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Show 145 Chapter 22 "And so they dug through all the mud and rocks from the avalanche, thinking that they would find the children buried underneath," Hilde related in a somber voice, "it took them many days to reach the bottom, but the bodies were not there. Next they sent riders to every town for hundreds of miles around, only to learn that no one had seen Gast or the children." "I am so sorry," I whispered. "All the time I worried about the children and you." "It was awful for me, Albert," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "When they brought me home blind my mother screamed and went into a frenzy. The next day she was dead. After we buried her my father got drunk and he has stayed drunk ever since. When Father Antonius asked him if I could come here, my father said, 'Take her! How can I afford a dowry for a blind girl?'" Hilde's voice choked so that she could not go on talking. It was not the first time that she had told me the tale. During the weeks she had been at the convent she had told it to me many times, but each time it hurt her anew. Although she was still suffering in her heart, her health had grown more robust. As the early days of August grew hot and heavy, Hilde's cheeks filled out and colored like the ripening apples in the garden. Those weeks brought me much peace of mind. After Father Antonius told me that Father Johann did not detest me, but instead sent me his |