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If the rage seething in his heart led him, in his drunken frenzy, to make Kuni feel its effects, too, the pleading glance of the blue eyes, still large and expressive, with which she had so often hushed the wailing child, sufficed to soothe him. Yesterday, for the first time, he had seriously threatened to drive the ropedancer away, and she knew that Cyriax was capable of anything.

The tall lady, whose noble face and majestic figure were shrouded in a thick veil, was Juliane's mother and she had offered the sick ropedancer a home in her wealthy household. "If she had only known," thought Kuni, "the injury I was inflicting upon her heart's treasure, she would rather have hunted me with dogs from her threshold."

He had undertaken the long journey to the "world's end," not only because the pilgrimage to Compostella promised large profits, but also to urge St. James to cure his child. For his "sweet little Juli's" sake, and to obtain for her a cheap nurse who would be entirely dependent upon him, he burdened himself with the lame ropedancer.

The other gentlemen were preparing to examine the paper with him, when the abbot, without betraying the secret of Kuni's heart, which she had confided to him in her confession, told Juliane's father that the ropedancer had scarcely left the convent ere she gave up both the Emperor's gift and the viaticum in short, her whole property, which would have been large enough to support her a long time in order to do what she could for the salvation of the child for whom her soul was more concerned than for her own welfare.

The ropedancer remembered this statement, questioned other Bacchantes about these things, and heard the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul confirmed. Hence, during many a solitary ride, while the cart rolled slowly along, she pondered over the thought that Juliane's soul had lived again in foolish Julie. How? Why? She did not rack her brains on those points.

"A Groland, who, moreover, is blessed with a loyal, lovely wife, succumb to the sparkling eyes of a vagabond wanton! The Pegnitz would flow up the castle cliff first. I should think we might have less vulgar subjects to discuss." "The daring, skilful ropedancer certainly does not belong to the latter," Doctor Peutinger eagerly retorted.

Besides, experience taught him that an offence would be more easily pardoned the more his master himself disliked the person against whom it was committed. By Georg Ebers The ropedancer, Kuni, really had been with the sick mother and her babes, and had toiled for them with the utmost diligence. The unfortunate woman was in great distress.

A tall, broad-shouldered sergeant belonging to the escort had just purchased for the larger part of the zecchins won as his share of the booty in the Italian war the indulgence which he thought would secure him from the tortures of the fire of purgatory. Before opening the door, he struck his broad breast as though relieved of a heavy burden. The ropedancer looked after him thoughtfully.

The tall lady, whose noble face and majestic figure were shrouded in a thick veil, was Juliane's mother and she had offered the sick ropedancer a home in her wealthy household. "If she had only known," thought Kuni, "the injury I was inflicting upon her heart's treasure, she would rather have hunted me with dogs from her threshold."

The ropedancer had gathered them for the sick woman, and certainly had not stopped at that one act of theft. How far these vagabonds' impudence went! But he, whose duty it was to look after the property of The Blue Pike, would spoil their pleasure in thieving.