r soul moved Anna under
the influence of the incomparable voice to pass over envious contrasts,
and feel the voice and the nature were one in that bosom. Could it be the
same as the accursed woman who had stood before her at Meran? She could
hardly frame the question, but she had the thought sufficiently firmly to
save her dignity; she was affected by very strong emotion when Vittoria's
singing ended, and nothing but the revival of the recollection of her old
contempt preserved her from an impetuous desire to take the singer by the
hand and have all clear between them; for they were now of equal rank to
tolerating eyes. "But she has no religious warmth!" Anna reflected with a
glow of satisfaction. The concert was broken up by Laura Piaveni. She
said out loud that the presence of Major Weisspriess was intolerable to
the Countess Alessandra. It happened that Weisspriess entered the room
while Laura sat studying the effect produced by her countrywoman's voice
on the thick eyelids of Austrian Anna; and Laura, seeing their enemy
ready to weep in acknowledgment of their power, scorned the power which
could never win freedom, and broke up the sitting, citing the offence of
the presence of Weisspriess for a pretext. The incident threw Anna back
upon her old vindictiveness. It caused an unpleasant commotion in the
duchess's saloon. Count Serabiglione was present, and ran round to
Weisspriess, apologizing for his daughter's behaviour. "Do you think I
can't deal with your women as well as your men, you ass?" said
Weisspriess, enraged by the scandal of the scene. He was overheard by
Count Karl Lenkenstein, who took him to task sharply for his rough
speech; but Anna supported her lover, and they joined hands publicly.
Anna went home prostrated with despair. "What conscience is in me that I
should wish one of my Kaiser's officers killed?" she cried enigmatically
to Lena. "But I must have freedom. Oh! to be free. I am chained to my
enemy, and God blesses that woman. He makes her weep, but he blesses her,
for her body is free, and mine,--the thought of mine sets flames creeping
up my limbs as if I were tied to the stake. Losing a husband you
love--what is that to taking a husband you hate?" Still Lena could get no
plain confession from her, for Anna clung to self-justification, and felt
it abandoning her, and her soul fluttering in a black gulf when she
opened her month to disburden herself.

There came tidings of the bombardment of Bre