It snowed in September.  
It had been noticeable, even in August, how the days drew in and darkened, how the nights and deepened. The wood all at once grew still and dumb; it seemed as though it were . The air grew cold, and the river became locked in ice. The was slow and lingering, its deepening shadows turning the snow and ice on the river to a keen, frosty blue.
 
Through the nights rang the loud, strange, fierce of the as they mated; the walls shook, and the hills re-echoed with their terrible roar.
 
Marina was with child in the autumn.
 
One night she woke before dawn. The room was from the heat of the stove, and she could smell the bear. There was a faint of dawn, and the dark walls showed the window frames in a blue outline. Somewhere close by an old was bellowing: you could tell it was old by the , notes of its hollow cries.
 
Marina sat up in bed. Her head swam, and she felt . The bear lay beside her; he was already awake and was watching her. His eyes shone with quiet, greenish lights; from outside, the thin light crept into the room through little .
 
Again Marina felt the , and her head sw............