gs; you
sang together"--

"He was under father's influence then. Besides, I think he was not quite
clear in his own mind at that time. The change came gradually."

"I saw some books, that are now placed behind the others."

"Yes, Albert has changed."

She sat motionless, as she gave this answer, except that her finger
continued its play on the under lip.

"But who, then, attends to the education of the children?" asked I.

Now she turned half toward me. I thought for a while that she did not
intend to answer but after a long time she did speak.

"No one," said she.

"No one?"

"Albert prefers to have it so for the present."

"But, my dear lady, if no one teaches them, at least one thing or
another is told to them?"

"Yes, there is no objection to that; and it is usually Stina who talks
with them."

"And so it is left entirely to chance?"

She had turned from me, and sat in her former attitude.

"Entirely to chance," she replied, in a tone that was almost one of
indifference.

I briefly related to her what Stina had told the boys about the life
beyond the grave, about angels, etc., and I inquired if she approved of
this.

She turned her face toward me. "Yes; why not?" said she. Her great eyes
viewed me so innocently; but as I did not answer immediately the blood
slowly coursed up into her face.

"If anything of the kind is to be told to them," said she, "it must be
something that will take hold of their childish imaginations."

"It confuses the reality for them, my dear lady, and _that_ is the same
thing as to disturb the development of their faculties."

"Make them stupid, do you mean?"

"Well, if not exactly stupid, it would at least hinder them from using
their faculties rightly."

"I do not understand you."

"When you teach children that life here below is nothing to the life
above, that to be visible is nothing in comparison to being invisible,
that to be a human being is far inferior to being an angel, that to live
is not by any means equal to being dead, _is that_ the way to teach them
to view life properly, or to love life, to gain courage for life, vigor
for work, and patriotism?"

"Ah, in that way! Why, _that_ is our duty to them later."

"Later, my dear lady? After all this dust has settled upon their souls?"

She turned away from me, assumed her old position, stared fixedly at the
ceiling, and became absorbed in thought.

"Why do you use the word dust?" she began presently.