one came. He closed the sash and
returned grumbling to his seat.

It was two days before New-Year. Vefela had gone to the well with the
maid for water. She purposely did this coarse kind of work because the
villagers had said that she was ashamed of it. Just as her bucket was
full, the girl said, "Look at that man there with the double eyes: I
guess he is the new surgeon."

[Illustration: The maid said to Vefela, 'Look at that man there with
the double eyes.']

A man in citizens' dress, with spectacles on his nose, was coming down
the village. Just as he was passing the two girls, Vefela took the pail
on her head; but, by an unlucky step, she slipped upon the ice and
fell, pouring the water over her. When she recovered herself the
strange gentleman was standing by her: he took her hand and helped her
up, and then asked her, kindly, whether she had not hurt herself, for
she had had a bad fall. There was something so winning in the tone of
his voice that Vefela experienced a strange sensation: she thanked him
quite warmly, and assured him that she was not hurt. She walked on, the
gentleman beside her.

"Why, you are limping," said he again. "Does your foot pain you?"

"No," answered Vefela; "I have a short foot;" and, though she was
chilled through, the blood shot into her face. She covered her face
with her apron, pretending to wipe it, though it was wet through and
through. The stranger now remarked that her limp was scarcely to be
perceived. Vefela smiled, half incredulous, half flattered. It was a
strange thing to Vefela to find the gentleman walking by her side
through the village, all the way to her father's house; and even there
he entered with her, with a word of apology, to which he gave no time
to reply. Nero, however, sprang upon the stranger, and would have
dragged him down had not the manor-house farmer and Vefela interfered.
The stranger now gave sundry directions to guard against Vefela's
taking cold. She must go to bed, drink tea, and so on.

Edward Brenner (for such was his name) sat down and chatted cosily with
the manor-house farmer. Not an hour passed before he was master of his
whole history. The latter took a strong liking to Dr. Brenner, but
spoke so much of the spectacles, and asked so often whether he had need
of them all the time, that Brenner soon perceived that this instrument
of learning was not agreeable to him. He took them off, and the
manor-house farmer nodded pleasantly, observing