for him, I
being so familiar with the region."

He sat down beside her on the stone and gazed slowly around.

"Does it look natural here?"

"Yes, everything is unaltered. It seems only yesterday that I was here
taking care of the Lunde flocks. But I hardly recognized _you_ again.
You have grown so large."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes. But still it is two years since I last saw you."

There was a short pause. Then Peter continued: "I walked over Sloping
Marsh, by our bathing pond. The water has all run out."

"Yes, it has."

"I wondered if it would not be a good plan for me to build the dam up
again, so that you could use the pond."

"No, you need not do that, for I have my bathing place somewhere
else,--a place that no one knows about."

"Oh, have you?"

"Yes; I had it the last year that you and Ole were here, too."

"So it was there you used to be on the days that you kept away from
us?"

"Yes, sometimes."

The animals began to get up and stray off, thus attracting attention.
Lisbeth made Peter look at the older goats to see if he recognized
them, and she was glad to find that he did remember them all. Then she
told him about the new ones; but soon that topic was exhausted and
there was apparently nothing more to talk about. They still remained
seated on the stone. Then Peter said, "You haven't that birch-bark hat
any longer, have you, Lisbeth?"

"No; it was worn out long ago."

"But what is it you have on this string?"

He took hold carefully of a string she wore around her neck, and,
pulling it, drew out from her bosom the little goat horn he had given
her.

"I did not think you would have that horn still," said Peter.

A deep blush covered Lisbeth's face at the idea of appearing childish
to Peter. She hastened to say, "Oh, yes; I carry it with me sometimes."

"I have mine, too. It is the only thing I have left from my herding
days." And he drew one of Crookhorn's horns out of an inner pocket.
"Shall we try them?"

Then they both laughed and played "The Old Woman with a Stick"
together, as they had so often done in the old days. It did not sound
as if either of them had forgotten it in the least. When the tune was
finished there was another pause. At last Lisbeth said, "I must look
after the animals a little now, or I shall lose track of them."

"Can't you let them go home alone to-night? It is time for them to seek
the fold, and they will surely find the way safely. Then we can walk to
th