The driver halted his horses with some difficulty. “Oh, no--sir--” “Let’s get out here, Emma, and walk.” “Where are we?” “Here’s the bridge already. And the wind is not nearly as strong as it was. It will be nicer to walk a little. It’s so hard to talk in the carriage.” Emma drew down her veil and followed him. “Don’t you call this windy?” she exclaimed as she struggled against the gust that met her at the corner. He took her arm, and called to the driver to follow them. They walked on slowly. Neither spoke as they mounted the ascent of the bridge; and they halted where they could hear the flow of the water below them. Heavy darkness surrounded them. The broad stream stretched itself out in gray, indefinite outlines; red lights in the distance, floating above the water, awoke answering gleams from its surface. Trembling stripes of light reached down from the shore they had just left; on the other side of the bridge the river lost itself in the blackness of open fields. Thunder rumbled in the distance; they looked over to where the red lights soared. A train with lighted windows rolled between iron arches that seemed to spring up out of the night for an instant, to sink back into darkness again. The thunder grew fainter and more distant; silence fell again; only the wind moved, in sudden gusts. Franz spoke at last, after a long silence. “We must go away.” “Of course,” Emma answered, softly. “We must go away,” he continued, with more animation. “Go away altogether, I mean--” “Oh, we can’t!” “Only because we are cowards, Emma.” “And my child?” “He will let you have the boy, I know.” “But how shall we go?” Her voice was very low. “You mean--to run away--” “Not at all. You have only to be honest with him; to tell him that you cannot live with him any longer; that you belong to me.” “Franz--are you mad?” “I will spare you that trial, if you wish. I will tell him myself.” “No, Franz, you will do nothing of the kind.” He endeavored to read her face. But the darkness showed him only that her head was turned toward him. He was silent a few moments more. Then he spoke quietly: “You need not fear; I shall not do it.” They walked toward the farther shore. “Don’t you hear a noise?” she asked. “What is it?” “Something is coming from the other side,” he said.