ay be removed,
his heart still clings to Venice. That the gracious countess often
remarked to me, weeping bitterly, which did her good, and--"

"You were to tell me when you first saw the White Lady," interrupted Count
Schwarzenberg, for he felt uncomfortable at being reminded of his wife,
knowing as he did that she had spent but few happy days at his side.

"That is true, and I beg your excellency's pardon," replied Mrs. Culwin.
Well, then, I saw the White Lady for the first time in the year 1619. I
had sat up late at night, for it was a few days before the Christmas
festival, and, in accordance with German customs, I wished to make a
Christmas present for my husband, but had not finished the piece of
embroidery I destined for that purpose. As I sat thus and sewed, I felt as
it were a cold breath of air on my cheek, as if some one rapidly moved
past me. I looked up startled, and there stood before me a tall, womanly
figure, clad in white, looking at me from under her veil with dark,
flashing eyes; and then she strode toward the door, but ere she went out
she lifted her arms toward heaven, and folded her hands, which were
covered with black gloves, fervently together. So she stood for awhile,
and then vanished without my seeing the door open or shut. So long as the
specter was there I had sat stiff and motionless, as if rooted to the
spot; my heart seemed to stand still; I tried to scream, but could not.
When she was gone, though, I shrieked fearfully, and my husband hastened
to me, to find me in convulsions, and for hours I screamed and wept. My
husband, indeed, tried to talk me out of it, and made me promise to speak
of the occurrence to no one. But my silence was of no consequence, for the
next day it was known to all the inmates of the palace that the White Lady
had appeared, for very many had seen her. The old Elector John Sigismund
had such a dread of the White Lady, and feared so much that she would
appear to him, that he left the castle that very day, and went to the
residence of his Chamberlain Freitag. There, however, he died in the
course of two days, just two days before Christmas.[25] The White Lady was
therefore right, with her deep mourning and black gloves.[26] It was not
the head of the family who died, for the old Elector had abdicated, and
Elector George William was even then reigning Sovereign."

"Truly, that sounds quite awful," cried Count Schwarzenberg; "and since
you saw the apparition with your