“Amsdorf,” spoke I, my own heart welling over, “though we live a thousand years we shall not hear or see things greater than shall come to pass to-morrow.” “Can you sleep to-night?” he asked. “Impossible,” I returned, and we sat down together in our own chamber, and tried desperately to while away the hours by a game of chess. Once or twice I listened at Dr. Luther’s door. Once I heard him repeating the Scripture, once I heard the notes of his lute touched softly, to some gentle wailing lay of his Saxon hills, and I knew that he was trying, as so often, “to rout the devil” with music. The clock struck midnight when our game was disturbed by a gentle knock at our door. “May I enter, Eccellenza?” Andrea was asking, and glided in before I could answer “yes.” He had his stiletto drawn, and his eyes were gleaming like jet beads. Instantly I sprang to my feet, whipping out my own rapier. “Danger?” I demanded. “Si, Signore. Great danger to Messere Luther. Heretic he may be, I do not know,” he crossed himself, “but he is your friend. That is enough for Andrea. The Conte has seen Ettore Orosi?” “A thousand fiends, yes!” “Then believe me, Ettore Orosi and four others like him, an Italian, with three Germans,--greasy oafs,--are to be under Dottore Luther’s window ere many minutes. And then--prut!” “Fellow, fellow,” cried I, “how did you know this? It is impossible that the Pope’s legates should stoop to such a deed even against a heretic. The Emperor’s wrath would be terrible.” “His Holiness’s legates? oh, no, Signore! Their pious hands will be very clean. Ettore Orosi and his band do this independently, from pure love of Holy Church. Perhaps there may be temporal rewards for their zeal; but these will be later. Yet believe me, it has not been for nothing Andrea has been hanging around the palace kitchens all the evening, and making himself friendly to the comely scullery maids.” “We must summon help,” spoke Amsdorf with a hand upon my arm. “Help?” I replied, “with Gunter and Adolf within reach, with Andrea here, and you and I hale and strong? Not so. If Ettore Orosi desires a swift road to hell, we are well able to give him the post-horses.” “At least, let me caution Dr. Luther,” and he started for the inner door, but I detained him. “Dr. Luther has battles enough to fight to-night, without this one. We will fight it for him. Come.”