Night had come. Many lights were burning in the house, and Rose, in festive attire, was hurrying back and forth between the room and the kitchen, though she did not know how to give any help. Everything was ready. And now the young farmer's wife said to Barefoot: "Go upstairs and put on your Sunday dress." "Why?" "You must wait on the table today, and you'll get a better present." "I would rather stay in the kitchen." "No, do as I tell you--and make haste." Amrei went up to her room and sat down for a moment on her box in order to get her breath. She was dead tired. If she could only go to sleep now and never wake up again! But duty called. Hardly had she taken the first piece of her Sunday dress in her hand, when a feeling of joy came over her; and the evening sun, sending a red beam into the little attic, shone upon a pair of glowing cheeks. "Put on your Sunday dress!" She had but one Sunday dress, and that was the one she had worn that day at the wedding in Endringen. Every flutter, every rustle of the dress reminded her of the happiness she had experienced, and of the waltz she had danced on that eventful day. But as darkness followed the setting of the sun, so did sorrow follow gladness; and she said to herself that she was thus adorning herself only to do honor to John, and to show how much she valued whatever came from his family, she at last put on the necklace. Thus, adorned as she had been on the day of the wedding at Endringen, Amrei came down from her room. "What is this? What did you dress yourself up like that for?" cried Rose angrily. She was already anxious and impatient because the visitor was so long in making his appearance. "Why do you put all your possessions on? Is that a fit necklace for a servant, with a coin hanging to it? You take that off directly!" "No, I shall not do that; for his mother gave it to me when I was a little child, and I had it on when we danced together at Endringen." Something was heard to fall on the staircase; but nobody heeded it, for Rose screamed out: "What! You good-for-nothing, horrible witch! You would have perished in rags if we had not taken you up! And now you want to take my betrothed from me!" "Don't call him that until he is your betrothed," replied Amrei, with a strange mixture of feelings in her voice. "Wait! I'll show you what you've got to do!" shrieked Rose. "Take that!" and she dragged Barefoot down to the ground and struck her in the face. "I'll take my things off! Let me go!" screamed Barefoot. But Rose let go before she had finished saying it; for, as if he had risen out of the ground, John was standing before her! He was as pale as death, and his lips were quivering. He could not speak, but merely raised his hand to protect Barefoot, who was still kneeling on the floor. Barefoot was the first to speak; she cried out: "Believe me, John, I have never seen her like that before, never in my whole life! And it was my fault."