"Whose house is this?" he asked, at last, watching Sieglinde wherever she went.
"It is the house of Hunding, the hunter," she answered, "and I am Sieglinde, his wife."
"I wonder will he welcome a wounded and defenceless guest?" he asked with some anxiety.
"What? art thou wounded?" she demanded with solicitude. "Show me thy wounds that I may help thee."
"Nay," he cried, leaping to his feet; "my wounds are slight and I should still have been fighting my foes, but my sword and shield were shattered and I was left at their mercy. They were many and I could not fight them single-handed and weaponless. I must now be on my way. I am but an ill-fated fellow, and I would not bring my bad luck upon thee and thy house." He started to go out of the door.
"Thou canst not bring ill-fate to me," she answered, looking at him sadly. "I am not happy here."
"If that be true," he said, pausing to regard her tenderly, "then I shall remain," and he turned back into the house.
Scene II
At that very moment, Hunding was heard returning. Sieglinde, hearing him lead his horse to the stable, opened the door for him, as was her wont, and waited for him to come in. When Hunding finally appeared, he paused at seeing Siegmund.
"Whom have we here?" he asked his wife, suspiciously.