ly shadows. All was
still and lonely. No one greeted her. She could have wept through fear
and disappointment. But whilst looking around for some dry spot on
which she might sit down, partly to rest, partly to wait a little
longer, she suddenly noticed, that she was not alone. A startled cry
escaped her lips. Near the edge of the dark pine forest crouched an old
woman seemingly drawn up in a knot, her face between her arms and
knees, who sat watching her with wicked crooked eyes. Klytia could not
stir for fright. As the bird is magnetised by the green eye of the
snake, so did she meet the gaze of the horrible eyes of the old woman,
whom she supposed at once to be one of the beings haunting the
Holtermann. At last she heard an evil chuckle. "So, the beauteous Lydia
will also gather herbs by the cross roads, and dig out roots at sunset?
I knew not that the physician's daughter dealt in magic. Your father
threatened me so terribly if ever I did it again. Has the Beloved One
proved faithless, he! he!? Shall the old Sibylla help? I have often
succeeded beauteous maiden, in cases where fair hair and blue eyes did
not avail. Do you wish to try Mother Sibylla?"

"You are the woman from the Kreuzgrund who sells herbs, I recognize you
now," said Lydia. "Allow me to come and sit near you, I have lost my
way in the forest and would like to rest." "Lost on this road," said
the old witch mockingly. "Take in some one else with that. Show me your
hand, beauteous Maiden, perhaps I can console you, without your having
to dig up roots;" and she seized Lydia's hand, which the trembling
maiden resistlessly surrendered. The old woman chuckled approvingly
after looking for a while at the hand. "Thou willst live poor, my
dear," said she, "but die rich."

"Ah!" said Lydia impatiently, "is this the place to think about gold
and riches?"

"Gently, gently, my dove," continued the old woman, holding on to her
hand. "In a short time thou willst weep much, but by the time the
berries are ripe, thou willst be laughing again. Two will come, a fair
and a dark man. Beware of the dark one, he will drive thee to thy
destruction." Lydia sighed. "Yes, my angel, he will drive thee to thy
destruction, the brown-haired one is the right one, him must thou take,
although he is older, but banish the dark one out of thy mind. So--now
thou knowest what thou wouldest know, go. I require no company for the
business which I have before me."

"Oh, come with me, goo