s curious how Cain's almost feminine and yet fair and strong
beauty came out by contrast with the other three people.

As the girl, Vincenza, immediately turned away with Simmen, she looked
back at the boy more than once; she had never seen any one like him.

Stephen Fausch was still busy in and around the workshop, and Cain
stood near by. His eyes were full of careless joy, and his chest
expanded. Once he began to sing. Then he reminded his father once more:
"Come now, the milk is waiting."

As they were about to enter the house, through the open door which was
near the workshop, the boy once more looked about over the distant
view. "It is beautiful here," said he. And Stephen Fausch did the same,
only he did not speak; his words were too costly. Then they went into
the house together.

From this morning on they began to feel at home without the least
difficulty. Fausch found plenty of work. At the hospice there was an
almost incessant coming and going of travelers on foot or in wagons,
traders and trains of pack horses or mules. Many of them needed the
smith's help for their animals or their wagons. By some strange chance,
no acquaintance came along the road for a great while. Even Hallheimer
did not come, and just as both Simmen and Fausch began to wonder at his
absence, the smith got a letter saying that the trader was confined to
the house by a severe illness, so that not only had he been unable to
make his usual trips to Italy, but the smithy at Waltheim was still
unsold, because he had been unable to attend to such business. But
because no familiar face reminded them of the old days at Waltheim, the
memory of what had driven them away from there faded imperceptibly from
Fausch's mind as well as from the boy's. Cain heard no more scornful
speeches or mysterious whispers. And so he quite outgrew the
bashfulness that had clung to him formerly; he went about freely,
holding up his head, and some song was always on his lips. But Fausch
too was probably passing the most peaceful days that had fallen to his
lot in all his life. He was rejoiced that there was no one here, who
knew about his boy's name and origin, though, indeed, he did not admit
this even to himself, but still stammered over Cain's new name, and
every time had, as it were, to drag it out by force. But more than all,
it was the wonderful beauty of the high mountain country, that made
them both feel that the change they had made was a happy one. "I alwa