rus, above which the strong rich notes of the Kronprinz rose
in triumphant waves of harmony. And gladness came then into the heart of
Andreas, and great thankfulness; for as the music of the birds exalted
him he seemed to see with a strange clearness into the depths of the
future, and all that he saw there promised well for those whom he loved.
Such wonderful music was this that the very air about him seemed to be
growing goldenly radiant; and with a certain awe creeping into his heart
he seemed to hear low echoes of a music even more ravishingly beautiful
that came faintly yet with a bell-like clearness from very far away.

Truly there was something strange about this music, for even Bielfrak,
who was grown to be a deaf, rheumatic old dog now, heard it and was
greatly moved by it. From his comfortable rug in the corner he raised
himself painfully upon his haunches, and, pointing his noise upward,
uttered a long melancholy howl. Then he came by slow effort across the
room to where his master sat and laid his head upon his master's knee.
And there was a puzzled look upon Bielfrak's face, for never before had
he thus manifested the love that was in his honest heart without finding
a quick response to it in the gentle touch of his master's hand. Yet now
that hand remained most strangely still, and it was strangely white, and
Bielfrak drew back suddenly from touching it--finding it most strangely
cold.

[Illustration: page 286 303]

The birds had been frightened into silence by Bielfrak's howl, but
now they all burst forth again into the song of strange and wonderful
sweetness that of a sudden they had learned to sing. In waves of
harmony the chorus rose and fell, and above all sounded the notes of
the Kronprinz, rich, full, clear, so delicately perfect as to seem a
blending of sunlight and of sound. And in this song there was a strain
that seemed to tell of restful triumph and eternal joy. And on the
gentle, kindly face of Andreas, as he sat there so very quietly while
all the air around him with these sweet sounds was vibrant, there was a
most tender smile that told of perfect peace.

End of Project Gutenberg's An Idyl Of The East Side, by Thomas A. Janvier

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN IDYL OF THE EAST SIDE ***

***** This file should be named 23809.txt or 23809.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/8/0/23809/

Prod