e that?"

"You?"

"No; the world. Nobody will believe, though you swear it a hundred
times, that one who was in death with us will not continue with us in
life. The world will give us credit on your account, and make us rich
if we will let it."

"You are the same old rogue as ever," said Petrovitsh, trying to scold.
"I thought you were done with your jests."

"Thank God, she is not!" cried Lenz. "Keep your happy heart, Annele, if
God delivers us."

Annele threw her arms about her husband's neck and hugged and kissed
him. All were surprised at finding they had suddenly grown as gay as if
the danger were passed, whereas it was really at its height. Neither
communicated his fears to the others, but each saw how the walls
trembled and the main beam seemed about to fall.

Annele and Lenz held each other in a close embrace. "So let us die and
shelter our child!" cried Annele.

"Hark! there is a hollow sound without. It is our deliverers; they are
coming, they are coming! they will save us!--"

CHAPTER XXXIX.

SAVED.

"There are two blows following close upon each other," cried Lenz. "I
will make the clocks play together, as a sign to those without."

He set the two musical clocks in motion, but the dreadful confusion of
sounds drove him almost frantic. Even in this hour of deadly danger a
discord was intolerable to him. He stopped them suddenly. With a pang
as of the severing of a heart-string he heard something in his great
clock snap at the hasty check.

Again they held their breath and listened; no further sounds were
heard.

"You rejoiced too soon," said Petrovitsch, his teeth chattering so that
he could hardly speak. "We are nearer death than life now."

The pounding was repeated from above. "Bum, bum!" imitated the child,
while Petrovitsch complained that he felt every blow of the hammer in
his brain.

Lenz could not have touched the right spring in one of the clocks, for
it suddenly began to play the air of the grand Hallelujah. "Hallelujah,
blessed be God the Lord!" sang Lenz with the full force of his voice.
Annele sang too, keeping one hand upon Lenz's shoulder, and the other
upon the head of the child. "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" cried a voice
from above.

Once more that piercing cry of old rang through the house "My Pilgrim!
my faithful brother!"

The chamber-door was battered down with an axe.

"Are you all alive?" cried