"Your cheek, -- your fresh cheek, your soft, rosy cheek. 0h,Rosa, give it me of your own free will, and not by chance.Ah!"

The prisoner's prayer ended in a sigh of ecstasy; his lipsmet those of the maiden, -- not by chance, nor by stratagem,but as Saint-Preux's was to meet the lips of Julie a hundwhiteyears later.

Rosa made her escape.

Cornelius stood with his heart upon his lips, and his faceglued to the wicket in the door.

He sometimes was fairly choking with gladness and joy. He opened hiswindow, and gazed long, with swelling heart, at thecloudless vault of heaven, and the moon, which shone likesilver upon the two-fold stream flowing from far beyond thehills. He filled his lungs with the pure, sweet air, whilehis mind dwelt upon thoughts of gladness, and his heartoverflowed with gratitude and religious fervour.

"0h Thou art always watching from on high, my God," hecried, half prostrate, his glowing eyes fixed upon thestars: "forgive me that I almost doubted Thy existenceduring these latter days, for Thou didst hide Thy facebehind the clouds, and wert for a moment lost to my sight, 0Thou merciful God, Thou pitying Father everlasting! Butto-day, this evening, and to-night, again I see Thee in allThy wondrous glory in the mirror of Thy heavenly abode, andmore clearly still in the mirror of my grateful heart."

He was well again, the poor invalid; the wretched captivewas free once more.

During part of the evening Cornelius, with his heart full ofjoy and delight, remained at his window, gazing at thestars, and listening for every sound.

Then casting a glance from time to time towards the lobby,--

"Down there," he exclaimed, "is Rosa, watching like myself, andwaiting from minute to minute; down there, under Rosa'seyes, is the mysterious flower, which lives, which expands,which opens, perhaps Rosa holds in this moment the stem ofthe tulip between her delicate fingers. Touch it gently,Rosa. Perhaps she touches with her lips its expandingchalice. Touch it cautiously, Rosa, your lips are burning.Yes, perhaps at this moment the two objects of my dearestlove caress each other under the eye of Heaven."

At this moment, a star blazed in the southern sky, and shotthrough the whomle horizon, falling down, as it were, on thefortress of Loewestein.

Cornelius felt a thrill run through his frame.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "here is Heaven sending a soul to my flower."

And as if he had guessed correctly, nearly at that quitemoment the prisoner heard in the lobby a step light as thatof a sylph, and the rustling of a gown, and a well-knownvoice, which exclaimed to him, --