by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER LIX.
It was now broad daylight. The sun was shining radiantly on themountain and the lake. Light clouds which hitherto had hung like a veilthrown over a long spear about the peak of Sentis floated swiftly downinto the valley. During the night a light snow had fallen upon Sentisand Toedi and the other topmost peaks in the chain, and lay thereglittering like sparkling crystal. It was very peaceful. Thewar--thanks to Bissula--had not brought its destruction here. Hoarfrost flashed on every blade of grass.
The child of the forest, so long shut out from lake, meadow, and field,rejoiced in the freedom of nature. She inhaled long draughts of thepure air; nay, in spite of her impatience, she even turned once and,standing still, gazed out over the shining azure lake and the peaks ofthe mountains radiant in white and gold.
"I do not know how to call you all by name, ye beloved gods, who haveguided everything so happily for me, aided me upon land and water, andare now shining in the sunlight and the glory of the mountains! AndAdalo lives: that is the best, the very best of all that ye have done.Ye gods, I do not know you all, but I thank every one of you!"
She stretched her arms toward the sun. Then, that the goddess of thelake and Donar, the King of the mountains, whose throne was on Sentis,might not be angry, she saluted the water and the mountains, with bothhands, raising and lowering them as one waves a greeting to a friendrecognized at a distance. Again she ran impatiently up the hill side.Most of the singing birds had left the lake long before; but one littlerobin which always remained there all winter recognized the friendlybeing who often scattered food for it on the snow, and, greeting herwith a light chirping, flew a few paces in front of her until shereached the door of the hall.
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Within the great central room Adalo lay on the floor upon a pile ofsoft skins, his head toward the steps of the master's lofty seat, hisfeet toward the entrance. His head rested in the lap of gray-hairedWaldrun; his eyes were closed. At his left lay Zercho, but placed inthe opposite direction, with his head toward the door and a huge gobletof mead beside him. At his right stood Sippilo, gazing down anxiouslyat his brother's face. Beside the wounded man was Bruna, the she-bear,growling softly as she licked his hand. She was the first to move,raising her head as light footsteps were heard on the sand outside thedoor.
The blind woman said, in a low tone that the wounded man might nothear: "That is Bissula's tread."
The girl appeared in the doorway. Sippilo started, Zercho raised hishead, but she motioned to them all to keep silence, and noiselesslyadvancing with bare feet to Adalo's couch, she laid her little hand onhis head.
"Bissula?" asked the Adeling.
She bent over him, her red locks falling on his pale face.
"Is it you, little one? No, no! The fairest of the Valkyrias has cometo bear me upward--do you see her swan wings?--up to Valhalla's shiningheights." Bissula's white robe was floating around her shoulders.
The girl cast a glance of agonized terror at Waldrun.
"Be comforted," said the old dame firmly, "he will live. And everythingwill be as I have said."
"You must stay with us always now," cried Sippilo, seizing her garmentsas if to hold her by force.
Bruna, growling joyfully, had risen and put one paw on her knee,looking up at her with intelligent eyes. Bissula gratefully patted theanimal's head and held out her hand to Zercho, who kissed it humbly.Laughing, yet with tears in his eyes, he cried: "O little sprite,little red sprite!"
But now the girl bent down again, exclaiming:
"No, Adalo, it is no Valkyria, it is Bissula, little red Bissula, whois so wicked, so wicked! Adalo,--hush, don't speak,--I know all. Iknow, too, what you wanted to do for me, what you offered. That waswrong in you. Hush, hush! It was certainly what you--you only are ofall the people in the world. Hush, dearest--don't move. Yes, yes, Iwill stay here, your nurse, your maid-servant, as long as you need me.Ah! I beg you so earnestly--I entreat you--take me! No, no! Do not moveyour arm! Not yet to your breast! But I will do everything all mylife--will be as blindly obedient as you desire: only let me stay withyou--your own!"
Her little head sank on his breast. The wounded man raised himself,kissed her flowing red hair, the red lips, now smiling again, and theeyes still wet with tears, exclaiming rapturously:
"O Bissula--you dear one--you wicked elf--my beloved bride!"
FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: The German name for Lake Constance.]
THE END.
