"The last time we are to be together. Stay with him, if you will. I bid
you farewell."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"There, now you see, it is you who always spoil the few hours we have
together?--not I."

"Yes, you're right," said Franz. "Let's drive back to town."

She held his arm closer. "No," she insisted, tenderly, "I don't want to
go back. I won't be sent away from you."

She drew his head down to hers, and kissed him tenderly. "Where would we
get to if we drove on down there?" she asked.

"That's the road to Prague, dear."

"We won't go quite that far," she smiled, "but I'd like to drive on a
little, down there." She pointed into the darkness.

Franz called to the driver. There was no answer; the carriage rumbled
on, slowly. Franz ran after it, and saw that the driver was fast asleep.
Franz roused him roughly. "We want to drive on down that street. Do you
hear me?"

"All right, sir."

Emma entered the carriage first, then Franz. The driver whipped his
horses, and they galloped madly over the moist earth of the road-bed.
The couple inside the cab held each other closely as they swayed with
the motion of the vehicle.

"Isn't this quite nice?" whispered Emma, her lips on his.

In the moment of her words she seemed to feel the cab mounting into the
air. She felt herself thrown over violently, readied for some hold, but
grasped only the empty air. She seemed to be spinning madly like a top,
her eyes closed, suddenly she found herself lying on the ground, a great
silence about her, as if she were alone, far away from all the world.
Then noises began to come into her consciousness again; hoofs beat the
ground near her; a low moaning came from somewhere; but she could
see nothing. Terror seized her; she screamed aloud. Her terror grew
stronger, for she could not hear her own voice. Suddenly she knew what
had happened; the carriage had hit some object, possibly a mile-stone;
had upset, and she had been thrown out. Where is Franz? was her next
thought. She called his name. And now she could hear her voice, not
distinctly yet, but she could hear it. There was no answer to her call.
She tried to get up. After some effort she rose to a sitting, posture,
and, reaching out, she felt something, a human body, on the ground
beside her. She could now begin to see a little through the dimness.
Franz lay beside her, motionless. She put out her hand and touched
his face; something warm and wet covered it. Her