"Sacrilege," Rudimann called out to them. "He has laid his wanton hand on his mistress, even before the altar!"
Then Ekkehard could not restrain himself any longer. To have the most sacred secret of his heart profaned by insolent coarseness,--a pearl thrown before swine, ... he tore down the everlasting lamp, and swung the heavy vessel over his head. The light went out, and the moment after, a hollow groan was heard, and the cellarer lay with bleeding head on the stone-flags. The lamp lay beside him. Then there followed a fierce struggle, fighting, confusion ... all was coming to an end with Ekkehard. They had got the better of him, and tearing off the cord which served him as a belt, they tied his hands together.
There he stood, the handsome youthful figure; now the very picture of woe, resembling the broken-winged eagle. His eyes sent one mournful, troubled and appealing look at the Duchess,--who turned her head away.
"Do that which you think right," said she to the Abbot, sweeping proudly through the ranks of the lookers on.
A cloud of smoke met her outside, whilst the voices of loud, noisy merriment were heard from the castle-gate, outside of which a great bonfire, made up of resinous pine-branches, was burning. The servants of the castle danced around it, throwing flowers into the flames, and at that moment, Audifax putting his arm round the companion of his adventures, had jumped with her through the flames, uttering a loud cry of delight.
"Where does all this smoke come from?" asked Dame Hadwig of Praxedis, who was coming towards her.
"Solstice! Midsummer-day!" said the Greek maid.
It was a dreary, uncomfortable evening. The Duchess had locked herself up in her bed-room, refusing admittance to everyone.
Ekkehard meanwhile, had been dragged into a dungeon, by the order of the Abbot. In the same tower, in the airy upper storey of which was his chamber, there was a damp, dark vault, the floor of which had fragments of old tombstones lying about; they had been brought there, when the castle-chapel had been renovated. A bundle of straw had been thrown in for him, and a monk was sitting outside to guard the entrance.