elstein were lengthening and the setting sun spread its
purple fringe behind the high fir-trees on Alpnach.

The old corporal, whose eyes were as piercing as an eagle's, recognized
Monsieur Zacharias and his daughter from afar. He came toward them,
lifting his felt hat respectfully.

"Welcome, Monsieur le Juge," he said in the frank and cordial voice of a
mountaineer; "what happy circumstance has procured me the honor of a
visit?"

"Master Yeri," replied the good man, "I am belated in your mountains. Have
you a vacant corner at your table and a bed at the disposition of a
friend?"

"Ah!" cried the corporal, "if there were but one bed in the house, should
it not be at the service of the best, the most honored of our
ex-magistrates of Stantz? Monsieur Seiler, what an honor you confer on
Yeri Foerster's humble home."

"Christine, Christine! Monsieur le Juge Zacharias Seiler wishes to sleep
under our roof to-night."

Then a little old woman, her face wrinkled like a vine leaf, but still
fresh and laughing, her head crowned by a cap with wide black ribbons,
appeared on the threshold and disappeared again, murmuring:

"What? Is it possible? Monsieur le Juge!"

"My good people," said Mr. Zacharias, "truly you do me too much honor--I
hope--"

"Monsieur le Juge, if you forget the favors you have done to others, they
remember them."

Charlotte placed her basket on the table, feeling very proud at having
been the means of bringing so distinguished a visitor to the house. She
took out the sugar, the coffee and all the little odds and ends of
household provisions which she had purchased in the town. And Zacharias,
gazing at her pretty profile, felt himself agitated once more, his poor
old heart beat more quickly in his bosom and seemed to say to him: "This
is love, Zacharias! This is love! This is love!"

To tell you the truth, my dear friends, Mr. Seiler spent the evening with
the Head Forester, Yeri Foerster, perfectly oblivious to the fact of
Therese's uneasiness, to his promise to return before seven o'clock, to
all his old habits of order and submission.

Picture to yourself the large room, the time-browned rafters of the
ceiling, the windows opened on the silent valley, the round table in the
middle of the room, covered with a white cloth, with red stripes running
through it; the light from the lamp, bringing out more clearly the grave
faces of Zacharias and Yeri, the rosy, laughing features of Charlotte, and
D