But one thing at a time; some day, if my many years may suffer, I will write more concerning these matters.

How well my aunt and the Cardinal were minded towards each other would be hard to describe, albeit now and again they fell to friendly strife; the reverend prelate found it hard to depart from the lodge and from that strange woman, whose clear and busy brain in her sickly body came, in after times, to be accounted as one of the great marvels of her native town.  Howbeit, it was his duty to pass Christmas-eve with his venerable mother.  He plighted Gotz and me as he had promised us, and to his life’s end he was ever a kind and honored friend and patron to us and to our children.

Ann was ever his favorite, and ere he quitted Nuremberg, he bestowed on her a dowry such as few indeed of our richest nobles could give with their daughters.

Christmas-eve, which we spent at the lodge with our parents and the Chaplain and my dear godfather, uncle Christian Pfinzing, was a right glorious festival, bringing gladness to our souls; yet was it to end with the first peril that befell our love’s young joy.  After the others had gone to their chambers, and Gotz had indeed given me a last parting kiss, he stayed me a moment and besought me to be ready early in the morning to ride with him to the hut of Martin the bee keeper, whose wife had been his nurse.  On many a Christmas morning had he greeted the good woman with some little posy, and now he had not found one hour to spare her since his home-coming.  Now I would fain have granted this simple request but that I had privily, with the Chaplain’s help, made the school children to learn a Christmas carol wherewith to wake the parents and Gotz from their slumbers.  Thus, when he bid me hold myself in readiness at an early hour, I besought him to make it later.  This, however, by no means pleased him; he answered that the good dame was wont of old to look for him full early on Christmas morning, and he had already too long deferred his greeting.  Yet the surprise I had plotted was uppermost in my mind, and I craved of him right duteously that he would grant me my will.  Whereupon his eyebrows, which met above his nose, were darkly knit, and he gave me to wit, shortly and well-nigh harshly, that he would abide by his own.

At this the blood rose to my head, and a wrathful answer was indeed on my tongue when I minded me of the evening when we had come together, and I asked of him calmly whether he verily deemed that I was so foolish or evil-minded as to hinder him in a pious and kindly office if I had not some worthy reason.  And herein I had hit on the right way; he recovered himself, his brow cleared, and saying only “Women, women!” he shook his head and clasped me to him; and as I fervently returned his kiss, and opened my chamber door, he called after me:  “We will see in the morning, but as early as may be.”