When the next moment they kneeled before God, the man and the boy, there was great joy in heaven that again a sinner had received the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because to those who receive Him, to them gave He power to be the sons of God.  Thus the angels wrote His name in the Lamb’s book of Life.  They wrote that Peter Filina believed, and that Jesus of Nazareth took his heavy burden of sin upon His cross, there suffered for him the penalty of death, and thus it was that Filina was forgiven all, and received the Son of God for ever and ever.  So for the first time Filina prayed with his whole heart to God as his Father.  He thanked the Lamb of God for His death, and thanked Him also for Palko whom He had sent to those mountains.

When they were done, the boy sighed deeply.  Said he, “Since I am finished with you, I don’t have to ask the Lord Jesus any more for you, but can ask so much better for Ondrejko’s mother.  Surely He will grant to me that she will soon accept Him too.”

They went together a little way, but Bacha turned to the clearings and Palko ran back again to the hut at the sheepfold.  On the way, he sang until the echo rang everywhere.

There was much stirring in the hut that afternoon.  The boys cleaned and arranged everything so that no particle of dust could be found anywhere.  They brought flowers to Ondrejko that he might braid a chain of them.  It was a very long one.  Bacha himself afterwards draped it over the door.

“Well, it is time for me to go,” announced Palko.  “Ondrejko, come with me part of the way.  I saw some nice flowers not far away and you can pick them.  These we will place on the table afterwards.”

“Verily it is time that you go,” agreed Bacha, “and go together.”

Ondrejko obeyed very gladly.  Merrily the boys went into the woods and soon found the flowers they wanted.

“Let us sit down a while,” said Palko when they had picked the flowers and placed them in the nearby spring.  “I would like to tell you something.  Do you remember anything about your mother?”

“About my mother?” said the surprised Ondrejko.  That kind of question he did not expect.  “I remember but a little, that she was very beautiful, and had a very fine voice.”

“And if she suddenly came for you, would you be glad?”

“For me?” and the boy’s beautiful eyes opened wide.  “She cannot come for me any more, because I do not belong to her, but to father.”

“And what did the lady where you lived formerly tell you about her?”

“That she left father and me because she loved the theatre more than us, and because sometimes the people hitched themselves to wagons instead of horses, and gave her beautiful jewels.”

“And you believed it?” retorted Palko, with clouded face.

“No, I did not believe it, because I loved her, loved her very much.”