Curious Dragon-Flies, With Their Four Long Wings And Taper Bodies, Were
Still Busy With Their Love-Dances Over The Pond. August Had Been So
Rainy And Windy That They Seemed Anxious To Make The Most Of The Still
Autumn Evening. The Males Were Sitting Dotted About Among The Reeds,
Peering On Every Side With Their Prominent Eyes, And When One Approached
Another Too Closely, The Two Would Rush At Each Other Till Their
Transparent Wings, Like Delicate Plates Of Silver, And Their Scaly
Bodies, Made A Tiny Rustling When They Met In conflict. Then All Was
Still Again Among The Rushes, Until The Arrival Of A Female Dragon-Fly.
She Would Come Slowly And Carelessly Humming Along From Some Other Part
Of The Garden, And When She Got Near The Pond Would Change Her Course,
Turn Off, And Fly Back Again. Her Little Heart Was Doubtless Beating
High; But Casting Aside Her Fears, She At Length Took Courage, And Sped
On Over The Pond. Away Started Five Or Six Males, Dashing At Each Other
Like Knights In Helm And Harness, And Battling Confusedly Amid The Clash
Of Tiny Weapons. But The Happy Victor Soon Bid Adieu To The Conflict,
And Sailed Past The Others To The Side Of His Lovely Prize. Their Wings
Met For A Moment In Mimic Combat, And Then Away They Glided In close
Embrace Far Over The Heads Of The Discomfited Champions, Each Aiding
Other With Fairy Wings, To Seek A Lonely Spot Far Away Among The Rushes.
A Plaintive Air, Sung By Some Shrill Girlish Voices In The West End, Was
Wafted Over By The Light Evening Breeze. It Was So Still That Madeleine
Could Follow Every Word:
"I Now Myself Must Sever,
My Little Friend, From Thee.
Let Naught Oppress Thee Ever;
Soon Home Again I'Ll Be."
She Felt More Than Usually Depressed, And Now, Just As It Had Happened
After Church On Sunday, Delphin'S Image Seemed Suddenly To Spring Up
Into Her Thoughts. Where He Came From She Knew Not. A Web Of Confused
Reveries Seemed To Weave Themselves In Her Soul, Just As The Moon Shed
Its Mysterious Network Of Shadows Over The Grass.
Her Attention Was All At Once Attracted By A Noise In The Garden. She
Certainly Fancied That She Heard The Door Of The Summer-House Creak On
Its Rusty Hinges. At The Same Moment She Heard Morten'S Heavy Tread On
Chapter 12 Pg 90
The Stone Steps Leading Up To The Front Door: He Must Be Returning From
The Stable. It Was Time To Go To Bed, But Still She Remained At The
Window, Looking Towards The Summer-House. She Now Discovered Two Forms
That Were Going Slowly Down The Path Which Led To The Wicket In The
Garden Wall. This Path Was Fringed On Both Sides By High Overgrown
Hedges, And She Could Only See The Heads Every Now And Then As They
Passed. In The Idea That It Was One Of The Maids With Her Sweetheart,
She Was Just Going To Shut The Window. It Was Surely Nothing Which
Concerned Her.
The Pair Had Just Reached The Place At Which Two Paths Crossed Each
Other, Which Was Illuminated By A Broad Patch Of Moonlight. Madeleine
Could Not Help Being Curious To See Who It Might Be, And Still Stood
Leaning Out Of The Window, Holding On To The Fastening Of The Sun-Blind.
The Lovers Stood Still For A Moment, As If They Felt That There Was
Danger In Passing The Place. At Length They Took Courage, And Sped
Hastily By. But Not Hastily Enough--Madeleine Had Recognized Them Both.
Her Pulse Seemed To Stop And Her Heart To Sink Within Her, And Without
Uttering A Sound She Slipped Down On The Floor Under The Window. In The
Passage, Outside Her Door, She Heard Morten Go Grumbling Back From The
Bedroom Which He And Fanny Usually Occupied, And In Which She Was Not To
Be Found.
Madeleine'S Head Became Clear In a Moment In another Instant He Would Be
Down The Staircase, Out In The Garden, And Then--They Must Be Saved, But
Why She Did Not Know, Nor How; But Save Them She Must. Her First Idea
Was To Close The Window With A Bang, But She Did Not Dare To Stand Up.
In Her Need She Saw The Water-Bottle On The Table. She Seized It, And,
Without Lifting Her Head, Put It On The Window-Sill. She Gave It A Push,
And A Second After She Heard The Crash Of The Glass, And The Splash Of
The Water On The Paving-Stones With Which The House Was Surrounded. She
Lay Still, Crouched In a Heap Under The Window.
A Light Hurried Step And The Rustle Of A Dress Were Heard Over The Lawn.
All Was So Still, And Her Nerves Were In Such A State Of Tension, That
Madeleine Could Hear One Of The French Windows Carefully Opened And
Closed Again. The Step Came Upstairs, And As It Passed Her Door She
Heard Morten'S Voice Say, "I Am Sure You Never Thought That I Should
Come Out This Evening;" And Fanny'S Answer, "Oh, One Feels That Sort Of
Thing Instinctively!"
Madeleine Breathed Again. It Was Indeed Fanny'S Voice, In Its Most
Insinuating And Deceitful Tones.
A Short Time Afterwards She Got Up And Closed Her Window, And
Withdrawing Into The Farthest Corner Of The Room, She Hastily Undressed
And Crept Into Bed. Her Tears Flowed The Whole Time, But She Was Utterly
Crushed, And Soon Fell Into A Heavy Slumber.
A Good Hour After Madeleine Had Gone To Sleep, Her Door Opened
Noiselessly, And A Tall Shadowy Form Glided Into The Chamber. The Form
Placed A Water-Bottle Upon The Table. The Moon Had Reached The Point At
Which It Shone Obliquely Into The Window, And Down Upon The Bed Where
Madeleine Was Sleeping. The Apparition Drew The Curtains More Closely,
And The While A Beam Of Moonlight Passed Over Its Features. They Were
Furrowed With Innumerable Small Wrinkles, And A Night-Cap With Starched
Strings Was Knotted Tightly Under The Chin.
Chapter 12 Pg 91
Noiselessly As It Had Entered, The Apparition Glided Out Again, And The
Door Closed.
Chapter 13 Pg 92
The Next Day It Rained In Torrents. Morten Drove Into The Town
Immediately After Breakfast. Madeleine Lay In bed With A Fever. Rachel
Went In To See Her, But She Found Her In Such A Curious State That She
Wished To Send For The Doctor. Miss Cordsen, However, Was
