ion. As long as they stayed, no one dared ask their name,
or where they'd come from."

"Yes, yes! I've heard that often enough; but I don't believe a word of
it."

"You needn't believe it; I don't ask you to. I want to put you to the
test. Listen! Mother and I have ever so tender and delicate a creature
in the wagon there. She's strong and powerful, but quite strange in her
ways. She means to stay with us, but she won't be a burden. And now,
Hansei, tell me; have you strength enough never to ask her who and
whence she is, or any other question? You must take my word for it. I
know her and know what I'm doing in keeping her with us; and on the
strength of that, will you be good and faithful and kind to her? Tell
me; can you, will you be this?"

"Is that the way I'm to prove whether I'm a strong man, or not?"

"Yes, that's it; nothing more."

"I can do that; and here's my hand on it."

"Let me have it."

"You'll see. I'll keep my promise; that's easy enough."

"It isn't as easy as you think for, Hansei."

"For the sake of getting you, for the rest of your life, to admit that
a man has more strength of mind than a woman, and can easier undertake
a thing, and carry it out, too, I'll show you what I can do. Your good
friend shall be mine, too. But she isn't crazy, nor doesn't bite, does
she?"

"No, you needn't worry about that."

"All right, then; that settles it."

Hansei went out to the wagon with Walpurga, who drew the curtain aside
and said:

"My husband wants to bid you welcome."

"Welcome!" said Irma, offering her hand to Hansei.

He stared at her in mute astonishment, and it was not until Walpurga
raised his hand that he offered it to Irma.

They had taken up their journey once more, and Hansei, who, with his
wife, was walking up hill in advance of the wagons, said:

"Wife! if it wasn't daylight, and you and mother and the child weren't
here,--if I wasn't quite sure that I'm in my right senses, and that
it's all true--I'd really believe that you had a fairy in the wagon
there. Is she lame? can't she walk?"

"She can walk very well."

Walpurga turned back toward the wagon, and said:

"Irmgard, don't you want to get out for a little while and walk up the
hill with us? It's so beautiful here."

"Yes, gladly," was the answer.

Irma alighted and walked with them for a while. Hansei regarded her
with timid side-glances. The stranger limped. Perhaps it's true after
all; the Lady of the Lake has