scarcely ten years of age; but I had a sister considerably
older than myself, a nice girl, but somewhat giddy and rather unsettled.
Perhaps, poor thing, she had some cause; for a young man to whom she had
been betrothed, had died suddenly, which was of course a terrible
disappointment to her. Well, it is at such times that strange ideas,
temptations perhaps, come into our head. To be brief, she had a mighty
desire to know whether she was doomed to be married or not. I remember
that at that time there were many odd beliefs and superstitions which
have since then died away; for those times were not like these; there
were highwaymen in the land, and people during the winter evenings used
to sit round the fire and tell wonderful tales of those wild men and
their horses; and these tales they would blend with ghost stories and the
like. My sister was acquainted with all the tales and superstitions
afloat and believed in them. So she determined upon the wake, the night-
watch of Freya, as the child calls it. But with all her curiosity she
was a timid creature, and was afraid to perform the ceremony alone. So
she told me of her plan, and begged me to stand by her. Now, though I
was a child, I had a spirit of my own and likewise a curiosity; and
though I had other sisters, I loved her best of all of them, so I
promised her that I would stand by her. Then we made our preparations.
The first thing we did was to walk over to the town, which was about
three miles distant--the pretty little rural town which you and the child
admire so much, and in the neighbourhood of which I was born--to purchase
the article we were in need of. After a considerable search we found
such an one as we thought would suit. It was of the best Holland, and I
remember that it cost us all the little pocket money we could muster.
This we brought home; and that same night my sister put it on and wore it
for that once only. We had washed it in a brook on the other side of the
moor. I remember the spot well; it was in a little pool beneath an old
hollow oak. The next night we entered on the ceremony itself.

"It happened to be Saturday, which was lucky for us, as my father that
night would be at the town, whither he went every Saturday to sell grain;
for he farmed his own little estate, as you know."

"I remember him well," said my father; "he preferred ale to wine."

"My father was of the old race," said my mother, "and lived in the days
of the