" And the dark eyes flashed a vivid light.
"Christina!" exclaimed Ermentrude in the extremity of her amazement,
"know you what you have said?--that Eberhard is no true knight!"
He meanwhile stood silent, utterly taken by surprise, and letting his
little sister fight his battles.
"I cannot help it, Lady Ermentrude," said Christina, with trembling
lips, and eyes filling with tears. "You may drive me from the
castle--I only long to be away from it; but I cannot stain my soul by
saying that spoil and rapine are the deeds of a true knight."
"My mother will beat you," cried Ermentrude, passionately, ready to
fly to the head of the stairs; but her brother laid his hand upon
her.
"Tush, Trudchen; keep thy tongue still, child! What does it hurt
me?"
And he turned on his heels and went down stairs. Christina crept
into her turret, weeping bitterly and with many a wild thought.
Would they visit her offence on her father? Would they turn them
both out together? If so, would not her father hurl her down the
rocks rather than return her to Ulm? Could she escape? Climb down
the dizzy rocks, it might be, succour the merchant lying half dead on
the meadows, protect and be protected, be once more among God-fearing
Christians? And as she felt her helplessness, the selfish thoughts
passed into a gush of tears for the murdered man, lying suffering
there, and for his possible wife and children watching for him.
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