Alexander fell silent for a moment and looked around.
“…Did I ever tell you how he ended up here?” he said inquisitively. I looked at him, urging him to continue the explanation. I noticed that he was holding his ears very straight over his head, which gave his expression an attentive and severe air. For less than a second I thought he was going to talk to me about the incidents in Alaska and how he had escaped and survived with the children in the snow for two weeks, but it was not so: “I knew exactly where I was going. I had been following the smoke from your chimney since before the sawmill. We crossed the river by another bridge, but still… I was heading straight to you. As soon as I knew I would not be able to take another step, I told Andre to find the house and ask for help, no mat
