who even herself to forget much of her own native tongue and who herself to what he would have said was uncertain as at that moment he was nearly thrown down by a something that slipped between his legs each fat calf as it passed � a something that looked like a ball but proved to be a human creature � no other than the crazy who after his uncouth successfully stood up shaking back his streaming fair locks and laughing wildly ha ha he exclaimed that was good that was clever if i had upset you now you would have said your prayers backward what are you here for this is no place for you they are all gone out of it s has gone � all the world is empty there is nothing anywhere but air air air � no birds no flowers no trees no sunshine all gone with her on the sparkling singing water and he swung his arms round violently and snapped his fingers in the minister s face what an ugly man you are he exclaimed with refreshing i think you are than i am you are straight � but you are like a load of � heavy and barren and fit to bum now i � i am the crooked bough of a tree but i have bright leaves where a bird hides and sings all day you � you have no song no foliage only ugly and barren and fit to burn he laughed heartily and catching sight of where she stood in the doorway entirely at his eccentric behaviour he went up to her and took hold of the corner of her apron take me in dear � pretty he said is hungry sweet little � come and talk to me and sing good bye fat man he added suddenly turning round once more on you will never overtake the big ship that has gone away with over the water will come back � yes but one day she will go never to come back he dropped his voice to a mysterious whisper last night saw a little spirit come out of a rose � he carried a tiny golden hammer and nail and a ball of cord like a up he flew away so quickly i could not follow him but i know where he went he fastened the nail in the heart of deeply so that the little drops of blood flowed � but she felt no pain and then he tied the gold cord to the nail and left her carrying the other end of the string with him � to whom some other heart must be pierced whose heart looked infinitely cunning as well as melancholy and sighed deeply the reverend mr was impatient and disgusted it is a pity he said with an air of solemn patience that this creature accursed of god and man is not placed in some proper abode suitable to the treatment of his affliction you the land of the midnight sun as the favoured servant of a � a � well let us say of a peculiar mistress should persuade her to send this � this � person away lest his become glanced very kindly at who still held her apron with the air of a child he s no more than you are she said promptly in answer to the minister s remark he s a good fellow and if he talks strangely he can make himself useful � which is more than can be said of certain people he can saw and chop the wood make hay feed the cattle pull a strong oar and sweep and keep the garden � can t you she laid her hand on s shoulder and he nodded his head emphatically as she his different talents and as for climbing � he can guide you anywhere over the hills or up the streams to the big � no one better and if you mean by peculiar � that my mistress is different to other people why i know she is and am glad of it � at any rate she s a great deal too kind hearted to shut this poor boy up in a house for he d die if he couldn t have the fresh air she paused out of breath with her rapid utterance and mr held up his hands in dignified astonishment you talk too young woman he said it is necessary that i should instruct you without loss of time as to how you should be of your words in the presence of your and bang the door was closed with a decision that sent a sharp echo through the silent heated air and mr was left to contemplate it at his leisure full of wrath he was about to knock and insist that it should be re opened but on second thoughts he decided that it was beneath his dignity to argue with a servant much less with a declared lunatic like � so he made the best of his way back to his boat thinking gloomily of the hard labour awaiting him in the long pull back to other thoughts too tortured and harassed his brain and as he again took the oars and plied them wearily through the water he was in an exceedingly humour though a he was no fool he knew the ways of men and women and he thoroughly realized the present position of affairs he was quite aware of s exceptional beauty � and he felt pretty certain that no man could look upon her without tion but up to this time she had been as it were secluded from all eyes � a few and were the only persons of the male sex who had ever been within the of s dwelling with the exception of himself � who being armed with a letter of introduction from the actual minister 