ul power, which was crushing
everything. How he reached his bed he did not know, but in the morning he
lay stretched across the hay, so exhausted he could hardly rise. He looked
anxiously out of the window. How must it look outside after such a night?
Then he went out to see about the cows. The ground was still wet, but the
animals were peacefully grazing.

The sky was gray, and thick, black clouds were passing over it. Gloomy and
frightful the high mountains stood there. They had come so near and
looked more threateningly than ever at Toni. He ran back into the hut.

Many days of thunder storms followed, one after another and if the sun
came out between, it burned unbearably, and new storms followed so
unceasingly and violent, that the herdsman, on the other mountain often
said that he had not known such a summer for years, and if it didn't
change he wouldn't make half so much butter as in former summers, because
the cows gave no milk, as they didn't like the fodder.

During this time the man-servant chose the most favorable time to come
over to the small pasture, milked the cows as quickly as possible and did
not look after the boy at all; only now and then, when he thought Toni had
no more milk, he would bring the jug out quickly, fill it and put it back
again. Then he often saw Toni sitting on his bed of hay, and would call
out in passing:

"You are lazy!"

But then he ran right away in order to get back without being wet, and
did not trouble himself further about the boy.

So June had passed, and already a good part of July. The thunder storms
had become less frequent, but thick fog often so enveloped the mountain
that one could hardly see two steps away, and only here and there a black
head appeared, looking gloomily through the mist. The cattle often
wandered so far that the man found some of them between the two mountains
and brought them up again. This would not do. He called up to the boy, but
received no answer. He ran to the hut and went in. Toni crouched in the
corner was sitting on his bed and staring straight before him.

"Why don't you look after the cows?" asked the man.

He received no answer.

"Can't you speak? What is the matter with you?"

No answer.

Then the man looked at the bread and cheese, to see if Toni had eaten
everything and was suffering from hunger. But more than half the bread was
there and the larger part of the cheese. Toni had taken almost nothing but
milk.

"What is t