“Now, Judge, make an end of your frivolous talk,” said the young girl.  “I have called to get your advice, and so give it to me now without any more foolish nonsense.”  The Justice settled himself in an attitude of dignity, ready to talk and listen.  Lisbeth drew forth a little writing-tablet and read off the names of the peasants among whom she had been going around during the past few days for the purpose of collecting back-rent due her foster-father.  Then she told the Justice how they had refused to pay their debts and what their excuses had been.  One claimed to have paid up long ago, another said that he had only recently come into the farm, a third knew nothing about the matter, a fourth had pretended that he couldn’t hear well, and so forth and so forth; so that the poor girl, like a little bird flying about in the winter in search of food and not finding a single grain of corn, had been turned away empty-handed from one door after another.  But any one who thinks that these futile efforts had plunged her into grief is mistaken, for nothing greatly disturbed her and she related the story of her irksome wanderings with a cheerful smile.

The Justice wrote down on the table with chalk several of the names mentioned, and, when she had reached the end of her list, said: 

“As far as the others are concerned, they do not live with us and I have no authority over them.  If they are base enough to refuse to do their duty and to meet their obligations, then simply strike out the names of the scamps, for you can never get anything out of a peasant by a law-suit.  But as against those who live in our precinct, I will help you to secure your rights.  We still have means of accomplishing that.”

“Oho, Squire!” said one of the peasants to him, half-aloud.  “You talk as if you always carried the rope around with you in your coat-sleeve.  When is the secret court to be held?”

“Be still, tree-warden!” interrupted the old man with earnestness.  “Sneering remarks like that might get you into trouble!”

The man addressed was disconcerted; he cast down his eyes and made no reply.  Lisbeth thanked the old man for his offer of help, and inquired about the roads and paths to the other peasants whose names she still had left on her writing-tablet.  The Justice pointed out to her the shortest way to the nearest farm, which led across the Priests’ Meadow, past the three mills and over the Holle Hills.  When she had put on her straw hat, taken her staff, expressed her thanks for the hospitality shown her, and had thus made herself ready to leave, he begged her to make her arrangements such that on her return she could stay for the wedding and a day thereafter.  He hoped that he would be able to give her by that time definite assurance in regard to the rents, or, perhaps, even to give her the money itself to take home with her.