Louis Lambert — Honoré de Balzac, trans. Katharine Prescott Wormeley

come! The Satans are unchained; they wear mitres of flame! Adonis, Vertumnus, the Sirens! They are tempting her as Jesus was tempted on the mountain. Come and drive them out.”’

‘Do you recognize the language of Swedenborg, pure and unmixed ?”’ said the pastor, laughing.

But Wilfrid and Minna were gazing in terror at old David, who, with streaming hair and wild eyes, his legs trembling, and covered with snow, stood shaking as if he were buffeted by a stormy wind.

‘*What has happened ?”’ asked Minna.

““Well, the Satans hope and purpose te conquer her.’’

The words made Wilfrid’s heart beat.

‘For nearly five hours she has been standing up with her eyes raised to heaven, her arms uplifted; she is in torment; she calls upon God. I cannot cross the line; hell has set Vertumni to guard it. They have raised a barrier of iron between her and her old David. If she wants me, what can[ do? Help me! Come and pray!”

The poor old man’s despair was terrible to behold.

‘The glory of God protects her; but if she were to yield to violence?’’ he said, with persuasive good faith.

‘*Silence, David, do not talk so wildly. These are factsp. 9 to be verified.—We will go with you,”’ said the pastor, ‘tand you will see that there are neither Vertumni in the house, nor Satans, nor Sirens.”’

‘Your father is blind,’’ David whispered to Minna.

Wilfrid, on whom his first reading of a treatise by Swedenborg, hasty as it had been, had produced a powerful effect, was already in the passage putting on his snowshoes. Minna was ready ina moment. They rushed off to the Swedish castle, leaving the two old men to follow.

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“Do you hear that cracking ?’’ said Wilfrid.

“The ice is moving in the fiord,’’ said Minna; ‘‘the spring will soon be here.”’

Wilfrid said no more. When they were in the courtyard, they both felt that they had no right, no strength, to enter the house.

‘‘What do you think of her?’’ asked Wilfrid.

‘‘What a blaze of light!’’ cried Minna, standing in front of the drawing-room window. ‘‘There he is—great God! and how beautiful! Oh, my Seraphitus, take me to thee!’’

The girl’s outcry was inward and inaudible. She saw Seraphitus standing lightly shrouded in an opal-tinted mist, which was diffused for a short distance all about the apparently phosphorescent body.

‘‘How lovely she is!’’ was Wilfrid’s mental exclamation.

Pastor Becker now came up with David; he saw his daughter and the stranger in front of the window, came close to them, looked into the room, and said—

‘“Well, David, she is saying her prayers.”’

‘But try to go in, sir.”’

‘“Why disturb her when she is praying?’’ replied the pastor.

At this moment a ray of moonlight from beyond the Falberg fell on the window. They all looked round, startled by this natural phenomenon; but when they turned again to look at Seraphita, she had vanished.

‘That is strange!’’ said Wilfrid in surprise.

7]

‘‘But I hear exquisite strains,’’ said Minna.
‘Well, what next?’’ said the pastor; ‘‘she is going to
bed, no doubt.”’

David had gone in. They walked home in silence; allp. 91 three interpreted this vision in a different sense. Pastor Becker felt doubt; Minna felt adoration; Wilfrid, desire.