"Oh, so, so! There were so many serenades and lovers' meetings, the early part of the evening, that I lost some of my rest—but not enough to hurt."
The young knight smiled at his banter, then remarked,
"I had a marvellous sweet dream."
"Pray tell it to me."
"I am not able to do that, for it came to me as a song."
"Then sing it," urged the cobbler.
"What is the good of my singing?" replied Walter moodily. "'Tis not for me to sing upon this day above all others when my song might have been of some service."
"Tut, tut, my friend," said Hans Sachs. "You must not take things so hardly. We may yet find some way of making one of your songs count. Now do you sing me this one and I will mark down the errors in it, and show you why they are errors. Thus you will soon learn, perchance, how to sing a Master Song."
"But that soon will be too late."
"Come let us have the song."