the cold, still atmosphere and peaceful sunshine, touched her heart
with a sense of quiet but pure happiness, and half unconsciously she
began a hymn which her grandfather often sang over his anvil:

"Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear
My voice ascending high;
To Thee will I direct my prayer,
To Thee lift up mine eye."

Ere the first verse was ended, the clatter of a horse's hoofs hushed
her song, and she glanced up as a harsh voice asked impatiently:

"Are you stone deaf? I say, is there a blacksmith's shop near?"

The rider reined in his horse, a spirited, beautiful animal, and
waited for an answer.

"Yes, sir. There is a shop about half a mile ahead, on the right
hand side, where the road forks."

He just touched his hat with the end of his gloved fingers and
galloped on. When Edna reached the shop she saw her grandfather
examining the horse's shoes, while the stranger walked up and down
the road before the forge. He was a very tall, strong man, with a
gray shawl thrown over one shoulder, and a black fur hat drawn so
far over his face that only the lower portion was visible; and this,
swarthy and harsh, left a most disagreeable impression on the
child's mind as she passed him and went up to the spot where Mr.
Hunt was at work. Putting the bucket behind her, she stooped, kissed
him on his furrowed forehead, and said: