But Katheline, still holding the horse by the bridle, made answer: "You must be dreaming, Hans. Wake up from your dream! I have cried for you so long. O nights of love, my beloved! O kisses of snow, O body of ice! See, this is your child!"

And she pointed to Nele, who was gazing at the man with terror, for now he had raised his whip as though he were about to strike at Katheline. But Katheline still continued her entreaties, weeping all the time:

"Ah! Do you not remember? Have pity on your servant! Take her with you whithersoever you will! Put out the fire! Hans, have pity!"

"Get out of the way!" he said. And he urged on his steed so quickly that Katheline was forced to loose hold of the bridle, and she fell on to the road, and the horse went over her, leaving a bleeding wound upon her forehead. Then the bailiff inquired of the pale horseman as to whether he knew aught of the woman.

"I know her not," was the answer. "She is out of her wits, doubtless."

But by this time Nele had helped up Katheline from the ground. "If this woman is mad," she said, "at least, my Lord, I am not. And I am ready to die here and now of this snow that I am eating"--and here Nele took and ate of the snow with her fingers--"if this horseman has not had knowledge of my mother, and if he has not forced her to lend him money, nay, all the money that she had, and if it was not he that killed the dog which belonged to Claes, so that he might take from the wall of the well those seven hundred caroluses which belonged to the poor man that is dead."

"Hans, my pet," sobbed Katheline, "give me the kiss of peace. Time was when you killed your friend because you were jealous, by the dike.... You loved me well in those days."

"Who is that man she speaks of?" demanded the bailiff.

"I know not," said the pale horseman. "The talk of this beggar-woman is no concern of ours. Let us move on."

But by now a crowd of people had collected, workpeople of the town, and they all began to take Katheline's part, crying: "Justice! Justice, my Lord Bailiff! Justice!"

And the bailiff said to Nele: "Who is the one that was killed? Speak the truth in G.o.d's name."

Then Nele said her say, pointing the while at the pale horseman:

"This is the man who came every Sat.u.r.day to the keet to visit my mother, and to take her money from her. He killed one of his own friends, Hilbert by name, in the field of Servaes Van der Vichte; and this he did not from any love of Katheline, as she in her innocent folly believes, but rather that he might get hold of her seven hundred caroluses and keep them all for himself."

"You lie," said the pale horseman.

"Oh no!" said Nele. "For it is you that caused the death of Soetkin; you that reduced her orphan son to misery; you--n.o.bleman that you are--who came to us, common people, and the first time you came you brought money to my mother, so that ever afterwards you might take her money from her! And you it is that introduced into our house that friend of yours to whom you would have given me in marriage; but, as you know, I would have none of him. What did he do, your friend Hilbert, that time I tore his eyes with my finger-nails?"

"Nele is naughty," said Katheline. "You must not pay any attention to her, Hans, my pet. She is angry because Hilbert tried to take her by force; but Hilbert cannot do so any more. The worms have eaten him. And Hilbert was ugly, Hans, my pet. It is you alone that are beautiful, and Nele, she is naughty."

Now the bailiff ordered the women to go about their business, but Katheline would not budge from where she stood. They were obliged, therefore, to take her into the cottage by force. And all the people that were there a.s.sembled began to cry out:

"Justice, my Lord! Justice!"

At this moment the sergeants of the commune came upon the scene, attracted by the noise, and the bailiff, bidding them wait, addressed himself to the Lords and n.o.bles in the following manner:

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--Notwithstanding all those privileges which protect the ill.u.s.trious order of the n.o.bility of Flanders, I find myself constrained to arrest Joos Damman on account of the accusations which have been brought against him. And I therefore order him to be confined to prison until such time as he can be brought to trial according to the laws and ordinances of the Empire. Hand me, then, your sword, Sir Joos!"

At this command Joos Damman was seen to hesitate, but all the people cried out as with one voice:

"Justice, my Lord! Justice! Let him deliver up his sword!"

And he was obliged to do so in spite of himself; and when he had dismounted from his horse he was conducted by the sergeants to the prison of the commune.

Nevertheless he was not confined in one of the dungeons, but was placed in a room with barred windows, where, for a payment of money, he was made not too uncomfortable. For he was provided with a fire, a good bed, and some good food, half of which, however, went to the gaoler.

x.x.x

On the morrow there came a soft wind blowing from Brabant. The snow began to melt and the meadows were all flooded.

And the bell that is called Borgstorm summoned the judges to the tribunal of the Vierschare. And they sat under the penthouse, because the gra.s.sy banks where they were accustomed to sit were too damp. And round about the tribunal stood the people of the town.

Joos Damman was brought before the judges. He was not in bonds, and he still wore the dress of a n.o.bleman. Katheline was also brought there, but her hands were tied in front of her, and she wore a grey dress, the dress of a prisoner.

On being examined, Joos Damman pleaded guilty to the charge of having killed his friend Hilbert with a sword in single combat; and this he confessed willingly because, as he said, he was protected by the law of Flanders, which made a murderer safe from conviction after the s.p.a.ce of ten years.

Then the bailiff asked him if he was a sorcerer.

"No," replied Damman.

"Prove it," said the bailiff.

"That I will do at the right time and in the proper place," said Joos Damman, "but not now."

Then the bailiff began to question Katheline. She, however, paid no attention to his questions, but kept her eyes fixed on Hans, saying:

"You are my green master. Beautiful you are as the Sun himself. Put out the fire, my pet!"

Then Nele spoke on Katheline's behalf.

"She can tell you naught, my Lord, that you do not know already. She is not a sorceress. She is only out of her mind."

Then the bailiff said his say:

"A sorcerer, I would remind you, is one who knowingly employs a devilish art, or devilish arts, for the attainment of a certain object. Well, these two persons, the man and the woman, I find to be sorcerers both in intention and in fact; the man because, as the evidence states, he gave to this woman the balm of the Witches'

Sabbath, and made his visage like unto Lucifer so as to obtain money from her and the satisfaction of his wanton desires. And the woman also I find to be a sorceress because she submitted herself to the man, taking him for a devil and abandoning herself to his will. I ask, therefore, if the gentlemen of the tribunal are agreed that it is a case where the prisoners should both be sent to the torture?"

The aldermen did not answer, but showed clearly enough that such was not their desire, so far at any rate as Katheline was concerned.

Then the bailiff spake again:

"Like you I am moved with pity and compa.s.sion for the woman, but mad as she undoubtedly is and obedient in all things to the devil, is it not probable that at the behest of her leman she might have committed the most horrible crimes and abominations, as do all those who resign themselves to the devil's will? No. Since Joos Damman has refused to acknowledge any crime save that of murder, and since Katheline has not told us anything at all, it is clear that by the laws of the Empire we are bound to proceed in the manner I have indicated."

And the aldermen gave sentence to the effect that the two prisoners were to be committed to torture on the following Friday, which was the day but one following.

And Nele cried out for mercy upon Katheline, and the people joined with her in supplication, but all in vain. And the prisoners were taken back into the gaol.

There, by order of the tribunal, the keeper of the gaol was ordered to provide a couple of guards for each prisoner, and these guards were commanded to beat them whenever they looked like going off to sleep. Now the two guards that were allotted to Katheline suffered her to sleep during the night; but they that were a.s.signed to Joos Damman beat him unmercifully every time that he closed his eyes or even hung his head down. And neither of the prisoners was given anything to eat through all that Wednesday, and through all the night and day which followed. But on the Thursday evening they were given food and drink--meat, that is to say, which had been soaked in salt and saltpetre, and water which had been salted in a similar fas.h.i.+on. And this was the beginning of their torture. And in the morning, crying out with thirst, they were led by the sergeants into the chamber of doom.

There they were set opposite to one another, bound as they were, each to a separate bench which itself was covered with knotted cords that hurt them grievously. And they were both made to drink a gla.s.s of water saturated with salt and saltpetre.