son? Why should he
bother to defend himself? The letter drew him away with a power
that was irresistible. He was out of the house and with Katrina
before the people inside had recovered from their dread of what he
might have hurled at his employer in the way of accusation.

AUGUST DAER NOL

0ne evening, when Glory Goldie had been gone about a month, August
Daer Nol came down to the Ashdales. August and Glory had been
comrades at the Oestanby school and had been confirmed the same
summer.

A fine, manly lad was August Daer Nol, and a favourite with every
one. His parents were people of means and no one had a brighter or
more assured future to look forward to than had he. Having been
absent from home for six months, he had only learned on his return
that Glory Goldie had gone away in order to earn money to save her
old home. It was his mother who told him of this, and before she
had finished talking he snatched up his cap and rushed out, never
pausing until he had reached the gate at Ruffluck Croft; there he
stopped and looked toward the hut.

Katrina saw August standing there and made a pretext of going to
the well for water in order to speak to him; but the lad did not
appear to see her, so Katrina immediately went back into the house.

Then in a little while Jan came down from the forest with an armful
of wood, and when August saw him coming he stepped to one side
until he, too, had gone in; then he went back to the gate.

Presently the window of the hut swung open, disclosing Jan seated
at one side of the window-table smoking his pipe, and Katrina at
the other side, knitting.

"Well, Katrina dear," said Jan, "now we're having a real cosy
evening. There's only one thing I wish for."

"I wish for a hundred things!" sighed Katrina, "and if I could
have them all I'd still be unsatisfied."

"But I only wish the seine-maker, or somebody else who can read,
would drop in and read us Glory Goldie's letter."

"You've had that letter read to you so many times since you got it
that you ought to know it by heart."

"That may be true enough," returned Jan, "but still it always does
me good to hear it read, for then I feel as though the little girl
herself were standing and talking to me, and I seem to see her eyes
beam on me as I listen to her words."

"I wouldn't mind hearing it again, myself," said Katrina, glancing
out through the open window. "But on a fine light evening like this
we can't expect folks to com