When Sidonia heard this she laughed loudly, danced about, and repeated the verse which was then heard for the first time from her lips; but afterwards she made use of it, when about any evil deed:--

"Also kleien und also kratzen, Meine Hunde und meine Katzen."

["So claw and so scratch, My dogs and my cats."]

The dairy-woman stood by in silent wonder, first looking at Sidonia, then at Wolde, who began to dance likewise, and chanted:--

"Also kleien und also kratzen, Unsre Hunde und unsre Katzen."

["So claw and so scratch, Our dogs and our cats."]

At last Sidonia answered, "This time I will help him; but if he ever bring the roaring ox out of the stall again, a.s.suredly he will repent it."

Hereon the dairy-mother turned to depart, but suddenly stood quite still, staring at Anne Wolde; at length said, "Did I not see thee years ago spinning flax in my mother's cellar, when the folk wanted to bring thee to an ill end?"

But the hag denied it all--"The devil may have been in her mother's cellar, but she had never seen Marienfliess in her life before, till she came hither with this ill.u.s.trious lady."

So the other seemed to believe her, and went out; and by the time she reached her master's door, his pains had all vanished, so that he rode that same day at noon to the hunt.

The poor abbess heard of all this through Anna Apenborg, and thereupon bethought herself of a little emba.s.sy likewise.

So she bid Anna take all sorts of good pastry, and a new kettle, and greet the Lady Sidonia from her--"Could the dear sister give her anything for the rheumatism?" She heard the sheriff was quite cured, and all the doctor's salves and plasters were only making her worse. She sent the dear sister a few dainties--_item_, a new kettle, as her own kettle had not yet arrived. _Item_, she begged her acceptance of all the furniture, &c., which she had lent her for her apartment.

At this second message, the horrible witch laughed and danced as before, repeating the same couplet; and the old hag, Wolde, danced behind her like her shadow.

Now Anna Apenborg's curiosity was excited in the highest degree at all this, and her feet began to beat up and down on the floor as if she were dying to dance likewise; at last she exclaimed, "Ah, dear lady! what is the meaning of that? Could you not teach it to me, if it cures the rheumatism? that is, if there be no devil's work in it (from which G.o.d keep us). I have twelve pounds of wool lying by me; will you take it, dear lady, for teaching me the secret?"

But Sidonia answered, "Keep your wool, good Anna, and I will keep my secret, seeing that it is impossible for me to teach it to you; for know, that a woman can only learn it of a man, and a man of a woman; and this we call the doctrine of sympathies. However, go your ways now, and tell the abbess that, if she does my will, I will visit her and see what I can do to help her; but, remember, my will she must do."

Hereupon sister Anna was all eagerness to know what her will was, but Sidonia bade her hold her tongue, and then locked up the viands in the press, while Wolde went into the kitchen with the kettle, where Anna Apenborg followed her slowly, to try and pick something out of the old hag, but without any success, as one may easily imagine.

CHAPTER II.

_How Sidonia visits the abbess, Magdalena von Petersdorf, and explains her wishes, but is diverted to other objects by a sight of David Ludeck, the chaplain to the convent._

When Sidonia went to visit the abbess, as she had promised, she found her lying in bed and moaning, so that it might have melted the heart of a stone; but the old witch seemed quite surprised--"What could be the matter with the dear, good mother?

but by G.o.d's help she would try and cure her. Only, concerning this little matter of the refectory, it might as well be settled first, for Anna Apenborg told her the room was to be taken from her; but would not the good mother permit her to keep it?"

And when the tortured matron answered, "Oh yes; keep it, keep it,"

Sidonia went on--

"There was just another little favour she expected for curing her dear mother (for, by G.o.d's help, she expected to cure her). This was, to make her sub-prioress in place of Dorothea Stettin; for, in the first place, the situation was due to her rank, she being the most ill.u.s.trious lady in the convent, dowered with castles and lands; secondly, because her ill.u.s.trious forefathers had helped to found this convent; and thirdly, it was due to her age, for she was the natural mother of all these young doves, and much more fitted to keep them in order and strict behaviour than Dorothea Stettin."

Here the abbess answered, "How could she make her sub-prioress while the other lived? This was not to be done? Truly sister Dorothea was somewhat prudish and whining, this she could not deny, for she had suffered many crosses in her path; but, withal, she was an upright, honest creature, with the best and simplest heart in the world; and so little selfishness, that verily she would lay down her life for the sisterhood, if it were necessary."

_Illa_.--"A good heart was all very well, but what could it do without respect? and how could a poor fool be respected who fell into fits if she saw a bride, particularly here, where the young sisters thought of nothing but marriage from morning till night."

_Haec_.--"Yet she was held in great respect and honour by all the sisterhood, as she herself could testify."

_Illa_.--"Stuff! she must be sub-prioress, and there was an end of it, or the abbess might lie groaning there till she was as stiff as a pole."

"Alas! Sidonia," answered the abbess, "I would rather lie here as stiff as a pole--or, in other words, lie here a corpse, for I understand thy meaning--than do aught that was unjust."

_Illa_.--"What was unjust? The old goose need not be turned out of her office by force, but persuaded out of it--that would be an easy matter, if she were so humble and excellent a creature."

_Haec_.--"But then deceit must be practised, and that she could never bring herself to."

_Illa_.--"Yet you could all practise deceit against me, and send off that complaint to his Highness the Prince."

_Haec_.--"There was no falsehood there nor deceit, but the openly expressed wish of the whole convent, and of his worship the sheriff."

_Illa_.--"Then let the whole convent and his worship the sheriff make her well again; she would not trouble herself about the matter."

Whereupon she rose to depart, but the suffering abbess stretched out her hands, and begged, for the sake of Jesus, that she would release her from this torture! "Take everything--everything thou wishest, Sidonia--only leave me my good conscience. Thy dying hour must one day come too; oh! think on that."

_Illa_.--"The dying hour is a long way off yet" (and she moved to the door).

_Haec _(murmuring):--

"Why should health from G.o.d estrange thee?

Morning cometh and may change thee; Life, to-day, its hues may borrow Where the grave-worm feeds to-morrow."

_Illa_.--"Look to yourself then. Speak! Make me sub-prioress, and be Cured on the instant."

_Haec _ (turning herself back upon the pillow).--"No, no, temptress; begone:--

"'Softest pillow for the dying, Is a conscience void of dread.'

Go, leave me; my life is in the hand of G.o.d. 'For if we live, we live unto the Lord; and if we die, we die unto the Lord. Living, therefore, or dying, we are the Lord's.'"

So saying, the pious mother turned her face to the wall, and Sidonia went out of the chamber.

In a little while, however, she returned--"Would the good mother promise, at least, to offer no opposition, if Dorothea Stettin proposed, of her own free will, to resign the office of sub-prioress? If so, let her reach forth her hand; she would soon find the pains leave her."

The poor abbess a.s.sented to this, and oh, wonder! as it came, so it went; first out of the little finger, and then by degrees out of the whole body, so that the old mother wept for joy, and thanked her murderess.

Just then the door opened, and David Ludeck, the chaplain, whom the abbess had sent for, entered in his surplice. He was a fine tall man, of about thirty-five years, with bright red lips and jet-black beard.

He wondered much on hearing how the abbess had been cured by what Sidonia called "sympathies," and smelled devil's work in it, but said nothing--for he was afraid; spoke kindly to the witch-hag even, and extolled her learning and the n.o.bility of her race; declaring that he knew well that the Von Borks had helped mainly to found this cloister.

This mightily pleased the sorceress, and she grew quite friendly, asking him at last, "What news he had of his wife and children?"

And when he answered, "He had no wife nor children," her eyes lit up again like old cinders, and she began to jest with him about his going about so freely in a cloister, as she observed he did.

But when she saw that the priest looked grave at the jestings, she changed her tone, and demurely asked him, "If he would be ready after sermon on Sunday to a.s.sist at her a.s.suming the nun's dress; for though many had given up this old usage, yet she would hold by it, for love of Jesu." This pleased the priest, and he promised to be prepared. Then Sidonia took her leave; but scarcely had she reached her own apartment when she sent for Anna Apenborg. "What sort of man was this chaplain? she saw that he went about the convent at his pleasure. This was strange when he was unmarried."

_Illa_.--"He was a right friendly and well-behaved gentleman.