her's
forgiveness. He would now promise to care for Black Esther, who had
been the cause of the rupture between them. But he felt so weak that he
could not rise, and a voice within him said: "You can't do it, you
can't stand two such shocks in one day, and, besides, there's no
hurry; the end will surely not come to-day. There will be time enough
to-morrow, or later."

Feeling as if every bone in his body were broken, he, at last, arose,
and asked the people in the field where he was. He found that he was
far away from the road.

If the groom were now to ride after him and not find him.

Bruno quieted his conscience with the knowledge that he had not meant
it to be thus. Dire fate, and an almost inconceivable combination of
terrors, had led him from the right road.

Here, no one knew him. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of music and saw
several carriages, decorated with green boughs, driving along the road.
"What's this? a wedding?" he inquired of the peasant who had already
given him some information as to the road.

"I don't know, but I think they must be town folk, or else they
couldn't ride about in harvest time. Maybe they're coming from the
election."

Bruno again mounted his horse. When he asked for the nearest road to
Wildenort, the peasant looked at him in surprise, and pointed to a
bridle-path on which he could not miss his way. But Bruno, who had lost
all taste for the woods, preferred keeping to the highway. He passed a
long string of wagons preceded by a band of music with a flag of black,
red, and gold. He hurried by them, for he was not in a mood to listen
to music.

CHAPTER VI.

Even before Gunther's arrival, Eberhard had been bled. Gunther had
brought a small medicine-chest with him, and had hastily compounded
some remedies which had relieved and quieted the patient. He was now
sleeping. Great drops of perspiration stood on his brow. Irma still sat
concealed behind the screen. She could see her father, but could not be
seen by him. Drawing a deep breath, he awoke and looked about him. Irma
hastened to him. He gazed at her fixedly, and then motioned her to open
the window.

The day was bright and sunny; the cool, balmy breezes wafted the
fragrance of the woods into the room. The cracking of whips was heard.
Eberhard's features acquired a pleased expression, for he knew that
they were now bringing in the first sheaves from the swamp which he had
redeemed.