‘Perhaps she’s on fire,’ was coolly suggested between two or three.

‘Pity to see the old house burnt,’ remarked one.

‘House!  The woman, man! the woman!’

‘Ah!’ replied the other, an ancient inhabitant of Cologne, shaking his head, ‘the house is oldest!’

Farina, now recovering his senses, heard shrieks that he recognized as possible in the case of Aunt Lisbeth dreading the wickedness of an opposing sex, and alarmed by the inrush of old Gottlieb’s numerous guests.  To confirm him, she soon appeared, and hung herself halfway out of one of the upper windows, calling desperately to St. Ursula for aid.  He thanked the old lady in his heart for giving him a pretext to enter Paradise again; but before even love could speed him, Frau Lisbeth was seized and dragged remorselessly out of sight, and he and the rosy room darkened together.

Farina twice strode off to the Rhine-stream; as many times he returned.  It was hard to be away from her.  It was harder to be near and not close.  His heart flamed into jealousy of the stranger.  Everything threatened to overturn his slight but lofty structure of bliss so suddenly shot into the heavens.  He had but to remember that his hand was on the silver arrow, and a radiance broke upon his countenance, and a calm fell upon his breast.  ‘It was a plight of her troth to me,’ mused the youth.  ’She loves me!  She would not trust her frank heart to speak.  Oh, generous young girl! what am I to dare hope for such a prize? for I never can be worthy.  And she is one who, giving her heart, gives it all.  Do I not know her?  How lovely she looked thanking the stranger!  The blue of her eyes, the warm-lighted blue, seemed to grow full on the closing lids, like heaven’s gratitude.  Her beauty is wonderful.  What wonder, then, if he loves her?  I should think him a squire in his degree.  There are squires of high birth and low.’

So mused Farina with his arms folded and his legs crossed in the shadow of Margarita’s chamber.  Gradually he fell into a kind of hazy doze.  The houses became branded with silver arrows.  All up the Cathedral stone was a glitter, and dance, and quiver of them.  In the sky mazed confusion of arrowy flights and falls.  Farina beheld himself in the service of the Emperor watching these signs, and expecting on the morrow to win glory and a name for Margarita.  Glory and the name now won, old Gottlieb was just on the point of paternally blessing them, when a rude pat aroused him from the delicious moon-dream.

‘Hero by day! house-guard by night!  That tells a tale,’ said a cheerful voice.

The moon was shining down the Cathedral square and street, and Farina saw the stranger standing solid and ruddy before him.  He was at first prompted to resent such familiar handling, but the stranger’s face was of that bland honest nature which, like the sun, wins everywhere back a reflection of its own kindliness.

‘You are right,’ replied Farina; ‘so it is!’