of muslin.

"Come," he urged.

"Look," she said. "How deep that is, is it not?"

He looked down:

"Yes," he replied.

"Don't you feel giddy?" she asked.

He looked at her anxiously:

"No, not giddy; at least, not at once...."

"Othomar," she said, in a whisper, "I once sat here for a whole evening.
I kept on looking down; it was darker than now and I saw nothing but
blackness and it kept on roaring through those black depths. It was the
evening after our engagement was decided. I felt such pain, I suffered
so! I thought that I had won a victory over myself, but they left me no
peace and the only use of my victory was to give me strength to do
battle again. The news that I was to be your wife came as unexpectedly
... as my great sorrow came! Then I felt so weak because it overwhelmed
me so, because they left me no peace. Oh, they were so cruel, they did
not leave me a moment to recover my breath! I had to go on again, on!
Then I felt weak. I thought that I should never overcome my weakness. I
sat here for hours, looking at the Danube. It made me giddy.... At last
I thought that I had made up my mind ... to throw myself down.... I
already saw myself floating away, there, there, down there, right round
the castle.... Why did I not do it? I believe because of ... of him,
Othomar. I loved him, I love him _now_, though I ought to have more
pride. I would not punish him by committing suicide. He is so weak. I
know him: it would have haunted him all his life long!... Then ... then,
Othomar, I ran away and I prayed! I no longer knew what to do!"

She hid her face full of anguish in her hands, with a great sob. His
eyes had filled with tears; he saw how she trembled. He threw a
terrified side-glance at the deep stream below, which roared as though
calling....

"Valerie," he stammered, in alarm; "for God's sake let us go in. It's
too cold here and ... and...."

She looked at him anxiously too, with haggard eyes:

"Yes, let us go, Othomar!" she whispered. "I am getting frightened here:
we have that in our family; there is still so much romance flowing in
our veins...."

She took his arm; they went indoors together. But, before entering the
suite of anterooms that led to the reception-rooms, she detained him for
yet a moment:

"I don't know whether we shall see each other alone again before you
return to Lipara. And I still wanted to thank you for something...."

"For what?" he asked.

"For ... something that A