THE TWELVE MONTHS 27

is it of yours?’ she replied disdainfully, turning her back on
the fire and going towards the forest.

The great Setchéne frowned, and waved his wand over his
head. Instantly the sky became covered with clouds, the
fire went down, snow fell in large flakes, an icy wind howled
round the mountain. Amid the fury of the storm Helen
added curses against her step-sister. The pelisse failed to
warm her benumbed limbs. The mother kept on waiting
for her; she looked from the window, she watched from
the doorstep, but her daughter came not. The hours passed
slowly, but Helen did not return.

“Can it be that the apples have charmed her from her
home?” thought the mother. Then she clad herself in hood
and pelisse and went in search of her daughter. Snow fell
in huge masses; it covered all things, it lay untouched by
human footsteps. For long she wandered hither and thither ;
the icy north-east wind whistled in the mountain, but no
voice answered her cries.

Day after day Marouckla worked and prayed, and waited ;
but neither stepmother nor sister returned, they had been
frozen to death on the mountain. The inheritance of a
small house, a field, and a cow fell to Marouckla. In course
of time an honest farmer came to share them with her, and
their lives were happy and peaceful.