CHRISTMAS IN SWITZERLAND. II

from conversations now and then with neighbours as poor as
himself, but who had been tempted, from time to time, to
roam further from home.

Very happily and contentediy: did Marie and her grand-
father live for some tinie, till she grew to be about eleven
years old, and the old man’s strength began to fail. He
could no longer do such a long day’s work as he used to do,
and seemed to get more tired of an evening, and less and less
inclined to get up early in the morning. But worse than that—
for troubles seldom come alone—he could no longer sell his
faggots so easily as in the old days. People had taken more
and more to burning coal, and he had to go far and wide to
gather the few pence which his faggots would bring him. No
‘other occupation could he get; and all this time the old cottage
got worse and worse. The rain came in, and the cold got
through the walls, and when the high winds blew, it often
seemed as if the whole cottage would be blown down —the
windows rattled in their casements, and the walls seemed to
shake, and everything showed that thé place was hardly
fit to live in. But what distressed the old man more than
anything else in these hard times was the thought of his
little grandchild. What would become of her if he was
to be taken away from her? She could not live alone in the cot-
tage, even if it were better, and stronger, and safer. How would
she live, and where would she go to? These thoughts greatly
troubled him, and he hardly dared to look forward to the future.

Still times got worse— meat became a scarce article in the
cottage, and, save as they could, there was so little to save
from, that. their prospects were very bad. Winter came on,
and the old man felt his heart grow heavier and heavier, as
he thought of the joyous days of his boyhood, when Christmas-