“I should believe that, if it had not been exactly the moment when Rollo began to bark outside.  So he must have seen it too.  Then the door flew open and the good faithful animal sprang toward me, as though he were coming to my rescue.  Oh, my dear Johanna, it was terrible.  And I so alone and so young.  Oh, if I only had some one here with whom I could weep.  But so far from home—­alas, from home.”

“The master may come any hour.”

“No, he shall not come.  He shall not see me thus.  He would probably laugh at me and I could never pardon him for that.  For it was so fearful, Johanna—­You must stay here now—­But let Christel sleep and Frederick too.  Nobody must know about it.”

“Or perhaps I may fetch Mrs. Kruse to join us.  She doesn’t sleep anyhow; she sits there all night long.”

“No, no, she is a kindred spirit.  That black chicken has something to do with it, too.  She must not come.  No, Johanna, you just stay here yourself.  And how fortunate that you merely drew the shutters to.  Push them open, make a loud noise, so that I may hear a human sound, a human sound—­I have to call it that, even if it seems queer—­and then open the window a little bit, that I may have air and light.”

Johanna did as ordered and Effi leaned back upon her pillows and soon thereafter fell into a lethargic sleep.

CHAPTER X

It was six o’clock in the morning when Innstetten returned home from Varzin.  He made Rollo omit all demonstrations of affection and then retired as quietly as possible to his room.  Here he lay down in a comfortable position, but would not allow Frederick to do more than cover him up with a traveling rug.  “Wake me at nine.”  And at this hour he was wakened.  He arose quickly and said:  “Bring my breakfast.”

“Her Ladyship is still asleep.”

“But it is late.  Has anything happened?”

“I don’t know.  I only know that Johanna had to sleep all night in her Ladyship’s room.”

“Well, send Johanna to me then.”

She came.  She had the same rosy complexion as ever, and so seemed not to have been specially upset by the events of the night.

“What is this I hear about her Ladyship?  Frederick tells me something happened and you slept in her room.”

“Yes, Sir Baron.  Her Ladyship rang three times in very quick succession, and I thought at once it meant something.  And it did, too.  She probably had a dream, or it may perhaps have been the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

“Oh, your Lordship knows, I believe.”

“I know nothing.  In any case we must put an end to it.  And how did you find her Ladyship?”

“She was beside herself and clung to Rollo’s collar with all her might.  The dog was standing beside her Ladyship’s bed and was frightened also.”

“And what had she dreamed, or, if you prefer, what had she heard or seen?  What did she say?”