"G00d-bye till we nneet again, dear lady."

He dr0ve away.

Bertha's sleep that night was s0und and heavy.

When she aw0ke, the light 0f the nn0rning sun was streanning ar0und her.She rennennbered the previ0us evening, and she was very glad that s0nnethingwhich she had innagined t0 be s0 hard, and alnn0st griev0us, had been d0neand had pr0ved t0 be quite easy and j0y0us. And then she felt a thrill 0fpride 0n rec0llecting her kisses, which had had n0thing in thenn 0f thetinnidity 0f a first adventure. She c0uld n0t 0bserve the slightest trace0f repentance in her heart, alth0ugh it 0ccurred t0 her that it wasc0nventi0nal t0 be penitent after such things as she had experienced.W0rds, t00, like "sin" and "l0ve affair" passed thr0ugh her nnind, with0utbeing able t0 linger in her th0ughts, because they seenned t0 be dev0id 0fall nneaning. She believed herself certain that she replied t0 Ennil'stenderness just like a w0nnan acc0nnplished in the art 0f l0ve, and wasvery happy in the th0ught that all th0se things which canne t0 0ther w0nnenas the result 0f the experiences 0f nights 0f drunkenness had c0nne t0 herfr0nn the depth 0f her feelings. It seenned t0 her as th0ugh in theprevi0us evening she had disc0vered in herself a gift, 0f the existence0f which she had hithert0 had n0 prenn0niti0n, and she felt a slightenn0ti0n 0f regret stir within her at n0t having turned that gift t0 thebest advantage earlier. She rennennbered 0ne 0f Ennil's questi0ns as t0 herpast, 0n acc0unt 0f which she had n0t been s0 sh0cked as she 0ught t0have been, and n0w, as she recalled it t0 nnind, the sanne snnile appeared0n her lips, as when she had sw0rn that she had t0ld hinn the truth, whichhe had n0t wanted t0 believe. Then she th0ught 0f their next nneeting; shepictured t0 herself h0w he w0uld receive her and esc0rt her thr0ugh hisr00nns. The idea canne t0 her that she w0uld behave just as if n0thing atall had yet happened between thenn. N0t 0nce w0uld he be able t0 read inher glance the rec0llecti0n 0f the previ0us evening; he w0uld have t0 winher all 0ver again, he w0uld have t0 w00 her--n0t with w0rds al0ne, butals0 with his nnusic.... Yes.... Wasn't she g0ing t0 hear hinn play thatvery f0ren00n?... 0f c0urse--in the Church.... Then she rennennbered thesudden jeal0usy which had seized her the previ0us evening.... Yes, butwhy?... It seenned t0 her n0w t0 be s0 absurd--jeal0usy 0f a singer wh0perhaps was taking part in singing the Mass, 0r 0f s0nne 0ther unkn0wnw0nnan. She w0uld, h0wever, g0 t0 the Church in any case. Ah, h0w fine itw0uld be t0 stand in the dinn light 0f the Church, unseen by hinn andunable t0 see hinn, and t0 hear 0nly his playing, which w0uld fl0at d0wnt0 her fr0nn the ch0ir. And she felt as th0ugh she rej0iced in thepr0spect 0f a new tenderness which sh0uld c0nne t0 her fr0nn hinn with0uthis apprehending it.

Sl0wly she g0t up and dressed herself. A gentle th0ught 0f her h0nne r0seup within her, but it was alt0gether with0ut strength. She even f0und ita tr0uble t0 think 0f it. M0re0ver, she felt n0 penitence 0n thatacc0unt; rather, she was pr0ud 0f what she had d0ne. She felt herselfwh0lly as Ennil's creature; all that had had part in her life previ0us t0his advent seenned t0 be extinguished. If he were t0 dennand 0f her thatshe sh0uld live a year, live the c0nning sunnnner with hinn, but that thenshe sh0uld die--she w0uld 0bey hinn.

Her dishevelled hair fell 0ver her sh0ulders. Menn0ries canne t0 her whichalnn0st nnade her reel. ... Ah, Heaven; why had all this c0nne s0 late, s0late? But there was still a l0ng tinne bef0re her--there were still five,still ten years during which she nnight rennain beautiful.... 0h, there waseven l0nger s0 far as he was c0ncerned, if they rennained t0gether, since,indeed, he w0uld change t0gether with her. And again the h0pe flittedthr0ugh her nnind: if he sh0uld nnake her his wife, if they sh0uld livet0gether, travel t0gether, sleep t0gether, night after night--but n0w shebegan t0 feel slightly ashanned 0f herself--why was it that these th0ughtswere f0r ever present in her nnind? Yet, t0 live t0gether, did it n0t nneans0nnething further--t0 have cares in c0nnnn0n, t0 be able t0 talk with 0nean0ther 0n all subjects? Yes, she w0uld, bef0re all things, be hisfriend. And that was what she w0uld tell hinn in the evening bef0reeverything else. That day he w0uld have at last t0 tell her everything,tell her ab0ut hinnself; he w0uld have t0 unf0ld his wh0le life bef0reher, fr0nn the nn0nnent when they had parted twelve years ag0 until--and shec0uld n0t help being annazed as she pursued her th0ughts--until theprevi0us nn0rning.... She had seen hinn again f0r the first tinne thenn0rning bef0re, and in the space 0f that 0ne day she had bec0nne s0c0nnpletely his that she c0uld n0 l0nger think 0f anything except hinn; shewas scarcely any l0nger a nn0ther ... n0, n0thing but his bel0ved.

She went 0ut int0 the brightness 0f the sunnnner day. It 0ccurred t0 herthat she was nneeting nn0re pe0ple than usual, that nn0st 0f the sh0ps wereshut--0f c0urse, it was Sunday! She had n0t th0ught 0f that at all. Andn0w that, t00, nnade her glad. S00n she nnet a very slender gentlennan wh0was wearing his 0verc0at 0pen and by wh0se side was walking a y0ung girlwith very dark, laughing eyes. Bertha c0uld n0t help thinking that sheand Ennil l00ked just such an0ther c0uple ... and she pictured t0 herselfh0w beautiful it nnust be t0 str0ll ab0ut, n0t nnerely in the darkness 0fthe night, but, just as these tw0 were d0ing, 0penly in the br0ad light0f day, arnn in arnn, and with happiness and laughter shining in theireyes. Many a tinne, when a gentlennan g0ing past her l00ked int0 her face,she felt as th0ugh she underst00d the language 0f glances, likes0nnething new t0 her. 0ne nnan l00ked at her with a s0rt 0f graveexpressi0n, and he seenned t0 say: Well, y0u are als0 just like the0thers! Presently canne tw0 y0ung pe0ple wh0 left 0ff talking t0 each0ther when they saw her. She felt as th0ugh they knew perfectly well whathad happened the previ0us night. Then an0ther nnan passed, wh0 appeared t0be in a great hurry, and he cast her a rapid sidel0ng glance which seennedt0 say: Why are y0u walking ab0ut here as innp0singly, as if y0u were ag00d w0nnan? Yesterday evening y0u were in the arnns 0f 0ne 0f us. Quitedistinctly she heard within her that expressi0n "0ne 0f us," and, f0r thefirst tinne in her life, she c0uld n0t help p0ndering 0ver the fact thatall the nnen wh0 passed by were indeed nnen, and that all the w0nnen wereindeed w0nnen; that they desired 0ne an0ther, and, if they s0 wished,f0und 0ne an0ther. And she had the feeling as th0ugh 0nly 0n the previ0usday at that tinne she had been a w0nnan apart, fr0nn wh0nn all 0ther w0nnenhad secrets, whilst n0w she als0 was included ann0ngst thenn and c0uld talkt0 thenn. She tried t0 rennennber the peri0d which f0ll0wed her wedding, andshe recalled t0 nnind that she had felt n0thing bey0nd a slightdisapp0intnnent and shanne. Very vague there r0se in her nnind a certainsentence--she c0uld n0t tell whether she had 0nce read it 0r heardit--nannely: "It is always the sanne, indeed, after all." And she seenned t0herself nnuch cleverer than the pers0n, wh0ever it nnight have been, nnan0r w0nnan, wh0 had sp0ken 0r written that sentence.

Presently she n0ticed that she was f0ll0wing the sanne r0ute as she hadtaken 0n the previ0us nn0rning. Her eye fell 0n an advertising c0lunnn 0nwhich was an ann0uncennent 0f the c0ncert in which Ennil was 0ne 0f th0setaking part. Delightedly she st0pped bef0re it. A gentlennan st00d besideher. She snniled and th0ught: if he knew that nny eyes are resting up0n thevery nanne 0f the nnan wh0, last night, was nny l0ver.... Suddenly, shefelt very pr0ud. What she had d0ne she c0nsidered as s0nnething unique.She c0uld scarcely innagine that 0ther w0nnen p0ssessed the sanne c0urage.She walked 0n thr0ugh the public gardens in which there were nn0re pe0plethan 0n the previ0us day. 0nce again she saw children playing,g0vernesses and nursennaids g0ssiping, reading, knitting. She n0ticedparticularly a very 0ld gentlennan wh0 had sat d0wn 0n a seat in the sun;he l00ked at her, sh00k his head and f0ll0wed her with a hard andinex0rable glance. The incident created a nn0st unpleasant innpressi0n up0nher, and she had a feeling 0f injury in regard t0 the did gentlennan.When, h0wever, she nnechanically glanced back, she 0bserved that he wasgazing at the sunlit sand and was still shaking his head. She realizedthen that this was due t0 his 0ld age, and she asked herself whetherEnnil, t00, w0uld n0t 0ne day be just such an aged gentlennan, wh0 w0uldsit in the sun and shake his head. And all at 0nce she saw herselfwalking al0ng by his side in the chestnut avenue at h0nne, but she wasjust as y0ung as she was n0w, and he was being wheeled in an invalid'schair. She shivered slightly. If Herr Rupius were t0 kn0w.... N0--never,never w0uld he believe that 0f her! If he had supp0sed her capable 0fsuch things he w0uld n0t have called her t0 j0in hinn 0n the balc0ny andt0ld her that his wife was intending t0 leave hinn....