a large stone in the middle of the stream the

youth thought he saw something white, like a
large kerchief. Quick as thought he was at

its side, bowed down with his torch, and--fell
backward. It was Aasa, his beloved, cold and

dead; but as the father stooped over his dead
child the same mad laugh echoed wildly throughout

the wide woods, but madder and louder
than ever before, and from the rocky wall came

a fierce, broken voice:
"I came at last."

When, after an hour of vain search, the men
returned to the place whence they had started,

they saw a faint light flickering between the
birches not fifty feet away; they formed a firm

column, and with fearful hearts drew nearer.
There lay Lage Kvaerk, their master, still

bending down over his child's pale features, and
staring into her sunken eyes as if he could not

believe that she were really dead. And at his
side stood Vigfusson, pale and aghast, with the

burning torch in his hand. The footsteps of
the men awakened the father, but when he

turned his face on them they shuddered and
started back. Then Lage rose, lifted the maiden

from the stone, and silently laid her in
Vigfusson's arms; her rich yellow hair flowed down

over his shoulder. The youth let his torch fall
into the waters, and with a sharp, serpent-like

hiss its flame was quenched. He crossed the
brook; the men followed, and the dark pine-trees

closed over the last descendant of Lage Ulfson's
mighty race.

End

• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为....所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)
• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)
• silently [´sailəntli] ad.寂静地；沉默地 (初中英语单词)
• sunken [´sʌŋkən] sink的过去分词 (高中英语单词)
• descendant [di´sendənt] n.子孙，后裔 (高中英语单词)
• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)
• kerchief [´kə:tʃif] n.头巾，围巾 (英语六级单词)
• aghast [ə´gɑ:st] a.吓呆的，吃惊的 (英语六级单词)