power of banishing the apparition of his dead sister, so that she now seemed to have departed the world longer ago, and in a somewhat more natural manner, than had in reality been the case. There were, to be sure, also other hours, wakeful and heavy with memories—hours in which the thought of that fearful event assailed him with almost intolerable distinctness and immediacy.
The disaster had occurred a week before Doctor Graesler left the island. While in the garden after lunch, he had, as sometimes happened, fallen asleep over his medical journals; and when he woke he saw from the palm-tree’s long shadow, which had run past his feet and across the entire breadth of the gravel walk, that he must have rested at least two hours—an accident which put him out of sorts because at his age—he was forty-eight—he was tempted to ascribe to it undue significance as an indication of the failing vigour of youth. He arose, pocketed his papers, and, with a deep longing for the rejuvenating spring air of Germany in his heart, strolled slowly towards the little cottage which he inhabited with his slightly older sister. As he approached he saw her standing at a window, and this in a measure struck him, since at this sultry hour all the shutters were usually closed; when he came nearer he noticed that, though he had, while yet at a distance, thought to observe Friederike smiling at him, she was, on the contrary, standing absolutely motionless, her back turned to him. With a certain feeling of uneasiness for which he could not entirely account, he hurried into the house; and swiftly approaching his sister who seemed still to lean against the window without stirring, he was horrified to see her head sunk upon her breast, her eyes wide open, and twisted about her neck a rope which had been attached to the cross-bar of the window. He cried out her name, at the same time reaching for his pocket-knife and cutting the sling, whereupon the lifeless body sank heavily into his arms. He shouted for the servant, who presently came from the kitchen and was utterly incapable of realizing what had happened. With her help he laid his sister upon the divan, and began immediately to apply, such means of resuscitation as were familiar to him from his professional experience. In the meantime the servant had rushed off to get the director; but just as the latter entered the room, Doctor Graesler, recognizing the futility of all his efforts, sank exhausted and distraught upon his knees beside the corpse.
