en,
horror-stricken eyes.

"Most of the horses were got out in time," said the princess, taking
Anna's arm, determined that she should not again slip away, "and they
say the buildings are fully insured, and he will be able to have much
better ones."

"But the time lost--they can't be built in a day----"

"The man I spoke to said they were such old buildings and in such a bad
state that Axel can congratulate himself that they have been burned. But
of course there will always be the time lost. Have you seen him? Let us
go on a little--we shall be scorched to cinders here."

Both Axel and Dellwig were superintending the working of the hose. "I do
not want my trees destroyed," he said to Dellwig, with whom in the
stress of the moment he had resumed his earlier manner; "they are not
insured." He had watched the stables go with an impassiveness that
struck several of the bystanders as odd. Dellwig and many others of the
dwellers in that district were used to making a great noise on all
occasions great and small, and they could by no means believe that it
was natural to Axel to remain so calm at such a moment. "It is a great
nuisance," Axel said more than once; but that also was hardly an
adequate expression of feelings.

"They are well insured, I believe?" said Dellwig.

"Oh yes. I shall be able to have nice tight buildings in their place."

"They were certainly rather--rather dilapidated," said Dellwig, eyeing
him.

"They were very dilapidated," said Axel.

Anna and the princess stood a little way from the engines watching the
efforts to check the spread of the fire for some time before Axel
noticed them. Manske, who had been the first to volunteer as a link in
the human chain to the pump, bowed and smiled from his place at them,
and was stared at in return by both women, who wondered who the begrimed
and friendly individual could be. "It is the pastor," then said the
princess, smiling back at him; on which Manske's smiles and bows
redoubled, and he spilt half the contents of the bucket passing through
his hands.

"So it is," said Anna.

"Take care there, No. 3!" roared Dellwig, affecting not to know who No.
3 was, and glad of an opportunity of calling the parson to order.
Dellwig was making so much noise flinging orders and reprimands about,
that a stranger would certainly have taken him for the frantic owner of
the burning property.

"You see the pastor looks anything but alarmed," said the princess. "If
A