I saw something white lying at the foot of the tree.

Heaven knows what a struggle it was, but I went on.

I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that I loved her.

When I reached the inn I turned again, but I saw nothing.
I sat in my room a long time that night, smoking my pipe till the candle gasped feebly and died in the stick, and the room was swallowed in darkness.
I did not know, I was not sure, but I thought that, so long as I might not love Phyllis, it would not be a very hard task to love her image, which was Gretchen.

You see, Phyllis was so very far away and Gretchen was so near!.