It was one of those times that she
only passed through by her faculty of attending only to present
needs, and the physical strength and activity that seemed
inexhaustible as long as she had anything to do, and which alone
alleviated the despair within her heart.
Meantime John found the rock slippery, the path heavy, and his young
guide a drag on him. The path through the fir woods which had been
so delightful two days (could it be only two days?) ago, was now a
baffling, wearisome zigzag; yet when he tried to cut across,
regardless of the voice of his guide, he found he lost time, for he
had to clamber, once fell and rolled some distance, happily with no
damage as he found when he picked himself up, and plodded on again,
without even stopping to shake himself.
At last came an opening where he could see down into the Kandersteg
valley. There was the hotel in clear sunshine, looking only too like
a house in a German box of toys, and alas! there was also a toy
carriage coming round to the front!
Like the little foot-page of old ballads, John "let down his feet and
ran," ran determinately on, down the now less precipitous slope-—ran
till he was beyond the trees, with the summer sun beating down on
him, and in sight of figures coming out from the hotel to the
carriage.
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