her bridle. Perhaps we shall see more
clearly when we are nearer the ground."

This precaution was of service only in saving them from a fall, for the
fog hung low and seemed to stick to the damp earth.

Their advance was painfully slow, and they were soon so weary that they
halted when they reached a dry spot beneath the great oaks.

Little Marie was in a violent sweat, but she uttered not a word of
complaint, nor did she worry about anything. Thinking only of the child,
she sat down on the sand and laid it upon her knees, while Germain
explored the neighborhood, after having fastened the gray's reins to the
branch of a tree.

But the gray was very dissatisfied with the journey. She reared
suddenly, broke the reins loose, burst her girths, and giving, by way of
receipt, half a dozen kicks higher than her head, she started across the
clearing, showing very plainly that she needed no one to show her the
way home.

"Well, here we are afoot," said Germain, after a vain attempt to catch
the horse, "and it would do us no good now if we were on the good road,
for we should have to ford the river on foot, and since these paths are
filled with water, we may be sure that the meadow is wholly submerged.
We don't know the other routes. We must wait until this fog clears. It
can't last more than an hour or two; as soon as we can see clearly, we
shall look about for a house, the first we come to near the edge of the
wood. But for the present we can't stir from here. There is a ditch
and a pond over there. Heaven knows what is in front of us, and what is
behind us is more than I can say now, for I have forgotten which way we
came."

VII -- Underneath the Big Oaks

"WELL, we must be patient, Germain," said little Marie. "We are not
badly off on this little hillock. The rain does not pierce the leaves of
these big oaks, and we can light a fire, for I can feel old stumps which
stir readily and are dry enough to burn. You have a light, Germain, have
you not? You were smoking your pipe a few minutes ago."

"I did have; my tinderbox was in my bag on the saddle with the game that
I was bringing to my bride that is to be, but that devilish mare has run
away with everything, even with my cloak, which she will lose and tear
to bits on every branch she comes to." "No, no, Germain; saddle and
cloak and bag are all there on the ground at your feet. The gray burst
her girths, and threw off everything as she ran away."

"That's tr