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On her arm was a basket that held little bundles of handmade trimmings, a few hair chains, and hair bracelets. She gave her message to an old maidservant, whom she met in the yard, and who went in and told the housewife. The housewife answered sharply: "Go straight back and tell her that Ingmar Ingmarsson is just going to drive to church; he has no time to talk with her."
Brita followed him and sat down beside him, she was so happy that she wanted to shout. "Ingmar, little Ingmar!" she said, calling him by his pet name. "But you think I'm so ugly!" he returned. "Of course I do." Ingmar pushed her hand away. "Now let me tell you something," said Brita. "Tell away." "Do you remember what you said in court three years ago?" "I do."
"I thought you were going to tell me about Gertrude," Ingmar reminded him. "I'll get round to her by and by, if you'll only have patience. I may as well tell you at once that early the next morning, while Gertrude and Mother Stina were sitting in the kitchen spinning, Mrs. Clementsson called to see them. When they saw her they became alarmed.
Some people thought that Elof had buried the money, others that he had given it away; in any case, it was not to be found. When Ingmar learned that he was penniless, he consulted Karin as to what he should do. Ingmar told his sister that of all things he would prefer to be a teacher, and begged her to let him remain with the Storms until he was old enough to enter college.
"What did those voices say to you?" he asked. "They said that I had been caught in the toils of sin, and that the devil would come and take me, because I was so fond of dancing." "Now I must tell you what I heard," said Ingmar.
The first persons he recognized were Ljung Björn Olofsson and his wife, Martha Ingmarsson; also Bullet Gunner and his wife. Then he saw Krister Larsson and Israel Tomasson with their wives, all of whom were members of the Ingmar family. Presently he saw Hök Matts Ericsson and his son Gabriel, the councillor's daughter Gunhild, and several persons besides.
She was now tall and slender and quite grown up, her head was finely poised on a graceful neck; her skin was soft and fair, shading into a fresh pink about the cheeks; her eyes were deep and thoughtful, and her mouth, around which mischief and merriment had once played, now expressed seriousness and wistful longing. On seeing Gertrude so changed, a sense of supreme happiness came to Ingmar.
Gray alder and green birch were enveloped by the shimmer, flashing red one instant, the next taking on their natural hues. Suddenly Ingmar stopped, and broke off in the middle of something he was telling. "What's the matter, Ingmar?" asked Gunhild. Ingmar, pale as a ghost, stood gazing at something in front of him.
Ingmar halted, and put his arm around the stem of a tree to hold himself up. Then, with a cynical laugh, he said: "Perhaps you'll send Hellgum back to America?" Karin stood looking down at the pool of blood that was forming around Ingmar's left foot, pondering over the thing her brother wanted her to do.
This will blow over, I thought, when she gets used to us; she'll soon feel at home on the Ingmar Farm. I put up with it for a time; then, one day, I asked mother why Brita was looking so pale and wild eyed. Mother said it was because she was with child, and she would surely be her old self again once that was over with.
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