"
"It may be as you say, Sir Guy; but tell me, as a soldier, before you gave
up the siege of a fortress and retired would you not summon it to
surrender?"
"I should do so," Guy replied with a smile.
"Then it had better be so in this case, Sir Guy. You say that you would
willingly marry my daughter. I would as willingly give her to you. The
difficulty then lies with the maiden herself, and it is but fair to you
both that you should yourself manfully ask her decision in the matter."
He went out of the room, and returned in a minute leading Katarina. "Sir
Guy has a question to ask you, daughter," he said; "I pray you to answer
him frankly." He then led her to a seat, placed her there and left the
room.
Guy felt a greater inclination to escape by another door than he had ever
felt to fly in the hour of danger, but after a pause he said:
"I will put the question, Katarina, since your father would have me do it,
though I know well enough beforehand what the answer will be. I desire
above all things to have you for a wife, and would give you a true and
loyal affection were you willing that it should be so, but I feel only too
well that you do not think of me as I do of you. Still, as it is your
father's wish that I should take your answer from your lips, and as, above
all things, I would leave it in your hands without any constraint from
him, I ask you whether you love me as one should love another before
plighting her faith to him?"
"Why do you say that you know what my answer will be, Guy? Would you have
had me show that I was ready to drop like a ripe peach into your mouth
before you opened it? Why should I not love you? Did you not save my life?
Were you not kind and good to me even in the days when I was more like a
boy than a girl? Have you not since with my humours? I will answer your
question as frankly as my father bade me.
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