of a
hill she looked back. She could still see the tower of the castle of
Hidvar in the valley, but it looked blue through the mist in the
distance and then she hastened down into the valley whose steep
overhanging sides hid her even from the moonlight.

The night was noiseless, the forest dark. Now and again a humming night
beetle circled round and round her and obstinately pursued her as if he
also was a spy sent after her. The poor thing's heart throbbed
violently. What if she had lost her way? What if she fell into the hands
of the robbers whom they were now actually pursuing through the woods?
Yet still greater was her terror of Hidvar and a hundred times more
homelike was the dreadful forest with its giant trees speaking in their
sleep than the tapestried walls of the Castle of Hidvar.

Suddenly a glade opened up before her which seemed to greet her as an
old acquaintance.

Yes, indeed, there were the wild roses which she had so often plucked to
adorn her hat. The hunting-box could not be far off now. It conceals
itself to the right of the rose bushes beneath a lofty birch.

A few moments later she found herself outside its door.

As she laid her hand on the latch, a thought of terror transfixed her.
What if the door should be shut?

But she had only to press the latch in order to put all her fears to
flight. The door this time also was not fastened.

Standing on the threshold she enquired with a trembling voice: "Is
anybody in?"

No answer.

Then she closed the door behind her and opened the door of the second
room. There also nobody responded to her enquiry. The third room was
also open as usual, nay even one of its windows was opened towards the
orchard. Moreover, everything was in its proper place just as she had
always found it--the weapons, the bear skin coverlet and the water
pitcher.

It occurred to Henrietta to close the door from the inside so that
nobody might come upon her unawares while she slept. But then the
thought also struck her that it was not right to lock the old gentleman
out of his own house especially as he might turn up in the early morning
tired out and half frozen. So she ultimately decided to stay up for him
in order to tell him, as soon as he arrived, that she meant to obtain a
separation from her husband, whose conduct she could no longer endure.
Till then she would try hard not to go to sleep. But she was tired to
death from her long run through the forest and was oblige