"Not much," said Vincenz; "they say that Hagenbach is going to take the maid Afra to the dance at Sölden on St. Peter's Day. I heard it from the messenger who had had to fetch a new pair of shoes from Imst for Afra, and a silk neckerchief, and Joseph paid for them." Wally bit her lips and said nothing, but Vincenz saw what was passing in her mind.
"I tell thee what," said Vincenz, "we also do things in style on St. Peter's Day, and if the peasant-mistress would come, there would be a feast to be talked of far and wide; come for once with me to the dance."
Wally gave her head a short toss. "I'm the right sort to go to dances," she said.
"Nay go, Wally," urged Vincenz, "just for once, if it's only to spite people."
"Much I care for them," said Wally, laughing contemptuously.
"But think a bit, people say--" he paused.
Wally stood still. "What do they say?" she asked, looking at him piercingly.
Vincenz shrank back at the expression on her countenance, "I only mean that they say thou's got some secret trouble. The upper servant says thou wast out the whole night, and goes wandering about like a sick chicken. And folk say thou'st everything heart can desire, and suitors as many as the sand on the seashore, so if thou's not content with that, there must be some love-sorrow on thy mind--and ever since what happened at the Procession--"
"Well! go on!" said Wally huskily.
"Since then they say that Joseph is the only lad in the Oetz valley that thou cares to catch--and that he won't bite."