"Beg off!"
"No."
"Leo!" she urged reproachfully.
"Would you have me neglect my duties?"
"God forbid. But remember, till you set foot across my threshold, not a minute will go by without my expecting you."
The companion ladder was let down. They struck the opposite bank, and the bar crunched on its frozen hinges.
"Good-bye!"
"Good-bye!"
Their hands met in a clinging grasp which it seemed as though only force could separate. Then they let go of each other with a start. He settled her in her seat and wrapped the furs about her. The horse moved on, the bells began to tinkle, and the sleigh melted into the grey distance like a silver phantom. The ferry raft gurgled back into the water, and old Jürgens breathed heavily as he pulled. His steering strings swished in the air like a cat-of-nine-tails. Leo, leaning against the side, listened to the dying echo of the sleigh-bells.
The moon was waning. The ice-floes split against the wide keel of the boat.