e Romans dwelt in greater
numbers.

And so the "Iffinger" had become completely Germanic, for the present
master had suddenly sold the few Roman slaves which he possessed,
and had replaced them by men and maids of Germanic race: Gepidians
taken in war. This master was again named "Iffa," like his ancestor.
He lived alone, a silver-haired man. A brother, and his wife and
daughter-in-law, had, many years ago, been buried under a landslip.

A son, a younger brother, and a son of the latter, had obeyed the call
of King Witichis to arms, and had never returned from the siege of
Rome.

So no one was left to the old man but his two grandchildren, the boy
and girl of the son who had fallen.

The sun had set gloriously behind the mountains which bordered the
incomparable Etsch valley in the blue distance to the south and west.

A warm golden lustre lay upon the tender porphyry colouring of the
"Iffinger," making it glow like red wine.

Up the mountain slope, upon the top of which stood a dwelling-house
with a row of stalls a little apart, climbed slowly, step by step,
resting ever and again, and holding her hands over her eyes as she
looked at the sunset, a child--or was it already a maiden?--who was
driving a flock of lambs before her.

She now and then gave her _protegees_ time to crop with dainty tooth
the aromatic Alpine herbs which grew in their path, and beat time with
the hazel stick which she carried to an ancient and simple melody, the
words of which she was softly singing:

"Little lambkins,
Follow freely;
By your shepherd's
Hand led heedful;
Like the heaven's
Lovely lambkins,
Like the quiet
Steady stars, that
Shining, sparkling,
Obey ever
Their bright shepherd,
Mustered by the
Mild moon ever,
Without trouble,
Without pause."

She ceased, and bent forward to look over into a deep ravine on her
left hand, which had been hollowed out in the steep slope by a rapid
mountain brook. Now, being summer, the water was very shallow. On the
opposite side the hill again rose steeply upward.

"Where can he be?" the girl said; "usually his goats are already
descending the hill when the sun has turned to gold. My flowers will
fade soon!"

She seate