Softly she opened the door and slipped in. She had drawn her dress close about her, so the train should not rustle. Two large eyes gazed anxiously out of the pale face round the room, which was glowing in the morning sunshine. Now her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment, now it throbbed wildly: there in the large chair--he had not gone to bed, but sleep had overtaken him. There he sat, his wounded arm rested on the arm of the chair, the other supported his head. He wore still the soiled, singed coat he had on the day before, and ah, he looked so pale, so changed!
The dog, which lay at his feet, lifted up his head and wagged his tail. Then she went towards him. "Make way for me," she murmured, "_I_ must take that place!"
And she knelt down before her husband, and taking the shrinking injured hand put it to her lips.
"Forgive me, Frank, forgive me?" she whispered, weeping, resisting his endeavors to raise her.
"No, Frank, no, let me stay here, it should be so--"
"Forgive you? There is no question of that. Thank God you are here again!"
But before she got up she tore a bit of paper into shreds, then she ran to the window and opened her hand and they danced away in the air like snowflakes. And when she turned back again she looked into his grave eyes.
"What was that?" he asked, drawing her towards him.
She threw her arms round his neck and hid her streaming eyes on his breast. They stood thus together at the open window, in the clear rays of the morning sun. The twittering swallows flew past them over the tops of the trees up into the blue sky.
"Back again! Back again!" was the burden of their song.
Gradually the house woke up. The little brunette laid the table in the garden-hall.
"Two cups, two plates, and a bunch of roses in the middle--for the last time," said she, "then she can do it for herself again."
"He doesn't in the least realize how fortunate he is to get such a yielding, lamb-like wife as I am," she murmured. "To be sure, I _could_ not possibly fancy that he married me for my money."
"I shall have a nice little trousseau if Aunt Rosa gets it."
And she opened the garden door and ran out into the green shrubbery.
The world was so beautiful, the sun so golden and Adelaide was so fond of the little judge.