The bells began to peal and Freneli’s heart to beat loudly; her eyes grew fairly dim with dizziness.  The hostess brought her aromatic salts, rubbed her temples with something, and said, “You mustn’t take it so hard, girlie, we all have to go through with it.  But go now in God’s name; the pastor doesn’t wait long on a Friday; he’s a great one for hurrying.”

Uli took his Freneli by the hand and walked with her toward the church; solemnly the solemn peals echoed in their hearts; for the sexton rang the bells with all his skill, so that the clappers struck on both edges, and not as if they were lame, now on one edge, now on the other.  As they came to the churchyard, the grave-digger was just busy at a grave, and it was quiet about him; no sheep, no goat came and desecrated man’s last resting-place; for in this village the churchyard was no pasture for unclerical animals.

Suddenly an irresistible melancholy came over Freneli.  The venerable mound, the digging of the new grave, woke gloomly thoughts.  “That’s no good omen,” she whispered; “they are digging a grave for one of us.”

Before the church stood a baptismal party, one godmother holding a child on her arm.  “That means a child-bed for one of us,” whispered Uli, to comfort Freneli.

“Yes, that I’m to die in one,” she answered; “that I must leave my happiness for the cold grave.”

“Just remember,” said Uli, “that the dear God does everything and that we mustn’t be superstitious, but believing.  That our graves will be dug some day is certain; but that digging a grave means death to those who come along I never heard.  Just think how many people see a grave being dug; if all of them had to follow soon, think what a lot of deaths there’d be.”

“Oh, forgive me,” said Freneli; “but the more important a journey is the more alarmed the poor soul gets and wants to know what will be the outcome, and so takes every encounter as an omen, bad or good; do you remember when you did the like?”

Then Uli pressed her hand and said, “You’re right; but let us put our trust in God and not worry.  What He shall do to us, or give or take, is well done.”

They entered the church softly and hesitatingly; went separately to left and right; saw a child taken into the covenant of the Lord; thought how beautiful it was to be permitted to commend such a tender and feeble being, body and soul, to the especial care of its Saviour, and how great a load it must take from the parents’ breasts, when they received in the baptism the assurance that the Lord would be with them and let them feed the child with His spirit, as the mother fed it with her milk.  They joined very reverently in the prayers, and thought how seriously they would take it when they should have to promise as godparents to see to it that a child should be brought to the Lord.  The customary collect was lost upon them in the importance of the serious moment that came nearer and nearer.