Katie, had not forgotten him, but evinced the most lively satisfaction at
the sight of her dark friend.

Early every morning, Moodie went off to the house; and the first fine day,
my sister undertook to escort me through the wood, to inspect it. The
proposal was joyfully accepted; and although I felt _rather_ timid when I
found myself with only my female companion in the vast forest, I kept my
fears to myself, lest I should be laughed at. This foolish dread of
encountering wild beasts in the woods, I never could wholly shake off,
even after becoming a constant resident in their gloomy depths, and
accustomed to follow the forest-path, alone, or attended with little
children, daily. The cracking of an old bough, or the hooting of the owl,
was enough to fill me with alarm, and try my strength in a precipitate
flight. Often have I stopped and reproached myself for want of faith in
the goodness of Providence, and repeated the text, "The wicked are afraid
when no man pursueth: but the righteous are as bold as a lion," as if to
shame myself into courage. But it would not do; I could not overcome the
weakness of the flesh. If I had one of my infants with me, the wish to
protect the child from any danger which might beset my path gave me for a
time a fictitious courage; but it was like love fighting with despair.

It was in vain that my husband assured me that no person had ever been
attacked by wild animals in the woods, that a child might traverse them
even at night in safety; whilst I knew that wild animals existed in those
woods, I could not believe him, and my fears on this head rather increased
than diminished.

The snow had been so greatly decreased by the late thaw, that it had been
converted into a coating of ice, which afforded a dangerous and slippery
footing. My sister, who had resided for nearly twelve months in the woods,