called the days
of her childhood, when she had lived with parents who at least
reverenced the Lord, though they had not been taught to worship Him
aright.

Wilhelm sat for a few minutes lost in thought. He was pondering the
question whether, supposing the child was left on his hands, he could
support her by doing extra work. It would be difficult, he knew; but if
Elsie were willing he'd try, for his kind heart recoiled from sending
the little child who clung to him so confidingly adrift amongst
strangers. No, he would not do so.

After a while he turned to his wife, who had gone to the cradle where
lay their six-weeks-old baby, and was rocking it, as the child had cried
out in her sleep.

"Elsie," he said, "I'll set off at break of day, and go amongst my
mates, and find out if they have seen or heard aught of the missing
gentleman.--Come, Hans," he said suddenly; "'tis time you were asleep."

A few minutes later and Hans had tumbled into his low bed, and lay for a
short time thinking about Frida, and wondering who she had been speaking
to when she knelt down; but in the midst of his wondering he fell
asleep.

Wilhelm, wearied with his day's work, was not long in following his
son's example, and was soon sound asleep; but no word of prayer rose
from his heart and lips to the loving Father in heaven, who had guarded
and kept him from the dangers of the day.

Elsie was in no hurry to go to bed; her heart was full of many thoughts.
The child's prayer and the words out of the little book had strangely
moved her, and she was asking herself if there were indeed a God (as in
her childhood she had been taught to believe), what had she ever done to
please Him.

Conscience said low, Nothing; but she tried to drown the thought, and
busied herself in cleaning the few dishes and putting the little room to
rights, then sat down for a few minutes beside the stove to think.

Where could the father of the child be, she asked herself, and what
would be his feelings on returning to the place where he had left her
when he found she was no longer there? Could he have lost his way in the
great Forest? That was by no means unlikely; she had often heard of such
a thing as that happening. Then she wondered if there were any clue to
the child's friends or the place she was going to in the bag; and
rising, she took it up and opened it.

Besides the articles we have already enumerated, she found a case full
of needles, some reels of cot