I have committed no sin; I have nothing to reproach myself with."

"Well! continue to think so, if you can. Do you not know that you
murdered me, poisoning my heart, dishonouring me in my own eyes,
striving to trample upon me, and depriving me of all moral courage?"

"A husband who can submit to such things deserves no better fate."

"Annele, for God's sake remember that in the course of an hour, we
shall probably stand before another Judge! Search your conscience!"

"I don't want to hear your sermons; preach to yourself."

She went into the kitchen, and tried to light a fire, but she uttered a
cry of distress. When Lenz went to her, he saw her eyes fixed in horror
on the hearthstone, where rats and mice were sitting staring at her,
and a raven was flying about in the kitchen, dashing first against
plates, and then against pans, making them fall on the floor with a
crash.

"Kill them, kill them!" screamed Annele, hurrying away.

Lenz soon got rid of the rats and mice, but he could not succeed in
getting hold of the raven, without shattering all the crockery on the
kitchen shelves. The light of the lamp drove the creature distracted,
and without light it was impossible to find it. Lenz returned to the
sitting room, and said, "I have loaded pistols here, so I could shoot
the raven, but I dare not risk it, for the vibration from the shot
might hurry on the final destruction of the house. So I will at least
make this room safe."

He dragged a heavy press into the middle of the room, under the main
cross beam, placing a smaller one on the top, which he crammed full of
linen, and pushed it so tight against the ceiling, that it could
support a great pressure.

"Now we will bring in here whatever food we have in the house." This he
also completed quickly and surely.

Annele looked at him in astonishment. She could not stir from the spot;
she felt as if suddenly paralysed.

Lenz then brought out his prayer-book, and Annele's, and opened them
both at the same place--"Preparation for death." He placed the one
before Annele, and began to read the other himself; but presently he
looked up, and said, "You are right not to attempt to read this, for
there is nothing here to suit us. Never before was there such a case:
two human beings vowed to live in peace and unity, and mutually to
enhance the value of life, but they signally failed, and went different
ways, and yet now they are imprisoned together on the threshold of
de