PASTOR RAD AGAIN.
After the victory of the Lutheran faith at Breitenfeld, Pastor Rad had found himself without a definite mission. In his enthusiasm he had made his way to the camp of Gustavus at Werben and marched with the Swedes to that field of triumph, using such opportunities as occurred to labour by way of exhortation and of prayer. So that his sonorous voice was lifted up, it mattered little who listened or regarded. At first the Swedes, drafted into whose ranks were many Brandenburgers, Pomeranians, and Saxons, listened to, if they only imperfectly understood, his vociferous ministrations. But after Breitenfeld the jealousy of the Swedish native ministers, who had at the beginning, while the issue was uncertain, held out the right hand of fellowship, manifested itself, and he was made to understand that his presence with the Swedish portion of Gustavus' army was superfluous. That army speedily moved onwards towards the west, and Pastor Rad, having reached Erfurt along with it, considered it a suitable opportunity for making his way back to Eisenach, where his flock, and his livelihood, lay peacefully enfolded in the forest.
His reception did not savour of fervency. The interest of utterly rural communities in external events happening a hundred miles away is hard to kindle, and, when kindled, needs much application of the bellows to keep it at a red heat. Magdeburg had fired them. His own narratives and sermons had blown up their sparks to a blaze, but, with the marching of a small body of their young men to join Gustavus, the countryside had returned to its arduous agricultural pursuits, to its wood chopping and charcoal burning, to its smithies and its inns.
"Here comes Pastor Rad!" said Jacob Putkammer, the tailor. "Now we shall hear!"
"About Breitenfeld?" was the pastor's eager question. "It was glorious."
"Yes! Yes! The Swede beat Tilly till there was not a whole suit of clothes in his army! We know all that."
"What we want to know," said Marx Englehart, the smith, "is what has become of Elspeth Reinheit?"
"Elspeth Reinheit?" queried the pastor in astonishment.
"You remember, pastor, how you set about driving the devil out of her! Over yonder at Ruhla!"
The pastor flushed at the remembrance.