ent out, but they did not come in
here. It is quite likely that Pretty-Heart was terrified and has hidden
himself somewhere while we were outside; that is why I am so anxious. In
this terrible weather he will catch cold, and cold is fatal for him."

"Well, let us keep on looking."

We went over the ground again, but all in vain.

"We must wait till day," said Vitalis.

"When will it be day?"

"In two or three hours, I think."

Vitalis sat down before the fire, with his head in his hands. I did not
dare disturb him. I stood quite close to him, only moving occasionally
to put some branches on the fire. Once or twice he got up and went to
the door. He looked at the sky, listened attentively, then came back
and sat down. I would rather that he had been angry with me, than that
he should be so silent and sad.

The three hours passed slowly. It seemed that the night would never end.
The stars were fading from the heavens, the sky was getting lighter. Day
was breaking. But as morning came the cold grew more intense; the air
which came through the door froze us to the bone.

If we did find Pretty-Heart, would he be alive?

The snow had quite stopped falling now and there was a pinkish light in
the sky which foretold fine weather. As soon as it was quite light,
Vitalis and I, armed with a stout stick, left the hut.

Capi did not appear so terrified as he had been the night before. With
his eyes fixed on his master, he only waited for a sign from him to rush
forward. As we were examining the ground for Pretty-Heart's footprints,
Capi threw back his head and began to bark joyfully. He signified that
we must look up, not on the ground.

In the great oak standing by the hut we found him.

Poor Pretty-Heart! Frightened by the howling of the dogs, he had jumped
onto the roof of the cabin when we had gone out, and from there he had
climbed to the top of an oak, where, feeling that he was in a safe
place, he had remained crouching, without replying to our calls.

The poor little frail creature, he must be frozen!

My master called him gently. He did not move. We thought that he was
already dead. For several minutes Vitalis continued to call him, but the
monkey gave no sign of life. My heart ached with remorse. How severely I
was being punished! I must atone.

"I'll go up and get him," I said.

"You'll break your neck."

"No, there is no danger. I can do it easily."

That was not true. There was danger. It was very