Hadumoth, the little geese-driver came in. Shyly she stopped at the door, not venturing to speak. Her face, which was pale from want of sleep, bore the traces of recent tears.
"What is the matter with thee, my poor child?" called out Dame Hadwig, "come hither!"
Then the little maiden came forwards, and kissed the Duchess's hand. She tried to speak, but violent sobs prevented her.
"Don't be afraid," said the Duchess soothingly; upon which she found words and said: "I cannot take care of the geese any more; I must go away, and thou must give me a goldpiece, as big as thou hast got. I cannot help it, but I must go!"
"And why must thou go, my child?" asked the Duchess. "Has anyone wronged thee?"
"He has not come home again!"
"There are many who have not come home again; but thou must not go away on that account. Those who have fallen, are now with our dear Lord in heaven. They are in a large, beautiful garden, and are much happier than we are."
But Hadumoth, shaking her young little head, said: "Audifax is not with God; he is with the Huns. I have searched for him down in the valley, and he was not amongst the dead men. Besides, the charcoal-burners' boy from Hohenstoffeln, who also went out with the archers, saw himself, how he was taken prisoner. I must go, to fetch him. I can find no peace if I don't!"
"But how wilt thou find him?"
"That, I don't know. I shall go where the others went. They say that the world is very wide, but in the end I shall find him. I feel sure of it. The goldpiece which thou art to give me, I will give to the Huns, and say: let me have Audifax for this, and when I have got him, we shall both come home again."