The Hunter accepted the “sure shot,” wrapped them in a piece of paper, and gently withdrew his beautiful victim’s head from his encircling arms to let her sleep.  In these arms Lisbeth had rested with her pain, as up on the “Open Tribunal,” ever since entering the room in the Oberhof.  With sorrowful eyes he had gazed fixedly into her face, and had now and then met a friendly return-glance, which she directed up to him as if to comfort him.

He went out into the open.  It was impossible for him to leave the Oberhof now; he had, he said, to await the recovery of the poor wounded girl, for human nature, he added, demanded that much.  In the orchard he found the Justice, who, having found out that there was no danger, had gone on about his business as if nothing had happened.  He asked the old man to furnish him with quarters for a longer stay.  The Justice bethought himself, but knew of no room to accommodate the Hunter.  “And even if it is only a corner in the corn-loft!” cried the Hunter, who was awaiting the decision of his old host as if his fate depended on it.  After much deliberation it finally occurred to the Justice that there was a corner in the corn-loft, where he stored grain when the harvest turned out too abundant for the usual storing-places.  At that time it was empty, and to it the old man now conducted his young guest, adding, however, that he would probably not like it up there.  The Hunter went up, and although the bare and depressing room received its small amount of light only through a hole in the roof, and there was nothing but a board and a chest to sit on, nevertheless he was well satisfied.  “For,” he said, “it is all the same to me, if I can only remain here until I feel certain that I haven’t done any lasting damage with my accursed shooting.  The weather is fine, and I shan’t need to be up here much of the time.”

And, as a matter of fact, he was not up there in his nook much of the time, but down with Lisbeth.  He begged her forgiveness for his act so often that she grew impatient, and told him, with a frown of annoyance which became her very well, to just stop it.  After five days the wound had completely healed, the bandage could be removed, and light reddish spots on her white shoulder were all that remained to show the place of the injury.

She remained at the Oberhof, for the Justice had previously invited her to the wedding.  This event was postponed a few days because the dowry would not be ready at the time appointed.  The Hunter remained too, although the Justice did not invite him.  He invited himself to the wedding, however, by saying to the old man one day that the customs of the country seemed to him so remarkable that he wished to learn what they were on the occasion of a wedding.