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At last Eleseus gives over thinking of his own affairs and his own precious self enough to ask: "What you driving down for today?" "H'm," says his father. "'Twas nothing much today." But then, after all, Eleseus was going away; no harm, perhaps, in telling him. "'Tis blacksmith's girl, Jensine, I'm going down for," says his father; ay, he admits so much. "And you're going down yourself for that?
Isak was not going to have another summer like that; he decided without any fuss that Jensine should come back again if she could be got. Inger, too, had no longer a word against it; she had come to her senses again, and said: "Ay, do as you think best." Ay, Inger was grown reasonable now; 'tis no little thing to come to one's senses again after a spell.
Did the two menfolk imagine the child was blind? Ay, young folk were young folk as they had ever been, thirty, forty years ago, but worse than ever now. "Why, that's as it may be," said Isak, when they spoke of the matter. "But here's the spring come, and Jensine gone, and who's to manage the summer work?" "Leopoldine and I can do the haymaking," said Inger.
You thinking of leaving us, then?" "Why, they'll be wanting me home some time, I doubt," says she. "Ptro!" says Sivert, stopping his horse. "Like me to drive back with you now, perhaps?" Jensine looks at him; he is pale as death. "No," says she. And a little after she begins to cry. Rebecca looks in surprise from one to the other.
"You might ask him what he says." The father made an end of the matter thus: "Well, there's another day, and we haven't found that door-slab yet, either." Next day was Saturday, and they had to be off early to get across the hills with the child. Jensine, the servant-girl, was to go with them; that was one godmother, the rest they would have to find from among Inger's folk on the other side.
When Jensine and little Rebecca were seated up in the cart again, says the smith's wife to her daughter: "Well, good-bye, Jensine; we'll be wanting you home again soon." And that could be taken two ways, thought Sivert, but he said nothing. If the speech had been more direct, more plain and outspoken, he might perhaps ... He waits, with puckered brows, but no more is said.
And they harnessed up, and Rebecca had the maid Jensine to look after her on the way, and Sivert said never a word against that either. While they are away, it so happens that Aronsen's man, his chief clerk, from Storborg, comes up the road. What does this mean?
Oh, but little Rebecca was a good one to have on a journey like that; she took Jensine's part and patted her and made her smile again. And when little Rebecca looked threateningly at her brother and said she was going to jump down and find a big stick to beat him, Sivert had to smile too. "But what did you mean, now, I'd like to know?" says Jensine.
Sivert answered straight out at once: "I meant, if you don't care to stay with us, why, we must manage without." And a long while after, said Jensine: "Well, there's Leopoldine, she's big now, and fit and all to do my work, seems." Ay, 'twas a sorrowful journey. A man walks up the way through the hills.
"Ay, I'd rather go raking night and day myself," said she bitterly, and on the point of crying. Isak could not understand what there was to make such a fuss about; but he had his own ideas, no doubt, and off he went to the edge of the wood, with crowbar and pick, and fell to working at a stone. Nay, indeed, Isak could not see why Jensine should have left them; a good girl, and a worker.
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