ot with them; concealment was now out of the question.

"Martina, our Joseph has disappeared," said the grandfather, and
Martina uttered a loud cry of grief, exclaiming:--

"This was why he woke me three times last night and asked; 'Mother, is
it not yet light?' Joseph! Joseph! Joseph! where are you?" shouted she
through the whole house, up the hill, and all along the village, in the
garden, and among the fields.

"Oh! if he is lost, I shall die," said David; "I shall never hear the
New Year rung in, and the tree I bought to make clock cases of, may be
sawed up for my coffin, and I laid in it."

But Martina did not hear her father's lamentations, for she had rushed
out of the house long since; David's neckcloth felt too tight, and he
snatched it off, his face looking quite distorted, for he wished to
suppress his tears, and yet could not. Suddenly he thought to himself,
"Joseph must be in the church!" he hurried to the church, the door of
which was open, as they were preparing it for midnight service. The
schoolmaster was walking about alone, with a single candle, and placing
quantities of lights on the altar.

"Joseph! Joseph! are you here?" cried David, on the threshold of the
church; the sound vibrated loudly. The candle fell out of the
schoolmaster's hand, and he answered, trembling, "There is no one here
but myself--what is the matter?"

"You allowed the children to give him the nickname of 'The Foal,' so it
is your fault that he is gone off, and is nowhere to be found," cried
David, and hurried away. The schoolmaster was as much in the dark about
this reproach, as he now was in the church, where, after much groping
about, he at last found the wax taper.

The whole village collected together, and even the stocking weaver came
with his French horn, which, however, he quickly put under his old
military cloak, to prevent its getting wet. "I will blow the horn all
through the village," said he, "and then he will come."

"No!" said one. "The old Roettmaennin has no doubt caused him to be
stolen, hoping to force you, Martina, to give up Adam, for this very
afternoon he was betrothed to the Forest Miller's Tony; one of the
miller's men was here, and told us all about it."

"Don't drive me out of my senses," cried Martina. "Joseph! Joseph!
come! oh, come! your mother is calling you!"

While they were still standing clustered together, a strange looking
little man was seen coming up the valley, hung all round a