Sidonia The Sorceress, vol 2 | Page 8

nothing at all of what marriage
meant. He must pack off this instant, or the devil himself should turn
him out of the cloister."
Meanwhile the young maiden took heart (for the handsome knight
pleased her), and said, "Gracious Lady Prioress (Sidonia made them all
call her Gracious Lady, as if she were a born princess), I am no more a
child, as you say, and I know very well what marriage means."
This boldness made the other so wroth that she screamed--"Wait! I will
teach you what marriage is;" and she sprang on her to box her. But
Ambrosia rushed through the side-door out into the court, Sidonia
following; however, not being able to reach her, she seized up the axe
with which the porter had been killing the ox, and flung it after her,
wounding the poor maiden so in the foot that the red blood poured
down over her white stockings, while the young lover, who could not
break the grating, screamed and stamped for rage and despair. By the
good mercy of God the wound was only slight, still the fair novice fell
to the ground; but seeing Sidonia rushing at her again with the large
butcher's knife which the porter had been using, she sprang up and ran
to the grating, crying out to the noble, "Save me! save me!"
And at her screams all the nuns threw up their windows, right and left,
over the courtyard; but finding the young knight could not help her, she
ran to the old porter, still screaming, "Save me! save me! she is going
to murder me!"
Now the fellow was glad enough to be revenged on Sidonia, for she
had sent him running to Stargard for her late the night before, and the
moment the ox was to be quartered, he was to be off there again at her
command; so he rushed at the vile witch, and seizing her up like a
bundle of old rags, pitched her against the wall with all his force,
adding a right hearty curse; and there she lay quaking like an old cat,
while the handsome young noble laughed loud from the grating.
But she was up again soon, shook her dry, withered fist at the porter,
and cried, "Ha! thou insolent churl, I will pray thee to death for this!"
Whereupon she went off to her room, and locked herself up there,
while the fair Ambrosia ran to the grating, and stretching out her little
hands through the bars, exclaimed, "I am yours, dear knight; oh, take
me away from this horrible hell!"
This rejoiced my young noble heartily, and he kissed the little hands

and lamented over her foot--"And was it much hurt? She must lift it up,
and show him if the wound was deep."
So she raised up the dainty foot a little bit, and then saw that her whole
shoe was full of blood; but the old porter, who came by just then,
comforted the handsome youth, and told him he would stop the blood
directly, for the wound was but a trifle. Whereupon he laid a couple of
straws over it, murmured some words, and behold, in a moment, the
blood is staunched! Then the fair novice thanked him courteously, and
prayed him to unlock the wicket, for she would go and stay a couple of
hours with the miller's wife, while this young noble, to whom she had
plighted love and troth, returned to her father's for a carriage to bring
her home. After what had passed now, never more would she enter the
cloister.
But what happened? Scarcely had the good old porter unfastened the
grating, and the young knight taken the fair girl in his arms, kissing her
and pressing her to his heart (well Sidonia did not see him), when
Matthias screamed out, "My God, what ails me?" and fell flat on the
ground. At this the young knight left his bride, and flew to raise him up.
"What could ail him?" But the poor old man can hardly speak, his eyes
are turned in his head, and he gasped, "It was as if a man were sitting
inside his breast, and crushing him to death. Oh, he could not
breathe--his ribs were breaking!"
The alarmed young noble then helped the poor creature to reach his
room, which lay close by the wicket; and having laid him on the bed in
care of his wife, and recommended him to the mercy of God, he
returned to his own fair bride, to carry her off from this murder-hole,
and place her in safety with the miller's wife. I may as well mention
here that he and the beautiful Ambrosia were wedded in due time, and
lived long in peace and happiness, blessed