world, and in the morning one could scarcely recog-
nize a feature of the landscape. All the roads were
hidden, not a single landmark was visible, only a
waste of snow with trees rising out of it.

In the evening a wind from the northeast sprang
up, and the flakes rushed hither and thither in
furious mêlée. Around the great fire we sat and
told merry tales, and frolicked, and quite forgot that
we were in the midst of a desolate solitude, shut in
from all communication with the outside world.
But during the night the fury of the wind increased
to such a degree that it thrilled us with a vague
terror. The rafters creaked and strained, and the
branches of the trees surrounding the house rattled
and beat against the windows, as the winds rioted up
and down the country.

On the third day after the beginning of the storm
the snow ceased. The sun broke through the clouds
and shone upon a vast, undulating white plain.
High mounds, pyramids heaped in fantastic shapes,
and impenetrable drifts lay scatttered in every
direction.

Narrow paths were shoveled through the drifts.
I put on my cloak and hood and went out. The
air stung my cheeks like fire. Half walking in the
paths, half working our way through the lesser
drifts, we succeeded in reaching a pine grove just
outside a broad pasture. The trees stood motion-
less and white like figures in a marble frieze. There
was no odour of pine-needles. The rays of the sun
fell upon the trees, so that the twigs sparkled like
diamonds and dropped in showers when we touched
them. So dazzling was the light, it penetrated even
the darkness that veils my eyes.

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