第4章
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  \"IfIwerethefinestpainterintheworld,hewouldn’tthinkanythingofmeforit,I’mafraid;butifIcouldshowhimhandfulsofbigchequesforbadpicturesIhadpainted,hewouldrespectme。\"

  Shesmiled,andsaid:\"Ilovehim。\"

  \"ThenIshalllikehim,\"Harzansweredsimply。

  Sheputherhandout,andherfingersmethis。\"Weshallbelate,\"

  shesaid,glowing,andcatchingupherbook:\"I’malwayslate!\"

  VII

  Therewasoneotherguestatdinner,awell—groomedpersonwithpale,fattishface,darkeyes,andhairthinonthetemples,whoseclotheshadamilitarycut。Helookedlikeamanfondofease,whohadgoneoutofhisgroove,andcollidedwithlife。HerrPaulintroducedhimasCountMarioSarelli。

  Twohanginglampswithcrimsonshadesthrewarosylightoverthetable,where,inthecentrestoodasilverbasket,fullofirises。

  Throughtheopenwindowsthegardenwasallclustersofblackfoliageinthedyinglight。Mothsflutteredroundthelamps;Greta,followingthemwithhereyes,gavequiteaudiblesighsofpleasurewhentheyescaped。Bothgirlsworewhite,andHarz,whosatoppositeChristian,keptlookingather,andwonderingwhyhehadnotpaintedherinthatdress。

  Mrs。Decieunderstoodtheartofdining——thedinner,orderedbyHerrPaul,wasadmirable;theservantssilentastheir,shadows;therewasalwaysahumofconversation。

  Sarelli,whosatonherrighthand,seemedtopartakeoflittleexceptolives,whichhedippedintoaglassofsherry。Heturnedhisblack,solemneyessilentlyfromfacetoface,nowandthenaskingthemeaningofanEnglishword。AfteradiscussiononmodernRome,itwasdebatedwhetherornoacriminalcouldbetoldbytheexpressionofhisface。

  \"Crime,\"saidMrs。Decie,passingherhandacrossherbrow——\"crimeisbutthehallmarkofstrongindividuality。\"

  MissNaylor,gushingratherpink,stammered:\"Agreatcrimemustshowitself——amurder。Why,ofcourse!\"

  \"Ifthatwereso,\"saidDawney,\"weshouldonlyhavetolookaboutus——nomoredetectives。\"

  MissNaylorrejoinedwithslightseverity:\"Icannotconceivethatsuchathingcanpassthehumanfaceby,leavingnoimpression!\"

  Harzsaidabruptly:\"Thereareworsethingsthanmurder。\"

  \"Ah!parexemple!\"saidSarelli。

  Therewasaslightstirallroundthetable。

  \"Verrygood,\"criedoutHerrPaul,\"avot’sante,cher。\"

  MissNaylorshivered,asifsomeonehadputapennydownherback;

  andMrs。Decie,leaningtowardsHarz,smiledlikeonewhohasmadeapetdogdoatrick。Christianalonewasmotionless,lookingthoughtfullyatHarz。

  \"Isawamantriedformurderonce,\"hesaid,\"amurderforrevenge;

  Iwatchedthejudge,andIthoughtallthetime:’I’dratherbethatmurdererthanyou;I’veneverseenameanerface;youcrawlthroughlife;you’renotacriminal,simplybecauseyouhaven’tthecourage。’\"

  Inthedubioussilencefollowingthepainter’sspeech,Mr。Treffrycoulddistinctlybeheardhumming。ThenSarellisaid:\"Whatdoyousaytoanarchists,whoarenotmen,butsavagebeasts,whomIwouldteartopieces!\"

  \"Astothat,\"Harzanswereddefiantly,\"itmaybewisetohangthem,butthentherearesomanyothermenthatitwouldbewisetohang。\"

  \"Howcanwetellwhattheywentthrough;whattheirliveswere?\"

  murmuredChristian。

  MissNaylor,whohadbeenrollingapelletofbread,concealedithastily。\"Theyare——alwaysgivenachanceto——repent——Ibelieve,\"

  shesaid。

  \"Forwhattheyareabouttoreceive,\"drawledDawney。

  Mrs。Deciesignalledwithherfan:\"Wearetryingtoexpresstheinexpressible——shallwegointothegarden?\"

  Allrose;Harzstoodbythewindow,andinpassing,Christianlookedathim。

  Hesatdownagainwithasuddensenseofloss。Therewasnowhitefigureoppositenow。RaisinghiseyeshemetSarelli’s。TheItalianwasregardinghimwithacuriousstare。

  HerrPaulbeganretailingapieceofscandalhehadheardthatafternoon。

  \"Shockingaffair!\"hesaid;\"Icouldneverhavebelieveditofher!

  B———isquitebesidehimself。Yesterdaytherewasarow,itseems!\"

  \"Therehasbeenoneeverydayformonths,\"mutteredDawney。

  \"Buttoleavewithoutaword,andgonooneknowswhere!B———is’viveur’nodoubt,mais,monDieu,quevoulezvous?Shewasalwaysapoor,palething。Why!,whenmy———\"heflourishedhiscigar;\"Iwasnotalways———whatIshouldhavebeen———onelivesinaworldoffleshandblood———wearenotallangels———quediable!Butthisisaveryvulgarbusiness。Shegoesoff;leaveseverything———withoutaword;

  andB———isveryfondofher。Thesethingsarenotdone!\"thestarchedbosomofhisshirtseemedswollenbyindignation。

  Mr。Treffry,withaheavyhandonthetable,eyedhimsideways。

  Dawneysaidslowly:

  \"B———isabeast;I’msorryforthepoorwoman;butwhatcanshedoalone?\"

  \"Thereis,nodoubt,aman,\"putinSarelli。

  HerrPaulmuttered:\"Whoknows?\"

  \"WhatisB———goingtodo?\"saidDawney。

  \"Ah!\"saidHerrPaul。\"Heisfondofher。Heisachapofresolution,hewillgetherback。Hetoldme:’Well,youknow,I

  shallfollowherwherevershegoestillshecomesback。’Hewilldoit,heisadeterminedchap;hewillfollowherwherevershegoes。\"

  Mr。Treffrydrankhiswineoffatagulp,andsuckedhismoustacheinsharply。

  \"Shewasafooltomarryhim,\"saidDawney;\"theyhaven’tapointincommon;shehateshimlikepoison,andshe’sthebetterofthetwo。

  Butitdoesn’tpayawomantorunofflikethat。B———hadbetterhurryup,though。Whatdoyouthink,sir?\"hesaidtoMr。Treffry。

  \"Eh?\"saidMr。Treffry;\"howshouldIknow?AskPaulthere,he’soneofyourmoralmen,orCountSarelli。\"

  Thelattersaidimpassively:\"IfIcaredforherIshouldverylikelykillher——ifnot——\"heshruggedhisshoulders。

  Harz,whowaswatching,wasremindedofhisotherwordsatdinner,\"wildbeastswhomIwouldteartopieces。\"Helookedwithinterestatthisquietmanwhosaidtheseextremelyferociousthings,andthought:’Ishouldliketopaintthatfellow。’

  HerrPaultwirledhiswine—glassinhisfingers。\"Therearefamilyties,\"hesaid,\"thereissociety,thereisdecency;awifeshouldbewithherhusband。B———willdoquiteright。Hemustgoafterher;

  shewillnotperhapscomebackatfirst;hewillfollowher;shewillbegintothink,’Iamhelpless——Iamridiculous!’Awomanissoonbeaten。Theywillreturn。Sheisoncemorewithherhusband——

  Societywillforgive,itwillbeallright。\"

  \"ByJove,Paul,\"growledMr。Treffry,\"wonderfulpowerofargument!\"

  \"Awifeisawife,\"pursuedHerrPaul;\"amanhasarighttohersociety。\"

  \"Whatdoyousaytothat,sir?\"askedDawney。

  Mr。Treffrytuggedathisbeard:\"Makeawomanlivewithyou,ifshedon’twantto?Icallitlow。\"

  \"But,mydear,\"exclaimedHerrPaul,\"howshouldyouknow?Youhavenotbeenmarried。\"

  \"No,thanktheLord!\"Mr。Treffryreplied。

  \"Butlookingatthequestionbroadly,sir,\"saidDawney;\"ifahusbandalwaysletshiswifedoasshelikes,howwouldthethingworkout?Whatbecomesofthemarriagetie?\"

  \"Themarriagetie,\"growledMr。Treffry,\"isthebiggestthingthereis!But,byJove,Doctor,I’maDutchmanifhuntingwomeneverhelpedthemarriagetie!\"

  \"Iamnotthinkingofmyself,\"HerrPaulcriedout,\"Ithinkofthecommunity。Therearerights。\"

  \"Adecentcommunityneveryetaskedamantotreadonhisself—

  respect。IfIgetmyfingersskinnedovermymarriage,whichI

  undertakeatmyownrisk,what’sthecommunitytodowithit?D’youthinkI’mgoingtowhinetoittoputtheplasteron?Astorights,it’dbeadeucedsightbetterforusalliftherewasn’tsuchafussabout’em。Leavethattowomen!Idon’tgiveatinker’sdamnformenwhotalkabouttheirrightsinsuchmatters。\"

  Sarellirose。\"Butyourhonour,\"hesaid,\"thereisyourhonour!\"

  Mr。Treffrystaredathim。

  \"Honour!Ifhuntin’women’syourideaofhonour,well——itisn’tmine。\"

  \"Thenyou’dforgiveher,sir,whateverhappened,\"Dawneysaid。

  \"Forgivenessisanotherthing。Ileavethattoyoursanctimoniousbeggars。But,huntawoman!Hangit,sir,I’mnotacad!\"andbringinghishanddownwitharattle,headded:\"Thisisasubjectthatdon’tbeartalkingof。\"

  Sarellifellbackinhisseat,twirlinghismoustachesfiercely。

  Harz,whohadrisen,lookedatChristian’semptyplace。

  ’IfIweremarried!’hethoughtsuddenly。

  HerrPaul,withasomewhatvinousglare,stillmuttered,\"Butyourdutytothefamily!\"

  Harzslippedthroughthewindow。Themoonwaslikeawonderfulwhitelanterninthepurplesky;therewasbutasmoulderofstars。

  Beneaththesoftnessoftheairwastheicinessofthesnow;itmadehimwanttorunandleap。Asleepybeetledroppedonitsback;heturneditoverandwatcheditscurryacrossthegrass。

  SomeonewasplayingSchumann’sKinderscenen。Harzstoodstilltolisten。Thenotescametwining,weavingroundhisthoughts;thewholenightseemedfullofgirlishvoices,ofhopesandfancies,soaringawaytomountainheights——invisible,yetpresent。Betweenthestemsoftheacacia—treeshecouldseetheflickerofwhitedresses,whereChristianandGretawerewalkingarminarm。Hewenttowardsthem;thebloodflushedupinhisface,hefeltalmostsurfeitedbysomesweetemotion。Then,insuddenhorror,hestoodstill。Hewasinlove!Withnothingdonewitheverythingbeforehim!Hewasgoingtobowdowntoaface!Theflickerofthedresseswasnolongervisible。Hewouldnotbefettered,hewouldstampitout!Heturnedaway;butwitheachstep,somethingseemedtojabathisheart。

  Roundthecornerofthehouse,intheshadowofthewall,Dominique,theLuganese,inembroideredslippers,wassmokingalongcherry—woodpipe,leaningagainstatree——Mephistophelesineveningclothes。

  Harzwentuptohim。

  \"Lendmeapencil,Dominique。\"

  \"Bien,M’sieu。\"

  RestingacardagainstthetreeHarzwrotetoMrs。Decie:\"Forgiveme,Iamobligedtogoaway。InafewdaysIshallhopetoreturn,andfinishthepictureofyournieces。\"

  HesentDominiqueforhishat。Duringtheman’sabsencehewasonthepointoftearingupthecardandgoingbackintothehouse。

  WhentheLuganesereturnedhethrustthecardintohishand,andwalkedoutbetweenthetallpoplars,waiting,likeraggedghosts,silverwithmoonlight。

  VIII

  Harzwalkedawayalongtheroad。Adogwashowling。Thesoundseemedtooappropriate。Heputhisfingerstohisears,butthelugubriousnoisepassedthosebarriers,andmadeitswayintohisheart。Wastherenothingthatwouldputanendtothisemotion?Itwasnobetterintheoldhouseonthewall;hespentthenighttrampingupanddown。

  Justbeforedaybreakheslippedoutwithaknapsack,takingtheroadtowardsMeran。

  HehadnotquitepassedthroughGrieswhenheovertookamanwalkinginthemiddleoftheroadandleavingatrailofcigarsmokebehindhim。

  \"Ah!myfriend,\"thesmokersaid,\"youwalkearly;areyougoingmyway?\"

  ItwasCountSarelli。Therawlighthadimpartedagreytingetohispaleface,thegrowthofhisbeardshowedblackalreadybeneaththeskin;histhumbswerehookedinthepocketsofacloselybuttonedcoat,hegesticulatedwithhisfingers。

  \"Youaremakingajourney?\"hesaid,noddingattheknapsack。\"Youareearly——Iamlate;ourfriendhasadmirablekummel——Ihavedrunktoomuch。Youhavenotbeentobed,Ithink?Ifthereisnosleepinone’sbeditisnogoodgoingtolookforit。Youfindthat?Itisbettertodrinkkummel……!Pardon!Youaredoingtherightthing:getaway!Getawayasfastaspossible!Don’twait,andletitcatchyou!\"

  Harzstaredathimamazed。

  \"Pardon!\"Sarellisaidagain,raisinghishat,\"thatgirl——thewhitegirl——Isaw。Youdowelltogetaway!\"heswayedalittleashewalked。\"Thatoldfellow——whatishisname—Trrreffr—ry!Whatideasofhonour!\"Hemumbled:\"Honourisanabstraction!Ifamanisnottruetoanabstraction,heisalowtype;butwaitaminute!\"

  Heputhishandtohissideasthoughinpain。

  Thehedgeswerebrighteningwithafaintpinkyglow;therewasnosoundonthelong,desertedroad,butthatoftheirfootsteps;

  suddenlyabirdcommencedtochirp,anotheranswered——theworldseemedfulloftheselittlevoices。

  Sarellistopped。

  \"Thatwhitegirl,\"hesaid,speakingwithrapidity。\"Yes!Youdowell!getaway!Don’tletitcatchyou!Iwaited,itcaughtme——

  whathappened?Everythinghorrible——andnow——kummel!\"Laughingathicklaugh,hegaveatwirltohismoustache,andswaggeredon。

  \"Iwasafinefellow——nothingtoobigforMarioSarelli;theregimentlookedtome。Thenshecame——withhereyesandherwhitedress,alwayswhite,likethisone;thelittlemoleonherchin,herhandsforevermoving——theirtouchaswarmassunbeams。Then,nolongerSarellithis,andthat!Thelittlehouseclosetotheramparts!Twoarms,twoeyes,andnothinghere,\"hetappedhisbreast,\"butflamesthatmadeashesquickly——inher,likethisash——!\"heflickedthewhiteflakeoffhiscigar。\"It’sdroll!Youagree,hein?SomedayIshallgobackandkillher。Inthemeantime——kummel!\"

  Hestoppedatahouseclosetotheroad,andstoodstill,histeethbaredinagrin。

  \"ButIboreyou,\"hesaid。Hiscigar,flungdown,sputteredforthitssparksontheroadinfrontofHarz。\"Ilivehere——good—morning!

  Youareamanforwork——yourhonourisyourArt!Iknow,andyouareyoung!Themanwholovesfleshbetterthanhishonourisalowtype—

  —Iamalowtype。I!MarioSarelli,alowtype!Ilovefleshbetterthanmyhonour!\"

  Heremainedswayingatthegatewiththegrinfixedonhisface;thenstaggeredupthesteps,andbangedthedoor。ButbeforeHarzhadwalkedon,heagainappeared,beckoning,inthedoorway。Obeyinganimpulse,Harzwentin。

  \"Wewillmakeanightofit,\"saidSareIIi;\"wine,brandy,kummel?I

  amvirtuous——kummelitmustbeforme!\"

  Hesatdownatapiano,andbegantotouchthekeys。Harzpouredoutsomewine。Sarellinodded。

  \"Youbeginwiththat?Allegro——piu——presto!

  Wine——brandy——kummel!\"hequickenedthetimeofthetune:\"itisnottoolongapassage,andthis\"——hetookhishandsoffthekeys——\"comesafter。\"

  Harzsmiled。

  \"Somemendonotkillthemselves,\"hesaid。

  Sarelli,whowasbendingandswayingtothemusicofatarantella,brokeoff,andlettinghiseyesrestonthepainter,beganplayingSchumann’sKinderscenen。Harzleapedtohisfeet。

  \"Stopthat!\"hecried。

  \"Itpricksyou?\"saidSarellisuavely;\"whatdoyouthinkofthis?\"

  heplayedagain,crouchingoverthepiano,andmakingthenotessoundlikethecryingofawoundedanimal。

  \"Forme!\"hesaid,swinginground,andrising。

  \"Yourhealth!Andsoyoudon’tbelieveinsuicide,butinmurder?

  Thecustomistheotherway;butyoudon’tbelieveincustoms?

  CustomsareonlyforSociety?\"Hedrankaglassofkummel。\"YoudonotloveSociety?\"

  Harzlookedathimintently;hedidnotwanttoquarrel。

  \"Iamnottoofondofotherpeople’sthoughts,\"hesaidatlast;\"I

  prefertothinkmyown。

  \"AndisSocietyneverright?ThatpoorSociety!\"

  \"Society!WhatisSociety——afewmeningoodcoats?Whathasitdoneforme?\"

  Sarellibittheendoffacigar。

  \"Ah!\"hesaid;\"nowwearecomingtoit。Itisgoodtobeanartist,afinebantamofanartist;whereothermenhavetheirdis—ci—pline,hehashis,whatshallwesay——hismoundofroses?\"

  Thepainterstartedtohisfeet。

  \"Yes,\"saidSarelli,withahiccough,\"youareafinefellow!\"

  \"Andyouaredrunk!\"criedHarz。

  \"Alittledrunk——notmuch,notenoughtomatter!\"

  Harzbrokeintolaughter。Itwascrazytostaytherelisteningtothismadfellow。Whathadbroughthimin?Hemovedtowardsthedoor。

  \"Ah!\"saidSarelli,\"butitisnogoodgoingtobed——letustalk。I

  havealottosay——itispleasanttotalktoanarchistsattimes。\"

  Fulldaylightwasalreadycomingthroughthechinksoftheshutters。

  \"Youareallanarchists,youpainters,youwritingfellows。Youlivebyplayingballwithfacts。Images——nothingsolid—hein?You’reallfornewthingstoo,totickleyournerves。Nodiscipline!Trueanarchists,everyoneofyou!\"

  Harzpouredoutanotherglassofwineanddrankitoff。Theman’sfeverishexcitementwascatching。

  \"Onlyfools,\"hereplied,\"takethingsforgranted。Asfordiscipline,whatdoyouaristocrats,orbourgeoisknowofdiscipline?

  Haveyoueverbeenhungry?Haveyoueverhadyoursouldownonitsback?\"

  \"Soulonitsback?Thatisgood!\"

  \"Aman’snouse,\"criedHarz,\"ifhe’salwaysthinkingofwhatothersthink;hemuststandonhisownlegs。\"

  \"Hemustnotthenconsiderotherpeople?\"

  \"Notfromcowardiceanyway。\"

  Sarellidrank。

  \"Whatwouldyoudo,\"hesaid,strikinghischest,\"ifyouhadadevil—here?Wouldyougotobed?\"

  AsortofpityseizedonHarz。Hewantedtosaysomethingthatwouldbeconsolingbutcouldfindnowords;andsuddenlyhefeltdisgusted。

  Whatlinkwastherebetweenhimandthisman;betweenhisloveandthisman’slove?

  \"Harz!\"mutteredSarelli;\"Harzmeans’tar,’hein?Yourfamilyisnotanoldone?\"

  Harzglared,andsaid:\"Myfatherisapeasant。\"

  Sarelliliftedthekummelbottleandemptieditintohisglass,withasteadyhand。

  \"You’rehonest——andwebothhavedevils。Iforgot;Ibroughtyouintoseeapicture!\"

  Hethrewwidetheshutters;thewindowswerealreadyopen,andarushofaircamein。

  \"Ah!\"hesaid,sniffing,\"smellsoftheearth,nichtwahr,HerrArtist?Youshouldknow——itbelongstoyourfather……Come,here’smypicture;aCorreggio!Whatdoyouthinkofit?\"

  \"Itisacopy。\"

  \"Youthink?\"

  \"Iknow。\"

  \"Thenyouhavegivenmethelie,Signor,\"anddrawingouthishandkerchiefSareIIiflickeditinthepainter’sface。

  Harzturnedwhite。

  \"Duellingisagoodcustom!\"saidSarelli。\"Ishallhavethehonourtoteachyoujustthisone,unlessyouareafraid。Herearepistols—

  —thisroomistwentyfeetacrossatleast,twentyfeetisnobaddistance。\"

  Andpullingoutadrawerhetooktwopistolsfromacase,andputthemonthetable。

  \"Thelightisgood——butperhapsyouareafraid。\"

  \"Givemeone!\"shoutedtheinfuriatedpainter;\"andgotothedevilforafool\"

  \"Onemoment!\"Sarellimurmured:\"Iwillloadthem,theyaremoreusefulloaded。\"

  Harzleanedoutofthewindow;hisheadwasinawhirl。’Whatonearthishappening?’hethought。’He’smad——orIam!Confoundhim!

  I’mnotgoingtobekilled!’Heturnedandwenttowardsthetable。

  Sarelli’sheadwassunkonhisarms,hewasasleep。Harzmethodicallytookupthepistols,andputthembackintothedrawer。

  Asoundmadehimturnhishead;therestoodatall,strongyoungwomaninaloosegowncaughttogetheronherchest。Hergreyeyesglancedfromthepaintertothebottles,fromthebottlestothepistol—case。Asimplereasoning,whichstruckHarzascomic。

  \"Itisoftenlikethis,\"shesaidinthecountrypatois;\"derHerrmustnotbefrightened。\"

  LiftingthemotionlessSarelliasifhewereababy,shelaidhimonacouch。

  \"Ah!\"shesaid,sittingdownandrestingherelbowonthetable;\"hewillnotwake!\"

  Harzbowedtoher;herpatientfigure,inspiteofitsyouthandstrength,seemedtohimpathetic。Takinguphisknapsack,hewentout。

  Thesmokeofcottagesrosestraight;wispsofmistwerewanderingaboutthevalley,andthesongsofbirdsdroppinglikeblessings。

  Alloverthegrassthespidershadspunaseaofthreadsthatbentandquiveredtothepressureoftheair,likefairytight—ropes。

  Allthatdayhetramped。

  Blacksmiths,tallstoutmenwithknottedmuscles,sleepyeyes,andgreatfairbeards,cameoutoftheirforgestostretchandwipetheirbrows,andstareathim。

  Teamsofwhiteoxen,waitingtobeharnessed,lashedtheirtailsagainsttheirflanks,movingtheirheadsslowlyfromsidetosideintheheat。Oldwomenatchaletdoorsblinkedandknitted。

  Thewhitehouses,withgapingcavesofstorageundertheroofs,theredchurchspire,theclinkingofhammersintheforges,theslowstampingofoxen—allspokeofsleepytoil,withoutideasorambition。

  Harzknewitalltoowell;liketheearth’sodour,itbelongedtohim,asSarellihadsaid。

  Towardssunsetcomingtoacopseoflarches,hesatdowntorest。Itwasverystill,butforthetinkleofcowbells,and,fromsomewhereinthedistance,thesoundofdroppinglogs。

  Twobarefootedlittleboyscamefromthewood,marchingearnestlyalong,andlookingatHarzasifhewereamonster。Oncepasthim,theybegantorun。

  ’Attheirage,’hethought,’Ishouldhavedonethesame。’Ahundredmemoriesrushedintohismind。

  Helookeddownatthevillagestragglingbelow——whitehouseswithrussettilesandcrownsofsmoke,vineyardswheretheyoungleaveswerebeginningtounfold,thered—cappedspire,athreadofbubblingstream,anoldstonecross。Hehadbeenfourteenyearsstrugglingupfromallthis;andnowjustashehadbreathingspace,andthetimetogivehimselfwhollytohiswork——thisweaknesswasuponhim!

  Better,athousandtimes,togiveherup!

  Inahouseortwolightsbegantowink;thescentofwoodsmokereachedhim,thedistantchimesofbells,theburringofastream。

  IX

  Nextdayhisonethoughtwastogetbacktowork。Hearrivedatthestudiointheafternoon,and,layinginprovisions,barricadedthelowerdoor。Forthreedayshedidnotgoout;onthefourthdayhewenttoVillaRubein……

  SchlossRunkelstein——grey,blind,strengthless——stillkeepsthevalley。Thewindowswhichonce,likeeyes,watchedmenandhorsescreepingthroughthesnow,bravedthesplutterofgunsandthegleamoftorches,arenowholesforthebirdstonestin。Tangledcreepershavespreadtotheverysummitsofthewalls。Inthekeep,insteadofgrimmeninarmour,thereisawoodenboardrecordingthehistoryofthecastleandinstructingvisitorsonthesubjectofrefreshments。Onlyatnight,whenthecoldmoonblancheseverything,thecastlestandslikethegrimghostofitsoldself,highabovetheriver。

  Afteralongmorning’ssittingthegirlshadstartedforthwithHarzandDawneytospendtheafternoonattheruin;MissNaylor,keptathomebyheadache,watchedthemdepartwithwordsofcautionagainstsunstroke,stingingnettles,andstrangedogs。

  Sincethepainter’sreturnChristianandhehadhardlyspokentoeachother。Belowthebattlementonwhichtheysat,inarailedgallerywithlittletables,DawneyandGretawereplayingdominoes,twosoldiersdrinkingbeer,andatthetopofaflightofstairstheCustodian’swifesewingatagarment。Christiansaidsuddenly:\"I

  thoughtwewerefriends。\"

  \"Well,FrauleinChristian,aren’twe?\"

  \"Youwentawaywithoutaword;friendsdon’tdothat。\"

  Harzbithislips。

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