un-answerable argument—pooh! pooh!
Sometimes the thoughts of that sweet spot of wood
and dell by the river-side came across the
minds of the young people, and they sighed as
they thought of the remote chance of seeing it
as they had once hoped. Now and then Janzs
thought of raising money upon it, to cultivate
a portion at least, and erect a small bungalow;
but a stranger to such proceedings, he fancied
the scheme was far too wild and visionary for
a clerk upon twenty rix-dollars a month to
entertain. Each time he sighed, and gave up
the idea.

Katrina had observed that her father had
of late been absent from the farm more
frequently, and for longer intervals, than was his
custom; and that, moreover, he smoked more
pipes and disposed of more schiedam during
the evening, under the mango-tree, than she
ever remembered him to have done at any
time of her life. This state of things lasted
for a few months. Janzs longed more ardently
than ever for emancipation; Katrina sighed
for a farm of their own, and the father plied
more potently at pipe and dram.

At length old Lourenz told his children that
he had a mind to go and see how their little
piece of land was looking, and if they would go
with him, perhaps they could contrive amongst
them all to plan something to be done with
it. No second bidding was needed. A large
covered canoe was prepared with cushions and
mats, and the party started on their visit,
taking with them Katrina's younger sister and
brother. It was near the end of January—of
all months the most agreeable in Ceylon; the
evening was so calm, and soft and fragrant;
the air appeared to be as though poured down
from some other and purer sphere, wafting
with it songs of rich melody, and scents of
rarest flowers. Nature seemed hushed and
wrapped in sweetest peace. The monsters of
the forests were at rest. The mountains far
away flung their deep, saddening shades o'er
many a league of plain: and even restless
man looked forth and felt subdued.

Their light and well-manned boat went boldly
up the stream, caring very little about the
huge trunks of trees that at this time of year
are met with in most Indian rivers, as thick
as pebbles in a mill-pond. Torn from their
birthplaces by inundations, they float down
the rapids; until, arrested in their course by
some trifling obstacle, they get embedded in
the course of the river. The topes and dells
and groves appeared to Katrina and her
husband more beautiful than ever on that soft
evening; and, had not their own loved spot
been before them, they would gladly have
landed a dozen times, to walk about and
admire the romantic scenery. At last a bend
of the river took them suddenly to where a
rising wood-clad field told of their little
domain.

But that could not be their land. Why, it
had a beautiful little bungalow on it, and one
of the sweetest gardens round it that could
be imagined; all fenced and quite complete.
There were outhouses, too, and a huge pile
of firewood, and a nice winding path right
down to the water's edge. Neither Katrina
nor her husband could at first believe that
they had not halted at the wrong spot: yet
there was the huge Jack tree at the landing-
place, and there were the yellow bamboos and
the green arekas by the little stream that
came tumbling down the hill-side like a child
at play. Well, they both declared they had
never seen such a fairy transformation: it was
like a story in some Arabian book—only a
great deal better; for it was all true, and
would not disappear at daylight, as many of
such things were said to do.

There was no end to the discoveries made
by Katrina and her sister, in their rambles
over the place; and though all was in a very
primitive form, there was the foundation for a
thousand comforts, and as many pleasures
besides. Old Lorenz seated himself very quietly
under a huge bread-fruit tree, and enjoyed his
pipe and the contemplation of the happiness
he had stealthily bestowed. Labour costs but
little in the East; and most of the materials
for the building had been found on the spot.
Houses are seldom built of brick in Ceylon,
even for government use. The best are usually
made of "Cabook," a ferruginous clay easily
cut from the hill-sides. It is quite soft when
found; but quickly hardens on exposure to
the air; and in time becomes more solid and
enduring than any cement. Much of the
work had been performed by the neighbouring
villagers, for a little rice or tobacco; so that
a great deal had been done for a very little
outlay. It seemed, however, to Janzs, as
though a little fortune must have been spent
upon their land, and he was altogether lost
in the contemplation of so much valuable
property.

The following week saw them in actual
possession, and Janzs taking lessons in farming
from Katrina; who assured him that if
he worked hard enough, and lived long
enough, he would make an excellent
cultivator. By small degrees, and with many
kindly helps from friends and relations, the
young couple found they had a tolerable
establishment growing up in their charge. The
clerk, at the risk of blistering his hands, toiled
in the open air, morning and evening, whilst
Katrina overlooked a brace of coolies, who
laboured through the heat of the day. It
was quite wonderful to see how things grew
and prospered round and about them. No
one in the district of Galle produced such
delicious plantains as they grew; their poultry
was allowed to be remarkably the finest in the
valley; their butter the sweetest in the
province, and as to bees, none thrived so well as
did those of Katrina. What was better still,
Janzs had, about this time, an increase to his
salary of five rix-dollars a month; so that, on
the whole, it might, with truth, be said that
they prospered; and indeed they deserved to