ain with great rejoicings and consider the day a festival.

This return is an event of importance in every village. Brand, like his
neighbors, hastened out with his little daughter, and told Stephan to
follow them. The gay procession wound slowly along the main road,
accompanied by a band of music playing a cheerful Tyrolese air. The cows
came trooping along, decorated with garlands of wild flowers, preceded
by peasants in their gayest costumes, carrying blue and white flags. The
"sennerinnen" wore their brightest neckerchiefs and gowns, and seemed
quite rejoiced to be down among their friends again.

Stephan joined his mother in the crowd, and they were in the full
enjoyment of the scene when he suddenly exclaimed: "See, mother, there's
the lost goat!" and sure enough there it was, limping along by the side
of a "sennerin." One leg was evidently broken or severely injured, but
otherwise the little animal looked well and fat.

Old Bridgetta had likewise seen it, and the three hastened to question
the "sennerin," who seemed very glad to find the owner, and told them it
had been brought to the Alp by a peasant, who gave her a florin to take
care of it and bring it down to the village as soon as she could. He did
not tell her where he had found it, or indeed any particulars, so she
supposed the poor little thing had fallen over some precipice and broken
its leg, which was, however, nearly well.

[Illustration: STEPHAN SHOWS THE BARON'S LETTER TO GRETCHEN. [SEE PAGE
775.]]

"Goats don't often fall in that way,--stones are much more likely to
have caused the mischief," said Bridgetta, with a meaning look at
Stephan, which was, however, only noticed by his mother, who replied:

"Well, Bridgetta, if you still think so badly of my boy, you can keep
the money as a recompense for the damage done to your goat, though I am
quite convinced he has had nothing to do with it Some day we shall hear
the truth of the whole affair, and of that I make no doubt."

"I don't want your money," said the old woman, testily, "and shall
return it as soon as I have sold the other goat;"--whereupon, she took
the leading-string from the "sennerin" and hobbled off with her
new-found property, apparently as little pleased as possible.

The next day, the five florins were sent back, and then Stephan told his
mother, for the first time, how he had promised to return the money if
he ever found the goat again. This now seemed impossible, for he knew