or their assistance, rose and crept into his house, where he
hunted high and low for Elspeth, but without finding her; and he now
knew that what he had hoped had been only a terrible dream was a grim
reality. In his loneliness strange thoughts occurred to him. He feared
nothing, for his heart was insensible to that emotion; but whenever he
thought of his wife's death, he could not help but contemplate his own
probable destiny; when his hour arrived to quit the world, how heavily
laden he would be with the tears and curses of the poor who could not
soften his heart, with the wails of those wretched beings at whom
he had set his dogs, and, yet more, how he would have to bear the
weight of his mother's silent despair, and the blood of his good and
beautiful wife. And what sort of answer would he give the old man,
his father-in-law, if he should come and demand: "Where is my
daughter, your wife?" And how should he answer Another, to Whom all
belongs--woods, seas, hills and the lives of human beings?

[Illustration: "His eyes became as big as soup plates and his mouth as
a glowing furnace."]

The thought of it haunted his dreams; and every now and then he was
awakened by the sound of a sweet voice calling to him: "Peter, get
yourself a warmer heart!" And when thus awakened, he would quickly
close his eyes again, for the voice was that of Elspeth, warning him.
In order to distract his thoughts he sought the tavern, and there he
met Fat Ezekiel. He took a seat opposite him, and they started talking
on various topics: the fine weather, the war, the taxes, and at last
about death and what happened afterwards. Ezekiel replied that the body
is buried while the soul ascends to Heaven or descends to Hell.

"Then they bury one's heart with one?" asked Peter with intense
interest.

"Certainly, that's buried with us."

"But if a man has no heart?" Peter went on. Ezekiel stared at him in
terror. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to make a fool of me?
Do you suggest that I have no heart?"

"Oh, you have a heart right enough--as hard as stone," replied Peter.

Ezekiel looked at him in amazement, then glanced around to make sure
nobody was within earshot, and spoke: "How do you know that? Perhaps,
your own heart beats no longer?"

"It beats no more;--at least, not here in my breast," answered Peter.
"But tell me, now you know what I mean, what will happen to our
hearts?"

"My dear fellow, why worry about it?" Ezekiel lau