"There are two retainers of Meineger and von Bergow, besides their boys." "You must release them, sir, and make amends for the imprisonment." "God forbid that I should bargain for my child." "The religious friars expected that from you," said the woman, "but this is not all that I was ordered to say. Your daughter, sir, was captured by some men, undoubtedly robbers, and certainly for the purpose of demanding a rich ransom. God permitted the brethren to recapture her, and now they demand nothing but the return of their brother and associate. But the brethren know, and you, too, sir, what hatred there is in this country against them, and how unfairly even their most righteous actions are judged. For this reason the brethren are sure that, if the people here found out that your daughter was with them, they would at once begin to suspect that they had captured her, and would consequently utter only slander and complaints.... O yes, evil and malicious people here have frequently repaid them so, and the reputation of the holy Order has suffered greatly by it, and the brethren are greatly concerned about it, and therefore they add this sole condition that you alone assure the prince of this country and all the mighty knights that it is true, that not the Teutonic knights, but robbers carried off your daughter, and that you had to ransom her from robbers." "It is true," said Jurand, "that bandits have captured my child, and that I have to buy her back from bandits...." "You shall tell nobody otherwise, because if only one person should find out that you come to terms with the brethren, if only one living soul or only one complaint were sent to the master, or the assembly, great complications would ensue." Jurand's face exhibited great alarm. At the first moment it seemed to him quite natural that the knights required secrecy, fearing responsibility and disgrace, but now a suspicion arose in his mind that there might be another reason, but, not being able to account for it, he was seized with such terror as sometimes happens to the most courageous when danger does not threaten them alone, but also their relatives and loved ones. He determined however to find out more from the Order's servant. "The knights wish secrecy," he said, "but how can it be kept, when I release von Bergow and the others in return for my child?" "You will say that you accepted ransom for von Bergow in order to be able to pay the robbers." "People will not believe it, because I never accepted ransom," gloomily replied Jurand. "But your child was never in question," hissed the messenger in reply. And again silence followed, after which the _pontnik_, who, in the meanwhile had gained courage, and judged that Jurand must now restrain himself more, said: "Such is the will of the brethren Shomberg and Markward." The messenger continued: