m,
the Pani is in a bad temper to-day."

She could not control her feelings any longer, and burst into tears in
her despair at not being able to find out where the two had gone. She
laid her head on her stepson's arm and sobbed.

Mikolai felt dismayed and then overcome; he resembled his father in
that particular, and could not bear to see a woman cry. And especially
this woman, who really was good. He had never known that his stepmother
was so tender-hearted. How she fretted about his father.

[Pg 204]

Mrs. Tiralla wept a long time on his shoulder.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Martin Becker remained longer in the fields than Mikolai. He had still
to sow some clover seed in a piece of fallow-land, when the latter led
the horse home with which he had been harrowing.

The young sower whistled as he walked up and down the furrows. A mild
breeze was blowing across the fields which had nothing in common with
the raw March winds they had been having lately. Was spring really
coming? Why, there was Rosa!

He put his hand up to his eyes that the last rays of the setting sun
should not hinder him from watching her. The farm was not far from the
field they were tilling, and the young girl had just come out of the
gate and was walking towards him without hat or shawl, her hands
hanging idly by her sides.

As Rosa saw that he was smiling at her, she smiled too; her radiant
happiness made her look prettier than usual. "You must leave off
working now, Mr. Becker," she cried gaily. "I've come to fetch you.
You've been so busy. Aren't you tired?"

"No." As he smiled at her he showed his strong teeth, which looked
whiter and more shining than ever under his black moustache.

"Jendrek has never done so much," she remarked knowingly, "and the
other labourers haven't either."

"But I'm not a labourer."

"Oh, I didn't mean that"--she turned crimson--"oh, no." She held out
her hand artlessly. "Please don't be angry with me. Mother has told me
that you've some money and that you really need not work here. I know
it very well."

"I like working here," he said quickly. "I like it very much"--he
hesitated for a moment and cast a [Pg 205] quick glance at the delicate
face that was half averted--"very much indeed."

"That's very nice of you," she said innocently, looking at him with a
friendly smile.

He cast a complacent glance at her; how blooming she looked now, much
more so than when he c