Leo and Kuno laughed, but were spared the necessity of a reply to Paul's long exordium by the entrance of the pretty maid-servant with the wine. "Will the gentlemen have anything to eat?" she asked. "Indeed they will, Maidele" (Tyrolean for Marie); "they are as hungry as wolves," Delmar replied. "Maidele?" the girl asked, in surprise. "And suppose I am not Maidele?" "Why, then, you must be Nannerl?" "Yes, I am Nannerl; but how could the gentleman know my name?" "A little bird whispered it to me on the Schiechpass, of course; how else should I have known it? But never trouble your head about that, my pretty Nannerl, but tell us what you can give us to eat." "Veal steaks, veal cutlets, veal chops, roast veal, and stewed veal." "For heaven's sake stop! For one whole week I have heard, morning, noon, and night, nothing but that fearful word _veal_, nothing but veal. I cannot understand how there can be an ox or a cow in the Tyrol. Ah, my poor Herwarth, my prophecy is about to be fulfilled: 'veal three times a day.' If there is a feeling heart in your bosom, pretty Nannerl, try to save me from veal for to-day at least." Nannerl would have been very glad to do so, for she was much pleased with the stranger gentleman, but she could not, for, as she now explained, there was no beef to-day, and the chickens were all too young to kill. By night she could get a pair of larger ones from the castle, and the next day they could have plenty of beef; but for dinner to-day they must have veal, since the fisherman had happened to bring no trout; but Nannerl promised to give the gentlemen an excellent soup and capital fritters, and thus Paul's comical despair was allayed, the very good wine having already produced a soothing effect. "You confuse these people with your nonsense, Paul," Leo said, when Nannerl had left the room. "Not a bit of it; I shall get on with these worthy souls excellently well; they think me harmlessly insane, and they like it. Our noble Knight von Herwarth thinks the same of me, but I shall convince him that I can be very serious, and that immediately. We must now plan our campaign, for after the soup is on the table I refuse to open my mouth except to eat." "What have you in your head now?"