VL] THE RED BARON. 319

 

the earth. Be this as it may, however, it is certain
that Christina entered the hall as he fell, and that
the: horror of that awful moment was too much for
her pure and peaceful soul. Her father’s people
beaten down and her affianced spouse slain, and that
by a brother's hand, was a sight which would have
shaken nerves more rudely strung together than those
of my darling child. What she said or did I know
not. At any rate, Rudolf was so struck to the heart
with remorse at the result of his vengeance that he
fled the castle with his followers, and my daughter
had remained there with the Englander’s body until
the hour of our arrival.

‘You may imagine my feelings. Rage and despair
struggled for the mastery in my bosom. Anon I
cursed the wretched boy who had brought this misery
upon our house, anon I directed my imprecations
against the abominable old hag who had prophesied it.
At one moment I prayed and implored my darling
Christina to be to me what she had been before, at
another I called frantically upon Sir Smith to return.
Alas! that was what he could never do. They had
made sure work of him, and I wished at onetime that
I had been in his place.

‘The rest of my story will not take long to tell. It
soon became known that she whom everybody loved,
she who was the pride and delight of the castle,
worshipped by the rough soldiery, adored by her fond
father, that she was mad, hopelessly mad, and that
instead of the sweet smile and kindly word which had
ever been ready for each and all of us, nought could