at of a tender mother, who sought, by all the
means in her power, to become a child again for Edith's sake.

Immediately after breakfast that day Frank took Edith by the hand, and
led her round by the back of the fort, towards the kennel where the dogs
were kept, intending to release Chimo, who was to have the honour of
hauling the sledge of his young mistress. In passing the spring, Edith
paused, as she had often done before during the winter, to gaze with
wonder on the transformation that had taken place in the appearance of
the once green and fertile spot. Not only was it covered with deep
snow, but over the spring there was formed a singular dome of ice. This
dome was a subject of continual astonishment to every one at Ungava. It
had commenced to rise soon after the first hard frosts had sealed up the
little fountain from the open air. As time passed by, the covering
became thick ice, and was bulged gradually up above the surrounding
waste, until it reached an elevation of not much less than twelve or
thirteen feet. Inside of this the spring bubbled up as of yore.

"What think you, Edith?" said Frank, as a sudden thought occurred to
him; "shall I cut a doorway into that crystal house, and see if the
spirit of the spring dwells there?"

Edith clapped her hands with delight at the idea, and urged her
companion to begin at once. Then, checking him as he was about to
commence the work with his hatchet, she said earnestly--

"Do spirits really dwell in the springs, Frank?"

"Why, Eda, we must send to England for a lot of fairy tales to teach you
what I mean. I do but jest when I speak of spirits living there. But
many books, have been written about pretended spirits and fairies, which
tell us of their wonderful adventures, and what they said and did long
ago. I shall tell you some of these stories one of these days. But I
daresay there are no spirits in this spring."

"Faix, an' it would be a rale misfortune if there was, sir," remarked
Bryan, who came up at this moment, and touched his cap; "for it would be
only sperits and wather, which wouldn't kape in this cowld climate.
I've finished the ring-bolts for the sled, sir, an' came to see when ye
would have them fixed."

"Put them in your pocket, Bryan, for a few minutes, and lend a hand here
to cut a hole through this dome."

As Frank spoke, he drew a small axe from his belt, and began to lay
about him so vigorously that the icy splinters flew in all d