s and angry
cries, of the blast of horns, of crackling fire, of the plaints of
doomed spirits, of the mocking laughter of demons, of the flapping
of huge wings.

They thought all the furies of the infernal regions had been let
loose that night, and would overwhelm them. The ground trembled,
and the hut swayed as if it were going to topple over. It was as if
wild horses were prancing on the roof; as if howling ghosts rushed
past the door, and as if owls and bats were beating their wings
against the chimney.

While this was happening, some one put an arm around Gertrude's
waist and drew her to her knees. Then she heard Ingmar whisper: "We
must kneel down, Gertrude, and ask God to help us."

Only the moment before Gertrude had imagined she was dying, so
terrible was the fear that held her. "I don't mind having to die,"
she thought; "the awful part of it is that the powers of evil are
hovering over us."

But Gertrude had no sooner felt Ingmar's protecting arm around her
than her heart began to beat once more, and the feeling of numbness
in her limbs was gone. She snuggled close to him. She was not
frightened now. How wonderful! Ingmar must have felt afraid also,
yet he was able to impart to her a sense of security and
protection.

Finally the terrible noises died away; they heard only the faintest
echoes of them in the distance. They seemed to have followed in the
trail of the dog, down through the marsh and up into the mountain
passes beyond Olaf's Peak.

And yet the silence in Strong Ingmar's but was unbroken. No one
moved, no one spoke; at times it was as if fear had extinguished
all life there. Now and then through the stillness a deep sigh was
heard. No one moved for a long, long time. Some of the people were
standing up against the walls, others had sunk down on the benches,
but most of them were kneeling upon the floor in anxious prayer.
All were motionless, stunned by fear.

Thus hour after hour passed, and during that time there was many a
one in that room who ransacked his soul and resolved to live a new
life--nearer to God and farther away from His enemies, for each of
those present thought: "It is something that _I_ have done which
has brought this upon us. This has happened because of _my_ sins. I
could hear how the fiends kept calling to me and threatening me,
and shrieking my name, as they rushed by."

As for Gertrude, her only thought was: "I know now that I can never
live without Ingmar; I must