!" whispered Hans; "and you go and put in the cows. I hear
the bells." As Beret was running off he went after her. "Bring some
food with you when you come back," he whispered. Then he sat down a
little way from Mildrid, made the dog lie down beside him, and sat and
held him to keep him from barking.

It was a cloudy evening. The near heights and the mountain-tops were
grey; it was very quiet; there was not even a bird to be seen. He sat
or lay, with his hand on the dog. He had soon settled what to arrange
with Mildrid when she awoke. There was no cloud in their future; he
lay quietly looking up into the sky. He knew that their meeting was a
miracle. God Himself had told him that they were to go through life
together.

He fell to working away at the Bridal March again, and the words that
came to him now expressed the quiet happiness of the hour.

It was about eight o'clock when Beret came back, bringing food with
her. Mildrid was still sleeping. Beret set down what she was carrying,
looked at them both for a minute, and then went and sat down a little
way from them. Nearly an hour passed, Beret getting up from time to
time to keep herself from falling asleep. Soon after nine Mildrid
awoke. She turned several times, at last opened her eyes, saw where
she was lying, sat up, and noticed the others. She was still
bewildered with sleep, so that she did not take in rightly where she
was or what she saw, till Hans rose and came smiling towards her. Then
she held out her hands to him.

He sat down beside her:

"You've had a sleep now, Mildrid?"

"Yes, I've slept now."

"And you're hungry?"

"Yes, I'm hungry----" and Beret came forward with the food. She looked
at it and then at them. "Have I slept long?" she asked.

"Well, it's almost nine o'clock; look at the sun!"

Not till now did she begin to remember everything.

"Have you sat here long?"

"No, not very long--but you must eat!" She began to do so. "You were
on your way down to the valley?" asked Hans gently, with his head
nearer hers. She blushed and whispered, "Yes."

"To-morrow, when you've really had a good sleep and rest, we'll go
down together."

Her eyes looked into his, first in surprise, then as if she were
thanking him, but she said nothing.

After this she seemed to revive; she asked Beret where _she_ had been,
and Beret told that she had gone to fetch Hans, and he told all the
rest. Mildrid ate and listened, and yielded gradually once again to