and the land shall be free, John! the land shall be
free!" '

"Heavy tears stood in the poor old woman's eyes as she repeated her sad
tale; but she soon collected herself, and continued: 'I did not think then
it would be so hard. The heart always hopes even against hope. But for all
that'--and here the old woman drew herself up, and looked at us like a
queen--'I have never regretted that I bade him go. Then came dreadful days;
but the most dreadful of all was when we read that the Germans had
betrayed the land, and that they had given up our land with all our dead
to the Danes! Then I called on the Lord and said, "O Lord, my God, how is
that possible? Why lettest Thou the wicked triumph and allowest the just
to perish?" And I was told that the Germans were sorry for what they had
done, but that they could not help it. But that, gentlemen, I could never
understand. We should never do wrong, nor allow wrong to be done. And,
therefore, I thought, it cannot always remain so; our good Lord knows his
own good time, and in his own good time He will come and deliver us. And I
prayed every evening that our gracious Lord would permit me to see that
day when the land should be free, and our dear dead should sleep no more
in Danish soil. And, as I had no other son against that day, I saved every
year what I could save, and on every Christmas Eve I placed it before me
on a table, where, in former years, I had always placed a small present
for my John, and I said in my heart, The war will come again, and the land
will be free, and thou shalt sleep in a free grave, my only son, my John!
And now, gentlemen, the poor old woman has been told that the day has
come, and that her prayer has been heard, and that the war will begin
again; and that is why she has brought her money, the money she saved for
her son. Good morning, gentlemen,' she said, and was going quickly away.

"But, before she had left the room, an old gentleman said, loud enough for
her to hear, 'Poor body! I hope she may not be deceived.'

" 'Ah,' said the old woman, turning back, 'I know what you mean; I have
been told all is not right yet. But have faith, men! the wicked cannot
prevail against the just; man cannot prevail against the Lord. Hold to
that, gentlemen; hold fast together, gentlemen! This very day I--begin to
save up again.'

"Bless her, good old soul! And, if Odin were still looking out of his
window in the sky as of yore, when he granted victory to the wome