting as we judged
+best."
+
+"Who gave you the right so to do, governor? You are to act according to
+law and justice, and not after your own or any other man's judgment.
+Still, this I know: that you have been deceived. Meantime, let one half
+of your people remain here on the stairs, that the king may not be
+disturbed with too much noise. Should the Chamberlain Rane, or any of
+Duke Waldemar's people, approach from the opposite wing, stop them
+here, on my responsibility. Do you understand me?"
+
+"It shall be as you command, sir drost," answered one of the burghers,
+who, with six men, remained behind on the staircase.
+
+The rest followed the drost and his squire to the guard-room. Here, the
+drost ordered the other burghers to take their station outside the
+door, with the same instructions, which they received without
+objection. He then, with his squire and the town-governor, walked into
+the large guard-room. Twelve knights, armed with long halberds, here
+guarded the door of the royal closet. Some paced to and fro, without
+the least noise, on thick woollen matting; others stood in gentle
+conversation, here and there, about the room. No one was seated: there
+was not, indeed, a single bench or chair in the apartment. The faint
+glimmer of a dozen expiring wax-lights blended with the gray dawn. The
+lights were placed on brackets, beneath bright shields; and, at one end
+of the hall, glittered the royal arms, on which two lions and two
+crowns were represented. Over the arms, suspended crosswise, were two
+variegated banners, in the centre of which the white cross of the
+national standard was, indeed, to be seen, but almost concealed by the
+numerous swords, stars, keys, crescents, anchors, wheels, and other
+arbitrary decorations and symbols that people were accustomed to see on
+the royal coinage.
+
+When the door was opened, the trabants raised their halberds, and
+looked with surprise on the intruders.
+
+"The drost--the young Drost Hessel!" said one to the other, saluting
+him respectfully.
+
+"What brings Drost Peter Hessel here so early?" demanded a man,
+advanced in years, stepping towards him with a singularly undecided and
+uneasy countenance, whose frequent changes did not inspire confidence.
+Like the other knights, he wore a high trabant's cap, with a large
+plume of feathers, and carried a long halberd, more richly ornamented.
+At his breast hung a magnificent gold chain, and his short mantle of
+red lawn was adorned with jewels.
+
+"It may well surprise you, stern Sir Lave, to see me here at such an
+unseasonable hour," replied Drost Peter, regarding him with a sharp and
+penetrating glance; "but, in the execution of my office, I have an
+important and private matter to lay before the king, and must needs
+speak with him without delay."
+
+"An important and private matter!" repeated Sir Lave, changing colour.
+"I know not that there is any sedition in the town, sir drost; but,
+even were that the case, I dare not awake the king thus early, so long
+as the palace is secure and well guarded."
+
+"But, if there should be at this moment secret traitors within the
+walls of the palace, stern sir knight?" said the young drost, in a half
+whisper, without taking his keen look from Sir Lave's disturbed
+countenance.
+
+"The rood shield us! What is it you say?" whispered the chief of the
+body-guard, grasping him convulsively by the arm, and drawing him to
+one side. "From your future father-in-law you can have no secrets, my
+young friend," he continued, in a soft and trembling voice. "If you
+think you have discovered a conspiracy, or anything of the kind, inform
+me, that we may avert the mischief in time. But the thing is
+impossible. If, however, any of the discontented vassals should have
+dropped a word that may appear suspicious, consider well what you are
+about, before you take upon yourself the hateful office of accuser,
+and, mayhap, bring into mischief brave men, who have only regarded the
+present posture of affairs with greater freedom. Have you proofs
+against any one?"
+
+"That I may not say here," replied Drost Peter. "Our private relations,
+sir knight, must give way to our public duties. I must simply request
+you to awake the king. That is your duty, when I demand it. In case of
+need, as you are aware, I do not require to be announced, and no one
+has a right to deny me admittance."
+
+"That I have yet to learn, my bold young sir," replied the knight,
+assuming a stern and consequential air. "Those whom the king entrusts
+to guard his slumbers may justly demand to know why he is to be
+disturbed; and I and these gentlemen are commanded to keep guard, that
+no one, without due reason, disturbs the king's rest."
+
+"This is not the time and place to dispute as to your rights," resumed
+Drost Peter, with suppressed vehemence. Perceiving the strained
+attention with which they were regarded by the body-guard, he
+continued: "Only one word in confidence, Sir Lave;" and, as he withdrew
+the perplexed knight more aside, he said mildly, but with a tone of
+lively interest, "it would grieve me bitterly, Sir Lave Little, should
+I be compelled to mention your name in connection with a confederacy,
+of which it is evident that your faithful friend, old Sir John, can
+have no idea, seeing the important post you at present occupy here. The
+company you quitted eight days ago were not friends of the royal house;
+but I am willing to believe, that, if you then shared their
+discontents, you do not yet take part in their plans, and that there is
+still time for you to draw back from an inevitable gulph."
+
+"How? What plans? I do not understand you, Drost Peter. You will never
+accuse me for opinions that a free Danish knight may dare to express,
+without danger, among his friends?"
+
+"I am no spy or secret accuser, who will bring you, or any brave man,
+into mischief for thoughts and opinions," replied the young drost. "I
+know nothing yet, God be praised, that should deprive me of the hope of
+one day calling you father. I know you were not at the secret council
+last night, that pronounced my doom, the more easily to compass the
+king's."
+
+Sir Lave paused, and became deadly pale. A struggle seemed to be
+passing in his unquiet soul; but he suddenly seized the young knight's
+hand. "Nay, nay," said he, "in this council I had neither part nor lot.
+Had I known that such was the intention, I should not have chosen my
+post by this threshold. You were, nevertheless, a dangerous man to me
+and my friends, yesterday, Knight Hessel," he continued, with greater
+resolution. "It depends upon me whether you shall be so to-day. Perhaps
+it depends on a single step over this threshold. I can forbid your
+entrance, and with justice. I have promised as much: whether I keep
+this promise, depends upon myself. At this moment you are no longer
+drost of the kingdom, and can have nothing to say here. I have seen a
+royal letter, by which you are deposed, and doomed to imprisonment,
+from the hour the cock crows after midnight. A conversation with the
+king may, perhaps, save you. If it only concerns your post and freedom,
+I would, without hesitation, cause you to be taken prisoner on the
+spot, by the king's command; but, if it concerns your life--if it is
+true--" He stopped abort, and gazed inquiringly on the young knight,
+who had changed colour, and stood as if thunderstruck.
+
+"I tell you no falsehood," said Drost Peter, recovering himself. "At
+this moment you are a powerful man: you have, perhaps, my life, as well
+as that of the king, in your hand. But, whatever you may now do, you
+will have to answer for, before the righteous God, at your hour of
+death."
+
+"Who are these two persons you bring with you?" demanded Sir Lave.
+
+"The town-governor, who was to conduct me to prison, and my squire, who
+was witness to this secret tribunal of blood. Should I tarry here a
+moment longer, it may be too late. My deadly foes watch under the same
+roof that now shelters us: they have the door of my prison, and of
+their den of murder, standing open--"
+
+"Well, I will believe you," said Sir Lave, with extreme uneasiness. "I
+would lend my aid to overthrow you; but your blood I will not have upon
+my head, and I stand not here to betray the life I guard. From this day
+forth, however, all engagements between us are at an end. Yet I was
+your father's friend. If I have saved your life to-day, remember it,
+young man, if, perchance, mine and my friends' lives should one day be
+in your hands." Tears stood in his eyes, and he grasped the young
+knight's hand almost convulsively. "I go to awake the king," he said,
+with more composure, and hastily entered the royal closet.
+
+For some minutes, Drost Peter stood as if on burning coals. He heard
+loud voices without, demanding admittance, and recognised the shrill
+tones of Chamberlain Rane, who, in the king's name, ordered the
+burghers to open the door. The guards were surprised. Two of them
+hurried out into the passage, to learn the cause of the uproar. The
+door of the guard-room was again immediately opened, and Drost Peter
+saw Rane at the entrance, between the two guards.
+
+At the same instant, the door of the king's closet was opened, and Sir
+Lave Little stepped hastily over the threshold, and beckoned Drost
+Peter. With hurried steps he obeyed the signal. Sir Lave locked the
+door of the king's closet after the drost, and ordered the guards to
+station themselves before it, without troubling themselves about the
+enraged chamberlain, who, insolently, and loud-voiced, stood in the
+middle of the ante-room, and accused the captain of the guard of having
+failed in his knightly promise, and of having transgressed the king's
+order.
+
+"Whether Drost Peter has been improperly admitted at this door or not,
+we shall soon know," answered Sir Lave. "So long as I have not the
+king's counter-order, it is my duty to admit the drost; but a
+chamberlain has nothing to do here at this hour, were he ten times the
+king's favourite. Be pleased to assist him out, gentlemen."
+
+Three of the guards, with raised halberds, approached the enraged Rane,
+who gnashed his teeth, and left the guard-room, casting a look of
+vengeance at Sir Lave.
+
+Between the guard-room and the king's bed-closet was a large arched
+apartment, hung with gold-embroidered tapestry, with a round table in
+the middle, covered with scarlet cloth and long gold fringes. Here the
+king received those he would hold conversation with, and here the drost
+was obliged to wait for some time, until the attendant pages had
+assisted his majesty in dressing.
+
+At the door of the royal sleeping-chamber stood a handsome youth, about
+eleven years of age, in the red lawn suit of a torch-page, and with a
+wax-light in his hand. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, while he
+admired, and regarded with respect, the tall, serious knight who had
+ventured to disturb the king's morning slumber. This page was the
+little Prince Erik's playmate, Aage Jonsen. He was of the same age as
+the prince, and daily shared with him his martial exercises, and the
+various instructions in chivalry under Drost Peter's guidance. The
+youth's tender, almost maidenly features, were lighted up by the torch;
+and, as he thus stood, with his long golden locks falling over his
+linen collar, and his dark blue eyes resting, with respectful surprise,
+on his knightly teacher, the appearance of the friendly youth seemed to
+restore calmness to Drost Peter, and to fill his bosom with bold and
+lively confidence in his innocence and the justice of his case.
+
+"Good morning, Aage," he said, patting the lad kindly on the cheek:
+"have you been awoke too early this morning? You stand, indeed, as if
+you were yet dreaming. Is your little king still asleep?"
+
+"Yes, dear sir drost. We were both much fatigued from wrestling with
+Junker[13] Christopher yesterday evening; and I took the torch-watch. I
+remained awake here, by the door, the whole night; but towards morning
+I could not keep my eyes open, and, at the moment Sir Lave came, the
+torch was nearly out. You are not angry with me, then, for this?"
+
+"I know you are a bold, vigilant lad, who, otherwise, would not sleep
+when you should be awake, and that is an important matter, Aage. These
+are times wherein one should early learn both to watch and pray."
+
+"I have prayed, likewise," answered the youth. "I prayed to God and Our
+Lady, both for Prince Erik and you, for the queen, and all good men;
+but still my eyes closed, and, had the king called me, I should have
+been unhappy."
+
+"I shall give thee good advice, Aage. When thou watchest by the king's
+door, or by that of the prince, never forget that murderers may be
+lurking without, who will break in and do violence as soon as thou
+closest an eye; and I warrant thee thou wilt keep thine eyes open."
+
+"The rood shield us, sir drost! This is something that never can
+possibly happen: Our Lord and the Holy Virgin take care of that!"
+
+"Truly they care for us, otherwise it would little avail if all the
+armies in the world guarded us," replied the drost; "but we are not,
+therefore, to live securely and carelessly in the world, much less a
+future knight and guardian of the king."
+
+A clear sound, as of a silver bell, was now heard. The folding-doors
+into the king's bed-chamber were thrown open, and, by each, stood a
+page with a torch. Drost Peter stepped leisurely back to the end of the
+saloon; and little Aage hastily lowered his torch towards the stone
+floor, and took some steps backwards into the saloon.
+
+A tall, dignified person walked over the threshold, with short,
+uncertain steps. In his right hand he carried, like a staff, a large
+sword, of three fingers' breadth, and seven quarters in length, with a
+cross-guard, and gilded brass pommel. A short mantle hung loose over
+his shoulders. He paused for a moment, and cast a sharp, uneasy glance
+around the apartment, till, at length, his blinking eye rested for an
+instant on the queen's favourite, who respectfully saluted his majesty,
+and remained standing at a distance. The king now advanced a few
+steps, and, giving the pages a signal, they placed their torches in a
+brass frame, suspended at half-an-ell's distance from the tapestry,
+after which they made an obeisance, and retired backwards into the
+bed-chamber, through the half-open doors of which were seen four of the
+body-guard, with their bright halberds. The king advanced just as far
+from the door as was necessary to converse with the knight unobserved
+by his attendants.
+
+"You dare to come into my presence, and at this hour, Knight Hessel!"
+he said, in a harsh and imperious tone. "You pretend, as an excuse, to
+have an important and private matter to lay before us, respecting the
+safety of our royal person. If you think, by such foolish pretexts, to
+obtain pardon, you are mistaken. Speak! but not a word about yourself.
+What do you know that affects our own and the throne's security?"
+
+"I know, and can testify, sire," replied the young knight, frankly,
+"that you have slept this night under the same roof with men who, eight
+days ago, at the manor of Moellerup, took counsel, with the daring Stig
+Andersen, against the crown and kingdom."
+
+"Prove it!" said the king, turning pale.
+
+"I can, if you regard the worthy prior of Antvorskov, Master Martin
+Mogesen, as an upright and trustworthy man, and will rather believe his
+testimony than mine."
+
+"Master Martin?" repeated the king. "Ay, indeed, he is true, and
+attached to me, and has never, by untimely artifices and crooked
+devices, sought to approach my throne. Is he present?"
+
+"Nay, sire," replied the knight, with burning cheeks, and subduing,
+with an effort, his injured feelings of honour, where self-justification
+was denied him; "but he gave me a hint, which I am only half justified
+in revealing. You know his seal and handwriting, sire?"
+
+"Right well: he was for three years my chancellor."
+
+"Then read this letter, my stern lord and judge, and you will see that
+it was not to crave a boon I so urgently entreated an opportunity of
+conversing with you yesterday evening, and that it is not merely to
+vindicate myself that I stand here just now."
+
+"Not a word about yourself! Silence, now!" The king read the letter
+hurriedly and anxiously, raising his eyes from it at times, and
+regarding the knight furtively and suspiciously. "Now, indeed, it is
+true that this was a highly suspicious meeting," he said; "yet,
+after all, they are only doubts and conjectures. There is no certain
+proof--no act for which I can cause any one to be punished. But where
+are the well-known names referred to here?"
+
+"In my memory, sire. The document which contained them I was requested
+to destroy."
+
+"Name them! They shall be imprisoned."
+
+"To such violent measures it were far from me to advise you. Whom the
+law has not sentenced, my king will not condemn. I come not to accuse,
+but to forewarn. What Master Martin writes here, cannot affect the life
+of any one. It is only a hint, but still an important one, in these
+disturbed times."
+
+The king made an uneasy and anxious gesture.
+
+"The reverend gentleman admits that he knows more than he can venture
+to tell," continued the knight. "I can almost believe that some
+penitent confederate has disclosed to him, as confessor, what he dare
+not reveal. But all the individuals he mentioned to me as suspicious,
+he has talked with himself, and has vainly exhorted them to loyalty.
+With most of them I recently came over the Belt myself; and, although I
+am not yet prepared with proofs against any of them, I have,
+nevertheless, good reason to agree with Master Martin, and pray you to
+be on your guard with respect to the discontented vassals, and have
+your eye upon their entire conduct. The meeting at Moellerup is enough
+to warrant this. Your intimate Chamberlain Rane will be able to bear
+witness to that; for he himself was present."
+
+"Rane?" exclaimed the king, in astonishment: "he has not told me of
+this. He is my spy, I may tell you, and has a right to seek what
+company he chooses, and say what he likes, if, only, he informs me of
+it. If he was at this meeting, it may have been to spy out the
+malcontents, and he may have important reasons for his silence."
+
+The knight shook his head. "I trust him not, sire. But this much is
+certain: this meeting took place, and the malcontents we know.
+Respecting one of them, I shall, perhaps, within eight days, furnish
+you with clear proof that he is confederated with the enemies of the
+kingdom, and has likewise a project in his mind as audacious as it is
+dangerous."
+
+"Which of them is this? Speak! He shall not depart hence alive."
+
+"He must do so, your grace," replied Drost Peter, dauntlessly. "Here he
+is a guest, and defenceless, and the privileges of the Dane-court
+protect him. I cannot name him now. Before I can prove, I cannot
+accuse, sire."
+
+"Remember whom you talk with!" broke forth the king, vainly striving to
+conceal his uneasiness by a stern and imperious tone. "What more have
+you to report?"
+
+"If you will now permit me to touch upon a matter that regards myself,
+I shall prove, by a sworn witness, that a secret council, held last
+night, decreed my death, in order that I might not betray what I know,
+and that the traitors may be able to accomplish, with greater security,
+their most criminal designs against the crown and kingdom."
+
+"What? Who here, save I, dares to condemn any one to death? I have
+doomed you to imprisonment, it is true; but ere I decree your death, I
+will bethink me. But, to the main point. These most criminal plans
+against the crown and kingdom I will know. What are they? Who has heard
+them?"
+
+"My trusty squire, Claus Skirmen. I have brought him with me. He stands
+without, and will confirm his evidence by an oath."
+
+"Let him enter," ordered the king.
+
+Drost Peter opened the door, and beckoned. Frank and fearless, the
+young squire entered, and related, briefly yet distinctly, what he had
+heard behind the tapestry.
+
+When the king had heard him to an end, he held out towards him the
+cross hilt of his sword. "Swear!" he said: "imprecate a curse upon
+thyself if thou hast said anything untrue to save thy master."
+
+"It is truth, so help me God and the Holy Virgin!" said Claus Skirmen,
+in a loud and firm voice, and laying his hand on the hilt of the sword.
+
+"Good! Now thou mayest go."
+
+Claus Skirmen bowed silently, and retired, casting a sympathising
+glance towards his master.
+
+"Chamberlain Rane in this, too?" said the king, thoughtfully. "But,
+indeed, he had the right. The worst word of rebellion he uttered was
+with my permission, in order to sound the others. That the duke and his
+friends are discontented, we have long known; but to what do their
+projects tend?"
+
+"As far as I can conjecture, to a revolution in the state, similar to
+that effected by your grace, Marsk Andersen, and Count Jacob, in
+Sweden."
+
+"Conjecture--mere conjecture! If you know nothing decided, of what use
+to me are your hints and warnings? If there are traitors and
+treasonable persons in the country--if they have even presumed to
+penetrate into the palace as guests--let them be seized, and the
+headsman have them! If such be the case, it is time to show these
+haughty gentlemen that we have as sharp axes here as they have in
+Sweden."
+
+"Remember, sire, that the throne founded in blood by these Swedish axes
+was not the ancient and righteous throne, but one built by rebels, on
+the ruins of the laws and monarchy. If the privileges and majesty of
+the crown are to be held sacred, the law must be their guardian; and
+here there are no good grounds for preventing a rebellion by a
+tyrannical and arbitrary slaughter."
+
+"What wilt thou have, then? Say, my valiant Drost Peter!" exclaimed the
+king, anxiously: "thou art my brave subject. What was between us, I
+will forget. Now, speak! What thinkest thou is to be done here?"
+
+"I think, at present, it were most prudent that we should be altogether
+quiet, and not exhibit the least suspicion of the existence of such a
+conspiracy. Whilst the Dane-court lasts, let us merely double the
+night-watch, but treat the distinguished guests with all civility. At
+court, let matters take their ordinary course, without the least
+disposition to bear against the opposite party. Legally chosen umpires
+may, upon oath and conscience, settle the points in dispute. If the
+chief withdraw from the country, it will then be evident that he seeks
+foreign aid, and will return at the head of an army; and then we may
+speedily devise measures to oppose him. If he retire peaceably to his
+castle, we have nothing to apprehend: the storm will be over; and then,
+perhaps, may peace and restored vigour, but, above all, strict justice,
+save the land and kingdom."
+
+"You are a pearl in my crown, Drost Peter, and I was a fool when I cast
+it away for the sake of a whim," said the king, pacified, and clapping
+him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "The warrant I yesterday
+issued in an evil humour--"
+
+"That I have brought with me, my king and master, to hear it confirmed
+or disowned by your own lips."
+
+"What the deuce! In your hands, and not in those of the town-governor?
+Now must I say, if you can be as vigilant, when it concerns the king,
+as when it concerns yourself, you are worth gold, Peter Hessel. Give it
+to me."
+
+Drost Peter handed him the order for his arrest, which the king tore
+asunder, and threw on the ground, while he laughed, and said, in a
+jesting tone: "See, there lie your prison-walls, my trusty drost. I see
+I can rely upon you in important matters, and I will not come into
+opposition with you in minor ones. Since there is no danger just now,
+and you have promised to prevent whatever may be apprehended, I will
+follow your advice, and, for the present, appear unconcerned. But now
+confess to me honestly, my prudent young sir knight," he continued, in
+a seemingly indifferent tone, "can you boast yourself of any particular
+familiarity with a certain fair lady, whose colours you bear? Nay, do
+not blush. No one knows better than I how enchanting she can be at
+times; and for an amorous word, a bold look, even a familiar pressure
+of the hand, I should not doom you to death. I know the fair ones
+tolerably well: the strictest, the chastest, are not insensible to an
+amiable young knight, who possesses both wit and manners. You have,
+perhaps, observed that I do not reckon such trifles so precisely; and
+that I myself, now and then, forget the crown's descent, and the stern
+reverence of majesty, for a little lively adventure."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply under this rebuke, ashamed to turn his eyes
+upon the king who condescended to such expressions. At length he
+recovered himself, and observed the crafty and unstable smile on the
+king's countenance, with a mixture of wounded pride, contempt, and
+secret horror, that did not escape his fickle and whimsical ruler. He
+laid his hand solemnly on his breast, and was silent.
+
+"Now, indeed, you understand a joke," said the king, suddenly becoming
+serious; "but one, perhaps, should not joke in such fashion. Whatever
+lady a knight may worship chastely and honourably, does not concern the
+king. Enough of this. As regards the malcontents, you assure me, that,
+at present, there is no danger. You shall, therefore, take the
+requisite numbers for guarding the palace as well as the Dane-court.
+When it is over, take heed to the chief; and, as soon as he sets foot
+on forbidden ground, he is our prisoner."
+
+"Solely, however, your grace, if the information arrives which I still
+expect?" observed Drost Peter. "Such violent steps the most urgent
+circumstances can alone defend, when probability borders on certainty;
+and, according to the forms and laws of the kingdom--"
+
+"A truce with that!" exclaimed the king, warmly: "no law binds my arm
+against traitors. You are too conscientious for me, Drost Peter. But no
+more of this for the present. Conduct everything well and carefully. As
+a proof that I now again regard you as my most prudent and virtuous
+servant, accept of this mark of esteem." So saying, he took from his
+own neck a large gold chain, set with costly stones, and hung it on
+that of the drost, at the same time extending him his hand to kiss.
+
+Silently, and with the bitter feeling that he could not from his heart,
+as he inwardly wished, respect the hand of the individual, still,
+prompted by the homage due to the sacred sceptre, the knight half bent
+his knee to the ground, and gently saluted the gracious hand with his
+lips. Thereupon he arose, and awaited the signal to withdraw.
+
+"Yet one word," said the king. "My chamberlain, Rane Jonsen, I know you
+have long doubted and mistrusted. You caught him in a foolish
+adventure, and made him a prisoner. I have pardoned him. Let that
+matter be henceforth forgotten. But what reason have you continually to
+distrust him, when you hear that he only goes about in disguise among
+my enemies, secretly to  serve me?"
+
+"To speak honestly, sire, the purposes for which he permits himself to
+be used do him no honour; and such a double-tongued individual bears no
+one fealty. He has not yet acquainted you with what was last transacted
+at Moellerup: perhaps Master Martin will be able to give you better
+information."
+
+"Send a messenger, without delay, to Antvorskov, for the pious, prudent
+gentleman," said the king. "I shall have the matter cleared up, and the
+worthy man may be able to tell us somewhat more."
+
+"He is already on his journey hither, and will arrive before midday.
+But I saw the chamberlain in the guard-chamber: he will, assuredly, not
+fail in ingenuity, in vindicating himself. I pray you, sire, trust him
+not too much. Remember that he is the sister's son of Stig Andersen's
+unfortunate wife."
+
+"Good," replied the king, coldly, and changing colour. "You need not
+remind me of that. The brave Sir John, and Sir Lave of Flynderborg,
+your own future father-in-law, are of the same family. As long as Rane
+obeys me faithfully, and adheres to me, I have no reason to distrust
+him. Mere honesty will not carry a man through the world, and a crafty
+servant may, also, be put to a good use. But an end of this. Depart
+now, my valiant Drost Peter," added the king, suddenly, in a mild and
+familiar tone. "Let me henceforth see that you are worthy of my
+confidence. Inform Sir John and David Thorstenson of all, and advise
+with them what is to be done. God protect you!"
+
+The king turned round hastily, and Drost Peter withdrew.
+
+In the guard-room, Sir Lave had been relieved by his kinsman, old Sir
+John Little. He was a short, strongly built man, with stiff gray hair,
+but nimble, and almost youthful in his movements. His sagacious,
+penetrating eye, and stern, commanding air, as well as the brevity and
+decision with which he expressed himself, denoted the old warrior and
+leader. His mere presence, without any external mark of distinction,
+proved his superiority over the most notable of the body-guard, and
+indicated him as their chief, and as the supreme counsellor of the
+kingdom. This remarkable man, whom the young drost loved and esteemed
+as a fatherly friend, had, on the present occasion, resorted to the
+palace somewhat earlier than usual, and had taken his kinsman's post as
+captain of the guards. He had already been informed of the danger which
+Drost Peter had so fortunately escaped. He was engaged in earnest
+conversation with the town-governor, when he saw Drost Peter, with the
+king's well-known gold chain about his neck, issue from the door of the
+royal apartment. With heartfelt joy he approached him, and warmly shook
+him by the hand. A tear glittered in his stern eye; but, without saying
+a word to his young friend, he turned quietly, and with a smile, to the
+town-governor.
+
+"As you perceive, my good governor," he said, in a careless tone, "Sir
+Drost Peter Hessel brings with him a new proof of the king's favour and
+satisfaction. The whole must have been a mistake. You have erred, but
+circumstances excuse you. Go, with God's blessing."
+
+The governor bowed respectfully, as well to the old counsellor as to
+Drost Peter, and departed.
+
+"Can you favour me with an hour's conversation before the court
+assembles, sir counsellor?" inquired Drost Peter: "I have an important
+matter to communicate to you."
+
+"Certainly, when I have spoken with the king. Expect me home in about
+half an hour. Thorstenson is here. The palace-guard is doubled; there
+is no danger: only, be calm and collected."
+
+So saying, he turned hastily away, and, giving a signal to one of the
+halberdiers, went in immediately to the king.
+
+The knight to whom the old lord had given the signal was a tall,
+dark-visaged man, with a long brown beard, which fell in two locks upon
+his collar, and united with two large bushy and closely-curled
+whiskers, which half concealed a tolerably youthful, but spare and
+vigorous, warlike countenance. His dark eyes were full of fire, and
+betrayed vehemence and passion. In the counsellor's absence, he took
+the place of captain of the guards, and placed himself nearest the door
+of the king's apartments. This was Sir David Thorstenson.
+
+Drost Peter went up to him as to an intimate friend, and extended his
+hand. They spoke a few words privately together. Knight Thorstenson
+nodded, and cast a sharp look to the door. Hereupon, Drost Peter bowed
+to the observant halberdiers, and left the guard-chamber with a quick
+step, without, however, betraying haste or uneasiness. As he proceeded,
+the servants and people about court stepped respectfully to one
+side, and regarded him with surprise and curiosity. The rumour that
+something unusual had happened to Drost Peter Hessel, and that the
+queen's powerful favourite had fallen into disgrace, had put all in
+commotion at the palace; and now, all the cooks, waiting-maids, and
+kitchen-wenches were struggling to get a sight of him as he descended
+the palace-stairs, with the king's large gold chain across his breast.
+
+To be the object of the people's attention was nothing new to the young
+drost, and was, indeed, not displeasing to him. That he felt himself
+flattered thereby he could not deny, although, now and then, he saw
+some one whisper and smile in a fashion that would have deeply offended
+him, had he heard what was said concerning his supposed intimacy with
+the queen. But the curiosity with which he was observed bespoke, on the
+whole, esteem and goodwill; and his handsome, stately figure, in
+particular, recommended him to all the charming little waiting-maids
+who beheld him. At the palace-gate, he met a number of stranger knights
+and stately gentlemen, whom it was unusual to see abroad so early.
+Among them he perceived Duke Waldemar and Chamberlain Rane. They
+whispered together when they saw him; but he proceeded quietly
+forwards, and felt, with secret pride, that he met them as a conqueror.
+Still, he took care not to betray this feeling in his look and manner;
+but as he went silently and gravely past them, he saluted them coldly,
+yet with all courtesy. They, also, without betraying the slightest
+ill-feeling or unpleasant surprise, returned his salutation with equal
+indifference.
+
+Squire Skirmen had awaited his master on the palace-stairs, and now
+followed him with undisguised joy. As Skirmen passed Rane and the duke,
+he could not refrain from smiling with self-satisfaction; and, making
+his salute, he strutted along, much taller than usual. His master
+observed this.
+
+"Let us not triumph too early, my bold and trusty Skirmen," said he,
+earnestly. "Our enemies are still powerful; and pride goes often before
+a fall. I cannot entirely acquit myself on this point. We are all prone
+to be haughty when successful; but it is a temptation we must endeavour
+to contend against."
+
+Skirmen blushed, and was silent: the air of triumph disappeared from
+his countenance, and, with modest resignation, he followed his master
+to his dwelling.
+
+Here, Drost Peter found his wounded guest awake and merry. He examined
+his wound, in company with the royal surgeon, who had now arrived. The
+count was enjoined to keep his bed for a few days, and to remain quiet.
+This inactivity did not quite please Count Gerhard. He bargained with
+the doctor, that he might be up within eight days, to be present at the
+festival with which the Dane-court was to be concluded. The leech gave
+him hopes of this, and, on these terms, he consented to remain at rest;
+but it seemed to him a hard penance, that, for eight days, he must
+neither drink wine, nor laugh to his heart's content, to chase away the
+tedious hours, in company with his jester.
+
+Drost Peter now committed him to the care of the surgeon and his
+house-people, requesting the count and his followers to consider
+themselves at home, and to excuse his absence on the necessary duties
+of his office. Thereupon, he hastened to Sir John's residence, where
+the old counsellor shortly after arrived. They had an hour's private
+conversation on highly-important state affairs; after which they went
+to mass together, in Our Lady's Kirk, where the whole court was
+present, and where Sir John's wife, Lady Ingefried, and his daughter,
+Cecilia, sat on the royal seat, next to the beautiful Queen Agnes.
+
+As Sir John and the drost entered the church, all eyes were turned to
+the young knight and the royal seat; and some thought they could
+observe a slight blush on the queen's fair cheeks, as she hastily
+returned the salutations of Sir John and the drost. As soon as mass was
+over, the knights and ecclesiastics proceeded in crowds to the long
+saloon of the palace, where the Dane-court was now held, instead of in
+the open air--an old custom, which, by degrees, fell more and more into
+disuse, much to the discontent of the people, because, by this means,
+it was sought to exclude the burghers and peasants from taking part in
+the proceedings of the Danish parliament.
+
+This day, the king alone dispensed and confirmed certain gifts and
+privileges to churches and convents. He seemed somewhat uneasy and out
+of temper, and terminated the proceedings as soon as possible. Next day
+he appeared in better humour, and the matters before the parliament
+went on in their usual course, quietly, and without interruption. The
+precautions that had been privately taken by Sir John, David
+Thorstenson, and the vigilant Drost Peter, completely assured the king,
+and no notice was taken of the discontented vassals. They did not wish
+it to appear that the contest between the king and Duke Waldemar was
+the chief matter, although it excited expectation in the highest
+degree. Judgment, in this case, was reserved to the last day of the
+Dane-court, the 28th of May. The seven preceding days were employed in
+settling less important disputes between feudal lords and their
+tenants, and in reconciling the various differences between the
+temporal and spiritual lords, who frequently accused each other of
+violence and oppression, or of encroachments on one another's rights
+and liberties.
+
+The most considerable lay and ecclesiastical lords in the country were
+present at this parliament. Here were now to be seen the Archbishop
+John Dros of Lund, and Bishop Tyge of Aarhaus, as well as the bishops
+of Viborg, Rypen, Roskild, Odense, and Boerglum. These spiritual lords
+had already, on Sunday, in conjunction and with the consent of the
+feudal lords and knights, or, as it was called, according to the _Best
+Council_, come to the  determination, that they should appoint twelve
+intelligent men of Denmark, to form a _Worthel_, or council of jurors,
+who should say and swear to whom the lands and estates in dispute
+between the king and duke of right belonged. The stern old Sir John had
+been chosen one of these jurors. Before judgment was delivered, the
+jurors daily assembled in the counsellor's house, where they considered
+the subject in quietness, with locked doors.
+
+Sir John kept an hospitable house, and received them all with the
+greatest politeness. He possessed one of the largest mansions in
+Nyborg, where his wife and daughter resided with him during the
+Dane-court. Every evening, great numbers of both lay and spiritual
+lords were here assembled; and one might observe that Duke Waldemar and
+his adherents were here to be found as often as Drost Peter, David
+Thorstenson, and others attached to the royal house. At times, the
+queen, with her ladies, and the young princes, might be seen at these
+evening assemblies. On such occasions, the old lord was particularly
+merry and cheerful; but, if any one ventured to speak a word to him on
+state affairs, he would become suddenly silent, or punish the
+unmannerly busybody with a biting jest. From the time that the council
+of jurors began to sit, Sir John would receive no one except at a time
+when there was company with him; and he would not talk alone with any
+one, not even with Drost Peter, who, at other times, had daily and
+familiar access to him. He had also declared, that, until the
+Dane-court was closed, he could not, and would not, converse alone,
+even with the king himself.
+
+The day before the termination of the Dane-court, Sir John sat, in the
+forenoon, for the last time, in the council of jurors, with locked
+doors. His house-steward was strictly forbidden to admit any one
+whatever. Meanwhile, admission was authoritatively demanded by a tall,
+powerful man, in a hooded cap, who either did not know, or did not
+trouble himself, about this necessary precaution. In his vehemence, the
+cap slipped on one side, and the house-steward suddenly became so
+terrified that he lost both speech and self-possession, and,
+notwithstanding the strict order to the contrary, hastily withdrew the
+bar from the closed door. But, at the same instant, a bolt was secured
+inside.
+
+"All twelve are here," shouted old Sir John: "we have no room for a
+thirteenth, if even he bore the crown and sceptre!"
+
+The tall man in the hooded cap stamped wrathfully on the floor, and,
+with hasty strides, left the knight's house, without saying a word.
+Before evening, this occurrence was known all over Nyborg, with various
+explanatory additions; and Sir John was highly commended for his
+hardihood by Duke Waldemar and his adherents, who drew from it
+conclusions favourable to their case.
+
+In the evening, as usual, there was a numerous assemblage at Sir
+John's. The queen and the young princes were also expected. Drost Peter
+was invited, together with his guests. When Count Gerhard heard that
+the queen was to be there, he sprang from the reclining chair, for
+which he had now exchanged his bed, and swore, loud and deeply, that he
+would go, if he should have to keep his bed for it a whole month
+afterwards.
+
+"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," he said. "If I have not
+permission to-morrow, or the day after, to attend the court
+festivities, and if I should die of tedium in the meanwhile, I shall
+lie with a long nose in my grave. This surgeon is a tiresome fellow. He
+makes as much ado about this scratch as if I were a maiden, and wraps
+me up like a suckling. And you, fortune's favourite, whose head,
+nevertheless, I almost hewed off--you strut there, bold and nimble
+enough: I trow, indeed, you have had your head linked to your neck with
+chains of honour."
+
+"I have a good skin for healing," replied Drost Peter; "and, this time,
+the sword did not penetrate far into it. In one sense, however, you are
+right," he added: "my head has not sat looser upon me for a long time;
+and this chain has certainly somewhat secured it. But leave the
+junketings alone, noble count. The skin is but thin upon your wound,
+and, to-night, you might easily be thrown into excitement."
+
+"Excitement! that is just what I am intent upon," interrupted the
+count. "A person must still draw breath, however thin-skinned he may
+be. I cannot live in this fashion, like a mummy, much longer. I know I
+am master of my body: pity it is that we should let clerks and ghostly
+fathers be masters of our sinful souls! Give me my court-doublet and
+new mantle, Longlegs. Somewhat clumsy I may be in these wrappings, but
+I shall leave them on to please you."
+
+Farther objections were vain. He donned his bright red lawn doublet,
+placed his feathered hat on his head, and cast a stiff, gold-fringed,
+purple mantle over his broad shoulders.
+
+"So, so!" he said; "I know now that I look whole and sound enough.
+Henceforth, I resign Dorothy Brushbroom to you, Longlegs: you, also,
+shall know what it is to be taken care of."
+
+"I trust you may find the distinguished ladies as interested about your
+person as she has been, my gracious master," replied the jester; "but,
+since you seldom go so near them that they can see you, you should take
+my jingling-jacket, that they may hear you in the distance."
+
+"There! you hear, Drost Peter, what I must digest, and give the clown
+food and wages for, merely to exercise me in Christian humbleness and
+patience. You are right, Longlegs. I am a little too sheepish on
+certain occasions; but that is a virtue your losel should respect, and
+apply himself to. To-night you shall see otherwise, and that I shall do
+you honour, Longlegs," continued the count, gaily: "I have not had such
+courage to talk with the ladies for a long time. Your nurse can bear
+witness, sir drost, that it is a falsehood and a slander, when foul
+tongues say I lose heart and speech with the ladies."
+
+"No one shall say so of you any longer, gracious sir. I was shamefully
+unjust," replied Longlegs, bowing. "If I could not hear you snore, for
+some nights past, as I would have given much to have done, I had,
+nevertheless, at times, the pleasure of hearing your most gracious
+growlings; and, for these, I thanked the Holy Virgin. They are, at all
+times, a sure sign of life. Now, therefore, if you should like to
+cudgel me for your amusement, gracious master, you must stop at home."
+
+Without listening farther to his jester, the count set out with his
+knight and Drost Peter. In his impatience to reach old Sir John's
+abode, he hurried on so fast, that his attentive host held him back, to
+remind him that such haste was dangerous to him. But the count suddenly
+slackened his pace, as soon as he perceived the magnificently
+illuminated building, where, under the linden trees, at the foot of the
+grand staircase, stood two rows of the royal household servants, with
+lighted torches.
+
+"I am also to see the young princes to-night," he said. "Your pupil,
+the young heir to the throne, should be like his mother. You are a
+happy man, Drost Peter, who can train and bring up such a noble shoot."
+
+"I fully acknowledge it," replied Drost Peter, with ardour. "I hope he
+shall become a worthy descendant of Waldemar Seier, his illustrious
+ancestor, whose chivalrous manner of thinking, and regard for truth and
+justice, I believe he already inherits. With God's help, he will do
+honour to his race."
+
+"But is the mother really there, too, in the house of a simple knight?"
+
+"A simple knight!" repeated Drost Peter, somewhat offended. "Old Sir
+John is a son's son of Esbern Snare's daughter: he numbers the great
+Absalom in his race. But were he even a simple knight, without
+distinguished birth, he is still a man of such merit, that the king and
+queen need not be ashamed of being his guests. Both his wife and
+daughter are the queen's dearest friends."
+
+"Sooth to say, my good friend," observed Count Gerhard, in a half
+whisper, and drawing Drost Peter aside, "you give quality a good day;
+but I am almost ashamed to show myself before the queen. I only saw her
+at that devil's tourney at Helsingborg, where you took the prize from
+me, and I could not say a single word to her from sheer bashfulness.
+Among men, I have not the reputation of sheepishness; and, when I walk
+before the eyes of kings and emperors, I feel myself to be as good as
+they: but, plague on it! all my confidence vanishes when I want to
+express myself gracefully before the fair ones."
+
+"Notwithstanding your backwardness, you are not unknown to the queen,
+noble count," replied Drost Peter. "Tour valour and discretion in the
+lists were not unobserved; and I were a fool should I brag of the
+superiority of which you were deprived by a mere casual accident."
+
+"She has spoken of me, say you, without dwelling on my awkward homage,
+when I made the attempt to salute her during the tilting?"
+
+"If she has smiled at that, noble count, I can still assure you that
+neither mockery nor contempt--"
+
+"Mockery and contempt!" interrupted the count, proudly: "by Satan! who
+thinks of that? Had the most amiable lady in Christendom contemned
+Count Gerhard, she must have sent her knight into the field to make me
+reparation. I am not quite so bashful as to be afraid of that. But tell
+me frankly," continued he, "am I not too stout and stiff, in these
+frightful swaddling bands, to show myself becomingly in such company?"
+
+"You are not at all amiss," answered Drost Peter, smiling. "A bandage
+over the breast never disfigures a knightly gentleman: in my eyes, it
+even makes you somewhat majestic in your bearing."
+
+"Very good, my brave friend. I have you to thank for the majestic
+bearing. But you are right: if a knight has only his fame whole and
+sound, his body may be in what condition it may; he, at least, must be
+esteemed as most valiant by every noble and high-souled lady."
+
+Count Gerhard now boldly ascended the steps of Sir John's dwelling,
+attended by Drost Peter and the two knights. In the ante-room servants
+received their hats and mantles, and opened the large oaken door
+leading into a magnificent vaulted apartment, which was illumined by
+wax-lights, on tall candelabra, borne by brazen wolves. Ladies and
+knights stood, here and there, in groups, on the polished oaken floor,
+engaged in lively conversation; while others sat, playing at chess, and
+similar amusements. From another saloon, still larger, the door of
+which stood open, came the music of flutes and violins. A
+_kaempevise_[14] was played, accompanied by the voices of a number of
+maidens and an elegantly performed dance. A knight, in magnificent
+attire, was seen in stately motion with a majestic lady in a scarlet
+kirtle, glittering with gold and precious stones.
+
+"The queen!" whispered Count Gerhard into the drost's ear, and remained
+standing, astonished, at the first door.
+
+"And Duke Waldemar!" added Drost Peter, who also stood surprised, but
+not at the beauty and noble bearing of the queen, which he had so often
+admired: the young duke's haughty, self-complacent countenance first
+struck his eyes. A distressing thought flashed suddenly as a
+thunderbolt through his soul, and, involuntarily, he grasped Count
+Gerhard by the arm.
+
+"What is the matter with you, my good friend?" whispered Count Gerhard:
+"have you, too, become giddy at the sight? I have had enough already.
+By our Lady! it is a beauty unapproachable."
+
+Sir John, as soon as he was made aware of the entrance of the
+newly-arrived guests, advanced gaily and courteously towards them.
+"Welcome, my lords," said the old knight. "I am rejoiced that the noble
+Count Gerhard can contradict, in person, the rumour that is current
+respecting a dangerous wound."
+
+"A false rumour, sir counsellor; which has, nevertheless, induced me to
+keep my room for a few days," replied the count, in a jocular tone.
+"Here are life and merriment, I see; and one may be given up for death,
+if he do not find himself well here. Be pleased to present me to your
+noble lady and daughter; and, when the dance is over, to her grace the
+queen." The latter words he added in a subdued tone, and drew a long
+breath after having uttered them, his eyes again turning towards the
+dancing saloon.
+
+"As you command," replied the lively old knight, with a sportive smile.
+"It is easily to be seen what portion of the human family Count Gerhard
+sets the highest value upon. My daughter, I perceive, is now standing
+up for the dance; but I can present you to my wife immediately, if you
+please."
+
+Count Gerhard had not heard a single word. He stared, like one in a
+dream, into the dancing-saloon, where the fair queen had, just at that
+instant, curtsied with noble dignity to her princely partner, and, on
+his arm, moved down the room to her seat, amidst the dazzling young
+daughters of the chivalrous guests, and eclipsing them all with her
+loveliness.
+
+A new piece of music and song was commenced, and a new couple were in
+motion on the floor. The lady was Sir John's daughter, Cecilia. She
+could not vie with the queen in dazzling beauty and majesty, but quite
+equalled her in the spirit and grace of her motions. With an
+earnestness that better suited the song than her partner's smiling
+mien, she regarded, with her dark, lustrous eyes, the knight who
+extended his hand to her, and who, in gracefulness and courtesy, seemed
+to vie with Duke Waldemar. This polite cavalier was the duke's drost,
+Sir Tuko Abildgaard, a bold and ambitious gentleman, celebrated for his
+influence over the duke, and as famed for his good fortune with the
+fair sex as for his fickleness in love, and his haughty, soaring claims
+to distinction. He appeared intent on distinguishing the Lady Cecilia
+among all the ladies at court. He seemed to give but little heed to the
+song to which they danced: it was a sweet and melancholy air, to the
+ballad of Sir Sverkel's unfortunate love to his unknown sister. Drost
+Peter listened to it with much interest; and even the otherwise merry
+Count Gerhard stood silent and serious, while the young damsels sang:--
+
+
+            "Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, hind,
+            That I may forget the little Kirstine;
+            Pray thou, hart, and pray thou, roe,
+            That I may forget my true love so."
+
+
+"The foul fiend!" muttered Count Gerhard to himself; and, to his own
+astonishment, his eyes almost overflowed as the young damsels
+continued:
+
+
+            "He prayed the hart, and prayed the hind,
+            But never was the maiden from his mind;
+            He prayed the hart, and prayed the roe,
+            But could not forget his true love so."
+
+
+Count Gerhard's absent gaze into the dancing-saloon caused old Sir John
+to cast an attentive look in the same direction, and the sight of his
+daughter's undisguised interest in Sir Abildgaard did not seem to
+please him. His cheerful countenance suddenly assumed an air of deep
+seriousness, while the damsels now sang:--
+
+
+            "The knight he from his land was driven,
+            And the lady to a cloister given."
+
+
+Both the old and the younger knight appeared absorbed in the same
+dreamy mood which the melancholy song was calculated to produce, but
+each in a different manner, according to the ideas they associated
+therewith. Yet, in the midst of the general merriment and splendour of
+the festivity, there were, apparently, but few who gave heed to the
+tenor of the song. Its conclusion, in particular, affected Drost Peter
+to melancholy. He involuntarily laid hold of the ruby rosary on his
+breast, that served to remind him of his half-forgotten child-bride,
+while the damsels sang:--
+
+   "A bird so small from the white strand flew,
+   And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?
+   A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,
+   And he sang, O where is my own true bride?
+            For chastest maiden I dree."
+
+"It is allowed that you are a lover of the dance and song, illustrious
+Count Gerhard," said old Sir John, in his usual social tone, and
+turning, with a cheerful countenance, to his abstracted guest. "If you
+wish, now I shall conduct you to the queen and the young ladies."
+
+Count Gerhard bowed stiffly, and followed the old knight, without
+observing the breach of propriety of which he had been guilty, in
+not greeting the noble and matronly Lady Ingefried, who went round
+among the guests, and received their salutations, accompanied by a
+waiting-maid, bearing a silver salver with filled wine-cups.
+
+While Drost Peter, as a well-known and daily guest, saluted the worthy
+house-mother, old Sir John and his distinguished attendant, before they
+reached the dancing-saloon, were stopped by two handsomely attired
+youths in scarlet jackets, with gold chains about their fine linen
+collars. They were both flushed with anger, and had come from the
+dice-table, where they had had a dispute. The one was the eleven years'
+old Prince Erik, who, from his second year, had taken the name of king,
+and the other, his brother, Junker Christopher, two years his junior,
+and half a head shorter, but apparently his superior in strength,
+though not in sprightliness and beauty.
+
+"You shall decide between us, Sir John: you know what right is," said
+the little king, warmly. "Suppose the gold dice are islands and
+countries, and the counters knights and swains: have I, as eldest, the
+privilege of taking first? And suppose, further, that I, with my
+knights and swains, surround and conquer all Christopher's islands and
+countries, are they, by right, mine? If he will merely admit that, he
+shall readily have them back again. What care I for the dice!"
+
+"'That depends upon the laws of your game, my little hasty gentlemen,"
+replied the old knight. "Besides, the eldest ought not only to take
+first, but also to be the first in good sense and magnanimity. The
+game, moreover, is good for nothing," he added, gravely. "Has not Drost
+Hessel taught you yet, my little king, that we do not play dice with
+islands and countries, and do not convert knights and swains into
+counters?"
+
+Prince Erik went away, silent, and blushing with shame. Christopher
+followed him, jeeringly. Drost Peter had been attracted by the dispute
+of the princes, and had drawn near when he heard his name mentioned.
+
+"See now, sir counsellor," whispered he: "our little king surrenders
+the whole table to his brother, with chivalrous magnanimity."
+
+"Yes, indeed, but with wounded pride," said the old man, softly. "Could
+we only get the pride and thoughtlessness eradicated from him, the
+country might, in time, expect much of him."
+
+Drost Peter was silent, and sank into deep thought.
+
+"Excuse me, Count Gerhard. You wish to be presented to the queen," said
+old Sir John, aloud, and turning to the count. "Permit me to conduct
+you." He strode nimbly forward, and Count Gerhard followed him to the
+polished threshold of the dancing-saloon. There the count remained,
+standing with his back to the door-post, and bowed stiffly to the queen
+from that extreme distance, without troubling himself about Sir John,
+who, with active steps, had entered the saloon.
+
+"The noble Count Gerhard of Holstein desires to salute your grace,"
+said the old knight, who had approached the queen, and fancied he had
+still the count by his side.
+
+"Count Gerhard!" repeated the queen, with much interest. "Where is he,
+then? I do not see him."
+
+"What! has he disappeared?" exclaimed Sir John, looking behind him with
+surprise.
+
+"By the door yonder, your grace," observed the duke, with a derisive
+smile, and a proud sense of superiority. "The noble count makes great
+efforts to testify his devotion to your grace at a respectful distance.
+I certainly think he would beg the favour to be honoured with your hand
+in the dance, but seemingly wants words to express his wishes."
+
+"Inform him, sir counsellor, that I shall willingly tread a measure
+with him," said the queen to the old knight. "Bid him approach. I have
+long wished to speak with so gallant and esteemed a gentleman."
+
+Sir John bowed, and carried to Count Gerhard the surprising message of
+condescension.
+
+"The holy St. George stand by me!" exclaimed the count, terrified. "I
+never danced in all my born days, and, in this devil's swathing, I can
+scarcely stir; but, if the queen commands it, I should be able to fly.
+Holy Virgin!" he muttered to himself, "if I escape from this with life,
+it is a miracle."
+
+He hastily recovered himself, and, not to appear embarrassed, assumed
+as brave an air as if he were on the point of taking a fortress by
+storm. With long strides and a stiff carriage, he walked up to the
+queen and bowed. Duke Waldemar turned to one side, and only half
+concealed his laughter. But the familiar manner in which the queen
+conversed with Count Gerhard soon restored his self-possession, and
+brought back his even, good-tempered simplicity of character. He spoke
+of his mischance at the tournament at Helsingborg, when he ventured to
+contend for the queen's colours, without being able to honour them with
+victory; and the humorous manner in which he complained of himself in
+the affair, and jested at his own awkwardness, greatly amused the
+queen.
+
+"You may well jest at the vile mischance," she observed, with
+undisguised goodwill and respect: "your knightly honour you have
+established on more important and more serious occasions. You look
+well, I perceive," she added, remarking his round figure, and the
+difficult movements of his arm: "the world does not consume you, sir
+count."
+
+"I ought, certainly, as a young widower, to look lean and dismal,"
+replied Count Gerhard, colouring; "but you must kindly excuse me, your
+grace. The happiness whose loss cannot be seen in me, I have not been
+so fortunate as to possess rightly. It is, certainly, one of my
+greatest mishaps in life; but I have the singular fate to thrive by
+mishaps. This I have just recently experienced. But appearances are
+deceitful, your grace; and I hope, in about eight days, to be much
+thinner, if your grace commands."
+
+"How?" inquired the queen, laughing: "can you become thin at pleasure?
+I am glad that, in such a case, you can preserve your cheerfulness."
+
+Without, however, entering farther into the frank Count Gerhard's heart
+affairs, and the inappropriate theme of his personal appearance, the
+queen suddenly broke off the conversation by a few indifferent
+questions, to which he replied somewhat in confusion, fearing that he
+had said something improper.
+
+Knight Abildgaard and the Lady Cecilia had already, for some time,
+stepped out of the dance, and were standing in the recess of a window,
+in pleasing conversation. The flutes and violins now struck up a quick,
+lively air, and the young maidens sang the queen's favourite ballad,
+about King Didrik and the Lion's fight with the Dragon.
+
+"I like this ballad very well," said the queen, "Every age has its
+dragons, I fancy; but, against the paction of king and lion, there is
+small chance for the dragon."
+
+"That is a true saying, noble queen," replied the count, with much
+interest, in reference to the allusion. "There are still lions by the
+side of the Danish throne; but, in these chivalrous times, they would
+rather serve the queen than the king, I trow."
+
+"If you please, we will tread a dance to the song," added the queen,
+interrupting him.
+
+Count Gerhard's embarrassment returned with painful force; but he took
+refuge in his usual expedient, and, holding the queen by the hand, he
+advanced, with martial strides, to the middle of the floor. He had not
+the slightest knowledge of dancing; but he moved about as well as he
+could, in the same manner as the queen, imitating her turnings, on the
+contrary side, with the utmost attention. Fortunately, the dance was
+itself a simple one, and he had naturally a good ear for time.
+Notwithstanding his stiffness, and although he trod the floor with his
+spurred heels until it thundered again, he did not behave himself
+amiss; indeed, he even looked noble and majestic. Before the first
+measure was over, the constraint in his deportment had disappeared. The
+cheerful song, and the queen's benignant smile, enlivened him; his
+good-natured countenance beamed with courage and heartfelt glee, and he
+swung his arm lustily as the damsels sang:--
+
+
+            "It was Master King Didrik
+            Would prove what his sword could dow,
+            He hewed into the hard rock
+            Till the hill was all in a low."
+
+
+He continued dancing, with the happiest face in the world, till the
+maidens sang the thirty-third verse of the ballad:
+
+
+            "The lion roared, and King Didrik hewed,
+            Till the hill stood all in flame;
+            And had the lion not helped him out,
+            The king had died with shame."
+
+
+But now he suddenly beheld the queen turn pale, and then heard her
+exclaim--"My God, he bleeds!" and, for the first time, he perceived
+that the wound in his breast had again opened, and that the blood ran
+from it in streams.
+
+"Pardon me, your grace," said he, hastily, and concealing the streaming
+blood with his arm: "I ought certainly to have remained quiet a few
+days longer, in consequence of a slight wound I received; but, in that
+case, I should not have been invited to the present festival. This is
+the first time in my life I have ever danced: but your grace makes
+everything possible; and perhaps this is the only mode in which it may
+be permitted me to pour out my blood for the fairest and noblest of
+ladies."
+
+He made an attempt to take his leave, but his legs tottered under him,
+and he became deadly pale. Drost Peter, and the count's own knights,
+hastened to his assistance, and led him from the saloon. He cast a
+respectful look towards the queen, who was in the greatest uneasiness;
+and, without further consciousness of what had happened to him, he was
+carried back to Drost Peter's residence, where the sympathising jester
+received him with a terrified scream, and where he was immediately
+waited upon by the surgeon and his alarmed friends with the greatest
+tenderness.
+
+This mishap broke up the entertainment at Sir John's. The queen had
+shortly after left the company. Betimes in the morning, she sent to
+inquire after Count Gerhard's health. The surgeon pronounced him out of
+danger, although he would not, for some time, be able to leave his bed,
+and had not yet recovered his consciousness.
+
+The last day of the sittings of the Dane-court had now arrived. On this
+day, according to ancient custom, the proceedings were to take place in
+the open air, in the large green space before the palace. Here were
+admitted not only the vassals of noble extraction, the prelates and
+bishops of the kingdom, but also the peasants and burghers, more
+especially the wealthy merchants, who insisted upon the maintenance of
+their ancient privileges, though, within the last few years, their
+influence had greatly diminished. The place was surrounded with royal
+landsknechts; but, within the area, no one was permitted to bear a
+weapon. Around a raised seat, beneath a canopy of red velvet, fringed
+with gold, stood on the right, in the form of a semicircle, a long row
+of bishops and prelates, in their ecclesiastical orders, with the old
+archbishop of Lund, John Dros, at their head.
+
+Next to him stood Master Martinus de Dacia. This learned individual had
+arrived from Antvorskov, of which he was prior, eight days previously.
+He had had a long private conversation with the king immediately after,
+and, for the second time, had been appointed chancellor of the kingdom
+and keeper of the royal seal. He was a man above fifty, of a notable
+appearance, although without much clerical dignity in mien and
+carriage. He quite filled his ample Dominican dress, generally
+concealing his hands, as if they were cold, in the sleeves of his
+tunic. Sometimes he would suddenly stoop, and stare vacantly before
+him, as if in deep thought; and then as suddenly look up with surprise,
+and quit his place, to talk with some of the more learned of the
+bishops and prelates on some particular theological or philosophical
+subject, without waiting for an introduction. His tonsure, augmented by
+a natural want of hair, extended to the whole of his head, which was
+covered with an octagonal cap of black velvet. He wore his shoes with
+white heels, in the manner of the clerks of Paris; and appeared, on the
+whole, to affect elegance and punctilio in his dress, although
+everything sat stiff and awkwardly upon him.
+
+Among the ecclesiastics might also be seen Duke Waldemar's travelling
+companion, the notable dean of Roskild, Master Jens Grand, who
+disdainfully regarded the still vacant royal seat, with a jeering
+side-glance at the learned chancellor.
+
+On the left side of the throne stood a semicircle of princely vassals,
+counts, knights, and noble governors. In the uppermost place among
+these was the young Duke Waldemar, in a knight's brilliant suit of red
+lawn, and a purple velvet mantle, adorned with the Sleswick lions in
+gold. Over his brown curls he wore a Russian hat, decked with rubies
+and ostrich feathers. He spoke softly, and with a sagacious, crafty
+air, to his brother, Count Erik of Langeland, who had newly arrived at
+court.
+
+Next to these gentlemen stood the plump Count Jacob of Halland, in his
+general's uniform, and haughtily enveloped in his blue mantle; whilst
+the person by his side, the fastidious Sir Abildgaard, seemed to be
+amusing him with satirical or mischievous jokes on some of the
+ecclesiastics.
+
+Chief, in the rank of knights, stood eight of the king's counsellors,
+among whom Drost Hessel and old John Little were still missing. Among
+the knights who had arrived with the duke were to be seen many proud
+and daring countenances: Jacob Blaafod, and Count Jacob's brother,
+Niels Hallandfar, seemed, in particular, by their appearance, to betray
+considerable anxiety as to the issue of the day's transactions.
+
+Behind these two semicircles of lay and spiritual lords stood a number
+of respectable peasants, in their short blue Sunday smocks, with clear
+silver buttons, and mostly with their cowl-caps in their hands; whilst
+the wealthy merchant-burghers, in their long civic gaberdines, pressed
+before them, among many curious spectators of all classes.
+
+A gentle murmur was heard in the assembly, the eyes of which were
+turned impatiently towards the palace-stairs. At length the large oaken
+doors were opened, and a royal herald, bearing a white wand, came
+forth, making way for the king and his train. In his royal purple
+mantle, and wearing his crown and sceptre, the tall and stately king
+slowly descended the steps, between the two princes, attended by Drost
+Hessel, his marshal and under-marshal, the chief chamberlain, Ove Dyre,
+Chamberlain Rane, and a number of pages, among whom the fair Aage
+Jonsen walked first. The people stood respectfully on one side, and the
+knights' semicircle opened, whilst the king and his followers ascended
+to the throne. He bowed, unsteadily, on all sides, and cast a transient
+look over the assemblage.
+
+As soon as he had taken his seat on the throne, with Prince Erik on his
+right and Junker Christopherson on his left hand, three trumpet-blasts
+announced that the Dane-court was seated. After a moment of expectant
+silence, the king arose, and, taking the crown from his head, laid it
+on a red velvet cushion, which was handed by the marshal to the
+archbishop. In like manner, the sceptre was handed to the learned
+Chancellor Martinus, who placed it, with great care and reverence, on a
+velvet cushion, making an evident effort to avoid falling into other
+thoughts, or losing sight of it.
+
+"To-day I am not judge here," began the king: "I am myself a party in
+the cause whereupon you have to decide, and which concerns the rights
+of the crown and kingdom. Herald, let the jurors come forward!"
+
+"In the name of the Dane-court," shouted the herald, "come forward, ye
+sworn men!"
+
+There now stepped forth, into the middle of the circle, old John Little
+and nine grave and distinguished individuals. The jurors were all
+well-known and esteemed men, from various provinces of the kingdom.
+They bared their heads before the throne and the assembly, and their
+gray hairs showed that they were among the oldest of all assembled.
+
+Sir John stood forward as their foreman and spokesman. Having bowed to
+the throne and to both sides of the court, he then said, with an
+audible voice, "Proclaim the cause before the people and the
+Dane-court, sir drost."
+
+Drost Peter, having bowed in like manner, advanced, with his
+high-feathered hat under his left arm, and, unfolding a sheet of
+parchment, read from it, slowly and distinctly, the matter in dispute
+between the king and Duke Waldemar, respecting the possession of Als
+Island. Having finished, he returned to his place among the counsellors
+of the kingdom.
+
+Old Sir John again spoke. "It is known to us all," he began, in a calm
+and firm voice, "that the illustrious Duke Waldemar of South Jutland,
+two years since, when he was still under the guardianship of the Danish
+king, Erik Christopherson, believed himself entitled to make certain
+demands, which were refused by the king and council, as opposed to the
+constitution of the kingdom and the privileges of the crown.
+Notwithstanding, King Erik has not refused to his illustrious kinsman,
+now of full age, the privilege of laying before this Dane-court the
+claims he believes he is still entitled to make; and the settlement of
+the question is confided, by both the illustrious parties, to the
+present parliament. By the National Council of Best Men, was I,
+Counsellor Sir John Little, with eleven Danish men, under oath and
+duty, authorised to pronounce sentence in this matter. Two of these men
+have withdrawn from the council of jurors, and have refused to witness
+and decide in the cause, as not being perfectly known to them; but,
+after mature consideration, have we ten other men, who stand here, on
+oath and conscience pronounced sentence, as we mean to answer for it
+before God and man. If any one wishes to make protestation against the
+sentence, on account of the withdrawal of these two jurors, let him say
+so now, before it is made known, and then the final settlement of the
+matter must be deferred until a new Worthel has been chosen by the next
+Dane-court; otherwise, the present parliament declares the sentence of
+the ten jurors to be valid and just."
+
+The old man paused, and regarded the assembly with an earnest,
+penetrating look. A general silence ensued, and the straining
+countenances of all announced the deep interest and anxious
+expectations that were felt. The king made an uneasy gesture, but was
+also silent. Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob, and Master Grand regarded the
+king attentively; they also looked meaningly at each other, but said
+nothing.
+
+"We proceed, then, to announce the sentence," resumed Sir John; and, at
+his signal, the eldest of the jurors handed him a large parchment-deed,
+from which were suspended seventeen seals, with green silk ribbons. The
+old counsellor unfolded the document, and read aloud and distinctly:--
+
+"We, the undersigned sworn Danish men, Mogens Peterson, Niels Due, Ture
+Menersson of Jutland, John Bartson of Fyen, Niels, formerly governor of
+Lund, John Little, Mogens Corvigson of Skaane, Anders Nielson, Oluf
+Tygeson of Zealand, and Jacob Flep of Laalund, say and swear, of our
+full knowledge and counsel, that dominion over the whole of Alseland,
+with the fortresses, palace, and inhabitants thereof, belongs of right
+to the crown and kingdom of Denmark; the peasants belong to the king on
+the crown's account, the paternal estate of the king's children
+excepted, which was recognised and conceded to them after the death of
+King Waldemar. The said estate is known to us by means of a patent
+instrument, by which it was formerly granted to Duke Erik of South
+Jutland, Duke Waldemar's father. If the whole country had belonged to
+them, this estate would not have been specially given. Therefore, to
+the king and crown do we adjudge dominion, with full right and
+jurisdiction, over the whole of Alsen. In testimony whereof, we have
+sworn this upon the holy sacrament, in presence of the archbishop and
+six bishops, who, in further confirmation thereof, have attached their
+seals hereto, along with ours." He then recited the names of the
+subscribers.
+
+When he ceased, he calmly surveyed the various expressions on the
+countenances of those around him. On the king's features, although he
+blinked uneasily, might be seen a triumphant smile, as he cast a
+suspicious glance towards Duke Waldemar and Count Jacob, whose cheeks
+glowed with rage, while their hands were rigidly clenched in the folds
+of their mantles.
+
+Drost Peter's eyes did not forsake the duke's countenance, which
+quickly changed into a smile, as he gave a shrug to denote that he
+despised his loss. All were silent, however.
+
+But now stepped forth, from the rank of ecclesiastics, the insolent
+Master Grand. "The sentence is invalid," said he, with a loud voice:
+"two of the jurors' names are wanting; the Worthel is not perfect. This
+requires an express ecclesiastical confirmation."
+
+"This protest is of no avail," replied Sir John, calmly. "The court was
+silent on my timely summons, and thereby recognised the sentence as
+valid. Please to add the ecclesiastical confirmation, worthy Archbishop
+Johannes."
+
+At this summons, the aged archbishop came forward, and, with a calm
+assurance of his authority, raised his crook, and said--"In the name of
+the Holy Church, I hereby declare what I shall add, in writing, to the
+present document, under my own and the Church's seal, by which all
+shall know that the aforesaid estate, within the dukedom of South
+Jutland, with moneys of the mint, and other privileges in the said
+dukedom, is legally pronounced and adjudged, by this royal court, to
+the king of Denmark, for ever to possess; and we forbid, under pain of
+excommunication, that any one should meddle with the jurisdiction over
+Als, or with the forenamed estate in anywise, except with the consent
+and knowledge of King Erik or his successors."
+
+Notwithstanding that the old archbishop appeared inconsiderable and
+indistinct by the side of Master Grand, he pronounced these words with
+a quiet dignity that did not mar their effect. He then stepped back.
+Master Grand bit his lips with rage, and walked silently to his place.
+
+The stillness of death for a moment pervaded the assembly; when the
+king suddenly arose, and declared the Dane-court at an end, his words
+being accompanied by three loud trumpet-blasts. The archbishop and
+chancellor thereupon came forward with the crown and sceptre. The king
+pressed the crown firmly on his head, grasped the sceptre, and hastily
+descended from the throne. The row of knights opened, the people fell
+back, and the king, with the princes and his train, returned to the
+palace.
+
+The assembly broke up in the greatest order; but the knights of the
+various parties regarded each other with a silence at once unusual and
+painful. From Count Jacob and Master Grand alone were heard a few loud
+words, the involuntary outbreak of subdued wrath. Duke Waldemar,
+however, preserved a better appearance: his sagacious eye ran over the
+rank of his attached knights, and then, making a rapid gesture with his
+forefinger to his mouth, he departed, with his lively drost by his
+side, to that part of the palace where he had his apartments.
+
+In the evening, after these important transactions, a magnificent
+entertainment was given at the palace, wherein the queen, with the
+little Princess Merete and their ladies, participated, and where the
+king was also present, with both the young princes, in full court
+state. Both the palace and the town were brilliantly illuminated.
+Flutes and violins resounded from the knights' saloon, and the serious
+business of the morning appeared to be wholly forgotten in social
+enjoyments, and in the varied display of wit and gravity, chivalrous
+courtesies and disguised passions, in which a thousand hidden qualities
+of the heart were concerned. Love and jealousy, hope and fear, pride
+and vanity, combined as powerfully to set the unstable, youthful soul
+into lively motion, as did the music and dancing to bring into action
+the feet of knights and ladies on the polished floor.
+
+As at the previous evening's entertainment at Sir John's, Duke Waldemar
+was here, in an extremely good humour. Not a trace of discontent was
+visible in his countenance, and he attracted general attention, as much
+by his cheerfulness and affability as by his princely bearing and
+dazzling grandeur. His variance with the king was the reason that he
+had not yet received the honour of knighthood, which he could not
+accept from any meaner hand. He dressed, notwithstanding, in the style
+of the most elegant knight, and, to conceal his want of the gold spurs,
+wore silver ones, thickly studded with gems. He suffered no opportunity
+to pass of showing himself attentive and devoted to the queen; his bold
+and artful drost, Sir Abildgaard, attaching himself, in a similar way,
+to Counselor John's fair daughter, Lady Cecilia.
+
+Drost Peter, to the surprise of all, was extremely reserved and silent.
+He was wont, on festive occasions at court, to be the soul of the
+company, and, in particular, to entertain the queen and her ladies by
+an ingenious blending of the grave and gay, with a freedom and
+liveliness which could only be derived from a consciousness of the
+favour in which he stood. Since the first morning of the Dane-court,
+when it was reported that he was ruined and in disgrace, and yet was
+seen, shortly after, leaving the king's closet as the most favoured of
+favourites, it was observed by every one, that a remarkable alteration
+had taken place in his demeanour. He had become grave and taciturn, as
+people fancied, from pride. He appeared to avoid with care, almost with
+anxiety, every approach to the queen; whilst, at the same time, he
+often watched her, and closely observed Duke Waldemar's efforts to
+please her. In this behaviour, the queen's sharp-sighted ladies fancied
+that they perceived the jealous favourite, who kept back from wounded
+vanity, and esteemed himself too highly to vie with Duke Waldemar in
+knightly civilities. He himself believed that he had far more important
+grounds for his altered conduct. The experience of the last few days
+had taught him how hazardous it was, in a court like this, to allow his
+frank and lively nature to be displayed without disguise, and, like a
+courteous knight, to worship beauty without reservation, even where he
+honoured it in combination with true innate greatness.
+
+The only occasion on which he had spoken to the queen, since his
+arrival at the present court, was at an unusual time, and with a degree
+of agitation that might have been easily misinterpreted: it was on the
+evening of his arrival, when he had in vain sought an audience of the
+king, and when recourse to this step was necessary in order to save his
+unfortunate foster-mother. He had, as usual, found the amiable and
+virtuous queen extremely gracious, and favourably disposed towards him
+and his business. By immediately granting his request, and effecting
+his nurse's release from prison, she had given him a new proof of her
+goodwill. The danger he had subsequently incurred, and his fortunate
+escape, which she learnt on the following day, filled her with the
+liveliest interest; but the grounds of his danger were only half known,
+and what the attendants fancied they did know, no one thought it
+becoming to inform her of. She had not spoken a single word to him
+since. The evident care with which he appeared to avoid her, surprised
+and displeased her; and, as he had neglected several favourable
+opportunities of approaching her, she appeared no longer to notice his
+presence, but confined her conversation to Duke Waldemar, Count Jacob,
+and the other princely gentlemen in the company.
+
+Late in the evening, the king quietly left the saloon, attended by
+Chamberlain Rane. Drost Peter observed his sudden departure; and as it
+took place on a signal from the crafty chamberlain, he concluded that
+it had reference to some private understanding, and to one of those
+frequent but discreditable assignations wherein Rane was at all times
+the king's familiar and agent.
+
+Drost Peter dared not follow, to warn him of Rane, who had already
+vindicated himself, and regained the king's favour. The young drost
+stood, alone and dejected, by one of the windows, during a wild and
+merry dance. He felt, with some disquietude, his peculiar position at
+court, where it was his first duty to guard from temptation the young
+heir to the throne. It was nearly impossible to watch over the security
+of a king who so continually exposed himself to insult and danger by
+his debaucheries, and by honouring with his confidence men who only
+flattered his inclinations to promote their own ends and lead him into
+temptation.
+
+"His better part I cannot save," said the drost, mentally. "I can only
+think of the crown's security." He stood armed with full royal
+authority to seize the duke the moment he should display the least
+intention to quit the kingdom. Information had been received of
+sufficient importance to justify such a step, were it needful. Should
+the duke be permitted to withdraw, unmolested, into Sweden, there was
+little doubt that he would return at the head of a hostile army, in
+conjunction with Marsk Andersen, to lay waste the country, and overturn
+the throne. The probability that this was the plan of the conspirators
+now bordered upon certainty, although full and legal proof was still
+wanting. The drost, in conjunction with Knight Thorstenson, had orders
+to watch all the motions of the duke. Their horses stood saddled within
+the palace-gates, and a light sloop lay in the harbour, ready to sail
+at whatever time they chose to cross the Great Belt.
+
+Many doubts occupied the drost's mind. At this moment he possessed I
+the king's highest favour and confidence; and it was not improbable
+that the fate of the monarch depended on the important and difficult
+business with which he was entrusted. In his absence, however, it might
+be easy for the crafty Rane, and his kinsman, the chief chamberlain,
+Ove Dyre, to ruin him with the unstable king, and destroy the fruits of
+his dangerous undertaking. Still, so long as Master Martinus and Sir
+John were in the king's council, he believed this fear unfounded.
+
+His eye now fell on the young Prince Erik, who danced lightly and gaily
+past him. For the security of this highly important individual, he had
+also reason to be apprehensive; and he was only consoled by reflecting
+that, in his absence, old Sir John would fulfil the duties of drost to
+the heir to the throne.
+
+Lighthearted, and free from care, the prince danced, hand in hand, with
+his sister Merete. She was only twelve years old, and was already
+looked upon as betrothed to the Swedish Prince Berger. By this
+arrangement, the differences between the new royal house of Sweden and
+that of Denmark had been accommodated, after the vacillating King Erik
+Christopherson had in vain endeavoured to reinstate the dethroned
+Swedish King Waldemar, whom he had himself assisted to overturn. Still,
+it was scarcely believed that peace with the powerful King Ladislaus
+could be depended upon, and haste had accordingly been made to obtain
+the pope's dispensation for this union, on account of the consanguinity
+of the parties.
+
+"Another victim to our wavering policy," whispered a deep, well-known
+voice into Drost Peter's ear. It was the grave Sir Thorstenson, who had
+approached him unobserved, and who had been regarding the little lively
+princess with a look of compassion.
+
+"Sir Thorstenson!" said Drost Peter, recalled from his serious musings:
+"are you, too, an idle observer of the world's vanities to-night?
+Perhaps you may be somewhat mistaken in what you disapprove of so
+absolutely." As he spoke, he drew him aside into the next apartment,
+where the tables were unoccupied, and where they could converse without
+observation. "You pity our princess," continued he: "for her I am the
+least concerned: Sweden hopes as much for its heir-apparent as we do
+for ours. This betrothing of children is now the custom of the age, in
+knightly as well as in princely families. As you are aware, I was
+myself betrothed in the same fashion, from my cradle, and I have not
+felt myself unhappy in consequence. I am now released from the
+engagement, yet do I not feel myself happier. Children have their
+ministering angels before the sight of God, says Master Martin. God
+only knows what is best for us, and He can dispose of events
+accordingly. It may not be long, perhaps, before we hear of a similar
+betrothal of our young heir-apparent to the beautiful royal maid of
+Sweden, whom we saw at the tournament. The king appears to desire it
+ardently, and I dare offer no objections."
+
+"Barbarous--atrocious!" murmured the knight. "But I have something else
+to tell you. Are you prepared to travel?"
+
+"It is not yet time. As long as the handsome gentleman glitters and
+dances within, he can hardly think of leaving the kingdom."
+
+"You know, then, that he has taken leave of the king? He departs
+tonight for Sleswick, it is reported; but I know that two highly
+distinguished gentlemen are to pass over to Korsoeer to-night. These are
+certainly he and his drost. The ship they have hired is said to be
+Swedish; but I believe it is Norse, and, in fact, a pirate-vessel."
+
+"I know it," answered Drost Peter. "Our little sloop is ready to sail.
+It is all in good hands, and I am fully authorised in this matter. Sir
+Benedict Rimaardson, of Tornborg, follows us in Zealand. As soon as the
+bird takes wing, we fly after him; but on this side the Sound he has
+his freedom. If he think proper to visit Zealand, it is no one's
+business."
+
+"We understand one another," replied Thorstenson, nodding. "We, too,
+are only making a pleasant excursion, to visit our good friends. With
+Sir Lave Little, at Flynderborg we can best guard the passage of the
+Sound."
+
+Drost Peter hesitated, as if half embarrassed by the proposition. "Very
+good: we can determine on that tomorrow," he said, hastily. "But we
+must be at our post. Remain you here till the moment this cunning
+gentleman leaves the palace. I shall send my squire to the quay, to
+keep an eye upon the strange skiff. Before midnight, I shall be at the
+palace-gates, with our horses." He pressed Thorstenson's hand, went
+hastily past the dancers in the saloon, and, as he approached the
+queen, paused for a moment, to give her a respectful salutation.
+
+"A word, Drost Hessel," said the quean, in an unusually authoritative
+tone, and seating herself upon a chair, at some distance from the
+dancers.
+
+Drost Peter stopped, and approached her attentively.
+
+"How do you find your wounded guest?" she inquired. "I regret that I
+was, in some measure, the cause of his relapse."
+
+"His life is out of danger, your grace. I am at this moment going to
+visit him."
+
+"Tell him that I am concerned for his mishap," she continued; "so much
+the more, as I hear it occurred in a chivalrous onset respecting a
+lady's honour."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply. "How, gracious queen?" he stammered: "who
+has said--"
+
+"That this was the case?" interrupted the queen. "It has just been told
+me that he had a dispute, on his journey from Middelfert, with a
+certain conceited young knight, who boasted too loudly and indiscreetly
+of his good fortune with a lady whose colours he wears, but one who can
+never consent to be the object of any other favour from a knight than
+true and discreet service."
+
+"He who told you so, noble queen," replied Drost Peter, with a deep
+feeling of wounded honour, "I must pronounce a base slanderer, did he
+even wear a princely crown; and I will make good my assertion by
+honourable combat for life and death. This much only is true, that our
+common admiration of the exalted lady whose colours I wear was,
+undoubtedly, the cause of our untoward strife. But, by my knightly
+honour, the noble Count Gerhard himself can bear witness that his
+antagonist was guilty of no indiscretion."
+
+"Your word of honour, brave Drost Hessel, is ample surety to me for the
+truth of what you state," said the queen, mildly; "but it is my express
+wish that not a word more be said about this matter, and that you
+carefully avoid every dispute with which my name may, in the slightest
+degree, be associated. From henceforth, neither you nor any other
+knight shall wear my colours with my consent. I shall see you only when
+it is highly needful, and when I call you. This conduct, I know, you
+will not misunderstand. Go, now, to your sick guest, noble knight, and
+be assured of my unchanged goodwill."
+
+With bitter feelings, Drost Peter unfastened a rose-coloured silken
+rosette, which he wore upon his doublet, and, handing it to the queen
+with a suppressed sigh, he bowed silently and respectfully, and
+withdrew.
+
+It was almost midnight. Count Gerhard lay impatiently in bed, unable to
+sleep. He seemed to hear, from the palace, the flutes and violins, and
+had conceived such a desire for dancing, since his first essay in the
+art on the preceding evening, that his legs were in constant motion,
+though the surgeon had enjoined him to be still, and to allow himself
+to be bound, if he could not restrain this singular fancy, which he
+thought must be a result of the fever produced by his wound. His
+adventure with Sir John, in the early part of the evening, occurred to
+him almost like a dream, and he would not ask any one how it had
+happened. All society and amusement were strictly forbidden him, and
+he saw no one but the surgeon and old Dorothy, who watched quietly by
+his couch. Still, when he could not sleep, she told him a variety of
+ghost-stories, and tales of trolds and nixes, the truth of which she
+piously believed and affirmed. The count would only answer with a
+growl, and a brief exclamation of "Nonsense! confounded nonsense,
+carlin!" but in the best-tempered tone in the world.
+
+Dorothy was not at all disconcerted by such objections. She saw plainly
+that her stories amused the sick man, and therefore regarded his
+discontented expressions merely as a peculiar mode of speaking, and a
+well-meant sign that he was listening. She sat quietly by his pillow,
+with her lean, wrinkled visage opposite to the lamp, and had almost
+finished a long story about a nix who had his quarters in Our Lady's
+steeple, and played people all sorts of pranks--sometimes in the form
+of a horse, at a ford, where he took travellers upon his back, and,
+laughing, threw them off in the middle of a bog--sometimes as a
+beautiful princess, or fairy queen, who would dance with vain gallants
+in her palace of mist, and become changed into a wisp of straw when
+they attempted to embrace her.
+
+"Nonsense! cursed nonsense!" again growled the count. "But you are
+right, carlin. The fools were properly served, if there are such nixes.
+Are not you, yourself, a confounded witch, who will plague and play
+cantrips with me?"
+
+The old woman crossed herself. The door was gently opened, and Drost
+Peter put in his head to inquire after the sick man. The simple gray
+dress of a burgher was the attire in which he had disguised himself for
+his secret journey, and, in place of his feathered hat, he wore a red
+cloth travelling-cap over his fair locks. When Dorothy saw him in this
+dress, she started up, terrified.
+
+"St. Gertrude and all saints save us!" she cried, "here he comes!"
+
+"Who?" growled the count: "has Satan got you, carlin? Who is it?"
+
+"If you are not asleep, noble count," said Drost Peter, entering, "I
+shall merely wish you a speedy recovery, and bid you farewell. I must
+travel tonight, and have fortified myself against the night air."
+
+"Ah, my gracious young master, it is you!" cried Dorothy. "I thought,
+by the Lord's truth, it was the gray nix with the red cap, who had
+changed himself into a handsome young gentleman to make a fool of me."
+
+"Your nurse is crazy, and is well nigh making me crazy too," said Count
+Gerhard, recognising Drost Peter, and extending his hand. "You are for
+travelling--and I lying here. Well, then, set out in God's name. I
+require nothing, as you may see, and have entertaining company. But
+were you at the palace entertainment? How gets it on? With whom does
+the queen dance?"
+
+"With dukes and princes of the blood. She inquired after you, and bade
+me inform you that she is concerned for your mischance. Leave us for a
+moment, Dorothy."
+
+Dorothy left the room, casting back a look of curiosity, and allowing
+the door to stand ajar. Drost Peter, who knew her failing, closed the
+door, and took a chair by the count's pillow.
+
+"Did she really inquire after me?" asked the count. "There is nothing
+of the nix in your nature, my good friend; therefore you cannot see
+whether I am one of your nurse's vain gallants, who have a fancy for
+dancing with a bundle of straw."
+
+Drost Peter looked at him with surprise, and thought he was delirious.
+
+"It is nonsense--stupid nursery jargon, I know very well," continued
+the count. "But as I have nothing to do but lie here and dream, it
+almost crazes me. But let that pass. What said you concerning the
+queen?"
+
+"She has been inaccurately informed of the occasion of our dispute,"
+replied Drost Peter. "I have not mentioned the circumstance to any one;
+so that you must yourself--"
+
+"Only in confidence, to my dear Longlegs, and then in a highly
+figurative manner. But what said she to that?"
+
+"It is the queen's wish that nothing more be said about the matter,"
+continued Drost Peter. "She no longer permits any knight to wear her
+colours, and, as you may perceive, my red rosette is gone."
+
+"I have nothing to say against that," exclaimed the count, with
+undisguised pleasure: "it did not well become you. You are about to
+travel, then, and do not accompany the court?"
+
+"Not at present. But, before taking my departure, a serious word, in
+confidence. I know well that you cannot be greatly attached to the
+royal house of Denmark, and you may greatly disapprove of what has
+taken place here; but you hate all knavery, and mean well and
+honourably with everybody.
+
+"Good: on that point you may rest satisfied. But if you require me to
+show you as much by deeds, say on."
+
+"These are bewildering and deceiving times, noble Count Gerhard, and
+even the best are liable to be misled. The king's friends are few, and
+I dare not reckon you among them. Has enemies are numerous and
+powerful; but the noble Queen Agnes is not less prized in your eyes
+than in mine. Promise me, for her sake, however much you may condemn
+the measures of the Danish government, that you will not enter into any
+secret league against the crown and kingdom; but, like a faithful
+vassal, make common cause with me, to preserve the legitimate order of
+affairs in Denmark."
+
+"I have not, as yet, had the least thought of doing mischief," replied
+the count, smiling; "and, seeing the condition in which I now am, have
+you not taken care that I shall not be a dangerous neighbour in a
+hurry? I am, to speak frankly, no great admirer either of your policy
+or your king, and should have nothing to complain of if there happened
+a regular insurrection, like that which he himself supported in Sweden.
+It gave people something to do, and one had not time to lie dreaming
+about nixes and enchanted princesses. But you are right: for the
+queen's sake alone, it were a sin and a shame to desire an
+insurrection. I am well aware that the great men and vassals are
+dissatisfied; but I have hitherto kept myself aloof, and I will not
+belong to their councils, if they have not reference to an open and
+orderly feud, which, besides, is both just and lawful in itself."
+
+"More than this I cannot desire, noble count. Give me your knightly
+hand upon it."
+
+"There it is. I have no objection to people fighting, when they cannot
+agree; but with conspiracies and mutinies I shall have nothing to do:
+you have my word for it."
+
+"That word is worth more to me than the most formal treaty," replied
+Drost Peter, pressing his hand with glad confidence. "Farewell, now,
+noble count, and a speedy recovery. Make my house your home as long as
+you please, and bear me in friendly remembrance, in whatever way fickle
+fortune may be disposed to play ball with me. However much we may
+differ on many points, on one we are agreed. The illustrious fair one
+who, against her wish, brought us to contend against each other, shall
+hereafter, like a spirit of peace and reconciliation, unite our hands
+and hearts in that gloomy warfare wherein friends and foes know not
+each other. God be with you! Farewell."
+
+So saying, he once more ardently pressed the count's hand, and hastily
+left him. The count nodded, and fell into deep thought.
+
+Old Dorothy shortly afterwards again hobbled into the apartment, and
+took her master's place by the count's bed; but finding him so
+completely abstracted, she did not venture again to disturb him with
+more adventures.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was two hours after midnight. The streets of Nyborg were still and
+deserted. There was no moon in the heavens; but the sky was clear, and,
+in the faint starlight, two tall individuals, wrapped in hooded cloaks,
+issued from the outer gates of the palace. They walked silently and
+hastily towards the quay.
+
+Immediately afterwards, two horsemen, in gray cloaks, rode out of the
+palace-gate, and speedily disappeared in the same direction, without
+the slightest noise, as if their horses were shod with list.
+
+At the extremity of the quay lay a skiff, with red sails, upon which a
+number of silent figures were in motion. The quay was quiet and
+solitary. At length, a few rapid footsteps and the clank of spurs were
+heard, and, under the outer plank of the bulwark, a little, peeping,
+curly head concealed itself. The two tall persons in hooded cloaks now
+paused: one of them coughed, and, in a subdued voice, pronounced a name
+or pass-word, which was answered from the ship by a whistle; upon which
+they went on board. In a moment the red sails were set. A steady breeze
+blew from the south-west, and the skiff passed rapidly by the eastern
+point, out of the haven.
+
+As soon as the vessel was in motion, the little black curly head of the
+spy once more appeared from beneath the bulwark. At one bound, Claus
+Skirmen stood in a boat, and, with a few hasty strokes of the oars,
+came alongside a small yacht lying in the inner part of the haven, and
+in which his master and Sir Thorstenson already expected him. Scarcely
+had the red-sailed skiff passed Canute's Head, the extreme eastern
+point of coast, before the smaller and quicker yacht ran out from
+Nyborg haven. It bore away, at first with some difficulty, as near as
+possible to the wood-covered west coast of the firth, to avoid drifting
+too far northwards, and to be able to steer in a direct line south of
+Sporgoe, towards Zealand.
+
+Drost Peter seated himself silently by the rudder, and looked grave.
+Sir Thorstenson and Skirmen also preserved a deep silence; and, during
+the whole passage, the usual and necessary words of command to the
+boatmen only were heard. The skiff with the red sails had just
+disappeared from sight, and was steering to the north of Sporgoe. As
+the morning dawned, they were close by Korsoeer. Drost Peter gazed
+incessantly, and somewhat uneasily, towards the north. At length he
+caught a glimpse of the red sail, and saw that the strange skiff was
+bearing down the Belt. He now ordered the yacht to be run in to Korsoeer
+harbour.
+
+The two knights landed unrecognised. They stood in their gray cloaks,
+like travelling merchants, and silently bowed before a large crucifix,
+which, surrounded by a gilt circle or halo, stood on the quay-head.
+Skirmen hastily brought the horses on shore; and, in an instant, the
+knights had mounted them, and the squire leaped on his hardy norback,
+when, without delay, the three horsemen proceeded through the
+slumbering town. Over almost every door there stood a cross, in a ring,
+as upon the quay. This holy symbol, at once the ancient arms of the
+town and the origin of its name, was not wanting on any craftsman's
+sign. Although there was not awaking soul to be seen in the place, the
+knights saluted almost every second house, mindful, even in their
+haste, of this customary token of reverence. They rode through the
+town-gate, and along the frith to the left or northwards, where the
+road wound near Tornborg. In the wood, close by Tornborg, they ceased
+their hard gallop, and allowed their horses to breathe.
+
+Now, for the first time, Drost Peter broke the long silence. "You are
+perfectly sure it was them, Skirmen?" he said to his squire.
+
+"As sure as I am that it is yourself and Sir Thorstenson who are riding
+here," replied the squire. "The duke and his drost stood on the beam
+right over my head, at the quay, and I could count every soul on board
+the skiff."
+
+"How many were there, then?"
+
+"I counted nine and twenty, including soldiers and boatmen. They
+looked a most atrocious pack of rievers. One could hardly see their
+faces, for their black and red beards; and those who did not sit on the
+rowing-benches, had large knives in their girdles, and battle-axes in
+their hands. He who whistled appeared the worst of them all: he was a
+huge, sturdy fellow, with a face like a bear. I could only see him
+indistinctly, on account of the red sail that flapped about his ears;
+but I dare stake my head that it was no one else than Niels Breakpeace
+himself, the captain of the Jutland rievers, who escaped from us last
+year."
+
+"Niels Breakpeace!" repeated both knights, in astonishment. "But was
+not the vessel Norwegian, then?" inquired Drost Peter.
+
+"The boatmen were Norsemen, sir--audacious-looking fellows, with
+large cleavers and shaggy caps. He who sat by the rudder was also a
+Norseman--a little sturdy fellow, dressed like a knight, with a gilded
+dagger-hilt in his belt. They called him Count Alf."
+
+"The algrev--Mindre-Alf!" exclaimed both knights, regarding each other
+with renewed astonishment; while Sir Thorstenson, repeating the name,
+became pale with indignation, and grasped the hilt of his sword in his
+powerful hand.
+
+"Stand!" he exclaimed, stopping his horse: "could I but break the
+algrev's neck, I would give half my life for it. But who has said they
+are coming in this direction?"
+
+Drost Peter held the skirt of his cloak to the wind. "Do you see?" he
+said: "the wind has gone round to the north. They must have already
+landed on the coast here. That they will to Sweden, we know very well;
+and that they were steering down the Belt, we saw. They will certainly
+land either here or at Skjelskjoer, to cross the Sound by Orekrog. If
+we are rightly informed, the duke must first to Zealand; he and the
+marsk have powerful friends here."
+
+"They will certainly not land at Skjelskjoer," said Thorstenson; "the
+algrev was too well known there last year."
+
+"We shall soon see them here, then," said Drost Peter. "These Norse
+vikings[15] will hardly venture far from the vessel. The duke will also
+bethink him well of passing through the country openly, with a gang of
+rievers at his heels. He will scarcely come with a large train; but, in
+any case, we can surprise the whole band, if requisite."
+
+"That we can, with half a score of Sir Rimaardson's coast-jagers," said
+Thorstenson. "Yonder lies Tornborg. I think we should take our post by
+the road here, and send your squire to the castle."
+
+Drost Peter nodded assent, and immediately dispatched Claus Skirmen to
+Tornborg with a verbal message; whilst he and Sir Thorstenson, leaving
+the horses to graze in a little green spot in the wood, close to the
+road, ascended an eminence, from which they had an extensive view over
+the Belt. From this spot they saw the red sail of the freebooter, under
+a woody shelter, near the coast, and were now satisfied that they were
+upon the right track.
+
+Tornborg lay scarcely three hundred yards from the eminence where the
+knights stood. The nimble Skirmen was soon back, and brought
+intelligence that Sir Rimaardson had gone out hunting for the day, and
+would not return home before evening.
+
+"We must assist ourselves, then, as we best can," said Drost Peter. "We
+can stay here until the duke has passed. Although every royal castellan
+will stand by us, yet the fewer we are the better: we must avoid
+publicity."
+
+"But, should the pirates impede our progress, we must cut our way
+through the pack," remarked Thorstenson. "I take upon me to crack the
+algrev's neck, and perhaps those of a couple of his scoundrels. Yet,
+however, we are only two-men-and-a-half strong."
+
+"You may safely reckon us as three whole men, and a little more, stern
+sir knight," said Skirmen, strutting bravely: "what I want in length, I
+can make up for, perhaps, in another shape. At any rate, you and my
+master alone may well pass for three doughty men."
+
+"No bragging, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, interrupting his squire. "Off
+now, and get under the stone trough, by the roadside yonder, and bring
+us word, as soon as you see them. They cannot do otherwise than cross
+the brook."
+
+Skirmen leapt from his norback, and left it to graze in the wood. He
+then ran to the post indicated, and the two knights took their seats on
+the hillock.
+
+"Ah, could we only catch the algrev!" broke out Sir Thorstenson,
+vehemently.
+
+"That is a matter of secondary importance, my noble knight," observed
+Drost Peter. "In our anxiety to secure a freebooter, let us not forget
+the far more important object for which we are here."
+
+"You are right," said Thorstenson: "in thinking of the infernal viking,
+I had almost forgotten everything else. Respecting the duke, it is
+rather a dangerous undertaking. If we allow him to cross the Sound, we
+may chance to have him in our power; but, if it so happen, it is then
+extremely doubtful whether we are not doing exactly that which the king
+and the friends of the country would prevent. Think you not that such
+apparent violence, towards so powerful a vassal, would give a vent for
+the general dissatisfaction, and arm every traitor in the country?"
+
+"It is a hazardous but necessary step," replied Drost Peter; "and,
+after what we have now seen, is nowise unjust. Besides, if this exalted
+personage is in league with the country's open enemies, and even with
+outlawed criminals, like Niels Breakpeace, we should be quite justified
+were we to seize him on the spot. Were that possible, we shall not
+exceed our authority one single step."
+
+"Could we but lay hold of the algrev at the same time, it would not so
+much matter," began Sir Thorstenson, after a pause, his eyes flashing
+with passion. "Since the cursed sea-hound is so saucy as to risk
+himself on land, before our very eyes, I can scarcely refrain from
+giving him chase, even before we deal with the other. It were shame and
+a scandal should the notorious algrev be permitted to pass through
+Zealand, instead of being hanged on a gallows by the way. There is
+scarcely a sea-town in Denmark that he has not plundered: he has
+committed more atrocities in the world than he has hairs on his curly
+head."
+
+"Do you know anything of him beyond report?" inquired Drost Peter.
+"Craft and courage he should not lack."
+
+"I know him better than any clerk or bishop knows the foul fiend,"
+replied the enraged knight. "He passes for a hero and a great man, both
+in Norway and Sweden; but here he passes, with good reason, for a vile
+sea-rover, an incendiary, and a ravisher. And yet such a fellow brags
+of his princely descent, and scorns an honest and irreproachable
+knight! Know you not that it is he who, with Justice Algot of West
+Gothland, and his powerful sons, is guardian to Prince Svantopolk's
+daughter, and the cause of all my misfortunes?"
+
+"I know you speak reluctantly about this affair, my noble knight. You
+were inclined towards the prince's fair daughter, and she gave you her
+troth against her kinsman's wish; but, as far as I am aware, it was not
+the algrev, but Justice Algot's son, who carried off the Lady Ingrid."
+
+"It was by the algrev's help, then; and not at all from true affection,
+but from pride and a love of rapine. The whole of this haughty race are
+in conspiracy against us. Chancellor Peter and Bishop Brynjalf of
+Sweden wished to force her into a convent; but the algrev would give
+her to Sir Algotson, that half her fief and estates might remain in his
+riever claws. My only hope now is in the bold Swedish king, and in
+seeing this algrev on a gibbet."
+
+"But, my dear, brave Thorstenson, do not you make too large claims on
+kings and princes, when you set your eyes so seriously on a prince's
+daughter?"
+
+"I am as doughty and wellborn a knight as Algotson," replied
+Thorstenson: "but, were I even the meanest scullion, and loved an
+emperor's daughter, by Him who lives above! I would show the world I
+was worthy of her, and lay my life on winning her, spite of the world
+and all its rulers."
+
+"You cannot, however, entirely despise the limits that birth and
+station oppose to our wishes," continued Drost Peter, with friendly
+interest. "However highly you may esteem a free and independent nature,
+my valiant friend, you must still admit, that there is something higher
+and greater than in blindly following its instincts to happiness. You
+cannot be ignorant of the great law of self-denial: that law, the
+powerful ones of the earth ought most of all to obey. Those who stand
+nearest to kings, part with heart and fortune, my friend; yea, the
+heart must be silent, where a higher voice speaks."
+
+"The fiend take your higher voice and law of self-denial!" replied
+Thorstenson. "That law may do for reigning princes. They are bred and
+born to be the victims of state policy, and of their people. For that,
+they bear the crown and sceptre; for that, they rule over us, and hide
+their miseries in purple; but free, noble-born knights cannot recognise
+a necessity at variance with the ordinances of God and of nature. I
+well know what has possessed you with this fancy, my brave friend: it
+is respect for a deceased father's last foolishness. Such respect is,
+no doubt, very proper; but the usurpations of fathers and kinsmen over
+our childhood can never constitute a sacred obligation to sacrifice our
+own freedom and happiness, and stifle the best feelings of our nature.
+You may be glad that your foolish juvenile betrothment is at an end; it
+now behoves you no longer to befool yourself with fancies."
+
+"I was not thinking of myself at the moment," replied Drost Peter, with
+calm animation, lying back on the green height, his clear blue eye
+resting on the deep vault of the spring-heaven over his head. "I was
+thinking of our young heir to the throne, and the little Princess
+Ingeborg of Sweden. They are already, one may say, bride and
+bridegroom, although they are yet both children. They played together
+at that tourney festival where the proud Ingrid gave you her troth, and
+you, with grave self-confidence, believed you could determine your
+fortune. It was to me a wonderful thought, when I saw the children
+playing together, that I knew what neither of them yet could dream
+of--that these two innocent beings were already secretly destined for
+one another, and chosen to become the bond of union between two
+kingdoms and people. It did not in any manner move me: it occurred to
+me, not as an audacious interference with the designs of Providence by
+a cold, calculating state policy, or as an unnatural usurpation, as you
+term it, by short-sighted men; it appeared to me as a mysterious
+carrying out of God's will, and as if these children had been destined
+for each other before any of the individuals were in being by whose
+plans and counsels it should be accomplished. I will not defend these
+views: I know you will call them fanatical, or even superstitious and
+foolish; but in the same manner has my own dim destination hitherto
+come before my eyes. This fanaticism, as you may readily term it, has,
+thanks to God! preserved me from a bewilderment of heart, that might
+have driven me mad, or, what were worse, have lost me my peace of mind,
+here and hereafter."
+
+"I believe I guess what you mean, my brave friend," said Sir
+Thorstenson, heartily shaking his hand. "I will not enter into argument
+with your pious fancies. Your heart has the least share in your
+aristocratic bigotry; for, fortunately, your fancies have juggled the
+heart into a slumber. But ask not that I should regard, in the same
+calm manner, the dull obstacles to my happiness as a wise ordination. I
+esteem you fortunate that you really do not experience that vehemence
+of passion you seem to dread, and which would destroy your world of
+fancy, quick as a stormblast destroys the glittering cobweb."
+
+"All hearts are not alike," replied Drost Peter; and his manly voice
+trembled, from a deep, suppressed feeling. "When it boils and tosses in
+you, as in the mighty ocean, in my soul it burns deep and still. If,
+then, I could not fix my eye on the great, calm, eternal depth above,
+and find peace in its contemplation, I should waste in secret; whilst
+you find relief and consolation in wild outbreaks."
+
+They continued to converse together for some time, in a familiar and
+friendly manner. They had long been friends, notwithstanding the great
+difference in their modes of thinking, as well as in their nature and
+dispositions. The zeal and fidelity with which they both served their
+king were grounded upon a far from common opinion of the sacredness of
+the crown and of the kingly power. A steady regard to this made Drost
+Peter what he was with respect to the crown and kingdom; and his
+earnest hope to be able to support a tottering throne, and to preserve
+the crown untarnished for its hopeful and legally chosen heir, gave him
+strength for every sacrifice.
+
+With Sir Thorstenson, it was the idea of honour, and the inviolability
+of a knight's promise, which alone bound him to a king he could neither
+love nor respect. He shared, in many points, the contempt of the
+discontented noblemen for a kingly power, which, circumscribed as it
+was, was still so frequently perverted to unjust and arbitrary ends;
+but he hated, in almost an equally high degree, the pride of birth, and
+the imperious conduct of the aristocracy, as well as the efforts of the
+ecclesiastics to establish a spiritual tyranny. He was, consequently,
+disposed to justify the rebellious spirit of the oppressed commoners,
+and was an ardent admirer of the Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, who
+guarded the privileges of the commons, while he tamed the most powerful
+of the nobility with violence, and, at times, with cruelties. On this
+subject he had again entered into a warm controversy with Drost Peter,
+who, since the cruel execution of the Folkungar,[16] without form of
+law, had a strong aversion to the Swedish king, which he expressed
+without reserve, and considered Denmark, with all her miseries,
+fortunate in not having such a sanguinary tyrant and upstart monarch
+for a ruler.
+
+"Nay, my good friend," cried Thorstenson, starting up: "rather an able
+tyrant, who treads every law under foot, than a vile turncoat, who
+gives laws every day and keeps no law himself. Rather an active, hardy
+warrior, who hacks off heads like cabbages from their stocks, than a
+mean craven, who can only run after women in the dark, and cannot look
+an honest man in the face in open day. Nay, nay," he continued,
+striking his sword on the ground: "I consider Sweden fortunate in her
+Magnus, even were he to lay one half of it waste in order that flowers
+and glory might spring up in the other. Rather a despotic ruler, with a
+determined will, who dares to wrest a crown from a crazy head, and
+defend it, than a legitimate madman, a dullard, without head or brains,
+and wrinkled like a clout under the symbol of majesty. We serve the
+vilest master in the world," continued he, with subdued vehemence:
+"that we cannot gainsay. You are true to him, Drost Peter; but, to
+defend him with a true word--that you leave alone. I must make free to
+say of him what I please, if even you are angry thereat; but he has
+once had my word, and he may rely on my fealty, though he is not worthy
+to have an honest dog in his service. Great honour no one earns here,
+either as knight or warrior: that you must yourself admit; but what
+honour I have, I shall take care to keep, notwithstanding. If, now, we
+have to make war on Sweden, as I respect my knightly word, I shall not
+sheathe my sword until I have washed the stain from the hand that gave
+it me, with the blood of heroes who now, with reason, despise us."
+
+Drost Peter sprang up with warmth. "With reason, no one can despise
+us," he said; "and, without reason, no one shall dare to do so with
+impunity. The days of Denmark's glory are over, it is true; but honour
+even our worst foes shall leave us untouched. If we scorn the master we
+serve, we scorn ourselves," he continued. "The faults and errors of the
+king I cannot defend: it were despicable to respect them; but, as
+faithful servants, we should cover them with the cloak of charity when
+we can, and not place our glory in revealing his shame."
+
+"To you, and between ourselves, I can state my mind without disguise,"
+replied Thorstenson. "On this subject, you know, I am silent before
+strangers; and, were a stranger to venture to say to me what I have
+just been saying to you, I would break his neck on the spot, without a
+moment's hesitation.----But how is this? The wood is full of people!"
+He sprang hastily to his feet. "And where are our horses? They are not
+where we left them grazing."
+
+Drost Peter looked round him in astonishment. They heard many voices,
+and the noise of hunters and hounds, on all sides; and now they
+perceived, beside them on the height, a tall gentleman, of knightly
+appearance, attired in a green doublet, and mounted on a light brown
+horse.
+
+"Who are you?" shouted the huntsman, in a stern, commanding voice.
+"Rievers have landed hereabouts, and I have a right to make the demand:
+I am the king's captain at Tornborg."
+
+"We have sought you in vain, Sir Benedict Rimaardson," replied Drost
+Peter, taking off his red cap, and at the same time handing him the
+king's authority. "Who we are, this will inform you, if you have not
+already recognised us."
+
+"Drost Hessel! Sir Thorstenson!" exclaimed the knight, with surprise,
+and springing from his horse: "who would have expected you in this
+guise?" He extended a friendly hand to them, and cast a hasty glance
+over the document, while Drost Peter pointed it out, and laid his
+finger on his lips.
+
+Although the huntsman had, apparently, some trouble in reading it, he
+quickly understood its meaning. "So, so! teeth before the tongue!" said
+he, in a tone of surprise, and handing back the parchment to Drost
+Peter. "I have something better to do, then, than to hunt after these
+horse-stealers. But still it was an accursed piece of impudence in
+them," continued he, enraged. "Did you not see a gang of long-bearded
+fellows, looking like shipwrecked seamen? A little while since they
+carried off all our horses, almost to the one I luckily sit upon. They
+did it in a twinkling, as my huntsmen were taking their morning's meal
+down by the moss."
+
+"Our horses, also, have disappeared," said Sir Thorstenson. "Here there
+is no time to be lost. But, first, procure us three horses."
+
+"Are you more than two, gentlemen?"
+
+"My squire is on the outlook, down by the road," replied Drost Peter:
+"see, here he comes."
+
+Squire Skirmen bounded forward like a hart. "They are coming!" he
+exclaimed: "there are four on horseback. I know the duke's red mantle,
+and the little Norse gentleman's burly beard."
+
+"The algrev!" cried Thorstenson: "death and destruction! let us after
+him!"
+
+"That illustrious individual is not to be stopped here, if I understand
+the pothooks rightly," said the huntsman; "but we must be certain
+whether it is him. How fall you upon the algrev? Follow me, gentlemen:
+I know the wood. They shall pass close by us without seeing us."
+
+While Skirmen held the huntsman's horse, he led the nimble Drost Peter
+and Sir Thorstenson into a thicket of white thorns and young beeches,
+close by the roadside. By his advice, they laid themselves on the
+ground, having in sight, before them, a portion of the road from
+Korsoeer. They had not waited long in this position, before they heard
+the trampling of horses close at hand. Drost Peter bent the boughs
+aside, and Sir Thorstenson made a hasty movement.
+
+"Still! keep still, my good sirs!" said the hunter: "game of this sort
+must not be frightened. Here we have them. Bight: it is the duke and
+his drost. The pompous little gentleman, with the bullock head, I do
+not know; and yet--"
+
+"The algrev! Mindre-Alf!" interrupted Thorstenson, in a low voice, as
+he was on the point of starting up.
+
+"Remember the main business, and restrain your vehemence," whispered
+Drost Peter, holding him back.
+
+"Let them only get in advance, and we are sure of them," whispered the
+hunter. "But who is that heavy fellow, in the squire's mantle, who
+rides behind? He does not look at all like a fine gentleman's
+attendant."
+
+"Niels Breakpeace, the Jutland rover," answered Drost Peter, softly:
+"but let him pass on. In the duke's livery, he has now free convoy
+through Zealand."
+
+The four important travellers passed, and the knights arose.
+
+"It is hard enough," said Rimaardson, "that I, as chief of Tornborg,
+should see two such notorious robbers pass along, under my very nose as
+it were, and dare not stop and seize them. If it was their marauding
+band that took our horses, there is no more security in the country for
+the present. Permit me to ride on before you to Tornborg, gentlemen.
+Measures shall be taken instantly. We may still reach Slagelse before
+the duke has left it. We must keep at some distance, and be not too
+numerous, or he may apprehend mischief."
+
+As he spoke he hastily mounted his horse, which Skirmen, at his sign,
+had brought him, and rode off at a gallop towards the castle. The
+knights and Skirmen followed him with rapid steps.
+
+Sir Benedict or Bent Rimaardson was about forty years of age, with a
+brave huntsman's countenance, embrowned by exposure to the sun and open
+air. He was tall and spare, and exceedingly nimble in his movements.
+All his paternal ancestors were Danes; but, on the mother's side, he
+was related to the Margraves of Brandenburg and Queen Agnes. In
+consequence of his fidelity to the king, he was at variance with his
+younger brother, Sir Lave Rimaardson, who had been deprived of his
+estates, and outlawed as a traitor and fomenter of rebellion among the
+peasants. These family cares severely depressed the otherwise bold and
+lively knight; for his wild, unruly brother was still dear to him, and
+it often wounded him deeply to hear the name of Rimaardson associated
+with those of the most audacious transgressors of the laws of the land.
+He lived, unmarried, with his brother John, as chief of Tornborg, where
+he watched over the security of the coast with great strictness, and
+constantly lay in wait for the Norwegian freebooters. He was a
+distinguished sea-warrior, and had often been successful in capturing
+pirates with his longboat. What sometimes interfered with his vigilance
+was his passion for the chase--his only recreation at this lonely
+castle.
+
+That a Norwegian pirate-vessel had arrived at Korsoeer, and landed
+rovers, whilst he thought the seas secure, and was diverting himself
+with the chase, provoked him highly; but this recent mission, with
+which the king had entrusted him, gave him something else to think of.
+In a few minutes he had reached the castle; and, when his guests
+arrived, they found the horses already saddled in the court-yard. They
+allowed themselves no time to inspect the famous castle, from which the
+place derived its name, or even to refresh themselves. The chief,
+having entrusted the care of the castle to his brother John, dispatched
+a troop of huntsmen into the wood in search of the rievers; and then,
+along with his guests, mounted his horse, without changing his green
+doublet. He ordered four jagers to follow them at a short distance, and
+started from Tornborg at a gallop, in the direction of Slagelse.
+
+The road between Korsoeer and Slagelse, in the western part of Zealand,
+is crossed, at Vaarby, by a rivulet, running between tolerably high
+banks, and was, anciently, broad and deep enough to be navigable for
+small vessels. Between Vaarby Banks the road gradually became narrower,
+and a wooden bridge led across the river where it was deepest. This
+bridge was not wider than what would allow a wain to drive over: it
+rested upon upright beams, taller than a ship's mast, and, as was
+usual, was unprovided with rails at the side. The river at this spot
+was very deep, though it did not rise nearly so high as it did when the
+bridge was built; from which it has been inferred that, from the bridge
+to the surface of the stream, there was a depth of more than six
+fathoms. Several large, almost rocklike stones, rose above the water on
+both sides, the remains, apparently, of a stone bridge, which had been
+swept away by the violence of the current: a proof that the river had
+formerly swollen into a mighty torrent. The steep banks were overgrown
+with brushwood, which almost concealed them.
+
+Here, Niels Breakpeace's twelve daring robbers, with nine well-armed
+Norse freebooters from the pirate-vessel, together with the stolen
+horses, were concealed in a thicket. In order to deceive the huntsmen
+and coast-guards who had pursued them, a smaller number of the Norse
+pirates had fled, with much noise and clamour, in an opposite
+direction, and had gained their ship before their pursuers could come
+up with them; when they immediately hoisted sail, and bore away to the
+south, under Egholm and Aggersoe.
+
+In the thicket near Vaarby Bridge, the shaggy-bearded fellows,
+stretched on the grass, held a short council, at the same time making
+good cheer from one of the huntsmen's wallets. A tall young man, with a
+knight's feathered hat over his handsome brown locks, but otherwise
+dressed as a seaman, in coarse pitched wadmel, alone stood up among
+them, and appeared to be their leader. He had an expression of daring
+in his features, which yet presented a fine noble outline, and a pair
+of dark eyes flashed audaciously from under his bushy eyebrows.
+
+"There is no time now for stretching and lounging," said he, in an
+imperious, commanding tone. "Give heed, fellows! To-day, I am both
+count of Toensberg and Niels Breakpeace; and he who dares to disobey me,
+I shall cut down on the spot."
+
+The fellows seemed to understand this discourse, without being at all
+intimidated. They appeared to expect such a speech; and only half
+rising from their recumbent position, regarded him with silence and
+attention.
+
+"Over this bridge," he continued, "not a living soul from Korsoeer
+crosses to-day, were he even king of Denmark. Whoever sets foot upon
+the bridge is our prisoner. If he resists, we cut him down, or pitch
+him into the river, without more ado. I remain at this side, with my
+Norwegian bears; you, Morten Longknife, with your own men, shall guard
+the other end. If you budge a foot when it comes to the pinch, it costs
+you your neck. To Korsoeer may travel who will; but not a cat to
+Slagelse. Do you understand?"
+
+A tall, red-bearded fellow, with a knife an ell long in his belt, had
+sprung up, with ten others, sturdy and dirty-looking enough. "That is
+easy to be understood, stern knight," said he, in the dialect of a
+Jutland peasant, and nodding his head. "You and the northmen break
+backs to-day, and we Jutes cleave brainpans. For that I can be depended
+upon: it is a token that you know us."
+
+"You are to lie quiet in yonder thicket until I whistle, when you shall
+spring up, and close the bridge in three ranks. As soon as I call out,
+'Hack away!' cleave to the foot whoever comes. Now, off to your post!"
+
+Morten Longknife nodded assent. With his ten men, he went immediately
+over the bridge, and disappeared in the thicket on the opposite bank of
+the river.
+
+Drost Peter, in the meantime, rode between Sir Thorstenson and Bent
+Rimaardson, at a brisk trot, along the road towards Vemmeloev and
+Vaarby. They were silent, and seemed to be considering the most prudent
+way of accomplishing their difficult undertaking.
+
+Squire Skirmen followed upon a lean hunter, and sorely grieved for the
+loss of his norback. But he soon got into a lively conversation with
+Sir Rimaardson's four huntsmen. They related to him many of their
+master's daring exploits, when he allowed freebooters to land, that he
+might catch and hang them. In return, Skirmen told them of his master's
+feats in the Sleswick war, and at tilts and jousts, and gave them a
+description of the magnificent tournament at Helsingborg, which he had
+himself seen. Thereupon, he struck up a lively tourney song, and jigged
+on his saddle as he sang:--
+
+
+            "There shines upon the fourth shield
+              An eagle, and he is red;
+            And it is borne by Holger Danske;
+              Who killed the giant dead."
+
+
+"My master bears an eagle on his seal," he added. "Were I in his place,
+I would set the eagle in the shield, instead of the red bend. Do you
+know what I shall have on my shield, when once I am a knight? It shall
+be Folker Fiddler's mark. But there must be more than that: of my
+shield it will be hereafter sung:--
+
+
+            "There stands a maiden in the shield,
+              And a sword, and fiddle, and bow;
+            And it is borne by bold Skirmen,
+              Who will sing, not sleep, I trow."
+
+
+While the young squire thus gave expression to his pleasing
+expectations, they had passed Vemmeloev, and were approaching Vaarby
+Bridge. The neighing, as of a foal, was presently heard from the copse
+by the river-side, and Skirmen exclaimed, with surprise--"My little
+norback!" In a moment he was by his master's side, and communicated to
+him his discovery.
+
+Drost Peter stopped his horse. All was still. "If my squire has
+heard aright," said the drost, "we shall, without doubt, meet our
+horse-stealers here. They have probably riders with them, who will
+oppose our progress. If they have ascertained who we are, and the
+errand on which we ride, it was not imprudent of them to occupy this
+important post."
+
+Both knights paused, and regarded the long, narrow bridge with an air
+of thoughtfulness.
+
+"With twelve men, I could defend the bridge against a whole army," said
+Sir Rimaardson. "We have two choices: either we must proceed at a
+gallop, and endeavour to cut our way through; or we must ride hastily
+down, and see if our horses can swim across. To ride back, and delay
+ourselves by bringing aid, I will not propose to such valiant
+gentlemen. Besides, at this moment, I have not a single able horseman
+at home."
+
+"Let us cut our way through at a gallop," said Sir Thorstenson. "But
+there is not a soul to be seen."
+
+"If Skirmen is right, we shall soon see more than we may care for,"
+replied Drost Peter. "Swim your horses well, Sir Rimaardson?"
+
+"The two that you and your squire ride I will answer for, if it be not
+too muddy," replied the knight; "mine and Sir Thorstenson's are too
+heavy: they will stick fast where there is the least mud."
+
+"There is no choice, then," said Drost Peter: "we must onwards, and, in
+God's name, may cut our way through. Follow close after us, huntsmen."
+
+"Off!" cried Thorstenson, already spurring his horse.
+
+"Stay a moment!" exclaimed Drost Peter: "whether we may get over the
+bridge alive, is uncertain; but our warrant must be secured. My bold
+squire's dexterity I can depend upon; and it will not be difficult for
+him to swim over, whilst we give the robbers something more to do than
+to think of stopping him. If you agree with me, good sirs, we shall
+entrust him with the king's letter and warrant: if we receive any
+hindrance, he takes it to the governor of Haraldsborg, or destroys the
+letter if he cannot escape."
+
+"You are cautious, noble knight," said Sir Rimaardson; "but I grant you
+are right: we must be provided against every accident."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Thorstenson. "If we must make our wills, let it be
+done speedily. My fingers itch to get at the hounds."
+
+"There, my trusty Skirmen," said Drost Peter, giving to his squire the
+carefully wrapt-up letter. "You perfectly understand us? This concerns
+the security of the crown and royal house. If I demand not this letter
+from you on the other side of the bridge, account to me for it beyond
+the greatest bridge." He pointed gravely towards the heavens, and was
+silent.
+
+The blood mounted into the brave squire's cheeks. "I must flee, then,
+like a frightened wild goose, and not fight my way, gaily, by your
+side? It is a hard command, sir drost; but you will it so, and I obey.
+God be with you! We shall certainly meet beyond _that_ bridge." Again
+came a neighing from the thicket. "My norback!" cried Skirmen,
+joyfully; and, spurring his horse, he rode hastily down a little
+by-path that led into the thicket near the river.
+
+At the same instant the three knights started, at a rapid gallop, and
+with drawn swords, towards the bridge.
+
+"One at a time, or we shall throw one another into the river," cried
+Thorstenson, taking the lead.
+
+They had almost reached the bridge, and not a soul was to be seen.
+
+"A false alarm!" cried Thorstenson: "there is no one here."
+
+"On, on!" shouted Drost Peter, riding past him.
+
+"That was not my meaning," grumbled Thorstenson; angrily, endeavouring
+to regain the lead.
+
+But the first horse-shoe already clattered upon the narrow bridge, and
+Sir Thorstenson was obliged to rein in his steed, lest he should plunge
+his friend into the river. To their surprise, no one opposed them: the
+seventh horse had already his forelegs on the bridge; and Drost Peter,
+having arrived within a few paces of the opposite bank, began to think
+their suspicions were groundless, when the shrill blast of a whistle
+was heard in the rear. A gleam came suddenly from the thicket, and a
+threefold impenetrable wall of gigantic, bearded men, with uplifted
+halberds, stood at the end of the bridge, and barred the passage. At
+the same instant, a similar barrier of Norwegian pirates was formed
+behind them, and a powerful voice shouted--"Hold! or you are dead men!"
+
+Drost Peter's horse reared before the bright halberds, and was nearly
+falling backwards into the river.
+
+"On, on!" cried Thorstenson, getting to his left side, and seizing the
+rearing horse by the bridle: the animal plunged to the very brink of
+the bridge, and appeared in imminent danger of falling into the gulph.
+"On, on!" still shouted Thorstenson; but both he and Drost Peter vainly
+sought to urge on their shy and strange steeds. This sudden stoppage
+brought all the horses in the rear close together, and in the greatest
+disorder, so that none of them could now stir without the certainty of
+forcing another over the bridge.
+
+"Lay down your arms!" shouted the voice behind them, "or we pitch you
+over, one and all!"
+
+Presently, Drost Peter's sword rang among the halberds, and Morten
+Longknife fell, as his long blade whistled past Drost Peter's ear.
+
+"Throw them over, the dogs! hack away!" cried the young robber chief,
+behind.
+
+With a wild shout, they commenced a furious onslaught from both sides
+at once. Drost Peter and Thorstenson fought a dubious fight on the
+brink of the bridge, in which their plunging horses were severely
+wounded in the chest by the long halberds. A frightful battle raged
+behind: the pirates pressed on, and the four huntsmen in the rear were
+hurled, with their backs broken, together with their horses, into the
+deep.
+
+Rimaardson could now, for the first time, stir; and he dexterously
+turned his horse about, to avoid the same fate as his unhappy jagers.
+He was on the point of rushing upon the wild, shouting freebooters,
+when his eye fell on the young robber chief, who wore the knight's hat.
+The sword fell from his hand, and both grew pale.
+
+"Hold, fellows! give place for them!" cried the leader of the pirates:
+"in Satan's name, let them ride on!"
+
+In an instant, not a single rover was to be seen on the bridge. Drost
+Peter and Sir Thorstenson were relieved as by a miracle, and rode
+hastily over the suddenly vacated bridge. Sir Rimaardson followed them
+silently, and as pale as a ghost. They rode up the height above the
+thicket, and there drew up their tired and bleeding horses. Presently
+they saw the ten rovers take flight, with their dead comrade's body,
+and disappear in the thicket at the opposite end of the bridge.
+
+"How was this?" asked Drost Peter: "did the angel of death fight on our
+side, and strike the murderers with terror? Are you also safe, Sir
+Rimaardson?"
+
+"Safe?" he repeated, gloomily: "yes, in Satan's name, I am safe. Better
+for me that I were lying, crushed and mangled, with my huntsmen."
+
+"What has happened to you? Are you wounded?" inquired Thorstenson.
+"There is not a drop of blood in your cheek, and you are not the man to
+grow pale in danger."
+
+"I have received no wound in my body," replied the knight; "but a
+two-edged sword has entered my soul. The unhappy robber chief, with the
+knight's hat, was my outlawed brother, Lave. God be gracious to his
+sinful soul! If he fall into the hands of my coast-guards, I myself
+must doom him to the rack and wheel."
+
+Both the knights were amazed; and, whilst they could now comprehend the
+reason of their wonderful deliverance, they also felt, with horror,
+their fellow-traveller's bitterness of soul.
+
+"Think no more of it, brave Sir Bent," said Thorstenson, at length,
+consolingly. "In these mad times, a young hot-head may easily go
+astray. If he was leader of these fellows, he deserves to stand at the
+head of an army of warriors. The ambush was craftily and boldly
+planned, if he knew us."
+
+"If it was the sight of your loyal countenance that struck him with
+repentance and dread, noble knight," said Drost Peter, "there is still
+hope of his salvation. Our gracious queen's kinsman cannot be so deeply
+fallen but that, with God and the Holy Virgin's aid, he can rise again,
+if time be granted him."
+
+Rimaardson shook his head, and was silent.
+
+"Welcome, welcome to this side of the bridge, noble sirs," cried a
+cheerful, lively voice; and Squire Skirmen came along, waving his cap
+with joy. He was mounted on his little norback, and leading the horses
+of Drost Peter and Sir Thorstenson. In an instant he was on the height
+along with them. He dismounted, and returned his master the packet
+confided to him.
+
+"Here is the king's letter, sir," he said, joyously: "not a drop of
+water has touched it, though there is not a dry thread on my body."
+
+"My old dapplegray!" exclaimed Thorstenson, springing from his wounded
+horse, which he set at liberty. The tall, gray steed appeared delighted
+again to see his master, who patted and caressed him like a restored
+friend, as he swung himself gladly into his own saddle.
+
+Drost Peter, having again taken possession of the king's warrant,
+extolled his trusty squire for his dexterity and management. He, too,
+had descended from his strange horse, which bled profusely, and could
+scarcely bear him any longer. He first examined the animal's wounds,
+and bound his scarf about its chest; then, turning him over to the care
+of his squire, he patted his own favourite brown steed, which pawed the
+ground impatiently. "It was skilfully done," he said to Skirmen, as he
+sprang into his saddle. "How did you get hold of the horses?"
+
+"While you were all fighting, I did not wish to be idle," replied
+Skirmen. "I soon found my little norback: he nearly pawed me to death
+with joy, the dear fellow! The other two horses were also grazing by
+the river. Giving a smack to the hack I rode, I let him gallop home;
+and, had it not been for my little norback, I should have been sitting
+in the mud."
+
+"Thou art a devil's imp!" said Thorstenson; "and, if it were not that
+thou art so stunted, there might be made a doughty wight of thee."
+
+"You, too, were stunted once on a time," replied Skirmen, offended;
+"else Satan was the mother of you."
+
+They were now all mounted, and Thorstenson was already several paces in
+advance.
+
+"But my poor huntsmen!" exclaimed Sir Rimaardson, pausing: "might any
+of them yet be saved?"
+
+"I saw them hurled over," replied Skirmen: "it was a shocking sight. I
+was already over the river, but I rode in again to save them. The black
+steed was nimble, and swam ashore; but the three Wallachians are in the
+mud."
+
+"But the men--the unfortunate huntsmen?"
+
+"Alas! that was the most lamentable part of the affair," replied
+Skirmen, with a light sigh: "they had neither life nor a whole limb. I
+had them drawn to land, and said, hastily, three paters and an ave for
+their souls. Their corpses an old female peasant promised me to care
+for."
+
+"Brother, brother! this blood is upon thee!" sighed Rimaardson, with a
+choking voice, and giving his horse the spur.
+
+They shortly overtook Sir Thorstenson, and pursued their journey in
+silence, and in earnest thought.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was towards evening of the following day. In Flynderborg, which lay
+near Orekrog or Elsineur, and almost in the same spot as the present
+Cronberg, sat, in a large arched apartment, an elderly man in a brown
+house-suit. There was a chess-board before him, and, opposite, was a
+young and beautiful girl. It was Sir Lave Little, and his daughter
+Inge. She wore the then customary in-door black dress of ladies, with
+her rich, golden tresses bound with a fillet of pearls, worked in the
+form of lilies.
+
+After his conversation with Drost Peter in the guard-chamber, and his
+short dispute with Chamberlain Rane, the anxious and wavering Sir Lave
+had not had an hour's rest. In the face of his stern kinsman, old Sir
+John, he fancied he read that he was suspected of a private
+understanding with the rebellious noblemen. His conscience did not
+acquit him; and no sooner had he been relieved by Sir John from his
+post in the guard-room, at an unusual hour, than he hurried away from
+Nyborgand the Dane-court, that he might not be farther enticed into the
+dangerous projects there on foot. He was the royal governor of
+Flynderborg Castle, which, with huge wall-slings on its ramparts,
+protected the entrance of the Sound, and received the ancient Sound
+dues, as has since been more effectually done by the far more
+distinguished Cronberg.
+
+Sir Lave Little certainly had not been guilty of any act that could
+have been brought against him as evidence of treason; but he had been
+at the recent Moellerup meeting with Stig Andersen, and had there, for
+his friend and kinsman's sake, declared himself against the king with
+more decision than formerly. That this meeting and its transactions had
+been discovered, he knew; and he now feared, with reason, that he would
+be called to account for expressions he could not deny, or even be
+deprived, without legal trial, of his important post as commandant of
+this castle. This secret anxiety pained him the more, that he was
+obliged to confine it to his own breast. He held no familiar
+intercourse with any soul in the castle. He lived there as a widower,
+with his daughter, whom he regarded as still in some degree a child,
+and feared to entrust her too freely with his affairs.
+
+This, his only child, he loved exceedingly, albeit she little agreed
+with him on many important public questions, in which she appeared to
+take more interest than might have been expected in a girl of her age.
+She was scarcely fifteen, but of a tall, erect growth; and already
+expressed her will so decidedly, as often to astonish her wavering,
+hesitating father. She was a granddaughter of the recently deceased,
+powerful Sir Absalom Andersen, who traced his lineage from Asker Bag
+and Skjalm Hvide, and who, in his testament, had duly remembered Sir
+Lave Little and his daughter.
+
+Proud Inge, as the froward damsel was already called by the people of
+the castle, exceedingly resembled her high-souled deceased mother, and
+had not only inherited the genuine Danish exterior of her mother and
+the whole Absalom family, but also their ancient patriotic spirit, true
+love of country, and attachment to the legitimate reigning family, in
+inseparable conjunction. When she heard of the perils that threatened
+the crown and kingdom, her dark blue eyes flashed, and she wished that
+she could only, like her noble kinsmen, John Little, or David
+Thorstenson, or Drost Peter Hessel, watch over the safety of the throne
+and country with manly vigilance and vigour. Drost Peter's name she
+seldom mentioned, and; as it always seemed, with somewhat of dislike.
+That she had, from her childhood, been destined as his future wife, was
+to her an insufferable thought, and aroused her sense of freedom and
+womanly dignity to the bitterest degree. She could only faintly
+remember the drost as a handsome, kindly youth, whom she had played
+with when a child. At that time she appeared to have had some fondness
+for him; but, from the moment that she became aware that she was
+destined for his wife, his remembrance had become loathsome to her. It
+was as if an unseen power had made him her hereditary enemy, and he was
+the only man of whom she was disposed to think ill, without sufficient
+reasons. She could not, however, conceal the interest she felt in the
+many good deeds and excellent qualities she had lately heard ascribed
+to the active young drost, whose important services to the crown tended
+still further to elevate him in her estimation. Sometimes, indeed, she
+would even forget their hated relationship, and break forth into
+involuntary expressions of admiration. But the reports that, during the
+last year, had been circulated to the drost's prejudice, had also come
+to her ears. That he was much indebted to his comeliness and talents
+for his rapid promotion, was a general opinion among the people, even
+where they expressed themselves with the most delicacy and reserve; and
+the supposed taint on Drost Peter's honour, which envy was only all too
+zealous to exaggerate, converted Inge's esteem for her preordained
+bridegroom into contempt, almost amounting to abhorrence. She had
+often, from that instant, begged her father rather to bury her in a
+convent for life, than wed her to a men who, with all his merit, she
+could never love and respect.
+
+Until recently, the father had given only vague replies to these
+petitions, and begged her at least to suspend her judgment until she
+had seen him, and renewed her half-forgotten acquaintanceship. The
+drost, he told her, was a distinguished man, a true favourite of
+fortune, and that, except in case of absolute necessity, a promise made
+to a deceased friend should be held sacred. Moreover, its fulfilment
+had reference to the fortunes and future fate of two illustrious
+families, through their prosperity and influence. But, during the last
+half year, the father had frequently expressed himself dissatisfied
+with Drost Peter, and with his zealous efforts to exalt the misused
+power of the king.
+
+On these points, however, proud Inge warmly defended his conduct, and
+also extolled him as a brave friend to his sovereign and country; yet
+her joy was great when her father, on his return from the Dane-court,
+declared her entirely free from every engagement with respect to Drost
+Peter Hessel. He had given her his assurance that she should never be
+required to wed this zealous royalist, whom every open-minded Dane had
+the greatest reason to shun, though a certain degree of respect could
+not be denied him for his sagacity and bold uprightness.
+
+Never had proud Inge felt herself so glad and lighthearted as on that
+day; and she now seized every opportunity to evince her gratitude to
+her father for a promise that first gave her a full consciousness of
+her womanly dignity, and of being the free, highborn daughter of a
+knight. When needful, she played draughts and chess with him, and
+induced him to drive away his anxiety and discontent with a recreation
+to which he was exceedingly attached. She was careful, however, to
+conceal from him the slight interest with which she removed the taken
+pieces, whilst her thoughts flew over the whole free and glorious world
+she now saw opened up to her, and she joyfully recalled to her
+imagination a long line of famous ancestors, amongst whom the noblest
+women of Denmark had, from her earliest childhood stood before her eyes
+as glorious images of light.
+
+Father and daughter were still sitting silently at the game of chess,
+and the Lady Inge perceived that her abstracted parent heeded not his
+moves, and often lost his pieces. He seemed as if in a dream.
+
+"But tell me, then, dear father," she said at length, breaking the long
+silence, "do you think it possible, as it was asserted when you were
+away, that King Waldemar's grandson, the foolhardy Duke Waldemar,
+really aspires to the crown, after the king's death?"
+
+"Silence, child! Do not speak thus! It may cost us our lives," replied
+the father, anxiously, and looking round him. "It is mere silly talk.
+But those who bring such reports into circulation ought never more to
+see the light. Do not listen to such conversation, my dear, good Inge,
+and give no heed to things you cannot understand. Discreet young
+damsels should not busy themselves with state affairs, but attend to
+their looms and household matters: I have often told you so. I rebuke
+you needfully, my good child; for your discourse frequently makes me
+anxious and uneasy."
+
+"But when it concerns the country and kingdom, my father, we young
+damsels are as much Danes as the young knights and swains; and it is
+not the first time that Danish women have been obliged to think on
+affairs of equal importance. Had the Lady Inge, and the proud
+Ingefried, not dared to think on something more than their looms and
+kitchens, they had not bored Swain Grathe's fleet, and sank it to the
+bottom; and then, perhaps, the great Waldemar had not been King of
+Denmark."
+
+"Where get you these stories, my dearest child? Whom have you heard
+repeat these silly old tales that you have always at the tip of your
+tongue? You have never heard them from me--that I know."
+
+"Ah, my mother related them to me when I was very young; and she, also,
+it was who taught me so many of our pretty old ballads."
+
+"Ballads! There we have it! All ballads and chronicles lie, my child.
+They are but fables and superstitions, which people invent who have
+nothing to do but to please fools and children. When do you hear me
+relate stories or sing ballads? People who have serious matters in
+their heads, have other things to think about than such silly trifles."
+
+"Truly, father, never have I heard you sing ballads or tell tales; but
+my mother loved the old songs much, and delighted to sing them, and to
+recite the pretty tales. If there were no true ballads, and if our wild
+young maidens did not sing about our old kings and heroes, and our true
+noble women, no great man or woman would be remembered longer than a
+lifetime. Then it were not worth living in the world, when the most
+glorious events that happen among us were mere passing show. What
+avails it that we are rich and powerful, if we perform nothing that
+deserves to be remembered when we are dead? and what to posterity would
+be the lives of the greatest of mankind, if people had not a pleasure
+in preserving their names and their exploits in songs and chronicles?"
+
+"Ah, child, dearest child! this is only enthusiasm and superstition.
+Whatever is worth being preserved is remembered well enough without
+writing chronicles and singing songs about it; and in our times, people
+should have something better to think of than such trifles and old
+stories. Yet sing, in God's name, as much as you please, about old
+kings and warriors: it will do no greater harm than it has done; only,
+leave alone what happens in our own times. There is nothing in these
+worth singing or talking about. 'No one is happy until he is laid in
+his grave,' said a wise man; and it is a true saying. In these
+unsettled times, my child, one cannot be too cautious: a thoughtless
+word may do greater mischief than you dream of. Look out once more, and
+see, by the banner, how the wind lies."
+
+Inge rose, and looked, from the little round window, into the
+court-yard of the castle, where, over the arched gateway, waved a lofty
+banner, adorned with the two royal lions.
+
+"The wind is gone towards the east," said Inge, carelessly, again
+sitting down; "you expect some one from Scania, to-night, perhaps?"
+
+"Not exactly so," answered the knight, rising. "An easterly
+wind--hem!--and it was north-westerly only an hour ago. With this wind
+no one can cross the Sound to-night. I must go and speak with the
+ferrymen. I expect some strange gentlemen, child--people of
+distinction, and my good friends. Should they arrive in my absence,
+receive them in a friendly manner, and set before them the best there
+is in the house. Entertain them as I know thou canst; but ask them
+neither their names, nor whither they journey: that would not beseem
+thee. Above all things, say not a word on state affairs, or of what
+thou thinkest or dost not think on such matters. This is something that
+thou must not have an opinion about. Now, now! redden not thus, my
+child! Thou canst not surely be angry with thy father? Understand me
+rightly. Thou mayest, in God's name, think what thou wilt--that nobody
+can forbid thee: but these are not the times to say aloud what thou
+dost think; and thou art never cautious, little Inge: thou often
+talkest, loudly and boldly, things that I dare scarcely repeat to
+myself in my closet. Forget not, therefore, what I have been saying. I
+shall ride, perhaps, to meet the strangers, and be back again in an
+hour. If they come by another road than I expect, and arrive here
+before me, see to their wants, like a good housekeeper. The porter and
+steward know discretion; and, to-night, the castle stands open for
+every traveller, without any one being required to announce himself.
+Thou art not afraid to be alone, my child? Thou hast thy waiting-maids
+at hand, and the castle is full of servants."
+
+"Afraid?" repeated proud Inge, colouring still more deeply; "nay,
+father, of what should I be afraid? Thy friends cannot be thy
+daughter's foes. But thou art so strange, my father--so mysterious--and
+not glad, and at ease. Art thou unwell?"
+
+"No, my child; but I have some unpleasant matters to think about, which
+thou canst not understand. But take no heed of this. Do not sit here
+alone, in the twilight. Get a light, and let thy maidens come in, and
+sing ballads with thee. Thou mayest sing ballads, my child: it is
+suiting to thine years. What I said about ballads I did not mean to
+refer to thee. Only, be cheerful now, and be not uneasy on my account.
+Nothing shall happen." With these words, he patted her kindly on the
+cheek, and departed.
+
+It began to grow dark. Her father's mysterious inquietude and
+ill-disguised anxiety had made a singular impression on the young girl,
+who otherwise had never known fear; and, as she now sat alone, in the
+great gloomy hall, various alarming thoughts took possession of her
+mind. She had heard many, in part unfounded, rumours of pirates and
+robbers: these she cared little about. But that the land was full of
+secret traitors, who threatened the destruction of the king, and all
+his more trusty and attached friends, was a general, and, to the Lady
+Inge, a far more distressing rumour. This important fortress had
+usually been kept strongly barred against every stranger who did not,
+in the first place, give his name and errand with much preciseness. Why
+an exception was to be made this evening, she could not comprehend; and
+why her father had been induced to leave the castle at a time when he
+expected important and distinguished guests, was equally inconceivable.
+From his uneasy attention to the direction of the wind, and his
+disappointment when he found it easterly, as well as from his
+command not to ask the strangers their names, or whither they were
+journeying, she supposed that he might be expecting some friends, who
+were eluding pursuit, and intended passing over to Sweden that night.
+Notwithstanding her father's reserve and cautiousness, she had observed
+that he took a zealous part in the quarrel Stig Andersen and his
+kinsmen were fomenting against the king. She was, however, only
+imperfectly acquainted with the reasons for this quarrel. That the king
+had outraged Stig Andersen's wife, and had been denounced by the
+powerful marsk, she had heard; but of the particular circumstances she
+knew nothing. According to her notions of a king, and the idea she had
+formed in her childhood, from her mother's descriptions of the great
+Waldemars, she entertained such a deep reverence for the name of
+royalty, that she could not conceive how a subject should be offended
+with his king, or that he should, in anywise, have a right to oppose
+himself to his sovereign. That her father should be induced, either
+from friendship, or on account of family ties, to forget his allegiance
+to the king, was a thought she dreaded to dwell distinctly upon; but
+now she secretly began to fear such a disaster, which, of all others,
+she considered the greatest; and, for the first time in her life, she
+felt herself in a state of anxiety. She looked round the gloomy
+apartment, and fancied she beheld a lurking regicide, with a gleaming
+dagger, in every corner. She hastily arose to call for lights; but
+scarcely had she risen, before the door was gently opened, and a rough,
+heavy male figure, closely wrapt in a coarse wadmel cloak, slipped
+cautiously and stealthily across the threshold. The last faint traces
+of expiring day revealed to her glance a wild, shaggy, filthy
+countenance, more like that of a savage animal than of a human being.
+She stepped back, and was on the point of uttering a cry of alarm; but,
+blushing at her fears, she controlled herself, and recalled to mind her
+father's instructions, that she should receive all his guests with a
+dignity becoming the mistress of the house.
+
+"Welcome, stranger," she said, as boldly as she could, though her voice
+trembled, as she advanced a step or two. "My father will be here
+immediately," she added; "allow me to procure a light."
+
+"Nay, no light, fair maiden. Are you alone, here, in the castle?"
+
+This question, in a deep, gruff voice, which struck her with its
+subdued and mysterious tone, increased her alarm; and the tall, clumsy,
+gigantic form advanced a few steps farther into the hall. She stepped
+hastily back, and laid her hand on the latch of the kitchen-door, but
+again took courage, and remained.
+
+"Alone?" she repeated. "Nay: I am, it is true, a knight's daughter, but
+I do not take upon myself to defend a royal fortress alone. If you wish
+to see the garrison of the castle, you may do so in one moment."
+
+"Let me not frighten you away, fair madden," said the stranger,
+stepping back; "I have just come off the sea, and am not in train to
+appear before fine women-folks. I am only an humble groom, sent hither
+an my master's errand, to inquire whether Sir Lave Little can shelter
+his friends to-night; and whether a couple of royal hounds have not
+arrived here this evening."
+
+"My father's friends are welcome," replied the knight's daughter: "he
+has gone out to meet them, and will be here forthwith. Of the hounds I
+have heard nothing. If you are the strange gentleman's servant, you
+shall immediately be provided for in the servants' hall."
+
+She was about to lift the latch of the kitchen-door; but the stranger
+raised his hand, almost menacingly. "Stay! No light. I go immediately,"
+he muttered. "There are no strange guests here, then--no travellers
+from Nyborg?"
+
+"Not that I am aware of," replied Inge; "but the castle is large, and,
+although many royal soldiers be here, there is still room enough for
+guests who are true to their king and country."
+
+"Good. I shall bear my master this answer; and, if he is satisfied with
+it, you shall soon see us. Farewell fair maiden. Although you do not
+seem to wish that I should approach near you, I dare, nevertheless,
+take my oath that you are as handsome as brave. You need not make an
+alarm on my account, nor call the garrison together. I come here as a
+good friend: my master's good friends are also thine." With these
+words, be hastily departed through the door by which he had entered.
+
+To prevent his re-entrance before there were lights and other persons
+present, Lady Inge first proceeded to lock the door after him. Then
+calling her handmaids, she caused them to light all the wax-lights,
+which were placed before bright shields, on the whitened walls of the
+large hall. In the round side apartment, she ordered a table to be
+spread for the mysterious guests who had been invited; and went,
+herself, through the kitchen, to the castle-wards, to see that the
+men-servants were present. She found them all, twelve in number, seated
+at the supper-table, and returned to the kitchen without betraying her
+anxiety. As soon as she had given the cooks and pantry-maids the
+necessary orders, she retraced her steps, with evident composure, to
+the lighted-up hall, withdrew the bolts from the front door, according
+to the hospitable usage of the house, and desired two only of her
+handmaidens to remain with her. They sat down, as usual, to their
+sewing-table, and drew forth the various articles of feminine
+handicraft they were busied upon. One of the maidens was a young,
+lively girl, always full of news, and having much to tell. She looked
+surprised at the numerous lights, and the sumptuous preparations, and
+asked, inquisitively, who were the guests expected so late, and with
+such unusual state.
+
+"I know not," answered Inge, in an indifferent tone. "But tell us
+something new, little Elsie," she added, hastily, and seemingly to
+amuse herself. "Have you heard anything lately concerning your
+sweetheart? Does he come over to take you away this summer?"
+
+"It will be some time to that yet, lady," replied Elsie, and
+immediately broke off into her favourite topic. "He cares more about
+his valiant master, at Moellerup, than about me, or all the girls in the
+world. Since he has been with the marsk, in the Swedish war, he has
+become somewhat proud; but I don't blame him for that: he can still say
+he has helped to pull a king off his throne. You open your eyes, lady;
+but it is, nevertheless, true and certain. Was not the Swedish king
+dethroned? and by our valiant Marsk Andersen and his brave people? Mat
+Jute is the marsk's right hand: he is almost as tall as his master, and
+a daring fellow, you may trow. Shame fall it! were he not a poor
+peasant's son, he would one day be a knight. But if he does not soon
+let me hear from him," she continued, tossing back her head, "I shall
+be no leaning-stick, indeed. If he no longer cares for little Elsie, I
+shall bid him good-day, and look out for another. There are as brave
+and handsome fellows in Zealand, and I am not exactly going to fall
+sick for a Juttish landsknecht."
+
+"You do not resemble your faithful namesake in the ballad," said Lady
+Inge--"she who fretted herself to death for Sir Aage."
+
+"It must certainly have been a long time since that happened, you well
+may trow, my high-born lady. At present the world is wiser, and girls
+are not so simple. Were they to fret themselves to death, now-a-days,
+on account of young men's inconstancy, there would soon not be a living
+maiden in the country. Nay, nay," she continued, humming over a song:--
+
+
+            "As, who that trusts the rotten bough,
+            So, she who trusts a young man's vow.
+
+            "As, who would grasp the eel, must fail,
+            So, she who trusts a young man's tale."
+
+
+"This song is new," said Lady Inge; "it is not so said in the old one:
+there the faithful lovers are borne to the grave together."
+
+"Much good might it do them!" exclaimed the maiden. "I cannot yet say
+that I should be pleased, if Mat Jute were to die: a dead bridegroom
+would never become a living one, were one to go ten times to the grave
+with him."
+
+"There must have been more fidelity in the olden times," said Inge,
+seriously. "It was better also for king and country. They must have
+been happy people who then lived in Denmark."
+
+"What happiness there was in dying of grief, noble lady, I cannot well
+conceive; and what does it signify to the king and country, that there
+is no constancy in a love-smit soldier?"
+
+"I can tell you, little Elsie, that when there is no constancy in a
+soldier in this respect, there is little in any other; and so he cannot
+be depended upon when he is called on to defend the throne and the
+realm. He who can forget and forsake his sweetheart, can still more
+easily forget and forsake his master."
+
+"By my troth, so does not Mat Jute," replied Elsie. "He would rather
+slay every man alive, than permit any one to say a bad word concerning
+his master. He once lifted his knife against me, on that very score,
+though he vowed he loved me as the apple of his eye. He would not be
+afraid to make a thrust at the king himself, if a regular war should
+break out between him and the marsk."
+
+"Are you mad, girl?" exclaimed Lady Inge, in astonishment. "The marsk
+is the king's subject. If he should wage war against the king, he would
+be a traitor and shameless rebel."
+
+"I do not understand that," said Elsie; "but this I know well, that if
+the marsk could not have his wife secure against our king, when he was
+waging war for him like a brave man, it is not so unreasonable, that,
+as a brave man, he should feel angry, and do the best he can to right
+himself."
+
+"This is certainly a false and shameful rumour. A genuine Skiolding[17]
+can never disgrace his high lineage."
+
+"It is all the same to me," answered the maiden; "but I should be quite
+as well satisfied if Mat Jute would only keep himself aloof from the
+great and their quarrels. The small suffer at last, and he may one day
+meet with some great mishap. I well remember how the ballad goes:--
+
+
+            "The knight, and eke his swain,
+            They rode from the Ting together:
+            The knight they let go free--
+            The swain they hanged in a tether."
+
+
+"Let us rather sing one of the good old ballads, little Elsie," said
+Lady Inge, interrupting the light-minded maiden; "and lay rightly to
+heart what you are singing, and so perhaps you may one day come to
+recollect that you are a Danish girl."
+
+"I can well bear that in mind," replied Elsie: "I can never understand
+a word of German, and have trouble enough with the Jutlandish."
+
+"But a Danish girl is true to her lover, and a Danish man deserts not
+king or country. Do you remember the ballad of King Didrik? Let us sing
+that."
+
+Lady Inge began, and her two handmaidens accompanied her:--
+
+
+            "The king he rules the castle,
+            And else he rules the land,
+            And he rules many a warrior bold,
+            With drawn sword in his hand:
+                For the king he rules the castle."
+
+
+While they were singing, the door was opened; but Lady Inge was
+thinking only of the old heroic ballad that her mother had sung to her
+when a child, and which always led her to fancy a king like Waldemar
+the Great, and a castle like Flynderborg, where she was sitting, the
+only castle she was acquainted with. The bold notes of the song, and
+the remembrances of her childhood which it awakened within her, always
+put her in a gay and happy frame of mind; and she felt herself secure
+in the castle, which the king ruled with his warriors bold. Upon this
+occasion, the song had the usual inspiriting effect. She had forgotten
+all that so recently disturbed her: her eyes sparkled with lively
+animation; and the maidens could only give ear to her, while she sang
+alone, in her unusually deep-toned voice, in continuation:--
+
+
+            "Let the peasant rule his house and home,
+            His steed, the warrior bold--
+            The king of Denmark ruleth
+            The castle, keep, and hold.
+                For the king he rules the castle."
+
+
+Lady Inge and her maidens now for the first time noticed the tread of
+spurred heels on the floor. They rose in astonishment, and Lady Inge
+with unwonted precipitation. They perceived three strangers in the
+middle of the hall. One was in the dress of a huntsman, and the two
+others were clad as citizens on a journey; nevertheless, under their
+gray cloaks they had long swords, like those worn by knights. It was
+Sir Rimaardson, with Drost Peter, and Sir Thorstenson. The mien and
+expression of the fair songstress, on their entrance, astonished them;
+and they remained standing, unwilling to interrupt her.
+
+They now approached with much politeness, and saluted the knight's fair
+daughter. Although they were not dressed as knights, their bearing and
+manners instantly denoted them to be men of high station and dignity;
+and Lady Inge supposed them the distinguished guests of whom her father
+had spoken. The first glance at their interesting and friendly
+countenances gave her confidence.
+
+"You are welcome, noble sirs," said she, with entire self-possession,
+and returning their salute. "My father has been expecting you, and has
+ridden out to meet you. You must have come by another road than he
+anticipated. Your groom or squire has doubtless told you that there are
+no strangers here?"
+
+"We have only this instant arrived, noble lady," began Sir Thorstenson;
+"and our squire could have told us nothing regarding the state of the
+house, seeing that he has not yet penetrated farther than the stables.
+That your father has expected us, we cannot at all suppose: indeed, we
+thought we should have surprised him."
+
+"To our astonishment, the gates were opened to us without any one
+inquiring our name or business," said Sir Rimaardson. "This confidence
+is flattering. Your song, fair maiden, we would not dare to disturb: it
+was an assurance that, even although unknown, we should be welcome to
+you, as men true to our king and country."
+
+"For none else stands this castle open," replied Inge. "Your names and
+errand no one may presume to inquire about, noble sirs. You are
+specially welcome to my father, I can assure you." So saying, she
+regarded their manly, honest countenances with satisfaction and
+confidence.
+
+Drost Peter had not yet said a word, but stood perplexed, and almost
+bashfully, before her, with a singular expression of surprise and
+melancholy, and with a kind of dreamy pleasure in his calm, earnest
+look.
+
+"Step nearer, gentlemen," continued Lady Inge, with a light heart, and
+completely relieved from any doubt of disloyalty in her father's
+connections, and from every uneasiness regarding the mysterious guests
+expected: "you find here an open lady's room, where, truth to say, I am
+glad to see the friends of my father, who can occupy his place in his
+absence. He left me half an hour since, to return in an hour if he did
+not meet you. A fellow, who represented himself as your groom, almost
+frightened me in the dusk of the evening. The castle, at other times,
+is never so accessible. Under these circumstances, you are to me the
+more welcome. If you would please to take refreshment, gentlemen, it is
+already prepared."
+
+The knights looked at each other with astonishment.
+
+"Some mistake must have occurred here, noble lady," said Sir
+Rimaardson; "but, if you will permit us, we shall avail ourselves of
+it, and defer the explanation until your father arrives."
+
+"Permit me a question, noble lady," said Drost Peter, appearing at
+length to wake from his sweet dream; his eyes, meanwhile, resting with
+kindly interest on the maiden's open countenance and noble form; "and
+pardon me if it is amiss. Is your Christian name Inge? and are you the
+daughter of the governor of this castle, Sir Lave Little, and his noble
+wife, deceased, the Lady Margarethe, Absalom Andersen's youngest
+daughter?"
+
+"You knew my mother, noble sir," exclaimed Lady Inge, joyfully, and, in
+her joy, forgetting his question and his singular solemnity of manner:
+"but, nay, you could scarcely have known her, else you would have known
+me also; for I am said to resemble my blessed mother exceedingly."
+
+"I have seen your mother in my childhood," said the young drost; "but
+she was then no longer young: she was, however, about your height. You
+have inherited her eyes, noble lady, and, as I can hear, her deep,
+sweet voice, and her fondness for our old heroic ballads. The one you
+have just sung, I seem to have heard in my cradle: it recalls a time
+when I had happy dreams about the days of our Waldemars, and of him who
+ruled the castle, and so many warriors bold."
+
+"That was no mere dream, noble knight," replied Inge, with lively
+interest. "That you and these good gentlemen are knights, I must permit
+myself at once to believe, though I am not at liberty to put the
+question. That the king, God be praised! still rules over every Danish
+land and castle, and over many bold and doughty heroes, is no dream, I
+know: this, at least, you and these good gentlemen will admit. If,
+then, you have heard heroic ballads in your cradle, noble sir," she
+added, with a look of confidence, "they have certainly not been sung in
+vain."
+
+Drost Peter blushed, but raised his eyes boldly, and with a look of
+frankness. "If it please God and Our Lady," he said, "there is no dream
+so marvellous that it cannot be fulfilled, and the good old times may
+yet return."
+
+A page now opened the door of the dining-hall.
+
+"You have probably travelled far, and need refreshment," said Lady
+Inge, remembering her duty as housekeeper, and pointing to the opened
+door.
+
+Drost Peter, who was accustomed to courtly manners, involuntarily
+offered his arm to the knight's daughter. She led him to the end of the
+table, in the round turret apartment, and gave the maidens a signal for
+their attendance. Sir Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson followed the young
+hostess, and Thorstenson took his place on her right hand. Two stately
+pages set forth, on the fringed table-cloth, roast game and baked
+barley-bread, while an active cupbearer took care to fill the wine-cups
+from a large silver flagon. The two handmaidens stood respectfully
+behind Lady Inge's chair, with modest, downcast eyes, but ever and anon
+contrived to cast a look of curiosity towards the strangers; the
+handsome young drost, in particular, appearing much to attract them.
+
+The conversation soon became general. Lady Inge carefully guarded
+herself against any expression that would appear to betray curiosity;
+but still she would not have been displeased if her guests had chosen
+voluntarily to discover who they were.
+
+"The Dane-court is over, it is said," she remarked, when a fitting
+pause ensued. "I regret that I have never been present at a Dane-court,
+for one does not hear or see much in this lonely fortress. You must
+have seen the king, noble sirs: I should like to know if he looks as I
+picture him to myself."
+
+"What kind of person do you fancy him, then, noble lady?" inquired Sir
+Thorstenson. "I'll be bound you think him, at least, a head taller than
+I am, and like King Didrik of Bern, or some other of those valiant
+kings you sing about."
+
+Lady Inge looked at the tall knight with the long plaited beard. "More
+valiant than you appear, he needs scarcely be," she answered; "but such
+like I do not imagine him. At the head of a band of bold troopers, I
+should think you were in your place; but--excuse me, sir knight--you
+seem too hasty in your conduct to govern a kingdom."
+
+Thorstenson stroked his beard. "In that you may be right, fair lady,"
+he muttered; confirming, by his air of chagrin, the young lady's frank
+expression.
+
+"Were I to compare any of you with my idea of the king," continued Lady
+Inge "it would be this gentleman;" and her calm blue eyes rested
+searchingly on Drost Peter. He started at the compliment, which a
+playful smile seemed instantly to contradict. "But such a comparison
+might not astonish you, noble sir," she continued, "if, instead of
+deploring the departure of the days of the great Waldemars, you had
+power to bring them back again."
+
+The guests regarded with surprise the knight's young daughter, who
+jested so good-humouredly; and, at the same time, with the dignity of a
+princess, exercised over them a secret mastery, of which she did not
+appear to be aware. Drost Peter's cheeks reddened; and he felt himself
+both attracted and repelled, in a singular manner, by the bold,
+composed girl. But, at her latter words, he seemed almost to forget
+himself and his position, in a higher and more important thought.
+
+"The power you speak of, noble lady," he commenced, with calmness and
+earnestness, his large eyes sparkling with fire and energy--"that power
+which shall recall to a people days of departed glory, you may well
+miss, where it cannot be found save by a miracle. That power has no
+knight or hero in Denmark--that power has no monarch in this world: it
+must come from above, and it is not the lot of any single man to
+possess and exercise it. If it flashes not from many thousand eyes
+united, and pours not forth from every heart in Denmark, the greatest
+king in the universe cannot raise the fallen, nor restore to the people
+the lofty spirit of our ancestors."
+
+"You may be right, noble sir," replied Lady Inge, with an interest that
+gave her cheeks a deeper tinge, and her eyes an almost dazzling
+radiance; "but who has told you that this spirit is fled? Our king
+himself I know not, and he is arrogantly blamed by many; but still I
+know he has men by his side who boldly and bravely watch over the
+security of the crown and the honour of the people. Among these, I may
+venture to mention my own kinsman, the old Sir John: every Danish man,
+I know, must respect him. Were the proud marsk, at Moellerup, as loyal
+as he is brave, Denmark had yet perhaps an Axel Hvide, or a Count
+Albert. David Thorstenson, too, I have heard named among the heroes of
+our time; and you must certainly know, yourselves, many other names
+which do honour to our age."
+
+Sir Thorstenson nodded, and felt himself highly flattered to hear his
+name among those of the young damsel's heroes. The adventure in which
+he and his friends found themselves amused him greatly, and he took a
+fancy to know the patriotic young lady's opinion of his comrades. "But
+the best you forget, fair maiden," said he, merrily. "What say you of
+Sir Bent Rimaardson, of Tornborg?"
+
+"He guards our coasts like another Vetheman, they say: I and every
+woman in Zealand have to thank him that we need not fear the wild
+Norwegian algrev and the ruthless Niels Breakpeace."
+
+Rimaardson bit his lips, and was silent in the presence of a renown
+that his own eyes had so recently shown him to be unmerited.
+
+Thorstenson wished to compensate for the failure of his joke, and
+thought to give his other companion better cause to thank him for his
+sally.
+
+"But if you would name the eminent men of the king and country," said
+he, hastily, "you ought, first and foremost, to have mentioned the
+young Drost Peter Hessel, who so soon has had the good fortune to stand
+so near the throne, and so deservedly."
+
+Lady Inge was silent for an instant, and her animation appeared
+suddenly to be converted into coldness. A short and general silence
+ensued; but to the young drost it was an eternity of torment. If he did
+not expect to be extolled and admired by his childhood's bride, neither
+did he expect to be, the object of her dislike and contempt.
+
+"My father tarries long," said the knight's daughter, breaking the
+irksome silence. "I am conversing with you, noble sirs, on matters
+which probably are not befitting among strangers," she added. "But you
+must excuse me, gentlemen. On certain subjects I forget, at times, that
+my sex is seldom allowed the pleasure even of talking about the happy,
+busy life in which we are not permitted to take an active part.
+Respecting the person you last mentioned, you must allow me to be
+silent. It matters little to him what a Danish maiden thinks of him, if
+she cannot, like the queen, advance his power and fortune."
+
+Drost Peter paled. He felt himself so deeply wounded with these words,
+that he was on the point of making himself known, or, at least, of
+defending himself against the last severe accusation; but, at that
+moment, the door of the outer hall was opened, and well-known voices
+were heard near at hand.
+
+"The duke!" whispered Sir Rimaardson; and, to their surprise, they
+perceived the duke with his drost, together with the algrev and Sir
+Lave, approaching the door of the dining-room.
+
+Lady Inge rose to receive her father and the new comers. The knights
+also arose, and Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked doubtingly at each
+other; but Drost Peter now felt himself entirely at his ease. The
+injurious mistake had awakened all his pride; and the consciousness
+that his own energy and merits had raised him to the honours he held,
+gave him a boldness that bordered almost on insolence. He felt here all
+the importance of his position, where, travelling on the king's errand,
+he had right and power, if required, to act with royal authority. He
+advanced towards the duke and his followers with politeness and
+dignity, but without letting it appear that he knew them in the plain
+gray cloaks in which they had wrapped themselves, as if they did not
+wish to be recognised. He directed his salutation principally to Sir
+Lave, as governor and chief of the castle. The astonished Sir Lave
+instantly recognised the drost, and changed colour, but hastily took
+occasion, from the drost's plain outer garment, to greet him as a
+stranger of humble rank, that he had never before seen.
+
+"I and these gentlemen are not unwelcome to you, then?" said Drost
+Peter, while, without the least embarrassment, he presented to him his
+travelling companions, without naming them. "We have, as you perceive,
+sir knight, partaken of your hospitality without hesitation. We have,
+besides, an errand to you, as royal governor here, which we shall
+impart to you at your convenience."
+
+Sir Lave bowed, silently and distantly, with an anxious side look to
+the duke and his followers, who did not appear the least surprised at
+this meeting, and had hastily turned their backs towards Drost Peter
+and his friends.
+
+"We flatter ourselves that we are known to you," continued Drost Peter,
+"notwithstanding the strange dress we prefer travelling in. The rumours
+respecting the insecurity of the roads are not unfounded: we have had
+serious proofs of that. You perceive that those good gentlemen there
+have used the same precaution," he added, as he pointed to the duke and
+Count Mindre-Alf, who, along with Sir Abildgaard, were engaged in
+private conversation, in the dimmest part of the outer hall, and
+closely wrapped in their large cloaks, with their backs towards the
+dining-room.
+
+Sir Lave, in the meanwhile, had recovered himself. "Be pleased to
+follow me to my private apartment, gentlemen," he said, with apparent
+calmness. "I see my daughter has already cared for your entertainment;
+I am, therefore, now at your service, and can hear your business
+without interruption. Take care of my new guests, in the meantime, my
+daughter."
+
+He gave the servants a signal, on which they hastily took a wax-light
+in each hand, and opened a little concealed door in the wall of the
+circular dining-room. One of the servants led the way into a long dark
+passage, whilst the other remained standing by the door.
+
+"Let me show you the way," said Sir Lave, going before them.
+
+As soon as Drost Peter and his two companions had entered the dark
+passage, the servant who had held the door open disappeared. It was
+suddenly dark behind them, and the door closed with a hollow clang,
+which made the knights start.
+
+"This is a convenient arrangement," said Sir Lave, in an indifferent
+tone. "I must be prepared for all kinds of guests, you know. Gentlemen
+like you, who come on important state affairs, I invariably converse
+with as privately as possible, to avoid interruption."
+
+The long passage led to the eastern wing of the castle, which projected
+into the Sound. It was terminated by a narrow, vaulted, spiral
+staircase.
+
+"I must beg you to go one at a time here," said Sir Lave: "the stair is
+somewhat small, and you may be incommoded in getting a few steps
+upwards. I often find this way troublesome; but one cannot be cautious
+enough in these times, and a private message from the king must be
+heard in private." As he spoke, he ascended hastily, without looking
+behind him.
+
+Drost Peter, who followed him closely, paused once or twice, and put a
+few indifferent questions to him on the construction of the castle, at
+the same time pointing behind him; but Sir Lave continued to ascend,
+and answered his inquiries without stopping or turning.
+
+"Singular!" whispered Sir Rimaardson to Thorstenson. "Were he not the
+brave John Little's kinsman, we should barely trust him. Saw you his
+perplexity, and his look towards the duke?"
+
+"If he betray us, it shall cost him his life," whispered Thorstenson,
+laying his hand on the hilt of his sword: "he shall not go three
+strides from us."
+
+Drost Peter, observing that his companions whispered suspiciously
+behind him, turned round, and laid his finger on his lips. "The wind is
+still easterly," he remarked, in a careless tone: "nobody can well
+think of crossing the Sound to-night."
+
+"It is scarcely possible," replied Sir Lave: "you must determine on
+taking your abode with me to-night, gentlemen."
+
+"That is not our intention," said Drost Peter: "beside, you have
+guests, who probably have greater claims upon your hospitality, and
+from whose society we necessarily detain you too long. Shall we soon
+reach your private apartment, sir knight?"
+
+"In a moment," he replied, as he redoubled his pace.
+
+Drost Peter had mentally counted the number of steps, and had reckoned
+the sixtieth, when they halted on a landing. An iron-studded door was
+opened, and they entered a narrow turret-chamber, where there was only
+a single window, which stood open, but was provided with strong iron
+bars. The wax-lights flickered in the current of air, and the servant
+lighted a large lantern suspended from the roof.
+
+"Your closet almost resembles a prison," observed Drost Peter.
+
+"It is sometimes used for that purpose," replied Sir Lave: "it is the
+most secure part of the castle. This tower, as you may perceive,
+stands half in the water, but it commands an excellent view over the
+Sound.----Now you may go," he said, turning to the servant: "nobody
+must disturb us here. Desire my daughter and the strangers not to wait
+for us."
+
+The servant went out, and the knight locked the heavy door himself, and
+put the key in his pocket.
+
+"Now, I am quite at your service, gentlemen. What weighty message does
+the king send me by three such important persons? Prudence forbade me
+to recognise you sooner."
+
+"We are sent by the king on a business of much consequence," said Drost
+Peter, calmly and self-possessed; "and I, Drost Peter Hessel, am
+authorised to demand active assistance from every royal governor in the
+country. The object of our journey is a secret that no one is at
+liberty to inquire into. But that you, Sir Lave Little, as the king's
+servant, and commandant of this castle, are bound, without objection,
+to provide us with thirty armed men and a vessel, this letter patent,
+to every royal governor in the country, will show you." So saying, he
+handed the astonished knight an open letter to this effect, with which,
+in addition to the royal warrants, he had taken care to provide
+himself.
+
+The knight perused the missive with evident uneasiness; taking a
+considerable time to get through it, as if he found some difficulty in
+deciphering the writing.
+
+"I have nothing to object to this, sir drost," he said, at length. "A
+ship and crew are at your service, whenever you choose to give the
+order. But, as you have just remarked, in the present state of the wind
+nobody can think of crossing the Sound."
+
+"You perceive by the same letter royal," continued Drost Peter, "that I
+am empowered, on my own authority, to demand aid from every royal
+governor, to seize and conduct to Sjoeberg whatever Danish knight or
+vassal I may find on any suspicious business."
+
+"I see so, with surprise," replied Sir Lave. "But I still hope, sir
+drost, that you do not mean to avail yourself of an authority so
+extensive and arbitrary. Such a step, as you well know, is at variance
+with the king's obligations to the laws and charters of the kingdom. He
+cannot issue a letter to imprison any man, until he has been legally
+accused before a provincial or state court of justice, and has had the
+advantage of a legal trial."
+
+"You forget the exceptions, Sir Lave'," replied Drost Peter. "This
+privilege extends not to rovers and criminals, and, of course, to
+traitors least of all. Therefore, in virtue of this royal warrant, I
+must demand of you, in the king's name, that you cause the castle to be
+locked up, and deliver over to me, under safe escort, every stranger at
+present within these walls."
+
+Sir Lave grew pale. "You are somewhat too harsh, sir drost," he said,
+looking anxiously towards the window: "you would not compel me to
+betray my guests? They are not accused of any crime; and, without
+apprehending such treatment, they have confidingly entered beneath my
+roof."
+
+"This castle is not your's, but the king's," replied Drost Peter,
+apparently striving to subdue a feeling of pity, as he regarded the
+anxious castellan. "I fulfil a disagreeable duty," he continued; "but
+where I meet the enemies of the king and country, I must insist on
+their detention, without reference to personal feelings. One of these
+gentlemen, moreover, to whom you have opened this royal castle, is an
+open enemy of his country--that most notorious freebooter and
+incendiary, the Count of Toensberg."
+
+"What say you? the algrev!" stammered the castellan, terrified, and
+apparently highly astonished. "If that be true, then I am certainly to
+blame. But I assure you that one of these gentlemen was quite unknown
+to me: he came in the duke's train, and it is impossible I should
+know--"
+
+"I am willing to believe you, Sir Lave, though appearances are against
+you. You are not aware, then, that your illustrious friend and guest
+has the famous pirate, Niels Breakpeace, with him, as his squire?"
+
+"You alarm me, noble sir!" again stammered the castellan, in the
+greatest embarrassment. "If I had suspected this, they had never set
+foot within these walls. What is now to be done? If the castle is full
+of traitors and pirates, our whole garrison is scarcely strong enough
+to oppose them."
+
+"By Satan! let _us_ take care of that," observed Thorstenson,
+impatiently. "Lock up the doors straightway, now that you know our
+errand."
+
+"Courtesy I must beg of you for the present, and the matter must be
+well considered," replied Sir Lave, delaying. "With such powerful
+criminals, it is a difficult business. I shall immediately give the
+castle-warden a private signal to bar the gates, and prevent all
+egress." He ran anxiously to the open grated window, and called out, in
+a subdued voice, "Lock the gate, fellow! not a living soul must be
+allowed to slip out!" He then took the key from his pocket, and struck
+upon the gratings with it.
+
+"Lock it yourself, rather," said Drost Peter, making a hasty movement
+to take the key from his hand; but, at the same instant, they heard a
+clank on the stones in the water beneath the tower.
+
+"What have you done, sir drost!" exclaimed Sir Lave, as if in the
+highest degree terrified: "you have knocked the key out of my hand, and
+now we are all prisoners here. The Sound roars loud, and not a soul can
+hear us, as no one ventures near enough to this turret to liberate us.
+And my daughter--my poor child--is now alone, amidst these traitors
+and rievers." All started.
+
+"Your daughter!" exclaimed Drost Peter, with great uneasiness. "Nay,
+nay," he added, with more composure, "the traitors and rievers will
+respect her. The duke and his drost are not rude and shameless
+criminals, although they have niddings in their train. If you had
+feared for your daughter, Sir Lave, you would scarcely have brought
+home such dangerous guests, and perhaps would not so readily have lost
+the key of our prison here."
+
+Sir Lave was silent, and walked uneasily backwards and forwards.
+
+Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson observed the anxious castellan with
+scrutinising looks, betraying, at the same time, their indignation at
+this singular imprisonment at a moment of such great importance. None
+of them any longer doubted that the duke had recognised them, and
+suspected the object of their journey. It was, therefore, probable that
+he would now seize on every means of escape, to carry out his daring
+plans.
+
+A suspicion of this had first crossed Drost Peter and his friends on
+their way to the tower; and Thorstenson and Rimaardson had, therefore,
+nodded to each other approvingly, when they heard the drost's bold
+determination, on his own responsibility, to seize the duke on the
+spot, notwithstanding that the royal warrant, strictly speaking,
+required them to defer this step until they encountered the duke on
+Swedish ground. This new and daring plan was now rendered impossible;
+and, while the castellan shared the imprisonment of his unwelcome
+guests, the duke and his dangerous train would, in all likelihood,
+place themselves in complete security.
+
+While such thoughts as these flashed rapidly athwart the minds of Drost
+Peter and the cool Sir Rimaardson, Thorstenson gave vent to his
+indignation, and broke out into the most violent invectives against the
+troubled castellan, whom he did not hesitate to designate as a crafty
+traitor, and an abettor of rebels and foreign pirates. He immediately
+endeavoured to break open the door, and beat against it, like a madman,
+with his iron-heeled boots, but in vain.
+
+"Open the door on the instant!" he roared, at the same time drawing his
+long sword; "or, by St. Canute, it shall cost your life, you cowardly,
+crafty cheat!"
+
+At his terrible threat, Sir Lave sprang towards Drost Peter.
+
+"It is impossible!" he stammered, in terror. "Protect me from this
+madman, sir drost, until I can myself defend my life and honour. You
+can bear witness that it is not I, but yourself, who have caused our
+present imprisonment."
+
+"For what has happened here, this gentleman shall be answerable when we
+demand it," said Drost Peter, placing himself between Sir Lave and the
+enraged Thorstenson. "The commandant, as you perceive, is unarmed,
+noble knight. Whatever may have been his conduct in this affair, he now
+stands sheltered by the laws of chivalry and my protection. Let us
+endeavour, with our united strength, to burst our prison-door. If we do
+not succeed, we must be patient until we can procure aid."
+
+"You are right, sir drost," muttered Thorstenson, sheathing his sword;
+"niddings are never safer than when they go unarmed amongst honest men.
+Let us now make a rush at the door together, and it may give way. Put
+forth your strength, sir commandant, and let us see you do not spare
+your boot-heels. You can then say, for your honour, that you have
+fought with your heels."
+
+Without answering this sarcasm, Sir Lave, apparently with his utmost
+effort, together with the three other knights, applied themselves to
+the iron-studded door. The united shock made a fearful noise, which
+rolled like thunder among the arches of the lonely tower; but as the
+door turned inwards, and was provided with strong oaken posts, it was
+not to be forced open in this fashion.
+
+Greatly embittered, Thorstenson went to the window-grating, and
+shouted, as if he would awaken the dead--"Up hither, fellow! or it may
+cost your master, the commandant, his life."
+
+But there was no reply. The restless Sound roared loudly beneath, and
+no sign of a human being was to be seen on this side the tower, in the
+stormy, murky night.
+
+In the meantime, Lady Inge, in her father's absence, had taken care of
+the last-arrived guests, and invited them to the newly-furnished board.
+As soon as the duke and his followers observed that their cautious host
+had rid them of unexpected and disagreeable company, they relied upon
+his cunning, and resolved to await his return, or, at least, to remain
+quiet until Niels Breakpeace brought word that they might set sail.
+They had thrown aside their gray cloaks, and shown themselves, before
+their fair hostess, in their dress as knights.
+
+The young duke, with politeness and princely grace, took his seat at
+table, and on the young hostess' left hand. Sir Abildgaard took
+Rimaardson's vacated seat; and the daring Norse freebooter stretched
+himself rudely on the chair where Thorstenson had been sitting.
+
+The strangers had not announced themselves; but, on their entrance,
+Lady Inge had heard Rimaardson's subdued exclamation of surprise--'The
+duke!' and she surmised, with secret dread, that one of them must be
+the, to her, hateful Duke Waldemar of South Jutland. Any other duke she
+had not heard mentioned; and what was told her of Duke Waldemar's
+ambitious and dangerous designs against the crown and kingdom, had
+inspired her with so unfavourable an opinion of this personage, that
+she had conceived as repulsive a picture of his appearance as was
+possible. When she heard him mentioned among her father's new guests,
+it inspired her with so much fear, that she had difficulty in
+concealing it; and, when her father left the room with the three other
+gentlemen, it cost her a great effort to fulfil, with apparent
+calmness, her duties as mistress of the house, towards these dangerous
+visitors, whose secret connection with her father filled her soul with
+painful alarm.
+
+Reserved, and sparing in her words, she now sat at table among them,
+and only partially heard all the polite remarks which the duke and his
+drost strove, in emulation, to address to her. These two personages
+appeared to engross the smallest share of her attention, although their
+easy, unconstrained manners denoted them to be fine, courtly gentlemen.
+Their thoughtless countenances, and the trifling conversation in which
+they indulged, did not appear to her to indicate men who could be
+dangerous; and she deemed it impossible that, in either of them, she
+saw the daring duke. At the same time, she believed it certain that, in
+their companion, she beheld the hated pursuer of the king's life and
+crown. He had not yet spoken a word; but his sharp look, and bold and
+impudent features, betokened a craftiness and an audacity without
+parallel.
+
+With politeness, but without interest, Lady Inge replied to the duke's
+questions--whether she had ever been at court, whether she liked
+dancing and tournaments, hawking or chess, and how she amused herself
+in this solitary castle? She did not appear to notice the duke's
+admiration of her beauty, and his easy, flattering remarks thereupon
+to his drost. On the contrary, she gave closer heed to the short,
+stout-built personage at the corner of the table on her right, who was
+equipped, partly as a seaman, and partly as a knight of princely blood.
+
+He had stretched himself, with vulgar carelessness, upon his seat, and
+his fierce-looking eyes ran round the hall, as if he did not feel
+himself quite secure, and, at the same time, had a contempt of danger.
+His broad, low, animal forehead, was indicative of energy and defiance;
+his short, crisped, sandy-coloured hair united with his matted beard,
+and concealed his brutish, almost hideous under-jaw. His wide mouth was
+greedily distended, and only half concealed two rows of strong,
+shining, white teeth. His wild, rolling eyes met almost close to his
+crooked nose, and lay deeply buried under a pair of bushy eyebrows. He
+ate rapidly, gnawing, with a species of ravenousness, the largest
+bones; while his sinewy hand often rested on a dagger-hilt, set with
+precious stones. Whenever he raised the cup to his mouth, which was not
+seldom, he drained it to the bottom. He appeared at length to have
+satisfied his hunger and thirst. His brown cheeks were heated and
+flushed with wine, and he began to cast lewd and impudent glances, now
+at Lady Inge, and now at her handmaids, as if comparing them, in order
+to decide upon which his choice should fall.
+
+"Now for pleasure, gentlemen," he broke forth at length, in a rough,
+harsh voice, and in a singing Norwegian pronunciation. "What signify
+your fine manners on a journey? and why stand the pretty wenches behind
+the lady's chair? Take you the demure flat-nose, sir drost; I will hold
+to the little roguish brunette; and thus we shall allow his grace to
+retain the high-born, proud damsel for his own share."
+
+He seemed about to rise, and the two handmaids, frightened, retreated a
+step.
+
+Lady Inge was also alarmed, but she overcame her fear in an instant.
+The guest's impudence, and his rude tones, provoked her. From his
+foreign accent, she immediately knew that he was not the duke. With a
+contemptuous look towards the unmanneredly freebooter, she rose from
+the table, and turned, with calm dignity, to the other two gentlemen.
+
+"One of _you_ must be the duke, then," said she; "and I am glad of it;
+though, as the daughter of a Danish knight, I cannot rejoice to see a
+man here who dares to revolt against the Danish crown. But, whichever
+of you may be he, I appeal to him to protect me from the insolence of
+that rude man, who is probably one of your grooms."
+
+"Satan fetch the saucy minx!" exclaimed the pirate chief, laughing.
+"Take you me for a groom, proud maiden, because I do not relish fine
+talking, like these polite courtiers? When needful, I understand that
+art, too; and, spite of any one, not a queen shall think herself too
+good to sit at table with the Count of Toensberg, or to embrace him."
+
+"Recollect yourself, brave count," said the duke, in a tone of
+authority, and rising: "we are not on board, nor in a tavern, but in
+the house of an honourable knight, and one of my friends. This lady and
+her handmaids are under my protection here."
+
+"What the fiend! my young big-nosed duke, are you already tired of good
+fellowship, and desire a quarrel?" growled the algrev, projecting his
+legs, while he leant back on his chair, with his arms folded on his
+breast. "I would rather advise you not to try such a joke. The Count of
+Toensberg can sup broth out of the same dish with both a Norse and
+Swedish king, and has not need to make himself a dog for the favour. I
+am not to be cowed by the biggest emperor in the world, least of all by
+a little duke. As I sit here, I will undertake to turn you and your
+genteel drost heels over head, if you have a mind to know whether you
+or the algrev is the strongest."
+
+The duke grew pale with indignation. Sir Abildgaard sprang up, and
+placed himself, with his hand upon his sword, by the duke's side.
+
+"Call the house-carls," said Lady Inge to her maidens; and the
+frightened girls, screaming, ran out of the room to give the alarm: the
+lofty, earnest maiden herself remained standing, and regarded the
+enraged men with attention.
+
+"This is not the time and place to prove our strength, Count Alf; and I
+am no boatman, who will drag a rope against a seahorse," said the duke,
+with supreme contempt, and laying his hand on his sword. "The wine has
+proved too strong for you; and what you say to-night, you will scarcely
+repeat tomorrow. If you were to bear in mind where we are, and what
+kind of a wind we have, you would perhaps come to your senses," he
+added, in a haughty, threatening tone. "Here, the Count of Toensberg is
+of no more avail than Niels Breakpeace, or any other vile highwayman;
+and if you do not wish to prove your strength with Danish gaolers, and
+measure your height with the gallows of Orekrog, you will tame your
+unbridled, berserk[18] courage, without the aid of the house-carls and
+castle-warden."
+
+They already heard a noise without, and the kitchen-door flew open.
+
+"Bar the passage!" cried Lady Inge; and the kitchen-door was again
+closed.
+
+The eyes of the maddened freebooter rolled wildly in his head. He
+seized a massive silver trencher from the table, and seemed about to
+hurl it at the duke's head; but, recollecting himself, he was satisfied
+with twisting the heavy salver into the form of a rope. When he had
+thus vented his rage, and given his opponents an astonishing proof of
+his enormous strength, he appeared entirely calm and pacified.
+
+"People don't understand joking in Denmark," he muttered. "We Norse
+sea-dogs are not accustomed to weigh words. Be at your ease, proud
+maiden; and sit you quietly down again, my noble young gentlemen. The
+wine, perhaps, runs a little in my noddle, and so I don't like
+standing. We sit here tolerably snug. But where is she off to, the
+little roguish brunette? Let her come hither, and pour out for me; and,
+death and the devil! you may have all the others: but the first
+house-carl that sets foot in the room, I will fell him like an ox!"
+
+He now appeared drowsy and heavy-headed, and lolled comfortably back on
+his chair, as if he would go to sleep; but still kept his eyes half
+open, whilst his left hand rested on the hilt of his dagger, and in his
+right was clenched the silver trencher, which he had converted into a
+heavy truncheon.
+
+"He is inebriated, as you perceive, noble lady," now said the duke,
+softly, to Inge, while he offered her his arm, and led her into the
+farther hall. "Pardon us for having brought with us this rude
+travelling companion, who is, otherwise, a brave Norse knight, and of
+noble birth; but, when in this state, there is no controlling him: he
+becomes crazy, and fancies himself the powerful freebooter, Count
+Mindre-Alf of Toensberg. We must, at such times, talk to him after his
+own fashion; and, in order to tame him, threaten him with rack and
+gibbet. He will not now rise from the drinking-table so long as there
+is a drop in the flagon, and therefore we can leave him. When he falls
+fast asleep, he will suffer himself to be carried on board, like a log,
+without moving. To-morrow, he will again be the smartest knight in the
+universe, if he does not dream that he has been Count of Toensberg
+to-night."
+
+"It is a singular weakness for a man so strong," replied Lady Inge,
+examining the duke with an earnest, penetrating look: "perhaps, also,
+it was in consequence of his intoxication that he took you for the
+duke?"
+
+"Nay: there he was right, noble lady. I am truly Duke Waldemar; and,
+although I am not welcome to you, your father has received me as his
+guest. For his sake, as well as for mine, I pray you to send the
+house-carls back, and not betray this private visit by any needless
+alarm. Notwithstanding that I feel confident of being able to justify
+myself against every accusation, I am at this moment misunderstood, and
+under pursuit. It may coat your father his life, if people here should
+recognise me."
+
+Lady Inge tottered and grew pale. The servants of the house had, in the
+meanwhile, barred all egress, and some of them now came, storming
+noisily, into the hall.
+
+"Back!" cried Lady Inge, suddenly recovering herself, and stepping with
+calm authority towards them: "it was a mistake. There is no danger at
+present. These are peaceful travellers, and my father's friends. One of
+them has become intoxicated, and has frightened us with his wild
+raving. You may return to the castle-stairs, and remain quiet until I
+call; but three of you remain in the kitchen."
+
+The house-carls obeyed, and went back; but the frightened handmaidens
+did not venture to show themselves, and Inge remained alone with the
+duke and his drost.
+
+"You are Duke Waldemar, then?" she said, regarding the proud young
+nobleman with a composed and searching look, while she placed herself
+so near to the kitchen-door that she could open it whenever she
+chose. "Your drunken comrade within is likewise the open enemy of the
+country--the notorious Norse freebooter and incendiary; your groom is
+also a riever; and yet, with such a train, you dare to make yourself a
+guest in a royal castle! You have betrayed my father: his life is,
+perhaps, in danger. Where he has gone, you must know better than I. The
+pursuers you speak of are probably here, in the castle. It is to me a
+fearful riddle; but this I know, that at this instant I am mistress of
+your freedom."
+
+The duke started, and looked at the lofty, earnest girl with
+astonishment; while Sir Abildgaard glanced uneasily round him, and made
+an involuntary movement towards the door.
+
+"The passage is barred," continued Lady Inge; "but it costs me only a
+nod, and it stands open to you. Promise me, Duke Waldemar, truly and
+piously, that, from this time forth, you will undertake no enterprise
+against the kingdom and country, and I shall then no longer prevent
+your departure from this castle; but if you cannot or will not promise
+me this, I instantly call the house-carls to seize you, as the
+accomplices of this audacious freebooter."
+
+The duke and Sir Abildgaard regarded each other with the highest
+astonishment, and, for a moment, both appeared irresolute.
+
+"Excellent!" exclaimed the duke, at length, in a gay and courtly tone
+of politeness: "to a lady's humour we may, with all honour, give way."
+But observing Lady Inge's beautiful, serious countenance and determined
+mien, he suddenly changed his manner. "I promise you, noble lady," he
+continued, solemnly, "that I shall take no step that I do not hope to
+be able to defend, before the Danish people, at every legal tribunal.
+My conduct you cannot pronounce sentence upon; and you have no other
+right or power to be our mistress here than we freely concede to your
+beauty and patriotic spirit. If, then, you would not place your own
+father in peril of death, you will allow the castle to be opened for
+us, and not betray to any one what guests have been here."
+
+Lady Inge was silent. A mighty conflict seemed violently to agitate
+her bosom: she held one hand tremblingly before her eyes, and, with
+the other, indicated that they might depart. She then opened the
+kitchen-door, and gave the house-servants orders to re-open the barred
+passages.
+
+The door of the fore-hall was immediately opened, and she perceived,
+standing in the doorway, the same clumsy-looking fellow who had so much
+alarmed her, at dusk, with his wild, brutish countenance.
+
+"It blows south-east, and we can sail," said he: "all is clear."
+
+"Good," answered the duke: "we are ready. Take care of the gentleman
+within. Farewell, noble lady," he continued, turning to the knight's
+fair daughter, with a genuine expression of respect: "I am sorry I must
+number you among my foes; but I shall never forget this hour, and never
+cease to esteem and admire you. Had Denmark many such women, scarcely
+any man would need to boast of his valour." With these flattering
+words, he raised her hand to his lips, bowed politely, and, with his
+drost, hastened from the door.
+
+The tall, rude groom had, in the meanwhile, according to the duke's
+instructions, proceeded to the dining-room, where he first made free
+with what remained in the wine-flagons. He then put all the silver
+goblets into his pocket, and, taking the sleeping algrev's silver
+truncheon from his hand, he placed it among the rest of his booty. He
+then disposed himself to lift the drunken gentleman upon his shoulder.
+
+"It is not needful, Niels," whispered the algrev: "I am not so drunk
+but that I can well walk; yet I have been drinking stupidly, and must
+allow I have enough. So just take me under your arm, and let us off to
+sea."
+
+He thereupon began to growl forth a snatch of some wanton song, and,
+resting on the arm of his sturdy comrade, reeled into the next
+apartment. Here Inge was still standing, with her hand on the latch of
+the kitchen-door.
+
+"A proud little tit-bit, Niels," whispered the algrev to his rough
+attendant. "Could we but take her with us, we should not leave Zealand
+without a prime booty."
+
+"It would be an easy matter for me to whip her up," whispered Niels;
+"but, should she scream, we are betrayed. Ill birds are about already."
+
+"The fiend take the proud wench, then! I would rather have the little
+roguish brunette. But let the birds fly. Farewell, proud lady," he
+said, aloud, as, staggering towards her, he kissed his finger. "Salute
+our good friend, your worthy father. Thank him handsomely, for having
+allowed us to drink a goblet here in peace, and put the hounds on a
+false scent."
+
+Lady Inge answered not: she stood, as if rivetted to the floor with
+terror; and, as soon as the fearful guests were gone, she bolted the
+door after them. Exhausted by these unusual efforts, she sank on a
+chair, almost unconscious. She still appeared to hear footsteps in the
+court-yard of the castle; but soon all was still, and the castle-gates
+were shut with a hollow sound. The noise aroused her from her stupor,
+and, collecting her strength, she tried to recall what had happened.
+The idea of her father's connection with the terrible guests fell on
+her soul like an enormous burden. A flood of tears burst suddenly from
+her eyes, and she wrung her hands in deep and boundless grief.
+
+"But where is he?" she broke out again, in anguish; "and where are the
+three brave men who went with him?" The angry sea-rover's parting words
+occurred to her, and she made a hurried movement towards the door,
+without exactly knowing what she intended to do.
+
+At this moment, she heard a loud knocking at the front hall-door. She
+started, but did not long hesitate, and withdrew the bolts. An active
+stranger youth, in the habit of a squire, entered, and saluted her
+respectfully. It was Claus Skirmen.
+
+"Be not alarmed, lady," he said, hastily; "but may I inform you, if you
+do not know it already, that there are pirates in the castle; whilst my
+master, and the two knights who came with him, together with the
+governor of the castle himself, are shut up in the eastern tower."
+
+"Shut up by pirates! my father imprisoned!" exclaimed Lady Inge, with a
+burst of joy, incomprehensible to the young squire. "Are you certain
+the pirates have shut him up? and how know you it?"
+
+"Who has locked them in, I know not," replied Skirmen; "but, noble
+lady, understand me rightly: they are prisoners in the tower. I was out
+on the beach, washing our horses, when I heard some one shouting from
+above, and I rode out of the water towards the tower, in the direction
+from whence the sound came. They bade me look about, right under the
+tower, for a prison-key: it was lying, fortunately, upon a great stone,
+and here it is; but the entrance to the tower I could not discover. In
+the court-yard they were shouting that pirates are here, and I could
+not be heard."
+
+"Give it me!" exclaimed Lady Inge, anxiously snatching it from the
+squire's hand. "Bring the lantern from the stable: make haste!" And she
+hurried out across the court-yard, while Skirmen ran to the stable for
+the lantern.
+
+In the castle-yard there was a great noise. The servants were all in
+commotion, and the old warden came towards her in great terror. "Ah,
+God pity us!" he whined: "the vile sea-cats! Has any misfortune
+happened, lady?"
+
+"My father is imprisoned," she hastily replied, "and the strangers are
+gone. Unlock the eastern tower for us."
+
+"Ah, God pity us!" whined the warden, once more, and hurried to the
+tower. "It was by your father's orders I locked his friends both in and
+out, and asked them neither their names nor errand. That Satan who last
+went out wrenched the key of the castle-gate from my hand, and opened
+it before my very nose. They must have been rovers and heretics. I saw
+them, from the castle-walls, hoist sail, and leave the haven, taking
+the direction of Scania--and in this flying storm, too. God grant that
+they may go to the bottom, neck and crop!"
+
+"My father is locked in," exclaimed Lady Inge, impatiently: "instantly
+open the tower for us, I say."
+
+"Ah, the infernal rogues! have they locked the governor in? God grant
+they may sink!" cried the old man, obeying.
+
+"Hence now, hammer and tongs, and break open the gates of the
+tower--despatch!"
+
+The tower-gate was now open. Skirmen came with the lantern, and hastily
+preceded Inge up the narrow, winding staircase. When she reached the
+top, she heard high words within the prison, and recognised the voices
+of her father and the strangers.
+
+"This treason you shall pay for, Sir Lave!" she heard exclaimed by a
+harsh-toned voice, which she recognised as that of the stranger with
+the large plaited beard. "If Drost Hessel will still be your defender,"
+continued the angry speaker, "he cannot save your life when I denounce
+you, and prove you to be a traitor to the country."
+
+At these words, which only seemed to confirm her own cruel suspicions,
+the unhappy daughter was well nigh sinking upon the spot. The name of
+Drost Hessel had also attracted her attention in the highest degree,
+and the key fell from her hands. It rolled a few steps downwards, and
+Skirmen picked it up.
+
+"Still, there is no proof of so heinous a crime," she now heard uttered
+in the voice of the young gentleman who had known her mother, and who
+had seemed to her so kingly. "Appearances are very much against you,
+Sir Lave," continued the same voice; "but we ought to think the best of
+Sir John's kinsman as long as possible; and for what has yet happened
+here, no one can legally condemn you."
+
+At these words, a gleam of hope lighted up the soul of the magnanimous
+daughter. "Yes, he may still be innocent!" she exclaimed, hastily
+thrusting into the lock the key which Skirmen had handed to her. The
+door was instantly opened, and the sight of the courageous girl
+astonished the knights. Her father appeared still more surprised to see
+her.
+
+"Are the strangers still here?" he hastily inquired.
+
+"Nay," replied the daughter, scarcely daring to look in her father's
+face, lest she should read in his manner a confirmation of the crime
+that she still hoped was a matter of doubt.
+
+"Ha! escaped! Perdition seize them!" exclaimed Thorstenson, stamping
+with rage. "Now, the object of our detention is clear enough."
+
+"Do you know whether they have gone seawards or landwards, noble lady?"
+inquired Drost Peter. "Can you tell us, with certainty, which route
+they have taken? Your word is my surety that they are withdrawn, and
+are not concealed within these walls."
+
+Lady Inge was about to answer, but her father seized her hastily by the
+arm.
+
+"Be thou silent, my daughter!" he commanded her, in a sterner tone than
+he was wont at other times to use. "My persecuted guests, as you hear,
+are no longer in the castle," he said, turning to the knights, and
+suddenly becoming bold and determined. "It is now your affair to pursue
+them farther, if you believe yourselves authorised to do so. I am
+obliged to furnish you with fighting-men, and to provide you with a
+sea-boat, if you demand it; but not to be a spy and an accuser. To such
+meanness you shall not compel my daughter; and none of my people in the
+castle shall give evidence in this matter until they are summoned to
+the Lands-Ting, and in presence of their lawful judges. That I have
+received the king's own kinsman, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, into
+this castle, I need neither deny nor feel ashamed of. I know of no
+sentence passed upon him, as an enemy to the king or the country. Whom
+he had in his train I know not, nor does it concern me. His servants
+and followers were my guests, as well as he. I am glad that this
+singular accident has saved him from a pursuit which I consider to be
+alike illegal and tyrannical."
+
+Thorstenson and Rimaardson looked with wonder on the previously
+desponding castellan. Thorstenson struck his sword wrathfully on the
+stone floor; but Drost Peter advanced calmly towards him.
+
+"This concerns the safety of the crown and kingdom," he remarked,
+sternly and gravely. "What has happened may be regarded as an accident,
+and I do not intend to make Sir Lave Little answerable for it. But if
+you, Lady Inge Little, know where the traitors and their piratical
+train have gone, I, Drost Peter Hessel, demand of you, in the name of
+your king and country, to reveal it, that we may not, by a bootless
+journey, expose the royal house and the nation to the greatest peril."
+
+Sir Lave grew pale, and Lady Inge regarded the authoritative young
+drost with wondering eyes. She saw her father's embarrassment, and
+observed a secret sign he gave her, by pointing towards the west; but
+her resolution was taken.
+
+"If you are Drost Peter Hessel," she said, calmly and firmly, "I know
+that you have royal power and authority to demand faithful testimony
+from every loyal subject. As a knight's free daughter, I cannot debase
+myself by becoming a spy and an accuser, least of all, by betraying my
+father's friends and guests. But the persons you speak of cannot be my
+father's friends. They have not come as guests, but as disguised
+robbers. According to the warden's account, who himself has seen them,
+they are fled over the Sound, towards Sweden."
+
+"In the name of our king and country, I thank you for this important
+evidence, noble Lady Inge," said Drost. Peter, taking her hand warmly.
+"Yet a word in my own name, in the presence of your father, and of
+these brave men. I hope the time may yet come, when you will as little
+mistake Drost Peter Hessel's heart and conduct, as you now do his
+fealty to his king and country. If you do not reject the hand which I
+now give as a friend, it will be my greatest pride and happiness to
+proffer it to you hereafter with a dearer title."
+
+"Never, never shall that time come, as long as my eyes are open!"
+exclaimed Sir Lave, bitterly, and tearing their hands asunder.
+"Silence, and go to your chamber, my daughter, I command you!"
+
+Lady Inge cast a look of fervent esteem towards her childhood's
+bridegroom; and saluting him and his friends with silence and dignified
+composure, she departed.
+
+Skirmen ran down the stairs before her with the lantern, and across the
+court-yard. On his return, his master and both the knights had already
+gone out of the opened castle-gate. He hastened to bring their horses
+from the stable, and followed his master. He rejoined them on the quay,
+where Sir Lave commanded the ferrymen to convey the gentlemen, in their
+fleetest sloop, and without delay, to Helsingborg. Thirty men of the
+castle garrison stood armed on the quay, and received the castellan's
+orders to follow and obey the strangers. Having done this, Sir Lave
+took a short and cold leave of Drost Peter and Sir Rimaardson. To Sir
+Thorstenson he silently handed his glove, and returned, with hasty and
+troubled steps, to the castle. Thorstenson flung the glove
+contemptuously after him, and leaped on board.
+
+In a brief space, the knights, with their armed followers, were
+embarked. Skirmen took charge of the horses. The wind was blowing
+strong from the south. Drost Peter placed himself at the helm, and
+ordered all sails to be set; and the sloop dashed along at a rapid
+rate, cutting through the troubled waters of the Sound.
+
+The night was intensely dark, a few stars only being visible. They
+steered in the direction of Helsingborg, Drost Peter sitting silently
+at the rudder; while Thorstenson, exasperated, paced up and down the
+deck with Rimaardson, giving vent to his indignation against the crafty
+castellan.
+
+"Who would have believed it of him?" he growled: "I always took him for
+a flounder, and thought it his only claim to be governor of Flounder
+Castle."[19]
+
+"Do not speak so loud, noble knight," whispered Rimaardson. "They are
+his people we have on board; and see you not how they lay their heads
+together? Should mutiny break out in the ship during this murky night,
+our condition then may be worse than that we have just escaped from."
+
+"The first man that grumbles, I shall cut down," muttered Thorstenson.
+"Every Dane has not yet become a traitor."
+
+Skirmen now ascended from the hold of the vessel, and approached his
+grave master, who sat thoughtfully, with his arm over the rudder, now
+and then casting back a look to the huge dark castle, where a single
+light only was visible, shining from a turret-chamber in the
+south-eastern angle. There, he knew that Lady Inge, in her childhood,
+had her apartment; and there, as children, they had often played
+together.
+
+"Master," said Skirmen, advancing a little nearer, "be not offended if
+I disturb you in the midst of important thoughts. But steer you not
+rather too much to the south?"
+
+"You are right, Skirmen," answered Drost Peter, hastily turning the
+helm: "yes, this must be the right course. It is dark, and we need to
+have our eyes about us. Fortunately, I can see the light, yonder. Now,
+tell me somewhat. You followed the lady from the tower. How was she
+affected? Did she converse with you?"
+
+"Not a word, sir, until I had set down the lantern, and was about to
+depart: then, indeed, she asked me if I was your squire."
+
+"And what did you answer?" asked the drost, hastily.
+
+"Eh? what could I answer save 'yes,' sir? But now, are you not steering
+rather southerly again?"
+
+Drost Peter hastily corrected his error. "Said she nothing more to
+you?" he resumed, after a pause.
+
+"Ay, true: as she was entering the door, she dropped her red hair-band,
+which I picked up, and restored to her. That I might not appear a lout,
+without a word to say, I remarked that she wore the queen's colours as
+well as my master, the drost. I perceived that she started on hearing
+this; on which I drew myself up a little; for I know it is an honour
+that no knight but yourself can boast."
+
+"Stupidity--cursed bravado!" exclaimed Drost Peter, with unusual
+vehemence. "Moreover, it is untrue: I no longer wear the queen's
+colours."
+
+"That I knew not, stern sir. You wore them, however, when we travelled
+from Melfert."
+
+"But now, as I tell you, I no longer wear them; and, for the sake of
+bragging, you should say nothing but what you know for certain to be
+true."
+
+Skirmen was abashed, and remained silent.
+
+"And what said she to this stupid boasting?" continued Drost Peter, in
+a milder tone.
+
+"Nothing, stern sir. Yet it occurred to me, that she was much moved
+thereat.----But be not angry, stern sir: the helm is a little wrong
+again."
+
+"Certainly not: let me attend to that. Moved, say you? Why think you
+she was moved? What foolish talk is this?"
+
+"Truly by this, my master: she turned away from me, blushed deeply,
+and, as it seemed to me, there were tears in her eyes."
+
+"Nonsense, Skirmen! you must have mistaken.--Spring forwards, and put
+that sail to rights!"
+
+Skirmen hastened to obey his master's order, although he could not
+conceive why he was so singularly abrupt and abstracted.
+
+The young drost heaved a deep sigh, and looked back once more for the
+light in the turret-window. It was no longer to be seen; and it seemed
+to him as if, with that distant light, the fair, newly-risen star was
+also extinguished from his childhood's heaven.
+
+The wind now blew strong, and they already began to perceive lights on
+the Swedish coast, when suddenly a wild shout was heard on board, and
+torches flared in the midst of clashing swords and lances. Drost Peter,
+surprised, sprang from the helm, and saw, with consternation, Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson engaged in fierce conflict with the
+thirty lancers from Flynderborg.
+
+Drost Peter threw himself with drawn sword amidst the combatants.
+"Peace here, in the king's name, or you are dead men!" he commanded, in
+a voice which, without being alarming, had singular weight and
+authority. They all paused, and gazed at him. Even the maddened Sir
+Thorstenson, who had felled one man and wounded another, subdued his
+rage, and stood quietly.
+
+"Speak! what has happened?" demanded the drost. "Here, I am supreme
+judge."
+
+"Rebellion--mutiny!" cried Thorstenson: "there lies the ringleader."
+
+"They think that we have arbitrarily compelled the commandant, and that
+we are leading them into mischief," said Rimaardson.
+
+The uproarious landsknechts pressed forward, uttering defiance, and
+shouting lustily to one another: "We are free Danes, and will not
+suffer ourselves to be cowed by three rovers. We know well enough, that
+you would have murdered the castellan in the tower; and here are we,
+carried off in the murky night, like cattle for slaughter, and no one
+knows whither."
+
+"Silence!" cried the drost. "Is there any one amongst you who knows the
+king's hand and seal?"
+
+"That does wise Christen--yes, that does Christen Fynbo," cried the
+fellows.
+
+"Let him come hither, then," commanded the drost, taking forth the
+royal warrant addressed to governors of castles. "A torch here! and now
+attend." He then read aloud, and distinctly, the order that he should
+be supplied with a force, whenever it should be demanded. "There you
+see the king's seal and signature."
+
+"It is well attested, comrades," said the book-learned Fynbo; and the
+greater number were pacified: still, a few solitary murmurs were heard.
+
+"Now you have seen black on white for our right and authority,
+fellows," continued Drost Peter, sternly; "but, even without this, you
+ought to obey, when your governor has commanded you. Meantime are you
+all my prisoners: I cannot employ fellows like you in the king's
+service. Your leader has met with his reward. Cast him overboard, and
+let the fish devour him. The rest of you lay down your arms
+immediately."
+
+The soldiers delayed, and a subdued murmur ran among them.
+
+"Do you hesitate?" cried the drost. "Will you be doomed as traitors?
+Cast the rebel's corpse overboard: his sentence is passed here--God be
+merciful to his soul!"
+
+Two of the landsknechts, who stood nearest the drost, silently laid
+hold of the body of their fallen comrade, and heaved it overboard. It
+splashed into the deep, and for a moment there was a fearful silence.
+No one, however, had yet laid down his weapon.
+
+"You have been misled, and in a mistake, countrymen," said the drost,
+in a milder tone: "I shall intercede for you, for this time. But, now,
+instantly lay down your arms, and descend quietly to the forehold.
+Whoever murmurs, forfeits his life."
+
+The astonished soldiers obeyed: in a moment they were all disarmed, and
+shut down, within the fastenings of the forehold. The drost then went
+quietly back to the helm, which Skirmen in the meantime, at his signal,
+had undertaken to guide. There was a death-stillness on board. Sir
+Thorstenson and Sir Rimaardson stood, with drawn swords, by the
+hatchway of the prison-room, while Skirmen attended to the sails. The
+storm had lulled, and day began to dawn over the Swedish coast, when
+the last tack was made, and the ship glided in a right line towards the
+haven of Helsingborg.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                                PART II.
+
+
+It was still the gray of the morning, when, in the upper hall of
+Helsingborg[20] Castle, young Duke Waldemar and his drost walked
+backwards and forwards on the bare paved floor. Their mantles, soaked
+with sea-water, lay upon a bench.
+
+"It was a stiff breeze, gracious sir," observed Sir Abildgaard, rubbing
+his hands; "and it was fortunate we had the algrev with us: drunk as he
+was, however, he has set us on dry land, like a brave fellow."
+
+"The rude, wild sea-bear!" exclaimed the duke: "he had nearly ruined
+everything. At sea, he is invaluable; but he shall never more set foot
+on land by my side. It seems, however, that he was sober when we
+landed, and understood my meaning."
+
+"He offered no objections, and he owned that he rued his folly. It is
+well we did not break with him: he is a fellow that may still be put to
+use."
+
+"Was the daring Niels Breakpeace with him? for, at present, it is as
+well to have him also as a reserve; but we must not have the fellow
+here with us."
+
+"Not a soul landed your highness. I strictly repeated your injunction,
+that they should sail immediately. I assisted the algrev to spell the
+marsk's letter, as well as that of the Norwegian king, and he has sworn
+to be at Stockholm within eight days, with thirty transports to convey
+troops."
+
+"Good--very good!" said the duke, thoughtfully. "Were we only well over
+the Scanian border, if need there be, it shall and must succeed. When
+King Magnus hears our weighty plans, he must concur with them, and
+afford us his aid. This betrothment of children, and all their other
+miserable arts, shall not save them. But why, do they tarry?"
+
+The morning light began to increase; and as the large hall, on the
+western side of the castle, looked out upon the sea, they saw, from the
+balcony, the Count of Toensberg's rover, in which they had arrived, run
+out of the haven with a brisk side-wind.
+
+"See, there goes the algrev," said Sir Abildgaard: "he must certainly
+feel it hard to run from a Danish coast without booty. But how is this?
+A sloop, with blue sails, lies at the jetty. We saw it not when we
+landed; and it is not a Scanian."
+
+"Gudsdoed!" exclaimed the duke, "it is a royal sloop, from Orekrog. But
+it cannot have come in pursuit of us, unless Sir Lave has been
+frightened, and allowed that infernal drost to slip loose. Where is the
+castellan? Did you instruct him not to say who we are, and that he
+should straightway send us an escort as royal ambassadors?"
+
+"Yes, sir; and there is no obstacle in the way. When the guards and
+servants heard your name, they made the utmost haste. The castellan had
+not risen, but he will be here instantly."
+
+"There is no time to lose," said the duke, with uneasiness. "If we have
+not the escort immediately, we must set off without it. Are the horses
+ready, and at hand?"
+
+"They stand saddled by the castle-stairs, sir. But, list! They are
+coming!"
+
+They now heard a bustle in the castle, and the sound of armed men
+running to and fro. The large hall, on the eastern side, looked over
+the castle-yard. There, too, they heard a noise, and went anxiously to
+the window.
+
+"They are closing the castle-gates!" exclaimed Sir Abildgaard; "and the
+court-yard is full of armed men."
+
+"Gudsdoed! What means this? Are we betrayed?" exclaimed the duke. "Come,
+Tuko: there must be an outlet here. We must away."
+
+Four large doors opened from the hall. Two of these they found barred.
+They went to the third, which was not locked, and hastily opened it;
+but on the outside stood six armed men, with the Danish arms upon their
+helmets.
+
+"No one can pass out here!" exclaimed a gruff voice.
+
+Astonished, they hastened to the fourth door; but, before they reached
+it, it was opened, and Drost Peter stood before them, along with Sir
+Rimaardson and Sir Thorstenson, and accompanied by a middle-aged
+gentleman, in the dress of a Danish knight, with a baton in his hand.
+This was the governor of Helsingborg. Twelve men-at-arms followed him.
+
+"Your arms, gentlemen, in the king's name," said Drost Peter, calmly:
+"you are our prisoners."
+
+"What! How is this?" cried the duke, stamping on the paved floor. "Who
+dares to take Duke Waldemar prisoner?"
+
+"I, Drost Peter Hessel, and these Danish knights, in the name of our
+king and master."
+
+"I know you not. You have no power over a duke of the royal blood, and
+a free royal vassal."
+
+"You know the king's hand and seal, illustrious sir," replied Drost
+Peter, handing him his warrant.
+
+The duke perused it, with anger-flashing eyes. "This is illegal," he
+cried: "it is contrary to the laws and statutes of the kingdom. I have
+not been accused at any Herred-Ting or Land-Ting,[21] and I formally
+protest against this proceeding, as arbitrary and unjust. You are my
+witness, governor, that I declare this warrant null and void, and I
+shall answer to my country for destroying it." So saying, he tore the
+royal warrant, and cast it on the ground. "As the king's kinsman, and
+Duke of South Jutland, I now command you," he continued, in a lordly
+tone of authority, "that you immediately take prisoners these audacious
+persons, who dare to misuse the royal authority in this lawless
+manner."
+
+The castellan looked doubtfully, now at the duke, now at Drost Peter,
+as if uncertain how to act. Thorstenson struck his sword angrily
+against the pavement, and Rimaardson was on the point of speaking, when
+Drost Peter anticipated him.
+
+"Whether this proceeding be just or not," he commenced, "and whether
+the king is warranted in ordering this illustrious gentleman to be made
+prisoner, before he has been accused at a Land-Ting, is not now the
+question: that, the king must himself answer. My authority is the royal
+warrant you have seen: it cannot be destroyed; and, in virtue thereof,
+I demand that the king's will may be obeyed without delay or
+hesitation. If you will not deliver up your weapons willingly,
+gentlemen, I shall be obliged to resort to force."
+
+Drost Peter's calm and decided manner embarrassed the duke, and
+overcame every doubt of the castellan.
+
+"For the present, you must submit to necessity, illustrious duke," said
+this grave personage, courteously, at the same time stooping, and
+picking up the royal warrant. "Perhaps this is a mistake; in which case
+you must be set at liberty, and will have your grounds of prosecution
+against this gentleman for his abuse of the royal authority. At this
+moment he is fully empowered, and must be obeyed."
+
+The duke clenched his teeth, and, with averted eyes, handed Drost Peter
+his sword. Sir Abildgaard followed his lord's example; and not another
+word was uttered by the exasperated state-prisoners. To the castellan's
+polite inquiry, whether they wished to take any refreshment, the duke
+indignantly shook his head. A strong guard of soldiers having
+surrounded the captives, Drost Peter and his companions courteously
+saluted the governor, who returned to the drost the torn warrant, and
+accompanied them to the jetty.
+
+Before the sun was yet up, Drost Peter had departed for Zealand with
+his important prisoners. The rebellious landsknechts from Flynderborg
+were handed over to the castellan of Helsingborg, who sent them,
+carefully bound, in another vessel to Orekrog.
+
+Claus Skirmen had now enough to attend to; and, although he regarded
+his master with proud satisfaction, he carefully avoided any of those
+haughty airs by which the feelings of the duke and his drost might be
+wounded. As for Thorstenson and Rimaardson, the moment they found
+themselves alone with Drost Peter at the rudder, they shook him
+heartily by the hand, and extolled his good fortune.
+
+"Yet, after all, it is provoking to be engaged on any hazardous
+adventure with you," grumbled Thorstenson; "for before I have had an
+opportunity of using my good sword, you have achieved all that is
+required by a few words, with your sword in its sheath."
+
+
+"We may yet need your good sword quite soon enough," replied Drost
+Peter, in a suppressed voice: "we have ventured upon a greater piece of
+daring than any one perhaps may trow."
+
+The discourse of the grave knights was extremely brief, and
+their princely captive deigned them not a word. With suppressed
+bitterness, he resigned himself to his fate; and, by the side of his
+fellow-prisoner, paced the deck as proudly as if he had been master of
+the ship. At length he appeared even gay and indifferent; but Drost
+Peter frequently noted in his countenance an expression of vindictive
+hope, which rendered him in the highest degree thoughtful and earnest.
+
+The vigilant drost took the helm himself; and when he again saw the
+dark towers of Flynderborg, he cast a melancholy glance towards the
+little turret-window from which he had seen the light twinkling on the
+previous evening; but the window was now closed, and seemed to be
+screened inside by a dark tapestry. The entire mighty fortress, which
+at the present moment he did not care to visit, lay half enveloped in
+the mist of the calm spring morning, and seemed to him dark and
+enigmatical as his own future, and undefined as his unhappy country's
+fate.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+It was soon known throughout the whole kingdom that Duke Waldemar and
+his drost had been sent prisoners to Sjoeborg. This bold step on the
+part of the king and his active ministers struck the discontented
+nobles with astonishment, and it now seemed as if even the most daring
+vassals had lost courage to defy the kingly power, or to meditate
+dangerous enterprises against the crown and kingdom. A great number of
+the most powerful Danish nobles, as well as many foreign princes,
+sought to accommodate, in an amicable manner, the dangerous differences
+between the king and the duke, and to obtain the misguided nobleman's
+release from prison; but one month passed by after another, without any
+arrangement being effected.
+
+The king, as usual, passed the summer in moving about the kingdom, and
+spent the winter at Ribehuus. The drost, it was said, was in high
+favour; but it was doubted whether the terms that he and the stern old
+Sir John deemed necessary for the security of the crown, in reference
+to the liberation of the duke, would be submitted to by the proud young
+prince, so long as he could depend upon his powerful connections, both
+within the kingdom and abroad.
+
+It was one of the latter days of March, 1286. The captive duke and
+his knightly companion, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, sat opposite each other,
+at a chess-table, in a gloomy turret-chamber in Sjoeborg Castle, where
+they had now spent three beautiful months of summer, and more than six
+of autumn and winter. They were strictly guarded, but without
+harshness, and with every respect and distinction that such notable
+state-prisoners could desire. They lacked none of the necessaries and
+comforts that could be obtained in this retired spot, or that could be
+granted them without danger of aiding them to escape, or enabling them
+to hold intercourse with their friends and adherents.
+
+Each of the prisoners had his own apartment; but, as it was not
+forbidden them to be in each other's company, their apartments
+communicated by a door, which they used at pleasure. The narrow
+chambers were kept clean and airy, and as warm as the prisoners
+themselves desired. The rooms were, further, provided with all suitable
+furniture for their convenience, besides various kinds of chess-boards,
+and a few old manuscript chronicles. Some volumes of homilies, and
+other edifying writings, were also to be found; together with a lyre, a
+David's harp, and many similar things, to lighten their captivity and
+beguile the time. But lights and writing-materials were both denied
+them; and they saw not a soul except the deaf turnkey, (who never spoke
+a word when he waited upon them,) and the stern castellan, Poul Hvit
+himself.
+
+The latter visited them daily, at uncertain hours, and never left their
+side during the time they were permitted to take exercise in the open
+air, under his charge, in the court-yard of the castle. Every day,
+well-cooked food was brought them, on silver dishes, and the rarest
+fruits of the season at all times graced their lonely board. To the
+handle of their silver wine-flagon, a fresh nosegay was very frequently
+attached, even in the severest winter months; but who it was that
+showed them this friendly mark of attention, they had never been able
+to discover.
+
+Further, to give their uniform life a little variety, they feigned to
+be alternately each other's guests, and on this day Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard was host. The dinner-table was cleared, but the wine-flagon
+and two goblets still remained.
+
+"Gaily, now, my noble guest," said the mannerly knight: "if you are
+tired of mating me, leave the stupid pieces alone, and let us rather
+drink a cup together. The wine is excellent. Had we only a couple of
+pretty lively little damsels to bear us company, our imprisonment
+would not seem to me, after all, so great a calamity. Who knows from
+what fair hand these lovely flowers are constantly brought us, and
+whether one of us may not have fallen on good fortune here, among the
+weaving-damsels and pantry-maids."
+
+"Thou hast a happy mind, Tuko," replied the duke; "and I do not envy
+thee it. So long as thou lackest not wine and giddy girls, I believe
+thou couldst be happy in purgatory itself. But yet there was a time,
+Tuko, when thou sharedst my proud dreams," he continued, after a
+thoughtful pause, and pushing the chess-pieces to one side: "even in
+the midst of our most thoughtless follies, thou didst not forget that
+thou wert the friend of an injured prince, and labouredst with him for
+the attainment of the greatest object man can desire. Thou wert
+initiated into the great secret of my life: with me, thou proudly
+soaredst above the ignorant mass and the despicable puppets we played
+with, whenever thou thoughtest what thou, too, couldst perform when
+Duke Waldemar was in possession of his great ancestor's glorious
+crown."
+
+"Think not that I have now forgotten it, noble sir," replied the
+knight. "But of what use is it to fret yourself pale and lean, between
+these thick walls, where we cannot take a single step towards our
+object?"
+
+"We can do battle here, Tuko. In that narrow room I have, perhaps,
+already made a more important progress than if I had stood free, in the
+midst of a noisy and juggling court. Read, in the chronicles, of the
+greatest men, and thou shalt find that they buried themselves in
+deserts and lonely dens, to prove themselves and their own powers in
+secret, before they entered upon the career destined to astonish after
+generations, and be remembered through long centuries. When thou hast
+been sleeping here, dreaming of trifles and handsome maidens, many a
+night have I been awake in my den, there. The wide and mighty world of
+thought has been laid open before me in my prison, and the great
+spirits of departed times have been near me."
+
+"The rood shield us, noble sir! If you have become a ghost-seer, I
+wonder not that you are so pale and thin. Reveries, and night-watchings
+of this kind, must lay waste your strength, and carry you even a step
+farther. What have you thought of, then? and what are the fruits of
+these perilous struggles? To me, you look as grave and solemn as a
+clerk spent with fasting; and, indeed, I scarcely know you."
+
+"But thou and the world shall learn to know me," said the duke. "Now,
+for the first time, I know myself--now know I, that I have been a
+light-brained fool. Miserable, insolent boyishness it was, when I would
+deny my tyrant's right of guardianship, and quarrel with my powerful
+oppressor about petty islands and paltry mint privileges, when I had
+his crown in view. Stupid, immeasurably stupid, it was, when I suffered
+myself to be misled by thee and other thoughtless persons, into making
+a claim to the kingdom, before I was certain that I was the people's
+spiritual lord."
+
+"I understand you not, noble sir. A spiritual dominion you cannot
+claim: that must be left to the pope and clergy. But you are right: to
+strike the sceptre from the hand of a tyrant, guarded by strong and
+blindfolded slaves, you certainly required a marshal's baton and an
+army. It was, undeniably, an error, to betray your aims unseasonably,
+and thus put arms into the hands of opponents before you were
+sufficiently accoutred yourself."
+
+"That was my least mistake, Tuko, and that I have sufficiently atoned
+for within these walls. My greatest error was, that I fancied actual
+dominion was to be obtained over a people, ere they had freely chosen
+and done homage to me as their lord; and that a crown could be won,
+like a castle or a piece of land, by daring heroism and foreign armies,
+so long as the people I desired to rule had yet a spark of strength and
+spirit; and I did not first conquer the souls whose lord and king I
+should wish, in reality, to be."
+
+"These are vagaries, noble sir, the consequences of prison air,
+unseasonable night-watchings, and want of exercise. What think you the
+great ignorant masses of the people care about their ruler's inner
+worth and being? He who has the power and authority, is obeyed by the
+crowd: the ruler who has the largest army, and can swing the longest
+sword over the heads of the people, they readily acknowledge as their
+king and heart-beloved father, if only he does not impose higher taxes
+than his predecessors, and maintains something like law and justice in
+the country."
+
+"Nay, Tuko, nay," resumed the pale and earnest duke, with warmth; "this
+imprudent contempt for the lives and spirit of a people has misled the
+greatest ruling spirits in the world. The mere external dominion, which
+has not its roots in the deepest heart of the people, and is not bound
+up with the popular mind and true renown, is worthless and despicable,
+did it even extend over the whole universe. It is a throne raised on
+the breath of pride, on the mists and vapours of a miserable vanity. It
+is dissipated by a blast of wind; and the first free and energetic
+spirit who stands up among a people so oppressed, and misgoverned by
+mere rude brute force, has might enough to overthrow such a monarch and
+his soulless hosts."
+
+"You surprise me, noble sir. Whence have you all this new wisdom? I
+should almost fancy you have had revelations in your wisdom-den, and
+have been used to converse with spirits; or some similar folly."
+
+"Come, thou shalt see my spirits," said the duke, rising: "I shall show
+thee that I am not the first who has thought earnestly, within these
+walls, on the condition of a people and their ruler."
+
+"Sjoeborg has held many statesmen of importance," said the knight; "but
+I doubt whether any of them has imparted a new thought to you. The most
+notable I remember, that occupied this state-prison, was the mad Bishop
+Waldemar, who struggled for the sixth Canute and Waldemar Seier's life
+and crown, and finished his days, a crazy saint, in Lockum Cloister."
+
+"It is possible that he became crazy at last," replied the duke; "but
+what made others crazy, may perhaps make us wise. You have guessed
+aright, Tuko. I have my sleeping-chamber in the prison-cell where that
+unfortunate bishop, of royal descent and royal mind, sat chained to a
+block, and gave vent to his indignation by cursing the world and
+mankind. But that he also had his lucid moments, and saw clearer into
+the world and its blind rulers than perhaps any one dreamt of, I shall
+show you memorials that perhaps no human eye save mine has before
+seen."
+
+They had now entered the duke's narrow prison-cell, which looked upon
+the castle-yard by a grated window, eighteen ells from the ground. Here
+was still a block, with a rusty iron ring and a heavy chain, made fast
+to the wall. By the side of the chain lay a large, torn-up paving
+stone, which appeared to have been used for barricading the door from
+within. The castellan would have removed these painful relics of former
+occupants of the cell; but the duke had expressly desired to retain
+them, when he heard of what powerful kinsman they were memorials.
+
+On the dingy walls were many scratches, like runes and oriental
+characters. To these the duke pointed; but it was beginning to grow
+dark, and it was impossible to discern any of the words distinctly: the
+interpretation of the inscriptions appeared also to demand a degree of
+learning which neither Sir Abildgaard nor his princely master was
+possessed of.
+
+"If this is the book of wisdom you have read in of a night, noble sir,"
+said the gay young knight, "you must have become profoundly learned in
+a hurry, and must certainly have borrowed a pair of eyes from some of
+the friendly owls or cats that now and then pay you their dutiful
+respects through the grating. In this nook, even in broad daylight, I
+should not be able to tell an X from a U, were I ever so clear-eyed."
+
+"You have guessed better than you imagine, Tuko. The bird of wisdom
+himself has, with his fire-eyes, been a light to my bewildered path."
+So saying, the duke opened a chest, which, otherwise, served him to
+keep shoes in. "Look here," he said, taking out a large tame owl, with
+beautiful flaxen-coloured feathers, and a pair of uncommonly bright
+eyes.
+
+"Fie, sir!" cried the knight, springing back. "It is the dismal
+screech-owl, which people call the dead man's bird. What do you with
+it? It is not worth having for a guest, and the devil may have touched
+it. Have you never heard that there is always sure to be a death in the
+house where it perches?"
+
+"The pest may come to Sjoeborg for me, as soon as we are well out of
+it," said the duke; "but, as you perceive, the dead man's bird and I
+are at present good friends. One night, as I lay awake with troubled
+thoughts, I saw these eyes glaring upon me from the ledge on the wall.
+I started, and it seemed to me as if the fiend were standing, staring
+me through the soul with glowing eyes, in the silent, mysterious night.
+I sprang up, and discovered my mistake. But while I approached to seize
+my unbidden night-guest, he turned his shining eyes towards the wall: a
+gleam of moonshine entered at the same instant; and, whether it was the
+light of the bird's eyes, or the moonshine, that illumined the wall, I
+know not, but I perceived there a dim inscription, which I could not
+then read. I took care to mark the spot; and, having placed my prisoner
+in the box here, I went to sleep. Next morning, however, betimes I
+examined the wall and the writing. When the morning sun shines in, it
+can be easily read. It is in Latin, and it cost me much trouble to
+understand it. You know we did not make great progress with the
+complaisant clerk who was to make us book-learned."
+
+"What made you of the characters, then, illustrious sir?" inquired
+Tuko. "But do throw that hideous death-bird out of the grating. It
+glares upon us, as if it would burn our eyes out, in exchange for the
+wisdom it has taught you."
+
+"Nay: this wise bird shall now be my companion in weal or woe," said
+the duke, patting the bird kindly, and replacing it in the box. "If it
+forebodes death, it must be the death of our enemies."
+
+"But what did you read, sir?" inquired Sir Abildgaard, eagerly.
+
+"I read many horrible words I shall not repeat, but which have often
+made my hair stand on end. A sentence, however, stood there, which has
+told me why I am come hither, and what I have to do in this miserable
+world. '_Thou who dreamedst of a crown and awokest in chains_,' it
+runs, '_lay hold of that sceptre which constrains spirits, and thy
+crown shall be bright as the sun!_"
+
+"This is the nimbus which already played in the brain of the crazy
+bishop," observed Sir Abildgaard; "or it is the black art and magical
+incantations he brooded over. Be not thus disquieted, noble sir, and
+suffer not the madness of becoming a saint to infect you. I dare be
+sworn that neither you nor I carry it to this extremity."
+
+"I do not so understand it," replied the duke, whilst his eyes
+glistened. "I interpret these words in a secular sense, and as
+containing no folly, but, on the contrary, deep and sound policy. I do
+not abandon my bold life's-plan: that I shall never relinquish, so long
+as there is a drop of Waldemar Seier's blood in my heart. How? is the
+only question. The means and power I no longer seek for in foreign
+princes and armies, nor in an unworthy conspiracy with rebellious
+subjects. They would fail as much in their loyalty to me afterwards, as
+they had failed towards my predecessor. I shall not hinder or oppose an
+enterprise which may probably be advantageous to me; but I have learned
+to despise it. The hand that would bear a sceptre without trembling,
+must be unstained with the blood of kindred. The forehead which the
+crown would not burn, must not bear a secret Cain's-mark under its
+splendour."
+
+"There we have it!" interrupted Tuko. "You will be a saint, then. Good:
+but there is a medium in all things, gracious sir. On the other hand,
+if you are at all aware of what is to be undertaken, and what you
+already know--"
+
+"I shall know nothing that I need have the slightest occasion to blush
+for before the knights and princes of Europe," continued the duke; "and
+what I do know, Tuko--yes, that I shall forget, and bury in my deepest
+heart as a phrenzied dream. I shall not bear the crown as my
+unfortunate, bewildered grandfather bore it, to be murdered by
+rebellious subjects, after a brief period of splendour. If conspirators
+will play into my hands, let them. I did not invoke the storm. Our only
+concern now is, to allow time, and gain confidence. I shall renounce
+Alsen--yea, even my ducal crown: more they cannot well demand for my
+freedom. The undermined throne may yet fall without me; but none shall
+again raise it, save a Waldemar. I shall show the people that I do not
+bear the name of Waldemar in vain, and that I can vanquish myself. By
+submitting to injustice, I shall win hearts like castles. First, I
+shall seize the invisible sceptre that constrains spirits; and then the
+crown will be offered me, by a fortunate change in the Ting. Therefore,
+Tuko, 'tis not an aerial crown, nor a saint's halo, but a crown that
+shall sit fast on this brow, and shine through centuries, like that of
+the great Waldemars'."
+
+"Now, indeed, I begin to understand you, gracious sir," replied Sir
+Abildgaard, opening his eyes. "The storm that breaks down the rotten
+stem, bears with it the boughs and shoots, you think, and without you
+needing to risk your neck for it. I, too, begin to get clear-eyed, and
+to entertain a respect for your good friend in the box. Come, noble
+sir, let us drink a rousing cup, like our old heathen ancestors, to
+this noble conclusion. Hail to your wisdom-bird, my prince and master!
+When you come to your kingdom, we shall take the lion from your shield,
+and put the sagacious bird in its stead."
+
+The duke followed his lively friend to the festive board, and was, once
+more, the jovial-spirited youth. His pale cheeks became flushed, and
+his somewhat sunken eyes sparkled with lofty and daring expectations.
+In the meantime it had become dark; but, ere long, the moon shone
+through the iron grating, and lighted their little drinking-table. Sir
+Abildgaard sang merry songs, in which the duke joined with wild glee,
+frequently emptying his goblet the meanwhile. In the midst of their
+merriment, the door was opened, and a grave, stalwart man, in a pelt
+doublet and shaggy cap, entered, with a light in his hand.
+
+"Heyday, Poul Hvit! our acute friend, deep skilled in knowledge of
+mankind--our cautious host. Your health!" cried Sir Abildgaard, in
+frolicsome mood: "everything is in the best order, you see."
+
+"Your health, my good friend," said the duke; and the half-intoxicated
+prisoners gaily emptied their goblets to the health of the castellan.
+
+"I thank you for the honour you show me, my illustrious young
+gentlemen," said the quiet and serious Poul Hvit, bowing politely, at
+the same time doffing his cap, and examining them closely, with a
+self-satisfied look. "I am glad you relish the wine, and do not take
+the world, with its unstable fortunes, more to heart than is worth. I
+know the world and men," he added, nodding with self-assurance: "it is
+always a good sign when state-prisoners are merry. I am, besides, the
+bearer of a message which I think will be welcome to you," he
+continued, letting the light fall on their flushed faces, and seeming
+to study their appearance carefully. "To-morrow, betimes, when you are
+less merry, and more disposed for serious business, a person will have
+the honour of bringing you a proposal for an agreement with the king,
+my master. If, as I hope, you accede to it, I may soon have the
+pleasure of opening this door for you altogether. Meantime, I wish you
+a good night, and quietness."
+
+He then bowed, and departed: the heavy door was closed with a loud
+noise, and the prisoners again sat alone in the moonlight. The
+castellan's announcement brought the young gentlemen at once to their
+senses, and they remained long in consultation as to what terms they
+could accept or refuse. At length they retired to rest, in anxious
+doubt whether the following morning would bring them freedom, or more
+rigorous and prolonged imprisonment.
+
+The castellan returned to the ancient knights' hall, which, in his
+time, was furnished and in good condition, and the place where he
+received guests of distinction. A fire was burning cheerfully in the
+great chimney, and in the middle of the hall stood a richly spread
+supper-table, with a brazen candlestick of three branches. A young
+gentleman, apparently a knight, walked up and down the hall with rapid
+strides. It was Drost Peter Hessel. Claus Skirmen stood by the
+fireplace, enjoying the warmth.
+
+"Now, my good Poul Hvit," said the drost, advancing towards the
+well-pleased castellan, "what say your prisoners? Will they see me
+to-night, or in the morning?"
+
+"It is a pleasure to see the prisoners," replied the castellan: "they
+do not mope and moan like hapless criminals; and you may trow, sir
+drost, for all their bewilderment, that there are good honest hearts in
+them. They have made so merry with the wine flagon, noble sir, that it
+is out of the question to think of talking with them, to-night, on any
+subject of importance. In their present state they would, perhaps,
+subscribe to every proposal; but that, I know, neither you nor my
+master the king would wish to be done. Man is a finite being, let me
+tell you; and, when we men are not entirely sober, we cannot behave
+like free and rational creatures: so said my worthy schoolmaster of
+Horsens."
+
+"We understand each other," replied the drost; "only when they have
+recovered their senses, shall they hear my proposition: for this is a
+grave matter, which they shall have time and opportunity to consider.
+In the morning, then. Can I sleep in the castle here, to-night?"
+
+"Of course, sir drost: I have already made arrangements for that. We
+are all mortal; and, whilst the soul is active in good deeds, the body
+must not lack rest and refreshment. Be seated, then; and, if you will
+permit it, there is also room for your squire here. The ploughing ox
+should not be muzzled, and the man--yes, a man is still a man," he
+added, hastily, as no more profound observation occurred to him.
+
+Drost Peter smiled at the castellan's awkwardly finished sentence, and
+sat down to table. Skirmen stationed himself discreetly behind his
+chair, and blushed when the courteous castellan directed him to take a
+vacant seat by the drost's side.
+
+"Be seated, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, kindly: "we are not at court
+here."
+
+Skirmen obeyed, and seated himself on a corner of the chair. He
+maintained, as he was wont, a modest silence when his elders were
+speaking, and gave close heed to his master's wants and wishes.
+
+"So, your important prisoners, my good Poul Hvit, submit to their fate
+without rage or bitterness?" said the drost. "I am glad to hear it;
+for, notwithstanding their sad infatuation, there are excellent, ay,
+almost great qualities, in both of them. It is from painful necessity
+that we have been obliged to deprive them so long of their freedom; but
+I know you have not made their imprisonment harsher than is necessary."
+
+"I have punctually followed your orders, sir drost; and--I think I know
+a little bit of the world, and of man kind. Prisoners that are well
+treated, seldom even dream of making their escape. We shall see now if
+loneliness has brought them to reflection: if they are stubborn, and
+you wish them to be treated with greater severity, it shall be done. I
+am only an humble servant, and what is commanded me, I perform, without
+respect of persons. 'Man,'--said the never-to-be-forgotten schoolmaster
+of Horsens--God bless his soul!--'man cannot always endure prosperous
+days.'"
+
+A stout, double-chinned cook now entered, and placed a dish upon the
+table. Drost Peter observed him, and started, but was silent until he
+had left the room.
+
+"Have you had this cook any considerable time, my good Poul Hvit?" he
+then inquired; "and are you sure of his fidelity?"
+
+"He has served me since the end of May, last year," replied the
+castellan; "and I should be a bad judge of mankind if I could doubt his
+fidelity: he does his business, and troubles himself about nothing else
+in the world. He is always chatting and singing in the kitchen, and
+never says a serious word. If I had only such people about me, I could
+sleep soundly, even had I kings and kaisers to take charge of. I trow,
+as I have said, I know a little of the world and mankind, sir drost.
+But have you any grounds for doubting my cook's fidelity, noble sir?"
+
+"Not exactly so," answered the drost; "but have an eye upon him.
+It was, perhaps, an accident; but I saw him, shortly before the
+Dane-court, in Henner Friser's inn at Melfert, in a company of
+travellers that did not quite consist of the best friends of the crown
+and realm."
+
+"It must have been a mere accident, noble sir," replied the castellan,
+with calm self-satisfaction. "I know my men, and nobody shall so easily
+palm a wax-nose upon me. Cook Morten cares little about state affairs,
+I know; and he is a merry, good-natured carl, in whom I find much
+amusement. He is also gardener to the castle; and I have availed myself
+of him to prove the disposition of the prisoners, and to augment my
+knowledge of mankind. I gave him private orders to supply the prisoners
+with flowers. They are not aware from whom the civility comes, and I
+have observed that it serves to amuse the young gentlemen, and put
+love-whimsies into their heads. Folks who can think on such fooleries
+arc not likely to be dangerous to the crown and kingdom, I fancy. The
+plump Morten never sees them; but he is ready to laugh himself to death
+when he hears them singing amorous ditties to the fair hand that binds
+up their nosegays."
+
+Drost Peter smiled, but shook his head, and would have dissuaded the
+castellan from this mode of studying the characters of his prisoners.
+
+In the meanwhile, cook Morten had again entered the hall; and
+immediately afterwards the door-keeper announced the arrival of an
+ecclesiastic, with greetings and a message from the Abbot of Esrom.
+
+"Let him come in," said the castellan. "Have you any objection, sir
+drost? It is probably one of the abbot's friends, who wishes to
+transact business with me respecting some lands. But it is a singular
+time o'night to come at," he added, doubtfully.
+
+Drost Peter replied by a polite bow, and appeared to be thinking of
+other matters. The door was opened, and a respectable clerical
+personage entered. They rose to greet him; but he retreated a step, in
+surprise, on recognising Drost Peter. The drost was equally astonished;
+but the castellan did not notice their mutual surprise, and received
+his new guest with polite attention, and an interest that betrayed the
+importance of the business this visit concerned.
+
+"A friend, probably, of the worthy Abbot Magnus," said he. "Be pleased
+to come nearer. What we have to treat of, this true friend of the king,
+Drost Peter Hessel, will bear witness to, more especially as, at this
+late hour, I dare not receive any stranger into the castle. There are
+people present who know the world and mankind, let me say; and
+stringent regulations here are necessary. May I presume to ask my
+worthy sir his name?"
+
+"Sir Drost Peter Hessel knows me," answered the ecclesiastic, with a
+haughty air, and drawing nearer. "To the learned world, the name of
+Magister Janus Roskildensis is enough; to laymen, I am known by the
+name of Dean Jens Grand. Are you the castellan, Poul Hvit?"
+
+"At your service, worthy sir."
+
+"Good. What I have to say to you every one may hear. I have come from
+Esrom Cloister; and, as I was to pass this way, I have undertaken, in
+the name of the abbot and convent, to bring you the deed of conveyance
+for certain lands in Grimstop, and to settle the matter to your wishes;
+but if you have any doubts or objections about receiving me, the
+business can be deferred, and I immediately set off again on my
+journey."
+
+"God forbid! Do not so far wrong me, sir. You are heartily welcome,"
+exclaimed Poul Hvit, hastily. "Think not ill of my cautiousness. We are
+all men, and one must look to himself in these times. It often happens
+that wolves come here in sheep's clothing, and I ought to know whom I
+receive. Since the drost knows you, I may bid you welcome without the
+least hesitation. I should be but a poor discerner of mankind, if I did
+not see that you are a learned servant of the Lord's, and a trusty
+friend of the worthy Abbot Magnus. If you have the deed with you, we
+can arrange the matter to-morrow. Be my guest in the meantime, worthy
+sir, and embrace the present opportunity. Be pleased to take a seat
+with us." So saying, he brought a seat for this addition to the
+company.
+
+Drost Peter was reserved, and sparing of words, and the dean did not
+find himself altogether in his element. Skirmen, on his entrance, had
+arisen, and taken his place behind his master's chair. The castellan
+alone was exceedingly good-humoured, and strove industriously to
+animate the conversation. He touched upon every affair and circumstance
+which, at that period, engaged the public attention. The Norse war, and
+the piracies of Count Mindre-Alf of Toensberg on the Danish coast, he
+discoursed of with a zeal that proved him a man of a true and patriotic
+mind. He had a family in Horsens, and related minutely what this town
+had suffered from the remorseless freebooter's attacks.
+
+"The Count of Toensberg is certainly our foe," commenced Master Grand;
+"but he is a brave and famous foe, whom no one should accuse of being a
+rover and freebooter. He is certainly not one of your dainty lords, who
+take the eyes of ladies at a tournament; but at the present day we have
+not a doughtier knight: he is the greatest sea-hero of our times, and
+may soon expect to be elevated to a jarl."
+
+"But when, on his own account, he ravages and plunders our coasts with
+barbarity, and the greatest lust of rapine," replied Drost Peter, "he
+does little honour to chivalry. He is a common vulgar riever, however
+bold and powerful he may be, even though he be of royal descent, and
+aspires to the name of jarl. We Danish laymen, far less our teachers of
+Christianity, have no reason to honour him with a nobler name."
+
+Master Grand was silent, and endeavoured to conceal his anger; and the
+castellan again resumed the conversation. He strongly censured Count
+Jacob of Halland for having received the honour of knighthood from the
+Norwegian king, in a time of war. Drost Peter supported him, and
+thought highly of the honest castellan; but Master Grand could no
+longer suppress his indignation.
+
+"It is well," said he, jeeringly, "that the merits of the deserving men
+of Denmark are recognised by a foreign prince, when they are suspected
+and wronged at home. It is magnanimous of the Norwegian king thus to
+distinguish an esteemed enemy; and I cannot blame the noble Count Jacob
+for accepting an honour so well merited."
+
+"Pardon me, sir dean," said Drost Peter, calmly: "a true Dane never
+receives a mark of honour from the enemy of his country. It is
+impossible, however, as a friend of your country, that you can
+seriously defend such conduct."
+
+"To be a reasonable and Christian friend of my country," said Master
+Grand, bitterly, "I have no occasion to turn my cloak to the
+court-wind, like a favoured courtier. In my station, thank God, no one
+need conceal the truth, or defend baseness, to fulfil the duties of his
+office. With God's holy word and the canon-law before my eyes, I am not
+afraid to say plainly, before the mightiest favourite of the king and
+queen, that I only love and esteem my earthly country in so far as the
+divine laws of my heavenly country are esteemed and maintained in it.
+If you would have proof of this, sir drost, obtain me permission to
+preach a single fast-sermon before the king and queen, with all their
+courtly flatterers; and you shall then hear that I am the man to hold
+up the mirror of truth before the mighty of this world, in such wise
+that many a cheek shall crimson if there is yet a remnant of honour or
+conscience in the court of Denmark."
+
+"Such a corrective sermon, reverend sir," answered Drost Peter, with
+energy, "might certainly be preached often enough among lay persons, as
+well as learned. I could wish, however, that you would, with the same
+impartiality, introduce such conversation wherever, on your pious way,
+you meet with princely personages and royal vassals, who, in the sins
+and errors of their liege lord, seek justification for their own
+crimes."
+
+Master Grand was again silent. The castellan looked at his discordant
+guests with surprise, and hastily broke off a conversation, whose
+bitter issue he could see no grounds for. He then abruptly inquired
+whether either of the honoured gentlemen, in the course of their
+journey, had seen the newly-rebuilt church? and, as this was answered
+with a brief "nay," he inquired if either of them knew where the
+deposed Swedish king was residing, and whether it was true that he had
+deserted his queen for a certain famous Lady Kristine?
+
+"It is but too true," replied the dean, zealously, appearing to seize
+upon the occasion to give vent to his anger: "there, again, we have a
+proof of the ungodliness of our times, and of the sin-pest that is
+spread abroad from our great ones. It is no wonder the Lord visits such
+princes in anger, and shows the mighty rulers of the world that there
+is a Judge over us all, who is not to be mocked, and who, from the
+skies, laughs in derision when the lofty ones of the earth swell and
+burst with pride. It is a comforting and elevating thought," he added,
+with an air of pride, "that the Mighty One, who holds the universe in
+his hand, can as easily cast down kings and princes, and their
+favourites, as he can raise the poor and meek of spirit."
+
+The castellan had devoutly folded his hands, as at a sermon. "Ah,
+indeed!" he sighed, "we are all mortal: might and rank are indeed
+transitory."
+
+"Many of the misfortunes of our times are certainly well-merited,
+reverend sir," remarked Drost Peter, with considerable warmth, and a
+keen look at the dean, "when sinful men presume to call down and carry
+out the chastisements of the Lord. The unfortunate king you have
+mentioned I shall not defend; but if people can justly dethrone their
+kings because they are not what they ought to be, then can no throne
+and no kingdom exist, until pure angels are sent from heaven to govern
+us."
+
+"That is not requisite," replied the dean, swelling with the air and
+authority of a pope. "So long as the Lord's vicegerent sits in St.
+Peter's holy chair, and as long as he and the servants of the word are
+regarded as the messengers of the truth among the people, so long no
+nation need be doubtful how great a worldly burden they may bear with
+patience, or how great a sinner the Lord will endure among his
+anointed. Unless you are an arch-heretic, sir drost, you cannot
+possibly deny this."
+
+Drost Peter did not answer; and cook Morten, who had just set a choice
+dish before the ecclesiastic, appeared, by his roguish smile, to enjoy
+the manner in which the bold dean had silenced the drost.
+
+Without betraying the slightest anger, Drost Peter turned again
+to the triumphant dignitary. "As a knight, I have sworn to offer my
+life for the faith, as well as for my lawful king," he said, with an
+expression of deep earnestness; "and I am not afraid of being doomed,
+as a heretic, to stake and brand, if even I am of opinion that a
+lawfully-crowned and anointed sovereign cannot be hurled from his
+throne by the mightiest anathemas of the Vatican and of Lund. That our
+Danish kings, at least, have been of the same mind, your own kinsman,
+Archbishop Erlandsen, among others, experienced. I would not advise any
+prelate in Denmark to follow so dangerous an example. This prison,
+reverend sir, might at least remind you that even an archbishop's crook
+is unable to undo these doors, when they have been locked by command of
+a king of Denmark."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter arose, and begged of the astonished castellan
+that he might be shown to his sleeping apartment. Master Grand, with a
+haughty mien, also arose, and expressed the same wish.
+
+They saluted each other, coldly and silently; and the castellan
+himself, with a three-branched candlestick, conducted Drost Peter.
+Skirmen followed his master, with his mantle and sword.
+
+Cook Morten, on a sign from the castellan, led the ecclesiastic to a
+chamber, by the side of the knights' hall. It was narrow and gloomy,
+and the door, which was standing ajar, opened only outwards. A strong
+gust of wind had nearly extinguished the light. A reclining chair, a
+stool and table, composed the whole of the furniture, and iron bars
+were fixed in the walls, across the small window.
+
+When Master Grand entered this chamber, he started, and looked
+anxiously around him. "What means this?" he inquired; "do you show me
+to a prison-cell for a bed-chamber?"
+
+"For that you must give us absolution, your reverence," replied Morten,
+at the same time placing the flickering light on the stone table, and,
+with a long pole, closing the shutter of the little, round, grated
+window, which was placed high in the wall. "There, now it is rather
+more snug," he continued. "Nobody, in general, passes the night here,
+except a bewildered owl. There is only one guest-apartment in the
+castle, where the inmate is master of the door; and that room the drost
+occupies. For unexpected guests, we have only this little mean
+apartment. It is said to have been a torture-room in former days; and
+here must have hung all kinds of horrid instruments, to torture
+obstinate criminals into an acknowledgment of their guilt. It is still
+dismal-looking enough, you perceive. But it is a pity I cannot show you
+the ingenious old machines for torturing. I know you are a great
+admirer of suchlike learned trumpery."
+
+The proud dean became pale, and an involuntary shudder crept over him.
+"My good friend," said he to the cook, "methinks we should be known to
+each other. Cook Morten, from Ry? Is it not so?"
+
+"At your service, reverend sir. That you could have room in your
+learned brain for the image of my poor but tolerably ample person, I
+should not have expected; but so long as my head has leave to sit
+between my shoulders, and my throat is not tightened so that I cannot
+drink and sing a merry song with it, so long shall I not forget your
+brave and learned reverence."
+
+"Speak seriously, Morten. What mean you by this conversation?"
+
+"We are quite snug here," continued the fat cook; "and you are just the
+man of God to whom I can, without danger, confide my sins. I may tell
+you, then, that when you saved my flask-case from being thrown
+overboard, on crossing the Little Belt, you freed me, at the same time,
+from a confounded itching about the neck, on account of certain letters
+that lay concealed under the flasks. I had consented to take them, out
+of pure obligingness and virtue, for a good friend, who, I am afraid,
+the devil will some day get hold of. What these love-letters contained,
+I know not, and it does not concern me; but this I know, that had they
+been fished up, or seen by any mother's son, I had been certain of an
+elevation that would have been confoundedly unsuited to my health.
+Hence I have vowed to the blessed Virgin and the holy Martin, to serve
+you in turn, whenever I can; and now, if you have anything to command,
+I shall stand on tiptoe for you with all my heart and strength."
+
+Master Grand started. "So, so, my son," said he boldly, and calmly
+drawing breath again; "have you been employed as a letter-pigeon in
+these disturbed times? Your cheerfulness bears witness that, otherwise,
+you have a good conscience; and, for the sake of your honest
+countenance, I give you absolution for what you sinned in at that time.
+To whom brought you the letters, my son?"
+
+"To one of your shrivelings and good friends, your reverence," replied
+Morten, with a smile; "but I do not exactly feel the necessity of
+confessing to you yet: therefore, if you will impose any penance on me
+in consequence, say it."
+
+"Good, my son--good. I wish not to know; but it was an illegal
+transaction, and might have cost you dear. To atone for it, you can
+perhaps convey a word of comfort, in mine and the Church's service, to
+a bewildered soul, that needs my counsels, within these walls; or, what
+I would prefer, help me to a private interview."
+
+"My heart! readily, your reverence. But are you jesting? You do not
+look upon me in the same light as do the weak children of the world?"
+
+"That is not in my nature, Morten. I have renounced the vain follies
+that thou in thy worldliness thinkest of. In my sacred station, pure
+Christian love alone should guide our most secret as well as our most
+open steps. The young duke, who lies imprisoned here, is inexperienced,
+thou knowest; and has been misguided into foolish conduct, that may
+make him in the highest degree miserable, if he does not turn and
+repent. Regard for his soul's salvation has moved me to come hither, to
+speak with him, if possible, or to have conveyed to him a good counsel
+in writing."
+
+"If you would converse with him, pious sir, you must change yourself
+into an owl or a flitter-mouse."
+
+"But if a conversation is impossible, can you get me merely two words
+with him, before he speaks with Drost Hessel to-morrow?"
+
+"If you mean two words, but no more, I think it can be managed,"
+replied the cook, with a crafty air, after a moment's consideration;
+"but I must see the two words, and even give them voice and wings. If
+you cannot trust me, your reverence, then can neither I nor the holy
+Martin help you. If you are afraid the walls may hear, just whisper the
+words in my ear. Who knows but that they may also turn and save my
+sinful soul; and thus you would be killing two birds with one stone,
+pious sir."
+
+"Hair-brained mocker that thou art!" said the dean, gravely, and
+regarding him with a searching look; after which, he bent himself
+leisurely, and whispered a few words in his ear.
+
+"Good," exclaimed Morten. "Ah, by St. Martin! I can fancy that I am
+made pious on the instant, and that I already begin to entertain
+scruples. Had it been a paction with the Evil One that the talk had
+been about, what then, your reverence? But you are a pious man of God:
+I know it well; and your high-born penitent shall certainly receive
+your good counsel tomorrow, on a fasting heart."
+
+"Once more--if the young duke is not free by sunset to-morrow, I must
+speak with him."
+
+"That will be difficult, your reverence. How many nights do you intend
+doing us the honour of studying antiquity's barbarities in this
+torture-room?"
+
+Master Grand once more looked uneasily around him. "Lay the stool
+across the threshold, my son, and let the door stand ajar," he said:
+"locked in I shall not be. I remain no longer here than is necessary;
+but I must contrive to protract my stay until the day after to-morrow."
+
+"Ah, then, in that case we may hit upon a plan," observed the cook,
+moving the stool. "I know you do not lack courage. If you only mean to
+preach a penitential sermon to the illustrious prisoner, one or other
+of the saints must point your way. An angel in your form, on a
+celestial ladder, or, for want of that, on a fire-ladder, would
+certainly be highly edifying to a bewildered soul. Now, good night,
+your reverence. Tomorrow, betimes, I shall bring your ale-posset. There
+is no joke in that; and so you may sleep soundly. I must hasten away,
+and sing in the kitchen, or the castellan will begin to doubt me."
+
+With these words, the jolly cook was already out of the door, and sang
+so lustily, that the knights' hall rang again:--
+
+
+            "O, it was lanky Berner Rise,
+            Grew so tall that none could find him:
+            He was mad, and never wise;
+            Not a man could hold or bind him.
+                But the wood stands all in flowers."
+
+
+Next morning, when Duke Waldemar awoke, a silver cup of warm ale was
+already on the table by his bedside. He arose hastily, and dressed
+himself. As soon as he had done so, he raised the silver cup to his
+lips, as usual, by the handle; but set it down again with surprise, on
+observing in his hand a summer-fool[22] that had come off, and which
+appeared to have been loosely attached to the handle.
+
+"Who wants to make a fool of me here?" said he, angrily, throwing the
+flower on the table; but, at the same instant, he perceived a little
+slip of parchment, which stuck out from its beautiful chalice. He
+seized the tiny flower-letter, and read the single word, "Subscribe."
+He gazed for some time on the mysterious billet, and fell into deep
+thought.
+
+"What means this?" he exclaimed, at length, as if awoke from a dream.
+"Who sends me this mysterious advice? Is it friend or foe? Subscribe!
+That is easily said: but if it concerns my honour--if it concerns my
+heart and soul, and the great aim of my life, I would rather subscribe
+my own death-warrant than the terms I may expect to-day." He gazed,
+once more, upon the slip, and sank into a reverie.
+
+"Already in the council-chamber, noble sir?" exclaimed his lively
+fellow-prisoner, who now entered. "If I am not mistaken, you have had a
+morning visit from your wise and entertaining spirit. Methinks you were
+just now talking with some one--perhaps with your good friend in the
+chest?"
+
+"Nay, Tuko," replied the duke; "but watchful spirits are near us. It is
+not the dead bishop alone who speaks to me from these walls: living
+beings also take an interest in my fate, and would control my will ere
+I know it myself. See what I found in this flower." He handed him the
+flower and the scrap of parchment.
+
+"A summer-fool! That you must beware of, noble sir, if it comes not
+from a pretty little hand, who will only joke in disguise, to make its
+winter-fool happy in earnest. Subscribe! Short and good advice,
+i'faith, in the tone of a dominant mistress. Had it been in German, I
+know whom I should have guessed."
+
+"So, so! think you my unseen protecting spirit is German? Say, whom
+mean you?"
+
+"Eh! whom other should I mean than the Duke of Saxony's little saintly
+daughter, who was more concerned about your faith and salvation than
+your ducal crown and all your proud expectations. You still wear, in
+secret, her invisible chains."
+
+"Sophia--the good, pious child?" exclaimed the duke, raising his hands
+to his brow. "Do you believe she still thinks of me and my fate? Nay,
+Tuko; that I cannot desire: it would unpleasantly vex me. The last half
+year has erased that wonderful image from my heart: I have had more
+important matter to think of than the little daughter of a duke, and
+her pious, circumscribed religion. I have, happily, torn myself from
+that foolishness. I cannot now suffer myself to be dazzled or impeded
+by a pair of loving saintly eyes, that have their home in a convent or
+on an altar-table. Speak no more of her, Tuko. You know it only serves
+to grieve me; and, truth to say, since our plans drew us to the high
+Dane-court, I have blushed for myself when I thought of her. But you
+are right," he continued, with emotion: "these chaste and lovely
+flowers, that for almost an entire year have so kindly and gently
+reminded us of spring and summer, and of life's calm joys, in our
+prison--they might well have reminded me of her; and this white and
+innocent spring-flower, that has now found a voice, and begs of me to
+accede and subscribe----Ha! subscribe an agreement that may perhaps
+render me a pious slave to my own conscience, to the day of my
+death--and then----There was a time when such thraldom appeared to me
+real liberty." He was silent, and again relapsed into deep thought.
+
+"That was a sad time, sir," resumed Tuko, hastily: "they had nearly
+converted you into a hang-the-head. I also say, subscribe, whatever the
+deuce it may be. Freedom cannot be purchased too dearly. But be not
+therefore the slave of a pen's stroke. The pretty little enthusiast
+will, at last, transform you into a quiet complaisant duke of South
+Jutland, who, in this life, will never think of being anything more,
+but, renouncing all his daring schemes, take to himself a quiet and
+pious wife, say good-night to this world's fleeting dreams of
+sovereignty, and sleep soundly in a Sleswick castle, like a true and
+loyal Danish vassal. That must be a charming life, sir! What we have
+here suffered, we shall not think of taking revenge for. Fie! that were
+ignoble and unchristian: we must kiss the rod like good children, and
+be gentle and amiable. And what a beautifully peaceful life! Your
+highest office will be to protect the goslings from the fox, or to
+strike down, with your own illustrious hand, a savoury roe for the
+frugal ducal table, where the pious house-mother sits, with folded
+hands, while the well-behaved amiable children say grace."
+
+"Ha, nay, Tuko!" exclaimed the duke, vehemently, waking up as from a
+dream: "I shall show thee that Waldemar Seier was mine ancestor. He,
+too, sat once in prison; but he forgot not vengeance until he was old
+and gray; and, in misfortune, he forgot not his crown and his royal
+dignity!"
+
+At that instant, a knocking was heard at the prison-door, and the
+conversation was broken off. In obedience to their request, the polite
+castellan now entered, and inquired whether it was convenient for the
+illustrious duke to receive Drost Hessel?
+
+"Drost Hessel?" repeated the duke, with bitter indignation--"well, let
+him enter;" and he seated himself, proudly and calmly, by the table,
+whilst Sir Abildgaard took upon himself the office of a respectful
+servant, and stationed himself, with a cunning smile, behind the chair
+of his princely master.
+
+The castellan bowed respectfully, and retired; and immediately after,
+Drost Peter entered. He made his salutation courteously and gravely.
+
+The duke half rose from his seat, and sat down again. "What has Drost
+Hessel to submit to the Duke of South Jutland?" said he, in a calm
+voice, but with suppressed indignation.
+
+"Illustrious sir," began Drost Peter, "my master, the king, listening
+to the representations of your friends, has resolved to offer you
+reconciliation and freedom, if you will subscribe and confirm the terms
+which I have, in the king's name, to lay before you." So saying, he
+drew forth a large parchment-deed, and, with a polite inclination,
+handed it to the duke.
+
+"Read it for me, my drost," said the duke, carelessly handing the deed
+to Sir Abildgaard, and leaning back on his chair with an air of
+indifference.
+
+Sir Abildgaard stepped firmly before his lord, and read. The deed had
+been prepared by the chancellor in Danish, and in the usual stiff and
+pedantic style of such documents. Drost Peter remained standing at a
+respectful distance, and closely observing the duke's manner. The duke
+did not appear to notice him, but gazed, gloomily and thoughtfully, on
+the dingy prison-wall, covered with writing.
+
+The introduction to the agreement recited the names of the duke's
+friends who had procured it, and among these he seemed particularly
+interested to find the Duke of Saxony, of whose daughter he had just
+been talking. The name of the good-natured Count Gerhard of Holstein
+seemed also to surprise him; the more so, perhaps, as he remembered
+that he had endeavoured to turn this brave gentleman into ridicule, at
+the Dane-court of Nyborg. The introduction ran as follows:--
+
+"To all who see or hear read the present letter: Herman, by the grace
+of God, Bishop of Schwerin; Johannes, Duke of Saxony; Gerhard,
+Johannes, and Adolph, Counts of Holstein; Helmold, Claus, Counts of
+Schwerin; Geert, Count of Hoya; Johannes and Henrik, Counts of
+Meeklinburg; eternal health with God. That all may be witness, that on
+account of Duke Waldemar of Sleswick, it was humbly desired by us, that
+we might be permitted to promise for him, that he should hold to the
+articles of the under-written letter, which is a deed of agreement
+between King Erik of Denmark and him."
+
+"Who has requested these good lords to promise, on my behalf, that
+which I do not yet know?" asked the duke. "But this may be merely the
+usual form. To the point, then."
+
+Sir Abildgaard now read the agreement itself, which, in the duke's
+name, began as follows:--
+
+"Waldemar, by God's grace, Duke of South Jutland, eternal health with
+God. It is the glory and honour of princes, that they hear and grant
+the prayers of their petitioners; and thus, by augmenting the loyalty
+and affection of their subjects, they augment and strengthen the
+ruler's name, honour, and title--"
+
+"This is Drost Hessel's pretty thought, and Master Martin's pretty
+style," said the duke, interrupting the reading, with an air of
+mockery. "But continue, drost."
+
+"Therefore shall it be made manifest to all," continued Sir Abildgaard,
+with a suppressed smile, and in an humble tone, "that we were led, by
+youthful inexperience and childish counsel, to claim that, respecting
+Alsen, which belongs to the crown, contrary to the injunction of our
+lord, King Erik; wherein we acknowledge to have done wrong, as it
+appeared to us, and others our friends, that the laws of our country
+were too stringent and severe: wherefore, the before-mentioned king,
+after our humble supplication, his prelates' and other trusty men's
+counsel, hath remitted us all blame and crime, which we have
+imprudently committed against him."
+
+Then followed everything relating to the dispute concerning Alsen, the
+mint privileges, and the king's right to wage war for South Jutland: at
+all which the duke smiled carelessly, and seemed to think it scarcely
+worth his attention; although, at the same time, he gave the closest
+heed to every word. But his assumed indifference was changed into
+evident uneasiness, as Sir Abildgaard read--"We promise, therefore,
+that we shall never plot or contrive the king's death or imprisonment,
+nor counsel or demand that he should be deprived of his lands, towns,
+cities, or fortresses; nor league, conspire, or practise aught against
+him or the kingdom; nor instigate, or take part with, any one in
+_crimen laesae majestatis_; but shall show him all honour, subjection,
+reverence, and fealty. And if we do anything against him, or if it can
+be proved against us, according to the laws and usages of the country,
+that we have secretly done so, then shall all our fief and estates
+thereby become forfeited, so that our lord and king, of his own
+authority, may seize them for the use of the crown, and do therewith,
+as a lasting possession, as to his grace may seem fit; also, that he
+may punish us in the body, or spare us, as his grace may pronounce."
+
+Here Sir Abildgaard paused, and regarded his master with astonishment.
+But the duke's uneasiness had disappeared, and a proud defiance
+sparkled in his eyes, whilst he raised his head haughtily and boldly.
+
+"Now know I both your word and spirit, Drost Hessel," he said. "To this
+extent you gladly carry the point, when a blinded king gives you
+authority."
+
+Drost Peter gravely shook his head, and was silent.
+
+"Continue," said the duke; and Sir Abildgaard proceeded:--
+
+"We consent, moreover, that the prelates of Denmark may proclaim the
+ban of the Church against us, without previous warning, if it so
+happens, (which God forbid,) that we do anything contrary to the tenor
+of the foregoing." Sir Abildgaard again paused, and observed his lord
+with an inquiring look.
+
+"Exactly so," said the duke; "do not forget the holy letters of
+excommunication: they may be required. Is there anything further?"
+
+Sir Abildgaard now read a few articles relating to the obligations of
+the duke to stand by the king in his wars, and to attend the assemblies
+of the estates; which he appeared to care little about. But it farther
+recited--"We shall not maintain outlawed people. Item, for this our
+imprisonment we shall not wage war against the king, his sons, or any
+one, within or without the kingdom, or cause any evil, on account
+thereof, to any person, but hold them free and blameless. We shall not
+make any covenant or alliance with any person whatsoever, from whom his
+majesty and the realm may suffer damage; and if we have already made
+any such alliance, shall renounce the same."
+
+Lastly, to the duke's great astonishment, it thus proceeded--"And, that
+there should not be any doubt concerning what is now promised, we have,
+by a solemn oath upon the holy Gospels, sworn and pledged ourselves
+that we shall adhere to all that is above written, without fraud or
+guile; renouncing every exception, device, force, threat, aid of
+secular or spiritual jurisdiction, law, or custom, whereby the foresaid
+letter may be infringed."
+
+The duke became pale. He did not hear the conclusion, which contained
+the names of the bishops and princes who had witnessed the articles,
+and had attached their seals thereto; and he appeared to regain his
+self-possession only as he heard the last words--"And we shall seal
+this at the first opportunity."
+
+"Yes, truly, as soon as the opportunity occurs," exclaimed he, with the
+utmost bitterness, and rising from his seat. "And such is the agreement
+you dare to bring me, Drost Hessel? And you fancied that I was coward
+and fool enough to sign and seal it? You have a worthy pattern for this
+precious document, in black Count Henry's devilish paction with the
+captured King Waldemar. But I shall not tread in my great ancestor's
+footsteps, and purchase my freedom so dearly. If you think to compel
+me, try. If you have chains with you, out with them! Call your hangman,
+and see if I shall shrink, or debase myself."
+
+"You mistake me grievously, highborn sir," said Drost Peter, with
+wounded feelings. "Think not that I am pleased to see a noble-born
+gentleman, like yourself, in this prison. Believe, least of all, that I
+am so base-hearted that I would see your free will constrained by
+unworthy means. Not from hatred or revenge, but for the security of the
+crown and kingdom, are you bereft of freedom. The moment you give up
+the unwarrantable and sufficiently evident objects that have rendered
+your imprisonment here necessary, you again stand free, in the exalted
+station whereto you were born and bred. You will retain, without
+abatement, all your legal privileges as Duke of South Jutland, and, all
+will be forgotten. The moment you subscribe this covenant, the
+castellan has orders to open these prison-doors, and to conduct you,
+with safe escort, to my master the king; and, as soon as you have
+publicly acknowledged your subscription, before the estates of the
+realm, and confirmed it with your seal and oath, you can retire,
+unmolested, to your dukedom; and neither my master the king, nor any
+other right-minded man in Denmark, will in future doubt your fidelity
+towards your king and country."
+
+So saying, Drost Peter laid his silver style upon the table, together
+with the parchment, which Sir Abildgaard had delivered back to him.
+
+The duke, however, stood unmoved, and gazed upon the wall, without
+deigning the king's messenger a word or look.
+
+"My lord," continued Drost Peter, "take counsel, now, with the
+all-knowing God and your own conscience. I leave the agreement in your
+hands: you may destroy or subscribe it, as you think best. Till the sun
+goes down, I may await your determination; and, in twenty-four hours,
+the doors of your prison stand open on these terms. The moment you have
+subscribed, pull the bell-string there, and your prison will be opened.
+Meantime I leave you, with the hope that you will consider your
+temporal, as you would your eternal welfare. Mistake not, in this
+matter, either my master the king, or myself. The all-knowing God and
+all holy men are my witnesses, that nothing is here done out of hatred
+of yourself. I dare witness before God, at the last day, that I have
+only dealt towards you according to my oath, and my duty to the crown
+and kingdom." So saying, Drost Peter bowed, and hastily left the
+turret-chamber, not without emotion, and a strong feeling of melancholy
+interest in the imprisoned duke.
+
+The prison-door was again closed and locked. On the table lay the
+important parchment, and by its side the silver style, which Drost
+Peter had left for the purpose of signing.
+
+Sir Abildgaard regarded his master with a disturbed and inquiring look.
+The duke was pacing the floor with agitated steps: his eyes rolled
+wildly, and his cheeks were flashed with anger.
+
+"Never, never shall I subscribe this hellish paction!" he exclaimed,
+"if I must sit here till the day of my death. If I subscribe, with a
+solemn oath, what stands here, I must either renounce the great object
+of my life, or become a perjurer and a nidding to all the world. Nay,
+nay, never shall this be so! I will show them that Duke Waldemar does
+not value his miserable dukedom higher than his honour and free
+unconstrained will. I will not foully and basely sell them my soul and
+my will's freedom, to breathe the air in a larger prison, like a
+debased, mean-spirited slave. Now, Tuko, now is the time to think
+seriously of escape, and to burst these walls by craft or violence, or
+any other possible mode. Let me once stand free, beyond this infernal
+prison--beyond the bounds of Denmark, and I shall no longer hesitate
+about what, in my sickly humour, I was well nigh on the point of
+relinquishing. I shall then shake the dust from my feet, and never more
+place them on Danish ground until I stand here at the head of an army
+that shall overthrow the tyrant's throne, crushing beneath it him and
+all his wretched advisers."
+
+"Were only the first step taken," replied the knight, with a
+shrug--"were we once our own masters, I should heartily admire your
+lofty thoughts and brave conclusions; but so long as your great adviser
+can only speak to you from these walls, and cannot, as a potent spirit
+should, blow them away like cobwebs, so long, gracious sir, are all
+your heroic schemes but castles in the air--mere beautiful dreams,
+which but poorly compensate the loss of a free joyous life and
+Sleswick's ducal crown."
+
+"How, Tuko! Wouldst thou not despise me were I to subscribe this
+agreement?"
+
+"Far be such a thought from me, sir. It is a foolish bird that will not
+fly when the cage is open. See: there lies the crowbar, that, without
+witchcraft, can break these walls. The good drost has left you here his
+silver style: a single stroke on the parchment with this enchanter's
+wand, and our prison is open; the fair, wide world lies before us; we
+withdraw from this unfortunate country, till we can say thanks to the
+King of Denmark for this last good turn. We shall find a welcome with
+the Duke of Saxony, and how will not the fair Princess Sophia be
+rejoiced--"
+
+"Hold, tempter, hold!" exclaimed the duke, advancing towards him. "Is
+this thy constancy, Tuko? this thy inspiration for my lofty, distant
+aim? What matters it that the bird is free, when its wings are clipped
+for life? If thou art weary of sharing my lot, I can easily set thee
+free. Swear thyself to the foul fiend, and go! I shall remain."
+
+"You mistake me, my noble duke," replied Tuko, seriously. "I have
+shared your captivity, and been happy, even to this hour. I shall
+furthermore share it, without complaining, as long as you please. The
+main point I have not lost sight of. You have yourself discovered how
+you can reach it without moving a hand; and your conscience can be
+easily reconciled to your freedom. Will you hear me?"
+
+"Nay, nay--not one word will I hear. Leave me now, Tuko: to-morrow thou
+shalt know my determination. This concerns myself, and my whole future
+life, and I will myself cast the die that is to decide it. Neither thou
+nor any other man shall guide my will in this matter."
+
+Sir Abildgaard was silent, and retired to his own cell. The duke closed
+the intermediate door, and barred it with the stone. He then threw
+himself upon his chair, and indulged in gloomy thought. Thus he sat,
+motionless, the whole day, and without allowing any one to enter, or
+partaking of any refreshment. In the fortress, all was quiet as usual.
+Before the sun went down, his cogitations were disturbed for a moment
+by the sound of horses' feet in the castle-court. It was Drost Peter
+and his squire leaving the castle. The duke rose, and went to the
+grating. His hand was clenched convulsively, when he saw, in the rays
+of the setting sun, the young drost, free and vigorous, managing his
+brown steed. The princely prisoner heaved a deep sigh, closed the
+shutter before the grating, and, turning into the darkest nook of his
+cell, he threw himself upon his unmade bed.
+
+The inside shutter of the iron grating, which the prisoner could open
+or shut at pleasure, was provided with a thin plate of horn, through
+which the daylight could scarcely penetrate. This shutter he usually
+allowed to remain open, unless the night was very cold, and the wind
+blew in that direction; for it had frequently happened to him, when it
+was closed, that he had started at midnight from a dreamy sleep, and
+fancied himself buried alive in the old chapel of his ancestors. But,
+now, life and every gleam of light and cheerfulness had become hateful
+to him; and, with a sort of spiteful pleasure, he had deprived himself
+of the scanty glimmer of daylight that still remained.
+
+"Come forth, my brother in misfortune, and teach me to look into the
+night of my futurity with thy glowing eyes," he muttered. "Let them
+call thee death's-bird, and corpse-bird, as they will: thou still seest
+clearly, when we and others are blind; and if thou shouldst now screech
+of death and misfortune, so much the better! that song now pleaseth me
+best."
+
+Whilst, with subdued voice, he thus gave expression to his gloomy
+thoughts, he opened the box, and took out the great night-bird, which
+perched itself familiarly upon his arm, and allowed itself to be
+caressed. The duke leant back on his pallet, and continued absorbed in
+moody reveries. The stillness of death reigned throughout the castle.
+
+By the faint light through the pane of horn, the prisoner was aware
+that the moon was shining. He at length closed his eyes, and fell into
+a slumber, without having first, as usual, shut up the owl. He wist not
+that he had been asleep, when the same fearful idea, that had before
+awoke him at midnight, again overwhelmed him: he fancied that he lay in
+his coffin, in the tomb of his fathers, and, in a kind of agony, half
+rose on his couch. He was not yet fully awake, when a frightful screech
+completely aroused him from his dream: he opened his eyes, and, in a
+ledge of the wall, near the mysterious inscriptions, he again saw the
+glowing eyes of the corpse-bird. It again screamed, and far more
+hideously than it was wont, at the same time staring at the dim light
+through the horn of the closed shutter. The duke looked in the same
+direction, and, to his astonishment, fancied he caught a glimpse of a
+face, half concealed in a hat, before the grating. A singular terror
+seized him, and he remained motionless, half erect, in bed. He now
+heard a gentle tap on the shutter, and sprang up.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried. "If you are human, speak!"
+
+The knocking at the shutter became a little louder, and a low,
+mysterious voice whispered--"Open, Duke Waldemar: a good friend would
+speak with you."
+
+"Is it possible?" he exclaimed: "a man? a good friend? Ha! be thou the
+Evil One himself, I fear not."
+
+He hastily opened the shutter. A human countenance, sufficiently
+palpable, met his eyes at the grating, but so thoroughly shaded, the
+moon falling only on the outlines, that it was impossible for him to
+perceive a single feature.
+
+"You know me not, Duke Waldemar?" said the unexpected night-guest. "I
+risk my life, perhaps, to speak with you. You must subscribe, or all is
+lost."
+
+"Grand! Master Grand!" exclaimed the duke, astonished. "Are you a
+wizard, and can fly? What stand you on?"
+
+"A storming-ladder," replied the daring ecclesiastic. "Cook
+Morten steadies it, and keeps watch. The time is precious, fair
+duke--subscribe!"
+
+"From you, then, pious sir, came the good advice this morning. But I do
+not thus, even were both heaven and hell to shout--subscribe! Shall I
+forswear every thought of my high vocation--shall I forswear even
+vengeance? For what, then, have I dared so much? For what have I
+sustained so much? I will not subscribe. If you would free me, let it
+be by craft or force, and I am yours: I will then place myself openly
+at the head of the conspiracy, and it shall succeed or perish."
+
+"In this way all would be lost, sir. Nothing can be undertaken until
+you are legally free and secure. Your imprisonment binds up every hand;
+but subscribe, and all are as free as your own. If you do not wish to
+abide by your oath, the holy father can relieve you from it, as he did
+your ancestor. If you wish to keep it, it is well: you can stand aloof,
+and still be the head. The marsk and his friends will act alone--of
+that you need know nothing--and the vacant place becomes yours. You
+understand, sir? You can keep your oath, and, with a sound conscience,
+come forward when the time arrives. Then, with law and justice, you can
+seize the minor's sceptre; and when you have won the people's hearts,
+and shown that you are worthy of the crown, it will fall of its own
+accord upon your head; whilst you will have broken neither oath nor
+bond."
+
+"Ha! is it you, yourself, sagacious Master Grand? or is it the dead
+bishop, who has lent you voice and form to teach me wisdom? You are
+right: thus may I grasp the sceptre that constrains spirits, and win
+the crown that shines pure as the sun. Now, know I what I will. You are
+not the first who has taught me this. You have only told me how. Good:
+I subscribe. From the hour I have subscribed, I know nothing, and will
+know nothing, of your projects. Do what you will and defend it as best
+you can. I go my own way; and when we meet at the goal--then--then
+first I know you, and dare name you my friend. You understand me,
+Grand?"
+
+"I understand you, sir. It is certain, then, that you subscribe, and
+withdraw from this place to-morrow. At the Dane-court of Nyborg, you
+can confirm the agreement, and calmly await what shall come to pass."
+
+This secret conversation was here interrupted by a sudden uproar in the
+court-yard of the castle.
+
+"I have him, master--I have him, the crafty clerk!" cried the voice of
+cook Morten; "he shall not escape now. I guessed at once what he bore
+on his shield, and helped him up the storming-ladder myself. Shall I
+now pull it down, and let him break his neck? or will you have him
+alive?"
+
+"I am betrayed!" exclaimed Master Grand, with alarm: "the infernal cook
+has betrayed me. Now for it." He descended the ladder, and was
+immediately surrounded by ten house-carls bearing torches, in the midst
+of whom stood the castellan, half-dressed, with a large sword in his
+hand.
+
+"Can I believe my own eyes, sir dean?" cried the honest Poul Hvit.
+"Have you come hither to baffle my vigilance, and to assist an
+important state-prisoner to escape?"
+
+"Hear me, worthy Poul Hvit," replied Master Grand, with a bold,
+authoritative voice, "and you shall not mistake a servant of the Lord,
+who, in this secret and unusual way, has been on the service of his
+Heavenly King. That it was not my intention to liberate your prisoner,
+contrary to the laws of the country, you can satisfy yourself by
+searching my clothes and the prison. I have neither file nor other tool
+about me, with which it were possible to open the grating or assist the
+prisoner to escape."
+
+The castellan seemed perplexed and undecided.
+
+"I demand this search for my own honour's sake," continued Master
+Grand, throwing aside his cloak, and turning out his pockets. "If you
+are now convinced of my innocence in this respect, you may with reason
+demand to know my intentions in making this night visit. I was aware
+that admission to the prisoner was denied me; but I knew, at the same
+time, that a powerful word from God, spoken at the right time, might
+effect much in a bewildered sinner's heart. The haughty young duke, as
+you know, would not subscribe the agreement with the king, and
+relinquish his rebellious projects; but I have now so spoken to him,
+with the mighty power of God's word, that he has repented, and has
+penitently acknowledged his great sin. He has consented to subscribe
+the agreement, and will henceforth become the king's faithful subject.
+This have I done, and this is my offence. If you see reason to make me
+answerable for this Christian undertaking, I am then your prisoner. But
+if, as I presume, you are a god-fearing man, uniting respect for my
+station and sacred office with strict fidelity to your king, you will
+only suffer me to remain guarded here, until you have searched the
+prison, and satisfied yourself of the truth of my statement; when you
+will allow me to depart, in the peace of the Lord, within an hour."
+
+"Guard him!" said the castellan, as he went hastily to the tower with a
+light. He opened the prison-door, and found all right in the first
+apartment, occupied by Sir Abildgaard. At his request, the duke opened
+his barred door. The castellan entered, and, without saying a word,
+examined the grating narrowly. He then placed the light on the table,
+and observed the duke attentively. "Tell me, highborn sir," he
+inquired, "is it truth, that Dean Grand has spoken with you, and that
+you have considered, and will subscribe the agreement?"
+
+"It is the truth," replied the duke, taking up the silver style: "it
+shall be done instantly. See, here stands my name." He handed the
+castellan the document, and threw himself, thoughtfully, on his chair.
+
+"Now I congratulate you on your restoration to freedom, and your
+country in having a true man restored to it," said the castellan,
+gladly. "I did not deceive myself, then: I know the world and mankind;
+and I well saw, from your nature and manner, that you were a noble
+young gentleman, who had only transgressed from the thoughtlessness of
+youth. Rest now, if it so please you, on your good and pious
+resolution, until it is day; and then, noble sir, I shall bring you
+with honour from your prison, and conduct you myself to my king and
+master."
+
+"Good," said the duke. "But go now, and do not suffer the worthy
+Master Grand to experience any inconvenience. He only preached me a
+night-sermon, which, as you have seen, has converted me."
+
+The castellan bowed, and retired. Sir Abildgaard, who had overheard
+what had just taken place, hastened to his master with lively
+satisfaction, to receive a full explanation of the reasons which had so
+unexpectedly decided him to subscribe.
+
+In the meanwhile, Master Grand stood amidst the wondering house-carls,
+who, agreeably to the castellan's orders, guarded him closely, but with
+a reverence that, by his authoritative air, he knew how to obtain. Cook
+Morten stood, smiling, by the storming-ladder, and seemed to find
+amusement in the night's adventure. Master Grand directed towards him
+an upbraiding and disdainful look, without saying a word.
+
+"I thought at least he would have slipped down," said the cook
+to the house-carls. "I had never before seen a worthy dean upon a
+storming-ladder, and could not resist the temptation; but I would have
+shunned the dangerous joke, had I not known that you and the castellan
+were in the neighbourhood. It will now be seen whether I have done the
+pious gentleman an ill turn. Nobody can find fault with me, for having
+taken him for a crafty cheat. Who else in the world is so zealous in
+the cure of souls, that he puts his neck in jeopardy to save a single
+couple? It was fortunate for the learned clerk that you came; for I was
+just on the point of drawing the ladder from under him, and then his
+reverence might have hung suspended by his hands on the iron bars, like
+a cat on a bird-cage, till I had brought you."
+
+"Wretched, faithless soul!" exclaimed Master Grand, vehemently. "I told
+you that my intentions were pious and god-fearing, and yet you could
+conceive the idea of depriving a servant of the Lord of his life!"
+
+"I shall answer for that to my master, and his grace our most precious
+king," replied Morten: "here, we have no respect of persons. We lock up
+princes and great lords, when we have instructions to regard them as
+rascals. I place the most guilty on the spit, when I have orders to
+regard them as capons; and, if even the pope or kaiser wills to creep
+through the window to them, I shall answer for it before all
+Christendom, if I suffer them to break their high and holy necks."
+
+Cook Morten was becoming noisy, and the castellan, who had now returned
+from the prison, on hearing these insolent words, ordered him to
+moderate his zeal, and to talk with more reverence to the pious worthy
+sir dean, who was entirely innocent, and had, at the same time, done a
+deed for which every brave Dane ought to thank him.
+
+"I believe I know the world and mankind tolerably well," said he, with
+a self-satisfied air, to Master Grand; "and I am rejoiced, your
+reverence, that I was not mistaken in my good opinion of you. That your
+intentions towards the king and country are good, I am now satisfied,
+albeit you spoke hard words, yesterday evening, against the sins and
+errors of the great. As a faithful man of God, you had a right to do
+so; but, Herregud! we are all human, and even the most virtuous among
+us may be suspected, and have appearances against him. That I have
+myself just experienced, pious sir. You are now free to depart, at what
+instant you please, but I shall be delighted if you will be my guest
+until it is day. Night is no man's friend; and, though you are a pious
+servant of the Lord, you might still go astray."
+
+"I fear not that," replied Master Grand: "I have nothing further to do
+here, if you are satisfied with the deed of conveyance, my good, honest
+Poul Hvit?"
+
+"Entirely so, pious sir. Bear Abbot Magnus my respectful salutations;
+and, since it must be so, God be with you!"
+
+At the castellan's order, Master Grand's palfrey was immediately led
+out. The lofty ecclesiastic saluted the castellan with calm dignity,
+and gave the token of benediction, with three fingers, to the
+respectful house-carls; whereupon, attended by a lay-brother who acted
+in the capacity of his groom, he quitted Sjoeborg in the quiet moonlight
+night.
+
+A few hours after, and when the sun had risen, Duke Waldemar and his
+drost, accompanied by Poul Hvit and twelve armed troopers, rode from
+the castle-gates of Sjoeborg, and took the road to Korsoeer, in order to
+cross over to Nyborg, where the king and his Best Men were residing,
+and where the agreement, under seal and oath, was required to be
+ratified by the Dane-court, before the duke and his drost could obtain
+their full liberty.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+After an unusually severe winter, during which the Baltic had been
+frozen over, spring once more, with rapid steps, extended her lovely
+and flowery reign over the favoured plains of Denmark. In the middle of
+May, the beech-woods were in leaf; and, notwithstanding the miserable
+condition of the people, and the private discords that divided so many
+hearts, to those who were unacquainted with its disjointed internal
+condition, the country seemed a peaceful and happy paradise.
+
+On one of the finest days of spring, a company of travellers on
+horseback, consisting of two distinguished knights and two ladies,
+together with an ecclesiastic of eminence, and accompanied by a young
+squire, two grooms, and two waiting-maids, rode in through the gate of
+Flynderborg Castle, near Orekrog. On the castle-stairs stood the
+commandant, Sir Lave Little, uncovered, to receive his honoured guests
+with due respect. The tall Lady Inge stood by her father's side.
+
+Whilst the knights assisted their ladies to dismount, and conducted
+them up the stairs, the corpulent ecclesiastic remained quietly seated
+on his palfrey, reading a Latin inscription over the doorway: he was
+the chancellor of the kingdom, the learned Master Martinus de Dacia.
+The short, gray-haired, but still hale and nimble knight, who first
+ascended the castle-stairs, with a tall, middle-aged lady upon his arm,
+was Counsellor Sir John Little, with his wife, Fru Ingefried. His
+daughter Cecilia was accompanied by a young, knightly gentleman, in
+whose tall form Jomfru[23] Inge, with blushing cheeks, immediately
+recognised Drost Peter Hessel.
+
+Not without a certain degree of embarrassment and secret uneasiness did
+Sir Lave receive his guests. Despite his extreme politeness, he
+appeared to scan, with much anxiety, his old kinsman's looks. Having
+saluted Drost Peter with repulsive coldness, Sir Lave seemed to regard
+the learned chancellor, who had at length reached the top of the stairs
+with a shy, suspicious glance; but when the learned gentleman at once
+commenced his inquiries respecting the age of the castle and its
+antiquities, Sir Lave appeared somewhat more at ease, and referred him
+to his daughter, who, as he said, knew better about such odd kind of
+things than any one else in the castle.
+
+"You must live here like a little king, my good Lave," observed Sir
+John, looking round the large arched hall, which occupied the whole
+breadth of the wing, and from which two large doors opened into the
+castle-garden, commanding a most beautiful view over the Sound.
+
+"Yes, indeed, sir counsellor: the castle is royal enough, and your
+presence gives it its proper lustre," replied Sir Lave, in a submissive
+tone, which showed at once the dependent relation in which he stood to
+his renowned kinsman, whose preponderance, both in rank and intellect,
+he only too oppressively felt.
+
+"You are too polite, cousin," replied Sir John. "Lustre, you know well
+enough, is not my affair. But if the castle is as strong as it is fair
+and pleasant, I should like to be governor of it in time of war. Have
+you been here before, Drost Peter?"
+
+"In my childhood I was often in these halls, and I here regain the
+memory of my dearest, fairest years," replied Drost Peter, with a
+glance at Jomfra Inge, whom he had yet only silently saluted, and who
+appeared to be entirely busied with Fru Ingefried and Lady Cecilia. Her
+eyes now met his, and he observed, with pleasure, that this remembrance
+did not appear indifferent to her.
+
+"Have you not been here since?" inquired Sir John; but Drost Peter did
+not hear him.
+
+"You are under a spell, I think. Have you been here since, Peter
+Hessel?" he repeated.
+
+"Last year," answered Drost Peter, somewhat embarrassed, "in the course
+of my unpleasant duty respecting Duke Waldemar's arrest."
+
+At these words Sir Lave turned, highly uneasy, towards the old
+counsellor, and overwhelmed him with half a score of questions at once,
+principally about court news, and indifferent matters.
+
+"I do not trouble myself concerning such fooleries," replied Sir John,
+gravely, looking at his uneasy kinsman with a sharp, inquiring glance;
+"but the best and most important news is already well known to you,
+cousin--that, since the king has regained a faithful subject in Duke
+Waldemar, we may now hope for peace and unity in the country. We may
+therefore reasonably expect that every Danish knight who may have been
+mistaken, but who still means honestly towards his country, will follow
+the young duke's example, and sincerely forswear every thought of
+turbulent resistance and rebellious defiance to the laws of the
+kingdom. In some instances a strict inquiry may perhaps be deemed
+necessary," he added; "but I hope that many adherents of the audacious
+Marsk Andersen are not to be found in the country."
+
+Sir Lave had become deadly pale; and on the stern Sir John's
+countenance appeared a mingled expression of anger and deep sorrow,
+which, however, immediately disappeared, as he turned playfully to
+Jomfru Inge, with reference to one of her childhood's heroines, proud
+Dotte, whose history was represented on the old wrought tapestry of the
+hall.
+
+"Do you still hold by this proud damsel?" he inquired, pointing to the
+picture, representing a lady chained, on board a ship, with a little
+anchor in her hand. "Can you still sing about her cheese-anchors, with
+which she would have kept the whole of Harald Hardrada's fleet from
+Denmark?"[24]
+
+"Do you still remember that, my noble kinsman?" asked Lady Inge
+blushing. "When I sang that song by your side, and defended Dotte
+against your jokes, I was still a child, and you laughed at my zeal:
+but I must still defend her, my noble kinsman. Had the men of Denmark,
+in her time, been as brave as she calculated upon, they would have
+found steel enough to defend her cheese-anchors, and not have suffered
+the Norwegian pirate-king to carry off a Danish maiden in chains, on
+account of a bold word. Somewhat of haughtiness, and of childish
+defiance towards a superior power, there certainly was in the whole
+jest," she continued, with warmth; "but a little innocent boasting was
+still a sign that she had good faith in Danish manhood and fidelity.
+Had she been your daughter, I am certain that you would have gladly
+paid a double ransom for her freedom."
+
+"That may well be," replied Sir John, patting his brave kinswoman on
+the cheek. "Right, proud Ingelil![25] Thou art thy brave mother's
+daughter. The girl is right in some things," he continued, turning to
+the learned chancellor: "she is better acquainted with these ancient
+heroes than I am. This Harald Hardrada was little better than a bold,
+skilful pirate: a lofty, kingly soul, he never had. His doings in
+Denmark and Myklegaard redounded not to his honour; and I look upon the
+daring Jarl Mindre-Alf, of our own times, as his worthy
+representative."
+
+"In mind and deed, abundance of similar representatives might be
+mentioned, with sanguinary, heathenish souls in Christian bodies,"
+replied Master Martin.
+
+"Jarl Mindre-Alf!" repeated Jomfru Inge, starting: "the coarse, rude
+algrev--the little, fierce, brutish sea-rover--is he a jarl?[26] I
+thought he was only Count of Toensberg."
+
+"He is a mighty jarl, and, next to King Erik the Priesthater, and Duke
+Hakon, the greatest man in Norway," answered Sir John. "But thou art
+right, child: he is a coarse, rude carl, and more like a beast than a
+man. Thou hast never seen him, hast thou?"
+
+"I have heard more of him than I could have desired," she replied,
+hastily, avoiding the question, which occasioned her father great
+anguish.
+
+Drost Peter still hoped that Sir Lave, notwithstanding his present
+palpable embarrassment, had been more imprudent than guilty on the
+occasion of the suspicious visit to which this accidental allusion had
+just been made. In order, therefore, to rid him of this uneasiness, and
+to relieve him from every fear of being called upon to answer for that
+transaction, the drost turned, with perfect good nature, to Lady Inge's
+father, and informed him that the real object of the present journey,
+which gave him an opportunity of revisiting so dear a spot, was an
+embassy to the Swedish court of Stockholm; and that Sir John was, at
+the same time, taking his family to their summer residence, Tommerup
+Guard, in Scania.
+
+This explanation instantly brightened up Sir Lave's features. He seemed
+at once to comprehend the drost's good-natured intention in this
+communication, and held out his hand to him with unrestrained emotion.
+"You are welcome to me, sir drost," he said, with a trembling voice,
+and drawing him aside to the open garden-door. "What has occurred
+between us concerns nobody," he continued, anxiously, descending the
+garden-steps with him. He cast back a look towards the saloon, and
+perceiving old Sir John in lively conversation with the chancellor and
+the ladies, he drew Drost Peter hastily into a by-path in the garden.
+"A word in confidence, Drost Hessel," he continued, in a fatherly tone,
+that reminded the drost of his childhood: "what occurred when you were
+last here, might be misinterpreted in a manner dangerous to my honour
+and rank; but I have sufficient confidence in your integrity to rest
+assured that you will not abuse the advantage which circumstances gave
+you over me, to ruin and destroy me. Will you give me your word of
+honour thereupon?"
+
+"By my knightly honour!" answered Drost Peter, much affected, and
+giving him his hand. "God be praised, I have never deemed myself bound
+to come forward as your accuser; and Heaven forbid that I should ever
+be obliged to do so."
+
+"Good," exclaimed Sir Lave, reassured: "I only desired to know that I
+was safe in your hands as regards the past; and for that, your honour
+is now my pledge: the future, I shall myself take care of. Our old
+relationship is now dissolved, and a new one cannot be formed between
+us. We two can now be as if dead to one another."
+
+He turned to depart; but Drost Peter retained him. "Hear me, Sir Lave,"
+he exclaimed, warmly. "I have also an important word to say to you. I
+do not regard that relationship as dissolved, which I first learned to
+prize highly at the moment it appeared to be torn asunder. That which
+estranges you from me, binds me to your house and noble race still more
+firmly, and with a bond that no earthly power can dissolve. It is the
+same bond that unites Denmark's crown and Denmark's hearts together. In
+this, your noble-hearted daughter shares my views, and that, too, with
+an ardour and animation that have enchained my soul irrevocably with
+her's, spite of every opposing or doubtful circumstance. I have not
+spoken a word to her but what you have yourself heard, and what I now
+with certainty know I feel for her. Whether she entertains the same
+feelings towards me, I dare not yet say; but I have a great and fond
+hope, which I will not relinquish while I live, unless she herself,
+which God forbid! should rob me of it."
+
+"Every word of this is now superfluous, sir drost," interrupted Sir
+Lave, coldly and strangely. "For me, you may hope and feel what you
+will. My will, as her father, you know. Your connections and principles
+render me, and every open-minded Dane, common heretics in your eyes;
+and, for the future, I can never think of any union with you. Let us
+mutually esteem each other's hearts and good intentions, however
+dissimilar, in other respects, we may be in our views," he added, with
+less coldness: "let us not, as professors of a different political
+faith, condemn one another for the sake of our opinions. So, let us bid
+each other a peaceful farewell--for ever!" With these words, and with
+averted face, he extended his hand to Drost Peter.
+
+"This, then, is the last time you give me your hand, Sir Lave?"
+exclaimed Drost Peter, with subdued grief. "Oh, that I could hold fast
+by this hand, and drag you from the uncertain, tortuous path on which
+you falter--"
+
+"Unhand me, man! and be silent!" whispered Sir Lave, looking uneasily
+about him. "Would you bring me to misfortune by your discourse? My way
+is not your's; but I had learnt to go alone, before you were born.
+Unhand me! We belong not to each other."
+
+"Pity 'tis that you are right!" sighed Drost Peter, with secret horror,
+as he relinquished the cold, trembling hand.
+
+Without again looking at him, Sir Lave hastily returned to his other
+important guests; whilst Drost Peter, violently agitated, took his way
+along a gloomy arched walk in the garden.
+
+In the garden-hall, to his great comfort, Sir Lave found old Sir John
+still engaged in jocular conversation with Master Martinus; whilst Fru
+Ingefried and her daughter, in company with Lady Inge, were about
+leaving it, to view the castle-garden.
+
+"Drost Hessel is already outside, enjoying the beautiful prospect,"
+said the commandant, bowing to the stranger ladies. "My daughter will
+conduct you to some of those remarkable spots where the clear waters
+and the green trees furnish abundant themes for the most passionate
+admirers of their country's beauties. I am not so fortunate as to
+appreciate these things myself."
+
+The ladies smiled courteously at these careless remarks, and descended
+the garden-steps. Sir Lave cast an inquiring look at the weathercock
+over the castle-gate, and then approached the two gentlemen, without
+disturbing their conversation.
+
+"You astonish me, learned sir chancellor," said Sir John, laughing
+heartily. "Who could have believed that dry philosophy should be so
+amusing? And this is altogether your own discovery?"
+
+"Certainly, sir counsellor," replied the learned chancellor, gravely,
+with a self-satisfied air: "it is the fruit of many a waking night's
+inquiries. I had already thought of it before I took degrees at Paris;
+but it first became quite clear to me in my peaceful _otium_ at
+Antvorskov, and now it is taught in all the universities of Europe."
+
+"And this is the famous Martinian mod--mod--what do you call it?"
+
+"_Modi significandi Martiniani_," said the chancellor, correcting him.
+"It is a treasury of learning, and a fund of science, which I ought not
+to boast of; but I still hope, in all humility, that, with God and the
+Holy Virgin's aid, this important discovery in logic will preserve my
+name in the history of philosophy, and be remembered as long as solid
+learning and universities exist."
+
+"Now, indeed, that I can understand," replied Sir John, with a
+suppressed smile. "Sooth to say, it must be learned and philosophic,
+for I will give you my head if I can understand a word of it. But what
+can a layman, and others like myself, know of such things?"
+
+"How, sir counsellor!" exclaimed the chancellor, astonished, and wiping
+the perspiration from his bald forehead. "Is it not as clear and
+evident as God's daylight? and have I not taken pains to translate for
+you all the Greek and Latin terms, which are a great ornament in such
+matters, though, perhaps, dark to the uninitiated? Allow me, and I will
+again explain to you the whole system from the beginning. By _modus
+significandi_, is to be understood, in logic--"
+
+"Nay, for heaven's sake--nay, best of chancellors!" interrupted Sir
+John, hastily; "plunge me no deeper into the science. I have every
+respect for it, and believe that it will immortalise you, among the
+learned, to the end of time; but, if I cannot become immortal by other
+means, my memory must perish, and I must be contented, in God's name,
+to do the best I can when living, and leave our Lord to care for the
+rest. Seriously speaking, sir chancellor: if a man cannot become wise
+and intelligent without all this vexatious trouble, and if I must twist
+and turn my thoughts by this method, before I can know whether they are
+wise or foolish--by the Lord's truth! I should be a hundred years old
+before I could master a single common thought, and should require the
+lifetime of three men before I could put an excellent thought into
+practice. Nay: I must make use of another method. When I know what I
+wish to say, I say it; and when I know what I wish and ought to do, I
+do it; and do not trouble myself whether the world stands or falls.
+There you have the whole of my system. It is not so learned as your's;
+but that you also follow it, in the main, you have given me excellent
+proof, for which I have every esteem and honour."
+
+So saying, he shook the learned chancellor heartily by the hand, and
+cast a look towards Sir Lave. "See, there stands my cousin, the
+commandant," he continued, gaily: "he is nearly five years younger than
+I, and can perhaps still learn something in the world. If you can bring
+him to see how we should think justly and reasonably, in these crazy
+times, it may not perhaps be out of the way. But I must out, and draw a
+breath of fresh air in the garden."
+
+Surrendering Sir Lave to the somewhat tiresome, philosophic chancellor,
+he made his exit hastily by the garden-door, and was soon plunged in
+serious thought in the arched walk.
+
+On a green knoll, commanding a magnificent view over the Sound, Drost
+Peter stood, meanwhile, between Jomfru Inge and Lady Cecilia, in lively
+conversation respecting those notable events of olden times, of which
+the traditions and supposed memorials were still preserved in this
+glorious region. Contrary to Jomfru Inge's opinion, Drost Peter
+maintained that these events must be referred to other, and, to him,
+well-known spots in Jutland. The subject of their conversation was the
+great tragical legend of Hamlet. Fru Ingefried listened with interest,
+whilst the animated, patriotic Jomfru Inge enlivened her description of
+these events by traditions and snatches of popular ballads, and pointed
+to every spot where, as a child, she had heard and believed that they
+must have happened. Fru Ingefried now perceived her husband by the end
+of the arched walk, and went to meet him; while Drost Peter and Jomfru
+Inge continued to converse of Hamlet and his daring plans, the sagacity
+of which Drost Peter admired, but maintained that they still wanted
+truth, justice, and noble grandeur.
+
+"This knavish cunning," he said--"this merely apparent love of truth,
+by means of which the real truth is concealed, when it is spoken
+ambiguously and figuratively--this crafty play with sound sense and
+madness, with jest and cruel earnest, is to me sufficiently detestable;
+but these features of the tradition, however un-Danish they may appear,
+are still founded on a remarkable peculiarity in the character of our
+people."
+
+"What mean you, Drost Peter?" inquired Lady Inge, with wounded pride.
+"Do you accuse yourself, and all of us, with a base proneness to craft
+and falsehood?"
+
+"Understand me rightly, noble lady. The craft of Hamlet is, in the
+main, completely Danish, though I cannot prize it as in anywise great
+and noble. This kind of craft ever betrays itself in a respect for
+truth, even when it may not and dare not be spoken openly. Every period
+of disquiet and internal disturbance in Denmark will show us that, with
+the best and noblest of the people, our honesty, justice, and love of
+truth never entirely disappear, but reveal themselves where the mere
+semblance of truth is used as a cloak to deceit. The greatest deceiver
+and nidding amongst us will always blush to deny or disguise the truth
+openly: he is too proud to lie, even were it to save his life; and he
+will speak the truth even where it may endanger him, but so darkly and
+figuratively, that himself only and his friends can understand it,
+while his foes receive it in an opposite sense."
+
+"Therein, perhaps, you maybe right," said Jomfru Inge, gravely; "but a
+wish to wrest and distort the truth does not, in consequence, lie in
+the people's mode of thinking.
+
+"Far be it from me to assert that it does," replied Drost Peter; "but I
+have observed that even the most upright of our commoners take a
+singular pleasure, whilst jesting, in striving to tack something on a
+person's sleeve, as they term it, strictly, however, without telling an
+untruth. In this consists a great portion of the craft and wit of our
+common people. It may be highly good-natured and innocent; but, in
+times like these, it is still a dangerous quality, which renders it
+extremely difficult to distinguish the true friends of the crown from
+its secret enemies."
+
+"Nay, nay," exclaimed Jomfru Inge, gladly; "in this you greatly err,
+Drost Peter. You know our brave and trusty countrymen better. I often
+see and converse with the poorest and humblest of them. They speak
+openly and impatiently of their burdens, and, in their language, do not
+spare the great and powerful. They are not afraid to utter the boldest
+truths, even as regards the king and his favourites; but, when I speak
+to them of the crown and kingdom, with the view of ascertaining their
+opinions respecting an illegally imposed king, you should see how
+readily they forget their own grievances, and how uprightly they
+express their devoted attachment to the ancient, legitimate, royal
+family. It is true that, when jesting, they often find great amusement
+in figurative language, and in befooling each other with old proverbs,
+and suchlike; but this good-natured sort of waggishness I rather
+admire, and certainly think there is nothing wrong in it."
+
+"I do not blame that which is so natural to the people, and, in a
+manner, born with them," replied Drost Peter. "None of us are entirely
+free from it," he added. "We have both, perhaps, to-day, noble Jomfru
+Inge, and even at this very hour, concealed what we know, and avoided
+the truth, to spare ourselves or others, without having said an untrue
+word."
+
+Lady Inge blushed. "Every one has a right to do so," she said,
+earnestly. "What I will not and ought not to say, no power on earth
+shall compel me to speak. If we could not be veracious and upright,
+without telling everything we know, there would be few honest men in
+existence. You shall judge between us, good Cecilia," she continued,
+turning playfully to her relation, who had hitherto been a silent
+listener. "Think you Drost Peter himself is so upright, that he would
+tell us truly, were we to ask him, which colour he esteems most
+highly?"
+
+"We need not ask him that," replied Cecilia: "the colour you now wear
+in your hairband, is that worn by the drost--last year, at least."
+
+Drost Peter blushed deeply. "I wore it last year, because it was the
+queen's colour," he replied. "I won the right to do so at the
+Helsingborg tourney. But for twelve months before last May I have not
+worn it; although it has, since then, become dearer to me than ever. I
+fancy I have known from my childhood that crimson band, with the small
+pearl-lilies, and it is the only band I would suffer to bind me
+prisoner; but were Jomfru Inge even now to present me with it, I dare
+not openly wear it. The reason, too, must remain a secret."
+
+Lady Inge had hastily raised her hand to the crimson fillet, as if she
+would remove it; but, on hearing Drost Peter's latter words, she only
+secured it more firmly, and changed the conversation to another
+subject.
+
+"Look at my handsome, watchful bird," she said, merrily. "Had Hamlet
+possessed him, he would certainly have known how to make use of him."
+As she said this, she patted a large tame fowl that had flown towards
+her, alarmed, as it appeared, by Claus Skirmen, who was in search of
+his master, to inform him, as he had been ordered, of the state of the
+wind.
+
+Drost Peter paid no attention to his squire's announcement. He praised
+the noble bird, and looked at his mistress with a singularly blended
+sentiment of joy and melancholy, while many fond memories of childhood
+flitted across his soul, and mingled with his feelings of the present
+moment. It almost seemed to him as if he were in a dream, and that the
+knight's tall, fair daughter was again changed into the child-bride of
+former days.
+
+In the meantime Sir John, with his wife, was leisurely approaching
+the knoll. He stopped, and gazed at the young man on the green
+strand-height. "A fine, brave, excellent young man," he said, pointing
+to Drost Peter; "he is quite another drost than Sir Abildgaard. Our
+Cecilia's interest in that subtle knight does not please me. The
+suspicions that have attached to him, since his imprisonment, ought to
+have cured her of her whimsy. Has she not determined yet?"
+
+"Your silence has made her anxious," replied the mother, with concern;
+"and, without your consent, she gives him no decisive answer."
+
+"She is free; but from me, she shall not hear a syllable on the matter.
+What I think of him, she well knows."
+
+"Then she never becomes Drost Abildgaard's wife. God strengthen her!"
+
+"Drost Peter takes his time," interrupted Sir John, hastily.
+
+"His childhood's bride no longer hates him," replied Fru Ingefried; "he
+does not delay thus merely on account of the wind."
+
+Sir John cast a look at the vane on the turret. "You are right," he
+observed: "we must away. If our good Drost Peter means to jest with us,
+he shall have the worst of it."
+
+They were now close to the knoll.
+
+"Drost Peter!" shouted Sir John, "the wind is fair, and we are ready to
+set sail. If you will with us, come quickly." Whereupon, the old
+gentleman hastily returned to the garden-hall, and the whole company
+followed him.
+
+When Sir John entered the great hall, he found the learned chancellor
+alone, deeply engrossed in a small, neat manuscript.
+
+"Up to the ears in study again?" said Sir John. "Is that your Logica?"
+
+"Nay, nay, noble sir," exclaimed the learned chancellor, as his eyes
+sparkled with almost youthful liveliness. "See, here I have found some
+of the glorious old Danish ballads I heard in my childhood, besides
+many excellent national ones I never knew of. Your cousin, the
+commandant, must be a brave, patriotic-souled man, and well versed in
+our old legends and histories. There are some capital notes in the
+margin of the songs; and here, of a truth, pour living fountains from
+the people themselves.
+
+"That is brave!" exclaimed Sir John, with singular interest: "that is
+more than I could have imagined of my good sir cousin, and I like him
+all the better. The ballads themselves may be pretty enough. I do not
+understand much of these wares; but, when they are sung, I listen to
+them willingly. One half of these ballads are fictions and fables, I
+doubt not; but their intention is good, and they must have been a brave
+Danish people who made them."
+
+Jomfru Inge, with the other ladies and Drost Peter, now entered.
+
+"Ingelil, child," called Sir John to her, "when did thy father become
+so learned, and take such pleasure in old songs and ballads? Formerly,
+he could never endure them."
+
+"It is not my father's--it is my own little song-book," replied Lady
+Inge. "My blessed mother wrote many of them."
+
+"And the glosses--the marginal notes?" inquired Master Martinus.
+
+"Oh, nothing more than what I heard from my old spinning-women, and
+what I sometimes thought of myself."
+
+At this discovery, Master Martinus seemed almost to blush at his zeal
+for a work that he had only women and unlettered lay-people to thank
+for; but his true attachment to the ancient ballads overcame this shock
+to his learned pride, and he grasped Jomfru Inge's hand warmly, while
+he returned her the manuscript. "You have rejoiced my soul, noble
+lady," he said, much affected; "and I could almost, in exchange for
+this unlearned feminine manuscript, give you my own sufficiently
+well-known work, _De Modis Significandi_."
+
+"Such an exchange the girl would not much desire," said Sir John,
+interrupting him. "But where is thy father, Ingelil? We must bid him
+farewell, and get on board immediately."
+
+"I will seek him," answered Inge, as she went hastily away.
+
+"The commandant is in his closet, in conversation with a good friend,"
+said Master Martin: "I had forgotten him, over the book. He is
+travelling in great haste."
+
+"Do you know this good friend?" inquired Sir John, with apparent
+indifference.
+
+"I must relinquish this," replied the chancellor, in a half-absent
+manner, and still keeping his eye on the manuscript, which Lady Inge
+had laid on the table. "He wore his visor down: it was a warlike
+figure."
+
+"A masked warrior?" inquired Sir John, attentively.
+
+"Probably, a coast-guardsman," answered the chancellor. "In a royal
+castle, one is always in a state of war. The commandant seems to be as
+cautious as he is vigilant; and I do not blame him, that, in these
+troublous times, he should avail himself of spies and disguised
+servitors."
+
+Jomfru Inge had now returned. She was deadly pale, and sought in vain
+to conceal her deep anguish and embarrassment. "My father," she said,
+with half-choked utterance--"my father will be here immediately."
+
+Drost Peter, alarmed, advanced a step or two towards her, with an
+expression of deep concern; but he paused and was silent, as he
+suddenly guessed the cause of her perplexity.
+
+"What ails thee, my child?" demanded Sir John, with an uneasy inquiring
+look. "Thou hast run too fast," he added, considerately, giving her
+time to answer.
+
+"I am not quite well," she answered, as she supported herself by a
+chair. "He will come immediately: I have sent a message to him."
+
+"He is engaged officially, I hear, and we will not disturb him. Salute
+him, and say we were in haste. God bless thee, child! Come, gentlemen."
+
+Anger and deep sorrow were visible in the countenance of the old
+knight, and, as he regarded the pale Lady Inge, a tear stole into his
+eye; but in another moment he was again calm, as usual. "See, here we
+have the vigilant sir commandant still," he said, in his customary
+lively tone, as Sir Lave opened the door, and entered with a
+constrained but smiling countenance. "No excuses, cousin," added Sir
+John: "the king's service takes precedence of every other. We must,
+therefore, in all haste bid you farewell."
+
+"Already, sir counsellor!" stammered Sir Lave: "I thought the wind--"
+
+"We have not the most favourable wind, if your weathercock may be
+depended on," replied the old gentleman; "but I fear a person would be
+misled, were he to depend upon that. I go by the king's yacht; and I
+know that vessel can make head against a contrary wind tolerably well.
+I understand a little of sailing, too; and we have, moreover, a good
+steersman in Drost Peter. Farewell."
+
+These apparently indifferent words, which the old counsellor pronounced
+with a peculiar emphasis, had to Sir Lave a serious and fearful
+signification, that deprived him of the power of utterance. He bowed
+civilly, though with embarrassment, as he followed his guests to the
+door. Old John once more gave his hand to Jomfru Inge, with a warmth
+and heartiness unusual in him. Drost Peter bowed to her with a look
+that carried comfort to her soul; and Master Martinus again thanked her
+for the pleasure her songbook had yielded him. Fru Ingefried and Lady
+Cecilia, like the worthy chancellor, seemed to have no idea of the
+cause of her indisposition. The ladies, however, would not permit her
+to follow them to the door; and having embraced her with hearty
+affection, the mother, with kind solicitude, gave her all the domestic
+remedies she could think of, for sudden depression of spirits.
+
+Scarcely had they left the door, before Lady Inge burst into a flood of
+tears, and sank into a chair, with her hands before her eyes. She sat
+thus, immovable, for some minutes. When she took her hands from her
+eyes, her father stood before her.
+
+"What is this? What means this conduct, child?" he inquired, in tones
+that sounded almost harshly. "Dear, best Inge!" he added, with greater
+mildness, "compose yourself. What is the matter?"
+
+"Father, father!" she exclaimed, eagerly, as she rose, "is the strange
+knight still in your closet?"
+
+"What leads thee to trouble thyself about my official business?"
+inquired the father, perplexed: "I do not permit this interference in
+my affairs. Go to thy chamber, and make ready my travelling-wallet. I
+journey from hence in half an hour."
+
+"Thou travellest, father? and leavest me behind alone? How long
+remainest thou away?"
+
+"But a few days: it is on important business. When wert thou wont to be
+afraid of being alone? I shall provide for the safeguard of the castle
+during my absence. Thou canst therefore be calm."
+
+"For thee, too, father? Nay, nay, I cannot maintain this painful
+silence: thou must know the truth, father. I tremble for thy secret
+schemes--I tremble for thy terrible friends--I am tortured by the most
+dreadful anguish for thy soul!"
+
+"Art thou mad, girl?" exclaimed the uneasy father, exasperated, and
+stamping violently. "Hast thou, too, conspired against me? Is it not
+enough that my own tyrannical kinsman and his understrappers must
+torture me in my own house, and threaten me, covertly, with the
+despotic kingly power? Shall my own child be my betrayer? Must I not
+converse with a trusty friend in my closet, without being suspected and
+betrayed by my own? Get thee to thy apartment, child, and weep not; or,
+if thou must weep, let it be only in private. Guard thy tongue, also,
+that thou betrayest not thy father's life with thy childish nonsense.
+My affairs thou understandest not; and for my soul thou needest not
+care. I know what I dare do: my confessor is a man who better
+understands my salvation than thou and the conscientious Drost Peter.
+Do as I say, my good child, and be reasonable. I shall not have time,
+after this, to bid thee farewell. The gentleman I travel with is my
+friend, and a man I can depend upon. Farewell."
+
+With these words he hastily departed. The unhappy daughter wept no
+longer: she appeared calm, almost to indifference, and proceeded to her
+chamber to execute her father's orders.
+
+Scarcely had she finished packing her father's portmanteau, ere a
+trooper appeared, to take it to him. He was a tall, strange carl, in
+complete iron mail, and with a wild, audacious countenance.
+
+"What is thy name, and who is thy master, countryman?" asked Lady Inge,
+as she looked at him calmly and keenly.
+
+"I need not conceal my honest name here," replied the man, with a
+Jutland accent: "people call me long Mat Jute. My master has a better
+name, but I dare not mention it on Zealand's ground. The three rogues
+who have just left, are not worthy to see his face. He never sets foot
+on shore here, without being cased in steel from top to toe; and
+whoever merely catches a glimpse of his eyes, through the bars of his
+helmet, is seized--with decency be it spoken--with the gripes, on the
+spot. But with your father it is quite another matter, fair jomfru: he
+is a brave man, I wot."
+
+"Mat Jute!" repeated Jomfru Inge: "my little maiden Elsie's
+sweetheart?"
+
+"O yes, fair jomfru," smirked the man, stroking his beard: "a little
+sweethearting one must have, wherever he goes: it never binds him, and
+it is good for both man and beast. But there goes my master to the
+skiff. Farewell, fair jomfru." And seizing the tolerably heavy
+portmanteau by the thongs, with two of his fingers he swang it on his
+shoulder.
+
+Lady Inge went to the window. At the door stood Elsie, to bid farewell
+to her warlike sweetheart once more. He did not waste time, however, in
+a long and touching adieu, giving her only one hearty kiss in passing
+along the narrow passage, and then pushing her aside to overtake his
+master.
+
+Lady Inge stood as if rivetted to the window. She saw her father,
+closely wrapt in his travelling-cloak, cross the court-yard of the
+castle, by the side of a tan, stalwart knight, who, in a dark,
+tarnished steel harness, strode proudly towards the castle-gates. The
+castellan paused once or twice, as if he had forgotten something, or
+was undecided; but the strange knight seemed to give no heed to this.
+Near the entrance of the dark archway, the tall, giant-like figure
+stopped and turned round, and Lady Inge now saw that his face was
+concealed by a black iron visor. He raised his mail-clad arm and
+beckoned. Sir Lave still lingered a moment. The sword of the strange
+knight rang sharply against the stones at his feet, and again he
+beckoned, with an authoritative motion of his arm, like a general, and
+turned away. Sir Lave hastily followed him, and both disappeared under
+the dark archway of the gate.
+
+To Lady Inge, it seemed as if her father was drawn into an abyss by the
+dreadful iron giant. "Merciful God! Stig Andersen himself!" she
+exclaimed, as, with a scream, she fell back, devoid of consciousness,
+on the floor.
+
+When her recollection returned, she found herself in the arms of her
+waiting-maid; and little Elsie, with all her giddiness, was almost
+weeping over her dear jomfru's condition. But Lady Inge soon recovered.
+A sudden thought seemed to inspire her with new strength and courage,
+and, rising hastily, she left her waiting-maids. Taking her bunch of
+keys, she proceeded to her father's private closet, at the door of
+which she stopped doubtfully, and searched uneasily among the keys;
+but, to her surprise, she found the closet door ajar. On examination,
+however, she found that it had been locked, but probably in such haste
+and agitation, that the iron staple, which should have held it, was
+broken. This accident seemed to relieve her from every doubt, and she
+stepped promptly over the threshold, and looked around her.
+
+Her attention was first directed to a well-known cabinet in the wall,
+wherein her father kept his private letters. The steel knob, by which
+it could be opened, glistened in her eyes like a dangerous snake's
+head. She pressed the knob, the cabinet sprang open, and a bundle of
+papers and letters came to view, which she instantly recognised.
+Shortly before Duke Waldemar's visit, in the previous year, she had
+seen her father receive, with great anxiety, this well-known packet
+from a lively, fat carl, who had sung merry songs in the servants'
+hall, and assisted the maids in the kitchen. That these letters were of
+an important and dangerous character, was, to her, only too evident.
+Without stopping to examine them, she placed them in an iron box,
+wherein her father was accustomed to keep the royal toll-money, but
+which now stood, empty and unlocked, near the door. Having locked the
+box, and placed the key in her bosom, she sank down in a praying
+posture, and thus remained, for the rest of the day, in the lonely
+closet. As soon as it was dark, she dragged the heavy iron box down
+into the castle-garden, where, with great effort, she buried it in the
+knoll, near the Sound.
+
+"God forgive me!" she sighed; "he is my father! I bury his infamy, and
+thus save his name and honour! But, away from me, the key to the
+horrible secret! It presses on my heart with the weight of a mountain."
+
+As if seized with extreme horror, she took from her bosom the key of
+the box, and threw it with all her might into the deep Sound, that
+roared at the foot of the height. She then returned, quietly and
+thoughtfully, into the fortress.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In the southern part of the parish of Felballe, in the diocese of
+Aarhuus, stood the famous castle, Moellerup, close by a stream with a
+few water-mills, and near a dark wood of half a mile[27] in extent. It
+was a strongly-fortified place, in the heavy Gothic style of building,
+with thick walls of hewn stone, and a lofty square tower in the centre.
+The fortress was provided with earthen ramparts and wide ditches, both
+before and behind.
+
+Here resided the celebrated Marsk Stig Andersen Hvide, with his family.
+He had himself erected and fortified this castle, whose lofty tower was
+visible, from a considerable distance, over the wood. On the flat
+summit of the tower, within the battlements, stood four iron-clad men,
+day and night, as sentinels, who constantly kept their looks fixed
+towards the four quarters, like the stone giants on Kolding Castle. The
+heavy drawbridge was already up, and over the arched gateway fluttered
+a large banner, adorned with the arms of the lord of the castle--a
+seven-rayed star on azure, under a helmet with two white wings.
+
+On the ramparts stood large bliders, or wall-slings--a kind of wooden
+machine, by which immense stones were thrown. At great expense, the
+marsk had here collected numerous defensive machines, some of which had
+been made in Roskild, by German artificers. Here might be seen the
+fearful igel-cat[28] with oak-peg bristles on the back, used for
+crushing besiegers; here, also, was to be found the dangerous brynkioel,
+of iron, with crooked steel spikes, and pointed iron claws, whose
+purpose was, when let down from the ramparts, to seize besiegers, and
+drag them up. Shot-waggons, for red-hot stones, stood ready for
+defence, night and day. Seven hundred men in armour guarded the
+fortress. The order and quietness that reigned within the walls denoted
+the strictest discipline. The grim, ironclad men moved about with a
+silence and regularity that fearfully indicated the dark temper which
+ruled in that fortress.
+
+The powerful master of the castle was now absent, but his return was
+daily expected; and the place was filled with grave and quiet guests.
+Every night the drawbridge was lowered at a secret signal, and the gate
+opened for the admission of strangers, who came disguised in the gray
+cloaks of friars, or in knight's full armour. In the large riddersal,
+and in the lofty arched apartments, were daily assembled a great number
+of guests; and although the clatter of knives, and other table
+utensils, might be heard, there was no loud conversation, nor any sound
+of social glee. Among these guests no woman was to be seen; a remote
+wing of the castle being devoted to the female portion of its
+inhabitants, who there passed their hours in almost conventual
+separation from the more warlike community.
+
+It was now the afternoon of the third day after Sir Lave's departure
+from Flynderborg with the mailed knight, in whom, for the first time,
+and with so much terror, Lady Inge had seen the powerful marsk. In the
+women's vaulted apartment of Moellerup sat the reserved lady of a
+knight, in a dark coloured dress, with her countenance concealed by a
+black head-dress.
+
+Two little maidens, also in black, but without veils, sat on high
+stools by her side. They were both beautiful children, with light hair
+and blue eyes. One, who was almost a head taller than the other, and
+had her smooth, plaited locks tied up with a dark pearl-band, appeared
+to be about fourteen years old: her cheeks were so faintly coloured,
+and her skin was so clear and white, that she almost resembled a
+beautiful marble statue, miraculously endowed with life, but still only
+half belonging to the world of mortals. A deep, calm melancholy
+overspread her fair, earnest countenance: there was nothing painful and
+consuming, however, in its grief, which was softened by a pious and
+kindly expression, as if she had already overcome some awful sorrow,
+and had found her lost, youthful joys in the far-off mysterious world
+to which she appeared to belong. She sat, with a weaving-frame in her
+lap, working, with threads of silk and gold, a picture of the Virgin
+and Child, surrounded by a halo of worshiping angels.
+
+The other little girl had yellow flaxen hair, which hung down her neck
+in ringlets. She did not appear more than nine years old, and had a
+merry and extremely lively, childish countenance, red rosy cheeks, and
+a pair of wild, playful eyes, which were never at rest, but constantly
+twinkling. She was rather handsome, but violent, impatient, and
+restless: scarcely remaining quiet for an instant on her stool; now
+throwing aside her work, and then taking it up again; with a thousand
+other antics, which she abandoned as rapidly as they were conceived.
+
+"Still, Rikke!" said the veiled lady, without looking at the child, or
+uncovering her face. "Wilt thou into the nursery again?"
+
+"Yes, willingly, mother: it is much more pleasant," exclaimed the
+little restless girl, running out.
+
+The veiled lady heaved a deep sigh, and relapsed into her former
+silence. She was busied in rubbing spots of rust from a large broad
+battle-blade, which lay across her knees; but she appeared to direct
+her thoughts to her work with difficulty, and her hands often fell
+inertly on her knees.
+
+"Mother," said the quiet, grave maiden with the gold embroidery, "I am
+thinking of what our Lord and Redeemer would say, if he still journeyed
+about the world, and were to come to us here."
+
+"If the Just One stood amongst us, child, he would ask why justice
+slumbers so long."
+
+"Ah, mother, think you not he would rather say as he said to the holy
+Peter, the night he was betrayed by the false Judas?"
+
+"I have forgotten it," answered the mother. "Has Father Anton taught it
+you? What said he, then?"
+
+"It stands in the holy text, dear mother." And she repeated, with
+folded hands, and in a singing tone, the passage in Matthew--"'Put up
+again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall
+perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
+Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of
+angels?'"
+
+The mother was silent, and sank into a gloomy reverie. "Thou art a
+pious child, my Margarethe," she said, at length; "but thou art little
+like thy brave father. Thou art still too young to understand the cruel
+injustice and the monstrous scandal that befell his house. Thou canst
+not understand wherefore thy mother will not suffer any one in the
+world to look upon her face. There are stains, unmerited stains, that
+can only be washed out in a manner that is costly, and dangerous, and
+dreadful, but necessary as eternal justice. Thy mother has not quite
+forgotten the pious instructions of her childhood. Knowest thou what
+our righteous Lord and Judge said, when he foresaw the cruel injustice
+he should suffer?--'He who hath not a sword, let him sell his garment
+and buy one!'"
+
+"Yea, right, right, my daughter Ingeborg!" was uttered by a broken,
+aged voice, from an obscure corner of the apartment: "so it stands
+written. It is God's own word. Buy me a sword for my garment: I need no
+garments. All the garments in the world will not hide our shame!"
+
+The person who thus spoke now made his appearance--a little, bent, aged
+figure, greatly emaciated, who groped his way forward, for his red,
+half-shut eyes were without vision. His head, almost entirely bald,
+appeared all scratched and torn; and his coarse gray beard was in
+tufts, as if it had been half plucked out. His lean fingers were
+crooked, and provided with monstrous nails. His dress was of a new and
+fine black fur, but hung about him in tatters; and his wild, crazy
+expression clearly enough indicated that he had thus maltreated it
+himself, in his fits of madness.
+
+"Ah, poor old grandfather!" exclaimed the little Margarethe: "he has
+got his hands loose, and has been tearing himself again."
+
+"Call a couple of the house-carls, child," whispered the mother,
+hastily; "but with all quietness. Perhaps I, myself, can talk to him
+best."
+
+The little Margarethe went hastily out, with her hands folded over her
+breast, as if praying.
+
+"Quiet, quiet, father!" said the veiled lady, placing the sword under
+the table, and advancing leisurely towards him. "The time is not yet
+come; but it draws near: thou shalt yet, perhaps, before thou diest,
+hear thy daughter's voice without blushing. To see me and my scandal,
+thou art free."
+
+"Ha, ha!" laughed the old man, wildly: "that freedom, old Palle Little
+has taken himself; for that he has asked neither king nor pope. If thou
+wilt bind me again, my daughter, do so; but quickly, and touch not my
+claws, I advise thee! They will serve to tear out the tiger-heart and
+the blinking goats' eyes. Only promise me that you will yourself unbind
+me, and hand me my Toke's sword, when the time arrives."
+
+"That I have already sworn and promised you, dearly and holily, my
+father. But you must also keep the promise you have given me, and
+ill-use neither yourself nor others in the meanwhile."
+
+"Well, bind me, then, child, and lead me back to my owlet's hole. You
+spoke of a sword, my daughter, and I thought the time had come. It is
+long, long--it is now nine long winters. There is not much life left in
+me; but die I cannot, before it comes to pass: that knowest thou well."
+
+"Unhappy father!" sighed the tall female form. She knelt; and, with her
+own wasted fingers, took up the crooked and trembling hands of the old
+man, which she kissed through her veil, and then bound loosely, behind
+his back, with a silk riband. "Now that thou art again bound, my
+father," she continued, rising, "let me lead thee back to thy corner of
+hope. Refuse not, father. The day of retribution is certain, and not
+far distant."
+
+Quietly and silently the trembling old man followed her to his nook,
+where he sank, as if in a slumber.
+
+The little Margarethe now returned with two servants, who remained
+standing by the door.
+
+"Hold back! I require you not!" said the lady, giving them a signal to
+go. The servants bowed respectfully, and retired in silence.
+
+"The dear Holy Virgin be praised! grandfather again sleeps calmly,"
+said little Margarethe, sitting quietly down to her work.
+
+The mother and daughter remained a long time in silence, and all was as
+still as death around them, until they heard the noise of horses in the
+courtyard.
+
+"Listen! more strangers have come," said Margarethe: "there are still
+many of father's good friends to defend us." She went to the window.
+"It is father himself, and a strange gentleman," she exclaimed,
+hastily: "he dismounts on the great stone by the stairs. God be
+praised, he is come! I was almost afraid of so many strangers."
+
+The unhappy house-mother heard this account, with emotions that
+betrayed a momentary gladness. She arose, but, without saying a word,
+again seated herself, with a deep sigh.
+
+In the large riddersal of Moellerup, thirteen grave strangers awaited
+the arrival of the master of the castle. They were seated at a long
+oaken table, which stood in the middle of the hall, covered with black
+cloth. Eighteen chairs stood around the table. One of these chairs was
+higher than the rest, and covered with red velvet: it was vacant. That
+on the left side of it was also vacant; but on the right sat the heavy
+Count Jacob of Halland, with his legs stretched out, and drumming on
+the table with his fingers. Between him and his brother, Niels
+Hallandsfar, who resembled him in manner and disposition, sat the
+notable dean, Master Jens Grand, regarding, with a grave and
+scrutinising look, the assembled personages, most of whom were his
+kinsmen, and as proud as himself of belonging to the great family of
+the Absaloms. He appeared particularly gratified at seeing four
+knights, whose dark visages and haughty mien indicated displeasure and
+resoluteness for revenge. These were Sir Jacob Blaafod, Arved Bengtson,
+Peder Jacobsen, and Niels Knudson of Scania, who had all distinguished
+themselves, under Stig Andersen and Count Jacob, in the Swedish war,
+but had, along with their general, fallen into disgrace for their
+arbitrary proceedings in dethroning the previous Swedish king.
+
+The dean had, opposite to him, a smart young gentleman, with a proud
+but lively and frivolous countenance: this was Duke Waldemar's drost,
+and fellow-prisoner in Sjoeborg, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. Next to him
+sat a personage who had long been regarded as one of the king's true
+men--Chamberlain Ove Dyre: he, and the man by his side, Peder Porse,
+had recently come to an open rupture with the king, on account of a
+debt which the latter would not acknowledge; and in consequence of this
+quarrel, they had taken refuge with King Magnus in Sweden.
+
+All these gentlemen the dean seemed to observe with satisfaction. A
+noble old squire, Aage Kagge, who had long vainly expected the honour
+of knighthood from the king, the dean likewise appeared to regard with
+confidence and pleasure; but he cast a doubtful glance at the tall,
+overgrown person by his side, whose crafty countenance wore a smile of
+self-satisfaction, while he seemed to fancy himself a man of
+considerable importance in this secret council. This was the king's
+double-minded, cunning counsellor, Chamberlain Rane.
+
+In the midst of the company, with an air of boorish pride, sat a short,
+coarse, splendidly dressed personage, with diamonds on the hilt of his
+dagger, and a gold chain about his animal-looking neck. His countenance
+was fierce, rough, and hideous, and he seemed to be tired of the long
+silence. This was the Norwegian freebooter chief, Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+"Now, by Satan! how long will it be ere they get off their horses?" he
+at length growled forth, breaking the silence. "They must first in, and
+comfort the women, we shall find. I have ridden three beasts to death
+to be in time, and yet I have to wait. My time is precious, but here
+have I now been sitting for half an hour, like an empty barrel, without
+tasting either wet or dry. I have only three words to tell you from my
+good king, ye worthy gentlemen, but they are worth gold: if you keep me
+much longer, I must ride my own way, with the devil's help; and then,
+we shall see what comes of all your whispering and sour mouths."
+
+"Highborn sir jarl," replied Master Grand, hastily, "after such a
+hurried journey, you must needs require a heart-strengthening, before
+you can think of more grave affairs. Please to follow me into the next
+apartment: there we shall find a magnificent gammon, and excellent old
+wine, which you have scarcely found a match for in any of our
+convents."
+
+"Ha, I can understand that!" growled the heavy gentleman, rising "You
+are a man who understands both body and soul: you know what an honest
+sea-dog stands in need of, on the cursed land. A house without a host,
+or wine, or women, the devil may set foot into! Come, then. But it must
+only be a slight strengthener," he added, thoughtfully: "if I set
+myself regularly down to the drinking-board, you will scarcely get a
+word out of me concerning these vile land-crab affairs."
+
+Master Grand took him hastily by the arm, and led him out of the
+riddersal.
+
+"By St. Canute! I think I shall go too," said Count Jacob, rising: "my
+good comrade the marsk does not remember whom he has invited as
+guests."
+
+"There he is! there is the marsk!" exclaimed one knight to another.
+Count Jacob remained standing, while all the others rose, and looked,
+with fixed attention, towards the door, which was thrown open for the
+powerful lord of the castle.
+
+Proud and majestic, entered the well-known heroic figure, in his black
+harness and closed visor. He was accompanied by Sir Lave Little, who
+looked anxiously around him, and appeared highly disquieted as his eye
+fell on Chamberlain Rane.
+
+The marsk saluted the company in silence, and advanced to the table,
+where he placed himself on the left side of the vacant, velvet-covered
+chair. He then struck aside the visor of his helmet, and made a
+scrutinising and earnest survey of the company. On his stern,
+energetic, and commanding countenance was an expression of almost
+painful sadness, which singularly affected them all. "Be seated," he
+said, with a subdued voice: "my father-in-law and my wife are agreed in
+what we may determine; their seats may therefore remain empty. But I
+miss two important men."
+
+At that instant, the door of the side apartment opened, and Master
+Grand led the pacified jarl into the hall. They both bowed in silence,
+and took their places. The lofty marsk alone remained standing.
+
+"Secure the doors--we are all here," he said to the two at the further
+end of the table.
+
+Squire Kagge and Chamberlain Rane rose, and placed bars across both
+doors of the hall. They again took their seats, and there was an
+expectant silence, all eyes being fastened on the marsk.
+
+"You all know wherefore we are again assembled, my trusty friends,"
+began the grave marsk, in a deep, subdued voice, betraying powerfully
+suppressed indignation: "you all know what has rendered this castle,
+for the last nine years, a dismal and sorrowful abode. I declared it
+before the people of Denmark, and before all the world, in the hour
+when I denounced the King of Denmark in the Ting of Viborg, and swore
+to revenge my shame or to lose my life. I have not had my revenge, and
+Marsk Stig Andersen still lives. Had I delayed so long from base fear,
+and had I rather wished to be a braggart and perjurer than to risk my
+life for my honour, then might you all despise me--then might every
+drop of blood in my body suffuse these cheeks with shame, in presence
+of my friends and kinsmen. But see! I blush not: I am calm and cool, as
+beseems a man who can keep his revenge until his hair becomes gray, and
+suffer his thoughts to grow until they ripen. My own disdain I have
+hitherto borne for your sakes and for the sake of my country. I have
+had a greater and more important aim in view than merely to wipe out
+the stains on my own and my house's honour. The great hour of
+retribution has not yet arrived; but it approaches. No impatience--no
+precipitation, friends--and it shall surely come. I see no one present
+who has not been deeply wronged and injured by this same tyrant, whom I
+have denounced, and whose death and downfall I have sworn; but none of
+you have so much to revenge as I. So long, then, as Stig Andersen can
+brook delay, so long may you also."
+
+Count Jacob exhibited some impatience, and seemed desirous to speak;
+but a look from the marsk immediately quieted him.
+
+"It is for more than one man's revenge," he continued; "more than the
+weal and woe of our whole race together: it is for the deliverance of a
+degenerate, but still a noble, though cast-down and unhappy people. It
+is not enough that we overthrow the tyrant who contemns all law, both
+human and divine: he must fall, but the throne must stand. While we
+overthrow the nidding, we must not only secure ourselves and our
+privileges, but must, at the same time, secure a worthy ruler for the
+throne. We certainly hoped to have found him, and we hope so still; but
+his imprisonment put a stop to our grand designs, and his oath and
+renunciation have, for the present, deprived us of his participation in
+our council. We have him not amongst us--his elevated seat stands
+empty; but I see here, nevertheless, his chivalrous friend and
+fellow-prisoner; and I see, moreover, his confessor, the sagacious,
+worthy sir dean. Speak, noble sirs: what may we expect of the duke?"
+
+"Everything--everything possible!" replied Drost Tuko Abildgaard,
+rising. "These are not the words of my prince and master, but my own.
+The oath binds his tongue; but I know his heart, and dare pledge my
+head, that now, as formerly, he is your friend and secret defender, and
+that, when the time comes, he will step forward and act with energy."
+
+"I confirm this testimony," began Master Grand, solemnly, and rising
+with bold dignity. "Our secretly chosen David has selected me for his
+spokesman here. I have, with peril to my life, shown him the way to
+freedom, as you desired; and he is now serving our heaven-abandoned
+Saul till the hour of doom arrives. He is too conscientious to break
+his oath, and too magnanimous to demand a dispensation of it from the
+father of Christendom. He cannot, and will not, at present, take any
+open part in your great undertakings. He will and ought not to know
+anything that his friends may determine for the freedom of the country.
+But when the time arrives, to which, in calm self-denial, he looks
+forward--when the way and place stand open for him--he will come
+forward, with the aid of the Church and the Almighty, as he can and
+ought, and, with honour, crown the work. This, in his name and by his
+princely soul, I dare swear to you, faithfully and piously."
+
+"'Tis well!" resumed Stig Andersen: "two such creditable witnesses we
+may rely upon. But the tyrant has bold and sagacious friends: a great
+portion of the blinded people remain inconceivably firm, both with him
+and his sons; and without certainty of powerful assistance from the
+noble Norwegian king, our undertaking would be foolishness. I see our
+trusty sworn friend, the bold Jarl Alf of Toensberg, in the midst of us.
+The answer he brings from his king must determine us when to act."
+
+"Now, then, by Beelzebub! comes my turn, at last, to say a word,"
+muttered the pirate chief, who had long been impatiently rubbing the
+jewels on his dirk. "My king's answer is short and good, Marsk
+Andersen," he continued, aloud, rising leisurely, and standing with his
+legs apart, as if he had been on a ship in motion. "You are a man,
+every inch of you, says my king and master; and he is to you a faithful
+friend, whether in fair weather or foul. Your friends are also his; and
+he who offends you has to do with him. With your secret councils he
+will have nothing to do; but as a true and honest Norseman, he will
+openly defend you against every foe, and stand by you with a fleet when
+it is wanted. His land and kingdom are open to you and your friends,
+should mischance befall you; and I, his jarl and admiral, do not quit
+these coasts with my own seadogs, so long as you want help, and there
+is anything to take a hand in. In all this I am clear and ready. What
+you farther do here does not concern me. What comes in at the one ear,
+I shall let go out of the other. Talk is not my business; and you
+have had my oath once. But, sooth to say, you go on too quietly and
+sour-mouthed here. I cannot relish these secret councils and fine
+projects. I am good for nothing but the rude work of giving the order,
+and setting to, without more ado. In a word: I will burn all Denmark
+before your eyes, if that will help you. As for the rest, it matters
+not to me who is king of the country. So long as good booty is to be
+had, I am with you; and how I can hit, you well know. Let me now drink
+to your health, and waste no more time in talk. Do you understand me?"
+
+"Perfectly, sir jarl," answered the marsk. "Yet a word. Will you keep
+the promise you made to Duke Waldemar, concerning my wife's sister's
+son, Chamberlain Rane Jonsen, who is sitting there? On that condition
+he is our friend; and his assistance is of greater importance than you
+may suppose."
+
+While the marsk uttered these words, Chamberlain Rane had risen, and
+approached the jarl.
+
+"Is it thee who would be my son-in-law?" inquired the jarl, with a
+smile, and measuring him with a proud look. "Now this I must say, that
+thou dost not look exactly the kind of carl who should woo a jarl's
+daughter. I gave the duke the word in an honest guzzle, and I doubt if
+my daughter will say yea to it. But if you are as cunning a fellow as
+you have credit for, we can talk of it when the time comes: if the
+child don't refuse you, well, the sober jarl will answer for what the
+Count of Toensberg promised when he was drunk."
+
+"Farther my bold wishes do not extend, sir jarl," replied Rane. "When
+the terms on my side are fulfilled, I shall show you that I have not
+aimed higher than I can reach."
+
+"Good: with the time comes the care!" muttered the jarl. "Show me
+first, by some able exploit, what thou art worth, and in exchange I
+will dub thee a knight with a stroke that shall crack thy puny
+collar-bone?"
+
+"That is the word, sir jarl. You all hear this, gentlemen?" said Rane,
+looking boldly round the assembly. He then returned to his seat; whilst
+the freebooter, without giving farther heed to him, nodded to the
+others, and withdrew into the drinking-room. At the marsk's signal, all
+the rest resumed their seats, and there was a death stillness amongst
+them.
+
+"We have held counsel long and often enough," resumed the marsk,
+mysteriously. "What shall and must happen, we all know. The time has
+now arrived when we ought to take the last resolute determination. But
+what is to be resolved in our souls at this hour, even these silent
+walls shall not hear. An approving or disapproving sign is sufficient,
+and we understand one another."
+
+Thereupon he whispered a few words in Count Jacob's ear, who
+immediately answered by a grave nod. In the same manner the secret word
+was communicated from man to man. A long and deep silence prevailed
+during this proceeding. Several of the gentlemen considered long before
+they nodded, and among these was Sir Lave Little. He, at length, made a
+motion with his head, which was understood to be a nod, but which more
+resembled an involuntary convulsive contraction of the muscles.
+
+At last it came to Chamberlain Rane's turn. The marsk scrutinised him
+with a penetrating look, and Master Grand's eyes were fixed upon his
+countenance. The crafty chamberlain heard the whispered word, and he
+opened his eyes as if greatly astonished, whilst with secret pleasure
+he seemed to enjoy the triumph of beholding the general attention
+turned on him alone. He assumed a highly thoughtful air, and still
+delayed giving the decisive nod. It was necessary that all should be
+unanimous in a project which the meanest of the witnesses could betray
+and ruin. The chamberlain was the last, and, next to Squire Kagge, the
+humblest in rank of all; but, as the king's familiar, he was an
+important man; and he seemed to feel with pride that a king's life,
+and perhaps the weal or woe of a whole nation, solely depended on a
+slight motion of his cunning head. Whilst he thus remained considering,
+and apparently undecided, three knocks were heard at the barred
+entrance-door. All started, and looked in that direction. At a signal
+from the marsk, Squire Aage Kagge opened it, and the gaze of all was
+turned with a degree of terror towards the open door, through which a
+tall veiled lady, dressed in black, entered, leading by the arm a
+blind, decrepid old man, whose hands were bound behind his back, and on
+whose sightless countenance appeared an expression of quiet, but horrid
+insanity. These two silent figures remained standing at the end of the
+table. All arose, and remained motionless as statues.
+
+"Friends and kinsmen!" exclaimed the marsk, in a voice nearly
+suffocated with anger and sorrow--"descendants of the great race of
+Absalom! look upon my wife and her hapless father! Need I say more?
+Would you see the unmerited blush of shame through that veil, which,
+for nine years, has concealed, even from me, the face of my wife? Would
+you hear the mad, despairing shriek of her dishonoured father? Is there
+one amongst you who yet hesitates in coming to the conclusion that
+shall cast down the tyrant, and free our unhappy fatherland?" As he
+uttered these words, his keen glance rested on Chamberlain Rane, who
+also, for a moment, appeared surprised and affected.
+
+Rane nodded.
+
+"'Tis well!" continued the marsk: "you have all approved. Now, lay your
+hands on the holy Gospels, and swear!"
+
+He gave Master Grand a signal, and the ecclesiastic drew forth a large
+book, bound in black velvet.
+
+"It shall be truly done, so help us God and his Holy Word!" said the
+dean, slowly and solemnly, laying his own hand first upon the Gospels.
+
+The book then passed from man to man. After a violent internal
+conflict, which was visible in every feature, Sir Lave also laid his
+trembling hand upon the book, and stammered out the oath. When it came
+to Rane's turn, he repeated the same words audibly and distinctly; but
+his lips continued to move after he had pronounced the oath, although
+none could hear what he seemed to add to it secretly. Thereupon he laid
+his hand upon the book, without farther hesitation.
+
+"Unbind me--unbind me, my daughter Ingeborg!" cried the crazy old man,
+suddenly waking up, as if from a dream. "I will swear and bind myself,
+so that the Almighty above shall hear it, and all the devils shall
+shake and tremble!"
+
+"Still, still, father! Remember thy promise," whispered Fru Ingeborg;
+while the marsk gave her a sign to lead out the unhappy old man.
+
+But before any one could prevent it, he had torn asunder his bands with
+almost inconceivable strength, and stretched forth his liberated arms
+with a wild and fearful burst of laughter. "For ever, for ever doomed
+to perdition may I be, if I be not the first," he shouted, striking the
+Gospels with his clenched hand: "if old Palle is not the first who
+strikes, I shall wander on earth till doomsday!"
+
+Master Grand had nearly lost his hold of the book. The marsk again
+beckoned, and two knights led the crazy old man from the hall. A
+profound silence followed, during which the dean had recovered himself,
+and now stood with the Holy Book in his hand, before Fru Ingeborg. She
+bowed her head affirmatively, and, in a voice that penetrated the souls
+of all who heard her, repeated the oath they had all sworn, while she
+bent her knee, and touched the book with her wasted hand. She remained
+without changing her posture, and, at the marsk's signal, all the
+others silently withdrew. Involuntarily, as it were, the gloomy master
+of the castle stretched forth his mailed arm towards his unhappy wife,
+but again let it fall by his side. He hastily pulled a bell-rope, when
+Fru Ingeborg's waiting-maidens entered, and carried their fainting lady
+to her own apartments.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+What had taken place at Moellerup was a secret known only to the
+initiated. The disguised strangers left the castle, one by one, at
+different times, and generally by night, as they had come. Even in the
+immediate neighbourhood, no one seemed to have been aware of this
+secret gathering. In the castle itself no change took place. The four
+mailed watchers were still constantly to be seen on the tower. The
+drawbridge, as usual, was kept raised; and, notwithstanding its
+numerous garrison, everything was as quiet and still as if the fortress
+had been waste and deserted.
+
+The contract with Duke Waldemar had set the royal mind at rest; and the
+council of the kingdom did not appear apprehensive of any danger. The
+king and queen passed the beautiful summer at Scanderborg Castle,
+surrounded by their whole court, and the most considerable people of
+the country. Old Sir John, Master Martinus, and Drost Peter, had
+returned from Stockholm with good tidings concerning the object of
+their mission.
+
+The negociations opened with King Magnus chiefly referred to a closer
+alliance between the two royal houses, by means of a double marriage.
+The little Danish Princess Merete, who had been betrothed to the
+Swedish crown-prince, was to be sent to the court of Stockholm during
+the following year, where her education, according to agreement, was to
+be completed. In the same way the little Swedish Princess Ingeborg was
+to be educated at the court of Denmark, if the request were made. Her
+betrothment to the Danish crown-prince was concluded by a written
+document, but the public announcement of this alliance was to be
+deferred for a few years.
+
+With lively satisfaction, the Danish ambassadors had beheld the little
+Swedish princess, whom they hoped would one day be Denmark's future
+queen; and even old Sir John, who did not expect to live to see the
+time, could not speak of the pretty kindly child without particular
+animation, as if he expected in her another Dagmar, who would bring
+peace and blessings to Denmark. This prudent statesman, as well as
+Drost Peter, placed all his hopes of better times for Denmark in the
+hopeful heir to its throne and his descendants. Old Sir John often
+sought to be useful to the young prince; and, with all his esteem for
+Drost Peter, he frequently shook his head when he saw how the young
+chivalrous drost desired to educate the prince's feelings of honour and
+justice to a degree that appeared to him dangerous.
+
+One day the old knight was present, with the queen's household, at
+Scanderborg, to witness the prince's exercises in arms, and observed
+how he sought to convert these sports and exercises into gay and costly
+imitations of the ordinary jousts and tournaments; the young king, as
+he was always called, dispensing royal gifts to the squires, and
+pronouncing sentence with excessive severity on every transgressor of
+the laws of chivalry, as applicable to the game. The old counsellor
+smiled, and seemed to participate in the pleasure evinced by the queen
+and Drost Peter on the occasion; but, when the game was ended, he
+called the drost to his private room.
+
+"I am old," he said, seriously, "but I do not think I am niggardly or
+avaricious, although I may set greater store by outward fortune than
+you approve of. It is right that the prince should be liberal and
+magnanimous; but do not therefore teach our future king to be a
+spendthrift, and to despise the wealth of his people and their
+possessions, like the dust on which he treads. Take care that he has
+not more regard for knightly pomp and splendour than for substantial
+power, true achievements, and real greatness."
+
+"God forbid!" said Drost Peter. "But, if the days of the great
+Waldemars are to be restored--"
+
+"Good, good. I know what you would say," interrupted the old knight:
+"therefore, if you would make a Waldemar Seier of Prince Erik, take
+care that his love of honour is not mere empty love of glitter, and his
+love of justice untimely obstinacy. He is a youth that, with God's
+help, much may be made of. You have a great charge, Drost Peter:
+consider it well. The swiftest falcon never makes an eagle. It is
+dangerous to attempt to create God's work anew; and he is a fool who
+tries to add a cubit to his own or another's stature."
+
+So saying, he warmly pressed the hand of his young friend, and left
+him. The drost found him, afterwards, as lively as usual; and it did
+not appear that he cared farther about giving his opinion in the
+matter. Sir John's warning, however, disposed the drost to very serious
+thoughts, and he could not deny that the sagacious old man was right in
+many of his views.
+
+The learned Master Martinus, too, with the tenderest zeal, took upon
+himself, in his own fashion, the education of the prince; but he
+endeavoured in vain to form him into a philosopher, or to teach him his
+dry, logical _Modos Significandi_. The prince had great respect for the
+learned chancellor, but was never better pleased than when he could
+escape from his Latin.
+
+At Scanderborg, the merry, lively heir-apparent was most happy when
+engaged in games of chivalry with his active squires and pages, among
+whom the little friendly Aage Jonsen was his dearest comrade. When, at
+such times, Junker Christopher would spoil the game by some wanton
+boyish trick, or cause division among the pages, the little king was
+always umpire; and his strict impartiality rendered him as much beloved
+by the young pages, as disliked by his quarrelsome brother. When his
+daily exercise in arms was over, it often pleased Prince Erik to take
+diversion on the lake at Scanderborg, where his skilful tutor, Drost
+Peter, had also taught him to steer a boat easily and safely, even when
+the waters were roughest.
+
+Drost Peter's active participation in the affairs of government, as
+well as his care for the important crown-prince, forbade him almost to
+think of himself and his private affairs of the heart. But frequently,
+when boating with his pupil on the Scanderborg lake till late in the
+evening, he would fall into deep thought, while steering the little
+vessel in the direction of the light from the ladies' apartment, that,
+from a lofty turret, looked out on the waters, like Jomfru Inge's
+chamber at Flynderborg. He would often, on these occasions, sit for
+hours in a kind of reverie, and steer for the distant light, without
+observing what was taking place around him, until a lusty squall or an
+uneasy tossing of the boat brought him to his senses. At times, when
+in these reveries, he would suddenly start up and reproach himself with
+his forgetfulness, when the daring Prince Erik had made a hazardous
+alteration of the sails, and, by so doing, had embroiled himself in a
+violent dispute with Junker Christopherson.
+
+The king's chief amusement was hunting, of which he was passionately
+fond, and for which he frequently neglected the most important state
+affairs. Chamberlain Rane was still his constant favourite. The crafty
+chamberlain was often absent on secret errands; but these appeared to
+have reference merely to the usual love affairs, or to miserable
+adventures of the basest description, which were generally pursued in
+connection with the king's frequent hunting expeditions.
+
+The queen did not appear desirous of knowing anything concerning them.
+Since the last Dane-court at Nyborg, she had become singularly reserved
+and serious; and though she still affected the splendours of royalty,
+and showed herself with dignity at court festivals, she no longer took
+any part in the dancing, and withdrew herself more and more from the
+pleasures of the court. She seemed now to prefer the quiet, retired
+country life of the beautiful castle of Scanderborg, where she partly
+busied herself with useful occupations. Sometimes, when the king's
+absence embarrassed his advisers, the prudent queen would take his
+place in the council; and, on such occasions, all admired the delicacy
+with which she conducted the business, and avoided every appearance of
+assumption, while she sought to maintain the dignity of the throne, and
+to promote every plan that could alleviate the burdens of the people,
+or quench the still smouldering embers of sedition. With Drost Peter
+she conversed with favour and confidence, but with remarkable attention
+to the strictest forms of court. She never spoke to him except in the
+council, or in the presence of old Sir John, when she had anything of
+importance to say to him in reference to the prince's education.
+
+Notwithstanding the increased admiration with which he now regarded the
+fair and prudent queen, he felt, in her presence, as if bereft of his
+usual freedom and liveliness. But his heart did not take the same warm
+share in this admiration, as when, acknowledged as her knight and
+distinguished favourite, he wore her colours. When he now beheld her in
+her scarlet robe, and with a diadem of rubies in her dark hair, he
+still, indeed, thought her beautiful and majestic; but the tall and
+noble Jomfru Inge, with all her simplicity, was, in his eyes, far more
+dignified, and the crimson hair-band in her golden locks far more
+beautiful than the glittering diadem of the queen.
+
+Notwithstanding the king's partiality to Rane, he always reposed the
+greatest confidence in Drost Peter, on whom he had bestowed many
+honourable proofs of his favour, especially since the drost's important
+and successful undertaking respecting the duke's imprisonment, and
+after the contract with that dangerous nobleman, who had ever since
+remained quietly at his castle in Sleswick. No royal letter of any
+importance was issued which was not signed and sealed by Drost Peter,
+Sir John, and the learned chancellor; whilst many important Ordinances
+were prepared by the drost alone; and he was justly regarded as one of
+the king's most influential and favoured men.
+
+The king had often proposed to visit Drost Peter at his ancestral
+castle at Harrestrup, where deer-hunting, especially in autumn, was
+excellent. This visit of honour was fixed for the month of September,
+and the drost made sumptuous preparations for the reception of the king
+and his court. But, on account of one diversion or another, the visit
+was postponed from week to week. The month of October passed away; and
+the drost began to think that the king had either forgotten it
+altogether, or intended to defer it until the following autumn.
+
+It was already the middle of November, but the autumn did not seem
+willing to give way to winter, and the many-coloured leaves had not yet
+all fallen in the woods. One morning, Drost Peter was surprised with a
+message from the king, brought by Chamberlain Rane, that his majesty
+would pay him a visit, next day, at Harrestrup, and amuse himself for
+eight days in hunting. Sudden resolves of this nature were not unusual
+on the part of the king, especially when they had reference to hunting
+expeditions, and were verbally announced by the chamberlain.
+
+Although it was unpleasant for Drost Peter to receive Rane's
+announcement, delivered, as it was on the present occasion, in a
+somewhat authoritative manner, he still behaved courteously, and left
+Scanderborg without delay, to prepare everything to the king's wishes,
+and that he might, on the following day, receive him at his castle in
+person, with that respectful distinction which the forms of court-life
+demanded. He heard with pleasure that Sir John would accompany the
+king, and that Sir Rimaardson would remain at Scanderborg, as captain
+of the body-guard, with the queen and the young princes.
+
+From Scanderborg to Harrestrup Castle, by the tortuous and uneven road,
+was a distance of above ten miles.[29] It was somewhat advanced in the
+morning when Drost Peter left the palace, attended merely by his
+squire, Claus Skirmen, who had a second horse with him to change on the
+way.
+
+The drost rode so rapidly, and was so much engrossed in his own
+thoughts, that his squire several times began and broke off a
+conversation in which he could not bring his master to take the least
+interest. It was somewhat past noon when they caught sight of an
+eminence, of considerable height, at no great distance from Harrestrup,
+which, from the south and west, can be seen at a distance of four
+miles, and may be known by the blueish haze, arising from the adjacent
+morass, that almost invariably covers it.
+
+"Seest thou Daugberg-Daas, Skirmen?" asked Drost Peter, pointing to the
+hill, as he drew up, and dismounted to change his horse. "Six miles
+have been got over quickly. We may easily reach Harrestrup before
+evening."
+
+"We shall get to Harrestrup time enough," said Skirmen, as he sprang
+from his norback and brought his master the other horse. "Would that we
+may be only as fortunate in leaving it, sir!"
+
+"How so, Skirmen? Thou art not wont to be so reflective. What has
+happened to thee? Thou seemest rather downcast."
+
+"Nothing is the matter with me," replied Skirmen, holding the stirrup
+for his master, "if nothing is the matter with yourself, or, perhaps,
+with the king. You may believe me or not, as you choose--but all is not
+right. 'Tis true, indeed, they were so drunk that they could not see a
+fly on the wall; but a drunken man's jabber is not always to be
+despised. In our old ballads it is often said, that wisdom may be
+learnt in the song of birds, when it is understood. People, however,
+are not so wise now-a-days; yet still I think I can guess what the cock
+crowed this morning."
+
+"Art thou crazed, Skirmen? I cannot understand a word of this."
+
+"That, in sooth, is not my fault, stern sir," replied Skirmen, mounting
+his horse, and riding on by his master's side. "For five long hours you
+have not cared to listen to what I have been telling you, but have
+allowed me to speak to the wind. Trust me, something will come of this
+journey to Harrestrup. Did you not perceive how glad the crafty
+chamberlain was, when you rode off? Did you not mark how eagerly he
+repeated, that the king would meet you at home like a careful host, I
+and that you were not, on any account, to ride out to meet him
+to-morrow?"
+
+"Ay, truly: but that is merely a curious whimsy of the king's."
+
+"But none can better lead the king to your abode than yourself, sir.
+And is it not singular that you should be sent off beforehand, dancing
+to the chamberlain's pipe--you that are both a knight and a drost?"
+
+"No childish vanities, Skirmen. I must obey the king's message, whoever
+brings it to me. I find nothing more remarkable in this than I have
+heretofore discovered in your sage suspicions respecting certain
+grayfriar monks, and hens, and Rypen burghers. If the king will visit
+me, it follows, as a matter of course, that I must be at home
+beforehand, to receive him becomingly. Sir John accompanies him, with
+his trusty jagers; and the country around here is perfectly quiet and
+secure."
+
+"How know you that, sir? No one can tell where Niels Breakpeace is; and
+the algrev is constantly cruising on our coasts; to say nothing of the
+marsk, at Moellerup."
+
+"He is a knight, and not a highwayman; and Niels Breakpeace is no
+general. A prudent robber will never rub against the king's arm; and no
+pirate will venture within the coast-guard. So long as Sir John and I
+are not afraid of highwaymen or rebels, you may make yourself quite
+easy, my good Skirmen."
+
+"But have you not heard of the numerous grayfriar monks at Rypen?"
+
+"Are you there again, with your monks? Why, there are plenty of them
+everywhere."
+
+"But they are not wont to ride about in troops, and during the night;
+and if, as people say, they have swords and knights' harness under
+their gray cloaks, it is not on God's service that these good gentlemen
+have sneaked into monks' habits."
+
+"Who told you this?" inquired Drost Peter, with more attention.
+
+"The three men from Rypen, who yesterday desired to speak with the
+king--they whom the king told, through Chamberlain Rane, that he had
+something more to do than listen to their stupid quarrels: it was on
+that account they were so angry. When I met them at the tavern, in the
+evening, they were completely drunk; but this much I could gather from
+their conversation--that it was not for nothing they had seen three
+suns in the heavens--"
+
+"Sheer twaddle, Skirmen! Drunken people can see as many suns in the
+heavens as there are stars."
+
+"Many sober people have also seen the same, sir. It betides a great
+misfortune, they said, and they could reveal things of great importance
+to the king. But he must now take care of himself, since he was too
+proud to speak with honest burghers."
+
+"Ay, this is the loyalty now-a-days," exclaimed Drost Peter,
+indignantly: "when a man is offended, he bids his king and country a
+good day. If you thought there was anything more than vile superstition
+and silly braggadocia in this ale-gossip, why did not you inform me
+immediately?"
+
+"You were, with Sir John, in attendance upon the queen and the princes,
+sir; and I did not wish to raise a blind alarm, on the instant, about
+such loose talk. The Rypen burghers seemed as if they would take their
+ease for some days at the tavern, and this morning I was there betimes
+to meet them sober; but they had disappeared overnight, it was said,
+and no one knew what had become of them. I could not get speech of you
+this morning, on account of the chamberlain, and your many
+distinguished visitors; and ever since you mounted your horse, you have
+not listened to one word of all I have already told you--not even about
+the handsome cock with the necklace."
+
+"Enough. To what does all this trifling tend? How can you imagine that
+I have leisure to think of your cock and his battles?"
+
+"But what if it should be the same bird you so much admired at
+Flynderborg?"
+
+"Flynderborg?" repeated Drost Peter, starting: "who talks of
+Flynderborg? Was it not at Scanderborg the marvellous cock was to be
+seen, that gained the victory over all the rest?"
+
+"Truly, sir; but it came from Flynderborg, nevertheless: it is the
+selfsame bird respecting which you held such fair conversation with
+Lady Inge, when she stroked his wings in the garden, on the hillock
+near the strand. I stood by, and ventured not to interrupt you. You had
+just been talking of Hamlet's cunning, with his charred wooden
+hooks,[30] and with the gad-fly and the straw; and Lady Inge thought
+that her watchful bird had been a better sign of warning against
+treachery and danger."
+
+"And this bird, you say, is now at Scanderborg?"
+
+"There is no doubt that it is the same: I made the discovery this
+morning. You may remember the fowler from Zealand, who, one evening
+lately, forced his way to you into the palace, and wanted you to look
+at his hens? You closed the door against him, and thought him a
+simpleton. I, too, thought the man crazy, when he ran away, and let
+loose his best cock in the court of the palace. It first occurred to me
+this morning that the brave pugnacious bird was an old acquaintance.
+The falconer had caught him, for the sake of a crimson pearl-band he
+had about his neck. I procured the band, and certainly think I know it.
+You may, perhaps, know it yourself, sir." So saying, he drew forth a
+crimson riband, wrought with pearls in the form of a few white flowers.
+
+With blushing cheeks Drost Peter recognised Lady Inge's hair-band. "Let
+me have it," he said, eagerly; "it is mine." He pressed it closely to
+his lips, then concealed it in his bosom, and, setting spurs to his
+horse, rode on in the strangest frame of mind. He felt himself happy
+beyond measure, yet at the same time disquieted and uneasy.
+
+But the joyful hope awakened in his breast by the possession of the
+band, did not long sustain him. The mysterious warning, and the summons
+to vigilance, associated with this fond memorial, had, to him, a
+signification that almost forbade him to think of himself and his
+affection. What the patriotic maiden intended to communicate to him, by
+this mysterious symbol, appeared to him to have reference to the crown
+and the royal house alone. He suddenly checked his horse, and reflected
+whether he ought not at once to ride back to Scanderborg, and accompany
+the king himself on the following day, or, rather, induce him to
+abandon the visit entirely. But when he considered how absurd such a
+course would appear to the king and his court, and the ridicule to
+which it might expose him, he relinquished the thought, with a smile at
+his own credulity.
+
+Skirmen, in the meantime, had overtaken his master.
+
+"Well, now," said the drost, "the cock may still be right. We shall be
+cautious; although, as the king travels with a considerable retinue,
+there is no rational ground for apprehending any impending danger. I
+shall, however, ride to meet him to-morrow, and follow him through the
+wood with my people. At Harrestrup he can be safer than at Scanderborg
+itself."
+
+"I think with you," replied Skirmen: "at present, indeed, nothing
+farther can be done. But that there are night-birds in the moss, I
+certainly believe."
+
+They now rode on thoughtfully, and in silence. The night was beginning
+to darken as they passed Daugberg Church, and they continued their
+course northwards towards the town, through a long valley between
+considerable heights, wherein deep pits had been formed by the
+important lime-stone quarries. The dark green, newly-sprung winter corn
+grew on the heights, between heaps of stones and half-fallen groups of
+trees. The sight of this wild, picturesque spot awoke many youthful
+memories in the mind of the drost, and dissipated his uneasy thoughts.
+
+"Here have I often played at robbers in my childhood," he said: "little
+thought I, then, that I should now be riding here in this serious
+mood."
+
+"Look, sir!" said Skirmen, riding close up to his master: "see you not
+something twinkling, and in motion, in that great gloomy pit?"
+
+"Are you dreaming of robbers?" inquired the drost. "I see nothing."
+
+"Now, also, do I see nothing," replied Skirmen; "but the pit is full
+seventy ells deep--it could conceal a whole band."
+
+"The place is well suited for such fellows," observed the drost; "but
+hitherto, this spot has been secure enough. My brave warden Tyge is not
+to be trifled with. Do you see the old wheel on Daugberg-Daas? It still
+stands there, as a grave warning to rievers and highwaymen. The wood
+would better suit such gentry; but, there, old Henner Friser is on the
+outlook."
+
+"Henner Friser!" repeated Skirmen, in astonishment: "is he here?"
+
+"It is true, indeed. You should not have known it, Skirmen; but
+you can be silent. You may remember that he killed a royal squire in
+self-defence; and, to be out of the way of trouble on that account, he
+is attached to one of my hunting-seats."
+
+"Which, sir? That of Finnerup?"
+
+"Well, then, since you have guessed so much, he resides there. But you
+must be silent on the subject."
+
+"I understand you, sir," replied Skirmen, highly delighted: "I shall
+take care not to bring the brave old man and the pretty little Aase
+into trouble. But had they not better leave the hunting-seat for the
+next few days? How easily the king and his huntsmen might discover
+them! And, should that cursed coxcomb, Rane, meet them--"
+
+"Skirmen," replied the drost, "you are more circumspect than I.
+To-morrow, betimes, you can ride over and warn them."
+
+"Thanks, sir, thanks!" exclaimed Skirmen, jigging gaily in his saddle.
+
+They now entered a little plantation of young beeches and poplars.
+Twilight descended, but they could still see the tall white trees.
+
+"I scarcely know my little Kjaelderriis again," said the drost: "see how
+proud my poplars are grown."
+
+"However good a look-out Henner Friser may keep, there are still
+poachers enough here," said Skirmen. "I heard the twang of a steel-bow
+just now; and--do you not hear that rustling in the thicket there?"
+
+"Nonsense, Skirmen. It is my poplars, rustling me a welcome," replied
+the drost, "or a startled roebuck among the leaves. The rascals,
+however, should not be admitted here," he added: "probably the fences
+are not in good condition."
+
+They were soon out of the plantation, and then rode through a deep
+dale. The last glimmer of day still lighted up the brow of a
+considerable hill, which rose nobly from the valley. Harrestrup Castle
+lay before them, on the smooth and almost circular summit of the
+height. The castle was small, but so well fortified by nature that it
+required no artificial trenches; and its steep; lofty walls and
+buttresses seemed inaccessible to the most daring assailants. The
+entire castle appeared to consist of a single round tower, built of
+bricks and hewn stone. It was approached only by a steep and narrow
+pathway, which the tired horses had some trouble to ascend; the road,
+at every step, becoming narrower and steeper.
+
+Drost Peter and his squire at length dismounted, and led their horses
+over the most difficult spot, between two steep gullies crossed by a
+small drawbridge. As usual in time of peace, the bridge was down. At
+length the travellers stood by the castle-gate, which was closed. High
+over Drost Peter's head, on the summit of the wall above the gate,
+waved a large banner, adorned with the armorial bearings of the master
+of the castle--three parallel descending bars, _gules_ on a field
+_d'or_.
+
+"You have brought the horn, Skirmen," said the drost: "blow a merry
+stave, that they may know we are here."
+
+Skirmen carried a curved golden horn in a band over his shoulder. He
+set it to his lips, and blew the commencement of the air of the merry
+old ballad about Sir John, who took the bride from her loutish lover.
+
+This signal was immediately answered from the tower by a brisk,
+youthful voice, which sang the burden to the well-known song:--
+
+
+                  "Bind up your golden helmet--
+                  Bind up, and follow Sir John."
+
+
+"Is it you, stern sir?" then inquired the voice from the wall.
+
+"Ay, truly. Open, Tyge," replied the drost; and the great iron-studded
+door was instantly opened, and Drost Peter was received, with hearty
+pleasure, by his bold young warden and a numerous band of house-carls,
+all active young men, and, as was the warden, armed with round steel
+caps and bright halberds. A number of grooms and torchbearers also
+pressed forward to see and salute their master.
+
+Drost Peter shook hands with his warden, patted some of his house-carls
+on the shoulder, and nodded kindly to them all.
+
+"Is everything in order?" he inquired. "To-morrow the king will be
+here."
+
+"Came a kaiser himself here, sir," answered the warden, "you would not
+be ashamed of your house. Dorothy has had the waxlights placed, and the
+tables covered, these two months. The whole castle has been cleaned,
+and is as bright as are our halberds. The pantry is full of choice
+viands, and the cellar of prime ale and sweet wine. If the king should
+stay the whole winter, he will not have to lick his fingers."
+
+"And the hunters, the hounds, and the falcons?" inquired the drost.
+
+"They are fleet and well-trained. You shall get honour by them, sir."
+
+"One thing more, Tyge. Is the neighbourhood secure? Are there no
+poachers in Kjaelderriis, and no loose and suspicious people in Daugberg
+quarries?"
+
+"Why should such an idea enter your thoughts, sir? Beggars and tinkers
+pass by here now and then: we give them bread and meat in God's name,
+and they touch not a rabbit in the woods, nor a feather in the
+hen-house. If the district were unsafe, we must have heard of it. No
+thief or robber may venture near Harrestrup Castle, so long as your
+banner hangs over the gate. Have you perceived anything, sir?"
+
+"Not I. It was only a fancy that seized Skirmen on the road."
+
+"What, Claus Skirmen!" exclaimed the lively warden; "when wert thou
+wont to have old women's fancies?"
+
+"If you will trust me with half a score of house-carls, sir," said
+Skirmen, quickly and decidedly, to the drost, "I shall yet perhaps,
+before you go to bed, show your confident warden that I have not had
+old women's fancies."
+
+"Well, if you have a desire to see a little about you, you may have ten
+carls, willingly. If you do not break your neck in the pits, you must
+be here again before midnight. The moon rises late: have you torches?"
+
+"They are not required," said Skirmen: "the darker the better. On
+foot, we can find our way blindfolded. Take good care of my norback,
+lads. I shall have none of you with me but you, nimble John, and you,
+warder Soeren, and you--" And he thus selected ten of the most active
+house-carls, and hastened from the gate with them, whilst the grooms
+led the horses to the stable.
+
+Drost Peter accompanied the castle-warden across the court, and up the
+stone steps, to the dwelling-house.
+
+Before the young master of the castle partook of either rest or
+refreshment, he inspected the whole arrangements. He found everything
+in the best order, and prepared sumptuously to receive the king and his
+train. Drost Peter's old nurse, the careful Dorothy, with a broom and
+dish-cloth in her hand, bustled towards him from the kitchen, and, in
+her extreme joy, would have embraced him. She was not a little proud of
+having been entrusted with the entire management of the domestic
+affairs of the castle. She wept with joy at the proud thought that she
+should be hostess to the royal party; and it was to her an honour
+without parallel, to be reigning queen of the kitchen and pantry on so
+important an occasion--the crowning event of her life. She dragged her
+young master about with her everywhere, to show him all the choice
+arrangements she had made for the convenience of the king and his great
+lords, and was inexhaustible in explaining to him how she had prepared
+for every hour of the day, so long as the royal visit should last.
+
+"Good, good, my dear Dorothy," said Drost Peter, at length, somewhat
+impatiently, and patting her kindly on the shoulder: "you have done
+everything excellently. I do not understand these matters, but I well
+know that you care for the honour of the house, as much as if you were
+my wife."
+
+"Ah, dear young master," replied Dorothy, kissing his hand, "when shall
+I have the heart's joy of seeing you cared for and received by a pious
+and handsome young housewife in the castle here? You truly deserve that
+one of God's dear angels should come to you. God's blessing rests here,
+and, like the prosperous Joseph, you are, next to the king, the first
+man in the land; and, I dare be sworn, should Potiphar's wife tempt
+you--"
+
+"Enough, enough, Dorothy," exclaimed Drost Peter, interrupting her, and
+blushing. "I do not doubt your good opinion of me."
+
+"Ah!" continued Dorothy, "but what avail you honour and fortune, my
+dear young master, when you live in this way, like a lonely bird in the
+world. Trow me, fair sir, it is not good for man to be alone. So my
+blessed husband always said, God gladden his soul! He banged me well at
+times, the blessed creature, when he did not get warm hashed meat to
+supper--it was always a favourite dish of his--and every mortal has his
+weakness; but he was still a good sort of man, and as pious as an
+angel, after he had his supper. Ay, ay; everything in the world is
+transitory. My happy days have gone by; and now I have no greater joy
+than to see you comfortable, my dearest young master; and could I once
+see my good Peter Hessel married, and rock his children and his
+children's children in my arms, I should willingly close my old eyes,
+and bid this weary world good night."
+
+So saying, she wiped a few tears from her withered cheeks with her
+kitchen-apron, without noticing warden Tyge's dry remark how much she
+would be beyond a hundred years of age before all her wishes were
+fulfilled.
+
+"But come in now, my dear master, and take something to live upon," she
+added, going before him to open the door: "you are famishing, God help
+me, in your own house, and in the midst of all God's blessings." So
+saying, she ran back, and drew him with her into the clean, polished
+day-room, where she compelled him to sit down, while she busied herself
+about his refreshment.
+
+Drost Peter had still much to say to his warden; and having at length
+prevailed on Dorothy to go to bed, he remained alone with Tyge in the
+apartment. He then made inquiries into the condition of his estates and
+his subordinates, during which some hours elapsed.
+
+The warden had gone out to inspect his people, and had again returned.
+
+"It is late, Tyge," said the drost, with a feeling of weariness: "what
+has become of Skirmen? It is time all were retired to rest. Before
+daybreak we must ride to meet the king, with our boldest swains. You
+have taken care that they hold themselves ready to start betimes?"
+
+"The knechts are already as sound asleep as stones," replied the
+warden; "but this is not according to my way of management. Three of
+the carls who should have kept watch to-night, followed Skirmen, and
+their posts stand vacant. This is sad irregularity, sir drost: it has
+never happened to me before, and you must graciously excuse me. It is
+strange enough, sir, but we two are the only souls awake in the castle.
+Our house-carls are, at other times, brave and sober fellows; but, out
+of joy at your return, they have all looked a little too deep into the
+ale-can, and have tapped the German tun."
+
+"What? have you German ale in the castle?" inquired the drost, much
+displeased. "That, you know, I have strictly forbidden: it is contrary
+to the king's orders, which I and my people ought to be the first to
+obey."
+
+"I have said so, stern sir; but it was on Dorothy's account: she would
+not let me have either peace or quiet until I had brought her a couple
+of barrels from Viborg. Without German ale, she thought it would be
+impossible to entertain the king's people becomingly, even if the king
+had ten times forbidden it. If he himself and his people thought good
+of it, there would be no sin in it, she argued."
+
+"'Tis like her," said the drost, smiling; "and it must be so for the
+present; but to-morrow, betimes, let every drop of it run down the
+drain, whether Dorothy be sour or mild."
+
+"It shall be done, sir; but for the sake of peace in the house, had you
+not better inform her of it, yourself? What now is this?" he continued,
+listening: "I fancied I heard a creaking at the door of the riddersal.
+I thought Dorothy was sound asleep, but it would seem she is still
+bustling about. She is so zealous in her housewifery, that, at times,
+she gets up in the middle of the night, and dusts everything anew. It
+will be a God's blessing, however, if she does not get crazy with joy
+at all this magnificence. But, if you will allow me, sir, I will just
+see if it be her."
+
+Taking one of the lights, he proceeded towards the door of the
+riddersal; but before he reached it, it was softly opened, and a wild,
+shaggy face peeped in, but instantly disappeared, and the door was
+immediately closed again.
+
+Drost Peter quickly rose, and the young castle-warden stood, as if
+petrified, with the light in his hand, in the middle of the floor.
+
+"Death and misfortune!" he whispered: "Skirmen has gone off with the
+court-warder, and has left the gate open. For a certainty, there are
+thieves or robbers in the house. Let me rouse the house-carls? One does
+not know how strong the rascals may muster. I shall go through the
+kitchen, and do not open this door until I return." And as he spoke, he
+hastily placed the bar on the door of the riddersal.
+
+"Well, make haste!" said Drost Peter: "if I saw aright, it was the
+bull's face of Niels Breakpeace. So, then, Skirmen was right."
+
+The warden went quickly away, and Drost Peter stood alone in the
+apartment. He had drawn his sword, and leant upon it to collect himself
+and listen. He heard many voices in the riddersal.
+
+"Is he here--is he here? how many are there?" inquired a number of low
+voices in the same breath.
+
+"There are only two men, and the cursed drost is one of them," uttered
+a deep gruff voice. "Come, fellows: he shall not lead us into mischance
+again!"
+
+They attacked the door violently, but the bar held fast.
+
+"They have secured the door; but we can easily snap the bar," said the
+same harsh voice. "Run against it, lads. Let us break open the door--it
+yields!"
+
+The bar gave way with a frightful crash, the door flew open, and nine
+wild, sturdy fellows, with Niels Breakpeace at their head, rushed in,
+with short battle-axes and shining daggers in their hands. Drost Peter
+retreated a few steps, and placed himself with his back against the
+wall, in a position where he could defend himself for a time, and keep
+the rievers at bay with his long sword. He looked at the wild fellows
+sternly.
+
+"Are you such vile niddings," he cried, "that ten of you must fight
+against one? I see at least one man amongst you who has received the
+honour of knighthood from Denmark's king; and so far as I know, the
+stroke has not yet been washed from his shoulder with boiling water.
+Stand forth, Sir Lave Rimaardson! You are the only one of these fellows
+with whom I can worthily do single battle for life or death. If there
+is yet a spark of honour in you, advance!"
+
+Niels Breakpeace and his comrades did not appear to notice this
+challenge, but pressed forward to overwhelm their single antagonist.
+
+"Out of the way, rascals!" shouted a vehement youthful voice; and a
+handsome fellow, with a red feather in his cap, and a wild, audacious
+countenance, sprang forward. "Whoever dares to touch the drost, save I,
+I cut down on the spot," he continued: "one to one, and ten to Satan!
+Come, Drost Peter Hessel! This is the second time we have met since you
+made me an outlaw in Denmark. On Vaarby Bridge I had a hindrance: had
+my brother's blood not been a little thicker than the water of the
+stream, you should never have crossed the bridge. We stand now on a
+greater bridge--one that leads from earth to heaven, or--hell, as it
+may happen; for here must either you or I bid this fair and pleasant
+world good night!"
+
+With these words, he threw aside his battle-axe and drew his sword,
+which was of the same length as Drost Peter's; and, that he might not
+have any advantage over his antagonist, who stood bareheaded before
+him, he cast his feathered cap on the floor.
+
+"Well, if it is to be a regular cockfight, I am quite willing," growled
+Niels Breakpeace; "but if you don't make quick work of him, Sir
+Bigsnout, I shall."
+
+The coarse robber chief and his comrades laughed, well pleased, and
+formed a close circle round the two antagonists. There then began a
+warm and serious combat, but conducted according to all the laws and
+usages of chivalry. Placing foot to foot, they swerved not a hair's
+breadth from their positions. Neither of them used the point of the
+sword, but hewed with the sharp edge, and aimed only at the head and
+breast, or between the four limbs, as it is termed. The single light on
+the table only partially illumined the apartment; and the clashing
+swords of the knights met so quickly, that a glimpse of them could
+scarcely be caught. Every instant threatened a mortal blow to one of
+them; but they both appeared equally skilled in their weapon, and
+neither of them could succeed in wounding his adversary, though, like
+constant lightning, their blades flashed over their heads.
+
+"Shall I put an end to the game?" growled Niels Breakpeace, raising his
+broad battle-axe.
+
+"By Satan! are you invulnerable?" shouted the robber-knight, springing
+impatiently towards his antagonist, and, contrary to the rules, with a
+daring and dangerous lunge. But at the same instant the sword fell from
+his grasp to the floor, together with the first three fingers of his
+right hand.
+
+"Now, you shall never more swear falsely to your king and knighthood!"
+cried Drost Peter, enraged.
+
+"Cut him down, the Satan!" shouted the furious robbers, pressing in
+upon the drost, who, with his back against the wall, defended himself
+desperately.
+
+He had already received some wounds, and was bleeding freely, when the
+kitchen-door flew open, and warden Tyge rushed in, with half a dozen
+half-intoxicated house-carls. They came staggering forward to assist
+their master, and a sanguinary battle commenced with daggers and axes.
+The robbers had still a great advantage over the reeling house-carls,
+who could scarcely distinguish friend from foe. With wild shouts they
+tumbled among one another, and Drost Peter and Tyge alone fought with
+deliberation and security; but they were nearly overwhelmed, when a
+noise in the court and the sound of a horn were heard.
+
+"Skirmen!" joyfully exclaimed Drost Peter and Tyge at the same time,
+and their blows fell with redoubled energy.
+
+The robbers, taken by surprise, retreated with their crafty leader
+towards the entrance of the riddersal; but, in the next moment, the
+shattered door was entirely driven in, and Skirmen rushed to his
+master's aid with ten active house-carls, two of whom had some trouble
+in restraining the fury of three men, whom they guarded, bound, between
+them. After a short but desperate resistance, the powerful Niels
+Breakpeace and his comrades were disarmed and bound. They cursed and
+vociferated furiously; but, at the drost's command, they were
+immediately led off to the tower-prison.
+
+Lave Rimaardson still lay, with his hand mutilated, on the floor. The
+proud young robber had been for some moments without consciousness;
+and, when he now recovered his senses, he learnt what had happened, and
+found himself bound, and in the hands of his enemies. Drost Peter was
+about to bind up his wounded hand; but he instantly sprang up, tore
+away the bandage with his teeth, glared wildly around him, and would
+not suffer it to be dressed, cursing his limb, and conducting himself
+so furiously that it was requisite to use force with him. As soon as
+his hand was bandaged, his feet were set at liberty.
+
+"Attend to him closely," said Drost Peter, as the warden was dragging
+him, struggling, from the door. "Give him the best prison, and good
+fare. A great man may yet be made of him; and although his life is now
+in the king's hands, I shall rejoice if he can be saved from the
+wheel."
+
+"Drost Peter Hessel," exclaimed the young robber, pausing on the
+threshold, in an attitude of defiance, "I hate you to the death; but
+you are a brave fellow, and I should not be ashamed of falling by your
+hand. If you can save me from the wheel, do so. But not for my sake: I
+can die on a wheel, in the open air, as easily as on a wretched bed.
+But I have a brother--and I bear a noble name:--you understand me?"
+
+He paused, and a convulsive motion of the muscles around his mouth
+betrayed feelings for which he instantly seemed to blush, as he strove
+to control them. "Bear in mind that I am your fair queen's kinsman,
+and, perhaps, a little allied to yourself," he added, with a bitter
+smile. "But think not that I am afraid of death; and expect no thanks
+from me, if you save my life!"
+
+"Away--away with him!" cried Drost Peter, provoked by his coarse
+allusions, and the daring accusation couched in his words and haughty
+mien. "By a perjured and dishonoured knight, no honest man need feel
+affronted," he added, turning his back on the prisoner, as the warden
+thrust him out of the door.
+
+"You are bleeding, sir," exclaimed Skirmen: "allow me to bandage you."
+
+"All in good time," replied the drost. "I would first hear whether you
+deserve praise or censure. Did you withdraw the court-warder from the
+open gate, and suffer the robbers to slip in, in order that you might
+look after them?"
+
+"If the gate was not locked after us, warden Tyge must answer for that,
+stern sir," replied Skirmen. "I did not trouble myself on that score. I
+led the carls to the great Daugberg lime-pit, and there found something
+of what we were in search: three unruly fellows we have fettered and
+brought with us, and as much gold and silver as we could drag. When we
+returned, we found the gate open, and instantly noticed the confusion.
+It was a God's blessing we returned in time."
+
+"Thou art a smart youth, Skirmen," said Drost Peter, patting him on the
+shoulder; "I have seen thee fight like the best knight. The booty thou
+shalt bring to the king with thy own hands; and if he does not dub thee
+a knight, within a year and a day I will do it myself."
+
+"Master! dear, good master!" cried Skirmen, with the utmost glee, and
+warmly kissing his master's hand: "if ever I deserve to be knighted,
+let it be by this hand! It will do me far more honour than such a
+king's--"
+
+"Skirmen!" interrupted Drost Peter, sternly and gravely, "dost thou,
+too, dare to censure my king and master? Thou servest me at present:
+if, hereafter, thou shouldst be made a knight, thou wilt then serve the
+king and country; and no servant should despise his master."
+
+"But can you in your own heart, then, noble sir drost--"
+
+"I can be silent, where the heart cannot speak without making the
+tongue a traitor; and that is ever the case when it contemns majesty.
+Be thou now also silent, and bandage me. There was still hero-blood in
+the arm that gave me this wound," he added, sadly, as he bared his arm.
+"This wild Rimaardson fights well. God support his noble kinsman, when
+he learns what has happened here!"
+
+Drost Peter, attended by his careful squire, then went to his
+bed-chamber, and everything was soon as quiet in Harrestrup Castle as
+if nothing had occurred.
+
+Before daybreak next morning, Drost Peter, together with twelve smart
+house-carls, was already on horseback, and rode off to meet the king.
+The castle-warden and the remaining house-carls he left behind, to wash
+out the traces of the night's encounter, and to guard the prisoners,
+who were chained in the tower. Skirmen, with his master's permission,
+rode to the hunting-seat where Henner Friser and his granddaughter
+resided, to inform them of the king's arrival, and to attend to their
+security.
+
+Drost Peter did not regard his wounds as of much consequence, and had
+not troubled himself about Skirmen's scruples, or his foster-mother
+Dorothy's inconvenient attentions. It was not until long after the
+conflict with the robbers was over, that the old lady awoke, and became
+aware of what had occurred, when, in her anxiety for her dear young
+master, she went and awoke him in the middle of his most refreshing
+sleep, to ascertain his actual condition; and, notwithstanding his
+order to the contrary, she kept watch at his door for the remainder of
+the night. In fact, it was not until she had seen him lively and active
+on horse back, that she found time to cross herself whilst lamenting
+over the sad havoc and confusion that pervaded her hitherto well-swept
+and polished apartment; and whilst she sought to remedy the disaster by
+the aid of brooms and scouring-cloths, she was doomed to the farther
+sorrow of beholding, on a fasting stomach, the pitiless Tyge tap the
+whole of the German ale into the sewer.
+
+The sun had not yet risen when Drost Peter, with the twelve
+house-carls, rode by Daugberg quarries. He stopped to examine the spot,
+and inquired of the house-carl John, who had accompanied Skirmen, how
+they had managed to seize the three fellows, and to possess themselves
+of the immense booty.
+
+"That I shall soon tell you, sir," replied the house-carl. "As we stood
+on this spot, we saw a light in yonder big hole. None of us had exactly
+a fancy to enter it; but the mad Skirmen outshamed us, and immediately
+crept into the mouth. We then took courage to follow him. The light
+must have been that of Satan himself, and we were certainly a hundred
+ells under ground before the steps ended. One could not see the other,
+and many of us came down on our faces on the confounded smooth
+limestone. We were, however, as still as mice, and I could hear porter
+Soeren breathing through his nose. Where Skirmen had got to, God only
+knows; but we suddenly heard a wild cry, and the noise and clash of
+weapons in the dark, a little way before us. We started forward after
+the sound, and I got hold of a long nose, and held fast; but to the
+nose there belonged a pair of sturdy fists, and I had a long struggle
+with the fellow before I got him on the ground. Porter Soeren had also
+his work to do with a fellow still stronger. One, Skirmen overpowered;
+and those who had not taken a robber, struggled with one another to
+their heart's content. At last Jasper Strongwind arrived with a lighted
+brand he had got hold of; and as soon as we saw how matters stood, and
+that we had got hold of all that were to be found, we bound them hand
+and foot, and resolved to empty the treasury; and then the job was
+done."
+
+"The luck was better than the judgment," said Drost Peter; "but still,
+I must confess that Skirmen is a bold fellow. I should not like to
+imitate this adventure."
+
+While they were yet speaking, a horseman, in a gray cloak, and mounted
+on a gray steed, overtook and passed them at full gallop. None of them
+had seen him on the way, and they therefore supposed that he had issued
+from one of the quarries.
+
+"Light the torches, carls," cried Drost Peter, dismounting. "We must
+search these robbers' dens before we go farther."
+
+They lighted some of the torches which they had brought with them to
+illuminate the road, if the king should arrive late; and, whilst six of
+the house-carls were left with the horses, Drost Peter, with the
+others, proceeded to search the suspicious pits and holes. From the
+first quarry which they examined, they brought several weapons, and two
+gray cloaks and hood-masks; the other pits they found empty, and
+without any traces of having been recently used as a retreat for
+robbers. For perfect security, however, Drost Peter left behind four
+carls, as a watch over them, and, in profound thought, rode forward
+with the others on the way to Scanderborg.
+
+The king, according to his appointment, had left the palace early; for,
+however frequently he might change his mind on other matters, he was
+extremely punctual with regard to journeys of pleasure. Drost Peter met
+him half way from Harrestrup; and when he informed him of what had
+occurred there, and mentioned the large booty which had been taken from
+the robbers, the king appeared much gratified, and continued his
+journey without delaying. Old John Little, as well as Chamberlain Rane,
+and a number of huntsmen, who accompanied the king, seemed to listen to
+the drost's relation with some doubtfulness; while his sharp looks
+detected an uneasy expression in Rane's countenance. But when the drost
+informed them that he had himself searched the Daugberg quarries, and
+set a watch over them, the doubts of the old knight appeared to vanish,
+and he laughed, and jested gaily, but at the same time kept his eye,
+unobserved, on every look and gesture of the chamberlain.
+
+It was past midday when the king and his train stopped at the
+celebrated lime-quarry, which he had previously determined to examine,
+and which he could not now pass without some attention. When he
+perceived the armed house-carls before the pits, he started, and
+inquired of the drost if they were his people, and with what view they
+kept watch there, since the robbers had been seized, and the caves
+searched.
+
+"It is still possible that we have not discovered them all, sir king,"
+replied the drost. "Perhaps, too, they belong to a confederacy which it
+were important to root out. So long as your grace remains at
+Harrestrup, I consider it my duty to watch these lurking-holes
+closely."
+
+The house-carls, with lighted torches, stood by the entrance to the
+largest pit, when the king, dismounting, advanced a few steps and
+looked timidly into it.
+
+"It is not worth wasting time upon," he exclaimed, suddenly, and
+proceeded to remount. "Whoever chooses may descend. Run thou, Rane: it
+was thou who had so much to tell me of this lime-quarry."
+
+"It is certainly worth seeing, sir king," replied Rane, as he zealously
+prepared himself to descend, along with a number of huntsmen and
+falconers.
+
+Old Sir John had also dismounted; and, taking a torch, he examined the
+pit with much interest, but without venturing down.
+
+"It was a good capture, Drost Peter," observed the king, as they rode
+leisurely on: "they were a daring and dangerous band. This famous Niels
+Breakpeace shall not again escape; for, before sunset, they shall all
+be executed. We can thus sleep soundly to-night, and begin the chase
+early in the morning."
+
+Drost Peter remained mute.
+
+"Why are you silent?" continued the king. "Have they not been seized by
+yourself in the open commission of robbery? Such fellows deserve not a
+long trial."
+
+"They arc all punishable with death," replied Drost Peter, "but it is
+still desirable that they were allowed time to shrive themselves, and
+look to the salvation of their sinful souls."
+
+"The time will not permit," replied the king. "I shall not sleep under
+the same roof with robbers and murderers. If I am to be your guest,
+Drost Hessel, these malefactors must sleep on the wheel to-night."
+
+"If you command it, sir king, they can be conducted this evening to
+Viborg prison, and you need neither rest under the same roof with them,
+nor consign them to so sudden a doom. There are men amongst them born
+to something better than to end their lives so shamefully and
+unexpectedly."
+
+"None are born to that," replied the king, musingly. "If one could know
+what was sung at his cradle, if it had any meaning," he continued, "I
+should be glad to learn what was sung at ours: it would be well to know
+that in these times. Is there any one of note among them?"
+
+"There is one of them, at least, who belongs not to the outcasts of
+humanity--in whom there is still left a remnant of honour and of lofty
+mind; and whose soul, perhaps, may still be saved. His birth and rank
+are certainly now his strongest accusers: he is of high and noble
+blood, and from your own royal hand, sir king, he had the honour to
+receive the stroke of knighthood."
+
+"That does not plead for him, truly. There you are right. He must die:
+a noble-born knight deserves to be punished with tenfold severity, when
+found among robbers and highwaymen. Who is he?"
+
+"Sir Lave Rimaardson--your noble queen's kinsman, and brother of the
+trusty Bent Rimaardson."
+
+The king started, and drawing up his horse, he threw on Drost Peter a
+scrutinising glance, in which, as he blinked uneasily, a secret
+suspicion might be traced.
+
+"The queen's kinsman, say you?" he exclaimed--"the outlaw, Lave
+Rimaardson?--he who has dared to defy me, and to stir up the peasants
+to rebellion?--he whom you yourself assisted to adjudge an outlaw?"
+
+"Even he, sir king."
+
+"And you would now defend a rebel, and intercede for so vile a
+criminal, Drost Hessel?"
+
+"Defend him I will not, sir king; but to crave mercy for a sinner, I
+still may dare. With the most righteous of all judges, clemency is the
+greatest quality. I pray you, my king, to consider his brother's
+services to the crown and country, and his relation to yourself and the
+royal house."
+
+"No! I shall now prove to you, and to my faithful subjects," replied
+the king, with secret satisfaction, "that, in the exercise of justice,
+I have no respect to high descent and birth, nor even to those allied
+to me by consanguinity and princely blood. Sir Lave Rimaardson I will
+myself see upon the wheel before the sun goes down. Onwards!"
+
+The king set spurs to his horse, and all followed. Those who had been
+examining the pit, hastened to overtake him, and Sir John again rode by
+his side. The old knight had not heard the conversation just related,
+but he observed that the king was chafed and disquieted. He rode on in
+silence, for some minutes, with unusual rapidity, but not inattentive
+to the king's angry looks and Drost Peter's uneasiness.
+
+"Why hasten you thus, sir king?" at length inquired the old knight.
+"Yonder you may see the tower of Harrestrup Castle, and the sun is yet
+far up in the heavens."
+
+"So much the better!" observed the king. "Who is the executioner of
+felons here? Where resides the hangman of the district?"
+
+"Daugberg-Daas is the place appointed for executions, sir king,"
+replied Sir John, who was well acquainted with everything relating to
+the administration of law in the country: "that was the wheel, which we
+saw above the lime-quarries, yonder. The officer of justice you inquire
+for has free quarters in Daugberg."
+
+"Good: let him be summoned immediately."
+
+The old knight was surprised, but obeyed without replying, and
+instantly dispatched a huntsman back to Daugberg for the executioner.
+He then continued to ride silently by the king's side until he
+considered his momentary irritation was allayed.
+
+"You do not intend to render your entrance to the castle of Harrestrup
+memorable by a sudden execution, sir king?" asked the old counsellor,
+as he now rode alone with him up the narrow pathway. "I do not intend
+to intercede for such gross offenders: severity is, in these times,
+highly necessary; but, when we have them securely captive, and there is
+no rebellion in the country, I like not such hasty justice."
+
+The king was silent, and blinked uneasily.
+
+"Such haste, my king," continued old John, "may easily lead to
+injustice, or be regarded as a sign of fear, which may weaken the
+confidence of your people in the power of the state. A giant, conscious
+of his strength, need not hasten, for his security, to slay a few
+captive pigmies. Besides, not even the greatest criminal ought to be
+sentenced without a legal trial."
+
+"The crime is manifest," exclaimed the king, erecting himself; "the law
+is well known; and doom I now pronounce:--they shall be broken on the
+wheel. You shall conduct them to the place of execution, Sir John; and
+you will be answerable to me that the law and sentence are fulfilled,
+in all their severity, before the sun goes down. I will hear no
+objections--it is my royal will."
+
+Sir John remained silent, and they rode slowly up the steep path to the
+castle, where Drost Peter dismounted, and placed himself by the side of
+the king's horse.
+
+The train of attendants had stopped, and there was now heard,
+behind, the quick tread of horses, and the rumbling of wheels. The
+huntsmen and falconers looked back: it was the messenger Sir John had
+dispatched for the headsman. He approached at full gallop, with a
+little broad-shouldered companion, on a miserable hack. The stranger
+wore a hairy cap, and a short, blood-red cloak; and held a large bright
+axe in his hand, whilst a sword of unusual length hung over his
+saddle-bow. A couple of rough-looking fellows followed with a small
+cart, in which were chains, fetters, a wheel, and all manner of
+horrible instruments of death and torture.
+
+With this fearful train, the king and his company ascended to
+Harrestrup Castle. Drost Peter was silent, and Sir John spake not a
+word.
+
+Outside the gate, and unknown to her master, old Dorothy had erected a
+triumphal arch, which was adorned with wreaths of box, yew, holly, and
+all the flowers that could be procured at that season of the year;
+whilst she herself stood by the side of it, arrayed in white, with a
+large nosegay in her hand, and attended by her pantry-maids and
+milkmaids, prepared to receive the king in a fashion which she intended
+should please and surprise both him and her dear young master. Since
+the king had pardoned her, when she was condemned to be buried alive
+for her womanly honour's sake, she had never been able sufficiently to
+extol his clemency and graciousness; and now, on this extraordinary
+occasion, to show her gratitude, she had, for more than two months,
+been exercising all the servant-maids of the castle in a ballad, which
+they had never heard sung before, but which was necessarily joined to a
+popular old tune. This song, which she had received from her confessor,
+was a free translation from the Schwabian meistersinger, Reinmar von
+Zweter's, flattering verses on the king, wherein, however, some of the
+true features of royalty were caught.
+
+Outside the arch, and opposite to Dorothy and her maidens, stood the
+warden Tyge, with a portion of the brave garrison of the castle.
+Dorothy had decked their helmets with silk ribands and green sprigs,
+and, with their bright halberds in their hands, they stood in a
+respectful posture, and as immoveable as statues.
+
+When Drost Peter perceived these festive preparations, so little suited
+to his own frame of mind, and to the harsh appearance of the royal
+train, he was singularly and painfully affected. The slightly-built
+arch was not unlike a gallows; and the old nurse, in her white dress,
+reminded him of the so-called corpse-women, who conducted interments in
+commercial towns. At the head of the ridiculously dressed-up milkmaids,
+who were intended to represent fine ladies, Dorothy felt as dignified
+as a queen.
+
+In a less serious mood, this spectacle would perhaps have extorted a
+smile from the lively young drost; but now it augmented most painfully
+his gloomy state of mind. The king did not appear to give much
+attention to these tokens of homage, which he was accustomed to see in
+every small trading town, and even where he knew that he was detested
+by the majority of the inhabitants. Such demonstrations of homage were
+most frequently got up by the crafty chamberlain, who sagaciously
+reckoned that, if these flatteries did not always obtain the king's
+applause, they seldom called forth his displeasure.
+
+Notwithstanding the tastelessness and farcical character of this
+parade, it was apparent that it was prompted by simple good-nature and
+true respect for the king, when the old nurse, with her thin, tremulous
+notes, and accompanied by the grating voices of the Juttish milkmaids,
+offered to him, in Danish, the German meister-singer's homage:--
+
+
+      "I prize the king who wears the crown,
+      And brings the country great renown.
+
+      "He helps the widow in her need;
+      His bounty doth the orphan feed.
+
+      "He guards his land--his name is dear
+      To all his people, far and near.
+
+      "His heart is warm, and great his mind;
+      His speech to one and all is kind.
+
+      "His hand is just to great and small,
+      Nor riches do his heart enthral.
+
+      "And he whose fair renown I sing.
+      Is Erik, Denmark's famous king."
+
+
+The aged but zealous leader of the songstresses now first fixed her
+eyes upon the king, and when she beheld his austere countenance and
+blinking eyelids, she became deadly pale. She stared at him, like a
+sorceress who had conjured up some fearful spirit, and was suddenly
+horrified on beholding the mighty unknown which her incantations had
+summoned forth. She involuntarily crossed herself, and turned away her
+look; but the apparition of the executioner and his rough assistants,
+who closed the procession, raised her terror so high that her senses
+forsook her, and, with a convulsive shriek, she fell to the ground. The
+king succeeded in curbing his startled horse, and rode hastily in with
+his retinue.
+
+Drost Peter, who had not observed what occurred, hastened to assist the
+king from his saddle, and conduct him to the large riddersal, where
+stood a table magnificently spread, and where the king, by another of
+Dorothy's arrangements, was received with a burst of music more
+sprightly than harmonious. The band was composed of rustic fiddlers and
+shawm-blowers, who were wont to exercise their skill at the weddings
+and merry-makings of the peasants. They scraped and blew with might and
+main, until the perspiration stood on their foreheads. They bowed so
+profoundly, too, and were at the same time so zealous to please the
+king, that they produced the most woful discords. Drost Peter silenced
+them, and sent them away; whilst the irritated monarch held his ears,
+and Chamberlain Rane, with a malicious smile, praised Drost Hessel's
+ingenuity in providing so pleasant a surprise for his majesty.
+
+"This device of my old foster-mother's is better meant than happily
+executed, sir king," said Drost Peter. "I hope you will excuse such an
+innocent blunder of my domestics, who are not acquainted with courtly
+manners."
+
+The king, who had become absorbed in thought, made no reply.
+
+"I am not very tenderhearted," observed Sir John; "but I confess that
+this cat-music has quite softened me, for I perceive that it was well
+and honestly meant." The king appeared not to hear this remark; and Sir
+John addressed himself to the drost: "Was it your nurse who sang to us
+outside, Drost Peter? I scarcely recognised her in her finery."
+
+"I scarcely knew her myself," replied the drost: "in her simplicity,
+she wanted to surprise me, too, with all this pomp."
+
+"She screeched like an owl; but, nevertheless, it was quite touching,"
+said the old knight, in his usual gay and careless tone, desirous to
+bring the king into a better humour, and dispose him to defer the
+executions he had so suddenly determined on. "The good women sang your
+grace and clemency, my king," he continued; "but they lost their voices
+when they perceived the hangman in your train. Will you not, then,
+sleep on your resolution tonight, and allow us to send the prisoners to
+Viborg? Methinks it were better to partake of an enlivening meal here,
+than to dwell on such serious matters?"
+
+This latter suggestion, which Drost Peter supported by pointing to the
+seat of honour, seemed to meet the king's approbation. He remained
+silent, but took his place at the table, and swallowed one or two
+goblets of wine. Old Sir John attempted to introduce some lively
+conversation, but failed in his design of putting the king into better
+humour.
+
+In the court, opposite the window, sat the executioner on his raw-boned
+horse, awaiting, with his ferocious assistants, the king's commands.
+Dorothy was carried sick to bed; and the sight which had operated so
+violently upon her, had also made a singularly painful impression on
+the other domestics. Warden Tyge, in the meanwhile, attended to the
+huntsmen, falconers, and pages, who were sumptuously entertained in
+three different apartments. But throughout the castle as great a
+silence reigned as if a funeral company had been assembled.
+
+The king suddenly arose. "I will see the fellows," he said, in a tone
+of determination: "there can be nothing wrong in that. Let them be
+brought hither, drost; but heavily chained, and under a strong guard."
+
+Drost Peter immediately left the apartment to execute this order, and
+in a minute afterwards he again entered the riddersal. The king was
+pacing the floor with rapid steps, whilst Sir John and the chamberlain
+stood silently watching the changing expression of his countenance.
+Drost Peter had also been standing for some moments in silence before
+the king's eyes met his.
+
+"They will be here instantly, sir king," he said, advancing. "Permit me
+yet one word. None of these men were taken in any robbery. They have
+not deprived me of my property; and Sir Lave Rimaardson did not attack
+me until I challenged him to single combat. He cannot be condemned as a
+robber before investigation, and a formal trial, according to the laws
+of the country."
+
+"Silence!" replied the king: "an outlaw has no rights. But here we have
+them: I shall examine them myself."
+
+Niels Breakpeace and twelve chained robbers now entered, under guard of
+warden Tyge and his armed house-carls. The robber-chief stepped forward
+with an air of proud defiance, at the head of his comrades; but Lave
+Rimaardson, who seemed to blush at being found in such company,
+remained in the rear.
+
+"Who is your leader?" inquired the king.
+
+"I!" answered Niels Breakpeace, looking so daringly at him that he
+retreated a step.
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"That every child in Denmark knows," replied the haughty robber: "with
+it the mothers can still their cubs, if even they have a knife in their
+throats. My name is sufficient to scare into corners all the wenches in
+your kingdom, and many a big-nosed fellow, too. If I had but an arm
+free, sir king, I should not give you time to hear my name out. Niels
+Breakpeace I am called. If you were as able a king as I am a robber, it
+would be better for kingdom and country, and perhaps I should now have
+been at your right hand."
+
+"You confess, then, you are a robber, and that these fellows are your
+accomplices?"
+
+"Were we to deny it, we should be scoundrels and mean scurvy fellows,"
+replied Niels Breakpeace. "Lies and deceit you are perhaps accustomed
+to at court. I and my comrades are still honest in this respect."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the king. "You all know, then, the punishment to
+which the law condemns you. Prepare yourselves, therefore, to die
+within an hour."
+
+"As well first as last, sir king! We all go the same way. But if you
+will suffer me to live till to-morrow, I will tell you something that
+may be of service to you, and that will, perhaps, defer our otherwise
+speedy meeting in another place."
+
+The king opened wide his eyes, and cast a glance at Chamberlain Rane,
+who gave him a secret wink, and pointed to the dirk-handle which
+projected from the breast-pocket of the robber-chief.
+
+"Ah, indeed!" said the king, again turning to the robber. "So, fellow!
+you would raise fear and curiosity in me, to obtain a respite, that you
+might escape, and do fresh mischief. No, no! That trick is stale and
+worn-out. If you cannot hit upon something better, you shall not live
+out the present hour."
+
+"'Tis well! Let me go before, and prepare your place. This service I
+shall do you for old acquaintance' sake. There, now, you need not look
+so lofty, your grace! We two will soon be the same height, on the
+straw. What you and your equals do in the great way, I and mine have
+done in the small, you see: that is all the difference. If, for that,
+you will make me your herald to the other world, I must submit; today,
+you have still the power to do so: but you will rue it, sir king! We
+shall soon meet again, and then you will confess that Niels Breakpeace
+intended better towards you than yourself."
+
+"Put him aside!" commanded the king: "he shall be executed the last. If
+he does not confess that which he says he can acquaint us with, he
+shall be put to the severest torture: you hear, Sir John--the
+severest."
+
+Sir John replied by a silent bow to this stern mandate. An expression
+of sorrow was visible in the countenance of the old knight; but he
+hastily drew his hand across his furrowed brow, and was again calm and
+composed.
+
+"Come forward, Lave Rimaardson," cried the king; and the wild and
+desperate youth advanced, with an air that awoke the utmost pity and
+compassion in all, save the king and Chamberlain Rane, both of whom
+regarded him with secret anxiety.
+
+"It was you whom I dubbed a knight with this sword, three years ago,"
+said the king; "and now the hangman of your native town shall break
+your knightly weapon, and suspend your shield, reversed, beneath the
+gallows. You confess that you have been associated with these audacious
+and notorious robbers?"
+
+"Yes, King Erik Christopherson," answered the young robber; "I confess
+that, and more: had we two met in Daugberg quarry, half an hour since,
+you should no more have seen the sun go down than I now expect to do."
+
+"Ha! a conspiracy!" exclaimed the king. "You are not merely robbers and
+highwaymen--you are traitors, and audacious regicides! Who has paid you
+for the King of Denmark's life?"
+
+"I am not a hired assassin," replied Lave Rimaardson, proudly: "I am a
+knight of princely blood, and no king shall offend me with impunity. In
+the hour that you adjudged me an outlaw, I swore your death and
+downfall, King Erik! And were my right hand now free, I should keep my
+oath, and this moment would be your last."
+
+"Madman!" exclaimed the king, stepping back; "if, by such audacious
+confession, you think to gain a respite, you are mistaken: you shall
+not even have time to name your accomplices, if you have them."
+
+"There you are wise, King Erik," replied Rimaardson, with a
+contemptuous laugh. "Be sparing of the moments you have yet at your
+disposal. You know not how few they are; and, when your hour of
+reckoning comes, you will have more to account for than the sinners you
+now condemn to the rack and wheel."
+
+"Peace, wretch!" cried the king, enraged; but an uneasy blinking of his
+eye seemed to indicate a sudden change in his feelings. "Your life is
+in my hands," he continued: "you are an outlaw and a rebel, a robber
+and murderer, and have even sought the life of your king and master;
+but Drost Hessel has testified that there is still within you a remnant
+of honour and of chivalrous spirit. Your brother Bent, too, is a trusty
+and deserving man; and your ignominious death, in company with these
+felons, would cast a shadow even on my throne. Think you not now, that
+King Erik Christopherson could still show you favour?"
+
+"Yes! with endless imprisonment in fair Sjoeborg: is it not so?" replied
+the haughty prisoner. "No! I do not, by a perjury, sell my soul and
+salvation, or, to save my life, forswear my revenge: it shall and must
+arrive, if not by my hand, by another's! When the harvest is ripe,
+reapers enough are to be found--"
+
+"Satan, speak out! What mean you?" cried the king, in painful
+uncertainty. "Wretched felon! know you not that I have racks at hand?
+Look through that window: there stands he who can unbind your tongue."
+
+"It is unnecessary, King Erik," replied the prisoner, suppressing his
+voice, but raising his head and gazing on the king with a dreadful
+look: "your hangman need not cut me for being tongue-tied. If you will
+hear the truth, I shall not conceal it in my dying hour. However great
+may be my crimes," he continued, in a louder tone, "I am still superior
+to the nidding who betrayed and dishonoured the wife of his best
+friend, whilst he bled in the nidding's behalf in the field of battle.
+If the brave Stig Andersen does not take full revenge for his wife's
+dishonour--if the blind, crazy father of Fru Ingeborg has not sight and
+sense enough remaining, to guide his sword into the false heart of King
+Erik--then there is not an honest drop of blood in the hearts of Danish
+nobles, and they deserve no better king than they have got."
+
+The king had become deadly pale, whilst he foamed with rage, and his
+hand convulsively clutched the hilt of his large sword. He plucked the
+weapon from its scabbard, and rushed furiously on the prisoner, who
+remained immoveable, and laughing wildly.
+
+Drost Peter sprang between them. "This is no place of execution, sir
+king," he said, warmly; "and you are no executioner, to slay a
+defenceless prisoner. He is an insolent traitor, it is true, and I no
+longer intercede for his life; but my house shall not be stained by a
+deed unworthy of yourself and your crown. If you will and must have the
+blood of this youth, you have brought an executioner with you."
+
+The wild rage of the king had suddenly abated. He angrily bit his lips,
+as he sheathed his sword, and cast a look at the daring drost, which
+plainly enough indicated that this was the last time he should suffer
+himself to be guided by such a bold adviser.
+
+
+"Well, Drost Hessel," he said, coldly, "you are right: I had nearly
+forgotten my kingly dignity in the insolence of this daring criminal,
+and you have not been far from forgetting the respect you owe to your
+king. I shall, however, follow your wise advice. Have the prisoners
+conducted to the place of execution, Sir John. Lave Rimaardson is the
+first who falls: that honour I award to his high birth. He shall die by
+the sword; but his head shall be placed on a pole, and the foxes shall
+tear his limbs to pieces. The others shall be broken alive on the
+wheel. Now, away!"
+
+Sir John gave the warden a signal to lead forth the prisoners. Lave
+Rimaardson cast a look of contempt towards the king. In going, he laid
+his wounded right hand upon his breast, and, with averted face, he
+silently pressed Drost Peter's hand with his left.
+
+At the door, Niels Breakpeace sprang strongly upwards, rattling his
+chains. "Merry now, comrades!" he cried, with a shout of wild laughter:
+"let me now see you behave yourselves like men, and thrust out your
+tongues bravely until they are bit off. Follow my example till the
+last, and do honour to your chief. When you have seen them all on the
+wheel, sir king," he cried, in a tone of mockery, and once more turning
+round haughtily, "then comes the turn of those of greater note. If you
+come yourself, and, like a merciful headsman, give me my finishing
+stroke, I shall whisper a secret in your ear, of which you will know
+the truth when St. Cecilia's day is gone by." With these words he
+departed.
+
+The king turned away with a look of contempt, but seemed discomposed by
+the parting words of the robber-chief. "Stay!" he cried. "Yet, nay,
+they shall not befool me, the crafty vermin! I know their tricks. With
+such mysterious talk has many a hardened villain escaped the gallows.
+Let my horse be brought forth, Rane. I shall observe, from a distance,
+whether they maintain their defiance to the last."
+
+Rane went out, and soon afterwards returned, saying, "The horse is at
+the door, your grace."
+
+"Your's, too?"
+
+"At your command, sir king."
+
+"I think, however, I shall consider. People do not sleep soundly after
+such sights, and we must be up betimes in the morning. All is ready for
+the chase, Drost Hessel?"
+
+"Nothing shall be wanting, sir king," replied the drost, with a look of
+composure, which ill concealed the agitation of his feelings.
+
+"I shall, nevertheless, ride to Daugber-Daas," observed the king: "it
+is still a diversion, and people may shut their eyes on what they do
+not care to see. You must confess yourself, my conscientious drost,
+that, in this matter, I have been both just and gracious."
+
+Drost Peter bowed, but said nothing.
+
+"My polite host bears me company, of course?" added the king, in an
+apparently friendly tone, but with anger in his heart.
+
+"It will be much against my feelings, my king; but if you so command, I
+obey. No injustice has taken place, I confess: but this is not a royal
+spectacle, and I wished you worthier entertainment on this visit,
+which, now, I dare not call gracious."
+
+"Let us set off. You can follow me," said the king, as he departed.
+
+Rane smiled; and Drost Peter followed his royal guest, with a tortured
+heart, and in the gloomiest mood.
+
+Next morning, when the sun arose, he shone on the corpses of the
+thirteen robbers on Daugberg-Daas. In the valley beneath was heard the
+merry sound of horns and the baying of hounds, as a magnificent
+hunting-train rode by. At its head, between Sir John and Drost Peter,
+was the king, in a handsome green hunting-suit. Behind them, bearing
+falcons and other hunting-gear, rode six smartly dressed pages, among
+whom was the little kindhearted Aage Jonsen, bearing the king's
+favourite falcon. Next came, at the head of a troop of royal huntsmen,
+having thirty hounds in leashes, the Chamberlain Rane, who, like those
+he headed, was lightly armed with a bow and short hunting-knife; but he
+wore, besides, a magnificent small sword, with glittering gems in a
+hilt of silver, which the king had recently presented to him as a
+testimony of his favour.
+
+Squire Skirmen was absent, as he had not yet returned from his visit to
+Henner Friser at the forest-lodge. He had obtained permission to remain
+until the afternoon of this day; and his place was now taken by warden
+Tyge, who closed the cavalcade in company with some archers, and a few
+active huntsmen from Harrestrup.
+
+As the king passed Daugberg-Daas, he closed his eyes, and gave the spur
+to his steed. When they had left the hill some distance behind, he
+turned to his right, and addressed old Sir John.
+
+"They obstinately maintained their defiance, then?" he said. "Yesterday
+evening, I wished not to disturb my night's rest by listening to the
+end of your narrative; and I went not so near to the spot myself that I
+could hear what they said. Would the audacious Niels Breakpeace reveal
+nothing?"
+
+"Not a word, sir king; but he laughed horribly in the pangs of death,
+and promised that, within eight days, he would tell you all he knew."
+
+The king blinked anxiously, and became pale. "Tell me, my dear Sir
+John," said he: "do you think all the threats and warnings the fellow
+hinted at, were anything more than crafty inventions, with which he
+hoped to escape the gallows?"
+
+"I know not that, sir king; but, in your place, I should not have so
+greatly hurried the execution of their sentence. The mere fact that an
+outlawed knight, of such high birth, was found among these robbers,
+seemed to me, even without their own confession, certain proof that
+they were here on a more important and daring undertaking than
+plundering the pantries and wine-cellars of Harrestrup. They might have
+given us valuable information."
+
+The king, as he listened to Sir John, became more and more uneasy. "By
+Satan!" he exclaimed, warmly, "I felt constrained to make quick work of
+them, effectually to prevent any of their daring designs being
+accomplished. But why did you not inform me of these wise conclusions
+when they were alive? Your prudence comes too late now, Sir John."
+
+"You would not hear a word from me, sir king; and when I have an
+express royal command, I must be silent and obey; especially where, as
+in the present case, it is undeniably just, and according to the letter
+of the law."
+
+"Now, by the rood! we shall think no more of it," exclaimed the king,
+endeavouring to overcome his uneasiness; and at the same time he set
+spurs to his horse, and ordered the huntsmen to strike up a lively
+hunting-air.
+
+Drost Peter was grave and silent. The king had not yet spoken a word to
+him; and the sharp-sighted drost read in his manner, as well as in that
+of the crafty chamberlain, that his fall was determined on, and that
+the formal announcement was only delayed in order that it might not mar
+the day's pleasure. But the depressing conviction that his power and
+influence were at an end, was outweighed by doubts of far greater
+importance respecting the welfare of the kingdom, which had been called
+forth by Lady Inge's admonition to watchfulness, and the circumstances
+connected with the capture and execution of the robbers.
+
+Sir John, on the contrary, appeared to have abandoned every gloomy and
+disquieting thought. In his youth he had been a bold huntsmen, but for
+many years had not partaken of this noble diversion. The sound of the
+horns and the cries of the chase awoke within him lively recollections
+of his early days, and, as the king's companion in the sport, he
+considered it his duty to be as cheerful and entertaining as possible.
+
+When the first game was started, the king engaged eagerly and
+passionately in pursuit. For dexterity in the chase he was without a
+rival; and he now rushed with wild impetuosity among the huntsmen and
+unleashed hounds, and, as usual, was highly admired by the strangers,
+as well for his rapidity, as for the certainty with which he brought
+down his game. Not without difficulty could old Sir John follow him;
+although he took care to make it appear that it did not cost him any
+exertion. Recalling the memory of his young days, he gave his
+mettlesome hunter the reins, and took the most daring leaps over
+ditches and fences.
+
+Drost Peter was accustomed to such violent sport, but on this occasion
+he often felt himself painfully reminded of his recent wounds. This
+gloomy mood was speedily augmented by the concern he felt for Sir John,
+who, he plainly saw, was exerting himself beyond his strength; and he
+knew that it was useless to caution the old knight concerning it.
+However merry the latter appeared, he had, nevertheless, intimated to
+the drost, by a look, that he shared his grave doubts, and considered
+it highly essential that the hunt should keep together. If, now and
+then, they paused by a fallen deer, the chamberlain had instantly
+another in sight, and the king again dashed off with renewed ardour.
+
+At length they reached a beautiful forest-glade, in which they halted
+to rest their horses, and to partake of a midday meal; during the
+preparation of which the chamberlain was inexhaustible in entertaining
+the king with pleasant hunting-stories. They seated themselves on the
+trunk of a fallen oak-tree. The cloth was spread on the fresh moss; at
+a little distance the huntsmen had encamped themselves, and the spoils
+of the chase were piled up close by. The pages waited on the king, who
+appeared in a good humour, and well contented.
+
+"It is a chivalrous and right royal diversion," said Sir John, in
+answer to the king's question whether he had enjoyed himself. "In my
+young days, I was passionately fond of it; but now I am too old and
+stiff for the sport. Another time, sir king, I shall do better to
+remain at home, like the old hunting-steed."
+
+"You would come with me, however," said the king. "Your fancy for it
+certainly surprised me."
+
+"It was not entirely for the sake of the chase, sir king," said the old
+man, gravely, and with an observant look at Rane. "I am but little
+acquainted with this part of Jutland," he added, hastily: "I am glad,
+also, to see our good Drost Hessel in the capacity of host."
+
+"You have seen, then, that he is master of his own house, and keeps
+strict watch over the security of his guests," replied the king, with a
+bitter smile: "even highwaymen and murderers are safe beneath his
+roof."
+
+"If in that he went a little too far, your grace," said Sir John, "I
+pray you, for my sake, not to be offended with it. I did not regard the
+prisoners as so dangerous."
+
+"I must confess, sir king," observed Drost Peter, "that this business
+of the robbers was of more importance than I believed; but they have
+now ended their lives and crimes together. If on that occasion I erred,
+and for a moment forgot the respect I owed my royal guest, let not this
+day's sun go down upon your wrath, my king. If I have lost your royal
+grace in consequence, suffer me at least--"
+
+"Enough of this!" interrupted the king, coldly. "I have come here to
+amuse myself, and not to sit in judgment every day. I am master of my
+own thoughts, and you shall know my determination at the proper time.
+Let the huntsmen strike up."
+
+Rane hastily gave a signal to the royal horn-blowers, who stood on a
+rising ground, at a little distance, and who immediately commenced a
+bold hunting-air, called King Waldemar Seier's Hunt, and to which the
+king was extremely partial.
+
+A painful silence followed the king's ungracious remarks to Drost
+Peter. Rane smiled maliciously as he filled his master's goblet, and
+endeavoured, by some buffooneries, to restore mirthfulness; but the
+king left the wine untouched, and fell into deep thought. The rapid
+exercise and the consciousness of his skill in the chase, as well as
+his anger against Drost Peter, appeared to have banished from his
+countenance the undecided and contradictory shades of passion which so
+often disfigured it; and for an instant there beamed from it an
+expression of true kingly dignity and greatness, while, with his hand
+on his ponderous sword, he regarded his three chief counsellors with
+the air of one who could free himself from them at any moment he chose.
+The only one in which he reposed any kind of confidence was Rane; but
+him, in his better moments, he despised, as the wretched instrument of
+his vilest pleasures. The power which old Sir John exercised over him,
+with so much prudence and consideration, seemed to him just now a
+crafty invasion of the royal prerogative; and Drost Peter's bold
+superiority he regarded as an intolerable assumption. It appeared as if
+the quick, heart-stirring tones of Waldemar Seier's Hunt, which he had
+known from his childhood, recalled the daring dreams of his youth, with
+the memory of the time when, by his noble mother's side, he was saluted
+with the name of king, and felt the blood of the Waldemars in a bold
+and unsullied heart. But this proud expression quickly vanished as his
+whole misspent life of royalty passed before him, and the painful
+conviction seized him that he now sat, alone and hated, in the midst of
+his kingdom, without a single friend. His melancholy and despondency
+seemed on the point of overwhelming him; but he struggled against the
+humiliating feeling, and a wild defiance and sternness flashed from his
+eyes.
+
+Drost Peter sat silent and thoughtful: in his dejected but candid
+countenance it could be plainly seen how much the king's displeasure
+went to his heart. His entire future efficiency seemed destroyed by a
+single hasty and incautious word. He could not acquit himself of
+arrogance whilst vindicating his sense of justice, on that occasion,
+when, by a too daring expression, he had drawn his master's wrath upon
+his head; and it was to him a bitter feeling to have offended his king
+at the moment when, as a guest, he had entered his house. At this
+instant it was almost more bitter than the thought of having lost the
+king's favour. But the monarch's stern look now fell upon him, and its
+excessive harshness seemed to recall him to himself. The undauntedness
+with which he encountered it was, however, little calculated to appease
+the offended king; who, instead of penitence and humility, was met by
+strong self-confidence and calm courage, which no displeasure of his
+could humble.
+
+Rane and old Sir John were attentive observers of this significant play
+of looks, which filled up the pause in the conversation caused by the
+music. The sagacious old statesman appeared calm and indifferent;
+though a tear, which he speedily dashed away, glistened in his eye, as
+he observed the remains of loftiness and dignity which had lit up the
+passion-worn countenance of the king. He saw with concern that the fall
+of the trusty Drost Peter was determined on, and that his own influence
+was also endangered; but what most annoyed him was the ill-concealed
+triumph of the cunning chamberlain, and the busy zeal with which he
+prepared for the continuance of the chase. The old knight observed that
+Rane now made an unusual gesture; on which the king nodded to him, as
+if in accordance with some private understanding. His majesty seemed
+about to rise, but again relapsed into deep thought. The music still
+continued.
+
+"Herregud!" exclaimed old Sir John, breaking the long silence, "they
+are playing Waldemar Seier's Hunt. It is a strange thought, sir king.
+If your great ancestor, of blessed memory, had had Count Albert and the
+trusty Charles of Rise by his side, when this air was played at the
+unfortunate hunting on Ly Island, the black Count Henry had perhaps
+never got him into his clutches."[31]
+
+"A stag! a stag!" shouted Chamberlain Rane, springing up.
+
+The king hastily arose, as a herd of deer, with a stag at their head,
+rushed past. In an instant the huntsmen were on horseback, the horns
+sounded lustily, and the dogs broke away.
+
+"Away!" ordered the king, swinging himself into his saddle; and Drost
+Peter and Sir John started off by his side. The chamberlain rode in
+advance; and the chase now recommenced with redoubled ardour. They
+frequently lost and again found the track of the herd; and thus
+continued for several hours, without any pause.
+
+"Sir king," said Drost Peter, at length, riding close up to him as he
+stopped an instant to observe the hounds and the track, "permit us a
+slight pause. Sir John's years make this violent exercise painful to
+him; and my wounds are bleeding through the bandages."
+
+"Those who cannot follow, may stay behind," replied the king: "I have
+huntsmen enough with me, and require you not. Away, Rane!"
+
+The hunt was pursued with enthusiasm, but neither Sir John nor Drost
+Peter remained behind. The day at length began to close, and Drost
+Peter again rode in between Rane and the king.
+
+"If you would get back to Harrestrup before night, sir king," he said,
+with visible uneasiness, "we must now turn, and give the deer a respite
+for to-day."
+
+"I shall do as it pleases me!" cried the king, irritated. He had just
+wounded the stag they were in pursuit of. "That stag shall be mine," he
+shouted, "should I pursue him till to-morrow."
+
+They continued at a flying gallop over stump and stone, through brake
+and briar, with hounds yelling and horns winding. Drost Peter and Sir
+John still followed, and did not lose sight of the king for an instant;
+until, in taking a dangerous leap, Sir John's horse fell with him, and
+he received a violent blow on the side, which for an instant deprived
+him of consciousness.
+
+Drost Peter sprang from his horse to his aid, and found, with
+consternation, that the old knight had broken a rib. "Hold! for God's
+sake, hold!" he shouted, with all his might.
+
+The huntsmen stopped when they heard the drost's powerful voice, which
+they were accustomed to obey. They quickly came to assist, and a litter
+of boughs was soon made, on which to carry the old man, every one
+showing for him the greatest sympathy. But, in the meanwhile, the king
+and Chamberlain Rane, with two of the fleetest falconers, had gone out
+of sight.
+
+As soon as Sir John regained his senses, and found himself on the
+litter, surrounded by Drost Peter and the anxious huntsmen, he inquired
+with concern and alarm respecting the king.
+
+"He would not stop," answered Drost Peter; "but he must be back
+immediately. It is impossible to continue the hunt longer, for it is
+almost night."
+
+"After him, Drost Peter!" cried the old man; "for Heaven's sake, after
+him! What think you of?" he whispered: "he is alone with Rane! Your
+people can care for me. Away!"
+
+"Care well for him, Tyge--he is the king's most important counsellor,"
+said Drost Peter to his castle-warden, as he sprang on his horse. "Bear
+him, with your huntsmen, carefully to Harrestrup. You others follow me.
+God be with you, noble sir!"
+
+In another instant Drost Peter, with the royal huntsmen, had
+disappeared in the forest; whilst warden Tyge and his men leisurely and
+gently bore Sir John back to Harrestrup.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In a little lonely forest-house, in the neighbourhood of Finnerup,
+stood, at about the same hour of the evening, Claus Skirmen, with his
+squire's cap in his hand. Before him were old Henner Friser and Aase.
+The powerful, gigantic old man seemed to have prepared himself for the
+worst. He stood, leaning on a long javelin, in his Frisian war-suit of
+leathern mail, with his seal-skin cap drawn over his straggling gray
+hairs. The pretty little Aase appeared occupied with far more peaceful
+thoughts. She wore the same dark blue jacket, plaited kirtle, and light
+blue apron, in which Skirmen had first seen her, when he assisted in
+liberating her from Hegness. She held him familiarly by the hand, and
+bent on him tenderly her dark playful eyes, whilst he, half ashamed,
+seemed to expect some important reply from old Henner.
+
+"Thanks for thy warning, brave youth," said the latter, shaking Skirmen
+heartily by the hand. "It is well thou camest so early, to assist us
+with our slender preparations for defence. Our persecutors may now come
+when they will: none shall see us longer than we ourselves list. If thy
+account be true--and I do not take thee for a braggart--thou art a
+smart youth--the affair of the robbers was no jesting matter. If thou
+goest on thus, and thy master, with a good conscience, can hereafter
+give thee the stroke of knighthood, I have no objection that my little
+Aase should love thee, and thou her. But when we meet again, we shall
+talk more of it."
+
+Skirmen and Aase embraced each other with transport, and hugged the old
+man with the utmost joy.
+
+"Good, good, my children. God and St. Christian bless ye!" continued
+old Henner, with emotion. "But this is not the time to prattle and
+think of love. Thou must off, Skirmen, and inform thy master of what we
+know."
+
+"I have done so already," replied Skirmen: "what the Rypen burghers
+said in the tavern, he knows; but he does not think it has any great
+meaning."
+
+"Tell him, then, from me," said the old man, "that it certainly means
+no less than folks say the three suns portend which we saw in the
+heavens on St. Remy's day. It was the day before the feast of All
+Saints, and the learned clerks speak much of a heathen goddess of
+revenge that used to be worshipped on that day. Our Lord knows the
+witch, and I am not skilled in the signs of the sun and moon; but this
+I know, that when disaffected knights creep about in monks' cowls, it
+is for no good or holy purpose. So beg thy master, first and foremost,
+to take care of himself and the king, as he passes the barn of
+Finnerup. And now away! Give him a kiss, Aase, and let him run. Thy
+norback, Skirmen, is more zealous than thyself in the king's service.
+Hearest thou not how impatiently he neighs?"
+
+"Farewell, father Henner--farewell, dear Aase!" exclaimed Skirmen,
+hastily. "But be cautious, Aase! If thou passest for an elf, be as
+cunning as one; and, for God's sake, disappear as soon as you observe
+any mischief."
+
+"Take care, my young knight, that I am not an elf in reality!" cried
+Aase, playfully, as she embraced him. "Seest thou not my blue kirtle,
+and brown two-peaked hood? Ay, right! look in my eyes and not to my
+back, for I am as hollow there as a dough-trough.[32] Away, now--out
+with thee! save thy king and master, or thou deservest never to be a
+knight, and I will have nothing more to say to thee."
+
+Skirmen embraced her hastily, and hurried out, accompanied by his
+sweetheart and the old man. Shortly afterwards he was riding through
+the wood at a gallop, and Henner Friser re-entered the cottage with his
+granddaughter. Neither of them spoke. He barred the door, cast his
+spear into a corner, and sat down musingly on his rush-cushioned seat.
+Aase took her distaff, and sat down to work by the window, for the
+interior of the room was now quite dark.
+
+"Light the lamp, Aase," said the old man, at length, breaking the
+silence, and rising with uneasiness. "It is still too early to go to
+rest in the hole inside, and thou knowest I cannot bear to sit in the
+dark."
+
+"But were it not better to-night, dear grandfather?" replied Aase.
+"If even I were to hang my apron before the window, the light would
+still shine through; and, if we would keep concealed, were it not
+advisable--"
+
+"I am not a carlin," exclaimed Henner. "I am not so much afraid of man,
+that I must sit in the dark, and be tormented by the devil. The living
+I fear not: would only that the restless dead would grant me peace!"
+
+"Dost thou again think of the dead, dear grandfather?" said Aase, with
+a sigh, as she lighted the lamp and hung it on an iron hook attached to
+the low rafters; having first, however, taken care to hang her thin
+light blue apron before the horn-window that looked out on the wood.
+"It is not the dead, but the living, that persecute us, dear
+grandfather," she continued, sitting down to her work opposite his
+chair. "It is only the storm tearing the dry boughs from the trees, and
+the wild birds hooting dismally in the woods, that sometimes make thee
+uncomfortable at night."
+
+"It seems always to come from Gottorp," muttered the old man, who had
+resumed his seat: "'tis there he lies, with the stake through his
+heart--the accursed king, who caused his brother to be cast into the
+river Sley!--and he it is who hunts through the forest at midnight. I
+long regarded it as a delusion and a superstition, but now I must
+believe it, since I have myself seen it."
+
+"The rood save us!" exclaimed Aase; "when didst thou see it?"
+
+"On the night after St. Remy's day, when we saw the wonderful sight in
+the air--yesterday three weeks: it was Sunday, and we had been in
+church. You remember how it howled in the storm. You fell asleep in the
+corner there; but I could not close an eye because of the horrid din. I
+stood up at last, and looked through the window into the forest, and
+then I knew it was no delusion. I saw, in the moonshine, a coal-black
+figure riding at full speed through the woods, on a steed of raven
+blackness. The animal snorted and neighed as if possessed by the Evil
+One, and sparks flew from his hoofs. Behind him came one of an iron
+mould, who must have been the foul fiend himself. Three big hounds
+followed, glistening in the moonlight; but whether or not they were
+fiery, as people say, I cannot, however, be certain. I had enough of
+what I had seen; and no one shall now convince me that King Abel's wild
+hunt is mere nonsense and superstition."
+
+"I certainly saw the same two riders last Monday evening," replied
+Aase; "but thou mayst believe me, grandfather, they were living men.
+The forester's Mary also saw them, and she thought they must have been
+the dreadful Stig Andersen from Moellerup, and the sturdy Mat Jute, who
+always attends him. It was shortly before we heard of the grayfriar
+monks of Rypen, and the apparitions in Finnerup barn, which thou
+thyself believest to be conspirators lying in wait for the king."
+
+"Thou mayst be right, child!" ejaculated Henner, more composed, yet
+shaking his gray head dubiously: "I am an old fool to take such fancies
+in my head. But were it even the accursed King Abel himself," he
+continued, rising, "let him come when he will! I have not been afraid
+to look him in the face before now. I have yet my old steel-bow; and my
+good Frisian spear shall still keep every nidding at bay, be he dead or
+alive." He remained standing in the middle of the floor, his arms
+crossed, and in deep thought. "If it should really have been Stig
+Andersen?" he exclaimed, suddenly--"if he should be here, and be
+himself one of the apparitions at the barn, there is far more danger
+than I had supposed; and this is not the time to be creeping under
+cover from one's own shadow. It were better I rode over to the drost.
+Skirmen is a nimble youth; but, now that thou hast put love-whimsies
+into his head, he cannot be so much depended on. He has been as awkward
+about everything to-day as if he had never before taken spade or axe in
+his hand."
+
+"He is the son of a knight, grandfather, and has not been accustomed to
+such kind of work. But you shall see that he is smart enough when the
+safety of his king's life is concerned."
+
+"Thou mayst talk of thy squire as thou wilt. If he be not a better
+squire than woodman, he will never in his life be a knight. Tell me,
+Aase, art thou afraid to be left alone to-night?"
+
+"Afraid, grandfather?" she replied, quickly, colouring: "nay, not
+exactly that--if thou hadst not spoken of the vile dead king. But it
+does not matter," she continued, gaily, as she observed a shade of
+displeasure and uneasiness in the countenance of the old man: "I am not
+easily frightened, grandfather. I am an elf, thou knowest; and, when I
+do not wish to be seen, I have only to make myself invisible."
+
+"That thou canst well, child," said the grandfather, regarding her with
+tender interest: "brave Frisian blood runs in thy veins, and thou hast
+now been long free from thy dreaming-sickness. That is some assurance
+for thy safety; but if thou art at all anxious, I will not leave thee.
+Thou art the apple of mine eye, Aase, and I have nothing else in the
+world much to care for; but when danger threatens the land, every true
+Frisian will be watchful, if our Lord and St. Christian permit him.
+This is an important business, thou knowest well. For the king,
+himself, I would not give a rotten rope's end; but still, as regards
+the crown and country, his life is of importance, until Drost Hessel
+has reared a better king for us. The drost saved thy honour, and,
+perhaps, my life: he is true to his king, like a brave fellow; and I am
+bound to serve, as best I can, both him and his master. If thou canst
+suffer to be left alone, I shall ride immediately, and find Drost
+Hessel and the king, wherever they may be. On such an errand, I should
+think I am safe."
+
+"Ride, in God and the Holy Virgin's name, grandfather, if thou oughtest
+and must. I am not afraid, and can guard myself," replied Aase, boldly.
+
+The old man hesitated no longer. "Come, then, a morsel of bread in my
+wallet, whilst I saddle my horse," he said, as he passed through the
+kitchen, and across the yard to the stable.
+
+Aase accompanied him into the kitchen, and immediately afterwards
+returned alone, with some victuals, which she placed in a badger-skin
+wallet that hung suspended from a deer's antler near the fireplace.
+
+Whilst thus occupied, the apron fell from the little horn-window; but
+unobserved by her, as she stood at the table opposite the light, with
+her back turned towards the casement. The point of a slender sword had
+pierced the horn, undone the fastening of the apron, and was then
+hastily withdrawn. A wily face, with a reddish beard, now peeped in. It
+disappeared, and immediately gave place to another, which likewise
+disappeared as Aase turned round. She now first observed that the apron
+had fallen from the window, and proceeded quietly to hang it up again,
+without observing the small puncture in the horn.
+
+Her grandfather re-entered by the kitchen, equipped for his journey.
+"I shall ride out by the back gate," he said, as he threw his
+hunting-wallet over his broad shoulders. "And thou art, then, really
+not afraid, child? If thou noticest anything suspicious, thou knowest
+what to do. If thou darest not have a light, put out the lamp."
+
+"Be tranquil on my account, grandfather," replied Aase, without the
+least symptom of fear; "but, since thou hast talked so much about the
+dead, I shall not extinguish the lamp. The living I can guard against.
+When may I expect thy return?"
+
+"Before daybreak," replied the old man. "Bar the kitchen-door after me,
+and open it to no one until thou hearest nine strokes on it. God bless
+thee!"
+
+He fondly embraced her, and departed through the door by which he had
+entered. Aase fastened it after him, and returned to the lonely room.
+Shortly afterwards she heard the hoofs of a horse in the forest, and
+recognised the firm gallop of her grandfather.
+
+About a bow-shot from the little forest-house, behind a close thicket
+of white thorns, stood two saddled horses, held by two stately pages,
+who themselves were seated on a pair of small hunters, and carried each
+a falcon on his arm; and at a few paces from it stood the king and
+Chamberlain Rane, whispering together, behind some elder-bushes that
+entirely concealed them.
+
+"That was the old man who rode out," whispered Rane: "it could not have
+happened better. And heard you, sir?--nine strokes on the door opens
+it."
+
+"Humph! I had rather have given up the whole sport," muttered the king,
+with much uneasiness. "You should have sought out the road."
+
+"Sooth to say, sir king, I was better acquainted with the forest than I
+pretended; but I wished to give you a surprise, and keep my promise.
+Now you have yourself seen that she is here, and concealed from you by
+Drost Hessel. This is his forest-house, and here has he maintained both
+the girl and the regicide since last year."
+
+"Silence!" whispered the king, with growing fear; "name not the damned
+word! He has not yet gone far, and who knows that traitors are not at
+hand? It was imprudent in you, Rane, to lead me, on such foolery, so
+far into the forest, at this hour. How easily you might have carried me
+into the claws of the old Satan! The little minx I should like to get
+hold of, but I shall not risk too much for her: I have not quite
+forgotten what the daring Niels Breakpeace and the fearful Lave
+Rimaardson said to me yesterday. They are now on the wheel, and will
+grin horribly in the moonshine as we ride by.----Rane," he continued,
+after a thoughtful pause, "I have not been in a church for many a year,
+and am not versed in saints' days. When is St. Cecilia's?"
+
+"Faith, I know not, sire," replied the chamberlain: "I am not a whit
+more saintly than yourself. But it cannot be far off."
+
+"The bold ruffian said that that day must be past before I could know
+his secret. This is not a time for fooleries and wench-hunting. It is
+night, and I have not a man with me except yourself. Thou wilt not
+betray thy king, Master Rane? Thou art not yet so godless as to lead me
+into a snare?"
+
+"The cross defend me, your grace! How can you think so?" stammered
+Rane.
+
+They had approached the house, and a faint glimmer from the chink in
+the curtained window fell on Rane's face. The king looked at his crafty
+chamberlain with an anxious, scrutinising glance, and kept his hand
+constantly on the hilt of his sword.
+
+"I have many a time confided in thee," he continued, "and we have had
+many pleasant adventures together; but whom in the world am I now to
+trust, when Drost Hessel can be traitor enough to conceal a regicide,
+and even old Sir John is not to be depended upon?"
+
+"I only half distrust them, sir king," said Rane, quickly; "and it is
+still possible I may be mistaken. But so long as I am with you, you are
+safe. When the least danger threatens, I shall warn you. If I had
+intended to betray you, sire, I should have taken care not to inform
+you of what I had heard and seen at Moellerup."
+
+"But thou, too, didst lay thy hand upon the book, Rane--thou, too,
+didst swear thy king's downfall; what thou didst add to thine oath, no
+one heard."
+
+"I were but a poor spy for you, sir king, did your enemies not believe
+me worthy of credit. But think no more of these things. Here you are
+safe. I hoped to have earned thanks from you to-night for a pleasant
+surprise, instead of which I am paid with doubts and scruples, whilst
+you squander here the precious moments. The pretty Aase sits within,
+and wearies. Perhaps she is already asleep, and sweetly dreams of you."
+
+"Talk not of her dreams, Rane, for they are frightful: she nearly drove
+me mad with them at Hegness. Beautiful she is, it is true, but as
+cunning as a she-devil. It is said that she has really power to
+foretell the future, and I almost believe it. If it be so, there are
+one or two things worth knowing from her. Heard you what the peasant
+said about the three suns?"
+
+"Mere superstition and nonsense, sir king. In truth, I did not half
+comprehend him. But what he said about elfin-moss I could understand.
+From his description, it was neither more nor less than our little
+Aase. She is cunning enough, perhaps, to avail herself of the credulity
+of the peasants, to render herself of importance, and drive a sly trade
+in the hidden arts. So, sir king, if you too are superstitious, and
+wish to have your fate unriddled, you have here an opportunity of
+gratifying your curiosity: you are but a few paces from the elf-woman;
+and, from such a pretty little mouth, you can hear no unpleasant
+prediction. In any case this will be a sufficient excuse for your
+unexpected visit, and give more zest to the adventure."
+
+"So be it, then. I will visit her, Rane; but take care that no one
+surprises us, and be at hand when I call."
+
+"You are perfectly safe, sir king."
+
+The tall huntsman then approached the door of the little forest-house,
+cautiously and irresolutely. He first looked through the horn-pane, but
+could only distinguish the light of the lamp and an ill-defined female
+form, reclining, apparently, on a bench. He stood by the door and
+raised his hand, but let it fall again. At length he summoned
+resolution to strike the door nine times, gently, with the hilt of his
+sword. He heard a light, slow footstep in the room. The bar inside was
+withdrawn, and all was again still. He lingered a moment, as if
+undecided; and then half opened the door gently, and peeped in. The
+lamp burned dimly beneath the rafters, and on the bench by the table
+lay the beautiful little Aase, apparently asleep. He now wholly opened
+the door, and softly entered. Having closed and bolted it after him, he
+approached the sleeping girl and gazed at her with admiration in his
+blinking eyes. Never, he thought, had he seen a more beautiful woman.
+Her little cap lay on the table, by the side of a breviary written in
+Gothic characters and in the Frisian dialect. The jet black locks of
+the maiden were released from their bands, and fell freely down and
+over her virgin neck and shoulders. The king, not to frighten her with
+his long sword, hung it on a small wooden hook on the wall.
+
+"Aase--little Aase--wake up!" he whispered. "Thou must grant me a
+kindly welcome to-night."
+
+The sleeping girl leisurely arose; but her eyes were closed.
+
+"Do not fall asleep again, little Aase," he continued: "I had enough of
+this jest before. Open thy pretty eyes, and look on me. Dost thou not
+know me?"
+
+She opened her eyes, but they did not look on him: they were widely
+extended, and her gaze fixed, without play or animation; and her little
+handsome countenance, which was deadly pale, wore the solemn and
+fearful expression of somnambulism.
+
+"Now, by my soul!" exclaimed the king, falling back, perplexed, "if
+thou art a witch or sorceress, I shall hold no farther parley with
+thee. Thou shalt be burnt one day, when thou fallest into the hands of
+the clerks. Yet, nay: thou art too beautiful for that," he added,
+recovering his calmness, and looking at her keenly. "Ha, woman! is this
+real, and no crafty jugglery? If thou canst gaze down upon the damned,
+say what the dead robber on the Daugberg wheel is about? What would he
+tell King Erik Christopherson within eight days?"
+
+"The robber on the wheel?" repeated Aase in a soft, toneless voice, and
+without changing her mien or posture--"he is now in the black pit, and
+calls on King Erik Christopherson."
+
+The king started: he gazed on her again, and blinked with much
+uneasiness and suspicion, as he looked around. "Deceive me, cheat, and
+it shall cost thee thy life!" he muttered, with his hand on the hilt of
+his dagger, and retreating a step farther towards the door. "Whom seest
+thou in the pit?" he again inquired, in a low tone, appearing no longer
+to doubt that she was in some wonderful state that enabled her to see
+into the Hidden, and perhaps to reveal the Future which he dreaded.
+
+She hesitated to reply, as it seemed to cost her a painful effort to
+look on that which presented itself to her interior sense--a sense so
+different from that denoted by her rigid, motionless, extended eyes.
+
+"In the pit I see robbers--murderers--ravishers!" she said, at length,
+in the same whispering, toneless voice: "there are kings, princes, and
+bishops among them. And, lo! there he sits--the murderer of his
+brother--on a throne of dead men's bones, with cushions of fiery
+serpents! He prepares a place for his brother's son! Hearest thou?--"
+
+"Woman! demon! What devilry dreamest thou of?" exclaimed the king,
+overcome with fearful anguish. "Answer me! Speak! Can I yet be saved?
+How long a respite have I?"
+
+"Ask the sword that rattles on the wall!" replied the somnambulist in a
+louder voice, pointing to the king's sword, but without turning her
+eyes towards it: "when that falls, thy time is near at hand."
+
+With a convulsive motion, the king snatched at his sword; but the
+slender hook that supported it gave way, and it fell, rattling, on the
+stone floor.
+
+"This is the sword of a king, and not that of a headsman!" exclaimed
+the king, proudly and vehemently, as he hastily took up the weapon,
+appearing, as he grasped it, to recover strength to overcome his
+terror. "When the heading-sword rattles on the wall, well I know it
+waits for blood," he muttered; "but this shall drink that of my foes.
+Ha! tell me, thou fearful woman!" he continued, looking anxiously
+around him, "who are the accursed traitors that lay wait for me? Where
+are they, and how many?"
+
+"If thou wilt know their number, reckon it on thy belt," replied Aase.
+"Beware of the grayfriar cloaks: they conceal bold warriors. They ride,
+with drawn swords, through the forest. See! look!--the blind, bald
+monk!--he laughs, and whets his sword on his nails!"
+
+"Ha! Palle, Palle!--is it thee?" muttered the king, staring wildly
+in the direction on which the fearful dreamer's gaze seemed to be
+fixed.----"Seest thou more?"
+
+"I see a man, with glowing eyes, clad in iron," replied Aase, in a
+fainter voice, apparently exhausted, and almost sinking to the ground:
+"he spurs his black steed, and his great sword is drawn! Now will he
+revenge the dishonour of his wife!"
+
+The king still stared wildly before him. "Sorceress! she-devil!" he at
+length shouted madly, "if thou art leagued with my deadly foes, thou
+shalt be the first to fall by this sword." And he sprang, with
+phrensied violence, to seize her by the throat; but his hand grasped
+only her loose kerchief, whilst his uplifted sword rattled against the
+lamp, which fell, extinguished, on the floor; and at the same moment
+he heard a shriek, and a hollow sound like the closing of a large
+chest-lid.
+
+The girl had suddenly disappeared. The king raved wildly, and laid his
+sword about him in the darkness. A dreadful anguish overwhelmed him;
+and he would have called out, but was unable. He groped for the door,
+but could not find it; and then rushed madly against a wooden
+partition, which gave way, when the house seemed to fall about him.
+
+A cold breeze now met him. He stumbled, and fancied he had fallen into
+some frightful murder-den. His senses became bewildered, and he saw
+before him all the hideous forms he most dreaded. The pale Fru
+Ingeborg, with raised dagger, nodded at him with her lean, skeleton
+head; her blind, crazy father danced around him with wild laughter,
+groping at random for his prey; and the terrible Stig Andersen stood
+threatening him, whichever way he turned, with the same fearful look of
+revenge as when he denounced him at the Thing of Viborg. A cold
+perspiration stood on his forehead. The ground seemed to shake under
+him; and he reeled forward, without knowing where, till he stumbled
+over a stone, and tore his face among thorns. This recalled his senses,
+and he now found himself in the midst of a wild thicket in the forest.
+The faint starlight shone dubiously, and he looked despairingly around
+him. There was no house to be seen, and the apparition of the girl
+occurred to him like a frightful dream.
+
+He now recovered his voice. "Am I mad or bewitched?" he exclaimed.
+"Rane, Rane! where art thou?"
+
+He heard a rustling among the bushes, and Rane stood, terrified, before
+him.
+
+"The rood protect us, sire!" stammered the astonished chamberlain: "how
+have you come hither? and whither has the house vanished? I fancied I
+heard you calling from the thicket, and sprang towards the sound: I
+then rushed wildly into the cursed elfin-moss, but could find no traces
+of the house."
+
+"It is devilry and sorcery," said the king: "if thou, too, hadst not
+seen both the girl and the house, I could have sworn I had been
+dreaming, or was mad. Where are the horses?"
+
+"Close by, sire. I hear them snorting and pawing."
+
+"Away!" cried the king: "lead me from this infernal spot. I am mad or
+bewitched, and while I remain here I am less than a man."
+
+"Shall I bring the horses, sire?"
+
+"Nay, do not leave me! Lead me to them. Give me thy hand, Rane!" And he
+grasped the chamberlain's hand convulsively. "Thou art still true to
+me? thou art not in league with my murderers, and wilt not basely
+betray thy king and master's life?"
+
+"How can you doubt me, sir king? I have been in the most deadly fear
+for you. You may be right, however, in your suspicions of sorcery: for
+this cannot be so in the usual nature of things--a house cannot thus,
+by human means, sink suddenly into the earth. But how did you fall
+among the thorns?"
+
+"I know not, Rane. Where are the horses?"
+
+"We shall reach them instantly, sire. Follow me, and fear not. We shall
+find a way out of this bewitched forest. Ho, pages! Hither with the
+horses."
+
+Little Aage Jonsen and his comrade now approached with the animals.
+
+"Has there happened any misfortune?" inquired Aage. "I fancied I heard
+the king shouting?"
+
+"He had only got bewildered in the thicket," replied Rane. "Here is
+your horse, sir king. Allow me to assist you, and to lead you through
+the thorns, until we reach a road or pathway."
+
+The king mounted his horse in silence, and allowed Rane to lead him
+through the bushes. They proceeded thus for some time, but could find
+neither road nor path. The pages were leading their horses in the rear,
+and one of them began to cry. "We shall never get out of the forest,"
+he whimpered.
+
+"Be quiet, Bent," replied Aage, "and do not let the king perceive that
+you are so silly."
+
+"Is there no end to this?" exclaimed the king, impatiently. "Whither
+dost thou lead me, Rane? The farther we go the worse it seems. Where
+are we?"
+
+"We must soon find an outlet, sire!" replied Rane: "I can already see
+an open space; but where we are I am unable to say, were it to save my
+life. Yet, stay; now I can see a light. Here lies a whole village: it
+must be Finnerup. We cannot reach Harrestrup tonight, and you must be
+wearied, sir king: let us therefore rest at Finnerup, at least until
+the moon rises. There you may be tranquil, sire. They are brave people
+in Finnerup; and no evil shall befall you."
+
+"In the name of God and all the saints!" exclaimed the king, anxiously,
+"let us only get under cover, and out of this infernal forest."
+
+In a short time they reached an open field, and a pathway that led to
+the little country village. They all mounted. The king felt himself
+relieved when he again saw lights, and the sign of human beings. They
+were not far from the village, but it was getting late, and, one after
+another, the lights were extinguished.
+
+"It must be bedtime with them," observed Rane, "and we may find some
+difficulty in obtaining shelter, unless we make ourselves known. But if
+you can bear with the scanty accommodation, we can at least find
+admission to the large barn of Finnerup. They are bound to give
+travellers shelter there; and that they are honest people, I need not
+tell you."
+
+"This would be safest," said the king. "But should there be any
+dangerous travellers there, who might recognise us?"
+
+"I will first enter, and look after the accommodation, sire. See,
+yonder stands the barn: it is open, and the lights are still burning.
+Let us hasten, sire, before they also are extinguished."
+
+They now set spurs to their horses, and rode at a brisk trot towards
+the straw-thatched building, which lay in a remote corner of the
+village, near a little mean hut, occupied by an alehouse keeper, and
+frequented only by peasants and the poorer sort of people. This
+ale-house was closed and dark; and at the open door of the barn they
+saw only a couple of stablemen, about to lead out some horses.
+
+"Remain here, sire--I shall return again instantly," said Rane.
+
+He rode up to the barn, looked carefully around him, spoke a few words
+with the stablemen, and returned immediately.
+
+"There is not a soul in the barn," he said, hastily; "there is
+excellent clean straw to rest upon, and the people do not know us.
+Follow me, your grace."
+
+He rode forward, and the king followed him to the long, gloomy barn,
+which was dimly lighted up by a solitary horn-lantern, suspended by a
+rope from a centre beam. As the king passed the stablemen, he threw on
+them a sharp scrutinising look; but they doffed their goat-skin caps
+carelessly, and did not appear to know him.
+
+"Shut the barn-door, Rane, and fasten it well," he said, dismounting
+from his horse, which the pages took, together with Rane's and their
+own, and led to the long mangers.
+
+The king, who was much fatigued, then threw himself on a bundle of
+straw, but kept his look upon Rane, who, with much noise, was
+apparently fastening one of the lower bars of the door. There still
+remained a bolt to be shot in at the top; but this seemed too high for
+the chamberlain to reach. He therefore, laid down, close to the door, a
+bundle of straw, on which he stood, and secured the upper bolt firmly.
+
+"There, now," he said, returning towards the king, and panting for
+breath, "I have fastened both bolt and bar. It was as much as I could
+do to manage the large bar. It is as thick as a beam, and the man who
+can break it is not born of woman."
+
+"'Tis well, my trusty Rane" said the king, kindly: "repose thyself now
+beside me. Thou hast suffered enough to-night on my account. When we
+remember what Marsk Stig said at Viborg, we should avoid such
+adventures," he continued, familiarly, though with inquietude. "We
+shall never again ride out in Jutland during the night. Humph! had I
+outlawed him at that time, perhaps I had done well; but old John
+considered it more prudent to deal mildly with him. This Marsk Stig is
+a violent man, and singularly true to his word. More than once, lately,
+have I imagined I saw him."
+
+"He is now certainly at his table, drinking wine with his good friends,
+at Moellerup," replied Rane, who remained standing, respectfully; "and
+little dreams that the King of Denmark reposes to-night on straw, in a
+wretched barn. Marsk Braggart would be glad to be on terms with you,"
+continued Rane, "although he fancies that it is he who defends the
+whole nation, since he got you to acknowledge the laws and edicts of
+the kingdom. But if you would have him alive, Moellerup is not
+impregnable. The foolhardy marsk should bear in mind what the ballad
+says."
+
+"What says the ballad?" inquired the king, abstractedly and pensively.
+
+"I have not, in sooth, much dependence on ballad wisdom, sir king,"
+replied Rane; "but it is a true saying, nevertheless, if rightly
+understood:--
+
+
+        "The lapwing would fain guard everywhere,
+        And about the field doth fly;
+      But she guardeth not the little hill
+        Whereon she might rely."
+
+
+"Alas, yes, my trusty Rane," replied the king, sorrowfully; "and the
+saying is as applicable to me. But did you fasten the door carefully? I
+thought I heard it shake in the wind."
+
+"It does not shut closely, sire; but the bar will hold it against the
+greatest force. I fear the light is going out," he continued, hastily:
+"there must be a thief in the candle. Shall I lower it and see?"
+
+"You may; but be cautious, as there is so much straw lying about; and
+take care that a gust of wind does not extinguish it. Come, I shall
+trim it myself."
+
+Whilst they were busied with the light, the loud trampling of horses
+was heard outside the barn.
+
+"There are numerous travellers arriving, sire," exclaimed Rane, taking
+the candle in his hand: "shall we suffer them to enter?"
+
+"Nay, for God's sake, nay!" replied the king, in perturbation. "If they
+want to come in, say the barn is full, and that there is no room."
+
+They were silent, and held their breath to listen; but all was now
+quiet again.
+
+"They have gone past, perhaps," whispered the king, as he sat half
+erect on the straw, in a listening posture, and with his hand on the
+hilt of his sword.
+
+Both the pages had crept up to them, and all listened for some minutes,
+but there was a profound silence.
+
+"What day is this?" at length inquired the king; "for a worse I have
+never lived."
+
+"This is St. Cecilia's night, sir king," replied little Aage, who
+perceived with terror that the king instantly became pale. "Ah,
+gracious sir king," continued the page, "suffer us to pray the holy
+Cecilia that she keep her hand over you this night."
+
+"Pray!--pray thou, child! I cannot," replied the king. "Mass-bell and
+church-hymn, I never followed: the holy Cecilia aids not me."
+
+The little Aage folded his hands and prayed. Rane still held the
+lantern, which he now opened, and a stronger light fell upon the king,
+who, with a profound melancholy in his countenance, sat among the
+straw, fumbling thoughtfully with his belt.
+
+"That is well, Rane: light me, and help me to reckon," he whispered.
+"How many studs are there in my belt?"
+
+Rane held the light closer. "I count twelve," he replied: "but why
+desire you to know that?"
+
+"That was a singular woman in the forest, Rane. She could see up into
+heaven and down among the damned. She bade me count the studs upon my
+belt, if I would know the number of my traitors. Twelve only you
+reckoned? I fancied I had counted fourteen. Thirteen there are, at
+least."
+
+"Who would be guided by the number of buttons, sire?" replied Rane.
+"When a man cannot make up his mind, I have heard that he should count
+his buttons; but that is suited only to children, sire."
+
+"Thou thinkest, then, that we should be decided, Rane? Reckon again,
+and, perhaps, thou mayst consider. Is it not so?--there are thirteen?"
+
+"Well, possibly," replied Rane, shutting the lantern; "but thirteen is
+not a lucky number, sir king."
+
+"Thou art right. Thirteen was the number when the false Judas betrayed
+his heavenly Lord and King. But, why becomest thou so pale, Rane?"
+
+"I have fasted the whole day, your grace," replied Rane, looking
+towards the door: "it is, therefore, no wonder if I am a little
+palefaced. But listen! What is that?"
+
+Lusty blows were now heard on the barn-door, as if with spears and
+poles.
+
+"Arise, King Erik, and come forth to us!" shouted a powerful voice
+outside.
+
+"I am betrayed!" exclaimed the king, springing up. "That was the
+terrible Stig Anderson's voice." He had drawn his sword; but stood
+irresolute and perplexed, and pale as a spectre.
+
+The chamberlain, with the lantern in his hand, ran to the door. "King
+Erik is not here--that you must surely know," he cried. "Conceal
+yourself, sire," he whispered to the agitated monarch. "Lay yourself
+down: I will cover you with straw, and no one shall see you." He
+extinguished the candle, and threw the lantern from him, and they now
+stood in total darkness.
+
+"Rane, Rane! wilt thou betray thy king and master?" whispered the
+wretched king.
+
+"Hide yourself--hide yourself, sire! I shall defend you to the last
+drop of my blood."
+
+"So shall I too!" cried little Aage Jonsen, who had hitherto knelt and
+prayed, but who now sprang up with fire and spirit. "Alas! had I but a
+sword!"
+
+The little Bent wept and cried aloud, whilst the noise without
+continued.
+
+"Be still--be still, youth! Resistance is useless here," whispered the
+king to Aage. "Do not betray me with your whining, Bent," he added;
+"but cover me with straw, and set yourselves down quietly in a corner."
+
+They hastily concealed the king with straw, and did as he had commanded
+them.
+
+The noise outside was still increasing. The assailants hammered lustily
+against the barn-door, until the slight bolt at the top snapped, when
+it flew open as easily as if it had been only barred with a wisp of
+straw. Twelve men, disguised in masks and gray friar cloaks, entered
+silently, with drawn swords, one of them holding a flaming torch. They
+looked quickly around in every direction, and seemed astonished at not
+finding what they were in search of.
+
+"Where is he? He hides himself, the base tyrant!" exclaimed a powerful
+voice from the midst of them. They searched fruitlessly every spot,
+except where Rane stood, with drawn sword, by the heap of straw.
+
+"Save my life, my trusty Rane!" whispered the king from beneath the
+straw, "and I give thee my own sister in marriage."
+
+"My king and master is not here, but I guard his jewels and treasures,"
+cried Rane, as he pointed to the spot where the king lay; "and I shall
+cleave the skull of the first who approaches." And he swung his puny
+sword wildly about him, striking it against the pole of a waggon and a
+clump of wood lying on the barn-floor.
+
+"You defend your king like a rogue and a traitor!" whispered Aage:
+"give me your sword, if you will not use it better."
+
+"Away, boy!" shouted Rane, furiously, as he aimed a blow at the head of
+the page, but without touching him.
+
+Among the armed, monk-like figures was a little, decrepit man, who
+tottered forward, with the uncertain steps of old age and blindness, by
+the side of a powerful and gigantic form. These two pressed on at the
+head of the disguised band, the blind man holding fast by the skirt of
+the other, until they reached the spot to which Rane had pointed. They
+both stopped by the heap of straw that concealed the king.
+
+"Here!" uttered a hollow voice, proceeding from the visor of the tall
+masked figure, and his mailed arm uplifted a huge sword. At the same
+instant the weapons of all the others gleamed aloft in the lurid light
+of the torch.
+
+"Aha!" shouted the blind old man, with wild maniacal laughter, as he
+suddenly flung himself, with his long sword, deep into the heap of
+straw.
+
+A scream of horror, blended with the madman's half-suffocated laughter,
+issued from beneath the straw which concealed the king and his raving
+murderer. In their struggles both rolled from under it, and the whole
+of the armed band then fell at once upon the unfortunate monarch.
+
+Rane continued to lay wildly about him, without, however, wounding any
+one. At last he sprang forward, and plucked the torch from the hand of
+him who carried it. "Help, help! They are murdering my king and
+master!" he cried, as he flung the torch into the straw, and rushed
+furiously from the barn.
+
+A fierce blaze instantly lit up the horrible scene.
+
+The gory body of the king was dragged to the middle of the barn, where
+it lay, pierced at once by twelve swords. The fearful monk-like forms
+stood in silence round the body, with their dripping weapons in their
+hands, and gazed through their masks with straining eyes on the
+murdered Erik, whose features were now horribly distorted in the throes
+of death.
+
+"He is dead--let the flames devour him!" exclaimed at last their
+leader, breaking the fearful silence. "Away! To horse!"
+
+In an instant all had left the barn except the aged maniac, who had
+once more thrown himself raving on the king's body, as if he would have
+torn it asunder with his nails.
+
+The two pages had hitherto sat, concealed and weeping, under the
+mangers.
+
+"Monster!" now cried the little Aage; and rushing towards him, he
+plucked the sword from the dead king's hand, and thrust it into the
+madman's heart.
+
+"Good, good--now I can die! Blessed be the angel from heaven who has
+redeemed me!" he murmured, as he sank back lifeless by the side of the
+murdered king.
+
+One half of the barn was already in flames. The four horses in the
+stalls sprang wildly over the bodies, and rushed through the open door;
+and the falcons flew, screaming, after them. The flames burst through
+the thatched roof, whilst a suffocating smoke filled the frightful den
+of murder; and outside, sounded the alarm of fire, and the noise of
+persons hurrying to the scene.
+
+"Help me to save the king's corpse, Bent," said Aage to his weeping
+comrade. And with great exertion the lads dragged the heavy body to the
+entrance, before reaching which they were nearly suffocated.
+
+"God be merciful to the soul of the old monster inside!" exclaimed
+Aage, as he looked back once more: "he must now be burned. Make haste!"
+
+They were hardly out of the barn when the roof fell in with a loud
+crash, and buried beneath it the old man's corpse.
+
+A great number of people had now assembled; but they gave little heed
+to the conflagration, being seized with fright and horror on beholding
+the mangled body of the king, and hearing the recital of the pages. The
+crowd continued to increase around the royal corpse and the weeping
+youths in front of the burning pile. The feelings awakened in the minds
+of the majority by the cruel spectacle, seemed to testify that the
+murdered king was less hated by the people than was generally believed.
+The consternation and the confusion were great. They screamed and
+shouted from one to the other.
+
+"Pursue the murderers!" cried some.--"Take care of the king's body!"
+cried others.--"Send word to Harrestrup!"--"Bring the drost! bring Sir
+John!"--"Send word to Scanderborg! there are still the queen and the
+young king!"
+
+Such were the various suggestions that were loudly and rapidly uttered,
+but no one stirred to give them effect. Women and children thronged
+towards the body: the children screamed; the women wept at the
+frightful sight; whilst the men swore and clamoured. Many commanded,
+but none obeyed.
+
+At length was heard, in the midst of the hubbub, the cry of--"Room,
+room! the drost is coming!" and the noisy crowd was divided by three
+horsemen, who urged their panting steeds eagerly through them. It was
+Drost Peter, with Skirmen and old Henner Friser. Behind them followed a
+troop of huntsmen, having Chamberlain Rane, bound, in their midst.
+
+"Silence here--give place!" cried Drost Peter, springing from his
+horse.
+
+The crowd fell respectfully to one side, and a dead silence ensued. The
+drost beheld the king's body with horror. He hastily examined it, and
+found that there was no longer any sign of life. He counted fifty-six
+wounds, all of which were mortal. Under the king's vest he also found a
+dagger, which had not been withdrawn from where it had been planted in
+his bosom. He drew it out, and examined it closely: it was a
+magnificent weapon, wrought with great skill, its hilt representing a
+gilded lion. Having displayed it to the nearest spectators, he put it
+carefully aside.
+
+"King Erik Christopherson is dead," he cried, with a loud voice, whilst
+he rose from the corpse and surveyed the crowd, whose earnest and
+sympathising faces were illumined by the flames of the barn: "he has
+been shamefully murdered, and this atrocious crime shall not remain
+unpunished, as certain as there is a righteous Judge above us!" He
+paused an instant, and a deep silence prevailed around.
+
+"The young King Erik Erikson is now our lawful lord and king," he
+continued, with greater calmness, and raising his right hand: "the
+people of Denmark have themselves elected and sworn allegiance to him.
+The holy Church will ratify his election; and soon shall he sit,
+anointed and crowned, on the throne of his ancestors. If you be true to
+him, brave Danish people, he shall, if it please God, be a good and
+righteous king, and shall severely punish the cruel and audacious
+murderers of his father. May the Almighty give him strength, and throw
+his protecting arm over him and his loyal people!"
+
+"Long live King Erik Erikson! long live our young king!" shouted the
+multitude; whilst a few cries of "Vengeance--vengeance on his
+murderers!" were heard.
+
+Drost Peter waved his hand for silence, and turned to those who stood
+nearest to him. "Who here has the fleetest horse?" he demanded.
+
+"I--I have!" cried Skirmen, springing forward.
+
+"Right--none can speed as thou canst. Bide instantly to Scanderborg, my
+trusty Skirmen. Speed thee, and carry to the queen the woful tidings.
+Relate what thou hast heard and seen. Say to Sir Thorstenson, in my
+name, that every avenue to the palace and to our young king must be
+instantly closed and well guarded. To-morrow, I shall arrive myself,
+with Sir John, when I have properly cared for the dead king's body.
+Away! God be with thee!"
+
+Skirmen was mounted in an instant, and flew off, with the speed of an
+arrow, on his little norback.
+
+"Thou, trusty old Henner!" continued Drost Peter, turning to the
+grave old man, who had remained by his side immoveable, on his tall
+horse, and gazing upon the royal corpse with a strong expression of
+sorrow--"thou, and the royal huntsmen, pursue the murderers
+immediately. Take Rane with thee, and compel him to lead thee in their
+track."
+
+Henner Friser nodded, and turned his horse. A minute afterwards, the
+giant-like old man, with Rane by his side, bound, rode at full gallop
+past the blazing barn, followed by the huntsmen.
+
+"Ye good Danish men," continued Drost Peter, turning to some of the
+more respectable peasants who stood nearest to him, and who appeared to
+regard the royal corpse with most sympathy, "ye shall bear the body of
+our murdered king with me to Viborg. Bleeding, as it now lies, shall it
+be exposed to the gaze of the people. Lay four planks over that
+harvest-waggon, and yoke to it six of your best horses. Spread my
+mantle over the planks, and lay the corpse carefully upon it. You,
+children, follow me," he said to the two weeping pages, who, in the
+meantime, had caught the king's steed, and one of the falcons. "Tie the
+king's horse to the waggon, Aage: he shall follow his master. Give me
+the falcon, Bent. Light two fir-torches, and place yourselves at the
+king's feet. You shall bear the lights for him to-night, for the last
+time."
+
+The boys wept and obeyed; and the peasants soon executed the orders of
+the drost. His scarlet cloak had now become the king's pall; and he
+himself sat quietly on his steed, with the king's favourite falcon on
+his arm, and saw that everything was done becomingly.
+
+Many people still crowded around, but there was no noisy commotion.
+From the women only was heard a solitary sigh, or a subdued expression
+of pity; but among the men, astonishment at the unheard-of deed
+appeared more general than sorrow or commiseration.
+
+Drost Peter perceived this with deep emotion. "King Erik's last journey
+is dark. Take brands from the barn, and light us," he said, in a
+sorrowful tone.
+
+Some men from Harrestrup instantly obeyed.
+
+"Honour the dead; for the crown he bore, and for the sake of the royal
+race from which he was descended. Follow him, as many as can, yet as a
+freewill token of affection: none else is wanted. Withdraw which way
+you will; but depart with quietness, and repeat at least a prayer for
+his soul. When the sun last set, he was a powerful king, and our lawful
+lord and master. Let that den of murder burn," he added, with horror:
+"its foundation shall be razed, and every trace of it rooted from the
+earth. Where it stood, shall no man rest any more; but, for centuries
+to come, shall prayers be said, night and day, for the soul of the
+murdered king. May the merciful God be gracious to him and all of us!"
+
+With emotion he raised his hand to his eyes and gave a signal, when the
+procession slowly moved forwards. The crowd dispersed quietly and in
+silence; twelve peasants only attending, who walked, with blazing
+fir-torches, on both sides of the waggon. Near to the king's head rode
+Drost Peter, with the falcon on his arm; whilst the steed followed his
+dead master. As the procession moved past the flaming barn, a strong
+light fell on the drost's earnest countenance, and the royal corpse lay
+aloft on the waggon, visible to all. At its feet sat the two pages,
+with torches in their hands. Silently and slowly the gloomy funeral
+train disappeared in the deep night; and here and there, on the
+highways and byways, along the road to Viborg, stood astonished
+peasants, gazing in wonder.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+At Scanderborg, the queen and the young princes were still in deep
+slumber, at the early hour when Claus Skirmen reached the palace on his
+panting norback, which had carried his light rider more than forty
+English miles in six hours.
+
+The landsknechts who held watch at the castle-gate and by the
+palace-stairs recognised the drost's squire, and instantly admitted
+him. They were surprised at his haste.
+
+"Pull up the drawbridge, and lock the gates!" he cried: "the foe is at
+my heels!"
+
+The grave landsknechts were amazed: no enemy was perceptible in the
+misty dawn, and they were not accustomed to receive orders from a
+squire. Whilst they hesitated and delayed, Skirmen leaped from his
+saddle, and hurried up to the queen's large ante-chamber, where Sir
+Thorstenson himself kept night-watch with the royal body-guards.
+
+"The king is murdered!" cried Skirmen, almost breathless.
+
+The whole of the knight's men in the hall sprang up, and stood as if
+thunderstruck or petrified.
+
+"Murdered!" exclaimed Sir Thorstenson: "art thou in thy right senses,
+Skirmen?"
+
+"Murdered!" repeated Skirmen; "and the murderers are not half a mile
+distant: they are approaching, with a numerous band of horsemen. If you
+would not have the palace surprised, sir, let it be barricaded
+instantly!"
+
+"Wilt thou drive us mad, Skirmen? Bar the palace, trabants! and every
+man to his arms! Righteous God! murdered!"
+
+The alarmed trabants hastily quitted the hall, with scarcely sense
+enough left to execute the orders of their captain.
+
+"Now, by Satan, speak, Skirmen!" exclaimed the enraged Thorstenson,
+stamping. "Who has ventured on this atrocious deed? Ha! was it the
+algrev--the accursed algrev?"
+
+"Nay, stern sir: if it were not the devil and his imps, it was Marsk
+Stig and his kinsmen. At the barn of Finnerup the deed was done." And
+Skirmen then related all he had himself heard and seen, and what the
+drost had charged him to say. "And my master was right," he added: "had
+he not dispatched me instantly, the murderers themselves had perhaps
+first brought you the intelligence. An hour ago they held a council on
+Tulstrup Heath. They sat on horseback, and clothed in mail: in the fog
+I had nearly ridden into the midst of them; but the moon broke forth
+over their heads, and revealed to me their bloody swords. I hurried
+past them, and they pursued me up to the forest. There were certainly
+more than seventy men, and some amongst them were disguised as
+grayfriars. They must be here instantly."
+
+"Let them come!" cried Thorstenson: "they shall find us awake. You are
+right: none has dared this deed but Marsk Stig. He has now fulfilled
+his oath, and slain King Erik. He may next aim at the prince's life;
+but his vengeance shall not reach it. Is everything in order,
+trabants?" he inquired of some of them who had returned to the
+ante-chamber. They informed him of what had been done for the defence
+of the place, and were again dispatched with fresh orders; and the
+utmost activity prevailed in the palace.
+
+
+The sudden noise awoke the queen, who rang for her maids, and inquired
+what the disturbance meant. They were all frightened, but none of them
+yet knew what had happened. The queen arose and dressed hastily, to
+proceed to the guard-chamber. The noise in the palace increased. People
+ran about bewildered, as if a thunderbolt had fallen among them; but
+where, no one could tell. Every one knew that a great misfortune had
+happened; but what it was, no tongue ventured to ask. In the guard-room
+the knights stood in complete armour, awaiting the orders of their
+chief. The hall looked out on the palace-yard, and was provided with a
+balcony, commanding a view of the high road. Here stood Sir Thorstenson
+and Skirmen, watching, on the road to the palace, a great cloud of
+dust, which they were now first able plainly to distinguish from the
+gray mist of the morning.
+
+"You are right, Skirmen," said Thorstenson, with a nod: "it is a large
+band of horsemen; they will actually treat us here on fasting stomachs.
+No matter--they shall have their morning meal before us. Are the
+archers on the tower?" he inquired of one of the trabants.
+
+"Yes, sir knight," was the reply: "they have occupied all the
+loopholes, and are ready, with arrows on their bowstrings, as you
+commanded."
+
+"Good: but let no one draw a shaft until I wave this banner over the
+balcony," he commanded, as he seized the large royal banner which stood
+at the end of the saloon. "The more time we can gain the better," he
+added: "if it comes to a storming, we must use our shot-waggons; for
+the fellows deserve a warm breakfast. Let the fire rage under the
+stones, and they will soon he hot enough. We must melt these mailed
+flinty hearts."
+
+The trabant departed.
+
+At the same moment the queen entered, attended by her ladies and
+maidens. "What mean these preparations?" she inquired, looking
+anxiously around her, and at the same time, with her customary dignity,
+acknowledging the military salute given her by the trabants.
+
+"God and Our Lady support you, my noble queen!" exclaimed Sir
+Thorstenson, advancing, and lowering the banner respectfully before
+her: "I did not think your grace was up, and I would not suffer you to
+be awoke with evil tidings. Prepare to hear them with resolution, my
+noble-hearted queen. Drost Hessel has sent us this messenger; and in
+the colours of night ought he and we to be standing here, for the news
+he brings is dark and gloomy as the grave."
+
+"That, then, has happened which I have so long dreaded," said the
+queen, becoming pale: "my lord and king is dead? Speak, young man!" she
+continued, turning to Skirmen, "what unhappy tidings dost thou bring of
+my unfortunate husband? Speak! The Queen of Denmark shall not be
+crushed by a word, though the dread of it may chase the blood from her
+cheeks! My lord and king is dead?"
+
+"You have spoken it, noble queen," replied Skirmen, approaching her
+respectfully, whilst Thorstenson retired to the balcony, over which he
+looked with strained attention. "Traitors surprised him last night,"
+continued Skirmen: "it happened in an evil hour, when he had lost
+himself in the forest, near Finnerup, and his trusty men were not by
+his side."
+
+"Murdered, then--miserably murdered!--as is now every king of Denmark!"
+exclaimed the queen, leaning for support on one of her maidens.
+
+"It is unfortunately so, my noble queen," replied Skirmen, with strong
+sympathy, although the expression of the queen's countenance seemed
+rather to indicate bitter anger than deep, heartfelt sorrow. "Drost
+Hessel was the first to find your unhappy husband, after the fearful
+deed was done, and the murderers had fled. He immediately examined his
+wounds, and found them numerous, and all mortal. He would not quit the
+royal body before it was placed beyond the reach of farther
+indignities; but, for the security of yourself and the princes, he bade
+me hasten hither; and, with God's help, I have made such speed, that I
+am here before the traitors. God preserve you, my queen, and the young
+prince, who shall now rule Denmark's kingdom."
+
+"Where is he?" exclaimed the queen, anxiously looking around her;
+"where is the prince? where is my little Erik? Come the murderers this
+way? Are they near?"
+
+"Be calm, my noble queen," replied Thorstenson. "A band of armed
+horsemen ride, indeed, towards the palace, with some disguised traitors
+at their head; but, so long as I and a single Dane remain alive, no
+enemy to the royal house shall set foot within these walls. I have sent
+for the princes, and they will be here immediately."
+
+"Can the castle be defended?" inquired the queen, hastily: "are the
+traitors all beyond its walls? Are there none amongst us? And was it
+not a Dane who murdered Denmark's king?"
+
+Overwhelmed with doubts and apprehensions, the queen turned round, and
+looked at the dark, armed men who filled the hall; but among them she
+saw not one who had been heartily attached to the king.
+
+"The castle can and shall be defended, so long as one stone stands upon
+another," replied Thorstenson, with glowing cheeks. "The traitors are
+near us, but you have true men around you. Affront not every Dane by
+such dishonouring suspicions, illustrious queen. In this bloody treason
+the true Danish people had no part. Your royal husband was not beloved;
+nor was he, indeed, any favourite of mine either--that truth it is of
+no use to conceal; but we are not, on that account, either traitors or
+perjurers. Marsk Stig Andersen is the author of this horrid deed: and
+even he is not perjured, for he has fearfully performed what he
+promised: but henceforth he is the deadly foe of every honest Dane. We
+will protect the royal house; and your royal son shall wear with
+security the crown of Denmark, to which he was chosen by a free and
+loyal people."
+
+"We will protect the royal house!" exclaimed the grave knights and
+trabants: "long live the queen and our young king!"
+
+"Where are these traitors?" now inquired the queen, with more
+composure: "can we see them?" She went hastily to the balcony, and
+perceived the dark troop of horsemen approaching, with the disguised,
+hooded men at their head. "They are numerous," she continued; "but not
+sufficient to intimidate my protectors. They approach the castle
+apparently with peaceful intentions."
+
+"Let them come close up to the walls, noble queen. They must not
+imagine that we are afraid to look them in the face. They have neither
+archers nor storming-ladders with them; and if they have anything to
+say to us, we can hold a parley with safety from the balcony. The
+moment they commence an attack, I send them a salute of a shower of
+arrows from the tower."
+
+"'Tis well, Sir Thorstenson!" replied the queen, raising her head with
+proud indignation. "They shall behold the Queen of Denmark--they shall
+behold their young lord and king; and shall find that justice does not
+slumber, and that the sceptre of Denmark, even in the hand of a minor,
+has still power to set at defiance a band of murderers!"
+
+The princes now entered the guardroom, attended by two knights. The
+young king was pale with horror at the fearful tidings he had just
+heard; but his brother, Junker Christopherson, was burning with wrath
+and indignation. The queen turned from the balcony and approached them.
+
+"My sons," she said, "your royal father is dead! Bear this sorrow as
+beseems his sons and avengers! Those who caused his death, thirst after
+your blood, and mine also, and are now approaching this castle with
+bold audacity; but if you are my children, these tidings will not alarm
+you."
+
+Junker Christopherson now became pale and uneasy: he looked over the
+balcony, and stepped hastily back with alarm. But that which so
+frightened him, brought back the blood into the cheeks of the little
+King Erik.
+
+"My sword and my royal helmet!" he cried, in a tone of command. "I am
+now your king, and it is my business to defend this castle and the
+kingdom. It shall be my first duty to proclaim the death and downfall
+of my father's godless murderer. Is the castle in a state of defence,
+Sir Thorstenson?"
+
+The bold knight regarded with astonishment the prince, who now, for the
+first time, spoke to him with the authority of a chief and king. He
+bowed respectfully, and hastily informed him of all that had been done
+for the defence of the castle; taking care, at the same time, not to
+lose sight of the movements of the hostile horsemen.
+
+"Good, good!" said Erik, nodding.
+
+A trabant now presented to the young king a short sword with a gilt
+handle, and a little gilt helmet with a crown and high feather. Erik
+hung the sword by his side, placed the helmet on his head, and, with
+his mother, stepped on to the balcony.
+
+The troop of horsemen had halted at some distance from the palace, and
+the monk-clad chiefs seemed to be holding council.
+
+At length a tall, gigantic figure, in a gray cloak and hood,
+accompanied by two persons of less stature, but in the same disguise,
+rode leisurely towards the side of the outer ditch nearest the lofty
+balcony, high above the fortress walls, where stood the queen and the
+young king, closely attended by trabants, ready, on a signal from their
+chief, to form a shield of defence around the royal personages. The sun
+had just arisen, and shone upon the noble form and fair, pale face of
+the queen, sad the chivalrous young king on her right.
+
+This spectacle appeared to make a singular impression on the hostile
+giant-like figure, who more than once stopped his horse. At length he
+reached the ditch opposite the balcony, where, throwing the monk's hood
+and cloak from his head and shoulders, he appeared, in closed helmet
+and tarnished black steel harness, like a statue of bronze on his
+charger, as, with sparkling eyes, he gazed upon the queen and the
+prince through the grating of his visor.
+
+"Queen!" he said, in a deep, warlike voice, "you called the man a crazy
+braggart who denounced King Erik at the Thing of Viborg. You imagined
+that the man was not in Denmark who dared put so bold a speech in
+practice. Behold, then, in me, the Dane who has kept his promise to the
+king. The fire is now in the house of the mocker; and here you see the
+hand that cast the brand--here you behold the face from which your
+craven lord concealed his royal countenance in the straw of a stable."
+
+With these words he struck his visor up; and the queen retreated a
+step, with horror, before the flashing, vengeful eyes and the haughty
+features of the warrior. But speedily recovering herself, she again
+stepped forward, with proud indignation; whilst the youthful king by
+her side grasped the hilt of his sword.
+
+"Come you yourself, Marsk Stig Andersen, self-made king!" said the
+queen, with lofty dignity--"come you in person to hear your doom? Know,
+then, it was pronounced in that bloody midnight hour, and that here
+stands now your king and master, who will, if God spare him life, by a
+wave of his youthful hand, accomplish Heaven's judgment upon you."
+
+"A self made king I am not," replied the marsk, with a subdued voice:
+"such an accursed thought never entered my soul; but who shall now be
+Denmark's king, the mighty spirit of the people and this sword shall
+determine. The time for that has not yet arrived; and I have not sped
+hither to contend with women and children. I came here to see what I
+now behold. You yourself best know who was a self-made king in Denmark.
+My deed of last night has not made you a mourning widow, nor brought
+you sorrow and heart-pangs, Queen Agnes. I bear you, instead, a welcome
+message."
+
+As the queen heard these words, it seemed for a moment that she would
+have sunk upon the earth: it was as if the terrible avenger gave life
+to a secret picture, of which she had once, with horror, had a glimpse
+in her dreams. She blushed as red as her scarlet kirtle, and
+immediately became pale as the linen collar on her fair neck; but she
+collected her strength, and, with a deep feeling of wounded honour,
+exclaimed, with dignity and pride--"For these words, Stig Andersen, I
+shall answer you, when we meet before God's judgment-seat! Here, you
+stand deeply under the Queen of Denmark's wrath."
+
+"Let me speak, mother!" interrupted little Erik: "I am his judge and
+master. Thou blood-besprinkled regicide!" he cried, with singular
+strength and firmness, and with a look that caused the powerful warrior
+to start--"thou hast murdered my royal father, and mocked the queen, my
+mother, and shalt surely die! From this hour thou art an outlaw, as
+certainly as I shall wear the crown of Denmark!"
+
+Junker Christopherson now made his appearance on the balcony: "The rack
+and wheel shall be thy reward, accursed murderer!" he cried, wildly and
+angrily, clenching his hand with excess of passion.
+
+The impression made upon the marsk by the words and looks of the little
+king was effaced by his passionate brother.
+
+"The threats of children do not alarm me," replied the giant knight.
+"But know this, however, thou young sire-avenger, with the infant
+crown!--If I must roam the country at thy bidding, there shall be in
+the land more widows than thy mother--if Marsk Stig must lie, an
+outlaw, in wood and den, Denmark shall pay perpetual tribute to him and
+his followers! Away!" he shouted to his attendants, raising his right
+arm, and turning his proud steed: "let not the blood of children smear
+our hands! The kingdom and country can yet be saved!"
+
+Sir Thorstenson could no longer suppress his indignation. "Down with
+the traitor!" he shouted, waving the royal banner from the balcony.
+
+At the signal a shower of arrows was discharged at the daring regicide
+from the loopholes of the castle-tower. The marsk turned his horse and
+laughed loudly at the impotent shafts, which, coming from so great a
+distance, fell harmlessly from his steel armour, and remained hanging
+in the cloaks of his disguised attendants. As if in derision of this
+fruitless attack, he calmly stopped for a moment, and received with
+scornful laughter another shower of arrows, which took no greater
+effect; but, as he was now about to turn his horse, a red hot stone,
+discharged from one of the slings on the wall, tore open the entrails
+of the noble steed, which, with a wild spring, fell under him.
+
+At the same instant the drawbridge was lowered, and a troop of archers
+rushed towards him with bows drawn. The marsk hastily leaped on another
+horse, and galloped off with his mailed companions, at a speed which
+contradicted the contempt with which he appeared to receive the shower
+of hissing arrows and glowing balls from the castle of the infant king.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Twenty-four hours after the king's murder, the rumour of it had spread
+over nearly the whole kingdom; but the accounts differed widely in
+relating the manner of his death.
+
+At Kiel Castle, Count Gerhard received as guests the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar and his drost, Sir Tuko Abildgaard. They had arrived, late in
+the evening, from a journey through Brandenburg, and were accompanied
+by both the brothers of Queen Agnes--the Margraves Otto and Conrad of
+Brandenburg.
+
+In these brave noblemen Duke Waldemar had, in the course of his
+journey, made new acquaintances, whom he seemed highly to prize, and
+had invited them to accompany him to Sleswick. The margraves were the
+intimate friends of the good-natured, excellent Count Gerhard, and they
+had therefore invited the duke to rest a few hours at the hospitable
+Kiel Castle--a proposition to which he could not refuse acquiescence,
+without creating reasonable surprise at the haste with which he
+journeyed homewards.
+
+The duke had not met Count Gerhard since the evening he had seen him in
+company with Sir John, at the Dane-court of Nyborg, shortly before his
+own imprisonment. The interest with which the count had afterwards
+laboured to obtain his freedom, and to procure him terms with the king,
+had impressed the duke with a degree of shame for having, on many
+previous occasions, slighted the plain, gay-hearted gentleman, and made
+himself merry at the expense of his somewhat ungainly figure, as well
+as his bashfulness and lack of courtly language, when he desired to
+shine in presence of the ladies. That the brave, honest count,
+notwithstanding his awkwardness in the dance with the queen on that
+evening, had awakened far greater interest with her than his more
+polished rival, was a piece of good fortune which the proud, ambitious
+duke had never been able to forgive him.
+
+Count Gerhard had received them with his wonted openness and gay good
+humour; for the rumours respecting the important crisis of affairs in
+Denmark had not yet reached Kiel. His guests and himself were seated at
+the drinking-board, entertaining each other with merry songs.
+
+The Margrave Otto, who was about the middle age, with a calm and
+reflective countenance, was a skilful knight, an esteemed general, and
+a prince who cherished and encouraged the arts and sciences. He was a
+great admirer of the German minne-singers, and sang several of their
+lays in a fine deep bass voice. To satisfy the Danish gentlemen that
+his royal brother-in-law, King Erik Christopherson, was more esteemed
+in Germany than by his own people, he sang Reinmar von Zweter's
+well-known eulogium on the king, which, in the Schwabian dialect, thus
+commences:--
+
+
+            "Ein kunig der wol gekroenet gat:"
+
+
+and which may be thus translated:--
+
+
+            "A king so well becrown'd, and true,
+            And eke a crown beking'd well, too,
+              Maintains that crown aright:
+            Should thus the king his crown adorn,
+            That crown adorns him in return,
+              And each does each requite."
+
+
+It was almost the same ballad as that with which the king had been
+welcomed at Harrestrup, and wherein it was boasted of him, that he
+comforted the widow and the orphan, that he maintained peace, and that
+his heart and courage were great and bold.
+
+"Pokker i Vold! To the deuce with your becrowned king and bekinged
+crown, my good friend!" said Count Gerhard, laughing, when Margrave
+Otto repeated the commencement as a chorus. "Your good Master Reinmar
+is somewhat too bookish for me, and lays it on too thick; otherwise, I
+could wish the song were Danish, and that the people might sing it from
+the bottom of their hearts. Yet I have no great relish for songs for
+the people that have to be brought to them from other lands."
+
+"Now, now, my dear Count Gerhard," said the margrave, "this is not a
+people's song, but a complimentary ode. How otherwise would you like to
+be sung?"
+
+"Plainly and straightforward, so that folks might know me; or not at
+all. Songs of this sort, to be good for anything," he continued, gaily,
+"must not be mere praise and flattery from beginning to end, but should
+give us a pleasant yet faithful picture of the whole man--of his faults
+and follies, as well as of his virtues and merits--so that one might
+see him truly and entirely, as in a bright shield. Nay, I prize more
+highly the art of my old Daddy Longlegs: he does more with his
+countenance than all our learned master-singers with their lira-la-la.
+You must see his pleasant gifts, gentlemen."
+
+At his summons, the grave, lanky jester stepped forward, and applied
+himself diligently to entertain his master's guests by imitating the
+appearance and manner of all the notable personages he had ever seen.
+This mightily amused Count Gerhard himself: he laughed till his eyes
+ran over, whilst the jester, with the utmost gravity, represented a
+learned controversy between two ecclesiastics, whose voices, looks, and
+manners he mimicked by turns. In this representation the guests
+immediately recognised the learned, abstracted, and pedantic Master
+Martinus de Dacia, and his zealous opponent, the proud, passionate
+Master Grand, who could well match him as a dialectician and learned
+theologian. The dean's spare figure and authoritative air the jester
+could more especially imitate to the life.
+
+The duke and Sir Abildgaard, as well as the courtly margraves, who were
+enlivened by the wine, laughed most heartily at the exhibition.
+
+"Excellent!" said the duke: "that is our bold Master Grand to
+perfection. But if our stern sir dean knew that we so enjoyed ourselves
+with this imitation of his manner and reverend person, he would regard
+it as a shameless and unpardonable outrage on himself and the entire
+holy Church."
+
+"He is not pope yet," replied Count Gerhard; "and more than one
+infallible clerk we are not bound to believe in. I have great respect
+for the abilities of the learned dean; but he is still a fallible man,
+and, like a good Christian, he must allow that even his best friends
+are not blind to his infirmities. To show you, gentlemen, that we here
+do not limit our selection of persons, when, at a merry moment, we have
+a mind to see them amongst us, without putting them to the
+inconvenience of a journey, Daddy Longlegs shall now give us a copy
+from nature, which it will probably cost you no great effort to
+recognise."
+
+He whispered a few words to the jester, who nodded, and left the room.
+He shortly returned, attired in a princely purple mantle, with a gilded
+parchment crown on his head, over a tuft of thin combed-out hair. His
+face expressed a singular mixture of majesty and meanness, of wild
+strength and effeminate weakness: he seemed both to threaten and smile
+at the same time, and blinked constantly. He strode leisurely forward,
+stopping at times, as if in doubt, and supporting himself on his long
+wooden sword.
+
+When Duke Waldemar saw this, he became pale. Count Gerhard laughed
+immoderately; and the knightly margraves seemed perplexed.
+
+"Let this rather daring jest alone, noble Count Gerhard," at length
+said Margrave Otto, earnestly: "it is not becoming in us to be
+spectators whilst our royal brother-in-law is turned to ridicule."
+
+"What the deuce, my brave sirs, are you afraid of the spectre of your
+royal brother-in-law?" cried Count Gerhard, laughing. "As you intend
+shortly to visit him in person, you will do well to accustom yourself
+to look him boldly in the face, without being embarrassed by his
+blinking, or scared by his anger."
+
+The jester had withdrawn to the farther end of the apartment, where he
+stood in the shade, observing the effects of his mimicry. At that
+moment the door was opened, and two young knights, half intoxicated,
+stumbled in.
+
+"News! news!" they shouted in a breath: "there is an insurrection in
+Denmark, and the king is slain!"
+
+All sprang up in astonishment, except Duke Waldemar, who swooned, and
+sank back in his chair. In the general confusion, this was observed by
+Sir Abildgaard only, who hastily came to his assistance, and chafed his
+temples with wine, giving no alarm, but placing himself before him, and
+concealing him with his mantle.
+
+The others gazed with alarm on the young knights who had brought the
+unexpected intelligence. But the terror of the jester was beyond
+control. Notwithstanding his talent for drollery, he was subject to a
+deep melancholy, which at times bordered on madness. A fearful horror
+now overwhelmed him, and he fancied that the ghost of the murdered king
+had actually taken possession of him, to revenge the mockery of which
+he had made him the subject. Longshanks became so deadly pale, and
+remained so motionless, that now he really personified a fearful
+spectre of the murdered king, whose mask he had assumed in a playful
+mood.
+
+Count Gerhard had suddenly become grave; but the young knights who
+brought the message of death did not observe, in their half-inebriated
+state, the effects which their intelligence had produced; nor knew
+they that the two strangers were Margraves of Brandenburg, and
+brothers-in-law of the murdered king. They now related, in a careless
+and almost merry tone, what they had heard of the king's murder.
+
+"There is no doubt about it, sir count," said he who stood nearest him:
+"he fell, appropriately, in a love adventure in Finnerup Forest; and
+could not himself have desired a fairer or pleasanter death. Let us now
+drink a happy journey to him, and a better and more faithful mate to
+his fair queen. Merrily, sirs! The health of King Erik Christopherson,
+wherever he may be."
+
+Count Gerhard stood in agony during this unseemly and inconsiderate
+speech in presence of the margraves. He would have reprimanded the
+thoughtless knight, but the jester anticipated him. Rushing madly
+forward, in the guise of the dead king, he seized the bone of a roebuck
+from a silver dish on the table.
+
+"King Erik Christopherson thanks you for the toast!" cried he, assuming
+with fearful truthfulness the monarch's voice: "to you, and to all his
+merry friends here, he sends a greeting."
+
+So saying, he threw the large bone at the forehead of the young knight,
+but it missed its aim, and struck Count Gerhard, who fell to the
+ground, with the blood streaming from his left eye, which was laid open
+by the blow.
+
+All crowded around him, alarmed. During the commotion the duke regained
+his senses: he cast an anxious look towards the end of the hall, where
+the jester had stood; and as he no longer saw the threatening form of
+royalty, he appeared entirely to recover his self-possession.
+
+At the moment the accident happened to the count, the jester had cast
+aside his parchment crown and purple mantle, and thrown himself, with
+an exclamation of intense grief, over his wounded master; but Count
+Gerhard quickly arose, holding his hand over his bleeding wound.
+
+"Our untimely jest has cost me an eye," he said, with composure; "but
+that is a matter of little consequence at present. If what we have
+heard be true, the kingdom and our noble queen are in a critical
+position. Haste, my lords, and stand by her with aid and counsel! As
+soon as possible, I shall place myself at the service of the crown and
+country."
+
+Count Gerhard left the drinking-room to commit himself to the care of
+his surgeon; and his guests instantly departed from Kiel Castle, and
+hastily took the road to Scanderborg.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+On the same evening the inmates of Moellerup were in a state of anxious
+expectation, for the lord of the castle had departed eight days before
+with a portion of the garrison. The gates were closed, and the
+drawbridge was drawn up as usual. The four watchers stood on the tower,
+and all was stillness in the strong, gloomy fortress.
+
+In the women's apartment, as midnight approached, sat the tall, veiled
+Fru Ingeborg, in her dark mourning dress, engaged in sewing a long
+white linen garment. On the work-table before her, stood a lamp. The
+little, restless Ulrica she had sent to bed; but the quiet Margarethe
+sat by her side, industriously employed on the sacred picture, which
+she worked with silk and threads of gold, and which was destined to
+adorn a holy altar-cloth in the castle-chapel of Moellerup.
+
+"I shall soon have it finished now, mother!" exclaimed the daughter.
+"Look once more. The red shines beautifully in the light: to me it
+seems as if the little angels smiled, and as if there really came a
+radiance from the faces of the infant Jesus and the dear Mother of
+God."
+
+"Good, good, my pious child," replied the mother, patting her pale
+cheek, and casting on the work a passing glance through her veil. "I,
+too, shall soon be done," she added, with a suppressed sigh.
+
+"But what is this long linen garment for, dear mother? It is neither a
+table-cloth nor a sheet."
+
+"When I am dead, my child," answered the mother, "thou shalt thank the
+merciful God, and wrap my body and face in this linen cloth: then shall
+I have put off the dark dress of mourning, and be clad in white
+garments--white is the colour of innocence and purity, my child."
+
+"Alas, mother! cannot we wear that garment, then, when we are living?
+But our Lord and Saviour took all our sins upon himself, when he died
+for us on the cross. Angels came to his grave in white raiment; and,
+when we become as little children, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us,
+as to the angels."
+
+"Put on thy white kirtle to-morrow, my child," replied the mother.
+
+"Ah, mother, mother!" sighed Margarethe, "when shall I see thy face
+again, and thy beautiful tender eyes? I well remember seeing them when
+I was very little; but that is long, long ago. Poor little Rikke has
+never seen thy face, and she is thy child also."
+
+"Soon, soon shall ye both see me face to face, I hope," replied the
+mother, with a trembling voice. "Look at the sand-glass, child: is it
+near midnight?"
+
+"It is past midnight, mother. Dost thou expect father to-night?"
+
+"He promised to be here, or to send a messenger, before midnight,"
+replied the mother, anxiously; "and he is not wont to forget what he
+promises. But he has a great pledge to redeem; and before that is done
+I shall not hear from him: until then, there is peace for none of us."
+
+"Alas! wherefore not, mother? Rememberest thou not that the holy text
+speaks of the peace which is higher than human understanding? That
+peace the Lord has given to us all."
+
+"Yes, truly, child: that peace the righteous shall find: they shall
+enter into their peace--they shall rest on their beds, it stands. But
+everything in its time: first war--then peace."
+
+There was now heard the howling of dogs in the court-yard.
+
+"Listen, mother, listen!" said Margarethe: "the dogs are noisy. They
+certainly expect father; but they were never wont to howl so
+fearfully."
+
+"It betokens a message of death," said the mother. "Keep silence, my
+child; methinks I hear thy father's hunting-horn; and, list! the
+watchword rings from the tower.--He comes!"
+
+Footsteps now sounded in the court. In the still night they could hear
+the drawbridge lowered and the gate turn on its grating hinges, and
+shortly after came the noise of many horses and horsemen in the court.
+Margarethe ran to the window.
+
+"It is father and his men!" she cried. "But what is this? There are
+grayfriars among them, with torches! Father has now dismounted, and is
+coming straight to us."
+
+Fru Ingeborg attempted hastily to rise, but sank back on her chair,
+powerless. "Seest thou thy grandfather, too?--Seest thou my hapless old
+father?" she inquired.
+
+"Nay, poor old grandfather I do not see, mother. I can see all, but
+grandfather is not amongst them."
+
+The door into the women's apartment was now opened, and the tall lord
+of the castle stood in his steel armour on the threshold. His visor was
+raised, and his stern, serious face was pale. He remained on the
+threshold without uttering a word, but made a sign to intimate that the
+child should be sent away.
+
+"Go into the nursery, my child," said the mother, rising slowly, and
+trembling: "what thy father has to tell me, thou art not to hear."
+
+Margarethe had approached her father, to greet him and kiss his hand;
+but she saw clots of blood on his gauntlet, and ran back affrighted.
+She folded her hands, and left the apartment, weeping.
+
+The marsk then stepped over the threshold. "It is done!" he said: "take
+the veil of shame from thy face, my wife, and embrace, at last, thy
+husband and thine avenger! Thy scandal is washed out with the tyrant's
+blood: thou shalt no longer blush to be called the wife of Stig
+Andersen."
+
+With a violent, almost convulsive action, Fru Ingeborg tore away her
+veil, and the rays of the lamp fell on her deadly pale and wasted face,
+which still bore the traces of a beauty seldom surpassed; but her dark
+blue sparkling eyes were deeply sunk in their large sockets. She
+stretched out her meagre hands, and approached the marsk. He drew back
+a step, surprised; but in another instant he rushed forward with wild
+ardour into her outstretched arms, while two large tears rolled down
+his iron cheeks.
+
+"My Ingeborg! my unhappy Ingeborg! is it thus I again embrace thee!" he
+exclaimed: "has an age passed over our heads, and have we both grown
+old since last I looked upon thy face, and held thee in these arms?
+Live, live now, my hapless wife, and become young again! All thy griefs
+are over: thy years of sorrow and thy dishonour are avenged--fearfully
+avenged! Never was a polluter of woman more severely punished than he
+who murdered thy peace. Thy father was the first whose sword pierced
+his false heart."
+
+"Ah! my father, my father! where is he?" inquired Fru Ingeborg,
+starting, alarmed, from her husband's bloody arms. "And thou art
+bleeding--thou art wounded!"
+
+"It is the tyrant's blood--I swore thou shouldst see it. I am myself
+unscathed, my wife! but thy father--thy poor crazy father--he followed
+us not from the burning barn. I hurried back to drag him from the
+flames, but it was too late!"
+
+"Burned! burned alive!" shrieked Fru Ingeborg. "Righteous God! thus
+does the Almighty Judge crush us for our vengeance!" And she fell
+senseless on the winding-sheet, which lay upon the floor.
+
+When she again opened her eyes, she was on a chair, and her husband, in
+his bloody harness, yet stood alone with her. "Comfort thee, my wife!"
+said the marsk: "thy unhappy father lay not long in pain; his soul
+soared peacefully on the flames to that promised land of freedom for
+which he so long vainly sighed. Comfort thee, wife! Hear what I have to
+tell thee! It now concerns our own lives. Our great plans respecting
+the kingdom and country are not yet to be thought of. A panic has
+seized all our friends: every one thinks but of himself and his own
+safety. The people will not declare in our favour; but wail, like
+madmen, over the slaughter of the king. I myself am an outlaw: the
+young king has so proclaimed me, though without trial or judgment. I
+laughed thereat--but it struck my followers with dismay. And, truly,
+the words of the child appeared to me most marvellous. People may say
+what they will; but the child is now a king, however. I cannot rely on
+Duke Waldemar; and, therefore, we must away."
+
+"Never, never! I remain here!" exclaimed Fru Ingeborg, with decision,
+as he raised her head.
+
+"It is requisite, my wife, thou mayst believe me! I never retreated a
+step when it was possible to advance. Wilt thou now follow a poor
+outlawed man, my Ingeborg, or tarry behind, with a foul name, among our
+powerful foes?"
+
+At these words the powers of life returned to Fru Ingeborg for an
+instant, with mighty force. She arose calmly, and regarded her husband
+with a look of surprise.
+
+"A foul name I have borne long enough!" she said: "I shall no longer
+bear it in this world, even were I to be made Queen of Denmark. Thanks
+for having taken away my reproach--for me, no one shall further grieve.
+But if I am again the wife of Marsk Stig Andersen, hear now the last
+words which, in this world, I have to say to thee. My hours are
+numbered. The hour's honour I have won was not worth nine years'
+anguish, and that horrible night of fire and murder. Has the panic
+which struck our friends, seized also the mighty Marsk Stig? Art thou
+the man to be frightened by a child, and to flee the land at the
+bidding of a boy? Nay, nay, my bold avenger! It is the mist of the
+dusky night of blood that now obscures thy vision and weighs down thy
+soul--it is the kingly gore upon thy wambraces that paralyses thine
+arm. Stay here till dawn. Cleanse the blood from thy harness, and
+bethink thee why it flowed. 'Twas not merely that thou shouldst behold
+this pallid countenance. Tonight, I stand before thee as a spectre only
+to remind thee why thou hast tarried so long, and then to descend with
+honour into my grave. But when thou hast closed these eyes--"
+
+"Live, live, my brave wife!" interrupted the marsk; "and thou shalt see
+that I will act in a manner worthy of thee. But, alone and unaided, not
+even the strongest can overthrow the throne of Denmark."
+
+"When wert thou left alone? Hast thou not lords and knights of thine
+own kindred? Art thou not in league with kings and princes? Live Duke
+Waldemar and Count Jacob no longer? And are not Ove Dyre and Jacob
+Blaafod yet remaining? Our powerful kinsmen will not desert thee. In
+Norway, King Erik is thy steady friend: he is mighty in people and
+ships: him thou canst depend upon. Remain here, then. Let not our race
+be rooted out, and the land be lost. Build a castle on Hielm, that
+shall stand firm against shaft, and shot, and sling. Take not thy
+mighty hand from Denmark, my brave, proud Stig Andersen! Set the crown
+on a head that can bear it, and suffer not the families of Toke and
+Hvide to be banished, so long as thine eyes are open! Give me thy hand
+upon this, if my peace and salvation are dear to thee!"
+
+"Well, my wife, I promise you!" said the marsk, holding forth his
+mailed hand to her: "if it please God, it shall so be done!" He became
+silent and thoughtful.
+
+They stood thus for a few moments, hand in hand. The fire in the pale
+Ingeborg's eyes was quenched, and a cloud overspread her countenance.
+
+"Thanks, thanks! now am I at rest," she said, slowly and solemnly; "now
+can I lie still in my grave, and grieve no more over my lacerated life,
+and over the blood that has been shed for my womanly honour. I shall
+not hear my forsaken daughters weep--I shall not hear my father's
+death-shriek in the flames. For the last time my eyes swim in
+darkness," she whispered, faintly, tottering. "Good night, my avenger!
+Thanks! Thou hast brought me the last message which I shall hear in the
+world. It was a message of victory, but of a terrible one. I am again
+thy lawful wife--but only beyond purgatory can I be what I was nine
+years ago--"
+
+"Ingeborg, dearest Ingeborg! talk not so wildly!" exclaimed the marsk,
+anxiously; "retire to rest--thou art unwell."
+
+"I go to rest," she whispered, and staring wildly before her. "Father,
+father! burn no longer for thy daughter! Now shall she pass with thee
+through the flames! Good night!" She pressed the marsk's hand
+fervently, and fell suddenly to the ground, as if struck with apoplexy.
+
+Alarmed, the marsk called for help; but, before the servants arrived,
+their unhappy mistress lay, without sign of life, in the blood-stained
+arms of her husband.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Ere Duke Waldemar and the Margraves of Brandenburg reached Scanderborg
+Castle, Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson stood at the head of a
+considerable array of soldiers before the palace, where a camp had been
+pitched, whilst crowds of people flocked to do homage to the young
+king. Old Sir John had been brought to the palace on a litter; and the
+strictest regulations had been adopted. No seditious voice dared to
+make itself heard. Duke Waldemar and his train had ridden day and
+night, without intermission. On the second morning after they left
+Kiel, they beheld the camp of Scanderborg in the distance.
+
+"We come too late," said the duke. "Tarry a moment, my lords: if I see
+aright, there is an army here."
+
+
+"An army of seven or eight hundred men," replied Margrave Otto, whose
+glance at the encampment indicated the experienced general.
+
+"Drost Hessel and Sir John have lost no time in this matter," continued
+the duke: "they receive the homage of the people without waiting for
+the chief men of the country, and the nearest kinsmen of the royal
+family. In this, you may see the presumption of these gentlemen. But
+the power is their's for the moment, and we must be silent. The boy has
+been declared King of Denmark; and your wise and illustrious sister,
+noble sirs, must, for the present, be content to exercise, along with
+me, the functions of guardianship. Even in that position we must remain
+quiet. So long as the present commotion agitates every mind, confidence
+is nowhere to be expected, and no rational measure to be thought of."
+
+They continued their way in doubt and silence.
+
+"Your conclusion, my noble duke, seems to me somewhat precipitate,"
+said Margrave Otto, at length: "your eloquence had for a moment, in the
+present unexpected posture of affairs, somewhat dazzled me. The royal
+election has long since been legally determined; and any alteration, in
+it would be a culpable encroachment on the privileges of the people. My
+sister, the queen, would certainly hesitate to exclude her own son from
+the crown, for the vanity of being called queen-regnant; the more
+especially as, in reality, she will be so, as long as the young king is
+a minor."
+
+"I fully concur in my brother's opinion," observed Margrave Conrad, who
+appeared to be considerably younger than the other, in whose views,
+however, he generally coincided, although he betrayed a certain
+independence of mind and character. "We feel grateful for your concern
+on behalf of our unhappy sister, noble duke," he continued; "but it has
+misled you. Let us not speak to her of a project so dangerous and
+seducing, and which has certainly never yet entered her thoughts."
+
+"You are right, noble sirs," said the duke, quickly: "it was too hasty
+a conclusion. We must allow matters to take their necessary course. The
+thought was prompted by respect for the wisdom and rare qualities of
+your illustrious sister, and as a means of salvation for Denmark in the
+present conjuncture. What I have said on it must be a secret between
+us, in all the trust and honour of knighthood."
+
+"I understand you," replied Margrave Otto, examining the duke with a
+scrutinising glance: "during the past week you have been singularly
+absorbed in, and have almost distracted us with, your state policy. I
+could almost swear you had a presentiment of what was about to happen."
+
+The duke changed colour; and Sir Tuko Abildgaard, who had been silent
+during the whole journey, hastily turned his steed, and seemed busied
+only in guiding him.
+
+"So much the worse," said the duke, hastily. "Who can have paid
+attention to the unhappy state of Denmark, and to the variances that
+have long existed between the king and his powerful nobles, without
+fearing the worst? There was a time," he continued, "when, as you know,
+I took an active part in Danish affairs: with the inconsiderateness of
+youth. I hoped, by a daring undertaking, to bring about internal peace
+and good government. My attempt miscarried; and now I rejoice, that my
+reconciliation with the king, and my renunciatory oath, exempt me from
+the most distant suspicion of having participated in this
+insurrectionary movement. Even my stay with you, noble sirs, in these
+dreadful times, I regard as the most fortunate circumstance of my life.
+In conjunction with you and your noble sister, I may now perhaps,
+unsuspected, aid in restoring order to my distracted country, and in
+chastising those audacious nobles who would lord it over the nation. We
+have seen, at least, that they are not afraid of resorting to the most
+violent measures to advance their own petty claims, and to gratify a
+miserable private rancour."
+
+"There is my hand, noble Duke Waldemar!" exclaimed Margrave Otto,
+extending it cordially: "you intend honestly by the people and the
+unhappy royal house, and we shall henceforth give you both aid and
+counsel in restoring peace and order in the country. Let us no longer
+tarry. I long to see my noble sister, and to give her comfort in her
+hour of need."
+
+They set spurs to their horses, and rode swiftly towards the camp of
+Scanderborg, where they were stopped, and their names demanded by the
+sentinels, who, however, respectfully allowed them to pass, on
+ascertaining that they were Duke Waldemar and the queen's brothers. On
+reaching the palace they found the drawbridge occupied by a strong
+guard of landsknechts, and were obliged to dismount, in consequence of
+the number of people who blocked up the way. The crowd fell back
+respectfully on each side before the three princely personages, whose
+handsome dresses and gold-embroidered mantles indicated their elevated
+rank. They were, however, often stopped in their progress, and their
+squires were obliged to remain behind, with the horses. During these
+stoppages many expressions were heard from amongst the people, which
+the duke and Sir Abildgaard listened to with special attention.
+
+"Have they caught the murderers?" inquired a burgher.
+
+"By the foul fiend, nay!" replied another: "the carls were well
+disguised, and who could know them? They had crept into monks' cloaks.
+For aught we know, they may be here, in the midst of us--nobody can
+tell a hound by his hairs."
+
+"The wood has ears, and the field has eyes--what has been hidden in the
+snow, comes up in the thaw," observed an old woman on a crutch: "if Sir
+John or Drost Hessel catch them, they will be hanged, without doubt."
+
+"Hanged?" cried a young fellow--"where now, Dorothy Ketch? The rascals
+would dance for joy below the gallows, and hug the halter, if they
+could get off so easily. Nay, nay; the dogs must be broken, and be upon
+the wheel. The king wasn't just what he should be, it is true, and was
+too fond of hunting after wives and wenches; but they had no right, for
+all that, to kill him, like a mad bull, in a barn."
+
+"When our young king grows bigger, he will revenge his father, like a
+good Christian," observed a sturdy peasant.
+
+"But where is he? Are we never to get a sight of him?" cried another:
+"they haven't surely slain him, too?"
+
+"Nay, nay--the Lord put a bar to that," replied the peasant: "they were
+here the same morning early, before the devil had his shoes on, and
+would fain have laid hands on the young king; but he was up as soon as
+they were. When they saw him on the balcony, they grew pale in the
+nose, and durst not crook a hair at him. If, as they say, it was really
+the valiant marsk, he was frightened enough when he heard himself
+outlawed; and the fear of the Evil One seized on all of them before
+they could knock at the door."
+
+"Rack and wheel were promised them, and red-hot stones they took with
+them on their journey," said the young fellow.
+
+"That was brave! He will be a doughty king," cried many voices at once:
+"he will be another sort of man to his father."
+
+"There he is! there he is!" was now vociferated by the crowd; and on
+the balcony was seen the young king, in his little regal helmet and a
+knight's black suit, by the side of his mother, who stood clothed in
+black velvet, with a diadem on her dark tresses. Her face was pale and
+tranquil, and she surveyed the crowd with great earnestness and
+composure. On the left side of the little king was placed Sir John, in
+an arm-chair; and behind him were seen Sir Thorstenson, and a body of
+royal trabants, with halberds and bucklers.
+
+"Long live King Erik Erikson!" shouted a powerful voice from the
+balcony; and old Sir John, with an effort, rose and waved his hat.
+
+A thousand voices repeated the shout of homage. The little king bowed
+to the people with the bearing of a knight, and uttered a few words,
+which, however, were only heard by those who were nearest, although
+they were instantly responded to by the entire voices of the multitude.
+
+"See how the young braggart struts and swells!" whispered Sir
+Abildgaard: "he has learnt betimes to play the knight and king."
+
+Duke Waldemar angrily bit his under-lip, and gave a private signal to
+Sir Tuko, who left his side, and mingled with the crowd.
+
+Shortly after, a voice from among them shouted--"No more Eriks! We must
+have a Waldemar for king!"
+
+This exclamation, although no one knew whence it proceeded, was caught
+up by a considerable number, and a discontented murmur commenced in the
+assemblage.
+
+But old Sir John again arose, and, notwithstanding the excessive pain
+he suffered, read, with a loud and distinct voice, a document which,
+ten years previously, had been signed and sealed by the bishops and
+estates of the kingdom, and again renewed by the people in 1280,
+confirming Erik's legal election to the crown. He then repeated the
+shout of homage, and every rebellious and opposing voice was drowned in
+the overwhelming cry of "Long live King Erik! long live our lawful
+king! Down, down with the traitors!"
+
+Duke Waldemar endeavoured hastily to escape from the clamorous
+multitude, justly fearing that they might tear him in pieces as the
+instigator of the seditious cry. He therefore joined, with a loud
+voice, in the shout for King Erik, and happily succeeded, together with
+the Margraves of Brandenburg, in getting within the palace-gates.
+
+The proclamation having been made, the royal party retired from the
+balcony, and the people soon afterwards dispersed. In the riddersal,
+the queen received her princely brothers with considerable emotion, and
+greeted Duke Waldemar with a coldness which was to him altogether
+unexpected.
+
+Drost Peter had, in the meanwhile, been receiving from the soldiers the
+oath of allegiance to the young king; and, a few hours afterwards, he
+conducted the whole royal family, with a numerous escort, on the way to
+Viborg. The queen's car, containing the little Princess Merete and her
+governess, accompanied them, the queen herself sometimes riding in it
+when tired of horseback.
+
+It was a grand and solemn mourning procession. In a black velvet
+mantle, with ravens' feathers in her pearl-bound hat, and mounted on a
+snow-white palfrey, the queen, attended by her sons, rode through the
+villages on the route. Prince Christopher was also attired in a
+magnificent suit of mourning; but the young king chiefly attracted
+attention. He rode on a tall coal-black steed. Under his black velvet
+mantle, which was lined with sable and figured with golden crowns, he
+wore a full suit of knights' armour, the wise precaution of Drost Peter
+and Sir John. In his little crowned helmet waved a plume of ravens'
+feathers, and on his arm he bore a small shield, on which was
+represented a helmet with two golden horns, on the extremities of which
+were affixed two peacocks' feathers. The youthful king had not yet been
+dubbed a knight; and although, from his second year, he had been
+accustomed to hear himself addressed by the title of royalty, he set
+much greater store on being accounted a knight, and on displaying his
+arms. It was from this childish love of pomp that he had himself caused
+to be painted the shield with which he was now for the first time
+publicly seen, and which he bore with a mien as grave and manly as if
+he confidently felt he was henceforth called upon to protect the
+kingdom and country with his puny buckler.
+
+Nearest the royal personages rode the Margraves of Brandenburg, with
+Duke Waldemar and his drost. After them followed the chancellor,
+the learned Master Martinus, together with the high-marshal, the
+under-marshal, and all the counsellors of the kingdom, old John Little
+excepted, whose recent accident obliged him to remain at Scanderborg.
+
+After these came the royal trabants, and twelve pages bearing torches.
+At the head of the procession rode Sir Thorstenson, with a numerous
+band of landsknechts; and Drost Peter Hessel, with Sir Bent Rimaardson,
+closed it in, and guarded the royal personages on both sides with their
+bold and trusty horsemen.
+
+The procession advanced slowly and quietly towards Viborg, which was
+reached, after numerous stoppages, on the evening of the following day,
+when the body of the murdered king, which, from St. Cecilia's night,
+had been exposed to public view in the great cathedral of that city,
+was to be laid in its coffin and interred.
+
+As the procession approached Viborg, Master Martinus first broke the
+long and solemn silence that had prevailed during the whole journey.
+Notwithstanding the deep sorrow that bowed him down over the
+misfortunes of the kingdom, the patriotic old man had so strong a
+desire to unbosom himself, that he forgot for a moment the private
+suspicions he harboured against Duke Waldemar, as the secret head and
+protector of the regicides. They happened to be riding side by side,
+when the chancellor turned to the duke, with an antiquarian remark, on
+the name and origin of the ancient city of Viborg, which he thought was
+derived from a certain Queen _Vebeca_, or from the Gothic people
+_Viti_, or, perhaps, with better reason, from its elevated position and
+ancient use as a place of sacrifice; or even from the heathen war-god
+_Vig_; and hence that the place had been originally called
+_Vigbierg_--the hill of Vig.
+
+"Very possibly, sir chancellor," replied the duke, abstractedly: "as a
+man of learning, you must understand that best."
+
+But the chancellor continued to allude to several conjectures regarding
+Odin's surname, _Vigner_, and concerning the amazon _Vebiorg_, who is
+mentioned in the dithyramb on the race of Bravalla.
+
+"It may be all very true, sir chancellor," exclaimed the duke,
+peevishly; "but I am not versed in these profoundedly learned matters,
+and therefore do not concern myself respecting them."
+
+"If we examine the town-arms," continued the chancellor, zealously,
+without noticing the duke's impatience, "they may perhaps confirm the
+opinion of these who hold that the town was first called _Vigletsborg_;
+the more especially if we suppose the two figures in the shield to be
+King Viglet and his queen. Some learned persons, however, have
+conjectured these to be Adam and Eve, with the tree of knowledge of
+good and evil between them; but, again, if we compare the shield with
+the city seal, (_sigillum senatorum Vibergensis civitatis_,) it is
+evident that the Adam and Eve of one party, and the King Viglet and his
+queen of the other, are in reality male persons, one old and the other
+young, who undeniably represent two judges; and I deem it singularly
+right and judicious that the young judge should have the older and more
+experienced one by his side; as, in like manner, our young king may now
+consider it fortunate, in the midst of these disasters, that he has his
+father's old, tried, and trusty friends by his side."
+
+"Your learning, worthy sir chancellor, must be especially advantageous
+to him," replied the duke, jeeringly; "and if you could help him to
+discover the origin of the name of Denmark, it would certainly be a
+great assistance to him in governing the kingdom wisely."
+
+"If we do not derive the name of our dear fatherland from _Danais_, as
+the antiquarian historian Dudo supposes, but from old King Dan, as
+Father Saxo maintains," replied the chancellor, calmly, although he
+noticed the sarcasm, "it is a thought well calculated to awake kingly
+aspirations in our young master's soul, that he can reckon his birth
+and descent from that ancient king, who gave a name to his people and
+country. Such knowledge is never to be despised."
+
+He ceased, and fell into deep thought, during which he nodded, as if
+approving some idea that had occurred to him.
+
+"When I behold this great and fair city, with its lofty ramparts," he
+said, resuming the conversation, "my hope in the Almighty God is
+strengthened, that he will henceforth keep his hand over the people and
+their lawful king. From this point the great light of Christianity was
+spread abroad among the people by means of the holy Bishop Poppo's
+wonderful miracles. On yon heathy summit our ancient kings received
+homage; and there the holy martyr, King Canute, got the true aid of the
+brave Viborgers against traitors and rebels. Here the great Waldemar
+was first proclaimed king; and here he found help and refuge with the
+trusty burghers, after that treacherous and crying slaughter at
+Roskild. Here, also, alas, three and thirty years ago, was homage paid
+to this same unhappy king, then an innocent child, whose ensanguined
+corse we are now about to see carried to its resting-place. Accursed be
+his murderers, and they who have caused this disaster! I would they
+were present in the midst of us, that our murdered king and master
+might turn upon them his glassy eyes, and discover them to us."
+
+As he uttered these words he examined the duke closely. It was getting
+dark, but he could nevertheless plainly perceive an expression of
+uneasiness in his countenance.
+
+"Do you not share my wish, highborn sir?" he inquired. "And think you
+any one of the regicides, or of their accomplices in the horrid deed,
+is so hardened and godless that he would not grow pale and betray his
+guilt in presence of the murdered king?"
+
+The duke's horse began to plunge, and as soon as he had brought him
+into a steady pace again, he replied to the chancellor's question,
+without, however, turning his face towards him. "You would not make a
+good inquisitor, sir chancellor," he said, quickly, "if you think you
+could detect the criminals in this fashion. You may rest assured,
+worthy sir, that I shall cause search to be made for them in every
+direction; but I should least of all expect to discover them here. The
+audacious murderers will certainly be careful, on such an occasion, not
+to come hither, where they might be so easily detected. That Marsk Stig
+is the ringleader, we well know; but if we were to regard every one as
+a participator in the horrid act who may happen to grow pale or be
+affected during this solemnity," he continued, "we must first denounce
+ourselves and all the most attached friends of the country and the
+royal house; for who can barely think of the dreadful deed without
+emotion? When the margraves and I first heard the report of it, in
+Count Gerhard's castle at Kiel, we were almost overwhelmed with horror.
+The daring marsk has accomplices, most assuredly. I have dispatched
+spies throughout the country; and if you can discover the murderers
+before I do, sir chancellor, you will be entitled to our thanks. As our
+young king's nearest kinsman and natural guardian, I consider myself
+bound to pursue them."
+
+The learned chancellor was silent, and again relapsed into thought.
+
+The town soon lay distinctly before them, with its numerous churches
+and chapels, from which more than twenty towers and steeples rose
+towards the heavens.
+
+"Hark, how the funeral bells are tolling from the steeple of Our Lady's
+Church," exclaimed now the grave chancellor: "soon will they be thus
+tolled from every steeple in Denmark; and think you not, illustrious
+sir, they will ring like the knell of doomsday in the ears of the
+murderers, wherever they may be?"
+
+While he was yet speaking the sounds of bells increased, coming louder
+and more distinctly from the twenty churches of the city, and from
+every village steeple in the neighbourhood. Night closed in, and the
+flambeaux of the pages lighted up the mourning procession. Duke
+Waldemar's horse plunged about wildly among the flaring torches,
+seemingly affrighted at the tolling from the bells.
+
+"Nay, hark again to the small bell on the gable of the grayfriars'
+church, behind the cathedral: how clearly it sounds beyond every other,
+although it has no belfry!" exclaimed Master Martinus to the duke, who
+was warm with curbing his unruly steed. "The poor grayfriars!"
+continued the chancellor: "they ring zealously to-night; desirous,
+perhaps, to let us know that they had no share in what their cloaks
+concealed in the barn of Finnerup."
+
+The duke replied not, but addressed himself to his drost. "Do we not
+enter by St. Mogen's Gate?" he inquired, in an indifferent tone.
+
+"Nay, illustrious sir: that is the entrance from the Aaborg road,"
+replied Sir Abildgaard: "here we have the sea and the Borrewold on our
+right, and must enter by St. Michael's Gate, and along St. Michael's
+Street to the cathedral."
+
+"Thou art right, Tuko. This noise has confused me. Is it not respecting
+St. Mogen's Gate they relate that stupid fable?"
+
+"Yes, i'faith, sir," replied the knight, laughing--"of a bronze horse,
+under ground, that is said to sound whenever we have war in the
+country."
+
+"The concealed horse, under the gate of St. Mogen, has been the
+palladium of the city from the earliest times, gentlemen," observed
+Master Martin, gravely: "it is said that no traitor and enemy of his
+country has heard it ring, and survived."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, with forced pleasantry; "it is a
+pity the good St. Michael has not such a wonderful horse under his
+gate: we should then soon have certain proof whether we are all as good
+patriots as our learned chancellor."
+
+"The holy Michael gives no warning," replied the chancellor, "but
+brandishes his flaming sword against the doomed. That is his image,
+gentlemen, we perceive over the gate there."
+
+The procession was now entering the arch of the gate, and the torches
+illumined a knight-like, brazen statue, that stood over it, with one
+foot on a dragon, and a long flaming sword in its hand. The sword was
+gilded, and shone bright, in the light of the flambeaux, above the
+duke's head. He looked up, and fancied the statue moved and bent
+towards him; and quickly spurring his horse, he dashed under the gloomy
+archway.
+
+"Did I not know it was a brazen statue," he whispered to his drost, "I
+could have sworn it was alive, and had Marsk Stig for its shadow."
+
+The mourning train proceeded slowly along St. Michael's Street to the
+cathedral. Every window was lighted, and the streets were filled with
+people of all ranks, among whom as deep a silence prevailed as if they
+had been inanimate forms. The train approached the great illumined
+cathedral, whoso immense bells, with their deep, hollow tones, drowned
+those of every other.
+
+In the large area surrounding the cathedral the mourners dismounted,
+and the procession advanced on foot, in the order in which it had
+arrived. Black cloth had been laid along the path leading to the doors
+of the church, which stood, grand and majestic, with its two lofty
+spires, and its four chapels, as it had been enlarged by King Niels,
+and completed by Bishop Nicolaus, in the twelfth century.
+
+The procession entered, proceeding along the principal aisle, and past
+the four chapels, wherein candles burned on fourteen altars. The chapel
+of St. Kield, the patron saint of the city, on the northern side of the
+cathedral, was brilliantly illuminated. In it candles were burnt night
+and day, under St. Kield's golden shrine, which was suspended by gilded
+links from the vaulted roof; and here was seen, in passing, the tomb of
+the murdered Svend Grathe.
+
+The last of the train had not entered the church-porch when the first
+halted opposite the high altar. Here the arms of the murdered king,
+bearing the two lions and the two crowns, half concealed by a veil of
+long black crape, were lighted up with twelve wax-candles; and here
+stood the provost, in full canonicals, with two other prelates, an
+archdeacon, a chanter, and twelve minor canons, with tapers in their
+hands. They sang a solemn requiem over a large oaken coffin, covered
+with lead, on which lay the great sword of King Erik Christopherson, by
+the side of a silver shrine containing the holy sacrament, which was
+now to follow him to the grave; as his sudden and violent death had
+prevented his receiving it whilst alive. On the shrine was engraved the
+Latin inscription: "_Panis adest verae domini sponsalia vitae_."
+
+When mass had been sung, the provost pronounced a short oration. He
+then raised the lid of the coffin, and placed the shrine between the
+folded hands of the corpse. Every one who desired to see the royal
+body, now received permission to advance. A few only approached so near
+that they could see it, and among these was the young King Erik. He
+bowed in silence over his father's corpse, laid his hand upon its gory
+breast, and said a few words which no one heard. He then stepped back,
+and hid his weeping face in his mantle.
+
+No other person approaching, the prelate replaced the coffin-lid, and
+having again laid the sword over it, the canons raised the coffin, and
+bore it, at the head of the mourners, behind the high altar, where they
+placed it in a vaulted tomb, raised an ell above the ground; whilst a
+deep and solemn dirge sounded from a crypt directly underneath. The
+prelate then cast three spadefuls of earth on the coffin, and
+pronounced, with a loud voice, the usual burial-service of the Church.
+
+He then announced to the people, that the betrayed and murdered king,
+five years before his sudden death, as if impelled by a wonderful
+presentiment, had endowed the cathedral with gifts and estates, in
+order that masses and vigils should be maintained until the last day
+for the repose of his soul.[33]
+
+"The requiem," said he, "which is now sounding, shall never cease.
+Every night this song shall ascend from the depths of the earth to the
+throne of the Almighty. Day and night we shall pray for the soul of our
+murdered lord, and implore the King of kings, that King Erik may be the
+last monarch of Denmark who shall fall by the hands of traitors and
+murderers. The Lord have mercy on the soul of his anointed! Woe! woe to
+his murderers!"
+
+This woe-cry was repeated by all the canons, and by many of the
+mourners, among whom the voice of the young King Erik sounded with
+wonderful distinctness. Three times the woe-cry was repeated by the
+invisible chorus in the subterranean chapel beneath the tomb.
+
+During the whole of these solemnities Master Martinus had been closely
+scrutinising every countenance around him, although he was inwardly
+much affected, and held his folded hands on his breast. In some, he
+beheld deep emotion; but many exhibited only coldness and indifference;
+and in others he remarked even a degree of bravado that alarmed him.
+
+The duke and his drost stood with their faces turned from him, and
+appeared to have their attention fixed on St. Kield's Chapel. But when
+the hymn sounded from the crypt under their feet, and the deep woe-cry
+echoed among the arches of the church, the duke had to support himself
+on his sword, and laid his hand on his forehead; whilst Sir Abildgaard
+hastily whispered a few words in his ear. At the same moment a subdued
+shriek was heard, and a momentary confusion took place amongst the
+people at the church-door, where a man, who had swooned away, was
+carried out.
+
+The train of mourners slowly quitted the church. During the funeral
+solemnities Drost Peter had stood quietly by a pillar of the choir,
+with his hands folded on the hilt of his drawn sword, which he held
+point upwards, while the Gospel was read. In this chivalrous and
+devotional posture, which signified that the knight was prepared to
+defend the holy faith, he had inwardly prayed for the soul of his
+murdered king, as well as for the future welfare of the young monarch
+and his kingdom.
+
+When the procession had retired from the church, he observed a tall
+female form, in a simple black dress, and with a dark veil over her
+face, kneeling with folded hands near the high altar, where she seemed
+to pray with great devotion, without observing what was taking place
+around her. Her noble and beautiful figure reminded him, beyond all the
+women of Denmark, of her who was dearest to him; and, notwithstanding
+her simple dress, and the improbability of her being the Lady Inge, he
+remained, absorbed in reverie. It was not until the tall form rose to
+depart, that he became aware that the procession had already withdrawn,
+and that the lights on the altar had been extinguished. He then
+sheathed his sword, and advanced slowly towards her. When he stood
+before her in the deserted aisle, which was still faintly lighted up by
+the candles of St. Kield's Chapel, she started, as if surprised at the
+meeting, and appeared anxious to avoid him.
+
+"Inge--noble Jomfru Inge! if it be you," said he, "oh, do not avoid me,
+but say what weighty reason brings you hither? It is well that our
+prayers should unite at the royal tomb, and before God's altar, on this
+great day of mourning!"
+
+"Drost Peter Hessel," replied the maiden, pausing, "here then, perhaps,
+we meet for the last time in this world. I will no longer attempt to
+conceal my face from you; although the cause of my appearance here must
+remain a mystery to you."
+
+The veil was thrown aside, and revealed her whom the dear and
+well-known voice had already announced: the brave Lady Inge stood
+before him. She regarded him with a countenance on which a deep
+although calm grief was imprinted; but its expression was softened by
+pious confidence, and by a calm demeanour announcing a firm and
+powerful will.
+
+"For heaven's sake, what has happened to you?" exclaimed Drost Peter,
+alarmed. "I see you for the last time, say you? What mean you, noble
+Jomfru Inge? Why are you here alone? and where is your father?"
+
+"Inquire not, Drost Peter--I cannot, I dare not answer you. Give me
+your word of honour as a knight that you will not follow me from this
+holy place, nor seek to learn the road that I shall take."
+
+"How can you think, noble Inge, that I should follow you?"
+
+"Remember who I am, and you will then understand me. This only can I
+tell you: I am fulfilling a heavy but necessary duty in quitting this
+unhappy land. God knows when I shall again see it; but here only my
+heart and soul are at home. Yet one thing more must I declare to you,"
+she continued, with a trembling voice--"for my justification and
+your own peace. You must know it--that it is the truth, you have my
+word:--my unhappy father was at Flynderborg on St. Cecilia's night."
+
+Drost Peter saw how much it had cost her to utter these word's; and he
+heard them with a feeling of joy, which, however, was restrained by a
+thrill of horror at the frightful thought they concealed.
+
+"The merciful God be praised!" he exclaimed. "Take my word as a knight,
+noble Jomfru Inge, that although my whole soul follows you wherever you
+may journey, mine eye shall not attempt to spy out your way, whoever
+accompanies you. We stand here on a divided road," he continued, deeply
+affected; "and I see too well that we must be parted for a time; but by
+my God and Saviour, in whose presence I stand, I shall not resign the
+hope of again seeing you! You were my childhood's bride, Jomfru Inge!
+Our angels before God's throne united our infant souls, before they
+knew each other. If you may not or will not hereafter become my bride
+in reality, when these turmoils which now part us have ceased, and
+Denmark's throne again stands fast--I now vow to God, and by every
+saint, that Drost Peter Hessel shall go down unwedded into his grave,
+but never shall he forget his childhood's bride! Answer me not,
+noble-hearted Inge! Crush not with a word the fairest hope of my life!
+I have an important work to perform in the world, and feel, by the
+blessing of God, strength and courage to complete it faithfully, even
+with this greatest loss. But with you is torn away the blossom of my
+heart's life, the fruit of which I must be condemned never to taste.
+Deprive me not, then, of my fair hopes, but rather, with one word, bid
+them live. Say but that word, and my courage and strength shall
+increase tenfold, to realise with cheerfulness the thoughts which first
+brought our souls to know each other. Inge, dearest Inge! canst thou
+hereafter love me?" With these words he seized her hand, and cast on
+her a look beaming with the strongest affection.
+
+She withdrew her hand. "I can, my childhood's bridegroom," she replied,
+with inward emotion; "yea, I can love thee deeply, so that, even should
+I never more behold thee with these eyes, I can preserve thine image in
+my soul, until we meet in that greater fatherland where no strife and
+guile can prevail, and where no might can sever us. But I am a
+daughter, Drost Peter," she continued, retreating a step--"I am an
+unhappy daughter. You are--you must be--the enemy of the man who gave
+me life. Do, in God's name, what you must and ought, and let no thought
+of me lead your mind from truth and duty. The Almighty shall determine
+whether we again meet in this world or not!"
+
+"It shall, it must be, noble, dearest Inge! the compassionate Creator
+will not for ever divide us."
+
+"That no one knows, save He who knows all. Farewell, my childhood's
+bridegroom--farewell! God and all his saints be with thee and our
+fatherland! He who is merciful be gracious to us all! Farewell!"
+
+So saying, she hid her face in her veil, and disappeared along the dark
+aisle.
+
+Drost Peter dared not follow her. He stood as if rivetted to the
+pavement; and it seemed to him as if the dark and baleful spirit that
+sped over the land had now torn away from him also the delight and joy
+of his life; but he felt, at the same time, with a melancholy pleasure,
+that this farewell hour had shown him a glimpse of a blessedness of
+which no separation, and no power on earth, could rob him.
+
+He had been standing for some time, gazing on a tombstone in the floor
+of the church, when he raised his eyes to the image on the cross, above
+the door of the choir, and it seemed to him as if the drooping head of
+the Redeemer shone with glory in the rays proceeding from the lights of
+St. Kield's Chapel. Suddenly he felt a powerful blow on his left
+shoulder, as if from a strong, mailed hand. He turned, and a tall man,
+clad in armour, with his visor down, stood before him.
+
+"We are met, Drost Peter Hessel--we are met!" uttered a deep and
+powerful voice. "If you are the knight who is placed to guard the
+infant throne, defend it if you can! You now behold the man who swears
+to overturn it, or perish in the attempt."
+
+"Ha! Marsk Stig! regicide!" exclaimed Drost Peter, drawing his sword.
+But at that instant all the lights in St. Kield's Chapel, which had
+alone illuminated the church, were suddenly extinguished; the powerful,
+gigantic form disappeared, and Drost Peter groped alone, with his drawn
+sword, among the tombs in the dark cathedral.
+
+
+
+
+                                  THE
+                       CHILDHOOD OF ERIK MENVED.
+
+                               PART III.
+
+
+Half an hour after Lady Inge had left Drost Peter in Viborg Cathedral,
+by the grave of the murdered king, she departed, in the plain dress of
+a citizen's daughter, through St. Mogen's Gate, in company with her
+father. Many travellers were proceeding the same way; but before
+midnight, by order of the young king, every gate was barred.
+
+Duke Waldemar and Sir Abildgaard had accompanied the procession from
+the cathedral. The old Borrewold Castle had been prepared for the
+reception of the royal family and their followers; and there, late in
+the evening, the queen and the young king held a council, with locked
+doors, at which were present the Margraves of Brandenburg, Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter, who had hurried from the church with the
+important intelligence that Marsk Stig himself was in Viborg, and had
+had the audacity to be present at the funeral. Every precautionary
+measure was instantly adopted. The approaches to the royal apartments
+in the Borrewold were guarded by Sir Thorstenson and Benedict
+Rimaardson, with the royal trabants. Mailed horsemen and landsknechts
+blocked up every avenue to the castle. The trusty civic guard of Viborg
+was armed, and, at the chancellor's suggestion, the orders of the king
+were immediately issued to shut the gates of the city, and to institute
+a strict search throughout it, during which every suspicious person was
+seized and imprisoned.
+
+It was past midnight. The duke, with great inquietude, paced up and
+down his sleeping chamber, situated in the eastern wing of the castle,
+facing the Viborg lake. The events of the journey and the interment had
+strongly excited his fears. The expressions of the chancellor on their
+way to the city, and his searching looks in the cathedral, had created
+in him a feeling of uneasiness, which he in vain endeavoured to
+overcome. His anxiety was farther increased by the stern preparations
+going forward in the castle, which had not escaped his notice. On every
+side he heard the tread of armed men--in the court-yard, as well as in
+the passage outside his chamber.
+
+Although both himself and his drost were waited upon with the greatest
+attention, and even with regal pomp, it still appeared to him that all
+his movements were watched; and the strong guard outside his door was
+far from pleasing to him. He had despatched Tuko Abildgaard into the
+city, an hour before, to ascertain the cause of the excessive noise and
+clang of arms he heard there, and he had not yet returned. The door was
+at length opened, and the young knight entered, breathless.
+
+"What is the meaning of the din?" inquired the duke: "is the town in an
+uproar?"
+
+"Not precisely so; but matters look suspicious," replied Sir
+Abildgaard, with some agitation. "They are searching everywhere for the
+marsk. I have been three times laid hold of, and your name was barely
+powerful enough to liberate me."
+
+"Have they seized the marsk?" asked the duke, hastily.
+
+"Nay, sir duke: it is rumoured that he left the town before the gates
+were secured. The Stig knew well what he was about; but what he wanted
+here to-day, I am at a loss to conceive."
+
+"That is easily understood," replied the duke. "To know in what temper
+the people are, must be to him of much importance. Great grief or
+lamentation I did not observe; neither saw I peasant or burgher in the
+procession."
+
+"But now the wind has shifted, sir. The sight of the queen and of the
+young king has worked a wonderful change in the mob. You should hear
+how they growl against the daring marsk and his friends, and how they
+lament and extol the deceased king, the soft-hearted fools! We shall
+now have Reinmar von Zweter and all the German poets in vogue, and Erik
+Glipping will become a great man in his grave. But it is always thus.
+When the wild beast, that every one pursued, has fallen, even his
+greatest foes lament over him, as if he had suffered shameful
+injustice; and they admire the monster for his powerful claws, when
+they have no longer anything to fear from them. That wavering turncoat,
+Sir Lave, from Flynderborg, has been here, with the marsk: he was
+seized with qualms in the church, it is said, and behaved like a madman
+during the funeral. Fortunately, he has disappeared. Had they caught
+him, he was in a condition to betray us all."
+
+"Us?" repeated the duke, suddenly changing his tone of familiarity to
+one of pride and coldness: "remember to whom you are addressing
+yourself, Tuko! What connection had I with these conspirators? Look to
+your own safety. After what you have stated, I would advise you to be
+careful. Rely not on my name: unless you can, like me, wash your hands
+of what has happened, and swear you had no part in it, I cannot aid
+you. I am here, with the young king, as his nearest kinsman and
+protector. With Marsk Stig and his transactions, I can have nothing
+to do. The late conspiracy at Moellerup is already talked of as a
+well-known affair, and you are named as having been concerned in it.
+But for me, I knew nothing of it, and nothing will I know."
+
+"But, most gracious sir," exclaimed Sir Abildgaard, in astonishment,
+"you stated no objections when you accorded me permission to travel;
+and, though you did not expressly send any message by me, we perfectly
+understood each other. What I promised in your name, I have never
+doubted but that you would fulfil."
+
+"What you have promised, you must yourself perform. I have promised
+nothing that I dare not proclaim to the world. That which I promised
+and swore to the deceased king, in our covenant at Sjoeborg, I have kept
+to the letter. From that hour I have undertaken no step against the
+crown and kingdom, and yet here they have no confidence in me. I must
+remain contented with respectful servants, and an ample guard of
+honour, while the margraves and Drost Hessel are present in the
+council. But I shall speedily teach these gentlemen who is the guardian
+of the king, the legal protector of the kingdom; and the daring rebels,
+too, shall know that I am not the man who, contrary to his oath and
+duty, will be found protecting traitors and regicides."
+
+Sir Abildgaard stood as if thunderstruck. "My noble duke," he said, at
+length, "you must be jesting? You will not strike down, in his moment
+of need, the faithful friend who has placed his life in jeopardy for
+your sake? I, who so cheerfully shared imprisonment and adversity with
+you--you cannot seriously propose to use me as a mere tool, which you
+can suffer to be broken and cast aside with unconcern, when you have no
+farther need of me? If this, however, be the friendship of princes, I
+must indeed have been the most obtuse animal in the world, when I
+thought I had discovered generosity and magnanimity under purple."
+
+"Tuko," said the duke, with a transient expression of emotion, and a
+proud commanding look, "link not your common notions of friendship and
+generosity with that great chain of thought that binds my princely life
+to the throne of Denmark. Have you been familiar with me from my
+childhood, and not yet learnt to separate the thought from the word?
+Think you this hand can ever be so mean and base, as to crush the true
+and active friend of my youth, who spoke and acted, while I was forced
+to sleep and hold my peace? Learn truly to estimate your princely
+master, who ceases not to be your friend, although he must now, for
+loftier reasons, assume the appearance of a stern enemy. If, with me,
+you have discovered the true meaning of living for a great and noble
+object, know also that the paltry vulgar virtues, which people call
+friendship, fidelity, gratitude, and I know not what, are at bottom but
+pompous nothings, which only command the respect of children in spirit
+and statecraft, and which the matured ruler-mind hesitates not to cast
+aside when, from the puppet masses, he can embody for himself the great
+idea for which he lives and labours. If you now comprehend me, Tuko,
+you will at once acknowledge and respect that mighty spirit you
+nurtured in its developement, and by whose side you shall again stand
+when I have reached my goal, and you have acquired strength to follow
+me. Meantime, you must depart: this night must you fly; and by your
+flight accuse yourself, and betray what you can no longer conceal. You,
+and all the other delinquents, I adjudge outlaws. As the king's
+guardian, and protector of the realm, I shall pursue you with rigour
+when the proper moment has arrived. But if there be a great spirit in
+you, as I have believed, you will not therefore hate or mistake me; and
+when the season of persecution is over, you shall find that Duke
+Waldemar was not a selfish or faithless friend, and that you were no
+credulous fool when you trusted to generosity and magnanimity under
+purple."
+
+"Now, I understand and admire you, noble sir," replied the artful
+knight, bowing profoundly, "though I must flee you as from a stern
+pursuer. What I have done for you in secret shall cast no shadow on
+your glory. You can stand high and pure by the infant throne, and
+condemn your friends without blushing. Good--I shall fly--whither I
+dare not say; but wherever, in the north, there sits enthroned a
+powerful protector of Marsk Stig, there is the place of shelter for his
+persecuted friends. Farewell, noble duke: your drost shall soon be
+gone. Spare not the hardened sinner when he gains a respectable
+distance; but remember also, that none of us are immaculate, and let
+mercy take the place of justice when the hour of condemnation has
+arrived."
+
+So saying, he retired into a side apartment, and speedily returned
+disguised as a right handsome pantry-maid. He curtsied to the duke,
+mimicking with much drollery the bashful manners of a servant-wench.
+
+"Dearest gentleman," he said, with the accent of a Jutland
+peasant-girl, "I am a modest, innocent lass, and hardly know how I
+could have found my way into the presence of such a grand young lord.
+Pardon my intrusion, and allow me to quit this place pure and
+uninjured, that the slanderous world may think no ill of me. That you
+are a dangerous gentleman for such as me, is well known; and your guard
+of honour will certainly not be surprised if I conceal my modest face
+from them. Thanks, worthy gentleman, for your gracious kindness. For
+your sake I must now hide from the world for a long time, and you must
+pretend not to know me, though I shall probably grieve for what is
+yours, and you will not certainly repel the hand of your humble
+servant."
+
+"Art thou a fool? Is this a time for jesting?" exclaimed the duke, in a
+low tone; and, opening the door into the passage, "Good night, my
+child," he said, aloud, patting the cheeks of the pretended girl in the
+open doorway. "Run on, now: these brave soldiers will not harm thee.
+But take care, in future, that thou dost not thus go astray after
+wedlock fancies, and mistake a knight's closet for the pantry."
+
+The rough landsknecht outside the door smiled in his beard, and,
+without suspicion, allowed the tall pantry-maid to slip past.
+
+The duke closed the door, and cast himself, in gloomy thoughtfulness,
+on a chair.
+
+"Flee, miserable coxcomb!" he muttered, "and find a shelter now where
+thou canst! Thou wilt hardly escape without getting thy wings
+scorched."
+
+In a minute afterwards he fancied he heard a scream. He approached the
+window with some uneasiness, and distinguished a cry of "Seize her! it
+is a disguised traitor!" shouted by a gruff voice in the street. There
+followed some shrieking and tumult, which, however, soon died away in
+the distance.
+
+The departure of the intimate friend of his youth, and concern for his
+fate, seemed to have disposed the duke to melancholy; but the feeling
+was not of long duration.
+
+"Bah!" he said to himself, as he proudly paced the floor, "when the
+ancient heroes tied fire beneath the wings of swallows, and sent them
+forth as instruments of conquest, what cared they for the piping of the
+little creatures?"
+
+He again threw himself on a chair, and fell into deep thought. Since
+his imprisonment at Sjoeborg, where he had often held converse the whole
+night with his owl and his dead kinsman, as if the latter answered him
+from the inscribed prison-wall, he would frequently, in his closet,
+talk half aloud to himself; and it was rumoured and believed by many,
+that he was leagued with powerful spirits.
+
+"As far as I know," continued he, wrapt in his gloomy fancies, "the
+first great stage is mounted: it requires courage to stand upon it, for
+it is bloody and slippery; but I did not stir a hand--not a word
+escaped my lips. I stand pure and free; and where is he who can accuse
+me? The next stage is a minor. It, too, must be ascended--but without
+crime. The fair hand that shall help me up is cold, but it may be
+warmed. It will lose me a pious soul, but a love-dream shall not stand
+in my way. On! on!--and then--then shall no one say, 'Behold! there
+goes King Abel in his grandson!'"
+
+Next forenoon, when Duke Waldemar left his apartment to appear in the
+royal presence, the guard of honour lowered their lances respectfully
+before him. The queen and the young king received him with an attention
+that surprised him; whilst Drost Peter's salutation, though somewhat
+cold, was courteous. The duke surmised that the council had resolved to
+invest him with that full power and authority which they could not
+refuse him without overstepping the law of the land, and rousing a
+dangerous and powerful enemy, who, in open league with the
+conspirators, could easily overthrow the yet unstable throne.
+
+The consciousness of this power, and the feeling that he was already
+secretly dreaded, although his authority was not publicly acknowledged,
+imparted to him an air of confidence and almost kingly dignity that did
+not ill become him. He approached the queen with as much ease and
+freedom as if he had already been for a long time her adviser, and the
+guardian of the young king. He spoke of the critical state of the
+kingdom, and of the measures to be adopted, with sagacity and zeal, but
+at the same time with the decisive air of a co-regent. This demeanour
+was, however, attended with so much politeness, and respectful
+acknowledgment of the queen's important influence as royal mother, that
+the fair and proud Queen Agnes could not possibly be offended. She
+appeared to have already been more favourably disposed towards the duke
+by her brothers; and, now, she could not but admire the delicacy with
+which he advanced his claims, without seeming at all assuming or
+importunate.
+
+The constraint which was apparent in the queen's demeanour at the
+beginning of the conversation soon disappeared, and Drost Peter
+observed with concern the manner in which the duke, by his subtle
+flatteries and vehement denunciation of the conspirators, contrived to
+disarm the queen of every suspicion that had previously attached to
+him.
+
+"It is a horrible conspiracy!" exclaimed the duke, warmly. "Many of the
+most important men of the country appear to be engaged in it. A rigid
+investigation has become necessary, that the guilty may be discovered,
+and the innocent remain unsuspected. My former misunderstanding with
+the king, and that youthful folly for which I had justly to atone at
+Sjoeborg, and which there I also learnt to forswear and repent, may have
+exposed me to a distrust, which I hope soon to remove by faithful deed
+and counsel. In a magnanimous soul an unfounded suspicion can never
+take deep root, though there be spirits mean and distrustful enough to
+nourish it. I blame no one, however, for being vigilant and cautious,"
+he continued. "In these unhappy times, distrust insinuates itself into
+the closest relations of friendship and kindred. Would you believe it,
+noble queen, even the friend of my youth, Drost Tuko Abildgaard, had
+given me cause for strong suspicions, which, I regret to say, are now
+confirmed; for last night he disappeared."
+
+"How?" exclaimed the queen, with surprise: "your drost--the young Sir
+Abildgaard?"
+
+"Even he, noble queen! Is it not melancholy? A man, whom I regarded for
+so many years as my friend--he who shared my youthful follies, and was,
+indeed, partly the cause of them--though for that he shared my
+imprisonment in Sjoeborg, which he left, as I believed, with the same
+abjuration of his errors that I made--I have now reason to believe that
+he was present with the conspirators at Moellerup, in the foolish
+expectation that I should approve that horrible project, if it could be
+executed before I dreamt of it. Yesterday, having heard with what
+horror I condemned the conspirators, he fled, and I have not since
+heard of him."
+
+"Respecting this affair, illustrious sir," observed Drost Peter, "I
+have to inform you, that Sir Tuko Abildgaard was last night apprehended
+in a suspicious disguise, but afterwards escaped by a daring artifice,
+and is not yet discovered."
+
+The duke remained silent, and merely raised his hand to his eyes, as if
+unable to restrain an emotion that seemed to do honour to his heart.
+
+"Noble duke!" exclaimed the queen, with warm interest, "what you have
+lost in that false friend you have gained in my esteem and confidence.
+That your drost was among the conspirators was well known to me; and
+there was a moment when even those who defended you most zealously were
+forced to admit that your intimate connection with this knight was
+unaccountable. My brothers are your friends. From them I have learnt
+your disinterested sympathy, as well for me, as for the crown and
+kingdom. They were witnesses of your horror upon first hearing of this
+audacious crime; and it will greatly rejoice them to learn, that the
+incomprehensible enigma of your relation with Sir Abildgaard has thus
+been solved."
+
+The duke blushed slightly; but hastily availed himself of the
+advantageous impression he had made upon the queen. He advised that a
+Dane-court should be held at Nyborg in the spring, where he would
+himself be present, and, in conjunction with the queen, assume the
+guardianship of the young king. In the meantime he hoped to show
+himself worthy of that important office, by securing the country
+against the daring marsk and the rebels. He suggested that the queen
+should, for the present, remain with the young king at Viborg, where
+the strong garrison and the fidelity of the burghers rendered any
+hostile attack impossible. This had been the advice of Drost Peter and
+the chancellor, in which the Margraves of Brandenburg had also
+concurred.
+
+The same day the duke left Viborg, apparently on the best terms with
+the royal house. A short time afterwards it was announced that he had
+raised an army in South Jutland, to oppose the marsk and his adherents.
+
+But Drost Peter trusted him not; and old Sir John, who, quite
+recovered, soon arrived at Viborg, shook his head doubtfully at these
+tidings. They suspected that the duke merely pretended to arm himself
+against the marsk, in order to muster a respectable force, with which
+he could assert his claims at the Dane-court, and secure his election
+to the regency.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Whilst nearly all the conspirators, stricken with horror at their own
+deed, had sought refuge in Norway, Marsk Stig had buried his wife, and,
+with his two daughters, had left Moellerup, where he no longer
+considered himself secure. At great personal risk he had been present
+at the king's interment, and had marked how little favourable to him
+and his cause was the temper of the people.
+
+Nevertheless, it was quickly rumoured that Rypen House and Flynderborg
+were in the hands of the rebels, and that the valiant marsk, with seven
+hundred men in iron, and his warlike engines from Moellerup, had taken a
+strong position on Helgeness and Hielm, from which points he appeared
+resolved to carry devastation through the country.
+
+Helgeness is a peninsula, girded by immense heights. It stretches, like
+a promontory, from Molsherred towards Samsoe, between the bay of
+Vegtrup and that of Ebeltoft. The neck of land by which this peninsula
+is connected with North Jutland, is only two hundred paces in breadth.
+With the utmost haste, the marsk had caused this approach to be cut off
+by a deep trench, and a wall of large hewn stones, at which they
+laboured day and night; the old castle on Hielm Island being fortified
+at the same time.
+
+This singular little island is only about an English mile in
+circumference. It lies in the Cattegat, about two miles east of
+Helgeness, and about a mile from the point that runs out from Ebeltoft
+parish. The old castle on the island is said to have been built in
+pagan times, by the famous King Jarmerik, who was there slain. The
+island and castle belonged, at the period of which we treat, to
+Chamberlain Rane Jonsen, as did also a tenement or farm-house on the
+point, which, for many ages after, was called Rane's barn-yard. The
+island possessed a good haven, where lay Jarl Mindre-Alf with his
+pirate-vessels. There was no want of fresh water; and Fru Ingeborg had,
+with much prudence, advised her husband to make this his place of
+refuge. Here he was in greater security than at Moellerup, had firm
+footing on the Danish coasts, and could receive supplies from Norway
+without impediment. The island was already, from its situation and
+heights, so well fortified by nature, and the old castle was so
+favourably situated, that it did not seem difficult to make the place
+impregnable. There were now added two lofty towers, with loopholes and
+strong battlements, and the castle was provided with deep double
+trenches.
+
+The marsk had not awaited the permission of his kinsman, the crafty
+Chamberlain Rane, to occupy this important position, and probably he
+did not expect much complacency from him. The latter, indeed, appeared
+to have intended this secure asylum for himself, should all miscarry.
+Hence, on the marsk's arrival, he found a brave little garrison in the
+castle, who had strict orders from the chamberlain to defend it against
+every one to the last extremity. The marsk had therefore to take the
+place with the strong hand, and was so exasperated by the unexpected
+resistance he encountered, that he allowed the whole garrison to be
+slain. For this reason, it was afterwards sung, in the old ballad:--.
+
+
+                  "Marsk Stig he captured Hielm so steep--
+                   The truthful tale I tell:
+                  Full many a cheek was blanched that day,
+                   And many a hero fell."
+
+
+Here the marsk erected his lithers and other formidable machines on the
+old rock-fast walk and visited Helgeness almost daily, to superintend
+the fortifications there. His seven hundred ironclad men were
+garrisoned in Hielm, and on the peninsula. Some of the peasants in the
+neighbourhood had voluntarily declared for him; but many he caused to
+be seized, and compelled them to bear stones and labour on the works.
+The towers on Hielm speedily arose, as if by miracle, terrifying the
+oppressed peasants all around, who were constrained not only to work on
+the walls of Helgeness, but also to supply provisions for the garrisons
+of both places.
+
+These misfortunes were attributed by the depressed people to the bad
+government of the murdered king; and the feelings they then indulged
+are plainly indicated in the ballad which, a few months after the
+king's death, blended mournfully with the blithe spring song of the
+birds, and in which the new fortress was described as a monster who had
+risen from the sea, with horns like towers. Therein it was sadly
+sung:--
+
+
+            "The peasant he goes out o'er the field,
+             And there he sows his corn:
+            Help us, our Father in heaven high,
+             Now Hielm has got the horn!
+
+            "God pity us poor peasants gray,
+             That Glipping e'er did reign:
+            Alas, that he was ever born
+             To be the peasants' bane!"
+
+
+This ballad the stern marsk himself heard a young peasant-girl singing,
+one fair morning in the beginning of May, while, mounted on his
+war-steed, he was surveying with pride the strong defences, to which a
+few peasants and prisoners of war were still engaged in dragging the
+last stones.
+
+One of the strongest workmen on the walls was a stalwart old man, in a
+worn-out leathern harness, who, notwithstanding the presence of the
+marsk, had sat quietly down on an angle of the wall, his arms crossed,
+and regarded the proud general with a wild, disdainful look.
+
+The peasant-girl, carrying bandages in her hand, advanced leisurely
+along a footpath, beyond the wall. Her song seemed to surprise the
+marsk. The old prisoner on the wall also listened attentively. The girl
+first sang aloud, at some distance:--
+
+
+            "They were full seven score men and seven
+             Upon the muir who met:
+            The king is slain--how rede we now?
+              And where now shall we get?
+
+            "The king is slain, and lies a corse--
+             The peace we've broken down;
+            Here we can neither bide nor bigg
+             In field or burrow-town.
+
+            "But we will on to Scanderborg,
+             And bid the queen good-day,
+            And ask the lady how she doth
+             Before we farther gae.
+
+            "She may forget how she would mock,
+             And all our words deride:
+            The fire is now in the mocker's house,
+             And she the stour maun bide."
+
+
+Marsk Stig started. He heard his own words to the conspirators, at the
+council on the heath immediately after the king's murder, and something
+of what had passed between the queen and him at Scanderborg.
+
+The peasant-girl drew nearer, and sang, with a loud voice, what had
+been preserved in the ballad of the words of the queen and the young
+king:--
+
+
+            "Welcome, Marsk Stig, thou self-made king!
+             Now shalt thou have thy due;
+            This night of blood, should King Erik live,
+             Full dearly shalt thou rue.
+
+            "Then up spake Erik Erikson,
+             Little though he mot be:
+            From Denmark thou'rt outlawed, as sure
+             As the crown belongs to me."
+
+
+The marsk became irritated, and reined in his steed; whilst the
+prisoner on the wall laughed aloud.
+
+"Pray be not angry, stern sir marsk," he muttered: "only hear the
+ballad out. There is not a word of falsehood in it."
+
+The peasant-girl seemed to concern herself only with her bandages and
+her song, which went on to relate how the marsk went home to Lady
+Ingeborg, at Moellerup, and how she advised him to fortify Hielm. With
+deep grief, Stig Andersen heard some of the last words of his unhappy
+wife, as the girl continued her song:--
+
+
+            "For nine long winters have I pined--
+             In secret borne the blight;
+            My heart is now laid in the grave--
+             Good night, my lord, good night!"
+
+
+The anger of the marsk changed to a deep melancholy. He sat on his
+horse motionless as a statue, listening to the two last verses of the
+ballad, which the girl sang with such an expression of sadness, that it
+pierced his heart, and he felt as if, in these tones of sorrow, the
+whole grief of the country had united to penetrate his bosom with
+reproaches, as with a sharp two-edged sword. The words were simple and
+touching:--
+
+
+            "The sturdy oaks in the greenwood stand,
+             When the storm comes down amain,
+            But the hazel and the birchen tree
+             Are rooted from the plain.
+
+            "What kings and courtiers do amiss
+             Upon the poor doth fall;
+            Then pity us wretched peasants, God!
+             Have mercy on us all!"
+
+
+"My Aase, my Aase!" suddenly exclaimed the old prisoner on the wall,
+springing up and extending his arms towards the dark-eyed country-girl,
+who, with the delighted cry of "Grandfather, dear grandfather, have I
+at last found you?" dropped her bandages, and with outstretched hands
+ran towards him as eagerly as if she would have crossed the deep ditch
+and sealed the wall that separated them.
+
+"What now, child?" exclaimed the marsk, riding up to her. "Wilt thou be
+the first to carry Marsk Stig's fortress by storm? Is this thy
+daughter, old graybeard?"
+
+"My grandchild--my blessed little Aase she is, stern sir marsk!" cried
+old Henner Friser, so deeply affected that, for a moment, he forgot his
+feeling of defiance. "She has sought for me the whole country round.
+Ah, if you have a human heart, sir marsk, deny me not the pleasure of
+clasping her again to my old bosom, and blessing her once more, before
+I drag myself to death on your accursed wall."
+
+"Thou art an intractable and audacious carl," replied the marsk: "even
+when thou beggest a favour, thou defiest me, and cursest my work."
+
+"I dare not curse your work, sir," replied Henner: "my hand is not
+purer than your's; but my help will bring you no blessing. Every stone
+I have rolled hither will most assuredly be scattered: therefore have I
+toiled like a beast of burthen, and have not every day laid my hands in
+my lap. And well may I call this wall accursed; it bears the ban in its
+own foundations. It will fall, as surely as it now stands, proud and
+bold, a devilish barrier between Danish hearts. It parts even fathers
+and children; for here I stand, a miserable, thrall-bound man,
+forbidden to embrace my own child."
+
+"Strange old man!" exclaimed the marsk, with a vague feeling of
+dread--"thou art free. Descend! Bid the landsknechts unbind thee, and
+depart in peace with thy child!"
+
+"Thanks, stern sir," cried little Aase, seizing the marsk's mailed
+hand, and pressing it to her lips: "for this deed will the merciful God
+forgive you all the sorrow you have caused me. Come, come, grandfather!
+Thou art free--hearest thou not, thou art free!"
+
+"Free I have always been," replied the old man, proudly, and without
+moving. "I have not raised a single stone more than I chose, and from
+this day forth I should never have raised another. It might have cost
+me my head; but that I have worn long enough, and I would never wish it
+to fall by an abler hand than Marsk Stig's."
+
+"Thou singular old man!" exclaimed the marsk, thoughtfully, "thou
+shouldst never have fallen by my hand, however much thy insolence might
+have deserved it. Neither of us, I perceive, should condemn the other.
+Thou art a man who, hadst thou so willed it, might have stood by the
+side of Marsk Stig."
+
+"I do stand by your side, Stig Andersen!" interrupted Henner, raising
+himself proudly erect on the lofty wall above him: "at this instant I
+stand as high, not merely on this wall, which separates you from your
+country, but on the mighty boundary between the land of the living and
+the dead. Many days of penance I have not remaining, unless, like the
+shoemaker of Jerusalem, I have to roam the earth like a spectre till
+the day of doom. What I have to say to you at parting, I shall say
+aloud, before the whole world. Would that my voice could reach every
+ear in Denmark!" And he cried, loudly: "Cursed--cursed is the hand that
+is lifted against kings and crowns, were it strong as St.
+Christopher's, and pure as that of the Holy Virgin. The murderer of a
+king shall never know peace: his race shall perish from the earth--his
+best deeds shall be as the flax, that is consumed in smoke and flame--"
+
+"Silence!--thou art mad, old man!" cried the marsk, in anger, and with
+a threatening gesture.
+
+But the old warrior remained immoveable, and gazed full in his flashing
+eyes. "We two are able to look angry men in the face," he continued,
+calmly: "but you are right--neither of us should condemn the other. I
+have not much to tell you, Stig Andersen. You slew the false ravisher,
+King Glipping. I, Henner Hjulmand Friser, slew the accursed fratricide,
+King Abel. We are thus equals. I can hold out my hand to you as a
+comrade--the one bloody hand cannot smear the other."
+
+"Ha, old Henner! wert thou that bold Frisian?" cried the marsk, in
+astonishment. "Come hither! I shall dub thee a knight, even in thine
+old days."
+
+"That shall you not, Stig Andersen," replied the old man. "In deeds I
+am your equal; and you shall now see that, without the stroke of
+knighthood, I stand as high as you. I have not repented my act, nor
+have you repented your's. But I did not persecute the dead in his
+innocent race--I did not undertake, with blood-besmeared hands, to
+distribute crowns, nor desire to become an idol among men. I would
+free, not lay waste, my country. I built no wall between hearts and
+hearts. Yet I perceive that there can be no blessing with us, and such
+as we. For this was I unable to seize you and your accomplices; but was
+led into this stronghold by the crafty demon that I myself had bound.
+And here have I atoned my temerity, by slaving for a greater regicide
+than myself. It is the reward I merited. I perceive this now, proud
+marsk, and am therefore a higher man than you. The time will come, Stig
+Andersen, when you shall see it in the same way. We then may meet
+again, and toil like trusty comrades on a greater rebel-defence than
+this."
+
+He paused for a moment, and the wildness of his countenance gave place
+to melancholy. "Yet, nay," he continued, in a subdued tone, "there is
+still pardon for us both; but not thus--not thus--mighty marsk. I am on
+my way thereto: if you will with me, tear down your accursed defences,
+and follow me yonder, to where the sun rises!"
+
+So saying, he descended from the wall on the inner side. His words had
+made a singular impression on the marsk.
+
+"Humph! he is still half crazy, however," muttered the gloomy warrior,
+as he rode in silence to the gate by which the liberated prisoner was
+to issue.
+
+Alarmed by her grandfather's words, Aase, pale and trembling, followed
+the knight. As they reached the gate, Henner Friser, with a long staff
+in his hand, advanced towards it. He still wore a link of his heavy
+iron chain, which did not, however, obstruct his movements. The marsk's
+trusty attendant, Mat Jute, who superintended the fortifications,
+followed the haughty old man, to hear his liberation confirmed by the
+marsk himself, before he removed the link.
+
+"Loose him--he is free!" ordered the marsk, and Mat Jute obeyed.
+
+"One word farther only, Henner," said the warrior. "Whither wouldst
+thou I should follow thee?"
+
+"Thither, where yonder tree once grew, and bore the eternal fruit of
+mercy," answered Henner, pointing to a large cross, which stood by the
+roadside.
+
+The marsk laughed wildly. "Yes, truly, when I have reached my second
+childhood," he replied. "Depart in peace, old man. Thy deed was greater
+than thyself; and so it overcomes thee. Go get thyself a letter of
+pardon: turn saint if thou canst; and let us see who shall first reach
+the goal. When thou returnest, thou shalt be welcome to me, wherever I
+am. We can then discuss, to better purpose, which of us stood the
+highest, or performed the most."
+
+The marsk spurred his horse and disappeared within the fortification.
+Henner Friser silently extended his hand to little Aase, and they
+departed leisurely, without once looking behind.
+
+They thus continued their way for some time, in painful silence. Aase
+at length broke it.
+
+"Dear, good grandfather," she said, tenderly, "why dost thou not speak
+to me? I have not seen thee for many a day--not since that dreadful St.
+Cecilia's night."
+
+"What sayest thou, my child?" inquired the old man, as if awaking from
+a dream--"ay, let us hear: what became of thee on that fearful night?"
+
+"Yes, fearful it was, truly! When thou and Skirmen had both left me, I
+fell asleep on the bench, and my dreams were frightful. When I awoke, I
+was in the cellar, beneath the floor, and I thought that I had seen the
+king, and warned him of the grayfriars. It was daybreak, and I ran to
+the forester's. There I heard of the king's murder, and that thou hadst
+followed the murderers. I waited for thee three days, in the greatest
+anxiety, which I could endure no longer. I then exchanged clothes with
+the forester's maid, took our little hoard, and resolved to travel the
+country over until I had found thee."
+
+"My true, my dearest Aase!" exclaimed the old man, patting her cheek:
+"thou hast had better fortune than I. And no wonder: the pure angels of
+God attend thee; but I--I had an imp of the Evil One for my guide. I,
+too, at length found those I sought; but my guide was craftier than I
+and my companions. That artful fox, Rane, befooled us long enough, and
+took us all round Jutland with him. But at last I became impatient, and
+threatened that my good sword should despatch him. He then swore with
+an oath that if the regicides were in the country, I should discover
+them at Helgeness. There, sure enough, I found their ringleader, was
+overpowered, and, as you witnessed, made a beast of burden. Ha! I
+merited the reward! How can Henner Hjulmand enter into judgment with
+regicides!"
+
+"Dear, dear grandfather, now do I know what has so troubled thee when
+it stormed of a night. But, trow me, it was not the dead King Abel who
+rode through Finnerup Forest in the dark: it was the marsk and his man;
+for I knew them both again. And now be comforted, dear grandfather. Our
+Lord will no longer be angry with thee for that deed. The ungodly King
+Abel, like another Cain, had surely slain his brother, and did not
+deserve to live. But if thou hast not rest therefore, dear, good
+grandfather, let us make a pilgrimage to Rome, or to the holy
+sepulchre, as you intended, and there obtain pardon of all our sins."
+
+"Yea, that will we, my child. Had I no greater burden to bear than thou
+hast, this path would be easy to me. Now, however, that thou knowest
+what oppresses me, I am already lighter of heart. I have never wished
+this deed undone, but still it has robbed me of my peace. If, however,
+it please God and St. Christian, my soul shall yet regain tranquillity
+ere I die. Whatever penance the holy father lays on me I shall perform,
+unless he require that I should repent. We shall succeed; and, if thou
+hast brought the gold-box with thee, we shall not suffer want on our
+journey. 'Tis time enough yet to fast."
+
+"See, grandfather, here it is: I have not touched it. I bound up wounds
+by the way, and thus earned more dalers than I have spent." So saying,
+she handed the old man a little wooden box, and another containing
+copper money. "But, alas, dear grandfather," she continued, "is it true
+that the dreadful marsk is stirring up the whole land to rebellion
+against the young king?"
+
+"Aye, child, and more's the pity: he is the ablest carl I have known;
+but Denmark has given birth to him to her own ruin. He has powerful
+friends, both at home and abroad. The country is full of traitors.
+There is something to be done here worth having a hand in, were I still
+young, and dared defer this penance. Flynderborg has been betrayed by
+Sir Lave, and at Rypen House the marsk's banner of rebellion waves over
+the castle-gate."
+
+"Ah, grandfather, there will be terrible times. The duke, with a large
+army, is before Rypen, but nobody believes that he intends honestly by
+our young king and country. Drost Peter is also expected there--and
+Skirmen will certainly be with him--when, it is said, the castle will
+be taken by storm."
+
+Whilst they were thus conversing, they heard behind them the gallop of
+horses. They turned, and beheld two tall peasants, mounted on noble
+steeds, attended by a peasant-lad on a norback, and leading two saddled
+horses behind him.
+
+"Drost Peter!--Skirmen!" cried old Henner and Aase, in the same breath.
+
+In an instant the peasant-lad had dismounted, and was in Aase's arms.
+Drost Peter and Sir Bent Rimaardson, for the disguised peasants were no
+other, then stopped. They soon learned from old Henner what he knew of
+the marsk's strength at Helgeness and Hielm, which, in their disguise,
+they had already closely approached, and were therefore almost as well
+acquainted with the state of the defences as Henner himself.
+
+"Follow us to Rypen, brave old man," said Drost Peter. "Until that
+royal burgh is ours, I shall not appear in the presence of the queen
+and our young king. Good counsel is precious here; and if you know more
+than your paternoster, now is the time to show it. You and Aase may
+mount our spare horses."
+
+Little Aase was soon on horseback, and they proceeded at a brisk trot
+on the road to Rypen.
+
+On the way Drost Peter learned from Henner that the crafty Rane was
+greatly embittered at seeing his ancestral castle on Hielm in the hands
+of the marsk; but that, dissembling his feelings, he had been
+despatched from Helgeness, no doubt with a message to Norway, or
+probably to bring reinforcements. How he had accomplished his errand,
+however, Henner knew not.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+An important change had, in the meanwhile, taken place with Rane.
+Neither the marsk nor the Norse freebooter had received him as he had
+expected when he led Henner Friser and the royal huntsmen into their
+stronghold at Helgeness. The marsk had offered him no compensation for
+the island of Hielm and his ancestral fortress; and the jarl, instead
+of redeeming his promise to receive him as his son-in-law, had merely
+given him the stroke of knighthood, and told him to be contented with
+that honour for the present. Rane was too prudent to betray his
+indignation: he therefore appeared only zealous to serve the marsk, and
+to show the jarl that he was not deficient in daring courage. He had
+sailed from Helgeness in one of the freebooter's pirate-ships, giving
+them the assurance that he should soon prove he had not received the
+golden spurs unworthily. But instead of bearing to Kongshelle, as he
+had promised, where the Norwegian king, Erik the Priest-hater, and Duke
+Hakon, were residing, he steered direct for Toensberg.
+
+Rane, since he had received the stroke of knighthood, seemed to have
+acquired a spirit of daring which was strikingly manifested in his
+whole deportment and appearance. His squeaking voice had, in the course
+of the last half year, become transformed into a somewhat rough bass,
+not deficient in strength; his reddish downy beard had become darker
+and stronger; and the feminine expression of his countenance gave place
+to one of strong and wild passionateness. The feeling of the important
+influence he had acquired in these great state affairs, and the
+dangerous position he had placed himself in, from which he could
+extricate himself only by his own sagacity and abilities, gave a stamp
+of confidence to his air and manner which considerably mitigated the
+unpleasantness of his crafty smile.
+
+At Toensberg Castle dwelt the daughter of Jarl Mindre-Alf, Kirstine
+Alfsdatter,[34] or Jomfru Buckleshoe, as she was called, from the large
+gold buckles she wore. She was about sixteen years of age, strong,
+plump, with dark brown hair, very lively blue eyes, and a pert, little,
+turned-up nose. She had been brought up in Toensberg, like a future
+princess. Her mother died during her infancy, and her father she had
+seldom seen. She had been indulged in every humour; and, whilst the
+algrev was absent on his viking expeditions, his daughter lived free
+and happy in the castle, where she soon ruled not only the old warden,
+but the whole garrison.
+
+Yet with all her wildness and self-will, she did not lack a certain
+polish of education. Snorro's nephew, the famous Icelandic skald and
+saga-writer, Sturle Thordarson, had visited Toensberg three years
+previously, and shortly before his death; and this old man of
+three score and ten, with his lively and characteristic narratives of
+King Hagen Hagensen's exploits, and his spirit-stirring poems
+respecting old Norwegian heroes, awakened in the heart of the young
+girl so strong a desire for a life of activity, that, ever since, she
+had formed no higher wish than to set out on a cruise like her father,
+or live to see some grand event take place. A few months before the
+period our narrative has reached, she had made the acquaintance of
+Jomfru Inge, who had followed her fugitive father to Toensberg, and at
+his wish had remained there, whilst he continued his journey to
+Kongshelle, where most of the conspirators had found protection with
+King Erik the Priest-hater and Duke Hakon.
+
+Sir Lave suffered much from witnessing the grief of his daughter,
+occasioned by his treachery to the royal house of Denmark. Her presence
+awoke a constant warfare and inquietude in his wavering soul. He could,
+indeed, read nothing but filial solicitude in his daughter's looks,
+since she had witnessed his repentance and his agony during their
+flight from Viborg, after the king's funeral; yet, notwithstanding
+this, he had embraced the first opportunity of separating from her.
+
+At Toensberg Castle Jomfru Inge again breathed freely, and conquered the
+feelings of dejection which her father's presence had inspired. Still
+it was to her a painful thought, that she was living in the castle
+of a hostile pirate; for, while it belonged to a vassal like Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, it did not seem to her like the ancient royal castle
+erected by King Hagen Hagensen. The assurance that the rude
+pirate-chief was not expected home for a considerable time, could alone
+reconcile her; and her horror of the algrev did not extend to his
+daughter.
+
+The bold Norwegian girl and the high-souled daughter of the Danish
+knight soon became intimate friends. Norwegian skald-songs and
+Danish kaempeviser seemed, from their lips, lays of the same stock.
+Jomfru Buckleshoe rode out with her Danish friend to the fells, and
+proudly exhibited to her the glories of her native land; whilst the
+noble-hearted Inge admired the land of rocks and Norwegian heroism with
+as much sincerity, as she sang with pathos and animation the quiet
+beauties of her own fatherland, and extolled her own faithful and
+constant countrymen, who, in these unhappy times, were defending
+against rebels the crown of Denmark and its youthful king.
+
+Inge's attachment to the royal house to which her father was opposed,
+strongly influenced the courageous daughter of the jarl. This spirit of
+independence recommended itself powerfully to the mind of the Norwegian
+damsel. She was provoked that her own father and the King of Norway
+should render assistance to the enemies of the youthful king, who, from
+Lady Inge's account of his dangerous situation, stood before her as the
+personification of that peculiar form of adventure in which her
+imagination was most prone to feel an interest.
+
+One day, as the two maidens were riding by the strand, they perceived a
+ship, under full sail, run into Toensberg Fiord.
+
+"See, see!" cried Kirstine, joyfully, "one of my father's galleys. And
+seest thou that haughty knight by the prow? Who can it be? Take heed,
+proud Inge! 'tis one of thy countrymen, who can no longer bear thy
+absence!"
+
+"'Tis one of thy father's ships, Kirstine," replied Inge, "and
+therefore can bear no friend of mine or Denmark's. One only grieves my
+absence, and he it cannot be: he would not forsake his king and country
+in their need to visit me."
+
+"Perhaps a wooer to me, then," cried Kirstine, laughing. "If he be a
+Danish knight, and please me, I may yet perhaps be in Denmark,
+defending your youthful king. Is it not tiresome," she continued,
+pettishly, tossing her head, "that we girls must always sit with our
+hands in our laps, and allow the men to act as they think proper,
+without ever being asked our opinion, as if it were a matter of course
+that we must have none at variance with their own? I should think,
+however, that we are quite as numerous as they, and have souls as whole
+and true in every respect. In what concerns myself, I have a will as
+resolute and free as any damsel in Denmark; and, as my father supports
+your rebels, I shall support thee and thy true countrymen. In the olden
+times, our Norwegian damsels were not so submissive as they now are:
+then, there were whole armies of _skioldmoeer_,[35] which the valiant
+Staerkodder himself had reason to acknowledge. Knowest thou the lay of
+the brave Hervor, who compelled her father to hand her the sword of
+Tirfing from his barrow?"
+
+"She was a Danish skioldmoe," replied Inge, "but a wild and godless
+pagan. Heaven preserve every Christian soul from such mad temerity!"
+
+"She was a damsel, nevertheless, who not only knew what she could do,
+but also dared to do it, in spite of any man," rejoined Kirstine. "Old
+Sturle taught me the lay concerning her. Listen: this is the verse I
+like best." And, with a voice so clear that it re-echoed across the
+fiord, she sang:--
+
+
+                        "I dare to touch
+                        And take in my hand
+                        The sharp-edged sword--
+                        Would only I had it!
+                        Never, I trow,
+                        Shall the fire consume me,
+                        That playeth around
+                        The dead hero's eyes."
+
+
+"Sing not that pagan song, dear Kirstine," cried Inge, interrupting the
+enthusiastic songstress. "Hervor herself was terrified at her ungodly
+deed, and as she left her father's grave saw the air in flames around
+her. Such unnatural self-will never comes to good."
+
+"Sturle told me, however, that at last she got the hero she relied on,"
+replied Kirstine. "Certainly, no luck attended the sword; but still she
+must have led a right pleasant skioldmoe's life. It is her I intented to
+represent in the lady with the sword on the burning height, which you
+may see, wrought, in my father's riddersal. I should like to be a
+skioldmoe: then should I away to Denmark, to defend your young king."
+
+"Dear Kirstine," exclaimed Inge, with much solicitude, seizing her
+hand, "thanks for thy concern for me and my unhappy fatherland; but let
+it not withdraw thee from fidelity and obedience to thy father. I
+praise God and the Holy Virgin that I can still obey my father, even
+when I appear most wayward. Let me entrust thee with an important
+secret, Kirstine. Thou knowest I am in fact a prisoner here; but I mean
+to escape, and thou must aid me."
+
+"With all my heart," replied Kirstine, joyously; "but then I must
+accompany thee, for I am tired of this uniform life. Cannot two such
+damsels as we do something in the world? Wilt thou to Denmark, Inge?"
+
+"To Denmark or Sweden--I have kinsfolk in both."
+
+"If I am to help thee, I must know everything. That letter brought thee
+by the foreign clerk the other day, was certainly from Drost Hessel?"
+
+Lady Inge blushed. "Nay," she answered, with a suppressed sigh; "but,
+since thou wilt know all, read it."
+
+They halted. Kirstine seized the letter, and eagerly opened it.
+"_Martinus de Dacia_," she began to read. "Thou art befooling me, Inge!
+This is certainly Latin."
+
+"It is only a man's name," replied Inge: "so our learned chancellor,
+Master Martin Maagenson, calls himself. He is a trusty friend of the
+royal house, and has written the letter for my dear old kinsman John.
+They wish me to proceed to Stockholm, to the young Princess Ingeborg,
+who is destined for our king's bride. She must have the daughter of a
+Danish knight for a companion, that she may learn from a native to know
+her future people. I am chosen for this, which they say is the only way
+in which I may be able to benefit my father, and serve my unhappy
+country. I have considered it closely, and no longer hesitate. My
+father has left me here, and I must not follow him. He is now safe at
+Kongshelle. I have his permission privately; but he dares not openly
+avow it: his dangerous position compels him to be silent. It must
+appear, therefore, that I escaped without his consent or knowledge.
+Your old warden has to-day been requested to detain me. Now, dear
+Kirstine, assist me to escape from hence: if I can only get safely from
+Toensberg, my way is open. As well in Denmark as in Sweden, every
+castle-warden and governor is bound to accelerate my journey when I
+produce this letter." So saying, she took from the pocket of her mantle
+a roll of parchment, with three seals attached.
+
+Kirstine opened her eyes in astonishment. "So, indeed--I understand
+thee now," she said: "thou hast powerful friends, I see. But we must be
+prudent. The warden will henceforth look after thee strictly, and will
+scarcely give thee liberty to ride out with me. But let us see who this
+strange knight is, who has arrived in my father's ship. If he returns
+to Denmark, he may be persuaded to take thee with him; and if it can be
+done, I shall accompany thee. It will be surprising if two fair
+damsels, like us, cannot get a knight to carry us off, and make him
+fancy it was against our wishes."
+
+"Giddy girl! thy thoughts are engaged with adventures and daring
+freaks; but, for God and the Holy Virgin's sake, be prudent, and reveal
+not what I have confided to thee; for in its success lies my freedom
+and all my hopes of the future. Yet one thing more thou must hear," she
+added, with a deep sigh: "the powerful commandant at Kongshelle, Sir
+Thord--dost thou know him?"
+
+"The wealthy Thord, with the long red nose--what of him?"
+
+"He has demanded me in marriage, and my father dare not say him nay. A
+hasty flight alone can save me, for within eight days he will be here."
+
+"And then his nose will be twice as long!" cried Kirstine. "Come along,
+dear Inge!--thou shalt quickly away from hence, and I myself will carry
+thee off."
+
+They now rode back towards the little town of Toensberg, in the midst of
+which lay the castle, called Toensberg House. The fiord, and the painted
+wooden houses of the town on both sides the hill, with the sun shining
+on its nine convents and the fourteen Kings' Chapels, as they are
+called, presented a scene at once beautiful and picturesque. It failed
+just then, however, to attract the notice of the two maidens, who had
+become thoughtful, as they dared no longer speak aloud among the crowds
+of seamen and busy merchants whom they encountered.
+
+When they reached the castle, they found that the vessel they had seen
+entering the fiord had, in the meanwhile, arrived. The stately young
+knight whom it conveyed had landed, and presented himself with much
+pomp to the warden of Toensberg House, with whom he had held a private
+conversation. Arrangements were made to entertain the stranger as a
+distinguished guest. The two young damsels entered the large day-room
+of the castle, where they sat down in silence to their embroidery,
+occasionally casting expectant glances towards a side-door, by which
+they knew the warden would introduce the Danish knight, who, they had
+already determined, should aid them in their important enterprise.
+
+The door was at length opened, and the old warden entered, accompanied
+by Chamberlain Rane, whom he presented to the daughter of the jarl as a
+man whom her father had honoured with knighthood, and who had arrived
+at Toensberg on an affair of importance.
+
+Rane saluted the fair ones with much politeness. When Lady Inge saw
+him, and heard his name, she became somewhat alarmed. His crafty smile
+and well-bred, insinuating manners, were highly repulsive to her, and
+she remembered to have heard him mentioned as the confidant of the
+murdered king, in many an affair that was neither to his own honour nor
+that of his former master. She had also heard of his suspicious conduct
+in reference to the king's murder; and, when she now beheld him as a
+messenger from Mindre-Alf, she might justly regard him as an open
+traitor. She could not conceal the contempt and loathing he inspired,
+which did not escape his observation while conversing with the lively
+Kirstine.
+
+The warden having left them, Rane appeared desirous to draw Lady Inge
+into the conversation, and endeavoured to conciliate her by some
+expressions of concern for Denmark, and the dangerous position of the
+young king. Who Lady Inge was, and her attachment to the royal house,
+he well knew; and he had already observed, with some surprise, that the
+daughter of the Norwegian jarl shared her sympathies with much spirit.
+He immediately availed himself of this discovery to place himself in an
+advantageous light before both young ladies; while, to flatter them
+with his confidence, he entrusted to them, as a dangerous secret, that
+he was a faithful friend to the royal family of Denmark, and had
+ventured hither on far other grounds than those which were alleged as
+the object of his visit.
+
+The young damsels were astonished. In order to strengthen his
+statement, and allay every suspicion, Rane then painted in glowing
+colours, yet with apparent modesty, his valorous defence of the
+unfortunate king in Finnerup barn. He related to them how,
+notwithstanding this, he had been suspected in the most shameful
+manner; and assured them that, to justify himself in the eyes of every
+loyal Dane, he would risk his life in the most dangerous undertaking on
+behalf of the young king.
+
+"My fidelity to my former king and master," he added, "has already cost
+me my fair ancestral castle on Hielm. Marsk Stig has seized it by
+storm, and slain my faithful garrison. I have been constrained to use
+stratagem against force; but, with the aid I pretend to obtain here for
+the marsk, I mean to convince him and your brave father, noble Jomfru
+Kirstine, that I am not unworthy of the stroke of knighthood with which
+the jarl has honoured me, while even I venture to expose myself to his
+anger."
+
+"You are as bold as you are frank, Sir Rane!" exclaimed Kirstine, with
+astonishment. "What assures you that Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, after
+this confession, will permit you to slip free from Toensberg Castle?
+Suppose now, that I instantly order you to be cast into the tower--"
+
+"Then I shall have greatly mistaken your lofty, noble mind, illustrious
+damsel," replied Rane; "although I should not consider it a very
+serious misfortune even were I compelled to be your prisoner. But this
+I know, that the friend of Jomfru Inge Little can never hate or
+persecute any adherent of Denmark's royal house."
+
+"That you should not altogether depend upon, sir knight," replied the
+jarl's daughter. "The Danish kings have not left behind them the
+fairest memorials at Toensberg. Tales are still told here of Harald
+Bluetooth's cruelty; and there are ruins lying around us from the times
+of your valorous King Waldemar. If you imagine that the damsels of
+Norway are less patriotis than those of Denmark, you mistake us much."
+
+For an instant Rane seemed alarmed; but he soon recovered himself on
+perceiving a roguish smile in the countenance of the bold jomfru, and
+the glance she directed to her Danish friend. He bent his knee before
+the jocular damsel. "My freedom, perhaps my life, is in your hands," he
+said; "yet I repent not my avowal. In the presence of Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+fair daughter, it were, indeed, impossible to make a more daring
+admission; but I could not look on you, and for a moment forget what I
+bear on my shield. With the fair ones of Norway the knights of Denmark
+never made war, and the misdeeds of our kings and princes should not be
+visited on their innocent subjects--"
+
+"Enough, Sir Rane--rise! the warden is approaching," said Jomfru
+Kirstine, hastily.
+
+He kissed her hand respectfully while she raised him; and the warden
+now entering, a conversation on indifferent topics was gaily resumed.
+
+But Jomfru Inge placed no confidence in the crafty Rane. In the
+evening, when alone with Kirstine, she warned her of him; for she had
+well observed that his respectful homage to her beauty, and his
+flattery of her free spirit and independence, had not been without
+effect. Lady Inge at the same time was forced to acknowledge that Sir
+Rane was not deficient in courage, and possessed much sagacity and
+eloquence. She even admitted that her distrust of him might possibly be
+unfounded; but, in the eyes of Kirstine, he was a true and doughty
+knight.
+
+Next day Rane eagerly sought an opportunity of conversing with Kirstine
+alone. He found it, and soon confided to her that the fame of her
+beauty had long made him her passionate admirer. He informed her that
+her father had formerly accorded him permission to solicit her hand in
+person, but that the jarl now sought to evade his promise; and,
+finally, that his present journey, and the hazard to which he thereby
+exposed his life, having been undertaken solely for the purpose of
+seeing her, there was now no enterprise so dangerous that he would not
+venture on it for her sake.
+
+She listened to all his protestations without any apparent displeasure,
+but gave him no decided answer.
+
+Four days elapsed, during which Rane continued his efforts to win
+Kirstine, and to inspire Jomfru Inge with a more favourable opinion of
+him. Many secret councils had been held between the two damsels, and it
+was finally concluded that, before they confided in him, they should,
+at all events, put his fidelity to a stern proof.
+
+Rane had spoken highly of the swiftness of his vessel, and of his
+powerful connections in Denmark. A hint, or an apparently accidental
+occurrence, was therefore all that was required for flight or an
+abduction. Kirstine planned the hazardous design, to which, from
+necessity and her dangerous situation, Jomfru Inge was forced to
+accede.
+
+On the fifth day after the arrival of Rane, Inge was alarmed by the
+intelligence that her father, with Sir Thord, was expected from
+Kongshelle on the following day, and that festive preparations, as for
+a wedding, were going forward in the castle.
+
+Rane's vessel lay ready to sail in Toensberg Fiord, a few bow-shots from
+the strand. It was manned by a numerous crew, whom Rane had gained over
+with gold and promises. The crafty young knight had proposed a walk by
+the beach, where, a little before sunset, he proceeded, accompanied by
+Kirstine and Lady Inge. The old warden attended them, although he was
+heartily tired of hearing of fells, and waterfalls, and all the other
+beauties of nature which strangers extol so highly. Rane conversed with
+the young ladies with much politeness: he greatly admired the beauty of
+the landscape. "But," he observed, "the view from the sea must be far
+more magnificent. When I arrived, the sky was not so clear as it now
+is."
+
+"It appears to me, however," observed the warden, with a yawn, "that it
+was just as clear."
+
+"It is possible," replied Rane; "but towards evening the coast assumes
+a more beautiful appearance. Here is a boat close by, with part of my
+crew: the ladies, perhaps, would like to row a little way on the
+fiord."
+
+"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Kirstine, pulling Inge along with her into the
+boat: "the weather is fine, and I can show thee that the sun does not
+set over a nobler land than Norway. Will you go with us, warden?"
+
+Rane had placed himself beside the ladies. The warden was displeased;
+but, unwilling to oppose himself to the will of the proud young damsel,
+he entered the boat grumbling, and it rapidly glided from the beach.
+Whilst Rane dilated with animation on the beauties of the scenery, the
+boatmen, who had been previously instructed, rowed straight to the
+vessel, which lay with her sails half unfurled, and her crew ready to
+heave the anchor as soon as their master was on board.
+
+The invitation of Rane to inspect the ship was accepted. The objections
+of the warden were silenced by the eloquent knight, who, the moment
+they stood on deck, gave a signal, and the vessel stood out under full
+sail. The terrified warden was conducted, as a prisoner, to the cabin;
+while Rane, throwing himself upon his knee before Kirstine, poured out
+a torrent of flattering apologies for carrying off her friend and her
+to Denmark; where, he said, he as certainly hoped to obtain her
+forgiveness, as he was now prepared by every deed of chivalry to
+deserve the hand of the fairest maiden in Norway.
+
+Lady Inge, as well as Kirstine, was half terrified at this sudden
+abduction, although it was their own plan which the crafty knight,
+without knowing it, was carrying into effect. They both remained silent
+and thoughtful; but Lady Inge was too proud to carry dissimulation
+farther.
+
+"Well, Sir Rane," she said, gravely, "I follow you willingly to
+Denmark, for I desire to leave Toensberg." And with this avowal she
+retired to the other side of the vessel, leaving it to her companion to
+simulate anger at his daring conduct.
+
+By this step Sir Rane had gained a great object. As long as the fate of
+the conspirators was uncertain, it was important that he should be
+able, in some satisfactory manner, to justify his connection with them.
+By this daring action he also hoped to increase his reputation as a
+bold knight in the estimation of Marsk Stig and the jarl; while in the
+daughter of the powerful algrev he possessed a hostage that would
+secure him from their enmity. Neither did it escape his observation,
+that, in the eyes of the brave daughter of the viking, he had
+established his character as an adventurous knight; and he now clearly
+perceived that she secretly favoured him as her suitor, notwithstanding
+the rage and scorn which she pretended to heap upon him. As long, too,
+as Lady Inge remained in his power, he supposed that her kinsman, old
+Sir John, and Drost Hessel, would reflect before they took any steps
+against him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+On a beautiful evening in the middle of May, there was a torch-dance
+and great rejoicing in the streets of Rypen. Such festivities, where
+the burghers mingled in the gay crowd of knights, were not uncommon;
+but at a time so serious, and so soon after the murder of the king,
+these public rejoicings gave great scandal to the friends of the royal
+house among the burghers of the place; while the adherents of Marsk
+Stig heartily entered into them, as a proof of the security with which
+the rebel governor of the castle, Sir Tage Muus, defied the royal
+party. In this way, the revolted chief showed, too, how well he
+understood, and how much he disregarded, the feigned threats with which
+Duke Waldemar had summoned him to surrender.
+
+The duke, with his army, was encamped about half a mile south of Rypen.
+His forces consisted chiefly of South Jutlanders; although among them
+there were also a few Brandenburg and Saxon horsemen. On the evening to
+which we have alluded, the duke entertained, in his magnificent crimson
+tent, the two Margraves of Brandenburg, old Duke Johan of Saxony, and
+Count Gerhard of Holstein; the latter having reached the army the
+previous day, at the head of a chosen troop of Holstein horse. The
+brave count had scarcely awaited his recovery from the unfortunate blow
+which had cost him an eye, before he had armed himself for the defence
+of Queen Agnes and the young king. He had united his forces to those of
+the duke without suspicion; but was received at the camp with a
+coldness that surprised him. The queen's brothers had newly arrived
+from Viborg, to hasten some decisive attempt against Marsk Stig and his
+adherents. The aged Duke of Saxony, who had been the youthful friend of
+Duke Waldemar's father, the unfortunate Duke Erik, had often manifested
+a fatherly interest in the ambitious young Waldemar. He had arrived,
+uninvited, at the head of his brave troops, not solely to strengthen
+the duke, but for the purpose of preventing, by his presence, any
+thoughtless step which might be prompted by his ambitious aspirations,
+of which the old nobleman was not ignorant. He had been partly moved to
+this by his daughter, the pious Princess Sophia, of whom Duke Waldemar
+had, two years before, been an ardent suitor, without having received
+any decisive answer. At that time she was not quite fifteen, and had
+declared that in three years she would determine, should her wooer then
+renew his suit. She was well aware that she had made a strong
+impression on the young duke, whom she loved tenderly, but without
+passion, and she also entertained well-grounded doubts of his
+constancy. She therefore dreaded his ambitious plans, and felt more
+solicitous about his honour and the welfare of his soul than the loss
+of his heart, which she already looked upon as having escaped her, for
+she had not seen him for two years. She awaited, however, the
+expiration of the third year, when she intended to bid farewell to the
+world, and assume the veil.
+
+The upright old Duke Johan had approved his daughter's views and
+determination. Without alluding to her, he had, like a true and
+fatherly friend, spoken seriously to the young duke relative to his
+present position and his duties to the Danish crown. His words were not
+without effect; but the idea that wholly engrossed the young nobleman
+was the proud consciousness that he possessed the power to decide the
+fate of the royal house of Denmark by casting his sword into either
+scale of the nicely balanced parties.
+
+The presence of the margraves and the honest Count Gerhard, however,
+and their unanimous demand that something decisive should be attempted,
+caused him some embarrassment. A council of war was held in the duke's
+tent, at which, after those noblemen had each expressed his opinion
+boldly and frankly, the duke arose.
+
+"Here, my lords, I am commander," he said, firmly; "and with every
+respect for your advice and sincere intentions, I must still follow my
+own convictions. Before the Dane-court has decided how Marsk Stig and
+his friends are to be treated, and until I myself have been formally
+recognised as protector, nothing decisive can be undertaken. Within
+twelve days the Dane-court will be held, and, consequently, my presence
+in Nyborg will be necessary. Until then no campaign can be commenced,
+far less completed. From what I have heard of Marsk Stig's
+preparations, a greater force than we possess will be necessary to
+subdue him. Besides, by the law of the land, he and his friends have
+still the right to defend themselves before the Dane-court, if they
+choose to risk it; and, as I have already said, no decisive step can be
+taken until it is legally determined in what quality I stand here, and
+with whom we have to contend."
+
+"With your leave, illustrious duke," began Count Gerhard, "I think we
+know right well who we are, and what we have to do. That we two, at
+least, stand here as vassals of the Danish crown, requires no
+confirmation. That the commander of Rypen House, by placing the banner
+of Marsk Stig where that of the king should wave, has openly declared
+himself an enemy of the crown, is certain enough. Before we advance
+against Helgeness and Hielm, Rypen House must be ours. With what forces
+we have here the place can be stormed within twelve hours; and it seems
+to me shameful and indefensible that we should lie here idly, and
+tamely permit a royal castle to remain in the hands of rebels."
+
+"If, with your own troopers, you choose to storm Rypen House, brave
+Count Gerhard," replied the duke, carelessly, "you are welcome; but it
+must be on your own responsibility; and you will further have to answer
+before the Dane-court for kindling a civil war before the conduct of
+these men has been legally condemned, and without knowing by what law
+and authority you yourself are acting."
+
+"So, then, illustrious duke," exclaimed Count Gerhard, with suppressed
+indignation, "in God and St. George's name I shall act alone, and I
+doubt not that I shall be able to defend my conduct well." He then
+bowed, and retired.
+
+Shortly afterwards he left the camp, at the head of fifty horsemen, and
+took the road to Rypen. By his side, attired as a squire, rode Daddy
+Longlegs, who, since the unfortunate foolery which had cost his master
+an eye, had laid aside the dignity and dress of a jester, but still
+followed his master, to whom he was indispensable.
+
+As Count Gerhard approached the Nipsaa, which defended the town from
+the south, his anger gradually abated; prudence returned, and he
+perceived the absurdity of attempting, with his handful of men, to
+storm a well-fortified castle like Rypen House. Shame, however,
+deterred him from returning to the camp, and he rode leisurely forward.
+His troopers followed silently; but he perceived, by their thoughtful
+and serious looks, how certainly fatal they considered the enterprise
+on which their master and prince was conducting them.
+
+"Let us make good speed, gracious sir," observed Longlegs, in a tone of
+grave raillery, "before they at Rypen House behold our terrible army
+and surrender themselves. It would be a sad misfortune should we miss
+this chance of immortality, and have no opportunity of using our
+storming-ladders and lithers--"
+
+"I rely upon thee being a wizard, Longlegs, who can as easily knock out
+the eye of the enemy as thou didst mine, and so prevent him from seeing
+our strength," replied the count, entering at once, as usual, into the
+humour of his jester. "But who has informed thee that I mean to storm
+Rypen House? There are banquetings and rejoicings in Rypen, thou
+knowest; and what if I should intend to treat myself and all of you to
+a romp with the fair maids of Rypen?"
+
+"Ah! that is another matter, sir. A right merry dance it will be; and,
+besides, we come not unbidden to the junkettings, for the letter
+brought you in the gloaming by the old pilgrim was doubtless an
+invitation to sport and joviality."
+
+Count Gerhard nodded. "Didst thou know him, Longlegs?" he inquired.
+
+"If I am not mistaken, it was our old host in Middelfert, Henner
+Friser. He is a daring carl, and, it is said, knows something more than
+his paternoster. He fled from Middelfert for a murder: so take care,
+sir, that he does not lead you into a snare."
+
+"If thou hadst heard what he said, Longlegs, thou wouldst not fear
+that. Onwards."
+
+Not far from the Southgate Bridge and Hostorg Port, on what is called
+the Marshland, Count Gerhard ordered his troopers to halt and dismount.
+Having set them the example, he remained for a moment in profound
+thought.
+
+"Now, my men," he at length said, good-humouredly, "I shall conduct you
+to the feast to-night. You see the torches are flaring on the bridge.
+Well, there is mirth in Rypen, and only merry guests are expected. The
+grooms will remain with the horses, and you others, one by one, will
+follow me on foot, with your swords beneath your cloaks, for the sake
+of security. If you can get a torch in one hand, and a girl in the
+other, dance away. But the jig must pass through Southgate-street to
+Grayfriars-street, and then along Crutched-friars, to the large
+bleaching-green by the castle. There you must gather around me when you
+hear my hunting-horn. What further fun is to be had, must depend on
+luck and opportunity. You understand me, carls?"
+
+A general shout of applause announced the acquiescence of the troopers
+in the adventurous project of their master. He immediately crossed the
+bridge, followed, singly and at a distance, by the others, who mingled
+with the crowds of merrymakers that filled the streets.
+
+The mirth had reached its height. Torches blazed and songs were sung in
+every street leading to the castle. Gaily-dressed knights, and ladies
+in mantles of silk and scarlet, mingled in the dance. Count Gerhard
+strode along in his heavy riding-boots, without taking any active part
+in the festivities. When he had reached and was about to pass the
+gateway into the court-yard of the Crutched-friars, he received a nod
+of recognition from a brave, well-known face, concealed under a
+peasant's hood, while, with a hearty shake of the hand, he was drawn
+beneath the arch.
+
+"Drost Hessel!--you here, and in this disguise!" he exclaimed, with
+astonishment.
+
+"Have you come to join our dance, noble count?" inquired Drost Peter,
+hastily.
+
+"The fiend take the dance! I am here to storm Rypen House, in spite of
+the duke and his fine prudential considerations.
+
+"'Tis well! You are in the dance, then, whether you will or not. But
+whence comes it? Who is the leader?"
+
+"He that comes first, I should think. But, by Beelzebub! you must well
+know that, Drost Hessel. Ask not me, for I know nothing: I have had
+only a private hint, which I am undecided whether I ought to act upon
+or not. Do you know old Henner Friser, from Melfert?"
+
+"Him we can rely upon," replied Drost Peter, gladly; "and if the hint
+came from him, we may safely follow it. What force is with you?"
+
+"Not a great one; but still, I can muster half a hundred with a blast
+of my horn."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the drost: "there is, then, some meaning in it, and I
+now begin to be in earnest; for, hitherto, the whole affair has
+appeared to me somewhat like a joke. I know not with whom the daring
+idea originated, and I came here with only two companions, merely to
+discover the temper of the people. On my way I met Henner Friser, and
+the mysterious old man predicted me success, and then disappeared. It
+seems he has good friends here. The disposition of the burghers is
+favourable; but the duke delays, and I have no faith in him. To storm
+the place without an army would never have occurred to me; but there
+must be amongst us a spirit more inventive and daring than we were
+aware of. An hour since a stranger invited me to be the second knight
+in the row of dancers, when the Danish maidens should begin the
+song;--'For Erik the king so young.' But what avails it without a
+storm?"
+
+"I understand," exclaimed the count rubbing his hands with delight:
+"for the young king, then. True, I would rather sing, 'For Queen Agnes
+the fair;' but it is the same. Dance only, in God's name, across the
+castle-bridge. I dance behind, and follow you with my men. 'For our
+young king,' is the watchword; and he who hesitates to give it tongue,
+shall be cut down."
+
+This conversation was interrupted by a party of boisterous young
+knights, with black plumes in their helmets, and torches in their
+hands, who danced into the court-yard of the convent, summoning the
+terrified monks to open the refectory for them, and bawling for wine
+and Saxon ale.
+
+"Saw you the black-plumes? That is a band of Marsk Stig's adherents,"
+observed Drost Peter, as he retired with Count Gerhard to an obscure
+corner of the gateway, unable to conceal his indignation at such
+audacious proceedings, which were not unusual during this unsettled
+period.
+
+The clamour in the convent-yard subsided for an instant, while a
+reverend friar came forth, and reminded the disturbers that they were
+not in an enemy's country, and that it was the duty of the brave
+gentlemen at Rypen House to protect the town, and not to plunder it.
+
+The priest was answered with mockery and threats; and one of the
+overbearing young knights, brandishing his torch, swore he would set
+fire to the convent, if their demands were longer resisted. The door of
+the refectory was then instantly opened, and the unwelcome guests were
+admitted.
+
+Drost Peter boiled with indignation. "Behold, Count Gerhard!" he
+exclaimed, vehemently: "these are the men who would be masters in
+Denmark. Let us after them!"
+
+"Nay, let them drink till they cannot see a hole through a
+storming-ladder," cried Count Gerhard, laughing--"the better will go
+our dance. When does it begin, and where?"
+
+"Two hours after the ave, and on the bleach-green, near the castle."
+
+"'Tis well. The time is near: therefore let us hence. There is some
+meaning in this dance, and an honest warrior can engage in it without
+being laughed at. Plague take it! if the queen were only here, she
+should see me dance better and more gaily than I did the last time."
+
+They proceeded hastily to the bleach-green, where a great crowd was
+assembled. In the middle of the open space stood a table, covered with
+refreshments. Merry music filled the air, while many torches shed their
+light upon the scene, and numerous gaily dressed ladies occupied the
+benches around. Drost Peter and Count Gerhard observed with attention
+and surprise the glittering knights and dames about them, most of whom
+had their faces fantastically painted, and all sharing in the merriment
+with spirit and joyousness.
+
+As Count Gerhard was making his remarks on this, Skirmen hastily
+approached, and whispered a few words to his master, who immediately,
+with joyful surprise, directed his eyes to a bench, on which sat three
+ladies veiled. In the nearest he thought he recognised the black-haired
+little Aase. She who sat in the middle, Skirmen, with a roguish smile,
+had informed him was the lady who had invited him to the dance. Skirmen
+had again disappeared, and Drost Peter fixed his eyes on the tall
+stranger lady with a feeling of delight he could not express, although
+a painful anxiety mingled with it.
+
+"Can it be possible? Can she be here, and engaged in this dangerous
+sport?" he exclaimed, half aloud, as he felt the ground spin round with
+him. He began to think he was in some wonderful dream. He again looked
+round for Skirmen, but without success, and was at last obliged to
+support himself on a bench near where he stood.
+
+At that moment the three maidens arose, and began to sing:--
+
+
+            "On Rypen streets the dance goes light,
+            With ladys gay and gentle knight.
+            On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod:
+            There dance the knights so gaily shod--
+              For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+When the burthen was heard, the flutes and horns chimed in, and a
+number of knights sprang forward with their ladies, and formed a long
+row of dancers.
+
+Drost Peter distinguished Jomfru Inge's clear and mellow voice, and in
+the middle singer he now plainly recognised her tall and noble form. He
+started up and clasped her in his arms. "Inge, dearest Inge!" he
+whispered, "what daring is this? Are you come hither to dance to the
+death with me? If so, then joyfully for Denmark and our young king! But
+unriddle to me this mystery."
+
+"My knight follows me to the royal castle and to victory," whispered
+Inge: "if our leader deceive us not, we shall succeed."
+
+"Who, then, is our leader?" inquired the drost, eagerly. "If any one
+leads here, I should do so."
+
+"The gates of the rebels' castle are not opened to Drost Hessel," she
+rejoined, hastily. "There stands our leader, but you must not know him.
+If he were free, I should trust him as little as you do; but here he is
+in our power, and must now dance himself to a bride--or die."
+
+She pointed to a stately young knight, with long yellow hair, who stood
+near them, with a torch in his hand, and apparently hesitating whether
+he should place himself at the head of the dancers or not. He had
+hitherto stood with his back towards them; but as he now turned to one
+side, the light of his torch fell on his cheek, and Drost Peter
+exclaimed, in the highest astonishment--"Rane!"
+
+"Be silent," whispered Inge: "with a fox we must catch a fox to-night;
+but not like Hamlet. With May-garlands, and, as I hope, without the red
+rose, will we bind our enemies."
+
+Meanwhile, the music continued, many singing to it a well-known ballad
+that suited the tune. Whilst Rane stood, as if yet undecided, the row
+of dancers was constantly increasing; and Jomfru Inge, in a few words,
+acquainted Drost Peter with the whole daring plan. Jarl Mindre-Alf's
+daughter and herself had persuaded Rane, who knew the governor, to
+bring about the present festival. The bitter feeling of the knight
+towards Marsk Stig, and his anxiety to show himself a friend to the
+royal house, had favoured the project of the young damsels. Through
+Skirmen and Aase, old Henner Friser had been induced to engage in it.
+The proximity of Drost Peter had redoubled the courage of his
+betrothed, although she feared that his co-operation with Rane might
+defeat the whole scheme.
+
+"And now, my dear sir knight," she added, playfully, "the numerous
+chivalrous gentlemen you perceive around you are our trusty Rypen
+burghers and their sons, who, at the request of their wives and
+sweethearts, will dance tonight to the songs of the maidens."
+
+Having given this explanation, she then, with the other damsels, again
+renewed the song, whilst the knights proceeded to arrange themselves in
+conformity with the words of the ballad, wherein themselves and their
+ladies were indicated by feigned names, taken for the most part from
+old romances, but the application of which they all knew well. The only
+one who was named aright was the governor of Rypen House, who was at
+that moment sitting at a drinking-bout in the castle, but whose name,
+being sung aloud as if he were engaged in the dance, assured any of his
+adherents who might be present, and suspicious of the game.
+
+Whilst those nearest the castle arranged themselves as directed by the
+song, the others at the extremity of the line formed a long chain, and
+danced around the green, to assure themselves that none were present in
+the dance but those engaged in the plot. Rane, meanwhile, still stood
+undecided by the bench on which Jomfru Kirstine was seated, when Jomfru
+Inge and the others began to sing:--
+
+
+                  "Riber Ulf first dances here--
+                  A king is he without compeer."
+
+
+"'Tis you, Sir Rane!" exclaimed the daughter of the Norwegian
+jarl--"'tis you: you are Riber Ulf to-night. Show me now that you are a
+king without compeer."
+
+Rane, however, did not seem to hear her. The song continued:--
+
+
+                  "Then dances Tage Muns so free--
+                  Captain of Rypen House is he."
+
+
+Drost Peter had cast aside his hood, and donned a high feathered hat,
+which Skirmen had brought him, together with a scarlet mantle, which he
+threw over his peasant's dress.
+
+"Now are you captain of Rypen House," whispered Jomfru Inge. His dress,
+which was the same as the court-suit of the castellan, and which they
+had procured on purpose, caused the knight to be mistaken by many for
+Sir Tage Muus himself; his portly bulk, derived from his peasant's
+clothes beneath, greatly favouring the deception. In this guise he
+danced forward in the ranks with Jomfru Inge, who, with the maidens,
+continued to sing:--
+
+
+                  "Then dancing comes Sir Saltensee,
+                  And so come on his kinsmen three.
+
+                  "Then dance the noble Limbeks trim,
+                  And they were kings of sturdy limb.
+
+                  "Then after dances Byrge Green,
+                  And many a gentle knight I ween.
+
+                  "And now comes dancing Hanke Kann,
+                  And eke his wife, hight Lady Ann.
+
+                  "Then dancing comes a noble pair--
+                  Sir Rank, and Lady Berngerd fair.
+
+                  "Then rich Sir Wolfram, with his dame,
+                  A lady fair, without a name."
+
+
+At this verse Sir Bent Rimaardson, who had received the same invitation
+as Drost Peter, joined the dancers, with an unknown lady by his side.
+
+At the last couplet--
+
+
+                  "Then dancing came Sir Iver Helt:
+                  He followed the king across the Belt:"[36]
+
+
+to his great surprise, Drost Peter perceived the brave Sir Thorstenson
+advance, conducting a smart peasant-girl by the hand.
+
+"What! Sir Thorstenson here, too!" he exclaimed, as he turned to Lady
+Inge, who hastily informed him that the bold knight was there to
+accompany him to Nyborg, whither he had conducted the king and the
+whole court, and that he had immediately approved of and entered into
+her project.
+
+Rane, however, had yet shown no disposition to take his part in the
+dance. They had twice danced round the open space, and each time that
+Lady Inge had approached him, she had sung in a louder tone:--
+
+
+                  "Riber Ulf first dances here,
+                  A king is he without compeer."
+
+
+She was now drawing near a third time; but he still remained as if in
+deep thought.
+
+"Are you afraid that your fair hair will get entangled, Sir Rane, that
+you so long delay leading me to the dance?" exclaimed the courageous
+Jomfru Kirstine, mockingly, and with a gesture of impatience.
+
+"You are right, noble jomfru," answered Rane: "both head and hair may
+easily be entangled here. My hair is a little red, as you must have
+observed; but in this dance it might quickly become redder--"
+
+"And your rosy cheeks might become all too white," interrupted she,
+derisively.
+
+"You are right in that also, fair jomfru," replied Rane, smiling slyly.
+"You would have little service of the boldest bridegroom, when his
+cheeks were as pale as those of a corpse. It is natural that a man
+should hesitate before he springs into a death-dance, even with a
+damsel ever so rich and fair."
+
+"If you hesitate a moment longer, Sir Rane," angrily exclaimed the bold
+jomfru, "I shall consider that I have been shamefully wronged and
+insulted by you; and then, instead of being the bridegroom of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf's daughter, you shall become the laughing-stock of every
+girl in Norway. Yet, nay," she added, in a milder tone--"you will never
+heap such shame and scorn on both yourself and me. Shall Inge's words
+prove true, and shall her knight behold your weakness and hesitation?
+See how proudly he dances with her, the brave Drost Hessel!"
+
+"Drost Hessel!" exclaimed Rane with surprise, as the blood forsook his
+cheeks.
+
+"Drost Hessel, of course. Surely you are not afraid of the name. If you
+are as brave as you pretend to be, and my father has really given you
+the stroke of knighthood, convince us now that you are worthy of it,
+and show the proud drost that you are not allied to rebels and
+traitors. He is severe, it is said, and old Friser has sworn your death
+if you deceive us."
+
+"Mistake me not, noble jomfru," said Rane, hastily. "I dread neither
+the drost nor the ferocious innkeeper--for fear of them I stir not a
+single step. But for your sake alone, fairest Kirstine, and my own
+knightly honour, shall I stake my head upon the game, and dance with
+you even to the castle-gate. When it is opened at my signal, I shall
+have kept my word; but will you then as truly and honestly do what you
+have promised, and accompany me from Rypen as my bride?"
+
+"What I have promised I shall perform, like an honest Norwegian
+maiden," replied Jomfru Kirstine, gladly, as she quickly rose, and gave
+him her hand. "Dance but through the castle-gate with me, and you are
+the bold and noble hero I believed you, and worthy of the daughter of
+any jarl."
+
+Rane seemed transformed as by some sudden inspiration; he sprang nimbly
+forward with his lady, and placed himself at the head of the dancers,
+who had now for the third time nearly made the circuit of the area.
+
+Before Lady Inge had again sung the first verse of the ballad, calling
+on Riber Ulf, Rane was dancing gaily along, with Jomfru Kirstine on his
+arm. Lightly tripping it, he sang aloud, while all the damsels and
+knights accompanied him:
+
+
+                  "And on Rypen streets the dance goes light,
+                  With ladye gay and gentle knight--
+                  For Erik the king so young."
+
+
+"Right!" exclaimed the lively Norwegian lady, whom he whirled along,
+her silken ribbons fluttering in her plaited hair, as she danced the
+lightest and nimblest of them all. "Dance thus over the bridge, and I
+shall praise your courage; and dance thus through the gate, and I give
+you my plighted troth."
+
+Rane waved his scarf when they reached the drawbridge, and it was
+instantly lowered.
+
+"Inge, dearest Inge, it succeeds!" exclaimed Drost Peter, as he warmly
+pressed the arm of his partner.
+
+The heavy boots of the knights thundered on the drawbridge, amidst the
+light tread of shoes, and all sang merrily:--
+
+
+                  "On Rypen Bridge a measure is trod;
+                  There dance the knights so gaily shod--
+                  For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+Rane now clapped his hands, and the castle-gates were opened. With song
+and shout and merriment, the whole of the dancers were soon within.
+
+Count Gerhard, who still stood on the bleach-green, laughing heartily,
+then blew a merry strain on his horn; and in an instant he was
+surrounded by his fifty men, who followed him with great glee to the
+open gate. Here he posted one half of his force, and with the other
+followed quickly after the dancers.
+
+A considerable portion of the castle garrison were dispersed throughout
+the town. The governor, Sir Tage Muus, was sitting half intoxicated,
+with thirty other knights, in the large royal riddersal. He heard,
+without surprise, the singing and dancing in the castle-court and in
+the passage of the riddersal; for he had given permission to his good
+friend Rane and his young knights to conduct the fair daughters of the
+citizens to him, with dance and song. In a few seconds the doors flew
+open, and the whole company danced in, the knights holding their ladies
+by the left hand and carrying blazing torches in their right. The whole
+of them were linked together by a chain of green May-leaves,
+interspersed with rare roses. By a sudden movement the ladies formed a
+cluster, waving the torches, while the knights, in a compact circle,
+surrounded the table with drawn swords in their hands.
+
+The governor and his thirty knights now first became aware of their
+betrayal, and started up in alarm to defend themselves. But in an
+instant, and without bloodshed, the castellan and his entire force were
+disarmed.
+
+Beyond the circle of knights and their captives, the maidens now began
+to dance, and with loud jubilation sang:
+
+
+                  "And thus we danced the castle in,
+                  With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--
+                  The castle it is won!"
+
+
+"For Erik the king so young!" exclaimed Drost Peter, stepping forward.
+He then, in the king's name, took possession of the castle, and sent
+the rebel governor and his adherents, bound, to the dungeon of the
+fort.
+
+To the great joy of the loyal Rypen burghers, the royal banner was seen
+shortly after waving over the castle-gate, where it had been planted by
+a tall and beautiful maiden. Now was there in Rypen a true feast of
+gladness. While Drost Peter and Count Gerhard were placing trusty men
+at every post, and adopting the strictest precautions, the dancing was
+continued in the castle, as well as in the city, with the utmost
+rejoicing.
+
+When the necessary measures for the defence and security of the
+fortress had been taken, Drost Peter returned with longing haste to the
+riddersal, where he had left Lady Inge, with Skirmen and Sir
+Thorstenson, in the midst of a gay dance of victory. The meeting with
+his childhood's bride, and the whole daring exploit, still presented
+itself to his imagination like a wonderful dream. The artifice by which
+the castle had been taken, and Rane's traitorous co-operation in it,
+did not please him; but joy at having once more seen the brave Lady
+Inge, and the hope that her return to Denmark was no more a fleeting
+vision than the whole night's adventure, inspired him with a feeling of
+happiness that banished every other sentiment.
+
+Doubt and inquietude, however, soon seized him, for nowhere could he
+find her. He saw only the cheerful knights and disguised burghers, who,
+with laughter, song, and merriment, whirled around with the nimble
+Rypen damsels. He saw Sir Thorstenson, and the otherwise melancholy
+Bent Rimaardson, glide past him in the mazes of the dance, as if
+intoxicated with the general hilarity; while Count Gerhard clattered
+away in his heavy boots, and sang lustily from the bottom of his heart.
+In the song, to which they were now dancing with so much animation,
+Drost Peter heard not the mellow voice of Lady Inge, while both knights
+and ladies repeated the words of their former bold songstress:--
+
+
+                  "And thus we danced the castle in,
+                  With drawn sword under scarlet sheen--
+                   The castle it is won!
+
+                  "With rosy wreath and ridder dance,
+                  A keep so won I ne'er saw chance--
+                   For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+The general delight would certainly have again communicated itself to
+Drost Peter, had he anywhere caught a glimpse of Lady Inge. But her
+sudden disappearance was a painful mystery; and his anxiety augmented
+when he perceived that Rane, too, had vanished. He knew that this
+crafty knight had been her attendant from Norway; and notwithstanding
+the apparent change in his sentiments, and his important share in
+surprising the castle, he still considered him as the most treacherous
+and dangerous foe of himself and the royal house. Neither could he
+perceive the brave Norwegian maiden, whom Inge had called her friend,
+and who, with Rane, had led the dancers. That she was the daughter of
+Jarl Mindre-Alf he knew, and Inge's connection with this family
+increased his uneasiness. While he was assailed by these doubts and
+fears, Sir Thorstenson approached him and extended his hand.
+
+"This, by my troth, I call a merry maiden's victory, Drost Peter!"
+exclaimed the warlike knight, gaily. "The fair damsels are likely to
+win the honours of war from us. To-night, at all events, the wreath of
+victory certainly belongs to them. Next time, I hope it will be our's."
+
+They retired to a corner, when Sir Thorstenson informed his anxious and
+abstracted friend how, on his arrival at Rypen a few hours before, he
+had been dragged into this singular adventure, whose important and
+successful issue might excuse him for not having immediately attended
+to his proper duty.
+
+"Truth to say, my good friend," he added, "your cool mind and knightly
+sword, no less than your authority as drost, were required to help us
+to success; but I would rather dispense with your all too conscientious
+scruples. Therefore it was that I persuaded Jomfru Inge to take you by
+surprise. If this deserves punishment, let the offence be visited only
+on me. You are my superior, and can now, if you choose, place me in
+arrest for neglecting my duty, and taking counsel against you with your
+betrothed--for such, in truth, I suppose she is."
+
+"Know you what has become of her?" inquired Drost Peter, hastily.
+
+"That know I not," replied Thorstenson; "but leave the maidens to
+dance, and let us no longer lose our wit over this conceit of the fair
+ones."
+
+Drost Peter was silent, and Thorstenson continued: "The duke's
+preparations for war, notwithstanding the queen's confidence in him,
+are regarded by the council as suspicious. Old Sir John considered the
+young king as no longer safe in Viborg; and, in your absence, I was
+obliged secretly to convey him to Nyborg. I myself believe that there
+are evil birds about. Sir John informed me that I should meet you here,
+and he charged me with these letters for you, both from himself and the
+queen. I know that you must on to Nyborg. But here you now command.
+Whilst you follow the king's orders, I must follow your's. I shall do
+so, however, with pride and pleasure."
+
+Drost Peter hastily perused the letters. "I must depart before day," he
+said; and, after a moment's reflection, added--"you are governor of
+Rypen House, Sir Thorstenson. This important fortress cannot be
+entrusted to an abler knight; and, as a punishment for acting on your
+own counsel, I require you to defend it to the last extremity, should
+even the duke and Marsk Stig agree to storm it with their united
+strength."
+
+"Well," exclaimed Thorstenson, joyfully, "a more honourable punishment
+could not have been awarded me. You show your displeasure, Drost Peter,
+in a noble manner. Thanks for your confidence! There are brave men
+amongst the burghers to defend the castle; and while one stone stands
+upon another, nor foe nor traitor shall set foot within it. If the king
+has no other place of security in the country, bring him hither. Rypen
+House is and shall remain the strongest royal castle in Denmark. Within
+a month it shall be impregnable."
+
+"Bravely spoken!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "Within half an hour the keys
+of the castle, with your authority as commandant legally drawn out,
+shall be delivered to you. Meantime let the festivities be brought to a
+close, and let all leave the castle who do not belong to it. If you
+will, at the same time, do me a friendly service," he added, whilst
+endeavouring to conceal his anxiety, "let search be made, with all
+haste, for Jomfru Inge Little. Perhaps she will allow me to be her
+escort to her kinsman, the counsellor."
+
+Thorstenson nodded, and, warmly pressing his hand, prepared to depart.
+
+"Yet one word!" exclaimed the drost, with much inquietude. "If you
+encounter Rane, he is our prisoner until his conduct has been
+investigated. He must be sought for diligently. Let the town-gates be
+locked, and suffer no vessel to leave the river within the next four
+and twenty hours. God be with you!"
+
+Thorstenson nodded, and, with the joyful sense of his new dignity, he
+departed hastily to execute the injunctions of the drost.
+
+The latter proceeded to the governor's private chamber, where he found
+everything that was requisite to enable him to complete the necessary
+instructions and authorities. Notwithstanding his anxiety, and the
+pressure of his own dearest heart affairs, he fully felt the duty
+imposed on him by his important station, and prepared the necessary
+formulas with perfect deliberation. He had already put his large
+signet-ring, bearing the flying eagle, to the wax of Thorstenson's
+appointment, when the door was opened, and Claus Skirmen entered, in
+great haste, and almost breathless.
+
+"I have found you at last, stern sir," joyfully exclaimed the trusty
+squire. "I have been searching for you everywhere; and bring you many
+salutations, besides a pretty little letter, from Jomfru Inge. I saw
+her depart in excellent style, in the town-governor's own carriage,
+drawn by four horses, with twelve troopers for an escort."
+
+"What sayest thou, Skirmen?" exclaimed Drost Peter, in astonishment.
+"She travels! and whither?"
+
+"Know you not, sir? Was it not your own arrangement? But you shall
+hear. When she had placed the royal banner over the castle-gate, she
+directed me to follow her to the town-governor, to whom she showed a
+letter, bearing three large seals. He bowed to her as if she had been
+the queen herself, and immediately ordered the horses to be yoked--"
+
+"Whither, I ask--where does she journey to? But you have a letter--give
+it me quickly."
+
+"She travels to Kolding, and from thence to Sweden, sir," replied
+Skirmen, as he handed him a slip of parchment, tied with a
+rose-coloured silk ribbon.
+
+While the drost hastily perused the billet, he blushed deeply.
+
+"Farewell, my childhood's bridegroom!" it ran. "'For Erik the king so
+young,' I still sing in my heart, and the torch in the hand of my true
+knight still gleams before mine eyes. He who is powerful in the feeble,
+has given me also a work to do. The true Sir John knows of it. Ask of
+him, but follow me not. In Denmark's darkest night we have danced a
+victor-dance together; and, God be praised! it cost no blood. When the
+child-king is Denmark's lord, and the crown sits firmly on his brow, we
+may perhaps see each other in a happier hour. My father alone can unite
+our hands. But our hearts, which God in truth hath joined together, no
+man can ever sunder."
+
+Drost Peter heaved a deep sigh, although his eyes sparkled with a great
+and glorious hope. He concealed the note in his bosom, and turned again
+to Skirmen.
+
+"To Kolding, sayest thou--and from thence to Sweden? Who told thee
+this?"
+
+"I gathered it from what I heard her tell the town-governor, and the
+Norse jomfru or fru--"
+
+"The Norse jomfru!" interrupted Drost Peter, hastily. "She and Sir Rane
+have not accompanied her?"
+
+"Nay, the saints forbid, sir! Had I thought so, I should never have
+allowed her to go, had I been compelled to keep her back by main force.
+But I thought you knew all, and--"
+
+"But Rane, Rane--where sawest thou him?"
+
+"On the way to the town-governor we encountered the snake. He was
+leaving the Grayfriars' Chapel with the Norse jomfru, where, it is
+said, they have already been made man and wife. Jomfru Inge cried
+bitterly, and embraced the Norse lady with great emotion; but Rane--the
+fiend take him!--would not delay. Within half an hour, he said, they
+must be on the open sea; and he talked of his sea-dogs, and looked
+about as if they were not far distant. He offered one arm to Jomfru
+Inge, while he held fast his young fru with the other. But Jomfru Inge
+withstood the indignity. She bade him a cold and formal farewell, and
+turned hastily away. I was much tempted to measure my squire's sword
+with the glaive of the newly-coined knight. My sword, I believe,
+indeed, accidentally left the sheath, and certainly I did not look very
+mildly at the crafty sir fox. I saw that he perfectly remembered how
+last I waited for him outside the duke's door at Nyborg Castle; for he
+suddenly became pale-nosed when he saw me about to spring at him.
+Jomfru Inge seized me by the arm; and, before I had time to call him a
+traitorous nidding, he had disappeared with the pretty fru, whom he has
+cajoled and stolen."
+
+Drost Peter again breathed easily. "Now, God be praised!" he exclaimed.
+"the wretch has no longer any power over her!"
+
+"I trow he has, though!" cried Skirmen: "he took her with him."
+
+"What! art thou mad?--Inge?"
+
+"Nay, Heaven forfend, sir!--Her I held fast by--but the pretty Norse
+jomfru--"
+
+"In God's name, so be it! She was his wife, Skirmen; and thou hast
+conducted thyself like a brave fellow. She has set out alone, then, for
+Kolding--Inge, I mean?"
+
+"Nay, with twelve horsemen, besides car-swains."
+
+"Very well: let our horses be instantly saddled."
+
+"Already?" exclaimed Skirmen, colouring: "I thought we should tarry
+here to-night. Truth to say, sir, I have appointed a meeting with
+little Aase and her grandfather, by the Stone-gate. They are about to
+make a pious pilgrimage, and I may not again see her for a long time."
+
+"You can meet them as we go, for we shall pass through that gate. Quick
+with the horses!"
+
+Skirmen left the room, with a sigh, and Drost Peter threw himself
+thoughtfully on a seat. He again drew forth Lady Inge's letter, read it
+once more, and had just pressed it to his lips, when the door opened,
+and Sir Thorstenson entered, furious with rage.
+
+"Ha! it was the cursed algrev's daughter!" he exclaimed, vehemently:
+"and they are gone--Jomfru Inge, with--"
+
+"I know it," interrupted Drost Peter, concealing the letter as he rose.
+"Here is your appointment and authority, brave Thorstenson, and Heaven
+protect you! Rane has escaped us; but this time, however, we owe him
+thanks."
+
+"Confound him! it was the algrev's daughter he ran away with,"
+continued Thorstenson, with indignation: "they were on the open sea
+before the river could be blocked. Ha! why knew I not this an hour ago?
+Death and destruction! The algrev's daughter should have sat a prisoner
+in Rypen House until Sir Algotson had been hanged, and proud Ingrid had
+become Thorstenson's wife."
+
+"It was well, then, you knew not the bold viking's daughter," replied
+the drost, "otherwise you would have had to do with me. It would have
+been disgraceful to every Dane had not the brave adventurous maiden
+been permitted to retire from Rypen as freely as she came. Had she not
+infused her courage into our wily leader of the dance to-night, the
+bravest Danish maiden had sung her song in vain, and you had not now
+been governor of Rypen House."
+
+"But, by Satan! she is the daughter of the infernal algrev!"
+
+"What of that? She is a heroine, to whom we owe both thanks and honour;
+and she has paid dearly enough for her bold adventure, if she has given
+Rane her troth as its guerdon."
+
+"You are right, Drost Peter," replied Thorstenson, cooling: "the girl
+was worthy of a better husband, and should surely have had a better
+father. Let her fly, then, the bold rock-bird! She may yet make a hero,
+or at least a wily pirate, of our vile knight. But--death and
+destruction!--had I known she was the algrev's daughter--"
+
+"Even then, you would have respectfully kissed her hand, David
+Barmhead!" interrupted the drost, smiling.
+
+"The horses are ready, sir drost," cried Skirmen at the door.
+
+Drost Peter took a hurried leave of the brave governor of Rypen House,
+and left the castle; having first prudently put on a light breastplate
+under his travelling-cloak. He rode off rapidly, followed by Skirmen,
+along Green-street to the Market-place, without noticing the noisy
+merriment of the burghers. In Merchant-street the crowds had
+dispersed, and Skirmen observed several dark figures stealing about,
+coffin-bearers apparently of the order of the Dominicans, having hoods
+with large eyeholes over their faces; although, from their suspicious
+movements and long strides, they more resembled disguised soldiers. The
+trusty squire directed the attention of his master to these men, who
+appeared to be closely watching him.
+
+"Coffin-bearers, about to carry a body somewhere," observed the drost:
+"what is remarkable in that?"
+
+"It depends on what kind of body they are to carry," returned Skirmen;
+"and whether it is not the first they meet."
+
+The suspicious hoods disappeared, however, at the corner of
+Ship-street, and Drost Peter rode over the bridge to the Middle-dam.
+
+"What ails thee, Skirmen?" he inquired, stopping his horse in a
+by-street. "Since yesterday, methinks thou hast laid thy valour aside.
+Thou wert quite another carl when the robbers were seized by thee in
+Daugberg quarry. Now, however, I see thou hast got a sweetheart in thy
+head; and hast forgotten that the gold spurs are not to be won by
+timidity and weakness."
+
+Skirmen felt his cheeks tingle. "Had you not taken me for a timid fool
+on the morning that we rode to Harrestrup, and had you not supposed the
+grayfriar cloaks covered honest men," he replied, suppressing his
+emotion, "then, perhaps, stern sir, had King Erik Christopherson last
+year given me the stroke of knighthood, as on that evening you bade me
+hope he would. I would then rather have received it from your hand," he
+added, with a trembling voice; "but, if now you consider me a timid
+coward, because I fear for your life, I desire nothing more than to
+remain your trusty squire while I live. Warn you I must, however; for I
+would rather go with silver spurs to my grave, than with gold ones
+follow you to your's."
+
+"My faithful Skirmen!" exclaimed the drost, much affected, as he
+extended his hand to him, "I know it well: thou art more concerned for
+my life than for thine own. But I am not an outlaw: I am here, well
+armed, on the king's errand, and every cowl-cloak we see does not
+conceal a traitor."
+
+"These fellows have been sneaking after us during the whole day, stern
+sir," replied Skirmen, "and I dare be sworn they are the duke's people.
+I thought Count Gerhard and his troopers were to follow us."
+
+"The count is his own master," observed the drost: "I know not whether
+he purposes to attend the Dane-court or no."
+
+"But Sir Rimaardson, then?"
+
+"He goes from hence by sea. So, let us on. In these times, defenceless
+travellers and princely personages only require an escort."
+
+Skirmen was silent. They crossed the bridge to the Lower-dam, and
+another leading across the third arm of the Nipsaa to the Stone-gate,
+at the eastern end of the town. When they reached the gate, they found
+it closed, by the orders of Sir Thorstenson. At the drost's command and
+well-known sign it was immediately opened to them; and they were about
+proceeding on their journey, when Skirmen heard himself called by a
+clear female voice from above the gateway.
+
+"For God's sake, dear master, let us halt," he exclaimed, eagerly,
+springing from his horse. "Aase is certainly in the Gatehouse prison."
+
+"Free us, noble sir drost," cried Aase from the prison-grating over the
+arched gateway. "You can bear witness that my grandfather and I are
+neither spies nor traitors."
+
+On the word of the drost, and his explanation to the watch, the
+prisoners were liberated; and old Henner, in the long cloak of a
+pilgrim, and leading Aase by the hand, stepped forth. He extended his
+hand to Drost Peter, while Aase flew delighted into Skirmen's arms.
+
+"One word, sir drost," said Henner, in an under-tone. "If you would
+ride safely to Snoghoi or Kolding to-night, tarry here till I return,
+or at least allow the road to stand open for good friends. Run, Aase!
+Time presses!"
+
+"What meanest thou, old man?" inquired Drost Peter, impatiently.
+
+But he received no answer; for, with a few tremendous bounds, aided by
+his staff, in the manner of the old Frisians, the tall pilgrim had
+suddenly disappeared in the gloom. Shortly after, the strokes of an oar
+were heard on the river, northward of the gate, and a glimpse was
+caught of a boat running down the stream towards the castle with
+incredible rapidity.
+
+At the instant the old man disappeared, little Aase also sprang nimbly
+from Skirmen's arms, and was quickly out of sight; but as Skirmen
+fancied he heard her footsteps on the bridge leading to the Lower-dam,
+he mounted his norback, and was about to follow her, when his master
+called him loudly and impatiently the other way. "Come, Skirmen, let us
+forward. Henner is half crazed, and I cannot wait here to please his
+whimsies. You may open the gate for the old man, if he again comes," he
+added, turning to the burgher-guard; "or, should any one inquire for
+me, do not detain him."
+
+So saying, he rode off hastily. Skirmen followed him with a downcast
+heart, and looking back every minute after his dear Aase, to whom he
+had scarcely had time to give a farewell kiss  but in the faint
+starlight he saw only the gloomy archway, and a long mailed hand
+projecting threateningly from its walls.
+
+"What means that hideous hand, dear master, on the town-gate there?" he
+inquired, as a pretext for lingering a little longer, while he
+continued gazing on the path by which Aase had disappeared.
+
+"The hand is placed there as a terror to transgressors of the laws,"
+replied the drost, relaxing his speed, as he looked behind. "Whoever,
+by forestalling, causes a scarcity in the town, loses his hand. But if
+I mistake not, Skirmen, it is another hand, less stiff and cold, thou
+art now looking after. Thou wouldst once more take leave of thy little
+Aase? Well, she is a fair maiden, and one day shall be thy wife. When
+we have restored peace to the land, I shall care for your welfare. But
+meanwhile banish all such weaknesses, and be strong. I dare not take a
+single step from my appointed course, even for the sake of her who is
+dearer to me than all."
+
+"True: but you are now both travelling in the same direction, and
+perhaps you may meet her at Kolding. But thanks, noble sir, for your
+care for us," added Skirmen, "although lands and wealth I require not.
+Aase only desires that I should, like you, be a doughty knight, and do
+you and our young king honour. Ride on, sir: I shall not longer detain
+you. Our Lord may yet permit me to see my dear little Aase again." He
+hastily passed his hand over his eyes, and set spurs to his norback.
+
+As they rode rapidly forward, Drost Peter tried to conjecture what
+the warning of old Henner could mean, and why he had requested the
+town-gate to be left open.
+
+"It was thoughtless, Skirmen," he observed, "to humour the whim of the
+old man about the gate. If the fellows you spoke of be traitors on our
+track, we have ourselves opened the way for them to follow us."
+
+Shortly after, they heard the sound of horses' hoofs behind them. They
+turned, and in the twilight perceived a troop of horsemen approaching.
+
+"Let us turn aside, sir," said Skirmen: "it is certainly the men in
+cowls."
+
+About an hundred paces behind them, and running into the wood to the
+right, was a by-road, down which the suspicious troop disappeared.
+
+"They have business elsewhere," said the drost, taking his hand from
+his sword.--"Let us on!"
+
+They resumed their journey at a brisk trot.
+
+"Perhaps they prefer meeting us at the outlet of the wood," observed
+Skirmen. "We have still the start; but it were most advisable, I think,
+to return to Rypen for aid. It was not for nothing that old Henner
+begged us to tarry."
+
+"Nay, we shall use our advantage," said the drost, in a tone of
+decision, as he spurred his horse: "if they be foes, they are in a
+condition to overtake Jomfru Inge before us, and who knows what her
+twelve troopers are good for?"
+
+After a sharp gallop they reached the outlet of the wood, where the
+road became very narrow, and inclosed on both sides by steep banks.
+Skirmen was a short distance in advance of his master, when he suddenly
+wheeled about, and rode back.
+
+"The hollow way is intercepted, sir," he cried. "And see, yonder come
+the same troops again from the wood."
+
+Drost Peter halted, looked around him, and drew his sword. "So much the
+worse!" he exclaimed: "they have us in a trap. But we shall not suffer
+ourselves to be caught like rats. Thy norback can climb like a cat,
+Skirmen: ride up the height, then, and sound thy horn. If Henner brings
+us aid, he will hear it, and hasten on. With God's assistance I can
+manage to keep the fellows at bay for an hour. Quick, now!"
+
+With much reluctance at leaving his master in this extremity, Skirmen
+obeyed; and patting the neck of his norback, he soon reached the top of
+the steep bank.
+
+In the meanwhile the horsemen were approaching from both sides; but
+before they could exhibit any hostile intention the horn of Skirmen
+resounded loudly from the bank above. Both troops paused, apparently
+surprised; but when they perceived only the single hornblower on the
+height, they pressed forward rapidly, and had nearly surrounded the
+drost, who, however, succeeded in placing his back to the steep bank.
+He now first perceived whom he had before him; and recognised in the
+band that came from the town the pretended coffin-bearers, with their
+cowls over their faces, and long drawn swords in their hands. The other
+band wore the same suspicious dress; and they numbered altogether more
+than twenty, all on horseback. They maintained a profound silence, and
+seemed to expect the drost to throw down his sword and surrender.
+
+"Speak, fellows! what would you with me?" he shouted, brandishing his
+sword on every side: "the first who advances, dies. If you be soldiers,
+say under whose orders you act, that I may know the traitor; and if
+there be a spark of honour in you, you will engage me singly, man to
+man. But if you are robbers and highwaymen, expect no booty from me.
+Bloody crowns are all you shall get, so long as I can wield my sword."
+
+They answered not, but continued to press closer round him, none daring
+first to begin the attack; for Drost Peter, as weapon-master of the
+young king, was well known and generally feared for his skill with the
+sword. In the meanwhile, the horn of Skirmen continued to sound
+lustily, and was now answered by another from the direction of Rypen.
+
+"Now, by Satan! quick! dead or alive!" cried a rough voice from among
+the disguised horsemen, three of whom at once rushed in upon the drost.
+
+One instantly fell wounded, the two others, and as many more as could
+press forward, warmly continuing the assault. Drost Peter vigorously
+defended himself, and kept them at bay, the violent plunging and
+rearing of his steed preventing their blows from reaching him. The
+irritated assassins, perceiving this, wounded the noble animal, which
+rushed furiously into the midst of them, and fell.
+
+Drost Peter lay for an instant on one knee, hemmed in on all sides by
+the troopers, who threatened to crush him beneath their horses' hoofs.
+He still retained his sword, although the blood streamed over his
+fingers from a wound in his arm. By a flourish of his weapon he
+succeeded in driving back the horses, and once more regained his feet.
+
+At the same instant, Skirmen, who perceived the critical position of
+his master, darted his squire's sword from the bank above, and the
+leader of the gang rolled from his saddle, mortally wounded. The whole
+troop then sprang from their horses, to overpower the unaided knight by
+their united strength; but ere they could accomplish this, the blast of
+the horn, in answer to Skirmen's, sounded close at hand. The maskers,
+whom the fall of their leader seemed to have embarrassed, looked
+behind, and caught sight of a well-armed troop of horsemen, headed by a
+heavy knight on a white horse, who, with drawn sword, approached at
+full gallop.
+
+"The count from Kiel!--the one-eyed count!" cried one of the cowls;
+and, as if by a thunderbolt, the whole band was scattered.
+
+Abandoning the drost, and springing on their horses, in an instant they
+all disappeared, except the two who lay wounded on the road, and whose
+horses, with vacant saddles, followed the others.
+
+Count Gerhard on his white steed, with Henner Friser and the Holstein
+troopers, came up while Skirmen, with much solicitude, was binding up
+his master's right arm.
+
+"The fiend!" cried Count Gerhard, springing from his horse, "have we
+come too late?"
+
+"Time enough to save my life, noble count," replied Drost Peter,
+joyfully extending his left hand.
+
+"Why did you proceed in such haste, sir drost?" cried old Henner,
+gloomily, from his saddle. "Humph!" he added, in a half whisper, after
+a moment's thought, "it is on the track of a lady's car that you bleed
+here. You would rather run the risk of that than follow a gray-beard's
+advice."
+
+"You are right, old man," answered Drost Peter: "youth and the wisdom
+of old age do not go together. Besides, I was on my lawful road, and on
+the king's errand; and if you knew that traitors lay in ambush, you
+should have spoken plainly. Meanwhile, thanks for rede and deed."
+
+When Count Gerhard perceived that his friend was not dangerously hurt,
+he would have pursued the fugitives into the wood, but the drost
+restrained him.
+
+"It is useless," he said: "they have flown like chaff before your storm
+of troopers. A couple of them only remain--let us be content with them.
+Here lies their leader, who fell, as if by lightning, without my hand."
+
+"I hit him," cried Skirmen, joyfully, as he completed the bandage on
+his master's arm. "In three weeks you will again bear your sword, sir;
+but next time you use it, bid me not make music to your sport."
+
+"Thy music helped me more than mine own good sword, Skirmen, and thou
+hast the aim of a David," said the drost, extending his hand to him.
+
+They then approached the fallen leader, from whom Skirmen stripped the
+cowl and cloak, when, in his military buff doublet, they recognised
+with astonishment one of Duke Waldemar's Sleswick troopers. He died,
+however, almost immediately, and without uttering a word. The other had
+a similar doublet under his cloak. He was not mortally wounded; but
+wore a daring look, and neither threats nor promises could make him
+speak. They bound up his wound, and set him pinioned upon a horse.
+
+Henner Friser now dismounted from the tall iron-gray horse he had
+ridden.
+
+"I took your war-steed from the castle-stables, sir drost. You may soon
+require him," he said, with emphasis. "I shall now go on foot to my
+grave, and never more set myself on the high horse. I have done it
+roughly enough in bygone times, I know. Now I have finished with
+worldly affairs; but I shall say an ave by the Holy Grave, for you and
+the young king, if I do not fall suddenly into my own on the way. God
+and St. Christian be with you, noble sir!" he added, with unusual
+emotion. "Fortune is still with you in the midst of misfortune. But be
+on your guard. If you are not beforehand with the mortal foe, he will
+be beforehand with you. The crown you guard has not yet reached his
+head."
+
+Drost Peter mounted his well-known, handsome war-steed, which had
+remained in the castle-stables since the last tilting-match. Sad, and
+in silence, he held forth his hand to the old pilgrim.
+
+"Nonsense!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, as Henner saluted him also, before
+departing. "Thou art too sage a carl, Henner, not to make something
+better than a penitent. I have learned more from thee to-night than
+from all my scribes and wisemen in my life. Stay with me: thou shalt
+carry my banner, and sit at my council. From what thou hast told me of
+my fortune, I should like to know a little more of it."
+
+"It is not well to know too much of that, highborn sir," replied
+Henner, thoughtfully, shaking his gray head, as he leant upon his
+pilgrim's staff. "Neither am I a wizard; but the skilled man knows the
+world, and an old porpoise-hunter can still tell what weather we shall
+have to-morrow. Our Lord's Book does not lie, and it does not quite
+require a scribe to understand it. I know," he continued, looking
+sharply at the count, "that you will get as far with your one honest
+eye, as your wiliest foe with two; but, for all that, you must no more
+depend on Fortune than another. She is a bubble that, as you well know,
+bursts oftenest when it shines the clearest. I should willingly bear
+your banner, highborn count, but what a man has promised to our Lord
+and the Holy Virgin he must abide by. I have a heavy reckoning to
+make, and death gives not long warning. God and St. Christian be with
+you!--Farewell, youth," he said, turning to Skirmen: "I shall answer to
+thee for Aase, when thou answerest to me and her with thy fidelity and
+bravery."
+
+Skirmen seized the old man's hand, which he pressed warmly to his lips;
+but before he could say a word, the old giant had snatched away his
+hand, and was proceeding with rapid strides on the road to the river.
+
+Drost Peter and Count Gerhard proceeded in silence on their way to
+Kolding, and, following Henner's advice, took the road to the south of
+the Skodborg river. Skirmen and the old jester followed at some
+distance, with the troopers, having the captive highwayman between
+them.
+
+"For the first time I follow you over the Sleswick border, my good
+friend," observed the count, at length breaking the silence. "This
+surprise may import much. In these times every man does not wear his
+heart upon his sleeve. The buff jackets prove little; but trust me,
+nevertheless, the duke is the man. There is more under this, too, than
+thanks for his imprisonment at Sjoeborg. The old pilgrim did not boast
+of my one eye without reason. I see, perhaps, even more clearly than
+you; and what the wily duke carries on his shield begins to brighten
+upon me. I should have much pleasure in probing the cunning gentleman a
+little. Listen, my good drost," he continued, after a moment's
+reflection: "if the duke does not appear at the Dane-court in proper
+time, you must be at your post to preserve the queen and the young king
+from being deceived by him. If he is not in a hurry to be chosen
+protector, 'tis because he has a higher dignity in view. The old
+pilgrim explained a riddle to me."
+
+"What means all this, Count Gerhard?" inquired the drost, as he
+scrutinised attentively his unusually grave countenance. "Old Henner
+has not been filling your mind with surmises and whimsies? I have every
+respect for his experience, but he is not always quite sane; and his
+dreamy fancies I shall disregard. Whatever you may propose to do, noble
+count, forget not that, for the safety of the crown and kingdom, we
+must for the present avoid every hostile step against the duke."
+
+"What I take in hand concerns myself, and has nothing to do with the
+crown and kingdom," rejoined the count, "and so you shall not know it.
+Will you confide the captured robber to my charge? I shall answer for
+him."
+
+"Of course," replied the drost: "that treasure you may retain. If it
+concerned myself only, I should forget the adventure, and set the
+prisoner loose; but if it has a higher import, it must be inquired
+into. I believe the wily duke superior to a mere base and personal
+revenge; and he must know me well enough to be assured that I would
+not, contrary to the laws, oppose his election to the protectorship."
+
+"He knows you more than well enough, my good friend," said Count
+Gerhard, with a nod. "You would certainly be a most welcome guest in
+his tower of Nordborg Castle. Yet you are right: we must keep to the
+main business. Should I learn anything of importance to the queen
+and the young king, you shall hear it from my own lips, before the
+Dane-court is concluded. But," added he, confusedly, while the blood
+mounted to his cheeks--"if I should hear that Duke Waldemar and the
+fair Queen Agnes had concluded a private marriage-contract, you must
+excuse me--"
+
+"You astonish me, Count Gerhard!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "Do you
+believe probable what I have long feared might be possible? And think
+you the queen--"
+
+"Of her I think nothing but what is good and fair and excellent,"
+interrupted the count, with much ardour. "But however prudent she may
+be, still she may err. Why should not she, too, be dazzled by a
+glittering exterior? Were the handsome, well-spoken duke a squat,
+one-eyed widower like myself, and a lout at talking with women, perhaps
+it were better for all of us."
+
+They continued their route thoughtfully and in silence. The usually
+lively count, with his eye and some of his corpulence, seemed also to
+have lost a part of his even, contented disposition. The loss of his
+eye, however, did not disfigure him, but rather added to his martial
+and somewhat heroic appearance; and the tinge of secret melancholy,
+that blended at times with his good-natured jests, rendered the brave
+and sturdy lord yet more amiable.
+
+Drost Peter became so absorbed in his own thoughts, that the
+conversation was not resumed. The image of Jomfru Inge often cast its
+radiance over his dark and gloomy pictures of the future. In every
+cloud of dust he descried on the road, he imagined he caught a glimpse
+of her travelling-car; and would then spur forward his steed so
+rapidly, that the count and his followers had some difficulty in
+keeping pace with him. But his hopes were invariably disappointed.
+Frequently it was but a drove of oxen or a troop of horses he had seen,
+and which, by blocking up the road, would intercept him in his
+impatient career.
+
+They had ridden more than seven miles across the Sleswick border, and
+the sun was not yet high in the heavens, when they caught sight of the
+proud [Oe]rnsborg, or Kolding House, as it was already called. The
+castle was situated on a rising ground above the sea, on the other side
+of the river Kolding; and, as it came in view, the drost's war-steed
+neighed, and sprang lightly forward at his master's bidding.
+
+"But why, in the name of Beelzebub, ride we in such a hurry?"
+impatiently inquired Count Gerhard, puffing. "It is yet eight days to
+the Dane-court; and if we reach Nyborg tomorrow, we shall be time
+enough."
+
+Drost Peter blushed. "I am commanded to make haste," he replied. "The
+wind is fair, but the passage here is longer and more difficult than by
+Snoghoi."
+
+"Pokker, then! why do you not cross from Snoghoi?" asked the count.
+"Yet true," he added, a little crabbedly, "you would fain see your
+heart's dear again."
+
+"How know you that, Count Gerhard?" demanded the drost, with some
+surprise and bashfulness.
+
+"Why, every man in the country knows that," replied his companion. "The
+proud [Oe]rnsborg[37] yonder is Drost Peter Hessel's favourite castle;
+and the eagle on a hill, with its wings displayed, stands on your seal
+with as much propriety as it does in the town-arms. Here it was you
+earned your first laurels against Duke Erik; and we have long known
+that in [Oe]rnsborg you hold the gate and key of the kingdom against
+both myself and the Duke of South Jutland."
+
+"You are speaking of the castle," replied Drost Peter, smiling, "and
+now I understand you. It is, indeed, a fortress dear to me, and of some
+importance to the kingdom. King Erik Christopherson put it in an
+excellent state of defence. It is an eyesore to you Holsteiners, I
+know; but let us be good friends, nevertheless. Were the duke as
+faithful a friend to us as you are, noble count, I should not have been
+so zealous in completing the defences. To speak honestly," he
+continued, extending his hand to the count, "I thought you meant to
+jest with me of my veritable heart's dear; for it is no stone-bride I
+am hurrying on to see. The castle is in good hands, but at present we
+have no time to visit it."
+
+"As a prudent drost, you would scarcely venture on that when a count of
+Holstein is along with you, even although he has but half as many eyes
+as other people."
+
+"With your one eye you would certainly see more defects in the defences
+than I should with both mine," observed the young drost, modestly, and
+with a look of confidence in his companion; "but I know," he added,
+"you would not betray its weakness to another than myself, and thus
+both the castle and I would be gainers."
+
+"I take you at your polite word, Drost Peter," exclaimed Gerhard.
+"Defer your journey but for half an hour, and show me the castle's four
+giant images, and its defences too."
+
+They were now at no great distance from Kolding river. They rode
+straight through the Bridge-wood, as it was called; and as they drew
+near the great drawbridge, which here divides North from South Jutland,
+they perceived approaching them an empty travelling-car, with four
+horses, and attended by twelve horsemen.
+
+"There comes back her carriage," cried Skirmen, hastily riding up to
+his master. "You may still overtake her, as she can hardly yet have
+left the fiord."
+
+"You shall see the castle another time, noble count," exclaimed Drost
+Peter, hurriedly, to his companion, and spurring forward his horse. "I
+may perhaps, instead, show you a fairer image, which I would rather
+bear on my shield than all the world's eagles and castles to boot."
+
+"What the Pokker!" exclaimed Count Gerhard, laughing aloud, "am I
+killing my horse by riding along with a lovesick knight? Well, my good
+friend, if Drost Hessel can think of such follies in these serious
+times, I am not the only fool in company."
+
+They rode rapidly past the empty car, but were obliged to halt at the
+bridge, which had been again drawn up. The drost had here established a
+lucrative toll, and, under pretence of strict superintendence, had
+recently issued an order, that this boundary bridge should be kept
+drawn up, as during war, which caused much delay and inconvenience to
+travellers.
+
+In his impatient haste the drost himself vehemently exclaimed against
+the captain of the burgher-watch, to whom the knights were unknown, and
+who, before he would lower the bridge, demanded a strict account of
+their claims to be admitted with so many soldiers. After some
+altercation, on the drost announcing himself the bridge was lowered,
+and, for the delay, the captain pleaded the fair excuse, that it was
+the drost's own orders that had caused it.
+
+"You are right, my friend," said Drost Peter, recollecting himself, as
+a slight blush overspread his cheeks--"you have done your duty, and I
+had no right to blame you."
+
+The pacified captain saluted the drost, who, with his companion and the
+troopers, proceeded to pass the bridge.
+
+During the short parley, Count Gerhard had with great difficulty
+restrained his laughter, which now broke forth in spite of him, as he
+perceived, while crossing the bridge, how the drost hurried on and
+gazed towards the vessels in the harbour.
+
+"You now see yourself how execrable are your stringent laws, my
+conscientious good sir drost," he said; "you certainly thought not of a
+lover's haste when you ordered this bridge-barring."
+
+"This is grist for your mill," returned the drost, who, although
+somewhat vexed, could not restrain a smile at the good-natured sallies
+with which Count Gerhard indemnified himself for the grievance of the
+toll, which affected the relations of Denmark to Holstein as much as it
+did those to South Jutland.
+
+"If now you overtake not the fair lady, for whom I have ridden so many
+good horses almost to death," continued the count, in the same vein,
+"it will be sad enough: you will then regret having founded a toll at
+this confounded gutter. The deuce take it! it costs me and my brave
+Holsteiners more silver pieces in a year and a day, than the whole of
+this paltry place is worth. Laugh I must, from sheer vexation."
+
+"A truce to this raillery, Count Gerhard," exclaimed the drost,
+hastily. "If I see aright, there is a ship leaving the harbour. If you
+knew of what this cursed delay has robbed me, you would not have the
+heart to laugh."
+
+They had now ridden through the South-port and Bridge-street,
+when the drost, turning to the right, proceeded at a gallop to the
+Cloister-port, and across the large meadow-ground to the harbour,
+followed by the count and his train.
+
+In an instant he stood on the quay, anxiously inquiring who was on
+board the vessel that had just left the harbour under full sail.
+
+"A princess, it was, in sooth," answered an old steersman, as he
+continued to hammer away carelessly at his rudder. "She came here in a
+painted cage, with four horses. The town-governor himself was hat in
+hand, and all were obliged to stand on their pegs before her. It was a
+Swede that ran out with her. If this breeze continues, she will soon be
+in the open sea; and if the skiff only holds together, she will reach
+land; but it is a confounded rotten tub, and wont bear many thumps.
+With the Swede, however, she would go, even had Satan himself been on
+board."
+
+"Lay to, with your fastest sloop!" cried the drost. "I shall pay you
+tenfold. Only make haste!"
+
+"Shall we on a lady-chase, stern sir?" mumbled the old sailor. "Eh,
+well, I like that. The proud maiden has not offended you, I can see. In
+half an hour's time I shall bring you alongside. It was, moreover, too
+good a fare for a Swede."
+
+"True, old man. But be quick!" cried the drost, giving him a handful of
+money.
+
+In a few moments a small sloop lay close to the quay, and Skirmen
+immediately led the horses on board. Drost Peter meanwhile took leave
+of Count Gerhard.
+
+"Heaven prosper you, noble count," he said, as he pressed his hand: "if
+our own hope be a fugitive which we can never overtake, we relinquish
+not the great hope of the country and kingdom: 'for the queen and our
+young king!' is our watchword."
+
+"Well, my good friend," replied Count Gerhard, smiling, "you shall soon
+hear from me. Meantime, forget not to steer the proper course to
+Melfert."
+
+Shortly afterwards the sloop, with Drost Peter and his squire, left
+Kolding Harbour under full sail. Count Gerhard remained smiling on the
+quay. He perceived the light bark speed like an arrow through the
+water, and gain upon the skiff with the blue and yellow sails, that
+conveyed Jomfru Inge. That she was the lady with whom Drost Peter had
+danced into Rypen House, and whom he now hastened so ardently to
+overtake, was a gratifying supposition. Although the suspicion, of
+which the scar on his breast reminded him, had long since vanished, he
+was not displeased to observe that his chivalrous rival in the queen's
+favour seemed disposed to forget, for the daughter of a knight, all the
+kings and queens in the world.
+
+The two vessels were soon so near, that they could see each other.
+Drost Peter stood on the prow of the one; and a tall female form, in a
+red mantle edged with sable, appeared on the stern of the sloop he was
+pursuing. He knew Lady Inge and shouted her name.
+
+"For Heaven's sake, slacken sail, and let me conduct you to land!" he
+cried, "Your boat can never keep the sea."
+
+Lady Inge only shook her head, and, loosening her veil, waved him a
+fond farewell.
+
+"If you wish to board, stern sir knight," cried the old steersman, "I
+can drive in one of the Swede's planks, and I warrant he'll soon
+strike."
+
+"Nay, nay," replied the drost, "no violence. She is free. Steer past
+them, and as near as possible."
+
+An instant more and the vessels were side by side. Drost Peter stood,
+with outstretched arms, a few yards from the beautiful Inge, whose eyes
+were fixed on him with a look of inexpressible tenderness.
+
+"For Erik the king so young!" she exclaimed, pointing forwards, and at
+the same time relinquishing her veil, which the wind carried over to
+the knight. A piece of the garland from the triumphant dance of the
+previous evening accompanied it, and alighted on his feathered hat.
+
+At the same instant the vessels parted, and the deep abyss again
+widened between the two lovers. Drost Peter fancied he saw a tear in
+the eye of the proud damsel; but the look she had bestowed on him
+filled his soul with the most joyous hopes. He pressed her veil to his
+lips, and, with a perfect confidence of her success, and reverence for
+her firm, immoveable purpose, directed the helmsman to steer for
+Melfert. "God and his mighty angels are with the maiden," he exclaimed:
+"we dare not stay her."
+
+The vessels were already far apart. Drost Peter continued to gaze after
+the retiring skiff, on which he long fancied he could discern a lappet
+of Jomfru Inge's mantle; and sad, but wonderfully strengthened and
+inspirited by this fond adieu, he hastened on his necessary and
+appointed way.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The almost incredible account was soon spread over the whole kingdom,
+of the manner in which Rypen House had been surprised, and the song of
+the maidens--"For Erik the king so young!" soon became a popular
+ballad. The news was especially gratifying to the queen and the young
+king, and, as first bearer of the tidings, Drost Peter was received
+with double pleasure at Nyborg Castle, where important affairs demanded
+his presence in the council. He also brought better accounts than were
+expected, respecting the chief object of his journey. He had seen
+numerous proofs of the attachment of the people to the royal house, and
+the general hatred of Marsk Stig and his adherents; and he had,
+moreover, learnt important particulars with regard to the conspirators
+and the king's murder. The defences of Marsk Stig on Helgeness and
+Hielm he could describe as an eye-witness, and they were found to be
+far less formidable than they were represented by the duke's reports,
+and by uncertain and alarming rumours.
+
+While magnificent preparations were going on in Nyborg for the
+Dane-court, at which the young king would appear for the first time in
+the seat of judgment, the privy council assembled daily. Drost Peter
+did not conceal his distrust of the duke. His wounded arm excited much
+interest, and his account of the highwaymen's attack gave rise to many
+conjectures, which he himself, however, regarded as highly uncertain,
+for he attached little importance to the occurrence. But old Sir John
+and Master Martinus found in it a strong confirmation of their
+suspicions regarding the duke, when considered in connection with his
+doubtful movements in Viborg, which had caused their hasty and secret
+journey with the royal family to Nyborg.
+
+The chivalrous-minded little king, too, thought they were over
+suspicious and cautious.
+
+"Is not my kinsman the duke a knight and a prince?" he observed, one
+day, when the matter was under discussion in the council; "and does he
+not know that he cannot break faith and promises, without forfeiting
+his honour, and becoming a mockery to the whole world?"
+
+"If God's law does not bind him, my young king and master," replied
+Master Martinus, "the laws of knighthood will have still less power,
+especially as they do not yet properly concern him. True, he is a
+prince of the royal blood; but the stroke of knighthood he has not
+formally received. Your late father, from whose hand alone he could
+worthily accept it, delayed this proof of honour longer, perhaps, than
+was desirable, considering the relation in which they stood."
+
+"Well, I shall give him the stroke of knighthood as soon as I have
+myself received it, and have a right to confer it," answered the young
+king. "My uncle Otto must dub me previous to my coronation; for it is
+not becoming that I should be crowned King of Denmark, before I am duly
+admitted into the noble order of knighthood."
+
+Sir John smiled, and shook his gray head; but Drost Peter contemplated
+his royal pupil with delight. He considered that the desire of the
+young king evinced his respect as much for the crown as for the order
+of knighthood; and he observed that it was not unusual for princes in
+their minority to entertain such a wish, and that they had already, in
+Charlemagne and his son, an example in point, and an illustrious
+instance of knighthood being honoured and followed.
+
+"But, by the laws of chivalry, the minority ceases with the stroke
+which confers knighthood," observed Sir John; "and the constitutional
+law of the kingdom debars us from shortening the period of the king's
+minority."
+
+"Tis true, noble Sir John," replied Drost Peter; "but here the laws of
+chivalry must give way to that greater law, which secures the freedom
+and welfare of the people. To my mind, however, a minor king is not of
+less dignity than any of his knightly servants."
+
+The queen and Master Martinus supported the views of Drost Peter, and
+the wishes of the little king; and, with a shrug, old Sir John gave
+way, considering the question as one of little importance. The duke's
+position in the kingdom was, to him, a subject of far graver concern.
+The necessity of carefully concealing every suspicion, and of
+entrusting the duke with his full share in the government, as well as
+with the guardianship of the king, was stated so clearly by the old
+nobleman, that even Master Martinus, to whom such a course was most
+repugnant, could offer no objections. On this subject the queen
+entertained not the least suspicion, and Drost Peter's personal
+distrust of the duke gave way to the exigency of the occasion, and his
+respect for the laws of the country.
+
+Whilst these important state affairs occupied the council, Drost Peter
+vainly sought an opportunity of conferring with Sir John concerning
+Jomfru Inge and her journey to Sweden; for, on the slightest allusion
+to the subject, the counsellor, who apparently knew nothing of it,
+immediately started another.
+
+The day fixed for the Dane-court had come. The queen's brothers, the
+Margraves of Brandenburg, had arrived on the previous day, having, two
+days before, left the duke in his camp near Rypen. The duke himself,
+however, had not yet reached Nyborg. To delay the Dane-court until his
+arrival, was repugnant to the dignity of the crown and kingdom. Every
+one was surprised at his apparent indifference on this important
+occasion, when his presence was so essential. The queen, especially,
+was irritated by this want of attention, which seemed to her so unlike
+the usual politeness and knightly behaviour of the duke.
+
+On the first day of Whitsuntide, the Dane-court was held with the
+customary formalities. Its general business was conducted by the
+council, whose decisions were confirmed by the queen and the young
+king, who, equally with his mother, issued and confirmed charters and
+grants to churches and convents, subscribing himself King of the Danes
+and Sclaves, and Duke of Eastland. But the principal business--that
+which related to the king's guardianship, and the regency of the
+kingdom during his minority--was still unsettled. The two first days of
+the court's sittings had passed, and the duke was still absent.
+
+At the close of the second day Drost Peter left the palace, and retired
+to his own dwelling, intending to devote a portion of the night to a
+revision of the business which was to occupy the court on the following
+day. He sat alone in his closet, and, as he recalled to mind old
+Henner's warning, and the suspicions of Count Gerhard, the daring
+thought occurred to him, that they might now, perhaps, with justice,
+pass over the duke's election to the guardianship.
+
+His anxious and uneasy thoughts were disturbed by a noise in the
+palace-square, accompanied by the clattering of horses' hoofs, and the
+horns of the castle-guard--a salute given only on the arrival of a
+princely personage. He hastily approached the window, and perceived the
+duke enter with great pomp, attended by a considerable retinue of
+knights. Among these he observed three with locked visors, and these,
+by their armorial bearings, he recognised as three of the marsk's most
+audacious kinsmen, of whose personal participation in the murder of the
+king he had sure and ample proofs. Hastily seizing his cloak and hat,
+he hurried to the castle, where Sir John, as captain of the trabants,
+had already received the duke, and, at his importunate request, had
+admitted him to a private audience with the queen and her brothers.
+
+Drost Peter learnt these tidings with much concern just as he reached
+the door of the guard-chamber, where little Aage Jonsen stood sentinel
+among the torch-pages. The drost hastily entered, and approached Sir
+John, who was passing thoughtfully before the door of the royal
+apartments. He did not appear desirous of conversing, as, without
+stopping, he only nodded silently to the drost. The latter once or
+twice vainly endeavoured to find an opportunity of communicating his
+suspicions.
+
+"The council must, of course, again meet to-night," at length he
+observed in an under tone, as Sir John turned to pass him.
+
+"Its present leader is with the queen," replied Sir John, continuing
+his walk.
+
+"Can nothing be done?" whispered the impatient drost, when the old man
+again approached him. "There are traitors in the duke's retinue. The
+queen's mind is dazzled, and this hour probably decides the fate of the
+crown and country."
+
+"It is in the hand of God," replied the old counsellor, in whose eye
+glistened a tear. "He, you know, can cause the blind to see."
+
+He resumed his walk with a lively and careless air, and, in a jesting
+humour, put a few indifferent questions to one of the trabants.
+
+"Unless a miracle happen here," exclaimed Drost Peter, vehemently, as
+the old counsellor again stood by him, "either you or I must speedily
+open the eyes of the queen and people."
+
+"Precipitate man! what think you of?" whispered Sir John. "Your zeal
+will plunge the whole country into misfortune. Be calm, my young
+friend," he immediately added, as he took his hand and led him aside,
+"otherwise you will certainly increase our misfortunes. Some of the
+marsk's friends are here, to defend themselves, it is said. If,
+therefore, we were even certain of what we may apprehend, we must still
+be silent, and submit to necessity."
+
+"What! even if, ere the morrow, it could be demonstrated to the queen
+and the whole people that our new protector is a traitor to the
+country?"
+
+"Even then. He now holds the fate of the kingdom in his hand. By an
+open rupture, we might place him at the head of the rebels. At present,
+he must condemn and punish them, although against his wish. Until Marsk
+Stig falls, the duke must stand. He must be honoured as the prop of the
+throne, if even he be its most deadly foe. All that can at present be
+done is to warn the queen, and guard well the young king. Appear calm,
+then, as I do--and lively, if you can."
+
+Their conference was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the
+court-marshal, who invited them to a supper given by the queen, and
+intended as a feast of welcome to the duke.
+
+"You perceive," exclaimed Drost Peter, when the court-marshal had
+retired, "that our wily and eloquent protector is already in high
+favour."
+
+"'Tis politic, perhaps," replied Sir John. "Our noble mistress is not
+easily duped. We must, however, seem unconcerned, and in good humour.
+In this matter let me be your preceptor, my good drost. If you would be
+a statesman, you must first be master of your own countenance." And,
+with an expression of good-natured gaiety, the old counsellor, with his
+grave young friend, entered the royal apartments, after having
+appointed another trabant captain to take his place.
+
+In a short time all the court officers, the members of the council, and
+the most considerable noblemen who attended the Dane-court, were
+assembled in the great riddersal, where the queen's ladies already
+waited for her. She entered soon after, attired in deep mourning, and
+accompanied by her brothers and young King Erik. At her left hand
+walked Duke Waldemar. He, too, wore a magnificent mourning-suit,
+and his haughty look of triumph betrayed a high degree of
+self-satisfaction, as he endeavoured to conceal his joy at a success
+which seemed no longer doubtful, although he saw it yet only in the
+distance. Sir John saluted him with much politeness and ease, whilst
+Drost Peter observed merely needful courtesies; the demeanour of the
+other counsellors being indicative more of fear than of goodwill.
+
+Drost Peter regarded the queen attentively. He thought he perceived in
+her features a calm contentment, which, with her air of dignity, and a
+quiet, half-melancholy smile, did not ill contrast with her mourning
+attire; and as she cast on him a grave look, he fancied he read therein
+a rebuke for distrusting her sagacity and knowledge of mankind. It
+seemed to him as if she intended, by her whole conduct, to banish every
+doubt, which the friends of the royal house might entertain, of the
+loyalty of the princely personage whom she thought worthy to be
+distinguished as the most important man in the country.
+
+When the general salutations and the customary formalities of court
+were over, she led forward the duke, and presented him to the chief men
+of the kingdom. "Our very princely friend and kinsman," she said, "from
+regard to the welfare of the country and the royal house, has
+magnanimously exposed himself to be misjudged, as well by me as by you.
+He had deferred receiving from this Dane-court his election to the
+protectorship, on account of a rumour which his enemies have
+circulated, concerning a grievous want of confidence in him here,
+and of a party which, therefore, would stir up the people at the
+Dane-court, and create discord in the kingdom. Having learned, however,
+that the report is unfounded, he has no longer hesitated to come
+forward to justify himself. He brings us, moreover, the important and
+satisfactory intelligence, that the rebellious Marsk Stig has returned
+to reason, and has submitted his cause and that of his accomplices to
+the decision of the Dane-court. The duke, by not attacking the rebels,
+has prudently sought to avoid a devastating civil war; whilst, by
+collecting a numerous army, he has overawed and restrained them. He has
+ventured in person within the defences of Marsk Stig, to induce him to
+submit to the laws of the country; and he brings with him, under his
+own conduct, to this Dane-court, three of the marsk's friends, that it
+may not be said that even our most dangerous foes were condemned
+unheard. I look on this enterprise to be as valorous and upright as it
+is wise and politic; and it gladdens me that I can reasonably hope for
+prosperity to the kingdom of Denmark, and at the same time bid the
+noble Duke Waldemar welcome amongst us."
+
+The latter words she addressed to the duke, who advanced, and bowing
+profoundly, in easy and elegant terms acknowledged this flattering
+reception. With apparent animation and sincerity, he avowed his
+attachment to the queen and the young king, at the same time extolling
+the loyal adherents of the royal house with a condescension and an
+insinuating address which were not without effect on the greater part
+of those who heard him.
+
+The doors of the dining-hall were then thrown open, and the duke led
+the queen to the table, where the youthful king took his place at her
+right hand.
+
+This was the first occasion on which any deviation had been made from
+that mournful silence which, since the death of King Erik
+Christopherson, had uniformly prevailed at court. And, even now, the
+feast was in nowise noisy: neither song, nor music, nor loud-voiced joy
+was heard; and, as soon as the table was removed, the company
+separated.
+
+The duke retired to the wing of the castle he usually occupied during
+the Dane-court. Sir John again resumed his station before the royal
+apartments, as captain of the body-guard; and Drost Peter returned to
+his own dwelling, his mind filled with painful doubts and fears.
+
+When the grave drost entered, he found Count Gerhard enjoying himself
+over a goblet of wine; whilst old fostermother Dorothy, who was now her
+master's housekeeper here, loaded the table with viands of every
+description. At a signal from the drost, the bustling nurse left the
+apartment, whilst he greeted his guest not without some uneasy
+apprehensions.
+
+"Welcome home, my good friend!" cried the count, gaily, as he rose,
+after having drained his goblet. "I am here, gathering strength from
+your excellent wine. If your fostermother reared you on this, I wonder
+not you are so strong and active. She is a capital housewife. You could
+never be better treated, even had you an angel for a wife. It is lucky
+she was not hanged or buried alive for her womanly honour's sake. But,
+what's the matter? Am not I welcome? You look as if you were outlawed
+by the Dane-court, or cited before the Ribe-Ret."
+
+"You are heartily welcome, noble Count Gerhard," replied the drost,
+extending his hand; "and if peace and joy are not to be seen in my
+face, it is certainly no fault of your's. You are true to your word, I
+see, and no false prophet. The duke arrived this evening. To-morrow he
+is my master, and that of the royal house. But what have you
+discovered?"
+
+"A very pretty thing, my good friend. You were as near being buried
+alive us your nurse was; and Nordborg Tower was to have been your
+grave. I succeeded in unbinding the highwayman's tongue with the point
+of a good sword at his throat. He confessed he would have broken your
+neck if he could not have taken you prisoner, for you had in your
+pocket important proofs against the regicides."
+
+"And for that reason--ah! I understand," exclaimed Drost Peter. "But
+what farther?"
+
+"Wait a little, my good friend. A man can't live on talk. Your
+confounded state affairs have nearly worn me out." So saying, Count
+Gerhard quietly resumed his seat, and replenished his goblet, whilst
+the drost impatiently awaited his farther communications.
+
+"The duke is a cunning gentleman," began the count, when he had emptied
+his goblet, and again praised the wine; "and I am a downright stormer,
+they say. 'Tis true, indeed, that I mostly cut away right before me,
+and go straight to my object, without deviation. But now you shall see
+that I too, at a pinch, can play the fox--"
+
+"I heartily believe it, my dear count; therefore, for Heaven's sake,
+don't prove it to me now! What know you of the duke? What has he been
+doing? What could have kept him from the Dane-court? Where has he
+been?--"
+
+"Softly, softly, my good friend. A man cannot answer everything at
+once. He has not slept for the last three days--neither have I: you can
+see it in my appearance. I have ridden three horses to death, and
+scarcely hang together myself. But listen to all in due order. When we
+danced with the pretty maidens at Rypen House, the duke lay, you know,
+on the lazy side, in his camp hard by. But on holy St. Germanus'
+day--let me see--yes, it was the 28th of May, the first day of the
+Dane-court here--he was certainly in Sleswick, where, in the presence
+of his own council and that of the bishop, he issued a trading charter,
+in favour of the shopkeepers of Lubeck, of the following tenor--"
+
+"Do you jest with me, Count Gerhard? What possible connection has this
+with the crown and kingdom?"
+
+"More than you dream of, my good friend," replied the count. "The tenor
+of the charter I will spare you, for I cannot remember it, and it is
+nothing to the purpose: but mark you--he performed a public, although
+an insignificant act of government, in Sleswick, on the same day on
+which he should here have been chosen protector and guardian of the
+king. There, now, you have a political riddle, which will become a hard
+nut for posterity to crack; but I can solve it for you. He had, shortly
+before, been at Helgeness, with Marsk Stig--"
+
+"That we know," interrupted the drost, impatiently: "he has not
+concealed it; and it has just been explained to his honour, as a proof
+of his fidelity and zeal for the royal cause."
+
+"I'faith, if you know everything, my sagacious sir drost, then are you
+wiser than even my Daddy Longlegs, as we shall see--"
+
+"Your jester?"
+
+"Aye--you know him. He is mad enough at times: he fancied he was the
+dead king, when he knocked my eye out; but when he is not mad, and has
+a mind to put a wax nose on people, he is a deuce of a carl, and ready
+to laugh himself to death at--"
+
+"But, _min Gud!_ what has a fool to do with state affairs? Forget not,
+on account of that good-for-nothing fellow, what you were about to
+say."
+
+"Respect Longlegs, my good friend. Such a fool can be more sagacious
+than a whole privy council. For the last eight days he has been clad in
+iron from top to toe, and has personated the marsk's confidential
+swain, Mat Jute. He resembled him to a hair, and imitated his Juttish
+accent in a masterly manner: it was thus he came to know that of which
+I had already an inkling, and what old Henner had observed during his
+imprisonment with the marsk. Whilst the duke kept away from the
+Dane-court, a tumult and an outbreak were to be occasioned here, on the
+first court-day, by the aid of the marsk and his friends; but I
+prevented it by causing all the ferries to be closed for three days, so
+that none of the disturbers could come over."
+
+"My God! what do I hear? What would then have happened?"
+
+"Under pretence of a rising against the duke himself, wherein it was
+believed the people would take part, the queen and the young king were
+to be seized during the confusion. We compelled the captive highwayman
+to report that you were in good keeping at Nordborg, and for that lie
+he had his freedom yesterday. Whilst the royal prisoners, with the
+algrev's assistance, were carried to Toensberg, the duke with his army
+was to proceed to Viborg, and, in order to save the country, was to
+suffer himself, from sheer necessity, to be hailed as king. He was, as
+you have seen, prepared to prove, by a public document, that he was in
+Sleswick during the tumult on the 28th of May; so that the cunning
+gentleman could wash his hands of what had then happened. In the
+meantime, as I expected, he found out the stroke I made in the
+reckoning; and he must have ridden neck or nothing from Sleswick to be
+here to-night."
+
+"Come, Count Gerhard," exclaimed Drost Peter, startled, "this is a
+matter for the closet. I turn giddy at the mere thought of it. If you
+can adduce me clear proofs of this monstrous treachery, he shall be
+overthrown, even if it costs me my own life."
+
+Drost Peter hastily withdrew his guest into his closet, where he noted
+down every word spoken by the count, and every circumstance that could
+throw light on the truth of his narrative. The jester was also
+examined, and his statement duly recorded. Count Gerhard set his seal
+to the depositions, and further bound himself, by his oath and his good
+sword, to make good what might be deficient in formal testimony. With
+the utmost gravity of countenance, the jester likewise set his seal to
+the document with a button of his squire's jacket.
+
+Next morning betimes, before the Dane-court commenced, Drost Peter had
+a private conversation with Sir John; but almost as early, the duke was
+with the Margraves of Brandenburg and the queen.
+
+On this last and most important day of the Dane-court, the business, as
+usual, would be transacted in the open air, in sight of the people, in
+the area before the palace. It was the third day in Whitsun-week, and
+the finest spring weather favoured the solemnities with which the young
+king would, at the same time, be hailed by his Funen subjects.
+Everything was prepared with the utmost magnificence. On each side of
+the throne, which the young king would occupy, was a splendid seat,
+both of nearly the same elevation, provided for the queen and Duke
+Waldemar. Scarlet cloth was spread on the ground, and two semi-circles
+of chairs were placed for the princes and knights, as well as for the
+bishops and prelates; but in the middle of the circle stood a round
+table, covered with black cloth, with three and thirty chairs around
+it, which, however, seemed to occupy but a small portion of the large
+space. This unusual spectacle gave rise to many doubtful observations
+among the people. From an early hour in the morning, an unusually
+large number of burghers and peasants were assembled on the site of the
+Dane-court, and an anxious silence prevailed.
+
+The knights and ecclesiastics afterward assembled, among the latter of
+whom were the worthy dean, Master Jens Grand, and the Archbishop of
+Lund, John Dros, together with the bishops of the entire kingdom.
+
+The eyes of all were now directed to the great doors of the palace,
+from which the royal party was every minute expected to proceed. They
+were at length thrown open, and two heralds, with lofty plumes in their
+helmets, and bearing white rods, appeared, heading the procession, as
+on the occasion of a tournament; although the mourning-dresses imparted
+to the whole more the appearance of a funeral train. The youthful king
+walked gravely and firmly by the side of his stately mother, and was
+followed by Prince Christopher, with the duke and the queen's brothers.
+
+Count Gerhard had unexpectedly placed himself in the princely train.
+Nor had he come alone; for he was accompanied by his two brothers, the
+young Counts of Holstein, and the wise and brave Prince Witzlau of
+Rygen, his private friend, and a loyal vassal of the Danish crown.
+These noblemen had just been presented to the king; but Count Gerhard,
+having had no opportunity of approaching the queen, was forced to
+salute her from a distance.
+
+At the head of the twelve councillors came old Sir John, the Chancellor
+Martinus, and Drost Peter. No trace of anxiety was visible on the
+countenance of the aged statesman. Master Martinus also appeared calm;
+but his head was bowed, and his hands folded within the ample sleeves
+of his Dominican habit, as if he were engaged in secret prayer. Drost
+Peter strove in vain entirely to conceal the contest of feelings that
+divided his soul: his wounded arm rested in a sling; and under his
+other, concealed beneath his sable knight's mantle, he carried a bundle
+of documents. When he perceived the proud, triumphant glance of the
+duke, his eyes flashed indignation; but he had promised Sir John to
+control his feelings, and he was himself fully alive to the necessity
+which existed for dissimulation. A bitter smile, however, played for a
+moment on his lips, as it occurred to him that he might then, perhaps,
+with a joyous face, be following the freedom and happiness of his
+country to their grave.
+
+The royal squires, who, after the marsk, under-marsk, and knights,
+closed the procession, were headed by the favourite of the youthful
+king, Aage Jonsen, who, since the catastrophe at the barn of Finnerup,
+had become singularly quiet and serious. Drost Peter, his own and young
+Erik's weapon-master, was his model of chivalry, and already he wore,
+with almost the dignity of a knight, the squire's sword and silver
+spurs with which his young king had presented him.
+
+When the Dane-court was at length seated, and the people saw the little
+king upon throne, and beheld the noble bearing of the queen, with so
+many wise and faithful counsellors by the side of their youthful
+monarch, the deep, long-held silence was suddenly broken by a deafening
+shout of joy and loyalty.
+
+As when the homage of the people was received at Scanderborg, Sir John
+now read aloud the document respecting the election of the king, and
+the acclamations of the assembly were repeated with redoubled ardour.
+In the midst of this applause the little king rose, and bowed
+gracefully around; the childlike pleasure he felt at being thus
+the object of general homage, adding a grace and simplicity to his
+natural dignity and early knightly bearing that invested him with an
+irresistible charm.
+
+When the king rose, the queen likewise stood up, while Duke Waldemar
+and the other princes, with all the knights and vassals of the kingdom,
+acknowledged the sovereignty of their youthful monarch, by bending
+themselves before the throne.
+
+When this act of homage was concluded, Sir John advanced and read that
+article in the constitution by which the queen and Duke Waldemar were
+entitled to exercise concurrently the functions of government during
+the minority of the king. Notwithstanding the discontent visible in
+many faces, no objection was offered, and the queen and the duke were
+formally confirmed in this authority. When the document, after being
+subscribed by the estates of the kingdom, was read to the people, the
+name of the queen was greeted with loud applause, while that of the
+duke was received in almost unbroken silence. A few voices only, among
+which was that of Master Grand, attempted to raise a shout of "Long
+live Duke Waldemar, the king's guardian, and protector of the kingdom!"
+And although a considerable number joined in it, it was in a tone
+indicative more of compulsion and fear than of goodwill.
+
+The duke having bowed with an air of condescension, the young king
+again arose. A perfect stillness and attention prevailed, while his eye
+rested on Drost Peter and Master Martinus, in whose encouraging looks
+he seemed to read what he had to say. Quickly conquering the bashful
+feeling which for a moment had seized him, he began, with a firm voice,
+and in a tone so loud that all could hear him:--
+
+"My loyal Danish people, I here promise, before God and Our Holy Lady,
+that I will be a good and upright king. I acknowledge the constitution,
+and recognise the will of the people, as just and binding; cheerfully
+submitting myself to the guardianship of my dear mother and of the duke
+until I have attained my majority. And as I am, under this legal
+guardianship, the lawful King of Denmark, and inherit the crown of my
+father and the great Waldemars, I now, confident of the approval of my
+guardians and counsellors, order and command, that the cause against
+the murderers of my late father shall, by this Retter-Ting, be rigidly
+investigated and decided. Stand forward, Drost Peter Hessel. On my
+behalf and that of the crown, you are appointed accuser of the
+regicides."
+
+Drost Peter advanced, and drew forth the documents he carried beneath
+his mantle.
+
+"With the consent of my dear mother and Duke Waldemar," continued the
+youthful Erik, whilst, turning his eyes on Sir John, he recited, almost
+word for word, what that aged statesman had prepared for him, "I
+propose that my worthy uncle, Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, my trusty
+vassal, Prince Witzlau of Rygen, the valiant and upright Count Gerhard
+of Holstein, and his illustrious brothers, together with seven and
+twenty chief men of the Danish nobility and knighthood, be now
+constituted a tribunal, to investigate the accusation and the evidence
+offered by the drost. After which, let them declare who were the men
+that, on St. Cecilia's night, in the barn of Finnerup, laid violent and
+regicidal hands on my late father, King Erik Christopherson. With this
+hand upon his bloody breast, I vowed to his soul and the righteous God
+that, from the throne of Denmark, this should be my first command, and
+that the ungodly regicides should receive the punishment due to their
+crime, according to the strictest justice and the outraged laws of the
+land."
+
+The warmth and earnestness, no less than the authority, with which this
+demand was pronounced, excited general surprise and admiration. The
+latter words, which, to the astonishment of Sir John, had been added by
+the young monarch himself, had brought the tears into his eyes.
+
+When he had resumed his seat, the queen, who appeared prepared for this
+announcement, immediately arose, and said--"I approve of the king's
+proposition. It has already been well considered in the council of the
+nation, and now requires only the approbation of the illustrious Duke
+Waldemar."
+
+"I, likewise, approve of it," said the latter, in a tone which showed
+that he was constrained to acquiesce only by the necessity of his
+position.
+
+By Sir John's arrangements, seven and twenty noblemen, the eldest and
+most respected in the assembly, were then chosen, who, with the princes
+already named, immediately took their seats at the black table within
+the circle, prepared to hear and examine the accusation and evidence
+offered by the drost. Whilst thus engaged, the deep silence of
+expectation pervaded the rest of the assembly. When they had concluded,
+the three knights, strongly guarded, advanced at the signal of the
+duke. As defenders of the accused, they had been brought there under
+his safe conduct. They were completely clad in mail, and wore their
+visors down.
+
+The princes and the other members of the tribunal now approached the
+throne. The Margrave Otto of Brandenburg, who, with a parchment in his
+hand, was at their head, then bowed before the king and the assembly,
+and read aloud and distinctly, in Danish, though with a foreign accent,
+as follows:--
+
+"After the charges laid before us, and the witnesses we have heard, we
+are constrained to name, as proved to have been participators in the
+murder of King Erik Christopherson, the following persons, knights and
+Danish noblemen:--The right princely Count Jacob of Halland; Stig
+Andersen Hvide, marsk of the kingdom of Denmark; High Chamberlain Ove
+Dyre; Sirs Peder Jacobsen, Peder Porse, Niels Hallandsfar, Arved
+Bengtson, Niels Knudson, and Jacob Blaafod; also Chamberlain Rane and
+Squire Aage Kagge. That the abovenamed eleven men, together with a
+twelfth, who has since appeared before a higher tribunal, were present
+in disguised dresses, on St. Cecilia's night, at Finnerup barn, near
+Viborg, and did personally take part in the murder of the king, we do
+here testify and swear, with our hands upon the holy Gospels, in
+presence of the all-seeing God, and before the king and people of
+Denmark."
+
+While the names were read, two of the mailed knights seemed to stagger;
+but the third, a ponderous and stately figure, remained unmoved,
+wrapped, with an air of defiance, in his blue mantle, and his clenched
+hands crossed upon his breast. No sooner had the princes and their
+fellow-judges sworn to the truth of their verdict, than this haughty
+personage, advancing a step, struck his visor up, and, turning round,
+exhibited to the assembly a countenance at once wild and warlike,
+although somewhat pale.
+
+"Count Jacob!--Count Jacob himself!"--ran from mouth to mouth, in a
+subdued murmur of astonishment.
+
+"Yes, I am Count Jacob of Holland, kinsman to the royal house, and a
+general of Denmark," he exclaimed, with an air of pride and defiance;
+"and here stand my faithful friends, the brave Sirs Arved Bengtson and
+Jacob Blaafod, who, along with me, are named among the murderers of
+King Erik Christopherson."
+
+His companions then struck aside the gratings of their helmets, and
+revealed the accused regicides, who, despite their haughty bearing,
+were yet deadly pale, and apparently doubtful of their personal
+security, notwithstanding the safe conduct of the duke.
+
+
+"We mean not to impugn the decision of so many lords and knights,"
+continued the proud count. "Lying and falsehood we bear not upon
+our shields. Danish honesty we expect also here. We have been
+promised, in the name of the king, a safe conduct and just treatment.
+We demand, therefore, not only the right to withdraw from hence
+unmolested, but first to be heard in our defence. That which we have
+done, we feel assured we can defend with our lips as well as with our
+swords, wherever honesty and justice prevail. To defend the right, in
+self-vindication, is nowhere forbidden; and that we call right which we
+have accomplished on a man of violence, who himself had broken every
+law, before we broke the rod over his guilty head."
+
+The queen had risen, and the young king had sprung up, amazed at this
+matchless boldness. The rage of the people was great at beholding
+amongst them the convicted regicide, although his princely rank and his
+known bravery imposed silence on many. His daring, too, pleased some,
+and his exordium about Danish honesty was flattering to a considerable
+portion. The rebels had also secret friends among the people, and a
+dangerous murmur began to pervade the excited assemblage; while a
+multitude of the poorer burghers of Nyborg, who were particularly
+attached to the late king, rushed forward with furious clamour to wreak
+their vengeance on his murderers. With the greatest difficulty could
+the rank of knights keep in restraint the infuriated populace, and the
+uproar threatened to put a stop to the proceedings, when Sir John and
+Drost Peter restored order by announcing that sentence should
+immediately be pronounced on the regicides, and their punishment
+rendered speedy and certain.
+
+"Let them be carried at once to the wheel!" cried Junker
+Christopherson, as he menaced them with his clenched hand.
+
+The queen's indignation was great; but she remained silent, and sank
+back, pale and agitated, on her seat. The appearance of the murderers,
+and the wild faces of the people, painfully reminded her of the
+audacious visit of Marsk Stig, on the morning after the king's
+assassination.
+
+"Had I imagined that these gentlemen had personally participated in the
+deed, they should never have received a safe conduct from me,"
+exclaimed the duke, in some perturbation. "But now, for the sake of my
+own honour and that of the crown, I must demand that they be suffered
+freely to depart, whatever judgment may be pronounced upon them."
+
+"You are right, Duke Waldemar," said the young king, suppressing his
+indignation. "Would we be knights with honour, we must keep faith and
+promise, even with these most impious murderers; and I have vowed to
+God and to Our Lady to rule righteously. If, therefore, on behalf of
+the crown, you have promised them safety, we must suffer them freely to
+depart. But they shall first hear their doom; and, wherever they may
+flee to, by the assistance of the righteous God, it will certainly
+reach them. Read aloud the sentence," he added, hastily, "as it stands
+in King Waldemar's law-book. If they have forfeited life and honour, so
+shall we adjudge."
+
+"No punishment seems to me too severe for so heinous a crime," observed
+the duke, sternly. "But it may assume a different aspect when viewed
+from another point; and, therefore, before any just and impartial
+sentence can be pronounced, the Dane-court should hear what the accused
+have to advance in their defence, and what others, skilled in the laws,
+can state to guide us. Let the accused advance. The king and the people
+will hear their defence."
+
+Count Jacob and Arved Bengtson moved not; but Jacob Blaafod, who was
+celebrated for his eloquence, approached the throne, while the blood
+again mounted to his sun-burnt cheeks. Having bowed on every side with
+knightly grace, he began his defence, and immediately quelled the
+murmurs of the assembly by a short but flattering exordium, in which he
+extolled the justice of the Danish laws, and the love of freedom and
+magnanimity of the people. He then frankly admitted the truth of the
+accusation, but represented the murder of the king as a bold and heroic
+action, as a great sacrifice to the freedom of the nation, and as
+altogether a just and lawful deed. He recounted all the violations of
+his contracts, and of the charters of the kingdom, perpetrated by the
+late king, by which, he affirmed, he had forfeited his crown, and
+placed himself on a level with every knight and nobleman in the
+kingdom, each of whom could defend his own honour and integrity against
+any of his peers, without being guilty of lese-majesty. He then
+proceeded to expose, in bitter language, the deep injustice which had
+been suffered by the chief noblemen in the kingdom; especially
+depicting, in the strongest colour, the crime perpetrated by King Erik
+Christopherson against Marsk Stig and his wife, with its heartrending
+results; and concluded by demanding of the king and the people, in the
+name of Danish justice, honour, and freedom, that the country's
+greatest general, the famed Marsk Stig, with his injured friends and
+kinsmen, should be acquitted of all guilt, and restored to their
+honours and dignities, which they had never lawfully forfeited.
+
+His words made a deep impression, and no inconsiderable number of
+voices were raised in favour of the accused.
+
+The queen had veiled her face; and the youthful Erik, in spite of his
+grief and indignation, could not avoid blushing at the shame of his
+unhappy father, whilst the tears stood in his eyes.
+
+"Speak, Drost Peter, speak!" he cried: "is it not enough that they have
+murdered my father? Must I also sit on Denmark's throne, and hear them
+mock and insult his memory?"
+
+At this heartrending appeal Drost Peter advanced. He exhibited great
+emotion, and some time elapsed before he could command his voice. "In
+what our murdered lord and king has here offended," he began, "he has
+gone to his account before the King of kings. May the Almighty Judge be
+merciful to him, and all of us! They are not men, but monsters, who
+demand that his son and his bereaved subjects should justify his
+actions and defend his fame in the presence of his murderers. It is not
+as the man Erik Christopherson that he is here in question; but as
+Denmark's king, as the wearer of Denmark's crown, whose inviolable
+majesty and sacredness have been profaned by bloody and audacious
+hands: it is the crime against the anointed ruler of the people and of
+the kingdom we are here to judge."
+
+Without reference to the king's personality, he then pourtrayed the
+regicidal crime in language so strong and glowing, that the murderers
+themselves were abashed, and many of those who most severely censured
+the deceased king, and who had just been loudest in their applause of
+Jacob Blaafod's speech, turned away their eyes with horror from the men
+of blood. The eloquent drost then proceeded to recapitulate some of the
+most beneficial measures adopted by his late master; and specially
+pointed out how much that ancient and loyal city owed to his favour and
+clemency. He further instanced numerous benefits which the rebellious
+noblemen themselves had received from the late king, whom they had
+basely and ungratefully murdered, and succeeded in touching the hearts
+of the whole assembly, and in entirely obliterating the impression
+produced by the address of the regicide. He availed himself, finally,
+of this favourable disposition, to unfold the dangerous position of the
+country, and, with impassioned eloquence, charged them to sustain not
+only the majesty and sacredness of the throne, but the dignity and
+freedom of the people, by tearing the mask from the face of every
+secret traitor who had participated, directly or otherwise, in this
+rebellions and audacious crime. His eyes sparkling with animation, he
+then suddenly turned to the duke, as the man bound to the royal house
+by the holiest ties of consanguinity, and demanded of him, in the name
+of the people, by virtue of his new dignity, first to pronounce
+sentence on the guilty, for subsequent confirmation by the estates.
+
+The drost paused; and although the duke had changed colour, he quickly
+rose at this appeal, and, bowing respectfully to the queen, modestly
+yielded to her the prerogative of pronouncing whatever sentence she and
+the council of the kingdom regarded as just and lawful.
+
+"Be it so!" exclaimed the queen, unveiling her face as she rose with an
+air of calmness and decision. "I shall, then, be the first to declare
+what the council of the kingdom and myself think just and legal--what
+must have been already pronounced in the heart of every Dane, if God's
+holy law dwell there:--According to every law, both human and divine,
+an ignominious death is due to murderous traitors. Therefore, for the
+security of the crown and kingdom, let not mercy restrain the arm of
+justice!"
+
+"Whoever has any legal objections to offer, can do so now," said the
+duke, as he directed his eyes towards Dean Grand, who apparently was
+only waiting this summons to step forward.
+
+"In the name of truth and justice, then, I demand to be heard," cried
+the authoritative dean, as he advanced with an open book in his hand.
+"Here is the point of law on which alone the accused can be condemned,
+if, as I maintain they should, they be not with right and justice
+acquitted of all guilt. If the murder had been perpetrated in God's
+holy house, or on the property of the victim himself, the sentence of
+death would be a legal one; but as this was certainly not so in this
+instance, the accused, at worst, can only be adjudged outlaws, and have
+their estates forfeited to the king's exchequer. If the law is to
+prevail here, and not the unrighteous passion of revenge, no severer
+sentence than this can be pronounced."
+
+On this bold assertion, which had found favour with many, a warm debate
+arose, in which the duke, with a flattering and not ineffective
+reference to the great privileges of the people and of the states, and
+to the violation of charters and engagements, declared himself in
+favour of this milder interpretation of the law.
+
+Drost Peter opposed him warmly; but Sir John, to his great astonishment
+and that of the young king, strenuously maintained that, in accordance
+with the strict letter of the law, they could not come nearer the
+criminals. Outlawry, however, he continued, was a punishment which
+could not be regarded as trivial; for it implied no less than civil
+death, constant peril of life, and exclusion from every social or human
+privilege within the bounds of Denmark.
+
+The words of the aged counsellor carried great weight with them. Drost
+Peter, and the other faithful friends of the royal house, quickly
+perceived that, for some new but sufficient reason, this wise statesman
+now defended an opinion he had himself opposed in the council a few
+days before. No further opposition, therefore, was offered to the
+milder sentence on the criminals; the queen and the young king
+declaring themselves satisfied with it, since it was considered just
+and legal by so many able and upright men.
+
+The sentence of outlawry on the regicides was then formally drawn up,
+and immediately subscribed and sealed by the king and both protectors,
+as well as by those chosen for that purpose from the estates; after
+which, it was read aloud by the drost before the assembled Dane-court.
+Under a strong guard, the three knights were then conducted to the
+beach, where they were put on board a boat, with some provisions, and
+thus enabled to escape the enraged populace, against which no convoy
+could any longer protect them.
+
+This important business being thus concluded, the Margrave Otto of
+Brandenburg advanced, and, having bowed respectfully to royalty, turned
+to the assembled knighthood, and said:--"My royal nephew, King Erik
+Erikson of Denmark, has honoured me by requesting to receive, at this
+Dane-court, the stroke of knighthood from my hand. A king's son, who
+has borne the name of king almost from his cradle, may already be
+regarded as exalted by his birth and position over every meaner
+dignity. It is commendable, however, in kings and princes, that they do
+not despise the rank of knighthood, but are generally desirous of being
+invested with that honour before they are anointed and crowned as
+sovereigns over their knights and princely vassals. I dispense,
+therefore, in the case of my royal nephew, with the customary probation
+which the dignity of the order otherwise requires."
+
+He then turned to the young king, and continued, in a tone of
+solemnity:--"I now demand, King Erik Erikson of Denmark, before thy
+loyal people and in presence of the Danish knighthood, in what respect
+thou desirest to be admitted into our order? Wilt thou promise and
+swear to defend the holy Christian faith and the honours of
+knighthood?"
+
+The young king arose and uncovered his head. His cheeks glowed, and his
+dark blue eyes sparkled with youthful pleasure and animation.
+
+"Yea!" he exclaimed, "I will, so help me all holy men! God and Our Holy
+Lady know my heart's wish and my intention. I desire the stroke of
+knighthood from thy hand, my dear uncle, that I may be anointed and
+crowned King of Denmark with honour, and to show my loving people, and
+all men, that not only shall I be a good and upright king, but also a
+knight without reproach, that I may not disgrace the crown of Denmark
+and of the great Waldemars. That which a squire should understand,
+before he can wear the golden spurs, my dear weapon-master, Drost Peter
+Hessel, has already taught me, which I will prove at the first
+tournament. The laws of chivalry I have learned as the holy text; and I
+swear, by St. George and the Holy Virgin, that I shall maintain them
+while I live."
+
+He paused an instant to collect himself; and then continued, with much
+ardour:--"I will not live careless, but will defend my people, and pour
+out my blood for the true and holy Church, which I know is the head,
+whilst the knighthood is the arm, to defend the whole body; and that
+also shall I strive to do. I will protect the widow, the fatherless,
+and the needy; I will be the defender of all pure and virtuous ladies;
+I will be just, valiant, generous, honest, and chaste; I will honour
+God with all humility, and be truthful and faithful to my word; I will
+practise the seven virtues of knighthood, and eschew the seven mortal
+sins, with the assistance of God and the Holy Virgin."
+
+When the youthful king had sworn, as his profession of faith, this
+epitome of the laws of chivalry, which he seemed to know by heart, he
+descended from the throne to receive the symbols and accoutrements of
+knighthood, with which, according to his wish and the usual custom, he
+was to be invested by the most eminent men of the kingdom, and the most
+attached friends of the royal house. Drost Peter bound the golden spurs
+upon his heels, and with tender interest and heartfelt pleasure
+reminded him of their signification. Old Sir John, with a short and
+energetic encouragement to manliness and goodness, equipped him in a
+cuirass of light mail. Count Gerhard, who had requested the charge of
+binding on his wambraces, did so in his usual gay manner, wishing the
+son of the noble Queen Agnes success, strength, and victory in every
+undertaking.
+
+At length the queen herself arose to present him with the glittering
+gauntlets, and to gird him with the golden sword, which the heralds
+brought forward. Having first carried the crossed hilt of the weapon
+reverently to her lips, she girt her son with the gold-embroidered
+sword-belt, on which was wrought, by her own hands, a lily, a balance,
+and a heart, as emblems of purity, justice, and Christian charity; and
+then, kissing him affectionately on the forehead, she exhorted him
+never to forget its meaning.
+
+
+The queen having resumed her seat, and the knights their places, the
+youthful king knelt down, while Margrave Otto, kissing the hilt of his
+drawn sword, solemnly said--"King Erik Erikson of Denmark, in the name
+of God, Our Holy Lady, and St. George, I dub you a knight. Be bold,
+courageous, and true!"
+
+A flourish of trumpets followed, while the margrave, with the flat of
+his sword, touched the noviciate three times on the shoulder.
+
+Tears stood in the eyes of the newly-created knight, whilst he rose and
+folded his hands, as if engaged in silent prayer. He then received from
+the margrave a bright gilded helmet, with a large plume of feathers,
+which caused his eyes to sparkle with pleasure as he placed it on his
+golden locks. Finally, the margrave presented him with a golden lance,
+and hung on the wambrace of his left arm a splendid shield, bearing the
+same device which he had chosen for his first juvenile buckler.
+
+His friend and playmate, Aage Jonsen, had meanwhile led forth a proud
+milk-white tourney-steed, caparisoned in shining armour, with a lofty
+plume of feathers on his head. The youthful knight instantly vaulted
+into the saddle, without the aid of the stirrups, and then proceeded to
+caracol his steed, poise his lance, and exhibit himself in all the pomp
+of knighthood before the people, who received his graceful and
+condescending salutations with enthusiastic shouts of rejoicing. Thrice
+did he thus make the circle of the Dane-court, whilst the air resounded
+with the braying of trumpets and the loud acclamations of the people.
+
+Even the gravest among the knights seemed pleased at the dexterity and
+address with which the youthful rider managed his steed; and, although,
+as old Sir John turned towards Drost Peter, a quiet smile at this
+exhibition played about his lips, yet the delighted shouts of the
+people, and the general animation excited by the presence of the
+youthful monarch, much affected him, and hastily passing his hands
+across his eyes, he heartily joined in the people's shout--"God bless
+our young king!"
+
+Without being impeded by his armour and weapons, young Erik now sprang
+from his steed with as much agility as he had mounted it, and ordering
+his squire to lead it off, returned calmly and with dignity to the
+throne.
+
+During these ceremonies the duke remained silent and absorbed in
+reflection. Drost Peter, however, had closely observed him; and the
+ill-concealed scorn which he read in his countenance only too strongly
+reminded him that it was not yet time for rejoicings and gladness in
+Denmark.
+
+King Erik then arose, somewhat out of breath with his violent exercise,
+and addressing the duke, said--"As I am now myself a knight, and have a
+right to confer the stroke of knighthood on whom I choose, my princely
+kinsman and guardian, Duke Waldemar of South Jutland, shall be the
+first who receives it from my hand."
+
+The duke rose hastily. He seemed taken by surprise, and his proud mien
+betrayed that the proposed honour annoyed more than it flattered him.
+Drost Peter imagined he saw in his constrained smile, an angry feeling
+of wounded pride, that he should now, in presence of the nation, be
+obliged to kneel before the youthful king, even to receive a dignity
+with which he had long anxiously desired to be invested.
+
+The wily duke, however, seemed solicitous to conceal this from himself
+as well as from the knighthood, and, in a tone of easy dignity, he
+thanked the king for this gracious mark of distinction. He then knelt
+before the throne, whilst King Erik pronounced the customary form, and,
+amidst a nourish of trumpets, let fall three times his golden sword on
+the shoulder of the duke.
+
+"Be a knight without reproach," he added: "be, as the laws of chivalry
+command, full of burning zeal for the general good, for the kingdom's
+weal, for the knighthood's honour, for the people's unity and
+prosperity, and for the welfare of your lawful king. God, Our Holy
+Lady, and St. George grant you strength and aid thereto!"
+
+From the lips of the youthful king, this admonition, in which he
+fancied he could trace the influence of Drost Peter, did not at all
+please the proud, ambitious duke; although he went through the
+customary forms with a polite bearing. When he had received his new
+arms, he leaped upon his tourney-steed, and exhibited himself to the
+people with much princely dignity and knightly skill. At a prancing
+gallop he cast his lance aloft and caught it again, at the same time
+saluting the people gracefully and mildly. The applause he coveted was
+freely bestowed on him; but he seemed especially gratified when, after
+he had dismounted, he received the congratulations of the knights and
+of the royal family.
+
+Thus terminated the Dane-court and its grave affairs, apparently to the
+general satisfaction. The royal family, with the duke and the other
+princes present, then returned to the palace, where the king presented
+rich gifts to the duke, to the Margrave Otto, Count Gerhard, and the
+Danish knights. Chargers, gold bridles, magnificent mantles, and arms
+were freely distributed; and all who had participated in the
+ceremonials received some handsome memorial of the day and of the
+king's munificence. Neither was Aage Jonsen forgotten: his royal master
+presented him with a gilded sword, set with jewels, and bearing as an
+inscription--"The king's defence." For his fidelity to the murdered
+king, Erik would fain have given his youthful playmate the stroke of
+knighthood; but the exception which had been made in his own favour
+could not, from respect to those of riper years, be extended to any of
+lower degree, not even to Junker Christopherson, who appeared to
+consider himself as worthy of being a knight and king as was his
+brother.
+
+This important election to the regency of the kingdom, and the princely
+promotion to the knighthood, were celebrated in the palace with
+magnificent festivities, during which the duke scarcely for a moment
+lost sight of the royal party, and outshone all present in knightly
+bearing, and in refined and polished conversation.
+
+The queen's present confidence in him, and her desire to compensate him
+for the unworthy suspicions she formerly entertained, now led her to
+agree with him in a conclusion altogether opposed to the wishes of the
+council. The representations of the duke to herself and her brothers,
+induced them to consider the juncture too serious for farther
+festivities; and, to look carefully to the security of the royal house,
+they unanimously determined that, instead of carrying the young king to
+Zealand, there to receive the homage of the people, and from thence to
+be crowned at Lund, they should immediately carry him back to the
+strong castle of Viborg, and defer the journey to Zealand and Scania,
+so long as Marsk Stig, with the outlaws and Norse rovers, rendered the
+Belt and Sound unsafe. This determination the queen, in the presence of
+the duke, announced to Sir John and Drost Peter during the evening, in
+a tone so decided as to restrain every objection.
+
+Drost Peter was much alarmed, for he saw in this a new attempt on the
+part of the duke to draw the royal personages within his own and the
+outlaws' power, whilst, by his cunning, he would perhaps succeed in
+deferring the act of homage, and delaying the coronation until he could
+himself unlawfully seize upon the kingdom. Drost Peter burned with
+impatience boldly and openly to unmask the mighty traitor, and testify
+to what he knew of the true reason of his absence from the Dane-court;
+but on a stern look of warning from Sir John, he restrained himself,
+and was silent. The journey to Viborg was, therefore, fixed for the
+next morning, and the company separated.
+
+It was late in the evening. The servants of the palace were busily
+engaged with the requisite preparations for the journey, the din of
+which was heard in the castle-court. The duke and his retinue had
+withdrawn to their own apartments; but it was observed that some of his
+followers had left the castle, and hastily taken the road to
+Middelfert. The young king had retired, and the Margraves of
+Brandenburg had just left the queen in her private apartment. She had
+taken a farewell of her brothers, who, that very night, were to leave
+Denmark for the court of the Emperor Rudolph, to induce him to declare
+the Danish regicides outlaws in Germany. This reason for their sudden
+journey, they had, however, confided only to the queen.
+
+The beautiful young widow sat, her cheek resting on her hand, at a
+table of black marble, on which stood two wax-lights. She wore her
+mourning attire; and, as her dark head-dress was cast aside, her rich
+brown hair hung in tresses over her arms, and fell upon the marble
+slab. Her fair white fingers were engaged in turning over the leaves of
+a beautiful little manuscript volume, the pages of which she frequently
+crossed and marked with a silver needle. In this book she had, in her
+lonely hours, poured out her heart with honest self-acknowledgment, and
+with her own hand had recorded every remarkable circumstance of her
+life. There stood yet the fair delightful dreams of her childhood, like
+half-vanished memories of Paradise. They were, however, soon followed
+by her humiliating espousals. Her early betrothment to King Erik
+Christopherson had been one of the conditions of his release from
+Nordborg Castle, after he was taken prisoner in the war with Duke
+Waldemar's father. The record of this, her alienation to another, was
+but incoherently set down, and it seemed as if she had not yet
+understood the proper connection of events; for, in incoherent words,
+and in traces of tears, she saw the day recorded when, yet little more
+then a child, she had, in blind duty and obedience, suffered herself to
+be adorned as a royal bride, and become the unwitting victim of a cold
+political consideration. Of her wedded state, so void of love and
+tenderness, there were many records; for at this point she appeared
+first to become conscious of her dignity, and of the purpose of life.
+In the midst of the great and glittering world she had often felt
+herself alone and forsaken, although, with youthful energy, she had
+availed herself of her lofty position to occupy her thoughts with
+benevolence, and diffuse peace and joy around her. It was granted her
+to seem fortunate; and whatever success followed her efforts to
+suppress the dangerous voice of rebellion, which threatened the king
+and kingdom with ruin, was due as much to her personal influence as to
+the exalted splendour of the crown.
+
+The kindly interest she felt in Drost Peter was the first bright spot
+in this dark portion of her inner life. His brave chivalrous spirit,
+and the homage he rendered her, had been grateful to her womanly
+nature; while with prudence and delicacy she had concealed, beneath the
+imposing cloak of majesty, every feeling of her heart's desolateness.
+
+As she continued turning over the leaves of this her life's-book, the
+past flitted by her like a dream. At the lively description of the
+tournament at Helsingborg, she found first mentioned the name of Count
+Gerhard, with a witty remark on the awkwardness of his homage, but also
+with expressions of esteem and interest. A few pages farther she saw a
+bitter memorial of the injurious rumour to which her interest in Drost
+Peter had given birth, and a memorandum of her determination to avoid
+for the future every appearance of familiarity with her faithful and
+attached knight.
+
+As she glanced over the account of the festival at Sir John's, and of
+her dance with the wounded Count Gerhard, a slight blush crimsoned her
+cheeks, and she felt that the bold, good-natured dancer had made a
+greater impression upon her than she was, at that time, willing to
+believe. The discreet and respectful attachment to her which had that
+day beamed from his one honest eye, had, in her mind, invested him with
+greater dignity. Her judgment both of him and of the accomplished Duke
+Waldemar she now reviewed with much interest. To the duke she had given
+the preference for his knightly bearing and polished manners; while she
+had found him deficient in the truthfulness and bold sincerity that
+enhanced the nobleness of Count Gerhard and rendered him so entirely
+safe to be relied upon.
+
+Having closed the manuscript, she remained some time in deep thought,
+and was at length about to summon her ladies and retire to rest, when
+she heard a gentle knocking at the private door of the apartment which
+separated her closet from that of the youthful king, and which was
+accessible to the royal family alone.
+
+"Come in, my son," she said, as she turned towards the door, which was
+then softly opened, and the trusty favourite squire, Aage Jonsen,
+stepped modestly over the threshold.
+
+He remained respectfully at a distance, and, having made his
+salutation, "Pardon my temerity, most gracious queen," he began, in a
+low voice: "my master, the king, has commanded me to open this door, to
+ascertain if your grace was present, and alone. He prays you, for most
+important reasons, to grant him and the drost an audience here, without
+witnesses."
+
+"Drost Hessel!" ejaculated the queen, with astonishment--"here, and at
+this hour? Impossible! What means this?"
+
+"I know not, your grace," replied the grave little squire; "but I
+conclude that it is on business of emergency and importance. The drost
+did not pass through the guard-chamber, but entered by the subterranean
+passage, in company with the tall lord from Kiel."
+
+"Count Gerhard!" exclaimed the queen, as she hastily veiled her face.
+"Is he, too, here? Has he, also, requested to speak with me?"
+
+"That know I not, your grace. I kept watch by the inner door of the
+king's chamber, and knew not there was any secret entrance until it was
+opened, and both the gentlemen stood before me. The drost bade me awake
+the king immediately. I obeyed, and they were both instantly admitted
+to his chamber. Shortly afterwards he rung, and, while he attired
+himself, commanded me to ascertain cautiously whether your grace was
+alone here, and to deliver the request of which I have just informed
+you."
+
+"Well," answered the queen, "tell thy king and master that I await him,
+and whomever else he may think it necessary to bring with him."
+
+Aage Jonsen bowed and retired; when the queen, who felt some anxiety,
+arose, and opening a little gilded casket, which stood on the table,
+concealed therein her journal. She then walked once or twice across the
+apartment, but at length stopped opposite a large polished steel
+mirror, in which she hastily arranged her fallen tresses. The secret
+door was opened a moment after, and King Erik entered, leading Drost
+Peter by the hand.
+
+"Hear him, my mother!" exclaimed, with excitement, the little
+king--"hear and read what the good drost and Count Gerhard have
+discovered. The duke is false! he will entice us to ruin."
+
+"Let not this disquiet you, noble queen," hastily observed Drost Peter,
+as he saluted her. "The danger is not imminent; although, except on
+high and important grounds, I should not have dared to approach you at
+so undue an hour, and in this unusual manner. To-morrow would have been
+too late. It is necessary, too, for your own and the king's security,
+that you should thus be secretly apprised of it, as it would be
+dangerous if the duke conceived the slightest suspicion that we had
+discovered his daring plans."
+
+"You astonish me, Drost Hessel!" exclaimed the queen, with undisguised
+solicitude. "Have you certain proof of this, whatever it may be? or is
+it but another of the learned chancellor's dreams? The duke must either
+be the wiliest hypocrite under the sun, or he is the true and attached
+friend of myself and the royal house."
+
+"Read, then, your grace," replied Drost Peter, spreading before her the
+parchment bearing Count Gerhard's seal: "every word that stands there
+can be personally attested by the noble Count Gerhard, should you so
+require his oath. He awaits your commands in the next apartment."
+
+The queen seated herself, and hastily perused the evidence set forth
+by Drost Peter to account for the duke's absence from the opening
+of the Dane-Court. As she did so, she became pale, and, rising,
+exclaimed--"Just Heaven! is, then, the fate of the kingdom and of the
+royal house in the hands of such a traitor? And this you knew to-day,
+Drost Hessel, and yet hesitated to tear the mask from the traitor, and
+exhibit him to the scorn of the whole people!"
+
+"God and my own heart know what it has cost me to be silent, noble
+queen," replied the drost, laying his hand upon his breast. "But Sir
+John was right: until Marsk Stig falls, the duke must stand. In his
+present position he is constrained even to punish the outlaws; but the
+moment he throws off the mask, he is our open foe--the head of the
+outlaws, and the leader of the rebels."
+
+"You are right," observed the queen, after a moment's reflection; "and
+I now understand the complaisance of Sir John to-day. Great God! when
+has a traitor stood unmolested so near the throne of Denmark? Let Count
+Gerhard enter."
+
+Drost Peter retired, and in a moment returned with Count Gerhard, who
+remained by the door, bowing bashfully and awkwardly.
+
+"Approach, noble count," said the queen, as she advanced with blushing
+cheeks to meet him. "You have probably saved from destruction the
+kingdom and royal house. But explain how you attained this information.
+How did you divine the plans of the marsk, or suspect the duke of such
+base knavishness?"
+
+"I cannot boast my own penetration, most noble queen," replied Count
+Gerhard, advancing with greater boldness--"that would ill become me. A
+large portion of my sagacity in this matter I owe to a long-headed old
+pilgrim whom I met in Rypen, and who seemed to know the world better
+than the world knew him. I had already noted mischief, and a few hints
+made me clear-eyed. With the subtle Duke Waldemar I may as little
+contend in statecraft as in accomplishments and fine manners; but this
+I dare aver, that when he thought he could reach the throne of Denmark
+without lifting his hand, or losing the semblance of being a true
+friend to the people and kingdom, he was willing to let the marsk
+disturb his election to the regency here, and to bid farewell to the
+honour and happiness of being the protector of your grace and of the
+royal house. It may be only my poor opinion, your grace," he added,
+with some embarrassment, "but that the duke carries a fox on his
+shield, is certain: indeed, he seems even to entertain the boldest
+hopes of your grace's sympathy and confidence."
+
+The queen started, while the count continued:--
+
+"I regret that I have no better proofs of this than my own word and
+sword, and the evidence of my trusty jester. But that many of the
+marsk's adherents were stopped by me on their way to the Dane-court, is
+beyond doubt; and that the duke was really in Sleswick on the first day
+of the Dane-court, he has himself taken care to furnish the best proof.
+With what view he was there, and whether there really would have been a
+tumult here, had they not perceived danger, cannot now be further
+demonstrated. My entire services to your grace and to the royal house,
+most noble queen, are thus but of small avail; and however beneficial
+to the crown and country they may appear, I have only given you
+probable grounds for guarding yourself and the young king against the
+counsels of the duke."
+
+"For this important warning accept my heartiest thanks, noble count,"
+replied the queen, as she extended her hand, which, while he bent
+before her, he pressed to his lips with concealed ardour.
+
+Having quickly resumed his former respectful demeanour, he
+continued:--"I regret that what I and so poor a statesman as my late
+jester have brought to light, must, for the present, remain a secret,
+noble queen. At a Retter-Ting, where it can only be fought with words,
+I am of little service; but I would have willingly proved with my good
+sword, in honest combat with the duke, before the whole knighthood,
+that he is a nidding and a traitor, had not your trusty counsellors
+convinced me that I should thereby only expose your grace and the
+kingdom to the greatest danger. Indeed, I now see clearly that, for the
+present, it imports much to be at peace with him; and therefore he
+shall have peace from me, until a future time. But permit me, noble
+queen, henceforth to join the ranks of your own and the young king's
+bodyguard, and grant that the protection of your royal person may also
+form a portion of my duty."
+
+"I choose you for my knight and protector, brave Count Gerhard,"
+replied the queen, in a cordial tone; "and, as a pledge, accept this
+remembrance of my bereaved and sorrowful position by the throne of
+Denmark."
+
+As she spoke, she untied her black veil, which she handed to him;
+whilst he, kneeling in knightly fashion, pressed the pledge of
+confidence to his lips, and then concealed it in his bosom.
+
+"My colour was formerly crimson," added the queen, in a sorrowful
+accent, as she looked mildly towards Drost Peter. "This faithful friend
+to the royal house once wore it, as you doubtless remember; but no good
+fortune attended it. It was, moreover, borrowed, and, in truth, did not
+become me. I then determined that no man should wear it with my
+consent. The colour of night and disappointment has now become mine, as
+it has become that of Denmark. If its sight inspires you not with pain,
+Count Gerhard, as mine and the country's faithful friend wear it until
+morning again breaks on Denmark."
+
+Count Gerhard, who had again risen, felt more intoxicated with joy than
+he had ever been before.
+
+"As long as God permits me to live in this fair world," he exclaimed,
+while a tear glistened in his eye, "so long at least, noble queen, I
+will think only of showing myself worthy of your confidence, and of
+being, from my heart's core, a faithful friend to your grace and to the
+Danish kingdom. For your sake, so I promised long ago to this your
+brave knight;" adding, as he seized the hand of Drost Peter--"he still
+wears the rosy red in secret; but now I fight not with him concerning
+it, for I know it is Lady Inge's gage and hairband."
+
+A blush suffused the cheeks of Drost Peter, and the queen also seemed
+perplexed by the indiscreetness of the plain-spoken count.
+
+"True--this is another matter," hastily added the latter, as he
+observed the embarrassment he had caused: "it was perhaps a secret,
+respecting which I should have been silent; but this is what I would
+say, most noble queen, that, next to myself, you have not a more
+sincere admirer in the world than is Drost Hessel. We two shall now
+contend in earnest for the privilege of permanently wearing your
+colour. It imports not to me whether it is black or red, since it is
+your's; but this I know, that if there exists in the world one who can
+restore to your mind that joy and happiness you were surely born to
+possess, I would gladly give my only remaining eye to be that one; and
+then, although I could never more see your fair face and lovely form, I
+should still feel happy in knowing that you were pleased with the blind
+Count Gerhard."
+
+The cordial sincerity with which he uttered these words, caused the
+queen and Drost Peter to overlook their want of delicacy and propriety.
+It was evident, however, from the manner of the queen, that she desired
+to terminate this extraordinary visit, and the direction the
+conversation had taken. Young Erik, too, who had been listening
+attentively, seemed to think that the count's speech had nothing to do
+with the dangerous business that had brought them thither.
+
+"Let this subject be ended, Count Gerhard!" he exclaimed, impatiently.
+"My mother will be happy enough again when we have taken measures
+against the faithlessness of the duke, and restored the kingdom to
+security. We shall not set out to-morrow for Viborg: his traitor-army
+is there encamped, you say. If I am to be King of Denmark, I will be
+anointed and crowned forthwith. If it is the will of Providence that I
+should be betrayed and murdered, as my father and grandfather were, I
+shall die a lawful king, and it shall not be well for the traitors who
+dare to lay hands upon the Lord's anointed, young as he may be."
+
+"Thy will shall be done, my son," replied the queen, patting his
+glowing cheeks. "Thy wish was also Sir John's, and that of the whole
+council, before, in my blindness, I mistook the smooth words of the
+duke for sincere attachment. To-morrow we shall set out, not for
+Viborg, but for Skielskioer; and, when thou art proclaimed in Zealand,
+we shall proceed to the coronation at Lund. But let me advise. The
+duke, as my most courteous knight, shall accompany us. He must not
+perceive the slightest symptom of distrust on our part. To you,
+gentlemen, I confide our security on the way."
+
+"Yes--let it be so!" cried the young king, joyfully. "The Almighty, and
+Our dear Holy Lady, will assuredly protect us. Good night, my dear
+mother. You can now sleep securely, for Sir John is stationed in the
+guard-chamber, and these trusty gentlemen will remain tonight in the
+palace."
+
+"God keep his hand over thee, my son!" exclaimed the queen, as she
+fondly kissed his smooth forehead. "Thank Heaven, with me, for having
+preserved to us these devoted and faithful friends in our hour of need
+and danger."
+
+With queenlike dignity she then bowed to the two knights, who, with the
+young king, retired through the same private door by which they had
+entered.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+At early morning of the following day, the queen's travelling-car, with
+six milk-white steeds attached, stood before the castle-steps, attended
+by many smartly dressed outriders and grooms. More than thirty squires
+were grouped about, with their masters' horses in charge; foremost
+among whom was conspicuous, by his gray suit, emblazoned with the
+Sleswick lions, the attendant of the duke, who, with great ostentation,
+was allowing his master's noble steed, covered with splendid trappings,
+to prance and gambol about. Near him stood Daddy Longlegs, bearing
+Count Gerhard's simple shield, in the shape of a nettle-leaf, and
+holding a strong brown stallion by the bridle. Skirmen, carrying Drost
+Peter's mantle and shield, stood by his master's horse, apparently lost
+in contemplating the faces of the ducal lions, which resembled wolves
+more than the animals they were intended to represent. As he turned
+with his impatient charger in the direction of the Strand-gate, he was
+delighted to observe a great bustle among the ferrymen, and to see the
+royal flag carried from the house of the alderman.
+
+"We are off for Melfert, and then for Jutland," observed Longlegs to
+him. "I thought, however, your master had a keener nose."
+
+"You might wish your's were half as keen, Longlegs," replied Skirmen;
+"and then, perhaps, you would not allow your master's horse to turn his
+tail in the direction he is to ride."
+
+"But I know that people do not ride or drive over the Great Belt in the
+month of May," returned the old jester. "It might be quite as well,
+however, while the wind sits in this quarter."
+
+"What mean you, Longlegs? The wind is in the right quarter for the
+Great Belt."
+
+"Ay, but not for the Little. The boatmen say it is the duke's wind; and
+when we have that against us, a sagacious nose, like that of your
+master, should smell the straw from the barn of Finnerup."
+
+"Turn the car and horses!" ordered Drost Peter, who suddenly appeared
+at the top of the steps: "the royal family ride to the haven."
+
+When the squires had obeyed, Drost Peter re-entered; and in a few
+moments the queen, leaning on the arm of the duke, and the little king,
+with his sister Merete and Junker Christopherson, issued from the
+palace and entered the car. Notwithstanding the polite behaviour of the
+duke, an air of displeasure was visible in his smile.
+
+"We dare not offer you a seat in a lady's car, Duke Waldemar," observed
+the queen; "and, besides, you are too good a horseman to desire it."
+
+The duke replied by a polite bow, and vaulted into his saddle.
+
+When all were mounted, "To the quay!" cried Sir John to the postilions;
+and, followed by a long train of knights, the royal car rolled across
+the castle-square, down to the old Strand-gate by the canal, and from
+thence to the harbour, accompanied by a great crowd of curious
+spectators, shouting with joy, while the young king saluted them, and
+the queen cordially returned their greetings.
+
+"They are going to have him proclaimed at Skielskioer, and then crowned
+in Lund," they cried; and a thousand shouts of homage and blessing
+ascended from every quarter.
+
+The following day was fixed for the proclamation in Skielskioer; and,
+by the arrangement of Sir John and Drost Peter, the Archbishop of Lund
+had departed over night, in a swift vessel, to prepare everything for
+the king's reception and coronation in Lund.
+
+At Nyborg Haven all was ready for the embarkation, and they were
+speedily on board. In the royal smack, on which the duke had embarked,
+were also the drost, the chancellor, and Count Gerhard, together with
+Sir John and the royal trabants. To the duke's astonishment the royal
+smack was accompanied by six large galleys, strongly manned with
+soldiers. His own numerous train of knights and retainers, with Dean
+Grand, and many ecclesiastics, who had attended the Dane-court, in
+three smaller vessels, followed the king's smack, which, with a brisk
+and favourable wind, left the fiord.
+
+Almost at the same time, a light-built sloop ran out from the coast,
+which Skirmen informed his master he took for a Norse freebooter, and
+on board which he had observed the duke's squire to spring before they
+left the haven. Drost Peter strictly scrutinised the suspicious vessel,
+which, however, was speedily out of sight.
+
+The weather was fine; and as the queen stood at the stern, gazing back
+on the Funen coast, which was still crowded with people, waving their
+caps and cheering lustily, the duke approached her with an air of
+boldness and candour.
+
+"This sudden change in your determination has surprised me, noble
+queen," he observed, in a tone intended for one of reproach more than
+of displeasure: "but I must suppose your grace has weightier reasons
+for it than those you have deigned to communicate to me. I cannot
+believe that a restless night and a singular dream could have such an
+influence on our wise and strong-minded mistress. That, as your dutiful
+knight, I respect and obey as commands even your most inexplicable
+humours, you now perceive. I must, however, observe that, at this
+critical juncture, by these frequent gatherings of the people, and by
+this coronation journey, we expose the kingdom to the greatest danger,
+and afford the outlaws the opportunity they pant for of revenging
+themselves--nothing being too daring for them to attempt, in the first
+flush of their enraged feelings."
+
+"To entertain any such fear, in your presence and that of so many bold
+knights, would but insult you," replied the queen. "Besides, as you may
+observe, I have considerably strengthened my body-guard. I am not
+insensible to your delicacy or your chivalrous submission to what you
+deem my humours and weaknesses," she continued; "and I certainly owe
+you a better explanation than you have yet received of the reasons
+which have led me to change my determination. In important affairs of
+state, it may seem truly unwise to be guided by dreams, presentiments,
+and all such considerations as are held in contempt by your stronger
+sex; and weaknesses of this description have not hitherto been imputed
+to me. But still you must allow, that a dream of warning, in connection
+with the dark remembrances of my life, may justly carry with it a
+considerable weight. Neither is it so unwise to hasten the completion
+of a ceremony which, in the popular estimation, can alone sanctify and
+protect the crown against the vindictiveness of traitors. Besides,
+without any whimsey, as you may term it, the actual sight of the
+regicides, at the Dane-court yesterday, might well dissuade me from
+approaching at present the crypt chapel of Viborg, or the barn of
+Finnerup."
+
+The duke rapidly changed colour. "Most noble queen!" he hastily
+exclaimed, "your dreams and presentiments are surely not connected with
+these horrible events?"
+
+"Partly. You are aware, Duke Waldemar, that grayfriars' cloaks
+concealed the traitors on that fearful St. Cecilia's night. I dreamt
+last night of these twelve men, and that they bore the crown of Denmark
+on the points of their spears. They seemed to me like wolves in sheep's
+clothing, and at their head stood one whose face was entirely concealed
+by his hood."
+
+"And him you took for Marsk Stig?" hastily interrupted the duke. "You
+have reason, indeed, to beware of him, and therefore---"
+
+"And therefore have I changed my resolution," she continued "I saw you,
+too--"
+
+"Me?" ejaculated the duke: "you do me great honour; but I hope that, in
+this dream, you did not find me among those whom your grace knows I
+abhor and condemn."
+
+"Methought you stood by my side, and, by your paleness and agitation, I
+perceived that you, too, trembled at the sight of the tottering crown
+on the murderers' spears. I fancied that the guardian saint of Denmark,
+the holy King Canute, stood before me, and said--'The anointed one
+shall wear the crown until his death.' Can it surprise you, then, that
+such a warning should determine me to accomplish what is already
+desired by the council and by the whole people? Before your arrival in
+Nyborg, it was so resolved; for to delay the proclamation and act of
+homage in Skielskioer, and to defer the coronation, would have but the
+effect of exciting popular discontent."
+
+The queen paused, and looked scrutinisingly at the duke. "If I see
+aright," she added, "one portion of my dream is already fulfilled: you
+are now, assuredly, standing quite pale by my side."
+
+"I cannot at all times bear the sea-breeze," he replied, passing his
+hand across his face. "But indeed, noble queen," he added, in a
+careless tone, "if you consider these ceremonies as so important, I
+shall not persuade you to delay them. Since, however, Denmark's patron
+saint has condescended to make you a revelation, I can only wish that
+he had been somewhat more explicit: to wear the crown until his death,
+is saying little; to wear it long and happily, would be better worth
+revealing. But whether this is the road to it, I know not."
+
+"I know not either," rejoined the queen; "but, in Heaven's name, let us
+try it."
+
+As the young king, accompanied by Sir John and Count Gerhard, now drew
+near, this subject was broken off, and the conversation turned on
+indifferent topics. Sir John was jocular, and the royal party soon
+assumed the appearance of great gaiety. Drost Peter remained silent and
+reserved. But Count Gerhard felt so happy with the secret pledge of the
+queen's confidence which he carried in his bosom, that he yielded
+himself entirely to the current of his natural humour, and far excelled
+the others in amusing the queen. The duke strove in vain to regain his
+pre-eminence; but the endeavour to conceal his uneasy feelings deprived
+him of his usual sprightliness, and his forced compliments and pleasant
+conceits, with Count Gerhard's dry additions, often provoked a laugh,
+by no means flattering to him, but in which he was nevertheless obliged
+to join.
+
+They were now approaching Skielskioer, where multitudes of people
+crowded both sides of the fiord, which divides the town into two almost
+equal parts. Young Erik was standing at the prow, by the side of
+Chancellor Martinus, listening attentively to what that learned
+gentleman was relating concerning Henrik AEmeldorf's rebellion against
+his grandfather, King Christopher Waldemarson.
+
+"It is now five and thirty years ago, my young king and master,"
+said the chancellor, "but it appears to me as if it had happened
+but yesterday: it was the very week after I had gained, in the
+chapter-house, my first palm in logic. Here your late grandfather
+landed with his army, to force the proud rebel to submission, and
+compel his homage. The town and castle, you must be aware, were legally
+in the power of the general, having been given him in pledge by King
+Abel for military pay; but he was grievously wrong in refusing homage
+to the king, and in stirring up the people to rebel against him. That
+deep trench there, across the town's-field, was cast up by the
+rebellious AEmeldorf, and on the other side he had a strong garrison to
+defend it."
+
+"And my grandfather was beaten, and compelled to fly from the rebels?"
+exclaimed the youthful monarch. "That was truly provoking. Had he,
+then, no brave and trusty men in his army?"
+
+"Many," replied the chancellor; "but what avails our strength, when the
+Lord intends to chastise us? The godless traitors, however, did not
+long retain their advantage. The following year your royal grandfather
+again came, like a stern and mighty judge, and the Lord was with him
+then. The city was taken and burnt, the leader of the rebels obliged to
+fly, and his adherents received the punishment due to traitors on
+yonder field--there, where the Retter-Ting and diets are now held.
+_Soli Deo gloria!_"
+
+"And there shall homage be rendered me to-morrow," observed King Erik.
+"It is strange! If this occurred but thirty years ago, there must be
+many still living whose friends and kinsmen were then executed."
+
+"It certainly may be so," replied the chancellor: "the race of the
+ungodly man is not uprooted from the earth. Might I counsel you, my
+young king, I would say, remove the Zealand Dane-court to another city,
+to avoid those gloomy recollections and forebodings of evil to which
+the superstition of the people will easily give birth. 'Tis true, the
+power and fortunes of kings are in the hands of God alone; but
+shortsighted men will sometimes see evil, where the Lord purposes only
+good; and, on what they deem an unlucky spot, they will not easily
+rejoice or be filled with faith in temporal prosperity."
+
+"Entertain you any distrust of my dear subjects here, reverend
+sir?" inquired Erik. "See how joyfully they wave their caps. And,
+listen--they already salute me with shouts of welcome."
+
+"The people, thank Heaven, are faithful and ardent," replied the
+chancellor; "but should the outlaws appear here, to protest against
+their sentence, they would, I fear much, find many adherents; for
+where, indeed, are not the sons of Satan? Still, you have with you
+faithful men, sir king; and, with the assistance of the King of kings,
+you have nothing to fear. If I see aright, Rimaardson also is here."
+
+The royal smack had now reached the quay, where the royal party were
+received by the town's-governor and the burghers, as also by Sir Bent
+Rimaardson, who, with his galley, had newly arrived from Taarborg. The
+kinsman of the queen, and a faithful friend to the royal house, he was
+justly held in the greatest respect. The execution of his brother,
+along with Niels Breakpeace and his band, had rendered him yet more
+melancholy than before; but he sought, by the most vigilant activity,
+to efface the ignominy that thus attached to his noble race. Since the
+surprisal of Rypen House, in which he had taken an active part, he had
+been cruising about the coasts, for the purpose of protecting them
+against the Norse freebooters; and a pirate-vessel, that he had
+recently captured, now lay in Skielskioer fiord. When he had saluted
+the royal family, he begged to be permitted to accompany them to the
+Hovgaard, as the castle is called, where, he said, he had some tidings
+to impart.
+
+"If your tidings are good, Sir Rimaardson, let us hear them here,"
+exclaimed the youthful king. "Yet, nay," he added, "this is not the
+place for that."
+
+The air of suspicion which Sir Rimaardson wore did not escape old Sir
+John, who also, as well as the chancellor, had observed the duke and
+Master Grand exchange uneasy and significant glances, when they
+discovered the captured pirate in the fiord.
+
+Whilst the royal personages, amidst the acclamations of the people,
+repaired to the castle, Rimaardson hastily took Drost Peter aside.
+"There are traitors in the town," he whispered: "guard well the king,
+and keep an eye upon the duke. Had you crossed the Little Belt to-day,
+you had fallen into the hands of the marsk. A Norse fleet, with, it is
+rumoured, the Norse king himself, is lying at Ekeroe. The marsk, at
+this instant perhaps, burns one half of Funen with--"
+
+"Just Providence!" exclaimed Drost Peter, "when stood a Danish king so
+surrounded by foes and traitors! Would only that he were anointed and
+crowned!"
+
+"Would only that the duke had never left Sjoeborg Tower!" whispered
+Rimaardson.
+
+"He may again be there," exclaimed the drost, with flashing eyes; while
+the approach of the duke, at that moment, put an end to their private
+conference.
+
+When the royal party were alone in the castle, they learned from Sir
+Rimaardson what he had just confided to Drost Peter. He produced, at
+the same time, a packet of intercepted letters from Drost Tuko
+Abildgaard in Norway, and from Marsk Stig, to Duke Waldemar, Master
+Grand, and Count Jacob of Halland, by which the league of the outlaws
+with the King of Norway, and their entire plans for overturning the
+Danish throne, were clearly discovered. Of the letters from the duke's
+drost, some were addressed, under ecclesiastical seals, to Dean Grand
+of Roskild, directing him to attend to the duke and the disaffected
+nobles of the kingdom. From these it appeared that Marsk Stig and the
+outlaws intended to place the duke upon the vacant throne, if he would
+faithfully join them, and seize the opportunity of getting the royal
+family into his power. By the letters to Count Jacob it appeared, on
+the contrary, that the marsk and the outlaws could not depend upon the
+duke, and that they had promised the crown of Denmark to the Norse
+king, if he would assist them with a fleet, and promise to reinstate
+them in their rights and dignities. These important letters were found
+on board the captured freebooter, the crew of which were then lying
+bound in the castle-dungeons.
+
+This discovery excited the greatest alarm in the minds of the queen and
+her son, who immediately called into their secret council Sir John,
+Drost Peter, and Master Martin. Every necessary precaution was
+instantly adopted; and, by Sir John's advice, the duke was to be
+admitted only in appearance into their councils, and but half informed
+of what had been discovered. The intercepted letters, which betrayed
+his connection with the outlaws, were carefully concealed; and it was
+deemed prudent to communicate to him only the letters to Count Jacob,
+respecting the marsk's audacious proposals to the Norwegian king.
+
+When this resolution was adopted, they requested the attendance of the
+duke, whose astonishment at the discovery they made to him seemed real
+and natural. The marsk and the other outlaws he reprobated in the
+strongest terms, and cordially approved of all the measures which the
+council had taken to defend the country against the Norwegians.
+
+In the meanwhile, Count Gerhard had disembarked the royal troops, and
+quartered them in the town; and stationing a considerable body of them
+at the castle, he himself took his place in the ante-chamber, as
+captain of the guard.
+
+When Drost Peter and Sir John left the royal closet, the cheeks of the
+former were flushed with anger, by which, and his flashing eyes, it was
+evident that some bold project was in his mind.
+
+"Wretched weakness!" he exclaimed. "Have we not now sufficient proofs
+of his treachery? Why should we not arrest him, as a traitor, on the
+spot?"
+
+"Prudence, my young friend," replied old John.
+
+"Your prudence drives me mad!" exclaimed Drost Peter. "I can no longer
+bear to see the traitor amongst us, as our master and the ruler of the
+kingdom. If we be not beforehand with him, he will be beforehand with
+us, as old Henner said. It must now break or bear--"
+
+"It will break unless we are cautious," interrupted the old knight,
+emphatically. "So long as he contrives to wear the mask, he is of
+service to us; but the moment he casts it aside, he must be
+overthrown."
+
+"Good: one word will suffice for that."
+
+"Beware of that word, Drost Peter, for by it you may perhaps overturn
+the throne of Denmark. Yet one thing," added the old man, in a
+sorrowful tone, as he cast a look of anxious concern on his excited
+friend: "are you aware that the father of our faithful Inge was the
+bearer of these treasonable letters, and now lies a prisoner in the
+tower?"
+
+Drost Peter seemed horror-struck. "Merciful Heaven!--Sir Lave!" he
+exclaimed. "I can hardly doubt it. But is his crime quite evident?"
+
+"He was on board the freebooter, and in his care the letters were
+found. What he can urge in his own defence, I know not. To-morrow he is
+to be heard before the council; and on account of our relationship with
+him, I have requested that you and I may be then exempted from sitting
+as his judges."
+
+"Poor Inge!" sighed Drost Peter. "Where is she? What have you done with
+her? She referred me to you, who have coldly and sternly avoided every
+question on the subject. But I can no longer refrain. What does she in
+Sweden, while we imprison and condemn her father here?"
+
+"You shall know all, and will approve of it," replied Sir John, as he
+seized his hand. "Follow me to the chancellor. For the sake of Inge, I
+could wish that Sir Lave might, to-morrow, frustrate us all; although,
+were I his judge, there were small hopes of his deliverance. But that
+office lies with the duke, and one raven does not pick out the eye of
+another. As far as this goes, we may rejoice at the miscarriage of
+justice, and that we have a traitor for the kingdom's protector." So
+saying, he passed his hand over his eyes with much emotion, and drew
+Drost Peter along with him.
+
+In the middle of the castle-yard stood a small gloomy tower, the stone
+vaults of which served as a prison. In one of these subterranean
+dungeons lay Sir Lave. He stirred not but with dreadful apprehension,
+and seemed terrified at the clank of his own chains. At every sound he
+huddled himself up, and gazed earnestly on the securely bolted iron
+door; but it opened not. A small grating, looking forth upon the
+castle-yard, was situated high in the wall. This, with the aid of an
+old block of wood, which some wretched captive had formerly dragged
+after him, and a few loose stones, he succeeded, after considerable
+labour, in reaching. Here he saw Sir John and Drost Peter pass by; but
+he was afraid to meet his kinsman's look, and indignation choked his
+voice as he was about to call on Drost Peter to save him. He wept and
+wrung his hands, but regained courage when he perceived several of the
+duke's people passing to and fro. He then drew out a little note, which
+he had concealed in his sleeve, anxiously hiding it at every suspicious
+noise, and pulling it forth again when a follower of the duke appeared.
+
+The young king showed himself for a moment on the balcony and was
+received by the curious spectators in the court below with shouts and
+waving of caps. This spectacle greatly agitated the captive, who, again
+concealing the letter, shortly afterwards became absorbed in deep and
+gloomy thought, in which he remained until the moonbeams, penetrating
+his cell, announced to him the approach of night. At that moment he
+perceived the duke descend the castle-stairs, and proceed to that wing
+of the castle appropriated to him. Preceding him was a royal page,
+bearing a torch, and six of his knights attended him at a little
+distance. His air was thoughtful; and, as he approached the grating of
+the dungeon, a gleam of hope inspired with courage the despairing
+prisoner. He coughed. The duke heard it, and looked towards the
+grating.
+
+"Drop your glove, Duke Waldemar," whispered the captive knight, as he
+rolled the letter up, and threw it forth.
+
+The duke dropped his glove as desired, and, in picking it up again,
+also secured the letter.
+
+"There lies one of the traitors from Norway, awaiting the gallows," he
+exclaimed aloud, as he threw an indignant glance towards the dungeon,
+and passed on, regardless of the deep sigh that burst from the heart of
+the despairing prisoner.
+
+Skirmen, who, by his master's orders, was observing every motion of the
+duke, was at this instant concealed in the deep shadow of a corner,
+near the tower. The moment the duke had disappeared, the trusty squire
+came forth, and was hastening to his master, when he was arrested by a
+voice from the grating.
+
+"In the name of the merciful God, listen to me, young man!" exclaimed
+the captive knight. "Art not thou Drost Hessel's squire?"
+
+"At your service," answered Skirmen, as he stopped.
+
+"Inform your master, then," stammered the prisoner, "that the man who
+once saved Drost Peter Hessel's life and preserved his freedom, would
+now converse with him a moment for the sake of his own mind's peace.
+Tell him that I can reveal to him something of great importance. But
+time presses."
+
+"I shall deliver your message," replied Skirmen, as he hastened away.
+
+The prisoner descended from his dangerous seat, and carefully removed
+the means by which he had reached the grating. He then seated himself
+sorrowfully on the block beneath it, and listened anxiously to every
+sound he heard. Some time elapsed thus, when at length the rattling of
+the gaoler's keys, and the withdrawing of the bolts one by one from the
+door, announced a visitor. In another moment Drost Peter stood in the
+cell with him.
+
+The moonlight through the grating fell upon the pale face of the
+prisoner, who remained in a crouching posture, without daring to raise
+his eyes. The drost stood for an instant, silently contemplating him.
+In the half-despairing countenance before him, there was that which
+reminded him bitterly both of Lady Inge and the brave Sir John--some of
+the lineaments of the noble race of Littles. Tears stood in his eyes.
+
+"Miserable man!" he exclaimed, at length, "what can I effect for your
+peace? And of what have you to unburden yourself to me?"
+
+"Tell me truly, Peter Hessel," asked the prisoner, in a trembling
+voice, but with a tone of parental familiarity that reminded the drost
+of the relation in which they had stood in his youthful days, "are thou
+and Cousin John to be my judges?"
+
+"Nay, Heaven be praised! Our relationship to you exempts us from that
+duty."
+
+"I may, then, hope for mercy; for from thee and Sir John I could expect
+only what you call justice. But God help us all, if we must be treated
+according to our deserts!"
+
+"Sir Lave," interrupted Drost Peter, "think you, then, that there is
+not a powerful, perhaps an all too-powerful voice, which pleads for you
+both in my breast and that of old kinsman?"
+
+"I believe it, and will prove to thee my sincerity," replied the
+prisoner, "since, as thou art not to sit in judgment on me, I can
+venture to unburden my heart to thee."
+
+He arose, and threw on the drost a penetrating look, while he continued
+in the same familiar tone:--"Misfortune has now taught me what thou in
+vain wouldst have had me believe in time. I now perceive that no
+success or blessing attends rebellion against lawfully constituted
+authority, even when instigated by the purest attachment to freedom and
+fatherland. By the law, my doom is death; but the prerogative of mercy
+lies with the king, in whose hands I place my life and fate. I had no
+share in his father's death, and he can therefore pardon me. Had I seen
+him before, as I have seen him to-day, I should not now be in this
+dungeon. The stern Marsk Stig himself, I firmly believe, could not
+look the youthful monarch in the face and deny him the name of king.
+I cannot now blame thee, Peter Hessel, who wert his tutor and
+weapon-master, for entertaining the greatest hopes of him. If he spare
+my life, I will swear fealty to him, and reveal matters of importance.
+Tell him I will confess my sins to the chancellor, and atone for my
+crimes in a state-prison. Tell him--"
+
+"Kind Heaven!" exclaimed Drost Peter, joyfully, as he seized Sir Lave's
+trembling hand, "dare I believe? Has, then, the Almighty heard my
+petition, and inclined your heart to faith and honour. You will be
+loyal and attached to our young king--you will confess all, and swear
+him fealty--you will atone your treason--and he will--he must pardon
+you. But he does not govern alone," he added, with a sigh; "and,
+without the concurrence of the queen and the duke, his wishes will
+avail you not."
+
+Sir Lave's pale cheeks flushed, and for an instant he remained silent.
+"The duke cannot condemn me," at length he whispered, with a smile of
+confidence: "I have taken care of that. The will of the king I know
+thou canst easily determine, and a favourable word to the queen would
+perhaps also find a willing ear. There was a time when Peter Hessel was
+all-powerful with the fair Queen Agnes--"
+
+A frown gathered on Drost Peter's brow, for the expression of Sir
+Lave's features did not please him. The joy he had felt at his
+conversion quickly disappeared, while the discovery that Skirmen had
+just imparted to him suddenly presented itself to his mind.
+
+"As a man, I may perhaps venture to speak, where, as drost, I must be
+silent," he replied, sternly; "but I can only venture to do so when I
+am convinced of your sincerity, and that you are not, even here, taking
+counsel against the king and country."
+
+"What! do you still doubt me, Drost Peter?" asked Sir Lave, in a tone
+of terror and bitterness. "I say I am converted to your state-creed.
+Must you see me howl in sackcloth and ashes before you believe me?
+Intercede for me, Peter Hessel! and you will find that I am not
+ungrateful," he continued, fawningly. "Thy father was my friend, and
+what I promised him on his deathbed I have not forgotten. Save my life
+now, as once I saved thine, and my hand shall no longer separate what a
+mightier than mine hath joined together."
+
+Drost Peter was much affected; but observing a cunning smile on Sir
+Lave's restless features, he felt, with wounded self-esteem, how nearly
+he had been befooled.
+
+"Not even for that prize, Sir Lave, shall I forfeit my fidelity," he
+exclaimed, warmly. "If, without self-abasement, I intercede and promise
+for you, I must first be convinced that we dare trust you. What
+connection subsists between the duke and you? and what was the purport
+of the letter which, but half an hour ago, you bade him pick up with
+his glove?"
+
+Sir Lave became pale with terror. "Letter!--what letter?" he stammered
+out. But perceiving the uselessness of denial, he continued:--"Well, as
+you appear to be omniscient, it was so: but I swear it contained
+nothing but what was true--that I was an incautious fool, and had
+brought letters to land which would perhaps occasion the duke
+embarrassment, if I did not explain the nature of them. I can testify
+that they were written by his enemies, and, being intercepted, might
+lay him under the suspicion of having private intercourse with the
+outlaws."
+
+"Wretched man!" interrupted Drost Peter: "on the brink of a gulph you
+are still playing with two sharp-edged swords, both of which will fall
+with deadly force upon your head. I cannot--I dare not, now intercede
+for you. I should myself be an enemy to Denmark and the royal house,
+and a traitor to my country, should I do so. But I will provide for the
+peace of your soul. Within an hour the chancellor will visit you.
+Confess yourself sincerely to him, and bethink of your eternal weal. He
+may then, perhaps, beg mercy for you from the pitying God."
+
+"Alas, alas! let, then, the chancellor come, and prepare me for death!"
+groaned Sir Lave, as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "I
+must now put my hope in God, for in man there is no mercy! Alas! could
+my Inge see how hardhearted you are, Drost Peter, she would never love
+the man who can treat so cruelly her unfortunate father."
+
+"Heaven is my witness," sorrowfully exclaimed Drost Peter, laying his
+hand upon his breast, "that it cuts me to the soul that I cannot trust
+you better. You would win the duke with false witness, and me with a
+false hope; and would, if you could, make my affection traitor to my
+loyalty.  Nay, Sir Lave Little, you are not thus to be saved. Truth
+only can save you, the country, and us all. God give your unstable mind
+constancy and strength to resolve earnestly on that to which you now
+only pretend for the purpose of saving yourself before a human
+tribunal!"
+
+With these words he left the dungeon, and Sir Lave sank with a groan
+upon the stone floor, where the fear of death wrung a sincere prayer
+from his bosom.
+
+Half an hour afterwards, Chancellor Martinus, in his Dominican habit,
+with his breviary and a candle in his hand, was admitted to the anxious
+captive, whom he found in a state of such bewilderment and mental
+conflict, that the philosophical chancellor found it impossible to
+understand his incoherent and contradictory expressions.
+
+"Is it you who are to prepare me for death?" asked the prisoner,
+starting up with a wild stare. "Ha! it is time. The wheel and stile are
+ready. Drost Peter will not intercede for me; and my child, my poor
+child, she will die of shame for her miserable father. But my
+punishment is just," he continued, sinking his voice to a whisper: "I
+nodded--see, I nodded thus--in that horrible council. That nod cost me
+perhaps my salvation, and King Erik Christopherson his life. Was I not
+among the twelve in Finnerup barn? Nay, nay, that was but a dream!"
+he exclaimed, vehemently--"that night I only betrayed my master's
+castle--his blood is not upon my hand, and will not be visited upon my
+head. But I heard the woe-cry from his coffin: from the grave it
+came--nay, from hell itself! It yet rings in my ears. To be doomed an
+outlaw by men is nothing--but outlawed, eternally outlawed from heaven,
+I became at that hour. I am an unfortunate man!" He paused and sighed.
+"Ha! but misfortune shall not strike me down," he continued, strutting
+boldly across the dungeon--"I am of noble birth, and die not as a
+traitor, but as a patriot and the foe of tyrants. What wilt thou with
+me, clerk? Thou art no confessor of mine--thou art not the bold dean
+who bids defiance to kings and kaisers. I know thee well: thou art the
+book-worm from Antvorskov, the learned chancellor--thou wert the
+tyrants' friend, and now wouldst outlaw and put under the ban every
+free-minded Dane. Comest thou hither to shrive me to-night, ere thou
+doomest me to the wheel to-morrow? Nay, nay--that thou mayst spare
+thyself, my very learned sir. A wise statesman can hold his tongue, and
+die like a heathen, without shrift or penitence."
+
+He continued for some time raving in this wild manner, now accusing
+himself as the greatest criminal, and now boasting his high birth and
+political sagacity, but at length recovered himself, and burst into
+tears.
+
+The learned Master Martinus had several times vainly attempted to stop
+him, to point out the rules in _logica_ against which he was offending;
+but the zealous carer for souls now triumphed over the philosopher,
+and he seized this favourable opportunity of exhorting to repentance
+the despairing sinner before him; and, in the supposition that he had
+been among the regicides, he became stern and vehement, and thundered
+forth the most fearful threatenings of the law against traitors and
+man-slayers.
+
+"Nay, nay!" exclaimed Sir Lave, "I am no regicide; but still I must
+surely perish, unless there dwells pity with Heaven and the Holy
+Church. Listen, and I will shrive!"
+
+He then threw himself at the feet of the chancellor, and confessed
+every step he had taken, relating how he had been inveigled into the
+conspiracy, and protesting that he had, however, taken no share in his
+kinsman's sanguinary revenge.
+
+"Drost Peter was right," he exclaimed: "the truth alone can save me and
+all of us. Even at that hour I would have deceived him, and he cannot
+trust--he cannot sue for mercy for me. Let justice, then, overtake me.
+Here I must be condemned; but save, oh save my soul from the eternal
+death!"
+
+"Your sin is great," answered the chancellor, who was much affected;
+"but those who abused your weakness, have more to atone for than you
+have." He then, in the blessed words of the Gospel, exhorted him to
+repentance, and in the name of the Holy Church granted him indulgence
+for his sins, should he continue firm in his repentance, and true to
+the change of conduct he had promised. "Even your earthly judges," he
+added, "I hope to soften, after this your confession. What you have
+confided to me no man shall know without your own permission; but allow
+me to reveal it to the queen and our young king, and I promise that
+time shall be accorded you for repentance in a bearable state-prison."
+
+"Reveal it to all!" exclaimed Sir Lave, embracing his knees with
+trembling arms. "In the wall of my closet at Flynderborg is a secret
+depository, where lie the proofs of my greatest crime. Let all the
+world know it, but let me not die thus in my sin. Spare but my
+life--this wretched life--and I will gladly hide myself and my shame in
+Denmark's darkest prison. Reveal all!" he continued, in the accents of
+fear and anxiety--"tell them, too, that there will be a tumult here
+to-morrow, if they take not means to prevent it. The outlaws are here,
+and, with the assistance of the duke, will possess themselves of the
+king's person. I have even brought the duke the letter respecting it."
+
+"Merciful Heaven!" exclaimed the chancellor, who, terrified, suddenly
+rose and knocked violently at the prison-door, which was quickly opened
+for him.
+
+The prisoner attempted to escape with him; but a violent blow from the
+sturdy turnkey threw him backwards on the stone floor, without
+consciousness.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+An innumerable multitude of people from all quarters of Zealand were
+assembled in Skielskioer, to see and do homage to the young king. All
+the villages in the environs were thronged, for the town, which had
+been half burnt down in the feud between King Christopher and Henrik
+AEmeldorf, had not yet recovered its former prosperity, and could with
+difficulty accommodate but an inconsiderable portion of the strangers.
+
+These throngs were further augmented by the friends and adherents of
+the outlawed noblemen, who had assembled in great numbers, in
+consequence of the rumour that the murderers of King Erik
+Christopherson had been personally cited to hear their doom, and that
+they intended to defend their cause before the people, and protest
+against the sentence of outlawry.
+
+As evening approached the tumults and contentions which occurred
+between these partisans and the populace became so frequent, that the
+town-governor was compelled to call on the royal landsknechts to assist
+him in keeping order.
+
+On the following morning, when the matin-bell had rung from the lofty
+spire of St. Nicholas, the people were already assembled in the
+Thing-place, and in the large area before the Hovgaard, to witness the
+procession of the royal family to the Dane-court; but hour after hour
+elapsed, and the royal party appeared not. The castle was encircled
+by the royal landsknechts and a body of the burgher-guard, whilst,
+posted before the gate, at the head of a small party of the queen's
+life-horse, were Drost Peter and Count Gerhard. Both appeared
+thoughtful. Drost Peter still carried his right arm in a sling; but,
+like a skilful swordsman, he knew how to support at need his weapon
+with his left.
+
+As it appeared, they had hoped to prevent all tumult at the
+proclamation, and had found it impolitic to break with the duke. The
+inner courts of the castle had, in the meanwhile, by the drost's
+arrangements, been secretly filled with the remaining portion of the
+queen's life-horse, which were supposed to have been left on board the
+ships. These, the most trusty of the royal troops, had orders to
+advance and secure the duke, the instant they saw the drawn sword in
+the drost's hand.
+
+Not far from Count Gerhard and Drost Peter, in a magnificent suit of
+armour, was the duke, seated on his charger, in the midst of his
+knights and a considerable body of Sleswick horsemen. His looks, as he
+surveyed the multitude, seemed anxious and uneasy, and the dark,
+earnest countenance of Drost Peter did not appear to please him, any
+more than did the bold bearing of Count Gerhard.
+
+The people now began to display symptoms of impatience at the long
+delay; and, with visible discontent, Drost Peter whispered to Count
+Gerhard--"This is the fault of our good, thoughtful chancellor."
+
+Murmurs and expressions of anger speedily followed.
+
+"How long must we remain here upon our pegs, before we see either wet
+or dry?" growled a corpulent burgher, who was standing sentry.
+
+"There is good reason for the delay, Faerlil," answered a long-bearded
+Sleswick horseman: "your king, to be sure, has no need yet to stop to
+polish his beard; but he must be swaddled and suckled. The queen, too,
+must be trim and spruce, that your maids and wives may not tempt Drost
+Hoseol to prove untrue to her."
+
+A boisterous laugh from the horsemen accompanied this coarse joke.
+
+"The people are becoming merry--that pleases me well," observed Count
+Gerhard, who heard the laughter, but not the disgraceful words which
+created it.
+
+Drost Peter, however, had heard them, and burned with indignation,
+which he endeavoured to suppress, looking with apparent inattention in
+the opposite direction; whilst the merriment continued, and was kept up
+with other expressions of a like nature.
+
+"Peace, fellows, or speak of royalty with greater respect!" exclaimed
+the duke, with apparent severity, to his people.
+
+"Yes," added one of his knights, "take care, you fellows! The drost's
+left arm is not to be laughed at. And you, my good man," he observed to
+the burgher--"you should remember the consequences of grumbling in
+Skielskioer at a royal proclamation."
+
+"I'faith, that is true, stern sir knight," growled the burgher: "unless
+we would have our houses again burnt over our heads, we must howl with
+the wolves, and submit to boy-rule and petticoat government."
+
+"Fie for shame on every Danish man," cried another, "that they should
+patiently submit to be ruled by a king in slippers and baby-clothes."
+
+"Thou hast a mind to be outlawed before night, my bold fellow,"
+observed a tall personage, in a monk's habit. "A good word now-a-days
+may bring that on a man."
+
+"Know you the news, holy sir?" exclaimed an awkward, heavy mass-boy to
+the monk: "Marsk Stig and his friends have to-day been put under the
+ban of the Church by the Archbishop of Lund."
+
+"The ban--the ban!" was muttered around from one to the other, with
+increasing discontent.
+
+"They could never be so infatuated," observed a tall man, enveloped in
+a large blue cloak.
+
+"He begins sharply, this little master," exclaimed a jeering voice
+close by the side of the last speaker; "and his pinafore must be as
+wide as a church-door, since he can carry an archbishop in his pocket."
+
+"The apple doesn't fall wide of the tree," remarked the corpulent
+burgher; whilst his neighbour began humming:--
+
+
+                  "And so grows up the little wolf,
+                  With sharp teeth in his jaws."
+
+
+"What else could you expect?" demanded the Sleswick horseman: "all that
+come of the wolf, howl like the wolf, as they say in our country."
+
+One of the queen's horsemen, who was stationed next to the Sleswicker,
+had long sat in his saddle as if on glowing coals. "If there be wolves'
+cubs amongst us," he now at last broke out, in a broad Jutlandic
+accent, "they are rather in your troop than ours, my dainty
+Sleswicker."
+
+"It needs a good dog to smell that out," retorted the other.
+
+"In our country the dogs are as keen as they are true," rejoined the
+North Jute; "but down by Gottorp they ought to be keen indeed, as the
+late King Abel, your duke's grandfather, must well know, seeing that
+three fiery hounds hunt him every night to the infernal regions."
+
+"Whoever says an ill word of my duke or of his race, shall have his
+neck broken!" exclaimed the Sleswick horseman, drawing his sword.
+
+"And whoever slanders my queen or the drost, shall have his nose and
+ears cut off!" vociferated the other, already brandishing his glaive.
+
+As the contention thus grew hot, several joined in it; and although it
+was strictly forbidden that any one should draw his sword before
+orders, many weapons were already seen gleaming among the troopers,
+both of the queen and of the duke.
+
+"Peace, there!" now cried the latter, as, with some uneasiness, he
+examined the multitude around him.
+
+"Whoever strikes a blow without his officer's command, is a dead man!"
+shouted Drost Peter; and the swords were again sheathed, whilst the
+noisy quarrel subsided to a murmur.
+
+A cry of "The king! the king!" was now heard, and the most perfect
+silence instantly pervaded the restless crowd.
+
+At that moment the queen and the young king issued on horseback from
+the castle-gate, escorted by twelve trabants, and attended by Sir John,
+Rimaardson, and Chancellor Martin. The ecclesiastic, who was mounted on
+his palfrey, and wore his Dominican habit, with polished shoes and
+white heels, looked very pale and apprehensive.
+
+Nearly the entire multitude instantly greeted the king with a shout of
+homage, and the quarrel between the troopers was apparently at an end,
+when a powerful voice, from amidst the crowd, exclaimed--"Long live
+Marsk Stig and his friends! Down, down with the tyrants!"
+
+The duke looked hastily around him, whilst Drost Peter narrowly watched
+him, with his left hand on the hilt of his sword.
+
+Although the cheering for the king continued, the shout of "Long live
+the duke! Long live Waldemar Erikson!" still gained ground: it was
+repeated by great numbers of the burghers, and by all the Sleswick
+horsemen; and, as it increased in vehemence and extent, the duke again
+looked round, lifting his hat, and saluting the assemblage with an air
+of bravery.
+
+Li this salute Drost Peter perceived a preconcerted signal; for the
+duke was then cheered on every side, by the same voices that had just
+raised the seditious cry in favour of Marsk Stig. The drost could no
+longer retain his indignation. "Down, down with the traitors!" he
+shouted, as his sword flew from its scabbard, and gleamed in his left
+hand, whilst, at the same instant, the concealed horsemen, rushing
+forward, surrounded the spot.
+
+Duke Waldemar beheld this unexpected movement with astonishment and
+consternation. "Rebellion! treason!" he exclaimed: "defend your
+protector, brave Danes! Seize the drost! He is the traitor.--At them!"
+shouted he to his horsemen; who, however, before they could, in the
+general confusion, range themselves in any order of battle, were, with
+the duke, charged with so much impetuosity by Drost Peter and Count
+Gerhard, at the head of the queen's horsemen, that they were compelled
+to seek for safety in a rapid flight; the whole body hastening from the
+town through a narrow street, which had not yet been blockaded.
+
+"After the duke! Seize the traitor! _He_ is the chief of the
+regicides!" shouted the drost, as, at the head of the queen's troopers,
+he pursued the fugitives.
+
+During this uproar, the noise of which was augmented by the cries and
+clamour of the people, Sir John and Rimaardson, with the chancellor and
+the twelve trabants, had instantly formed a close circle round the
+king, and, without awaiting the issue, had hurried with him across the
+castle-square, and through the excited crowds, down to the fiord.
+
+But the queen had boldly ridden forward amidst her faithful body-guard,
+and soon found herself at their head, between Count Gerhard and Drost
+Peter; whilst before them, and without once looking behind, fled the
+duke and his horsemen, as if panic-struck.
+
+"Noble queen," exclaimed Drost Peter, "here you are exposed to too much
+danger."
+
+"I think myself safer nowhere than between the brave Count Gerhard and
+yourself," was her confident reply.
+
+"Shame befall us," cried Count Gerhard; "if we are not now invincible,
+we never deserve success."
+
+Outside of the town, on Trandrup Field, where Henrik AEmeldorf engaged
+King Christopher, the duke first commanded his troopers to halt; and,
+availing himself of his start, he wheeled about, and hastily placed his
+men in order of battle.
+
+The drost, who, with his troop, was rapidly pushing forward, now heard
+the wild shout of assailants behind him, and, on looking round,
+perceived a large body of mail-clad horsemen in his rear, in the
+leaders of which he thought he recognised Count Jacob and the two
+knights who had been outlawed at Nyborg.
+
+"You have ventured too far, most noble queen!" he exclaimed. "The
+traitors have out-man[oe]uvred us. Fall into a circle, lads--place the
+queen in the centre--and you, Count Gerhard, stir not from her side."
+
+"By Beelzebub!" muttered the count, "must I be only a peg in this
+confounded game of skittles? Stay you here, rather, with your wounded
+arm, Drost Hessel."
+
+But the drost heard him not, while the queen's troopers immediately
+obeyed the order of their chief, and formed a circle around their
+mistress, who, although pale and apprehensive, yet retained her
+firmness, and closely observed every movement of the enemy; whilst
+Count Gerhard rode around the circle like a wild beast in a cage.
+
+The foe, meanwhile, had been pressing on from both sides, when the
+drost, commanding the circle to extend, slackened his bridle, and, with
+his sword in his left hand, dashed against the duke and his horsemen.
+
+"Turn you now against the outlaws, Count Gerhard," said the queen,
+calmly.
+
+This was precisely the intention of the skilful warrior, who sprang
+from the circle, shouting;--"Forward, carls, in a line! Follow me!"
+
+The circle, thus dividing, soon formed compact lines, which fought in
+opposite directions against the twofold superior foe. The queen
+remained between the lines, a witness of the sanguinary conflict, which
+cost many of her faithful men their lives. Her checks glowed with
+ardour and excitement whilst she glanced now towards Drost Peter, and
+now towards Count Gerhard; but her eye most frequently rested on the
+valiant count, who had engaged in the fray with the greatest spirit and
+ardour, every stroke of his good sword appearing to drive the enemy a
+step before him.
+
+The space between the two lines of horsemen was every instant
+increasing, and the queen, with lively satisfaction and joy, beheld the
+success of Count Gerhard's bold attack; when, turning her eyes once
+more towards Drost Peter, she uttered a cry of alarm. His troopers were
+in disorder, and he himself was unhorsed in the midst of the duke's
+people, who cast themselves upon him with a savage shout of triumph.
+
+"Merciful Heaven!" she exclaimed, "they will murder him! Save, oh save
+Drost Peter, noble count!" and, heedless of the danger, she rode into
+the midst of the melee, where Count Gerhard's horsemen were on the
+point of beating the outlaws from the field, and, pressing close up to
+the side of the count, repeated her request.
+
+"In God's name, be it as you command, noble queen!" he replied.
+"Forword, lads! Think not of me!" And turning his steed, he hastened to
+the assistance of Drost Peter, and endeavoured to restore order to his
+broken ranks.
+
+But his own troops now fell into similar confusion, and the outlaws,
+inspired with new courage, again pressed forward with shouts of
+triumph; whilst, on the opposite side, the all-victorious duke
+continued to pursue the drost's chiefless band.
+
+The attempts of Count Gerhard to rally the flying horsemen, and restore
+them to order, were vain: he found it impossible to collect the
+scattered soldiers; and the enemy pressed on victoriously from both
+sides. The confusion was now at its height, and the slaughter around
+him was dreadful.
+
+"All is lost--we must fly, noble queen!" he at length cried, turning to
+the spot where the queen had stood only a moment before. But he now
+beheld her not. One of her troopers had thrown his cloak over her, and
+in the confusion she had disappeared, whilst the count, who could
+nowhere discover her amidst the tumultuous bands of contending
+horsemen, then became furious, and his blows fell fast on every side,
+directed indiscriminately at friends or foes. His glaring eye sought
+only the queen; but, at last, even his sight began to fail him: the
+scene appeared to whirl around him, and he became unconscious.
+When he recovered his senses, he found himself alone on the dreary
+battle-field, with only dead and wounded around him. His eye was safe,
+but that which was yet dearer to him had disappeared. He looked around
+once more; and then mounting his steed, which had remained near him, he
+proceeded rapidly in the direction of the town.
+
+The tumult there had not yet ceased. Soldiers and armed burghers were
+scouring the streets, and scenes of bloodshed were everywhere enacted.
+Some shouted the names of Marsk Stig and Count Jacob, and exclaimed:
+"Vengeance for the outlaws!" Others had for their rallying cry the name
+of the duke, cutting down all who refused to join in it; whilst a great
+portion of the burghers and badly armed peasants vociferated: "Long
+live our young king! Death to the traitors!" The adherents of the duke
+and those of the outlaws did not seem to be quite certain whether they
+should regard each other as friends or foes; although, in general, they
+made common cause against the royalists.
+
+Meanwhile, the duke, at the head of his Sleswick horsemen, returned
+triumphantly to the castle. The report of his victory, and the defeat
+of the royal party, soon became known, and greatly alarmed the trusty
+burghers and peasants, who had assembled in defence of their youthful
+king. The duke was accompanied by a crowd of savage-looking butchers,
+with blood-stained axes, and by many strangers in disguise, who
+applauded him loudly. A band of mailed horsemen, wearing their visors
+down, and who were supposed to be the outlaws and their followers,
+closed this triumphal procession.
+
+The duke dismounted at the castle, and immediately occupied it with his
+troops.
+
+"Where is the king?" he demanded.
+
+"Out of the fiord, on his flight to Nyborg," replied a heavy butcher.
+
+The duke's triumphant look changed suddenly to one of disappointment.
+He gave a private order to one of his knights, who instantly rode off
+for the haven, with a troop of horsemen.
+
+"And where is her grace the queen?" again inquired the duke.
+
+But this no one knew; and all he could learn was, that Prince
+Christopher and the little Princess Merete had been taken from the
+castle by Sir Rimaardson's seamen.
+
+"Let there be tranquillity now, brave burghers," he said, addressing
+the noisy crowds that surrounded him; "and let every one retire to his
+abode, for the Dane-court and proclamation are postponed. I have
+succeeded fortunately in quelling this tumult, and the ringleader is
+now in my power. He is the queen's presumptuous favourite, Drost
+Hessel, who so far abused the ear of his royal mistress as to create in
+her distrust of me. His object was to obtain possession of the king's
+person, and so be master of the nation; but you have nothing now to
+fear from the traitor, for he shall never more see the light of day. I
+am still your lawful protector, and shall watch carefully over your
+good and the welfare of the country."
+
+When he had finished this address, which was received with noisy
+acclamation, he saluted his uproarious adherents with all the
+condescension and bearing of a sovereign, and entered the castle,
+accompanied by his gay knights, and the tall mail-clad warrior with the
+closed visor and blue mantle, who had led on the outlaws. With this
+individual, in whom many thought they recognised Count Jacob of
+Halland, he had a short and private conversation, at the close of which
+the unknown warrior left the castle; and, an hour after, not one of the
+outlaws or their followers was to be seen in the town. They had
+departed in anger, it was said, threatening to return with fire and
+sword within a twelvemonth and a day.
+
+The duke himself soon began to think of leaving a town where the king
+possessed many faithful subjects. He therefore directed that the
+captive and sorely-wounded drost should be carried in chains on board
+the ducal vessel, which, with the exception of a lugger, supposed to
+contain some of the queen's people, was the only one then in the haven.
+
+The duke, however, delayed his departure till the evening, as he did
+not consider it advisable to leave the castle until the town was
+entirely quiet. The disappearance of the queen, whom he had himself
+seen, and again lost sight of, in the midst of the fray, gave him much
+uneasiness. He ordered a minute search to be made of the battlefield,
+but no trace was to be found of either the queen or of Count Gerhard. A
+portion, also, of his Sleswick horsemen, who had been separated from
+him in the engagement, had disappeared.
+
+Night began to fall, whilst, with anxious thoughts, he paced up and
+down the riddersal. He felt proud indeed of his victory; but the escape
+of the king altogether thwarted his project, and he feared, with
+reason, that he had prematurely thrown off the mask, and exposed his
+daring plans. Since he had learned the promise of the marsk to the
+Norwegian king, he felt he could not depend on the outlaws; and hence
+his thanks to Count Jacob had been cold and reserved. He now appeared
+wavering and undecided as to the next step towards the object of his
+proud ambition.
+
+"Seize the spirit-compelling sceptre, and thy crown shall be bright as
+the sun," he whispered to himself; feeling as if he were again in
+Sjoeborg with his owl, and looking fearfully around the large gloomy
+hall, almost as much afraid of his own words as if the dead bishop had
+spoken.
+
+"Lights! lights!" he now shouted; and his servants, who knew their
+master's great aversion to darkness, instantly produced them. He then
+issued some farther orders respecting; his departure, and again
+despatched messengers to ascertain whether the town was tranquil, and
+the road to the fiord unobstructed.
+
+Shortly after, two of his knights entered with a prisoner, who had
+demanded to be conducted to their master. The captive, who stood
+closely enveloped in a horseman's cloak, with a rainhood over the head,
+for a moment or two seemed to scrutinise the uneasy conqueror, when
+suddenly the hood fell back, and the cloak dropped upon the floor;
+whilst the duke started with surprise, as he beheld before him the fair
+and majestic Queen Agnes, in her magnificent robes of ceremony.
+
+"They say I am your prisoner, Duke Waldemar," she said, with an air of
+calm dignity; "but I maintain that you are mine, as certainly as that
+you are an audacious rebel, and I at this moment the reigning Queen of
+Denmark."
+
+The duke requested his astonished knights to withdraw.
+
+"Noble queen," he then began, courteously and respectfully, "you are,
+in truth, partly right: I am, now and for ever, your knightly prisoner;
+but rebel I am not. On the contrary, I have been attacked by Drost
+Hessel and your men in a manner at once treacherous and unprovoked. At
+your own request I accompanied you hither as joint protector; and here,
+against all faith and law, have I been suddenly set upon, at the moment
+I intended to proclaim the king, and was about to quell the popular
+discontent at the sentence pronounced upon the outlaws. I beheld, with
+astonishment, your grace yourself at the head of my assailants, which
+may plead my excuse if, for a moment, I left the king's side, and
+sought to avoid a conflict in which your precious life would have been
+placed in danger."
+
+"What do I hear!" cried the queen, in amazement. "You deny that you
+were the leader of this tumult, and even dare to impeach me as the
+cause of it!"
+
+"Nay, not you, illustrious queen, but the ambitious and arrogant Drost
+Hessel. On his head lies every drop of blood that has this day been
+shed. He is the rebel and traitor--not I--and Heaven forbid that I
+should accuse you of his faithlessness! He has shamefully abused your
+clemency and grace; and has caused me to suspect that, by my fall, he
+hopes to soar to the regency, or perhaps even to the throne of
+Denmark."
+
+Retiring a step, the queen scrutinised keenly the crafty lord. For an
+instant she appeared in doubt; but, as if a light had suddenly broken
+in upon her, she again approached him, with an air of apparent
+confidence.
+
+"You have revealed to me what may perhaps prove a matchless piece of
+treachery," said she, unable completely to master the tones of her
+voice; "and should this be proved to have been really the drost's
+design, he must be brought to a severe account. Before the king and
+people he must be condemned as the most deceitful of traitors. But
+where is he?"
+
+"In my power," replied the duke, with a polite smile; "and there, with
+your permission, he must remain, while I am protector of Denmark."
+
+"For his life you shall be responsible to me," said the queen, with
+ill-concealed uneasiness. "Be his crime as great as it may, by the king
+and people only can he be tried and doomed; and that in my presence and
+in your's, at the Land-Ting."
+
+"Believe me, your grace, that even my bitterest foe shall have justice!
+But suffer me first, most gracious and illustrious queen, to lay my own
+cause before your judgment-seat," he politely added, as he bowed
+profoundly, and drew forward a gilded chair, upon which the queen
+seated herself. "I clearly perceive that you suspect me," he continued.
+"You are brought here as my prisoner, although, in truth, as I have
+already said, I am your captive for ever, and can easily prove to you
+how innocent I am of this tumult." As he spoke, his air of politeness
+suddenly changed to an expression of intense and passionate admiration,
+and he added, with warmth--"I can give you proof, clear as the sun, how
+foolishly, nay, how madly, I should have acted, to place myself in a
+position of hostility to you." He paused, and appeared to hesitate. "It
+must be dared!" he again broke forth: "I shall now reveal to you what
+has long been the dearest and boldest wish of my heart, and what, as a
+princely scion of the race of the great Waldemars, in my proudest
+moments I have sometimes dared to hope."
+
+He paused again, and looked inquiringly at the queen, over whose
+countenance had passed a sudden change, which caused him to hesitate;
+but the consciousness of his handsome person banished every doubt, and
+the flush of indignation on the queen's cheeks he mistook for an
+indication of bashful surprise.
+
+"Your noble and lofty mind, fairest queen," he continued, boldly,
+"cannot feel offended at a wish which unites the desire for a kingdom's
+happiness with the most respectful attachment to womanly worth--a wish
+which words fail me to express, but which springs from chivalrous
+esteem for your beauty, prudence, and elevation of soul, and which has
+received ardour and strength from those feelings that reduce the prince
+to the man, while, in truth, they exalt the man to the prince."
+
+"You speak prettily and politely, Duke Waldemar," replied the queen,
+with much composure, "and seem to think that when the Queen of Denmark
+is your captive, she cannot refuse her ear to a suit of love, nor buy
+her freedom too dearly by presenting her conqueror with her hand and
+heart?"
+
+The duke started. "Mistake me not in this also, noble queen," he
+resumed, with less ardour. "If I chose this moment for so important a
+declaration, it was but to convince you, in the clearest manner, how
+impossible it is that I should be your enemy. Your captivity here is
+altogether a blunder of my people, and is at an end when you command.
+Here you are equally queen and mistress as if surrounded by your own
+soldiers. But," he added, boldly, as he perceived a proud smile on her
+countenance, "you are too sagacious not to perceive, that, at this
+moment, I hold in my hands your fate and that of Denmark. Far be it
+from me to abuse this accidental advantage. But, if even no responsive
+voice pleads for me in your heart, your keen political sagacity might
+still counsel you not to despise such a proposal at so critical a
+moment."
+
+As he thus spoke, his air of pride and complacency betrayed a wooer who
+intended to allow his prisoner not even the freedom of denial. To
+soften, however, this stroke of policy, he suddenly changed his tone
+and manner, for he felt the importance of bringing the heart of the
+fair queen, or at least her vanity, to favour the considerations of
+political prudence which he had suggested. He therefore again became
+the chivalrous lover, and with much eloquence and apparent ardour broke
+forth in admiration of her beauty and in flattering compliments to her
+lofty mind.
+
+"My life and happiness," he at last exclaimed, as he knelt before her,
+"I place in your hands, most noble queen!"
+
+Agnes remained silent, but bestowed a glance on her kneeling suitor
+that seemed to pierce his soul; and a bitter answer hovered on her
+lips, when the door was suddenly opened, and a knight of the duke's
+retinue entered.
+
+The duke arose, and, stamping furiously--"What means this?" he
+cried--"who dares to--"
+
+"Count Gerhard, stern sir," hastily replied the knight--"Count Gerhard
+of Holstein has surrounded the castle with a superior force, and
+threatens to storm and pull it down, if the Queen of Denmark is not
+instantly set at liberty."
+
+The duke seemed thunderstruck.
+
+"You come right opportunely, sir knight," observed the queen, rising
+with calm dignity. "Your illustrious master was in a posture for which
+he needs not blush: he has acknowledged that a blunder of his soldiers
+has made him appear a rebel, and guilty of lese-majesty, thus placing
+his life and fate in my hands. You are witness, however, that I forgive
+him an error in which he had no share. Your arm, Duke Waldemar: I
+intend to travel within an hour; and the noble Count Gerhard expects me
+with my train."
+
+A loud noise outside the castle was now heard; and the duke, bowing
+profoundly, gave the queen his arm without hesitating. The knight
+preceded them, bearing two lights, and at the duke's signal his pages
+hastened forward with torches. To Count Gerhard's surprise, therefore,
+the queen was thus led forth with the greatest pomp and attention, and,
+without opposition, confided to his protection.
+
+A few hours afterwards, the queen sailed with a fair wind into Nyborg
+Harbour, and Duke Waldemar, with the captive Drost Peter, departed in
+the direction of Alsen.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+While Drost Peter lay a close prisoner in Nordborg Castle, unable to
+serve in any way his king and country, the measures of old Sir John,
+Count Gerhard, the chancellor, and the trusty Rimaardson were
+unceasingly directed to secure the royal house, and to strengthen the
+minor's throne. The duke no longer found it advisable to assert his
+authority as regent. The plan of the outlaws for subjecting Denmark to
+the crown of Norway, and his own fear that he had too soon betrayed his
+daring project, so completely embarrassed him, that he did not even
+appear at the Danish court. Annoyed by the unsuccessful issue of his
+attempt, as well as by the failure of his love-suit to the queen, which
+he felt as a mortifying humiliation, he shortly after withdrew into
+Saxony, and it soon became publicly known that he had suddenly espoused
+Duke Johan's daughter, the pious Princess Sophia.
+
+At the same time, an accidental occurrence averted the invasion with
+which the country was threatened by the Norwegian fleet, which lay at
+Ekeroe; the armament from which, as was reported, was to have been
+conducted by the rude Jarl Mindre-Alf, and the favourite of the
+Norwegian king, Halkell Augmund. The jarl, however, had quarrelled with
+Halkell at the drinking-table, and killed him with a wine-stoup in the
+presence of the king. This led to a sanguinary strife on board the
+fleet, in which two hundred and sixty of the jarl's men were slain or
+executed; he himself being outlawed, and forced to fly to Sweden.
+
+The expedition against Denmark was therefore deferred; but the outlaws
+incessantly ravaged the Danish coasts--burning Middelfert and Hindsholm
+in Funen, and visiting nearly every seaport town in Denmark with blood
+and rapine. The name of Marsk Stig became a terror to every Dane. Nor
+did Rane Jonsen hold the least conspicuous place among the boldest
+pirates who disturbed the country. His castle, Giordsloev, in Stevn's
+Point, where he maintained a garrison, served as a place of refuge for
+his rover-crew. To mislead his pursuers, he always, when on shore, rode
+a horse whose shoes were reversed; and, to warn him of danger, was
+constantly attended by a large, ferocious hound, which could easily
+master the strongest soldier. Rane, as well as the marsk and the other
+outlaws, was included in the ecclesiastical ban pronounced by the
+Archbishop of Lund; but they appeared to despise excommunication as
+much as they did the sentence of outlawry. Most of them had again fled
+to Norway, where they endeavoured to incite the Norwegian king to a
+decisive expedition against Denmark. The marsk, however, continued
+boldly to occupy Hielm, whence he extended his forays to North Jutland
+and the adjacent islands. The proud Count Jacob fortified Hunehal, in
+North Halland, and, like the marsk, prepared to defend himself in the
+country to the last.
+
+The queen and privy council meanwhile had deferred the coronation only
+until a severe winter rendered the Belt and Sound inaccessible to
+enemies and pirates. On Christmas-day, 1287, the young King Erik
+Menved, as he was already called,[38] was solemnly anointed and crowned
+at Lund. This was the last important transaction in which the aged
+Archbishop Johan Dros was engaged, as he died shortly afterwards, and
+before his prayer for the security of the crown was fulfilled.
+
+Not long after the coronation, a treaty of friendship was concluded
+between King Erik and the powerful Swedish king, Magnus Ladislaus, and
+the double alliance ratified which had previously been privately agreed
+upon: the little Princess Merete, who had been betrothed to Birger, the
+crown-prince of Sweden, was conducted by Swedish ambassadors to that
+court; and, about the middle of March, the betrothal of King Erik of
+Denmark to the Swedish Princess Ingeborg was publicly declared. On this
+occasion there were great festivities at Helsingborg, where the royal
+betrothals were to be celebrated with a tournament.
+
+The whole Danish and Swedish courts were present at these rejoicings,
+where the youthful King Erik exhibited himself in all the pomp of
+chivalry before his future queen, the beautiful Princess Ingeborg,
+whose childlike beauty and graces none could sufficiently extol--the
+bards of Denmark in their transport having already named her
+Danebod--the hope of the Danes.
+
+The tournament was conducted with great magnificence, and in the manner
+of those of France and Germany. On the preceding day, the arms of the
+different knights were displayed on the cross-walk of the Dominican
+convent, where a stately herald announced the names of those to whom
+they belonged. Here they were visited by Queen Agnes and Queen Hedwig
+of Sweden, Count Gerhard's sister, with the princesses and noble ladies
+at court, for the purpose of touching the shields of those whom they
+judged to be unworthy knights, and who were by this means excluded from
+the lists.
+
+Two shields were thus touched, one of which belonged to the powerful
+Swedish knight, Sir Carl Algotson, who, with the assistance of Jarl
+Mindre-Alf, had abducted Sir Thorstenson's rich and distinguished
+bride, Jomfru Ingrid. The Danish queen, who had heard of the affair,
+and of the brave Thorstenson's loss, had touched the shield, which was
+immediately removed by the herald, and an order issued by the Swedish
+king that the matter should be strictly investigated.[39]
+
+The second shield, which had been touched by a noble lady as an
+impeachment of its owner, belonged to a Danish knight--John Rimaardson,
+another brother of the trusty Bent Rimaardson. Although related to
+Queen Agnes, he was instantly excluded from the tourney; and, being
+threatened with the vengeance of the law, as a ravisher and murderer,
+he was forced to seek safety in flight.[40]
+
+At the tournament itself, everything was conducted with the greatest
+pomp and ceremonial. The Queen of Beauty, the fair-haired Princess
+Ingeborg, sat, full of childish joy, between Queen Agnes and her
+mother, the gay, good-natured Queen Hedwig, who strongly resembled her
+brother, the valiant Count Gerhard. On the right of the Swedish queen
+sat the mighty King Magnus Ladislaus, a tall and spare but majestic
+figure, with a stern and warlike air, and wearing a golden crown and a
+mantle of purple and ermine.
+
+Many there were, among the ladies of Princess Ingeborg, who attracted
+looks of homage and tenderness from both Danish and Swedish knights;
+but the tall silent maiden who sat nearest the royal personages,
+excited the greatest attention. This was Jomfru Inge Little, who
+observed not the interest she awoke, but, with melancholy countenance,
+gazed upon the gay lists, where, as her eye ran over the line of
+knights, she missed the noble figure of Drost Peter. She had heard of
+his imprisonment, and entertained but little hope of his release from
+Nordborg, so long as the variance existed between the duke and the
+royal house of Denmark. Another still heavier sorrow oppressed the
+brave maiden: she knew that her unhappy father lay in Kallundborg
+Castle, awaiting his sentence as a dangerous state-criminal. At times,
+nevertheless, a light spread over her melancholy features, as she
+looked upon the Princess Ingeborg and the young chivalrous king: she
+appeared then to forget her own heart's sorrow in the fair hopes of her
+fatherland; and again the sounds of the song, "For Erik the king so
+young!" echoed in her bosom.
+
+Nearest the barrier, and as judges, sat the oldest of the Danish and
+Swedish knights, chief among whom appeared old Sir John. Within the
+arena were seen a stately king-at-arms, and numerous heralds bearing
+white staves and feathered hats in their hands, whose duty it was to
+preserve order, and, together with their subalterns, the pursuivants,
+closely to attend to every thrust and motion of the antagonists.
+
+The tourney was opened with a joust on horseback, with blunt lances,
+between the Danish King Erik and the little Prince Berger, who carried
+light armour suitable to their years and strength. The Danish king wore
+the sky-blue colour of Princess Ingeborg, and displayed her little
+glove fastened to his helmet. Prince Berger also wore the colour of his
+bride, and his armour was white as Princess Merete's silken kirtle.
+They both showed themselves active and dexterous; but reciprocal
+courtesy forbade that either should be regarded as the vanquisher.
+
+The jousts were accompanied with song and music, numerous Swedish and
+Danish skalds[41] being present to celebrate the exploits of their
+respective knights, nearly all of whom wore gloves, veils, pearl-bands,
+or some other female ornament in their helmets; while, during the
+battle, they would often shout their peculiar watchwords, which their
+own ladies only understood. Many lances were broken in the fray, and
+many knights unhorsed; but as they fought with blunt weapons, no
+dangerous or serious blow was received. It seemed, indeed, that the
+Danish and Swedish knights, at this joyful festivity, only sought to
+outvie each other in gentle bearing and knightly courtesies.
+
+But the most distinguished on this occasion was Count Gerhard of
+Holstein, who good-naturedly unhorsed six knights without himself being
+shaken. With the black veil of the fair Queen Agnes, he felt himself
+invincible; whilst his watchword was the burthen of a song he had heard
+at Sir John's on the evening he first spoke with the queen. One word in
+it only he changed every time he thrust a knight from his saddle
+shouting delightedly:--
+
+
+                  "For so chaste a dame I dree."
+
+
+All competitors having withdrawn, he was declared victor in the
+tournament; and springing gaily from his saddle, he received, kneeling,
+the prize from the hands of the fair Queen Agnes.
+
+The tilting appeared to be ended, when a strange knight, in bright gilt
+harness, with a crown upon his locked helmet, and mounted on a snorting
+war-steed, presented himself at the barrier. He flung his steel
+gauntlet at Count Gerhard's feet, and, without uttering a word, tore,
+with the sharp end of his lance, the black veil fastened to the count's
+breastplate.
+
+Queen Agues became pale; for by this action he attacked the honour of
+the lady whose gage he had thus outrageously insulted. All eyes were
+instantly turned with surprise and amazement on the strange knight.
+
+"'Tis the duke--Duke Waldemar!" whispered one to another; although none
+was sure that this surmise was well grounded.
+
+Count Gerhard, burning with fury, sprang upon his charger, and resumed
+his place in the lists, having first taken up the stranger's gauntlet,
+to intimate that he accepted the challenge without farther explanation.
+The heralds then opened the barrier, and admitted the strange knight,
+who advanced, proudly man[oe]uvring his steed, and brandishing a sharp
+lance. Count Gerhard, too, armed himself with a similar deadly weapon,
+when the judges reminded them that the present was a festive
+tournament, where no serious fighting was permitted. But the
+exasperated count having demanded that the combat should be as serious
+as the insult, the objection was urged no further.
+
+Like thunderbolts the knights rushed against each other, and in the
+shock Count Gerhard's lance was splintered against the gilded
+breastplate of his antagonist, from whose weapon he received a violent
+blow on the chest, but remained immoveable in his saddle.
+
+The strange knight, who had been lifted slightly from his saddle by the
+violence of the shock, laughed scornfully behind his visor. He cast
+away his lance, and, following the example of the count, drew his
+sword. The blades met, and in the fierce combat that ensued, both
+exhibited great skill and courage. By one blow, Count Gerhard had
+struck the crown off the gilded helmet of his antagonist, who, however,
+lost no advantage offered by the unbridled ardour of the count; while
+the varying fortunes of either combatant were watched by all with the
+most intense interest.
+
+"For the honour of my exalted lady!" shouted Count Gerhard, aiming what
+he intended as a finishing stroke, but by which he exposed himself to
+his antagonist; who, avoiding the blow, had raised his sword against
+the count's unprotected head, when suddenly he became motionless,
+gazing rigidly the while towards the barrier.
+
+At the same instant a powerful voice cried out: "An infamous knight
+fights here!"
+
+All looked in astonishment towards the spot whence the voice proceeded,
+where stood a tall and elegant knight, in steel-blue mail, with closed
+visor, and displaying a magnificent dagger in his outstretched hand.
+
+"Knowest thou this witness, traitor?" he continued, in the same mighty
+voice, while in his hand he turned the dagger, on the hilt of which the
+golden lions gleamed in the bright sunshine.
+
+"That dagger was drawn from the corse of King Erik Christopherson, on
+St. Cecilia's night," cried a loud voice among the people.
+
+"That dagger armourer Troels of Melfert sold to Duke Waldemar," shouted
+another: "I can swear to it."
+
+"It is the marsk's dagger--Marsk Stig's dagger!" cried a third.
+
+The battle had ceased; for the knight in the gilded mail sat as if
+petrified, staring through the grating of his helmet at the blue knight
+and the dagger. The sword fell from his hand, and he was becoming faint
+and giddy, when, at a signal from the young Erik, the king-at-arms
+advanced and cried aloud--"No one shall interrupt the combatants by
+word or gesture, under the penalty of death!"
+
+At this announcement the blue knight bowed respectfully, and placed the
+dagger in his bosom, but remained calmly gazing at Count Gerhard's
+antagonist.
+
+"Hand him his weapon again!" cried the count to a pursuivant: "I know
+that I fight with a false and dishonoured knight; but one of us must
+here lose his life."
+
+Whilst the pursuivant stooped to take up the sword, the golden knight
+suddenly gave the spur to his steed, and cleared the barrier at a
+bound. Every eye followed him with amazement, and a deathlike stillness
+prevailed until he was no longer visible; and when they then turned to
+look for the blue knight, he too had disappeared.
+
+Count Gerhard therefore remained alone in the lists, and was declared
+victor in this conflict of honour; while the unusual occurrence
+caused many and various surmises among the spectators. The tournament
+was then declared to be ended, and the royal party returned to the
+palace, where, as old Sir John passed Lady Inge, he whispered to her
+softly--"Drost Peter!"
+
+She nodded in silence, while a deep crimson overspread her lovely
+cheeks. She had indeed perceived a rose-red pearl-band on the breast of
+the blue blight, and fancied she recognised in it her own fillet; but
+by what means her captive knight could have been present there was to
+her inexplicable.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Scarcely was the tournament at Helsingborg concluded, before an
+important message summoned the youthful Danish king, with all his
+knights, to Zealand. A Norwegian fleet had been seen in the Cattegat,
+and a landing was apprehended at Elsineur, where the fortress of
+Flynderborg, surrendered by the treachery of Sir Lave Little, still
+remained in the hands of the rebels.
+
+When Sir John took leave of the faithful Inge, she whispered a few
+words to him, and placed in his hand a little parchment scroll, on
+which had been hastily sketched a building, and apparently an entrance
+to it, denoted by small crosses. He seemed astonished, but listened
+with attention to what she said. She repeated a few words, and pointed
+to the scroll, which he then, with a sign of well-pleased assent,
+carefully put up, and, imprinting a kiss on her forehead, hastened on
+board with the royal family.
+
+They landed unmolested on the coast of Zealand, in the neighbourhood of
+Elsineur, whence Count Gerhard immediately conducted the queen and
+Junker Christopherson to Rypen House, which, in these unsettled times,
+was considered the most secure abode for the royal family. The young
+king, who could not be induced to accompany them, set out with
+Rimaardson for Tornborg, by Korsoeer, for the purpose of inspecting that
+important fortress, and to hasten in person the equipment of the fleet;
+while Sir John prepared to defend North Zealand against any hostile
+attack.
+
+The king ordered the cruizers lying at Korsoeer to be manned, and
+stationed opposite the coast of North Jutland, ready to act in unison
+with Sir John. To all the operations connected with these movements the
+young monarch paid close attention, and found time also to examine the
+defences of the castle, which in many points he condemned as
+inefficient. Rimaardson, in acknowledging the correctness of his
+opinions, could not restrain admiration of his early knowledge of
+fortification, which he had acquired from Drost Peter.
+
+Four days after the king's arrival at Tornborg, he was on the ramparts
+early in the morning, attended by Rimaardson, and a knight who had
+brought important tidings from Elsineur. The Norwegians, he informed
+the king, had effected a landing at Orekrog, and burnt the town to
+ashes; but the burghers had received succour from Sir John. Through a
+subterranean passage, to which he had led the way, they penetrated into
+Flynderborg, with the old knight at their head, and, overpowering the
+garrison, had from this strong point repulsed the enemy. The knight
+narrated circumstantially the whole occurrences, and informed the king
+that they had sought in vain for the letters from the outlaws, which
+Sir Lave Little was accused of having received before the murder of the
+king.
+
+"By all holy men, this pleases me well!" exclaimed young Erik. "The
+faithful Sir John has not wasted a word for his cousin's life; but now
+he has wiped out a portion of his crime. Let the chancellor announce to
+the prisoner at Kallundborg, that his doom is again deferred for a
+year, and this because his trusty cousin has retaken Flynderborg, and
+the proofs of his worst treachery have not been discovered."
+
+Rimaardson eyed the king with a melancholy look. "Would to God and Our
+Lady," he exclaimed, "that every trusty knight you possess could so
+atone for the errors of his relations! There is now scarcely an honest
+man in the country some one of whose kindred is not in tower or on
+gibbet--and the end is not yet come."
+
+The sorrowful knight was thinking of his brother Lave's fate, and of
+his brother John, who then stood impeached with crimes affecting his
+life.
+
+"The law is supreme over every man," observed the youthful monarch,
+with a sigh: "it was not by my own will that I became king so soon;
+yet, Heaven be praised, I have still many loyal and valiant men. Would
+only that Drost Peter were with me again!"
+
+The king then returned to the castle, attended by the strange knight
+from Elsineur, and Rimaardson proceeded to examine the defences. Whilst
+thus engaged, he observed a short stout figure in the black mantle of a
+mass-boy, and a high cap drawn over his brows, waddling along the
+ramparts with a prayer-book in his hand, seemingly engaged in his
+morning devotions. The rolling boatman's gait of this individual struck
+the commandant, who observed him more narrowly, when, discovering
+traces of a badly-shorn beard, he recognised, to his astonishment, the
+rude Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+"Good morning, my son," he exclaimed, approaching him. "Whither away so
+early?"
+
+"To fetch wine for the priest, that he may pray for your soul,"
+muttered the clumsy-looking mass-boy, in a deep gruff voice.
+
+"Tarry a little," said Rimaardson, while he beckoned a couple of
+landsknechts to approach. "Methinks I should know thee. Did not we two
+once sit on the same bench in Lyse school-house? and didst thou not in
+those times play the tyrant over us all? Methinks thou shouldst be a
+count and jarl; and art thou only a poor mass-boy?" So saying, he
+raised the jarl's cap, and looked him full in the face.
+
+"Betray me not, Bendix Rimaardson, for old acquaintance' sake,"
+whispered the detected algrev. "We are relations, and I behaved to thee
+at school like a brother. I am now done with countship and jarldom. I
+am an outlawed man, and fain to seek protection with the pious. Be a
+good fellow, Bent. Pretend thou dost not know me, and let me run."
+
+"Bind him, lads!" cried Rimaardson to the landsknechts: "he is a riever
+and an incendiary!"
+
+The sturdy viking-chief threw aside his prayer-book and mass-boy's
+mantle, and stood in his knight's dress, prepared apparently to defend
+himself with desperation. The landsknechts, however, succeeded in
+disarming him, when he was instantly chained and fettered, and
+conducted forthwith, under a strong guard, to the criminal prison of
+Haraldsborg, having attempted in vain to bribe Rimaardson for his
+freedom.
+
+The latter cared not to disturb the king with a report of this
+discovery, which might perhaps draw upon himself a reprimand for having
+allowed so dangerous a foe to find his way into the fortress. He
+considered, besides, that the castle was quite secure, and did
+not waste a thought on the insolent and sardonic laughter of the
+pirate-chief while he was dragged to prison. Rimaardson, amidst his
+pressing cares, had not observed that, on the previous night, a
+freebooter had run in close to Tornborg under Danish colours. Not only
+had the daring Jarl Mindre-Alf landed unnoticed, bat Marsk Stig
+himself, with a crew of bold pirates, had privately come on shore; and
+on the evening of that day, Mat Jute, disguised as one of the king's
+landsknechts, stood as sentinel outside the door of the royal
+apartment. The watch was set, and, in the confidence of security, the
+garrison retired to rest.
+
+In the middle of the night the young king was awoke by a fearful noise.
+The whole castle was in flames around him, and the terrible cry--"The
+marsk! the marsk! the outlaws!" was shouted in every direction by the
+surprised and bewildered soldiers. Screams and the din of arms
+resounded from all quarters, while the youthful Erik stood alone, half
+dressed, in his chamber, which was already enveloped in smoke and
+flame.
+
+"Merciful Heaven! must I now be burnt alive by my father's murderers!"
+he exclaimed, whilst he hurriedly threw his cloak around him, grasped
+his little sword, and prepared to rush through the flames.
+
+He now distinguished the voice of his faithful Aage Jonsen, mingled
+with the clash of weapons, outside his apartment; but the fire at that
+moment burst furiously forth, and the smoke so blinded him that it was
+with difficulty he could find the door. Suddenly he felt himself seized
+by a powerful mailed hand, and at the same instant he became
+unconscious. When he recovered, he found himself in a little open boat,
+speeding through cloud and storm with the rapidity of an arrow.
+
+"Where am I?" he cried. "Am I among my father's murderers?"
+
+"You are with faithful friends and subjects," replied a familiar voice
+by his side; while, through the darkness, he caught a glimpse of a
+knightly figure in full armour.
+
+"Drost Peter! By all holy men, is it you?" he asked joyfully.
+
+"Who I am I dare not say," replied the other; in whom the king now
+thought he recognised the blue knight of the tournament.
+
+"A pledge of honour binds my tongue," continued the knight, "and I must
+hide my face from my king and the whole world. I shall convey you
+safely to Rypen House, but I must myself withdraw to a place of
+darkness. I entreat you, sir king, believe what you will, but tempt me
+not to break my knightly promise."
+
+"Be silent, then, in God's name!" exclaimed the monarch, as he pressed
+the mailed hand of his companion. "Thou art assuredly Drost Peter.
+Thinkest thou I know not thy voice? Thou hast saved my life to-night;
+and if thou still remainest in the power of the duke, I shall set thee
+free, cost what it may."
+
+"Proceed not violently against the duke," replied the knight, with a
+deep sigh: "his prisoner's life is in his hands."
+
+The young king remained silent, while the skiff sped on, and quickly
+disappeared beyond Sporgoe, where the new tower of Marsk Stig stood
+gloomy and frowning in the night.
+
+In a few days the news became generally known that the famous Jarl
+Mindre-Alf had been made prisoner; that Marsk Stig had captured and
+destroyed the castle of Tornborg, in defence of which the faithful Sir
+Rimaardson had been slain; and that the young Erik, mysteriously saved,
+was then in security at Rypen House.
+
+The first important act of the king, after his arrival there, was his
+nomination of the bold commandant of the castle, Sir David Thorstenson,
+to fill the office of drost, so long as Drost Peter was in the duke's
+power. And it was soon known that, in accordance with the new drost's
+advice, the queen had subscribed the death-warrant of Jarl Mindre-Alf.
+
+The duke was reported to be lying sick in Sleswick, to the great grief
+of his young wife. His mind, it was said, was affected, and the rumours
+of his connection with the world of spirits were again revived. Some
+time previously he had disappeared for a few days, and, on his return,
+after having visited his important prisoner, Drost Peter Hessel, at
+Nordborg, whom he found secure in his chains, he was seized by this
+singular malady, in the paroxysms of which he asserted that he had,
+with his bodily eyes, seen the accusing angel, and that his prisoner in
+Nordborg was in league with devils and mighty spirits against him.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The Norwegians and the outlaws long continued to disturb the repose of
+Denmark; and although the Norse king nowhere succeeded in effecting a
+landing, yet, in the then distracted condition of the kingdom, he was
+no contemptible foe. He had committed ravages at Amager and Hveen; made
+a descent on Aalborg, which, however, proved unsuccessful; and had not
+spared even the towns belonging to Duke Waldemar. The council seriously
+thought of entering into a treaty with him; but the negociation
+appeared beset with difficulties, as he had promised the outlaws, in a
+letter of protection, that he would never conclude peace with Denmark
+without the consent of the marsk.
+
+One calm autumn evening, the vaadesang rose mournfully from the crypt
+under King Erik Christopherson's tomb, in Viborg Cathedral. When the
+wind blew from the cathedral across the lake, the deep tones of the
+vigil, which was thus to be chanted night after night until doomsday,
+for the soul of the murdered king, could, at times, be heard at the
+ferry-house on the opposite side. The road to the convent of Asmild lay
+near the ferry-house, where, upon an upturned boat, sat a tall, aged
+pilgrim, his head bent upon his breast in deep thought. By his side
+stood a young girl, also in a pilgrim's habit, and holding by the hand
+a gay-looking dark-haired youth, equipped as a squire, in a buff jerkin
+and steel cap, and bearing, besides the usual arms, a long, gilt,
+flame-shaped sword, apparently intended more for ornament than use.
+
+"Shall we proceed to the convent and knock for admittance, father
+Henner?" asked the youth. "Neither thou nor Aase can go farther
+to-night."
+
+"Tarry here, Skirmen," replied the old man. "Here we can rest well; for
+many a night have we watched under God's open sky since last we met.
+Until I have seen the arrogant marsk, and have delivered him the
+warning that I have been entrusted with, my penance is not ended. Until
+I have done this, no roof shall cover my head. So have I sworn."
+
+"But, dear father Henner," exclaimed Skirmen, "what, then, dost thou
+here at Viborg? If the marsk be not in either of his strongholds on
+Hielm or Spraa, he must he out on some marauding expedition against the
+king's towns and castles. At Stege he was frustrated," he continued, as
+the old man remained silent; "but Skielskioer and the fortress on
+Samsoe have experienced the fate of Tornborg. Ah, Heaven help us!" he
+added, dejectedly, crushing a reed he held in his hand--"since the
+powerful Ladislaus as dead and gone, there is not a king in the world
+of whom the marsk is afraid, and, least of all, of our young King
+Erik."
+
+"There is one King, my son, that neither the marsk nor any man may defy
+with impunity; and if He is with the young king, the power of the marsk
+is not greater than the reed you have crushed." As he uttered these
+words, the old man pointed solemnly towards the sky. "I may soon
+encounter him," he continued, after a thoughtful pause: "he may be
+nearer us than thou seemest to imagine. He is not on Hielm, but on his
+way to Halland, with his good friend the new archbishop. They were to
+meet in Viborg, or in Asmild convent; where, perhaps, at this very
+moment, they are plotting the ruin of the country."
+
+"Methinks thou knowest everything, father Henner!" exclaimed Skirmen,
+in astonishment. "But what brings the marsk to Halland? Does he carry
+succour to Count Jacob at Hunehal?"
+
+"Canst guess no better than that, Skirmen? thou, who hast had a
+statesman for thy master! No. The council desire to conclude a treaty
+with the Norse king at Varberg; but it cannot be done without the
+marsk's consent; and the fate of two, perhaps of three kingdoms, is now
+in the hands of that incendiary. It is high time he had a message from
+the King of kings."
+
+The old man again relapsed into deep thought; whilst Aase and Skirmen
+exchanged some tender words, without disturbing him.
+
+"It is odd, however, that we should have met, Skirmen," resumed old
+Henner, as he looked affectionately at the youthful pair. "Aase and
+thou remain good friends, I perceive. But thou canst not greatly boast
+of fortune, Skirmen. Gold spurs grow not on trees; and a knight thou
+must be, before thou hast her. Yet, courage, my son! If St. George help
+thee not, perhaps St. Christian will. Thou hast my pilgrim-sword, with
+which thou shalt succeed: the holy Michael has borne it for a century
+on a church-steeple. It belongs more to a dancing-slipper than a pair
+of red shoes; but if the cat would catch fish, she must wet her paws.
+What hast thou been about at Harrestrup, whilst thy master is lying in
+chains at Nordborg?"
+
+"Alas! dear father Henner," replied Skirmen, "there is no excuse so
+poor that people will not fly to it in their extremity. My master's
+trusty old nurse, who lies sick at Harrestrup, sent me word that she
+had something important to confide to me, and--"
+
+"Hum! there is but little to be learned from an old woman's gabble,"
+muttered old Henner.
+
+"Well, but what said she to thee?" inquired Aase, curiously. "It is
+plain that the old nurse made thee feel ashamed of thyself, since thou
+wilt not out with it. She has certainly cared better for thy master,
+than thou--"
+
+"Upbraid me not, dearest Aase!" replied Skirmen, dejectedly. "On the
+unhappy day that my master was taken prisoner at Skielskioer, he had
+sent me on a message to Rypen House; and, ever since, I have thought of
+little else besides the means of setting him free. Three times have I
+been on Alsen; but the infernal prison-tower is strongly guarded night
+and day. Twice I was caught, and should certainly have been hanged, had
+I not contrived to escape."
+
+"Thou dear, trusty Skirmen!" exclaimed Aase, throwing her arms around
+him. "That would have been a vile death for a squire who has been so
+long in a fair way of becoming a knight," she added, waggishly. "Yet be
+not angry, Skirmen. I like thee all the better for this; and, indeed,
+thy exploits are quite enchanting. But what said the old nurse?"
+
+"Alas! she is in her dotage, poor creature, and her mind is filled with
+whims and extravagances. She would have me believe that she had lain
+for eight days in my master's prison, instead of him. On Alsen, she
+said, they took her for a witch, and the guard would not deny her
+access to the prison, which my master left, disguised in her clothes;
+having first sworn a solemn oath that he would return and release her
+within eight days, and that during that time he would not show his face
+nor discover himself to any one. The carlin must have been in a dream.
+It could not possibly be as she says."
+
+"Wherefore not, son?" asked old Henner, who had listened attentively:
+"it could easily be done. It is, at least, characteristic of thy true
+and chivalrous master, for the good woman I know not. Yet what purpose
+could it answer, since the faithful drost had to return, and, like a
+wizard, again creep into his prison-hole?"
+
+"I know not: that is the most incredible part of the story, and makes
+me disbelieve it all. Besides, I know that Dorothy could not have
+remained quiet for eight days, nor help betraying herself by song and
+chatter. Yet it is surprising how much she knows concerning the prison.
+She described the exterior exactly as I had seen it myself; and,
+moreover, she gave me this key, swearing deeply and solemnly that it
+would open the innermost prison-doors."
+
+"Ah, then, Skirmen, if thou doubtest longer, thou art an incredulous
+fool!" cried Aase, joyfully. "If thou believest not that we women-folks
+can be silent to serve a good friend, thou little knowest us; and, if I
+mistake not, thy master could effect more in eight days, than many
+others could in a year. But, at any rate, he had one dear object to
+visit. Give me the key. I, too, can play the witch; and, since the good
+people on Alsen have so much respect for the weird sisterhood, we can
+easily hit on an expedient. We have been to St. Peter's prison, in
+Rome, thou must know, and have there received absolution of all our
+sins, and a dispensation from going to the holy sepulchre. I have not
+sinned greatly since, I believe; and if now our dear Holy Lady or St.
+Christian will make use of me to open a prison, they may well do so,
+though I am not altogether an angel--"
+
+"Be silent, children, and conceal yourselves," suddenly exclaimed old
+Henner. "I hear horsemen on the road from the convent. It may be the
+marsk."
+
+Aase and Skirmen quickly obeyed, and retired to the thicket near the
+lake, where many a tender word was ex-changed between them.
+
+A troop of well-armed horsemen now appeared, approaching the
+ferry-house from Asmild convent, having two tall personages at their
+head. One of these, who sat with a proud air on his quiet palfrey, was
+the haughty Master Jens Grand, who, after the death of the aged Johan
+Dros, had been, much against the wish of the king, chosen Archbishop of
+Lund. His mail-clad companion, who was stately and warlike, and mounted
+on a champing war-steed, was no other than the famous Marsk Stig
+himself. They halted on the road, while the attendant horsemen
+descended to the lake to water their horses.
+
+"As I observed, sir marsk," said the prelate, "they must restore you
+your rank and estates if you will but allow the boy for the present to
+retain his throne. He is still preferable to your powerful King
+Priesthater."
+
+"Out upon it, your reverence!" exclaimed the marsk: "you are afraid of
+the name priesthater, although it is one he does not deserve. He is the
+ablest monarch that ever sat on the throne of Norway, and possesses
+indeed the lofty soul of a king. When before, without showing fear or
+tyranny, has any northern king endured by his side a powerful brother,
+such as is Duke Hakon? Under such a king, Denmark and Norway will
+become unrivalled for power and greatness. Let me but wield the
+general's staff for ten years, while you bear the crook, and the world
+shall see that the ancient race of Skjalm Hvide have not degenerated
+since the days of Absalom. In Sweden, too, there is now a boy-king on
+the throne, but he will never become a man. What say you to an earthly
+trinity, most reverend father?"
+
+"You will bend the bow until it breaks," replied the archbishop. "You
+forget that you are beyond the pale of the law, and that your large
+estates are in the possession of the crown."
+
+"My will and this good sword is now my law," replied the marsk; "and as
+to estates, my friends and I have ample while all Denmark is in our
+hands."
+
+"Still you must remember that you are an outlaw," observed the
+archbishop, emphatically, "and that you are also under the ban. If,
+then, I obtain you release from the latter, you must not set the
+priesthater as king over me and Denmark. I would rather you mounted the
+throne yourself--a step almost as easy of accomplishment."
+
+"Mean you to tempt me, Grand?" observed his companion, with a smile.
+"Were Marsk Stig to sit on the throne of Denmark, Master Grand might
+occupy St. Peter's chair, and keep his royal kinsman in awe."
+
+"No need of that, sir marsk," rejoined the imperious archbishop. "You
+despise not Holy Church and her chiefs, as does the proud Norseman, and
+you would be too prudent to deny the first prelate of the north that
+obedience and reverence he could extort. I meant not to tempt you; and,
+whilst I know and respect your self-control and magnanimity, you cannot
+be ignorant that it is my prerogative, not your's, to place the crown
+upon the head of him who is to wear it. Hear me, Marsk Stig!" he
+continued, proudly: "that I am your friend, you have had sufficient
+proof. I am now, after the king, the greatest man in Denmark. Acquitted
+of every part I took in your affair, I have even been admitted to his
+confidence, and am commissioned to negotiate a peace with Norway. In
+zealously attempting to effect this, I am labouring, not for the king's
+sake, but for that of the Church and kingdom. I know well, that, with a
+single word, you can annihilate the treaty. But be advised by me, Marsk
+Stig, and do not so. Demand what you will, and rely upon me; but
+remember that I it is who shall hereafter crown Denmark's kings, and I
+need not the authority of St. Peter's chair to bind or loose the
+monarch's soul, any more than those of his knights."
+
+The marsk gazed for some moments with astonishment at the bold prelate.
+"You possess great power, it is true," he at length said; "but I
+believed, of a surety, that the son of Erik Glipping had no greater
+enemy in Denmark than yourself. After his death you persecuted his
+adherents, and caused even their corpses to be dug up from your
+churchyard, and thrown like dogs into a dung-pit. How is it, then, that
+you now cling so zealously to the boy-rule?"
+
+"The boy is now anointed and crowned."
+
+"Were he a thousand times anointed, 'tis the same. I have sworn his
+downfall, and he or I must perish! Upon you I trusted, Grand; but I now
+see that the Archbishop of Lund thinks not as did the Dean of Roskild.
+It is strange that changing his seat should so alter a man. But the
+highest elevated are the soonest giddy. Have you forgotten, reverend
+sir, in the archbishop's chair, what you swore to me in the dean's?"
+
+"That I have not, most valiant marsk," replied the prelate; "but you
+have forgotten what we both promised to Duke Waldemar. He deserves
+truer friends than those who agreed to bestow the crown of Denmark upon
+the priesthater. That I do not support the boy's crown for the boy's
+sake, I have shown; but I was not in your councils when you broke
+promise to the duke."
+
+"Ah! is it thus, your reverence? Now, for the first time, do I
+comprehend you. I had forgotten that you were confessor to the duke.
+But had you desired that I, or any honest man, should depend on that
+wily gentleman, you had trained up your shriveling otherwise than
+you did. As he was so base and faithless as to subscribe my sentence
+of outlawry, he would certainly not have hesitated to sign my
+death-warrant."
+
+"Him you have to thank that you escaped so easily," replied Grand. "The
+duke acted as your most discreet friend, when he subscribed that
+sentence which, as regent, he has still the power to remit; and, if you
+will assist us in effecting this treaty with Norway, you shall no
+longer remain an outlaw. The time may come, too, when you shall sue for
+the saving blessing of the Church, and tremble at its ban. Despise not,
+valiant marsk, the lightning of its curse, which, ere now, has melted
+crowns and overthrown heroes stronger than you."
+
+"A truce with your lightnings and your bans!" indignantly replied the
+marsk, as he erected himself proudly, and rode on. "You see, in me,
+that a brave man can thrive and be strong, despite your thunders of
+excommunication, launched against him from Lund Cathedral. Spiritual
+weapons avail not with Marsk Stig, nor shall they turn him a
+hair's-breadth from his course."
+
+At that moment the vaadesang, from the tomb of the murdered king,
+sounded clearly across the calm lake.
+
+The marsk paused. "What was that?" he asked.
+
+"It was the blood of thy murdered king, crying aloud to Heaven for
+vengeance!" replied a hollow voice beside him, while the tall
+pilgrim-form of Henner Friser rose from the side of the boat, where he
+had been sitting, and, in the moonshine, stood menacingly before him.
+
+The life-stream became cold in the warrior's veins while he gazed on
+the pilgrim as on some horrid spectre, and the mournful tones of the
+vaadesang were again wafted over the lake.
+
+"Listen--listen!" exclaimed the pilgrim: "thus shall that song complain
+and mourn, till, at the last day, King Erik and his murderers stand
+before God's judgment-seat."
+
+"Fiend! who art thou?" cried the marsk, unsheathing his sword.
+
+"A king-killer--as thou art!" was the reply: "but I have atoned for my
+sin; and to thee I bring this last warning--Despise not the ban!
+despise not Heaven's weapons, Marsk Stig! Man's strength is but a reed;
+but the Lord's hand is mighty, and vengeance is his. Repent thee, Stig
+Andersen, or thine hour is near. 'Twas thus the holy father bade me
+warn thee: wash the king's blood from thine hands, and do penance; or
+set thine house in order, and prepare for death and perdition. Thy soul
+is weighed and found wanting--thy day of grace is but short."
+
+"Henner! is it thee?" cried the marsk, as he brandished his sword. "But
+beware! thy crazy grayhead shall not always protect thee."
+
+"Listen--listen!" calmly resumed the pilgrim, who shrunk not at the
+threat, whilst a gentle breeze again bore the vigil-tones over the
+lake, and the mournful chorus swelled louder and louder, vibrating
+overhead in the calm night. "Listen!" he exclaimed: "the tones from the
+grave ascend to heaven: they plead for the soul of the king, hurried
+away in the midst of his sins; but woe and eternal perdition they sound
+to those of his murderers!"
+
+"Peace, accursed one!" exclaimed the enraged marsk, and his sword
+flashed in the direction of Henner's head; but at the same instant it
+was struck violently from his hand, while a sword of flame, as it were,
+gleamed before him in the air. Seized with terror, he spurred his steed
+forward, and galloped away, followed by the ecclesiastic, who, pale and
+frightened, continued to cross himself, as he disappeared along the
+dark road.
+
+Shortly after the marsk's troop of horsemen rode past the pilgrim, who,
+leading Aase by the hand, strode leisurely along the highway, whilst
+Skirmen still remained silently and gravely by the boat, leaning upon
+the long flame-shaped sword.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Four weeks had elapsed since the night on which the inflexible marsk
+encountered Henner Friser by Viborg Lake, and heard the tones of the
+vigils ascend from the tomb of the murdered king. It was evening, and
+the last golden rays of the sun rested on the turrets of Hielm Castle,
+when the stern marsk, accompanied by his troopers, rode across the
+little island in the direction of his stronghold. He had been attending
+the meeting between the Danish and Norwegian kings at Varberg, at which
+his unyielding pride and imperious demands had entirely frustrated the
+conclusion of the treaty; and although he now returned to Hielm with
+the proud consciousness of his formidable power and influence, his
+haughty features were pale, and his lofty figure seemed to rock in the
+saddle.
+
+In presence of Archbishop Grand, he had concealed the strong impression
+made upon him by the occurrence which we have related, and, indeed,
+laughed at himself and the whole adventure, which he characterised as a
+mere accident, or a piece of trickery, got up by the half-crazed
+Henner. But during his homeward journey, when no longer sustained by
+the archbishop's presence, he had not spoken a word; nor could he shake
+off the conviction that the sword had been shivered in his hand by
+lightning. He still imagined that, while the vaadesang from the royal
+tomb rang in his ears, he had heard death and perdition announced to
+him by a spectre, and that a mighty cherub-sword had struck him with
+its lightning, while the accusing chorus swelled to heaven over his
+guilty head. With heavy soul he rode through the dark gate of Hielm
+Castle, and, dismounting from his steed, entered the arched hall of the
+keep, where sat his daughters.
+
+The quiet Margarethe advanced affectionately to meet him, and proceeded
+to unbuckle his armour; while the impatient little Ulrica overwhelmed
+him with inquisitive questions, as to where he had been, and whether he
+had brought home booty and jewels.
+
+"Hast thou not gold and jewels enough to fill thy young raven's maw?"
+asked the gloomy warrior, without looking at the child. "I have brought
+thee more than ever king's daughter in Denmark possessed. But the time
+may come," he added, in an under tone, "when thou must be contented
+with less. Go to the chamberlain, Rikke," he continued, in a sterner
+tone: "he will open the treasure-closet, and give thee the rosary on
+which King Erik Christopherson told his last prayer. Keep that as thy
+patrimony."
+
+"Thanks, father--thanks!" exclaimed the innocent, rosy-cheeked child.
+"But, why dost thou always seem so angry when thou art kind to me? I
+may, then, now take the handsome string of pearls and diamonds to deck
+myself? Thanks, father--thanks!" she again cried, as she skipped away,
+clapping her hands with delight.
+
+"And thou, my pious Margarethe," continued the marsk to his
+eldest daughter, as with emotion he gazed on her pale and quiet
+features--"thou carest not for my treasures; therefore to thee I give
+my blessing--if haply it carry not with it the weight of a curse!" he
+added, mentally, while he laid his hand upon her head. "Go, my child,"
+he said, aloud, as he felt himself becoming giddy--"go, and send hither
+the chaplain."
+
+"Art thou sick, dear father?" inquired the daughter, with deep concern:
+"thy hand is cold, and thou art quite pale."
+
+"It will pass," he exclaimed, moodily, throwing himself into a seat.
+"Do as I bid thee, and remain in thy chamber until I call. God bless
+thee!"
+
+Margarethe retired, with tears in her eyes; and in a little while a
+timorous-looking clerk entered, and bowed humbly before the master of
+the castle, without uttering a word.
+
+"I have not long to live!" exclaimed the marsk: "prepare me for death,
+if thou canst, and administer to me the holy sacrament. We must at
+last, I perceive, make peace with Heaven, and think of our soul's
+welfare. Shrive, however, I shall not," he continued: "the world knows
+well what I have done, and the Omniscient best of all."
+
+The trembling clerk began a discourse he was wont to use on similar
+occasions, concerning the seven mortal sins and purity of conscience,
+when the marsk impatiently interrupted him.
+
+"This jargon helps me not," he said. "I wish not to hear _thy word_,
+clerk, but God's word. Prepare the sacrament--there is virtue in that!
+King Erik had it not before his death," he added, softly, "but he took
+it with him in his coffin. Haste thee, clerk! why lingerest thou?"
+
+"Alas, stern sir marsk," stammered the clerk, "I cannot--I truly dare
+not. The canonical law, the chapter, and the holy father will condemn
+me, should I administer this holy rite to one who is excommunicated."
+
+"Death and perdition!" exclaimed the marsk, grasping his sword, "thou
+shalt, base clerk, or thou diest!"
+
+"Alas, most gracious master, while the ban of the church is on thee,
+thou hast not the power to--"
+
+"Not the power! By Satan, I swear that, if thou bringest it not
+quickly, thou shalt die!"
+
+The trembling clerk departed hastily, with a humble and obedient mien.
+But he returned not; for, hurrying from the castle as fast as he could,
+he instantly took to flight.
+
+The marsk grew paler and paler, and, as he gazed on the door by which
+the priest had departed, it seemed to him an avenue of heaven, from
+which he expected an angel to bring him redemption. But it opened not.
+He endeavoured to rise, but sank back powerless. He would have shouted;
+but his voice was weak, and no one seemed to hear it.
+
+At length his henchman, Mat Jute, entered. "A stranger of rank is here,
+stern sir marsk," he said, as he remained erect by the door, with his
+hand at his steel cap; "and he seems determined on entering, by fair
+means or foul, and that immediately."
+
+The marsk beckoned for a cup of wine, which somewhat revived him; and
+"The clerk--the chaplain!" he anxiously cried, as his voice returned.
+
+The trusty Mat now perceived with terror the condition of his master,
+and rushed out to bring the priest and a physician.
+
+Scarcely had he left the door, when the stranger he had announced
+appeared. He was tall, and wore a lofty feathered hat, whilst the ample
+folds of a purple mantle, in which he was enveloped, concealed his
+face. They now fell aside, however, and revealed a countenance, pale
+and restless indeed, but on which the stamp of a daring cunning was
+ineffaceably imprinted.
+
+"Duke Waldemar!" exclaimed the marsk, as he endeavoured to rise, but
+again sank back on his seat. "Come you hither to see how the man dies
+whom you have doomed an outlaw?"
+
+"Do I come at an hour so solemn?" asked the duke. "Since, then, the
+angel of retribution has found you first, my design is frustrated.
+Know, however, that I came to defy you to mortal combat."
+
+"You may still have your wish," replied the marsk, erecting himself.
+"But wherefore seek you this? Tell me quickly!"
+
+"Like a perjured traitor, you have broken your knightly word, and have
+promised to the Norwegian king the crown which is mine."
+
+"Ay, but not until you had broken our paction, and declared me an
+outlaw."
+
+"That I did so to save you, you know well; but any excuse is welcome.
+Yet what fidelity could I expect from a regicide?"
+
+"By that word you accuse yourself, Duke Waldemar. That sin--if sin it
+is--you share with me. Deep injuries had I to revenge, which you had
+not. If King Erik's blood stains not your hand, it yet lies as heavy on
+your head as it does on mine. Your counsel and wishes were in Finnerup
+barn, albeit you yourself were absent."
+
+"A mightier Power has judged between us," replied the duke. "I will not
+curse you in your dying hour; but one thing you must tell me--you must
+solve to me a riddle that has driven me mad:--where is the dagger I
+gave you when we swore the tyrant's fall?"
+
+"I left it in his bosom," replied the marsk, "that it might be known
+you were our head and prince. Your name I even had graven on it, that
+no doubt might exist of your participation in the deed, and that thus
+our fortunes might be indissolubly linked together."
+
+"Shameless traitor! And thus it is that you would drag me with you to
+perdition! But say, who was the accuser that displayed the dagger of
+the bloody paction before the eyes of king and people?"
+
+"If it was not Drost Hessel, let your confessor teach you the name of
+the angel who accuses the faithless!"
+
+"It was not the drost," exclaimed the duke, while his brain began to
+reel: "he lay then in chains at Nordborg. But you it was--even you,
+accursed regicide!--or it was the foul fiend himself!"
+
+"Priest, priest! where art thou?" cried the marsk, glancing fearfully,
+around him. "Name not the Evil One, Duke Waldemar! In our bloody
+council we invoked him often enough."
+
+At that instant the door was hastily opened, and Mat Jute entered, much
+excited. "Sir marsk," he cried, "what is to be done? The priest has
+fled, and the island is surrounded by the king's ships. The troops are
+about to land, with Thorstenson at their head, to storm the castle."
+
+"Let the priest speed to the infernal pit!" cried the marsk, rising.
+"Now, I will not die. Come on, King Erik's men! You shall once more see
+what Marsk Stig can accomplish!" He grasped his weapon with the
+suddenly returned strength of a giant. "Away!" he shouted, in a fearful
+voice: "every man to his post! We shall crush them with brynkioels and
+glowing stones."
+
+In an instant he was gone, and Duke Waldemar remained alone, agitated
+and undecided. The din of arms and soldiers was soon heard outside the
+castle, when at length, seizing his sword, he hurried out.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+In the attack on Hielm, the royalists were repulsed with great loss;
+but Thorstenson still continued to beleagure the castle, and was making
+preparations for another assault, whilst the most marvellous stories
+and reports began to circulate among the people. The rumour that the
+marsk was dead spread among the besiegers. It was said by others, that
+he had mysteriously vanished, and that a stranger of eminence, who had
+been with him, had also suddenly disappeared. From this circumstance it
+was generally believed among the people, that the devil had been at
+Hielm, and carried off the awful king-murderer.
+
+Meanwhile, the castle was defended with great bravery by the marsk's
+seven hundred mail-clad men. It was asserted that they were now
+commanded by the former lord of the castle, the outlawed Chamberlain
+Rane; and that his wife, the algrev's daughter, was with him. About the
+same time, too, a small female form, in white garments, with a crucifix
+in her folded hands, was frequently seen upon the ramparts of Hielm,
+where the dark warriors knelt before her as she passed them. The chiefs
+of the besiegers knew it was the marsk's eldest daughter; but many of
+the common soldiers looked on her as a supernatural being, who
+protected the castle, and rendered it impregnable.
+
+One night, shortly after the rumour of the marsk's sudden disappearance
+had been spread abroad, a funeral train, bearing torches, landed from a
+ship lying off the parsonage of Stubberup, on Hindsholm,[42] and
+proceeded with silence and solemnity towards the churchyard. The
+maid-servants of the clergyman, assisted by some maidens from the
+village, were engaged in carding wool, forming what was called a
+carding-guild, which, when the work was over, terminated in dance and
+merriment. The girls were cheerfully at work, in the servants' room,
+where were a number of troughs, with a large tub in the centre,
+while a single dull lamp hung in an iron hook from the rafters, and two
+men-servants lay on a bench asleep.
+
+The busy wool-carders were amusing themselves with singing ballads and
+telling ghost-stories, and were in the middle of a fearful tale
+concerning pirates who infested a wood in the northern part of the
+peninsula, and who had been captured one yule evening by Drost Peter.
+This was the band of Niels Breakpeace and Lave Rimaardson, whose chiefs
+had then escaped, but who were next year taken and executed at
+Harrestrup. Twelve of these men had perished in captivity on Hindsholm;
+on which achievement there existed a ballad which was generally known,
+and which the maidens were now all engaged in singing with the greatest
+glee. The kitchen-maid, who took the lead, was at the fourteenth
+verse:--
+
+
+                  "It was Drost Peter Hessel,
+                  He called unto his band:
+                  Wake up! wake up! no longer stay.
+                  For news has come to hand.
+                  Wake up! for now the time is come
+                  To don the trusty mail--"
+
+
+when the ballad was suddenly interrupted by the brewer's maid, who
+rushed in, with terror in her looks, exclaiming that she had seen a
+funeral company bearing torches. The maidens dropped their cards, and
+the wool fell from their laps; whilst the men-servants aroused
+themselves, and rubbed their eyes: but none dared to venture forth to
+behold the cause of their fear.
+
+"What scared fools you are!" at last exclaimed a little black-haired
+maiden, who superintended the work. "It must be one of the outlaws
+again, whom his comrades desire to bury in christian ground. Thus it
+was they did with Arved Bengtson, who was slain by Tule Ebbesen."
+
+"But they don't carry torches, and come with a long train--they sneak
+along, quietly and in darkness, when they go to bury a malefactor,"
+observed the brewer's girl. "This must be a king, or some great man,
+unless, indeed, it is a procession of ghosts, like what old Anders
+Gossip has seen so often."
+
+"Oh, what is it he cannot see, when the ale is in his head?" replied
+the other, laughing. "They are living men, I dare wager; and he is a
+milksop that dares not venture out to see."
+
+"If thou darest venture out to see it, Elsie," rejoined the brewer's
+maid, "do so, and prove to us that thou art as bold as thou boastest!
+The fright has not yet left me: I feel it still in my knees."
+
+"Go, Elsie," cried the kitchen-maid: "thou must, in truth, have a man's
+heart and courage, for the marsk's swain, long Mat Jute, is thy
+sweetheart, and I would not be alone with him, for all the world."
+
+"That I can well believe," replied Elsie, with some pride. "Mat Jute is
+not to be jested with. Indeed, you cannot show me his match, in all
+Funen."
+
+"You dare not let Christen Fiddler hear you so speak!" cried one of the
+girls.
+
+"Why not?" replied Elsie, briskly. "I have told him so more than once.
+Had Mat Jute not fallen into misfortune, along with his master, and
+become such a ferocious strand-fighter, I should have had no fear of
+taking him for a husband. But the Lord preserve me from him now!"
+
+"Aha!" laughed the kitchen-maid: "he kills folk, they say, for the
+smallest ill word said against his master. He must be a perfect fiend."
+
+"Say not so," cried Elsie. "Fierce he is, it is true, but he is still
+an honest fellow. He is true to his master--more's the pity!--and I
+cannot bear anybody to speak ill of him."
+
+"Old love doesn't die," remarked one of the men-servants; "and if Mat
+Jute knew that thou hast now another sweetheart, little Elsie, he would
+yet come and bite thy head off."
+
+"As for that," returned Elsie, "I am truer to him than many Funen lads
+are to their lasses; and, besides, I have only one sweetheart at a
+time."
+
+"If thou wouldst see the show, Elsie, haste thee, or it will be gone,"
+cried the brewer's maid. "It went up to the churchyard; and, if I saw
+truly in my fright, there was a light in the choir."
+
+"Let us call the master!" exclaimed the kitchen-maid: "it is really
+awful. They may be church-robbers; and if they be ghosts, the father
+can read them away."
+
+This was agreed to, and one of the maids went to awake her master.
+
+"It is, more likely, the outlawed marsk, who wants to add to his
+treasury at Eskebjerg," observed one of the men-servants: "he has heaps
+of gold and jewels there, it is said."
+
+"How long you think about it,  Elsie," cried the kitchen-maid--"thou
+who hast been in a fortress. When thou wert at Flynderborg, thou wert
+afraid of neither soldiers nor rievers--thou wert then as bold as thy
+jomfru."
+
+"I did not say that," replied Elsie: "the brave Jomfru Inge showed more
+courage than I, when the algrev and Niels Breakpeace paid us a visit.
+But you shall see, for all that, that I am not afraid to look at a
+funeral. A dead man can't bite my nose off. If it be an outlaw of mark,
+there are both gold and velvet with him that would make famous pillows
+and coverlets; and it were no sin to cheat the rieving pack of what
+they have plundered from our honest maids and wives. Come along with
+me, girls--I will go first."
+
+Her companions opened their eyes with amazement at this proposal, but
+none of them had the courage to follow her, and the men-servants did
+not seem at all to relish the adventure.
+
+"Very well," exclaimed Elsie, "I shall have all the treasure to myself.
+See it, I will, at any rate."
+
+So saying, she went out alone, and beheld a procession with torches,
+exactly as described by the brewer's maid. As the procession moved
+slowly across the churchyard, towards the low door of the choir, the
+inquisitive and somewhat frightened girl paused, and, hiding herself
+behind a tree, peeped through the palings that fenced the priest's walk
+to the churchyard. She trembled as she plainly perceived the tall,
+muffled figures, who, in heavy iron armour, and with torches in their
+hands, bore forward a long black coffin; while, behind this dark
+funereal train, walked a priest in canonicals, with his hands bound.
+
+Elsie summoned fresh courage, and stole close up to the gate when the
+procession had disappeared in the church. She now ventured to look
+around the churchyard, but not a soul was to be seen, and she then
+boldly advanced a little farther. With a beating heart she stood by the
+door of the choir, and peeped in. All was still and deserted, although
+lights were burning on the altar. Gliding noiselessly inside the
+church, she gazed with fearful curiosity around her, but not a creature
+was visible. The trap-door, however, in the middle of the aisle, was
+open, and, from the vault beneath, the light of many torches was
+reflected upon the arches of the roof. She stood a moment, hesitating
+whether to venture nearer or take to flight; but hastily muttering a
+short prayer to strengthen her, she crept cautiously towards the
+trap-door, where, through a chink between the hinges, she was enabled
+to behold what was going forward below, while, bent upon her knees, she
+scarcely dared to breathe. Twelve armed men, with torches in their
+hands, stood in a circle around a large coffin, covered with black
+velvet, and adorned with a gold-embroidered mort-cloth, upon which lay
+a sword, over the armorial bearings of the deceased. A solemn silence
+prevailed. The priest was unbound; and as the torchlight fell upon his
+face, with surprise and terror the girl recognised her master, the
+clergyman of the parish. The lid of the coffin was then raised, and she
+perceived within a long, gigantic figure, in the complete armour of a
+knight.
+
+"Now, priest, lay God's body on his breast," uttered in a hollow voice
+one of the warriors through his locked helmet: "he had it not before
+his death, although he loudly prayed for it. But now he shall take it
+with him, even were he banned by the holy George and all the archangels
+to boot."
+
+"I do it by compulsion," stammered forth the priest; "and, as I have
+already told you, it thus carries no blessing with it."
+
+"Perform the rite with due propriety, or thou shalt die!" sounded
+fearfully the same hollow voice; while the priest, in trembling
+accents, consecrated the host, which he carefully placed in a little
+silver shrine, and laid on the breast of the corpse. The lid of the
+coffin was again replaced, and the priest, casting upon it three
+spadefuls of earth, repeated aloud the burial-service of the church.
+
+"Amen!" cried all the iron-clad warriors, some of whom appeared to be
+deeply affected.
+
+The procession then prepared to leave the vault, and the girl,
+springing up, essayed to escape by the way she had entered, when, with
+indescribable terror, she perceived the backs of two mailed figures in
+the church-door. She had nearly discovered herself by a shriek, which
+she with difficulty suppressed, as she hastily concealed herself
+beneath one of the benches; and not until she had heard the heavy tread
+of the last warrior over the gravestones in the church-passage--not
+until every sound was hushed, did she venture to peep carefully from
+her lurking-place.
+
+The church was empty, and the door stood ajar, but lights were still
+burning on the altar. The trap-door of the vault remained open, and she
+perceived that there was still a light below. She again stole forth,
+and peeped through the crevice. A lantern stood on the coffin, but all
+the warriors were gone. She took heart, and ventured a step or two
+within: the splendid mort-cloth glittered before her eyes--she
+cautiously approached, and at length stood by the coffin, and beheld
+the armorial bearings on the black velvet pall, which glittered with
+silver and jewels. Under a helmet, with two white wings, blazed a
+silver star, with seven rays of sparkling gems.
+
+"This would make a poor bride rich, and a bridal-bed magnificent," she
+whispered to herself. "What wants the riever with it in the grave?"
+
+The lantern was in her hand, and the diamonds flashed a thousand rays,
+when, no longer able to withstand the temptation, she hastily secured
+the mort-cloth, and crept up the steps with it. But the rustling of
+armour, which she now heard behind her, petrified her with terror,
+and she dropped the lantern; while, at the same moment, a powerful
+hand seized the pall, and a terrible voice, as from the grave,
+cried--"Accursed woman! wilt thou plunder the dead?" She was now
+entirely overcome, and, uttering a piercing shriek, fell backwards
+insensible, into the vault.
+
+"Rievers! pirates!" now shouted numerous voices outside the church; and
+all the young men of Stubberup, who meanwhile had assembled to dance at
+the carding-guild, came rushing up to the church, armed with flails and
+pitchforks, and headed by the priest's farm-servant, with a lantern in
+his hand.
+
+"Go thou first, Christen Fiddler!" exclaimed one of the party: "it may
+be witchcraft and devilry, but thou canst read as well as the father;
+and where thy sweetheart could go alone, thou canst surely venture with
+a dozen."
+
+While they still lingered by the church-door, a tall figure in iron
+mail, and with a drawn sword in his hand, rushed forth, and with a wild
+howl overthrew those who stood before him, and quickly disappeared.
+
+The terrified peasants crossed themselves, and repeated their
+paternosters; none doubting but that it was the Evil One himself whom
+they had seen. At length, recovering their courage, they ventured
+within the church, where they found the vault open, and discovered with
+horror the little Elsie, bleeding and dying, beside the great coffin,
+over which the mort-cloth had again been thrown. They bore the maiden
+to the parsonage, where the priest, who appeared pale and agitated,
+caused them to swear never to divulge what they had seen and heard that
+night.
+
+What the dying girl confided to the priest remained a secret; but,
+three days after, Elsie was committed with all silence to the grave;
+and for many a day the story was told on Hindsholm, that she had been
+murdered by her old sweetheart, Mat Jute, because she would have
+plundered his master's grave.
+
+The priest of Stubberup caused the vault to be built up, and no one
+after, wards dared to open it. Some time after, it was rumoured that
+Marsk Stig had been secretly buried in Roervig Kirk, in Zealand, where,
+probably, the funeral of one of the outlaws had taken place. In a short
+time, the burial-place of the excommunicated marsk became involved in
+uncertainty, which his friends considered it important to maintain,
+lest, as a man who died under the ban of the Church, his remains should
+be persecuted and maltreated. Some even propagated the report that the
+marsk did not die at Hielm, but on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; by
+which pious invention they thought to protect his grave and redeem his
+memory.
+
+But the story of the priest's maid-servant, who had been killed by the
+marsk's follower, obtained the greatest currency, although it ran
+differently in different quarters; the version nearest the truth
+relating that one of the marsk's trusty servants had betrothed a girl
+upon the spot where his master had been secretly buried; but that
+recognising, on the bolsters of the bridal bed, the velvet of his
+master's pall, he had, in consequence, murdered his young wife on their
+wedding-night.[43]
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The vehement Thorstenson having been appointed drost of the kingdom
+during Drost Peter's imprisonment, the orders issued by him in the
+king's name were of the most stringent character; and the regicides and
+their adherents were prosecuted with a degree of rigour and violence
+that Drost Peter would not have sanctioned. This was in a great measure
+attributable to Junker Christopherson's desire of vengeance; and though
+the king neither approved of nor permitted any base revenge, no one
+dared to entreat his forbearance where his father's murderers and their
+accomplices were concerned.
+
+The death or disappearance of the marsk struck his men with terror; nor
+did the other outlaws deem themselves so secure as heretofore. Rane
+Jonsen, after a fruitless effort to defend his paternal castle against
+the royalists, had abandoned the beleagured fortress, and it was soon
+known that Hielm Castle had been stormed and demolished by Thorstenson.
+One evening, shortly after this event, two little girls came, hand in
+hand, to a miserable peasant-hut, near Helgeness, begging for shelter.
+These were the orphan daughters of Marsk Stig, who, in their flight
+from Denmark, found refuge and protection among the compassionate
+peasantry.
+
+About this time the commandant of Sjoeborg, the honest old Poul Hvit,
+was awakened one night by a loud knocking at the gate, which, on being
+opened, gave admission to a troop of royal horsemen and two bound
+prisoners. Poul Hvit himself, with a lantern in his hand, received
+these unexpected visitors; and as he examined the wretched habiliments
+of the prisoners, he appeared surprised that men of their mean
+condition should be conducted thither as state prisoners.
+
+One of them, a tall and haughty figure, wore an old gray jerkin, torn
+down to the skirts; on his head was a dirty, small, open cowl, and he
+was seated in a wooden saddle, stuffed with straw, placed upon the back
+of a lean plough-horse, beneath whose belly his feet were tied together
+with a rope of coarse hair. As the commandant held the lantern to the
+prisoner's face, he recognised with astonishment in the proud
+countenance, although now flushed and swollen with indignation and
+grief, that of the archbishop himself, the haughty Jens Grand, who
+remained silent, and was apparently suffering much from his degraded
+position.
+
+His companion and fellow-prisoner, who was apparelled and mounted in a
+similar manner, was the seditious and mischievous Provost Jacob of
+Lund. They had both been seized in Lund, in the king's name, by Junker
+Christopherson, by whose orders they were conducted through the country
+in this humiliating manner.
+
+The captain of the troop then handed the commandant a royal warrant,
+undersigned by Drost Thorstenson, wherein he was made answerable, under
+pain of death, for the safe custody of the important prisoners, and
+commanded to load them with chains, and place them in the severest
+durance.
+
+"Herregud! we are all sinful men!" ejaculated the castellan, as he
+obeyed, and, without further remark, conducted the half-fainting
+archbishop and his companion to the prison, where, however, he humanely
+procured them refreshment, and bade them master their sorrows before
+they were fettered.
+
+Jarl Mindre-Alf still lay in the felon's dungeon in Haraldsborg. He had
+been condemned to death, but had artfully contrived to have his
+execution deferred from time to time, by occasionally communicating, to
+the commandant of Roskild, new and important information respecting the
+outlaws and their accomplices, which required time for complete
+investigation.
+
+On a dark night in November, a vessel, bearing the Danish flag and
+pennant, ran into Roskild Fiord. On the forecastle stood one whose long
+brown hair was partially concealed by a shaggy cap, whilst a pitched
+wadmel jerkin covered his knight's dress. A huge dog lay growling at
+his feet; and by his side stood a strong, plump female figure, in the
+dress of a fisher-girl, but wearing a fine linen cloth over her plaited
+auburn hair, and a pair of large gold buckles in her shoes.
+
+"The attempt is too daring, thou headstrong woman!" exclaimed the
+knight: "should I be recognised, it will cost me my life."
+
+"But 'tis to save my father's life," replied, in a Norse accent, a
+youthful female voice; "and he is yet a better man than thou wilt ever
+be, my crafty Rane. Yesterday didst thou promise me to set him free,
+and to-day thou refusest. It would cost thee but a word to the
+castellan; yet for this thou wilt not now venture to show thyself where
+thou hast so often landed for plunder. Nay, nay--this time, at least,
+thou _shalt_ keep thy word."
+
+It was Jarl Mindre-Alf's daughter, the brave Kirstine, who thus spoke,
+while she cast on her husband a look indicative of anything but
+affection. In conjunction with the crew, who were devoted to her, she
+had compelled Rane personally to undertake in earnest what he had
+convinced her was very easy, if he but chose to set about it, but which
+no one except himself could accomplish. Rane had given the viking's
+daughter ample proofs, that, as a daring and wily freebooter, he was
+not deficient in courage or cunning; but she had also early discovered,
+with bitter indignation, that neither was he the redoubtable hero she
+had dreamt of, when she followed him from Norway, and danced with him
+over the castle-bridge of Rypen. The chivalrous wooer soon became the
+rude and imperious spouse; and Kirstine's affection changed to contempt
+and hatred when she learnt that, as an evident participator in the
+king's murder, he had been adjudged and declared an outlaw.
+
+The only tie which still bound them together was one of mutual fear and
+necessity--a rugged bond, which was often well nigh being snapped
+asunder. A ballad was already composed and sung in Norway on the
+unloving pair. It subsequently became popular in Denmark; and it has
+thus been recorded that the faithlessness of Rane to his former king,
+and the sympathy which Kirstine felt for the royal house, was
+frequently the cause of hostile scenes between them.  Their quarrel now
+took this complexion, while steering into Roskild Fiord.
+
+"Beware thou of my faithful hound to-night!" whispered Rane: "he can
+see that thou wilt lead me into misfortune for thy father's sake."
+
+"Pity it was," replied Kirstine, "that thy king had not a hound as
+faithful: he would not then, perhaps, have been basely betrayed by his
+chamberlain."
+
+Rane was so enraged that, with a menacing gesture, he threatened to
+throw her overboard. "I betrayed not the king!" he cried. "Were they
+even my own kinsmen who say so, they are my mortal foes."
+
+The ferocious hound, perceiving the threatening gesture of his master,
+growled and showed his teeth at the shrinking lady.
+
+"Have a care, Rane!" exclaimed Kirstine, holding fast by the cordage.
+"Twice now hast thou laid violent hands on me; but it shall not again
+happen. A single word from me, and the boatmen will fling thee
+overboard. Had I known what kind of a knight thou wert, assuredly I
+should not have offended my father by marrying thee, nor have left my
+fatherland to follow an outlawed regicide."
+
+Rane ground his teeth with rage, and again assumed a threatening
+attitude.
+
+"Beware!" whispered Kirstine, still retaining hold of the cordage.
+"Think not that 'tis so dark here as in the barn of Finnerup! Dost hear
+the song of my trusty countrymen in the forehold? They know my sir
+husband, and apprehend mischief."
+
+Rane, with whose rage alarm had now mingled, heard the Norse boatmen
+singing, whilst two of them approached the forecastle:--
+
+
+            "'The wood has ears, the field has een,
+            And we are outlaws, little Kirstine!'
+
+            "'Oh, had you but King Erik spared,
+            We need not from the land have fared.'
+
+            "Across the table he struck her sore--
+            'Beware this speech our guests before!'
+
+            "And he struck her on the cheek so red--
+            'I did not wish King Erik dead,
+            Though spurned by kith and kin.'"
+
+
+"Dost hear?" again whispered Kirstine: "thou shouldst know the ballad
+well! If thou desirest not a worse ending, assist me now to save my
+father, and then I bid thee farewell for ever. But if thou shouldst act
+treacherously now, my trusty countrymen shall bind and carry thee to
+the King of Denmark."
+
+"Be still, dearest Kirstine! I will do as thou desirest," whispered
+Rane, as he cast a fearful glance towards the sturdy boatmen, who
+appeared to be as faithful and vigilant a body-guard to their lady, as
+was the hound to the faithless knight.
+
+The vessel soon lay to at a remote part of the fiord, where Rane and
+his wife landed, and proceeded in silence to the town. The hound
+followed; and, at a little distance behind, by a signal from Kirstine,
+the two sturdy boatmen.
+
+They passed thus through the streets of Roskild, until they reached the
+prison-tower of Haraldsborg, near which a crowd was collected,
+listening to an old crone singing street-ballads. She was seated on a
+stone, and, although apparently blind, carried a lantern in her hand,
+while on her arm hung a tin-box, on which she accompanied her song, and
+into which her hearers now and then dropped a piece of money. The moon,
+which had now risen, shone brightly on the tower and on the people, who
+apparently had gathered there to catch a glimpse of the famous
+prisoner, and to amuse themselves with the gossip of the town.
+
+"Saw you the drost?" asked a soldier: "such a carl!"
+
+"Ah, Heaven help us!" exclaimed a burgher; "he is under bolt and bar at
+Nordborg; and, until he is free, we shall have neither peace nor luck
+in the land."
+
+"Meanest thou Drost Hessel?" replied the soldier. "Ay, he truly was a
+brave gentleman; but 'twas the new drost I spoke of--he with the long
+beard: he's a tough carl, and, while he advises, neither rogues nor
+traitors shall long be safe in Denmark."
+
+"How long stays he here?" asked the burgher.
+
+"Only till the fleet is ready, and the landfolk assembled," answered
+the other. "The king then comes from Helsingborg, and we shall at the
+duke."
+
+"Bravo! Drost Thorstenson is no fool!" cried a seaman: "he well knows
+there is no road to land except by sea."
+
+"How so, friend?" asked a landsknecht: "was it not on land we got the
+holy banner, without which there is no road, either by sea or shore?
+Now, however, we go together; but if the Norsemen should land again,
+without leave, where were we without the landsmen then?"
+
+"Well, my countryman," replied the seaman, "we will drink to good
+fellowship both on sea and land. You laid by the heels that sea-bear in
+the tower, where he shall no longer plunder and burn our sloops. Sing
+us the ballad anent the corbie in the tower there, carlin!" he cried,
+turning to the crone, "and thou shalt have a silver groat."
+
+"How long will they allow him to remain there, and befool both bailiff
+and hangman?" inquired a burgher.
+
+"Have you not seen the wheel outside the town?" replied the seaman:
+"he'll be safe anchored there in a week hence, for Drost David has
+sworn it. He was, to give the devil his due, a daring sea-cock; but two
+such rievers as the marsk and he would soon have sunk the country."
+
+"Say you the algrev will be executed in a week hence?" exclaimed a
+young girl. "Alas, it is still a sad end for such a rich and
+distinguished gentleman!"
+
+"Come, carlin, sing now!" cried the seaman: "here's my groat. Look!
+there he is, poking his head out of the hole. He wants to see if there
+be any good friends here to help him."
+
+"Merciful Heavens! within a week. Heardst thou that, Rane?" exclaimed
+Kirstine, weeping, and involuntarily grasping the arm of her hated
+husband. "And, see, there he stands looking down to us. Haste thee,
+Rane, and save him! I will forgive thee all, and remain with thee,
+outlaw though thou be--only save him! save him! Thou canst if thou
+wilt."
+
+"Be silent, or, by Satan, thou wilt betray me with thy whimpering!"
+quickly whispered Rane, as he looked anxiously around him.
+
+And his fears were not unfounded, for some of the townspeople had
+already been suspiciously watching the two strange figures; although
+now the attention of all was attracted to the blind crone on the
+kerb-stone, who began to sing:--
+
+
+            "Sir Alf was born in Norraway,
+             Yet lists not there to bide,
+            Though fifteen lordships he doth own,
+             To keep his state and pride.[44]
+
+            "Alf wends upon the rampart green,
+             And cons with care his book;
+            There meets him Bendit Rimaardson,
+             Who is so dour of look.
+
+            "'What brings thee here, carl Mindre-Alf?
+             Thou art of courage rare:
+            If now thou'rt made king's prisoner,
+             The land no worse shall fare.'
+
+            "'But I am not Sir Mindre-Alf--
+             That is no name of mine:
+            A mass-boy, as thou seest, I am,
+             And fetch the priest some wine.'
+
+            "Bent lifted off this mass-boy's cap,
+             And looked him in the een--
+            'An I see right, thou art the Norse
+             Sir Mindre-Alf, I ween.'
+
+            "'And thou wert once a clerk with me,
+             I knew thee well at school,
+            And thou mayst not deny, that oft
+             Thou wrought'st us pain and dool.'
+
+            "'An be it thou, Bent Rimaardson,
+             And thou be kinsman true,
+            An oath, I wiss, thou'lt swear to-day,
+             That me thou never knew.'
+
+            "But now they've ta'en Jarl Mindre-Alf,
+             His feet in fetters bound--"
+
+
+"Away!" shouted the landsknecht who guarded the prison-tower: "finish
+your screaming, carlin, and draw not the whole town hither; for whoever
+comes three steps nearer the keep, will assuredly have a lance run
+through his body."
+
+The crowd drew back, and, with them, Rane, dragging along his wife, who
+still clung to his arm, assailing him with urgent entreaties to redeem
+his promise and save her father.
+
+"Nay, it cannot be done!" exclaimed Rane, in an under tone: "I know
+well he has sworn my death and destruction, and now let him help
+himself!"
+
+So saying, he attempted to shake off his wife, but she held him
+tightly. He then pulled his cap over his eyes to avoid being
+recognised; for, with increased terror, he now observed near him some
+of the late king's servants, whom he had been the means of disgracing
+at court.
+
+"Leave me, woman!" he whispered "thou hast betrayed me--I am
+discovered!"
+
+A growing murmur arose among the crowd, and the cry of "Rane, the
+outlawed chamberlain!" ran from mouth to mouth.
+
+"Thou desirest, then, to cause my death, obstinate woman!" exclaimed
+Rane, with subdued vehemence; while, with a violent effort, he
+succeeded in freeing himself, and immediately took to flight.
+
+"Seize him--seize him!" shouted the crowd: "it is Rane, the outlawed
+chamberlain! Seize the traitor!" And he was followed with loud cries by
+the enraged populace, who threatened to tear him in pieces. His hound,
+however, by furiously attacking his pursuers, several of whom he bit
+and frightened, enabled Rane to escape, both master and dog having
+suddenly disappeared in the vicinity of the Grayfriars' Convent; whilst
+Kirstine, amidst the confusion, was fortunately extricated from the
+crowd by her faithful boatmen.
+
+Rane remained undiscovered for some days, during which, as it was known
+that he had many relatives among the grayfriars, the convent was
+strictly searched by Drost Thorstenson's orders, but no trace was found
+of the dangerous fugitive.
+
+In a narrow street, and under a wooden shed that projected from the
+convent-wall, was a well, out of which a large, ferocious-looking dog
+had been observed to leap, by a girl who went there one morning early
+to draw water. She related the circumstance to her neighbours, who,
+from the description, inferred that it was the hound of the outlawed
+Rane. The authorities were forthwith apprised of the circumstance, and
+the well was examined; when, in it, and against the convent-wall, was
+found a ledge, which was reached with some difficulty. Here was
+discovered a strongly-barred door, which was soon broken open, and
+revealed a low narrow passage, leading to a dark and noisome hole
+between the double convent-walls. The first who ventured into this
+mysterious hiding-place was furiously attacked by the dog, which,
+however, after a desperate encounter, was at last overpowered and
+killed. By the aid of their lanterns, they then carefully searched the
+hole, but no trace of a human being was perceptible.
+
+In one damp corner, swarming with toads and lizards, lay a heap of
+stones and gravel, into which, before leaving the spot, one of the
+soldiers accidentally thrust his lance. This action was followed by a
+smothered cry of pain: the gravel-heap was then speedily removed, and a
+sad and miserable spectacle exposed. Close in the corner, and huddled
+quite together, lay the outlaw Rane, so disfigured by mire and blood
+that he scarcely resembled a human creature. He sprang up, apparently
+irresolute whether to fight or fly, and was instantly seized and
+conducted to Haraldsborg, where the stern Drost Thorstenson, without
+further form or delay, sentenced him to death, in the king's name.
+
+Three days after the capture of Rane, the new Dean of Roskild was
+returning, late in the evening, from a farmhouse in the neighbourhood,
+where he had been administering the last rites of the Church. Two young
+choristers rode before him, carrying torches; and the holy pix and
+anointing-cruse; under a screen, were borne by a couple of lay
+brothers. Their way lay by the place of execution, which was in a waste
+field outside of Roskild, and where the algrev and Rane had suffered
+the same morning. When the boys reached this spot, they became alarmed.
+
+"Sir dean," said one of them, "it is not well to come this way."
+
+"Proceed, children, in God's name!" answered the dean. "They cease now
+from troubling; and, with the Holiest in the midst of us, we need fear
+nothing."
+
+The lads obeyed in silence; but, after advancing a few steps,
+
+"See, see!" cried the younger of them--"there is something stirring up
+yonder."
+
+"And look!" added the other, "now there is a light--candles are burning
+by the dead men."
+
+"Ghosts and devilry!" exclaimed one of the lay brothers. "Read,
+reverend sir, read!"
+
+The dean, who now also became alarmed, halted, and gazing towards the
+mound, on which the fatal wheels were distinctly visible, saw a female
+form, holding in her hand a torch, the light of which, falling full on
+her countenance, revealed an expression of the deepest grief, united
+with so much calmness, that she resembled a Niobe in marble; whilst a
+number of clumsy-looking fellows, in the garb of seamen, were quietly
+but hastily engaged in releasing the bodies of the two malefactors.
+This being accomplished, they deposited them in coffins, and, forming
+themselves into a procession, left the mound, bearing the two corses in
+their midst. The grave female figure preceded them with the torch; and
+the dean, who, with his subordinates, had not stirred, now perceived
+that she wore the scarlet mantle of a princess, or of the lady of some
+knight of eminence.
+
+The funeral train took the road to the fiord, approaching close to
+where the dean was standing; but the calm, melancholy features of the
+lady remained unchanged, nor did the others who composed the procession
+seem at all concerned at the presence of the ecclesiastic and his
+assistants. The latter, folding their hands, remained in silent prayer;
+while, as the train passed by, and the holy pix glittered in the
+torchlight, the grave seamen bowed their heads, and the knight's lady
+knelt down, while tears streamed along her pale cheeks.
+
+As if moved by sympathy, the dean, accompanied by the choristers, then
+commenced singing, in a deep clear voice, a holy vigil for the dead
+men's souls; which they continued until the whole procession had
+passed. The mourners soon disappeared at the fiord, whence, shortly
+afterwards, a vessel departed under full sail.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+After the death of the marsk, Duke Waldemar had openly allied himself
+with the brave Norwegian king, and had sent to the young Danish
+monarch, and his mother the queen, a declaration of war, grounded on
+the demands which he himself, and his brother Prince Erik, advanced for
+the possessions of Svendborg and Langeland. The duke and the Norwegian
+had agreed to commence the war with their united fleets and armies; but
+the impatience of the duke would not allow him to wait the arrival of
+the Norse fleet; and he ran out boldly with his own, which he conducted
+into Groensund, between Falster and Moeen.
+
+Sir John and the council resolved to take advantage of this imprudent
+step, and immediately issued orders to man a number of long-ships and
+cutters, for the purpose of attacking the duke. This fleet, with young
+King Erik himself on board the long-ship Old Waldemar, early one
+morning ran out of Issefiord, and proceeded through the Great Belt to
+Groensund, where the vessels of the duke had come to anchor on the
+Falster coast. Sir John and the chancellor were on board the king's
+ship, together with the royal trabants, and a numerous body of knights,
+who, in full armour, only knew each other by their helmet jewels and
+armorial bearings.
+
+Close to the king's vessel followed Count Gerhard, in his own
+long-ship, accompanied by a few sloops from Kiel, manned by brave
+Holsteiners. Thorstenson himself commanded one of the largest
+long-ships, and, in conjunction with Sir John, directed the movements
+of the whole fleet.
+
+The commanders still pursued the ancient Danish mode of attacking a
+hostile fleet, seeking to break the position of the enemy by a vigorous
+and combined movement, and, by coming as soon as possible to close
+quarters, to allow the fate of the engagement to be decided, as in land
+battles, by numbers and personal courage. To this end, they immediately
+ordered the whole royal fleet to form in order of battle under the
+coast of Moeen, and opposite the duke, bringing all the ships together
+in a single compact line, in the centre of which was the royal vessel,
+from whence the position of both fleets, which were nearly of equal
+force, could be easily seen. The duke, however, put only his largest
+long-ships into line, and these he brought into an advanced position;
+whilst he allowed the lighter and smaller sloops and cutters to remain
+behind, with sails unbent, close under the coast of Falster.
+
+In all the vessels of the king's fleet, the awning was then taken down
+which served to protect the deck from the inclemency of the weather. On
+the poop of the Old Waldemar, surrounded by the most valiant of the
+royal knights, himself the tallest and strongest amongst them, stood
+the standard-bearer, holding aloft the royal banner--the dark
+parti-coloured standard of the murdered king, with its numerous keys,
+wheels, and other remarkable symbols. The hold was filled with the
+common soldiers, who, besides sword and javelin, were armed with bows
+and slings, while a portion of them had the superintendence of the
+heavy war-machines; and at the stern, having the command of the whole
+vessel, stood the steersman, whose office, in the king's ship, was
+filled by old Sir John.
+
+The young king, who, with the Chancellor Martinus, stood by his side,
+now exclaimed--
+
+"Explain to me, Sir John, why the duke allows his sloops to lie
+detached behind the long-ships? Drost Peter, I remember, once informed
+me that Waldemar Seier and old King Waldemar did the same, when they
+had to deal with a stronger foe, and feared to hazard their whole force
+at once. But cannot the duke now surround us with his sloops, and fall
+upon our rear?"
+
+"We will not give him time for that," replied Sir John. "When we have
+first saluted him at a distance, we will row rapidly forwards, working
+our slings and rams; and when we are once alongside of him, the
+engagement can be terminated sword in hand."
+
+"The Almighty grant us victory!" exclaimed the chancellor. "Before you
+give the signal for battle, Sir John, we must permit our people to
+think of their souls, and to pray the Lord of victory to aid us."
+
+"In God's name! But let it be soon and short, for there is little time
+to spare, and the Lord shields his own."
+
+The chancellor then, accompanied by several ecclesiastics, began a
+war-hymn, in which all the soldiers and fighting-men joined; whilst
+many, including the young king, followed the example of the chancellor
+and clerks, and reverently bent the knee.
+
+Scarcely was the solemn war-hymn ended, before the standard-bearer, at
+Sir John's order, gave the signal for battle by waving the royal flag
+three times over his head; and in a moment, although it was clear noon,
+the sky was darkened with the arrows and stones, projected
+simultaneously from every sling and bow on board the royal ships.
+This attack was answered by a similar discharge of missiles from the
+duke's fleet, the foreign soldiers in which now sent forth their wild
+war-cries.
+
+Sir John had ordered a shieldburg[45] to be formed around the young
+king and the clergymen, through which, however, many arrows pierced,
+while the stones and other missiles rattled on the bucklers with a
+frightful din. On the royal vessel there alighted such an enormous mass
+of stones, that it was evident the duke had concentrated his attack on
+it alone. A few men fell, and many were wounded; but the distance was
+still too great for these missiles to take much effect.
+
+On board the king's ship, the standard-bearer now again waved the royal
+banner, and the entire fleet rowed rapidly forward, while the heavy
+engines of war were put in preparation. At the stern of the king's
+vessel was placed an immense prow-hog, which, with its spiked and sharp
+iron crest, broke into the centre of the duke's fleet, and, at the
+first blow, parted two long-ships, thus forcing the duke to fight his
+own vessel without aid from the others.
+
+At the same instant, the sea-rams were vigorously worked. These
+consisted of heavy beams, cased in iron, which, suspended by chains
+from the masts, were swung with crushing effect against the enemies'
+vessels. The duke possessed no such heavy machines; and it was soon
+apparent that the royalists had gained a considerable advantage in this
+first assault, great confusion having been produced in the enemies'
+fleet, the line of which was already almost entirely broken.
+
+It was, however, speedily evident that the lighter arms of the duke
+were not less dangerous. He seemed not yet desirous of boarding,
+but, with his light vessels, evaded the advancing line of heavy
+battle-ships; whilst, besides arrows, stones, and bolts, he continued
+to shower upon them great numbers of caltrops, and of fire-pots, filled
+with pitch, brimstone, and oil. The latter were set on fire with tow,
+and, as they fell, cast forth flames, which, seizing upon the sails and
+cordage, created great damage and confusion in the royal fleet.
+
+The duke immediately availed himself of this to order an attack on its
+rear by his smaller vessels. When he heard, by the shouting, that this
+was in execution, and became sure that the royalists would have to
+fight in opposite directions and with divided strength he no longer
+avoided the attempt to board, but ran his own long-ship close up to
+that of the king.
+
+Thorstenson, who had quickly perceived this cunning man[oe]uvre,
+commanded the cables by which the royal ships were bound together to be
+immediately cut asunder, in order that he might secure a more
+advantageous position; but the caltrops had produced so much disorder,
+and the fire-pots taken such effect, that the men were fully occupied
+in extinguishing the flames, and in defending themselves against the
+boarders, who now threatened them on both sides.
+
+In this extremity young Erik, who stood by the side of the chancellor,
+with his sword in one hand and a javelin in the other, observed the
+duke near him, preparing to leap on board the blazing vessel. The sight
+of the duke enraged him. "'Twas an unchivalrous piece of cunning, Duke
+Waldemar!" he cried, at the same time dashing at him his javelin, which
+struck the feather of the duke's helmet, and carried away its jewel.
+
+At this a shout of delight broke forth on board the king's ship, and,
+abandoning their efforts to extinguish the fire, the whole crew rushed
+forward, to repulse the duke's boarders.
+
+"Be calm, brave countrymen!" shouted Sir John. "Let us first quench the
+fire, and then reckon with them for our house-warming!"
+
+Both fire and attack raged most fiercely at the prow, and the
+standard-bearer, forced to defend himself, had been obliged to fix the
+banner in a plank by his side, where it was soon caught by the flames,
+and fell hissing into the water. This incident, while it raised a wild
+shout of joy on board the duke's fleet, greatly disheartened the
+royalists, who regarded it as an unlucky omen.
+
+"My father's banner has fallen!" exclaimed the young king, in a tone of
+melancholy; "no good fortune attended it."
+
+"That of your great ancestor was always victorious, my royal master!"
+exclaimed the chancellor.
+
+"But it, alas, lies in the duke's stronghold in Sleswick," sighed the
+king. "The Lord, however, can still aid us."
+
+"His help is near when we call upon Him," replied the chancellor:
+"therefore be comforted, sir king!--But see you yonder fisherman, and
+in what he is engaged?"
+
+While the king was gazing in the direction indicated by the chancellor,
+the duke saw with astonishment that the crews on board his vessels were
+slipping and reeling about like drunken men; and he now first perceived,
+running boldly to and fro among his fleet, a small fishing-boat, in which
+stood a tall man, in a black leathern mail, casting pots of soap on board
+the ships. On some of the vessels, too, fell pots of finely powdered lime,
+which blinded the fighting-men; while, to increase his dismay, some of
+the vessels began to fill and sink. In the midst of the terror and
+confusion thus occasioned, a daring black-haired swimmer was seen, with
+a large auger in his hand, diving here and there under the ships.
+
+"Shoot the accursed fisherman! crash the swimmer's head!" furiously
+cried the duke. "Board--storm--all hands!"
+
+The boarding soon became general. No one could any longer stand on the
+slippery deck of the duke's ship; and as the fire had fortunately been
+extinguished in that of the king, there then commenced a hot and
+serious conflict, in which the combatants fought man to man, and in
+which many fell on both sides. Thorstenson, in whose long-ship the
+battle also raged furiously, fought heroically, many falling by his
+hand. Count Gerhard, too, reaped laurels. His ship lay opposite to that
+of Duke Erik of Langeland, Duke Waldemar's brother, and generally known
+as Duke Longlegs. By the side of his master, in the equipments of a
+squire, stood the old jester, who, when the duke appeared on the point
+of boarding them, exclaimed--
+
+"See! there comes my illustrious namesake with the long legs! Hide your
+lady's veil, stern sir, that it may not be again torn!"
+
+Count Gerhard, in the spirit of chivalry and as a defiance to Duke
+Waldemar, had attached the queen's veil to his breastplate; but, that
+he might not now lose it in the fray, he took the advice of his jester,
+and placed it under his mail.
+
+"We shall not run now from hares or cats, stern sir," said the jester,
+while a roguish smile dispelled the gravity of his countenance.
+
+But this remark touched his good-natured master in the tenderest point,
+by reminding him of an unfortunate encounter with the Ditmarshers,
+wherein his troops were really first thrown into disorder by a hare or
+cat.
+
+"Now, by Satan! Longlegs, I shall strike thee dead!" cried the count,
+as he furiously brandished his sword.
+
+"Spare your wrath for the proper Longlegs--see, here he is!" replied
+the jester, as he stepped back, and pointed towards the forecastle,
+where Duke Erik came storming onwards.
+
+"The fiend take all the Longlegs!" shouted the count, as he rushed
+forward to the combat.
+
+The royal ship continued to be closely pressed upon from every side.
+Old Sir John had some trouble to protect the young king, who insisted
+on leaving the shieldburg to take part in the fray. The duke himself
+had struck down the standard-bearer, and, springing on board at the
+forecastle, he was now, backed by his bravest knights, fiercely engaged
+on the rowing-deck with the royal trabants. At every stroke he seemed
+to cut out for himself a path, by which he was advancing nearer to the
+king.
+
+Sir John had placed himself in the narrow passage that led from deck to
+deck, where with calm energy he defended the entrance to the poop,
+where stood the king, between the chancellor and Squire Aage Jonsen, in
+front of the ecclesiastics. A vigorous stroke from the duke at length
+reached Sir John's helmet, which fell cloven from his gray head, while
+the old man himself sank bleeding between the rowing-benches.
+
+At this sight the king sprang forward. "By all holy men!" he exclaimed,
+"that stroke you shall atone for with your blood, most treacherous
+duke!"
+
+He became furious, and, shaking off all restraints, rushed forward, and
+had slightly wounded the duke, when, in his eagerness, he stumbled over
+a bench. The trabants, who had each an opponent to encounter, did not
+observe the imminent danger of the king; but his squire, Aage Jonsen,
+darting forward, now closed with the duke, while Chancellor Martinus
+placed himself, with his mass-book in his hand, between young Erik and
+the combatants. Soon, however, the youthful monarch stood again
+prepared for battle, but the chancellor restrained him. Squire Aage,
+unable to cope with the duke as a swordsman, and bleeding from many
+wounds, was already beginning to give way, when the chancellor, who had
+raised his hands and eyes towards heaven in supplication, suddenly
+exclaimed--
+
+"Behold, behold! Danebrog, Danebrog! The Lord sends us victory--_hoc
+signo victoria!_"[46]
+
+The joyful shout of "Danebrog! Danebrog!" was now raised by the
+royalists; and the duke, on looking up, perceived before him, on a
+rowing-bench, the well-known Danebrog flag, in the hands of a tall
+knight, clad in steel blue harness, and with open visor. It was Drost
+Peter, in whom, with mingled rage and fear, the duke recognised the
+blue knight of the tourney, and saw the well-known lion-hilted dagger
+gleaming in his uplifted right hand.
+
+"Ha! thou--my deadly foe!" he cried, rushing madly towards him; but his
+vision forsook him, and he heard but the clash against his breastplate
+of the dagger, which, glancing aside, remained deep in his left
+shoulder. Uttering a cry of terror, he let fall his sword, and reeled
+backwards.
+
+"Fly, fly! God has doomed us!" he cried, wildly, as, with a desperate
+leap, he regained his own ship.
+
+His knights followed him, and, perceiving the battle was lost, quickly
+hoisted sail and took to flight, leaving the victory in the hands of
+the royalists.
+
+The sudden appearance of the Danebrog seemed to have rendered every man
+of the king's soldiers invincible. From Thorstenson's ship arose a loud
+shout of victory; and Count Gerhard had also so entirely cleared his
+decks, that the severely wounded Duke Erik, finding himself nearly
+alone, sprang overboard, and saved his life by swimming to his
+brother's vessel. The royal ships were filled with slain or captured
+foemen; whilst of the duke's fleet, which was altogether broken up, a
+number of vessels were sunk, and others captured--the duke himself
+escaping with great difficulty and danger.
+
+Old Sir John, whose wound had been bound up, now received, with
+feelings of pleasure, the thanks of the king for the brave defence he
+had made. His wound was not dangerous; although the heavy blow had
+stunned him, and he felt with regret that he could no longer wield his
+sword as in his youthful days. From the poop, and over the heads of the
+king and the aged knight, waved the sacred Dannebrog banner, which had
+been entrusted to the custody of the trabants by Drost Peter, whilst he
+hastened to aid Thorstenson in completing the victory. In the tumult of
+battle, only a few had recognised him.
+
+"The Almighty be praised!" cried the chancellor, kneeling, and raising
+his folded hands towards heaven, as, with a loud voice, he began to
+chaunt the _Te Deum laudamus_, in which the ecclesiastics joined, and
+during which the king and Sir John, with all else on board, continued
+reverently kneeling.
+
+Scarcely was the solemn hymn of victory ended, before the chivalrous
+Drost Peter and Thorstenson were observed in a fishing-boat, hastening
+towards the king's ship, accompanied by old Henner Friser and Skirmen.
+The drost sprang on board, and congratulated the king on his victory,
+whilst, with a loud exclamation of delight, the young victor rushed
+into his arms.
+
+"Thou it was--thou it was!" cried young Erik--"thou broughtest me
+victory with my ancestor's banner."
+
+Drost Peter bowed his head, and raised his hand solemnly towards
+heaven.
+
+"Yea, the Lord be praised! for from Him alone comes victory!" exclaimed
+the king, with emotion, whilst he again embraced his faithful friend.
+
+Drost Peter was greatly exhausted by his hurried journey. He had been
+fearful of arriving too late for the battle, and had also suffered
+much, after his escape from prison, in his exertions to obtain
+possession of the important banner, whose singular influence on the
+people, ever since the days of Waldemar Seier, was well known; it being
+their pious belief that, with this their national standard, and with
+confidence in God, they were sure to conquer. Its effect on Duke
+Waldemar had also been of vital importance. His right arm was paralysed
+from the moment when Drost Peter returned him the traitor-dagger,
+stained with the heart's-blood of King Erik Christopherson, and it was
+now with reason hoped that he would never more raise it against the
+crown of Denmark.
+
+Drost Peter's unexpected arrival produced great joy on board the king's
+ship. All crowded around him, while he briefly related how old Henner,
+with Aase and Skirmen, had contrived to procure his escape from
+Nordborg Castle, and assisted him in obtaining possession of the
+national standard. He then presented to the king the faithful old
+Henner and the active squire, both of whom had contributed to the
+victory--the latter by boring the holes in the enemy's vessels; while
+the idea of the soap and lime, which the king considered more novel
+than chivalrous, belonged altogether to Henner, who had pretended to
+the drost that he had a design of trading in these articles.
+
+"Kneel!" said the young king, turning to Skirmen: "I shall dub thee a
+knight, for thou hast merited the honour, and I exempt thee from the
+usual proofs."
+
+With tears of joy in his dark eyes, and an exclamation of gratitude,
+the brave squire knelt and received the stroke of knighthood in the
+name of God and the Holy Virgin.
+
+The king then beckoned to Aage Jonsen, whose numerous yet not dangerous
+wounds had, meanwhile, been bound up. "Thou, too," said the king--"thou
+hast defended my life today like a hero, as thou didst at Tornborg."
+
+Aage knelt in silence, and arose a knight.
+
+"I desire not knighthood on account of the soap-pots, sir king," said
+old Henner; "but, by my troth, the soap was capital--and the carls
+required it much."
+
+"If thou canst not be a knight, ingenious old man," replied the king,
+"thou canst be a steersman, and such from this day thou art."
+
+Old Henner was greatly affected: he spoke not a word, but bent his
+knee, and kissed the hand of the young king, who, however, hastily
+withdrew it, for a tear which had fallen from the old warrior's eyes
+had scalded him.
+
+In the midst of the general joy, Count Gerhard had come on board, when,
+after having heartily embraced Drost Peter, both he and Thorstenson
+received the thanks and commendations of the king, who now heard in
+detail how matters had fared in the count's ship, and how Duke Longlegs
+had sprung overboard.
+
+"Take the fleetest boat, Count Gerhard," said the king, extending his
+hand to him, "and proceed to Helsingborg, where my mother, the queen,
+is expecting tidings of us. Carry her the account of our victory, and I
+promise you that you shall then obtain what you have so long and so
+ardently desired."
+
+On hearing these words, the brave count could no longer constrain
+himself. He embraced the king, Drost Peter, old Henner, the jester,
+and, in fact, every one around him, and with difficulty refrained from
+taking the young king in his sturdy arms, and dancing with him on the
+poop.
+
+"Shame befall me," he cried, "if there shall not be a dance at
+Helsingborg, in which I'll share." And in an instant he stood in
+Henner's fishing-boat. "Sir Steersman Henner," he exclaimed, "you shall
+take me to Helsingborg. Nobody steers a boat like you."
+
+"Right willingly," cried Henner, following him into the boat. "I
+promised you good luck, and you see I have kept my word."
+
+The boat was already leaving the king's ship, when one long leg,
+followed by another, came sprawling over the gunwale: the long-shanked
+jester would follow his happy master.
+
+The rumour that the great sea-fight was expected to take place in
+Groensund, had reached Helsingborg the same day on which it was fought.
+On that evening Queen Agnes, in great anxiety, sat in her closet, and
+every other moment quitted her seat to gaze out over the Sound. That
+the young king was with the fleet she knew; and that her devoted knight
+and suitor, Count Gerhard, who had gone to his aid, would dare the
+utmost, she felt certain. On leaving Kiel to join the fleet, he had
+sent to her a formal declaration of his love; and her affectionate
+answer to his letter now lay on the table before her, ready to be
+forwarded to him on the following day. She had despatched three fleet
+skiffs, one after the other, to bring her intelligence from Groensund;
+but they had encountered a storm in the Sound, and were now all three
+beating about off Dragoe, when Count Gerhard, in Henner's little
+fishing-boat, passed them.
+
+"The cross shield us--they will perish!" cried the seamen from
+Helsingborg, when, by the moonlight, they perceived the little
+fishing-yawl driven by, and every instant threatened with destruction
+by the surging billows.
+
+The queen was ignorant of this her lover's danger; but the violence of
+the storm augmented her apprehensions concerning the battle. To conceal
+her anxiety, she had directed her ladies to retire, and, in her present
+loneliness, she felt as if her own and Denmark's fate depended on the
+message she that night expected. All the gloomy images of her chequered
+life seemed united in one single event, which threatened entirely to
+crush her heart, and banish that bright hope in which she had found a
+recompense for all her losses, and a comfort for all her misfortunes.
+If the battle were lost, and the young king slain, then would there be
+an end of Denmark's freedom and of her own maternal joy; and, if the
+trusty Count Gerhard had fallen, then was her letter to him, which now
+lay before her, but a mournful testimony of the great and true
+happiness she had lost.
+
+The night passed on: the wax-lights flickered on the table, and the
+storm howled in the chimney, but the queen still sat, sorrowfully
+contemplating her letter to Count Gerhard, in the seal of which she was
+represented as kneeling in a church before a virgin and child, with a
+winged cherub holding a crown above her head.[47]
+
+"Take the crown, Lord, and guard it," she sighed, "but let not the
+angel fly away. Leave him to watch over me, and over him who is dearer
+to me than all the crowns in the world."
+
+She had drawn forth her diary, in which the dearest of all her heart's
+confessions was not yet expressly inscribed, although in the latter
+portions of it Count Gerhard was mentioned oftener than herself,
+especially from the time when she had presented him with her veil, and
+chosen him her knight and protector.
+
+The image of her faithful knight had subdued every anxious thought in
+the heart of the fair queen, when suddenly there arose an unusual noise
+from the gardens beneath her window. She approached the balcony, and,
+by the moonlight, perceived a crowd of people on the quay, where the
+pilots were engaged in dragging a small boat through the surf; and
+in the next moment she heard the shout of "Victory, victory! The
+count--the one-eyed count!" She uttered an exclamation of thanksgiving,
+and, overcome with joy, tottered to a seat in her inmost apartment.
+
+Shortly after, the palace resounded with the joyful tidings of victory;
+and, within an hour, the queen, surrounded by her entire court, stood
+in the brilliantly illuminated audience-chamber, where the fortunate
+bearer of the intelligence knelt, and laid at her feet his sword and
+the banner of the vanquished enemy.
+
+Whilst the whole palace shone with light, and re-echoed with sounds of
+mirth and festivity, Count Gerhard learned from the queen's own lips
+what was contained in the letter with the red seal on her table, and
+his happiness was complete.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The joy created by this victory was soon after increased by the
+tidings, that the fortress of Hunehal, in Halland, had been stormed by
+the royalists, and the proud Count Jacob taken prisoner. The victory
+itself was followed by important results; for the Norwegian king, who,
+with his fleet, had arrived too late, abandoned altogether his
+expedition against Denmark; and shortly after a friendly meeting
+between the two monarchs took place at Hindsgavl, where a truce was
+concluded preliminary to a treaty of peace, which in its conditions
+should be equally honourable to both kingdoms. Duke Waldemar, too,
+through his ambassadors, had proposed terms which could be accepted;
+and, after the convention of Hindsgavl, no further measures were taken
+against the outlaws, who, however, were strictly forbidden ever to show
+themselves in the presence of the King of Denmark.
+
+On a fine clear day in autumn great festivities and rejoicings were
+held at Helsingborg Castle. It was the bridal day of the fair Queen
+Agnes and Count Gerhard, whose sister, the dowager Queen Hedvig of
+Sweden, together with the entire Danish and Swedish courts, were
+present. The rejoicings, which were intended to celebrate at once a
+victory, a peace, and a marriage, were attended with a tournament, in
+the tilting of which, however, Count Gerhard took no part. He sat in
+the royal balcony, by the side of Queen Agnes; and although he seemed
+in some constraint in his fine bridal suit, yet the joy that sparkled
+in his honest eye showed him to be supremely happy; whilst, from the
+noble features of his majestic regal bride, beamed an expression of
+unsurpassed sweetness.
+
+Next to her, and as Denmark's future queen, the little Princess
+Ingeborg was the object of universal admiration and knightly homage.
+During the tourney she sat, well pleased and happy, by the side of the
+young, chivalrous King Erik, where they conversed together with all the
+tenderness of brother and sister. Sir John had to dash away a tear of
+joy from his aged eyes when he looked upon this youthful pair, who,
+with innocent childish glee, were playing only, as it were, at
+bridegroom and bride, unconscious of any other affection than that
+which they felt, with mutual ardour, for the land and people over whom
+they were destined to rule.
+
+With similar feelings the Swedish knights and nobles regarded the young
+King Berger and the little Danish Princess Merete, who, also, as
+parties affianced, sat side by side, witnessing the tournament.
+
+On this occasion, the prize was won by Drost Peter Hessel, who, bowing
+profoundly, received it from the hand of the fair Queen Agnes, whilst,
+as his eyes glanced over the brilliant ranks of dames, they rested with
+a look of intense affection on the tall lady who occupied the chief
+seat among the damsels of the Princess Ingeborg. It was Jomfru Inge
+Little, whom he had not seen since they parted in Kolding Fiord. Her
+father, he was aware, still lay a prisoner in Kallundborg Castle, it
+being only in tenderness to the feelings of Sir John that the king had
+so long deferred his sentence, because his treason was manifest,
+although his participation in the late king's murder yet wanted proof.
+
+Jomfru Inge had been absent from the tournament until that moment, and
+Drost Peter had inquired for her in vain. Great was his joy, therefore,
+on now beholding her; but it soon changed to anxious grief, when he
+perceived the impress of a deep sorrow on her beautiful countenance;
+while her look, cast on the ground, seemed studiously averted from his.
+He hastily left the lists, and retired, to indulge his melancholy, near
+the Sound, whilst the royal parties and their respective attendants
+re-entered the riddersal, where the nuptials were farther to be
+celebrated with a ball and sumptuous banquet.
+
+Drost Peter stood long by the Sound, gazing steadfastly in the
+direction of Flynderborg. The days of his childhood came before him,
+and his thoughts reverted to the time when, as a knight and drost, he
+had again seen his childhood's bride, and heard her sing with animation
+of--
+
+
+                  "The king who ruled the castle,
+                  And eke ruled all the land."
+
+
+The dangerous position in which his king and country had been placed
+allowed him of late but little time to think of his own heart's
+affairs; but now the sorrowful image of Jomfru Inge had awakened in his
+soul a powerful desire to achieve her happiness, and partake it with
+her. That she should feel grief for her father and his uncertain fate,
+was but natural; but why she should now seek to avoid her true and
+attached knight, and even to deny him a kindly look, he could not
+comprehend. The thought that she might have forgotten him for a more
+fortunate suitor, for an instant only, like a threatening demon,
+crossed his mind, but did not reach his heart. He remembered how he had
+regarded, as a messenger of love from her, every friendly bird that
+twittered outside the gratings of his prison; and, shaking his head,
+with a melancholy smile he repeated the beautiful verses of the old
+ballad:--
+
+
+            "A bird so small from the white strand flew,
+            And she sang, Where is my heart's love true?
+
+            "A bird so small o'er the sea flew wide,
+            And he sang, O where is my own true bride?"
+
+
+"God strengthen and cheer you, my dear sir drost!" exclaimed the kindly
+voice of young Sir Aage Jonsen, interrupting his reverie. "I have been
+looking for you," he continued, "for I know you are not happy; and yet
+this is a day of rejoicing such as has hardly ever been seen in
+Denmark. The noble Queen Agnes is now happy, and our young king dances
+blithely with his affianced bride. There is no longer a traitor in the
+country, and Denmark's throne again stands firm. We have peace and
+happy times in prospect, sir drost."
+
+"For which I thank Him who has succoured us," replied Drost Peter. "His
+hand has wonderfully averted the danger, and blessed the crown of the
+Waldemars on the head of our youthful king. I, too, ought to be happy
+today; but, my dear Aage, there are sorrows of which thou knowest not
+yet."
+
+"I have, nevertheless, already known great ones," replied his grave
+pupil; "and I guess that which now oppresses you--the noble Jomfru
+Inge--"
+
+"She, alas, is unhappy, Aage, and will not be consoled while her father
+lies in Kallundborg."
+
+"Our young king is all too stern, in rejecting every petition on his
+behalf," sighed Aage. "I have, however, heard a rumour, dear sir
+drost--whether well or ill founded, I know not--which yet may prove
+worthy of your investigation. It is said that Sir Lave Little has
+promised his daughter's hand to the knight who procures his pardon from
+the king; and that you, knowing this, either cannot or will not fulfil
+the conditions."
+
+Drost Peter was startled. "He barters, then, his daughter's happiness
+for his own freedom," he exclaimed, in a tone of contempt. "At that I
+am not astonished. But what says Inge? Will she submit to be a
+sacrifice for her father's sins?"
+
+"Know you not that she has so resolved?" asked Aage anxiously; "and are
+you not aware that the rich Sir Thord, from Kongshelle, is here, with
+four ships laden with treasure, which he intends offering to the king
+as the ransom of Sir Lave Little? I myself saw him but now in the
+riddersal, where he was waiting until the king left the dance, to
+confer alone with him in his closet, and--"
+
+"Just Heaven!" exclaimed Drost Peter, "this shall not be! I will myself
+entreat him for Sir Lave's freedom: he cannot--he must not refuse me!"
+
+"Hasten, then, sir drost. Sir Thord is perhaps already with the king.
+Alas, I thought you knew of this, but would or could not--Haste,
+haste!"
+
+Pale and agitated, the drost hurried to the riddersal, where his eye
+ran through the rows of dancers. The triumphant Count Gerhard, with
+his fair and majestic bride--the young King Berger, with Princess
+Merete--and Skirmen, in his new knight's suit, with the lively Aase
+Hennersdaughter, tripped gaily down the hall; while, among the ladies
+of the Princess Ingeborg, he quickly descried Jomfru Inge, who sat,
+pale and motionless, gazing with a calm, fixed look on all before her.
+
+The drost perceived not the king, and his eyes began to swim; but,
+accosting a bustling chamberlain, he asked him, falteringly--"Where is
+the king?"
+
+"In his closet," was the answer.
+
+"With whom?"
+
+"Sir Thord, from Kongshelle."
+
+He turned, and darted from the riddersal.
+
+Count Gerhard and King Berger led their ladies from the dance, as King
+Erik re-entered gravely, accompanied by Drost Peter, the expression of
+whose features indicated the greatest anxiety. The king advanced to the
+Princess Ingeborg, who was seated by his mother's side, and, at his
+signal, the dancing ceased, the music was hushed, and the attention of
+all forcibly arrested.
+
+"Noble Princess Ingeborg," said the young king, aloud and solemnly,
+"inform Drost Peter Hessel that King Erik of Denmark can never forget
+what he promised his dead father; but that Denmark's future queen gives
+him the right to declare Sir Lave Little's pardon and freedom."
+
+"Thanks, thanks, Erik!" exclaimed the little princess, springing up
+joyfully: "thou hast kept thy word, and enabled me to make my dear Inge
+happy." Then, turning to Drost Peter, she repeated to him the king's
+words, and led the astonished Inge into his arms.
+
+Great was the joy of the faithful pair, in which all present seemed to
+participate. At a signal from the king, the music again commenced; and,
+when the damsels began to sing--
+
+
+            "On Rypen streets the dance goes light--
+             The castle it is won!
+            There dance the knights so gaily dight--
+             For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+the hearts of Drost Peter and Jomfru Inge glowed with that same warm
+feeling of love for king and fatherland which first knit their souls
+together. They joined the giddy maze; and, whilst the damsels entwined
+the king and the dancers with a single long garland of flowers, Jomfru
+Inge, in her true knight's arms, sang with animation--
+
+
+            "So boldly dance we thus, I ween,
+            With true hearts under scarlet sheen--
+             The kingdom it is won!
+
+            "Never saw I a rosy dance
+            So gaily trode, and eyes so glance--
+               For Erik the king so young!"
+
+
+
+
+
+                      THE END OF KING ERIK MENVED.
+
+
+
+
+                               APPENDIX.
+
+                           THE SWORD TIRFING.
+
+
+The account of Hervor, the bold skioldmoe, and of the sword Tirfing,
+mentioned at page 270, is to be found in the _Harvarar Saga_, or the
+story of Hervor. It was the translator's intention to have given this
+saga entire, to serve at once as a specimen of the character of the
+ancient literature of Scandinavia, and as a picture of the mind and
+manners of an extremely remote and barbarous age. Doubting, however,
+whether the saga, in all its integrity, would possess any great
+interest to the present matter-of-fact age, he has limited himself to
+such an abstract of it as will give a tolerable idea of its nature and
+contents.
+
+In its present form, the saga is supposed to have been compiled in the
+thirteenth century, though parts of it may date as high as the tenth.
+Many of the persons mentioned are entirely fabulous, and several of the
+places have no existence. The only gleam of historical truth it
+contains, is probably in that portion which relates the battle of
+Angantyr and his brothers, on Samsoe, against Hialmar and Oddur, a
+similar account being given by Saxo of the twelve sons of Arngrim the
+Berserk. But to enter upon any critical investigation of this nature,
+would be obviously out of place on the present occasion.
+
+The style of the original is rude and homely, and has evidently been
+cast in heathen mould. The quality most admired is courage; the
+greatest baseness, cowardice. The man of strength, courage, and
+sagacity is ever lord of the ascendant--chief of a band of vikings, or
+king of kingdoms--always a leader. In this and other sagas, we always
+find much romance and much heroism; but it must be acknowledged that
+both the romance and the heroism wear the cold hues of paganism, and
+want those warm tones of colour which render the old Christendom tales
+of chivalry so attractive.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+The Turks and Asiatics came from the east, and occupied the north
+country. Their leader's name was Odin, who had many mighty sons. One of
+them, Sigurlami, possessed Gardarike (Russia), and fell in battle with
+the giant Thiasse. His son and successor, Swafurlami, once, while
+hunting, met with two dwarfs, whom he threatened to kill unless they
+made him a sword of the finest qualities. They brought him Tirfing, but
+informed him that it would kill its man every time it was drawn, that
+it would be the instrument of three of the most dastardly actions, and
+that it would, also, be his own bane.
+
+With the aid of Tirfing, Swafurlami revenged his father's death on
+Thiasse, but was slain with his own sword by Arngrim the Berserk. This
+Arngrim was step-son to the giant Starkother, who had eight arms, and
+who was killed by Thor, for having abducted Arngrim's mother from her
+husband during his temporary absence. Tirfing now became the property
+of Arngrim, who bequeathed it to Angantyr, the eldest of his twelve
+warlike sons. Hiorvard, one of the brothers, made love to Ingeborg, the
+daughter of Inge, King of Sweden; but his rival, Hialmar the Brave,
+challenged him to a holmgang[48] on Samsoe. After Angantyr had wedded
+Jarl Biartmar's daughter, he sailed with his brothers to the place
+appointed. There, when the berserk phrensy came over them, they
+killed all Hialmar's men; but afterwards, when the latter and his
+foster-brother Oddur met them at the holmgang, they were all killed,
+after giving Hialmar a mortal wound.
+
+Tirfing was now deposited in Angantyr's cairn or barrow. After his
+death, his widow gave birth to a daughter, who was called Hervor. From
+her childhood she proved herself of a belligerent and bloodthirsty
+temper; and having heard of her father's cairn on Samsoe, she
+dressed herself in man's clothes, and sallied forth in the company of
+vikings (pirates). One night she went alone to the cairns, where the
+country-people never ventured for fear of spectres, awoke with
+incantations[49] her father's ghost, and conjured him to give her
+Tirfing; which she obtained, but accompanied with the prediction that
+it would be the bane of her race. Under the name of Herward, she now
+visited King Godmund of Jotunheim (the giants' country), and assisted
+the king to play at chess; but when one of his courtiers took Tirfing
+in his hand to admire it, she killed him with it, left the king's
+court, and, after spending some years as a viking, returned at length
+to her foster-father's castle. There she busied herself in womanly
+occupations, and was so beautiful that her fame extended to the court
+of King Godmund, whose son, the famous Haufud, wooed her and became her
+husband.
+
+Hervor had two sons, Angantyr, who resembled his father, and Heidrek,
+who did every one evil. On one occasion their father gave an
+entertainment, to which he did not invite Heidrek, who was brought up
+from home, with an old warrior, and, in consequence, he came to the
+king's court to spoil the mirth of the company. When he had succeeded
+in provoking a quarrel between two of the guests, until one killed the
+other, he laughed, and said, that the feast was never better than when
+the red liquor ran on the tablecloth. The upright Haufud ordered that
+he should be banished from the country, but gave him eight good
+counsels:--never to aid him who had defrauded his master; never to
+trust him who had defrauded his friend; never to let his wife visit her
+kin often, however much she might entreat him; never to tarry late with
+his mistress, nor to entrust her with his secrets; never to ride his
+best horse when he would make speed; never to bring up the child of a
+greater man, nor be ready to accept of his invitations; and never to
+have many thralls along with him as prisoners of war. If he gave heed
+to these instructions, he would be happy. Hervor gave him the sword
+Tirfing, to which his brother added a purse of gold, and accompanied
+him part of his way. Heidrek was most pleased with the sword; but when
+he drew it from its sheath to look at it, the berserk phrensy came upon
+him, and he slew Angantyr.
+
+Heidrek repented the evil he had done, and lived for a space of time in
+the woods; but still wishing to be celebrated like his race, he
+repaired to the coast, where, in defiance of his father's advice, he
+first redeemed one who had defrauded his master, and then one who had
+murdered his friend. Thereupon he became the chief of a crew of
+vikings, was victorious, and soon became greatly renowned. By his
+bravery he set free Harald, King of Ridgothland, and received his
+daughter Helge in marriage, with half his kingdom. In a year of
+scarcity, the wise men declared that the noblest child in the land must
+be offered in sacrifice. Heidrek promised to give his son, on condition
+that every man in the country should swear obedience to him; but,
+raising a great army, he captured King Harek, and sacrificed him and
+his men to Odin. This was the second base deed he had performed with
+the aid of Tirfing. Helge hanged herself in the hall of the Disar
+(goddesses). In a victorious expedition south to Hunaland (the country
+of the Huns), Heidrek took captive King Humle's daughter, Sifka; but
+after she had been for some time his mistress, he sent her home to her
+father, and she gave birth to a son, who was called Hloed.
+
+Some time after, Heidrek married the beautiful Olofa, daughter of Ake,
+King of Saxland. Being absent on a voyage, he permitted her to go home
+to visit her parents; but when, one evening, he wished to take her by
+surprise there, he found her in the arms of a flaxen-haired thrall.
+Heidrek contented himself with declaring the matter before a Ting,
+drove the thrall out of the country, and retained his wife's rich
+dowry. Thereafter he offered to bring up the son of King Hrollaug of
+Gardarike (Russia), and some time afterwards accepted his invitation to
+a sumptuous banquet. One day, when hunting with his foster-son, he
+begged the latter to hide himself, and thereupon returned, late in the
+evening, to his mistress Sifka, and confided to her that he had killed
+his foster-son. Sifka could not keep the secret, and Hrollaug caused
+Heidrek to be bound, along with the two niddings whom he had formerly
+redeemed. But Heidrek was set at liberty by his own people, whom he had
+placed in ambush; and after much bloodshed, Hrollaug at length learned
+that his son was safe and sound with Heidrek, and was reconciled to
+him, and gave him his daughter to wife.
+
+Heidrek now ceased to make war, gave good laws, and was the best of
+chiefs. Twelve wise men were appointed to judge all important disputes,
+and to guard the hog of Freyr (the god of the sun), the divinity to
+whom, in particular, he sacrificed. Every one who offended against him
+was either to be judged by the twelve, or to propose to him a riddle
+that he could not solve. A herse (ruler of a province), named Gest of
+Ridgothland (probably Smaland), who had highly offended against
+Heidrek, was terrified at both ordeals, and implored Odin to aid him.
+Odin showed himself before him, and proposed to go to the king in his
+stead. Odin proposed many riddles, having relation to natural objects,
+all of which Heidrek guessed; but when at last he asked him--"What said
+Odin in Balder's ear before he was laid on the pile?" Heidrek knew that
+it was Odin himself, and, having rebuked him, would have cut him down
+with his sword Tirfing, had not Odin transformed himself into a falcon,
+and flown away so swiftly that he only lost his train; which is the
+reason that the falcon ever since has worn so short a tail. In his
+flight Odin informed him, that, as a punishment for having broken his
+compact, he should be slain by his meanest thrall. Shortly after, when
+he had ridden out on his best horse, he was murdered in his sleep by
+some Scottish thralls.
+
+His eldest son, Angautyr, avenged his death, and recovered Tirfing; but
+when his step-brother Hloed demanded half of his inheritance, a hard
+battle was fought between the two brothers. On Dunhede Mark many
+thousands contended against each other; the valley was filled with dead
+bodies, and the wounded were drowned in the streams of blood that
+flowed. Hloed and all his Huns fell, and Angautyr long continued King of
+Ridgothland.
+
+The remainder of the saga is occupied with a variety of narratives, of
+comparatively little interest. What ultimately became of the fatal
+sword Tirfing is not mentioned; and we are left to infer, that,
+according to the prediction, it caused the extinction of the entire
+race of Hervor.
+
+                               *   *   *
+
+Many are the wonderful tales of swords in these old northern romances.
+They were generally manufactured by the _dveryar_, or dwarfs, who were
+celebrated for their skill as smiths and jewellers. The sword sometimes
+owed its excellence as much to magic as to the temper and finish it had
+acquired at the hands of the workman. On Tirfing, certain runes or
+magic characters were engraved--a custom which was observed in the
+manufacture of swords for many ages. The sword of the celebrated
+Gustavus Adolphus was covered with a number of hieroglyphs and
+astrological characters, which have been the theme of many learned
+dissertations. The story of the sword Mimung, made by Velint (the
+prototype of Wieland the blacksmith), is a fair specimen of this class
+of marvels.
+
+Wada, who lived in Sealand, had a son called Velint, one of the most
+excellent smiths that ever lived. His father, hearing of the great
+skill of the smith Mimer, in Hunaland, sent him thither in his ninth
+year, where he learnt the trade at the same time with the celebrated
+Sigurd (Siegfried). Afterwards he prosecuted his study with the dwarfs
+in a mountain, and there attained the perfection of his art. His father
+was killed by the fall of a rock, occasioned by an earthquake, which
+his tremendous snoring produced. Velint proceeded to the court of
+Nidung, King of Waringia, living in Jutland, at whose court he was
+challenged by the smith Amilias to a trial of his skill. The latter
+fabricated a suit of armour. Velint, in seven days, forged the sword
+Mimung, with which, in the king's presence, he cut asunder a thread of
+wool, floating on the water. But finding the faulchion heavy and
+unwieldy, he sawed it in pieces, and, in a mixture of milk and meal,
+forged it in a red-hot fire for three days, and, at the end of
+thirteen, produced another sword, which cut through a whole ball of
+wool floating on the water. Still he was not satisfied with its
+excellence, but committed it again to the flames, and, after several
+weeks, having separated every particle of dross from the metal,
+fabricated a faulchion of such exquisite perfection, that it split in
+two a whole bundle of wool, floating on the water. The smith Amilias,
+trusting to the impenetrability of his breastplate and helmet, sat down
+upon a bench, and bade his rival strike at him with the sword. But
+Velint split him to the navel; and, when he complained that he felt as
+if cold iron had passed through his entrails, Velint desired him to
+shake himself a little, upon which his body fell to the ground in two
+pieces.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+        BRUCE AND WYLD PRINTERS, 84, FARRINGDON STREET, LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+                               FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: Erik, Abel, and Christopher I.]
+
+[Footnote 2: "Thing" (pronounced "Ting"), a court of justice: also, the
+name of the ancient Scandinavian parliaments, or assemblies of the
+states of the realm, at which, generally, all the freemen of the nation
+had a right to attend. They were usually held in the open air. The
+"Danehof," or Dane-court, mentioned farther on, was a similar
+institution, at which were present the king and his nobles, the
+principal clergy, burghers, and peasants.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 3: The "marsk" anciently filled an office similar to that of
+the modern marshal, or field-marshal.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 4: A "drost" filled the office of prime-minister to the king.
+He was often required, not only to take a leading part in the councils
+of his sovereign, but to conduct warlike operations in a campaign. A
+prince of the blood might also have his drost, who attended him in the
+capacity of aide-de-camp. The king's drost superseded the marsk, when
+present with the army.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 5: "Et Sondagsbarn." A superstition exists in Sweden and
+Denmark, that a child should not be baptised on the same day it is
+born. Hence it is believed that a child born and baptised on a Sunday
+will not live long; or, should it happen to live, that trolds and
+witches can have no power over it. A Sunday's child may, it is said, be
+known by its clear skin and complexion.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 6: A small Norwegian horse--a kind of pony.]
+
+[Footnote 7: Ale brewed of the herb called sweet gale, or Dutch myrtle,
+instead of hops.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 8: A proverbial expression, said of one who conceives and
+carries out an odd or whimsical idea.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 9: A garter--a punning nickname generally given to Drost
+Peter.]
+
+[Footnote 10: Such was the name given to the municipal law promulgated
+by King Erik Glipping, in 1269, for the government of Ribe, or Rypen,
+in Denmark, It contains many judicious and some singular enactments,
+for the discovery and punishment of offenders against the peace and
+morals of the community. The penalties it attaches to some crimes might
+well give rise to coarse remarks among the discontented nobles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 11: "Nidding." A term of contempt, for which we have no
+equivalent in English. It expresses more than the word coward. In some
+parts of Scotland and of the north of England, a low, mean-spirited
+fellow is termed a "niddy," probably from this Scandinavian
+original.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 12: In allusion to an acute and learned work of Master
+Martin's.]
+
+[Footnote 13: Junker, pronounced "Yungker." A name formerly given to
+the sons of the king of Denmark.]
+
+[Footnote 14: A kind of heroic ballad, or metrical romance, similar to
+"Chevy Chase," or "Sir James the Rose," great numbers of which are
+still extant in Scandinavia.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 15: Thus were called those celebrated sea-rovers and pirates,
+the Norwegian and Danish sea-kings;--the terror of the European
+nations, during the middle ages, for their daring exploits both by sea
+and land.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 16: The name of a powerful Swedish family, from which Magnus
+himself was descended.]
+
+[Footnote 17: Skiold is fabled to have been the first king of Denmark.]
+
+[Footnote 18: The Berserks are celebrated in Scandinavian history and
+romance for their great strength, courage, and daring. They often
+fought naked (hence, probably, their appellation--"bare-shirts"); and
+stimulated their courage to a degree of phrensy or madness by the use
+of strong liquors, or by chewing some herb, in which state they would
+rush against naked swords, dash against rocks, and oppose themselves to
+any odds of antagonists. They were the bullies and bravos of their age,
+and in this capacity were often retained in the service of great men,
+proving at times, however, rather intractable followers, and not always
+to be relied upon.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 19: Thorstenson here intends a pun; and Flynderborg has, for
+the nonce, to be converted into its English equivalent, "Flounder
+Castle,"--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 20: Helsingborg, a fortress on the Swedish coast, at this
+time belonged to the Danes.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 21: There were three courts of judicature in Denmark. The
+"Herred-Ting" was a local court, held weekly, for civil and criminal
+causes. This court was held, or built, in an open field, outside the
+towns and villages, to be at a distance from taverns and ale-houses,
+and strong drink was strictly forbidden to be brought into court. From
+this court there was an appeal to the "Land-Ting"--a provincial court,
+held monthly, in the principal cities of the kingdom. The highest court
+of appeal was the "Retter-Ting," or royal court, where the king himself
+often presided. It was usually opened about the middle of March, by the
+king in person, attended by the various estates of the kingdom, and
+continued its sittings almost daily, until about Christmas. The decrees
+of the "Retter-Ting" were final. Each of these courts had its judges,
+secretaries, and assessors, for the trial of causes, and the
+administration of justice.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 22: The snowdrop is, in Denmark, called "sommergiaek"--a
+summer "geek," or fool.]
+
+[Footnote 23: "Jomfru," the title of unmarried ladies in Denmark.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 24: It is related in the "Heimskringla," that Harald Hardrada
+(the Stern), king of Norway, in one of his plundering expeditions to
+the coast of Jutland, heard that the daughters of Thorkill Geysu had,
+the previous winter, in mockery, cut their cheeses into the shape of
+anchors, and had boasted that with these anchors they might hold all
+the ships of the Norwegian king. A spy, who had been sent from the
+fleet of King Harald, came to these women, saying, "Thorkill's
+daughters, ye said that King Harald dared not come to Denmark." Dotte,
+Thorkill's daughter, answered, "That was yesterday." The King of
+Norway, having secured them, carried them off to his ships, and
+Thorkill had to ransom them with a large sum.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 25: A diminutive, expressive of endearment. Ingelil--i. e.,
+little Inge: somewhat similar to our own diminutives in "ie" and
+"y"--as, Annie, Jenny, &c.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 26: Jarl--(pronounced yarl)--an earl.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 27: The Danish mile is rather more than four and a half
+English miles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 28: A kind of chevaux-de-frise.]
+
+[Footnote 29: About fifty English miles.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 30: Hamlet, in his feigned madness, made wooden hooks, and
+hardened them by holding them in the heat of a fire. On being asked
+what he meant to do with these books, he replied, "To revenge the death
+of my father!" which all, but the more discerning, regarded as a proof
+of his insanity. The well-informed reader need scarcely be reminded
+that the discussion of Drost Peter and Lady Inge on Hamlet, had
+reference to that version of his history told by Saxo Grammaticus, and
+not to the more popular and beautiful version given by Shakespeare in
+his immortal tragedy.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 31: King Waldemar Seier (the Victorious) committed an
+injustice on Count Henry of Schwerin, which the latter resolved to
+revenge. He came to the court of Denmark, and contrived to gain the
+king's confidence. One day, when the king was resting in a lonely
+forest, after a day's hard hunting, Count Henry seized him and his
+eldest son, carried them on board a ship, and had them conveyed to the
+dungeons of the strong castle of Schwerin, on the Mecklenburg coast. It
+was only after the interference of the pope and other princes, and the
+payment of a large ransom, that Waldemar and his son regained their
+freedom.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 32: According to popular superstition, the elfin ladies were
+fair to look upon, but hollow behind as a dough-trough, and were, in
+consequence, careful to prevent any one seeing their backs.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 33: These services for the murdered King Erik commenced at
+three in the afternoon and were continued until six the following
+morning. Even after the Reformation, and down to 1633, they were
+continued under the name of a Vaadesang--a song for protection from
+surprise and assassination--when the then reigning king substituted a
+morning service, more in accordance with the usages of the reformed
+Church.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 34: Alfsdaughter. Danish and Norwegian surnames were, and we
+believe still are, formed in the following manner:--The male children
+take the name of the father or family, with the addition of "son;" the
+females the same name, with the addition of "daughter." Thus we have
+Alfson and Alfsdaughter, the children of Alf, Erikson and
+Eriksdaughter, the children of Erik.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 35: Literally, "shield-maids," or amazons. The sword Tirfing,
+like King Arthur's Excalibar, was one of wonderful properties. It could
+never be drawn, even in jest, without causing the death of some one.
+The story of Hervor, and the manner in which she recovered the fatal
+weapon from her father's cairn, or barrow, though interesting, is too
+long for the subject of a note. I have therefore ventured to give it in
+the form of an appendix, at the end of the work.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 36: The original of this ballad, which has little to boast of
+but its great antiquity, will be found in Syr's Kaempeviser, p.
+151.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 37: Eagle's-borg or castle.]
+
+[Footnote 38: Perhaps from his favourite expression: "By all holy men!"
+(hellige maend.) Some, however, derive this surname from maendevid, or
+mandevid,(pronounced 'menved,' and signifying man-wit,) with reference
+to the young king's manly intelligence and sagacity.]
+
+[Footnote 39: In the year following, Sir Algotson was beheaded on the
+spot where the abduction took place. Thorstenson's intended bride
+subsequently became Abbess of Breta convent.]
+
+[Footnote 40: In a storm at sea, he was, some time afterwards, by
+casting lots, condemned to death as a secret criminal. He then
+confessed his crimes before the crucifix, and leaped overboard. There
+is still extant a ballad, entitled "John Rimaardson's Confession."]
+
+[Footnote 41: Skalds: the appellation anciently given to the bards or
+poets.]
+
+[Footnote 42: A small peninsula on the north coast of Funen.]
+
+[Footnote 43: Several traditions have been preserved respecting Marsk
+Stig's death and funeral, and the abstraction of the pall that covered
+his coffin. One account states that he was interred at Hintzeholm at
+midnight; that the priest's servant-maid, who had secretly witnessed
+the funeral, disclosed it to her master; that the priest ransacked the
+grave, and shared the velvet pall with the maid, who, shortly
+afterwards, was married to one of the marsk's swains; and that her
+husband, who saw the velvet on one of her pillows, and was informed by
+her how she had obtained it, fearful that his master's place of
+sepulchre would be discovered, killed her; although, as the tradition
+says, "he loved her very dearly." Another account, quoted from a
+manuscript (a kind of parish-register, kept by a clergyman from the
+year 1622,) in the royal library of Copenhagen, states, that the marsk
+had a granary on Hielm, strongly fortified with mounds and ditches.
+Opposite Hielm, at Biornkier, he had a barn-yard, bounded on one side
+by the sea, and on three others by a fresh-water lake, a great morass
+which was impassable, and a thick wood. In this wood which he could
+reach in an hour and a half's ride from Hielm, he took his pleasure in
+hunting. It is related that on one of these journeys he became
+overheated and was taken ill, and, being obliged to dismount, he sat
+down on a stone and there died. His body was the same night carried to
+the church of Helgeness, and honourably interred by Our Lady's altar;
+"and the priest, who then lived in the parsonage-house, had a
+maid-servant, who, going out to bring ale from a place under the north
+armoury, stopped and saw how they buried him, and laid a magnificent
+pall over his coffin; and when she found an opportunity, she had the
+grave dug up, and stole it away," &c. This story, the worthy priest
+adds, was told him by honest Danes who were born in these parts, and
+had lived in the country more than a hundred years.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 44: Danske Viser fra Midelalderen, 2 D. p. 215.]
+
+[Footnote 45: Formed by the soldiers placing their shields and bucklers
+together in such a manner, as to present to the projectiles of a foe a
+compact circular wall and roof of iron.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 46: The Danebrog, some readers are probably aware, is a
+Danish order of knighthood. The history of the Danebrog, or Dannebrog,
+however, may not be so well known. It is related that when King
+Waldemar Seier was fighting against the heathenish Laplanders, in order
+to convert them to the Christian faith, Archbishop Andrew of Lund stood
+on an eminence, as did Moses of old, and prayed to Heaven for the
+success of the Danish arms. As long as he was able to keep his arms
+raised, the Danes prevailed; but the moment he let them fall, through
+the feebleness of old age, the heathens gained the advantage; and the
+priests therefore supported his arms while the battle lasted. Then
+happened this miracle, that when the principal banner of the Danes was
+lost in the heat of battle, there descended from heaven a banner with a
+white cross in a field of red, by the influence of which the Danes
+gained the victory. This precious banner was long preserved. The belief
+was general that with it victory was certain, and therefore it was
+called the Dannebrog (the Danes' fort or strength). On the spot where
+the battle took place, was built the town of Wolmar, which takes its
+name from Waldemar.--Tr.]
+
+[Footnote 47: The legend on this queen's seal was "Agnes, Dei gracia
+Danorum Slavorque Regina."]
+
+[Footnote 48: The "holmgang" was a species of single combat or pitched
+battle. The combatants were placed on an island, and left to fight with
+swords, until all on one or both sides fell. He who refused the
+holmgang, or attempted to escape from it; was called a nidding, and
+subjected to every species of insult and contempt. The "berserk-gang,"
+or fighting phrensy, was, it has been supposed, produced by eating of
+some intoxicating herb.]
+
+[Footnote 49: The incantation of Hervor has been translated by Herbert,
+in the work entitled "Five Pieces of Runic Poetry."]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Childhood of King Erik Menved, by
+Bernhard Severin Ingemann
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