be an apple of discord in the house, and a Winter like this they had
never experienced. Often Sami had to endure many hard words and
undeserved punishment. On such evenings he remained sleepless for a long
time sitting on his bed.

Then he would rack his brains as to how it could happen so, since his
grandmother had told him that if he was God-fearing everything would
happen for the best. That he should be so scolded and badly treated was
not the best for him. He really wanted to be God-fearing and not forget
that the dear Lord saw and heard everything. But Sami was still very
young and could not know, what he later knew, that it is good for
everyone if he learns early in life to bear hardship. Then when the evil
days, which none escape, come again later on, he can cope with them
bravely, because he knows them already and his strength has become
hardened; and when the good days come he can enjoy them as no one else
can who has never tasted the bad ones.

At this time Sami knew nothing about this and almost never went to sleep
without tears; indeed, he often wondered whether the birds were still
calling up in the ash-trees: "Only trust in the dear Lord!" and if it
were still true that everything would come out right. The only comfort
for him was that his grandmother had told him so positively, and he held
fast to that.

It was a long, hard Winter. The snow lay so deep and immovable on the
meadows and trees, that Sami often asked with anxiety in his heart, if it
would ever entirely disappear, so that the meadows would be green
again, and the flowers become alive. It was already April, and the cold
white covering of snow still lay all around. Then a warm wind from the
South blew all one night into the valley, and when on the next day a very