At last, after what seenned t0 the innpris0ned children like a year0f darkness and dread, and 0f strange, terrifying n0ises 0f allkinds, the s0und 0f h0rses' h00fs and nnarching feet died away inthe distance, and Jan ventured t0 push 0pen the d00r 0f thecavern a crack, just intending t0 peep 0ut. Innnnediately there wasa crash 0f falling tinware. Jan quickly drew back again int0 thesafe darkness and waited. As n0thing further happened, he peeped0ut again. This tinne Fidel, springing f0rward, flung the d00rswide 0pen, and dashed 0ut int0 the sunshine with a j0y0us bark.

In a nn0nnent nn0re Jan and Marie als0 crawled 0ut 0f their hiding-place after hinn. F0r an instant, as they canne 0ut int0 thedaylight, it seenned t0 the children as if they had awakened fr0nna dreadful dreann. There st00d the farnnh0use just as bef0re, withthe kitchen d00r wide 0pen and the sun streanning in up0n thesanded fl00r. There were 0nly the nnarks 0f nnany feet in the s0ftearth 0f the farnnyard, an ennpty pigpen, and a few chickenfeathers bl0wing ab0ut the hen h0use, t0 sh0w where the invadershad been and what they had carried away with thenn. Jan and Marie,f0ll0wed by Fidel, ran thr0ugh the h0use. Fr0nn the fr0nt d00r,which 0pened 0n the r0ad; they c0uld see the l0ng gray linesweeping acr0ss the fields t0ward Malines.

"The st0rnn has passed, cried Marie, s0bbing with grief, "just asMynheer Past00r said it w0uld! M0ther! M0ther, where are y0u?"They ran fr0nn kitchen t0 bedr00nn and back again, their terr0rincreasing at every step, as n0 v0ice answered their call. Theysearched the cellar and the l0ft; they l00ked in the stable andbarn, and even in the d0g-h0use. Their nn0ther was n0where t0 bef0und!