f us;
his wife took his arm.

CHAPTER VI.

We reached the edge of the wood, and then our party divided, keeping at
such a distance apart that we could see one another and everything
between us; we walked the whole length of the wood up and then took the
next section down, but slowly; for all the snow from the trees was now
spread over the old snow on the ground; in some places it was packed
down so hard that it bore our weight, but in other places we sank in to
our knees. When we assembled the next time, in order to disperse anew, I
inquired if after all it were likely that two small boys would have the
courage to remain in the wood after it had grown dark. But this
suggestion met with opposition from all. The boys were accustomed to be
busied in the wood the whole day long and in the evenings too; they had
other boys who constructed snow-men for them, forts and snow-houses, in
which they often sat with lights, after it was dark.

This naturally drew our thoughts to all these buildings, and the
possibility of the boys having taken refuge in one or other of them. But
no one knew where they were situated this year, as the snow had come so
recently. Moreover, they were in the habit of building now in one
place, now in another, and so nothing remained but to continue as
before.

It so happened that Stina walked next to me this time, and as we two
were in the ravine, and this was winding in some places, we were brought
close together, and had no locality to search. She was evidently in a
changed frame of mind. I asked her why this was.

"Oh," said she, "God has so plainly spoken to me. We are going to find
the boys! Now I know why all this has happened! Oh, I know so plainly!"

Her Madonna eyes glowed with a dreamy happiness; her pale, delicate face
wore an expression of ecstasy.

"What is it, Stina?"

"You were so hard toward me before. But I forgive you. Dear Lord, did
not I sin myself? Did not I doubt God? Did not I murmur against the
decrees of God? Oh, His ways are marvelous! I see it so plainly--so
plainly!"

"But what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Fru Atlung has for the last half year prayed God for
only one single thing. Yes, it is her way to do so. She learned it of
her father. Just for one single thing she has prayed, and we have
helped her. It is that the boys may not be separated from her; Atlung
has threatened to send them away. Had it not been for what has happened
this evening he would