," she said to herself. "Oh! this long night! If morning
would only come. Oh! for sleep--for one hour's sleep!"

She buried her head in the pillows and at last really fell asleep. In
her dreams she met Edwin, and his manner toward her was different from
what it had ever been. He smiled at her with his happiest look, and
then grew grave again exactly as he had done when she had watched his
reflection in the mirror, while he sat opposite to the beautiful girl.
But now all his whispers and fond glances were directed toward her. Her
heart would not believe it, it must be a dream, a voice ever repeated
in her ear; but he talked so persistently and entreatingly, with looks
and tones of such ardent passion, only, strange to say, in the exact
words she had just heard from Lorinser, that intoxicated with delight,
she could no longer strive against the miracle. Beloved by him! A
thrill of joy made her tremble. She saw him bend over her, felt his
breath on her face, her burning lips half parted in the empty gloom and
murmured wild words----

A piercing shriek suddenly rang through the silent house, a shriek
which in its terrible shrillness sounded so little like the accents of
a human voice, that the sleepers whose ears it reached only started a
moment, and then as all remained still, quietly relapsed into slumber
again, believing it to be some dream or illusion of the senses. Up in
the "tun" Balder moved in his restless sleep, and asked if he had
screamed so himself. Mohr had sprung from his chair and was trembling
from head to foot. He thought he had distinctly heard the terrible cry
proceed from the room beneath. "Let me go down," he whispered to Edwin.
"It sounded as if some one were shrieking for help against an
assassin." Edwin stopped him. "Where do you want to go?" he whispered.
"If it were she, perhaps she has thus relieved her heart of some heavy
burden." They listened intently, but all below remained as still as
death. Mohr gradually grew calm and continued to renew for Balder the
applications of ice.

But the old maid-servant, who had come up the steep stairs with her
little lamp for the last time, to ask if anything was wanted, was just
passing Christiane's door when the terrible cry of mortal agony and
wild despair fell on her ear. The kind hearted woman also thought that
some sudden pain had attacked the young lady, but did not hesitate an
instant to open the door with the pass key she always carried, and
hastily