The Silver Cup Read Free Page A

pity of her neighbors. And it froze her soul.
    Suddenly Anna was aware of her aunt standing in the middle of the room, with her hands on her hips, glaring.
    â€œWhat are you doing, you useless snail? Just staring at nothing? The chickens are hungry. This house is a mess! And you call that a fire? Just because your father’s father was a knight, do you think you can sleep all morning? Get to work, you! You’re not some frittering noblewoman!” said Agnes, kicking up a cloud of ash at the hearth and leaving with a slam of the door.
    Anna looked down at her worn dress and rough hands and thought, I’m half noble, which is more than you’ll ever be.
    She scooped some grain into a basket and went to feed the chickens. Before long she heard Martin whistling happily. He had just returned from fetching the water, a chore he always left for Anna, but she knew he was bursting to finish the chores so he could present his mother with the spice treasures. When mid morning’s Tierce bells tolled the third hour since sunrise, Martin grabbed Anna’s hand and began pleading with Gunther.
    â€œPlease Uncle! Anna and I have finished our chores. May we go to Mother’s now ? Perhaps she’ll even ask us to stay for dinner,” said Martin.
    Gunther nodded, and the three walked next door, where they found Agnes filleting a large, sharp-toothed pike. Gunther handed her the spice merchant’s box.
    When Agnes opened the lid, she smiled proudly.
    â€œWhat riches! You see what fine craftsmen my smiths are? What a reputation they have in the city of Worms!”
    â€œDon’t forget the traders, Mother,” said Martin with a bit of disappointment.
    â€œI suppose,” said Agnes looking at Martin and Gunther. “But of course you are only as good as the goods you carry.” She put down the box and finished boning the fish.
    â€œI wager I could trade fleas to a dog,” boasted Martin, and when Agnes scoffed, he grinned and added, “Mother, cook me a feast that I can dream about when I’m far from here.”
    â€œNo one could better use these,” said Gunther graciously.
    â€œThank you, Gunther. Will you stay for dinner? ”
    â€œWe would love to!” answered Martin immediately. “Now let’s go to the forge and tell Father about the new work, Uncle.”
    Gunther and Martin left, and Agnes began to skin the filleted fish. No one cooked as well as Agnes. Even Anna had to agree that no family ate as well as they. Karl and the boys snared all sorts of birds to cook on the spit fire—buntings and starlings, wild geese, mallards, and pigeons. Agnes’s house was always perfumed with baking biscuits and bubbling stews, and when they were very fortunate, with a whiff of spice from far away.
    When Agnes looked up from her work, she saw Anna tickling Thomas, and her mood changed. “Leave the boy alone, lazy girl! You’ve wasted enough time today. If you expect to eat here, you’ll help your cousins.”
    Anna turned to her cousins Elisabeth and Margarete. First, she helped Elisabeth who was gathering soiled rushes from the floor while Margarete swept. Then Anna used a wooden maul to tamp the earth. Elisabeth began to spread fresh rushes.
    â€œOuch. Watch the broom!” said Anna as Margarete scratched the birch twigs across her bare feet.
    â€œMargarete, what have you done? ” squawked Agnes. “If you sweep over Anna’s feet, she’ll never marry.”
    Anna was horrified, but Margarete just smirked.
    â€œMy cousin was in the way. Besides, it’s her big feet she should blame, not me.”
    Anna whispered to Thomas, “If nastiness caused ugliness, Margarete’s face would make you cry. Let’s hope her nose turns green and her ears fall off,” but Thomas did not understand a word she said. He was gleefully scraping small piles of dirt with a stick, then flattening them with his palm. Anna crouched beside