"As he had to sit in the saddle when he should have been at home in his
bed, he was glad it was not a rough night. The weather was mild, the air
still and the skies overcast. Behind the clouds hung a full round moon
which gave some light, although it was out of sight. But for that faint
light it would have been impossible for him to distinguish paths from
fields, for that was a snowless winter, and all things had the same
grayish-brown colour.

"The horse the dean rode was one he prized very highly. He was strong
and sturdy, and quite as wise as a human being. He could find his way
home from any place in the township. The dean had observed this on
several occasions, and he relied upon it with such a sense of security
that he never troubled himself to think where he was going when he rode
that horse. So he came along now in the gray night, through the
bewildering forest, with the reins dangling and his thoughts far away.

"He was thinking of the sermon he had to preach on the morrow, and of
much else besides, and it was a long time before it occurred to him to
notice how far along he was on his homeward way. When he did glance up,
he saw that the forest was as dense about him as at the beginning, and
he was somewhat surprised, for he had ridden so long that he should have
come to the inhabited portion of the township.

"Delsbo was about the same then as now. The church and parsonage and all
the large farms and villages were at the northern end of the township,
while at the southern part there were only forests and mountains. The
dean saw that he was still in the unpopulated district and knew that he
was in the southern part and must ride to the north to get home. There
were no stars, nor was there a moon to guide him; but he was a man who
had the four cardinal points in his head. He had the positive feeling
that he was travelling southward, or possibly eastward.

"He intended to turn the horse at once, but hesitated. The animal had
never strayed, and it did not seem likely that he would do so now. It
was more likely that the dean was mistaken. He had been far away in
thought and had not looked at the road. So he let the horse continue in
the same direction, and again lost himself in his reverie.

"Suddenly a big branch struck him and almost swept him off the horse.
Then he realized that he must find out where he was.

"He glanced down and saw that he was riding over a soft marsh, where
there was no beaten path. Th