o oppressively sultry; she opened the
window, but instantly closed it again, as the fog, cold and damp as the
atmosphere of a tomb, floated into the room making her shiver. Long
before this the little fire in the stove had gone out, now the lamp
failed also. She was in darkness, but she did not heed it. Pacing to
and fro, absorbed in a chaos of thoughts, she mechanically loosened one
article of clothing after another, letting each lie, where it fell.
While thus groping about, she found herself beside her bed and sank
down upon it. "To sleep!" she said aloud, and started at the sound of
her own voice, then hastily cowered under the quilt as if for
concealment. But she could not close her eyes; they burned too
painfully after the long walk through the foggy night. She could not
banish from her thoughts the eyes of the dangerous man she had just
driven away; nothing availed her; they flashed upon her everywhere,
even from the darkness and through her closed lids. In her terror she
tried to banish the spectre by a spell which had never yet failed her,
by conjuring up Edwin's form before her mind. Now even this was
useless: with all her efforts, she could not recall the features that
were usually so distinct; but Toinette's lovely face suddenly came
uppermost in her mind, so bright and smiling that she felt a sharp
pang, and drew the coverlid over her eyes to shut out the memory. The
next instant she again threw it back, raised her head from the pillow
and sat up, as if suffocating. A weary moan escaped her lips, she threw
her bare arm over her face and buried her teeth in her own flesh until
the keen agony recalled her to consciousness.

"He was right," she said to herself, "there is but one magic, the magic
of sin. A God now, to whom one could pray: Deliver us from evil--but a
God, who must first be implored--!"

She sat erect bewildered with anguish, her heart throbbing stormily;
then gradually she sank back, into a recumbent posture, and at last
fell into a half slumber. The night seemed yet more silent, the world
seemed dead, and only she with her unappeased longing for happiness,
could not perish. Suddenly she fancied that she heard a strange
crackling sound, as if a bat were fluttering over the floor. A shudder
ran through her frame; she could not move, her limbs seemed paralyzed
by approaching death.

"Who is there?" she cried. No answer.

"Is there any one in the room?" All was still as death.

"I am delirious