The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume I Part 37

"Thy brother Josse died upon the rack at Sippenaken, near Aix. And that was for having borne arms, being a heretic, against the Emperor."

Claes was as one beside himself, and said, trembling in every limb, for his wrath was extreme:

"Evil murderers! Josse! my poor brother!"

The man said then in no gentle tone:

"Our joys and our woes are not of this world."

And he began to eat. Then he said:

"I gave thy brother help in his prison, pa.s.sing myself off for a countryman from Nieswiller, a relation of his. I have come hither because he said to me: 'If thou dost not die for the faith as I do, go to my brother Claes; enjoin upon him to live in the Lord's peace, doing the works of mercy, rearing his son in secret in the law of Christ. The money I gave him was taken from the poor and ignorant people; let him use it to bring Thyl up in the knowledge of G.o.d and the word.'"

Having said this, the messenger gave Claes the kiss of peace.

And Claes, lamenting:

"Died on the rack," said he, "my poor brother!"

And he could not recover himself out of his great sorrow. All the same, as he saw that the man was thirsty and held out his gla.s.s, he poured wine for him, but he ate and drank joylessly.

Soetkin and Nele were away during seven days; during this time the messenger from Josse lived under Claes's roof.

Every night they heard Katheline crying terribly in the cottage:

"The fire, the fire! Make a hole: the soul would fain escape!"

And Claes would go to her, and calm her with soothing speech, then come back into his own house.

At the end of seven days the man departed and would accept no more from Claes but two carolus to feed and shelter him upon his way.

LXVIII

Nele and Soetkin being come back from Bruges, Claes, in his kitchen, seated on the floor after the fas.h.i.+on of tailors, was putting b.u.t.tons on an old pair of breeches. Nele was close by him tarring on against the stork t.i.tus Bibulus Schnouffius who, das.h.i.+ng at the bird and retreating by turns, was yelping in the shrillest voice. The stork standing on one foot, looking at him gravely and pensively, withdrew her long neck into the feathers on her breast. t.i.tus Bibulus Schnouffius, seeing her so pacific, yelped more and more terribly. But all of a sudden the bird, tired and sick of this music, lashed out her bill like an arrow on the back of the dog, who fled yelling:

"Help, help!"

Claes laughed, Nele, too, and Soetkin never ceased looking into the street, seeking if she could not see Ulenspiegel coming.

Suddenly she said:

"Here is the provost and four constables. It cannot surely be us they want. There are two of them turning behind the cottage."

Claes lifted his nose from his task.

"And two that are stopping in front," went on Soetkin.

Claes got up.

"Who are they going to arrest in this street?" said she. "Jesus G.o.d! my husband, they are coming in here."

Claes leaped from the kitchen into the garden, followed by Nele.

He said to her:

"Save the carolus, they are behind the chimney-back."

Nele understood, then seeing that he was making through the hedge, that the constables seized him by the collar, that he was fighting to get loose from them, she cried and wept:

"He is innocent! he is innocent! do not hurt Claes, my father! Ulenspiegel, where art thou? Thou wouldst kill both of them!"

And she threw herself upon one of the constables and tore his face with her nails. Then crying out "They will kill him!" she fell down on the sward of the garden and rolled about on it, distraught.

Katheline had come at the noise, and standing straight and motionless, was contemplating the sight, saying as she shook her head from side to side: "The fire! the fire! Make a hole! the soul would fain escape!"

Soetkin saw nothing, and speaking to the constables that had come into the cottage:

"Sirs, whom seek ye in our poor dwelling? If it is my son, he is far away. Are your legs long ones?"

Saying so, she was full of mirth.

At this moment Nele, crying out for help, Soetkin ran into the garden, saw her husband seized by the collar and struggling on the highway close to the hedge.

"Strike!" she said. "Kill! Where art thou, Ulenspiegel?"

And she would have gone to help her husband, but one of the constables seized her round the body, not without peril.

Claes struggled and struck so hard that he might well have escaped, if the two constables to whom Soetkin had spoken had not come to the help of the two that were holding him.

They brought him with both his hands tied into the kitchen where Soetkin and Nele were weeping and sobbing.

"Messire provost," said Soetkin, "what hath my poor man done then, that you should bind him thus with ropes?"

"Heretic," said one of the constables.

"Heretic?" returned Soetkin, "thou a heretic, thou? These devils have lied."

Claes answered:

"I place myself in G.o.d's keeping."

He went out; Nele and Soetkin followed him weeping and believing that they also were to be brought before the judge. Men and women came to them; when they knew that Claes was going thus bound because he was suspect of heresy, they were so sore afraid that they went back into their homes in haste, and shut all the doors behind them. Only a few girls dared go to Claes and say to him:

"Whither goest thou thus bound, coal man?"