ongs to my strict teacher. Now: 'Ye who know the
instinct of the heart--'" and without waiting for the accompaniment, she
began the aria she had shortly before studied with Christiane.

The musician accompanied the song only with single chords. She was now
sitting completely in the dark, having shaken her head in reply to
Mohr's question whether she would have a light. Her thoughts were far
from Pergolese, Mozart, and all her other musical saints. Above the
piano hung an old fashioned oval mirror, directly opposite to the
window in whose recess Edwin and Toinette were sitting. As the sunset
glow slowly died away, she could distinctly see the expression with
which Edwin's eyes rested upon the calm face of the beautiful girl.
During dinner, her first jealous pain at meeting him with such a
charming companion had almost disappeared, for he had not paid any
particular attention to his lovely cousin. Now it suddenly flashed upon
her, that this indifference had been, only a mask, and a feeling of
inexpressible bitterness overpowered her, when she recalled the
pleasure she had felt at the courteous kindness with which he had
treated her. Now, sitting opposite the stranger in the crimson sunset,
what a different language his eyes spoke! With the prophetic insight of
a hopeless passion, she perceived that he loved this girl. And she
could not even hate him for it. For had not the stranger every charm
she lacked? To be sure, the keen eyes of jealousy told her that he met
with no response to his feeling, the response that he deserved, and
that she would have given. This cold blooded enchantress, even while
Edwin's eyes were fixed upon her profile as a supplicant gazes upon the
miracle-working image of a saint, could look unmoved at the dry
branches without; her hand did not touch his, which he had laid on his
knee as if seeking it, her soul--if she had one--where was it? And he,
why did not his pride rebel against serving here without wages, when
elsewhere he might have ruled? But rule over what? she asked herself. A
heart which no one had ever tried to conquer, which no one seemed to
consider a boon to possess, he least of all. Had he not lived under the
same roof with her for years, and not felt the slightest desire to
approach the woman who daily spoke to him in harmonies, poured forth
her inmost feelings in accents so intelligible to him?

It was this feeling that now overpowered her, and in addition to all
the exciting emoti