Anson and his young friends of the army became thin
shadows.
The moon, full and dominant, came out after a while and silvered the
skies. Stars in myriads trooped forth and danced. John felt that they
were friendly, that they were watching over him, and once more he saw
happy omens. Despite his long walk he was not tired and he enjoyed the
deep peace on the mountains. He might have been awed at another time,
but now he was not afraid.
Zillenstein, too, came out, bathed in silver, an immense threatening
mass set solidly in the shoulder of the opposite mountain, more sinister
even in the moonlight than in the sunlight. He wondered how many
hundreds of innocent human beings had perished in its dungeons. He had
not the slightest doubt that Julie was there, but she at least was safe
from everything, save a long imprisonment and a powerful pressure that
might compel her to become the morganatic wife of Auersperg. It might be
the old story of the drop of water wearing away the stone.
Clouds began to trail slowly up the valley, and Zillenstein faded away
again. The long columns of mist and vapor seemed so near that John felt
as if he could reach out his hand and touch them.
His day's exertions began to tell now, and the chill of the night
deepened. He sought his chosen shelter within the old temple, and lying
down on the stone floor wrapped in his blankets, sank fast into sleep.
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