herself from her knees and sought to make some reply.
But when she saw his face she was silent, and merely nodded timidly and
servilely to all he said. She saw him go out of the room, and then
hastened again to the aid of her daughter, who was now breathing
heavily. She finally succeeded in raising her into a sitting position,
but the pale head fell back again on the arm of the sofa. Then she ran
to the window and brought a few handfuls of the snow that lay on the
sill outside. At length the insensible woman opened her eyes.

Her first, half-vacant gaze wandered over the room. After a while she
became thoroughly aroused, and moved her lips.

"Where is he?" she murmured.

Just at that moment they heard the hoof-beats of a horse galloping off.

"Do you hear?" whispered the mother. "He is just riding away. He won't
come again--he told me to wish you good-night, and he would leave you
alone. Oh! these men--Oh! these men! Poor, poor Lucie!"

The pale woman appeared even now not quite to understand. Her features
were still distorted in fear. She drew her mother nearer, and
whispered: "And the other--was it really he, or was it--his ghost?"

"What do you mean, child? Are you out of your head? But only keep
quiet--it's to be hoped we shall have a quiet night--oh! my God! What a
scene, what a catastrophe!"

She seized the cup of wine, and drank it out. Lucie paid no attention
to her.

A shudder passed over her. She closed her eyes anew. The convulsion
which had seized upon her now lapsed into a violent sobbing, which her
mother, who had seen her before in such a fit, allowed to take its
course without making any attempt to waste further words in
consolation.

CHAPTER XI.

We must return to the morning of this day, in order to take up the
threads out of which the dark web of these events was spun.

Julie, after having twice sought in vain for her friend at his studio,
had found it impossible, in the anxious state of her heart, to stay
quietly at home. She went to Irene's, for she had found Angelica, who
had not closed her eyes all night, sunk in a deep sleep. She felt
herself greatly drawn toward the Fraeulein, though she had seen her
yesterday for the first time; all the more as Irene, too, was as little
able as all the others to withstand the charm of Julie's character, and
had attached herself to her with a warmth that appeared doubly great in
contrast to her usual coy reserv