That night there was trouble and sorrow for good Mother Grougans and
for Carla and Alween. As soon as daylight came they went forth to
search for Sister Indra; but, though they scoured the forest far and
wide, not a trace of her could be found, and at last they were forced
to give their dear one up as lost.

Now as the two sisters Carla and Alween gathered berries in the forest
one day not long after, Carla, in her eagerness to fill her pail with
the biggest berries, strayed away just as her sister Indra had done.
Alween was forced to return home alone, and it happened with Carla just
as it had with her elder sister. She followed the light that shone
from the cottage window, knocked at the door, entered, and saw the old
man sitting and the animals lying by the fire. She too begged for food
and a bed in which to sleep.

Turning to the animals the old man said,--

"My cock, my hen,
My brindled cow,
What say you now?
What say you now?"

The cock, the hen, and the brindled cow all opened their mouths and
called out together,--

"Oh, let her stay!
We'll not say nay."

Then the old man sent Carla to prepare supper. Just as her sister had
done, she cooked and ate and gave not so much as a glance or a thought