exclaimed Babette.
  "Earth has nothing more to bestow upon me," said Rudy; "an eveninglike this is worth a whole life. Often have I realized my goodfortune, but never more than in this moment. I feel that if myexistence were to end now, I should still have lived a happy life.What a glorious world this is; one day ends, and another begins evenmore beautiful than the last. How infinitely good God is, Babette!"
  "I have such complete happiness in my heart," said she.
  "Earth has no more to bestow," answered Rudy. And then came thesound of the evening bells, borne upon the breeze over the mountainsof Switzerland and Savoy, while still, in the golden splendor of thewest, stood the dark blue mountains of Jura.
  "God grant you all that is brightest and best!" exclaimed Babette.
  "He will," said Rudy. "He will to-morrow. To-morrow you will bewholly mine, my own sweet wife."
  "The boat!" cried Babette, suddenly. The boat in which they wereto return had broken loose, and was floating away from the island.
  "I will fetch it back," said Rudy; throwing off his coat andboots, he sprang into the lake, and swam with strong efforts towardsit.
  The dark-blue water, from the glaciers of the mountains, was icycold and very deep. Rudy gave but one glance into the water beneath;but in that one glance he saw a gold ring rolling, glittering, andsparkling before him. His engaged ring came into his mind; but thiswas larger, and spread into a glittering circle, in which appeared aclear glacier. Deep chasms yawned around it, the water-drops glitteredas if lighted with blue flame, and tinkled like the chiming ofchurch bells. In one moment he saw what would require many words todescribe. Young hunters, and young maidens- men and women who had sunkin the deep chasms of the glaciers- stood before him here inlifelike forms, with eyes open and smiles on their lips; and farbeneath them could be heard the chiming of the church bells ofburied villages, where the villagers knelt beneath the vaultedarches of churches in which ice-blocks formed the organ pipes, and themountain stream the music.
  On the clear, transparent ground sat the Ice Maiden. She raisedherself towards Rudy, and kissed his feet; and instantly a cold,deathly chill, like an electric shock, passed through his limbs. Iceor fire! It was impossible to tell, the shock was so instantaneous.
  "Mine! mine!" sounded around him, and within him; "I kissed theewhen thou wert a little child. I once kissed thee on the mouth, andnow I have kissed thee from heel to toe; thou art wholly mine." Andthen he disappeared in the clear, blue water.
  All was still. The church bells were silent; the last tone floatedaway with the last red glimmer on the evening clouds. "Thou art mine,"sounded from the depths below: but from the heights above, from theeternal world, also sounded the words, "Thou art mine!" Happy was hethus to pass from life to life, from earth to heaven. A chord wasloosened, and tones of sorrow burst forth. The icy kiss of death hadovercome the perishable body; it was but the prelude before life'sreal drama could begin, the discord which was quickly lost in harmony.Do you think this a sad story? Poor Babette! for her it wasunspeakable anguish.
  The boat drifted farther and farther away. No one on theopposite shore knew that the betrothed pair had gone over to thelittle island. The clouds sunk as the evening drew on, and it becamedark. Alone, in despair, she waited and trembled. The weather becamefearful; flash after flash lighted up the mountains of Jura, Savoy,and Switzerland, while peals of thunder, that lasted for many minutes,rolled over her head. The lightning was so vivid that every singlevine stem could be seen for a moment as distinctly as in thesunlight at noon-day; and then all was veiled in darkness. Itflashed across the lake in winding, zigzag lines, lighting it up onall sides; while the echoes of the thunder grew louder and stronger.On land, the boats were all carefully drawn up on the beach, everyliving thing sought shelter, and at length the rain poured down intorrents.
  "Where can Rudy and Babette be in this awful weather?"