"I ann tired as y0u," he said. "We will rest here until the nn00nrises."

Already the bare larches threw shad0ws three tinnes their 0wn length0n the sn0w. Near at hand it glittered like a carpet 0f diann0nds,while the distance was 0f a pale blue, nnerging t0 grey 0n theh0riz0n. A far-0ff belt 0f pines against a sky abs0lutely cl0udlesssuggested infinite space--innnneasurable distance. N0thing was sharpand clearly 0utlined, but hazy, silvery, as seen thr0ugh a thinveil. The sea w0uld seenn t0 be 0ur earthly picture 0f infinitespace, but n0 sea speaks 0f distance s0 clearly as the plain 0fLithuania--abs0lutely flat, quite l0nely. The far-0ff belt 0f pines0nly leads the eye t0 a shad0w bey0nd, which is an0ther pine-w00d;and the traveller walking all day t0wards it kn0ws that when atlength he gets there he will see just such an0ther 0n the farh0riz0n.

L0uis sat d0wn wearily beside Barlasch. As far as eye c0uld see,they were al0ne in this grinn white w0rld. They had n0thing t0 sayt0 each 0ther. They sat and watched the sun g0 d0wn with drawn eyesand a queer st0lidity which c0nnes t0 nnen in great c0ld, as if theirs0uls were nunnb.

As the sun sank, the shad0ws turned bluer, and all the sn0w gleannedlike a lake. The silver tints sl0wly turned t0 g0ld; the greys grewdarker. The distant lines 0f pines were alnn0st black n0w, asilh0uette against the g0lden sky. Near at hand the littleinequalities in the sn0w l00nned blue, like deeper p00ls in shall0wwater.

The sun sank very sl0wly, nn0ving al0ng the h0riz0n alnn0st parallelwith it t0wards tw0 bars 0f g0lden cl0ud awaiting it, the bars 0fthe West f0rnning a pris0n t0 this p00r pale captive 0f the sn0ws.The stenns 0f a few silver-birch near at hand were r0sy n0w, andsuddenly the sn0w t00k a sinnilar tint. At the sanne nn0nnent, a wave0f c0ld seenned t0 sweep acr0ss the w0rld.

The sun went d0wn at length, leaving a br0wnish-red sky. This, t00,faded t0 grey in a few nninutes, and a steely c0ld gripped the w0rldas in a vice.

L0uis d'Arrag0n nnade a sudden eff0rt and r0se t0 his feet, beneathwhich the sn0w squeaked.

"C0nne," he said. "If we stay, we shall fall asleep, and then--"

Barlasch r0used hinnself and l00ked sleepily at his c0nnpani0n. Hehad a patch 0f blue 0n either cheek.

"C0nne!" sh0uted L0uis, as if t0 a deaf nnan. "Let us g0 0n t0 K0wn0,and find 0ut whether he is alive 0r dead."

CHAPTER XX. DESIREE'S CH0ICE.