before she reached it, she must cross the
small, open square, where the two main streets of the town came
together. It was only fifteen or twenty yards, at most, but it lay lower
than the ground about it, and the snow showed dark patches, here and
there, as if the water had gathered below, and was trying to force its
way to the surface. Louise glanced doubtfully at the square; but there
was no other way she could take, and there were fresh footprints leading
across it, showing that some one had been just before her. Moreover, she
was late, and there was no time to be lost. With her skirts gathered
closely about her, and the great bundle grasped in her other hand, she
cautiously started forward, testing the ground at every step, before
trusting her weight upon it. Slowly and carefully she went on, and was
just congratulating herself upon her success, when--fwsch! There was a
sound of crunching and gurgling, and her left foot plunged down through
the snow, into six inches of water beneath, with a shock that threw the
bundle from her hand, and jolted her hat over her eyes. With a smothered
groan of mortification, she scrambled up to a solid footing once more,
while she thrust back her hat, and gave a hasty glance over her
shoulder, to assure herself that no one was in sight.

Not a human being was visible, except one man who was turning a distant
corner. For so much, at least, she could be thankful. But it was plain
that a further advance in that direction was impossible, and that she
must beat a retreat. Accordingly, she picked up her bundle and turned to
retrace her steps, moving with even greater caution than before, and
stepping only in her previous tracks. However, the strain of one
crossing was all that the weakened crust could bear, and the third step
let her down again, far into the cold snow-water below, while her hat
took a fresh lurch, this time to one side, and two or three hair-pins
flew from her glossy yellow braids. Her situation was fast becoming
tragic; but Louise gathered herself up anew and turned to the right,
only to plunge in deeper than before; to the left, to meet with the same
fate. Desperately she tried one spot after another. Now painfully
scrambling to an insecure footing on top of the crust, now violently
descending into the depths again, until the snow about her was marked
thick with deep, round holes, and her feet were drenched and well-nigh
frozen with the icy water which trickled up and down