320 'GOD'S PEACE'
drunken sleep, found the bird flown. But if he saw it would be to his advantage he often held his tongue, and kept his shame to himself. For Count Esben was well known as a jealous master with a hard hand ; besides, there seemed little reason to spread all over the town the indignity one's sweet- heart had suffered, especially as one could never be sure how willing or unwilling she had been. But sooner or later rumours grew out of veiled hints, suddenly broken betrothals and quarrels between married couples who before had been perfectly happy. A cloud of secret fear and whispering hatred descended over castle and town.
Then it happened that Count Esben set his eyes on the lovely seventeen years'-old daughter of the mayor, who was married to the cleverest craftsman in the town, Clas Bryde. For a while Count Esben sighed and coaxed with tempting glances and secret signs when he rode past the young woman's windows. When he was sure that she did not resent his ad- vances he seized the first possible opportunity to invite her and Clas Bryde to the castle. Mean- while the husband had got an inkling of what was going on, and when the time came he only feigned drunkenness. While his head sank lower and lower on his chest, he noticed the tender glances which were being exchanged between his wife and the count. Scarcely had the two disappeared from the hall, where they imagined they had left the husband overcome by drunken sleep, before Clas Bryde stood up, went to one of the windows, and gave the
