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He had begun his mowing and haymaking all alone again; Barbro could judge for herself how awkward it was for him now. Ay, Barbro understood. On the other hand, it was Barbro herself that had run away and left him before, without a soul to help him, he can't forget that. And taken her rings with her into the bargain.
Barbro had been in the village as a child; she knew all the village folk from the days when she had played there, gone to school there, kissed the lads there, and joined in many games with stones and shells. Bearable enough for a month or so. But then Fru Heyerdahl had begun to be even more careful about her, and when the Christmas festivities began, she was strict.
Oh, but it was pleasant to find oneself appreciated here in the wilds! "Why, I'm afraid my hands aren't much good at that sort of work," said Eleseus delicately. "Let me look," said Barbro, and took his hand. Axel dropped out of the conversation again, and went out, leaving the two of them alone.
'Twas no sorrow to Axel nor Barbro to bury her, and be quit of her for ever; there was less to be on their guard against now, they could be at rest. Barbro is having trouble with her teeth again; save for that, all is well.
"Slipped, did you?" "Yes, and the child came before I could get out." "H'm," said he. "But you took the bit of wrapping with you before you went out was that in case you should happen to fall in?" "Wrapping?" said she again. "A bit of white rag one of my shirts you'd cut half across." "Ay," said Barbro, "'twas a bit of rag I took with me to carry back juniper twigs in." "Juniper twigs?" "Yes.
And when the coffee is ready and her guests are drinking, she sews a little to begin with on a white cloth, and then does a little crochet-work with a collar of some sort, and so with all manner of maidenly tasks. Barbro is not put out by their visit, and all the better; they can talk naturally, and Eleseus can be all on the surface again, young and witty as he pleases.
And if it had not been for sheer ill-luck, Barbro might have stayed the year out in her place that way. But a few days ago the trouble had come. It was in the kitchen, early one morning. Barbro had been having some words with Cook, and no light words either; they raised their voices, forgetting all about their mistress.
"And what about the other?" "Oh, if you want your rings back that you gave me, you can have them," said she, trying to pull off the gold one. "You can be as nasty as you please," said he. "If you think I care...." And he went out. And naturally enough, soon after, Barbro was wearing both her rings again. In time, too, she ceased to care at all for what he said about the death of the child.
"Oh yes; the young men I stayed with in town, they had silver plates on their overcoats too, much bigger than this," said she. "Well, then, you'll come in on your way back, Sivert, and stay the night? I'll get your clothes all right." And that was good-bye to Barbro. The brothers went on again.
True, he had not made a success of it, but he had taken up other plans in the same airy way and got on better; and who could say perhaps his samples of ore might after all turn out something wonderful in time! And then look at Barbro, he had got her fixed up there at Maaneland, and she'd not be leaving Axel Ström now, that he could swear 'twas plain indeed for any one to see.
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