Year: 1871

! letters contained. The countess shrank
back and answered hastily:


oh. sir. your wife was more generous
than you. When she took these letters into
her care, she did not ask me what they con-
tanned. but gave me her word 10 guard them
well. And I am sure she has kept her
pledge. She had noble soul it would
have been impossible for her to break her
solemn promise


Very well, said "how am l to know
these letters?''


They are tied together with a rose color
ed ribbon embroidered with silver.


Il win look for them Immediately.


With this | took my wife's keys in my
hand, and began to search for the packet
knew but too well where to find it,


''Is this it?' said | at last, bringing it to
the countess.


Yes. yes. Only see, here is the same
knot | made; your wife never united it.


dared not lift up my eyes-I feared that
the countess would read in them that | had
unloosed it-ah. that I had gone further
and committed a monstrous crime | took
brief leave of her, excusihg myself as best
could | needed to be alone. The count
ess returned home. Her husband was in all
his actions mean and brutal his tastes were
low, and wholly unworthy of his rank. Had
| been such a man, | would have deserved
to have such wife. But my wife was an
innocent. spotless angel, who loved me when
| murdered her I! . | remember moth
ing of what passed for hours; but this
know, that when | returned TO consciousness,
/ was sitting on my wife's coffin in the vault.
| was not yet so insane as to believe THAT |
could awake her, but l wanted to sreak to
her 1t seemed to me she would hear my
words:


by the true, upright love with which
you once loved me; by the love which you
took with you for me, down to the grave,
implore SOU have mercy on me, and avenge
yourself in this life Leave not my punish
ment to another world but let me suffer
here on earth-torture me, kill me! Wait
not until l am dead, but aYenge yourself
now :"


Thus madly did speak to the mortal re
mains of my wife whereupon | slept, or
rather swooned. l began TO dream. Per
haps it was no dream. ! seemed TO see the
lid of the coffin slowly open, and, the form
of my dead wife therein, as slowly arise.
was on my knees before the coffin, my hand
resting on the side Her lips were pale, but
a red drop of blood stood on them. Slowly
she bent over me, opened her eyes as she
had on that last time, and pressed kiss on
my hand The red drop which had hung
on her lips, rested my hand she closed
her eyes, laid herself back again on her cold
pillow, and the coffin closed over her.


Not long after, | was awakened by a
figttful pain, like the sting Of scorpion.
| hastened home It was still daylight; nc
one had noticed my absence or return. The
blood had disappeared from off my hand,
but in the spot where the drop had rested,
it was burning as if a corrosive poison had
penetrated therein This pain increased
from hour to iour, without ever ceasing.
Even in sleep | felt it. [ said nothing of it
to any one-no one would have believed it.
You know, sir, what | must have suffered,
and from what anguish your knife relieved
me Scarcely had the second wound heal
ed, however, when the pain came anew.
For the third time it now racks me, and |
have not the strength to endure it longer.
In an hour, l will say farewell to earth
Only the thought that, since she has been
avenged here on earth, she will forgive the
on the other side, gives me a ray Of conso-
lation.


thank you for your heartfelt sympathy,
and for your aid God bless you.