and to
thyself." At the same time she gazed on my features with intensest
anxiety, in hope that different symptoms would take place. I replied to
her with vehemence:--

"Undone! No; my duty is known, and I thank my God that my cowardice is
now vanquished and I have power to fulfill it. Catharine, I pity the
weakness of thy nature; I pity thee, but must not spare. Thy life is
claimed from my hands; thou must die!"

Fear was now added to her grief. "What mean you? Why talk you of death?
Bethink yourself, Wieland; bethink yourself, and this fit will pass. Oh,
why came I hither? Why did you drag me hither?"

"I brought thee hither to fulfill a divine command. I am appointed thy
destroyer, and destroy thee I must." Saying this, I seized her wrists.
She shrieked aloud, and endeavored to free herself from my grasp; but
her efforts were vain.

"Surely, surely, Wieland, thou dost not mean it. Am I not thy wife? and
wouldst thou kill me? Thou wilt not; and yet--I see--thou art Wieland no
longer! A fury resistless and horrible possesses thee. Spare
me--spare--help--help--"

Till her breath was stopped she shrieked for help, for mercy. When she
could speak no longer, her gestures, her looks appealed to my
compassion. My accursed hand was irresolute and tremulous. I meant thy
death to be sudden, thy struggles to be brief. Alas! my heart was
infirm, my resolves mutable. Thrice I slackened my grasp, and life kept
its hold, though in the midst of pangs. Her eyeballs started from their
sockets. Grimness and distortion took the place of all that used to
bewitch me into transport and subdue me into reverence. I was
commissioned to kill thee, but not to torment thee with the foresight of
thy death; not to multiply thy fears and prolong thy agonies. Haggard
and pale and lifeless, at length thou ceasedst to contend with
thy destiny.

This was the moment of triumph. Thus had I successfully subdued the
stubbornness of human passions: the victim which had been demanded was
given; the deed was done past recall.

I lifted the corpse in my arms and laid it on the bed. I gazed upon it
with delight. Such was the elation of my thoughts that I even broke into
laughter. I clapped my hands and exclaimed, "It is done! My sacred duty
is fulfilled! To that I have sacrificed, O my God, Thy last and best
gift, my wife!"

For a while I thus soared above frailty. I imagined I had set myself
forever beyond the reach of selfishness; but my imaginatio