he matter with you, then? Are you sick?" asked the man again.

Toni gave no answer. He seemed not to hear anything and stared so
motionless before him that the man was quite alarmed. He ran out of the
hut. He told the herdsman how it was with the boy and they decided that
when one of the herdsman's boys went down with the butter, he must tell
the Matten farmer about it.

Another week passed. Then the news was brought to the farmer. He thought
the boy would be happy again, that the heavy thunderstorms had only
frightened him a little. But he sent word for the herdsman to go over; he
had boys of his own and would understand better about this than the hired
man. If anything was wrong with Toni he must be brought down.

Some days later the herdsman really went over with one of his boys and
found Toni still crouched in the corner just as the man had seen him. Toni
made no sound to anything the herdsman said to him, did not move and kept
staring always before him.

"He must go down," said the herdsman to his boy, "go with him right away,
but take care that nothing happens to him and be good to him; the boy is
to be pitied," and he looked at Toni with sympathy, for the herdsman had a
good heart and took delight in his own three big, healthy boys. The one he
had with him was a strong, sturdy fellow of sixteen years. He went up to
Toni and told him to stand up, but Toni did not move. Then the lad took
him under the arms, lifted him up, like a feather, then swung him on his
back, held him firmly with both hands, and went with his light burden down
the mountain.

When the Matten farmer saw Toni in such a sad condition, which remained
just the same, he was alarmed, for he had not expected such a thing. He
did not know at all what to do with the boy. His mother was far away, no
relatives were there, and he himself did not want to keep Toni while in
this condition. He could take such a responsibility, but he did not want
to do so. Suddenly a good thought came to him, the same as the people
there in every difficulty, in every need and every trouble, always have
first of all:

"Take him to the Pastor," he said to the herdsman's boy, "he will have
some good advice to give, which will help."

The lad immediately started off and went to the Pastor, who allowed the
boy to tell him as much as he knew about the details of the case, how Toni
came to be in this condition and how long it had lasted; but the lad knew
very little about it