Year: 1861

should remain alone with you," said
the girl, rising up to retire, while the
hateful monster pressed his gallan-
tries upon her, and affected to whis-
per some pieces Of soft sentimentality
into her unwilling ears; but Hans
followed her into the house, and had


imprinted one kiss upon her burning


cheek. which she vainly struggled to


avoid, when his eye fell upon a little
golden cross which the maiden wore


around her neck as a remembrance of


her deceased mother, and suddenly,


as if struck to the heart by an arrow,
he ree}ed back, and rushed forth from
the house, leaving the maiden over
joyed at her miraculous deliverance.
CHAP. V.


The third year of Arnold's absence
was drawing to a close, and Elizabeth,
wko had discovered means Of avoid
ing any renewed opportunities from
Hans, or even a single word or 3ook


from him, by wearing the little golden


cross fully displayed upon her breast,


now crossed the Eyer every day, and


ascended height which looked over


the country towards Prague, silently


hoping she would one day discover


her true love on his way back to claim
her.


About this time, she one morning
missed her little golden cross; she
felt assured it must have been taken
from her neck while she slept by one
Of her own maids, whom she had
overheard the preceding evening


whispering with Hans Heiling behind


the house. With tears she comnuni-
Gated her suspicious to her father :;


but he only laughed at what he con
sidered a piece of childish distress,
and began to tell her in plain terms
that she must now consent to marry


Hans, for the three years We're passed,
and Arnold had certainly forgotten
her. In vain did Elizabeth remon-
strate with her inhexible father-in


vain she represented how impossible
it was for her ever to love man
whom from the bottom of her heart
she loathed; old Veit had long since,
pronounced love to be the dream Of
fools; marriage was comfortable
thing in itself, but love was a shadow
"a phantom having no real existence
the tinsel which adorned the
state matrimonial, not the substance
of its comforts. Elizabeth felt how
untrue her fatherspoke; but she dared
not disobey his stern commands, or
dispute his parental authority, even
in i matter so nearl y related to her
own happiness. y last brief respite
of three days was all that her most
urgent entreaties enforced with tears,
could extort from her parent; Yet
hope still fingered in her bosom, and
she clung to the little brief space thus
left her with all the anxiety of the
criminal who hourly expects the ar
rival Of the reprieve which is to snatch
him from ignominy and death. 1t
during this important cri-
sis, that Veit and his intended SON
in-law, in walking together through
the village, encountered the host on
its way to person at the point of
death. All bowed before the sacred
image; Veit in particular prostrated
in humble heartfelt homage
but Hans raised his head with an
Of indescribable horror,
and sprang into the nearest house. !
His companion looked after him with
but too plainly saw that all
was not as it should be with him, and
returned to. his house, resolving that
the mysterious Hans should receive
no further countenance from him in |
his pretensions to Eliza
beth's hand.


Elizabeth meanwhile sat in the
light of the declining sun upon the
:op Of the little mount which looked
;owards Prague, weepin4ah3 nay Wing