Here was I imprisoned in a foreign land!  The Lady fair undoubtedly was even now standing at her window and looking across the quiet garden toward the high-road, to see if I were not coming from the toll-house with my fiddle.  The clouds were scudding across the sky; time was passing—­and I could not get away.  Ah, but my heart was sore; I did not know what to do.  And if the leaves rustled outside, or a rat gnawed behind the wainscot, I fancied I saw the old woman gliding in by a secret door and creeping softly through the room, with that long knife in hand.

As, given over to such fancies, I sat on the side of my bed, I heard, the first time for a long while, the music beneath my window.  At the first twang of the guitar a ray of light darted into my soul.  I opened the window, and called down softly, that I was awake.  “Pst, pst!” was the answer from below.  Without more ado, I thrust the note into my pocket, took my fiddle, got out of the window, and scrambled down the ruinous old wall, clinging to the vines growing from the crevices.  One or two crumbling stones gave way, and I began to slide faster and faster, until at last I came down upon my feet with such a sudden bump that my teeth rattled in my head.

Scarcely had I thus reached the garden when I felt myself embraced with such violence that I screamed aloud.  My kind friend, however, clapped his hand on my mouth, and, taking my arm, led me through the shrubbery to the open lawn.  Here, to my astonishment, I recognized the tall student, who had a guitar slung around his neck by a broad silk ribbon.  I explained to him as quickly as possible that I wished to escape from the garden.  He seemed perfectly aware of my wishes, and conducted me by various covert pathways to the lower door in the high garden wall.  But when we reached it, it was fast locked!  The student, however, seemed to be quite prepared for this; he produced a large key and cautiously unlocked it.

When we found ourselves in the forest, and I was about to inquire of him the best road to the nearest town, he suddenly fell upon one knee before me, raised a hand aloft, and began to curse and to swear in the most horrible manner.  I could not imagine what he wanted; I could hear frequent repetitions of “Iddio” and “cuore” and “amore” and “furore!” But when he began hobbling close up to me on both knees, I grew positively terrified, I perceived clearly that he had lost his wits, and I fled into the depths of the forest without looking back.

I heard the student behind me shouting like one possessed, and soon afterward a rough voice from the castle shouting in reply.  I was sure they would pursue me.  The road was entirely unknown to me; the night was dark; I should probably fall into their hands.  Therefore I climbed up into a tall tree to await my opportunity to escape.