How hard it was to die! Again and again she tore her black hair. Again and again she uttered the bitterest imprecations and the fiercest cries for a taste of youth and happiness. At length she stood up, straining her ears for the music in the ballroom.
And then she screamed aloud:
“Oh, I must dance once! I must kiss once! Let me be happy once! I cannot die before I dance! Let me go—let me dance—let me—”
She drew herself up to her full height, her eyes glowed like live coals, she took a few steps towards the door—
“I must dance—let me dance!” she gasped, and fell stiffly forward on the floor—dead.