loved,' shrieked Christine, clinging to Arwed's
knees, 'suffer yourself this time, only this time, to be softened. Let
me follow my husband. For this shall a wife leave father and mother.
Hold God's word in honor, and permit an unhappy woman to descend into
the bosom of the earth, from which she sprung.'

'I must do my duty; you remain behind!' decided Arwed. Meantime the
windlass had commenced its revolutions, and the prisoners had
disappeared in the dark and yawning gulf.

'He is gone!' moaned Christine. 'Thou hast done thy duty, barbarian;
now will I do mine!'

She took the suckling from her breast, and placed it in Arwed's arms.
'Be its father!' she cried, springing to the shaft.

'Back! the tubs have already descended!' shrieked a miner, whilst Arwed
hastened after her to hold her back.

'In God's name!' she exclaimed, and, grasping with both hands the
tub-rope which hung suspended in the abyss, and boldly swinging herself
over the shaft, she descended with frightful rapidity, and in a moment
was lost to view.

'Holy God!' cried Arwed in amazement, staring with stupefaction into
the horrible deep.

'She will never reach the bottom alive,' cried one of the miners at the
windlass: 'God have mercy on her soul!'

Arwed had handed over the child to one of the miners' wives, and
availed himself of the first tub which again came up, to descend into
the pit for the purpose of looking after the unhappy mother, and doing
every thing in his power for her welfare. The brave youth felt a slight
shudder, when, by the celerity of his movement, the black, rocky walls
around him, as if raised by some magic power, appeared to fly up into
the air so swiftly as soon to shut out the light of day from the
entrance, which appeared like a distant star shining down upon him;
and, as his eyes gradually became accustomed to the obscurity, the
terrors of the subterranean world became more and more distinctly and
fearfully perceptible. Nothing was to be seen around him but dark gray
rocks in gigantic masses, and occasionally caves and depths so
immeasurable that they appeared to open into endless space. In singular
contrast with the death-like appearance of all nature in these immense
regions, appeared the active and busy movements of living men, who
cheerfully labored to rend by force from old mother earth, that which
she has so carefully hidden, and so pertinaciously withholds, from the
curiosity and avarice of her children. There,