Behind her were the footsteps plain enough! The same moment the clouds thinned about the moon, and a pale light came filtering through upon the common in front of her.

She cast one look over her shoulder, saw something turn a corner in the lane, and sped on again.

She would have run, but there was no place of refuge now nearer than the corner of the turnpike-road, and she knew her breath would fail her long before that.

How lonely and shelterless the common looked! The soft, swift steps came nearer and nearer.
Was that music she heard?
She dared not stop to listen.

But immediately, thereupon, was poured forth on the dim air such a stream of pearly sounds as if all the necklaces of some heavenly choir of woman-angels were broken, and the beads came pelting down in a cataract of hurtless hail.