sage_

A DAY without hearing from Lothair was madness; and, indeed, when hour
after heavy hour rolled away without the appearance of Mignon, and
the Lady Imogene found herself gazing upon the vanishing twilight,
she became nearly frantic with disappointment and terror. While light
remained, an indefinite hope maintained her; but when it was indeed
night, and nothing but the outline of the surrounding hills was
perceptible, she could no longer restrain herself; and, bursting into
hysteric tears, she threw herself upon the floor of her chamber. Were
they discovered? Had Lothair forgotten her? Wearied with fruitless
efforts, had he left her to her miserable, her solitary fate? There was
a slight sound--something seemed to have dropped. She looked up. At her
side she beheld a letter, which, wrapped round a stone, had been thrown
in at the window. She started up in an ecstasy of joy. She cursed
herself for doubting for an instant the fidelity of her lover! She tore
open the letter; but so great was her emotion that some minutes elapsed
before she could decipher its contents. At length she learned that,
on the ensuing eve, Lothair and Theodore, disguised as huntsmen of
Charolois, would contrive to meet in safety beneath her window, and for
the rest she must dare to descend. It was a bold, a very perilous plan.
It was the project of desperation. But there are moments in life when
desperation becomes success. Nor was the spirit of the Lady Imogene one
that would easily quail. Hers was a true woman's heart; and she could
venture everything for love. She examined the steep; she cast a rapid
glance at the means of making the descent: her shawls, her clothes, the
hangings of her bed--here were resources--here was hope!

Full of these thoughts, some time elapsed before she was struck at the
unusual mode in which the communication reached her. Where was Mignon?
But the handwriting was the handwriting of Lothair. That she could not
mistake. She might, however, have observed that the characters were
faint--that the paper had the appearance of being stained or washed;
but this she did not observe. She was sanguine--she was confident in the
wisdom of Lothair. She knelt before an image of the Virgin, and poured
forth her supplications for the success of their enterprise. And then,
exhausted by all the agitation of the day, the Lady Imogene sunk into a
deep repose.

CHAPTER VI.

_Flight and Discovery_

MORN came at length,