ging only seethed up within me the more
vehemently.

"Anselmus," she whispered, "I believe you are good and true. When you
sing it goes right through my heart, and you have charming ways. You
won't betray me. Who would get you your coffee if you did? And, listen,
when you are all starving (and you soon will be), I'll come to you at
night, all alone, when nobody can know, and bake you nice cakes. I have
flour, fine flour, hidden away in my little room. And we'll have
bridecake, white and lovely!" At this she began to laugh, but
immediately sobbed and wept. "Ah me! like those in Moskow. Oh! my
Alexei! my Alexei! Beautiful dolphin, swim! Swim through the waves! Am
I not waiting for you, your faithful love?" She drooped her little
head, her sobs grew fainter, and she seemed to sink into a slumber, her
bosom heaving and falling in sighs of longing. I looked at the old man.
He was standing with outstretched arms, and saying, in hollow tones,
"He gives the signal! See how he shakes his fiery locks of flame; how
eagerly he treads into the ground those fiery pillars on which he
traverses the land! Hear ye not his step of thunder? Feel ye not the
vivifying breath which wreathes before him like a gleaming incense
cloud? Hither! hither! mighty brethren!"

The sound of the old man's words was like the hollow roar of the
approaching whirlwind, and while he spoke, the fire upon the Meissner
Hills blazed brighter and brighter. "Help, Saint Andrew!" the girl
cried in her sleep. And suddenly she sprung up as if possessed by some
terrible idea, and throwing her left arm more closely round me,
whispered into my ear, "Anselmus! it would be better that I killed
you," and I saw a knife gleaming in her right hand. I repulsed her in
terror, with a loud cry of, "Mad creature! What would you do?" Then she
screamed out, "Ah, I cannot do it! But all is over with you now!" At
that moment the old man cried, "Agafia, with whom are you speaking?"
And ere I could bethink me, he was close to me, aiming a stroke with
his swung staff at me which would have cleft my skull in two had not
Agafia seized me from behind and drawn me quickly away. The staff
splintered into a thousand pieces on the stone bench. The old man fell
on his knees. "Allons! allons!" resounded from all sides. I had to
collect my thoughts, and spring quickly to one side to avoid being
crushed by the guns and ammunition waggons which were again coming
across.

Next morning the Russians