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Bodil now came up from the basement in her best Sunday clothes, with a black silk handkerchief on her head and a hymn-book in her hand. How pretty she was! And brave! She went along the whole length of the House and out! But then she could get a kiss from the farmer any day she liked.
"If only it'll keep!" said Anders, lifting a basket. "I don't know how it is, but I feel so strange in my inside to-day," Mons began. "It can't be consumption, can it?" "Perhaps we ought to taste the good things first, then?" said Karl Johan. Yes oh, yes it came at last! Last year they had eaten their dinner on the grass. It was Bodil who had thought of that; she was always a little fantastic.
The bailiff won't anyhow; and the farmer well, you saw the Sow the other day; it must be nice to have that in prospect." "Who told you that the bailiff won't?" answered Bodil sharply. "Don't imagine that we need you to hold the candle for us! Little children aren't allowed to see everything." Gustav turned red. "Oh, hold your jaw, you hussy!" he muttered, and sauntered down to the barn.
All the wife's relations were invited, and they were hard at work on the roast goose. The yard was full of conveyances, and the only one of the farm-servants who was in good spirits was the head man, who received all the tips. Gustav was in a thoroughly bad humor, for Bodil was upstairs helping to wait. He had brought his concertina over, and was playing love-songs.
But suddenly he stopped and rose to his feet with a bound, stared straight in front of him, turned round with a jerk, and moved slowly toward Anders. Anders rose quickly, pushed his cap on one side, clicked with his tongue, and advanced. Bodil spread herself out more comfortably on the ground, and looked proudly round the circle, eagerly noting the envy of the others.
Pelle at any rate saw a little of Christmas as it passed, and was as interested in it as if it concerned himself; and he gave Lasse no rest from his questions that day. So Bodil was still faithful to Gustav, after all! When they got up the next morning, they found Gustav lying on the ground by the cow-stable door, quite helpless, and his good clothes in a sad state. Bodil was not with him.
The farmer was getting along very comfortably without her, and her coming took him rather by surprise. Fair Maria was instantly turned out and sent down to the wash-house. Her not being sent away altogether was due to the fact that there was a shortage of maids at the farm now that Bodil had left.
It was really extraordinary that Morten should be the son of the giant stone-cutter, so quiet and delicate was he. He had not yet quite recovered the strength of which Bodil had robbed him in his early boyhood; it was as though that early abuse was still wasting him. He had retained his girlish love of comfort.
"Where had she put it?" asks Pelle. "Under the sheet I felt something hard under my back when I lay down." The boys laugh, while they nibble at the chocolate. Suddenly Pelle says: "Bodil, she's a child-seducer! She enticed Hans Peter away from Stone Farm and he was only fifteen!" Morten does not reply; but after a time his head sinks on Pelle's shoulder his body is twitching.
When they had finished, the head man knocked on the table with the handle of his knife, and Karna came in with two dishes of porridge and a pile of bread-and-dripping. "Where's Bodil to-day?" asked Gustav. "How should I know? Her bed was standing untouched this morning," answered Karna, with an exulting look. "It's a lie!" cried Gustav, bringing down his spoon with a bang upon the table.