ame. She would soon be old enough to get married.
Many a wooer would come forward; her curly hair that shone like gold
was very conspicuous among all the smooth, dark-haired women of the
country. She would also have a good dowry; Mr. Tiralla had hinted at
that pretty broadly. And Mikolai was a good fellow and an affectionate
brother; he would be pleased to let his sister have her portion. And
she would be a patient, good wife. Martin felt as though he ought to
make hay while the sun was shining.

"I'll stop now," he said, suddenly making up his mind, and throwing the
last seeds he had in his bag at random; he put on his coat, which he
had hung over the plough. "Shall we go for a little walk, Miss
Tiralla?"

Yes, Rosa would like that very much. Had he ever been in the Przykop?
Perhaps there would be some violets there now. But he must not say
"Miss," she was not grown up, her mother had said that repeatedly, she
was only a child.

"Well, then, Rosa--Roeschen, let's go." He held out his hand and she put
hers into it, and thus they strolled into the Przykop. There was not a
shoot to be seen yet on the alders or willows, or on the few oaks that
were scattered about, but the old pines were as green as ever and smelt
fresh and alive. The woodpecker was hammering at their bark, and the
wood-pigeons were cooing up in their big branches that shone so red.

[Pg 206]

Everything was very quiet in the hollow, and the air was so mild that
you could have sat down. Martin felt a wish to do so, but the girl
began to look about busily for the bushes in whose red sprigs the sap
was already coursing, and to turn the big heaps of brown leaves over
with her hands and feet. Would she not be able to find the first violet
under one of them? Oh, now she had found one! She shouted with joy.

Who would have thought that this gentle girl could be so jubilant? The
young fellow was delighted to hear her, and stood quite still and
smiled down on her as she with nimble fingers stuck a violet and a leaf
into the top button-hole of his coat. He very nearly gave her a
kiss--nobody was looking on, and her shining parting was so near his
mouth.

"The stars are twinkling, the night is cold,
Open the window for thy lover bold."

he began to sing.

"I don't know that song," she said innocently.

He felt ashamed of continuing it. It was a song that the soldiers used
to sing, and also the couples as they walked through the