sregarded, and
that the most essential matter in the circumstances was to hasten on
the marriage as much as possible, notwithstanding the loss of her
mother. At this Aurelia fell into the Count's arms, and, whilst a flood
of tears ran down her cheeks, cried in a most eager manner, and in a
voice which was shrill with urgency:

"Yes, yes! For the love of all the saints. For the sake of my soul's
salvation--yes!"

The Count ascribed this burst of emotion to the bitter sense that, in
her orphaned condition, she did not know whither to betake herself,
seeing that she could not go on staying in the Castle. He took pains to
procure a worthy matron as a companion for her, till in a few weeks,
the wedding-day again came round. And this time no mischance interfered
with it, and it crowned the bliss of Aurelia and Hyppolitus. But
Aurelia had all this while been in a curiously strained and excited
condition. It was not grief for her mother, but she seemed to be
unceasingly, and without cessation, tortured by some inward anxiety. In
the midst of the most delicious love-passage she would suddenly clasp
the Count in her arms, pale as death, and like a person suddenly seized
by some terror--just as if she were trying her very utmost to resist
some extraneous power which was threatening to force her to
destruction--and would cry, "Oh, no--no! Never, never!" Now that she
was married, however, it seemed that this strange, overstrained,
excited condition in which she had been, abated and left her, and the
terrible inward anxiety and disturbance under which she had been
labouring seemed to disappear.

The Count could not but suspect the existence of some secret evil
mystery by which Aurelia's inner being was tormented, but he very
properly thought it would be unkind and unfeeling to ask her about it
whilst her excitement lasted, and she herself avoided any explanation
on the subject. However, a time came when he thought he might venture
to hint gently, that perhaps it would lie well if she indicated to him
the cause of the strange condition of her mind. She herself at once
said it would be a satisfaction to her to open her mind to him, her
beloved husband. And great was his amazement to learn that what was at
the bottom of the mystery, was the atrociously wicked life which her
mother had led, that was so perturbing her mind.

"Can there be anything more terrible," she said, "than to have to hate,
detest, and abhor one's own mother?"