fire on her own hearth. Silently she watched at the rising flame,
while the sounds of the matin bell of the chapel by the lake fell on
her ear. She pressed both hands firmly against her heart, as if to hold
fast the happiness with which it was overflowing.

CHAPTER II.

"What! at work already?" said Hansei, entering the kitchen, and bearing
in his arms the child, whose only garment was its little shirt.

"Good-morning! Good-morning to both of you," exclaimed Walpurga, with
joyful voice. Her every tone and every word seemed to say that she
could feed and satisfy them all with her love.

"Good-morning, my child!" said she. The baby stretched out its arms
toward her, but, when she offered to take it, turned its back on her
and laid its head upon Hansei's shoulder.

"Have patience with it; it doesn't know you right yet," said Hansei;
"after all, such a young child is just like an animal, and don't know
its mother if she's been living away from it."

As if to refute Hansei's humiliating philosophy, the child turned round
again, stared at the fire, pursed up its little mouth, and blew just as
when one does when blowing the fire.

"Grandmother taught her that," said Hansei. "It can do lots of other
clever things. Grandmother never slept so late as she does to-day. She
seems to feel that she's no longer obliged to draw the cart all by
herself. No one'll grudge it to her. Yes, there never was a better
woman in all the wide world, than your mother."

"Never was! isn't she so still?" asked Walpurga, in alarm.

Her mother had been so unutterably happy yesterday. Who knows but what
her joy had killed her? They had been so happy that perhaps misfortune
must come, for nothing is perfect in this world.

Walpurga trembled with fear while these thoughts flashed through her
mind.

"I'll go look after mother," said she, and went to her room.

Hansei followed, carrying the child on his arm. And now, when the
mother awoke, she said: "Well, and so they have to awaken me. Am I
still a young girl who sleeps late and dreams when the elder-flower is
in blossom? Yes, now I remember my dream. I dreamt that I was young
again and was a servant at the farm on the other side of the mountains,
and that your father came. It was on a Sunday, and he and I went off
together to my brother's, in the pitch hut. We were standing by the
brook where the elder grows, and father was on the other side, reaching
ou