After that her eyes and ears belonged entirely to the helpless
little creature. "Where's baby--where is he then? Laugh a little, do.
Look at me once with those big, staring eyes. Oh, you little darling,
oh, you sweet child." She played with it and pressed kisses on its
hands without noticing that they were dirty.

"What are we to do now?" said the man, perplexed.

"We can't leave it here. We shall have to take it with us, of
course." There was something very energetic about the delicate-looking
woman all at once. "Do you think I would forsake the child?" Her cheeks
glowed, her eyes gleamed.

Paul Schlieben looked at his wife with a certain awe. How beautiful
she was at that moment. Beautiful, healthy, happy. He had not seen her
like that for a long time. Not since he had folded her in his arms as a
happy bride. Her bosom rose and fell quickly with every trembling
breath she took, and the child lay on her breast and the Venn myrtle
bloomed at her feet.

A strange emotion came over him; but he turned away: what had that
strange child to do with them? Still he admitted in a hesitating voice:
"We certainly can't leave it here. But do you know what we can do?
We'll take it with us to the inn. Give it to me, I'll carry it."

But she wanted to carry it herself, she only let him help her up.
"There--there--come, my sweet little babe." She raised her foot
cautiously to take the first step--then a shout tied her to the
spot.

"Hallo!"

A rough voice had shouted it. And now a woman came up to them; the
figure in the fluttering skirt was outlined big and clear against the
rarefied ether that flowed around it.

Where had she come from so suddenly? From there, from behind the
mound of earth that had been thrown up near the peat pit. She had been
creeping on all fours plucking berries; a pail that was almost ft 11
hung on her arm, and in her right hand she carried the wooden measure
and the large bone curry-comb with which she stripped off the
berries.

That was the mother! Kate got a terrible fright; she turned
pale.

Her husband was taken by surprise too. But then he gave a sigh of
relief: that was decidedly the best way out of it. Of course, they
might have known it at once, how should the child have come into the
desolate Venn all alone? The mother had been looking for berries, and
had put it down there meanwhile.

But the woman did not seem to take it kindly that they had looked so
carefully after the child durin