"Tell me now, Master Matthias! was I not always a good mistress to you?"
"Would to God you had never been!" murmured the rough fellow.
"Deal gently with me now, and God reward you for it."
A flash, a whiz, and human justice was satisfied. But there above the angels were awaiting their sister, and asked her which was the better of the two—death, or what they call life on earth?
Henry Catsrider sprang from the other end of the scaffold to pick up the corpse.
"Touch her not!" cried Valentine, with the voice of an angry lion, "or I'll give you a blow which will send you to the other world before me."
With that he threw off his jacket, and called to the crowd around:
"Whoever will come and help me, shall have my foxskin jacket!"
"Here I am!" cried a well-known voice, and the faithful Simplex ascended to the scaffold.
"Help me to lay her in the coffin!" said Valentine; "and then don't forget what I asked you to do." And with the help of his friend he laid his pretty Michal in that sad bed from which no one ever rises again till the last trump.