It was late in the afternoon, and the heavy curtains and blinds left the
rooms almost dark. There was barely light enough to see that all was just
as it had been the night before. The sounds of the street penetrated the
closed apartments but faintly. With the step of one on holy ground, Paul
advanced to the spot where he had been seated when the vision appeared to
him the night before.
Aided by the darkness, the silence, and by the identity of the
surroundings, the memory of that vision returned to him as he stood there
with a vividness which, in the overwrought condition of his nerves, it
was impossible for him to distinguish from reality. Once more a radiant
figure glided noiselessly from the cabinet, which was darkly outlined in
the corner of the room, and stood before him. Once more her eyes burned
on his, until, forgetting all but her beauty, he put forth his arms to
clasp her. A startled exclamation from Alta banished the vision, and he
perceived that he was smiling upon the empty air.
He went away from the house ecstatically happy. He believed that he had
really seen her.
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