more!" cried Annele, sinking on
her knees.

The musical clock continued playing the Hallelujah, the Schoolmaster
joined, and the whole of the Choral Society sung with him in full loud
tones. It seemed as if an impetus had been given to the mass of snow by
the powerful chorus, for the avalanche rolled away from the front of
the house down into the valley.

The house stood free.

The door had remained open, and the moment the windows were also thrown
up, the raven shot away into the sky, over the heads of all the
assembled people.

"The bird is off," cried the child.

Outside, however, a raven had been long wheeling about, waiting for its
mate; and now they flew along together, first high into the air, and
then dipping down in circles far away over the valley.

The first woman who came up to Annele, was Ernestine, her cousin, who
had heard of the sad catastrophe, and also of the death of the
Landlady, Annele's mother, and had hurried to Annele in the hope of
comforting her; she knelt down beside her; Lenz was leaning on Pilgrim.

Petrowitsch was becoming very indignant, that nobody took any charge of
him, when luckily the Techniker came up to him just in time, wishing
him joy of his providential escape. "So far so good," thought the old
man; "this is the only well bred man of the whole band." Pilgrim too
was very kind, and said aloud: "I beg your pardon for having hugged you
so tight; I took you for Lenz: pray shake hands with me."

Petrowitsch gave him his hand instantly.

"I found a piece of your mother's writing in the snow," said Faller in
a hoarse voice; "the words are almost effaced, but you can still
see--'This plant is called Edelweiss--Marie Lenz.'"

"That paper is mine!" exclaimed Annele, starting to her feet. All
looked at her in astonishment, and Ernestine screamed out:--"Annele,
Annele! Look at her for God's sake! her hair is as white as snow!"

Annele went to the glass and uttered a cry of horror, and, clasping her
hands over her head, she cried:--"An old woman, an old woman!" and sunk
into Lenz's arms; after a time she rose sobbing, dried her tears, and
whispered to Lenz: "This is my Edelweiss, grown under the snow."

CHAPTER XL.
ALL'S WELL.

The ravens flew over the valley, and flew over the hills, and at last
they flew past a small house, where an old woman was seated at the
window spinning coarse flax, and her tears were