ancholy gaze, dreading lest the universal cloud should snatch them
from each other's sight.

Still, perhaps, they would have been resolute to climb as far and as
high, between earth and heaven, as they could find foothold, if Hannah's
strength had not begun to fail, and with that, her courage also. Her
breath grew short. She refused to burden her husband with her weight,
but often tottered against his side, and recovered herself each time by
a feebler effort. At last, she sank down on one of the rocky steps of
the acclivity.

'We are lost, dear Matthew,' said she, mournfully. 'We shall never find
our way to the earth again. And oh how happy we might have been in our
cottage!'

'Dear heart! we will yet be happy there,' answered Matthew. 'Look! In
this direction, the sunshine penetrates the dismal mist. By its aid, I
can direct our course to the passage of the Notch. Let us go back, love,
and dream no more of the Great Carbuncle!'

'The sun cannot be yonder,' said Hannah, with despondence. 'By this time
it must be noon. If there could ever be any sunshine here, it would come
from above our heads.'

'But look!' repeated Matthew, in a somewhat altered tone. 'It is
brightening every moment. If not sunshine, what can it be?'

Nor could the young bride any longer deny that a radiance was breaking
through the mist, and changing its dim hue to a dusky red, which
continually grew more vivid, as if brilliant particles were interfused
with the gloom. Now, also, the cloud began to roll away from the
mountain, while, as it heavily withdrew, one object after another
started out of its impenetrable obscurity into sight, with precisely the
effect of a new creation, before the indistinctness of the old chaos
had been completely swallowed up. As the process went on, they saw the
gleaming of water close at their feet, and found themselves on the very
border of a mountain lake, deep, bright, clear, and calmly beautiful,
spreading from brim to brim of a basin that had been scooped out of
the solid rock. A ray of glory flashed across its surface. The pilgrims
looked whence it should proceed, but closed their eyes with a thrill of
awful admiration, to exclude the fervid splendor that glowed from the
brow of a cliff impending over the enchanted lake. For the simple pair
had reached that lake of mystery, and found the long-sought shrine of
the Great Carbuncle!

They threw their arms around each other, and trembled at their own
success;