In the meantime the day had fully broken, and a bright July sun shone upon the overwatched faces of the council, who were still collected in the Sessions'-chamber, and had reclined themselves against the windows to prevent their going to sleep. The iron old Erasmus alone sat at the green table with bright wakeful eyes, and played with the golden medal appended to his chain of honour. By his side stood the vice-consul, Christopher Drescher, behind a chair, which he rocked to and fro impatiently. "The judges must have come to a decision by this time," said Erasmus, as if to himself. "If they only come to a right one," replied Drescher emphatically. "No fear of that; although parties may at times run high amongst ourselves, yet against the outward enemy we all stand as one man; and if----Then we are at the goal, brother." "I only wish you had not forced poor Reimann to defend him. If he should happen to bring forward things which we can't answer?" "Some defender Tausdorf could not but have; the forms of the law demanded so much, and to forms we must strictly adhere on this occasion. Between ourselves, too, could you in all Schweidnitz have hunted out a worse advocate than this Reimann?" "You have seen farther than I have," cried the vice-consul, after a pause: "_Concedo_." A servant now brought in a letter to the burgomaster, which he opened and read-- "An _Intercessionale_ in favour of the prisoner by the Herr von Schindel, resident of this place, and now laid up with the gout," said Erasmus to the council. "The petitioner presumes to defend the accused, uncalled for, and to impugn the competency of our tribunal. _Ad acta!_" "The Frau von Netz, too, waits below in great trouble," added the servitor, "and implores, in Heaven's name, a secret audience of your excellency." "The proud nobles can now stoop themselves to entreaties," exclaimed the burgomaster triumphantly; "but it's all of no use." He went out. The poor Althea stood there, her face in a veil wet with tears, and she approached him with clasped and uplifted hands. "Will it please you to walk in?" asked Erasmus with cold politeness, and opened the door of the little audience-chamber. She tottered after him. He placed a chair f motioned to her to sit down, and placed himself opposite. "What is your pleasure, noble lady?" he asked, after a short time, during which she was unable to speak from sobbing. "Our time is peculiarly valuable to-day." "Mercy!" at length cried the poor petitioner in the most moving tones of anguish; "Mercy for my intended husband!" "That is with God!" replied Erasmus. "In my weighty office I recognize but the duty of justice. If such a crime were to remain unpunished, I should have to account hereafter to the Highest for the innocent victims, which might in future be sacrificed to the arrogance of the nobles."