``It might have been,'' said the phantom. Again the fire died out and
the merry scene faded away, leaving a melancholy, ill-kept room, with
poverty and mourning haunting dusty corners and the woman sitting
alone.
``Why do you show me this?'' said the Kaiser. ``Why do you show me
these visions?''
``Come,'' said the phantom.
``What is it?'' said the Kaiser. ``Where are you bringing me?''
``Come,'' said the phantom.
They went from window to window, from land to land. You had seen, had
you been out that night in Germany, and able to see visions, an
imperious figure passing from place to place, looking on many scenes.
He looked on them, and families withered away, and happy scenes faded,
and the phantom said to him ``Come.'' He expostulated but obeyed; and
so they went from window to window of hundreds of farms in Prussia,
till they came to the Prussian border and went on into Saxony; and
always you would have heard, could you hear spirits speak, ``It might
have been,'' ``It might have been,'' repeated from window to window.
They went down through Saxony, heading for Austria.
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