"
"Nay, at this rate thou wilt not be there till midnight," said the
young knight, springing off his horse; "thou canst never brook our
sharp stones! See, Thekla, do thou ride on with Heinz to tell the
mother I am bringing her a holy pilgrim to tend. And thou, good man,
mount my old gray. Fear not; she is steady and sure-footed, and hath
of late been used to a lame rider. Ah! that is well. Thou hast been
in the saddle before."
To go afoot for the sake of giving a lift to a holy wayfarer was one
of the most esteemed acts of piety of the Middle Age, so that no one
durst object to it, and the palmer did no more than utter a
suppressed murmur of acknowledgment as he seated himself on
horseback, the young knight walking by his rein. "But what is this?"
he exclaimed, almost with dismay. "A road to the castle up here!"
"Yes, we find it a great convenience. Thou art surely from these
parts?" added the knight.
"I was a man-at-arms in the service of the Baron," was the answer, in
an odd, muffled tone.
"What!--of my grandfather!" was the exclamation.
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