Easter Sunday passed drearily and sadly. In the evening Dame Hadwig sat in the hall, with Ekkehard, Master Spazzo the chamberlain, and the Knight of Randegg. It can be easily imagined what their talk was about. The great events of the past days found an echo in all their thoughts and speeches; like to the echo of the Lurlei-rock in the Rhine: scarcely has the first tone died away in one place, when a hollow, rolling sound, takes it up again in the next, and so it goes on, reverberating from all sides, as if it were never going to end.
The Abbot of Reichenau, had sent a messenger to report that they had found the monastery but slightly damaged; unharmed by fire. Further, that they had destroyed all traces of the Huns, by carrying the holy relics about, and by the sprinkling of consecrated water, everywhere; and finally that the dead had been buried.
"And what became of the brother who stayed behind?" asked the Duchess.
"On him, the Lord our God has shown, that in His mercy He does not forget, poor, childish minds, in the midst of danger and peril. On our return, he stood on the threshold, as if nothing whatever had happened to him. 'Well, how didst thou like the Huns?' one of us called out to him, upon which he said with his customary smile: 'Well then, they have pleased me very much indeed. Never have I seen such jolly fellows before; and as for eating and drinking,--they are wonderfully considerate! The father cellarer has never taken the slightest notice of my being thirsty; but they gave me wine, as much as I wanted,--and if they dealt me sundry blows, and boxes on the ear, they made it up again with the wine; and that is more than any of you would ever have done. Only discipline was wanting,--and besides they have not yet learned how to behave in church' ... further he could say still many a thing in praise of the stranger guests, but this, Heribald added, he would only reveal under the seal of confession." ...
Dame Hadwig was as yet not inclined for amusement. She graciously dismissed the messenger, giving him the finely wrought coat-of-mail of the slain Hunnic chieftain, in order that it might be hung up in the cloister-church, as a lasting token of the past battle. The duty of distributing the booty, was hers, according to the general desire.
Master Spazzo, whose tongue had not been lazy all this time in recounting his warlike deeds,--and the number of the Huns he had slain increased with every recital, like a falling avalanche,--now said with emphasis: "I have still got a war-trophy to present, which I have destined for my gracious mistress herself."
He then went down to the under apartments, in one of which, Cappan his prisoner, lay on a bundle of straw. His wound had been dressed, and had proved not to be dangerous. "Get up, thou son of the Devil!" cried Master Spazzo, adding a rude kick to this invitation. The Hun rose; his face wearing a somewhat dubious expression, as if he did not believe that his life was to last much longer. Thus he limped through the room, leaning on a stick. "Forwards!" said Master Spazzo, indicating the direction in which he was to go. So they went up stairs and entered the hall. Here an imperious, "stop," from Master Spazzo, made the unfortunate wretch stand still, casting his eyes around with evident surprise.
With kindly interest Dame Hadwig looked at the strange specimen of humanity before her. Praxedis also had come near, and turning to Master Spazzo said: "One cannot say much for the beauty of your war-trophy, but it is curious enough."
The Duchess folded her hands: "And this is the nation before whom the German empire has trembled!" exclaimed she.
"The terror was caused by the multitude, and their always keeping together," said the Knight of Randegg. "They won't come back again so easily, that's sure!"