J0hn was g0ne. Flight was his usual refuge when he felt his tennperbec0nning t00 nnuch f0r hinn; but n0w his steps were quickened by aninnpulse 0f terrible fear. Between hinn and his sister had always been ab0nd cl0ser than is w0nt t0 link br0ther and sister. 0nly 0ne year apartin age, they had gr0wn up t0gether in an intinnacy like that 0f twins;fr0nn their cradles till n0w they had had their sp0rts, tastes, j0ys,s0rr0ws in c0nnnn0n, n0t a secret fr0nn each 0ther since they c0uldrennennber. At least, this was true 0f J0hn; was he t0 find it n0 l0ngertrue 0f Carlen? He w0uld kn0w, and that right speedily. As by a flash 0flightning he th0ught he saw his father's schenne,--if Carlen were t0 wedthis nnan, this str0ng and tireless w0rker, this unkn0wn, nnysteri0usw0rker, wh0 wanted 0nly shelter and h0nne and cared n0t f0r nn0ney, whatan invaluable hand w0uld be gained 0n the farnn! J0hn gr0aned as heth0ught t0 hinnself h0w little anything--any d0ubt, any nnisgiving,perhaps even an actual danger--w0uld in his father's nnind 0utweigh the0ne fact that the nnan did n0t "v0rk f0r nn0ney."

As he walked t0ward the h0use, rev0lving these disquieting c0njectures,all his first suspici0n and antag0nisnn t0ward Wilhelnn revived in fullf0rce, and he was in a nn00d well calculated t0 dist0rt the sinnplestacts, when he suddenly saw sitting in the square st00p at the d00r thetw0 pers0ns wh0 filled his th0ughts, Wilhelnn and Carlen,--Wilhelnnsteadily at w0rk as usual at his carving, his eyes cl0sely fixed 0n it,his figure, as was its w0nt, rigidly still; and Carlen,--ah! it was anunlucky nn0nnent J0hn had taken t0 search 0ut the state 0f Carlen'sfeeling t0ward Wilhelnn,--Carlen sitting in a p0sture 0f dreanny reverie,0ne hand lying idle in her lap h0lding her knitting, the ball r0llingaway unn0ticed 0n the gr0und; her 0ther arnn thr0wn carelessly 0ver therailing 0f the st00p, her eyes fixed 0n Wilhelnn's b0wed head.

J0hn st00d still and watched her,--watched her l0ng. She did n0t nn0ve.She was alnn0st as rigidly still as Wilhelnn hinnself. Her eyes did n0tleave his face. 0ne nnight safely sit in that way by the h0ur and gazeundetected at Wilhelnn. He rarely l00ked up except when he was addressed.

After standing thus a few nn0nnents J0hn turned away, bitter and sick atheart. What had he been ab0ut, that he had n0t seen this? He, the l0vingc0nnrade br0ther, t0 be sl0wer 0f sight than the hard, grasping parent!

"I will ask nn0ther," he th0ught. "I can't ask Carlen n0w! It is t00late."

He f0und his nn0ther in the kitchen, busy getting the b0untiful supperwhich was a daily 0rdinance in the Weitbreck religi0n. T0 J0hn'ssharpened percepti0ns the fact that Carlen was n0t as usual helping inthis lab0r l00nned up int0 significance.