“Strike!” she said. “Kill! Where art thou, Ulenspiegel?”
And she would have gone to help her husband, but one of the constables seized her round the body, not without peril.
Claes struggled and struck so hard that he might well have escaped, if the two constables to whom Soetkin had spoken had not come to the help of the two that were holding him.
They brought him with both his hands tied into the kitchen where Soetkin and Nele were weeping and sobbing.
“Messire provost,” said Soetkin, “what hath my poor man done then, that you should bind him thus with ropes?”
“Heretic,” said one of the constables.
“Heretic?” returned Soetkin, “thou a heretic, thou? These devils have lied.”
Claes answered:
“I place myself in God’s keeping.”
He went out; Nele and Soetkin followed him weeping and believing that they also were to be brought before the judge. Men and women came to them; when they knew that Claes was going thus bound because he was suspect of heresy, they were so sore afraid that they went back into their homes in haste, and shut all the doors behind them. Only a few girls dared go to Claes and say to him: