Soon the cry rose that the Duke was coming—his six coaches had just come in sight. Then the convent gate opened, and my hag appeared at the head of the entire sisterhood, all in their black robes and white veils; she the same, except that she wore the abbess veil whereon two golden keys were embroidered. Item, the white cats'-skin cape, which I have noticed before, was displayed upon her shoulders. Thus she came forth from the convent gate with all the sisters, two and two, and she threw up her eyes, and raised the hymn of St. Ambrose, just as the Duke and his six coaches drove into the courtyard, and the whole convent joining, they advanced thus singing to meet his Highness.
Now, his Highness was a meek man and seldom angry, but his brow grew black with wrath, when Sidonia, stepping up to the coach, bowed low, and in her cats' tippet—herself a cat in cunning and deceit—threw up her eyes hypocritically to heaven.
"How now," cried his Grace; "who the devil hath suffered you,
Sidonia, to play the abbess over these virgins?"
To which my hag replied—
"Gracious Prince, ask these virgins here if they have not selected me as their abbess of their own free will, and they are now come to entreat your Highness to confirm the choice of their hearts."
"Marry," quoth the Duke, "I have heard enough of your doings from the neighbouring nobles and others. I know well how you made the poor abbess Magdalena bite the dust; item, how you forced these poor virgins to elect you abbess through mortal and deadly fear. Speak, dear sisters, fear nothing—I, your Prince, command you: have ye not elected this piece of sin and vanity to be your abbess simply through fear of your lives?"
But the virgins looked down upon the ground, were silent and trembled, while my sheriff plunged his hand into his wide boots for the kerchief to wipe his face, for he saw well how it would end, and the sweat of anguish was dripping from his brow. A second time his Grace asked—"Was it from fear?" When at last one answered, named Agnes Kleist, not the stout Dinnies' sister, but another—
"In truth, gracious Prince, it was from pure bodily fear alone that we elected Sidonia as our abbess."
Her courage pleased the Duke so much that he inquired her name, and hearing it, said—
"Ay, I thought you must be a Kleist; and now, for your truth and courage, I make you abbess of Marienfliess; item, Dorothea Stettin sub-prioress. And mark me, Sidonia Bork—it is for the last time—if you attempt to dispute my will, or make the least disturbance in the convent in consequence of my decision, you shall be sent over the frontier. I have tried kindness long enough by you—now for justice!"