THE HOUSE UNDER THE WALL To leave Max and myself in our underground dungeon, imprisoned for an unknown, uncommitted crime, while I narrate occurrences outside our prison walls looks like a romancer's trick, but how else I am to go about telling this history I do not know.

Yolanda is quite as important a personage in this narrative as Max and myself, and I must tell of her troubles as I learned of them long afterwards.
Castleman reached home ten days or a fortnight after our arrest, bringing with him his precious silks, velvets, and laces to the last ell.

As he had predicted, they were quadrupled in value, and their increase made the good burgher a very rich man.
Soon after Castleman reached the House under the Wall, Yolanda came dancing into the room where he was sitting with good Frau Katherine, drinking a bottle of rich Burgundy wine well mixed with pepper and honey.
"Ah, uncle," she cried joyously, "at last you are at home, and I have a fine kiss for you." "Thank you, my dear," said Castleman, "you have spoiled my wine.

The honey will now taste vinegarish." "You are a flatterer, uncle--isn't he, tante ?" laughed Yolanda, turning to Aunt Castleman.
"I am afraid he is," said the good frau, in mock distress.

"Every one tries to spoil him." "You more than any one, tante," cried Yolanda.
"Tut, tut, child," cried Frau Katherine, "I abate his vanity with frowns." Yolanda laughed, and the burgher, pinching his wife's red cheek, protested:-- "_You_ frown?
You couldn't frown if you tried.