Tausdorf called to them in Bohemian, "Whichever of you moves a hand, my sword strikes him!"
"Draw!" roared Francis, with foaming mouth.
"Only in self-defence," said Tausdorf, and held out his blade.
Francis pressed upon him with furious blows. He merely defended himself. During this the auburn-haired gipsy looked over the wall of the garden; she was now without a mask, and her face betrayed agony and repentance.
"Why don"t you part them?" she cried to Tausdorf"s people, wringing her hands.
"It is forbidden to us," replied the faithful Martin sadly.
Tausdorf cast a glance from the combat to the place whence the well-known voice came; and, taking advantage of this, Francis lunged fiercely at his heart, but the thrust did not succeed.
"My life, then, is intended?" cried Tausdorf indignantly, and he cut his adversary over the right hand. As the arm sank, his sword went into the breast of Francis, who fell to earth.
"Gracious Heavens! such was not my purpose," exclaimed Tausdorf, when he saw the blood flowing; and, sheathing his sword, he gazed for a while with looks of compa.s.sion on his fallen adversary. Then turning to his servant, he bade him hasten for his carriage:--"I feel myself too weak for long and speedy riding, and this brooks no delay."
Heubert and Schmidt hurried back to the town.
"By G.o.d"s holy word it was not my purpose!" repeated Tausdorf; and sighing "Poor Althea!" he followed his people.
While this was pa.s.sing, the gipsy had quitted the wall, opened a little gate in it, and approached Francis, who lay in death-throes on the ground. Having come up to him, she shook the auburn locks from her head, and the long brown hair fell about her face as she put on a withered coronet of roses.
"Do you know me, Francis? Do you know this bridal ornament?" she asked, with a mixture of grief and anger.
"Agatha!" sighed Francis; and with difficulty turned away his head, that he might not see the fearful apparition.
"I have revenged your crime," she exclaimed, "and by a greater crime.
But there is no joy in vengeance; the grave knows no hatred, and I forgive you. Your guilt is atoned; and you may appear confidently before the throne of Heaven. Pray for me yonder, that I too may be forgiven when I have ended here in penitence and agony!"
She rushed away. Again he sighed!--Again!--and his soul fleeted with the last beams of the setting sun, and darkness and the silence of eve were upon the blood-besprinkled earth.
Althea was reclining in the window and impatiently expecting the knight"s return, when at length she saw Martin and Schmidt come running breathlessly through the Peter"s-gate. An evil foreboding thrilled through her bosom. She called out to them,--"What now? Has any accident happened?"
"We are to fetch our master"s carriage immediately," replied Heubert; "you will learn the rest by and by."
"Gracious Heavens! What is the meaning of this?" she exclaimed, and leaning out of the window to look after Tausdorf, she saw him coming, pale and in disorder.
"Something dreadful has occurred--I have never seen him thus before."
She hurried down, but Tausdorf was already at the street door, and, seizing his hand with increasing anxiety, she said,--"Dear friend, what has happened to you?"
"My poor Althea! You were right with your foreboding when we parted.
Such as I left you I never shall see you again, for then no murder was upon my soul!"
"Good Heavens! Francis Friend!" cried Althea, whose terror divined the truth at once.
"He lies in the Park, killed by my sword!"
"You are lost, then, if you do not instantly fly from Schweidnitz. You should not have returned, for moments here are of more worth than gold."
"My people are putting to the horses," replied Tausdorf, and went with Althea into the court, where Schmidt was just drawing out the carriage from the coach-house, and Martin was cursing in the stable because he could not find the harness.
"This is too long about," said Althea; "besides you will go more slowly in your carriage, and not be able to use the footpaths. Let them saddle my palfrey for you."
"The creature is good, but too slight. He"ll not stand out a hard ride."
"Let him, then, drop under you, so as you but reach your goal. Only hasten, for Heaven"s sake, before the deed is spread abroad!"
"Then saddle the palfrey," said Tausdorf to his servant; "and lead him on before to the Striegauer gate. I will come straight after you."
The servant obeyed.
"But how was it possible," said Althea, "that with all your coolness and moderation, you could suffer yourself to be provoked by the wretched drunkard to this rash act, the consequences of which are so evident?"
"Woman," replied Tausdorf, with gloomy looks, "were an angel from heaven to come down in a corporeal form, he could not remain in peace if the evil-minded seriously set about involving him in quarrels!
Believe me on my knightly word, I was forced to draw the sword. My life and honour were both at stake; and if I am no longer to defend these with my knightly hand, I may bid adieu to the world, and creep into a cloister. The thrust did, indeed, go deeper than it should, but who, in the heat of battle, can command his steel? G.o.d be my judge!"
The palfrey was saddled and brought out. Tausdorf again bade Althea farewell, pressed her to his heart with the convulsive energy of grief, and rushed away. With slow steps she reascended the stairs, and placed herself again in the stone seat in the window. The tears flowed hotly down her cheeks, while her anxious heart swelled her bosom with strong and frequent heavings.
She had sate thus for some time, when with anxious speed her uncle entered the apartment.
"Have you heard it, niece? Francis Friend has been found dead in the Park, not far from the bowling-green, and report names our Tausdorf for his murderer."
"Alas! alas!" sobbed Althea; "this misfortune will cost me too my life."
"Gracious Heavens! It is true, then? But the unlucky man has fled?--for, if they catch him here, he is lost. He might rather hope to find mercy from the Spanish inquisition, or from the prince of darkness himself, than from the old Erasmus."
"He has fled upon my palfrey, and if he only gets a good start of them I deem him saved."
"G.o.d grant it! but as I hurried hither the prefects of the quarter were running about like mad. To a certainty they will raise a hue and cry after him. Has he been long gone?"
Althea remained without answering, for the hurried trot of many horses had caused her to look out of the window. A party of the city police were riding by, well armed and with speed, over the market-place to the Striegauer gate.
"Gracious Heavens! Too soon!" sighed the poor Althea, and sank in a swoon to the ground.
The night had come on, and the moon threw her first beams over the silent country. Tausdorf just then rode his panting horse into Salzbrunn, with many a glance behind to see if he could yet discover any of his pursuers. Unfortunately he heard from the town the snorting and the tramp of many horses.
"Hold out but this once, poor beast!" he exclaimed to his horse, and again plunged the spurs into his bleeding flanks. But the weary animal made only a few weak efforts, and fell back again into his short trot, interrupted by frequent stumbles, while the sound of horses" feet kept constantly nearing.
"It is then a struggle for life or death!" cried Tausdorf; drew his sword, and his left hand grasped his holster-pistols.
"Stop, murderer, stop!" cried the first horseman, springing forward.
"You are our prisoner. Follow us to Schweidnitz."