Sandu lingered over his letter. When he went indoors the mistress could not resist having one or two hits at him. But Sandu scarcely understood her; his mother thanked him with all her heart, and he was so full of joy that even had the mistress struck him he would have felt nothing of it. He ate of the food, but he could not have told if he were satisfied or hungry when he got up from the table, and he worked like a nigger till the evening. In bed, with his hands beneath his head, many thoughts crossed his mind. Three years had passed since last he saw his mother. He had often longed for her when he was in the army, but only from time to time had he received news of her. He had left her old and poor. "And longing for me will have aged her a great deal more," he said to himself, and his heart was heavy when he thought he could not go to see her. "How good it would be if I could go and see her at Christmas! In the meantime I must send more money to give her pleasure and console her." And he fancied how she would cry with joy when she got the money, and how she would pray God to lengthen his life and give him success and happiness. And he seemed to feel himself close to her, and he seemed to hear the whisper of sweet comforting words. Wrapped in such thoughts as these he fell asleep. The next day God sent glorious weather, and Sandu beat the skins carefully and often that they might dry quickly. But no matter what trouble he and the other men took, the skins would not dry, and Master Dinu could not begin the cutting out till next day; the cutting out and trimming goes quickly when one has everything close at hand, and some one to help one, and Master Dinu began to cut out and to trim. But the damping, oiling, thickening and sewing of the sandals and straps was difficult and tedious. There being great need of haste, Master Dinu told his wife to call Ana, their daughter, that she might help to damp the sandals. The mistress, who was holding the skins to make it easier for Dinu to cut out the straps, and trim them after cutting out, put her hands on her hips and looked at her husband. "What, my Ana damp the sandals?" At his wife's words Master Dinu stayed the knife in the middle of the skin. "She is not a smart lady, is she, and you are not going to marry her to some grandee? There is no disgrace to her in coming to give a little help." His wife lost her temper. Her daughter damp sandals! Her daughter associate with the men! Her daughter, who had gone to school to the nuns for so many years! Her daughter, who knew how to sew so beautifully! Her daughter, who was friends with the niece of one important person, and the inseparable companion of the daughters of another! Her daughter to handle the sandals and make her fingers smell of bark! "You ought to be ashamed of yourself," she said, hoarse with anger, "even if you do not know how to behave properly, you need not insult your daughter." "Insult?" questioned Master Dinu.