They had been very happy all these years , but they would have been happier still if they had had any children ; but old though they were they had never made up their minds to do without them , and often they would sit over the fire and talk of how they would have brought up their children if only some had come to their house . One day the old man seemed sadder and more thoughtful than was common with him , and at last he said to his wife : ` Listen to me , old woman ! ' ` What do you want ? ' asked she . ` Get me some money out of the chest , for I am going a long journey -- all through the world -- to see if I can not find a child , for my heart aches to think that after I am dead my house will fall into the hands of a stranger . And this let me tell you : that if I never find a child I shall not come home again . ' Then the old man took a bag and filled it with food and money , and throwing it over his shoulders , bade his wife farewell . For long he wandered , and wandered , and wandered , but no child did he see ; and one morning his wanderings led him to a forest which was so thick with trees that no light could pass through the branches . The old man stopped when he saw this dreadful place , and at first was afraid to go in ; but he remembered that , after all , as the proverb says : ` It is the unexpected that happens , ' and perhaps in the midst of this black spot he might find the child he was seeking . So summoning up all his courage he plunged boldly in . How long he might have been walking there he never could have told you , when at last he reached the mouth of a cave where the darkness seemed a hundred times darker than the wood itself . Again he paused , but he felt as if something was driving him to enter , and with a beating heart he stepped in . For some minutes the silence and darkness so appalled him that he stood where he was , not daring to advance one step . Then he made a great effort and went on a few paces , and suddenly , far before him , he saw the glimmer of a light . This put new heart into him , and he directed his steps straight towards the faint rays , till he could see , sitting by it , an old hermit , with a long white beard . The hermit either did not hear the approach of his visitor , or pretended not to do so , for he took no notice , and continued to read his book . After waiting patiently for a little while , the old man fell on his knees , and said : ` Good morning , holy father ! ' But he might as well have spoken to the rock . ` Good morning , holy father , ' he said again , a little louder than before , and this time the hermit made a sign to him to come nearer . ` My son , ' whispered he , in a voice that echoed through the cavern , ` what brings you to this dark and dismal place ?
Hundreds of years have passed since my eyes have rested XXXXX the face of a man , and I did not think to look on one again . '
at before by for in into on than though through