He descended the winding staircase, and once more entered the Countess’s bedroom.  The dead old lady sat as if petrified; her face expressed profound tranquillity.  Hermann stopped before her, and gazed long and earnestly at her, as if he wished to convince himself of the terrible reality; at last he entered the cabinet, felt behind the tapestry for the door, and then began to descend the dark staircase, filled with strange emotions.  “Down this very staircase,” thought he, “perhaps coming from the very same room, and at this very same hour sixty years ago, there may have glided, in an embroidered coat, with his hair dressed a l’oiseau royal and pressing to his heart his three-cornered hat, some young gallant, who has long been mouldering in the grave, but the heart of his aged mistress has only to-day ceased to beat...”

At the bottom of the staircase Hermann found a door, which he opened with a key, and then traversed a corridor which conducted him into the street.

V

Three days after the fatal night, at nine o’clock in the morning, Hermann repaired to the Convent of ——­, where the last honours were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.  Although feeling no remorse, he could not altogether stifle the voice of conscience, which said to him:  “You are the murderer of the old woman!” In spite of his entertaining very little religious belief, he was exceedingly superstitious; and believing that the dead Countess might exercise an evil influence on his life, he resolved to be present at her obsequies in order to implore her pardon.

The church was full.  It was with difficulty that Hermann made his way through the crowd of people.  The coffin was placed upon a rich catafalque beneath a velvet baldachin.  The deceased Countess lay within it, with her hands crossed upon her breast, with a lace cap upon her head and dressed in a white satin robe.  Around the catafalque stood the members of her household:  the servants in black caftans, with armorial ribbons upon their shoulders, and candles in their hands; the relatives—­children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—­in deep mourning.

Nobody wept; tears would have been une affectation.  The Countess was so old, that her death could have surprised nobody, and her relatives had long looked upon her as being out of the world.  A famous preacher pronounced the funeral sermon.  In simple and touching words he described the peaceful passing away of the righteous, who had passed long years in calm preparation for a Christian end.  “The angel of death found her,” said the orator, “engaged in pious meditation and waiting for the midnight bridegroom.”

The service concluded amidst profound silence.  The relatives went forward first to take farewell of the corpse.  Then followed the numerous guests, who had come to render the last homage to her who for so many years had been a participator in their frivolous amusements.  After these followed the members of the Countess’s household.  The last of these was an old woman of the same age as the deceased.  Two young women led her forward by the hand.  She had not strength enough to bow down to the ground—­she merely shed a few tears and kissed the cold hand of her mistress.