The door of the woodshed was opened. Rosa called Christophe softly, and groped towards him. She took his hand. He felt an aversion in her near presence: in vain did he reproach himself for it: it was stronger than himself. Rosa was silent: her great pity had taught her silence. Christophe was grateful to her for not breaking in upon his grief with useless words. And yet he wished to know ... she was the only creature who could talk to him of _her_. He asked in a whisper: "When did she..." (He dared not say: die.) She replied: "Last Saturday week." Dimly he remembered. He said: "At night?" Rosa looked at him in astonishment and said: "Yes. At night. Between two and three." The sorrowful melody came back to him. He asked, trembling: "Did she suffer much?" "No, no. God be thanked, dear Christophe: she hardly suffered at all. She was so weak. She did not struggle against it. Suddenly they saw that she was lost...." "And she ... did she know it?" "I don't know. I think ..." "Did she say anything?" "No. Nothing. She was sorry for herself like a child." "You were there?" "Yes. For the first two days I was there alone, before her brother came." He pressed her hand in gratitude. "Thank you." She felt the blood rush to her heart. After a silence he said, he murmured the question which was choking him: "Did she say anything ... for me?" Rosa shook her head sadly. She would have given much to be able to let him have the answer he expected: she was almost sorry that she could not lie about it. She tried to console him: "She was not conscious." "But she did speak?" "One could not make out what she said. It was in a very low voice." "Where is the child?" "Her brother took her away with him to the country." "And _she_?" "She is there too. She was taken away last Monday week." They began to weep again. Frau Vogel's voice called Rosa once more. Christophe, left alone again, lived through those days of death. A week, already a week ago.... O God! What had become of her? How it had rained that week!... And all that time he was laughing, he was happy!