e for the child. They had been at it
for hours, without arriving at a decision. Finally Katrina had
said: "I don't see but that you'll have to take the child and go
stand on the stoop with her. Then you can ask the first female that
happens along what her name is, and the name she names we must give
to the girl, be it ugly or pretty."

Now the hut lay rather out of the way and it was seldom that any
one passed by their place; so Jan had to stand out there ever so
long, without seeing a soul. This was also a gray day, though no
rain fell. It was not windy and cold, however, but rather a bit
sultry. If Jan had not held the little girl in his arms he would
have lost heart.

"My dear Jan Anderson," he would have said to himself. "You must
remember that you live away down in the Ashdales, by Dove Lake,
where there isn't but one decent farmhouse and here and there a
poor fisherman's hut. Who'll you find hereabout with a name that's
pretty enough to give to your little girl?"

But since this was something which concerned his daughter he never
doubted that all would come right. He stood looking down toward the
lake, as if not caring to her how shut in from the whole countryside
it lay, in its rock-basin. He thought it might just happen that
some high-toned lady, with a grand name, would come rowing across
from Doveness, on the south shore of the lake. Because of the
little girl he felt almost sure this would come to pass.

The child slept the whole time; so for all of her he could have
stood there and waited as long as he liked. But the worrisome
person was Katrina! Every other minute she would ask him whether
any one had come along yet and if he thought it prudent to keep the
infant out in the damp air any longer.

Jan turned his eyes up toward Great Peak, rising high above the
little groves and garden-patches of the Ashdales, like a watch
tower atop some huge fortress, keeping all strangers at a distance.
Still it might be possible that some great lady, who had been up to
the Peak, to view the beautiful landscape had taken the wrong path
back and strayed in the direction of Ruffluck.

He quieted Katrina as well as he could. The child was safe enough,
he assured her. Now that he had stood out there so long he wanted
to wait another minute or so.

Not a soul hove in sight, but he was confident that if he just
stuck to it, the help would come. It could not be otherwise. It
would not have surprised him if a queen in a g