spoke to the white-robed figure and even
tried to drive her away. But she glided quickly past them and followed
onward, still toward the little church.

The maids who were walking close to Bertalda saw that the white-veiled
figure would soon be by their side, and they, lest she should harm
them, drew back, so that it was easy for the shadowy form to keep
close to the new-made bride.

Softly, noiselessly she moved, so noiselessly that Bertalda neither
heard nor saw the phantom figure.

At length the mourners reached the churchyard and gathered around the
grave. Then Bertalda, looking up, saw the white-veiled figure standing
by her side, and knew that it was Undine.

Fear whispered to Bertalda to leave the veiled figure undisturbed,
anger bade Bertalda order that it should at once depart. And anger was
going to have its way, for Bertalda opened her lips to speak, but
Undine shook her head and held out her hands as though she begged for
mercy.

Then Bertalda remembered all the kindness Undine had shown toward her,
and especially how lovingly she had held out to her the coral
necklace as they were sailing on the Danube, and as she remembered her
hard heart melted, and she wept.

At that moment Father Heilman began to pray, and all the mourners
knelt around the grave, in which the coffin bearing the shield and
helmet of the knight had now been placed.

When the prayer was ended the company arose, but the white-veiled
figure was no longer to be seen.

Only on the spot where she had knelt a stream of crystal water gushed
out of the earth. Quietly it flowed around the grave of the knight and
then onward until it joined the river which ran past the little
village church.

And in days to come the villagers would ofttimes point to the crystal
stream as they told their children in solemn whispers that it, the
little crystal stream, was none other than Undine, poor forsaken
Undine, who thus surrounded and protected Huldbrand, her beloved.

* * * * *

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouquee

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDINE ***

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