"Is He thy Saviour, little one?" asked Gerhardt. "I don't know what you mean," was the answer. "O Derette! you know well enough that our Lord is called the Saviour!" corrected her sister in rather a shocked tone. "I know that, but I don't know what it means," persisted the child sturdily. "Come, be quiet!" said her mother. "I never did see such a child for wanting to get to the bottom of things.--Well, Romund! Folks that want supper should come in time for it. All's done and put by now." "I have had my supper at the Lodge," responded a tall young man of twenty-two, who had just entered. "Who are those people?" His mother gave the required explanation. Romund looked rather doubtfully at the guests. Gerhardt, seeing that this was the master of the house, at least under present circumstances, rose, and respectfully raising his cap, apologised for their presence. "What can you do?" inquired Romund shortly. "My trade is weaving," replied Gerhardt, "but I can stack wood or cut it, put up shelves, milk cows, or attend to a garden. I shall be glad to do any thing in my power." "You may nail up the vine over the back door," said Romund, "and I dare say my mother can find you some shelves and hooks to put up. The women can cook and sew. You may stay for a few days, at any rate." Gerhardt expressed his thanks, and Romund, disappearing outside the back door, returned with some pieces of wood and tools, which he laid down on the form. He was trying to carve a wooden box with a pattern of oak leaves, but he had not progressed far, and his attempts were not of the first order. Haimet noticed Gerhardt's interested glance cast on his brother's work. "Is that any thing in your line?" he asked with a smile. "I have done a little in that way," replied Gerhardt modestly. "May I examine it?" he asked of Romund. The young carver nodded, and Gerhardt took up the box. "This is an easy pattern," he said. "Easy, do you call it?" replied Romund. "It is the hardest I have done yet. Those little round inside bits are so difficult to manage." "May I try?" asked Gerhardt. It was not very willingly that Romund gave permission, for he almost expected the spoiling of his work: but the carving-tool had not made more than a few cuts in the German's fingers, before Romund saw that his guest was a master in the art. The work so laborious and difficult to him seemed to do itself when Gerhardt took hold of it. "Why, you are a first-class hand at it!" he cried. Gerhardt smiled. "I have done the like before, in my own country," he said. "Will you teach me your way of working?" asked Romund eagerly. "I never had any body to teach me. I should be as glad as could be to learn of one that really knew." "Gladly," said Gerhardt. "It will give me pleasure to do any thing for the friends who have been so kind to me."