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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f1de826 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66906 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66906) diff --git a/old/66906-0.txt b/old/66906-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dc900be..0000000 --- a/old/66906-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7905 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mårbacka, by Selma Lagerlöf - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Mårbacka - -Author: Selma Lagerlöf - -Translator: Velma Swanston Howard - -Release Date: December 8, 2021 [eBook #66906] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Paul Haxo from images graciously made available by Google and - the University of Michigan. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MÅRBACKA *** - - - - -MÅRBACKA - - - - -BOOKS BY SELMA LAGERLÖF - - -JERUSALEM, A Novel - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -CHRIST LEGENDS - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF NILS - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NILS - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -LEGEND OF THE SACRED IMAGE - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -MIRACLES OF ANTICHRIST - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach_) - - -STORY OF GÖSTA BERLING - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach_) - - -THE EMPEROR OF PORTUGALLIA - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -THE HOLY CITY, Jerusalem II - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - -INVISIBLE LINKS - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach_) - - -LILLIECRONA’S HOME - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Anna Barwell_) - - -THE OUTCAST - -(_Trans. from Swedish by W. Worster, M. A._) - - -MÅRBACKA - -(_Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard_) - - - - -MÅRBACKA - - -BY - -SELMA LAGERLÖF - - -TRANSLATED FROM THE SWEDISH BY - -VELMA SWANSTON HOWARD - - -GARDEN CITY NEW YORK - -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - -1925 - - - - -COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY - -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - -PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES - -AT - -THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - - - - - CONTENTS - - THE STRÖMSTAD JOURNEY - - PAGE - - I. The Nursemaid 1 - - II. Grand Company 10 - - III. The Drive to Karlstad 18 - - IV. In the Cabin on the _Uddeholm_ 21 - - V. At the Goldsmith’s Shop 26 - - VI. Gray Island 32 - - VII. The Bird of Paradise 39 - - VIII. The Keepsake 47 - - - THE OLD HOUSEKEEPER’S TALES - - I. Grandmother 53 - - II. The Ghost of Vilarstensbacken 55 - - III. Pastor Wennervik 63 - - IV. The Gander 67 - - V. The Lemmings 71 - - VI. The Neckan 80 - - VII. The Paymaster of the Regiment 84 - - VIII. The Militia-Men 96 - - - OLD HOUSES AND OLD PEOPLE - - I. The Stone Huts 105 - - II. The Money-Chest 112 - - III. The Larder on Stilts 120 - - IV. The Manservants’ Cottage 127 - - V. The _Jungfru_ 133 - - VI. The Bridal-Crown 142 - - VII. _Vackerfeldt_ 155 - - VIII. The Orchestra 169 - - - THE NEW MÅRBACKA - - I. The Seventeen Cats 179 - - II. The New Barn 188 - - III. The Garden 197 - - IV. The Roof Trusses 207 - - - WORKDAYS AND FÊTE DAYS - - I. Nooning 215 - - II. Mamselle Brorström 219 - - III. Riding to _Blåkulla_ 226 - - IV. Bellman Ballads 231 - - V. Boys and Girls 237 - - VI. The Old Soldier 244 - - VII. The Land of Heart’s Desire 247 - - VIII. The _Slom_ Season 252 - - IX. The Seventeenth of August 264 - - - Postscript 285 - - - - -THE STRÖMSTAD JOURNEY - - - - -MÅRBACKA - -I - -THE NURSEMAID - - -ONCE they had a nursemaid at Mårbacka who was called Back-Kaisa. She -must have been all of six feet high. She had a large-featured, swarthy, -stern-looking face, her hands were hard and full of cracks, in which -the children’s hair would catch when she combed it, and she was heavy -and mournful. - -A person of that sort could hardly be said to have been especially -created for the nursery, and indeed Fru Lagerlöf had deliberated a long -while before engaging her. The girl had never been out to service and -knew nothing of the ways of people; she had grown up on a poor -backwoods croft, among the wooded hills above Mårbacka, far from any -other habitation. - -Probably there was no one else available, or Fru Lagerlöf would not -have had her come. That the girl did not know how to make up a bed, or -build a fire in a tile-stove, or prepare a bath, was understood -beforehand; but she was teachable and did not mind sweeping out the -nursery every day, or dusting, or washing baby-clothes. What she could -not seem to learn, however, was how to get along with the little folk. -She never played with them or gave them a pleasant word. She knew no -sagas and no songs. It was not that she meant to be unkind, but she was -so constituted that romp and frolic and laughter were hateful to her. -She would have liked the children to sit quietly, each in his or her -little chair, without moving or talking. - -Fru Lagerlöf was at all events quite pleased with the nursemaid. As for -her not knowing any stories--well, the Mårbacka children had their -grandmother, who every morning as soon as she was dressed gathered the -youngsters about her, and sang and narrated for them till away up to -dinner-time. And they had someone, too, who played with them, for -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, whenever he had a spare moment, romped with his -children. - -Back-Kaisa was strong, patient, and dutiful. She was a person to be -depended on. When her master and mistress went off to a party, they -could rest assured that she did not run out and leave the children -alone in the nursery. If only she’d had a more delicate touch she would -have been admirable. But hers were no gentle clutches when little arms -had to go into dress-sleeves. When she washed the children the soap -always got into their eyes; and when she wielded the comb they felt as -if every wisp of hair were being torn from their heads. - -The nursery at Mårbacka was a light, warm, spacious room--the best -in the whole house. But, unhappily, it was a gable-room, and to get -there one had first to go out into the lower front hall, then up a -flight of steps and across a big attic. The attic stairs were steep, -and difficult for little feet to climb. Now the former nursemaid used -to take a child on her arm and carry it up, but Back-Kaisa didn’t seem -to know enough for that. And it was positively terrifying to walk the -length of that attic--above all, after dark! So it seemed almost -necessary that little hands should have a large hand to slip into. But -Back-Kaisa, who had been accustomed to the dark of the wild forest, -probably thought the attic at Mårbacka a nice safe place. She just -stalked on and never so much as put out a hand. One was glad if one -could even catch hold of a corner of her skirt. - -The beds in which the three children slept had been made by the clever -old carpenter at Askersby, and they were quite decorative, with a -little row of spindles across each headboard; but they were in two -sections that pulled out and pushed in like a drawer. Large as the -nursery was, the three beds when open took up a lot of space; so it was -well they could be folded during the day. Now that in itself was all -right, but the clever old carpenter had somehow managed to make the -beds in such a way that they sometimes sprang apart in the dead of the -night. - -When that happened, you were of course startled out of your sweetest -slumber. Finding your bed cut off in the middle, you drew yourself -into the upper end and tried to catch back sleep again. But somehow it -would not come. After a while you stretched out your legs and let them -dangle. In that position you lay waiting for the Sandman till you were -as wide awake as in broad day. Then at last you decided to get up and -try to push the two parts together. When you had apparently succeeded -and had got the bedclothes nicely straightened, you crept back into bed -as cautiously as possible, and stretched out once more with a feeling -of satisfaction. All went well, sleep came stealing on, then a careless -turn and--crickety-crash!--the bed was apart again ... which put an end -to all hope of getting any sleep that night. - -But Back-Kaisa slept peacefully through it all. It did not occur to any -of the little ones that they might awaken her and ask for help. The -former nursemaid had always jumped up the instant a bed broke down, and -quickly fixed it without having to be asked. - -Just over the nursery there was a little lumber-loft full of discarded -looms and spinning-wheels, and amid all that old rubbish lived an owl. - -At night that owl made a dreadful racket. To the children’s ears it -sounded as if someone were rolling big, heavy logs over their heads. -The former nursemaid used to laugh at them when they were frightened by -the noise, and say there was nothing to be scared about--it was only -the owl. But Back-Kaisa, who hailed from the forest, was afraid of all -animals, furred and feathered. They were to her like evil spirits. So, -whenever she was awakened in the night by the owl she would take out -her prayer book and begin to read. Indeed she could not soothe the -children; on the contrary, she terrified them so that the poor little -owl grew into a huge monster with tiger-claws and eagle-wings. No words -can picture how they lay shuddering to the very roots of their being at -the thought of having a horrible ogre like that right above them. What -if it should tear a hole through the ceiling with its great claws, and -come swooping down...! - -It can never be said of Back-Kaisa that she neglected the children, or -beat them. But was that anything much? True, the former nursemaid had -not been so particular about keeping them neat and clean; but she was -oh, so good to them! - -The children had three little wooden chairs which they regarded as -their greatest treasure. These had been presented to them by the clever -old carpenter of Askersby. Whether they were meant as compensation for -his failure with the beds, they did not know, but they rather thought -so. At any rate, the chairs were not failures. They were both light and -strong, and could be used as tables and sleds. The children could ride -them all around the room, stand upon them and jump to the floor, or lay -them down and play they were a cow shed, a stable, or a rabbit hutch. -Oh, there was nothing they could not be used for! - -Why the children prized those chairs so highly could be seen at a -glance by turning them upside down. On the bottom of each chair was the -portrait of its owner. On one was Johan, a boy in blue with a long -riding whip in his hand; on another posed Anna, a dainty little maid in -a red frock and yellow leghorn hat--sniffing at a nosegay; while on the -third was Selma, a tiny tot in a blue dress and striped apron, but with -nothing in her hand and nothing on her head. - -Now these portraits had been painted there to show to whom the chairs -belonged, and the children regarded them as their property in quite a -different sense from wearing apparel and other things they received -from their parents. Their clothes travelled from one to another, and -their nice toys were either locked away or set up on the corner bracket -in the parlour; but the chairs, which bore their likenesses--who would -have thought of depriving them of these? - -Therefore, it was awfully mean of Back-Kaisa to put all three chairs on -top of the high birch-wood bureau, as she did sometimes, so that the -children could not get at them. What if she had but just scrubbed the -nursery and the little chairs would leave ugly marks on the wet floor -if trailed across it? The former nursemaid never would have had the -heart to take the chairs away from them. No, not even for a moment. - -Fru Lagerlöf saw, to be sure, that the maid did not understand her -little ones and that they were afraid of her. But Back-Kaisa had been -hired for a year, and Fru Lagerlöf could not very well send her away -before her time was up. She hoped, however, that things would be -better in the summer, when the children could play out of doors, and -have less to do with the nursemaid. - -One forenoon in the early summer, it happened that the youngest child, -a little girl, had been left alone, and asleep, in the nursery. On -awaking she sat up in bed, half-dazed, and wondered where everyone had -gone; at the same time she felt singularly drowsy and uncomfortable. -She remembered, as she came to herself somewhat, that earlier in the -day she and the other children had been to Ås Springs with their father -to bathe. On their return Back-Kaisa had put all three of them to -bed--dressed as they were--that they might nap a while before dinner. -But the beds on which Johan and Anna had lain now stood empty; so the -little girl knew, of course, that they were already up and gone. - -They were perhaps out in the garden playing? She felt a bit hurt at -their running off like that, leaving her all by herself in the nursery. -She had better crawl out of bed, she thought, and hurry down to them. - -The little girl was then three and a half years old, and she could -easily open the door and walk down the stairs. But to cross the -dangerous attic alone ... She listened--perhaps someone was coming to -fetch her.... No, there were no footsteps on the stair; she would have -to venture by herself. - -But now that she wanted to rise from her bed she could not. She tried -again and again, only to sink back. Her legs did not seem to belong -to her; she had lost all control of them. - -The child was terror-stricken. The feeling of utter helplessness which -came over her when the body refused to obey was something so dreadful -she remembered it long, long afterwards--aye, all her life. - -Naturally, she began to cry. She was in great trouble, and there was no -grown person at hand to help or comfort her. But she had not been alone -such a very long while when the door opened and Back-Kaisa appeared. - -“Isn’t Selma coming down to dinner? The big folk----” Back-Kaisa -stopped short. - -The little girl never thought about its being the cross nursemaid who -stood in the doorway. In her desperate plight she only saw a grown -person who could help her--and put out her arms to her. - -“Come and take me, Back-Kaisa!” she cried. “Come and take me!” - -When the nurse came up to the bedside the little girl threw her arms -about her neck and clung to her as no child had ever done before. A -little tremor went through Back-Kaisa, and her voice was not real -steady when she asked: - -“What’s the matter with Selma? Is her sick?” - -“I can’t walk, Back-Kaisa,” wailed the child. - -Then a pair of strong arms lifted her up as easily as if she were just -a tiny kitten, and all at once the stern, serious-minded woman knew how -to talk to a little child. - -“Naa--Selma mustn’t cry for that! Back-Kaisa’s going to carry Selma.” - -And with that it seemed as if all the little one’s troubles had blown -away. She was no longer afraid or unhappy. What did it matter that she -herself could not walk when Back-Kaisa would carry her! And nobody had -to tell her; she knew that one who had a good strong friend like -Back-Kaisa was not so badly off after all. - - - - -II - -GRAND COMPANY - - -JOHAN and Anna were driven nearly to distraction by the terrible -commotion created by Selma’s illness. - -That one may well understand. Johan was then seven years of age, and -learning to read under the tutelage of Herr Tyberg. He was a boy, of -course, and almost regarded as the eldest child; though, to be sure, he -had an elder brother. But the latter mostly stayed with his maternal -grandparents at Filipstad, and was hardly ever at home. And now, all at -once, it seemed that nobody had a thought for him--Johan--but only for -the littlest girl. - -As for Anna--she was five, and she could already both sew and crochet. -She was pretty to look at, too, and the elder daughter, and mamma’s -pet. But what was the good of all that since Selma had gone and got -sick? - -The grown-ups, you see, were so touched by the sight of a child who -could not walk. “How will the poor little thing go through life?” they -would sigh.---- “She’ll have to stay in the one place always, and never -see anything of the world.”---- “She’ll never get married and she’ll -never be able to support herself.”---- “It’s going to be cruelly hard -for her, poor child.” They were all very tender and full of pity for -the sick girl. Now _that_ Johan and Anna had nothing against; but folks -didn’t have to forget that there were other children. - -The worst one of all, though, was Back-Kaisa. She carried Selma on her -back, prattled with her, and told her she was a perfect little angel. -And, indeed, Father and Mother and Granny and Auntie were not much -better. Didn’t the clever old carpenter at Askersby have to make her a -little wagon, so that Back-Kaisa might draw her about? And were Johan -and Anna ever allowed to borrow that wagon to cart sand in?--No, no! -That was for Selma’s use, and they mustn’t soil it. - -Johan and Anna both knew that when Selma could walk there had been -nothing remarkable about her; but now visitors couldn’t come to the -house but she must be carried in for them to see and make a fuss over. -And if a peasant woman happened to drop into the kitchen Back-Kaisa was -there in a jiffy, showing Selma to her. The exasperating thing about it -all was that Back-Kaisa was forever saying what a good child Selma -was--she never cried and never sulked, even though so helpless. And why -shouldn’t she be good, thought Johan and Anna, the way she was treated! -Carried about, and waited on, and petted, day in and day out! - -Yes, Back-Kaisa was certainly very trying, Johan and Anna agreed. She -could not bear to see Fru Lagerlöf make Anna a prettier dress than the -one Selma got; and if any one happened to say of Johan, that he was a -nice polite little boy, she’d always remark: “’Twould be a shame for -one that’s able to walk, and can go where he likes, not to be good.” - -That old Doctor Hedberg of Sunne was called in time and again on -Selma’s account, Johan and Anna thought no more than right; nor did -they complain when Högman’s Inga, who often came to the manor to mumble -over sick cows and pigs, was consulted. But they felt it had gone -rather far when once, in the absence of Lieutenant Lagerlöf, Back-Kaisa -and Granny and the housekeeper put their heads together, and sent for -the dangerous old witch-doctor of Högbergssäter--she who every Maundy -Thursday greased a broomstick and went riding to the Witches’ Kitchen. -They had heard that she had the power to set fire to a house by just -looking at it, and were dreadfully uneasy the whole time she was at -Mårbacka. They thought it very wrong of Back-Kaisa to bring a horrid -creature like her to the house. - -Of course Johan and Anna wanted to have Selma restored to health. They -above everyone wished her well again. All the same, they didn’t think -it a bit nice of her to go and catch a sickness no one could cure. But -Back-Kaisa must have thought differently. For when neither Doctor -Hedberg, who had so often cured them of coughs and colds, nor Högman’s -Inga, who never failed with cows and pigs, nor yet the dangerous -witch-hag, who could put life into a broomstick, had been able to help -her, Back-Kaisa vowed she was growing more and more wonderful all the -time. And when Lieutenant Lagerlöf finally took her to Karlstad and -showed her to Surgeon Major Haak, who was the best doctor in the city, -and even he could do nothing for her, then Back-Kaisa was ready to -burst with pride. Now wouldn’t it have been better if Selma had taken -on a sickness that would come to an end? So at least thought Johan and -Anna. - -The worst of it was that Selma was getting quite spoiled by -Back-Kaisa’s being too good to her. Little as she was, she had found -out that it was not necessary for her to be as obedient as the other -children, who could stand on their feet. Above all, she did not have to -eat food that was not to her liking. When Fru Lagerlöf set before her a -helping of stewed carrots, or spinach, or some hard-boiled eggs, or a -plate of ale-soup, she was not expected to finish her portion as in -other days; she had only to push her plate away, and immediately -Back-Kaisa ran out to the kitchen and fetched something Selma liked. - -And it was not enough with that!--Johan and Anna noticed that when -Doctor Hedberg and Högman’s Inga and the old witch had all failed to -cure her, Selma thought herself too grand to eat plain fare. Why, she -barely deigned to touch fried chicken and new potatoes and wild -strawberries and cream. But when she had been to Karlstad, and the -great Doctor Haak had said he could do nothing for her, then she would -not eat anything but pastry and preserves. - -Johan and Anna had heard that Aunt Nana Hammargren, who lived in -Karlstad, was dreadfully worried about Selma, and feared she would -starve to death; and they, too, felt that unless something happened -very soon to change all this, it might end badly. - -But something did happen. - -One morning Back-Kaisa carried the little girl into the kitchen-bedroom -and set her down among the pillows on Grandmother Lagerlöf’s big white -bed. - -“Now Selma’s going to see something,” she said. - -The bed was made up--sheets and all--but it had not been slept in -during the night, and apparently no one lay there now, either. -Grandmother Lagerlöf, who was not usually up at that early hour, sat -all dressed on the corner sofa; and Aunt Lovisa, who shared the -kitchen-bedroom, was also up and dressed. They both looked happy and -content, and when the little girl was well seated on the bed they arose -and went over to her. - -“Aha! Grand company came last night,” her grandmother said with a -chuckle. - -The little girl laughed, too, for what could be more delightful than -having visitors in the house! She looked up and down and all around, -wondering where the grand company might be. It was nowhere in the room, -surely--not in the yellow corner-cupboard, nor behind the tall -grandfather’s clock, nor under Auntie’s chiffonier. There was only one -good hiding-place--the covered passage leading to the cellar; but the -grand company could never have crawled in there. - -It was all very strange! Why was she sitting on Granny’s bed, and why -were the others standing there staring, as if the grand company were in -the bed? She glanced from one to the other, quite bewildered. Presently -Aunt Lovisa bent down and moved the pillows a little. Then Selma saw -that by her side lay a small oblong bundle, to which she attached no -importance whatever. Granny had said that grand company had come, and -grand company meant only one thing--far-come visitors who brought toys -and big bags of candy for the children. That was the company she was -looking for. - -“Are they in there?” she asked, pointing toward the parlour. She -listened for the sound of voices from the next room; seeing how pleased -and elated the others were, her expectations rose high. - -“Why, she’s right there beside you.” Granny lifted a corner of the -oblong bundle and revealed two tiny hands and a little wizened face. - -The little girl gave the swaddling a scornful glance then looked away. -She had seen such before, and did not care for them. Her thoughts were -on the company with the candy bags. - -“See,” said Aunt Lovisa, “this is a little sister who came to you last -night, and you must be good to her.” - -Here was something for which she was wholly unprepared. She would have -been glad to welcome another sister--one who could walk and talk; but -this swaddling did not interest her at all. - -However, it was plain to her now that no grand company had come. Granny -meant only the poor little baby, and she knew very well that _it_ had -not brought any candy. - -She felt so bitterly disappointed that she just had to cry. Back-Kaisa -was obliged to carry her out to the kitchen, lest her crying awaken the -grand company. - -And she had cause for tears. Her day of power and supremacy was over. -Back-Kaisa had now to help Fru Lagerlöf with the care of the little -newcomer, who was even more helpless and lost, as it were, than Selma. -One couldn’t reason with the baby, so it was always she, Selma, who had -to be patient, and wait. - -From that time on they were not so keen about showing her to company. -Now it was the swaddling that was brought forward to be seen and -praised. All the glamour and greatness had dropped from her; she was no -more now than Anna or Johan. - -The year that followed she had many distressing experiences. She had -not only to give up living exclusively on a diet of pastry and -preserves, but things even went so far that when Fru Lagerlöf served -her boiled carrots, or spinach, or pease-pods, no one removed her plate -and brought her other fare. She had to eat what was set before her. If -Anna received a prettier dress than Selma no one protested. On the -contrary, they all thought it only fair, since Anna was the eldest -daughter. - -Ah, sometimes her heart sank way down into her boots, for she was not -altogether certain that Back-Kaisa did not care just as much for the -wee one as she did for her. - - - - -III - -THE DRIVE TO KARLSTAD - - -BACK-KAISA and her charge were on a journey. They sat perched up on the -box of the big close-carriage with Magnus, the coachman, who was so -gripped by his responsibility of driving three horses on the dreadful -road to Karlstad that not a word could be got out of him. - -On the back seat of the carriage sat Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa, -with Johan and Anna opposite, their backs to the horses. It was much -more fun, of course, to sit on the coach-box and watch the horses than -being shut in under the tilt. Johan would have liked to be up there -with Magnus; but Fru Lagerlöf had said it was impossible to squeeze -Back-Kaisa in on the front seat, and where she rode, Selma must ride. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf was also along on the journey, but he rode alone at -some distance ahead, in his carriole. - -It was a year now since the little girl first lost the use of her legs, -and in all that time she had not set foot on the ground. She was now -being taken to the West Coast in the hope that the sea air and the -baths might possibly effect a cure. She was the only invalid among -them, but a summer at the seaside would no doubt be of benefit to all. - -The little girl sitting up there on the driver’s seat had quite -forgotten her affliction. She and Back-Kaisa were going away together, -and the baby had been left at home! She was looking forward to a -revival of those happy, never-to-be-forgotten times. - -Snuggling close to the nurse, she put her arms about her neck and asked -her again and again if she was not glad that they two could now be -together, with no one to disturb them. - -There was no reply. But the little girl did not much mind; Back-Kaisa -had never been a talking person. - -The great highroad to Karlstad was just one hill after another. There -was the tortuous stretch round Bävik and Gunnarsby Hill, which was -about three and a half English miles long; then came the steep grade up -to the Sundgård mountains which was close to vertical. But most -perilous of all was Kleva towering above an abyss. It was up and down -the whole time, as if one were see-sawing between heaven and earth. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, to make the going easier, had ordered three horses -put to the carriage--an arrangement to which neither horses nor driver -was accustomed. - -If anything was calculated to increase the little girl’s delight at -having Back-Kaisa all to herself once more, it was being allowed to sit -where she could look down at the frisky horses that dashed on as if the -heavy carriage were only a toy wagon, tearing round the curves, with -the vehicle sometimes on two wheels. Often the horses would stiffen -their legs and make the downgrade almost on their haunches, and when -they came to a sudden drop in the road, Magnus would stand up and use -the whip desperately, to urge the horses on so that the high carriage -would not come tumbling over them. - -In the middle of one of these break-neck descents the little girl again -turned to the nurse and said: - -“Aren’t you glad, Back-Kaisa, to be alone with me? Aren’t you glad, -Back-Kaisa, the baby isn’t along?” - -There came no response now, either; and wondering, the child turned so -that she could see the nurse’s face.... Back-Kaisa sat holding on to -the seat, a fixed stare in her eyes, her lips compressed, her face the -hue of ashes. “Isn’t Back-Kaisa glad----?” But the little girl now saw -that Back-Kaisa was far from glad and she was so crestfallen she could -have cried. - -Then at last Back-Kaisa spoke: - -“Hush up, Selma! You mustn’t talk when you’re facing such danger! -Never’ve I known worse! But for your sake, I’d ’ve got down and gone -home long ago.” - -The little girl sat pondering the reply, not quite satisfied. She was -never afraid when with Back-Kaisa, so why should Back-Kaisa be afraid -when she was with _her?_ It was nice of her, though, not to get down -and go home; but it would have been nicer if she had felt too happy to -be scared. - - - - -IV - -IN THE CABIN ON THE “UDDEHOLM” - - -THE Mårbacka folk, though still on their journey, no longer sat in fear -and trembling in the jolting carriage. Now they were on board a fine -steamer called the _Uddeholm._ - -They had spent the day in Karlstad, shopping and visiting with -relatives. Toward evening they left the city and stood waiting a good -while on the long pier that shoots far out into big Lake Vänern. No -shore being visible in one direction, Back-Kaisa had at once become -alarmed; she thought that _over there_ must be the edge of the world. -Wonderful to behold--for her as for the others--was the pretty steamer -as she emerged from that “shoreless place” and came gliding toward the -pier to take them on board. - -When Back-Kaisa saw how her master and mistress, Mamselle Lovisa, -Johan, and Anna all went up the gangplank without the least hesitancy, -she of course followed, albeit reluctantly. She probably thought -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had conscience enough not to expose his little ones -deliberately to the peril of death. But what would become of them once -they reached the world’s end? That was something beyond her ken. She -would have liked to remain on deck to see whether the water went down a -chasm, or wherever it went. But when dusk began to settle, the Mårbacka -women and children were requested to go below-decks. They were -conducted into something called a cabin, the smallest room they had -ever seen, where they arranged themselves for the night. - -On a narrow sofa that took up the whole side of one wall, Fru Lagerlöf -lay without undressing. Opposite, on a similar sofa, was Mamselle -Lovisa. Over Fru Lagerlöf, on a sort of shelf, Johan was stowed, and -Anna occupied another shelf above Mamselle Lovisa’s sofa. On the floor, -between the two sofas, with some blankets under them, lay Back-Kaisa -and Selma. Thus, every bit of space was occupied; there was not the -least little corner where one might stand or sit. - -The lights were extinguished, the good-nights said, and everyone -settled down to sleep. For a time it was dead still in the cabin. Then, -all at once, the floor began to go up and down in the strangest way! -The little girl rolled like a ball, first over toward Fru Lagerlöf’s -sofa, then back toward the nurse. It was great fun; only she could not -understand why the floor did not hold still. Presently she heard her -mother and her aunt whisper to each other. - -“I must have eaten too much of that rich salmon at the Sjöstedts’,” -said her mother. - -“I thought at the time it was not very sensible food they set before -us,” Aunt Lovisa remarked. “And they knew we were to be out on Vänern.” - -“No, Vänern isn’t pleasant!” sighed Fru Lagerlöf. - -Then Back-Kaisa, too, began to whisper. - -“Say, _Frua_, are we there yet?--there where the sea stops, and the -water rushes down the bottomless pit?” - -“My dear girl, there’ll be no stop to the sea to-night!” said Fru -Lagerlöf, who did not know what Back-Kaisa was talking about. - -Again there was silence for a space, but not stillness. The floor -rocked on and the little girl continued her delightful rolling. - -Fru Lagerlöf struck a match and lit the lantern. - -“I must see whether the children are able to hold themselves on their -shelves,” she said. - -“Lord be praised for the light!” said Mamselle Lovisa. “Anyhow, there’s -no chance of our getting a wink of sleep to-night.” - -“Oh, Frua! Oh, Mamselle Lovisa! don’t you feel that we’re going down -and down?” Back-Kaisa wailed. “Oh, how’ll we ever get out of this deep? -How’ll we ever get back home?” - -“Now, whatever does she mean?” queried Mamselle Lovisa. - -“She says that we have reached the last extremity,” Fru Lagerlöf -interpreted--no more comprehending than the other. - -The little girl had a faint suspicion that they were uneasy. As for -herself, she was exceedingly comfortable, lying as it were in a big -rocking-swing. - -The door-handle turned, the red hanging was swept to one side, and in -the doorway stood Lieutenant Lagerlöf, chuckling. - -“How is it, Gustaf?” asked Fru Lagerlöf anxiously. “Will it be a gale, -do you think?” - -“So you’re awake, all of you,” said the Lieutenant. “Ay, it has blown -up a bit,” he conceded in a reassuring tone. “The Captain thought I’d -better come down and tell you it will be no worse than it is.” - -“What are you up to now?” Mamselle Lovisa asked him. “Aren’t you going -to bed?” - -“Where do you think I should sleep, Sister dear?” And there was -something so screamingly funny about him as he stood in the doorway -(further he could not come), looking up and down as if in search of a -sleeping place--it set them all laughing. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle -Lovisa, who had been lying there fearful and a little seasick, now sat -up in their bunks to have their laugh out. Johan and Anna laughed so -hard they nearly shook themselves off their “shelves.” Back-Kaisa -forgot for the moment that she would soon be at that dreadful place -where the lake ends, and laughed, too, and the little girl by her side -was fairly choking with laughter. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, who seldom laughed aloud, looked highly pleased. - -“All’s right with you, I see,” he said. “So now I’ll go up again and -chin with the captain.” Whereupon he bade them a cheery good-night, and -went his way. - -In the cabin the feeling of uneasiness and the qualms of seasickness -returned. Fru Lagerlöf again made futile attempts to quiet Back-Kaisa, -who went on moaning and wailing that they were getting nearer and -nearer that bottomless pit. The little girl by her side must have -fallen asleep, for she remembered no more of that night’s experiences. - - - - -V - -AT THE GOLDSMITH’S SHOP - - -THE most trying part of the journey was over. The travellers were -safely landed at Göteborg, where they cast away all care and set out in -the glorious summer weather to view the city. - -They wandered up Östra Hamngatan. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, stick in hand, -hat pushed far back on his head, spectacles drawn far down on his nose, -was in the lead. Behind him walked Fru Lagerlöf, holding Johan by the -hand; behind her, Mamselle Lovisa, leading Anna; and last came -Back-Kaisa who carried Selma on her arm--for it would never do, she -thought, to let the little girl ride pig-back in a city. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had donned a brown coat and light straw hat. Fru -Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were attired in voluminous black silk -skirts and fine velvet bodices, with white inserts and wrist-ruffles, -over which they wore large cashmere shawls--folded tricornerwise--that -almost concealed their dresses; and they had on Panama hats with broad, -floppy brims. Johan was in black velvet breeches and smock, and Anna -was dressed in a stiffly starched blue polka-dot print worn over a -crinoline; and she had both hat and parasol. Selma had on a dress -exactly like Anna’s, only she was wearing a sunbonnet instead of a hat, -and had neither parasol nor crinoline. - -The Lieutenant suddenly halted, turned, and looked back at his line of -women and children. He nodded and smiled. It was plain he liked having -them with him. - -“Here none of us has ever been before,” he said, “so now we’ll look -about.” - -They sauntered on up the street, now looking at the buildings, now at -the canals and little bridges, at passing vehicles and promenaders, at -signs and lamp-posts; but most of all, of course, they peered into shop -windows. - -The Lieutenant did not hurry them, he wanted them to see and enjoy as -much as their eyes could take in. - -“Nobody here knows us, so gaze as long as you like,” said he. - -Mamselle Lovisa stopped before a milliner’s window, where a hat trimmed -with white swansdown and pink rosebuds had caught her eye. There she -stood, with Anna by the hand, as if rooted to the spot. And of course -Lieutenant and Fru Lagerlöf, Johan, Back-Kaisa, and Selma were also -obliged to stop before the swansdown hat. But Mamselle Lovisa was not -thinking of them; she stood as in a trance. It tickled the Lieutenant -to see her so carried away, though after a long, vain wait for her to -“come back,” so to speak, he lost patience. - -“You’re not thinking of copying that hat, Lovisa?” he said. “Why, -that’s more suitable for a girl of seventeen.” - -“It may be a pleasure perhaps for one who is not so young to look at -pretty things,” retorted Mamselle Lovisa, who, though past her first -youth, was still comely and rather elegant in her attire. - -When they were well away from the swansdown hat they came to a -goldsmith’s shop. Now it was the Lieutenant who stopped first. As he -stood feasting his eyes on the trays of sparkling rings and bracelets, -shining silver spoons and goblets, and much else displayed in the -window, he ejaculated innocent oaths of delight. - -“Here we’ll go in!” he said abruptly. - -“But, Gustaf!” Fru Lagerlöf protested, “we can’t be buying such things -now.” - -She laid a restraining hand on his arm, for he had already opened the -big plate-glass door of the shop and was stepping in. There was nothing -for the others to do but follow. By the time they were all inside he -was over at the counter talking to a young clerk. - -“No, thank you, I don’t wish to buy anything,” he said. “But, seeing so -many choice things in the window, I thought I’d just step in and ask if -I might also have a peep at the fine wares you have in the shop.” - -The clerk looked a bit uneasy, and seemed at a loss what to reply. Fru -Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa now stood with their hands on the -Lieutenant’s shoulders, trying to drag him away. - -The goldsmith himself presently emerged from an inner room. He had -evidently heard them come in, and probably thought he would do a brisk -trade. Placing himself beside the clerk, he put the flat of his hands -on the counter and inquired invitingly what was desired. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf repeated in substance what he had said to the -clerk--that he would very much like to see the beautiful wares in the -place though he could not afford to purchase any. - -The goldsmith cocked his head and looked at the Lieutenant out of the -corner of his eye. - -“The gentleman, I take it, is a Värmlander?” he said. - -“Hell, yes, of course I’m a Värmlander!” the Lieutenant wagged back. -“What the deuce else should I be?” - -Then everybody roared. The clerks all crowded round the Lieutenant, and -from the inner rooms came a finely dressed woman--the wife of the -goldsmith--who wanted to know what the fun was about. - -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were so mortified they could have -wished themselves back in the jolting carriage on the Karlstad road, or -the rocking boat on stormy Vänern--anywhere but in that fine shop! - -“Come now, Gustaf,” they urged, “for pity’s sake let us get out of -here!” - -“No, no, please don’t go!” begged the goldsmith in his most persuasive -tone. “We should be so happy to show you what we carry here.” - -He gave orders to the clerks, who ran up ladders and brought down -everything from the shelves, opened cabinets, and took out all their -contents, so that the long counter was literally covered with gold and -silverware. The shop-keeper and his wife took up each article and -showed it to the strangers, explaining its workmanship and what it was -for. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf drew off his spectacles and polished the lenses -with his silk handkerchief, the better to see. He picked up heavy -silver tankards and examined their ornamentations, admiring and -praising them. - -“I say, Lovisa, this is worse than at the Deanery in Sunne!” he -remarked to his sister. - -Another time he held a large silver salver before the eyes of -Back-Kaisa. “The Giant of Åsbergen doesn’t dine off finer plate--eh, -Kaisa?” he said. - -The clerks sniggered and joked among themselves, having fun at his -expense. The goldsmith and his wife were also enjoying themselves, but -in a different way. They were friendly, and liked the Lieutenant. It -was not long before they knew who he was, and whom he had with him; -that he was on his way to Strömstad to seek a cure for a child who had -some hip trouble and could not walk. - -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa, seeing that all went well, composed -themselves and began to look at and delight in the display. Fru -Lagerlöf was pleased to find an old design in silver spoons, such as -they once had in her parental home, and Mamselle Lovisa became quite -as enraptured with a sugar bowl as she had been shortly before with the -swansdown hat. - -When they had finally seen enough and were saying good-bye, it seemed -almost as if they were parting from old friends. The goldsmith, his -wife, and all the clerks followed them out into the street. Passers-by -must have thought they had made purchases amounting to thousands of -kronor. - -“I really must apologize,” said Lieutenant Lagerlöf, putting out his -hand in a final farewell. - -“Don’t think of it, Lieutenant!” answered the goldsmith. - -“But we have put you to so much trouble,” Fru Lagerlöf interpolated in -a deprecating tone. - -“We have had a most enjoyable hour,” the goldsmith assured her, “so -don’t be uneasy about us! One has to do something for one’s own -pleasure, now and then, though one does stand in a shop.” - -As the Lieutenant continued his stroll up Östra Hamngatan his hat was -pushed farther back on his head than usual. He flourished his cane as -he stepped along, proud of his adventure. - -Fru Lagerlöf said in a low voice to Mamselle Lovisa: “I can’t tell you -how anxious I was; I thought we would surely be thrown out.” - -“It would never have done for any one but Gustaf,” replied Mamselle -Lovisa, “but no one can resist him.” - - - - -VI - -GRAY ISLAND - - -NOW the Mårbacka folk had no anxiety in providing for the table; they -had only to run out to the market and purchase whatever was needed. -They were not worrying about the cows not having good pasturage, nor -the oats not coming up; they lived amid barren cliffs and water, and -had forgotten there were such things in the world as fields and -meadows. Nor did they have to stand in a hot kitchen preparing fancy -dishes for far-come guests, nor worry their heads out of joint -wondering where they’d find sleeping-room and bedding enough for all. -If the animals sickened or the housekeeper and the maids fell to -quarrelling, they were blissfully unaware of it. They had freedom and -leisure for healthful amusements, with no cares or annoyances of any -sort. - -Never had they led such an easy, comfortable life. Fru Lagerlöf, who -had come to Strömstad rather thin and worn, took on flesh and colour. -She soon looked and felt ten years younger. Mamselle Lovisa, who was -quite stout and logy, and so diffident she could hardly open her mouth -when among strangers, lost weight, grew better looking, and more -sociable. Johan and Anna made many friends among the little Strömstad -children. Johan was quite wild about crabbing, and Anna had become so -attached to two little girls, daughters of the confectioner, who were -continually treating her to sweets, they both declared they never -wanted to go home again. - -As for the little sick girl, there had been no marked improvement; she -was apparently no better or stronger. But that did not seem to trouble -her. She had got her wish: Back-Kaisa and she were again inseparable -friends; she could order her about and was being petted and spoiled by -her just as in the first days of her illness. - -But the one who had the best time was Lieutenant Lagerlöf. The first -week or so he must have got many a sharp look and curt reply when he -spoke to every person he met, as was his wont when walking along the -road at home. But he was not daunted. It was a point of honour with him -to be on friendly terms with people. Nor could the Strömstaders resist -him in the long run. A smile lighted up the solemn faces of the pious -women of the Schartuan sect when they passed him in the street. He had -been in their cottages and drunk coffee with them, had asked after -their husbands, and had praised their children. A gang of small boys -tagged after him in the street, for they had discovered that he always -had a pocketful of coppers. With the fishermen he was on so solid a -footing that one after another asked him to go out mackerel fishing. -All the old retired sea captains, who went about at home bored and -longing to be out at sea, treated him to grog on their little verandas, -and told him of their adventures and perils in the days when they -knocked about the world. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf liked the people, and wanted to know how they lived -their lives in their part of the country. He was no respecter of -persons, but spoke to all, high and low, and he never lacked for topics -of conversation. Good-humoured, kindly man that he was, it was not -strange the Strömstaders liked him. And it cannot be said that he did -not know his power. - -Fortune favoured the Mårbacka folk in every way on this sojourn. For -one thing, they found dear old friends from Värmland, in whose company -they spent many pleasant hours. They were a Professor Tobiaeson of -Filipstad, his wife and two sisters, and Professor Lundström, a -bachelor--all of their own social circle. - -Together, they made up a boating party and went sailing nearly every -day. These outings were the delight of the children, for the -Lieutenant, in his inimitable way, would then tell of his interesting -encounters with the Strömstad folk. Besides, they always had a couple -of large, well-stocked hampers in the boat, so that when they grew -tired of sailing they could go ashore on one of the little rock islands -and have a picnic spread. Then the children would run about and gather -sea-shells--something they had never seen before. They wondered at -their being allowed to take as many as they wished of these rare -treasures, and they loved them as they loved the flowers and the -berries of the field. - -They were now out on one of their cruises. The weather was fine with -just enough wind; the picnic baskets were full of goodies, and the -Lieutenant was loaded with anecdotes. Everyone was looking forward to a -pleasant evening. - -Then, unhappily, some one remarked that they had not yet visited the -island just outside Strömstad known as Gray Island. So they immediately -decided to lay-to at the island on the return sail, and have their -little supper there. - -It seems that some hundred years back there lived on Gray Island an -infamous old troll named Tita Gray, who was said to be more powerful -than the Old Nick himself. When she was alive no human being was -allowed to set foot on the island. Those who ventured met with instant -mishap--broke an arm or a leg or slipped on the slimy rocks, and fell -into the sea. - -Since Tita Gray had long been dead and gone, it must be quite safe to -visit the island, they thought. All the same the skipper warned them. -He told how he and a couple of fellows were walking across the island -one day in the spring, when suddenly one of them went down a cleft and -fractured his leg. - -That made the island all the more alluring to the party; they could -hardly wait to set foot on it. Presently the boat turned toward the -island and slipped in under the towering cliff wall. The skipper -looked for a suitable mooring place. - -Just then little Anna pulled at her mother’s arm, and said: “Mamma, -Selma is crying.” - -True, the child sat weeping. She had not been at all afraid during the -sail--not till that moment. She, like the others, had thought it would -be great fun to go ashore on Gray Island; but now that they were right -under the rocky cliff, it looked so dark and menacing. - -They all asked her why she was crying, but she would not say. She could -not tell them she was afraid of a rock. However, she escaped further -questioning, for the skipper had at last found a landing-place, and -they had something else to think of. - -The instant the boat struck, Professor Lundström seized the painter and -jumped ashore. Then, as if an invisible hand had dealt him a blow in -the chest, he staggered backwards and slipped off the ledge into the -sea. - -There was great consternation, and cries of alarm went up, but there -was no long agony of suspense. With the swiftness of a gull after a -fish, the skipper reached over the side of the boat, nabbed the long -professor by the coat-collar and drew him up, dripping wet, of course, -but quite unhurt. - -Naturally, they were all very much shaken by the ghastly sight of a man -going down into the perilous deep, and though, luckily, nothing serious -had happened, they could not throw off their depression. - -Professor Lundström then suggested that the whole party go ashore, and -let him take the boat so that he might go back to Strömstad and change -his clothes. As it was only a short sail, the boat could return for -them whenever they wished. - -But they had had enough of Gray Island. No one felt the least desire to -step ashore and climb the threatening cliff. - -As they sailed back to Strömstad they must have wondered if after all -there was not some truth in the old myth about the island. In any case, -it was a strange coincidence that the mishap should have occurred just -there. They had been to most of the other little islands of the -Strömstad skerries, and all had gone well. - -“I thought it almost uncanny when the child began to cry,” said one of -the sisters Tobiaeson. “I knew then that something would happen.” - -“Now what does Lieutenant Lagerlöf think about it?” queried the other -sister. - -“What do I think? Well,” he replied, “I say it couldn’t have turned out -differently when we sent a school-priest like him ashore. He was no man -for Tita Gray.” - -“Do you mean, Lieutenant, that if we had sent another--yourself -perhaps--we would have had a better reception?” - -“Gad, yes!” exploded the Lieutenant. - -Lord, how they laughed! The pall of gloom lifted in a twinkling, as -they pictured the meeting between Lieutenant Lagerlöf and Tita Gray. - -Aye, aye, he knew right enough that he could have managed her. - -Lord, how they laughed! - - - - -VII - -THE BIRD OF PARADISE - - -THEY had taken for the summer a cosy little cottage at the end of -Karlagatan, where they were so happy and content that Lieutenant -Lagerlöf and the children named the place Little Mårbacka, which was -assuredly the highest title of distinction they could bestow on a house -in a strange city. - -The little house fronted a bit of a garden enclosed by a picket-fence, -and under the spreading trees they had their breakfasts and suppers. At -the back of the house were a couple of potato patches, beyond which, -over against a high cliff, stood a tiny hut not much larger than the -cabin on the _Uddeholm._ - -In that hut lived their hostess, Fru Strömberg, who was the wife of a -sea captain. During the winter months she occupied the cottage herself, -but summers she always let it to visitors. She now sat in her tiny -cabin from morn till night, surrounded by blooming oleanders and tables -and shelves laden with curios her husband had brought from foreign -parts. - -When Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were having coffee with their -friends and the Lieutenant had gone mackerel-fishing, and when Anna -had gone over to the candy man’s daughters’ and Johan to his crabs, -Back-Kaisa and Selma would repair to Fru Strömberg’s cabin. - -Fru Strömberg was their special friend, and to sit with her under the -oleanders was as restful as sitting with Grandmother on the corner sofa -at Mårbacka. She could not tell stories, but she had many wonderful -things to show them: big sea-shells that were full of sound and -murmured when you put them to your ear; porcelain men from China with -long pig-tails and long moustaches; and she had besides two very big -shells, one a cocoanut, the other an ostrich egg. - -Back-Kaisa and Fru Strömberg talked mostly of serious and religious -things, which the child did not understand; but sometimes they touched -on lighter subjects. - -Fru Strömberg spoke of her husband and his voyages. He had a fine big -ship called the _Jacob_, and just now he was on a voyage to St. Ypes, -Portugal, to take on a cargo of salt. Back-Kaisa wondered how Fru -Strömberg could have any peace of mind, knowing that her husband was -drifting about on the perilous seas; Fru Strömberg replied that there -was One who protected him, and therefore she felt that he was as safe -on board his ship as when at home in the streets of Strömstad. - -The kindly Fru Strömberg then turned to the little girl and said she -hoped the captain would soon be at home, for there was something on the -_Jacob_ she thought Selma might like to see. They had a bird of -paradise there. - -“What is that?” asked the child, all interest now. - -“It is a bird from Paradise,” Fru Strömberg told her. - -“Selma has heard her grandmother talk about Paradise,” Back-Kaisa put -in. - -Yes, of course. She remembered that Granny had told her about Paradise, -and that she (Selma) had pictured it as a place that looked like the -little rose-garden on the west side of the house at Mårbacka. At the -same time it was clear to her that Paradise had something to do with -God. And now she somehow got the impression that the one who guarded -Fru Strömberg’s husband so that he was as safe at sea as on land was -the bird of paradise. - -She wanted so much to meet that bird. It might be able to help her. -Everyone felt so sorry for her mamma and papa because she was not -getting well. And to think that they had made this expensive trip only -on her account. - -She would have liked to ask Back-Kaisa and Fru Strömberg whether they -thought the bird of paradise would do something for her, but she was -too shy. They might laugh at her, she feared. But she did not forget -what Fru Strömberg had told her. Every day she wished the _Jacob_ would -come, so that the bird of paradise could fly ashore. - -Then one day she heard, to her great joy, that the _Jacob_ had arrived. -But she did not speak of this to any one. To her there was something -very sacred and mysterious about it all. Remembering how solemn her -grandmother had been when telling about Adam and Eve, she did not want -to tell Johan and Anna that on the _Jacob_ there was a bird from -Paradise which she was going to ask to cure her leg. No, she would not -speak of it even to Back-Kaisa. - -Now every time she went to see Fru Strömberg she expected to find the -bird sitting warbling in one of her oleanders. But he did not appear. -How strange! she thought. One day she asked Back-Kaisa about it, and -was told the bird was on the ship. “But you’ll soon see it,” said -Back-Kaisa, “for to-morrow we’re all going on board the _Jacob._” - -It seems that Captain Strömberg had hardly been home a day before he -and Lieutenant Lagerlöf were bosom friends. The Lieutenant had already -been out on the _Jacob_ several times, and liked it so well that -nothing would do but the whole family must see what a fine ship she -was. - -When they set out none of them had any real notion as to what boarding -the _Jacob_ meant. The little girl thought the ship would be lying -alongside the quay like the big steamers. But indeed she lay in the -offing. They had to get into a little boat and row out. It was strange -to see that the nearer they got to the ship the larger she grew, till -at last she loomed high as a mountain. To those in the rowboat it -looked quite impossible to clamber up _there._ - -Mamselle Lovisa said straight out that if it was to that high boat they -were rowing she could not go aboard. - -“Wait a bit, Lovisa,” said the Lieutenant, “and you’ll see it’s easier -than you imagine.” - -Then Mamselle Lovisa declared she would as soon think of climbing the -flagpole at Laholmen. She thought they had better turn back at once. - -Fru Lagerlöf and Back-Kaisa agreed with her, and were for going home. -But Lieutenant Lagerlöf stuck to his point. There was no fear but -they’d get aboard all right, he said. This was perhaps their one chance -of a lifetime to see how it looked on a merchant vessel; and they ought -not to miss such an opportunity. - -“But once we’re up we’ll never be able to get down again,” argued -Mamselle Lovisa. - -They met a boat laden with sacks. - -“See that boat, Lovisa?” the Lieutenant said. “Do you know what’s in -those sacks?” - -“My dear Gustaf,” returned Mamselle Lovisa wearily, “how should I -know?” - -“Well, they’re sacks of salt from the _Jacob_,” the Lieutenant informed -her. “They have neither arms nor legs, yet they’ve come off the ship; -so surely you should be able to do it.” - -“You ought to dress up once in crinoline and long skirts,” snapped -Mamselle Lovisa, “then perhaps you’d not be so brave.” - -They went on like that the whole way out to the ship. The little girl -who so longed to meet the bird of paradise wished with all her heart -that her father might induce her aunt and the others to go on board; -though she, too, thought they could never in the world get up there. - -All the same they presently lay-to under a swaying rope-ladder. A -couple of sailors jumped into the boat to help them with the climb. The -first to be taken was the little sick girl. One of the sailors boosted -her to his comrade, who bore her up the ladder and put her down on the -deck; here he left her to go and help the others. - -She found herself standing quite alone on a narrow strip of deck. -Before her opened a great yawning hole, at the bottom of which -something white was being put into sacks. She stood there a long while. -Some of the folks down in the boat must have raised objections to -climbing the ladder, since no one appeared. When the little girl had -got her bearings, she glanced about for the bird of paradise. She -looked up at the rigging and tackle. She had pictured the bird as being -at least as large as a turkey, and easy for the eye to find. - -Seeing no sign of it, she turned to the Captain’s cabin-boy, who had -just come up, and asked him where the bird of paradise was. - -“Come along,” he said, “and you shall see him.” He gave her a hand lest -she might fall down the hole; then walking backwards, he led her down -the companionway into the Captain’s cabin--a fine room, with polished -mahogany walls and mahogany furniture. - -In there, sure enough, was the bird of paradise! - -The bird was even more beautiful than her imagination had pictured it. -It was not alive, yet it stood in the middle of the table--whole and -perfect in all its gorgeous plumage. - -The little girl climbed up on to a chair and from there to the table. -Then she sat down beside the bird and regarded its beauty. The -cabin-boy, who stood by, showed her its long, light, drooping feathers. - -“Look!” he said. “You can see he’s from Paradise, for he hasn’t any -feet.”[1] - - [1] The first birds of paradise seen in Europe were mounted without - feet.--TRANSLATOR. - -Now that seemed to fit in very well with her own concept of Paradise: a -place where one did not have to walk but moved about on wings. She -gazed at the bird in adoration, her hands folded as in prayer. She -wondered if the cabin-boy knew it was the bird that protected Captain -Strömberg, but dared not ask him. - -The child could have sat there all day lost in wonder; but her reverie -was suddenly interrupted by loud shouts from the deck. It sounded as if -someone were calling, “Selma! Selma!” - -Immediately afterwards, they all came rushing into the -cabin--Lieutenant Lagerlöf, Back-Kaisa, Fru Lagerlöf, Captain -Strömberg, Johan, and Anna. They were so many they quite filled the -room. - -“How did you get here?” they asked as with one breath--wonder and -amazement depicted on their faces. - -With that, the little girl remembered that she had walked on the deck, -had walked down the stairs and into the cabin--that no one had carried -her. - -“Now come down off the table,” said one, “and let us see whether you -can walk.” - -She crawled from the table to the chair, and from the chair to the -floor. Yes, she could both stand and walk. - -How they rejoiced! Their hopes had not been in vain; the object of the -journey was fulfilled. The little girl was not going to grow up a -helpless cripple, but a normal human being. - -The grown folk said it was the splendid baths at Strömstad that had -wrought the change. With tears of joy and gratitude, they blessed the -sea, the air, the city and all therein--glad they had come. - -The little girl, meanwhile, had her own thoughts about it. She wondered -if it was not the bird of paradise that had helped her. Was it not the -little marvel with the quivering wings which had come from that land -where feet were not needed that had taught her to walk here on this -earth, where it was such a very necessary thing? - - - - -VIII - -THE KEEPSAKE - - -THEY had said good-bye to Fru Strömberg and “Little Mårbacka.” The -children had packed away their precious sea-shells and the grown-ups had -locked their trunks. They were now going aboard the steamer that was to -bear them away from Strömstad. - -A lot of people had gathered at the wharf. There stood Captain -Strömberg, their boating companions, and other summer visitors whose -acquaintance they had made, and many, many more. - -“All the old pilots and skippers and fishermen in town must be here,” -observed a gentleman who had cruised with the Mårbacka folk. - -“Yes; and all the fishwives and female bath attendants to boot,” said -another. - -“They must have come down to bid Gustaf good-bye,” Fru Lagerlöf -remarked. “He seems to know everyone.” - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had to say farewell to so many that he came near -losing the boat. They all knew he had come to Strömstad to seek a cure -for a little child that could not walk, and had taken this opportunity -to offer their felicitations on the happy outcome. - -“Ay, but it’s good, Lieutenant, to see the little gal standin’ on the -deck with the other kiddies,” said an old fisherman. - -“It must have been your weakfish, Olaus, that set her up.” - -“Ay, weakfish’s good eatin’,” the old man nodded. - -The Lieutenant had already turned to a group of bath attendants. - -“I give you thanks,” he said, “for you, also, had a share in the good -work.” - -“You must come aboard, Gustaf,” Fru Lagerlöf shouted from the deck. -“The siren has sounded for the third time.” - -At the very last moment two little girls ran up the gangplank and over -to the Lagerlöf girls. They curtsied, shook hands, wished them _bon -voyage_, slipped Anna and Selma each a parcel, then hurried ashore. - -They were the daughters of the confectioner with whom Anna had played -all summer. Selma hardly knew them at all, and was quite overwhelmed by -their kindness in giving her, too, a parting gift. - -Unfolding the wrapper, she found something very pretty--a strip of -bright red satin ribbon, pasted on a bit of cardboard, on which there -were some letters embroidered in black silk. - -“It’s a bookmark,” Back-Kaisa said; “and that you should lay in the -prayer book.” - -“‘Remembrance’ it says there,” her mother explained. “That means you -must never forget the little girl who worked it for you.” - -The red satin ribbon with the black embroidered letters nestled between -the covers of her prayer book for many, many years. When on a Sunday at -church she would open the book and let her eyes rest on the bit of -ribbon, it carried her back in memory to days long gone by. - -She sensed the odours of the sea and before her eyes rose a vision of -boats and sea-faring folk--hardly the sea itself, but sea-shells and -jelly-fish and crabs and star-fish and weakfish and mackerel. Then from -some obscure recess of memory emerged the little red house in -Karlagatan. She saw the bird of paradise, Fru Strömberg, the _Jacob_, -Gray Island, Östra Hamngatan, the _Uddeholm_, and the three horses that -drew the big carriage. And last, she saw the horses turn in on a large -sward, surrounded by low red buildings and enclosed by a white fence. -They stopped before a wide red house, with small windows and a little -porch, and she heard all in the carriage cry as with one voice: “Thank -God we’re home again!” - -The others, she remembered, recognized the place at once as Mårbacka, -but not she. Had she been alone she would not have known what place it -was. To be sure, she remembered her home, though until then she had -never seen how it looked. - -On the porch stood a little sweet-faced, slightly bent, white-haired -old lady in a striped skirt and black jacket. That was her grandmother. -Her she remembered quite well, though she had never before noticed her -appearance. - -It was the same with her brother Daniel and the baby, the housekeeper -and Othello the spaniel--they were all quite new to her. True, she -remembered them in a way; but this was the first time she had actually -seen them. - -Moreover, sitting in the little church, her head bowed over the prayer -book, she knew that on that Strömstad visit she had not only learned to -walk but to see. - -It was thanks to that journey that she remembered her nearest and -dearest as they were in their prime, when life was a joy to them. But -for that, everything relating to those times would have faded out of -mind. But with the help of the little red ribbon they lived on. “Let -not forgetfulness grow over all this,” the ribbon said to her. -“Remember your parents, who gave themselves no rest till they had found -a cure for you. Remember Back-Kaisa, her great love and patience, how -she braved the terrors of land and sea for your sake.” - - - - -THE OLD HOUSEKEEPER’S TALES - - - - -I - -GRANDMOTHER - - -THE year after the Strömstad visit the little Mårbacka children had a -great sorrow. They lost their dear grandmother. - -Almost up to the very last they had sat with her on the corner sofa in -the bedroom and listened to her stories and songs. They could not -remember a time when their grandmother had not sung and narrated to -them. It had been a glorious life. Never were children so favoured. - -Where their grandmother had learned her stories and ballads they did -not know, but she herself believed every word of them. When she had -told something very wonderful, she would look deep into the eyes of the -little children and say, with the utmost conviction: “All this is as -true as that I see you and you see me.” - -One morning when the children came down to breakfast they were not -allowed to go into the kitchen-bedroom as usual to say good-morning to -grandmother, because she was ill. All that day the corner sofa stood -empty and it seemed as if the long storyless hours would never end. - -A few days later the children were told their grandmother was dead, and -when she lay shrouded they were brought in to kiss her hand. But they -were afraid. Then some one said it was the last time they might thank -Grandmother for all the pleasure she had given them. And then came the -day when the stories and songs were borne away, shut up in a long black -box, never to come again. - -It was a sad loss to the little ones. It seemed as if the door to a -beautiful, enchanted world, where they had freely passed in and out, -had been closed. Now there was no one who knew how to open that door. - -But after a while they learned to play with dolls and toys like other -children, and then it may have appeared as if they no longer missed -their grandmother or remembered her. But indeed she lived on in their -hearts. They never tired of listening to the stories of her the old -housekeeper told; they prized them as treasures they wanted to keep -always. - - - - -II - -THE GHOST OF VILARSTENSBACKEN - - -THE old housekeeper used to say it could not have been so very long ago -that Mårbacka was first laid under the plow and became a regular -homestead. In the old mistress’s youth it was still within man’s memory -that the place had been a summer _säter_ belonging to one of the old -peasant farms to the west of the dale, nearer the Fryken. - -But when in the world it was that the first herd of cattle grazed there -and the first cattle-sheds were built, who could say? Herdsmen can hold -to a place for thousands of years without leaving a trace after them. -And indeed there was not much here at Mårbacka that had come down from -their time. - -The name Mårbacka, the old mistress believed, one of the herdsmen had -given to the hilly moors below Åsberget, where they drove their horses -and cattle to grass. She also thought they and their animals had beaten -the roads. - -That the herdsmen had broken the south road, along Åsberget, was clear, -because from that direction they would have had to come with their -cattle. The steep road to the east, which went straight down the -mountain, was probably their work. By that they must have gone when -they wished to visit _säter_ folk on the other side of the mountain. -The wretched road running northwest, toward Sunne, must once have been -an old goat-path, and westward they could hardly have had any passage -at all. To the west lay swampy bottomlands, through which ran a -tortuous river. When the shepherdess stood upon the flat stone outside -her _säter_ cabin, she could see her home-farm on the other side of the -dale; but to get there, she had to go a long way round, to north or -southward. - -The herdsmen must have wandered up from the south mostly, for -Vilarsten, or Resting-stone, where they were wont to rest after their -long tramp, still lay at the roadside, just south of the farm. But -there was something about that road that made people afraid to venture -out on it after dark. - -At the time that Mårbacka was a summer _säter_ there lived in the -parish of Sunne a priest who was so harsh and exacting that a man who -had been a servant in his home a few months went and hanged himself. -The priest, when he learned what had happened, without stopping to -think, cut the body down and carried it out into the yard. Then, -because he had touched a suicide, and for no other reason, he was -regarded as polluted and disgraced. The people of Sunne would not allow -him to set foot in the church, which remained closed until another -clergyman was called. - -The Sunne priest used also to officiate at Ämtervik, where they had -a church and a little parish house but no resident clergyman. He -probably thought that in an out-of-the-way place like Ämtervik no one -would know of his being “unclean”; there, surely, he might celebrate -the Mass, as usual. So he rode down to Ämtervik. But the evil report -was there before him. As he stood at the altar intoning the Mass, -murmurs ran through the congregation; the people thought him unworthy -to stand in the House of God. Nor did it end there. The Ämtervik -peasants felt that he had shown them great disrespect. They were as -good men as the Sunne folk, they said, and would not have a priest -others had repudiated. - -A few among the younger peasants got together and planned to give him -something to remember. But knowing it was dangerous to lay violent -hands on a priest, they decided to wait till he set out for home. He -rode alone, and there were many lonely spots along the bridle-paths -between Ämtervik and Sunne where the men could lie in wait for him. - -The priest must have sensed danger, for instead of taking the usual -road to Sunne to the west of the dale, he took the _säter_ paths to -eastward past Mårbacka--thinking to find his way home. - -The men, ambushed at the roadside, seeing no sign of the priest, knew -of course that he had eluded them, and thought they would have to go -home without carrying out their purpose. But it happened that one of -the men was a brother to the servant who had taken his own life on -account of the priest and he was not going to let him escape so easily. -He seized a long stackpole which had been left standing in the field -since haying time, and set off toward the marshes; the others -did likewise--running and leaping across the bogs. Just below -Mårbacka-säter they touched firm ground; then, hurrying southward to -intercept the priest, they came upon him in the road near the -Resting-stone. - -It may have been their intention merely to give him a sound thrashing; -but, unluckily, there was the man who had a brother to avenge. He had a -sword concealed under his cloak, and when the others had pulled the -priest off the horse and thrown him to the ground, the man drew his -sword and cut off the priest’s head. - -The moment the deed was done they were filled with terror of discovery, -and thought only of escape. They let the horse run loose and left the -corpse lying at the roadside, to make it appear that the murder had -been committed by wild robbers. Running for home by the way they had -come, over the bogs, they hoped no one had seen them. They had not been -on any passable road, and their venturing across the marshes would not -have aroused suspicion. - -Things went better than they expected. Inasmuch as the priest had been -at odds with his parishioners, there was no eager search for him. When -at last his body was found the crime was attributed to robbers and -outlaws. Even in death he was regarded as unclean. No one would -touch the body. Since the people deemed him unfit to rest in -consecrated ground, they let him lie where he was, merely covering him -with sod, over which they built a cairn of large stones to prevent wild -beasts digging him out. - -But the priest could not find rest in the grave thus prepared for him. -On moonlight nights he would appear in the road near the Resting-stone -in his long cassock, holding his head between his hands. Horses saw him -plainer than humans did, and would shy and rear so that riders were -frequently obliged to make a long detour through the wild forest. - -So long as there were only cowherds and shepherds at Mårbacka, these -ghostly appearances meant very little. It was quite another matter when -Mårbacka became a regular farmstead. How to lay the ghost none knew, -and year after year folk had to take care not to be out on the road -near the Resting-stone along about midnight. - -The old mistress, however, had assured the housekeeper that nowadays -none need fear the headless priest. A housewife at Mårbacka--a -strong-minded, determined woman, who knew a little more than the common -run of folk--had laid the ghost. - -That farm mistress happened to be out riding late one evening along -Vilarstensbacken when--just as she expected--the ghost appeared in the -road near the cairn, and made as if to bar her way. - -The woman was neither awed nor frightened and her horse was as calm -and fearless as herself. She rode right up to the “spook,” and began to -admonish it. - -“Why can’t you stay where you belong!” she said. “You know well enough -that no better grave awaits you. So don’t imagine you will be allowed -to lie in churchyard mould--you who were so corrupt when you died.” - -This was spoken with firm conviction, for she knew, of course, that he -had been a hard man, and really considered him unworthy a decent -burial. - -“You have no cause to rise out of your grave and demand vengeance,” she -went on, “for you only got what you deserved.” - -When she said this, the ghost seemed to grow darker and more distinct; -it looked as if ready to fall upon her. Quite undaunted, she addressed -it again, determined to put an end to that nuisance. - -“If you will lie still in your grave I promise you that my eldest son -shall take up your calling, and become a priest. He is a good lad and I -know that he will be one of those servants of our Lord who turn -people’s hearts toward God, and not away from Him.” - -She had barely uttered the first words, when the ghost began to fade in -the moonlight till there was nothing left of it but a faint outline; -and before she had finished speaking, even that had vanished. - -The Ghost of Vilarstensbacken never appeared again. - -That torment luckily ended, there was increasing peace and comfort at -Mårbacka. The place became as fine a farm as any in the parish, and -the owners thrived and prospered. - -All this, the old mistress had said, was undoubtedly true, for some -years later, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, a youth from -Mårbacka was sent to a theological seminary, where he studied for the -ministry and was finally ordained. - -He called himself Morell, after his ancestral home, and in due time was -made curate at Ämtervik. He settled on his family estate (Mårbacka), -and was the first clergyman to reside within the parish--his -predecessors having all lived at Sunne and come down to Ämtervik only -on specified Sundays. - -The peasants of Ämtervik were very glad to have their own pastor, -especially one who had a home of his own so that they did not have to -provide him with a living. To be sure, Mårbacka was a good distance -away from the church, but that disadvantage was more than made up for -by the priest’s being a man of independent means. - -The parson’s pay was small, and of that little the lion’s share went to -the Dean of Sunne, so that the priest would have been as poor as the -proverbial church mouse but for Mårbacka. - -In order that this arrangement, which was for the good of both pastor -and parishioners, might be perpetuated, the first clergyman at Mårbacka -gave one of his daughters in marriage to a priest by the name of -Lyselius, whom he made his heir to the estate and the office. - -Lyselius, in his turn, did likewise: he married one of his daughters to -Pastor Eric Wennervik, who later came into the property and the office. - -The old mistress had said that everyone seemed to think this an -excellent custom which should be kept up; even the clergymen’s -daughters, she thought, had been content to have it so. - - - - -III - -PASTOR WENNERVIK - - -THE old mistress had also said it was the three clergymen, Morell, -Lyselius, and Wennervik, who built up Mårbacka. - -Before their time the place was just a peasant farm, which, though -large and flourishing, looked like any other farmstead. If there were a -barn for ten cows and a stable for two horses, it was about all that -could be expected. The main house had perhaps but one large room, where -the entire household lived day and night, and a little pitch-dark -kitchen called the _kåve._ There were many other buildings, of -course--a larder, a bath house, a rye-loft and other sheds, a kiln, and -a smithy; but they must have been rather small, as the farm at that -time was not nearly so extensive as it is now. Only the nearest fields -were then under cultivation. - -The old mistress used to wonder how the three clergymen had managed to -build a stable for ten horses and a cow-house for thirty cows, besides -all the big granaries, storehouses, and sheds which they seemed to have -required. The brew house with an adjoining room, which was used for a -farm-office, were also from their time, likewise the milk-room, -loom-room, and bailiff’s lodge. - -Finally, along in the seventeen-nineties the old mistress’s father, -Pastor Wennervik, built a new dwelling which was planned on a more -modest scale than the other buildings. He was satisfied with a -one-story house of four rooms and kitchen, and an attic with two gable -chambers. But all the rooms, including the kitchen, were large and -light, and so admirably adapted to living purposes that hominess, so to -speak, met one with open arms at the threshold. - -Pastor Wennervik had also laid out the kitchen garden with its aromatic -herb-beds and fruit trees, and the little rose garden. He was the son -of a master gardener, and was himself quite clever at gardening. Many -little rose bushes and grafted apple trees still growing on the farms -round Ämtervik he had helped set out. - -In his youth he had been tutor at a great manor, where he conceived a -fancy for fences and gates. Round the kitchen garden at Mårbacka he put -a pretty white paling, with ornamental gates, and another round the -rose garden. If one wished to drive in from the road, one had first to -open a great gate, then pass range on range of out-buildings, with -fences and gates at several points. It was the same with the front -yard. - -The children loved to hear about their great-grandfather, Pastor -Wennervik. They had found in a corner cupboard of the farm-office some -old books in Greek and Latin which bore his signature, also a number of -poems by Bellman and Leopold copied in his hand. They knew that the -harpsichord and guitar had come to Mårbacka in his time, and they -created in fancy a beautiful image of him. It was not only from the old -housekeeper they had heard anecdotes of him, but also from their father -and their father’s sisters. He was a charming gentleman of fine taste, -who always liked to wear good clothes and who loved flowers and apples. -He must have been a bird-lover, too, for it was he who put up the -octangular dove-cote that stood on the green outside the kitchen -window. He had planned and worked to make Mårbacka a beautiful home. -The clergymen who dwelt there before him must have lived mostly in the -peasant manner, while he had softened the old severe simplicity by -introducing some of the manners and customs of gentlefolk, thus -rendering life there richer and easier. - -There was an old oil painting at Mårbacka from the time of Pastor -Wennervik. It was a portrait of his early love--a rich and high-born -young lady of the Province of Västergötland. He had been tutor to her -brother, and being no doubt the best looking and most charming young -man she had met up to then, she fell in love with him, and he with her. -The lovers had their trysting places in the bowers of the manor park, -where they spoke of their love and pledged eternal fidelity. But one -day they were discovered, and the young tutor was promptly dismissed. - -All that was left to him of love’s young dream was this counterfeit -presentment of his sweetheart. The young lady’s portrait had not been -done by a skilled artist; the face on the canvas under the powdered -hair was set and expressionless; it looked more like a pretty doll than -the likeness of a human countenance. However, the features were of -delicate mould, and to him who had seen her eyes sparkle and her lips -curve in a smile, the portrait was beautiful enough. Pastor Wennervik -perhaps felt some of the old glow of youth in his heart when his gaze -rested on the picture. - -Mayhap ’twas the portrait which inspired the obscure country parson to -surround himself with flowers and birds, to enhance the beauty of life -with music and poetry. - - - - -IV - -THE GANDER - - -THERE was only one thing the children had against Pastor -Wennervik--that in his late years he had married Jungfru Raklitz, the -dreadful old housekeeper-person who had gone from manor to manor and -been harassed and tormented by hard mistresses, until she, in her turn, -became a plague and a torment. - -If Pastor Wennervik must needs have married again he should at least -have thought to protect his dear daughter against the stepmother. That -she was allowed to treat the girl as she saw fit, to scold and chastise -her and put upon her an unreasonable amount of work--that, the children -could never forgive him. - -How they loved the billy-goat that got drunk on dregs and butted into -old Raklitz, upsetting both her and her brandy cruse. They also sided -with the market folk at the Ombergshed Fair who stole her apples and -shouted back to her that the Mårbacka parson was too good a man to take -money from poor folk for his apples. And they gloried in the bold thief -who broke into her larder after she’d had a new lock put on the door -which was so big and strong it might have done for a prison gate. And -they were ready to burst into tears at the thought of the poor -goosey-gander! - -One fine April day, in the time of Fru Raklitz, all the Mårbacka geese -had been let out in the farmyard. Suddenly some wild geese came flying -high above them, honking and shrieking as usual. The tame geese flapped -their wings and squawked back--the way they do every spring. - -As flock after flock of wild geese flew over, the tame geese grew more -and more restless, and before any one knew what was up, a big gander -darted into the air and joined the wild geese in their flight. - -Everyone expected that he would soon turn back; but indeed he did -nothing of the sort. When he was not there by the next morning, they -thought they’d never lay eyes on him again. He must have fallen prey to -the fox or the eagle, they said, if he had not actually become winded -and dropped dead from exhaustion. It was inconceivable that a tame -goose could fly with wild geese to the far north. - -Nothing was seen or heard of the gander the whole summer. But when -autumn came, and the wild geese flew southward, shrieking and calling -as always, the tame geese again lifted their wings and answered them. - -Fru Raklitz, seeing how excited the geese were, and being more wary -this time than the last, told her stepdaughter, Lisa Maja, to run out -and drive the geese into the barn. - -Lisa Maja had no sooner stepped into the barnyard than she heard a -loud rustling noise just over her head, and almost before she had time -to blink, a flock of wild geese alighted on the ground right in front -of her. A big fine white gander was the leader; behind him walked a -gray mother goose, trailed by nine speckled goslings. The girl hardly -dared move lest she frighten them away. Very cautiously she opened the -barn door and concealed herself behind it. - -The goosey-gander made straight for the barn, his family following him. -When they were all inside, Lisa Maja stole softly after to see where -they had gone. Well, the big goosey-gander had walked right into the -goose pen, and was calling and coaxing till those with him went in, -too. Then he led them up to the trough, which was full of oats and -water, and fell to feeding. - -“See, this is what I’m used to,” he seemed to be saying to his family. -“This is how I have always lived ... No food worries, only to step up -to a full trough.” - -Lisa Maja quietly slipped out, shutting the door after her, and hurried -back to Fru Raklitz. - -“Mother dear, do come see!” she said. “The gander who flew away in the -spring has come back with a wild goose and nine little goslings.” - -All her life she regretted having shut in the goosey-gander and told of -his return. Fru Raklitz, without saying a word, hunted up the little -knife which was used for killing geese, and before sundown the fine -white goosey-gander, the nice gray mother goose, and all the pretty -goslings were dead and plucked. - -“It was a poor reward you gave our goosey-gander, Mother, for coming -back to us with so many nice geese,” was all she dared say. - -“’Twas enough at least to make all the geese on this place understand -what happens to those who defy me and try to run away,” Fru Raklitz -retorted, a malicious smile playing round her hard mouth. - - - - -V - -THE LEMMINGS - - -FRU RAKLITZ had been hard enough on Lisa Maja while the father was -alive; but when he died, in the year 1801, and she was in full control, -she became even more harsh and exacting. The stepdaughter was now -wholly at her mercy, without support or protection from any quarter. -The girl was but seventeen--too young and inexperienced to hold her own -with a canny old woman. She had a brother, to be sure, but he was at -Upsala University studying, so that she could not look to him for any -help. - -The stepmother and she were soon at daggers’ points. Fru Raklitz wanted -her to marry the clergyman who had succeeded her father, but Lisa Maja -would not agree to that. She opposed all the arguments of the -stepmother and the parish folk, who thought the old order such an -excellent thing. The clergyman’s daughter had her own ideas about -marriage. She would not marry a man merely because he happened to be -the priest at Ämtervik; he must also be the sort she could love. - -The new pastor was anxious to put the matter through. He had got into -the good graces of the stepmother, who tried to help him by any and -every means. As the girl continued to say No, Fru Raklitz one day drove -down to Öjervik to see Judge Sandelin, who was Lisa Maja’s guardian, -and have a talk with him. - -It was clear that she would have the support of both the Judge and his -wife. They knew Fru Raklitz well; she had been housekeeper at Öjervik -for many years and they had always known her to be a wise and prudent -woman. Without doubt she was right, they said; the Mårbacka clergyman’s -daughter should marry the curate. Anything else was out of the -question. - -Fru Raklitz was invited to stay for supper, and after the meal she and -the Judge’s wife sat talking till late in the evening. It was eleven -o’clock before she finally set off for home. But the sky was clear and -there was a moon, so that it looked as if she would have no difficulty. - -And now as the chaise moved rapidly along the shore road toward Sunne, -Fru Raklitz sat thinking how she would worry and torment the poor -stepdaughter in order to break her will. Of course it was only for the -girl’s own good, she flattered herself so that she need have no -conscience in the matter. - -Then, all at once, Svarten, the horse, shied with a jerk that nearly -upset the chaise. He acted as if he had the staggers; he dashed off the -road, across the ditch, and was down in a field before Long-Bengt, the -driver, could check him. When the horse was finally under control he -was all a-tremble. Without moving from the spot where he stood he -lifted his feet, one at a time, then suddenly gave a shriek such as -is seldom heard from a horse--and leaped into the air. Back on to the -road he would not go. When Long-Bengt tried to urge him on, he reared -and came near kicking the chaise to pieces. - -“What is it, Bengt, what is it?” gasped Fru Raklitz, clutching the -man’s arm in her fright. “Has the horse gone mad?” - -“That horse has more sense than Frua and me both,” answered Long-Bengt. -“He’s not mad, he sees something we ain’t got eyes for to see.” - -Svarten nosed the ground, snorted, and backed, regardless of the chaise -and those in it. Luckily, they were in a field where the summer’s rye -had been cut, so that the ground was quite smooth and even. They -noticed that they were backing toward a broad, deep ditch; but when the -vehicle was at the very edge, the horse stopped; he probably thought he -had got past the worst danger. Though still nosing the ground and -snorting, he made no more leaps. - -“You’d better get out, Frua,” said Long-Bengt, “while I try to urge him -past whatever ’tis he sees.” - -Fru Raklitz unbuttoned the carriage apron and was about to set foot to -the ground, when she drew back with a cry. - -“I can’t step down, Bengt,” she said.... “It’s moving!” - -“I believe Frua’s as daft as the horse,” laughed Long-Bengt. “What’s -moving?” - -“The ground under us is moving, the whole field is moving.” Her voice -shook and she felt a lump in her throat. - -“_Asch!_” said Long-Bengt, and jumped out. He thought it was a ghost -that had frightened the horse. But ghosts were supposed to come out of -the air; he had never heard of their creeping along the ground. - -And now he wasn’t long getting back into the chaise himself, nor did he -venture out of it again. What the mistress had said was true--the -ground certainly appeared to be moving. It did not tremble as in an -earthquake, nor glide away as in a landslide; but it was as if every -clod of earth in the field had taken feet and was running toward the -lake. - -The two in the chaise sat gazing at the ground--and at last they saw -what it was that moved: the field was over-run by hordes of little -animals; but they were none the less frightened, the two of them. It -couldn’t be anything real or natural, they thought. Where had they come -from--all those creatures? Every spot in the field was alive with them! - -The animals--or whatever they were--scurried across the ditch up on to -the road and then went rushing down an incline into the lake. Now what -sort of creatures could they be, to behave in that way? Had they been -of God’s creation there would surely have been some end to them; but -these kept coming in limitless numbers. - -The horse had now become fairly calm. Only when the little animals -ran between his feet he would snort and draw back. Fru Raklitz, -meanwhile, was far from calm. Her teeth chattered from fright, and she -mumbled and talked to herself. However, she sat still as long as they -were in the field. But the horse was not going to stand out there the -whole night. He began to move on his own accord; he walked slowly, -lifting his feet and putting them down very carefully; but at least he -went forward and not backward. - -The strange little animals got into the way of the horse and wagon, and -there was a grinding, crunching noise as the wheels passed over the -tiny bodies. - -When Fru Raklitz heard that grinding she jumped to her feet, and began -to shriek wildly. Long-Bengt quickly caught her round the waist, to -prevent her throwing herself out of the chaise. - -“They’re after me! They’re after me!” she cried. “They’re on the -wheels--they’re on the step--they’re in the wagon!” - -The horse increased his speed. The chaise moved joltingly as the wheels -went over the little animals. - -“They’re in the chaise, they’re in the chaise!” screamed Fru Raklitz, -springing up on to the seat. “They’re pulling at my skirt--they mean to -drag me to the lake!” - -Now Long-Bengt had to stand up to hold her back. “By rights, I ought to -let you tumble into the road for your meanness,” he muttered. All the -same he kept his arm round her. - -They were at last back on the road and had driven over great swarms of -the roving animals, when Svarten suddenly stopped and neighed -contentedly. - -“It’s all over now,” said Long-Bengt. “Sit down, Frua.” - -But Fru Raklitz went on shrieking, “They’re in the chaise; they’re -pulling at my skirt; they’ll drag me to the lake.” Long-Bengt had to -pull her down by main force and set her on the seat. She struggled so -hard he dared not let go of her. - -“Go on, Svarten!” he said. “You’ll have to find the way without me -holding the reins.” - -The horse set off at a trot, while Fru Raklitz, shaking and blubbering, -rambled on about their climbing the wheels and trying to get into the -chaise. - -“You’ll have to run, Svarten,” said Long-Bengt, “or she’ll go clean off -her head before we get her home.” - -Svarten perhaps understood. Anyhow, he must have wanted to get home to -his crib, for he took the hills up and down at top speed. - -Long-Bengt sat there with beads of cold sweat standing on his forehead; -he tried to assure Fru Raklitz that the trouble was over, but she would -not believe him. - -“You are very kind, Bengt,” she whimpered; “but don’t tell me we are -safe; I hear them, I see them, they are after us, and mean to drive me -into the lake.” - -When they finally stopped before the front porch at Mårbacka and a maid -came out to receive her mistress, she was afraid to step down. - -“No, no, not you!” she cried. “You have no power, you can’t save me -from them.” - -The maid drew back in alarm. She had never heard her mistress speak -like that before. - -“Go fetch the priest’s daughter,” said Fru Raklitz--“go fetch Lisa -Maja! She is the only one here who has power over the _evil ones._” - -“Mamselle Lisa Maja has gone to bed,” said the girl. - -“Go ask her to come down as quick as she can,” Long-Bengt put in. “Tell -her Frua got a fright on the way.” - -Fru Raklitz sat shaking and gibbering until her stepdaughter appeared. - -“Ah, God bless you!” cried the woman, holding out her arms to the girl. -“Come help me! Don’t be angry with me! I’ll never be mean to you -again.” - -“What’s the matter, Mother dear?” said the girl as she stood by the -carriage. - -“Come, give me your hand,” begged the stepmother. “Dear heart, hold -them back while I get down. Don’t let them take me! They can’t harm you -who have power over them.” - -When she was out of the chaise she fell on the stepdaughter’s neck, and -sobbed: “Don’t ever leave me! Don’t be angry with me! You shall marry -whomever you will, and I’ll not say a word.” - -“She saw something coming home,” Long-Bengt explained. “She saw all the -little imps of hell let loose, and she thinks they’re after her and -will drag her into the Fryken.” - -The priest’s daughter put her arm round the stepmother, and said: “Come -in, Mother dear! You are at Mårbacka now. Here none of the evil ones -can touch you, darling Mother.” - -Fru Raklitz was so shaken from fright that Lisa Maja had to talk to her -as to a little child, to get her to her room and to bed. She would not -let her go; so the girl had to sit there holding her hand, and listen -to her ravings until daybreak. - -From that time forth Fru Raklitz never dared be cruel to her -stepdaughter; nor was she ever again her old ruthless self. She kept to -her room mostly, and let Lisa Maja run the house. She would lend a hand -when there was extra cleaning and furbishing to be done--as before a -great holiday or a party--but only in the house, never outside it. Thus -she lived until 1835. Whether she had ever any real affection for the -stepdaughter is doubtful. But when Lisa Maja was married, and the -little ones came, she grew very fond of them. Every day the children -would go in to see Granny. She was also very fond of her coffee, and -always had a fire going in the tile-stove of her room, so that she -could make coffee for herself. She would often treat the children. But -their mother thought coffee was not good for little folk, and told them -one day they must never drink any of Granny’s coffee. - -The next day, when the two youngest, Nana and Lovisa, came out of the -grandmother’s room, there was a strong odour of coffee about them. - -“What did you have at Granny’s to-day?” their mother asked them. - -“Gruel, Mummie dear,” said the two of them as with one mouth. - -“What was that gruel made in?” questioned the mother. - -“In the coffeepot, Mummie dear,” they answered as if they were speaking -a piece. - -They said it so nicely and they were so little and naïve, that the -mother had to laugh in spite of herself. - - - - -VI - -THE NECKAN - - -IN THE southern part of the parish there are tracts where the landscape -is more variform and far more beautiful than up north, round Mårbacka. -There the Fryken cuts into the land in deep bays--the one after the -other--along each of which lie shore-meadows, bordered by leafy woods, -and three or four fine old peasant homesteads. Jutting out between the -bays are rocky, wood-grown headlands so wild and inhospitable that no -one would think of clearing or building there. - -One summer’s day Lisa Maja Wennervik had ridden down to Bössviken, -which is the most southerly bay, to order some of the fine pears -ripening there under the protecting hills. The Bössvik folk were very -friendly, and she had dropped in at several cottages, so that it was -rather late when she left for home. - -But the girl was not afraid to ride back alone in the light summer -evening. She went slowly, that she might enjoy to the full the beauty -of the night; now riding up among the hills through dense woods, where -she fancied robbers or bears might spring out at any moment and tear -her off her horse; and now down dales of dewy fields, pretty birch -groves and light, shimmering streams. There was still a pale rosy glow -in the sky, which was reflected in the lake. She had never seen -anything lovelier than that night! - -All at once she saw a large, beautiful stallion grazing in the -shore-meadow of a bay. His coat was a dapple gray, his mane so long it -swept the ground, and his tail, which was thick as a rye-sheaf, also -reached to the ground. The horse was broad across the hindquarters and -high at the withers; he had a small head, with fine, clear eyes, his -legs were slender, his hoofs a silvery white that glistened like -polished metal as he lifted them in the grass. His body bore no marks -of harness or saddle. - -Lisa Maja had just walked her horse, Svarten, down a hillside, and was -now going at the same slow pace toward the meadow where the stallion -grazed. She went so close to him there was but the fence between them; -by putting out her hand she could have stroked his haunches. - -The stallion seemed not to have noticed them before; but now he raised -his head and looked up at the young girl. And Lisa Maja was so pretty -that the young swains would drop axe, or scythe, or whatever they had -in hand, when she came riding, and hurry down to the roadside to hang -over the fence till she had gone by. - -Fancy! When the beautiful stallion raised his eyes to her, there was -the same look of admiration in his gaze that the peasant lads sent her -from the roadside. - -For a moment he stood regarding her, then quickly turned and galloped -off--his mane waving in the breeze, his tail standing straight out. -Like a streak, he darted across the meadow and down the bay. Near the -shore the bay was shallow and shelving, and as he dashed through the -shallows the water splashed round him in clouds of foam. Then, all of a -sudden, he disappeared. - -Lisa Maja thought the horse in his wild flight had gone beyond his -depth, and was drowning. She hoped for a second that he would come -swimming to the surface again; but no, he did not reappear. And there -was not a ripple on the water where he had gone down. - -Then Lisa Maja felt a wild desire to ride to the rescue. She could not -bear the thought of letting that glorious creature drown without making -some effort to save it. With a sharp pull at the bridle, she swung her -horse round toward the fence and gave him a dig with her spurs to make -him jump it. But Svarten being the kind of horse that knows more than -most humans, instead of taking the hurdle, turned and made for home at -full gallop. The young girl from her high mount in the side-saddle had -not much control over her determined steed; she soon realized that this -time it was useless to try to make him obey. Besides, Svarten probably -knew what sort of horse it was the girl wished to rescue from the -water. By the time Lisa Maja had come to the top of the next hill and -found herself in the darkness of a dense pine wood, she, too, knew what -it was she had seen. - -The silver-gray stallion with the unshodden hoofs and trailing mane she -had often heard tell of. He was none other than the Neckan--the -River-god--himself. - -When the girl came home to Mårbacka and told the serving-folk of her -adventure, they all thought as she did--that she had seen the Neckan and -that herself and all on her place had best be careful, or before very -long one among them would surely be drowned. - -But there is no lake near Mårbacka and the old bottom lands to the west -of the estate were by then so well dried out that not a trace of swamp -or quagmire remained. Even the river, which had once been broad and -treacherous, was now so diminished that in summertime, at least, it was -scarcely more than a shallow creek. - -However, in the month of August, when the days grew shorter and the -mists hovered over river and meadow, it happened that an old man from -Mårbacka was walking homeward one evening across the western meadows; -what he may have seen or encountered down among the mists no one ever -knew--but he did not return that night. The next morning his body was -found in the little river, which was so shallow the water scarcely -covered him. He had been a crabbed old man and there was perhaps no -great mourning for him; but they were all very certain now it was the -Neckan Lisa Maja had seen that time; had she followed him into the lake -he surely would have drawn her down to his Blue Mansions in the deep. - - - - -VII - -THE PAYMASTER OF THE REGIMENT - - -FRU RAKLITZ’S reformation may not have been so complete after all, for -the old housekeeper could never sufficiently impress upon the little -Lagerlöf children what a fortunate thing it was for Mamselle Lisa Maja -that she got so good a husband as Paymaster Daniel Lagerlöf. He was no -rich man; but wise, and kindly, and honourable he had always been. In -him she had found just the protector she needed. - -To be sure he was no priest, but his father and grandfather, his -great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather had all been clergymen -and married to daughters of clergymen, so that he could claim kinship -with all the old clerical families of Värmland. Any preaching or -speech-making gift he had not inherited from his forebears, but the -tendency to guide and govern a whole community was in his blood. The -Ämtervik peasants, who at first thought ill of him because he had -married the Mårbacka parson’s daughter--thereby upsetting the old -order--soon grew accustomed to having him run the important affairs of -the parish. - -The children were astonished to hear the housekeeper speak in that way -of their grandfather. They had heard stories of him which were common -among the people. He was said to have been a great violinist, and in -his youth, at least, was so moody and high-strung that the humdrum of -home life wore on him and he had to go his own ways. - -But that the old housekeeper denied most emphatically. No, indeed, -there was nothing queer about the Paymaster of the Regiment. She could -not imagine who had put such ideas into the children’s heads. It was -merely that his official duties forced him to live away on journeys -most of the time. As Paymaster of the Regiment once a year he had to -travel through the whole of Värmland, to collect the war tax. And not -only was he Paymaster of the Regiment, but Manager of the Kymsberg Iron -Works, far up by the Norwegian boundary; and all at once he had to be -up and off for there. Then, too, he had such a good name that people -were always asking him to serve as executor and administrator. Most -bothersome of all had been his trusteeship for Judge Sandelin’s wife, -who had inherited seven foundries from Iron Master Antonsson. He had to -spend months on end at these various foundries, straightening out the -tangled affairs. - -But as soon as ever he could get away he hurried back to Mårbacka. If -he chanced to come home some morning, unobserved, he would hunt up his -violin and stand outside the bedroom window, and awaken his wife with -music. - -Now that much may have been true, perhaps; but that he ran away from -home and was gone for long periods without letting anyone know his -whereabouts--that was just something folks imagined, because ’twas -always the wife who ruled at Mårbacka. - -The children were very sorry to hear that their grandfather had been -such a sober, serious, matter-of-fact person. And of course they had to -believe what the old housekeeper told them. - -Then, one evening, when their parents had gone to a party, the -housemaid, who was to sit up for them, had persuaded Maja, the new -nurse, who succeeded Back-Kaisa, to keep her company. They made a fire -in the tile-stove of the nursery, drew up the children’s little red -chairs, and sat talking in whispers so as not to disturb the three -little girls, who had gone to bed. - -By and by the door creaked and in walked the old housekeeper. She had -been wondering where the housemaid had betaken herself, and had been -all through the house looking for her. She, too, drew up a chair. -Anyway, she declared she’d not be able to sleep till she knew the -master and mistress were safely home. - -Now that the three of them were seated by the open fire so cosy and -intimate-like, the two maids seized the opportunity to ask the old -housekeeper’s advice in a weighty matter. - -“We were just saying, Lina and I, that we ought to make -dream-porridge,” said Nurse Maja; “but we don’t know as ’twould do any -good.” - -In that way they tempted the old housekeeper to tell what had happened -when Lisa Maja Wennervik made a dream-pancake. - -On New Year’s Eve of the last Christmas Week that Pastor Wennervik was -alive Mamselle Lisa Maja, for fun, made a dream-pancake. She had just -turned seventeen, and ’twas time for her to be thinking of marriage. So -she measured out three spoonfuls of water, three spoonfuls of meal, and -three spoonfuls of salt, and stirred them together, then she poured the -mixture on a hot griddle, ate as much of the pancake as she could get -down, and went right to bed. She must have had some difficulty getting -to sleep, though, for the salty pancake had given her an awful thirst; -and to drink anything before sleeping would break the spell. - -In the morning she couldn’t remember whether she had dreamt anything. -But later in the day, on going out on the front porch, she stopped in -amazement. All at once she remembered having dreamed in the night of -standing on that very spot. Two strange men--one old, one young--had -come up to her. The older man had said he was Dean Lagerlöf of Arvika, -and that he had come with his son to ask her if she were not thirsty -and would like a drink of water. With that, the younger man had -immediately stepped forward and offered her a glass of water. And she -was very glad when she saw the clear, fresh water, for even in her -sleep her throat felt parched. - -There the dream ended. But from that moment she knew who was to be her -husband; for the one who comes in the dream and offers you water when -you have eaten dream-pancake, he is the one you will marry. - -Mamselle Lisa Maja wondered how this could come about, for at that time -she did not know any one by the name of Lagerlöf. But one day, soon -after New Year’s, as she was standing at the window, a sledge came up -the driveway. Suddenly she gave a cry and nipped the housekeeper by the -sleeve. - -“Here comes the one I saw in the dream,” she said. “You’ll find that -his name is Lagerlöf.” - -And ’twas just as she had said. The man in the sledge was Daniel -Lagerlöf, manager of the Kymsberg Iron Works, who had come to buy hay. - -The first sight of him must have been a disappointment. He was not -handsome and he looked so sombre she did not see how she could ever -like him. - -He stayed the night at Mårbacka. In the morning the stableboy came in -and said that a fox and two wolves had fallen into the fox-pit. None of -the men on the place seemed to know what to do to get the trapped -animals out, but the Kymsberg manager jumped into the pit with no -weapon but a knotted stick. He dealt the wolves a couple of blows on -the head, stunning them, then slipped a noose round their necks by -which to draw them up. - -Mamselle Lisa Maja was so taken by the courage of the man, she quite -lost her heart to him. She vowed to herself, then and there, that him -and none other would she have for a husband. - -He, on his part, had fallen in love with her at this their first -meeting, though he would not let on. He had once been engaged, it -seemed, and although the betrothed was now dead, he felt that he must -be true to her memory, and have no thought for another. - -At all events, he came to Mårbacka for hay several times that winter. -He soon saw that Lisa Maja had none too easy a time of it with that -stepmother of hers. He felt sorry for her and wanted to help her. But -Lord o’ mercy! he couldn’t court her himself on account of the dear -departed. But there was his brother Elof, who was a priest somewhere up -in the Finn-forests; now he might marry her, he thought. - -He brought about a meeting between his brother and Lisa Maja--which was -the worst thing he could have done. The brother fell desperately in -love with the girl, and could think of none but her for the rest of his -life; while she loved the Kymsberg manager and had no eyes for his -brother. - -Pastor Lagerlöf, however, never got so far as to propose. He was -commanded by his bishop to marry a person who had lived in his home -several years, and to whom he had promised marriage. Fru Raklitz had -played a hand in that game, which ended only in misery. For when Pastor -Lagerlöf could not have Lisa Maja he took to drink, and finally -became as dissolute and worthless as he had once been noble and -high-minded. - -Now Daniel Lagerlöf had no one to put forward as substitute. If he -meant to help the Mårbacka parson’s daughter he must come to the -scratch himself. Besides, he probably felt now it was better to think -of the living than to mourn for the dead. So he actually plucked up -courage enough to propose. - -Mamselle Lisa Maja was very happy, and thought her troubles would soon -be over. But before very long her betrothed began to act strangely, as -if he wished to avoid her. He seldom appeared at Mårbacka now, and when -he was there he would sit silent for hours and only gaze at her, or he -would take out his violin and play from the time he came until he left. -At last a whole year went by without her seeing him. - -If she asked him when they were to be married he put her off with -excuses. Once he said they must wait until he had earned enough to buy -out the other heirs to Mårbacka. Another time he had to help put his -brothers through college; and again, he thought they had better wait -and see whether he’d succeed in getting the post of Paymaster of the -Regiment. - -He kept postponing and postponing. Now he had too much writing to do, -and now too much travelling--till at last no one except Mamselle Lisa -Maja herself believed they would ever be married. That made it all the -harder for her. Eligible young gentlemen from Sunne--from Ämtervik--now -came a-courting. She let them all understand they had their trouble for -nothing. But some were so persistent they came again and again, and if -she forbade them the house they would lie in wait for her at the edge -of the woods, and pop out when she appeared in the road. - -All the mean things they could say of Daniel Lagerlöf they took pains -to tell her. One time she heard that he consorted with the -disreputable, besotten cavaliers who drove about the countryside -harrying homesteads, and were the terror of all decent folk; another -time she was told that he ran about in the woods like a wild animal. -Some chaffed her, saying he had now got the post of Paymaster of the -Regiment and could jolly well marry her, unless he’d grown tired of his -bargain. Others tried to weaken her by hinting that he was after the -daughter of Finn-Eric, who was reputed to be the richest man in the -country. - -None of that had any effect upon Lisa Maja; she was as happy and -confident as ever that it would be as foretold in the dream. - -Then one day a rumour reached her ears to the effect that her betrothed -had said if he were only released from his engagement he would go -abroad, and learn to play the violin properly. - -That impressed her as nothing else had. She went down to the stable at -once to find Long-Bengt. - -She said: “Now, Bengt, you must get out the chaise and drive up to -Kymsberg, to fetch the Paymaster of the Regiment; for I wish to speak -with him.” - -“Ay, be sure I’ll try, Mamselle,” said Long-Bengt. “But what shall I do -if he won’t come along willingly?” - -“Tell him you dare not return without him,” she said. - -And Long-Bengt went. - -It was a day’s journey to Kymsberg, and Long-Bengt did not get back -until the evening of the second day; but in the chaise with him was the -Paymaster of the Regiment. - -Mamselle Lisa Maja received him cordially, as usual. She asked him into -the living room, and bade him sit down and rest a bit after his long -journey. They would hurry with the supper, she said, as he must be -hungry. - -He paced up and down the room impatiently; he seemed only to be waiting -for the moment when he could be off. - -When they were seated at table--just they two--Lisa Maja turned to him -when the housekeeper came in with the food--as if she’d only been -waiting for her--and asked him whether it was true that he wanted to -break off with her. - -“Oh, yes,” he answered, looking solemn as an owl. Such was his wish, of -course; she should have guessed that long ago. - -The blood rushed to her face. If she had not questioned him about this -before, she said, it was because she firmly believed they were destined -for each other. Then, with a forced laugh, he asked her what she -meant by that. She flushed crimson. Now she told him in a few words -about the dream-pancake, of how in a dream she had seen him and his -father, and what the father had said to her. - -He put down his knife and fork, and stared in amazement. - -“This must be something you have just made up,” he said. - -“You can ask Maja Persdotter if I did not recognize you and say who you -were before you were out of the sledge, the first time you came to buy -hay,” said Mamselle Lisa Maja, turning to the housekeeper, who was then -passing round the food. - -“But why haven’t you spoken of this before?” he questioned her. - -“That, I think, you must understand,” she answered. “I did not wish to -hold you by any bond but your own desire.” - -For a long moment he sat silent--evidently much impressed by what he -had heard. Presently he asked: - -“Can you tell me how the man looked who said he was Dean Lagerlöf of -Arvika?” - -“Yes,” said she, and went on to describe him. Her description of the -father must have been accurate, feature for feature, for the son was so -startled he involuntarily jumped up from the table. - -“But my father died the year I was born,” he said. “You may have heard -people speak of him, perhaps?” - -“I had never seen a Lagerlöf nor heard of either you or your father -before I met you in a dream. Ask Maja Persdotter standing there beside -you if she hasn’t heard me describe your father many, many times.” - -He went up close to her. “If only I dared believe this!” He walked -round the room and back to her.... “Why--then _you_ were the one my -dear father meant for me, and not----” - -What Mamselle Lisa Maja replied the old housekeeper never heard, for -she saw ’twas time for her to be going. - -The young lovers sat talking together till far into the night, -and--well--that autumn they were married. - -Mamselle Lisa Maja afterwards told the old housekeeper it was only his -morbid conscience that had stood in the way. He had felt he would be -wronging the dead sweetheart, and he had brooded over his brother Elof, -and thought he had no right to happiness when the brother was so -unhappy--and all on account of him. - -But in her dream he had found something to hold to, something to be -guided by, which gave him the courage to do what he wished above -everything. - -From the day of his marriage he was a changed man, though during the -first years the old despondency came over him at times; but later he -was as tranquil and even-tempered as could be. A year after the wedding -at Mårbacka his brother was drowned, and then for a while it was pretty -hard; but that, too, passed over. - -The old mistress and he were married six-and-forty years, and the -last thirty years of their union all was serene; there was no happier -couple in the world. - - * * * * * - -The little children lay in their beds listening and delighting. Until -then their grandfather had been to them no more than a wooden image, -and now all at once he had come alive. - - - - -VIII - -THE MILITIA-MEN - - -IT HAPPENED in the year 1810, when Grandmother Lagerlöf was a young -wife and the mother of two little children. She sat one evening by the -east window of the kitchen-bedroom; dusk had fallen and ’twas too dark -to see to sew. Being well on in March the tallow dips were about used -up, so she had taken up her knitting, for her knitting needles she -could ply in the deepest darkness. - -All at once something made her look out. She could hardly believe her -eyes! But a little while before it had been fine clear weather, and now -there was a blinding snowstorm. The air was so thick with snow she -could barely distinguish the firelight from the window of the -manservants’ hall directly opposite. The lashing wind swished the snow -against the house, and in just the short time she had been sitting -there the drifts had piled so high that bushes and fences were buried -under them. - -Darkness had descended quickly with the coming of the storm, yet she -descried several large animals stalking through the drifts toward the -farmyard. “I hope the maids will be mindful, and not go out for -firewood,” she said to herself, “for the _graylegs_ are out to-night.” - -Shortly afterwards she heard a piercing cry and saw a wolf lumber past -her window with something in its mouth that struggled and fought. She -thought it looked like a child. But whose child could it be? Her own -little ones were right beside her, and there were no other children on -the farm. Close behind the first wolf came another; it, too, had a -child in its gape. - -Grandmother couldn’t sit still any longer. She jumped up so suddenly -she knocked over the chair, and rushed through the kitchen out into the -yard.... Then she stood stock still. Before her was the calm, beautiful -spring evening; not a sign of snow--not a wolf in sight. - -She must have fallen asleep over her knitting, she thought, and been -dreaming. Yet she felt that back of it all lay something serious. - -“We’ll have to take precious good care of the little ones,” she said to -the maids. “That was no dream, it was a warning.” - -However, the children thrived and waxed fat and rosy. The dream, or -vision, or whatever it was, soon passed out of mind, like much else of -the same sort. - -Along in August a company of poor soldiers came to Mårbacka. The men -were ragged, famished, and ill. Their bodies were nothing but -skin-and-bone and in their eyes was the look of the ravening wolf. The -mark of death was on them all. - -They were from Fryksände and other parishes in the northern part of -Fryksdalen, they said. But now that they were nearing home they feared -their own people would not recognize them. Only two years before they -had gone forth as well, strong men. What would the folks at home think -of getting them back in such a state they were only fit to be put in -the ground. They had not been on the battle field, they had only -marched to and fro in cold and hunger. Their fight had been with -disease and neglect. - -They were many thousand strong when they marched away, but one thousand -after another had succumbed. Great numbers had been sent out in open -barges on the raging sea in midwinter. How it had gone with those -voyagers none knew; but when the boats drifted ashore the crews sat at -their oars dead and literally encased in ice. These surviving -militia-men, now returning on their own, had often been stoned away -from farms and villages on their homeward tramp. What seemed to prey -upon them most was that they had not been sent into battle and shot to -death, but must still drag on in ceaseless misery. They knew the sort -they were--covered with vermin, reeking with filth, and horrible to -behold. They did not ask for a bed to lie on or the shelter of a roof; -they only begged a few armfuls of straw and a dry mound to rest on. - -At Mårbacka the poor soldiers were not greeted with stones. The -Paymaster of the Regiment was away, but his wife gave them permission -to camp in the backyard, just inside the gates. Huge kettles of -porridge and gruel were prepared for the men, and all the clothing that -could be spared was turned over to them. The servants continually -gathered round their camp to listen to their tales of what they had -passed through. Not all could talk, however. Some were too listless to -answer when spoken to; they seemed hardly to know who they were or -where they were going. - -There was great consternation and wonder over these men who had become -so changed. Reports of them spread far and wide, and people came long -distances to see them. - -“That one, they tell me, is the son of Göran Persa,” said a stranger -who had stood a long while regarding the poor wretches. “But I knew -Göran Persa’s son; he was a fine lad; there’s not a feature the same.” - -One day a poor widow came wandering to Mårbacka. She was from a little -backwoods croft away up north, where, in a perpetual struggle with -hunger and want, she managed to sustain life in her body. - -“Is there any one among ye by the name of Börje Knutsson?” she -inquired, gazing anxiously at the sick yeomen. - -No one answered. The men sat on the ground with their legs drawn up, -their chins resting on their knees. They would sit like that for hours -without moving. - -“If there’s any one here named Börje Knutsson he must make himself -known,” said the widow, “for he’s my son.” - -None moved or said a word, none so much as raised his eyes. - -“I have wept for the lad every day since he went away,” continued the -poor woman. “If he’s there among ye why doesn’t he stand up and say so, -for I shouldn’t know him again.” - -Silence. - -The woman slowly went her way. To the first person she met afterwards -she related her experience. - -“I thought until now I’d go out of my mind if my son did not come -back,” she said, “but now I thank my God that he’s not among those -skeletons!” - -The militia-men rested a week at Mårbacka, and then went on, somewhat -strengthened. - -But they had left the bloody flux in their wake. Everyone on the place -became desperately ill. All recovered save Grandmother’s two little -children, who were of too tender an age to resist the virulence of the -sickness. - -When the two children lay in their coffins, Grandmother said to -herself: “If I had done like the others, if instead of harbouring those -men I had driven them away with stones, my little ones would have been -alive now.” - -But as that thought crossed her mind, she remembered her vision of that -evening in the spring wherein the wolves carried off the children. “Our -Lord is not to blame,” she said. “He forewarned me.” The loss of the -children was not due to her act of mercy, but rather to her -thoughtlessness in not having taken proper precautions to guard them -against contagion. - -When she realized that after all it was her own fault the children were -gone, her grief was overwhelming. “I shall never get over it,” she -said. “I can never be the same again.” - -Her despair was increased by her fears for the husband--how would he -take the loss of their children? He had not been at home in several -months. The old despondency had perhaps come over him again, so that he -dared not come home. Where he was then she did not know; so could not -even send him word of what had happened. Anyway, he would surely regard -the death of his children as a visitation from God for his marrying -her, and never come back. She was not so certain but he would be right -in this. It were best perhaps they never met again. - -All on the place were much concerned about her. What to do to help her -they did not know. But Long-Bengt, who was the oldest of the servitors, -was not afraid to act sometimes on his own responsibility. He set off -for Kymsberg one morning in quest of the master. This time he was not -two whole days getting back. He actually found the Paymaster of the -Regiment and stated his errand. The words were hardly out of his mouth -before the master ordered a fresh horse put to the chaise. They drove -all night without a stop, and reached Mårbacka in the morning. - -Now the husband was not glum and difficult when he came. He took his -wife tenderly in his arms, dried her tears, and spoke loving words of -comfort to her. It seemed as if then for the first time, when seeing -her so crushed and sorrowful, was he able to reveal the full depth of -his love. - -“And I thought I should lose you, too!” she said. - -“I’m not one that grief can drive away,” said he. “Did you think I -would desert you because of your great compassion?” - -In that moment she understood his heart as never before. She knew that -in peaceful and happy days she must rely on herself--which she was well -able to do; but in sorrow and suffering and times of stress he would -always be by her side--her stay and comfort. - - - - -OLD HOUSES AND OLD PEOPLE - - - - -I - -THE STONE HUTS - - -WHEN Lieutenant Lagerlöf took over Mårbacka the buildings were mostly -very old. Oldest, however, were the manservants’ hall and the -sheep-cot, though the storehouse on stilts, which served as larder, the -stable with the loft balcony, the bath-house, where they used to smoke -bacon, and the kiln, where they malted grain, were no newcomers into -the world. - -The servants’ hall and sheepfold were built of stones which had been -picked up on the ground--large and small, round and flat. The walls -were two ells in thickness, as if meant to withstand a siege. That -style of building was not of last year or the year before, so that in -the matter of age those two structures would certainly take precedence. - -The first permanent residents of Mårbacka must have come from some -village where there were too many occupants in every cottage and not -enough land under cultivation to yield bread-food for all. They were no -doubt a young couple who wanted to set up a home, and saw no other way -than to fare forth into the wilds as settlers. With an eye to the good -pasturage below Åsberget, they took possession of the little huts -formerly tenanted by the _säter_ lasses. But after a time they perhaps -felt unsafe, for they had no neighbours within miles of them. Sometimes -the bear paid a visit to the cattle-shed and they themselves received -calls from rough gangs of charcoal-burners. - -Under such circumstances, naturally they would have put up a couple of -stone huts--one for themselves and one for their animals. The building -for the animals was the larger; it had no windows, only narrow openings -with home-forged iron gratings, through which neither lynx nor bear -could squeeze. The floor was just hard, trampled earth, but a partition -of rough-hewn beams divided the hut into two rooms. Thus, the animals -which do not thrive together could be kept apart. Horses and sheep, -which are always friends, were on one side; cows and goats on the -other. - -The stone hut they built for themselves had only one room, but it had a -floor of hand-split boards, two windows, a fireplace, and a chimney. -Along the wall opposite the windows, the settler had put up a large -bed-cupboard to hold four wide beds--two lower and two upper--in each -of which three persons could easily lie side by side. Under the windows -was a bench, and before it a large deal table. At the far end of the -room, opposite the entrance, was the fireplace. - -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, this which had once been the main -building and was now the manservants’ hall, was but little changed. The -cubby-beds, the circular open fireplace, and the low, small-paned -windows with the iron gratings, were still there; but the long -board-bench and table had been replaced by a planing-bench and a chest -of tools. There were two small, round, three-legged stools which might -well have come down from the time of the first settler, likewise a worn -chopping-block that stood on the hearth. - -Here lived the stableman and farmboy; here the farm labourers gathered -at rest hours to eat and lounge; hither poor belated wayfarers were -shown when they came asking for night harbour. Here Bengt, who had been -stableman in the time of the Paymaster of the Regiment, stayed on in -his old age. He had worked so long on the place that Lieutenant -Lagerlöf had recommended him as one worthy the medal for faithful -service. - -There was another who was to receive this mark of honour--the old -housekeeper. She was not nearly so old as Bengt, and was still in -active service. She, who was hale and spry, could drive to church in -the family carriage and receive her medal at the chancel; while Bengt -was confined to his bed that day with the lumbago and pain in the -joints. His medal he would get in any case, but it was a grand -celebration he would be missing. It had been reported that the Dean of -Sunne would come to Ämtervik that Sunday to address the faithful -servants, and would himself place the bright silver medal round their -necks. - -One can understand it was not very pleasant for Bengt to be lying there -in pain and torment while the greatest moment life could have held for -him passed him by. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, on arriving at the church, told the Dean why Bengt -had not come. Now there was no one the Dean so loved to honour as a -faithful servant, one who had been in the same place all his life, and -had shared weal and woe with his master and mistress. So, on hearing -that Bengt was ill, he said he would drive down to Mårbacka immediately -after the service and personally present the medal to Bengt. - -The Lieutenant, though pleased, felt a trifle uneasy. He slipped out of -the church as soon as he could do so with propriety, and drove home -like lightning, so as to be there a little ahead of the Dean. - -Bengt was quickly washed and combed and hustled into his Sunday shirt, -his bed was spread with clean sheets, and a fancy quilt was substituted -for the old sheepskin rug. The floor was swept, the shavings under the -planing-bench were carried out, the sooty cobwebs were torn from the -ceiling, fresh juniper twigs were strewn over the floor, chopped -spruce-fir spread before the door, and a huge bundle of birch and lilac -branches was stuck in the fireplace. - -The Dean of Sunne at that time was no less a personage than the -venerable Anders Fryxell, the distinguished historian and Member of -Parliament. Directly he arrived he went in to see Bengt, accompanied -by Lieutenant and Fru Lagerlöf, Mamselle Lovisa, the old housekeeper, -and all the servants. They quietly and reverently lined themselves -along the walls of the servants’ room, expecting, of course, that the -Dean would make a little speech in Bengt’s honour. - -At first all went as it should go. The Dean read some passages from the -Scriptures, and Bengt listened--very still and solemn. Then the Dean -said: - -“You, Bengt, have been one of those good and faithful servants of whom -our Lord speaks.” - -“Ay,” says Bengt from his bed, “that’s what I’ve been.” - -“You have never considered your own welfare before that of your -employer. You have always been mindful of the duties entrusted to you.” - -“Ay, ’tis all so true,” says Bengt. “Many thanks to you, Dean, for -those words.” - -It looked as if these constant interruptions would prove annoying to -the Dean, who was a great man, accustomed to the society of grand folk. -His was such an impressive personality that one easily became -embarrassed in his presence. He was always supreme and always had the -last word. - -There had been no time for the Dean to prepare a speech, and the -address he delivered at the church was hardly suitable for the -servants’ hall. He cleared his throat once or twice, and began again. - -“Bengt, you have been a good and faithful servant.” - -“Indeed I have,” said Bengt. - -The blood mounted to the brow of the great and brilliant Dean Fryxell. - -“You must be silent, Bengt, when I am speaking,” he said. - -“Ay, ay,” the old man replied. “Sure, I’m not contradicting you, Dean. -’Tis all so true what you’re saying.” - -The Dean got redder and redder. Again he cleared his throat and made a -fresh attempt. - -“You, Bengt, have been a good and faithful servant, but you have also -had good masters.” - -The old man was so elated at this he simply could not keep still. - -“You’re right, dear Dean, you’re right! They’ve been grand men, all o’ -them--Wennervik and the Paymaster of the Regiment and this here Eric -Gustaf.” He reached over and put his hand on the Lieutenant’s shoulder, -then stroked him down the arm, his old face ashine with happiness. - -Once more the Dean lifted up his voice. - -“You must be silent, Bengt, when I’m speaking!” - -“Why, of course,” said the old man. “But ’tis so right and true every -blessed word you’ve spoken, Dean.” - -Now the Dean had to smile. “You’re irrepressible, Bengt. You will not -have to listen to any speech. Here is your medal. May you wear it with -health and honour for many years to come.” - -So saying, the Dean went up to the bedside and laid the medal on the -bosom of the old man’s Sunday shirt. - -Later, at dinner, the Dean seemed a bit abstracted. “This is the first -time in my life I have ever lost myself,” he confessed, “but in this -world one must have all sorts of experiences.” - - - - -II - -THE MONEY-CHEST - - -BENGT, for his part, was perfectly satisfied with the Dean’s speech. -Those words about his having been a good and faithful servant, the -medal, the august presence of His Reverence in the servants’ hall, and -the whole demonstration in his honour, had had the salutary effect of -dispelling the ache in his joints and the shooting pains in his back. -In the afternoon the old man sat up in bed and related, again and -again, to all who would listen, how he had once rescued the money-chest -for the Paymaster of the Regiment. - -It happened one winter when he and the master were out tax-gathering. -They had covered all the eastern districts, and before starting on the -western, the Paymaster wanted to go home for a while, as he longed for -a sight of his wife and little ones. But that of course he did not -mention to Bengt. His excuse was that the horse must be rested a couple -of days and the food-box, being empty, needed replenishing. Besides, -the money-chest was now so full he thought they’d best drive no further -until it had been emptied and the money sent on to Karlstad. - -The day they turned their noses toward home there was a big blizzard. -The roads were so deep with snow they had to drive at a snail’s pace. -When they were crossing Klarälven on the ice it was already dusk. -Shortly afterward, on coming to Nordsjö Manor, the Paymaster spoke of -turning in there to ask for a night’s shelter. However, he was anxious -to get home, and as they were then within thirteen miles of Mårbacka, -he and Bengt decided to drive on. Even though it meant being out in the -sledge until ten or eleven at night, sleeping in one’s own bed was -best. - -Coming into the dense forest between Nordsjö and Sandviken, they found -the road impassable. The sledge went so heavily the horse had to stop -at every step, and neither urging nor coaxing could put life into him. - -“This is provoking, Bengt,” said the Paymaster. “But isn’t there a -little forest croft somewhere hereabout?” - -“Ay, a bit further on is a hut,” Bengt replied; “but you can’t take in -there, Master!” - -“I know what you’re thinking of, Bengt. That tavern is said to be the -haunt of ruffians and vagabonds, decent folk usually fight shy of it. -But what else can we do? We’ve been three hours getting from Nordsjö -here, and the horse is spent. We must get him under cover, where he can -rest for the night.” - -“Well, Master, you do as you think best,” said Bengt. - -When his man spoke in that manner, the Paymaster knew he had his own -good reasons for not wishing to put up at that place. So he decided to -make another attempt to go on. - -The two then got out of the sledge and began to clear a path for the -horse, which slowly followed them. It was a heavy task. Bengt worked -hard and his master, who had on great boots that went above his knees, -a heavy wolfskin coat and thick muffler, was soon all out of breath. - -“No, Bengt, my boy, this won’t do,” said he when they were almost at -the forest hut. “Now I’m as used up as the horse is. You’d better go in -and ask for house-room.” - -There was nothing for Bengt to do but obey, though he thought to -himself they might better remain out in the sledge all night than -betake themselves, with the Crown’s money, into that robbers’ den. It -was plain that this would lead to trouble. - -In the hut he found a man and wife sitting quietly by the fire. It -cannot be said that they were especially pleased to receive the -travellers. They made all sorts of excuses: the guest chamber was cold -and they had no bed or bedclothes suitable for a gentleman. All the -same they were persuaded. The woman brought in wood and made up a fire -in the bedroom, the man took a spade and helped Bengt clear away the -snow, so that the horse and sledge could be taken to the shed. When -Bengt went back to the sledge he found his master sitting there, sound -asleep. - -“That one doesn’t guard the Crown’s money any too well, eh?” grinned -the crofter. - -“Well, so far he’s never lost so much as a shilling of what’s the -Crown’s,” Bengt snapped. - -Always, when they put up anywhere, the Paymaster would carry in the -money-chest and Bengt would follow with the food-box. But now, seeing -how tired his master was, Bengt said, as the sledge stood before the -wretched shed where the horse was to be stabled: - -“Go in to bed, Master, and I’ll be along later with the boxes.” - -“You need only bring in the one,” the Paymaster told him. - -When Bengt had unharnessed the horse and led it into the shed, he found -that his master had already gone inside, and the crofter, too, had -disappeared. The strong-box was not in the sledge, and he assumed that -the master had taken it in as usual. - -The Paymaster of the Regiment sat by the fire in a wretched little room -when Bengt came in. He heard him put a box down, but was too dead tired -even to turn his head. - -“Lock the door, Bengt,” he said, “and take out the key.” - -“’Twas not much use bringing in the empty food-box,” Bengt observed. - -“That’s what I thought,” said his master. “But we’ll be able to sleep -to-night without any supper.” - -Then he stretched himself out on a bare bench--great boots, fur coat, -and all--slipped a couple of sticks of wood under his head, and was -asleep in a second. He never slept later than four or five in the -morning, but this time he awoke about two o’clock, quite rested and -refreshed. - -“Up, Bengt!” he called. “For God’s sake let’s be off at once, so that -we can breakfast at Mårbacka.” - -There was neither lamp nor candle in the room; but the night was not -pitch-dark, and they could see well enough to grope their way out. - -“You take the box, Bengt, and hitch up,” said the Paymaster, “while I -go in and settle for the lodging.” - -In a few moments they drove away. The storm had abated, and though the -road was still heavy with snow, they made fair progress, now that the -horse was rested. - -“After all, it wasn’t such a bad idea our stopping there over night,” -the Paymaster remarked. - -“It turned out better than I expected,” said Bengt. “But I had such bad -dreams all night, and thought I heard a lot of noise. It sounded as if -they were pounding and hammering in the crofter’s room. I don’t know -yet whether they were up working or whether I was just dreaming.” - -“No doubt you dreamt they stole my money-chest,” laughed the Paymaster. - -“But, Master--where have you put the box?” the servant burst out, -beginning to fumble about under the seat. - -“The box?... Why, you brought that out.” - -“I?--I carried out the food-box.” - -“But I told you last evening to bring in only the strong-box, and leave -the other.” - -It must have been a terrible moment for Paymaster Lagerlöf when he -realized that through a misunderstanding on the part of his man the -money-chest had been left out in the sledge. That the crofter had -stolen it was plain. But what had he done with it? Could he have opened -it? The chest was the regulation bailiff’s strong-box, iron bound, with -combination lock. But at that, they might perhaps have pried it open. - -They left the horse standing in the road, and ran back to the hut. When -they burst into the house they found four rough-looking men sitting by -the fire with the crofter and his wife, none of whom showed the least -surprise. Bengt knew the men at once for the worst desperadoes in the -district. - -“Now ’tis just as I said,” the woman began, “that ye’d not be able to -get home till the snow-plow’d been run afore ye.” - -“Oh, we’ll manage to get home,” said the Paymaster of the Regiment. -“But my money-chest is still in your house, and that I must have along -with me.” - -“Well, well, can it be possible that ye went off and left the -money-box!” said the woman. “Then it must be standing in the bedroom. -No one’s been in there since ye left.” - -“The box was not forgotten,” said the Paymaster, sternly. “So produce -it at once! You know what happens to those who steal the Crown’s money.” - -“Now where could we hide a big money-chest?” the woman protested -blandly. “Ye can see for yerself what’s here, and ye’re welcome to -search the house.” - -And that Bengt had already done. He had peered and poked into every -nook and corner--and had found nothing. - -“If you won’t give it up willingly,” said the Paymaster, “I shall have -to leave my man here on guard while I go for the bailiff.” - -“What, that fellow stay and keep guard over us!” almost laughed the -woman. - -Nor was it likely that Bengt, single-handed, could have kept six -persons quietly seated in the hut while his master went in search of -the bailiff. But all this time Bengt had been puzzling over something. -He heard a crackling noise coming from the bake-oven, but saw no -evidences of dough having been prepared. Without a word, he stole up -and flung open the oven door. - -“Come here, Master,” he cried, “and see the kind of bread they bake in -this here oven.” - -In there on a pyre of burning wood stood the money-chest. - -The crofter and his wife now sprang at Bengt, but Paymaster Lagerlöf, -who was a powerful man, pushed them back. When the other four, who had -also begun to bestir themselves, saw the kind of thrusts he could give, -they kept out of his reach. Bengt seized the oven rake and quickly -pulled the box down onto the hearth. In his eagerness to find out -whether the box had been much damaged, he nearly burned his fingers -off. - -“Ha! it hasn’t been opened,” he cried exultantly. - -Though the box showed that the thieves had been filing and hammering at -it, the good oaken chest was intact; neither lock nor mountings had -given way. As a last resort they had put it on the fire. But, luckily, -Bengt had been too quick for them--only a bit of one corner was -charred. - - - - -III - -THE LARDER ON STILTS - - -ALL who had been long on the place thought the building next in age to -the stone huts was the old larder that stood on posts. It had not been -built by the first settler, but was erected some hundred years after -his time, when Mårbacka had become a regular farmstead. - -The peasants then living there had hurriedly put up a post-larder, it -being the rule that every farm of any pretension must have one. It was -a crude structure. The door was so low one had to stoop to enter; but -the lock and key were conspicuously large and strong. There were no -windows, only small openings, with trap-shutters. In summer there were -fly-screens at the openings made of woven splints, through which very -little light could penetrate. - -The larder had two stories. The upper story being better finished than -the lower, it was probably there the peasants stored their valuables. - -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time the building was as in olden days. It may -have had a new roof, perhaps, but the steps were never changed. They -were so narrow and close together one could scarcely get a foothold. -Nor was there ever a pane of glass in the old building. - -In the autumn the larder was something to behold. On the lower floor -there were great bins of newly milled flour, next which stood two huge -vats packed to the brim with beef and pork in brine, then came cowls -and buckets of beef sausage, pork sausage, and potato sausage--in fact, -all sorts of things that had been made up during the autumn slaughter. -In one corner stood a barrel of salted herring, a keg of salted -whitefish and one of _sickling_, and generally a firkin of salmon. -Besides, there were tins of salted beans, salted spinach, and firkins -of green and yellow peas. - -On the upper floor there were tubs of butter of the summer’s churning -stored for winter use. Long rows of cheeses were arranged on shelves -above the openings, and from the ceiling hung year-old hams. The -home-raised hops were preserved in a sack the size of a bolster, and -the malted grain in a similar one. Here were provisions for a whole -year. - -It was the housekeeper who ruled over the larder. That was her domain, -and the key to it seldom got into another’s hands. Mamselle Lovisa -might potter in the pantry or milk-room, but she would hardly have -ventured into the larder. The housekeeper was also supreme in the -kitchen. Making small cakes or putting up preserves and fruit juices -might well be left to Mamselle Lovisa, but when it came to roasting a -fowl, making a cheese, or baking _knäckebröd_, it was the old -housekeeper who took charge. - -The little Lagerlöf children were very fond of her, and looked up to -her as the most important member of the household. They had noticed -that whenever relatives came to visit, the first thing they did was to -go out to the kitchen and pay their respects to the housekeeper. If -anything unusual happened in the family Lieutenant Lagerlöf would -always call her in and tell her about it, and when Daniel and Johan -were returning to school after the Christmas and summer holidays, they -were told to say good-bye to the housekeeper. They had also heard -outsiders say that Fru Lagerlöf was in great luck to have such a -treasure in her kitchen, that nothing was ever wasted under her -watchful eye. They said, moreover, that nowhere else could one get such -Christmas ale, such _knäckebröd_, and such tasty dishes as were set -before you at Mårbacka. And it was all due to the old housekeeper, they -declared. So it was not strange the children regarded her as the main -prop of the home, and firmly believed that were she not there Mårbacka -would collapse. - -Then, one day, little Anna found out a great secret, which gave her an -awful fright, and she confided it to her sister Selma. She had -overheard two of the maids talking about the housekeeper; they had said -she was married and had a husband. - -The distress of the two little girls was indescribable. If the -housekeeper were actually married and had a husband they could not be -sure of keeping her at Mårbacka. What would their mother do without -her? And what would they themselves do who got such nice titbits from -her whenever they went into the kitchen? And what would happen to the -whole place, they wondered? - -It was most imperative, therefore, that they should know how the matter -stood; so they asked Nurse Maja if it were true that the housekeeper -was married and had a husband. - -Oh, yes. Nurse Maja knew the whole story. She had heard it from her -mother, who was in service at Mårbacka at the time it all happened. - -“It is the truth and no lie,” said she. The housekeeper’s husband was -living in Karlstad, and was a boss carpenter. There was no such luck as -his being dead! - -And this was how it came about: When Lieutenant Lagerlöf and his -brother as lads attended school at Karlstad, their mother, the old -mistress, had sent her trusted housekeeper along with the boys, to look -after them and prepare their meals. While there, she had made the -acquaintance of a carpenter, who proposed to her. When on her return to -Mårbacka in the spring she announced that she was going to be married, -the old mistress was both sad and alarmed at the thought of losing her -“greatest treasure.” - -“And what sort of fellow are you marrying?” she had asked her. “Do you -know whether he is a good man?” - -Oh, yes, she was certain of that. He was a boss carpenter, who had his -own shop and his own home. The house was in order, so that she might be -married at once, and she could never have found a better husband. - -“But how can you be content to live the year round in a barren city -street--you who have always lived in the country?” the old mistress had -then said. - -Oh, she had no fears as to that. All would be well for her hereafter. -She was to have an easy life--no baking, no brewing; she had only to go -to the market and bring home whatever was needed. - -When the old mistress heard her housekeeper speak in that manner she -knew the woman was bent on marriage, and there was nothing to be done -but give her a wedding at Mårbacka. - -The bridegroom appeared to be a clever, sensible sort, and the day -after the wedding he took his bride to Karlstad. - -One evening a fortnight later--no, it was hardly that long--as the old -mistress went out to the larder to slice some ham for supper (she could -never take up the key to the larder but she thought of Maja Persdotter -and wondered how she was getting along), she said to herself: “If I had -not sent her to Karlstad she would never have met that carpenter and I -should still have my good helper, and wouldn’t have to run out to the -larder twenty times a day, as I do now.” Suddenly she saw a figure -coming through the birch grove that was the living image of her -housekeeper. The nearer the figure approached the more certain was -Grandmother Lagerlöf of what she beheld. When Maja Persdotter presently -stood before her and said, “Good-evening, Frua,” she had to believe her -eyes and ears. - -“Well, well, is it you, Maja Persdotter!” she exclaimed. “But what -brings you here? Haven’t you got a good husband?” - -“All he does is drink,” declared the housekeeper. “He’s been drunk -every day since the wedding. It’s the pure alcohol he should be using -in his work he guzzles. I can’t put up any longer with such a swine.” - -“But I thought you were to go to the market and buy all your -provisions, in order to escape hard work?” - -“I’ll work my fingers to the bone for Frua and the children if you’ll -only take me back!” vowed the housekeeper. “I’ve wished myself back at -Mårbacka day and night since I went away.” - -“Come in, then, and we’ll talk this over with the Paymaster of the -Regiment,” the old mistress said with tears of joy in her eyes. “God -willing, we’ll never part again so long as we live,” she added. - -Nor did they. The housekeeper’s husband probably knew it would be -useless for him to try to get her back. At all events, he never came to -fetch her. The wedding ring she removed from her finger and laid away -in her trunk. Nothing more was said about that episode in her life. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s little daughters should have felt quite easy -in their minds on hearing this; but for a long time afterward they were -troubled. Since that carpenter was still alive he might come some day -and take her away. Whenever they looked down the road they expected to -see him coming. Nurse Maja had told them that if he came and demanded -the return of his wife, she would have to go with him. - -They did not know just how old the housekeeper was. She herself had -forgotten the year of her birth, and the date set down in the parish -register was said not to be authentic. She must have been over seventy; -but for all that, the carpenter might want her back--fine, capable -woman that she was. - -Then what would happen to Mårbacka! - - - - -IV - -THE MANSERVANTS’ COTTAGE - - -IN OLDEN times, when the master had to furnish the clothing for all the -servants on his place, the womenfolk must have had their hands full of -work the year round. Through the long, dark winter mornings and the -long, dark winter evenings, they sat at the spinning wheels drawing out -the threads for warp and weft. But the weaving itself was not begun -until the spring, when the days grew longer; for such work cannot be -done in semi-darkness. - -In order to get the coarse wadmal and fine woollen cloth, the linen and -cotton webs finished by summer, when the parish tailor came, they had -to put speed into the looms. But if a loom stood in the kitchen the -work did not go very fast. The weavers should have a place to -themselves, where they can work without interruptions. Therefore, in -former days every well-conducted farmstead had its special loom-room, -and, of course, Mårbacka had one also. This was from the time of the -clergymen. They had added a story to the manservants’ cottage -consisting of two rooms, with clay-coated walls and boarded ceilings; -and in each was a tile-stove. The back room was occupied by the farm -overseer; and in the front room stood two looms, one at either window. - -The loom-room was in use even in Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, though it -was then no longer the custom to pay one’s serving-folk their earnings -in clothing but in money. It was Fru Lagerlöf’s great delight to sit at -a loom weaving towelling, bed linen, table linen, floor mats, curtains, -furniture coverings, and dress fabrics--in fact, everything of that -sort needed in the home. All summer long she had her looms going. - -In the autumn, however, the looms were taken out to make room for a -long, low table which was well smeared with bezum, and the round, -three-legged stools were brought up from the servants’ room. That meant -that Soldier Svens, the parish shoemaker, was expected. Soon he and his -apprentices came shouldering great knapsacks packed full of awls, -hammers, bundles of lasts, wax-ends, eyelets, heel-irons and shoe-pegs, -all of which were dumped upon the table. - -The cobbler was a tall, gaunt man with a shock of black hair and a full -black beard. Seeing him for the first time one thought him a fierce and -dangerous fellow, more fit for fighting than for the shoemaker’s bench. -But when he spoke, it was in a soft, timorous voice. His eyes were -rather small and mild-looking, and his whole bearing was a bit -uncertain. He was perhaps not so very dangerous after all. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s little children were in high glee when the -shoemaker arrived. They bounded up the difficult stairs to the -loom-room many times a day. It was not so much for chatter they -came--for Soldier Svens was a reticent and diligent man--as to watch the -work, to see how a shoe was made, from the stretching of the leather on -the last to the cutting out of the bootlaces. - -The shoemaker, who usually sat with drooping head, brightened when he -heard Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s footstep on the stairs. He and the -Lieutenant were old regiment comrades. After they had discussed -brogans, sole-leather, and boot-grease a while, they fell to -reminiscing about Trossnäs Field, and when they were well warmed up to -it, the Lieutenant would coax the shoemaker to sing an old war song -which was unlike any other battle hymn in that it began thus: _We -heroes from Sweden, we do not love to fight._ That song the soldiers -had made up when they marched down to Denmark in the year 1848 on the -expedition known as the “Sandwich War.” - -Singularly enough, Shoemaker Svens loved to talk about Tailor Lager, -who had sat many a time in that very room in the days of the Paymaster -of the Regiment, and who was as merry and full of fun as he was grave -and mournful. - -“You have probably heard, Lieutenant, how the tailor came to be called -Lager,” the shoemaker began. - -The Lieutenant knew the story as well as he knew his “Our Father,” but -all the same he replied: - -“I may have heard it, Svens, but you tell it--in your way.” - -“Well, you see, Lager he was a soldier like myself, though he was -before my time. They say in the regiment that at first he was called -Lars Andersson. Then came orders for the privates to change their names -because there were too many Anderssons and Johanssons in the regiment. - -“One day at a rally at Trossnäs, the soldiers were called in by your -father to say by what name they wished to be known, and to have it set -down in the roll. - -“Of course Lars Andersson was among them. The Paymaster of the Regiment -knew him from of old as a joke-maker, for year after year Lars had sat -here at Mårbacka weeks at a stretch, making clothes for the Paymaster -and all his folks. From the time he came till he went it was nothing -but fun and laughter. He could mimic everybody in the parish and make -things disappear like a magician at the fair, and he played on a stick -till you thought you heard the whole regiment marching. But he was a -bit dangerous, was Lars, for he made up yarns about folk that caused -bad feeling among the neighbours. - -“‘Well, what shall you call yourself, Lars Andersson?’ the Paymaster -asked him, putting on a stern face so that Lars would not dare come -with any of his monkey tricks. - -“‘Lord preserve the Paymaster of the Regiment!’ says he. ‘May I call -myself anything I like?’ He puckered his forehead as if he were trying -hard to think of a name. - -“‘You may, Lars Andersson.’ The Paymaster, knowing his man, added, ‘But -it must be a proper and honourable name, and nothing clownish.’ - -“You remember, Lieutenant, how your father looked. He was a kind man, -but just the sight of him put fear into many a one, for he was a big -tall man with bushy black eyebrows. - -“But the tailor was not afraid--not he! ‘Then,’ says he, ‘I’ll call -myself Lagerlöf, for that is both an honourable and respected name. I -know of no other in all Värmland that sounds so sweet.’ - -“The Paymaster of the Regiment must have got hot in the head when he -heard that that buffoon wanted to call himself Lagerlöf. - -“‘No, that won’t do,’ he said. ‘We can’t have two with the same name in -the regiment.’ - -“‘But,’ says the tailor, ‘there are at least three Ugglas and four -Lilliehööks, and it isn’t likely anyone would mistake me for the -Paymaster.’ - -“‘No. But can’t you see, Lars Andersson, that it would never do,’ -protested the Paymaster. - -“‘I wouldn’t have chosen that name if you hadn’t given me leave to call -myself whatever I wished.’ The tailor made himself appear very humble -and serious. ‘I know that when the Paymaster of the Regiment gives you -his word you can usually go by it.’ - -“Then there was a long silence. Paymaster Lagerlöf sat studying how -he’d get round this. Aside from the fact that it would make him the -butt of the regiment, he didn’t care to have a mountebank like that -tailor knocking about under the name of Lagerlöf. - -“‘Look here, Lars,’ he finally said, ‘it might do well enough here in -the regiment for us two to bear the same name, but home at Mårbacka it -would never go. So understand, if you insist on this thing you can’t do -any more tailoring there.’ - -“That must have given the tailor a scare, for the weeks he sat sewing -at Mårbacka were to him the best in the whole year. At no other place -did he fare so well, and nowhere else did they laugh so heartily at his -yarns and pranks. - -“‘Perhaps you’d be satisfied to call yourself Lager?’ the Paymaster -suggested, seeing the fellow was wavering. The tailor must have agreed -to that, for he went by the name of Lager the rest of his life.” - - - - -V - -THE “JUNGFRU” - - -SHE was an old _jungfru_ who had once been in service in the home of -Fru Lagerlöf’s parents, at Filipstad, but lived now, in her old age, at -Ämtervik. She had known Fru Lagerlöf as a child, and used to come to -Mårbacka two or three times a year to see the folks. - -The _jungfru_ was a tall, good-looking woman with white hair. She had a -strong nose, a firm mouth, and a grave manner. She liked preachers and -missionaries, and ran to prayer-meetings and sewing-circles. One could -not talk with her about dancing, or novels, or love affairs; such -things were to her an abomination. Nor did one dare speak ill of any -one in her presence, or even discuss pretty clothes, and she would not -hear about the sinful things that went on in the world. - -It was not easy to know just what one should talk about. Outside of -cookery and the weather there were few topics of conversation one might -safely touch upon. These, to be sure, held out a long while, but even -they could become exhausted, for the _jungfru_ was a person of few -words, and her answers were short and well posed. - -There was a way, however, to loosen the _jungfru’s_ tongue; but it had -its drawbacks. She had once on a time been cook at a large deanery. The -dean had twenty children, all living and arrived at maturity. That -family she continually kept in mind, and her supreme delight was to -talk about those people. - -The family at Mårbacka were having their usual afternoon coffee in the -living room. The coffeepot and tray stood on the big table. Everyone, -in turn, went up and poured himself a cup. None took more than one lump -of sugar, one wheaten rusk and one of rye, one ring-biscuit, one ginger -cookie, and a bit of fresh cake, if there happened to be any. Whereupon -each sat down in his accustomed place. Fru Lagerlöf occupied one corner -of the sofa, Mamselle Lovisa the other. The Lieutenant always had the -rocker, which was his favourite seat. No one else would have ventured -to appropriate that. Herr Tyberg, Johan’s tutor, took a cane-bottomed -chair, and between these four stood a table made from the root of an -alder. At one of the little window-tables sat Johan, at the other Anna, -while over in the chimney corner, by the folded card table, sat the two -little tots, Selma and Gerda; they were considered too young to have -coffee, and had to be content with a glass of milk each. - -The _jungfru_, who had come that day for a visit, was having coffee -with the family. She had placed her chair in the middle of the room, -where all might see and talk with her. They had run the whole gamut of -harmless topics, and were now at a standstill. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, who -could not abide a lull in the conversation, began to question her about -missions, colporteurs, sewing-circles, and prayer-meetings. Knowing the -sort he was and what she was, it was clear that this could not run -smoothly. - -Fru Lagerlöf tried to change the conversation, Mamselle Lovisa gave her -brother a nudge with her elbow, and Herr Tyberg called attention to the -excellent quality of the coffee. But the Lieutenant and the _jungfru_ -went right on with their discussion, which was getting a bit hot. - -Now Fru Lagerlöf knew from of old that if the _jungfru_ took offence at -anything the Lieutenant said about the “miss-i-on,” she would not come -again for at least a year; and her circumstances were such that she -needed to come to Mårbacka occasionally, to get a few good meals, a -sack of flour, and something tasty to take home with her. She saw no -way out of it but to ask the _jungfru_ what had become of all the -dean’s twenty children. - -In a twinkling the foreign and home missions, the heathen children, and -even the impious Lieutenant were forgotten. She brightened, and -promptly started in: - -“I’ve never known the like of it in all my life. In that house we’d a -wash-day every other week, and at that, the tubs were always full of -clothes. You could never sit down to a meal but you must have a child -on each side of you. You had to fix its food and help feed it in the -bargain. When there was shifts to be made, they had to fetch home whole -bolts of linen, and sempstresses and tailors and shoemakers never found -time to go to other places in the parish, for they’d enough to do in -that one place.” - -“But, my dear Jungfru Anna, however could the dean and his wife manage -to bring up so many children?” Fru Lagerlöf said to get her well -started. - -“Ah, but they did, though, and they turned out grand, all of them. You -never saw better children. Only think! the oldest daughter, Eve--what a -handy one she was at making baby things and tending little ones! And -she got married, indeed, at seventeen to Curate Jansson of Skilanda, -and when he died she got a dean in Västergötland. She had a lot of -children, and after she’d stood a bride the first time she never showed -herself again in her father’s house.” - -“She probably thought there were enough without her,” observed the -Lieutenant, dryly. - -The little girls over in the chimney-corner began to giggle; but they -got such a sharp look from the _jungfru_ they subsided instantly. - -“The next to the oldest was a boy named Adam,” the _jungfru_ continued. -“He was the worst child for crying I ever came across. But later on, -when he became a priest, he chanted the service so beautiful that he -was made Court Chaplain. He could have married any one he liked, but he -had no such wish. For some reason he remained a bachelor all his life.” - -“Tell us, what was it?” Herr Tyberg struck in. - -Again came a titter from the chimney-corner. The _jungfru_ shot the -children and Herr Tyberg each a glance that scared them into silence. - -“The third was a boy called Noah. And d’you know, _Frua_, he was so -good at fishing, and brought home such big catches that both me and his -mother was thankful to him. He became a priest in Halland, and every -year he sent his folks a big barrel of salted salmon.” - -“Oh, speaking of salmon----” The Lieutenant started to say something -about their ordering another firkin of salmon, but couldn’t get a word -in for the _jungfru._ - -“The next was a boy named Shem,” she rattled on. “He was as great a -hunter as Noah was a fisher. Oh, you’d ought t’ve seen all the grouse -and hares he brought home! And he became a priest, too, and got a -vicarage down in Skåne; and every winter he sent home a reindeer he’d -shot himself.” - -After Shem she took breath and looked round. Her hearers sat silent and -subdued. None thought of interrupting her. - -“The one that came after the three boys was a girl whose name was Sara. -And I’d be willing to swear before God and man, that never have I seen -any one with such a knack at putting up pickles and making jam and -fruit juice. All the same, she didn’t get married; she went to -Stockholm and kept house for her brother the Court Chaplain. - -“The next was also a girl, and Rebecca was her name. I must say that -she was the one who understood me the least. She had such a good head -for learning she could have been a priest like her brothers. And the -way she could make up poetry was something wonderful! Folks said there -was nobody in all Sweden beat her writing cradle songs. Just the same -she got married, but ’twas only to a school teacher.” - -At that point the _jungfru_ was interrupted by the maid coming in with -fresh coffee, and they must all have a second cup. - -“I wonder if there was any one in that batch who could make a decent -cup of coffee?” Lieutenant Lagerlöf ventured. - -“The Lieutenant takes the words out of my mouth!” exclaimed the -_jungfru._ “It may sound queer, but the one who had a real turn for -cooking was the fourth boy, Isaac. He was so clever at whipping up a -sauce and basting a roast that one could have right good help from him -round the stove.” - -“He must have excelled, though, at preparing baby-food,” Herr Tyberg -observed. - -Snickers went up not only from the chimney-corner, but from all parts -of the room. Fru Lagerlöf, however, kept a straight face. - -“What a wonderful memory Jungfru Anna must have to be able to remember -all that!” she said, so as to keep the old girl in good humour. - -Ordinarily the _jungfru_ was quick to take offence, but not when she -could talk about her dear deanery children. Then she was imperturbable. -At all events, Herr Tyberg had helped them away from Isaac. They never -learned to what uses he eventually put his talent. - -“The two next were twins, and they were called Jacob and Esau. They -were as like as two coffee beans. I couldn’t tell one from t’other. I -never saw such boys for running and jumping and skating. But they -became priests, they, too.” - -“I thought they were going to be rope-dancers,” the Lieutenant cut in. - -“They became priests, they, too,” the _jungfru_ reiterated, not in the -least put out. “Esau went up to Jämtland, where he had to clamber ’mong -the fells, and Jacob, he went down to Bohuslän, where he scrambled in -and out of boats and ships. They found their right places and turned to -use the talents God had given ’em--they, like their brothers and -sisters.” - -“But what happened to Joseph?” asked the Lieutenant quickly. - -“There were two girls before him, Lieutenant, called Rachel and Leah. -They were handy in the garden; the one planted and the other weeded. -When the bishop paid a visit he declared he’d never tasted such peas -and such strawberries. They married, too; each of them got a foundry -owner. And now I’m coming to Joseph.” - -“He became a squire, I suppose?” said the Lieutenant. - -“He became a tenant of his father’s,” the _jungfru_ corrected him. “He -looked after the fields and tended the cows and provided food for his -parents and his brethren.” - -“H’m--that was just what I thought.” So saying, the Lieutenant arose -and sidled toward the door, where his hat and cane were hanging, and -sneaked out. - -“The thirteenth was David,” pursued the _jungfru._ “He married three -times, and had three children by each wife. If it please you, I can -tell you the names of all the wives and children.... But maybe ’twould -be better to keep to the twenty brethren?” - -They all thought that quite the wisest plan. But with these prospects -before her, Fru Lagerlöf felt a bit uneasy. - -“I’ll run out and fetch something to work on,” she said, “then I’ll be -able to follow you better.” But it was a good while before she came -back with that work. - -“The fourteenth was a girl named Deborah. She was always so nice about -giving me a hand with the bread-making. She never got married and never -left home, for she had to stay at the deanery and help me and her -mother with the little ones. Sometimes she was kind of queer, though, -and then she’d say she liked the Catholic religion because it didn’t -allow its priests to marry.” - -A slight noise was heard down by the door. Herr Tyberg had slipped out -so softly no one noticed it till he was gone. - -“The fifteenth was a girl, and her name was Martha. She was the -greatest beauty you ever set eyes on! But she, too, was a bit queer. -When she came seventeen she married a dean who was two-and-sixty, just -because she wanted to get away from home.” - -Here Anna and Johan stood up. They must go fetch a light, they said. It -was some little time before that light was brought. - -“The sixteenth was called Mary. She was homely, and she used to say -she’d never be able to catch a parson or a gentleman; but she was that -eager to leave home she took up with a farm-hand, and went off and got -married.” - -Mamselle Lovisa remained faithfully at her post, where she had gone -sound asleep; but this the _jungfru_ had not noticed. - -“The seventeenth was hardly eighteen when she moved away from the -deanery. She used to help the missus write letters to all the brothers -and sisters; for that was more than any one body could do.” - -The door opened ever so little and shut again. - -“The eighteenth,” droned the _jungfru_, “was but fifteen when he -declared he was going to America because he couldn’t put up with so -many relatives. - -“And number nineteen and twenty, they were only fourteen and thirteen -when I last saw them.” - -At that moment Fru Lagerlöf came in with her knitting, Anna appeared -with the lamp, and Mamselle Lovisa awoke. - -“Thanks, thanks, dear Jungfru Anna,” said Fru Lagerlöf. “We shall never -forget this. It has been so very instructive to me and my children.” - - - - -VI - -THE BRIDAL-CROWN - - -MAMSELLE LOVISA LAGERLÖF used to dress the brides. Not all the girls in -the parish who married came to her to be decked, only the daughters of -the best peasant families. Some years there were two or three brides, -and some none at all. - -Formerly, when Mårbacka was a parsonage, it had been the duty of the -pastor’s womenfolk to deck the brides, especially those who were to be -married in the church. - -Mamselle Lovisa’s mother and maternal grandmother and great-grandmother -before her had performed this same service. It was an old custom which -had been handed down. - -She had inherited all the old bridal trumpery which in the course of -time had accumulated at Mårbacka. She had a large old cupboard, in a -drawer of which were treasured long strings of glass, coral, and amber -beads, a collection of tortoise-shell combs that stood up eight inches -from the head, and half-round pasteboard forms, covered either with -stiff white satin or hand-painted flowers, in use at the period when -coifs were worn. She had also a high pasteboard bridal-crown, the -points of which were covered partly with gilt paper and partly with -pink-and-green taffeta. There were wreaths of artificial roses and -yards on yards of green satin ribbon sewn with flowers of pink satin. -In the same drawer there were Jenny-Lind-ringlets, to be fastened on so -as to fall against the face, hair pins with dangle-buttons, long -ear-pendants of imitation pearls, an assortment of brass brooches, -bracelets, and shoe buckles set with glass rubies, amethysts, and -sapphires. - -In the days when these things were in vogue it was a responsible and -laborious task to deck a bride. For days before the wedding the bride -dresser had to sit sewing flowered satin bands round the skirt and -sleeves of the wedding dress. Sometimes the crown had to have fresh -gilt paper and there were paper flowers to be made, and all the brass -things had to be polished till they shone like gold. - -Though all the gewgaws were shoddy stuff, a peasant-bride with a high -crown and a broad flower wreath on her head, with strand on strand of -multi-colored beads hanging down from her neck, with flowered satin -sash round her waist, with a band of gay ribbon bordering her skirt, -with bangled wrists and buckled shoes, must have been the most dazzling -sight one could behold. - -And it was also the most becoming array for a tall, bright-eyed, -rosy-cheeked peasant lass, whose figure had been developed by hard toil -and whose skin was tanned by sun and wind. Thus arrayed, she carried -herself with dignity and pride, as if for a space she were exalted -above her kind. To the bridegroom on the wedding day she looked a -queen, a veritable goddess of riches. She was the most gorgeous flower -in all the meadow, and to his eyes she glittered like a jewelled casket. - -When Mamselle Lovisa dressed brides the old frippery was no longer in -use. Now it had to be a natty little crown of myrtle, a thin wreath, -also of myrtle, and a long white veil. Sometimes she would put a band -of red satin ribbon round the waist of a plain black dress, and lend -her brides her own gold brooch, gold bracelets, and watch and chain, to -relieve at least a little the severity of the attire. - -She must indeed have sighed for the olden times, and felt that -something was lost by being so sparing with colours and ornaments, by -concealing the rugged, and sometimes rather coarse, features of the -peasant brides behind a sheer, white veil. That mode suited better the -pale delicate city maiden, who wished to appear before the bridegroom -as something ethereal and dreamlike. She conceded that this, too, was a -pretty fashion; but certainly the peasant brides would have looked much -better in the old, characteristic array. - -Besides, it was difficult to procure fresh myrtle for the wreath and -crown. Mamselle Lovisa tried to raise a little myrtle herself, but -somehow it never seemed to grow for her, and the brides rarely had any -to help out with. - -Once Mamselle Lovisa got into trouble. A middle-aged woman, one Kaisa -Nilsdotter, came and asked her if she would not dress her as bride. The -woman was of the poorer peasant class, while the prospective husband -was a schoolmaster. She felt that since she was making such an -advantageous marriage no less a person than Mamselle Lagerlöf should -deck her. And Mamselle Lovisa was quite willing. All she asked was that -the bride should help her find the myrtle. - -“I am nearly out of myrtle,” she said, “and do not know where to -procure any.” - -The woman agreed to furnish the myrtle for both crown and wreath. The -day before the wedding she sent a few twigs with leaves so blackened -and damaged they could hardly be used for a bridal-crown. - -Here was a dilemma! Mamselle Lovisa stripped her own myrtles of every -bit of green; but this did not go very far. The maids ran over to see -what they could find on the neighbouring farms, and came back with only -a few poor sprigs. All the myrtle seemed to be sick that year; the -leaves were black, and dropped off if one but touched them. - -It would never do to bind any green but myrtle into a bridal-crown. -Nice, fresh whortleberry is very like myrtle; but to wear a -bridal-crown of whortleberry green would be a terrible disgrace. The -bride might actually think she was not properly married. - -Mamselle Lovisa laid the miserable little twigs in water to freshen -them a bit, and worked far into the night on the wreath and crown. It -looked a hopeless task, but she made the best of it. In the morning she -quietly slipped out to the woods, but returned as she had gone--empty -handed. Passing through the kitchen to her room she averred that never -had she had such difficulty trying to bind a pretty bridal-crown. The -maids felt sorry for her, and offered to run to still other cottages to -beg myrtle. - -“No, thank you,” she said, “it’s too late now. The bride and groom may -be here at any moment.” - -She went into her room and stuck a few more leaves into the crown and -wreath where they were the barest, then showed her work to the -housekeeper and the maids. - -“How in the world did you do it, Mamselle Lovisa!” one exclaimed. “Why, -that wreath and crown are just as pretty as those you usually make, -though ’twas mostly bare sprigs and black leaves you had.” - -Mamselle Lovisa then explained that she had freshened the leaves in -water, it was only smoke and dust that had blackened them. - -Shortly afterwards the bridal pair arrived. The bride was decked in -Mamselle Lovisa’s room. Though no longer young, the woman had a good -and pleasing appearance. When she was all ready Mamselle Lovisa -conducted her into the parlour, that she might view herself in the -large mirror. And she was delighted. - -“I never would have thought I could look that well!” she said. Then -she took out a bottle of cologne and a pretty box--gifts from the -groom. The box was filled with small candies, loaf-sugar, raisins, and -lozenges. These she passed round--first to Mamselle Lovisa, then to the -others. All had to dab themselves with a few drops of the cologne and -take a piece of candy or a raisin from the box. She looked more pleased -and happy than the young brides usually did, and every one complimented -her on her appearance. - -In a few moments she and the bridegroom drove off to the parsonage to -be married, and from there to the bride’s home, to celebrate. - -For a time Kaisa Nilsdotter was very happy in her married life. -Although her husband was much older than she, her respect for his -learning was so great that she took special pride in ministering to his -comfort and in making him a pleasant home. Then a rumour got afloat. It -must have been started by some person at Mårbacka; but who the author -was none could say. At all events, it travelled round the whole parish. -At last some kind friend no doubt whispered it into the ear of Kaisa -Nilsdotter. - -“Mamselle Lovisa Lagerlöf bound your bridal-crown with whortleberry -green.” - -At first she would not believe it. Such a thing was beyond credence. -But after a while she began to think back. Her bridal-crown had been as -pretty as anyone else’s. It had looked so fresh and green on her head. -She remembered how proud she had been because a fine Mamselle had put -it on her. But was the crown not much too green? The spring she -was married the myrtle had all been poor, she remembered, for she had -tried in vain to find some green sprays. Maybe Mamselle Lovisa had -thought it was not necessary to be so very particular with one who came -of such humble folk? She would never have dared offer a crown of -whortleberry to the daughter of a squire. - -She brooded over this and talked with her husband about it. She -wondered whether they were really married, in case it was true that her -crown had been of whortleberry green. - -The husband tried to reason with her, but she wept and was utterly -wretched, thinking herself disgraced and humiliated. Mamselle Lovisa -had thought she was not fine enough to be dressed by her, so she had -made her a crown of whortleberry, and now she and all the parish were -laughing at her. Her husband finally advised her to go to Mårbacka and -ask Mamselle Lovisa herself about it. - -She chanced to come at a most inopportune time. There was a grand party -that day at Mårbacka, and when she stepped into the kitchen the maids -were too busy to give her more than a short how-do-you-do. She asked -for Mamselle Lovisa, who was inside with her guests, and they would not -call her out. She would have to excuse them, too, for there was such a -lot of company to serve. But, if she liked, she might step into -Mamselle Lovisa’s room, and wait there for her; which she did. - -It was here the crown had been placed on her head. She remembered how -happy she was that day, and now it was hard to believe there had been -any deception. - -Presently two maids passed through the room, each carrying a tray of -filled wine glasses. They left the door ajar so that she could see into -the dining room and parlour, which were full of people. It was indeed a -big party, she thought. In there were not only the gentry of Ämtervik, -but the Dean’s and the Doctor’s folk from Sunne and Pastor Hammargren -of Karlstad--the husband of Mamselle Lovisa’s sister. Feeling rather -embarrassed, she went to shut the door, when she caught a few words -that made her stop and listen. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, with wine glass in hand, stood in the middle of -the floor announcing the betrothal of his sister Lovisa to Pastor -Milén, the clergyman at Ämtervik. - -Then there was much toasting and congratulating. Everyone looked happy -and pleased, which was not surprising. Mamselle Lovisa was a woman of -forty, and her relatives had hardly expected that she would marry. -Pastor Milén was a widower with four small children who needed a -mother’s care. It was all so right and fitting. - -Kaisa Nilsdotter had heard that when Mamselle Lovisa was young she -would not marry because she had not the heart to leave her parents. But -now that they were dead she wanted a home of her own. She had also -heard that Mamselle Lovisa did not care to go far from Mårbacka, and, -happily, the parsonage was but five minutes’ walk from there. - -It sort of cut into Kaisa Nilsdotter that everything should go so well -for Mamselle Lovisa--she who had made a whortleberry crown for her. -Stepping back from the doorway, she saw the old housekeeper, who had -come in to hear the betrothal announcement, standing just behind her. -Kaisa Nilsdotter laid a heavy hand on the housekeeper’s shoulder. - -“I came here to find out whether Mamselle Lovisa made my bridal-crown -of whortleberry green,” she said. “But maybe ’twouldn’t do to ask her -about it on a day like this?” - -The housekeeper was rather startled, but she was not one to be easily -thrown off her guard. - -“How can you say anything so idiotic, Kaisa!” she flouted. “Everyone in -the house knows what a lot of bother Mamselle Lovisa had with your -bridal-crown. We all ran about to every cottage around here, and begged -the myrtle.” - -Kaisa stared at her as if searching her very soul to get at the truth. -“But the whole parish says so,” she declared. - -The old housekeeper, whose sole thought was to pacify the woman and get -her out of the house, lest she disturb Mamselle Lovisa on this of all -days, said: - -“But I tell you, Kaisa, that as sure as Mamselle Lovisa’s own -bridal-crown will be of myrtle was yours of myrtle, and of nothing -else.” - -“I’ll bear those words in mind,” said Kaisa. “And when I see what -Mamselle Lovisa’s bridal-crown is bound with, then I’ll know how it was -with mine.” - -“You can rest easy as to that,” the housekeeper assured her. - -The two then went into the kitchen, and Kaisa, looking quite calm now, -put out her hand in farewell. - -“I may as well be going,” she said. “Anyhow, I don’t suppose I could -see Mamselle Lovisa to-day to speak to.” - -With that she was off. The housekeeper went back to her work, and, in -the rush and excitement, forgot about the woman. It was not till a day -or two afterward that she told Mamselle Lovisa what Kaisa Nilsdotter -had said and what she herself had replied. - -Mamselle Lovisa went white as a sheet. - -“Oh, Maja!” she cried, “how could you say that! It would have been -better to tell her that I put a few little sprays of whortleberry green -in her crown.” - -“I had to ease her mind to get her to go,” the housekeeper explained. - -“And so you said my crown would be of myrtle as surely as hers was. Now -you’ll see, Maja, there will be no bridal-crown for me!” - -“Oh, you’ll be married right enough, Mamselle Lovisa. Pastor Milén is -not the man to jilt you.” - -“Who knows? Something else might come up to prevent it.” - -Mamselle Lovisa worried over this a few days, and then let it pass out -of mind. She had other things to think of. In six months the wedding -was to take place, and she must begin at once on the household linens -and the trousseau. - -She set up looms, sewed, and worked monograms. She finally went to -Karlstad to shop, and returned with the fabric for a wedding dress and -a little wire frame of a crown, to be bound with myrtle. She did not -wish to use the old frame worn by so many brides, but wanted a -bridal-crown of her own. - -But these purchases had no sooner been made than the unexpected -happened. Pastor Milén became ill and was confined to his bed a long -time. When he recovered sufficiently to be up and about he seemed -strangely changed. People noticed that he did not care to talk with his -betrothed, and never went the short distance to Mårbacka to see her. -When summer came he went away to a health resort. During his long -absence he never once wrote to Mamselle Lovisa. It was a time of -anxiety and distress for her. She inferred from his silence that he -wished to break with her, and sent him back his ring. The day this -happened she said to the old housekeeper: - -“Now you see, Maja, that my bridal-crown will not be bound with myrtle, -either.” - - * * * * * - -One day, many years later, one of the young daughters of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf asked her Aunt Lovisa to lend her some of the old peasant -bridal things to dress up in. Mamselle Lovisa gave her the key to the -cupboard where the old treasures were kept and which had long since -been removed to the storeroom upstairs. - -The young girl unlocked the cupboard and pulled out a drawer. She gazed -at the contents in astonishment. Before her lay not the usual gaudy -trumpery, but only a parcel of tulle, some coloured satin fabric, and a -little wire form of a bridal-crown. She saw at once that she had opened -the wrong drawer, the bridal things were in the next one. Just the -same, she stood a moment looking into the drawer. It wrung her heart to -think that poor, unhappy Aunt Lovisa had never come to use the things -lying there. She knew that for years her aunt had grieved in silence, -and would not be comforted. Then something came back to memory. One day -during the saddest period of her aunt’s unhappiness she had gone into -her room and had found her sitting before a heap of whortleberry green, -a little wire crown in her hand. Her aunt had cut off a few sprays and -was binding them round the crown, when Fru Lagerlöf came in. - -“Why, Lovisa, whatever are you doing?” she had asked with a frightened -look on her face. - -“I was thinking,” Mamselle Lovisa had said, dreamily, “that if I would -be content with a crown of whortle---- But that’s stupid!” - -Then she had quickly jumped up, brushed aside the crown and the leaves, -and cried out: “I know it’s all ended.” Then pacing the floor and -wringing her hands the while, she had moaned: “There’s no help for it -now.” - -“But, my dear Lovisa, it was only on account of his illness,” Fru -Lagerlöf had answered. - -Mamselle Lovisa had continued to pace up and down, up and down, in -anguish and despair. - -“If only I hadn’t put whortleberry in Kaisa Nilsdotter’s bridal-crown!” -she had wailed. - -“Come, come, Lovisa, you mustn’t think that.” Just then Fru Lagerlöf -had caught sight of the child standing there, wide-eyed. - -“Go into the other room, Selma,” she had said. “Aunt Lovisa has a -sorrow, and you children must not come here and disturb her.” - - - - -VII - -“VACKERFELDT”[1] - - [1] Vacker is the Swedish for pretty or handsome. - - -THE tinkle of a silver bell is heard from the road. Colour-Sergeant -Karl von Wachenfeldt comes driving.... - -Colour-Sergeant Karl von Wachenfeldt--was it not he who once on a time -was proclaimed the handsomest man in Värmland, if not in all Sweden? -Was it not he who was the idol of the Stockholm ladies the winter -season of 1820, when he visited the Capital to take some sort of -examination in land surveying? Was it not he who made up sleighing -parties and led cotillions with a dash that put all the _beaux -cavaliers_ of the _haute monde_ into the shade? Was it not he who -danced so divinely and conversed so enchantingly that his fine -relatives, who at first would not recognize the poor Värmland -under-officer, finally sent him letters of invitation, couched in the -humblest terms, because the young ladies could have no pleasure at a -ball not graced by his presence? - -And was it not he who had such astounding luck at the gaming-table it -enabled him to live that winter in Stockholm like a Lieutenant of the -Guard? Was it not he, by the way, who hobnobbed with counts and barons, -and outshone them in gallantry and elegance? Was it not he who at a -private theatrical in the home of Admiral Wachtmeister played the -leading lover and sang his couplets so passionately that the next -morning he found a score of love letters in his post-box? Was not he -the first to drive through the streets of Stockholm with harness and -trappings adorned with chimes of silver bells? Was it not he who -was known to all Stockholm, so that wherever he appeared, whether -at the Royal Gardens or the Blue Gate, at the Opera or among the -moving throngs in the street, it was whispered: “Look! here comes -_Vackerfeldt._ Oh--oh, see! Here comes _Vackerfeldt!_” - -Was it not he who, after his one and only memorable winter in -Stockholm, duplicated his triumphs at Karlstad and wherever else he -chanced to be? Was it not he who, with Sergeant Sellblad as companion -and Drummer Tyberg as valet, went down to Göteborg, where he passed -himself off as a Finnish baron, and for a whole fortnight spoke with a -Finnish accent, while running a gaming-house for the benefit of wealthy -merchants’ gay young sons? Was not he the only under-officer that had -ever got to dance with the haughty Countess of Apertin? And was it not -he who became so enamoured of the beautiful Mamselle Widerström, when -she sang in _La Preciosa_ at the Karlstad theatre, that he abducted her -and would have got over into Norway with her, had not her manager -happily overtaken them at Arvika? And, finally, was it not he who came -to Captain Wästfelt at Angersby as Adjutant something or other, and put -life into the young folk in Fryksdalen? Were ever such grand fair -balls, such merry Christmas feasts, such jolly crayfish parties, and -such delightful wanderings to picturesque places of interest! The -romantic wife of the Captain who lay on a couch all day reading novels, -did she not find in him the embodiment of her heroes of romance! And -her young daughters, were not their first love dreams of him? - -On the neighbouring place, Mårbacka, where there was a houseful of -pretty daughters--what happened there? Could they resist a _beau -cavalier_ who manipulated the curling-tongs as skilfully as he did the -guitar, and had the nimbus of Amor shining above his fair, curled hair? - - * * * * * - -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt comes driving down the rocky road, -while the lone silver bell tinkles feebly and almost mournfully. In the -days of his power and glory the sixty silver bells which hung from the -harness and trappings jingled right merrily. They had, so to speak, -rung in his triumphs, had heralded the coming of a conqueror. But now -when there is only one solitary bell, it seems merely to announce the -approach of a man whose day of fortune and happiness is over. - -The Colour-Sergeant rides behind his old horse, Kalle, which is so -noticeably small that everyone he meets in the road turns to look after -it. But, on the other hand, no one turns to look at the horse’s owner. - -Driving past Gunnarsby Inn, he sees two young girls standing at the -well. He salutes them with a flourish of his whip, and from force of -habit gives them one of his most seductive smiles, but receives in -return an indifferent glance. The girls do not drop the well bucket in -wonder, or stand rapt with cheeks aglow, to gaze after him. - -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt gives his horse a lash of the whip. He -is no fool. He knows that his hair is gray and his face full of -wrinkles, that his moustache is thin and faded, that one eye is filmed -with a gray cataract, while the other, having been operated upon, is -distorted by a magnifying monocle. He knows that he is old and nothing -to look at now; yet he feels that people should not entirely forget -what he once was. True, he has no better home nowadays than two hired -rooms at a farmhouse in Stor Kil Parish. His only possessions are a -horse, a carriole, a sleigh, and a few pieces of furniture, and his -only subordinate is a crotchety old serving woman. For all that, he -thinks it should not be completely forgotten that once he was -_Vackerfeldt_, the celebrated _Vackerfeldt._ - -He sits there in a mangy old fur coat and a still shabbier seal-skin -cap. He wears thick lynx mittens to protect his gouty hands, but -the distorted joints are noticeable even through the thick mittens. -Nevertheless it is he, Wachenfeldt--he who has held so many beautiful -women in his arms! The memory of that none can take from him. Who else -in these parts has lived such a life and been so adored? - -Pressing his lips together he tells himself he has nothing to regret. -If he could live his life over again he would have it the same. All -that youth and health and good looks can give a man he has -enjoyed--love and adventure in fullest measure. - -One thing perhaps Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt wishes he had left -undone. He should not have married Anna Lagerlöf, the noblest woman he -had ever known. He had loved her madly, but he never should have -espoused her. - -Was it fitting that a _Vackerfeldt_ should settle down to the prudent -management of a farm and not try to harvest gold in some easier and -pleasanter way? If his wife was adorable, must he needs think her the -only adorable one? Could he change his nature by marrying? Was it not -through his success as gambler and lover he had won his fame? - -Yes, he regrets his marriage. His wife was not suited to him, but he -concedes that she was too good for him. She had wanted orderliness, -industry, tranquillity, and comfort, and had worn herself out trying to -make a home for them, such as she had had at Mårbacka. - -Others might think he should not so much regret having married as -having caused his wife grief and humiliation. After seventeen years -of domestic infelicity, when Anna von Wachenfeldt could endure no -more, she died. Then misfortunes of all sorts befell him. The creditors -showed no further indulgence, but took away his home. He had to -give up gambling, for now he lost as soon as he touched a card. The -gout had also come, and the gray cataract. Before he had reached -sixty he was white-haired, stiff-jointed, half-blind, helpless, and -poverty-stricken. It would have been no small comfort to him now to -have had his good, loving wife still with him. - -Since her death he had been cut off from all social intercourse. No one -cared whether he lived or died. None invited him to their homes. It -looked as if people had merely tolerated him for his wife’s sake. When -he yearns for laughter and merriment, when he would like to sit down to -a well-served dinner and talk with cultured people, he has no place to -go. When the holidays come round, with their long leisure hours, when -he would like to escape from the deadly monotony of the farmhouse, he -does not know what to do with himself. - -There is just one place in the world where he can go for a bit of a -taste of the old life, and that place is Mårbacka, whence he had -brought his wife. He knows what they think and feel there--that he had -made her life very unhappy. They actually believe that he tormented her -to death. Nevertheless, he journeys thither thrice a year for the -great holiday festivities. But for these visits to Mårbacka his life -would be intolerable. - -The silver bell rings out a loud plaint. The Colour-Sergeant has just -dealt his little horse a stinging blow. Life has many bitter fruits, -which one must take. It seems quite proper that the horse should share -the pain of his master. - - * * * * * - -If the little Mårbacka children had not known by any other signs that -Christmas was at hand, they would have guessed it when Colour-Sergeant -von Wachenfeldt appeared. - -They were overjoyed when they saw his horse and cutter coming up the -driveway. They raced through the house shouting the glad tidings, and -rushed out on the steps to greet him, crying Good-day and Welcome. They -fetched bread for his horse and carried his lean carpet-bag, -embroidered in cross-stitched leaves and flowers, down to the -Lieutenant’s office, which the Sergeant was to occupy. - -It was remarkable that the children were always so glad to see -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, for he never brought them any goodies -or presents. But they must have thought him a part of Christmas, which -no doubt accounted for their joy. Anyhow, it was well they were -friendly, for the grown folk made no ado over him. Fru Lagerlöf and -Mamselle Lovisa did not go out to receive the guest, and it was with -rather a heavy sigh the Lieutenant put down his Värmland News, and -arose from his rocker to go and meet him. - -“Well, well, so you’re here again, Wachenfeldt!” he said, as he stood -on the steps. After putting a few queries as to the state of the roads -and the journey, he conducted his brother-in-law to his room, where he -cleared out a drawer of his chiffonier and made place in the wardrobe; -then he went off with his children, leaving the guest to himself. - -With each visit of the Colour-Sergeant memories of the Lieutenant’s -dead sister became more and more poignant. She was the eldest child; -she had cared for him when he was a little chap, had dressed and -undressed him, and coddled him. He had loved her best of all his -sisters, had been more proud of her than of the others. And then she -had to go and fall in love with a worthless fellow like this -Wachenfeldt! She was both beautiful and noble, and as good and true as -she looked. She had always been sunny, and had brightened the lives of -those about her. She had striven to the last breath to keep her home; -the husband had only wasted and squandered. She would not let her -family know how hard she had it, lest they should come to her aid. So -she broke under the strain when she was barely forty. - -It was a sad and distressing tale, and the Lieutenant, while this was -seething in him, could not be cordial to Von Wachenfeldt; he had -therefore to take a long walk to let his indignation cool a bit. - -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa felt much as he did. Anna Wachenfeldt -had been the favourite sister-in-law of Fru Lagerlöf, who had looked up -to her with genuine admiration. Anna had been the one to welcome her -most heartily into the family, and she could never forgive -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt for making this beloved woman unhappy. - -Mamselle Lovisa, as a child, had made long visits at Valsäter, the home -of the Wachenfeldts, and knew more about her sister’s troubles than any -of them. She could never hear the name Wachenfeldt without thinking of -a certain morning when a couple of strange men came to Valsäter and led -from the barn the two best cows. Her sister had run out and asked them -what they were doing there, and they had coolly answered that the -Sergeant the night before had staked the cows in a game with their -master, and lost. Mamselle Lovisa saw her sister as it were before her, -and remembered how distressed she had been over this. “He will never -come to his senses,” she had said, “until he has made an end of me.” - -However, Mamselle Lovisa was the first to think of her duties as -hostess. She got up from the sewing table, where she had been -embroidering and betimes taking little peeps into a novel that lay open -in her sewing basket, and went to the kitchen door. - -“Maja dear,” she called to the housekeeper, apologetically, “now we -have Wachenfeldt here again!” - -“I can’t understand why that fellow, who was so mean to his wife, is -allowed to come here at every holiday time,” the housekeeper retorted -with considerable asperity. - -“But one can’t very well drive him away,” pleaded Mamselle Lovisa. “And -now, Maja, please put the coffeepot on, so that he’ll have something to -warm him a bit after his long, cold drive.” - -“Why must he always come just when you’ve all had your coffee and the -fire’s gone dead in the stove!” The housekeeper looked as if she were -not going to make a move. - -But the coffeepot must have got on somehow, for shortly afterward the -housemaid went down to the office and bade Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt come to the living room for coffee. - -In crossing the yard to the house, he walked with the aid of a cane, -which he put by in the outer hall, and carried himself fairly well as -he came into the room. Mamselle Lovisa, who stood there to receive him, -noticed all the same that he had difficulty in walking. When she took -his hands she felt how swollen they were, and when she looked up into -his face, his distorted eye stared at her horribly. Then a good part of -her resentment vanished. She thought to herself that he had already -received his punishment, and she was not going to add woe to woe. - -“It was nice that Wachenfeldt could come to us again this Christmas,” -she forced herself to say. Whereupon she poured him some coffee and he -went over to his accustomed place, between the porcelain stove and -the folded card table. It was a modest corner, and also the warmest in -the room. The Colour-Sergeant knew what he was about when he chose that -seat. - -He at once began telling Mamselle Lovisa about his servant, Inga, and -her constant quarrels and fights with the peasants who owned the farm -where he lived. He knew that such petty gossip amused his -sister-in-law, and did not fail to observe that she presently poured -herself a cup of coffee so as to keep him company. - -Dusk had fallen while they chatted over their coffee cups, a light was -brought and placed on the round table over by the sofa, soon after -which Fru Lagerlöf appeared. - -She had not conquered her feeling of aversion, and it was a cool -reception the Colour-Sergeant got from her; she barely touched his -hand, but did not speak, and then sat down to her work. - -The Colour-Sergeant, who calmly went on talking to Mamselle Lovisa, -quickly changed the topic of conversation. He told about some strange -cases of sickness among the people and the animals on the farm, which -he had succeeded in curing. - -Here was something that interested Fru Lagerlöf; it was in her line. -Before she knew it, she had been drawn into the conversation. - -Finally the Lieutenant came in and sank into his rocker. At first he -was silent and depressed. But now, without anyone’s quite knowing how -it came about, the conversation drifted in another direction. It -carried back to old Karlstad, where the Colour-Sergeant was born and -the Lieutenant went to school, and of which the latter loved to talk. -Then it swung up to Stockholm, and took in Emilie Högquist, Jenny Lind, -and much else of a by-gone day that was beautiful and memorable. At -last they fell to telling old Värmland tales, and the evening passed so -quickly they were all astonished when the maid came in to lay the table -for supper. - -The amazing thing about it all was that when Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt related any of his personal experiences he invariably stood -out as the wisest and most prudent man one could wish to meet. That he -had taken part in many adventures and exploits was true enough, but he -had always played the rôle of the counselling friend who helped stupid -folk out of their scrapes. - -Just to mention the Wästfelts of Angersby: what a staff he had been to -these nice, childish persons! Particularly at the time when the son’s -intended threw him over and announced her engagement to another. No man -ever spoke with greater veneration of his mother or his wife. Such a -model son and devoted husband all might wish to have. He had always -talked sensibly to young women, smoothed out lovers’ quarrels, and -welded together marriage bonds that threatened to break asunder. All -the unhappy ones had made a confidant of him, and he had never betrayed -them. He had even saved men seized with the gambling fever, had talked -them to rights and reminded them of their duties. - -After supper, when Von Wachenfeldt had limped down to his room, -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, his wife and sister sat staring at each -other--dumbfounded. - -“Oh, that Wachenfeldt!” the Lieutenant exclaimed. “He’s a wonder; he -knows more than all of us put together.” - -“It is always a pleasure to talk with Wachenfeldt,” said Mamselle -Lovisa. - -“If it is true that he has been so helpful to others, then how does it -happen that he has managed his own affairs so badly?” queried Fru -Lagerlöf, dryly. - -“Some folks are like that,” the Lieutenant averred. - - * * * * * - -Thenceforth, Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt “feasted right royally,” -as is said in _Fritiof’s Saga_--throughout the Christmas holidays, -playing the wise and all-knowing old man. One could get his advice on -almost everything. He could prescribe for pimples and the snuffles, -give counsel in matters of dress, write recipes for cooking and dyeing, -give instruction in agriculture, and offer the best and cleverest -judgments of people. They appealed to him to settle knotty problems. - -“Doesn’t Wachenfeldt think it strange these children cannot be induced -to eat carrots?” Mamselle Lovisa once put to him. - -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt rose to the occasion. - -“Wake me in the middle of the night and offer me carrots, and I’ll -eat.” - -It was positively unnatural his being so reasonable and practical. The -dashing cavalier of old, the conquering hero with the sixty silver -bells, was apparently no more. - -Then it happened that Lieutenant Lagerlöf during one of Wachenfeldt’s -visits got into an argument with the ladies about a young girl in the -district. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa both thought her sweet and -winsome, while the Lieutenant declared that no man could ever fall in -love with her. He appealed the case in point to Wachenfeldt, as was the -custom in the family. - -“Tell me, Wachenfeldt, you who are a judge of women--would you kiss -such a little Miss Snippit?” - -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, old as he was, flushed. He struck the -table with his fist, half-rose from his seat, and thundered: - -“Don’t ask me such a thing! I have never kissed a homely woman.” - -The ungodly persons round him broke into hilarious shrieks. Here he had -been acting the part of the sage and the plain man of common sense, yet -a simple little query like that had unmasked him. The old _beau -cavalier_ still survived in him. Sick and wretched, old and dilapidated -as he was, let none think or assume that he would kiss a plain woman. - -O _Vackerfeldt! Vackerfeldt!_ - - - - -VIII - -THE ORCHESTRA - - -IT WAS an impromptu orchestra that played that day at Mårbacka. There -was Major Ehrencrona, a Finn by birth, who in former days had lived in -a palatial home and been a _grand seigneur_, but who now in his old age -occupied a rented room at a farmhouse, where he led a dull and -monotonous existence, much like that of Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt. He was reputed to be a master of the French horn; but -since he had become poor and lonely he had not been heard to play. - -And there was Herr Tyberg, who began life as drummer-boy with the -Värmland Regiment and who surely would have killed himself with drink, -had not the Lieutenant at Mårbacka, by a mere chance, discovered the -man’s special aptitude for teaching small children, and engaged him as -tutor for his own little ones, and later found him a position as -teacher in the elementary school at East Ämtervik. - -Then, there was Jan Asker, who had also been in the regiment band, but -who was now church-beadle and grave-digger at East Ämtervik. He came of -an old family of musicians, and used to play the clarinet at all the -peasant weddings and dances. His was an embittered and restless spirit. -The only thing that reconciled him to life was music. - -And there was the foundry bookkeeper, Geijer, who lived in the attic of -the school building, and kept house for himself. He was passionately -fond of music, but being too poor to provide himself with any sort of -instrument, he had painted a keyboard on a common deal table, at which -he sat and “played.” - -Then, too, there was Sexton Melanoz, who had received instruction from -Dean Fryxell himself, and could scribble verse, cobble shoes, mend -furniture, and run a farm. He was the star entertainer at all the -weddings and wakes, and was moreover the best schoolmaster in the whole -of Fryksdalen. Every Sunday morning he had to play the wheezy organ at -the Ämtervik church, which he never could have endured if he’d not had -his violin to console him on Sunday afternoons, for he was a musical -soul. - -These five had arranged to meet at Mårbacka on a certain day during the -Christmas season, while there was still something left of the Christmas -ale, the Christmas ham, and spiced bread. - -The first to arrive did not go straight to the house, but waited till -all were there. Whereupon they fell into line, the Major in the lead, -and marched up to the front porch singing _Portugal, Spanjen, Stora -Britanjen._ - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had perhaps some notion as to what was in the air, -but he had remained inside so as not to spoil the fun for the guests. -But on hearing that song, he jumped up and ran out to greet them. Nor -was Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, who was still at Mårbacka, long to -follow. - -When the visitors had gone down to the farm-office to remove their -pelts and leggings, the Lieutenant sent his two boys, Daniel and Johan, -up to the attic to fetch the guitar, the French horn, the flute, and -the triangle, while he himself rushed into the bedroom and pulled his -violin from under the bed; placing it on a chair, he unlocked the case -and reverently uncovered the violin, which lay wrapped in a red silk -handkerchief. - -Though the Lieutenant himself never smoked or permitted others to smoke -in the house, he sent the boys down to the office to fetch the old -long-stemmed pipe, which had been there since Pastor Wennervik’s time, -and also a little square box filled with tobacco, so that Major -Ehrencrona might have his usual smoke, to keep him in good humour. - -When the five guests, the Colour-Sergeant, and the Lieutenant went into -the living room, when the toddy-tray had been brought, and hot drinks -made for all--except Herr Tyberg, of course, who had sworn off for -good--and when the major had finally got his pipe to draw, they decided -it was not worth while to pass the evening at card-playing or in -small-talk, but they would have some music. - -It was this the Lieutenant had anticipated; so now he went for the -instruments he had hurriedly assembled. His violin he offered to Sexton -Melanoz, who most humbly protested that there were those in the room -far more worthy than he to handle this, the greatest of all musical -instruments. But when none claimed the distinction, he was as pleased -as if he had suddenly come into a fortune, and at once proceeded to -tune up. - -The flute went to Herr Tyberg, of course. It had been his instrument in -the regiment, when he had outgrown the drum. He was well acquainted -with the old flute at Mårbacka, and knew it to be always dry and leaky. -So he ran out to the kitchen to dip the flute in pale beer and bind it -round with tow, to make it hold together. - -The guitar was handed to Bookkeeper Geijer, who had a long thin face, a -long slender neck, limpid blue eyes, and long slim fingers. There was a -certain wistfulness about him, a sort of languishing grace. With a -little girlish laugh, he strung the guitar-ribbon round his neck and -tenderly pressed the instrument to his heart, as if embracing a -sweetheart. The guitar had only three strings, but they were enough for -him who was wont to perform on nothing better than a deal table. - -Church-beadle Asker had had the foresight to bring his own clarinet. It -was in the back pocket of his greatcoat, so that he had only to go down -to the office and fetch it. - -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, sitting in his usual corner by the -fire, tried to put on a good face, though he could not perform on any -musical instrument with his gout-stiffened fingers. But the Lieutenant -now went over to him with the triangle, which he could manage with -ease. So the Colour-Sergeant, too, was happy. - -Major Ehrencrona sat blowing smoke through his big white moustache. He -saw how one after another had been provided with an instrument, but -feigned indifference. - -“Just give me a couple of pot-lids,” he said to the Lieutenant, “so -that I may at least join in the noise-making. I know, of course, that -the instrument I play is not to be found in this house.” - -Like a streak, the Lieutenant darted into the parlour and came back -with a brilliantly polished French horn, with green silk cord and -tassel, he had managed to procure for the Major. - -“What do you say to this, Uncle?” he asked him. - -The old major beamed. - -“Ha! you’re a real fellow, Brother Eric Gustaf!” He put down his pipe -and began to toot vociferously, sending out a volley of ear-splitting -blasts. - -Now that the guests were all furnished with instruments, they remarked -that the host himself had none. Whereupon, the Lieutenant produced a -little wooden whistle, one end of which must be placed in a glass of -water when one blew upon it. By so doing one could make trills as sweet -as any nightingale’s. - -And last, they begged Fru Lagerlöf to accompany them on the piano. - -In honour of the Major they first essayed the stirring Finnish martial -hymn, the “March of the Björneborgers.” Fru Lagerlöf struck the opening -chords, and the orchestra followed as best it could. It was a clang and -a din that took the house by storm. - -They did their best, all of them. Sexton Melanoz, Jan Asker, and Herr -Tyberg played with a certain assurance, but the Major frequently lagged -behind and the Lieutenant put in a few haphazard trills, due in part to -the freakish behaviour of his “nightingale” and in part to a -mischievous desire to throw the others out of time. - -When they had played the march through once they were so enlivened and -interested they wanted to go over it again, to get it quite perfect. -The Major blew and tooted till his eyes were red and his cheeks -distended, as if ready to split. Obviously, he was not as proficient at -the horn as he had made himself out, for he did not play in time even -on second trial. - -Of a sudden he jumped up and hurled the French horn across the room -toward the chimney corner with such force that it came near crushing -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt’s most sensitive toe. - -“Hang it all!” he shouted. “I’m not going to sit here and spoil the -Björneborgers’ March.... Play on, you who can!” - -The others were a bit disconcerted, naturally, but they took up the -march for the third time. And now the Major sang, _Sons of a race that -bled._ He carried the air in a deep, rich bass that filled the whole -house. The human voice flowed on like a mighty tide, bearing along with -it the tinny old piano, the shrill clarinet, the violin, scraped in old -fiddler-fashion, the three-stringed guitar, the Sergeant’s triangle and -the Lieutenant’s capricious nightingale. - -Their hearts warmed, for the loss of Finland still rankled in their -breasts; and now they seemed to be marching with the brave Björneborg -lads to take back their country from the Russians. - -When the march was finished the Lieutenant motioned to his wife, who -struck up _Worthy Fathers, Noble Shadows_, from the opera of “Gustaf -Vasa,” which was the Major’s great show piece. He rendered the song -with power and feeling, and the instruments seemed almost to sing with -him. - -Over on the straight-backed sofa, quiet as mice, sat all the -children--Daniel, Johan, Anna, Selma, and Gerda--listening. What could -they do but keep still, when the grown-ups played and carried on like -youngsters? When the Major sang Worthy Fathers, Noble Shadows, they -thought he sang of himself and the others who were performing in the -living room. - -To the children they were all like ghosts of a vanished -something--shadows of a great and glorious past of which they could but -catch the faint gleams of an afterglow. - - - - -THE NEW MÅRBACKA - - - - -I - -THE SEVENTEEN CATS - - -THERE was a cow-girl at Mårbacka named Britta Lambert, who had been on -the place from the time of the Paymaster of the Regiment. She was -little and ugly, with a face like old parchment, and she had only one -eye. In the company of humans she was crabbed and surly, but she loved -animals. If a cow was expected to calve in the night, she would make up -a bed in the barn and sleep there. Every day she would heat water in -the brew house and carry great bucketfuls down to the barn, so that the -cows might have warm mash. When the hay ran low in the cow-house, along -in April, and the cows had to chew on rye-straw, she was not above -sneaking over to the stable and stealing hay from the horses. - -The barn in which she ruled was very old and so dark you could scarcely -see your hand before you; the passageways were narrow, the floor was -worn full of holes, and the cows stood in cramped little stalls, which -Britta did not think to keep clean. Nevertheless, steady contentment -reigned in the old cow-house. There was no fear of a cow’s overfeeding, -or getting anything sharp in her fodder, or that aught would go wrong -with the calving. There were lots of calves and plenty of milk. The -mistress at Mårbacka never had any anxiety concerning the cow-house. - -But there was one species of animal Britta Lambert loved even better -than she loved the cow, and that was the cat. She believed that cats -had some sort of supernatural power to protect her and her cattle. The -worst thing one could ask of her was to drown a kitten now and then, -lest there should be more cats than cows to care for. When anyone -stepped inside the dark cow-house he was met on all sides by the -uncanny gleam of green cat-eyes. The cats got under his feet and sprang -on to his shoulders--for that Britta had got them into the habit of -doing. - -When Lieutenant Lagerlöf took over Mårbacka, on the death of his -father, there were no less than seventeen cats in the barn. They were -all of the tortoise-shell variety, with not a black or white or gray -one among them. For Britta Lambert believed it was only the red cats -that brought luck. - -Now the Lieutenant was a great lover of animals, and he had no -antipathy whatever to cats; but to feed and house seventeen of them in -the barn--that, he thought, was a bit too much. The cats, to be sure, -were vigilant hunters of rats and field-mice, but they also pursued -little birds; there was hardly so much as a sparrow left at Mårbacka. -Besides, the milk they consumed would have fed three calves. - -Anyway, it’s a sorry business having to do away with cats. So the -Lieutenant, rather than distress Britta Lambert and the other -womenfolk, said nothing to them about a certain plan he had in mind. He -merely gave the wink to old Bengt, the former stableman, who still -pottered round the place at this and that. - -Then, in some mysterious way the cats began to disappear--not all at -once, but by gradual elimination. Britta Lambert thought she noticed -that one and another of her precious tabbies was missing, yet she was -not quite sure about it, since the cats were all so much alike in -colour and markings. She attempted to count them as they came up for -their milk, but that was not so easy, for they pushed and crowded each -other at the milk-trough. Then, too, it was almost pitch-dark in the -barn. She complained to the old housekeeper and the young mistress. - -“You see,” she said, “’tis this I fear me, that if you do away with the -red cats, you’ll do away with the luck in the cow-house. No good can -come to folks as begins by being ungrateful to them that’s helped us -all up to now.” - -Fru Lagerlöf and the housekeeper both assured her they had no evil -designs upon her cats. They thought she would soon have them back -again--the whole seventeen. - -All the same, Britta noted that the cats were becoming fewer and fewer. -She suspected this one and that one, but none would confess to guilt. -The only one of whom she could never have believed anything so sinful -as that he would harm a cat, was the Lieutenant. She knew that his -mother had taught him better. - -“This’ll never do, Master,” she said to the Lieutenant every time he -came into the barn. “You don’t know how worried I am! The cats are -leaving me.” - -“I don’t see but they’re running in front of my feet the same as -usual,” the Lieutenant replied. - -“If there be thirteen left, ’tis all and no more,” wailed the cow-girl. -“I’d hate to be standing in the shoes of the one that’s doing this! And -worst of all, the farm’ll suffer for it.” - -Now in those days the Lieutenant was a strong young man and an -ambitious, enterprising farmer. He had big plans for Mårbacka. The -estate was not extensive, but the soil was rich and the fields, -spreading in one continuous stretch of expanse, were level and clear of -stones. It would be no fault of his if the farm did not some day become -the finest in the whole Fryken Valley. He had money at his command, for -his father-in-law, Squire Wallroth, who was a man of means, admired his -son-in-law’s initiative and enterprise, and gave him the support he -needed. - -The Lieutenant set about reparcelling the land for rotation of crops. -He dug ditches a fathom deep for drainage, and sowed timothy and clover -in the meadows, so that they would produce something besides wild -flowers; he bought a threshing machine, which did away with their -having to stand in a barn all winter beating out the grain with flails, -and he also procured some tall, fine-bred cattle from the manors down -by the Ness. He did not let the cows wander in the woods from spring to -autumn, and half-starve, but sent them to pasture in the open meadow. -Everything that could be thought of to enhance the value of the farm -was done: he carried on protracted negotiations with the peasants on -the west side of the dale for the purchase of lands adjoining his; he -built cottages for his workmen, that they might have decent homes, with -outbuildings and a bit of ground where they could keep a cow and a pig. - -Nor were his labours in vain. Within a year the farm paid back all he -had laid out on it. There was such a harvest of hay he hardly knew -where to store it all for the winter. For every bushel of peas sown he -got twenty bushels in return, and when he planted turnips the ground -gave forth such a blessed abundance it was more than his own folk could -gather in. So he sent word to the neighbours to come with horse and -cart, and take home all the turnips they could dig. - -However, there was one serious obstacle to this work of improving the -farm, and that was the little river Ämtan, which meandered in all sorts -of graceful bends and curves down in the dale, where his fields lay. -Ordinarily, the stream was not much bigger than a forest brook, but as -soon as there came a good fall of rain it overflowed its banks, -converting his clover meadows and oat fields into little lakes. - -The Lieutenant decided that something must be done about the river. -Where it flowed through his own property he deepened its bed and -straightened its course. But little good came of that, for the peasants -who owned the land below Mårbacka let the river run on in its old -tortuous, sluggish way. Whenever there was a heavy rain it flooded -their acres as well as his. - -What was the good of all his labour with the soil, if Ämtan could at -any time wash away his haystacks and rye-shooks? He would never be able -to develop his property as he wished until the river was mastered. - -He talked with the neighbours, and they seemed to be in favour of -having the river properly dredged. A surveyor was consulted, who drew, -measured, and made calculations; after which the Lieutenant convened a -meeting of all interested parties at the parish public room. - -More than a few obstacles had been surmounted by the time he had got -thus far along with the project. The morning he was to drive to the -meeting he felt quite happy, thinking that now the most difficult part -of the work had been accomplished. But as he was getting into his -carriole, right in the middle of the seat sat one of the red barn cats -staring blankly at him. - -There was nothing strange in that, however. The barn cats all loved to -ride. Britta Lambert had trundled them in her wheel-barrow from the -time they were tiny kittens, and in that way they had become as fond of -riding as children, and would jump into all the farm vehicles. But they -were not in the habit of venturing into the family carriages. - -“So you’d like to come along to the meeting, would you?” said the -Lieutenant. “Scat!” - -The cat deigned to take itself off, but not before it had given the -Lieutenant a sardonic look that made him feel positively uncomfortable. - -Between the stable and the road the Lieutenant had to pass through -three gates. On each of the gateposts sat a red barn cat. Nor was there -anything strange in that. Cats like to sit on gateposts to sun -themselves and watch everything that moves on the ground below. But -that morning the Lieutenant thought the cats all had a sinister look; -they blinked at him as if they knew what would come of his trip. He was -beginning to think Britta Lambert was right--that they were little -witches and goblins in the guise of cats. - -Now it is not a good omen to meet a lot of cats when one sets out on a -journey, so the Lieutenant spat three times for each cat, as his mother -had taught him to do, and thought no more about them during the drive. -He went over in his mind the whole plan of the ditching and prepared -himself to lay the proposition before the meeting clearly and -convincingly. - -But instantly the Lieutenant stepped inside the parish room, an -unmistakable air of wariness and opposition assailed him. The peasants -sat there immovable, with tight-shut faces. He began to surmise that -they had changed their minds, which proved to be the case. All his -arguments were overruled. - -“We understand, of course, that this ditching would be a good thing for -Mårbacka,” said their spokesman, “but it’s of no importance to us.” - -When he came back from the meeting he felt rather depressed. The matter -of the dredging was settled for some time to come. The river could go -on creating havoc. If a stray herd of cattle trampled his fields he -could drive them out, but the river must be left free to choke and -destroy all in its path. - -In the midst of these broodings on his frustrated hopes, he got up and -went over to the servants’ hall to see Bengt. - -“It didn’t go through, Bengt, that about the river,” he said. - -“That’s too bad, Lieutenant!” the old man sympathized. “The Paymaster -of the Regiment always said the farm would be worth twice as much if it -wasn’t for Ämtan.” - -“I say, Bengt”--the Lieutenant lowered his voice--“there aren’t so many -cats in the barn now, eh?... Perhaps we’d better let Britta keep what’s -left of them.” - -“Just as you wish, Lieutenant.” - -The Lieutenant lowered his voice a bit more, as if fearful lest the -walls of the old manservants’ room might hear what he said. - -“Where did you drown them, Bengt?” - -“I took ’em down to the river. I was afraid they’d come floating up and -be seen, if I drowned them here in the duck pond.” - -“H’m, in the river--I thought so!” The Lieutenant stood reflecting a -long while. Suddenly he burst out: “There’s a lot that’s queer in this -world!” - -“Ay, there is that,” old Bengt agreed. - -As long as Lieutenant Lagerlöf lived he had to let the river do as it -would with his fine fields. Year after year he saw it overflow its -banks and spread out in innumerable lake-like ponds, from Mårbacka down -through the whole dale. And every time it occurred he would tell about -the red cats that sat on the gateposts the morning he drove down to the -meeting. Could it be possible that they knew how badly things would go -for him? And was it true that one who did violence to a cat was -punished? He wondered about that to the end of his days. - - - - -II - -THE NEW BARN - - -LIEUTENANT LAGERLÖF wanted to have Mårbacka not only a productive and -well-cared-for farm, but a beautiful place, with stately avenues of -approach and extensive gardens of flowers and shrubbery on all sides of -the dwelling house. - -Not far from the house stood the wretched old cow-barn, with its -thatched roof, its small window-openings, and its weather-beaten timber -walls. To be sure, there was a row of century-old sycamores, with -yellow, lichen-clad trunks and a wealth of foliage, which concealed the -building from view, so that the place was perhaps not so very ugly -after all. Still, the Lieutenant declared he could never make Mårbacka -look like a manor until that cow-house was torn down. - -The first few years he had been wholly occupied with the cultivation of -the soil; it was not till after the Strömstad visit and the death of -Grandmother Lagerlöf that he set about building the new barn, which had -to be finished before the old one could be pulled down. That the new -barn might not be easily seen from the house, he decided to build it on -the level meadow just below the sand-hill, where the other outhouses -stood. When the womenfolk heard of this, a wail went up. Think of their -having to go that long distance to tend the cows! And think how hard it -would be on the cow-girl and the dairy-maid to have to carry the milk -three times a day up the steep hill to the dairy! The Lieutenant turned -a deaf ear. He was going to remove all the outbuildings and have -everything of the sort, including the dairy, centred in the one place, -thereby making it much easier for both serving-folk and animals. - -The barn, though it would lie in an out-of-the-way spot, was going to -be the finest in the whole district. It was to be built in the form of -a cross, and of brick all the way up to the eaves-course, and would -house at least fifty cows. It would only be lacking a spire to look -like a church. - -The Lieutenant discussed his building project with his father-in-law, -Squire Wallroth, who had seen enough of the old cow-house to know that -a new one was badly needed. He gave the Lieutenant quite a large sum of -money for building purposes, and the latter immediately went ahead with -the preliminary work. For two consecutive winters he quarried stone at -Åsberget for the foundation; for two whole summers he had a clay-mill -standing down by the duck pond, where the bricks were made and left to -dry and harden in the sun; and for two autumns he had men at work in -his own woodlands, cutting timber, that he might have proper material -for cross-beams and rafters. - -At last he was ready to stake out the ground and start digging for the -foundation. It was a great moment for him when the workmen put their -spades to the ground to clear away the first layer of earth. They began -the digging and foundation-laying on the east side, which was nearest -the house. There all went well; the ground was firm and the stones -stayed where they were put. But when they came to lay the stones on the -west side, which gave on the field, they found that there had been a -terrible miscalculation. They had not gone very deep before they came -upon soft blue-clay, into which the stones sank and disappeared. The -Lieutenant had made the grave mistake of not having the ground tested. -But now that the foundation had been laid on one side, he thought it -best to go on with the building in the place he had staked out. An old -mason advised him to put the barn farther up toward the hill, as blue -clay was treacherous stuff to build on. The Lieutenant would not hear -of that. It would be all right, he said, to lay the foundation on blue -clay; there must be a bottom even to that. As for stone to fill it in, -well--there was the whole mountain range to take from. - -Load after load of stone was dumped on to the clay and before long he -had a wide stone dam there--solid and steady as could be--on which it -seemed safe enough to lay a foundation. Then, one day, came a couple of -heavy showers, and all at once cracks appeared in the dam. The next -morning it began to sink, and in a few hours it was completely -swallowed up. - -But all summer the Lieutenant went on dumping stone into the clay, and -when by autumn it was still uncertain whether the foundation would -hold, he decided to put off the masonry work till the following year, -in order to see how the blue clay would behave in the spring, when the -frost was out of the ground. - -As soon as the snow was gone, the Lieutenant went down to have a look -at his wall. Yes, it was still there, no cracks in it. But then the -regular spring thaw had not begun. - -Every day, and many times a day, he went down to see how things were -going. The wall remained intact, and the ground seemed now to be free -of frost, so he ventured to send word to the master mason to come with -his journeymen, and begin work. - -They put up the walls on the north and east sides first, so as to give -the insecure foundation on the west side time to settle. The latter -part of June they began work on the doubtful side, and by the middle of -July, when they had got almost up to the coping, they noticed some -cracks in the wall. Then, all at once, the wall began to sag, and -several layers of brick had to be torn down quickly, lest the whole -wall give way. - -Now things began to look serious for Lieutenant Lagerlöf. What to do -next he did not know. By that time the money he had received from his -father-in-law was used up. But Squire Wallroth, who was both -open-handed and reasonable, would no doubt have let him have an -additional sum, had he written and explained why the building would -cost more than he had estimated. But after this fresh cave-in he felt -loath to write. He would have to confess that as yet the barn had -neither roof nor floor, that the walls were not even finished and that -he must start laying a new foundation. His father-in-law would surely -think he had shown poor judgment, and lose confidence in him. - -The Lieutenant almost felt like giving up the whole building -scheme--yet, somehow, the mere thought of it went against him. So many -of his projects had come to naught, and, besides, the old cow-house was -beyond repair. - -Of course he should have started building on another spot long ago. But -how could he do so now, when the walls were half-finished? It was a -question which would entail the lesser outlay--to start building in a -new place or continue at the old one. - -At East Ämtervik lies a small foundry estate known as Gårdsjö, which is -about three English miles from Mårbacka. Living there at that time was -a brother of Fru Lagerlöf, Iron Master Karl Wallroth, a wise and -prudent man on whose judgment the Lieutenant relied implicitly. To him -he went for advice. Iron Master Wallroth counselled him by all means to -dismiss the whole matter from his mind. - -“It would be foolish to ask Father for more money to put into your -building scheme,” he said. “He’s always ready to give one a lift, but -he wants to see the money used to good advantage. And to put a -mortgage on the estate in order to finish your barn would not be -advisable. No telling how many times the work will have to be done -over. You might lose all you have by it.” - -Afterward, the Lieutenant sat talking the whole evening with the -brother-in-law and his wife, who insisted on his staying for supper. He -tried to be his usual jolly self, and entertain them with amusing -stories; but his spirit was as if paralyzed. He knew the brother-in-law -was right, and therefore felt no resentment, though it was such a -crushing blow to his pride not to be able to complete a work begun. - -On the way home strange, gloomy thoughts arose in him; he wondered if -he were not one whose every undertaking was doomed to failure. There -was a time when he thought himself a veritable Fortune’s Favourite. -That was when he had captured his wife and taken over Mårbacka. But -later on he had had a lot of ill-luck. For one thing, he had asked for -his discharge from the military service merely because of a slight -reprimand from his captain. He had been overhasty, but he did not worry -about that. What did rankle in him, though, was that he had not been -appointed Paymaster of the Regiment, to succeed his father. The office -had been abolished, and the duties pertaining to it had been divided -between four muster-clerks, of whom he was one. But the work was -unimportant and the remuneration small. Then there was the attempt to -have the river dredged--it, too, had failed. - -Midway between Gårdsjö and Mårbacka lies As Springs, an old health -resort he had once undertaken to modernize. He had built a fine new -bath house and engaged a corps of male and female attendants, with the -hope that health-seekers would flock to the place. That was also a -failure. Now and again an invalid came, but it hardly paid to keep the -resort open. - -And to cap it all, his barn-building was a lamentable failure! There -must be something lacking in him, he thought; he was perhaps less -capable than other men. The best thing he could do was to give up his -plans, settle down in his rocker, read his newspaper, and let things -run on in the old ruts. - -Coming home he found his wife seated on the front steps awaiting him. -She was very like her brother at Gårdsjö; she had the same intelligent -face, the same clear head, the same serious turn of mind, the same love -of work and indifference to pleasure, and the same dislike of all that -was uncertain and venturesome. - -The Lieutenant was very fond of his wife and moreover respected her -judgment as he did her brother’s. But that evening he would rather she -had not sat up for him. She, too, was against him in this building -project. - -“What did Kalle say?” Fru Lagerlöf asked him, as they went to their -room. - -“He thinks like you and the rest, that I should give up the work.” - -Fru Lagerlöf made no reply. She had dropped into her usual place, by -the sewing table, and sat looking out into the light summer night, with -no thought, apparently, of retiring. - -The Lieutenant had already flung off his coat. “Aren’t you going to -bed?” he asked. His rasping tones betrayed his irritation and -despondency. - -“I think,” said the wife in a low, even voice--still gazing into the -night--“I think you should finish it.” - -“What are you saying?” the Lieutenant queried impatiently. He had heard -what she said, but thought he must have misunderstood. - -“I think,” she repeated, “that you ought to go on with it.” - -“Is it the barn you’re speaking of?” he asked, going up to her. Her -words had awakened a little hope in him, yet he was not certain that he -had understood her aright. - -Fru Lagerlöf had been turning this matter over in her mind the whole -evening; she had said to herself that it would not be well for her -husband to go short in yet another undertaking. It might be more -expedient perhaps to give over the building scheme; but that would go -too hard with him. This was something which her father or her brother -could not understand; but she--his wife--understood. - -To read the hearts of those she loved--that was as easy to Fru Lagerlöf -as reading a book; but to put her own thoughts into words in a moment -of deep feeling she could no more do than she could interpret Hebrew. - -“I don’t think as Kalle does,” she said. - -“What are you talking about?” The Lieutenant was almost trembling with -suspense. He dared not believe even now that she had come to his way of -thinking - -Seeing how agitated he was, she did her utmost to make him understand. - -“I don’t agree with Kalle,” she said. “I think you should finish -building the barn, and that it should stand where you want to have it. -And I think we ought to put a mortgage on the estate so that we can get -along without having to ask Father for more money.” - -Now at last the Lieutenant understood. A great light broke in upon him. -If the wife and he were of one mind there were no difficulties ahead. -The foundation was solid and the walls rose firmly. - -“God bless you, Louise!” he said. - -After that they seemed to be more closely drawn to each other than -ever, held by new bonds of sympathy and tenderness. And the wife was -consulted at every step in the building work. - -When at last the doors of the new barn were thrown open, and the cows -were ceremoniously led in and tied to their cribs; when the chickens -and geese, the turkeys and ducks were driven into their cages and the -calves into the stalls; when light streamed in through the large -windows and they themselves walked in clean, smooth passageways, they -felt that a good work had been done, and were glad they had both had a -share in it. - - - - -III - -THE GARDEN - - -MAMSELLE LOVISA certainly loved and admired her brother the Lieutenant, -but she did not see why he need introduce so many changes and -newfangled things. She thought Mårbacka might better be left as it was -in their parents’ time. What went against her most was his wanting to -lay out gardens on all sides of the dwelling house. - -She had been quite worried when he talked of deepening the river-bed, -and felt relieved when his plan miscarried. It was such a pretty sight, -when Ämtan overflowed and formed a lot of little shimmering lakes down -in the meadows! And she wailed a good deal when her brother cleared -away the field flowers. It had been a veritable feast for the eyes when -one field was white with daisies, another violet with heart’s-ease, and -a third yellow with buttercups. And it was a great pity the cows were -no longer sent to pasture in the woods. Everybody knew that such thick -cream and such yellow butter as one got when they wandered in the -forest were never seen when they grazed in the meadow. - -In her father’s time, and for hundreds of years before, it had been -the custom to cut down the saplings, leave them on the ground to dry, -then burn them where they lay. The following year the ashes were sown -with rye, and, later, these burn-beaten clearings were covered with -wild strawberries and raspberries. Mamselle Lovisa naturally took it to -heart when her brother no longer burned such “falls.” - -“Mark my words,” she said to him, “there’ll soon be an end to the wild -berries. Where will they grow if the woods are not burn-beaten? If all -were to do as you are doing, we’d never again be able to sit of a -summer’s evening and watch the pretty fires round the wooded hills.” - -And she was not pleased with the new barn, either. Of course she did -not know very much, she said, but she had been told there was never any -comfort in a stone barn. - -When the new barn was finished and the old one torn down, and the -Lieutenant talked of laying out a new garden, Mamselle Lovisa was -beside herself. - -“I trust you know what you’re about,” she said. “A large garden -requires constant care, so you will have to figure on keeping a -gardener. Unless a garden is properly tended and kept clear of weeds, -one might better have none at all.” - -The Lieutenant let her admonitions go into one ear and out of the -other. In the autumn he began tearing down the fences, which had been -there since Pastor Wennervik’s time--those enclosing the kitchen -garden and rose garden and those surrounding the front and back yards. - -“Well, this is the end of all comfort and joy in this place!” sighed -Mamselle Lovisa. “Think how secure one felt when once inside all the -white fences! And what fun it was for the children to run out and open -the gates when company came!” - -“It was less fun, though, for the one who had to keep so many fences -and gates in repair,” the Lieutenant replied. - -He went right on with his work. When the fences were down he ploughed -up the old kitchen garden and the little rose garden, the old trampled -sward, the ground where the old barn had stood, and the calf ward, so -as to have the grounds cleared for the laying of the garden in the -spring. - -“Is it true that you’re going to remove the kitchen garden?” said -Mamselle Lovisa. “To be sure I don’t know anything, but I have heard -folks say that when the apple trees are allowed to grow in the herb -beds they bear well, but if one plants sod round them one can’t expect -much fruit.” - -“But dear little Lovisa, I thought you would be glad to have a real -garden!” - -“Glad! Should I be glad that you are destroying the old Mårbacka? Soon -we won’t know the place at all.” - -The Lieutenant thought his sister unusually contentious in this -instance, which was the more surprising because she had always loved -flowers and cared for all the house plants. But at that time, which was -shortly after her engagement had been broken and she was still -suffering from the disappointment, he could not say a harsh word to -her. All day long she paced the floor of her room and he could hear her -restless steps when he sat in the living room reading. He understood -that she was not just then quite mistress of herself, and thought it a -favourable sign that she took an interest in something outside her own -unhappiness. It was better that she should disapprove of his garden -than be continually brooding on whether she had been too hasty in -sending back the betrothal ring, or whether her fiancé had turned -against her because she had put a few leaves of whortleberry in Kaisa -Nilsdotter’s bridal-crown. - -In those days there was an old landscape gardener living in Fryksdalen -who in his prime had been head gardener on various large estates. He -had the name of being a veritable wizard at garden making, and when -anyone contemplated laying out a new garden his advice and assistance -were sought. - -The Lieutenant had asked him to come to Mårbacka, and in the spring, as -soon as the frost was out of the ground, the old man appeared with his -drawings and prints. A large corps of workmen was placed at his -command; quantities of bushes and trees ordered from the Göteborg -nurseries had come, and the big work was now started. - -When the ground had been levelled the gardener and the Lieutenant went -about all day staking out grass plots and gravel walks. The old man -informed the Lieutenant that it was no longer the custom to follow the -severely regular French style. Now the paths must all be winding and -the borders and flower beds in easy, graceful lines. What he had in -mind for Mårbacka he called the English style; but the Lieutenant -rather suspected that the style was the old man’s own and not of -foreign origin. - -In front they laid out a big circular lawn, on one side of which they -set out shrubbery in the shape of an egg, and on the other shrubbery in -the form of a horn of plenty, while in the middle of the round they -planted a weeping ash. Up toward the veranda they staked out a -star-shaped flower bed, placing as a guard about it four provence-rose -bushes--each on its own little round spot. - -On the old sand-plot just below the kitchen windows they staked out a -large triangle and filled it with rich soil, in which they transplanted -the rose bushes from the old rose garden. For of roses they could never -have enough. Along the front of the house they set out a low hedge of -primroses, and two white-brier-rose bushes were given the places of -honour, the one before the parlour window, the other before the front -bedroom window. - -The Lieutenant took such keen delight in this work that he went about -with the gardener all day, and Fru Lagerlöf would snatch long moments -from her sewing to go out and have a look at the garden; but Mamselle -Lovisa persistently kept to her room. This delightful spring work only -tended to increase her sadness. She would rather have had the old -trampled sward, with its one little tangle of snowberry bushes. All -these innovations seemed to her so unnecessary. But what she thought or -said was immaterial; just the same, folk had managed to live at -Mårbacka before. All these modern improvements only meant a lot of -bother and needless expense. - -But the work went on despite her disapproval. Round the stable the -gardener planted a hedge of lilacs, also on three sides of the dwelling -house, while along the wing he set out a hedge of spiræas. That done, -the Lieutenant and the gardener went at the old Wennervik kitchen -garden. The fine apple trees they let stand where they were, but the -ground about them was laid out in the old man’s “English” style, with -winding gravel paths and grass plots arranged in various designs. With -much skill and calculation each grass plot was embellished with round, -oblong, or triangular beds and planted with perennials. Yellow cowslips -bordered blue iris, orange crown-imperials edged purple hyssop, and -encircling the red carnations was a wreath of pink bellis. - -The flower beds of course were up round the dwelling house. Farther -back, on both the north and south sides, place was made for gooseberry -and currant bushes, for strawberry patches, for plum trees, pear trees, -and ever so many cherry trees. At the far southern end, quite a -distance away and well out of sight, lay the new kitchen garden, while -at the north end was a little birch grove, bordered by mountain ash and -bird-cherry trees. This grove the gardener included in his design, in -order to create at least the suggestion of a park. He intersected the -grove with many narrow winding gravel walks. In three places he cleared -away the trees to make room for tables and seats. The first open space -was an oblong spot with settees on all sides. Here the lady of the -house was to receive her guests, and it was to be called the Tea -Corner. The second was a square, with four seats round a table. That -was for the master and his company, and the old man jokingly dubbed it -the Toddy Corner. The third space had only a long, narrow bench. That -was the children’s domain, and was to be known as the Kiddies’ Corner. - -But all this planting left Mamselle Lovisa indifferent. It may almost -be said that she scorned and detested it. She had not yet set foot in -the new garden. - -Soon pale-green sprouts sprang up in the sod, the newly planted bushes -sent forth tender, shy little leaves, the perennial plants pushed -through the soil of the garden beds; oaks, chestnuts, and Lombardy -poplars, which had been planted in the old barn lot, began to bud and -show that they were alive. - -In the midst of this busy time an unexpected difficulty arose. The old -gardener was obliged to go home for a few days, to see to his own -garden. That would not have mattered much but for the hot-bed he had -made in order to coax up some asters and gilly-flowers for the beds in -the front yard. - -“Who is going to tend the hot-bed while I’m away?” said the old -gardener. “You know, Lieutenant, a hot-bed needs constant watching.” - -“I’ll do it myself,” the Lieutenant replied; for by that time he -thought himself almost a master gardener. He let the old man show him -how to air and water the plants. - -The morning the gardener left there was bright, strong sunshine. Along -in the forenoon the Lieutenant in alarm went up to the house to find -his wife. As she was nowhere about he rushed into his sister’s room. - -“You’ll have to come and help me with the hot-bed, Lovisa,” he said. -Then, remembering that Mamselle Lovisa would not even look at his -garden and took no interest whatever in his work, he thought: “Oh, -well, it’s said now, and she can’t do more than refuse.” - -But instead she eagerly got up and went out with him. Instantly she saw -the little plants, which were wilted and drooping, she exclaimed: - -“The sun is too strong on them, they must be shaded.” Then she found -something with which to protect them, and the plants were saved. - -The next day the Lieutenant had to attend a school examination. When -well on his way he suddenly remembered the hot-bed. There was the same -scorching heat that day as on the previous one. Now the little plants -would surely be burnt up, he thought. - -The moment he got home he hurried over to the hot-bed. To his surprise -and delight all was well; the plants stood up, erect and sturdy. His -sister had thought of the poor little things which he had neglected. He -promptly decided not to forget to water and close the hot-bed that -evening. Sometime after supper he sprang up in alarm. - -“Why, I’m forgetting the hot-bed! It should have been closed this long -while.” - -Mamselle Lovisa said nothing, but let him go see for himself. He found -the glass lids down and the covers spread over them. - -The following day the Lieutenant did not look at the hot-bed or give it -a thought. All the same, the little plants fared well. Mamselle Lovisa -weeded and loosened the soil round them, watered and tended them in -every way. It seemed rather strange that only she should think of the -hot-bed; but for her everything sown there would have died. Of course -she wished the old gardener would return and relieve her of the work; -but while he was away she had to go on with it. - -He was gone longer than expected. In the meantime the plants were -growing almost too large for transplanting. There was no other course -than for Mamselle Lovisa to set them out in the flower beds herself. -When that much had been done, what could she do but go on weeding -and watering them all summer, until the gilly, petunia, aster, and -snap-dragon plants were in bloom! - -And when the perfectly formed star before the front steps at Mårbacka -appeared resplendent with bright colours, then in some mysterious way -the pain was gone from Mamselle Lovisa’s wounded heart. The little -plants had requited the loving care she had bestowed upon them. They -had given her a new interest in life, a new field of activity. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf did not have to engage a head gardener for -Mårbacka; Mamselle Lovisa had inherited the old Wennervik bent, and it -was she who took care of the garden. The flowers were her faithful -friends; they loved her as she loved them. People wondered how she -could get them to bloom and glow as in no other garden. They did not -know that the flowers had caught colour and sweetness from her vanished -dream of happiness. - - - - -IV - -THE ROOF TRUSSES - - -WHEN Lieutenant Lagerlöf and his little daughters walked in the garden -or out in the fields they often talked of what they would do if the -King came to Mårbacka. - -In those days the King used to drive through Värmland several times a -year on his way to and from Norway, and he had to stop somewhere for -refreshment and rest. Most frequently he stayed over in Karlstad, at -the Governor’s house, and it was also his wont to honour with a royal -visit the great manors which lay along his route, and where they could -conveniently entertain him. - -Of course there was not the least likelihood that the King would come -to a little unknown place like Mårbacka, which, to boot, lay far from -the great highway. But that did not trouble the Lieutenant and his -little girls. It would not have been such fun perhaps to talk about -this had there been any chance of the King’s really coming. Now it was -only a pleasure to build in fancy a triumphal arch for His Majesty, and -strew flowers in his way as he drove up. The little girls wondered if -they should dress in white when the King came and the Lieutenant -generously promised them new white frocks made by the best sempstress -in East Ämtervik for the grand occasion. - -The Lieutenant and the children pictured to themselves how the King, -when nearing Mårbacka, would suddenly shade his eyes with his hand so -as to see better. - -“What is that great white building over there in the meadow?” he would -ask. “Have they two churches in this parish?” - -“No, your Majesty,” the Lieutenant would then reply (for of course he -was to ride with the King), “that white building is not a church, it is -my cow-barn.” - -Then the King would look at him in wide-eyed wonder, and say: - -“By Jove! You must be a deucedly clever fellow, Eric Gustaf, to have -built yourself a barn like that!” - -How they were to house the King and all his retinue in the little -one-story dwelling--that was an almost unsolvable problem. The -Lieutenant had often talked of building another story, and they were -all agreed that when that was finished it would be an easy matter to -entertain the King. Even then they probably would be a bit cramped for -space. The Lieutenant and his wife might have to spend the night in the -hay-loft, and the children--well, they could sleep in the rabbit hutch. - -Now that about the rabbit hutch tickled the little girls immensely. And -they wondered what the King would say about the garden. Of course he -would marvel to find away back here in the farming country a garden -laid out in the true English manner. At that, the Lieutenant would -immediately send word to the old gardener and hearten him with the good -news that the King had praised his flower beds and gravel paths. - -And then when the King was leaving Mårbacka he would present Fru -Lagerlöf with a gold brooch and Mamselle Lovisa with a gold bracelet, -and the old housekeeper would receive a large shawl-pin of silver. -Before stepping into his carriage, His Majesty would shake hands with -the Lieutenant, and say: - -“Thanks and honour to you, Eric Gustaf Lagerlöf! It is but a modest bit -of my realm that is in your keeping, but I see that you take good care -of it.” - -Those words the Lieutenant would remember with joy as long as he lived. -He and his children had right merry times on these little excursions -into the land of make-believe. It was a pity, though, that the royal -visit could not really and truly come about until the Lieutenant had -built a second story. - -Then, lo and behold, at the close of the eighteen-sixties, when the -Lieutenant had finished with everything else, he was ready to start -remodelling the house. The royal visit apart, they were rather closely -housed in the old one-story dwelling. The Lieutenant had already made -some alterations. Eight or ten years back he had cut out larger window -openings and had done away with the small-paned sashes. He had also -put up new tile-stoves, papered the walls of the parlour and living -room, and built a large veranda in place of the old porch. - -Now there were to be still further improvements. The whole roof was to -be torn off, the trusses raised, and the timber walls heightened. The -year before he had had a couple of good carpenters at work on the place -preparing the new roof trusses, so that the roof could be raised and -covered as quickly as possible. The workmen had but just finished the -trusses when the Lieutenant got word that his father-in-law had passed -away. This was a sad loss and a heavy blow as well. The Lieutenant had -lost his main prop and stay. Hereafter he would have no one but himself -to depend on. Now out of his estate he must pay all contracted debts. -His sons were then nearly grown and must soon be sent to the University -of Upsala; therefore he thought it best to postpone the building work -for a year or so. - -But what one puts off is likely to be left undone. Fresh obstacles -continually loomed in the way of this work. One year the Lieutenant was -ill, and the next he had to help a brother-in-law who had once been -well-to-do but must now have a yearly stipend. While the Lieutenant had -been labouring to build up his property the years had passed without -his noting them. He was now a man of fifty, and the old daring spirit -of enterprise had perhaps slipped away from him. - -It was with no light heart he relinquished his cherished plan of -rebuilding the house. That was to have been his crowning work. All his -life he had dreamed of erecting a fine manor-house on his beloved -Mårbacka. - -The great piles of timber and the finished roof trusses lay in the -backyard for many years. Whenever the Lieutenant walked past them he -turned his head away; he could not bear to look at them. His little -daughters had been so very happy when he started on the roof trusses, -and not altogether on account of the “royal visit.” It was perhaps of -more importance to them that they should have a real salon to dance in, -and that the house should have two stories, and be as grand as -Iron-Master Wallroth’s Gårdsjö or Engineer Noreen’s country seat. They -grew uneasy over the delay, year after year, and one of the girls -finally mustered the courage to ask her father when he was going to put -up those roof trusses. - -“I’m afraid never, my child!” When he said this his face twitched and -there was a strange catch in his voice. Then, quickly recovering -himself, he added, banteringly: - -“But it doesn’t matter now, my girl. They are building a railway to -Norway, and hereafter the King won’t come asking for a night’s lodging, -either at Mårbacka or any other manor in Värmland.” - - - - -WORKDAYS AND FÊTE-DAYS - - - - -I - -NOONING - - -LIEUTENANT LAGERLÖF believed that children, in order to grow up healthy -and strong and become useful and capable men and women, should above -all things acquire the habit of nooning. With that object in mind, -always, after the midday meal, he would take the two youngest children -down to the farm-office, which was in another building a few steps from -the house. - -The office was a large room, and probably looked about the same as in -the days of the Mårbacka clergymen, when it had been their study. At -the far end, under a window, there was a black leather lounge, and -before it an oblong table. Along one side-wall stood a bedstead, a -black leather-seated chair, a large black walnut writing table, and a -high chest of drawers, while at the other side stood another bed and -black leather chair and a tile stove. On the wall, beyond the stove, -hung three fowling pieces, a seal-skin game-bag, a large horse-pistol, -a couple of powder horns, and a fencing foil which crossed a broken -sabre. In the midst of this armoury rested a huge pair of elk antlers. -Down by the door, on one side, there was a stationary clothes -cupboard, on the other side, a bookcase. At the bottom of the cupboard -reposed the Lieutenant’s iron-bound oak chest, the one the Paymaster of -the Regiment had used, and which was a bit charred on one corner. - -In the bookcase the Lieutenant kept his big ledgers, and there, also, -were the school books of two generations. Many annuals of the _European -Feuilleton_ were crowded in with Homer, Cicero, and Livy. Histories of -Peter the Great and Frederick the Wise had been relegated hither on -account of their common drab cardboard bindings, also the works of -Wilhelm von Braun--though not because of their covers but for other -reasons. On the floor lay surveyors’ instruments from the time the -Lieutenant had assisted in the shifting of boundary lines; also some -boxes of fishing tackle and odds and ends. - -First thing, on coming into the office, the Lieutenant and his little -daughters had to drive out the flies. Doors and windows were thrown -wide open. The Lieutenant caught up a towel for the chase, and the -little girls took off their aprons and went to beating the air. They -climbed on to chairs and tables, hunted and swatted, while the buzzing -flies flew hither and yon, as if determined not to go. However, in the -end they were cleared out, and windows and doors were closed. - -But there was one fly they called the Old Office Fly; she was used to -the daily chase, and knew enough to keep out of the way while it went -on. When all was quiet and peaceful again, she would come forth from -her hiding place and seat herself on the ceiling. - -No fresh chase was started for her. The Lieutenant and the children -knew that she was too canny for them. They could never get rid of her! -So they went on to the next thing to be done before nooning. The girls -arranged two leather pillows and a down pillow on the lounge as a -head-rest for the Lieutenant; whereupon he stretched himself out, shut -his eyes, and simulated sleep. - -Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him. He -tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they -came like playful puppies. They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, -and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him. - -When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he -clapped his hands once, and said: - -“It’s over now.” - -Little good that did! The children kept right on; again and again they -crawled up on to the sofa, were flung off, and came bounding -back--shrieking and making a fearful racket. - -When that had gone on for some little time, the Lieutenant clapped -twice and said: “It’s quite over now.” - -Nor did that have any effect. The same performance was repeated amid -shrieks and laughter, until the Lieutenant presently clapped his hands -three times, and said: - -“Now it is really and truly over.” - -The two children instantly hushed their noise, and each crept into her -own bed to sleep. - -After a little the Lieutenant began to snore. His snores were not very -loud, but they were enough to keep the two children, who were to -acquire the habit of nooning, awake. - -The youngsters were not allowed to get out of bed or speak to each -other, but had to lie perfectly still. Their eyes, meanwhile, wandered -round the room. Gazing at the rag mats on the floor, they recognized -their mother’s and their aunt’s old dresses, which had been cut up for -carpets. They looked at the portrait of General Malmberg, which hung on -the wall between two battle canvasses, at the ink-well and pen, at the -antlers and game-bags, at the foil and the famous gun called the -“harekiller.” They traced the figures in the quilt, they counted the -stars on the wall-paper, the nail-heads along the floor, and the checks -in the curtains. The hour seemed dreadfully long! They heard the merry -voices of the other children, who were so big they did not have to take -a midday nap, but ran about--happy and free--devouring cherries and -gooseberries and green apples! - -The sole hope of the two little girls was the “office fly.” She buzzed -and buzzed round the Lieutenant’s face, making as much noise as she -could. If only she kept at it long enough she’d wake him up! - - - - -II - -MAMSELLE BRORSTRÖM - - -THE undergraduates at the _Gymnasium_ of Karlstad had been unusually -quiet in the beginning of the autumn semester. They had not started any -fights with the street boys, or been up to any other deviltry. The -whole city was surprised, pleased, and thankful, though no doubt people -felt at the same time that something was lacking. - -Then, as it drew on toward autumn Fair-time, when folk from all parts -of Värmland were coming to the capital of the province, the students -felt they must do something to maintain their reputation. Now it was -not merely a question of Karlstad, but of all Värmland. After due -deliberation, when various propositions had been presented and -rejected, a schoolboy named Fredrik Sandberg was summoned to appear -before the collegians. - -Fredrik Sandberg obeyed orders, of course, for in those days it never -would have done for the schoolboys to defy the collegians, who were -their overlords. Nor would it have been well for the one who attempted -to evade a summons from that quarter! - -When Fredrik came the students togged him out in frilled shirt and -stock, satin waistcoat of large flowered pattern, gray trousers with -foot-straps, blue swallow-tail coat with silver buttons, and patent -leather shoes. His hair was then curled and arranged in a forelock, -gloves and walking stick were put into his hands, and a tall stove-pipe -hat with curved brim topped it all. - -If only Fredrik Sandberg had not been so small that the trousers hung -in pleats, the coat tails almost trailed on the ground, and the hat -went down on his ears, he would have been as fine a dandy as ever trod -a city street. Thus arrayed, he was ordered off to Mamselle -Brorström’s. - -When Fredrik Sandberg entered the attic room where Mamselle Brorström -lived, he found her standing before her tile-stove making waffles. Her -attire was a bit so-so--just a petticoat and undervest. The little -schoolboy thought to himself that never had he seen such arms and legs, -such hands and feet, and such a torso! - -“My name is Fredrik Sandberg,” he said by way of introduction, “and I -would most humbly beg that I may be permitted to invite Mamselle -Brorström to the Fair Ball at the Masonic Lodge.” - -Mamselle Brorström was not exactly what would be termed “in society,” -and had surely never thought of going to a fair ball. But now, being -invited by an elegant cavalier, she could hardly refuse. So, curtsying -to Fredrik Sandberg, she thanked him and said she felt highly -honoured, and would be most happy to attend the ball. - -The boy was pleased at being so well received, for it might have turned -out quite otherwise. He ran back to the students as quickly as -possible, and reported all that had taken place. - -A week later Fredrik Sandberg was again ordered to appear before the -collegians, and again dressed up as before, and sent to Mamselle -Brorström. - -This time he found her standing before her looking-glass trying on a -red tulle dress. Her neck and arms were bare and she turned and twisted -impatiently, apparently in a dreadful humour. - -The little boy stared at the huge woman, who was twice as tall as he, -twice as broad, and twice as strong. He gazed at the thick arms -sticking out from the sleeveless red tulle bodice, and the enormous -legs showing below the short skirts; he looked at her coarse face, -copper-coloured from constant exposure to fire--for she was always -making waffles--and he looked at her black tousled hair standing out -like a bush round her head; he saw the fiery gleam in her blood-shot -eyes and heard the thundering tones of her raucous voice. The boy -wanted to cut and run, but having been sent there by the college -students and knowing what disobedience to that authority meant, he -bowed to Mamselle Brorström, and said: - -“I most humbly beg that I may have the pleasure of the first waltz at -the Fair Ball.” - -Mamselle Brorström had been rather repentant and thoughtful that -morning, and had wondered if she really ought to go to the ball. She -would no doubt have put all thought of it out of her mind if Fredrik -Sandberg had not come and begged for the first waltz. But now that she -was certain of a dancing partner she was again in good humour. She -assured Fredrik Sandberg that she felt both favoured and honoured, and -that nothing would afford her greater pleasure than to let him dance -with her. - -That was the very day of the ball. And in the evening Mamselle -Brorström, arrayed in her red tulle dress (than which nothing could be -prettier, she thought) appeared at the Masonic Lodge among Karlstaders -and Fair visitors. Stalking through the ladies’ dressing room into the -grand ballroom, she sat herself down on one of the small cushioned -seats along the wall. - -People stared, but she did not mind. Having been invited, she had as -good a right as any one else to dance at the Fair Ball. She noticed -that the other ladies all had acquaintances to chat with, but this did -not trouble her; when once the music struck up for the dance, they’d -see that she had as fine a partner as any of them. - -The regiment band began to play. She saw the foundry clerks step up to -the founderers’ daughters, the lieutenants to the officers’ ladies, and -the shop clerks to the shopkeepers’ girls--each took his partner. Soon -everyone was on the floor whirling round--everyone except Mamselle -Brorström, who sat waiting for Fredrik Sandberg. - -The collegians were on the platform with the musicians. They had a good -view of Mamselle Brorström in her red tulle, sitting all alone in the -middle of the long row of wall seats, where the one she was waiting for -might easily find her. - -The wife of the Governor put up her lorgnette and wondered who that -large, conspicuous looking woman was. The daughters of the founderers -stuck up their noses at her, while the young ladies of the nobility -marvelled that a person of that sort should come to a Fair Ball. - -Mamselle Brorström meanwhile remained seated in the one place. Fredrik -Sandberg did not put in an appearance and no one else seemed to think -of asking her to dance. There was a supper, and after that more -dancing. The fine folk were now leaving and the gentlemen began to look -a bit flushed; but Mamselle Brorström still sat on. - -Then at last Tanner Grunder stepped up and asked for a polka. - -“’Tis high time!” said Mamselle Brorström in a voice loud enough to be -heard all over the ballroom. And those words became a catch phrase in -Värmland. - -The tanner had been in a side room playing cards the whole evening, and -had just come out for a little spin. As she was the only lady -disengaged he naturally went over to her--not knowing, of course, her -state of mind. - -As Mamselle Brorström stood up to fling herself into the dizzy whirl, -Tanner Grunder, to be polite and obliging, said: - -“What is Mamselle Brorström’s pleasure--to dance forward or backward?” - -“’Tis all one to me just so it goes,” she answered. - -This, too, was heard all over the hall, and those words also became a -saying in Värmland. - -The day after the ball Fredrik Sandberg was again summoned by the -collegians, and once again he was togged out and sent to Mamselle -Brorström. - -He found her standing by the stove, as usual, making waffles. That day -she was not attired in red tulle but only in her petticoat and -undervest. The schoolboy thought that never had he seen such a -sour-looking face, such strong arms and formidable fists. The words he -was to speak wanted to stick in his throat. But just outside the door -stood three of the most dangerous collegians, and Fredrik knew what it -would mean to get into the bad graces of the powers that be! - -“I most humbly beg to know whether Mamselle Brorström had a pleasant -time last evening at the ball,” he said, and made a low bow. - -How Fredrik Sandberg got out of the room, across the hall, down the -stairs, and into the street, he never knew. Nor did the three -collegians who had been lurking behind the door know how they had been -assisted down the stairs. It was well they were there, so that Fredrik -was not alone on this treat, which proved to be more than enough for -them all. - -This episode was imprinted indelibly in the mind of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf, who at the time it occurred was a lad attending school at -Karlstad. And of an evening, as he sat in his rocker, he would tell the -tale to his children. Though he was himself the kindest and gentlest of -men, the mad pranks of schoolboys were always a source of amusement to -him. - - - - -III - -RIDING TO “BLÅKULLA” - - -IN Grandmother Lagerlöf’s time, when the paupers of the community were -taken into families and cared for, there was an old wardswoman at -Mårbacka who on winter nights used to sleep in the kitchen--though -goodness knows the room was crowded enough anyhow, with the housekeeper -and five maids all sleeping there! So at the first signs of summer she -would betake herself to the barn-loft, where she had found a good -comfortable bed in an old discarded sledge, which in bygone winters had -been used for carting pig-iron from the smithies in Bergslagerna to the -Kymsberg Iron Works. - -There for several weeks she had slept in peace and quiet. Then, one -night, she was awakened by the sledge moving. She sat bolt upright and -looked round. Outside, the night was almost as light as day, but in the -barn where the poor old woman lay it was pitch dark, so that she could -not see anything. Thinking that she had only been dreaming, she sank -back upon her pillow and was soon slumbering again. - -But strange to say, she had no more than got to sleep when the sledge -began to move again. This time it not only gave a little lurch but -went gliding along the floor. Though it moved kind of slowly and -cautiously, there was no mistaking that there was life in it. - -The old woman sat up and gripped the side of the sledge with both -hands. Her hair rose and her jaw fell. - -“Merciful God!” she gasped, “it’s crawling!” - -But how in the world could such a thing happen? Could it be that an old -sledge which had carried pig-iron winter after winter between -Bergslagerna and Kymsberg grew restless at night, and must bestir -itself a bit once in a while? - -The sledge moved faster; now it went bumpety-bump over the uneven -floor, and scudded across piles of hay and straw as if taking plunges -into deep gulches and flights up steep hills. - -“O merciful God! Merciful God!” cried the woman. - -But invoking the name of the Lord did not stop the sledge; it ran right -on the whole length of the barn-loft, till it struck the wall. - -There it must surely stand still, she thought. But no indeed! As soon -as it recovered its breath, so to speak, it began to back toward the -corner where it first stood. - -The wardswoman said later that if in that instant she had not guessed -what was wrong with the sledge she surely would have lost her wits. - -Oh, no, it was not the old Bergslag journeys haunting the pig-iron -sledge--someone had “greased” it! Some witch-hag on the farm or in the -district (she didn’t care to mention any names, or even think -them) had taken it into her head that she could ride to Blåkulla, the -Witches’-kitchen, with more ease and comfort in the old sledge than on -a broom-stick, an oven-rake, or a barn door. Perhaps the wicked witch -did not know the wardswoman slept in the sledge. In the stress of the -moment there was no time to figure on just how it had all come about. -But this much was certain: the sledge wanted to be out and off, and it -was she--the wardswoman--it was taking to the Witches’ hell instead of -the right one. - -Lord o’ Mercy! But for the strong barn wall she would already be flying -over the village toward the church. - -Meanwhile the sledge kept backing. She knew well enough that that was -only in order to make a fresh start to break through. Once outside, it -would go shooting through the air over tree-tops and mountain ranges. -She would be flying above shining lakes and rivers, without the least -fear of tumbling into them; she would circle round the church steeple -like a jackdaw, and fly on beyond Stor Kil and Grav parishes; but where -she would land she hated to think on. - -Lord o’ Mercy! The sledge was rushing forward again. There was no doubt -that sledge could fly if once it got out into the open; it was making -for the wall at terrific speed. The old woman, positive now that the -wall would give way, lay down again so as not to be scraped off in the -middle when the sledge cut through the boards. This time it struck -hard. Oh, what a bump! Again the wall resisted. Now, if only the sledge -had the sense to see that it couldn’t get anywhere, and stand still! - -But don’t for a moment imagine it! Once more it began to back. That -sledge must have been greased with real witch-oil. If it made a third -attempt it would surely succeed. Whatever would she do when she got in -amongst witches and all the Hosts of Darkness! To be sure she had heard -tell of such, but she had never wanted to believe in them. There is so -much one would rather not believe until one has seen for oneself -whether it is true. - -“Merciful Lord, lead me not into temptation,” she prayed. All her life -she had endured poverty and contempt without a murmur. But were she now -to be offered riches and power, would she be able to resist? Or, were -she to learn the magic words that cure sickness in humans and animals, -or the ones that make the ground yield good harvests, or those that -awaken love in young folk, could she withstand the temptation to use -them? Might she only be granted strength to rise above temptation and -so preserve her soul unto salvation. - -Just then the sledge took a third lunge. Now it tore ahead, creating a -rush of wind that whizzed about her ears. She shut her eyes lest she -turn giddy, for in the wink of an eyelid she knew she would be soaring -high above the earth--high as the lark. - -Crash! Now, surely, the wall had given way.... - -But, thanks be to God! the good board wall still held; it was only the -sledge that had broken down. With that, it must have lost all zest for -travel. The sledge having come to a dead stop, the wardswoman managed -to crawl out and drop down on a heap of straw, to rest after her -perilous ride. When in the morning she told it all to the maids and it -eventually came to the ears of Grandmother Lagerlöf, the latter thought -it sounded a bit queer. Though Grandmother was herself a firm believer -in the supernatural, there had to be some semblance of reason and -probability behind it. That one could ride to _Blåkulla_ on a light -summer’s night, and in a sleigh at that, was something unheard of. -Grandmother, of course, went down to the barn and examined the sledge. -Finding a couple of long ropes attached to it, she immediately summoned -the stableboy and two or three of his companions. After questioning the -boys thoroughly, she gave them a good dressing down. - - -This, too, was one of the Lieutenant’s boy-prank yarns. There were many -more up his sleeve; but when he had told this and the one about -Mamselle Brorström, Fru Lagerlöf would say: - -“Now that is enough for this evening. It’s time for the children to say -Good-night, and go to bed.” - - - - -IV - -BELLMAN BALLADS - - -AT SIX-THIRTY every morning Nurse made a fire in the children’s room, -and at seven o’clock the children had to rise and start dressing. When -they were ready, say at about half after seven, and the beds had been -hurriedly made, a tray was sent up from the kitchen with bowls of gruel -and large pieces of buttered _knäckebröd._ This was the _little_ -breakfast. Then, until eight, they sat at a large table by the window -and glanced over their lessons. The nursery had to serve as schoolroom, -there being no other place available. - -On the stroke of eight books were closed. The children then put on -their wraps and went out in the half-dark winter morning--whatever the -weather. They hurried down to the pond first thing, to see whether -there was ice for skating, or, in lieu of that, went sledding on the -driveway. If there was nothing else they could do, they ran down to the -barn to see the baby rabbits and romp with the sheep-dog. - -A little before nine they had _big_ breakfast, which usually consisted -of eggs, or griddle-cakes, or fried herring with boiled potatoes, or -black pudding with salt pork and cream gravy. At breakfast the family -did not sit at the big table, but each person, in turn, helped himself -and then sat down at one of the side tables. - -At nine sharp one had to be through with the meal, for at that hour -lessons began. Then it was back to the nursery again to sit at the long -table reading, writing, and figuring until noon. The little girls had a -governess now--Ida Melanoz, eldest daughter of Sexton Melanoz, who had -her father’s good brain and teaching ability. - -At twelve o’clock dinner was served at the round dining table. One of -the little girls said grace before the meal, the other after it. Then, -rising from table, they kissed Mother’s hand and Father’s hand, and -said: “Thanks for the food.” It was never quiet during the dinner hour. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf kept the ball of chatter rolling. He could always -find something to talk about. If nothing more thrilling had happened -than his meeting an old woman in the lane, he would make a whole story -out of the incident. - -From one to two the children were again out of doors. But they often -went in a few minutes before the play hour was up, so as to run through -their lessons for the afternoon session, which was from two to four. -Afterwards, they would read the lessons for the next day. They were -never allowed to sit at their studies later than five o’clock, when -they must go out-doors again. Now they were off to some distant -coasting hill. At one time they had a big ram to drive, and that, -of course, was great sport. When they got back to the house a pleasant -hour awaited them. A log fire crackled in the living room and on the -folded card table stood a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of -unfermented beer. To sit or lie before the fire while munching their -sandwiches--that was something the youngsters enjoyed hugely. They -chattered and planned all sorts of things. It was the only hour of the -day they had to themselves. - -When the fire burned low, the lamp on the round table over by the sofa -was lit. Fru Lagerlöf now took her little daughters in hand, and taught -them to sew, crochet, and knit. She had a volume of Hans Andersen’s -fairy tales, and when she thought the work had gone well she would -reward the children by reading or narrating “The Travelling Companion,” -or “The Tinder-box,” or “The Wild Swans.” Besides, there were pretty -and amusing illustrations in that book, and to look at those was almost -as much fun as to hear the stories. - -At eight o’clock supper was served, and then the Lieutenant appeared. -Up to that hour he had been at the farm-office poring over his ledgers. - -And now, after the long work-filled day, one could at last relax. The -children put away their needlework, and the Lieutenant, sitting back in -his rocking-chair, began to tell schoolboy yarns like the one about -Mamselle Brorström, or else he related his memories of the glorious -Jenny Lind as _Norma_ or the _Daughter of the Regiment_, or of Emily -Högquist as the _Maid of Orleans._ When at times he did not feel like -talking, he would ask Fru Lagerlöf or Mamselle Lovisa to read aloud -from Tegnér. Anything more beautiful than “Fritiof’s Saga” he thought -had never been written. He would rather have been the Lund professor -who sang of Fritiof’s and Ingeborg’s love, than Emperor of France or -Tsar of Russia. He was also an admirer of Runeberg, whose tales of -“Surgeon Stål” and epic poems he enjoyed hearing. But he did not like -it if any one said the Finnish poet was greater than Tegnér. - -Sometimes (and that was the best fun of all) he would sit down at the -old piano and strike a few chords, then call out: - -“Come, children, let’s sing Bellman!” - -The girls needed no coaxing, they were over by the piano in a jiffy. -Then, with high glee, they let loose on Bellman! They always began with -“Old Man Noah” and “Joachim of Babylon,” then followed “Father Movitz” -and “Mother at Tuppen,” and they sang of “Dancing Master Mollberg, and -His Misadventures in Rostock Tavern.” - -The Lieutenant pounded out the accompaniments, and hummed the air, to -mark the time and carry the tune. But the children sang at the top of -their voices, and could be heard all over the house. Here were indeed -life and merriment for them after the day’s work! They understood very -little of what they sang, but the melodies put them in a glow and -livened their spirits. Ah, how sweet it sounded when _Ulla_ danced in -spangles, veil and fringe! or when _Fredman_ sang: “’Tis as far to -Monday as from north to south.” And what could be funnier than when the -ever-hapless _Mollberg_ jumped into the vat where _Grogshop-Mother_ -soaked her stockfish, or when at the great boating-picnic the -party-cake came on garnished with sugar, cinnamon, and anchovies! - -But what delighted the children above everything was that they might -sing as loud as ever they wished. The Lieutenant never corrected them -or interrupted to remind them that there were such things as voice -modulation and singing in unison. They thought they sang Bellman just -as he should be sung. - -On the wall above the piano sat Karl Mikael (Bellman) himself, with his -lute. Now and then, the Lieutenant looked up at him, as if expecting a -smile of approval from that incomparable lyrist and singer. - -But once when Lieutenant Lagerlöf and the children were having a -Bellman-sing, it happened that Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt was -there, sitting in his usual corner, chatting with Mamselle Lovisa. - -“Isn’t it strange that not one of the children has a voice?” Mamselle -Lovisa remarked to the Sergeant in a half-whisper. - -“Yes,” replied the Sergeant in a low tone. “That they haven’t singing -voices they can’t help, but they might at least make use of their -ears!” - -“It seems extraordinary, when both parents are musical, don’t you think -so, Wachenfeldt? I can’t understand how Gustaf endures it!” - -“He does not hear it as it sounds to us,” said the Sergeant. “He loves -those children.” - -“People are wont to speak of seeing with the eyes of love,” observed -Mamselle Lovisa, “and there may be such a thing as hearing with the -ears of love....” - -“Be sure of that!” responded the Colour-Sergeant, who knew whereof he -spoke. - -One of the little singers chanced to overhear those remarks, and -repeated them to the others, and perhaps it was due to that that the -Bellman “concerts” at Mårbacka were suddenly discontinued. - -But long afterward--aye, always--the love of the Bellman songs lived in -the hearts of the Mårbacka children. They loved them not only for their -humour and pathos and their haunting beauty; but the faintest tone from -the Bellman lute called up memories of the never-failing love and -tenderness that had made their childhood such a happy one! - - - - -V - -BOYS AND GIRLS - - -IN THE summer of 1866 there was an unusually large number of children -at Mårbacka. Besides Daniel and Johan Lagerlöf, sons of the house, -there were Teodor, Otto, and Hugo Hammargren, cousins on the paternal -side, who, with their parents, were spending the whole summer at -Mårbacka. Ernst and Klas Schenson, cousins on the maternal side, had -also come for the summer. But, indeed, they were not all! Herman, -Bernhard, and Edvin Milén of the neighbouring farm, must also be -counted as members of the company, and Adolf Noreen of Herrestad came -over two or three times a week to play with the boys. And of course -there were Anna, Selma, and Gerda Lagerlöf, though Gerda, who was only -three years old, hardly counted; nor were Anna and Selma of any -importance when there were so many boys around. - -That summer the lads had hit upon a jollier and more satisfying pastime -than any of previous years. The first few weeks they spent in the usual -way--picking berries, lying on the grass, swinging in the rope-swing, -shooting arrows, pitching quoits, and playing leap-frog. But after a -time they wearied of these petty diversions, and talked of taking up -some serious and productive work. They had an eye to a bit of woodland -just beyond the avenue, which was bounded on the west by the road -ditch, on the east by towering Åsberget, on the north by a stone wall, -and on the south by a deep gravel pit; so that the whole area, which -covered about one sixteenth of an acre, lay quite detached and well -secluded. - -On closer inspection, the boys discovered that the land had a bountiful -supply of rocks, and its vegetation consisted mostly of juniper bushes, -spruce saplings, and bracken. At the northern end there was a little -brook, which ran dry in high summer, and along its shores grew some -fine alder bushes. In the crevices of the mountain wall grew polypody, -a kind of fern to which the boys attached great value. At the south end -there were four large spruces, while in the midst of the territory -stood a tall, thickly branched pine. - -The whole region was evidently devoid of culture, its only inhabitants -being squirrels, woodpeckers, and ants. Now the boys thought this -wilderness ought to have the benefit of the blessings of civilization, -and decided to emigrate and settle there. - -Their first move was to stake out their homesteads. Teodor Hammargren, -who was sixteen years of age and the nominal head of the expedition, -claimed a towering rock, which afforded him a splendid view of the -whole country. Daniel Lagerlöf, who was fifteen--and next in age and -standing--appropriated the four large spruces and the fine rock wall -behind them. Johan Lagerlöf and Otto Hammargren, who were schoolfellows -and good pals, took joint possession of the northernmost tract with the -dried-out brook and alder grove. Ernst Schenson, who was but twelve, -contented himself with a scraggy rock. The others wondered what joy he -could have of that. His brother, Klas, who was only a little chap, also -chose a rock; but he seemed to have got the better position, for he had -a shading juniper close by. Hugo Hammargren claimed as his portion the -solitary pine, which no one begrudged him. Herman Milén, aged ten, -found a big uprooted spruce lying with its roots in the air and its -trunk full of branches. His little brothers, Bernhard and Edvin, who -were twins and only eight, came near not getting anything at all; -however, they were each finally allotted the stump of a tree. Adolf -Noreen had not been at Mårbacka the day the land was apportioned, and -there was great consternation when he finally appeared and demanded his -share of the spoils; for by that time every available spot had already -been taken. Luckily, Teodor Hammargren hit upon the thought of allowing -him a shelf of rock in the mountain wall. And with that, peace was -restored. - -But if Anna and Selma had entertained any hopes of owning homes in the -settlement they were sadly mistaken. Why, they were just girls, and it -never even occurred to the boys that they might wish to be included. - -The lads were having such good times all by themselves in their new -colony! Teodor Hammargren carried up moss to his tower to make him a -comfortable seat. He had built a stone stairway by which he could -easily pass up and down. Daniel Lagerlöf had cleared the ground between -the spruces and the rock wall, and fitted up a salon with moss-covered -stone seats along three sides. His was the most comfortable and -attractive place of all. Johan and Otto made for themselves a -semi-circular moss sofa in among their tangle of alders. That was also -considered a very desirable location. Ernst Schenson made him a wide -moss-covered lounge, with his big rock as back-rest; but his brother -Klas was a little do-nothing, who just sprawled on the ground under his -juniper bush and didn’t bother to drag stones and moss for a bench. -Hugo Hammargren had begged some board-ends from the Lieutenant’s -carpenter and nailed them in a crotch of his pine, so that he had a -grand seat. Adolf Noreen made a moss bed on his shelf of rock, where he -enjoyed solid comfort when once he had clambered up. Herman Milén had -dug a cave for himself under his uprooted tree, and even the small -twins had spread a bit of moss over their stumps. - -But Anna and Selma had nowhere to build and nothing to furnish. They -wandered about the farm utterly deserted, not knowing what to do to -amuse themselves. - -The boys, meanwhile, had more and more fun as their commune developed. -They soon found it necessary to have a regular administration and -judiciary, and elected Teodor Hammargren High Chieftain and Judge. -Daniel Lagerlöf was appointed Master of the Mint, and had to issue -paper currency. Johan became bailiff and Otto Hammargren petty -constable. - -Now that they had money to do with the boys began to buy and sell stone -and gravel, moss and earth. Some did a brisk trade and grew rich; but -Hugo Hammargren and Herman Milén were regular spendthrifts, and they -were moreover guilty of appropriating ferns from another’s estate. The -bailiff had to arrest them and put them in the jail--an old smithy -which lay conveniently at the roadside. - -Anna and Selma still went about the farm by themselves. Anna averred -that the next time the boys asked her to crochet a ball for them she’d -say NO. Nor would she help them make taffy. And Selma, who was only -seven, didn’t know what to do to get even with the boys; but she could -at least refuse to let them haul gravel in her little cart. - -Life up at the colony was so thrilling the boys all declared they had -never had such good sport. They sat in councils and discussed the -affairs of State; they voted to build roads and to construct a great -stone bridge across the ditch, in order to connect the colony with the -outer world. All the lads over twelve years of age were to do the -road-breaking and stone-cutting, while the younger ones were to haul -gravel. But afterward it seemed that Hugo Hammargren and Herman -Milén would not help with the work, and from that arose many grave -complications. Hugo and Herman, since they had no respect for law and -order, were now looked upon as the black sheep of the colony. Even the -jail had no terrors for them! So it was difficult to know just what -course of procedure to follow in their case. - -Anna and Selma down on the farm tried to amuse themselves by shooting -with the boys’ bows-and-arrows and pitching their quoits. They said -they had quite as much fun in winter, when the boys were away at -school. Anna vowed that never again would she let any boy look at the -big doll her aunt had given her for Christmas, which was over two feet -tall, and wore shoes and stockings, corset and crinoline, and had a bed -of its own, with sheets and pillowcases, and a trunk for its clothes, -and everything. - -Up at the colony things were flourishing. One fine day at a town -meeting it was moved that a public house be opened. The motion was -carried, and Master of the Mint Daniel Lagerlöf was elected keeper of -the tavern, because he had the roomiest dwelling. - -The new boniface must have found it rather tiring trying to satisfy the -demands of his customers for home-brewed ginger beer, wild raspberries, -green apples, and polypody. Of a sudden it struck him that he had a -couple of sisters; and immediately he went over to the farm, where he -found the girls down by the pond sailing the boys’ boats and promising -each other never again to play with the boys or even so much as look -at them. - -“You may come up to the colony, girls, and be waitresses at my tavern.” - -Anna and Selma let the boats sail whither they would. Not a word did -they say about being forgotten and left to shift for themselves all -this long time. They went right along with their brother to the boys’ -colony, blissfully happy. - - - - -VI - -THE OLD SOLDIER - - -IT WAS late afternoon of a beautiful day in autumn. Back-Kaisa, the -onetime nursemaid at Mårbacka, who now worked at the loom, was tramping -through the woods on her way to the hill-croft where she was born and -grew up--on an errand for Lieutenant Lagerlöf. She and little Selma -were still great friends, and she had taken the child along. They were -in no hurry, these two; they stopped to pick and eat whortleberries -growing by the roadside, they admired the gorgeous flybane and gathered -their aprons full of lovely mosses to take home with them so as to have -something pretty to lay between the inner and storm-windows of the -nursery. Back-Kaisa was happy to be once more in the woods, where she -knew every shrub and every stone. When they came to the wattled fence -which surrounded the clearing where the croft-hut stood and were about -to step over the stile, Back-Kaisa said: - -“Mind, Selma, you mustn’t say a word about war in Father’s hearing!” - -The little girl was astonished at that. She knew that Back-Kaisa’s -father was an old soldier who had fought with Napoleon at Leipsic. -That one could not speak with him about war seemed unbelievable. - -“Why can’t I talk to him about war?” she queried. - -“That one must never do with them that’s been out in a real war,” -Back-Kaisa told her. - -Now the little girl was more astonished than ever. She thought of -_Fritiof;_ of _Hjalmar;_ of _Hector_, and all the gods and heroes of -antiquity she had read about in her saga-books--and her head was in a -whirl. - -In the cabin on the edge of the hearth, with his back to the fire, sat -Back-Kaisa’s father, a tall, gaunt-looking man with a coarse-featured -and furrowed face. That he was of the olden time could be seen by his -mode of dress, for he wore knee-breeches and shoes instead of boots and -had on a shockingly grimy sheepskin coat. But on the whole his -appearance was not more bizarre than that of other old peasants. - -The little girl stared and stared at the soldier who would not allow -any one to speak of war in his hearing. To her there was nothing so -delightful as to hear tales of battles or read stories of wars. She -thought it a great pity that she could not ask him to tell her about -the things he had been through. - -All the while she sat there she dared not speak or reply when spoken -to. She felt that if she opened her mouth she would forget, and say -something about war, and then the old man might kill her. - -After a time she began to think he looked horrible. It was so -incomprehensible, this, that one could not talk to him about war. -There must be something dreadful back of it all which she did not -understand. Perhaps the old man was dangerous? She only wanted to -escape, and was ready to make for the door. With every moment that -passed her fear increased, and by the time Back-Kaisa was ready to -leave and they could at last say good-bye, she was fairly beside -herself with fright. - -Now, if he had been like other old soldiers, and had said that war was -the greatest thing in the world; if he had boasted of killing hundreds -of men and burning down whole cities and villages, then the little girl -would not have been a bit afraid of him. - - - - -VII - -THE LAND OF HEART’S DESIRE - - -IT WAS Lars of London, and Sven of Paris, and Magnus of Vienna, and -Johan of Prague, and Per of Berlin, and Olle of Maggebysäter, the -stableman and the farmboy! - -Now Lars of London, Sven of Paris, Magnus of Vienna, Johan of Prague, -and Per of Berlin, they were not foreigners, but farm-labourers at -Mårbacka. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, in a facetious moment, had named his -workmen’s cottages after the principal cities of Europe. - -Lars of London and Magnus of Vienna had been plowing all day in the -field below the barn; Sven of Paris had fed the cows and, between -times, helped on the potato land. Johan of Prague had been digging -potatoes, while Per of Berlin, who had been at home all day nursing a -lame back, had come over to the manor for a little diversion. The -stableman had been grooming the horses, and in spare moments chopping -firewood, and the farmboy had worked in the potato field. Olle of -Maggebysäter was not employed at the farm; he had just come down to -Mårbacka to buy a bushel of rye. - -It was a drizzly day in autumn, and the men had gone into the servants’ -hall for the usual afternoon rest--from half after four to five. Their -shoes were covered with mud, their clothing was damp, and they -themselves were sour and disgruntled. They had kindled a fire on the -hearth, and dropped down round it. Lars of London, who had the largest -croft and was the best workman, sat on the chopping-block directly in -front of the fire. Magnus of Vienna, who was almost as good a worker as -Lars, was sitting next to him, on one of the cobbler’s stools. Sven of -Paris, who thought himself quite as good as any of them, though he did -tend cattle, had planted himself on the edge of the hearth, not caring -whether he shut off the blaze from the others. Johan of Prague had -taken the other stool and the old man of Berlin had seated himself on a -saw-buck just back of the rest. The stableman sat on the edge of the -cubby-bed swinging his legs, the farmboy perched on the carpenter’s -bench, while Olle of Maggebysäter sat down by the door on a barrel of -red ochre, resting his feet on his sack of rye. - -Lars of London, Magnus of Vienna, Johan of Prague, and Sven of Paris -now opened their food-bundles. They each took out a hunk of rye bread -with a dab of butter on top. Drawing their sheath-knives from the belts -under their leather aprons and wiping them on their trousers, they -proceeded to spread their bread and cut it up, bit by bit, eating it in -all comfort. The farmboy was sent over to the kitchen to fetch the -fare for himself and the stableman, and came back with two halves of a -rye-cake, two pats of butter, and two dishes of cottage cheese. Per of -Berlin, not having worked that day, had brought no lunch, and Olle of -Maggebysäter had none, either; they just sat and glowered at the -others. - -When they had finished eating, Lars of London, Magnus of Vienna, Sven -of Paris, Johan of Prague, the stableman, and the farmboy -simultaneously drew from their trousers’ pockets a plug of tobacco. Per -of Berlin was not left out on this, for he, too, had his plug; but Olle -of Maggebysäter had not even a bit of tobacco in his pocket. - -The sheath-knives were again drawn. Now each man cut off a piece of his -plug, laid it on his leather apron, chopped it fine, then filled his -cutty-pipe. - -Lars of London picked up a thin stick of wood and lighted it at the -fire. After he had lit his own pipe he gave the light to Magnus of -Vienna, who passed it on to Sven of Paris; Sven of Paris handed it to -Johan of Prague, who reached back and offered it to Per of Berlin: Per -of Berlin leaned over so as to pass it to the stableman, who, after -lighting his pipe, held the burning stick in his hand till the farmboy -came across the room and took it. Olle of Maggebysäter, to be sure, had -no need of a light--having neither pipe nor tobacco. The other men now -being warm and well-fed, the world began to look better to them. - -But Olle of Maggebysäter was three-score-and-ten, and so crippled with -rheumatism that his fingers were stiff and crooked like claws; his head -was drawn to one side, one leg was shorter than the other, his sight -was poor, his wits were nothing to brag about, and he was toothless and -ugly. Washed and combed he had certainly not been in half a year. The -fringe of whiskers under his chin was full of sticks and straws. He -owned a little croft up in the woods; but being nothing of a worker, he -had not been able to keep poverty out of his house. Always grumpy and -discontented, he had no friends. And now as the clouds of tobacco smoke -rose from the other men’s pipes, he muttered, as if to himself: - -“I’ve had nothin’ but trouble and misery all my life; but now I’ve -heard about a land they call America, and there I want to go.” - -The other men sat tranquilly musing over their pipes and made no -response. - -Olle of Maggebysäter continued: - -“You see, ’tis like this in America--you’ve only to hit a rock with -your stick and the rum’ll come spurtin’ out. That land I want to see -afore I die.” - -The others gazed straight before them and smiled, but said nothing. - -Olle of Maggebysäter talked on: - -“No one can make me stick at home in this dull, miserable place, when I -know there’s a land where the hills are full o’ rum.” - -The others remained persistently silent, but not a word of what Olle of -Maggebysäter said was lost on them. - -“The leaves of the trees in that land, they’re nothin’ but gold,” said -the poor old man. “There you don’t have to do day’s work at a manor, -you’ve only to go to the woods and pull off an armful of leaves, and -then you can buy yourself whatever you want. Blow me, if I don’t move -over there, old as I be!” - -They were now in a mellow mood, all the men in the servants’ hall. They -saw, as it were before their eyes, that land where you tap rum from the -rocks and pick gold off the trees. - -The farm-bell rang. Rest-time was up. They must again go out into the -wet and cold. - -Lars of London returned to his plow, Magnus of Vienna to his; Sven of -Paris, Johan of Prague, and the farmboy went back to digging potatoes, -Per of Berlin betook himself home to his cottage, the stableman had to -go and chop the evening’s firewood, and Olle of Maggebysäter, -shouldering his sack of rye, limped off to the woods. - -None of them looked as glum as they did half an hour ago. There was a -little glint of light in their eyes. They all felt it was good to know -of a land where rum flowed from the hills and the forests were of -gold--even though it lay so far away they could never reach it. - - - - -VIII - -THE “SLOM” SEASON - - -EAST of Mårbacka, beyond a wooded ridge, lies Gårdsjön, a little lake -in which there is a fish we call _slom._ The fish is about two inches -long, and so thin as to be almost transparent; but small as it is, it -is edible. - -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, when everything was so much better than -it is now, folks used to take this fish out of the lake in countless -numbers. Its spawning time was in early spring, when the ice began to -break and there was open water along the shores. One could stand at the -water’s edge and scoop the fish up with dippers and buckets. Certainly -no one went to the bother of putting out nets for slom! - -Slom was fished and peddled only at the spawning time; therefore, it -was a sure sign of spring when a Gårdsjö fisherman came to the kitchen -at Mårbacka with the first catch. The man, knowing he had brought a -desired commodity, boldly lifted the latch (in those days there was no -lock on the kitchen door) and walked in with an air of confident -assurance. He did not stop just inside the door as on other occasions; -without stating his errand, or even saying good-morning, he strode -across the floor to the big table and deposited a small basket done up -in a blue-checked cotton cloth. Then, stepping back to the door, he -stood with head proudly erect, and waited for what was to follow. - -If the housekeeper and the maids were the only ones in the kitchen, he -could stand a long while unnoticed; for they would not permit -themselves to show any signs of curiosity. But if Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s -little daughters chanced to be there, they were over by the basket at a -bound, eagerly untying the cover to see what was under it. - -And they found a little porcelain plate, edged round with a blue -landscape, which they recognized as having seen every year at this -season as far back as they remembered. On the plate was a small mound -of slom--some forty or fifty fishes. - -Now slom when properly prepared is a tasty fish, but for all that it is -considered rather common food. At the other manors in the district it -was looked upon as poor man’s fare, but not so at Mårbacka. Lieutenant -Lagerlöf was such a lover of fish he would hardly eat anything else the -year round. After the eelpout had finished spawning, in February, he -had to be satisfied with such things as stockfish, dried pike, salt -salmon, salt whitefish, to say nothing of the everlasting herring! So -every day now he wondered if the slom would be along soon. - -The little girls had also learned to regard this fish as a rare treat, -and were delighted when they saw what was in the basket. They called to -the housekeeper and the maids to come and see. It was slom! Lasse had -brought slom! Wasn’t it great? Wasn’t it wonderful? And there was -general rejoicing in the kitchen. The housekeeper immediately went into -the pantry and made a sandwich for the fisherman. When handing it to -him, she condescended to ask him whether it looked as if there would be -a good “take” that year. The fisherman, cocky and self-satisfied (for -this was his big day), actually had the temerity to chaff the dignified -old housekeeper. He said there would be more slom than all the riches -of Lieutenant Lagerlöf could buy. - -Mamselle Lovisa, wondering what all this talk meant, came out to the -kitchen. Instantly she caught sight of the fisherman and the plate of -slom she threw up her hands and exclaimed in despair: - -“Good Lord! Is that awful stuff coming in now again!” - -It was a great disappointment to the little girls that Aunt Lovisa did -not share their delight. Still, she must have had some appreciation of -the auspicious event, for she said something in a low tone to the -housekeeper, who smiled and nodded approval. Whereupon the children and -the maids were told not to let Lieutenant Lagerlöf know the slom had -come; it was to be a surprise for his supper. - -When the three little girls heard that, they were gladder than ever. -Their father was their best friend and playfellow; there was nothing -too good for him! They felt very important now, and not for anything -would they leave the kitchen. They begged to be allowed to clean the -fish, and knew from past years how it should be done: With one stroke -you cut off the head, with another you drew out the “innards.” The tiny -fish had no scales or sharp bones. If you cut off the tail it was a -sign you didn’t know how slom should be treated. Even after the fishes -were cleaned the children would not leave them out of their sight. They -watched the housekeeper wash them, dip them in flour, and put them in -the frying pan. It wouldn’t do to throw slom in the pan just any way. -The little fishes had to be laid down very carefully, one by one, close -together, none overlapping, and fried hard, so that they all stuck -together. Then, with a flip of the pancake-spade, they were turned -over. When well browned on both sides, they were covered with a hard -round oat-cake, and then turned out of the pan so that the slom lay on -top of the bread. The housekeeper told the children that was the way -their grandmother had fixed it. In the old mistress’s time they used to -set before each person at table a round of slom on an oat-cake, for in -those days they were not so well off for plates as now. - -All the while the slom was frying the children were on pins and needles -lest their father should come into the kitchen. Every other minute they -ran out in the hall and opened the door to the living room a wee bit to -see whether he sat quietly reading his newspaper. When he got up to go -for his usual evening walk, their hearts were in their mouths. Oh, -dear! What if he should take a notion to go out by the kitchen way----? - -Later, at supper, the three little girls could hardly contain -themselves. If they but glanced at their father they began to titter. -It was hardest for the littlest girl, who had to say grace. In the -middle of the prayer she gave a little chirrup like a sparrow when it -sees a grain of corn. The Lieutenant was about to ask what had come -over her when his eyes fell on the slom right by his plate. His face -lit up. - -“Thank the Lord we’ve got something to eat in the house once more!” he -said, and actually meant it. For to him only fish was food. - -The children after their long silence broke into peals of laughter. - -“Oho!” charged the Lieutenant, shaking a finger at them. “So this is -why you’ve been running in and out the whole evening and wouldn’t let -me read my paper in peace!” - -It was an unusually jolly supper. The Lieutenant was always good -humoured and talkative, but when he was especially pleased about -anything he became quite irresistible. Then he fairly bubbled with -amusing anecdotes and kept the whole table convulsed with laughter. - -As for the slom, there was no more than the Lieutenant himself could -have eaten; but he insisted that all must have a share of this -“delicacy.” And of course everyone marvelled that such a tiny fish -could be so delicious. - -“Now, doesn’t it taste good, Lovisa?” he asked his sister, who was as -fond of meat as he was of fish. - -Even she had to concede that just for once like this it was not -bad--but too much of it---- - -When the Lieutenant folded his serviette before rising from table, he -said very solemnly: - -“Now, children, mind what I’m telling you: The King in his royal palace -couldn’t have had a better supper than we’ve had. So we must give God -proper thanks for the food and not slur the grace.” - -Thus ended the first day of the slom season. - -The next morning the Gårdsjö fisherman brought a whole pound of slom. -He was well met, of course, and he asked twelve _skillings_ the pound -for his fish, which was considered a high price. The Lieutenant himself -came out to the kitchen with the money in order to thank the old man -for coming to Mårbacka with the slom, and request him to continue as he -had begun. - -“Now for pity’s sake don’t take it to the parson’s or the founderer’s!” -he said. - -This time, also, the little girls volunteered to clean the fish. And -now they were repaid for their trouble. There was slom enough for the -whole family at supper, and some left over for the Lieutenant’s -breakfast. But the serving-folk did not have any that day, either. It -was too choice a dish for them. - -The third day the fisherman delivered enough slom to fill a large -earthen bowl. Slom was now served at the family table for both -breakfast and supper, and in the kitchen it was set before the -overseer, but not before the stableman or the farmboy. - -The next few days folk from every little hamlet along the lake came -bringing slom to Mårbacka. The Lieutenant bought from all. Soon every -earthen vessel in the cupboard was filled to overflowing, and the fish -had to be emptied into a huge copper kettle; when even that would not -hold it all, it was dumped into a big vat. - -But to clean such a lot of small fish was no light task! The housemaids -had to leave off spinning and weaving to sit in the kitchen cleaning -slom. The three little girls were no longer to be seen in the -schoolroom. It was not for fun they cleaned slom now, but to help the -grown-ups. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa put aside their other work -to give a hand. But it was a bit of a change for them all--a little -departure from the usual routine. - -The housekeeper did not help clean fish, she stood at the stove the -whole day frying it. Before long she began to complain of the -quantities of butter the fish was taking. The butter-tub had been full -only a few days before, and she could already see the bottom. That was -the first break in the general satisfaction. - -The family had slom for breakfast and slom for supper; but thus far -at dinner there was the usual Värmland midday fare--corned beef or -pork, or herring-balls, or fried ham, or sausage, or whatever else -there was on hand. But such fare was not to the taste of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf. One day when he was served meat that had lain in brine since -autumn, he lost all patience. - -“I don’t see why we should sit here and eat salt food when the pantry -is full of nice fresh fish,” he flung out. “But that’s always the way -of these fine housekeepers; they feed the homefolk on salt stuff and -let the fresh things stand on the shelves and spoil--waiting for -company.” - -That was a sharp rap at his sister. But Mamselle Lovisa took it calmly; -she was too fond of her brother to be offended by anything he might -say. She meekly answered that she had never heard of any one’s setting -slom before guests. - -“I know, Lovisa, that you are too refined to eat slom. You have been -out in the great world, and know how things ought to be. But I don’t -see why we back here at Mårbacka need bother ourselves about what they -do in Karlstad or Åmål.” - -A light broke in on Mamselle Lovisa. “But surely you don’t want slom -for dinner, too!” she exclaimed, as if such a thing were unprecedented. - -“Certainly I’ll eat slom whenever I can get it. Why do you suppose I -buy it every day, if I’m not to have any myself?” - -After that, they had slom morning, noon, and night; which was not a -happy thought on the part of the Lieutenant. There is no denying that -slom is a nice-tasting fish, but it has an unpleasant odour. Not in the -sense of being tainted; but it is evil-smelling from the moment it -comes out of the water. However, all that disappears in the frying. But -those who have to handle the raw fish cannot escape, for it is an odour -that clings. Do what you will, it stays by you. Everything you touch -smells of slom. - -Soon all but the Lieutenant began to sicken of slom. They took smaller -portions at each meal, and sighed as they sat down at table and saw the -everlasting slom set before them again. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, however, went on buying. The fisherman who had -brought the first mess, true to his word, came faithfully every day, -and sometimes twice a day. But his manner was noticeably changed. He -now pulled the latch-string very gently, and came in with a meek and -deprecating smile. He did not set the fish on the kitchen table but -left it outside the door. Though he removed his cap and said Good-day, -he had to stand and wait a good half-hour before anyone seemed aware of -his presence. - -Pleasant as it had been for both the maids and the children to escape -for a while from the old routine, they were by now so sick and tired of -cleaning fish they longed to get back to their regular tasks. None of -them would so much as look at the fisherman. - -“I say, Lars, you’re not bringing slom again to-day, are you?” the -housekeeper once asked him, as if he were offering stolen goods. - -The man just blinked his eyes; he was too abashed to utter a word. - -“We’ve got more fish now than we can eat,” she told him. “I don’t -believe the Lieutenant wants to buy any more of that horrid stuff.” -However, she knew the Lieutenant was not to be trifled with in the -matter of slom, so of course she had to go in and tell him the -fisherman had come. - -One day the Lieutenant was out when the old man appeared, so the -housekeeper peremptorily ordered him away. All in the kitchen were -glad, thinking that for once they would not have to clean any slom. But -as luck would have it, the old man met the Lieutenant in the lane; and -the latter bought his whole bagful of fish and sent him back to the -house with it. - -It went on like that for a couple of weeks. Everyone was weary and -disgusted--except the Lieutenant. He chanted the praises of slom at -every meal; it was wholesome and nutritious food. One need only look at -the fishermen down in Bohuslän who lived upon fish; they were the -strongest and healthiest men in the whole country. - -One evening Mamselle Lovisa tried to tempt him with larded pancakes, a -favourite dish of his. And no wonder! for such larded pancakes as the -old housekeeper made you never tasted in all your life! - -“The overseer and the men, I suppose, must have their fill of slom, so -you want me to be satisfied with pancakes.” The Lieutenant waved away -the plate of nice hot cakes. - -“Oh, no, that’s not the reason,” said Mamselle Lovisa. “The overseer -and the men are so sick of slom we dare not set it before them.” - -Then the Lieutenant had to laugh; but, as he would not touch the -pancakes, they had to fetch him his slom. - -Toward the end of the second week the whole household was in open -rebellion. The housekeeper raged about the inroads on the butter, and -the servants declared they could not go on working at a place where -they fed you on nothing but slom. It had reached a pass where the -Lieutenant dared not show his face in the kitchen; for there the -murmurs were loudest. Nor were things as they should be in the dining -room. Joy had fled the board. The governess left her plate untouched -and the little daughters of the house, who otherwise stuck by their -father through thick and thin, even they began to pipe a few feeble -protests. - -Then at last Fru Lagerlöf came to the rescue. She conferred with -Mamselle Lovisa and the housekeeper, and they all thought it time now -to resort to the old tried and sure remedy. - -At dinner there was boiled slom. Now, the very look of boiled slom is -enough! There is a pallor about it peculiarly corpselike, and, besides, -it is quite tasteless. Just the sight of it takes away one’s appetite. - -When the Lieutenant saw the boiled slom he looked as glum as the -others. - -“We are all out of butter,” Mamselle Lovisa gave as excuse; “and since -you will have slom at every meal we had no choice but to serve it -boiled. For my part,” she added, “I think it tastes no worse that way -than any other.” - -The Lieutenant made no answer; so they all knew that Mamselle Lovisa -had triumphed. He might easily have stepped into the pantry and seen -for himself whether the butter was all gone, or ordered a fresh supply; -but he did neither. - -After that dinner he bought no more slom. What was the use, he said, -when the womenfolk were too lazy to prepare the fish in the proper way? -No one contradicted him, though all knew he was as glad as they were to -see the last of the slom. - - - - -IX - -THE SEVENTEENTH OF AUGUST - - -I - -IT IS not easy to say how the seventeenth of August, which was -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birthday, came to be the great day that it was. -But one can imagine that with so many gifted persons all living in a -little place like East Ämtervik, it was really necessary that they -should have a chance, at least once a year, to show what they could do. - -When, for example, there were three such fine orators as Engineer -Noreen of Herrestad, Senator Nils Andersson of Bävik, and Merchant -Teodor Nilsson of Visteberg, the first of whom went in for the -pathetic, the second for the profound, and the third for the poetic, it -would have been a great pity had they never been heard elsewhere than -at small parties and town meetings. - -And with a verse writer, too, like Sexton Melanoz at one’s command! -Days on end he had to sit in the schoolroom and hear the youngsters -spell, stammer, and stumble through the intricate mazes of the Swedish -language. Surely he needed to let this maltreated tongue ring out in -high-sounding eulogistic measures once a year at least! - -Then, moreover, there was a male quartette in the parish composed of -such good singers as Gustaf and Jan Asker, of the old musical Askers, -and the brothers Alfred and Tage Schullström, who kept a store down by -the church. People were thankful to them whenever they sang; but for -the singers themselves it must have been both stimulating and inspiring -to sing at a grand affair where they had critical and discriminating -hearers. - -And the old man Asker, who played dance music at peasant weddings where -nobody cared what came forth from the clarinet just so it had dash and -rhythm--he must indeed have been glad to come to Mårbacka on a -seventeenth of August! The young folk there appreciated his art, and -told him there was no music in the world so easy to dance to as his. - -Then, too, there was a brass sextette made up of Tage Schullström, -Sergeant Johan Dalhgren, the Gårdsjö Inspector, a shop-clerk and two -infant-school teachers. They had all invested in instruments and -scores, and had rehearsed marches and waltzes, overtures and -folk-songs. It would have been too bad not to have had one gala day, -when their efforts were crowned by the award of triumph. - -When, besides, among the relatives who spent their summers at Mårbacka -there were two clever entertainers like Oriel Afzelius, husband of Fru -Lagerlöf’s sister, and her own brother, Kristofer Wallroth, it was well -that away off here in the farming country there was a fête on a grand -enough scale to tempt them to perform. - -Moreover, among the guests was a born prima donna, the pretty and merry -Stockholmer, Fru Hedda Hedberg, who could act as well as sing, and was -in every way adapted for the stage. But she had married a poor Värmland -lieutenant. Therefore, one may well say it was almost imperative that -there should be a seventeenth of August celebration where all this -wealth of talent might come into its own. - - -II - -AFTER Lieutenant Lagerlöf became master of Mårbacka, for the first few -years the seventeenth of August was observed in the customary birthday -manner; there were flowers on the coffee table and a garland of leaves -round the Lieutenant’s cup. The neighbours dropped in to wish him many -happy returns of the day, and were served with coffee, fruit juice, -punch, and toddy. Then came supper at nine o’clock with the usual light -chatter. After the meal, tables and chairs were removed from the living -room that all might have a bit of a dance. - -But somehow it must have been spread abroad that these little birthday -parties were rather pleasant affairs. Since there was never any thought -of sending out invitations, all who cared to come were welcome; so from -year to year more and more folk gathered at Mårbacka. - -And there were increases in the families, of course. As soon as the -little ones began to toddle, they had to come along to Mårbacka to -celebrate Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birthday. And sometimes the neighbours, -who always attended these parties, had guests at home, and, naturally, -they brought them. - -In those days, when the young gentlemen would go many a mile for the -sake of a dance, they, too, began to pay their respects to Lieutenant -Lagerlöf on the seventeenth of August. Besides, there were the -relatives from other parts of the country who visited Mårbacka every -summer, and they planned their trips so as to be present on the -Lieutenant’s birthday. - -As it was always fine weather on the seventeenth of August, in the -Lieutenant’s lifetime, the guests would while away the time strolling -about the grounds, viewing his gardens and buildings. If many young -people were present, the dancing would begin before supper. Everyone, -no doubt, had a pleasant enough time, though no more so than at other -parties. - -Then happily Lieutenant Adolf Hedberg and his pretty young wife came to -live at East Ämtervik. At Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s next birthday party an -old peasant woman with a basket of eggs to sell stalked into the -kitchen in the midst of the festivities. - -She was immediately ordered out, of course; no one had time to stop and -buy eggs in the bustle and excitement, with so many guests to be -served. Not in the least discouraged, the old woman went round to the -veranda, where the Lieutenant sat with a circle of gentlemen. Indeed -she was not embarrassed by the presence of the company; her tongue -wagged so rapidly and she was so facetiously persistent, he had to buy -her eggs to get rid of her. Even after she had stuffed the money into -the pocket of her kirtle, she would not go. Then she wanted to know who -the other gentlemen were, and commented rather freely on their personal -appearance. Finally, young Lieutenant Hedberg, who thought the joke had -gone far enough, said: - -“You’d better stop now, Hedda.” - -Whereupon the “old peasant woman” rushed up, and dealt him a sound box -on the ear. - -“Why, Adolph!” she cried, “how can you be so mean as to give me away -like that!” - -And indeed it was a shame, for her disguise was so perfect and her -Värmland dialect so deliciously natural that none would have taken her -for the charming lady from Stockholm. - -That bit of drollery set the ball of talents rolling. Along in the -evening Kristofer Wallroth sang a number of Eric Bögh’s ditties. He had -no voice to speak of, but his rendition of the serio-comic was -side-splitting. At the end, Auditor Afzelius, with a silk kerchief -bound round his head and a mantilla thrown over his shoulder, sang -“Emilie’s Heart-throbs.” That was, of course, the star feature of the -evening; the Auditor was inimitable in the rôle of the lovelorn maiden. - -It must have been rather galling to the local pride of Sexton Melanoz -that only these city folk provided entertainment for the Lieutenant and -his guests. But the next year it was the sexton who made the “big hit.” -The Lieutenant had once presented to the Ostenby school a lot of small -wooden muskets made at Mårbacka so that the children might learn to -drill. He had even sent an old sergeant to the school to teach the -youngsters the first military movements. - -The sexton had an inspiration; he and his school children would march -to Mårbacka on the Lieutenant’s birthday! Shouldering their arms, and -led by banner and drum, they came marching along the driveway. It -looked as if a whole army were approaching. There were so many the line -extended from the manservants’ cottage all the way up to the -dwelling-house veranda, where the sexton, who was in command, called -Halt! - -First, he said a few words to the effect that the children had come to -thank Lieutenant Lagerlöf for considering that their bodies needed to -be developed as well as their minds; then he let them demonstrate how -well they could march--do right-about, left-about, close ranks, -shoulder arms ... - -It was a grand surprise the sexton had prepared for them all. The -Lieutenant was delighted and his guests were pleased. What the old -housekeeper, Mamselle Lovisa, and Fru Lagerlöf thought, when in the -middle of a big party they had to serve coffee and cakes to some sixty -youngsters, may be left to the imagination. After that, every time the -seventeenth of August came round, they remembered with dismay the long -procession of children, and hoped the sexton’s army would not be so -strong this year. - -Engineer Noreen and his wife, like the sexton, had felt it was not fair -to let folk from outside the parish furnish all the amusement for the -seventeenth of August. So along in the evening, when there was a moon, -the Engineer donned a black velvet cape and plumed baretta, and Fru -Emelie an old-time dress with high puffed sleeves. Then, on the -gravel-walk below the veranda, they gave two or three scenes from -Börjesson’s “Eric XIV.” This acting in the mellow moonlight was touched -with enchantment. Eric Noreen had so wholly lived himself into the rôle -of the unhappy King, it seemed as if every word he spoke came straight -from his heart. And Fru Noreen looked sweet and shy and just a bit -frightened, as a “Karin Månsdotter” should look. - -At the next year’s celebration there were more people than ever. -Carriages, pony-carts, and chaises came rolling up the avenue. In a -short space of time some seventy or eighty persons had arrived. It was -evident the report had travelled far and wide that they had many -delightful diversions at Mårbacka not to be found elsewhere. - -This time the Lieutenant felt quite embarrassed, as there was nothing -special to offer the guests. It was just as at any other party; the -young folk began to dance in the early afternoon, the _paterfamilias_ -chatted over their toddy glasses, and the _maters_ sat in the drawing -room nibbling fruit and confectionery. Apparently, no one was bored, -for Auditor Afzelius and Dean Hammargren among the men and Hedda -Hedberg and Nana Hammargren among the women knew how to enliven a -company. The Lieutenant noted no mysterious glances nor any signs of -preparation. Not even the usual birthday speech was forthcoming. - -Then as dusk was falling, folk from all the countryside came flocking -to Mårbacka. The avenue leading to the house was soon black with -people. The Lieutenant thought it a pity they had taken the trouble to -come when there was nothing to be seen. - -After supper there was a little flutter of excitement and expectancy -among the guests. Presently two gentlemen placed before the Lieutenant -a flower-decked armchair, and bade him be seated. Instantly strong arms -lifted him on high. Jan Asker struck up a march; the gentlemen offered -their arms to the ladies, and all marched out into the night. But not -for long did they walk in darkness. When they turned the corner of -the house, the whole garden was a-light with row upon row of magic -lanterns. The Lieutenant was borne along illuminated walks down to the -little park. It was the first time anything of the sort had been -attempted at Mårbacka. He was struck with wonder and amazement at the -beauty of the scene. Could this be the ground that he and the old -gardener had staked and measured only a few years back? - -Exclamations of delight came from all sides. How dark and mysterious -the copses; how deep and endless the paths appeared under their canopy -of leaves; how the flowers shimmered and shone in the light of the -multi-coloured lanterns; how the masses of foliage hung down from the -trees like gorgeous draperies! - -The procession halted in one of the glades of the park. The -Lieutenant’s chair was set down; and, as his dazzled eyes blinked into -a grotto of leaves and flowers, Flora, on a pedestal, encircled by -little nymphs, sang in a glorious voice a song of praise to the creator -of the garden. - -“Oh, Hedda!” the Lieutenant cried to the beautiful goddess of flowers, -“I might have known that you would not forget me!” - - -III - -IT IS about four in the afternoon of a seventeenth of August. The two -smaller girls, Selma and Gerda, are dressing for the party. The -housemaid pokes her head into the attic storeroom--the room the little -girls are occupying temporarily, since their own has been placed at the -convenience of visiting relatives. - -“Selma and Gerda, you’ll have to go down and receive,” shouts the maid. -“No one else is ready, and the first carriages are coming up the -drive.” - -Now the little girls have to hurry; but at the same time they are -thrilled with joy. Just think! It’s beginning--the seventeenth of -August is beginning! - -They button up their frocks, pin on their kerchief rosettes, and run -down. Not a grown person in sight! Not even their elder sister can help -them receive, since she is attending a dress rehearsal of the evening’s -play. - -The first arrivals, Herr Nilsson, his wife and four children, are -already seated on the veranda. They always come too early to parties, -but never so much so as on the seventeenth of August. The little girls -do not wonder at that; for everyone must long to come to Mårbacka on -such a day. - -The time seems a bit long, perhaps, to the guests and their little -hostesses before the next vehicle rolls up and the homefolk put in an -appearance. But to-day is the Seventeenth, and one does not catch at -trifles. - -The next arrivals are Pastor Alfred Unger and family from West -Ämtervik. They come in a two-horse carriage and have driven about -thirteen English miles. The wagon is full of women and children; the -parson himself, who is a real horseman, is handling the reins. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, ready at last, comes out on the veranda as the -pastor drives in on the grounds. - -“Say, Alfred!” he shouts, “what the deuce have you done to your horses? -They’re as like as two blackberries.” - -“Chut, chut! You mustn’t betray any secrets on your birthday,” Pastor -Unger shouts back. - -As a matter of fact, the parson had two fine carriage horses which -would have been exactly alike but for a white spot on the forehead of -one of them. He had hit upon the idea of inserting between the -blinder-straps of each a piece of white leather, to make it appear -that the horses were perfectly matched. No one would have detected the -artifice if the pastor had not been so proud of his device that he had -talked of it to right and left, and of course the Lieutenant had heard -all about it. - -But besides this conveyance from West Ämtervik comes a hayrick packed -full of young people, relatives from Karlstad. Then wagon after wagon -draws up. Here come the Gårdsjö folk--most delightful of guests! They -have a long line of vehicles. They are a large family, and besides -themselves they have brought Oriel and Georgina Afzelius, and Kristofer -Wallroth and his young sister, Julia, who are staying with them. - -In one of the Gårdsjö wagons there are some odd looking large white -bundles, to be taken upstairs to the theatre. Selma and Gerda are very -curious to know what those are for. The little Wallroth girls are sworn -to secrecy; all they dare divulge is that Uncle Oriel has thought of -something perfectly gorgeous. - -Then who should come up but old Engineer Ivan Warberg from Angersby, -with a cartful of pretty girls! A jubilant whoop from the veranda! -What, a confirmed old bachelor like Ivan Warberg? Who would have -thought it! They all know, to be sure, that the girls are his nieces, -and his guests for the summer; but they can’t resist the fun of teasing -Ivan a bit. - -The little Lagerlöf girls think it strange Fru Hedda does not appear. -True, she no longer lives at East Ämtervik; but they hope she will come -and do something jolly. Somehow, it would not be a real seventeenth of -August unless she were there. - -And now come the nearest neighbours. Pastor Milén and his boys have -moved to another parish. To-day, it is the tall, handsome Pastor -Lindegren and his sweet little wife who stroll over from the parsonage. -From Där Ner in Mårbacka come Mother Kersten and Father Olof; but they -are not the only peasant-folk who want to felicitate the Lieutenant. -Old man Larsson of Ås, the richest man in the parish, has come with his -daughters; the Senator from Bävik with his wife, and the church warden -of Västmyr with his. - -The little girls are in a perfect twitter of excitement as they stand -beside their father and see all who come. One whom they most anxiously -await is Jan Asker. They do hope he is not hurt about something and -will stay away. They try to count heads, but as people keep pouring in -from every direction they soon lose the count. Maybe there are already -a hundred guests! They hope it will be a gay party. It sounds so grand -to the children when somebody says there were a hundred persons -gathered at Mårbacka on the seventeenth of August. - -But this receiving is merely an introduction to that which is to -follow. It is the same with the coffee-drinking on the lawn. The -children wish all such things were over. - -Ah, at last it is going to begin! The brass sextette line up in -position below the steps. A march is struck. The gentlemen offer an -arm to the ladies and, led by the band, the couples march through the -garden down to the little park. - -There they gather round a table on which stand glasses of punch and -claret-cup. Obviously, the moment has come for the birthday speech and -the toast to Lieutenant Lagerlöf. Engineer Noreen, Senator Nils -Andersson, and Herr Nilsson of Visteberg have all come prepared to -speak. Each wonderingly looks at the others, and hesitates, not wanting -to push forward and take the word from his rivals. - -“Well, are we to have something?” the Lieutenant asks. These high-flown -set speeches are not to his taste, and he is anxious to have that part -of the programme over as quickly as possible. Just then from behind him -comes a clear voice, with musical Stockholm intonations, and out of the -thicket steps a beautiful Zingara. She asks if she may tell his -fortune. Taking his left hand between her two pretty hands, she reads -the lines of his palm. - -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had been very ill during the winter, and to regain -his health had spent part of the summer at Strömstad. All his exploits -and divertissements on that sojourn the Zingara now reads in his hand, -and, moreover, she reveals them in lilting verse. - -It is a bit pert and naughty, to be sure, but it provokes laughter and -the Lieutenant is charmed. - -“Anyhow, you’re Number One, Hedda!” he says. - -But when Fru Hedda has proposed a health to the host, and has led the -fourfold hurrahs, and the sextette has tooted a fanfare, she gives the -three speakers from East Ämtervik a sweeping glance, and says: “Pray, -pardon my intrusion. Now it is the turn of the natives.” - -“The ‘natives’ are already beaten, Fru Hedberg,” replies Engineer -Noreen. - -Far back in the garden sounds old Jan Asker’s clarinet, and the glitter -of helmets and shining armour is seen among the trees. Jan Asker and -Sexton Melanoz must have come upon three of the Immortal Ases, Odin, -Thor, and Freja, who were bound for Mårbacka but had somehow lost their -way. Jan and the Sexton have guided them safely hither, so that the -shining gods may speak for themselves. - -No, they do not speak. The three gods break into song; they chant to -the old familiar melody “Come lovely May,” a pæan to all that has been -wrought here at Mårbacka in the time of Lieutenant Lagerlöf--every word -of which is true. Tears glisten in many an eye, and the Lieutenant -himself is deeply moved by his old friend’s lyric. - -“Melanoz is superb to-day!” he says. “After all, Hedda, I believe the -natives will carry off the palm.” - -With this, the fête has been impressively and happily opened. The -guests now scatter about the grounds. Some visit the berry bushes and -cherry trees, and others want to see whether the fine Mårbacka peaches -are ripening. - -In a little while comes another fanfare. The gentlemen now escort the -ladies back to the house and up the perilous attic stairs. The loft has -been converted into a theatre, its small stage screened off with white -draperies. The theatre is the work of Fru Lagerlöf, and is the cutest -little place imaginable. - -A moment’s suspense, and the curtain goes up on a musical allegory -written in the forenoon of that very day by Oriel Afzelius. It is -entitled, “The Monk and the Dancer.” The action takes place on the day -of Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birth, August 17, 1819. Beside the cradle of -the new-born babe, instead of the usual fairies, stand two symbolical -figures, a monk and a dancer. - -The _Dancer_ would have the boy grow up a merry, dashing cavalier. The -_Monk_, on the contrary, would make of him a serious ascetic. After a -spirited controversy, they finally come to an agreement. Each shall -direct one half of the little Mårbacka child’s span of life. So for a -time he is destined to lead the jolly life of a young officer; in his -later years he is to settle down quietly, and practise abstinence and -good deeds, with Mårbacka as cloister. Oriel Afzelius as the Monk and -Kristofer Wallroth in draperies and veils as the Dancer, sing solos -and duets from the popular operas. They gesticulate and declaim -with emotional fervour, and wind up their quarrel with a lively -_pas-de-deux._ - -As the curtain falls there is wild applause. People shout, stamp their -feet, and wave their handkerchiefs. Fru Lagerlöf sits in fear and -trembling lest the floor give way under the storm. The Lieutenant cries -out: - -“Yi, yi, Melanoz! It’s none of the outlanders winning now!” - -The young folk at Mårbacka have rehearsed a little play, but the -players feel rather disheartened as they are about to appear; they have -nothing to offer comparable to Uncle Oriel’s allegory. - -Anna Lagerlöf is now fourteen, and this is her first appearance in a -regular part. The piece is called “A Cigar,” and she is cast for the -rôle of the young wife. - -Indeed, the performance is far from a failure, thanks to the acting of -little Anna Lagerlöf! “How does that child come by her histrionic -talent?” people wonder. She acts with such ease, naturalness, and -charm, the spectators cannot get over their surprise. “That little girl -is going to be a heart-breaker,” some are heard to say. “Why, the lass -is really pretty!” comes from another quarter. “And how well she acts, -too!” - -It seemed as if the plaudits and curtain calls would never end. - -“Do you see, Lieutenant,” shouts Sexton Melanoz above the tumult, “that -the natives can hold their own?” - -But at last they clamber down the break-neck attic stairs. Then they -dance again, and chatter, and drink toddies, and some of them take to -story-telling, for which up to then there has been no time. - -After supper, at midnight, the Chinese lanterns are lit. This is done -every year now, and must never be omitted. For a change, they have the -illumination on the front lawn. - -Ah! how lovely it looks--as Mamselle Lovisa’s flower beds stand out in -the vari-coloured light; as the weeping ash, like a huge lamp, sends -forth its rays through the lacy branches; as the dark copses gleam as -if with fire-flowers! - -Now all have come out to see the illuminations. They find themselves in -a fairyland. The sweet harmonies of the quartette intensify the spell -of enchantment. - -Then comes a wonderful thing! It is like the soft caress of a balmy -wind. No, one cannot say what it is. But they who have been together -these ten hours, chatting, dancing, playing, listening to music and -speeches, are now prepared for it. As they drink in the song and the -beauty of the night, they are filled with a blissful rapture. Ah, life -is so beautiful! How precious the moments! Every breath is a joy! - -Now out of the throng steps Fru Hedda. In a moment she appears on the -veranda, and starts the Värmland Anthem. All join in the singing, for -in this way they are able to express what they feel: _Ack, Värmeland, -du sköna, du härliga land!_ They seem to hear voices back in the -thickets and copses, and surmise that the Mårbacka elves and fairies -are dancing a contra-dance under the maple trees to the lovely melody. - -Hands press hands; eyes meet eyes through a mist of tears. And no one -is surprised, for it is such an unspeakable happiness just to be! - -At the close of the song, as Fru Hedda withdraws, Herr Noreen steps -forward: he, too, would interpret the spirit of the hour. - -“It is _this_ that is the seventeenth of August,” he says; “not the -singing nor the play-acting, not the dancing nor the feasting, but that -which we now feel--the sweet solemn joy which has stolen into our -hearts, the love which permeates this blessed night. It was for this we -longed when we came; it is for this we shall come again next year. - -“Why is it, dear Brother Eric Gustaf, that we must come here to you in -order to feel reconciled to our fate, proud of our country, happy with -ourselves and with those about us? You are no big important man. You -have done no great outstanding thing. But you have within you the best -of good-will and an open heart. We know that, were it in your power, -you would take the whole world in your embrace. This is why you can -give us each year a few hours of bliss, a little glimpse of Paradise, -which we of East Ämtervik call the Seventeenth of August.” - - - - -POSTSCRIPT - - - - -POSTSCRIPT - - -IT WAS the Seventeenth of August, year 1919. - -I had had a wreath bound, the prettiest that could be made up at -Mårbacka, and with this before me in the victoria, I drove to the -church. I was in holiday attire, the victoria shone with a new coat of -varnish, and the horses were in their best harness. - -It was a perfect day. The earth lay bathed in sunshine, the air was -mild, and across the pale blue sky floated a few white wisps of cloud. -Not the slightest breeze blew from any direction. It was a Sunday, and -I saw little children in holiday dress playing in the yards, and grown -folk in their Sunday best setting off for church. No cows or sheep or -chickens were seen in the road, as on weekdays, when the victoria -passed through the village of Ås. - -The crop that year was so abundant, it seemed as if the good old times -were back with us again. The haylofts along the way were so full, -shutters and doors could not be closed; the rye fields were decked with -close rows of shooks; the apple trees in the front yards hung heavy -with reddening fruit, and the fallow fields, newly sown, showed a -tender crop just turning green. - -I sat thinking that here was something Lieutenant Lagerlöf--whose -centenary it was that day--would have liked to see. Here was -prosperity. It was not as in 1918 and 1917 and 1915 and 1914 and -1911--those dreadful years of drouth! How he would have rejoiced at -this! He would have nodded to himself, and averred that nowhere in all -Värmland could they raise such crops as in his parish. - -During the whole long drive to the church, my father was in my -thoughts. On this very road he had driven many and many a time. I -pictured with what keen interest he would have noted all the changes. -Every house which had been repainted, every new window, every roof -where tiling had replaced the old shingles, he would have pointed out -and commented upon. The cottage Där Fram at Ås, which had remained -unaltered, would have delighted him; but he would have been sorry to -find Jan Larsson’s old house--the finest in the parish in his -time--torn down. - -Certainly he had never been opposed to changes and improvements, though -there were some time-honoured things he had wished to leave -undisturbed. Were he here now, he would think us a shiftless lot to -have in this day and age the old crooked, sagging fences that were here -in his time. He would be shocked to find the road ditches still choked -with weeds, the bridges weak and full of holes, and the dung-yards -still lying at the edge of the road. - -When I came to the crossing where the village road runs into the -great highway, how I wished I might have pointed out to him the fine -health resort among the hills, and told him that Ås Springs were now -visited every year by hundreds of people. It would have gladdened -him to know that his idea--that this would some day be a popular -watering-place--had not been so far afield. I could have wished he were -beside me in the carriage as I drove across the Ämtan Bridge! It would -have been a joy to show him that the river had at last been dredged, -and now ran in a straight course, no longer overflowing its banks. - -As I drove by the Ostenby school, I seemed to see him standing on the -playground scattering handfuls of pennies--happy and content as always, -when he had a crowd of children about him. I had heard him say, time -and time again, that popular education was a calamity, and would bring -us to ruin. But all the same, on every examination day, he would drive -down to the school to sit for hours while his good friend Melanoz -quizzed the children in catechism and history, and let them show how -clever they were at arithmetic and composition. I doubt whether there -was any one more pleased than he when the youngsters gave correct -answers and got good marks and prizes. I had often wondered at this; -but now I understand that where children were concerned, all prejudice -was thrown to the winds. - -I remembered how it had been in the old days when we drove into the -church grove. We were hailed with cheery salutations as folk sprang -aside to let our carriage pass, and father sat smiling and raising his -hand to the brim of his hat. But when I drove in on the same ground, -the place looked so empty and deserted. - -I was alone in the carriage, and among all who had come to the church -only I remembered that this was my father’s birthday. I stepped out and -went over to the churchyard to place the wreath. My sad heart wept over -my loved ones who lay sleeping there. Father and Mother, Grandmother, -Aunt Lovisa, and the old housekeeper--I had seen them all laid away. - -I longed for them, I wished they might come back and dwell in that -Mårbacka which their labours had built up. - -But still, silent, inaccessible, they slept on. They seemed not to hear -me. Yet, perhaps they did. Perhaps these recollections, which have -hovered round me the last few years, were sent forth by them. I do not -know, but I love to think so. - - -THE END - - - - -Transcriber’s Note - - -This transcription is based on scans made available by the University -of Michigan and Google: - - https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUVAAAAMAAJ - -To standardize a few inconsistencies in place names, the text of the -1922 Swedish edition was consulted. This text is available through the -Hathi Digital Library at: - - https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951p00687609k - -The following changes were made to the printed text: - -• Table of contents: II. The Money Chest--Added a hyphen between -“Money” and “Chest” for consistency. - -• p. 20: “Hush up, Selma! You must’t talk when you’re facing such -danger!--Changed “must’t” to “mustn’t”. - -• p. 56: The Sunne priest used also to officiate at Åmtervik--Changed -“Åmtervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the Swedish text. - -• p. 90: Eligible young gentlemen from Sunne--from Ämbervik--now came -a-courting.--Changed “Ämbervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the -Swedish text. - -• p. 112: THE MONEY CHEST--Added a hyphen between “MONEY” and “CHEST” -in the chapter title for consistency with the text. - -• p. 114: You’d better go in and ask for house-room.--Added a closing -double quotation mark at the end of the sentence. - -• p. 130: so that Lars would not dare come with any of his monkey -tricks.”--Deleted the closing double quotation mark. The speaker’s -dialogue continues in the next paragraph. - -• p.145: they could hardly be used for a bridal crown.--Added a hyphen -between “bridal” and “crown” for consistency. - -• p. 264: so many gifted persons all living in a little place like East -Åmtervik--Changed “Åmtervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the -Swedish text. - -• p. 269: The Lieutenant had once presented to the Ottenby -school--Changed “Ottenby” to “Ostenby” to be consistent with how the -Swedish “Östanby” is rendered elsewhere. - -• p. 285: Deleted the subheading “I” under the “POSTSCRIPT” heading. -There is no other subheading in the postscript. - -Except where noted otherwise, inconsistencies of spelling and -hyphenation have been preserved. - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MÅRBACKA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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- padding-left: 0; - margin-left: 0; - text-align: center; - font-size: 80%; - padding-top: 4em - } - -div.tnote { - padding-bottom:0.5em; - padding-top:0.25em; - padding-left:0.5em; - padding-right:0.5em; - margin-right: 1.5em; - margin-left: 1.5em; - margin-top: 2em; - font-size: 88%; - background: #eeeeee; - border: solid 0.1em - } -h2.tnote { - text-align: center; - letter-spacing: 0; - font-style:italic; - font-size: 110%; - font-weight: bold; - padding-top:0em; - padding-bottom:0.4em; - line-height:100%; - margin-bottom:0em - } -div.tnote p { - padding-left: 0; - padding-top: 0.25em; - margin-left: 0; - } -ul { - margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0 - } -li { - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - } -div.tnote p.link { - padding-left: 0; - text-indent: 0em; - text-align: center; - padding-top: 0.4em; - line-height: 100%; - padding-bottom: 0.4em - } - -</style> -</head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mårbacka, by Selma Lagerlöf</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Mårbacka</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Selma Lagerlöf</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: Velma Swanston Howard</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 8, 2021 [eBook #66906]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Paul Haxo from images graciously made available by Google and the University of Michigan.</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MÅRBACKA ***</div> -<div class="image"> -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover" width="80%" title="" /> -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="half-title"> -<h1> -MÅRBACKA -</h1> -</div> - -<div class="chapter other" id="other_works"> -<table class="other" summary="Other_Books"> -<tbody> -<tr> -<td class="books"> -BOOKS BY SELMA LAGERLÖF -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles1"> -JERUSALEM, A Novel<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -CHRIST LEGENDS<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF NILS<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -FURTHER ADVENTURES OF NILS<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -LEGEND OF THE SACRED IMAGE<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -MIRACLES OF ANTICHRIST<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -STORY OF GÖSTA BERLING<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -THE EMPEROR OF PORTUGALLIA<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -THE HOLY CITY, Jerusalem II<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -INVISIBLE LINKS<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Pauline Bancroft Flach</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -LILLIECRONA’S HOME<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Anna Barwell</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -THE OUTCAST<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by W. Worster, M. A.</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="titles"> -MÅRBACKA<br /> -<span class="smallish">(<i>Trans. from Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard</i>)</span> -</td> -</tr> -</tbody> -</table> -</div> - -<div class="chapter tp" id="title_page"> -<div class="tp_bib1"> -<p class="tp_title"> -MÅRBACKA -</p> -</div> - -<div class="tp_bib2"> -<p class="by"> -BY -</p> -<p class="author"> -SELMA LAGERLÖF -</p> -<p class="translator"> -<span class="spacing">TRANSLATED FROM THE SWEDISH</span><br /> -BY<br /> -<span class="largish">VELMA SWANSTON HOWARD</span> -</p> -<p class="publisher"> -<span class="smaller">GARDEN CITY <span class="lftspc_state">NEW YORK</span></span><br /> -<span class="slightlylarge">DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY</span><br /> -1925 -</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="chapter verso" id="verso"> -<p class="copyright"> -COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY<br /> -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY -</p> -<p class="reserved"> -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED -</p> -<p class="printer"> -PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES<br /> -AT<br /> -THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="contents"> -<table class="toc" summary="Table of Contents"> -<tbody> -<tr> -<td colspan="3"><h2 class="toc">CONTENTS</h2></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="3" id="chapter_100_toc"><a href="#chapter_100_hdg">T<small>HE</small> S<small>TRÖMSTAD</small> J<small>OURNEY</small></a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdr nobottom"> </td> - -<td class="tdr nobottom"> </td> - -<td class="tdr nobottom"><span class="reallysmall">PAGE</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">I. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_101_toc"><a href="#chapter_101_hdg">The Nursemaid</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">1</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">II. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_102_toc"><a href="#chapter_102_hdg">Grand Company</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">10</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">III. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_103_toc"><a href="#chapter_103_hdg">The Drive to Karlstad</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">18</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IV. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_104_toc"><a href="#chapter_104_hdg">In the Cabin on the <i>Uddeholm</i></a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">21</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">V. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_105_toc"><a href="#chapter_105_hdg">At the Goldsmith’s Shop</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">26</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VI. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_106_toc"><a href="#chapter_106_hdg">Gray Island</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">32</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_107_toc"><a href="#chapter_107_hdg">The Bird of Paradise</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">39</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VIII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_108_toc"><a href="#chapter_108_hdg">The Keepsake</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">47</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="3" id="chapter_200_toc"><a href="#chapter_200_hdg">T<small>HE</small> O<small>LD</small> H<small>OUSEKEEPER</small>’<small>S</small> T<small>ALES</small></a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch padtop_half">I. </td> - -<td class="tdl padtop_half" id="chapter_201_toc"><a href="#chapter_201_hdg">Grandmother</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg padtop_half">53</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">II. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_202_toc"><a href="#chapter_202_hdg">The Ghost of Vilarstensbacken</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">55</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">III. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_203_toc"><a href="#chapter_203_hdg">Pastor Wennervik</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">63</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IV. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_204_toc"><a href="#chapter_204_hdg">The Gander</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">67</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">V. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_205_toc"><a href="#chapter_205_hdg">The Lemmings</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">71</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VI. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_206_toc"><a href="#chapter_206_hdg">The Neckan</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">80</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_207_toc"><a href="#chapter_207_hdg">The Paymaster of the Regiment</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">84</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VIII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_208_toc"><a href="#chapter_208_hdg">The Militia-Men</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">96</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="3" id="chapter_300_toc"><a href="#chapter_300_hdg">O<small>LD</small> H<small>OUSES</small> <small>AND</small> O<small>LD</small> P<small>EOPLE</small></a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch padtop_half">I. </td> - -<td class="tdl padtop_half" id="chapter_301_toc"><a href="#chapter_301_hdg">The Stone Huts</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg padtop_half">105</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">II. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_302_toc"><a href="#chapter_302_hdg">The Money-Chest</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">112</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">III. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_303_toc"><a href="#chapter_303_hdg">The Larder on Stilts</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">120</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IV. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_304_toc"><a href="#chapter_304_hdg">The Manservants’ Cottage</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">127</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">V. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_305_toc"><a href="#chapter_305_hdg">The <i>Jungfru</i></a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">133</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VI. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_306_toc"><a href="#chapter_306_hdg">The Bridal-Crown</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">142</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_307_toc"><a class="italics" href="#chapter_307_hdg">Vackerfeldt</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">155</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VIII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_308_toc"><a href="#chapter_308_hdg">The Orchestra</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">169</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="3" id="chapter_400_toc"><a href="#chapter_400_hdg">T<small>HE</small> N<small>EW</small> M<small>ÅRBACKA</small></a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch padtop_half">I. </td> - -<td class="tdl padtop_half" id="chapter_401_toc"><a href="#chapter_401_hdg">The Seventeen Cats</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg padtop_half">179</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">II. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_402_toc"><a href="#chapter_402_hdg">The New Barn</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">188</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">III. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_403_toc"><a href="#chapter_403_hdg">The Garden</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">197</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IV. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_404_toc"><a href="#chapter_404_hdg">The Roof Trusses</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">207</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="3" id="chapter_500_toc"><a href="#chapter_500_hdg">W<small>ORKDAYS</small> <small>AND</small> F<small>ÊTE</small> D<small>AYS</small></a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch padtop_half">I. </td> - -<td class="tdl padtop_half" id="chapter_501_toc"><a href="#chapter_501_hdg">Nooning</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg padtop_half">215</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">II. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_502_toc"><a href="#chapter_502_hdg">Mamselle Brorström</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">219</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">III. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_503_toc"><a href="#chapter_503_hdg">Riding to <i>Blåkulla</i></a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">226</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IV. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_504_toc"><a href="#chapter_504_hdg">Bellman Ballads</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">231</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">V. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_505_toc"><a href="#chapter_505_hdg">Boys and Girls</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">237</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VI. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_506_toc"><a href="#chapter_506_hdg">The Old Soldier</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">244</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_507_toc"><a href="#chapter_507_hdg">The Land of Heart’s Desire</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">247</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">VIII. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_508_toc"><a href="#chapter_508_hdg">The <i>Slom</i> Season</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">252</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdrch">IX. </td> - -<td class="tdl" id="chapter_509_toc"><a href="#chapter_509_hdg">The Seventeenth of August</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">264</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdlpost" colspan="2" id="chapter_601_toc"><a href="#chapter_601_hdg">Postscript</a></td> - -<td class="tdrpg">285</td> -</tr> -</tbody> -</table> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_100"> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_100_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_100_toc">THE STRÖMSTAD JOURNEY</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_101"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-1">[1]</a></span> -</p> - -<p class="title_p1" id="chapter_101_hdg"> -MÅRBACKA -</p> -<h3 class="first"> -<a href="#chapter_101_toc"><span class="large">I</span><br /> -<br /> -THE NURSEMAID</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -O<small>NCE</small> they had a nursemaid at Mårbacka who was called Back-Kaisa. She -must have been all of six feet high. She had a large-featured, swarthy, -stern-looking face, her hands were hard and full of cracks, in which -the children’s hair would catch when she combed it, and she was heavy -and mournful. -</p> -<p> -A person of that sort could hardly be said to have been especially -created for the nursery, and indeed Fru Lagerlöf had deliberated a long -while before engaging her. The girl had never been out to service and -knew nothing of the ways of people; she had grown up on a poor -backwoods croft, among the wooded hills above Mårbacka, far from any -other habitation. -</p> -<p> -Probably there was no one else available, or Fru Lagerlöf would not -have had her come. That the girl did not know how to make up a bed, or -build a fire in a tile-stove, or prepare a bath, was understood -beforehand; but she was teachable and did not mind sweeping out the -nursery every day, or dusting, or washing baby-clothes.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-2">[2]</a></span> What she could -not seem to learn, however, was how to get along with the little folk. -She never played with them or gave them a pleasant word. She knew no -sagas and no songs. It was not that she meant to be unkind, but she was -so constituted that romp and frolic and laughter were hateful to her. -She would have liked the children to sit quietly, each in his or her -little chair, without moving or talking. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf was at all events quite pleased with the nursemaid. As for -her not knowing any stories—well, the Mårbacka children had their -grandmother, who every morning as soon as she was dressed gathered the -youngsters about her, and sang and narrated for them till away up to -dinner-time. And they had someone, too, who played with them, for -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, whenever he had a spare moment, romped with his -children. -</p> -<p> -Back-Kaisa was strong, patient, and dutiful. She was a person to be -depended on. When her master and mistress went off to a party, they -could rest assured that she did not run out and leave the children -alone in the nursery. If only she’d had a more delicate touch she would -have been admirable. But hers were no gentle clutches when little arms -had to go into dress-sleeves. When she washed the children the soap -always got into their eyes; and when she wielded the comb they felt as -if every wisp of hair were being torn from their heads. -</p> -<p> -The nursery at Mårbacka was a light, warm, spacious<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-3">[3]</a></span> room—the best -in the whole house. But, unhappily, it was a gable-room, and to get -there one had first to go out into the lower front hall, then up a -flight of steps and across a big attic. The attic stairs were steep, -and difficult for little feet to climb. Now the former nursemaid used -to take a child on her arm and carry it up, but Back-Kaisa didn’t seem -to know enough for that. And it was positively terrifying to walk the -length of that attic—above all, after dark! So it seemed almost -necessary that little hands should have a large hand to slip into. But -Back-Kaisa, who had been accustomed to the dark of the wild forest, -probably thought the attic at Mårbacka a nice safe place. She just -stalked on and never so much as put out a hand. One was glad if one -could even catch hold of a corner of her skirt. -</p> -<p> -The beds in which the three children slept had been made by the clever -old carpenter at Askersby, and they were quite decorative, with a -little row of spindles across each headboard; but they were in two -sections that pulled out and pushed in like a drawer. Large as the -nursery was, the three beds when open took up a lot of space; so it was -well they could be folded during the day. Now that in itself was all -right, but the clever old carpenter had somehow managed to make the -beds in such a way that they sometimes sprang apart in the dead of the -night. -</p> -<p> -When that happened, you were of course startled out of your sweetest -slumber. Finding your bed cut off<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-4">[4]</a></span> in the middle, you drew yourself -into the upper end and tried to catch back sleep again. But somehow it -would not come. After a while you stretched out your legs and let them -dangle. In that position you lay waiting for the Sandman till you were -as wide awake as in broad day. Then at last you decided to get up and -try to push the two parts together. When you had apparently succeeded -and had got the bedclothes nicely straightened, you crept back into bed -as cautiously as possible, and stretched out once more with a feeling -of satisfaction. All went well, sleep came stealing on, then a careless -turn and—crickety-crash!—the bed was apart again ... which put an end -to all hope of getting any sleep that night. -</p> -<p> -But Back-Kaisa slept peacefully through it all. It did not occur to any -of the little ones that they might awaken her and ask for help. The -former nursemaid had always jumped up the instant a bed broke down, and -quickly fixed it without having to be asked. -</p> -<p> -Just over the nursery there was a little lumber-loft full of discarded -looms and spinning-wheels, and amid all that old rubbish lived an owl. -</p> -<p> -At night that owl made a dreadful racket. To the children’s ears it -sounded as if someone were rolling big, heavy logs over their heads. -The former nursemaid used to laugh at them when they were frightened by -the noise, and say there was nothing to be scared about—it was only -the owl. But Back-Kaisa, who hailed from the forest, was afraid of all -animals, furred and feathered.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-5">[5]</a></span> They were to her like evil spirits. So, -whenever she was awakened in the night by the owl she would take out -her prayer book and begin to read. Indeed she could not soothe the -children; on the contrary, she terrified them so that the poor little -owl grew into a huge monster with tiger-claws and eagle-wings. No words -can picture how they lay shuddering to the very roots of their being at -the thought of having a horrible ogre like that right above them. What -if it should tear a hole through the ceiling with its great claws, and -come swooping down...! -</p> -<p> -It can never be said of Back-Kaisa that she neglected the children, or -beat them. But was that anything much? True, the former nursemaid had -not been so particular about keeping them neat and clean; but she was -oh, so good to them! -</p> -<p> -The children had three little wooden chairs which they regarded as -their greatest treasure. These had been presented to them by the clever -old carpenter of Askersby. Whether they were meant as compensation for -his failure with the beds, they did not know, but they rather thought -so. At any rate, the chairs were not failures. They were both light and -strong, and could be used as tables and sleds. The children could ride -them all around the room, stand upon them and jump to the floor, or lay -them down and play they were a cow shed, a stable, or a rabbit hutch. -Oh, there was nothing they could not be used for! -</p> -<p> -Why the children prized those chairs so highly could<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-6">[6]</a></span> be seen at a -glance by turning them upside down. On the bottom of each chair was the -portrait of its owner. On one was Johan, a boy in blue with a long -riding whip in his hand; on another posed Anna, a dainty little maid in -a red frock and yellow leghorn hat—sniffing at a nosegay; while on the -third was Selma, a tiny tot in a blue dress and striped apron, but with -nothing in her hand and nothing on her head. -</p> -<p> -Now these portraits had been painted there to show to whom the chairs -belonged, and the children regarded them as their property in quite a -different sense from wearing apparel and other things they received -from their parents. Their clothes travelled from one to another, and -their nice toys were either locked away or set up on the corner bracket -in the parlour; but the chairs, which bore their likenesses—who would -have thought of depriving them of these? -</p> -<p> -Therefore, it was awfully mean of Back-Kaisa to put all three chairs on -top of the high birch-wood bureau, as she did sometimes, so that the -children could not get at them. What if she had but just scrubbed the -nursery and the little chairs would leave ugly marks on the wet floor -if trailed across it? The former nursemaid never would have had the -heart to take the chairs away from them. No, not even for a moment. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf saw, to be sure, that the maid did not understand her -little ones and that they were afraid of her. But Back-Kaisa had been -hired for a year, and Fru Lagerlöf could not very well send her away -before<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-7">[7]</a></span> her time was up. She hoped, however, that things would be -better in the summer, when the children could play out of doors, and -have less to do with the nursemaid. -</p> -<p> -One forenoon in the early summer, it happened that the youngest child, -a little girl, had been left alone, and asleep, in the nursery. On -awaking she sat up in bed, half-dazed, and wondered where everyone had -gone; at the same time she felt singularly drowsy and uncomfortable. -She remembered, as she came to herself somewhat, that earlier in the -day she and the other children had been to Ås Springs with their father -to bathe. On their return Back-Kaisa had put all three of them to -bed—dressed as they were—that they might nap a while before dinner. -But the beds on which Johan and Anna had lain now stood empty; so the -little girl knew, of course, that they were already up and gone. -</p> -<p> -They were perhaps out in the garden playing? She felt a bit hurt at -their running off like that, leaving her all by herself in the nursery. -She had better crawl out of bed, she thought, and hurry down to them. -</p> -<p> -The little girl was then three and a half years old, and she could -easily open the door and walk down the stairs. But to cross the -dangerous attic alone ... She listened—perhaps someone was coming to -fetch her.... No, there were no footsteps on the stair; she would have -to venture by herself. -</p> -<p> -But now that she wanted to rise from her bed she could not. She tried -again and again, only to sink<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-8">[8]</a></span> back. Her legs did not seem to belong -to her; she had lost all control of them. -</p> -<p> -The child was terror-stricken. The feeling of utter helplessness which -came over her when the body refused to obey was something so dreadful -she remembered it long, long afterwards—aye, all her life. -</p> -<p> -Naturally, she began to cry. She was in great trouble, and there was no -grown person at hand to help or comfort her. But she had not been alone -such a very long while when the door opened and Back-Kaisa appeared. -</p> -<p> -“Isn’t Selma coming down to dinner? The big folk——” Back-Kaisa -stopped short. -</p> -<p> -The little girl never thought about its being the cross nursemaid who -stood in the doorway. In her desperate plight she only saw a grown -person who could help her—and put out her arms to her. -</p> -<p> -“Come and take me, Back-Kaisa!” she cried. “Come and take me!” -</p> -<p> -When the nurse came up to the bedside the little girl threw her arms -about her neck and clung to her as no child had ever done before. A -little tremor went through Back-Kaisa, and her voice was not real -steady when she asked: -</p> -<p> -“What’s the matter with Selma? Is her sick?” -</p> -<p> -“I can’t walk, Back-Kaisa,” wailed the child. -</p> -<p> -Then a pair of strong arms lifted her up as easily as if she were just -a tiny kitten, and all at once the stern, serious-minded woman knew how -to talk to a little child. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-9">[9]</a></span> -“Naa—Selma mustn’t cry for that! Back-Kaisa’s going to carry Selma.” -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -And with that it seemed as if all the little one’s troubles had blown -away. She was no longer afraid or unhappy. What did it matter that she -herself could not walk when Back-Kaisa would carry her! And nobody had -to tell her; she knew that one who had a good strong friend like -Back-Kaisa was not so badly off after all. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_102"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-10">[10]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_102_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_101_toc"><span class="large">II</span><br /> -<br /> -GRAND COMPANY</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -J<small>OHAN</small> and Anna were driven nearly to distraction by the terrible -commotion created by Selma’s illness. -</p> -<p> -That one may well understand. Johan was then seven years of age, and -learning to read under the tutelage of Herr Tyberg. He was a boy, of -course, and almost regarded as the eldest child; though, to be sure, he -had an elder brother. But the latter mostly stayed with his maternal -grandparents at Filipstad, and was hardly ever at home. And now, all at -once, it seemed that nobody had a thought for him—Johan—but only for -the littlest girl. -</p> -<p> -As for Anna—she was five, and she could already both sew and crochet. -She was pretty to look at, too, and the elder daughter, and mamma’s -pet. But what was the good of all that since Selma had gone and got -sick? -</p> -<p> -The grown-ups, you see, were so touched by the sight of a child who -could not walk. “How will the poor little thing go through life?” they -would sigh.—— “She’ll have to stay in the one place always, and never -see anything of the world.”—— “She’ll never get<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-11">[11]</a></span> married and she’ll -never be able to support herself.”—— “It’s going to be cruelly hard -for her, poor child.” They were all very tender and full of pity for -the sick girl. Now <i>that</i> Johan and Anna had nothing against; but folks -didn’t have to forget that there were other children. -</p> -<p> -The worst one of all, though, was Back-Kaisa. She carried Selma on her -back, prattled with her, and told her she was a perfect little angel. -And, indeed, Father and Mother and Granny and Auntie were not much -better. Didn’t the clever old carpenter at Askersby have to make her a -little wagon, so that Back-Kaisa might draw her about? And were Johan -and Anna ever allowed to borrow that wagon to cart sand in?—No, no! -That was for Selma’s use, and they mustn’t soil it. -</p> -<p> -Johan and Anna both knew that when Selma could walk there had been -nothing remarkable about her; but now visitors couldn’t come to the -house but she must be carried in for them to see and make a fuss over. -And if a peasant woman happened to drop into the kitchen Back-Kaisa was -there in a jiffy, showing Selma to her. The exasperating thing about it -all was that Back-Kaisa was forever saying what a good child Selma -was—she never cried and never sulked, even though so helpless. And why -shouldn’t she be good, thought Johan and Anna, the way she was treated! -Carried about, and waited on, and petted, day in and day out! -</p> -<p> -Yes, Back-Kaisa was certainly very trying, Johan<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-12">[12]</a></span> and Anna agreed. She -could not bear to see Fru Lagerlöf make Anna a prettier dress than the -one Selma got; and if any one happened to say of Johan, that he was a -nice polite little boy, she’d always remark: “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Twould be a shame for -one that’s able to walk, and can go where he likes, not to be good.” -</p> -<p> -That old Doctor Hedberg of Sunne was called in time and again on -Selma’s account, Johan and Anna thought no more than right; nor did -they complain when Högman’s Inga, who often came to the manor to mumble -over sick cows and pigs, was consulted. But they felt it had gone -rather far when once, in the absence of Lieutenant Lagerlöf, Back-Kaisa -and Granny and the housekeeper put their heads together, and sent for -the dangerous old witch-doctor of Högbergssäter—she who every Maundy -Thursday greased a broomstick and went riding to the Witches’ Kitchen. -They had heard that she had the power to set fire to a house by just -looking at it, and were dreadfully uneasy the whole time she was at -Mårbacka. They thought it very wrong of Back-Kaisa to bring a horrid -creature like her to the house. -</p> -<p> -Of course Johan and Anna wanted to have Selma restored to health. They -above everyone wished her well again. All the same, they didn’t think -it a bit nice of her to go and catch a sickness no one could cure. But -Back-Kaisa must have thought differently. For when neither Doctor -Hedberg, who had so often cured them of coughs and colds, nor Högman’s -Inga, who<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-13">[13]</a></span> never failed with cows and pigs, nor yet the dangerous -witch-hag, who could put life into a broomstick, had been able to help -her, Back-Kaisa vowed she was growing more and more wonderful all the -time. And when Lieutenant Lagerlöf finally took her to Karlstad and -showed her to Surgeon Major Haak, who was the best doctor in the city, -and even he could do nothing for her, then Back-Kaisa was ready to -burst with pride. Now wouldn’t it have been better if Selma had taken -on a sickness that would come to an end? So at least thought Johan and -Anna. -</p> -<p> -The worst of it was that Selma was getting quite spoiled by -Back-Kaisa’s being too good to her. Little as she was, she had found -out that it was not necessary for her to be as obedient as the other -children, who could stand on their feet. Above all, she did not have to -eat food that was not to her liking. When Fru Lagerlöf set before her a -helping of stewed carrots, or spinach, or some hard-boiled eggs, or a -plate of ale-soup, she was not expected to finish her portion as in -other days; she had only to push her plate away, and immediately -Back-Kaisa ran out to the kitchen and fetched something Selma liked. -</p> -<p> -And it was not enough with that!—Johan and Anna noticed that when -Doctor Hedberg and Högman’s Inga and the old witch had all failed to -cure her, Selma thought herself too grand to eat plain fare. Why, she -barely deigned to touch fried chicken and new potatoes and wild -strawberries and cream. But when she had<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-14">[14]</a></span> been to Karlstad, and the -great Doctor Haak had said he could do nothing for her, then she would -not eat anything but pastry and preserves. -</p> -<p> -Johan and Anna had heard that Aunt Nana Hammargren, who lived in -Karlstad, was dreadfully worried about Selma, and feared she would -starve to death; and they, too, felt that unless something happened -very soon to change all this, it might end badly. -</p> -<p> -But something did happen. -</p> -<p> -One morning Back-Kaisa carried the little girl into the kitchen-bedroom -and set her down among the pillows on Grandmother Lagerlöf’s big white -bed. -</p> -<p> -“Now Selma’s going to see something,” she said. -</p> -<p> -The bed was made up—sheets and all—but it had not been slept in -during the night, and apparently no one lay there now, either. -Grandmother Lagerlöf, who was not usually up at that early hour, sat -all dressed on the corner sofa; and Aunt Lovisa, who shared the -kitchen-bedroom, was also up and dressed. They both looked happy and -content, and when the little girl was well seated on the bed they arose -and went over to her. -</p> -<p> -“Aha! Grand company came last night,” her grandmother said with a -chuckle. -</p> -<p> -The little girl laughed, too, for what could be more delightful than -having visitors in the house! She looked up and down and all around, -wondering where the grand company might be. It was nowhere in the room, -surely—not in the yellow corner-cupboard, nor<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-15">[15]</a></span> behind the tall -grandfather’s clock, nor under Auntie’s chiffonier. There was only one -good hiding-place—the covered passage leading to the cellar; but the -grand company could never have crawled in there. -</p> -<p> -It was all very strange! Why was she sitting on Granny’s bed, and why -were the others standing there staring, as if the grand company were in -the bed? She glanced from one to the other, quite bewildered. Presently -Aunt Lovisa bent down and moved the pillows a little. Then Selma saw -that by her side lay a small oblong bundle, to which she attached no -importance whatever. Granny had said that grand company had come, and -grand company meant only one thing—far-come visitors who brought toys -and big bags of candy for the children. That was the company she was -looking for. -</p> -<p> -“Are they in there?” she asked, pointing toward the parlour. She -listened for the sound of voices from the next room; seeing how pleased -and elated the others were, her expectations rose high. -</p> -<p> -“Why, she’s right there beside you.” Granny lifted a corner of the -oblong bundle and revealed two tiny hands and a little wizened face. -</p> -<p> -The little girl gave the swaddling a scornful glance then looked away. -She had seen such before, and did not care for them. Her thoughts were -on the company with the candy bags. -</p> -<p> -“See,” said Aunt Lovisa, “this is a little sister who came to you last -night, and you must be good to her.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-16">[16]</a></span> -Here was something for which she was wholly unprepared. She would have -been glad to welcome another sister—one who could walk and talk; but -this swaddling did not interest her at all. -</p> -<p> -However, it was plain to her now that no grand company had come. Granny -meant only the poor little baby, and she knew very well that <i>it</i> had -not brought any candy. -</p> -<p> -She felt so bitterly disappointed that she just had to cry. Back-Kaisa -was obliged to carry her out to the kitchen, lest her crying awaken the -grand company. -</p> -<p> -And she had cause for tears. Her day of power and supremacy was over. -Back-Kaisa had now to help Fru Lagerlöf with the care of the little -newcomer, who was even more helpless and lost, as it were, than Selma. -One couldn’t reason with the baby, so it was always she, Selma, who had -to be patient, and wait. -</p> -<p> -From that time on they were not so keen about showing her to company. -Now it was the swaddling that was brought forward to be seen and -praised. All the glamour and greatness had dropped from her; she was no -more now than Anna or Johan. -</p> -<p> -The year that followed she had many distressing experiences. She had -not only to give up living exclusively on a diet of pastry and -preserves, but things even went so far that when Fru Lagerlöf served -her boiled carrots, or spinach, or pease-pods, no one removed her plate -and brought her other fare. She had to eat what was set before her. If -Anna received a<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-17">[17]</a></span> prettier dress than Selma no one protested. On the -contrary, they all thought it only fair, since Anna was the eldest -daughter. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Ah, sometimes her heart sank way down into her boots, for she was not -altogether certain that Back-Kaisa did not care just as much for the -wee one as she did for her. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_103"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-18">[18]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_103_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_103_toc"><span class="large">III</span><br /> -<br /> -THE DRIVE TO KARLSTAD</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -B<small>ACK</small>-K<small>AISA</small> and her charge were on a journey. They sat perched up on the -box of the big close-carriage with Magnus, the coachman, who was so -gripped by his responsibility of driving three horses on the dreadful -road to Karlstad that not a word could be got out of him. -</p> -<p> -On the back seat of the carriage sat Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa, -with Johan and Anna opposite, their backs to the horses. It was much -more fun, of course, to sit on the coach-box and watch the horses than -being shut in under the tilt. Johan would have liked to be up there -with Magnus; but Fru Lagerlöf had said it was impossible to squeeze -Back-Kaisa in on the front seat, and where she rode, Selma must ride. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf was also along on the journey, but he rode alone at -some distance ahead, in his carriole. -</p> -<p> -It was a year now since the little girl first lost the use of her legs, -and in all that time she had not set foot on the ground. She was now -being taken to the West Coast in the hope that the sea air and the -baths might possibly effect a cure. She was the only invalid among<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-19">[19]</a></span> -them, but a summer at the seaside would no doubt be of benefit to all. -</p> -<p> -The little girl sitting up there on the driver’s seat had quite -forgotten her affliction. She and Back-Kaisa were going away together, -and the baby had been left at home! She was looking forward to a -revival of those happy, never-to-be-forgotten times. -</p> -<p> -Snuggling close to the nurse, she put her arms about her neck and asked -her again and again if she was not glad that they two could now be -together, with no one to disturb them. -</p> -<p> -There was no reply. But the little girl did not much mind; Back-Kaisa -had never been a talking person. -</p> -<p> -The great highroad to Karlstad was just one hill after another. There -was the tortuous stretch round Bävik and Gunnarsby Hill, which was -about three and a half English miles long; then came the steep grade up -to the Sundgård mountains which was close to vertical. But most -perilous of all was Kleva towering above an abyss. It was up and down -the whole time, as if one were see-sawing between heaven and earth. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, to make the going easier, had ordered three horses -put to the carriage—an arrangement to which neither horses nor driver -was accustomed. -</p> -<p> -If anything was calculated to increase the little girl’s delight at -having Back-Kaisa all to herself once more, it was being allowed to sit -where she could look down at the frisky horses that dashed on as if the -heavy carriage were only a toy wagon, tearing round the curves,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-20">[20]</a></span> with -the vehicle sometimes on two wheels. Often the horses would stiffen -their legs and make the downgrade almost on their haunches, and when -they came to a sudden drop in the road, Magnus would stand up and use -the whip desperately, to urge the horses on so that the high carriage -would not come tumbling over them. -</p> -<p> -In the middle of one of these break-neck descents the little girl again -turned to the nurse and said: -</p> -<p> -“Aren’t you glad, Back-Kaisa, to be alone with me? Aren’t you glad, -Back-Kaisa, the baby isn’t along?” -</p> -<p> -There came no response now, either; and wondering, the child turned so -that she could see the nurse’s face.... Back-Kaisa sat holding on to -the seat, a fixed stare in her eyes, her lips compressed, her face the -hue of ashes. “Isn’t Back-Kaisa glad——?” But the little girl now saw -that Back-Kaisa was far from glad and she was so crestfallen she could -have cried. -</p> -<p> -Then at last Back-Kaisa spoke: -</p> -<p> -“Hush up, Selma! You mustn’t talk when you’re facing such danger! -Never’ve I known worse! But for your sake, I’d ’ve got down and gone -home long ago.” -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -The little girl sat pondering the reply, not quite satisfied. She was -never afraid when with Back-Kaisa, so why should Back-Kaisa be afraid -when she was with <i>her?</i> It was nice of her, though, not to get down -and go home; but it would have been nicer if she had felt too happy to -be scared. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_104"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-21">[21]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_104_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_104_toc"><span class="large">IV</span><br /> -<br /> -IN THE CABIN ON THE “UDDEHOLM”</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> Mårbacka folk, though still on their journey, no longer sat in fear -and trembling in the jolting carriage. Now they were on board a fine -steamer called the <i>Uddeholm.</i> -</p> -<p> -They had spent the day in Karlstad, shopping and visiting with -relatives. Toward evening they left the city and stood waiting a good -while on the long pier that shoots far out into big Lake Vänern. No -shore being visible in one direction, Back-Kaisa had at once become -alarmed; she thought that <i>over there</i> must be the edge of the world. -Wonderful to behold—for her as for the others—was the pretty steamer -as she emerged from that “shoreless place” and came gliding toward the -pier to take them on board. -</p> -<p> -When Back-Kaisa saw how her master and mistress, Mamselle Lovisa, -Johan, and Anna all went up the gangplank without the least hesitancy, -she of course followed, albeit reluctantly. She probably thought -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had conscience enough not to expose his little ones -deliberately to the peril of death. But what would become of them once -they reached the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-22">[22]</a></span> world’s end? That was something beyond her ken. She -would have liked to remain on deck to see whether the water went down a -chasm, or wherever it went. But when dusk began to settle, the Mårbacka -women and children were requested to go below-decks. They were -conducted into something called a cabin, the smallest room they had -ever seen, where they arranged themselves for the night. -</p> -<p> -On a narrow sofa that took up the whole side of one wall, Fru Lagerlöf -lay without undressing. Opposite, on a similar sofa, was Mamselle -Lovisa. Over Fru Lagerlöf, on a sort of shelf, Johan was stowed, and -Anna occupied another shelf above Mamselle Lovisa’s sofa. On the floor, -between the two sofas, with some blankets under them, lay Back-Kaisa -and Selma. Thus, every bit of space was occupied; there was not the -least little corner where one might stand or sit. -</p> -<p> -The lights were extinguished, the good-nights said, and everyone -settled down to sleep. For a time it was dead still in the cabin. Then, -all at once, the floor began to go up and down in the strangest way! -The little girl rolled like a ball, first over toward Fru Lagerlöf’s -sofa, then back toward the nurse. It was great fun; only she could not -understand why the floor did not hold still. Presently she heard her -mother and her aunt whisper to each other. -</p> -<p> -“I must have eaten too much of that rich salmon at the Sjöstedts’,” -said her mother. -</p> -<p> -“I thought at the time it was not very sensible food<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-23">[23]</a></span> they set before -us,” Aunt Lovisa remarked. “And they knew we were to be out on Vänern.” -</p> -<p> -“No, Vänern isn’t pleasant!” sighed Fru Lagerlöf. -</p> -<p> -Then Back-Kaisa, too, began to whisper. -</p> -<p> -“Say, <i>Frua</i>, are we there yet?—there where the sea stops, and the -water rushes down the bottomless pit?” -</p> -<p> -“My dear girl, there’ll be no stop to the sea to-night!” said Fru -Lagerlöf, who did not know what Back-Kaisa was talking about. -</p> -<p> -Again there was silence for a space, but not stillness. The floor -rocked on and the little girl continued her delightful rolling. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf struck a match and lit the lantern. -</p> -<p> -“I must see whether the children are able to hold themselves on their -shelves,” she said. -</p> -<p> -“Lord be praised for the light!” said Mamselle Lovisa. “Anyhow, there’s -no chance of our getting a wink of sleep to-night.” -</p> -<p> -“Oh, Frua! Oh, Mamselle Lovisa! don’t you feel that we’re going down -and down?” Back-Kaisa wailed. “Oh, how’ll we ever get out of this deep? -How’ll we ever get back home?” -</p> -<p> -“Now, whatever does she mean?” queried Mamselle Lovisa. -</p> -<p> -“She says that we have reached the last extremity,” Fru Lagerlöf -interpreted—no more comprehending than the other. -</p> -<p> -The little girl had a faint suspicion that they were<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-24">[24]</a></span> uneasy. As for -herself, she was exceedingly comfortable, lying as it were in a big -rocking-swing. -</p> -<p> -The door-handle turned, the red hanging was swept to one side, and in -the doorway stood Lieutenant Lagerlöf, chuckling. -</p> -<p> -“How is it, Gustaf?” asked Fru Lagerlöf anxiously. “Will it be a gale, -do you think?” -</p> -<p> -“So you’re awake, all of you,” said the Lieutenant. “Ay, it has blown -up a bit,” he conceded in a reassuring tone. “The Captain thought I’d -better come down and tell you it will be no worse than it is.” -</p> -<p> -“What are you up to now?” Mamselle Lovisa asked him. “Aren’t you going -to bed?” -</p> -<p> -“Where do you think I should sleep, Sister dear?” And there was -something so screamingly funny about him as he stood in the doorway -(further he could not come), looking up and down as if in search of a -sleeping place—it set them all laughing. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle -Lovisa, who had been lying there fearful and a little seasick, now sat -up in their bunks to have their laugh out. Johan and Anna laughed so -hard they nearly shook themselves off their “shelves.” Back-Kaisa -forgot for the moment that she would soon be at that dreadful place -where the lake ends, and laughed, too, and the little girl by her side -was fairly choking with laughter. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, who seldom laughed aloud, looked highly pleased. -</p> -<p> -“All’s right with you, I see,” he said. “So now I’ll<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-25">[25]</a></span> go up again and -chin with the captain.” Whereupon he bade them a cheery good-night, and -went his way. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -In the cabin the feeling of uneasiness and the qualms of seasickness -returned. Fru Lagerlöf again made futile attempts to quiet Back-Kaisa, -who went on moaning and wailing that they were getting nearer and -nearer that bottomless pit. The little girl by her side must have -fallen asleep, for she remembered no more of that night’s experiences. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_105"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-26">[26]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_105_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_105_toc"><span class="large">V</span><br /> -<br /> -AT THE GOLDSMITH’S SHOP</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> most trying part of the journey was over. The travellers were -safely landed at Göteborg, where they cast away all care and set out in -the glorious summer weather to view the city. -</p> -<p> -They wandered up Östra Hamngatan. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, stick in hand, -hat pushed far back on his head, spectacles drawn far down on his nose, -was in the lead. Behind him walked Fru Lagerlöf, holding Johan by the -hand; behind her, Mamselle Lovisa, leading Anna; and last came -Back-Kaisa who carried Selma on her arm—for it would never do, she -thought, to let the little girl ride pig-back in a city. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had donned a brown coat and light straw hat. Fru -Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were attired in voluminous black silk -skirts and fine velvet bodices, with white inserts and wrist-ruffles, -over which they wore large cashmere shawls—folded tricornerwise—that -almost concealed their dresses; and they had on Panama hats with broad, -floppy brims. Johan was in black velvet breeches and smock, and Anna -was dressed in a stiffly starched blue polka-dot print worn over a -crinoline; and she had both<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-27">[27]</a></span> hat and parasol. Selma had on a dress -exactly like Anna’s, only she was wearing a sunbonnet instead of a hat, -and had neither parasol nor crinoline. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant suddenly halted, turned, and looked back at his line of -women and children. He nodded and smiled. It was plain he liked having -them with him. -</p> -<p> -“Here none of us has ever been before,” he said, “so now we’ll look -about.” -</p> -<p> -They sauntered on up the street, now looking at the buildings, now at -the canals and little bridges, at passing vehicles and promenaders, at -signs and lamp-posts; but most of all, of course, they peered into shop -windows. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant did not hurry them, he wanted them to see and enjoy as -much as their eyes could take in. -</p> -<p> -“Nobody here knows us, so gaze as long as you like,” said he. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa stopped before a milliner’s window, where a hat trimmed -with white swansdown and pink rosebuds had caught her eye. There she -stood, with Anna by the hand, as if rooted to the spot. And of course -Lieutenant and Fru Lagerlöf, Johan, Back-Kaisa, and Selma were also -obliged to stop before the swansdown hat. But Mamselle Lovisa was not -thinking of them; she stood as in a trance. It tickled the Lieutenant -to see her so carried away, though after a long, vain wait for her to -“come back,” so to speak, he lost patience. -</p> -<p> -“You’re not thinking of copying that hat, Lovisa?”<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-28">[28]</a></span> he said. “Why, -that’s more suitable for a girl of seventeen.” -</p> -<p> -“It may be a pleasure perhaps for one who is not so young to look at -pretty things,” retorted Mamselle Lovisa, who, though past her first -youth, was still comely and rather elegant in her attire. -</p> -<p> -When they were well away from the swansdown hat they came to a -goldsmith’s shop. Now it was the Lieutenant who stopped first. As he -stood feasting his eyes on the trays of sparkling rings and bracelets, -shining silver spoons and goblets, and much else displayed in the -window, he ejaculated innocent oaths of delight. -</p> -<p> -“Here we’ll go in!” he said abruptly. -</p> -<p> -“But, Gustaf!” Fru Lagerlöf protested, “we can’t be buying such things -now.” -</p> -<p> -She laid a restraining hand on his arm, for he had already opened the -big plate-glass door of the shop and was stepping in. There was nothing -for the others to do but follow. By the time they were all inside he -was over at the counter talking to a young clerk. -</p> -<p> -“No, thank you, I don’t wish to buy anything,” he said. “But, seeing so -many choice things in the window, I thought I’d just step in and ask if -I might also have a peep at the fine wares you have in the shop.” -</p> -<p> -The clerk looked a bit uneasy, and seemed at a loss what to reply. Fru -Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa now stood with their hands on the -Lieutenant’s shoulders, trying to drag him away. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-29">[29]</a></span> -The goldsmith himself presently emerged from an inner room. He had -evidently heard them come in, and probably thought he would do a brisk -trade. Placing himself beside the clerk, he put the flat of his hands -on the counter and inquired invitingly what was desired. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf repeated in substance what he had said to the -clerk—that he would very much like to see the beautiful wares in the -place though he could not afford to purchase any. -</p> -<p> -The goldsmith cocked his head and looked at the Lieutenant out of the -corner of his eye. -</p> -<p> -“The gentleman, I take it, is a Värmlander?” he said. -</p> -<p> -“Hell, yes, of course I’m a Värmlander!” the Lieutenant wagged back. -“What the deuce else should I be?” -</p> -<p> -Then everybody roared. The clerks all crowded round the Lieutenant, and -from the inner rooms came a finely dressed woman—the wife of the -goldsmith—who wanted to know what the fun was about. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were so mortified they could have -wished themselves back in the jolting carriage on the Karlstad road, or -the rocking boat on stormy Vänern—anywhere but in that fine shop! -</p> -<p> -“Come now, Gustaf,” they urged, “for pity’s sake let us get out of -here!” -</p> -<p> -“No, no, please don’t go!” begged the goldsmith in his most persuasive -tone. “We should be so happy to show you what we carry here.” -</p> -<p> -He gave orders to the clerks, who ran up ladders and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-30">[30]</a></span> brought down -everything from the shelves, opened cabinets, and took out all their -contents, so that the long counter was literally covered with gold and -silverware. The shop-keeper and his wife took up each article and -showed it to the strangers, explaining its workmanship and what it was -for. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf drew off his spectacles and polished the lenses -with his silk handkerchief, the better to see. He picked up heavy -silver tankards and examined their ornamentations, admiring and -praising them. -</p> -<p> -“I say, Lovisa, this is worse than at the Deanery in Sunne!” he -remarked to his sister. -</p> -<p> -Another time he held a large silver salver before the eyes of -Back-Kaisa. “The Giant of Åsbergen doesn’t dine off finer plate—eh, -Kaisa?” he said. -</p> -<p> -The clerks sniggered and joked among themselves, having fun at his -expense. The goldsmith and his wife were also enjoying themselves, but -in a different way. They were friendly, and liked the Lieutenant. It -was not long before they knew who he was, and whom he had with him; -that he was on his way to Strömstad to seek a cure for a child who had -some hip trouble and could not walk. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa, seeing that all went well, composed -themselves and began to look at and delight in the display. Fru -Lagerlöf was pleased to find an old design in silver spoons, such as -they once had in her parental home, and Mamselle Lovisa became<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-31">[31]</a></span> quite -as enraptured with a sugar bowl as she had been shortly before with the -swansdown hat. -</p> -<p> -When they had finally seen enough and were saying good-bye, it seemed -almost as if they were parting from old friends. The goldsmith, his -wife, and all the clerks followed them out into the street. Passers-by -must have thought they had made purchases amounting to thousands of -kronor. -</p> -<p> -“I really must apologize,” said Lieutenant Lagerlöf, putting out his -hand in a final farewell. -</p> -<p> -“Don’t think of it, Lieutenant!” answered the goldsmith. -</p> -<p> -“But we have put you to so much trouble,” Fru Lagerlöf interpolated in -a deprecating tone. -</p> -<p> -“We have had a most enjoyable hour,” the goldsmith assured her, “so -don’t be uneasy about us! One has to do something for one’s own -pleasure, now and then, though one does stand in a shop.” -</p> -<p> -As the Lieutenant continued his stroll up Östra Hamngatan his hat was -pushed farther back on his head than usual. He flourished his cane as -he stepped along, proud of his adventure. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf said in a low voice to Mamselle Lovisa: “I can’t tell you -how anxious I was; I thought we would surely be thrown out.” -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“It would never have done for any one but Gustaf,” replied Mamselle -Lovisa, “but no one can resist him.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_106"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-32">[32]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_106_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_106_toc"><span class="large">VI</span><br /> -<br /> -GRAY ISLAND</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -N<small>OW</small> the Mårbacka folk had no anxiety in providing for the table; they -had only to run out to the market and purchase whatever was needed. -They were not worrying about the cows not having good pasturage, nor -the oats not coming up; they lived amid barren cliffs and water, and -had forgotten there were such things in the world as fields and -meadows. Nor did they have to stand in a hot kitchen preparing fancy -dishes for far-come guests, nor worry their heads out of joint -wondering where they’d find sleeping-room and bedding enough for all. -If the animals sickened or the housekeeper and the maids fell to -quarrelling, they were blissfully unaware of it. They had freedom and -leisure for healthful amusements, with no cares or annoyances of any -sort. -</p> -<p> -Never had they led such an easy, comfortable life. Fru Lagerlöf, who -had come to Strömstad rather thin and worn, took on flesh and colour. -She soon looked and felt ten years younger. Mamselle Lovisa, who was -quite stout and logy, and so diffident she could hardly open her mouth -when among strangers, lost weight, grew better looking, and more -sociable. Johan and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-33">[33]</a></span> Anna made many friends among the little Strömstad -children. Johan was quite wild about crabbing, and Anna had become so -attached to two little girls, daughters of the confectioner, who were -continually treating her to sweets, they both declared they never -wanted to go home again. -</p> -<p> -As for the little sick girl, there had been no marked improvement; she -was apparently no better or stronger. But that did not seem to trouble -her. She had got her wish: Back-Kaisa and she were again inseparable -friends; she could order her about and was being petted and spoiled by -her just as in the first days of her illness. -</p> -<p> -But the one who had the best time was Lieutenant Lagerlöf. The first -week or so he must have got many a sharp look and curt reply when he -spoke to every person he met, as was his wont when walking along the -road at home. But he was not daunted. It was a point of honour with him -to be on friendly terms with people. Nor could the Strömstaders resist -him in the long run. A smile lighted up the solemn faces of the pious -women of the Schartuan sect when they passed him in the street. He had -been in their cottages and drunk coffee with them, had asked after -their husbands, and had praised their children. A gang of small boys -tagged after him in the street, for they had discovered that he always -had a pocketful of coppers. With the fishermen he was on so solid a -footing that one after another asked him to go out mackerel fishing. -All the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-34">[34]</a></span> old retired sea captains, who went about at home bored and -longing to be out at sea, treated him to grog on their little verandas, -and told him of their adventures and perils in the days when they -knocked about the world. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf liked the people, and wanted to know how they lived -their lives in their part of the country. He was no respecter of -persons, but spoke to all, high and low, and he never lacked for topics -of conversation. Good-humoured, kindly man that he was, it was not -strange the Strömstaders liked him. And it cannot be said that he did -not know his power. -</p> -<p> -Fortune favoured the Mårbacka folk in every way on this sojourn. For -one thing, they found dear old friends from Värmland, in whose company -they spent many pleasant hours. They were a Professor Tobiaeson of -Filipstad, his wife and two sisters, and Professor Lundström, a -bachelor—all of their own social circle. -</p> -<p> -Together, they made up a boating party and went sailing nearly every -day. These outings were the delight of the children, for the -Lieutenant, in his inimitable way, would then tell of his interesting -encounters with the Strömstad folk. Besides, they always had a couple -of large, well-stocked hampers in the boat, so that when they grew -tired of sailing they could go ashore on one of the little rock islands -and have a picnic spread. Then the children would run about and gather -sea-shells—something they had never seen before. They wondered<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-35">[35]</a></span> at -their being allowed to take as many as they wished of these rare -treasures, and they loved them as they loved the flowers and the -berries of the field. -</p> -<p> -They were now out on one of their cruises. The weather was fine with -just enough wind; the picnic baskets were full of goodies, and the -Lieutenant was loaded with anecdotes. Everyone was looking forward to a -pleasant evening. -</p> -<p> -Then, unhappily, some one remarked that they had not yet visited the -island just outside Strömstad known as Gray Island. So they immediately -decided to lay-to at the island on the return sail, and have their -little supper there. -</p> -<p> -It seems that some hundred years back there lived on Gray Island an -infamous old troll named Tita Gray, who was said to be more powerful -than the Old Nick himself. When she was alive no human being was -allowed to set foot on the island. Those who ventured met with instant -mishap—broke an arm or a leg or slipped on the slimy rocks, and fell -into the sea. -</p> -<p> -Since Tita Gray had long been dead and gone, it must be quite safe to -visit the island, they thought. All the same the skipper warned them. -He told how he and a couple of fellows were walking across the island -one day in the spring, when suddenly one of them went down a cleft and -fractured his leg. -</p> -<p> -That made the island all the more alluring to the party; they could -hardly wait to set foot on it. Presently the boat turned toward the -island and slipped in<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-36">[36]</a></span> under the towering cliff wall. The skipper -looked for a suitable mooring place. -</p> -<p> -Just then little Anna pulled at her mother’s arm, and said: “Mamma, -Selma is crying.” -</p> -<p> -True, the child sat weeping. She had not been at all afraid during the -sail—not till that moment. She, like the others, had thought it would -be great fun to go ashore on Gray Island; but now that they were right -under the rocky cliff, it looked so dark and menacing. -</p> -<p> -They all asked her why she was crying, but she would not say. She could -not tell them she was afraid of a rock. However, she escaped further -questioning, for the skipper had at last found a landing-place, and -they had something else to think of. -</p> -<p> -The instant the boat struck, Professor Lundström seized the painter and -jumped ashore. Then, as if an invisible hand had dealt him a blow in -the chest, he staggered backwards and slipped off the ledge into the -sea. -</p> -<p> -There was great consternation, and cries of alarm went up, but there -was no long agony of suspense. With the swiftness of a gull after a -fish, the skipper reached over the side of the boat, nabbed the long -professor by the coat-collar and drew him up, dripping wet, of course, -but quite unhurt. -</p> -<p> -Naturally, they were all very much shaken by the ghastly sight of a man -going down into the perilous deep, and though, luckily, nothing serious -had happened, they could not throw off their depression. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-37">[37]</a></span> -Professor Lundström then suggested that the whole party go ashore, and -let him take the boat so that he might go back to Strömstad and change -his clothes. As it was only a short sail, the boat could return for -them whenever they wished. -</p> -<p> -But they had had enough of Gray Island. No one felt the least desire to -step ashore and climb the threatening cliff. -</p> -<p> -As they sailed back to Strömstad they must have wondered if after all -there was not some truth in the old myth about the island. In any case, -it was a strange coincidence that the mishap should have occurred just -there. They had been to most of the other little islands of the -Strömstad skerries, and all had gone well. -</p> -<p> -“I thought it almost uncanny when the child began to cry,” said one of -the sisters Tobiaeson. “I knew then that something would happen.” -</p> -<p> -“Now what does Lieutenant Lagerlöf think about it?” queried the other -sister. -</p> -<p> -“What do I think? Well,” he replied, “I say it couldn’t have turned out -differently when we sent a school-priest like him ashore. He was no man -for Tita Gray.” -</p> -<p> -“Do you mean, Lieutenant, that if we had sent another—yourself -perhaps—we would have had a better reception?” -</p> -<p> -“Gad, yes!” exploded the Lieutenant. -</p> -<p> -Lord, how they laughed! The pall of gloom lifted in<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-38">[38]</a></span> a twinkling, as -they pictured the meeting between Lieutenant Lagerlöf and Tita Gray. -</p> -<p> -Aye, aye, he knew right enough that he could have managed her. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Lord, how they laughed! -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_107"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-39">[39]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_107_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_107_toc"><span class="large">VII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE BIRD OF PARADISE</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HEY</small> had taken for the summer a cosy little cottage at the end of -Karlagatan, where they were so happy and content that Lieutenant -Lagerlöf and the children named the place Little Mårbacka, which was -assuredly the highest title of distinction they could bestow on a house -in a strange city. -</p> -<p> -The little house fronted a bit of a garden enclosed by a picket-fence, -and under the spreading trees they had their breakfasts and suppers. At -the back of the house were a couple of potato patches, beyond which, -over against a high cliff, stood a tiny hut not much larger than the -cabin on the <i>Uddeholm.</i> -</p> -<p> -In that hut lived their hostess, Fru Strömberg, who was the wife of a -sea captain. During the winter months she occupied the cottage herself, -but summers she always let it to visitors. She now sat in her tiny -cabin from morn till night, surrounded by blooming oleanders and tables -and shelves laden with curios her husband had brought from foreign -parts. -</p> -<p> -When Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa were having coffee with their -friends and the Lieutenant had gone<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-40">[40]</a></span> mackerel-fishing, and when Anna -had gone over to the candy man’s daughters’ and Johan to his crabs, -Back-Kaisa and Selma would repair to Fru Strömberg’s cabin. -</p> -<p> -Fru Strömberg was their special friend, and to sit with her under the -oleanders was as restful as sitting with Grandmother on the corner sofa -at Mårbacka. She could not tell stories, but she had many wonderful -things to show them: big sea-shells that were full of sound and -murmured when you put them to your ear; porcelain men from China with -long pig-tails and long moustaches; and she had besides two very big -shells, one a cocoanut, the other an ostrich egg. -</p> -<p> -Back-Kaisa and Fru Strömberg talked mostly of serious and religious -things, which the child did not understand; but sometimes they touched -on lighter subjects. -</p> -<p> -Fru Strömberg spoke of her husband and his voyages. He had a fine big -ship called the <i>Jacob</i>, and just now he was on a voyage to St. Ypes, -Portugal, to take on a cargo of salt. Back-Kaisa wondered how Fru -Strömberg could have any peace of mind, knowing that her husband was -drifting about on the perilous seas; Fru Strömberg replied that there -was One who protected him, and therefore she felt that he was as safe -on board his ship as when at home in the streets of Strömstad. -</p> -<p> -The kindly Fru Strömberg then turned to the little girl and said she -hoped the captain would soon be at home, for there was something on the -<i>Jacob</i> she thought<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-41">[41]</a></span> Selma might like to see. They had a bird of -paradise there. -</p> -<p> -“What is that?” asked the child, all interest now. -</p> -<p> -“It is a bird from Paradise,” Fru Strömberg told her. -</p> -<p> -“Selma has heard her grandmother talk about Paradise,” Back-Kaisa put -in. -</p> -<p> -Yes, of course. She remembered that Granny had told her about Paradise, -and that she (Selma) had pictured it as a place that looked like the -little rose-garden on the west side of the house at Mårbacka. At the -same time it was clear to her that Paradise had something to do with -God. And now she somehow got the impression that the one who guarded -Fru Strömberg’s husband so that he was as safe at sea as on land was -the bird of paradise. -</p> -<p> -She wanted so much to meet that bird. It might be able to help her. -Everyone felt so sorry for her mamma and papa because she was not -getting well. And to think that they had made this expensive trip only -on her account. -</p> -<p> -She would have liked to ask Back-Kaisa and Fru Strömberg whether they -thought the bird of paradise would do something for her, but she was -too shy. They might laugh at her, she feared. But she did not forget -what Fru Strömberg had told her. Every day she wished the <i>Jacob</i> would -come, so that the bird of paradise could fly ashore. -</p> -<p> -Then one day she heard, to her great joy, that the <i>Jacob</i> had arrived. -But she did not speak of this to<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-42">[42]</a></span> any one. To her there was something -very sacred and mysterious about it all. Remembering how solemn her -grandmother had been when telling about Adam and Eve, she did not want -to tell Johan and Anna that on the <i>Jacob</i> there was a bird from -Paradise which she was going to ask to cure her leg. No, she would not -speak of it even to Back-Kaisa. -</p> -<p> -Now every time she went to see Fru Strömberg she expected to find the -bird sitting warbling in one of her oleanders. But he did not appear. -How strange! she thought. One day she asked Back-Kaisa about it, and -was told the bird was on the ship. “But you’ll soon see it,” said -Back-Kaisa, “for to-morrow we’re all going on board the <i>Jacob.</i>” -</p> -<p> -It seems that Captain Strömberg had hardly been home a day before he -and Lieutenant Lagerlöf were bosom friends. The Lieutenant had already -been out on the <i>Jacob</i> several times, and liked it so well that -nothing would do but the whole family must see what a fine ship she -was. -</p> -<p> -When they set out none of them had any real notion as to what boarding -the <i>Jacob</i> meant. The little girl thought the ship would be lying -alongside the quay like the big steamers. But indeed she lay in the -offing. They had to get into a little boat and row out. It was strange -to see that the nearer they got to the ship the larger she grew, till -at last she loomed high as a mountain. To those in the rowboat it -looked quite impossible to clamber up <i>there.</i> -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-43">[43]</a></span> -Mamselle Lovisa said straight out that if it was to that high boat they -were rowing she could not go aboard. -</p> -<p> -“Wait a bit, Lovisa,” said the Lieutenant, “and you’ll see it’s easier -than you imagine.” -</p> -<p> -Then Mamselle Lovisa declared she would as soon think of climbing the -flagpole at Laholmen. She thought they had better turn back at once. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf and Back-Kaisa agreed with her, and were for going home. -But Lieutenant Lagerlöf stuck to his point. There was no fear but -they’d get aboard all right, he said. This was perhaps their one chance -of a lifetime to see how it looked on a merchant vessel; and they ought -not to miss such an opportunity. -</p> -<p> -“But once we’re up we’ll never be able to get down again,” argued -Mamselle Lovisa. -</p> -<p> -They met a boat laden with sacks. -</p> -<p> -“See that boat, Lovisa?” the Lieutenant said. “Do you know what’s in -those sacks?” -</p> -<p> -“My dear Gustaf,” returned Mamselle Lovisa wearily, “how should I -know?” -</p> -<p> -“Well, they’re sacks of salt from the <i>Jacob</i>,” the Lieutenant informed -her. “They have neither arms nor legs, yet they’ve come off the ship; -so surely you should be able to do it.” -</p> -<p> -“You ought to dress up once in crinoline and long skirts,” snapped -Mamselle Lovisa, “then perhaps you’d not be so brave.” -</p> -<p> -They went on like that the whole way out to the ship. The little girl -who so longed to meet the bird of paradise<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-44">[44]</a></span> wished with all her heart -that her father might induce her aunt and the others to go on board; -though she, too, thought they could never in the world get up there. -</p> -<p> -All the same they presently lay-to under a swaying rope-ladder. A -couple of sailors jumped into the boat to help them with the climb. The -first to be taken was the little sick girl. One of the sailors boosted -her to his comrade, who bore her up the ladder and put her down on the -deck; here he left her to go and help the others. -</p> -<p> -She found herself standing quite alone on a narrow strip of deck. -Before her opened a great yawning hole, at the bottom of which -something white was being put into sacks. She stood there a long while. -Some of the folks down in the boat must have raised objections to -climbing the ladder, since no one appeared. When the little girl had -got her bearings, she glanced about for the bird of paradise. She -looked up at the rigging and tackle. She had pictured the bird as being -at least as large as a turkey, and easy for the eye to find. -</p> -<p> -Seeing no sign of it, she turned to the Captain’s cabin-boy, who had -just come up, and asked him where the bird of paradise was. -</p> -<p> -“Come along,” he said, “and you shall see him.” He gave her a hand lest -she might fall down the hole; then walking backwards, he led her down -the companionway into the Captain’s cabin—a fine room, with polished -mahogany walls and mahogany furniture. -</p> -<p> -In there, sure enough, was the bird of paradise! -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-45">[45]</a></span> -The bird was even more beautiful than her imagination had pictured it. -It was not alive, yet it stood in the middle of the table—whole and -perfect in all its gorgeous plumage. -</p> -<p> -The little girl climbed up on to a chair and from there to the table. -Then she sat down beside the bird and regarded its beauty. The -cabin-boy, who stood by, showed her its long, light, drooping feathers. -</p> -<p> -“Look!” he said. “You can see he’s from Paradise, for he hasn’t any -feet.”<a href="#ftnttxt107-1" id="ftntanc107-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a> -</p> -<p> -Now that seemed to fit in very well with her own concept of Paradise: a -place where one did not have to walk but moved about on wings. She -gazed at the bird in adoration, her hands folded as in prayer. She -wondered if the cabin-boy knew it was the bird that protected Captain -Strömberg, but dared not ask him. -</p> -<p> -The child could have sat there all day lost in wonder; but her reverie -was suddenly interrupted by loud shouts from the deck. It sounded as if -someone were calling, “Selma! Selma!” -</p> -<p> -Immediately afterwards, they all came rushing into the -cabin—Lieutenant Lagerlöf, Back-Kaisa, Fru Lagerlöf, Captain -Strömberg, Johan, and Anna. They were so many they quite filled the -room. -</p> -<p> -“How did you get here?” they asked as with one breath—wonder and -amazement depicted on their faces. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-46">[46]</a></span> -With that, the little girl remembered that she had walked on the deck, -had walked down the stairs and into the cabin—that no one had carried -her. -</p> -<p> -“Now come down off the table,” said one, “and let us see whether you -can walk.” -</p> -<p> -She crawled from the table to the chair, and from the chair to the -floor. Yes, she could both stand and walk. -</p> -<p> -How they rejoiced! Their hopes had not been in vain; the object of the -journey was fulfilled. The little girl was not going to grow up a -helpless cripple, but a normal human being. -</p> -<p> -The grown folk said it was the splendid baths at Strömstad that had -wrought the change. With tears of joy and gratitude, they blessed the -sea, the air, the city and all therein—glad they had come. -</p> -<p> -The little girl, meanwhile, had her own thoughts about it. She wondered -if it was not the bird of paradise that had helped her. Was it not the -little marvel with the quivering wings which had come from that land -where feet were not needed that had taught her to walk here on this -earth, where it was such a very necessary thing? -</p> -<hr class="fnote" /> -<p class="footnote"> -<a href="#ftntanc107-1" id="ftnttxt107-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a>The first birds of paradise seen in Europe were mounted -without feet.—T<small>RANSLATOR</small>. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_108"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-47">[47]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_108_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_108_toc"><span class="large">VIII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE KEEPSAKE</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HEY</small> had said good-bye to Fru Strömberg and “Little Mårbacka.” The -children had packed away their precious sea-shells and the grown-ups had -locked their trunks. They were now going aboard the steamer that was to -bear them away from Strömstad. -</p> -<p> -A lot of people had gathered at the wharf. There stood Captain -Strömberg, their boating companions, and other summer visitors whose -acquaintance they had made, and many, many more. -</p> -<p> -“All the old pilots and skippers and fishermen in town must be here,” -observed a gentleman who had cruised with the Mårbacka folk. -</p> -<p> -“Yes; and all the fishwives and female bath attendants to boot,” said -another. -</p> -<p> -“They must have come down to bid Gustaf good-bye,” Fru Lagerlöf -remarked. “He seems to know everyone.” -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had to say farewell to so many that he came near -losing the boat. They all knew he had come to Strömstad to seek a cure -for a little child that could not walk, and had taken this opportunity<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-48">[48]</a></span> -to offer their felicitations on the happy outcome. -</p> -<p> -“Ay, but it’s good, Lieutenant, to see the little gal standin’ on the -deck with the other kiddies,” said an old fisherman. -</p> -<p> -“It must have been your weakfish, Olaus, that set her up.” -</p> -<p> -“Ay, weakfish’s good eatin’,” the old man nodded. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant had already turned to a group of bath attendants. -</p> -<p> -“I give you thanks,” he said, “for you, also, had a share in the good -work.” -</p> -<p> -“You must come aboard, Gustaf,” Fru Lagerlöf shouted from the deck. -“The siren has sounded for the third time.” -</p> -<p> -At the very last moment two little girls ran up the gangplank and over -to the Lagerlöf girls. They curtsied, shook hands, wished them <i>bon -voyage</i>, slipped Anna and Selma each a parcel, then hurried ashore. -</p> -<p> -They were the daughters of the confectioner with whom Anna had played -all summer. Selma hardly knew them at all, and was quite overwhelmed by -their kindness in giving her, too, a parting gift. -</p> -<p> -Unfolding the wrapper, she found something very pretty—a strip of -bright red satin ribbon, pasted on a bit of cardboard, on which there -were some letters embroidered in black silk. -</p> -<p> -“It’s a bookmark,” Back-Kaisa said; “and that you should lay in the -prayer book.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-49">[49]</a></span> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Remembrance’ it says there,” her mother explained. “That means you -must never forget the little girl who worked it for you.” -</p> -<p> -The red satin ribbon with the black embroidered letters nestled between -the covers of her prayer book for many, many years. When on a Sunday at -church she would open the book and let her eyes rest on the bit of -ribbon, it carried her back in memory to days long gone by. -</p> -<p> -She sensed the odours of the sea and before her eyes rose a vision of -boats and sea-faring folk—hardly the sea itself, but sea-shells and -jelly-fish and crabs and star-fish and weakfish and mackerel. Then from -some obscure recess of memory emerged the little red house in -Karlagatan. She saw the bird of paradise, Fru Strömberg, the <i>Jacob</i>, -Gray Island, Östra Hamngatan, the <i>Uddeholm</i>, and the three horses that -drew the big carriage. And last, she saw the horses turn in on a large -sward, surrounded by low red buildings and enclosed by a white fence. -They stopped before a wide red house, with small windows and a little -porch, and she heard all in the carriage cry as with one voice: “Thank -God we’re home again!” -</p> -<p> -The others, she remembered, recognized the place at once as Mårbacka, -but not she. Had she been alone she would not have known what place it -was. To be sure, she remembered her home, though until then she had -never seen how it looked. -</p> -<p> -On the porch stood a little sweet-faced, slightly bent, white-haired -old lady in a striped skirt and black<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-50">[50]</a></span> jacket. That was her grandmother. -Her she remembered quite well, though she had never before noticed her -appearance. -</p> -<p> -It was the same with her brother Daniel and the baby, the housekeeper -and Othello the spaniel—they were all quite new to her. True, she -remembered them in a way; but this was the first time she had actually -seen them. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, sitting in the little church, her head bowed over the prayer -book, she knew that on that Strömstad visit she had not only learned to -walk but to see. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -It was thanks to that journey that she remembered her nearest and -dearest as they were in their prime, when life was a joy to them. But -for that, everything relating to those times would have faded out of -mind. But with the help of the little red ribbon they lived on. “Let -not forgetfulness grow over all this,” the ribbon said to her. -“Remember your parents, who gave themselves no rest till they had found -a cure for you. Remember Back-Kaisa, her great love and patience, how -she braved the terrors of land and sea for your sake.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_200"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-51">[51]</a></span> -</p> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_200_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_200_toc">THE OLD HOUSEKEEPER’S TALES</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_201"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-53">[53]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_201_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_201_toc"><span class="large">I</span><br /> -<br /> -GRANDMOTHER</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> year after the Strömstad visit the little Mårbacka children had a -great sorrow. They lost their dear grandmother. -</p> -<p> -Almost up to the very last they had sat with her on the corner sofa in -the bedroom and listened to her stories and songs. They could not -remember a time when their grandmother had not sung and narrated to -them. It had been a glorious life. Never were children so favoured. -</p> -<p> -Where their grandmother had learned her stories and ballads they did -not know, but she herself believed every word of them. When she had -told something very wonderful, she would look deep into the eyes of the -little children and say, with the utmost conviction: “All this is as -true as that I see you and you see me.” -</p> -<p> -One morning when the children came down to breakfast they were not -allowed to go into the kitchen-bedroom as usual to say good-morning to -grandmother, because she was ill. All that day the corner sofa stood -empty and it seemed as if the long storyless hours would never end. -</p> -<p> -A few days later the children were told their grandmother<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-54">[54]</a></span> was dead, and -when she lay shrouded they were brought in to kiss her hand. But they -were afraid. Then some one said it was the last time they might thank -Grandmother for all the pleasure she had given them. And then came the -day when the stories and songs were borne away, shut up in a long black -box, never to come again. -</p> -<p> -It was a sad loss to the little ones. It seemed as if the door to a -beautiful, enchanted world, where they had freely passed in and out, -had been closed. Now there was no one who knew how to open that door. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -But after a while they learned to play with dolls and toys like other -children, and then it may have appeared as if they no longer missed -their grandmother or remembered her. But indeed she lived on in their -hearts. They never tired of listening to the stories of her the old -housekeeper told; they prized them as treasures they wanted to keep -always. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_202"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-55">[55]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_202_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_202_toc"><span class="large">II</span><br /> -<br /> -THE GHOST OF VILARSTENSBACKEN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> old housekeeper used to say it could not have been so very long ago -that Mårbacka was first laid under the plow and became a regular -homestead. In the old mistress’s youth it was still within man’s memory -that the place had been a summer <i>säter</i> belonging to one of the old -peasant farms to the west of the dale, nearer the Fryken. -</p> -<p> -But when in the world it was that the first herd of cattle grazed there -and the first cattle-sheds were built, who could say? Herdsmen can hold -to a place for thousands of years without leaving a trace after them. -And indeed there was not much here at Mårbacka that had come down from -their time. -</p> -<p> -The name Mårbacka, the old mistress believed, one of the herdsmen had -given to the hilly moors below Åsberget, where they drove their horses -and cattle to grass. She also thought they and their animals had beaten -the roads. -</p> -<p> -That the herdsmen had broken the south road, along Åsberget, was clear, -because from that direction they would have had to come with their -cattle. The steep road to the east, which went straight down the -mountain,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-56">[56]</a></span> was probably their work. By that they must have gone when -they wished to visit <i>säter</i> folk on the other side of the mountain. -The wretched road running northwest, toward Sunne, must once have been -an old goat-path, and westward they could hardly have had any passage -at all. To the west lay swampy bottomlands, through which ran a -tortuous river. When the shepherdess stood upon the flat stone outside -her <i>säter</i> cabin, she could see her home-farm on the other side of the -dale; but to get there, she had to go a long way round, to north or -southward. -</p> -<p> -The herdsmen must have wandered up from the south mostly, for -Vilarsten, or Resting-stone, where they were wont to rest after their -long tramp, still lay at the roadside, just south of the farm. But -there was something about that road that made people afraid to venture -out on it after dark. -</p> -<p> -At the time that Mårbacka was a summer <i>säter</i> there lived in the -parish of Sunne a priest who was so harsh and exacting that a man who -had been a servant in his home a few months went and hanged himself. -The priest, when he learned what had happened, without stopping to -think, cut the body down and carried it out into the yard. Then, -because he had touched a suicide, and for no other reason, he was -regarded as polluted and disgraced. The people of Sunne would not allow -him to set foot in the church, which remained closed until another -clergyman was called. -</p> -<p> -The Sunne priest used also to officiate at Ämtervik,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-57">[57]</a></span> where they had -a church and a little parish house but no resident clergyman. He -probably thought that in an out-of-the-way place like Ämtervik no one -would know of his being “unclean”; there, surely, he might celebrate -the Mass, as usual. So he rode down to Ämtervik. But the evil report -was there before him. As he stood at the altar intoning the Mass, -murmurs ran through the congregation; the people thought him unworthy -to stand in the House of God. Nor did it end there. The Ämtervik -peasants felt that he had shown them great disrespect. They were as -good men as the Sunne folk, they said, and would not have a priest -others had repudiated. -</p> -<p> -A few among the younger peasants got together and planned to give him -something to remember. But knowing it was dangerous to lay violent -hands on a priest, they decided to wait till he set out for home. He -rode alone, and there were many lonely spots along the bridle-paths -between Ämtervik and Sunne where the men could lie in wait for him. -</p> -<p> -The priest must have sensed danger, for instead of taking the usual -road to Sunne to the west of the dale, he took the <i>säter</i> paths to -eastward past Mårbacka—thinking to find his way home. -</p> -<p> -The men, ambushed at the roadside, seeing no sign of the priest, knew -of course that he had eluded them, and thought they would have to go -home without carrying out their purpose. But it happened that one of -the men was a brother to the servant who had<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-58">[58]</a></span> taken his own life on -account of the priest and he was not going to let him escape so easily. -He seized a long stackpole which had been left standing in the field -since haying time, and set off toward the marshes; the others -did likewise—running and leaping across the bogs. Just below -Mårbacka-säter they touched firm ground; then, hurrying southward to -intercept the priest, they came upon him in the road near the -Resting-stone. -</p> -<p> -It may have been their intention merely to give him a sound thrashing; -but, unluckily, there was the man who had a brother to avenge. He had a -sword concealed under his cloak, and when the others had pulled the -priest off the horse and thrown him to the ground, the man drew his -sword and cut off the priest’s head. -</p> -<p> -The moment the deed was done they were filled with terror of discovery, -and thought only of escape. They let the horse run loose and left the -corpse lying at the roadside, to make it appear that the murder had -been committed by wild robbers. Running for home by the way they had -come, over the bogs, they hoped no one had seen them. They had not been -on any passable road, and their venturing across the marshes would not -have aroused suspicion. -</p> -<p> -Things went better than they expected. Inasmuch as the priest had been -at odds with his parishioners, there was no eager search for him. When -at last his body was found the crime was attributed to robbers and -outlaws. Even in death he was regarded as unclean.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-59">[59]</a></span> No one would -touch the body. Since the people deemed him unfit to rest in -consecrated ground, they let him lie where he was, merely covering him -with sod, over which they built a cairn of large stones to prevent wild -beasts digging him out. -</p> -<p> -But the priest could not find rest in the grave thus prepared for him. -On moonlight nights he would appear in the road near the Resting-stone -in his long cassock, holding his head between his hands. Horses saw him -plainer than humans did, and would shy and rear so that riders were -frequently obliged to make a long detour through the wild forest. -</p> -<p> -So long as there were only cowherds and shepherds at Mårbacka, these -ghostly appearances meant very little. It was quite another matter when -Mårbacka became a regular farmstead. How to lay the ghost none knew, -and year after year folk had to take care not to be out on the road -near the Resting-stone along about midnight. -</p> -<p> -The old mistress, however, had assured the housekeeper that nowadays -none need fear the headless priest. A housewife at Mårbacka—a -strong-minded, determined woman, who knew a little more than the common -run of folk—had laid the ghost. -</p> -<p> -That farm mistress happened to be out riding late one evening along -Vilarstensbacken when—just as she expected—the ghost appeared in the -road near the cairn, and made as if to bar her way. -</p> -<p> -The woman was neither awed nor frightened and her<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-60">[60]</a></span> horse was as calm -and fearless as herself. She rode right up to the “spook,” and began to -admonish it. -</p> -<p> -“Why can’t you stay where you belong!” she said. “You know well enough -that no better grave awaits you. So don’t imagine you will be allowed -to lie in churchyard mould—you who were so corrupt when you died.” -</p> -<p> -This was spoken with firm conviction, for she knew, of course, that he -had been a hard man, and really considered him unworthy a decent -burial. -</p> -<p> -“You have no cause to rise out of your grave and demand vengeance,” she -went on, “for you only got what you deserved.” -</p> -<p> -When she said this, the ghost seemed to grow darker and more distinct; -it looked as if ready to fall upon her. Quite undaunted, she addressed -it again, determined to put an end to that nuisance. -</p> -<p> -“If you will lie still in your grave I promise you that my eldest son -shall take up your calling, and become a priest. He is a good lad and I -know that he will be one of those servants of our Lord who turn -people’s hearts toward God, and not away from Him.” -</p> -<p> -She had barely uttered the first words, when the ghost began to fade in -the moonlight till there was nothing left of it but a faint outline; -and before she had finished speaking, even that had vanished. -</p> -<p> -The Ghost of Vilarstensbacken never appeared again. -</p> -<p> -That torment luckily ended, there was increasing peace and comfort at -Mårbacka. The place became as<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-61">[61]</a></span> fine a farm as any in the parish, and -the owners thrived and prospered. -</p> -<p> -All this, the old mistress had said, was undoubtedly true, for some -years later, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, a youth from -Mårbacka was sent to a theological seminary, where he studied for the -ministry and was finally ordained. -</p> -<p> -He called himself Morell, after his ancestral home, and in due time was -made curate at Ämtervik. He settled on his family estate (Mårbacka), -and was the first clergyman to reside within the parish—his -predecessors having all lived at Sunne and come down to Ämtervik only -on specified Sundays. -</p> -<p> -The peasants of Ämtervik were very glad to have their own pastor, -especially one who had a home of his own so that they did not have to -provide him with a living. To be sure, Mårbacka was a good distance -away from the church, but that disadvantage was more than made up for -by the priest’s being a man of independent means. -</p> -<p> -The parson’s pay was small, and of that little the lion’s share went to -the Dean of Sunne, so that the priest would have been as poor as the -proverbial church mouse but for Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -In order that this arrangement, which was for the good of both pastor -and parishioners, might be perpetuated, the first clergyman at Mårbacka -gave one of his daughters in marriage to a priest by the name of -Lyselius, whom he made his heir to the estate and the office. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-62">[62]</a></span> -Lyselius, in his turn, did likewise: he married one of his daughters to -Pastor Eric Wennervik, who later came into the property and the office. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -The old mistress had said that everyone seemed to think this an -excellent custom which should be kept up; even the clergymen’s -daughters, she thought, had been content to have it so. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_203"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-63">[63]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_203_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_203_toc"><span class="large">III</span><br /> -<br /> -PASTOR WENNERVIK</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> old mistress had also said it was the three clergymen, Morell, -Lyselius, and Wennervik, who built up Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -Before their time the place was just a peasant farm, which, though -large and flourishing, looked like any other farmstead. If there were a -barn for ten cows and a stable for two horses, it was about all that -could be expected. The main house had perhaps but one large room, where -the entire household lived day and night, and a little pitch-dark -kitchen called the <i>kåve.</i> There were many other buildings, of -course—a larder, a bath house, a rye-loft and other sheds, a kiln, and -a smithy; but they must have been rather small, as the farm at that -time was not nearly so extensive as it is now. Only the nearest fields -were then under cultivation. -</p> -<p> -The old mistress used to wonder how the three clergymen had managed to -build a stable for ten horses and a cow-house for thirty cows, besides -all the big granaries, storehouses, and sheds which they seemed to have -required. The brew house with an adjoining room, which was used for a -farm-office, were also from their<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-64">[64]</a></span> time, likewise the milk-room, -loom-room, and bailiff’s lodge. -</p> -<p> -Finally, along in the seventeen-nineties the old mistress’s father, -Pastor Wennervik, built a new dwelling which was planned on a more -modest scale than the other buildings. He was satisfied with a -one-story house of four rooms and kitchen, and an attic with two gable -chambers. But all the rooms, including the kitchen, were large and -light, and so admirably adapted to living purposes that hominess, so to -speak, met one with open arms at the threshold. -</p> -<p> -Pastor Wennervik had also laid out the kitchen garden with its aromatic -herb-beds and fruit trees, and the little rose garden. He was the son -of a master gardener, and was himself quite clever at gardening. Many -little rose bushes and grafted apple trees still growing on the farms -round Ämtervik he had helped set out. -</p> -<p> -In his youth he had been tutor at a great manor, where he conceived a -fancy for fences and gates. Round the kitchen garden at Mårbacka he put -a pretty white paling, with ornamental gates, and another round the -rose garden. If one wished to drive in from the road, one had first to -open a great gate, then pass range on range of out-buildings, with -fences and gates at several points. It was the same with the front -yard. -</p> -<p> -The children loved to hear about their great-grandfather, Pastor -Wennervik. They had found in a corner cupboard of the farm-office some -old books in Greek and Latin which bore his signature, also a number of -poems<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-65">[65]</a></span> by Bellman and Leopold copied in his hand. They knew that the -harpsichord and guitar had come to Mårbacka in his time, and they -created in fancy a beautiful image of him. It was not only from the old -housekeeper they had heard anecdotes of him, but also from their father -and their father’s sisters. He was a charming gentleman of fine taste, -who always liked to wear good clothes and who loved flowers and apples. -He must have been a bird-lover, too, for it was he who put up the -octangular dove-cote that stood on the green outside the kitchen -window. He had planned and worked to make Mårbacka a beautiful home. -The clergymen who dwelt there before him must have lived mostly in the -peasant manner, while he had softened the old severe simplicity by -introducing some of the manners and customs of gentlefolk, thus -rendering life there richer and easier. -</p> -<p> -There was an old oil painting at Mårbacka from the time of Pastor -Wennervik. It was a portrait of his early love—a rich and high-born -young lady of the Province of Västergötland. He had been tutor to her -brother, and being no doubt the best looking and most charming young -man she had met up to then, she fell in love with him, and he with her. -The lovers had their trysting places in the bowers of the manor park, -where they spoke of their love and pledged eternal fidelity. But one -day they were discovered, and the young tutor was promptly dismissed. -</p> -<p> -All that was left to him of love’s young dream was this<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-66">[66]</a></span> counterfeit -presentment of his sweetheart. The young lady’s portrait had not been -done by a skilled artist; the face on the canvas under the powdered -hair was set and expressionless; it looked more like a pretty doll than -the likeness of a human countenance. However, the features were of -delicate mould, and to him who had seen her eyes sparkle and her lips -curve in a smile, the portrait was beautiful enough. Pastor Wennervik -perhaps felt some of the old glow of youth in his heart when his gaze -rested on the picture. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Mayhap ’twas the portrait which inspired the obscure country parson to -surround himself with flowers and birds, to enhance the beauty of life -with music and poetry. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_204"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-67">[67]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_204_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_204_toc"><span class="large">IV</span><br /> -<br /> -THE GANDER</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HERE</small> was only one thing the children had against Pastor -Wennervik—that in his late years he had married Jungfru Raklitz, the -dreadful old housekeeper-person who had gone from manor to manor and -been harassed and tormented by hard mistresses, until she, in her turn, -became a plague and a torment. -</p> -<p> -If Pastor Wennervik must needs have married again he should at least -have thought to protect his dear daughter against the stepmother. That -she was allowed to treat the girl as she saw fit, to scold and chastise -her and put upon her an unreasonable amount of work—that, the children -could never forgive him. -</p> -<p> -How they loved the billy-goat that got drunk on dregs and butted into -old Raklitz, upsetting both her and her brandy cruse. They also sided -with the market folk at the Ombergshed Fair who stole her apples and -shouted back to her that the Mårbacka parson was too good a man to take -money from poor folk for his apples. And they gloried in the bold thief -who broke into her larder after she’d had a new lock put on the door -which was so big and strong it might have<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-68">[68]</a></span> done for a prison gate. And -they were ready to burst into tears at the thought of the poor -goosey-gander! -</p> -<p> -One fine April day, in the time of Fru Raklitz, all the Mårbacka geese -had been let out in the farmyard. Suddenly some wild geese came flying -high above them, honking and shrieking as usual. The tame geese flapped -their wings and squawked back—the way they do every spring. -</p> -<p> -As flock after flock of wild geese flew over, the tame geese grew more -and more restless, and before any one knew what was up, a big gander -darted into the air and joined the wild geese in their flight. -</p> -<p> -Everyone expected that he would soon turn back; but indeed he did -nothing of the sort. When he was not there by the next morning, they -thought they’d never lay eyes on him again. He must have fallen prey to -the fox or the eagle, they said, if he had not actually become winded -and dropped dead from exhaustion. It was inconceivable that a tame -goose could fly with wild geese to the far north. -</p> -<p> -Nothing was seen or heard of the gander the whole summer. But when -autumn came, and the wild geese flew southward, shrieking and calling -as always, the tame geese again lifted their wings and answered them. -</p> -<p> -Fru Raklitz, seeing how excited the geese were, and being more wary -this time than the last, told her stepdaughter, Lisa Maja, to run out -and drive the geese into the barn. -</p> -<p> -Lisa Maja had no sooner stepped into the barnyard<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-69">[69]</a></span> than she heard a -loud rustling noise just over her head, and almost before she had time -to blink, a flock of wild geese alighted on the ground right in front -of her. A big fine white gander was the leader; behind him walked a -gray mother goose, trailed by nine speckled goslings. The girl hardly -dared move lest she frighten them away. Very cautiously she opened the -barn door and concealed herself behind it. -</p> -<p> -The goosey-gander made straight for the barn, his family following him. -When they were all inside, Lisa Maja stole softly after to see where -they had gone. Well, the big goosey-gander had walked right into the -goose pen, and was calling and coaxing till those with him went in, -too. Then he led them up to the trough, which was full of oats and -water, and fell to feeding. -</p> -<p> -“See, this is what I’m used to,” he seemed to be saying to his family. -“This is how I have always lived ... No food worries, only to step up -to a full trough.” -</p> -<p> -Lisa Maja quietly slipped out, shutting the door after her, and hurried -back to Fru Raklitz. -</p> -<p> -“Mother dear, do come see!” she said. “The gander who flew away in the -spring has come back with a wild goose and nine little goslings.” -</p> -<p> -All her life she regretted having shut in the goosey-gander and told of -his return. Fru Raklitz, without saying a word, hunted up the little -knife which was used for killing geese, and before sundown the fine<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-70">[70]</a></span> -white goosey-gander, the nice gray mother goose, and all the pretty -goslings were dead and plucked. -</p> -<p> -“It was a poor reward you gave our goosey-gander, Mother, for coming -back to us with so many nice geese,” was all she dared say. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Twas enough at least to make all the geese on this place understand -what happens to those who defy me and try to run away,” Fru Raklitz -retorted, a malicious smile playing round her hard mouth. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_205"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-71">[71]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_205_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_205_toc"><span class="large">V</span><br /> -<br /> -THE LEMMINGS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -F<small>RU</small> R<small>AKLITZ</small> had been hard enough on Lisa Maja while the father was -alive; but when he died, in the year 1801, and she was in full control, -she became even more harsh and exacting. The stepdaughter was now -wholly at her mercy, without support or protection from any quarter. -The girl was but seventeen—too young and inexperienced to hold her own -with a canny old woman. She had a brother, to be sure, but he was at -Upsala University studying, so that she could not look to him for any -help. -</p> -<p> -The stepmother and she were soon at daggers’ points. Fru Raklitz wanted -her to marry the clergyman who had succeeded her father, but Lisa Maja -would not agree to that. She opposed all the arguments of the -stepmother and the parish folk, who thought the old order such an -excellent thing. The clergyman’s daughter had her own ideas about -marriage. She would not marry a man merely because he happened to be -the priest at Ämtervik; he must also be the sort she could love. -</p> -<p> -The new pastor was anxious to put the matter through. He had got into -the good graces of the stepmother,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-72">[72]</a></span> who tried to help him by any and -every means. As the girl continued to say No, Fru Raklitz one day drove -down to Öjervik to see Judge Sandelin, who was Lisa Maja’s guardian, -and have a talk with him. -</p> -<p> -It was clear that she would have the support of both the Judge and his -wife. They knew Fru Raklitz well; she had been housekeeper at Öjervik -for many years and they had always known her to be a wise and prudent -woman. Without doubt she was right, they said; the Mårbacka clergyman’s -daughter should marry the curate. Anything else was out of the -question. -</p> -<p> -Fru Raklitz was invited to stay for supper, and after the meal she and -the Judge’s wife sat talking till late in the evening. It was eleven -o’clock before she finally set off for home. But the sky was clear and -there was a moon, so that it looked as if she would have no difficulty. -</p> -<p> -And now as the chaise moved rapidly along the shore road toward Sunne, -Fru Raklitz sat thinking how she would worry and torment the poor -stepdaughter in order to break her will. Of course it was only for the -girl’s own good, she flattered herself so that she need have no -conscience in the matter. -</p> -<p> -Then, all at once, Svarten, the horse, shied with a jerk that nearly -upset the chaise. He acted as if he had the staggers; he dashed off the -road, across the ditch, and was down in a field before Long-Bengt, the -driver, could check him. When the horse was finally under control he -was all a-tremble. Without moving from the spot where he stood he -lifted his feet, one at<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-73">[73]</a></span> a time, then suddenly gave a shriek such as -is seldom heard from a horse—and leaped into the air. Back on to the -road he would not go. When Long-Bengt tried to urge him on, he reared -and came near kicking the chaise to pieces. -</p> -<p> -“What is it, Bengt, what is it?” gasped Fru Raklitz, clutching the -man’s arm in her fright. “Has the horse gone mad?” -</p> -<p> -“That horse has more sense than Frua and me both,” answered Long-Bengt. -“He’s not mad, he sees something we ain’t got eyes for to see.” -</p> -<p> -Svarten nosed the ground, snorted, and backed, regardless of the chaise -and those in it. Luckily, they were in a field where the summer’s rye -had been cut, so that the ground was quite smooth and even. They -noticed that they were backing toward a broad, deep ditch; but when the -vehicle was at the very edge, the horse stopped; he probably thought he -had got past the worst danger. Though still nosing the ground and -snorting, he made no more leaps. -</p> -<p> -“You’d better get out, Frua,” said Long-Bengt, “while I try to urge him -past whatever ’tis he sees.” -</p> -<p> -Fru Raklitz unbuttoned the carriage apron and was about to set foot to -the ground, when she drew back with a cry. -</p> -<p> -“I can’t step down, Bengt,” she said.... “It’s moving!” -</p> -<p> -“I believe Frua’s as daft as the horse,” laughed Long-Bengt. “What’s -moving?” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-74">[74]</a></span> -“The ground under us is moving, the whole field is moving.” Her voice -shook and she felt a lump in her throat. -</p> -<p> -“<i>Asch!</i>” said Long-Bengt, and jumped out. He thought it was a ghost -that had frightened the horse. But ghosts were supposed to come out of -the air; he had never heard of their creeping along the ground. -</p> -<p> -And now he wasn’t long getting back into the chaise himself, nor did he -venture out of it again. What the mistress had said was true—the -ground certainly appeared to be moving. It did not tremble as in an -earthquake, nor glide away as in a landslide; but it was as if every -clod of earth in the field had taken feet and was running toward the -lake. -</p> -<p> -The two in the chaise sat gazing at the ground—and at last they saw -what it was that moved: the field was over-run by hordes of little -animals; but they were none the less frightened, the two of them. It -couldn’t be anything real or natural, they thought. Where had they come -from—all those creatures? Every spot in the field was alive with them! -</p> -<p> -The animals—or whatever they were—scurried across the ditch up on to -the road and then went rushing down an incline into the lake. Now what -sort of creatures could they be, to behave in that way? Had they been -of God’s creation there would surely have been some end to them; but -these kept coming in limitless numbers. -</p> -<p> -The horse had now become fairly calm. Only when<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-75">[75]</a></span> the little animals -ran between his feet he would snort and draw back. Fru Raklitz, -meanwhile, was far from calm. Her teeth chattered from fright, and she -mumbled and talked to herself. However, she sat still as long as they -were in the field. But the horse was not going to stand out there the -whole night. He began to move on his own accord; he walked slowly, -lifting his feet and putting them down very carefully; but at least he -went forward and not backward. -</p> -<p> -The strange little animals got into the way of the horse and wagon, and -there was a grinding, crunching noise as the wheels passed over the -tiny bodies. -</p> -<p> -When Fru Raklitz heard that grinding she jumped to her feet, and began -to shriek wildly. Long-Bengt quickly caught her round the waist, to -prevent her throwing herself out of the chaise. -</p> -<p> -“They’re after me! They’re after me!” she cried. “They’re on the -wheels—they’re on the step—they’re in the wagon!” -</p> -<p> -The horse increased his speed. The chaise moved joltingly as the wheels -went over the little animals. -</p> -<p> -“They’re in the chaise, they’re in the chaise!” screamed Fru Raklitz, -springing up on to the seat. “They’re pulling at my skirt—they mean to -drag me to the lake!” -</p> -<p> -Now Long-Bengt had to stand up to hold her back. “By rights, I ought to -let you tumble into the road for your meanness,” he muttered. All the -same he kept his arm round her. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-76">[76]</a></span> -They were at last back on the road and had driven over great swarms of -the roving animals, when Svarten suddenly stopped and neighed -contentedly. -</p> -<p> -“It’s all over now,” said Long-Bengt. “Sit down, Frua.” -</p> -<p> -But Fru Raklitz went on shrieking, “They’re in the chaise; they’re -pulling at my skirt; they’ll drag me to the lake.” Long-Bengt had to -pull her down by main force and set her on the seat. She struggled so -hard he dared not let go of her. -</p> -<p> -“Go on, Svarten!” he said. “You’ll have to find the way without me -holding the reins.” -</p> -<p> -The horse set off at a trot, while Fru Raklitz, shaking and blubbering, -rambled on about their climbing the wheels and trying to get into the -chaise. -</p> -<p> -“You’ll have to run, Svarten,” said Long-Bengt, “or she’ll go clean off -her head before we get her home.” -</p> -<p> -Svarten perhaps understood. Anyhow, he must have wanted to get home to -his crib, for he took the hills up and down at top speed. -</p> -<p> -Long-Bengt sat there with beads of cold sweat standing on his forehead; -he tried to assure Fru Raklitz that the trouble was over, but she would -not believe him. -</p> -<p> -“You are very kind, Bengt,” she whimpered; “but don’t tell me we are -safe; I hear them, I see them, they are after us, and mean to drive me -into the lake.” -</p> -<p> -When they finally stopped before the front porch at Mårbacka and a maid -came out to receive her mistress, she was afraid to step down. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-77">[77]</a></span> -“No, no, not you!” she cried. “You have no power, you can’t save me -from them.” -</p> -<p> -The maid drew back in alarm. She had never heard her mistress speak -like that before. -</p> -<p> -“Go fetch the priest’s daughter,” said Fru Raklitz—“go fetch Lisa -Maja! She is the only one here who has power over the <i>evil ones.</i>” -</p> -<p> -“Mamselle Lisa Maja has gone to bed,” said the girl. -</p> -<p> -“Go ask her to come down as quick as she can,” Long-Bengt put in. “Tell -her Frua got a fright on the way.” -</p> -<p> -Fru Raklitz sat shaking and gibbering until her stepdaughter appeared. -</p> -<p> -“Ah, God bless you!” cried the woman, holding out her arms to the girl. -“Come help me! Don’t be angry with me! I’ll never be mean to you -again.” -</p> -<p> -“What’s the matter, Mother dear?” said the girl as she stood by the -carriage. -</p> -<p> -“Come, give me your hand,” begged the stepmother. “Dear heart, hold -them back while I get down. Don’t let them take me! They can’t harm you -who have power over them.” -</p> -<p> -When she was out of the chaise she fell on the stepdaughter’s neck, and -sobbed: “Don’t ever leave me! Don’t be angry with me! You shall marry -whomever you will, and I’ll not say a word.” -</p> -<p> -“She saw something coming home,” Long-Bengt explained. “She saw all the -little imps of hell let loose,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-78">[78]</a></span> and she thinks they’re after her and -will drag her into the Fryken.” -</p> -<p> -The priest’s daughter put her arm round the stepmother, and said: “Come -in, Mother dear! You are at Mårbacka now. Here none of the evil ones -can touch you, darling Mother.” -</p> -<p> -Fru Raklitz was so shaken from fright that Lisa Maja had to talk to her -as to a little child, to get her to her room and to bed. She would not -let her go; so the girl had to sit there holding her hand, and listen -to her ravings until daybreak. -</p> -<p> -From that time forth Fru Raklitz never dared be cruel to her -stepdaughter; nor was she ever again her old ruthless self. She kept to -her room mostly, and let Lisa Maja run the house. She would lend a hand -when there was extra cleaning and furbishing to be done—as before a -great holiday or a party—but only in the house, never outside it. Thus -she lived until 1835. Whether she had ever any real affection for the -stepdaughter is doubtful. But when Lisa Maja was married, and the -little ones came, she grew very fond of them. Every day the children -would go in to see Granny. She was also very fond of her coffee, and -always had a fire going in the tile-stove of her room, so that she -could make coffee for herself. She would often treat the children. But -their mother thought coffee was not good for little folk, and told them -one day they must never drink any of Granny’s coffee. -</p> -<p> -The next day, when the two youngest, Nana and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-79">[79]</a></span> Lovisa, came out of the -grandmother’s room, there was a strong odour of coffee about them. -</p> -<p> -“What did you have at Granny’s to-day?” their mother asked them. -</p> -<p> -“Gruel, Mummie dear,” said the two of them as with one mouth. -</p> -<p> -“What was that gruel made in?” questioned the mother. -</p> -<p> -“In the coffeepot, Mummie dear,” they answered as if they were speaking -a piece. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -They said it so nicely and they were so little and naïve, that the -mother had to laugh in spite of herself. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_206"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-80">[80]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_206_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_206_toc"><span class="large">VI</span><br /> -<br /> -THE NECKAN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>N</small> <small>THE</small> southern part of the parish there are tracts where the landscape -is more variform and far more beautiful than up north, round Mårbacka. -There the Fryken cuts into the land in deep bays—the one after the -other—along each of which lie shore-meadows, bordered by leafy woods, -and three or four fine old peasant homesteads. Jutting out between the -bays are rocky, wood-grown headlands so wild and inhospitable that no -one would think of clearing or building there. -</p> -<p> -One summer’s day Lisa Maja Wennervik had ridden down to Bössviken, -which is the most southerly bay, to order some of the fine pears -ripening there under the protecting hills. The Bössvik folk were very -friendly, and she had dropped in at several cottages, so that it was -rather late when she left for home. -</p> -<p> -But the girl was not afraid to ride back alone in the light summer -evening. She went slowly, that she might enjoy to the full the beauty -of the night; now riding up among the hills through dense woods, where -she fancied robbers or bears might spring out at any moment and tear -her off her horse; and now down dales<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-81">[81]</a></span> of dewy fields, pretty birch -groves and light, shimmering streams. There was still a pale rosy glow -in the sky, which was reflected in the lake. She had never seen -anything lovelier than that night! -</p> -<p> -All at once she saw a large, beautiful stallion grazing in the -shore-meadow of a bay. His coat was a dapple gray, his mane so long it -swept the ground, and his tail, which was thick as a rye-sheaf, also -reached to the ground. The horse was broad across the hindquarters and -high at the withers; he had a small head, with fine, clear eyes, his -legs were slender, his hoofs a silvery white that glistened like -polished metal as he lifted them in the grass. His body bore no marks -of harness or saddle. -</p> -<p> -Lisa Maja had just walked her horse, Svarten, down a hillside, and was -now going at the same slow pace toward the meadow where the stallion -grazed. She went so close to him there was but the fence between them; -by putting out her hand she could have stroked his haunches. -</p> -<p> -The stallion seemed not to have noticed them before; but now he raised -his head and looked up at the young girl. And Lisa Maja was so pretty -that the young swains would drop axe, or scythe, or whatever they had -in hand, when she came riding, and hurry down to the roadside to hang -over the fence till she had gone by. -</p> -<p> -Fancy! When the beautiful stallion raised his eyes to her, there was -the same look of admiration in his gaze that the peasant lads sent her -from the roadside. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-82">[82]</a></span> -For a moment he stood regarding her, then quickly turned and galloped -off—his mane waving in the breeze, his tail standing straight out. -Like a streak, he darted across the meadow and down the bay. Near the -shore the bay was shallow and shelving, and as he dashed through the -shallows the water splashed round him in clouds of foam. Then, all of a -sudden, he disappeared. -</p> -<p> -Lisa Maja thought the horse in his wild flight had gone beyond his -depth, and was drowning. She hoped for a second that he would come -swimming to the surface again; but no, he did not reappear. And there -was not a ripple on the water where he had gone down. -</p> -<p> -Then Lisa Maja felt a wild desire to ride to the rescue. She could not -bear the thought of letting that glorious creature drown without making -some effort to save it. With a sharp pull at the bridle, she swung her -horse round toward the fence and gave him a dig with her spurs to make -him jump it. But Svarten being the kind of horse that knows more than -most humans, instead of taking the hurdle, turned and made for home at -full gallop. The young girl from her high mount in the side-saddle had -not much control over her determined steed; she soon realized that this -time it was useless to try to make him obey. Besides, Svarten probably -knew what sort of horse it was the girl wished to rescue from the -water. By the time Lisa Maja had come to the top of the next hill and -found herself in the darkness of a dense pine wood, she, too, knew what -it was she had seen. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-83">[83]</a></span> -The silver-gray stallion with the unshodden hoofs and trailing mane she -had often heard tell of. He was none other than the Neckan—the -River-god—himself. -</p> -<p> -When the girl came home to Mårbacka and told the serving-folk of her -adventure, they all thought as she did—that she had seen the Neckan and -that herself and all on her place had best be careful, or before very -long one among them would surely be drowned. -</p> -<p> -But there is no lake near Mårbacka and the old bottom lands to the west -of the estate were by then so well dried out that not a trace of swamp -or quagmire remained. Even the river, which had once been broad and -treacherous, was now so diminished that in summertime, at least, it was -scarcely more than a shallow creek. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -However, in the month of August, when the days grew shorter and the -mists hovered over river and meadow, it happened that an old man from -Mårbacka was walking homeward one evening across the western meadows; -what he may have seen or encountered down among the mists no one ever -knew—but he did not return that night. The next morning his body was -found in the little river, which was so shallow the water scarcely -covered him. He had been a crabbed old man and there was perhaps no -great mourning for him; but they were all very certain now it was the -Neckan Lisa Maja had seen that time; had she followed him into the lake -he surely would have drawn her down to his Blue Mansions in the deep. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_207"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-84">[84]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_207_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_207_toc"><span class="large">VII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE PAYMASTER OF THE REGIMENT</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -F<small>RU</small> R<small>AKLITZ</small>’<small>S</small> reformation may not have been so complete after all, for -the old housekeeper could never sufficiently impress upon the little -Lagerlöf children what a fortunate thing it was for Mamselle Lisa Maja -that she got so good a husband as Paymaster Daniel Lagerlöf. He was no -rich man; but wise, and kindly, and honourable he had always been. In -him she had found just the protector she needed. -</p> -<p> -To be sure he was no priest, but his father and grandfather, his -great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather had all been clergymen -and married to daughters of clergymen, so that he could claim kinship -with all the old clerical families of Värmland. Any preaching or -speech-making gift he had not inherited from his forebears, but the -tendency to guide and govern a whole community was in his blood. The -Ämtervik peasants, who at first thought ill of him because he had -married the Mårbacka parson’s daughter—thereby upsetting the old -order—soon grew accustomed to having him run the important affairs of -the parish. -</p> -<p> -The children were astonished to hear the housekeeper<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-85">[85]</a></span> speak in that way -of their grandfather. They had heard stories of him which were common -among the people. He was said to have been a great violinist, and in -his youth, at least, was so moody and high-strung that the humdrum of -home life wore on him and he had to go his own ways. -</p> -<p> -But that the old housekeeper denied most emphatically. No, indeed, -there was nothing queer about the Paymaster of the Regiment. She could -not imagine who had put such ideas into the children’s heads. It was -merely that his official duties forced him to live away on journeys -most of the time. As Paymaster of the Regiment once a year he had to -travel through the whole of Värmland, to collect the war tax. And not -only was he Paymaster of the Regiment, but Manager of the Kymsberg Iron -Works, far up by the Norwegian boundary; and all at once he had to be -up and off for there. Then, too, he had such a good name that people -were always asking him to serve as executor and administrator. Most -bothersome of all had been his trusteeship for Judge Sandelin’s wife, -who had inherited seven foundries from Iron Master Antonsson. He had to -spend months on end at these various foundries, straightening out the -tangled affairs. -</p> -<p> -But as soon as ever he could get away he hurried back to Mårbacka. If -he chanced to come home some morning, unobserved, he would hunt up his -violin and stand outside the bedroom window, and awaken his wife with -music. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-86">[86]</a></span> -Now that much may have been true, perhaps; but that he ran away from -home and was gone for long periods without letting anyone know his -whereabouts—that was just something folks imagined, because ’twas -always the wife who ruled at Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -The children were very sorry to hear that their grandfather had been -such a sober, serious, matter-of-fact person. And of course they had to -believe what the old housekeeper told them. -</p> -<p> -Then, one evening, when their parents had gone to a party, the -housemaid, who was to sit up for them, had persuaded Maja, the new -nurse, who succeeded Back-Kaisa, to keep her company. They made a fire -in the tile-stove of the nursery, drew up the children’s little red -chairs, and sat talking in whispers so as not to disturb the three -little girls, who had gone to bed. -</p> -<p> -By and by the door creaked and in walked the old housekeeper. She had -been wondering where the housemaid had betaken herself, and had been -all through the house looking for her. She, too, drew up a chair. -Anyway, she declared she’d not be able to sleep till she knew the -master and mistress were safely home. -</p> -<p> -Now that the three of them were seated by the open fire so cosy and -intimate-like, the two maids seized the opportunity to ask the old -housekeeper’s advice in a weighty matter. -</p> -<p> -“We were just saying, Lina and I, that we ought to<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-87">[87]</a></span> make -dream-porridge,” said Nurse Maja; “but we don’t know as ’twould do any -good.” -</p> -<p> -In that way they tempted the old housekeeper to tell what had happened -when Lisa Maja Wennervik made a dream-pancake. -</p> -<p> -On New Year’s Eve of the last Christmas Week that Pastor Wennervik was -alive Mamselle Lisa Maja, for fun, made a dream-pancake. She had just -turned seventeen, and ’twas time for her to be thinking of marriage. So -she measured out three spoonfuls of water, three spoonfuls of meal, and -three spoonfuls of salt, and stirred them together, then she poured the -mixture on a hot griddle, ate as much of the pancake as she could get -down, and went right to bed. She must have had some difficulty getting -to sleep, though, for the salty pancake had given her an awful thirst; -and to drink anything before sleeping would break the spell. -</p> -<p> -In the morning she couldn’t remember whether she had dreamt anything. -But later in the day, on going out on the front porch, she stopped in -amazement. All at once she remembered having dreamed in the night of -standing on that very spot. Two strange men—one old, one young—had -come up to her. The older man had said he was Dean Lagerlöf of Arvika, -and that he had come with his son to ask her if she were not thirsty -and would like a drink of water. With that, the younger man had -immediately stepped forward and offered her a glass of water. And she -was very glad<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-88">[88]</a></span> when she saw the clear, fresh water, for even in her -sleep her throat felt parched. -</p> -<p> -There the dream ended. But from that moment she knew who was to be her -husband; for the one who comes in the dream and offers you water when -you have eaten dream-pancake, he is the one you will marry. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lisa Maja wondered how this could come about, for at that time -she did not know any one by the name of Lagerlöf. But one day, soon -after New Year’s, as she was standing at the window, a sledge came up -the driveway. Suddenly she gave a cry and nipped the housekeeper by the -sleeve. -</p> -<p> -“Here comes the one I saw in the dream,” she said. “You’ll find that -his name is Lagerlöf.” -</p> -<p> -And ’twas just as she had said. The man in the sledge was Daniel -Lagerlöf, manager of the Kymsberg Iron Works, who had come to buy hay. -</p> -<p> -The first sight of him must have been a disappointment. He was not -handsome and he looked so sombre she did not see how she could ever -like him. -</p> -<p> -He stayed the night at Mårbacka. In the morning the stableboy came in -and said that a fox and two wolves had fallen into the fox-pit. None of -the men on the place seemed to know what to do to get the trapped -animals out, but the Kymsberg manager jumped into the pit with no -weapon but a knotted stick. He dealt the wolves a couple of blows on -the head, stunning them, then slipped a noose round their necks by -which to draw them up. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-89">[89]</a></span> -Mamselle Lisa Maja was so taken by the courage of the man, she quite -lost her heart to him. She vowed to herself, then and there, that him -and none other would she have for a husband. -</p> -<p> -He, on his part, had fallen in love with her at this their first -meeting, though he would not let on. He had once been engaged, it -seemed, and although the betrothed was now dead, he felt that he must -be true to her memory, and have no thought for another. -</p> -<p> -At all events, he came to Mårbacka for hay several times that winter. -He soon saw that Lisa Maja had none too easy a time of it with that -stepmother of hers. He felt sorry for her and wanted to help her. But -Lord o’ mercy! he couldn’t court her himself on account of the dear -departed. But there was his brother Elof, who was a priest somewhere up -in the Finn-forests; now he might marry her, he thought. -</p> -<p> -He brought about a meeting between his brother and Lisa Maja—which was -the worst thing he could have done. The brother fell desperately in -love with the girl, and could think of none but her for the rest of his -life; while she loved the Kymsberg manager and had no eyes for his -brother. -</p> -<p> -Pastor Lagerlöf, however, never got so far as to propose. He was -commanded by his bishop to marry a person who had lived in his home -several years, and to whom he had promised marriage. Fru Raklitz had -played a hand in that game, which ended only in misery. For when Pastor -Lagerlöf could not have Lisa Maja<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-90">[90]</a></span> he took to drink, and finally -became as dissolute and worthless as he had once been noble and -high-minded. -</p> -<p> -Now Daniel Lagerlöf had no one to put forward as substitute. If he -meant to help the Mårbacka parson’s daughter he must come to the -scratch himself. Besides, he probably felt now it was better to think -of the living than to mourn for the dead. So he actually plucked up -courage enough to propose. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lisa Maja was very happy, and thought her troubles would soon -be over. But before very long her betrothed began to act strangely, as -if he wished to avoid her. He seldom appeared at Mårbacka now, and when -he was there he would sit silent for hours and only gaze at her, or he -would take out his violin and play from the time he came until he left. -At last a whole year went by without her seeing him. -</p> -<p> -If she asked him when they were to be married he put her off with -excuses. Once he said they must wait until he had earned enough to buy -out the other heirs to Mårbacka. Another time he had to help put his -brothers through college; and again, he thought they had better wait -and see whether he’d succeed in getting the post of Paymaster of the -Regiment. -</p> -<p> -He kept postponing and postponing. Now he had too much writing to do, -and now too much travelling—till at last no one except Mamselle Lisa -Maja herself believed they would ever be married. That made it all the -harder for her. Eligible young gentlemen from Sunne—from Ämtervik—now -came a-courting. She<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-91">[91]</a></span> let them all understand they had their trouble for -nothing. But some were so persistent they came again and again, and if -she forbade them the house they would lie in wait for her at the edge -of the woods, and pop out when she appeared in the road. -</p> -<p> -All the mean things they could say of Daniel Lagerlöf they took pains -to tell her. One time she heard that he consorted with the -disreputable, besotten cavaliers who drove about the countryside -harrying homesteads, and were the terror of all decent folk; another -time she was told that he ran about in the woods like a wild animal. -Some chaffed her, saying he had now got the post of Paymaster of the -Regiment and could jolly well marry her, unless he’d grown tired of his -bargain. Others tried to weaken her by hinting that he was after the -daughter of Finn-Eric, who was reputed to be the richest man in the -country. -</p> -<p> -None of that had any effect upon Lisa Maja; she was as happy and -confident as ever that it would be as foretold in the dream. -</p> -<p> -Then one day a rumour reached her ears to the effect that her betrothed -had said if he were only released from his engagement he would go -abroad, and learn to play the violin properly. -</p> -<p> -That impressed her as nothing else had. She went down to the stable at -once to find Long-Bengt. -</p> -<p> -She said: “Now, Bengt, you must get out the chaise and drive up to -Kymsberg, to fetch the Paymaster of the Regiment; for I wish to speak -with him.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-92">[92]</a></span> -“Ay, be sure I’ll try, Mamselle,” said Long-Bengt. “But what shall I do -if he won’t come along willingly?” -</p> -<p> -“Tell him you dare not return without him,” she said. -</p> -<p> -And Long-Bengt went. -</p> -<p> -It was a day’s journey to Kymsberg, and Long-Bengt did not get back -until the evening of the second day; but in the chaise with him was the -Paymaster of the Regiment. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lisa Maja received him cordially, as usual. She asked him into -the living room, and bade him sit down and rest a bit after his long -journey. They would hurry with the supper, she said, as he must be -hungry. -</p> -<p> -He paced up and down the room impatiently; he seemed only to be waiting -for the moment when he could be off. -</p> -<p> -When they were seated at table—just they two—Lisa Maja turned to him -when the housekeeper came in with the food—as if she’d only been -waiting for her—and asked him whether it was true that he wanted to -break off with her. -</p> -<p> -“Oh, yes,” he answered, looking solemn as an owl. Such was his wish, of -course; she should have guessed that long ago. -</p> -<p> -The blood rushed to her face. If she had not questioned him about this -before, she said, it was because she firmly believed they were destined -for each other. Then, with a forced laugh, he asked her what she -meant<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-93">[93]</a></span> by that. She flushed crimson. Now she told him in a few words -about the dream-pancake, of how in a dream she had seen him and his -father, and what the father had said to her. -</p> -<p> -He put down his knife and fork, and stared in amazement. -</p> -<p> -“This must be something you have just made up,” he said. -</p> -<p> -“You can ask Maja Persdotter if I did not recognize you and say who you -were before you were out of the sledge, the first time you came to buy -hay,” said Mamselle Lisa Maja, turning to the housekeeper, who was then -passing round the food. -</p> -<p> -“But why haven’t you spoken of this before?” he questioned her. -</p> -<p> -“That, I think, you must understand,” she answered. “I did not wish to -hold you by any bond but your own desire.” -</p> -<p> -For a long moment he sat silent—evidently much impressed by what he -had heard. Presently he asked: -</p> -<p> -“Can you tell me how the man looked who said he was Dean Lagerlöf of -Arvika?” -</p> -<p> -“Yes,” said she, and went on to describe him. Her description of the -father must have been accurate, feature for feature, for the son was so -startled he involuntarily jumped up from the table. -</p> -<p> -“But my father died the year I was born,” he said. “You may have heard -people speak of him, perhaps?” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-94">[94]</a></span> -“I had never seen a Lagerlöf nor heard of either you or your father -before I met you in a dream. Ask Maja Persdotter standing there beside -you if she hasn’t heard me describe your father many, many times.” -</p> -<p> -He went up close to her. “If only I dared believe this!” He walked -round the room and back to her.... “Why—then <i>you</i> were the one my -dear father meant for me, and not——” -</p> -<p> -What Mamselle Lisa Maja replied the old housekeeper never heard, for -she saw ’twas time for her to be going. -</p> -<p> -The young lovers sat talking together till far into the night, -and—well—that autumn they were married. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lisa Maja afterwards told the old housekeeper it was only his -morbid conscience that had stood in the way. He had felt he would be -wronging the dead sweetheart, and he had brooded over his brother Elof, -and thought he had no right to happiness when the brother was so -unhappy—and all on account of him. -</p> -<p> -But in her dream he had found something to hold to, something to be -guided by, which gave him the courage to do what he wished above -everything. -</p> -<p> -From the day of his marriage he was a changed man, though during the -first years the old despondency came over him at times; but later he -was as tranquil and even-tempered as could be. A year after the wedding -at Mårbacka his brother was drowned, and then for a while it was pretty -hard; but that, too, passed over. -</p> -<p> -The old mistress and he were married six-and-forty<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-95">[95]</a></span> years, and the -last thirty years of their union all was serene; there was no happier -couple in the world. -</p> -<p class="break"> -*<span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span> -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -The little children lay in their beds listening and delighting. Until -then their grandfather had been to them no more than a wooden image, -and now all at once he had come alive. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_208"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-96">[96]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_208_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_208_toc"><span class="large">VIII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE MILITIA-MEN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>HAPPENED</small> in the year 1810, when Grandmother Lagerlöf was a young -wife and the mother of two little children. She sat one evening by the -east window of the kitchen-bedroom; dusk had fallen and ’twas too dark -to see to sew. Being well on in March the tallow dips were about used -up, so she had taken up her knitting, for her knitting needles she -could ply in the deepest darkness. -</p> -<p> -All at once something made her look out. She could hardly believe her -eyes! But a little while before it had been fine clear weather, and now -there was a blinding snowstorm. The air was so thick with snow she -could barely distinguish the firelight from the window of the -manservants’ hall directly opposite. The lashing wind swished the snow -against the house, and in just the short time she had been sitting -there the drifts had piled so high that bushes and fences were buried -under them. -</p> -<p> -Darkness had descended quickly with the coming of the storm, yet she -descried several large animals stalking through the drifts toward the -farmyard. “I hope the maids will be mindful, and not go out for -firewood,”<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-97">[97]</a></span> she said to herself, “for the <i>graylegs</i> are out to-night.” -</p> -<p> -Shortly afterwards she heard a piercing cry and saw a wolf lumber past -her window with something in its mouth that struggled and fought. She -thought it looked like a child. But whose child could it be? Her own -little ones were right beside her, and there were no other children on -the farm. Close behind the first wolf came another; it, too, had a -child in its gape. -</p> -<p> -Grandmother couldn’t sit still any longer. She jumped up so suddenly -she knocked over the chair, and rushed through the kitchen out into the -yard.... Then she stood stock still. Before her was the calm, beautiful -spring evening; not a sign of snow—not a wolf in sight. -</p> -<p> -She must have fallen asleep over her knitting, she thought, and been -dreaming. Yet she felt that back of it all lay something serious. -</p> -<p> -“We’ll have to take precious good care of the little ones,” she said to -the maids. “That was no dream, it was a warning.” -</p> -<p> -However, the children thrived and waxed fat and rosy. The dream, or -vision, or whatever it was, soon passed out of mind, like much else of -the same sort. -</p> -<p> -Along in August a company of poor soldiers came to Mårbacka. The men -were ragged, famished, and ill. Their bodies were nothing but -skin-and-bone and in their eyes was the look of the ravening wolf. The -mark of death was on them all. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-98">[98]</a></span> -They were from Fryksände and other parishes in the northern part of -Fryksdalen, they said. But now that they were nearing home they feared -their own people would not recognize them. Only two years before they -had gone forth as well, strong men. What would the folks at home think -of getting them back in such a state they were only fit to be put in -the ground. They had not been on the battle field, they had only -marched to and fro in cold and hunger. Their fight had been with -disease and neglect. -</p> -<p> -They were many thousand strong when they marched away, but one thousand -after another had succumbed. Great numbers had been sent out in open -barges on the raging sea in midwinter. How it had gone with those -voyagers none knew; but when the boats drifted ashore the crews sat at -their oars dead and literally encased in ice. These surviving -militia-men, now returning on their own, had often been stoned away -from farms and villages on their homeward tramp. What seemed to prey -upon them most was that they had not been sent into battle and shot to -death, but must still drag on in ceaseless misery. They knew the sort -they were—covered with vermin, reeking with filth, and horrible to -behold. They did not ask for a bed to lie on or the shelter of a roof; -they only begged a few armfuls of straw and a dry mound to rest on. -</p> -<p> -At Mårbacka the poor soldiers were not greeted with stones. The -Paymaster of the Regiment was away, but his wife gave them permission -to camp in the backyard,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-99">[99]</a></span> just inside the gates. Huge kettles of -porridge and gruel were prepared for the men, and all the clothing that -could be spared was turned over to them. The servants continually -gathered round their camp to listen to their tales of what they had -passed through. Not all could talk, however. Some were too listless to -answer when spoken to; they seemed hardly to know who they were or -where they were going. -</p> -<p> -There was great consternation and wonder over these men who had become -so changed. Reports of them spread far and wide, and people came long -distances to see them. -</p> -<p> -“That one, they tell me, is the son of Göran Persa,” said a stranger -who had stood a long while regarding the poor wretches. “But I knew -Göran Persa’s son; he was a fine lad; there’s not a feature the same.” -</p> -<p> -One day a poor widow came wandering to Mårbacka. She was from a little -backwoods croft away up north, where, in a perpetual struggle with -hunger and want, she managed to sustain life in her body. -</p> -<p> -“Is there any one among ye by the name of Börje Knutsson?” she -inquired, gazing anxiously at the sick yeomen. -</p> -<p> -No one answered. The men sat on the ground with their legs drawn up, -their chins resting on their knees. They would sit like that for hours -without moving. -</p> -<p> -“If there’s any one here named Börje Knutsson he must make himself -known,” said the widow, “for he’s my son.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-100">[100]</a></span> -None moved or said a word, none so much as raised his eyes. -</p> -<p> -“I have wept for the lad every day since he went away,” continued the -poor woman. “If he’s there among ye why doesn’t he stand up and say so, -for I shouldn’t know him again.” -</p> -<p> -Silence. -</p> -<p> -The woman slowly went her way. To the first person she met afterwards -she related her experience. -</p> -<p> -“I thought until now I’d go out of my mind if my son did not come -back,” she said, “but now I thank my God that he’s not among those -skeletons!” -</p> -<p> -The militia-men rested a week at Mårbacka, and then went on, somewhat -strengthened. -</p> -<p> -But they had left the bloody flux in their wake. Everyone on the place -became desperately ill. All recovered save Grandmother’s two little -children, who were of too tender an age to resist the virulence of the -sickness. -</p> -<p> -When the two children lay in their coffins, Grandmother said to -herself: “If I had done like the others, if instead of harbouring those -men I had driven them away with stones, my little ones would have been -alive now.” -</p> -<p> -But as that thought crossed her mind, she remembered her vision of that -evening in the spring wherein the wolves carried off the children. “Our -Lord is not to blame,” she said. “He forewarned me.” The loss of the -children was not due to her act of mercy, but rather to her -thoughtlessness in not having taken proper precautions to guard them -against contagion. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-101">[101]</a></span> -When she realized that after all it was her own fault the children were -gone, her grief was overwhelming. “I shall never get over it,” she -said. “I can never be the same again.” -</p> -<p> -Her despair was increased by her fears for the husband—how would he -take the loss of their children? He had not been at home in several -months. The old despondency had perhaps come over him again, so that he -dared not come home. Where he was then she did not know; so could not -even send him word of what had happened. Anyway, he would surely regard -the death of his children as a visitation from God for his marrying -her, and never come back. She was not so certain but he would be right -in this. It were best perhaps they never met again. -</p> -<p> -All on the place were much concerned about her. What to do to help her -they did not know. But Long-Bengt, who was the oldest of the servitors, -was not afraid to act sometimes on his own responsibility. He set off -for Kymsberg one morning in quest of the master. This time he was not -two whole days getting back. He actually found the Paymaster of the -Regiment and stated his errand. The words were hardly out of his mouth -before the master ordered a fresh horse put to the chaise. They drove -all night without a stop, and reached Mårbacka in the morning. -</p> -<p> -Now the husband was not glum and difficult when he came. He took his -wife tenderly in his arms, dried her tears, and spoke loving words of -comfort to her. It<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-102">[102]</a></span> seemed as if then for the first time, when seeing -her so crushed and sorrowful, was he able to reveal the full depth of -his love. -</p> -<p> -“And I thought I should lose you, too!” she said. -</p> -<p> -“I’m not one that grief can drive away,” said he. “Did you think I -would desert you because of your great compassion?” -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -In that moment she understood his heart as never before. She knew that -in peaceful and happy days she must rely on herself—which she was well -able to do; but in sorrow and suffering and times of stress he would -always be by her side—her stay and comfort. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_300"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-103">[103]</a></span> -</p> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_300_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_300_toc">OLD HOUSES AND OLD PEOPLE</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_301"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-105">[105]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_301_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_301_toc"><span class="large">I</span><br /> -<br /> -THE STONE HUTS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -W<small>HEN</small> Lieutenant Lagerlöf took over Mårbacka the buildings were mostly -very old. Oldest, however, were the manservants’ hall and the -sheep-cot, though the storehouse on stilts, which served as larder, the -stable with the loft balcony, the bath-house, where they used to smoke -bacon, and the kiln, where they malted grain, were no newcomers into -the world. -</p> -<p> -The servants’ hall and sheepfold were built of stones which had been -picked up on the ground—large and small, round and flat. The walls -were two ells in thickness, as if meant to withstand a siege. That -style of building was not of last year or the year before, so that in -the matter of age those two structures would certainly take precedence. -</p> -<p> -The first permanent residents of Mårbacka must have come from some -village where there were too many occupants in every cottage and not -enough land under cultivation to yield bread-food for all. They were no -doubt a young couple who wanted to set up a home, and saw no other way -than to fare forth into the wilds as settlers. With an eye to the good -pasturage<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-106">[106]</a></span> below Åsberget, they took possession of the little huts -formerly tenanted by the <i>säter</i> lasses. But after a time they perhaps -felt unsafe, for they had no neighbours within miles of them. Sometimes -the bear paid a visit to the cattle-shed and they themselves received -calls from rough gangs of charcoal-burners. -</p> -<p> -Under such circumstances, naturally they would have put up a couple of -stone huts—one for themselves and one for their animals. The building -for the animals was the larger; it had no windows, only narrow openings -with home-forged iron gratings, through which neither lynx nor bear -could squeeze. The floor was just hard, trampled earth, but a partition -of rough-hewn beams divided the hut into two rooms. Thus, the animals -which do not thrive together could be kept apart. Horses and sheep, -which are always friends, were on one side; cows and goats on the -other. -</p> -<p> -The stone hut they built for themselves had only one room, but it had a -floor of hand-split boards, two windows, a fireplace, and a chimney. -Along the wall opposite the windows, the settler had put up a large -bed-cupboard to hold four wide beds—two lower and two upper—in each -of which three persons could easily lie side by side. Under the windows -was a bench, and before it a large deal table. At the far end of the -room, opposite the entrance, was the fireplace. -</p> -<p> -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, this which had once been the main -building and was now the manservants’ hall, was but little changed. The -cubby-beds, the circular<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-107">[107]</a></span> open fireplace, and the low, small-paned -windows with the iron gratings, were still there; but the long -board-bench and table had been replaced by a planing-bench and a chest -of tools. There were two small, round, three-legged stools which might -well have come down from the time of the first settler, likewise a worn -chopping-block that stood on the hearth. -</p> -<p> -Here lived the stableman and farmboy; here the farm labourers gathered -at rest hours to eat and lounge; hither poor belated wayfarers were -shown when they came asking for night harbour. Here Bengt, who had been -stableman in the time of the Paymaster of the Regiment, stayed on in -his old age. He had worked so long on the place that Lieutenant -Lagerlöf had recommended him as one worthy the medal for faithful -service. -</p> -<p> -There was another who was to receive this mark of honour—the old -housekeeper. She was not nearly so old as Bengt, and was still in -active service. She, who was hale and spry, could drive to church in -the family carriage and receive her medal at the chancel; while Bengt -was confined to his bed that day with the lumbago and pain in the -joints. His medal he would get in any case, but it was a grand -celebration he would be missing. It had been reported that the Dean of -Sunne would come to Ämtervik that Sunday to address the faithful -servants, and would himself place the bright silver medal round their -necks. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-108">[108]</a></span> -One can understand it was not very pleasant for Bengt to be lying there -in pain and torment while the greatest moment life could have held for -him passed him by. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, on arriving at the church, told the Dean why Bengt -had not come. Now there was no one the Dean so loved to honour as a -faithful servant, one who had been in the same place all his life, and -had shared weal and woe with his master and mistress. So, on hearing -that Bengt was ill, he said he would drive down to Mårbacka immediately -after the service and personally present the medal to Bengt. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant, though pleased, felt a trifle uneasy. He slipped out of -the church as soon as he could do so with propriety, and drove home -like lightning, so as to be there a little ahead of the Dean. -</p> -<p> -Bengt was quickly washed and combed and hustled into his Sunday shirt, -his bed was spread with clean sheets, and a fancy quilt was substituted -for the old sheepskin rug. The floor was swept, the shavings under the -planing-bench were carried out, the sooty cobwebs were torn from the -ceiling, fresh juniper twigs were strewn over the floor, chopped -spruce-fir spread before the door, and a huge bundle of birch and lilac -branches was stuck in the fireplace. -</p> -<p> -The Dean of Sunne at that time was no less a personage than the -venerable Anders Fryxell, the distinguished historian and Member of -Parliament. Directly he arrived he went in to see Bengt, accompanied -by<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-109">[109]</a></span> Lieutenant and Fru Lagerlöf, Mamselle Lovisa, the old housekeeper, -and all the servants. They quietly and reverently lined themselves -along the walls of the servants’ room, expecting, of course, that the -Dean would make a little speech in Bengt’s honour. -</p> -<p> -At first all went as it should go. The Dean read some passages from the -Scriptures, and Bengt listened—very still and solemn. Then the Dean -said: -</p> -<p> -“You, Bengt, have been one of those good and faithful servants of whom -our Lord speaks.” -</p> -<p> -“Ay,” says Bengt from his bed, “that’s what I’ve been.” -</p> -<p> -“You have never considered your own welfare before that of your -employer. You have always been mindful of the duties entrusted to you.” -</p> -<p> -“Ay, ’tis all so true,” says Bengt. “Many thanks to you, Dean, for -those words.” -</p> -<p> -It looked as if these constant interruptions would prove annoying to -the Dean, who was a great man, accustomed to the society of grand folk. -His was such an impressive personality that one easily became -embarrassed in his presence. He was always supreme and always had the -last word. -</p> -<p> -There had been no time for the Dean to prepare a speech, and the -address he delivered at the church was hardly suitable for the -servants’ hall. He cleared his throat once or twice, and began again. -</p> -<p> -“Bengt, you have been a good and faithful servant.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-110">[110]</a></span> -“Indeed I have,” said Bengt. -</p> -<p> -The blood mounted to the brow of the great and brilliant Dean Fryxell. -</p> -<p> -“You must be silent, Bengt, when I am speaking,” he said. -</p> -<p> -“Ay, ay,” the old man replied. “Sure, I’m not contradicting you, Dean. -’Tis all so true what you’re saying.” -</p> -<p> -The Dean got redder and redder. Again he cleared his throat and made a -fresh attempt. -</p> -<p> -“You, Bengt, have been a good and faithful servant, but you have also -had good masters.” -</p> -<p> -The old man was so elated at this he simply could not keep still. -</p> -<p> -“You’re right, dear Dean, you’re right! They’ve been grand men, all o’ -them—Wennervik and the Paymaster of the Regiment and this here Eric -Gustaf.” He reached over and put his hand on the Lieutenant’s shoulder, -then stroked him down the arm, his old face ashine with happiness. -</p> -<p> -Once more the Dean lifted up his voice. -</p> -<p> -“You must be silent, Bengt, when I’m speaking!” -</p> -<p> -“Why, of course,” said the old man. “But ’tis so right and true every -blessed word you’ve spoken, Dean.” -</p> -<p> -Now the Dean had to smile. “You’re irrepressible, Bengt. You will not -have to listen to any speech. Here is your medal. May you wear it with -health and honour for many years to come.” -</p> -<p> -So saying, the Dean went up to the bedside and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-111">[111]</a></span> laid the medal on the -bosom of the old man’s Sunday shirt. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Later, at dinner, the Dean seemed a bit abstracted. “This is the first -time in my life I have ever lost myself,” he confessed, “but in this -world one must have all sorts of experiences.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_302"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-112">[112]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_302_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_302_toc"><span class="large">II</span><br /> -<br /> -THE MONEY-CHEST</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -B<small>ENGT</small>, for his part, was perfectly satisfied with the Dean’s speech. -Those words about his having been a good and faithful servant, the -medal, the august presence of His Reverence in the servants’ hall, and -the whole demonstration in his honour, had had the salutary effect of -dispelling the ache in his joints and the shooting pains in his back. -In the afternoon the old man sat up in bed and related, again and -again, to all who would listen, how he had once rescued the money-chest -for the Paymaster of the Regiment. -</p> -<p> -It happened one winter when he and the master were out tax-gathering. -They had covered all the eastern districts, and before starting on the -western, the Paymaster wanted to go home for a while, as he longed for -a sight of his wife and little ones. But that of course he did not -mention to Bengt. His excuse was that the horse must be rested a couple -of days and the food-box, being empty, needed replenishing. Besides, -the money-chest was now so full he thought they’d best drive no further -until it had been emptied and the money sent on to Karlstad. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-113">[113]</a></span> -The day they turned their noses toward home there was a big blizzard. -The roads were so deep with snow they had to drive at a snail’s pace. -When they were crossing Klarälven on the ice it was already dusk. -Shortly afterward, on coming to Nordsjö Manor, the Paymaster spoke of -turning in there to ask for a night’s shelter. However, he was anxious -to get home, and as they were then within thirteen miles of Mårbacka, -he and Bengt decided to drive on. Even though it meant being out in the -sledge until ten or eleven at night, sleeping in one’s own bed was -best. -</p> -<p> -Coming into the dense forest between Nordsjö and Sandviken, they found -the road impassable. The sledge went so heavily the horse had to stop -at every step, and neither urging nor coaxing could put life into him. -</p> -<p> -“This is provoking, Bengt,” said the Paymaster. “But isn’t there a -little forest croft somewhere hereabout?” -</p> -<p> -“Ay, a bit further on is a hut,” Bengt replied; “but you can’t take in -there, Master!” -</p> -<p> -“I know what you’re thinking of, Bengt. That tavern is said to be the -haunt of ruffians and vagabonds, decent folk usually fight shy of it. -But what else can we do? We’ve been three hours getting from Nordsjö -here, and the horse is spent. We must get him under cover, where he can -rest for the night.” -</p> -<p> -“Well, Master, you do as you think best,” said Bengt. -</p> -<p> -When his man spoke in that manner, the Paymaster<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-114">[114]</a></span> knew he had his own -good reasons for not wishing to put up at that place. So he decided to -make another attempt to go on. -</p> -<p> -The two then got out of the sledge and began to clear a path for the -horse, which slowly followed them. It was a heavy task. Bengt worked -hard and his master, who had on great boots that went above his knees, -a heavy wolfskin coat and thick muffler, was soon all out of breath. -</p> -<p> -“No, Bengt, my boy, this won’t do,” said he when they were almost at -the forest hut. “Now I’m as used up as the horse is. You’d better go in -and ask for house-room.” -</p> -<p> -There was nothing for Bengt to do but obey, though he thought to -himself they might better remain out in the sledge all night than -betake themselves, with the Crown’s money, into that robbers’ den. It -was plain that this would lead to trouble. -</p> -<p> -In the hut he found a man and wife sitting quietly by the fire. It -cannot be said that they were especially pleased to receive the -travellers. They made all sorts of excuses: the guest chamber was cold -and they had no bed or bedclothes suitable for a gentleman. All the -same they were persuaded. The woman brought in wood and made up a fire -in the bedroom, the man took a spade and helped Bengt clear away the -snow, so that the horse and sledge could be taken to the shed. When -Bengt went back to the sledge he found his master sitting there, sound -asleep. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-115">[115]</a></span> -“That one doesn’t guard the Crown’s money any too well, eh?” grinned -the crofter. -</p> -<p> -“Well, so far he’s never lost so much as a shilling of what’s the -Crown’s,” Bengt snapped. -</p> -<p> -Always, when they put up anywhere, the Paymaster would carry in the -money-chest and Bengt would follow with the food-box. But now, seeing -how tired his master was, Bengt said, as the sledge stood before the -wretched shed where the horse was to be stabled: -</p> -<p> -“Go in to bed, Master, and I’ll be along later with the boxes.” -</p> -<p> -“You need only bring in the one,” the Paymaster told him. -</p> -<p> -When Bengt had unharnessed the horse and led it into the shed, he found -that his master had already gone inside, and the crofter, too, had -disappeared. The strong-box was not in the sledge, and he assumed that -the master had taken it in as usual. -</p> -<p> -The Paymaster of the Regiment sat by the fire in a wretched little room -when Bengt came in. He heard him put a box down, but was too dead tired -even to turn his head. -</p> -<p> -“Lock the door, Bengt,” he said, “and take out the key.” -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Twas not much use bringing in the empty food-box,” Bengt observed. -</p> -<p> -“That’s what I thought,” said his master. “But we’ll be able to sleep -to-night without any supper.” -</p> -<p> -Then he stretched himself out on a bare bench—great<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-116">[116]</a></span> boots, fur coat, -and all—slipped a couple of sticks of wood under his head, and was -asleep in a second. He never slept later than four or five in the -morning, but this time he awoke about two o’clock, quite rested and -refreshed. -</p> -<p> -“Up, Bengt!” he called. “For God’s sake let’s be off at once, so that -we can breakfast at Mårbacka.” -</p> -<p> -There was neither lamp nor candle in the room; but the night was not -pitch-dark, and they could see well enough to grope their way out. -</p> -<p> -“You take the box, Bengt, and hitch up,” said the Paymaster, “while I -go in and settle for the lodging.” -</p> -<p> -In a few moments they drove away. The storm had abated, and though the -road was still heavy with snow, they made fair progress, now that the -horse was rested. -</p> -<p> -“After all, it wasn’t such a bad idea our stopping there over night,” -the Paymaster remarked. -</p> -<p> -“It turned out better than I expected,” said Bengt. “But I had such bad -dreams all night, and thought I heard a lot of noise. It sounded as if -they were pounding and hammering in the crofter’s room. I don’t know -yet whether they were up working or whether I was just dreaming.” -</p> -<p> -“No doubt you dreamt they stole my money-chest,” laughed the Paymaster. -</p> -<p> -“But, Master—where have you put the box?” the servant burst out, -beginning to fumble about under the seat. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-117">[117]</a></span> -“The box?... Why, you brought that out.” -</p> -<p> -“I?—I carried out the food-box.” -</p> -<p> -“But I told you last evening to bring in only the strong-box, and leave -the other.” -</p> -<p> -It must have been a terrible moment for Paymaster Lagerlöf when he -realized that through a misunderstanding on the part of his man the -money-chest had been left out in the sledge. That the crofter had -stolen it was plain. But what had he done with it? Could he have opened -it? The chest was the regulation bailiff’s strong-box, iron bound, with -combination lock. But at that, they might perhaps have pried it open. -</p> -<p> -They left the horse standing in the road, and ran back to the hut. When -they burst into the house they found four rough-looking men sitting by -the fire with the crofter and his wife, none of whom showed the least -surprise. Bengt knew the men at once for the worst desperadoes in the -district. -</p> -<p> -“Now ’tis just as I said,” the woman began, “that ye’d not be able to -get home till the snow-plow’d been run afore ye.” -</p> -<p> -“Oh, we’ll manage to get home,” said the Paymaster of the Regiment. -“But my money-chest is still in your house, and that I must have along -with me.” -</p> -<p> -“Well, well, can it be possible that ye went off and left the -money-box!” said the woman. “Then it must be standing in the bedroom. -No one’s been in there since ye left.” -</p> -<p> -“The box was not forgotten,” said the Paymaster,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-118">[118]</a></span> sternly. “So produce -it at once! You know what happens to those who steal the Crown’s money.” -</p> -<p> -“Now where could we hide a big money-chest?” the woman protested -blandly. “Ye can see for yerself what’s here, and ye’re welcome to -search the house.” -</p> -<p> -And that Bengt had already done. He had peered and poked into every -nook and corner—and had found nothing. -</p> -<p> -“If you won’t give it up willingly,” said the Paymaster, “I shall have -to leave my man here on guard while I go for the bailiff.” -</p> -<p> -“What, that fellow stay and keep guard over us!” almost laughed the -woman. -</p> -<p> -Nor was it likely that Bengt, single-handed, could have kept six -persons quietly seated in the hut while his master went in search of -the bailiff. But all this time Bengt had been puzzling over something. -He heard a crackling noise coming from the bake-oven, but saw no -evidences of dough having been prepared. Without a word, he stole up -and flung open the oven door. -</p> -<p> -“Come here, Master,” he cried, “and see the kind of bread they bake in -this here oven.” -</p> -<p> -In there on a pyre of burning wood stood the money-chest. -</p> -<p> -The crofter and his wife now sprang at Bengt, but Paymaster Lagerlöf, -who was a powerful man, pushed them back. When the other four, who had -also begun to bestir themselves, saw the kind of thrusts he could give, -they kept out of his reach. Bengt seized the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-119">[119]</a></span> oven rake and quickly -pulled the box down onto the hearth. In his eagerness to find out -whether the box had been much damaged, he nearly burned his fingers -off. -</p> -<p> -“Ha! it hasn’t been opened,” he cried exultantly. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Though the box showed that the thieves had been filing and hammering at -it, the good oaken chest was intact; neither lock nor mountings had -given way. As a last resort they had put it on the fire. But, luckily, -Bengt had been too quick for them—only a bit of one corner was -charred. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_303"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-120">[120]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_303_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_303_toc"><span class="large">III</span><br /> -<br /> -THE LARDER ON STILTS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -A<small>LL</small> who had been long on the place thought the building next in age to -the stone huts was the old larder that stood on posts. It had not been -built by the first settler, but was erected some hundred years after -his time, when Mårbacka had become a regular farmstead. -</p> -<p> -The peasants then living there had hurriedly put up a post-larder, it -being the rule that every farm of any pretension must have one. It was -a crude structure. The door was so low one had to stoop to enter; but -the lock and key were conspicuously large and strong. There were no -windows, only small openings, with trap-shutters. In summer there were -fly-screens at the openings made of woven splints, through which very -little light could penetrate. -</p> -<p> -The larder had two stories. The upper story being better finished than -the lower, it was probably there the peasants stored their valuables. -</p> -<p> -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time the building was as in olden days. It may -have had a new roof, perhaps, but the steps were never changed. They -were so narrow<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-121">[121]</a></span> and close together one could scarcely get a foothold. -Nor was there ever a pane of glass in the old building. -</p> -<p> -In the autumn the larder was something to behold. On the lower floor -there were great bins of newly milled flour, next which stood two huge -vats packed to the brim with beef and pork in brine, then came cowls -and buckets of beef sausage, pork sausage, and potato sausage—in fact, -all sorts of things that had been made up during the autumn slaughter. -In one corner stood a barrel of salted herring, a keg of salted -whitefish and one of <i>sickling</i>, and generally a firkin of salmon. -Besides, there were tins of salted beans, salted spinach, and firkins -of green and yellow peas. -</p> -<p> -On the upper floor there were tubs of butter of the summer’s churning -stored for winter use. Long rows of cheeses were arranged on shelves -above the openings, and from the ceiling hung year-old hams. The -home-raised hops were preserved in a sack the size of a bolster, and -the malted grain in a similar one. Here were provisions for a whole -year. -</p> -<p> -It was the housekeeper who ruled over the larder. That was her domain, -and the key to it seldom got into another’s hands. Mamselle Lovisa -might potter in the pantry or milk-room, but she would hardly have -ventured into the larder. The housekeeper was also supreme in the -kitchen. Making small cakes or putting up preserves and fruit juices -might well be left to Mamselle Lovisa, but when it came to roasting a -fowl,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-122">[122]</a></span> making a cheese, or baking <i>knäckebröd</i>, it was the old -housekeeper who took charge. -</p> -<p> -The little Lagerlöf children were very fond of her, and looked up to -her as the most important member of the household. They had noticed -that whenever relatives came to visit, the first thing they did was to -go out to the kitchen and pay their respects to the housekeeper. If -anything unusual happened in the family Lieutenant Lagerlöf would -always call her in and tell her about it, and when Daniel and Johan -were returning to school after the Christmas and summer holidays, they -were told to say good-bye to the housekeeper. They had also heard -outsiders say that Fru Lagerlöf was in great luck to have such a -treasure in her kitchen, that nothing was ever wasted under her -watchful eye. They said, moreover, that nowhere else could one get such -Christmas ale, such <i>knäckebröd</i>, and such tasty dishes as were set -before you at Mårbacka. And it was all due to the old housekeeper, they -declared. So it was not strange the children regarded her as the main -prop of the home, and firmly believed that were she not there Mårbacka -would collapse. -</p> -<p> -Then, one day, little Anna found out a great secret, which gave her an -awful fright, and she confided it to her sister Selma. She had -overheard two of the maids talking about the housekeeper; they had said -she was married and had a husband. -</p> -<p> -The distress of the two little girls was indescribable. If the -housekeeper were actually married and had a<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-123">[123]</a></span> husband they could not be -sure of keeping her at Mårbacka. What would their mother do without -her? And what would they themselves do who got such nice titbits from -her whenever they went into the kitchen? And what would happen to the -whole place, they wondered? -</p> -<p> -It was most imperative, therefore, that they should know how the matter -stood; so they asked Nurse Maja if it were true that the housekeeper -was married and had a husband. -</p> -<p> -Oh, yes. Nurse Maja knew the whole story. She had heard it from her -mother, who was in service at Mårbacka at the time it all happened. -</p> -<p> -“It is the truth and no lie,” said she. The housekeeper’s husband was -living in Karlstad, and was a boss carpenter. There was no such luck as -his being dead! -</p> -<p> -And this was how it came about: When Lieutenant Lagerlöf and his -brother as lads attended school at Karlstad, their mother, the old -mistress, had sent her trusted housekeeper along with the boys, to look -after them and prepare their meals. While there, she had made the -acquaintance of a carpenter, who proposed to her. When on her return to -Mårbacka in the spring she announced that she was going to be married, -the old mistress was both sad and alarmed at the thought of losing her -“greatest treasure.” -</p> -<p> -“And what sort of fellow are you marrying?” she had asked her. “Do you -know whether he is a good man?” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-124">[124]</a></span> -Oh, yes, she was certain of that. He was a boss carpenter, who had his -own shop and his own home. The house was in order, so that she might be -married at once, and she could never have found a better husband. -</p> -<p> -“But how can you be content to live the year round in a barren city -street—you who have always lived in the country?” the old mistress had -then said. -</p> -<p> -Oh, she had no fears as to that. All would be well for her hereafter. -She was to have an easy life—no baking, no brewing; she had only to go -to the market and bring home whatever was needed. -</p> -<p> -When the old mistress heard her housekeeper speak in that manner she -knew the woman was bent on marriage, and there was nothing to be done -but give her a wedding at Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -The bridegroom appeared to be a clever, sensible sort, and the day -after the wedding he took his bride to Karlstad. -</p> -<p> -One evening a fortnight later—no, it was hardly that long—as the old -mistress went out to the larder to slice some ham for supper (she could -never take up the key to the larder but she thought of Maja Persdotter -and wondered how she was getting along), she said to herself: “If I had -not sent her to Karlstad she would never have met that carpenter and I -should still have my good helper, and wouldn’t have to run out to the -larder twenty times a day, as I do now.” Suddenly she saw a figure -coming through the birch grove that was the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-125">[125]</a></span> living image of her -housekeeper. The nearer the figure approached the more certain was -Grandmother Lagerlöf of what she beheld. When Maja Persdotter presently -stood before her and said, “Good-evening, Frua,” she had to believe her -eyes and ears. -</p> -<p> -“Well, well, is it you, Maja Persdotter!” she exclaimed. “But what -brings you here? Haven’t you got a good husband?” -</p> -<p> -“All he does is drink,” declared the housekeeper. “He’s been drunk -every day since the wedding. It’s the pure alcohol he should be using -in his work he guzzles. I can’t put up any longer with such a swine.” -</p> -<p> -“But I thought you were to go to the market and buy all your -provisions, in order to escape hard work?” -</p> -<p> -“I’ll work my fingers to the bone for Frua and the children if you’ll -only take me back!” vowed the housekeeper. “I’ve wished myself back at -Mårbacka day and night since I went away.” -</p> -<p> -“Come in, then, and we’ll talk this over with the Paymaster of the -Regiment,” the old mistress said with tears of joy in her eyes. “God -willing, we’ll never part again so long as we live,” she added. -</p> -<p> -Nor did they. The housekeeper’s husband probably knew it would be -useless for him to try to get her back. At all events, he never came to -fetch her. The wedding ring she removed from her finger and laid away -in her trunk. Nothing more was said about that episode in her life. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s little daughters should have felt<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-126">[126]</a></span> quite easy -in their minds on hearing this; but for a long time afterward they were -troubled. Since that carpenter was still alive he might come some day -and take her away. Whenever they looked down the road they expected to -see him coming. Nurse Maja had told them that if he came and demanded -the return of his wife, she would have to go with him. -</p> -<p> -They did not know just how old the housekeeper was. She herself had -forgotten the year of her birth, and the date set down in the parish -register was said not to be authentic. She must have been over seventy; -but for all that, the carpenter might want her back—fine, capable -woman that she was. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Then what would happen to Mårbacka! -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_304"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-127">[127]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_304_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_304_toc"><span class="large">IV</span><br /> -<br /> -THE MANSERVANTS’ COTTAGE</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>N</small> <small>OLDEN</small> times, when the master had to furnish the clothing for all the -servants on his place, the womenfolk must have had their hands full of -work the year round. Through the long, dark winter mornings and the -long, dark winter evenings, they sat at the spinning wheels drawing out -the threads for warp and weft. But the weaving itself was not begun -until the spring, when the days grew longer; for such work cannot be -done in semi-darkness. -</p> -<p> -In order to get the coarse wadmal and fine woollen cloth, the linen and -cotton webs finished by summer, when the parish tailor came, they had -to put speed into the looms. But if a loom stood in the kitchen the -work did not go very fast. The weavers should have a place to -themselves, where they can work without interruptions. Therefore, in -former days every well-conducted farmstead had its special loom-room, -and, of course, Mårbacka had one also. This was from the time of the -clergymen. They had added a story to the manservants’ cottage -consisting of two rooms, with clay-coated walls and boarded ceilings; -and in each was a tile-stove. The back room was occupied by the farm<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-128">[128]</a></span> -overseer; and in the front room stood two looms, one at either window. -</p> -<p> -The loom-room was in use even in Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, though it -was then no longer the custom to pay one’s serving-folk their earnings -in clothing but in money. It was Fru Lagerlöf’s great delight to sit at -a loom weaving towelling, bed linen, table linen, floor mats, curtains, -furniture coverings, and dress fabrics—in fact, everything of that -sort needed in the home. All summer long she had her looms going. -</p> -<p> -In the autumn, however, the looms were taken out to make room for a -long, low table which was well smeared with bezum, and the round, -three-legged stools were brought up from the servants’ room. That meant -that Soldier Svens, the parish shoemaker, was expected. Soon he and his -apprentices came shouldering great knapsacks packed full of awls, -hammers, bundles of lasts, wax-ends, eyelets, heel-irons and shoe-pegs, -all of which were dumped upon the table. -</p> -<p> -The cobbler was a tall, gaunt man with a shock of black hair and a full -black beard. Seeing him for the first time one thought him a fierce and -dangerous fellow, more fit for fighting than for the shoemaker’s bench. -But when he spoke, it was in a soft, timorous voice. His eyes were -rather small and mild-looking, and his whole bearing was a bit -uncertain. He was perhaps not so very dangerous after all. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s little children were in high glee when the -shoemaker arrived. They bounded up the difficult<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-129">[129]</a></span> stairs to the -loom-room many times a day. It was not so much for chatter they -came—for Soldier Svens was a reticent and diligent man—as to watch the -work, to see how a shoe was made, from the stretching of the leather on -the last to the cutting out of the bootlaces. -</p> -<p> -The shoemaker, who usually sat with drooping head, brightened when he -heard Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s footstep on the stairs. He and the -Lieutenant were old regiment comrades. After they had discussed -brogans, sole-leather, and boot-grease a while, they fell to -reminiscing about Trossnäs Field, and when they were well warmed up to -it, the Lieutenant would coax the shoemaker to sing an old war song -which was unlike any other battle hymn in that it began thus: <i>We -heroes from Sweden, we do not love to fight.</i> That song the soldiers -had made up when they marched down to Denmark in the year 1848 on the -expedition known as the “Sandwich War.” -</p> -<p> -Singularly enough, Shoemaker Svens loved to talk about Tailor Lager, -who had sat many a time in that very room in the days of the Paymaster -of the Regiment, and who was as merry and full of fun as he was grave -and mournful. -</p> -<p> -“You have probably heard, Lieutenant, how the tailor came to be called -Lager,” the shoemaker began. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant knew the story as well as he knew his “Our Father,” but -all the same he replied: -</p> -<p> -“I may have heard it, Svens, but you tell it—in your way.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-130">[130]</a></span> -“Well, you see, Lager he was a soldier like myself, though he was -before my time. They say in the regiment that at first he was called -Lars Andersson. Then came orders for the privates to change their names -because there were too many Anderssons and Johanssons in the regiment. -</p> -<p> -“One day at a rally at Trossnäs, the soldiers were called in by your -father to say by what name they wished to be known, and to have it set -down in the roll. -</p> -<p> -“Of course Lars Andersson was among them. The Paymaster of the Regiment -knew him from of old as a joke-maker, for year after year Lars had sat -here at Mårbacka weeks at a stretch, making clothes for the Paymaster -and all his folks. From the time he came till he went it was nothing -but fun and laughter. He could mimic everybody in the parish and make -things disappear like a magician at the fair, and he played on a stick -till you thought you heard the whole regiment marching. But he was a -bit dangerous, was Lars, for he made up yarns about folk that caused -bad feeling among the neighbours. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well, what shall you call yourself, Lars Andersson?’ the Paymaster -asked him, putting on a stern face so that Lars would not dare come -with any of his monkey tricks. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Lord preserve the Paymaster of the Regiment!’ says he. ‘May I call -myself anything I like?’ He puckered his forehead as if he were trying -hard to think of a name. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-131">[131]</a></span> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>You may, Lars Andersson.’ The Paymaster, knowing his man, added, ‘But -it must be a proper and honourable name, and nothing clownish.’ -</p> -<p> -“You remember, Lieutenant, how your father looked. He was a kind man, -but just the sight of him put fear into many a one, for he was a big -tall man with bushy black eyebrows. -</p> -<p> -“But the tailor was not afraid—not he! ‘Then,’ says he, ‘I’ll call -myself Lagerlöf, for that is both an honourable and respected name. I -know of no other in all Värmland that sounds so sweet.’ -</p> -<p> -“The Paymaster of the Regiment must have got hot in the head when he -heard that that buffoon wanted to call himself Lagerlöf. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No, that won’t do,’ he said. ‘We can’t have two with the same name in -the regiment.’ -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>But,’ says the tailor, ‘there are at least three Ugglas and four -Lilliehööks, and it isn’t likely anyone would mistake me for the -Paymaster.’ -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No. But can’t you see, Lars Andersson, that it would never do,’ -protested the Paymaster. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I wouldn’t have chosen that name if you hadn’t given me leave to call -myself whatever I wished.’ The tailor made himself appear very humble -and serious. ‘I know that when the Paymaster of the Regiment gives you -his word you can usually go by it.’ -</p> -<p> -“Then there was a long silence. Paymaster Lagerlöf sat studying how -he’d get round this. Aside from the fact that it would make him the -butt of the regiment,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-132">[132]</a></span> he didn’t care to have a mountebank like that -tailor knocking about under the name of Lagerlöf. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Look here, Lars,’ he finally said, ‘it might do well enough here in -the regiment for us two to bear the same name, but home at Mårbacka it -would never go. So understand, if you insist on this thing you can’t do -any more tailoring there.’ -</p> -<p> -“That must have given the tailor a scare, for the weeks he sat sewing -at Mårbacka were to him the best in the whole year. At no other place -did he fare so well, and nowhere else did they laugh so heartily at his -yarns and pranks. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Perhaps you’d be satisfied to call yourself Lager?’ the Paymaster -suggested, seeing the fellow was wavering. The tailor must have agreed -to that, for he went by the name of Lager the rest of his life.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_305"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-133">[133]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_305_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_305_toc"><span class="large">V</span><br /> -<br /> -THE “JUNGFRU”</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -S<small>HE</small> was an old <i>jungfru</i> who had once been in service in the home of -Fru Lagerlöf’s parents, at Filipstad, but lived now, in her old age, at -Ämtervik. She had known Fru Lagerlöf as a child, and used to come to -Mårbacka two or three times a year to see the folks. -</p> -<p> -The <i>jungfru</i> was a tall, good-looking woman with white hair. She had a -strong nose, a firm mouth, and a grave manner. She liked preachers and -missionaries, and ran to prayer-meetings and sewing-circles. One could -not talk with her about dancing, or novels, or love affairs; such -things were to her an abomination. Nor did one dare speak ill of any -one in her presence, or even discuss pretty clothes, and she would not -hear about the sinful things that went on in the world. -</p> -<p> -It was not easy to know just what one should talk about. Outside of -cookery and the weather there were few topics of conversation one might -safely touch upon. These, to be sure, held out a long while, but even -they could become exhausted, for the <i>jungfru</i> was a person of few -words, and her answers were short and well posed. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-134">[134]</a></span> -There was a way, however, to loosen the <i>jungfru’s</i> tongue; but it had -its drawbacks. She had once on a time been cook at a large deanery. The -dean had twenty children, all living and arrived at maturity. That -family she continually kept in mind, and her supreme delight was to -talk about those people. -</p> -<p> -The family at Mårbacka were having their usual afternoon coffee in the -living room. The coffeepot and tray stood on the big table. Everyone, -in turn, went up and poured himself a cup. None took more than one lump -of sugar, one wheaten rusk and one of rye, one ring-biscuit, one ginger -cookie, and a bit of fresh cake, if there happened to be any. Whereupon -each sat down in his accustomed place. Fru Lagerlöf occupied one corner -of the sofa, Mamselle Lovisa the other. The Lieutenant always had the -rocker, which was his favourite seat. No one else would have ventured -to appropriate that. Herr Tyberg, Johan’s tutor, took a cane-bottomed -chair, and between these four stood a table made from the root of an -alder. At one of the little window-tables sat Johan, at the other Anna, -while over in the chimney corner, by the folded card table, sat the two -little tots, Selma and Gerda; they were considered too young to have -coffee, and had to be content with a glass of milk each. -</p> -<p> -The <i>jungfru</i>, who had come that day for a visit, was having coffee -with the family. She had placed her chair in the middle of the room, -where all might see and talk with her. They had run the whole gamut of -harmless<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-135">[135]</a></span> topics, and were now at a standstill. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, who -could not abide a lull in the conversation, began to question her about -missions, colporteurs, sewing-circles, and prayer-meetings. Knowing the -sort he was and what she was, it was clear that this could not run -smoothly. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf tried to change the conversation, Mamselle Lovisa gave her -brother a nudge with her elbow, and Herr Tyberg called attention to the -excellent quality of the coffee. But the Lieutenant and the <i>jungfru</i> -went right on with their discussion, which was getting a bit hot. -</p> -<p> -Now Fru Lagerlöf knew from of old that if the <i>jungfru</i> took offence at -anything the Lieutenant said about the “miss-i-on,” she would not come -again for at least a year; and her circumstances were such that she -needed to come to Mårbacka occasionally, to get a few good meals, a -sack of flour, and something tasty to take home with her. She saw no -way out of it but to ask the <i>jungfru</i> what had become of all the -dean’s twenty children. -</p> -<p> -In a twinkling the foreign and home missions, the heathen children, and -even the impious Lieutenant were forgotten. She brightened, and -promptly started in: -</p> -<p> -“I’ve never known the like of it in all my life. In that house we’d a -wash-day every other week, and at that, the tubs were always full of -clothes. You could never sit down to a meal but you must have a child -on each side of you. You had to fix its food and help<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-136">[136]</a></span> feed it in the -bargain. When there was shifts to be made, they had to fetch home whole -bolts of linen, and sempstresses and tailors and shoemakers never found -time to go to other places in the parish, for they’d enough to do in -that one place.” -</p> -<p> -“But, my dear Jungfru Anna, however could the dean and his wife manage -to bring up so many children?” Fru Lagerlöf said to get her well -started. -</p> -<p> -“Ah, but they did, though, and they turned out grand, all of them. You -never saw better children. Only think! the oldest daughter, Eve—what a -handy one she was at making baby things and tending little ones! And -she got married, indeed, at seventeen to Curate Jansson of Skilanda, -and when he died she got a dean in Västergötland. She had a lot of -children, and after she’d stood a bride the first time she never showed -herself again in her father’s house.” -</p> -<p> -“She probably thought there were enough without her,” observed the -Lieutenant, dryly. -</p> -<p> -The little girls over in the chimney-corner began to giggle; but they -got such a sharp look from the <i>jungfru</i> they subsided instantly. -</p> -<p> -“The next to the oldest was a boy named Adam,” the <i>jungfru</i> continued. -“He was the worst child for crying I ever came across. But later on, -when he became a priest, he chanted the service so beautiful that he -was made Court Chaplain. He could have married any one he liked, but he -had no such wish. For some reason he remained a bachelor all his life.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-137">[137]</a></span> -“Tell us, what was it?” Herr Tyberg struck in. -</p> -<p> -Again came a titter from the chimney-corner. The <i>jungfru</i> shot the -children and Herr Tyberg each a glance that scared them into silence. -</p> -<p> -“The third was a boy called Noah. And d’you know, <i>Frua</i>, he was so -good at fishing, and brought home such big catches that both me and his -mother was thankful to him. He became a priest in Halland, and every -year he sent his folks a big barrel of salted salmon.” -</p> -<p> -“Oh, speaking of salmon——” The Lieutenant started to say something -about their ordering another firkin of salmon, but couldn’t get a word -in for the <i>jungfru.</i> -</p> -<p> -“The next was a boy named Shem,” she rattled on. “He was as great a -hunter as Noah was a fisher. Oh, you’d ought t’ve seen all the grouse -and hares he brought home! And he became a priest, too, and got a -vicarage down in Skåne; and every winter he sent home a reindeer he’d -shot himself.” -</p> -<p> -After Shem she took breath and looked round. Her hearers sat silent and -subdued. None thought of interrupting her. -</p> -<p> -“The one that came after the three boys was a girl whose name was Sara. -And I’d be willing to swear before God and man, that never have I seen -any one with such a knack at putting up pickles and making jam and -fruit juice. All the same, she didn’t get married; she went to -Stockholm and kept house for her brother the Court Chaplain. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-138">[138]</a></span> -“The next was also a girl, and Rebecca was her name. I must say that -she was the one who understood me the least. She had such a good head -for learning she could have been a priest like her brothers. And the -way she could make up poetry was something wonderful! Folks said there -was nobody in all Sweden beat her writing cradle songs. Just the same -she got married, but ’twas only to a school teacher.” -</p> -<p> -At that point the <i>jungfru</i> was interrupted by the maid coming in with -fresh coffee, and they must all have a second cup. -</p> -<p> -“I wonder if there was any one in that batch who could make a decent -cup of coffee?” Lieutenant Lagerlöf ventured. -</p> -<p> -“The Lieutenant takes the words out of my mouth!” exclaimed the -<i>jungfru.</i> “It may sound queer, but the one who had a real turn for -cooking was the fourth boy, Isaac. He was so clever at whipping up a -sauce and basting a roast that one could have right good help from him -round the stove.” -</p> -<p> -“He must have excelled, though, at preparing baby-food,” Herr Tyberg -observed. -</p> -<p> -Snickers went up not only from the chimney-corner, but from all parts -of the room. Fru Lagerlöf, however, kept a straight face. -</p> -<p> -“What a wonderful memory Jungfru Anna must have to be able to remember -all that!” she said, so as to keep the old girl in good humour. -</p> -<p> -Ordinarily the <i>jungfru</i> was quick to take offence, but<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-139">[139]</a></span> not when she -could talk about her dear deanery children. Then she was imperturbable. -At all events, Herr Tyberg had helped them away from Isaac. They never -learned to what uses he eventually put his talent. -</p> -<p> -“The two next were twins, and they were called Jacob and Esau. They -were as like as two coffee beans. I couldn’t tell one from t’other. I -never saw such boys for running and jumping and skating. But they -became priests, they, too.” -</p> -<p> -“I thought they were going to be rope-dancers,” the Lieutenant cut in. -</p> -<p> -“They became priests, they, too,” the <i>jungfru</i> reiterated, not in the -least put out. “Esau went up to Jämtland, where he had to clamber ’mong -the fells, and Jacob, he went down to Bohuslän, where he scrambled in -and out of boats and ships. They found their right places and turned to -use the talents God had given ’em—they, like their brothers and -sisters.” -</p> -<p> -“But what happened to Joseph?” asked the Lieutenant quickly. -</p> -<p> -“There were two girls before him, Lieutenant, called Rachel and Leah. -They were handy in the garden; the one planted and the other weeded. -When the bishop paid a visit he declared he’d never tasted such peas -and such strawberries. They married, too; each of them got a foundry -owner. And now I’m coming to Joseph.” -</p> -<p> -“He became a squire, I suppose?” said the Lieutenant. -</p> -<p> -“He became a tenant of his father’s,” the <i>jungfru</i> corrected<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-140">[140]</a></span> him. “He -looked after the fields and tended the cows and provided food for his -parents and his brethren.” -</p> -<p> -“H’m—that was just what I thought.” So saying, the Lieutenant arose -and sidled toward the door, where his hat and cane were hanging, and -sneaked out. -</p> -<p> -“The thirteenth was David,” pursued the <i>jungfru.</i> “He married three -times, and had three children by each wife. If it please you, I can -tell you the names of all the wives and children.... But maybe ’twould -be better to keep to the twenty brethren?” -</p> -<p> -They all thought that quite the wisest plan. But with these prospects -before her, Fru Lagerlöf felt a bit uneasy. -</p> -<p> -“I’ll run out and fetch something to work on,” she said, “then I’ll be -able to follow you better.” But it was a good while before she came -back with that work. -</p> -<p> -“The fourteenth was a girl named Deborah. She was always so nice about -giving me a hand with the bread-making. She never got married and never -left home, for she had to stay at the deanery and help me and her -mother with the little ones. Sometimes she was kind of queer, though, -and then she’d say she liked the Catholic religion because it didn’t -allow its priests to marry.” -</p> -<p> -A slight noise was heard down by the door. Herr Tyberg had slipped out -so softly no one noticed it till he was gone. -</p> -<p> -“The fifteenth was a girl, and her name was Martha. She was the -greatest beauty you ever set eyes on! But she, too, was a bit queer. -When she came seventeen<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-141">[141]</a></span> she married a dean who was two-and-sixty, just -because she wanted to get away from home.” -</p> -<p> -Here Anna and Johan stood up. They must go fetch a light, they said. It -was some little time before that light was brought. -</p> -<p> -“The sixteenth was called Mary. She was homely, and she used to say -she’d never be able to catch a parson or a gentleman; but she was that -eager to leave home she took up with a farm-hand, and went off and got -married.” -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa remained faithfully at her post, where she had gone -sound asleep; but this the <i>jungfru</i> had not noticed. -</p> -<p> -“The seventeenth was hardly eighteen when she moved away from the -deanery. She used to help the missus write letters to all the brothers -and sisters; for that was more than any one body could do.” -</p> -<p> -The door opened ever so little and shut again. -</p> -<p> -“The eighteenth,” droned the <i>jungfru</i>, “was but fifteen when he -declared he was going to America because he couldn’t put up with so -many relatives. -</p> -<p> -“And number nineteen and twenty, they were only fourteen and thirteen -when I last saw them.” -</p> -<p> -At that moment Fru Lagerlöf came in with her knitting, Anna appeared -with the lamp, and Mamselle Lovisa awoke. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“Thanks, thanks, dear Jungfru Anna,” said Fru Lagerlöf. “We shall never -forget this. It has been so very instructive to me and my children.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_306"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-142">[142]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_306_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_306_toc"><span class="large">VI</span><br /> -<br /> -THE BRIDAL-CROWN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -M<small>AMSELLE</small> L<small>OVISA</small> L<small>AGERLÖF</small> used to dress the brides. Not all the girls in -the parish who married came to her to be decked, only the daughters of -the best peasant families. Some years there were two or three brides, -and some none at all. -</p> -<p> -Formerly, when Mårbacka was a parsonage, it had been the duty of the -pastor’s womenfolk to deck the brides, especially those who were to be -married in the church. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa’s mother and maternal grandmother and great-grandmother -before her had performed this same service. It was an old custom which -had been handed down. -</p> -<p> -She had inherited all the old bridal trumpery which in the course of -time had accumulated at Mårbacka. She had a large old cupboard, in a -drawer of which were treasured long strings of glass, coral, and amber -beads, a collection of tortoise-shell combs that stood up eight inches -from the head, and half-round pasteboard forms, covered either with -stiff white satin or hand-painted flowers, in use at the period when -coifs were worn.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-143">[143]</a></span> She had also a high pasteboard bridal-crown, the -points of which were covered partly with gilt paper and partly with -pink-and-green taffeta. There were wreaths of artificial roses and -yards on yards of green satin ribbon sewn with flowers of pink satin. -In the same drawer there were Jenny-Lind-ringlets, to be fastened on so -as to fall against the face, hair pins with dangle-buttons, long -ear-pendants of imitation pearls, an assortment of brass brooches, -bracelets, and shoe buckles set with glass rubies, amethysts, and -sapphires. -</p> -<p> -In the days when these things were in vogue it was a responsible and -laborious task to deck a bride. For days before the wedding the bride -dresser had to sit sewing flowered satin bands round the skirt and -sleeves of the wedding dress. Sometimes the crown had to have fresh -gilt paper and there were paper flowers to be made, and all the brass -things had to be polished till they shone like gold. -</p> -<p> -Though all the gewgaws were shoddy stuff, a peasant-bride with a high -crown and a broad flower wreath on her head, with strand on strand of -multi-colored beads hanging down from her neck, with flowered satin -sash round her waist, with a band of gay ribbon bordering her skirt, -with bangled wrists and buckled shoes, must have been the most dazzling -sight one could behold. -</p> -<p> -And it was also the most becoming array for a tall, bright-eyed, -rosy-cheeked peasant lass, whose figure had been developed by hard toil -and whose skin was tanned by sun and wind. Thus arrayed, she carried<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-144">[144]</a></span> -herself with dignity and pride, as if for a space she were exalted -above her kind. To the bridegroom on the wedding day she looked a -queen, a veritable goddess of riches. She was the most gorgeous flower -in all the meadow, and to his eyes she glittered like a jewelled casket. -</p> -<p> -When Mamselle Lovisa dressed brides the old frippery was no longer in -use. Now it had to be a natty little crown of myrtle, a thin wreath, -also of myrtle, and a long white veil. Sometimes she would put a band -of red satin ribbon round the waist of a plain black dress, and lend -her brides her own gold brooch, gold bracelets, and watch and chain, to -relieve at least a little the severity of the attire. -</p> -<p> -She must indeed have sighed for the olden times, and felt that -something was lost by being so sparing with colours and ornaments, by -concealing the rugged, and sometimes rather coarse, features of the -peasant brides behind a sheer, white veil. That mode suited better the -pale delicate city maiden, who wished to appear before the bridegroom -as something ethereal and dreamlike. She conceded that this, too, was a -pretty fashion; but certainly the peasant brides would have looked much -better in the old, characteristic array. -</p> -<p> -Besides, it was difficult to procure fresh myrtle for the wreath and -crown. Mamselle Lovisa tried to raise a little myrtle herself, but -somehow it never seemed to grow for her, and the brides rarely had any -to help out with. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-145">[145]</a></span> -Once Mamselle Lovisa got into trouble. A middle-aged woman, one Kaisa -Nilsdotter, came and asked her if she would not dress her as bride. The -woman was of the poorer peasant class, while the prospective husband -was a schoolmaster. She felt that since she was making such an -advantageous marriage no less a person than Mamselle Lagerlöf should -deck her. And Mamselle Lovisa was quite willing. All she asked was that -the bride should help her find the myrtle. -</p> -<p> -“I am nearly out of myrtle,” she said, “and do not know where to -procure any.” -</p> -<p> -The woman agreed to furnish the myrtle for both crown and wreath. The -day before the wedding she sent a few twigs with leaves so blackened -and damaged they could hardly be used for a bridal-crown. -</p> -<p> -Here was a dilemma! Mamselle Lovisa stripped her own myrtles of every -bit of green; but this did not go very far. The maids ran over to see -what they could find on the neighbouring farms, and came back with only -a few poor sprigs. All the myrtle seemed to be sick that year; the -leaves were black, and dropped off if one but touched them. -</p> -<p> -It would never do to bind any green but myrtle into a bridal-crown. -Nice, fresh whortleberry is very like myrtle; but to wear a -bridal-crown of whortleberry green would be a terrible disgrace. The -bride might actually think she was not properly married. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa laid the miserable little twigs in water to freshen -them a bit, and worked far into the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-146">[146]</a></span> night on the wreath and crown. It -looked a hopeless task, but she made the best of it. In the morning she -quietly slipped out to the woods, but returned as she had gone—empty -handed. Passing through the kitchen to her room she averred that never -had she had such difficulty trying to bind a pretty bridal-crown. The -maids felt sorry for her, and offered to run to still other cottages to -beg myrtle. -</p> -<p> -“No, thank you,” she said, “it’s too late now. The bride and groom may -be here at any moment.” -</p> -<p> -She went into her room and stuck a few more leaves into the crown and -wreath where they were the barest, then showed her work to the -housekeeper and the maids. -</p> -<p> -“How in the world did you do it, Mamselle Lovisa!” one exclaimed. “Why, -that wreath and crown are just as pretty as those you usually make, -though ’twas mostly bare sprigs and black leaves you had.” -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa then explained that she had freshened the leaves in -water, it was only smoke and dust that had blackened them. -</p> -<p> -Shortly afterwards the bridal pair arrived. The bride was decked in -Mamselle Lovisa’s room. Though no longer young, the woman had a good -and pleasing appearance. When she was all ready Mamselle Lovisa -conducted her into the parlour, that she might view herself in the -large mirror. And she was delighted. -</p> -<p> -“I never would have thought I could look that well!” she said. Then -she took out a bottle of cologne and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-147">[147]</a></span> a pretty box—gifts from the -groom. The box was filled with small candies, loaf-sugar, raisins, and -lozenges. These she passed round—first to Mamselle Lovisa, then to the -others. All had to dab themselves with a few drops of the cologne and -take a piece of candy or a raisin from the box. She looked more pleased -and happy than the young brides usually did, and every one complimented -her on her appearance. -</p> -<p> -In a few moments she and the bridegroom drove off to the parsonage to -be married, and from there to the bride’s home, to celebrate. -</p> -<p> -For a time Kaisa Nilsdotter was very happy in her married life. -Although her husband was much older than she, her respect for his -learning was so great that she took special pride in ministering to his -comfort and in making him a pleasant home. Then a rumour got afloat. It -must have been started by some person at Mårbacka; but who the author -was none could say. At all events, it travelled round the whole parish. -At last some kind friend no doubt whispered it into the ear of Kaisa -Nilsdotter. -</p> -<p> -“Mamselle Lovisa Lagerlöf bound your bridal-crown with whortleberry -green.” -</p> -<p> -At first she would not believe it. Such a thing was beyond credence. -But after a while she began to think back. Her bridal-crown had been as -pretty as anyone else’s. It had looked so fresh and green on her head. -She remembered how proud she had been because a fine Mamselle had put -it on her. But was<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-148">[148]</a></span> the crown not much too green? The spring she -was married the myrtle had all been poor, she remembered, for she had -tried in vain to find some green sprays. Maybe Mamselle Lovisa had -thought it was not necessary to be so very particular with one who came -of such humble folk? She would never have dared offer a crown of -whortleberry to the daughter of a squire. -</p> -<p> -She brooded over this and talked with her husband about it. She -wondered whether they were really married, in case it was true that her -crown had been of whortleberry green. -</p> -<p> -The husband tried to reason with her, but she wept and was utterly -wretched, thinking herself disgraced and humiliated. Mamselle Lovisa -had thought she was not fine enough to be dressed by her, so she had -made her a crown of whortleberry, and now she and all the parish were -laughing at her. Her husband finally advised her to go to Mårbacka and -ask Mamselle Lovisa herself about it. -</p> -<p> -She chanced to come at a most inopportune time. There was a grand party -that day at Mårbacka, and when she stepped into the kitchen the maids -were too busy to give her more than a short how-do-you-do. She asked -for Mamselle Lovisa, who was inside with her guests, and they would not -call her out. She would have to excuse them, too, for there was such a -lot of company to serve. But, if she liked, she might step into -Mamselle Lovisa’s room, and wait there for her; which she did. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-149">[149]</a></span> -It was here the crown had been placed on her head. She remembered how -happy she was that day, and now it was hard to believe there had been -any deception. -</p> -<p> -Presently two maids passed through the room, each carrying a tray of -filled wine glasses. They left the door ajar so that she could see into -the dining room and parlour, which were full of people. It was indeed a -big party, she thought. In there were not only the gentry of Ämtervik, -but the Dean’s and the Doctor’s folk from Sunne and Pastor Hammargren -of Karlstad—the husband of Mamselle Lovisa’s sister. Feeling rather -embarrassed, she went to shut the door, when she caught a few words -that made her stop and listen. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, with wine glass in hand, stood in the middle of -the floor announcing the betrothal of his sister Lovisa to Pastor -Milén, the clergyman at Ämtervik. -</p> -<p> -Then there was much toasting and congratulating. Everyone looked happy -and pleased, which was not surprising. Mamselle Lovisa was a woman of -forty, and her relatives had hardly expected that she would marry. -Pastor Milén was a widower with four small children who needed a -mother’s care. It was all so right and fitting. -</p> -<p> -Kaisa Nilsdotter had heard that when Mamselle Lovisa was young she -would not marry because she had not the heart to leave her parents. But -now that they were dead she wanted a home of her own. She had also -heard that Mamselle Lovisa did not care to go far from<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-150">[150]</a></span> Mårbacka, and, -happily, the parsonage was but five minutes’ walk from there. -</p> -<p> -It sort of cut into Kaisa Nilsdotter that everything should go so well -for Mamselle Lovisa—she who had made a whortleberry crown for her. -Stepping back from the doorway, she saw the old housekeeper, who had -come in to hear the betrothal announcement, standing just behind her. -Kaisa Nilsdotter laid a heavy hand on the housekeeper’s shoulder. -</p> -<p> -“I came here to find out whether Mamselle Lovisa made my bridal-crown -of whortleberry green,” she said. “But maybe ’twouldn’t do to ask her -about it on a day like this?” -</p> -<p> -The housekeeper was rather startled, but she was not one to be easily -thrown off her guard. -</p> -<p> -“How can you say anything so idiotic, Kaisa!” she flouted. “Everyone in -the house knows what a lot of bother Mamselle Lovisa had with your -bridal-crown. We all ran about to every cottage around here, and begged -the myrtle.” -</p> -<p> -Kaisa stared at her as if searching her very soul to get at the truth. -“But the whole parish says so,” she declared. -</p> -<p> -The old housekeeper, whose sole thought was to pacify the woman and get -her out of the house, lest she disturb Mamselle Lovisa on this of all -days, said: -</p> -<p> -“But I tell you, Kaisa, that as sure as Mamselle Lovisa’s own -bridal-crown will be of myrtle was yours of myrtle, and of nothing -else.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-151">[151]</a></span> -“I’ll bear those words in mind,” said Kaisa. “And when I see what -Mamselle Lovisa’s bridal-crown is bound with, then I’ll know how it was -with mine.” -</p> -<p> -“You can rest easy as to that,” the housekeeper assured her. -</p> -<p> -The two then went into the kitchen, and Kaisa, looking quite calm now, -put out her hand in farewell. -</p> -<p> -“I may as well be going,” she said. “Anyhow, I don’t suppose I could -see Mamselle Lovisa to-day to speak to.” -</p> -<p> -With that she was off. The housekeeper went back to her work, and, in -the rush and excitement, forgot about the woman. It was not till a day -or two afterward that she told Mamselle Lovisa what Kaisa Nilsdotter -had said and what she herself had replied. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa went white as a sheet. -</p> -<p> -“Oh, Maja!” she cried, “how could you say that! It would have been -better to tell her that I put a few little sprays of whortleberry green -in her crown.” -</p> -<p> -“I had to ease her mind to get her to go,” the housekeeper explained. -</p> -<p> -“And so you said my crown would be of myrtle as surely as hers was. Now -you’ll see, Maja, there will be no bridal-crown for me!” -</p> -<p> -“Oh, you’ll be married right enough, Mamselle Lovisa. Pastor Milén is -not the man to jilt you.” -</p> -<p> -“Who knows? Something else might come up to prevent it.” -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa worried over this a few days, and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-152">[152]</a></span> then let it pass out -of mind. She had other things to think of. In six months the wedding -was to take place, and she must begin at once on the household linens -and the trousseau. -</p> -<p> -She set up looms, sewed, and worked monograms. She finally went to -Karlstad to shop, and returned with the fabric for a wedding dress and -a little wire frame of a crown, to be bound with myrtle. She did not -wish to use the old frame worn by so many brides, but wanted a -bridal-crown of her own. -</p> -<p> -But these purchases had no sooner been made than the unexpected -happened. Pastor Milén became ill and was confined to his bed a long -time. When he recovered sufficiently to be up and about he seemed -strangely changed. People noticed that he did not care to talk with his -betrothed, and never went the short distance to Mårbacka to see her. -When summer came he went away to a health resort. During his long -absence he never once wrote to Mamselle Lovisa. It was a time of -anxiety and distress for her. She inferred from his silence that he -wished to break with her, and sent him back his ring. The day this -happened she said to the old housekeeper: -</p> -<p> -“Now you see, Maja, that my bridal-crown will not be bound with myrtle, -either.” -</p> -<p class="break"> -*<span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span> -</p> -<p> -One day, many years later, one of the young daughters of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf asked her Aunt Lovisa to<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-153">[153]</a></span> lend her some of the old peasant -bridal things to dress up in. Mamselle Lovisa gave her the key to the -cupboard where the old treasures were kept and which had long since -been removed to the storeroom upstairs. -</p> -<p> -The young girl unlocked the cupboard and pulled out a drawer. She gazed -at the contents in astonishment. Before her lay not the usual gaudy -trumpery, but only a parcel of tulle, some coloured satin fabric, and a -little wire form of a bridal-crown. She saw at once that she had opened -the wrong drawer, the bridal things were in the next one. Just the -same, she stood a moment looking into the drawer. It wrung her heart to -think that poor, unhappy Aunt Lovisa had never come to use the things -lying there. She knew that for years her aunt had grieved in silence, -and would not be comforted. Then something came back to memory. One day -during the saddest period of her aunt’s unhappiness she had gone into -her room and had found her sitting before a heap of whortleberry green, -a little wire crown in her hand. Her aunt had cut off a few sprays and -was binding them round the crown, when Fru Lagerlöf came in. -</p> -<p> -“Why, Lovisa, whatever are you doing?” she had asked with a frightened -look on her face. -</p> -<p> -“I was thinking,” Mamselle Lovisa had said, dreamily, “that if I would -be content with a crown of whortle—— But that’s stupid!” -</p> -<p> -Then she had quickly jumped up, brushed aside the crown and the leaves, -and cried out: “I know it’s all<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-154">[154]</a></span> ended.” Then pacing the floor and -wringing her hands the while, she had moaned: “There’s no help for it -now.” -</p> -<p> -“But, my dear Lovisa, it was only on account of his illness,” Fru -Lagerlöf had answered. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa had continued to pace up and down, up and down, in -anguish and despair. -</p> -<p> -“If only I hadn’t put whortleberry in Kaisa Nilsdotter’s bridal-crown!” -she had wailed. -</p> -<p> -“Come, come, Lovisa, you mustn’t think that.” Just then Fru Lagerlöf -had caught sight of the child standing there, wide-eyed. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“Go into the other room, Selma,” she had said. “Aunt Lovisa has a -sorrow, and you children must not come here and disturb her.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_307"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-155">[155]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_307_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_307_toc"><span class="large">VII</span><br /> -<br /> -“VACKERFELDT”</a><a href="#ftnttxt307-1" id="ftntanc307-1"><span class="largish"><sup> [1]</sup></span></a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> tinkle of a silver bell is heard from the road. Colour-Sergeant -Karl von Wachenfeldt comes driving.... -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant Karl von Wachenfeldt—was it not he who once on a time -was proclaimed the handsomest man in Värmland, if not in all Sweden? -Was it not he who was the idol of the Stockholm ladies the winter -season of 1820, when he visited the Capital to take some sort of -examination in land surveying? Was it not he who made up sleighing -parties and led cotillions with a dash that put all the <i>beaux -cavaliers</i> of the <i>haute monde</i> into the shade? Was it not he who -danced so divinely and conversed so enchantingly that his fine -relatives, who at first would not recognize the poor Värmland -under-officer, finally sent him letters of invitation, couched in the -humblest terms, because the young ladies could have no pleasure at a -ball not graced by his presence? -</p> -<p> -And was it not he who had such astounding luck at the gaming-table it -enabled him to live that winter in Stockholm like a Lieutenant of the -Guard? Was it not<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-156">[156]</a></span> he, by the way, who hobnobbed with counts and barons, -and outshone them in gallantry and elegance? Was it not he who at a -private theatrical in the home of Admiral Wachtmeister played the -leading lover and sang his couplets so passionately that the next -morning he found a score of love letters in his post-box? Was not he -the first to drive through the streets of Stockholm with harness and -trappings adorned with chimes of silver bells? Was it not he who -was known to all Stockholm, so that wherever he appeared, whether -at the Royal Gardens or the Blue Gate, at the Opera or among the -moving throngs in the street, it was whispered: “Look! here comes -<i>Vackerfeldt.</i> Oh—oh, see! Here comes <i>Vackerfeldt!</i>” -</p> -<p> -Was it not he who, after his one and only memorable winter in -Stockholm, duplicated his triumphs at Karlstad and wherever else he -chanced to be? Was it not he who, with Sergeant Sellblad as companion -and Drummer Tyberg as valet, went down to Göteborg, where he passed -himself off as a Finnish baron, and for a whole fortnight spoke with a -Finnish accent, while running a gaming-house for the benefit of wealthy -merchants’ gay young sons? Was not he the only under-officer that had -ever got to dance with the haughty Countess of Apertin? And was it not -he who became so enamoured of the beautiful Mamselle Widerström, when -she sang in <i>La Preciosa</i> at the Karlstad theatre, that he abducted her -and would have got over into Norway with her, had not her manager -happily overtaken<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-157">[157]</a></span> them at Arvika? And, finally, was it not he who came -to Captain Wästfelt at Angersby as Adjutant something or other, and put -life into the young folk in Fryksdalen? Were ever such grand fair -balls, such merry Christmas feasts, such jolly crayfish parties, and -such delightful wanderings to picturesque places of interest! The -romantic wife of the Captain who lay on a couch all day reading novels, -did she not find in him the embodiment of her heroes of romance! And -her young daughters, were not their first love dreams of him? -</p> -<p> -On the neighbouring place, Mårbacka, where there was a houseful of -pretty daughters—what happened there? Could they resist a <i>beau -cavalier</i> who manipulated the curling-tongs as skilfully as he did the -guitar, and had the nimbus of Amor shining above his fair, curled hair? -</p> -<p class="break"> -*<span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span> -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt comes driving down the rocky road, -while the lone silver bell tinkles feebly and almost mournfully. In the -days of his power and glory the sixty silver bells which hung from the -harness and trappings jingled right merrily. They had, so to speak, -rung in his triumphs, had heralded the coming of a conqueror. But now -when there is only one solitary bell, it seems merely to announce the -approach of a man whose day of fortune and happiness is over. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-158">[158]</a></span> -The Colour-Sergeant rides behind his old horse, Kalle, which is so -noticeably small that everyone he meets in the road turns to look after -it. But, on the other hand, no one turns to look at the horse’s owner. -</p> -<p> -Driving past Gunnarsby Inn, he sees two young girls standing at the -well. He salutes them with a flourish of his whip, and from force of -habit gives them one of his most seductive smiles, but receives in -return an indifferent glance. The girls do not drop the well bucket in -wonder, or stand rapt with cheeks aglow, to gaze after him. -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt gives his horse a lash of the whip. He -is no fool. He knows that his hair is gray and his face full of -wrinkles, that his moustache is thin and faded, that one eye is filmed -with a gray cataract, while the other, having been operated upon, is -distorted by a magnifying monocle. He knows that he is old and nothing -to look at now; yet he feels that people should not entirely forget -what he once was. True, he has no better home nowadays than two hired -rooms at a farmhouse in Stor Kil Parish. His only possessions are a -horse, a carriole, a sleigh, and a few pieces of furniture, and his -only subordinate is a crotchety old serving woman. For all that, he -thinks it should not be completely forgotten that once he was -<i>Vackerfeldt</i>, the celebrated <i>Vackerfeldt.</i> -</p> -<p> -He sits there in a mangy old fur coat and a still shabbier seal-skin -cap. He wears thick lynx mittens<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-159">[159]</a></span> to protect his gouty hands, but -the distorted joints are noticeable even through the thick mittens. -Nevertheless it is he, Wachenfeldt—he who has held so many beautiful -women in his arms! The memory of that none can take from him. Who else -in these parts has lived such a life and been so adored? -</p> -<p> -Pressing his lips together he tells himself he has nothing to regret. -If he could live his life over again he would have it the same. All -that youth and health and good looks can give a man he has -enjoyed—love and adventure in fullest measure. -</p> -<p> -One thing perhaps Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt wishes he had left -undone. He should not have married Anna Lagerlöf, the noblest woman he -had ever known. He had loved her madly, but he never should have -espoused her. -</p> -<p> -Was it fitting that a <i>Vackerfeldt</i> should settle down to the prudent -management of a farm and not try to harvest gold in some easier and -pleasanter way? If his wife was adorable, must he needs think her the -only adorable one? Could he change his nature by marrying? Was it not -through his success as gambler and lover he had won his fame? -</p> -<p> -Yes, he regrets his marriage. His wife was not suited to him, but he -concedes that she was too good for him. She had wanted orderliness, -industry, tranquillity, and comfort, and had worn herself out trying to -make a home for them, such as she had had at Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -Others might think he should not so much regret<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-160">[160]</a></span> having married as -having caused his wife grief and humiliation. After seventeen years -of domestic infelicity, when Anna von Wachenfeldt could endure no -more, she died. Then misfortunes of all sorts befell him. The creditors -showed no further indulgence, but took away his home. He had to -give up gambling, for now he lost as soon as he touched a card. The -gout had also come, and the gray cataract. Before he had reached -sixty he was white-haired, stiff-jointed, half-blind, helpless, and -poverty-stricken. It would have been no small comfort to him now to -have had his good, loving wife still with him. -</p> -<p> -Since her death he had been cut off from all social intercourse. No one -cared whether he lived or died. None invited him to their homes. It -looked as if people had merely tolerated him for his wife’s sake. When -he yearns for laughter and merriment, when he would like to sit down to -a well-served dinner and talk with cultured people, he has no place to -go. When the holidays come round, with their long leisure hours, when -he would like to escape from the deadly monotony of the farmhouse, he -does not know what to do with himself. -</p> -<p> -There is just one place in the world where he can go for a bit of a -taste of the old life, and that place is Mårbacka, whence he had -brought his wife. He knows what they think and feel there—that he had -made her life very unhappy. They actually believe that he tormented her -to death. Nevertheless, he journeys<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-161">[161]</a></span> thither thrice a year for the -great holiday festivities. But for these visits to Mårbacka his life -would be intolerable. -</p> -<p> -The silver bell rings out a loud plaint. The Colour-Sergeant has just -dealt his little horse a stinging blow. Life has many bitter fruits, -which one must take. It seems quite proper that the horse should share -the pain of his master. -</p> -<p class="break"> -*<span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span> -</p> -<p> -If the little Mårbacka children had not known by any other signs that -Christmas was at hand, they would have guessed it when Colour-Sergeant -von Wachenfeldt appeared. -</p> -<p> -They were overjoyed when they saw his horse and cutter coming up the -driveway. They raced through the house shouting the glad tidings, and -rushed out on the steps to greet him, crying Good-day and Welcome. They -fetched bread for his horse and carried his lean carpet-bag, -embroidered in cross-stitched leaves and flowers, down to the -Lieutenant’s office, which the Sergeant was to occupy. -</p> -<p> -It was remarkable that the children were always so glad to see -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, for he never brought them any goodies -or presents. But they must have thought him a part of Christmas, which -no doubt accounted for their joy. Anyhow, it was well they were -friendly, for the grown folk made no ado over him. Fru Lagerlöf and -Mamselle Lovisa did not go out to receive the guest, and it was with -rather a heavy<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-162">[162]</a></span> sigh the Lieutenant put down his Värmland News, and -arose from his rocker to go and meet him. -</p> -<p> -“Well, well, so you’re here again, Wachenfeldt!” he said, as he stood -on the steps. After putting a few queries as to the state of the roads -and the journey, he conducted his brother-in-law to his room, where he -cleared out a drawer of his chiffonier and made place in the wardrobe; -then he went off with his children, leaving the guest to himself. -</p> -<p> -With each visit of the Colour-Sergeant memories of the Lieutenant’s -dead sister became more and more poignant. She was the eldest child; -she had cared for him when he was a little chap, had dressed and -undressed him, and coddled him. He had loved her best of all his -sisters, had been more proud of her than of the others. And then she -had to go and fall in love with a worthless fellow like this -Wachenfeldt! She was both beautiful and noble, and as good and true as -she looked. She had always been sunny, and had brightened the lives of -those about her. She had striven to the last breath to keep her home; -the husband had only wasted and squandered. She would not let her -family know how hard she had it, lest they should come to her aid. So -she broke under the strain when she was barely forty. -</p> -<p> -It was a sad and distressing tale, and the Lieutenant, while this was -seething in him, could not be cordial to Von Wachenfeldt; he had -therefore to take a long walk to let his indignation cool a bit. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa felt much as he<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-163">[163]</a></span> did. Anna Wachenfeldt -had been the favourite sister-in-law of Fru Lagerlöf, who had looked up -to her with genuine admiration. Anna had been the one to welcome her -most heartily into the family, and she could never forgive -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt for making this beloved woman unhappy. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa, as a child, had made long visits at Valsäter, the home -of the Wachenfeldts, and knew more about her sister’s troubles than any -of them. She could never hear the name Wachenfeldt without thinking of -a certain morning when a couple of strange men came to Valsäter and led -from the barn the two best cows. Her sister had run out and asked them -what they were doing there, and they had coolly answered that the -Sergeant the night before had staked the cows in a game with their -master, and lost. Mamselle Lovisa saw her sister as it were before her, -and remembered how distressed she had been over this. “He will never -come to his senses,” she had said, “until he has made an end of me.” -</p> -<p> -However, Mamselle Lovisa was the first to think of her duties as -hostess. She got up from the sewing table, where she had been -embroidering and betimes taking little peeps into a novel that lay open -in her sewing basket, and went to the kitchen door. -</p> -<p> -“Maja dear,” she called to the housekeeper, apologetically, “now we -have Wachenfeldt here again!” -</p> -<p> -“I can’t understand why that fellow, who was so mean to his wife, is -allowed to come here at every<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-164">[164]</a></span> holiday time,” the housekeeper retorted -with considerable asperity. -</p> -<p> -“But one can’t very well drive him away,” pleaded Mamselle Lovisa. “And -now, Maja, please put the coffeepot on, so that he’ll have something to -warm him a bit after his long, cold drive.” -</p> -<p> -“Why must he always come just when you’ve all had your coffee and the -fire’s gone dead in the stove!” The housekeeper looked as if she were -not going to make a move. -</p> -<p> -But the coffeepot must have got on somehow, for shortly afterward the -housemaid went down to the office and bade Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt come to the living room for coffee. -</p> -<p> -In crossing the yard to the house, he walked with the aid of a cane, -which he put by in the outer hall, and carried himself fairly well as -he came into the room. Mamselle Lovisa, who stood there to receive him, -noticed all the same that he had difficulty in walking. When she took -his hands she felt how swollen they were, and when she looked up into -his face, his distorted eye stared at her horribly. Then a good part of -her resentment vanished. She thought to herself that he had already -received his punishment, and she was not going to add woe to woe. -</p> -<p> -“It was nice that Wachenfeldt could come to us again this Christmas,” -she forced herself to say. Whereupon she poured him some coffee and he -went over to his accustomed place, between the porcelain stove and -the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-165">[165]</a></span> folded card table. It was a modest corner, and also the warmest in -the room. The Colour-Sergeant knew what he was about when he chose that -seat. -</p> -<p> -He at once began telling Mamselle Lovisa about his servant, Inga, and -her constant quarrels and fights with the peasants who owned the farm -where he lived. He knew that such petty gossip amused his -sister-in-law, and did not fail to observe that she presently poured -herself a cup of coffee so as to keep him company. -</p> -<p> -Dusk had fallen while they chatted over their coffee cups, a light was -brought and placed on the round table over by the sofa, soon after -which Fru Lagerlöf appeared. -</p> -<p> -She had not conquered her feeling of aversion, and it was a cool -reception the Colour-Sergeant got from her; she barely touched his -hand, but did not speak, and then sat down to her work. -</p> -<p> -The Colour-Sergeant, who calmly went on talking to Mamselle Lovisa, -quickly changed the topic of conversation. He told about some strange -cases of sickness among the people and the animals on the farm, which -he had succeeded in curing. -</p> -<p> -Here was something that interested Fru Lagerlöf; it was in her line. -Before she knew it, she had been drawn into the conversation. -</p> -<p> -Finally the Lieutenant came in and sank into his rocker. At first he -was silent and depressed. But now, without anyone’s quite knowing how -it came about, the conversation drifted in another direction. It -carried back to old Karlstad, where the Colour-Sergeant<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-166">[166]</a></span> was born and -the Lieutenant went to school, and of which the latter loved to talk. -Then it swung up to Stockholm, and took in Emilie Högquist, Jenny Lind, -and much else of a by-gone day that was beautiful and memorable. At -last they fell to telling old Värmland tales, and the evening passed so -quickly they were all astonished when the maid came in to lay the table -for supper. -</p> -<p> -The amazing thing about it all was that when Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt related any of his personal experiences he invariably stood -out as the wisest and most prudent man one could wish to meet. That he -had taken part in many adventures and exploits was true enough, but he -had always played the rôle of the counselling friend who helped stupid -folk out of their scrapes. -</p> -<p> -Just to mention the Wästfelts of Angersby: what a staff he had been to -these nice, childish persons! Particularly at the time when the son’s -intended threw him over and announced her engagement to another. No man -ever spoke with greater veneration of his mother or his wife. Such a -model son and devoted husband all might wish to have. He had always -talked sensibly to young women, smoothed out lovers’ quarrels, and -welded together marriage bonds that threatened to break asunder. All -the unhappy ones had made a confidant of him, and he had never betrayed -them. He had even saved men seized with the gambling fever, had talked -them to rights and reminded them of their duties. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-167">[167]</a></span> -After supper, when Von Wachenfeldt had limped down to his room, -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, his wife and sister sat staring at each -other—dumbfounded. -</p> -<p> -“Oh, that Wachenfeldt!” the Lieutenant exclaimed. “He’s a wonder; he -knows more than all of us put together.” -</p> -<p> -“It is always a pleasure to talk with Wachenfeldt,” said Mamselle -Lovisa. -</p> -<p> -“If it is true that he has been so helpful to others, then how does it -happen that he has managed his own affairs so badly?” queried Fru -Lagerlöf, dryly. -</p> -<p> -“Some folks are like that,” the Lieutenant averred. -</p> -<p class="break"> -*<span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span><span class="lftspc_brk">*</span> -</p> -<p> -Thenceforth, Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt “feasted right royally,” -as is said in <i>Fritiof’s Saga</i>—throughout the Christmas holidays, -playing the wise and all-knowing old man. One could get his advice on -almost everything. He could prescribe for pimples and the snuffles, -give counsel in matters of dress, write recipes for cooking and dyeing, -give instruction in agriculture, and offer the best and cleverest -judgments of people. They appealed to him to settle knotty problems. -</p> -<p> -“Doesn’t Wachenfeldt think it strange these children cannot be induced -to eat carrots?” Mamselle Lovisa once put to him. -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt rose to the occasion. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-168">[168]</a></span> -“Wake me in the middle of the night and offer me carrots, and I’ll -eat.” -</p> -<p> -It was positively unnatural his being so reasonable and practical. The -dashing cavalier of old, the conquering hero with the sixty silver -bells, was apparently no more. -</p> -<p> -Then it happened that Lieutenant Lagerlöf during one of Wachenfeldt’s -visits got into an argument with the ladies about a young girl in the -district. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa both thought her sweet and -winsome, while the Lieutenant declared that no man could ever fall in -love with her. He appealed the case in point to Wachenfeldt, as was the -custom in the family. -</p> -<p> -“Tell me, Wachenfeldt, you who are a judge of women—would you kiss -such a little Miss Snippit?” -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, old as he was, flushed. He struck the -table with his fist, half-rose from his seat, and thundered: -</p> -<p> -“Don’t ask me such a thing! I have never kissed a homely woman.” -</p> -<p> -The ungodly persons round him broke into hilarious shrieks. Here he had -been acting the part of the sage and the plain man of common sense, yet -a simple little query like that had unmasked him. The old <i>beau -cavalier</i> still survived in him. Sick and wretched, old and dilapidated -as he was, let none think or assume that he would kiss a plain woman. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -O <i>Vackerfeldt! Vackerfeldt!</i> -</p> -<hr class="fnote" /> -<p class="footnote"> -<a href="#ftntanc307-1" id="ftnttxt307-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a>Vacker is the Swedish for pretty or handsome. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_308"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-169">[169]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_308_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_308_toc"><span class="large">VIII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE ORCHESTRA</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>WAS</small> an impromptu orchestra that played that day at Mårbacka. There -was Major Ehrencrona, a Finn by birth, who in former days had lived in -a palatial home and been a <i>grand seigneur</i>, but who now in his old age -occupied a rented room at a farmhouse, where he led a dull and -monotonous existence, much like that of Colour-Sergeant von -Wachenfeldt. He was reputed to be a master of the French horn; but -since he had become poor and lonely he had not been heard to play. -</p> -<p> -And there was Herr Tyberg, who began life as drummer-boy with the -Värmland Regiment and who surely would have killed himself with drink, -had not the Lieutenant at Mårbacka, by a mere chance, discovered the -man’s special aptitude for teaching small children, and engaged him as -tutor for his own little ones, and later found him a position as -teacher in the elementary school at East Ämtervik. -</p> -<p> -Then, there was Jan Asker, who had also been in the regiment band, but -who was now church-beadle and grave-digger at East Ämtervik. He came of -an old<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-170">[170]</a></span> family of musicians, and used to play the clarinet at all the -peasant weddings and dances. His was an embittered and restless spirit. -The only thing that reconciled him to life was music. -</p> -<p> -And there was the foundry bookkeeper, Geijer, who lived in the attic of -the school building, and kept house for himself. He was passionately -fond of music, but being too poor to provide himself with any sort of -instrument, he had painted a keyboard on a common deal table, at which -he sat and “played.” -</p> -<p> -Then, too, there was Sexton Melanoz, who had received instruction from -Dean Fryxell himself, and could scribble verse, cobble shoes, mend -furniture, and run a farm. He was the star entertainer at all the -weddings and wakes, and was moreover the best schoolmaster in the whole -of Fryksdalen. Every Sunday morning he had to play the wheezy organ at -the Ämtervik church, which he never could have endured if he’d not had -his violin to console him on Sunday afternoons, for he was a musical -soul. -</p> -<p> -These five had arranged to meet at Mårbacka on a certain day during the -Christmas season, while there was still something left of the Christmas -ale, the Christmas ham, and spiced bread. -</p> -<p> -The first to arrive did not go straight to the house, but waited till -all were there. Whereupon they fell into line, the Major in the lead, -and marched up to the front porch singing <i>Portugal, Spanjen, Stora -Britanjen.</i> -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had perhaps some notion as to<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-171">[171]</a></span> what was in the air, -but he had remained inside so as not to spoil the fun for the guests. -But on hearing that song, he jumped up and ran out to greet them. Nor -was Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, who was still at Mårbacka, long to -follow. -</p> -<p> -When the visitors had gone down to the farm-office to remove their -pelts and leggings, the Lieutenant sent his two boys, Daniel and Johan, -up to the attic to fetch the guitar, the French horn, the flute, and -the triangle, while he himself rushed into the bedroom and pulled his -violin from under the bed; placing it on a chair, he unlocked the case -and reverently uncovered the violin, which lay wrapped in a red silk -handkerchief. -</p> -<p> -Though the Lieutenant himself never smoked or permitted others to smoke -in the house, he sent the boys down to the office to fetch the old -long-stemmed pipe, which had been there since Pastor Wennervik’s time, -and also a little square box filled with tobacco, so that Major -Ehrencrona might have his usual smoke, to keep him in good humour. -</p> -<p> -When the five guests, the Colour-Sergeant, and the Lieutenant went into -the living room, when the toddy-tray had been brought, and hot drinks -made for all—except Herr Tyberg, of course, who had sworn off for -good—and when the major had finally got his pipe to draw, they decided -it was not worth while to pass the evening at card-playing or in -small-talk, but they would have some music. -</p> -<p> -It was this the Lieutenant had anticipated; so now<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-172">[172]</a></span> he went for the -instruments he had hurriedly assembled. His violin he offered to Sexton -Melanoz, who most humbly protested that there were those in the room -far more worthy than he to handle this, the greatest of all musical -instruments. But when none claimed the distinction, he was as pleased -as if he had suddenly come into a fortune, and at once proceeded to -tune up. -</p> -<p> -The flute went to Herr Tyberg, of course. It had been his instrument in -the regiment, when he had outgrown the drum. He was well acquainted -with the old flute at Mårbacka, and knew it to be always dry and leaky. -So he ran out to the kitchen to dip the flute in pale beer and bind it -round with tow, to make it hold together. -</p> -<p> -The guitar was handed to Bookkeeper Geijer, who had a long thin face, a -long slender neck, limpid blue eyes, and long slim fingers. There was a -certain wistfulness about him, a sort of languishing grace. With a -little girlish laugh, he strung the guitar-ribbon round his neck and -tenderly pressed the instrument to his heart, as if embracing a -sweetheart. The guitar had only three strings, but they were enough for -him who was wont to perform on nothing better than a deal table. -</p> -<p> -Church-beadle Asker had had the foresight to bring his own clarinet. It -was in the back pocket of his greatcoat, so that he had only to go down -to the office and fetch it. -</p> -<p> -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt, sitting in his usual corner by the -fire, tried to put on a good face, though he<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-173">[173]</a></span> could not perform on any -musical instrument with his gout-stiffened fingers. But the Lieutenant -now went over to him with the triangle, which he could manage with -ease. So the Colour-Sergeant, too, was happy. -</p> -<p> -Major Ehrencrona sat blowing smoke through his big white moustache. He -saw how one after another had been provided with an instrument, but -feigned indifference. -</p> -<p> -“Just give me a couple of pot-lids,” he said to the Lieutenant, “so -that I may at least join in the noise-making. I know, of course, that -the instrument I play is not to be found in this house.” -</p> -<p> -Like a streak, the Lieutenant darted into the parlour and came back -with a brilliantly polished French horn, with green silk cord and -tassel, he had managed to procure for the Major. -</p> -<p> -“What do you say to this, Uncle?” he asked him. -</p> -<p> -The old major beamed. -</p> -<p> -“Ha! you’re a real fellow, Brother Eric Gustaf!” He put down his pipe -and began to toot vociferously, sending out a volley of ear-splitting -blasts. -</p> -<p> -Now that the guests were all furnished with instruments, they remarked -that the host himself had none. Whereupon, the Lieutenant produced a -little wooden whistle, one end of which must be placed in a glass of -water when one blew upon it. By so doing one could make trills as sweet -as any nightingale’s. -</p> -<p> -And last, they begged Fru Lagerlöf to accompany them on the piano. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-174">[174]</a></span> -In honour of the Major they first essayed the stirring Finnish martial -hymn, the “March of the Björneborgers.” Fru Lagerlöf struck the opening -chords, and the orchestra followed as best it could. It was a clang and -a din that took the house by storm. -</p> -<p> -They did their best, all of them. Sexton Melanoz, Jan Asker, and Herr -Tyberg played with a certain assurance, but the Major frequently lagged -behind and the Lieutenant put in a few haphazard trills, due in part to -the freakish behaviour of his “nightingale” and in part to a -mischievous desire to throw the others out of time. -</p> -<p> -When they had played the march through once they were so enlivened and -interested they wanted to go over it again, to get it quite perfect. -The Major blew and tooted till his eyes were red and his cheeks -distended, as if ready to split. Obviously, he was not as proficient at -the horn as he had made himself out, for he did not play in time even -on second trial. -</p> -<p> -Of a sudden he jumped up and hurled the French horn across the room -toward the chimney corner with such force that it came near crushing -Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt’s most sensitive toe. -</p> -<p> -“Hang it all!” he shouted. “I’m not going to sit here and spoil the -Björneborgers’ March.... Play on, you who can!” -</p> -<p> -The others were a bit disconcerted, naturally, but they took up the -march for the third time. And now the Major sang, <i>Sons of a race that -bled.</i> He carried<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-175">[175]</a></span> the air in a deep, rich bass that filled the whole -house. The human voice flowed on like a mighty tide, bearing along with -it the tinny old piano, the shrill clarinet, the violin, scraped in old -fiddler-fashion, the three-stringed guitar, the Sergeant’s triangle and -the Lieutenant’s capricious nightingale. -</p> -<p> -Their hearts warmed, for the loss of Finland still rankled in their -breasts; and now they seemed to be marching with the brave Björneborg -lads to take back their country from the Russians. -</p> -<p> -When the march was finished the Lieutenant motioned to his wife, who -struck up <i>Worthy Fathers, Noble Shadows</i>, from the opera of “Gustaf -Vasa,” which was the Major’s great show piece. He rendered the song -with power and feeling, and the instruments seemed almost to sing with -him. -</p> -<p> -Over on the straight-backed sofa, quiet as mice, sat all the -children—Daniel, Johan, Anna, Selma, and Gerda—listening. What could -they do but keep still, when the grown-ups played and carried on like -youngsters? When the Major sang Worthy Fathers, Noble Shadows, they -thought he sang of himself and the others who were performing in the -living room. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -To the children they were all like ghosts of a vanished -something—shadows of a great and glorious past of which they could but -catch the faint gleams of an afterglow. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_400"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-177">[177]</a></span> -</p> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_400_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_400_toc">THE NEW MÅRBACKA</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_401"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-179">[179]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_401_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_401_toc"><span class="large">I</span><br /> -<br /> -THE SEVENTEEN CATS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HERE</small> was a cow-girl at Mårbacka named Britta Lambert, who had been on -the place from the time of the Paymaster of the Regiment. She was -little and ugly, with a face like old parchment, and she had only one -eye. In the company of humans she was crabbed and surly, but she loved -animals. If a cow was expected to calve in the night, she would make up -a bed in the barn and sleep there. Every day she would heat water in -the brew house and carry great bucketfuls down to the barn, so that the -cows might have warm mash. When the hay ran low in the cow-house, along -in April, and the cows had to chew on rye-straw, she was not above -sneaking over to the stable and stealing hay from the horses. -</p> -<p> -The barn in which she ruled was very old and so dark you could scarcely -see your hand before you; the passageways were narrow, the floor was -worn full of holes, and the cows stood in cramped little stalls, which -Britta did not think to keep clean. Nevertheless, steady contentment -reigned in the old cow-house. There was no fear of a cow’s overfeeding, -or getting anything sharp in her fodder, or that aught would go wrong<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-180">[180]</a></span> -with the calving. There were lots of calves and plenty of milk. The -mistress at Mårbacka never had any anxiety concerning the cow-house. -</p> -<p> -But there was one species of animal Britta Lambert loved even better -than she loved the cow, and that was the cat. She believed that cats -had some sort of supernatural power to protect her and her cattle. The -worst thing one could ask of her was to drown a kitten now and then, -lest there should be more cats than cows to care for. When anyone -stepped inside the dark cow-house he was met on all sides by the -uncanny gleam of green cat-eyes. The cats got under his feet and sprang -on to his shoulders—for that Britta had got them into the habit of -doing. -</p> -<p> -When Lieutenant Lagerlöf took over Mårbacka, on the death of his -father, there were no less than seventeen cats in the barn. They were -all of the tortoise-shell variety, with not a black or white or gray -one among them. For Britta Lambert believed it was only the red cats -that brought luck. -</p> -<p> -Now the Lieutenant was a great lover of animals, and he had no -antipathy whatever to cats; but to feed and house seventeen of them in -the barn—that, he thought, was a bit too much. The cats, to be sure, -were vigilant hunters of rats and field-mice, but they also pursued -little birds; there was hardly so much as a sparrow left at Mårbacka. -Besides, the milk they consumed would have fed three calves. -</p> -<p> -Anyway, it’s a sorry business having to do away<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-181">[181]</a></span> with cats. So the -Lieutenant, rather than distress Britta Lambert and the other -womenfolk, said nothing to them about a certain plan he had in mind. He -merely gave the wink to old Bengt, the former stableman, who still -pottered round the place at this and that. -</p> -<p> -Then, in some mysterious way the cats began to disappear—not all at -once, but by gradual elimination. Britta Lambert thought she noticed -that one and another of her precious tabbies was missing, yet she was -not quite sure about it, since the cats were all so much alike in -colour and markings. She attempted to count them as they came up for -their milk, but that was not so easy, for they pushed and crowded each -other at the milk-trough. Then, too, it was almost pitch-dark in the -barn. She complained to the old housekeeper and the young mistress. -</p> -<p> -“You see,” she said, “<span class="lftspc">’</span>tis this I fear me, that if you do away with the -red cats, you’ll do away with the luck in the cow-house. No good can -come to folks as begins by being ungrateful to them that’s helped us -all up to now.” -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf and the housekeeper both assured her they had no evil -designs upon her cats. They thought she would soon have them back -again—the whole seventeen. -</p> -<p> -All the same, Britta noted that the cats were becoming fewer and fewer. -She suspected this one and that one, but none would confess to guilt. -The only one of whom she could never have believed anything so sinful -as<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-182">[182]</a></span> that he would harm a cat, was the Lieutenant. She knew that his -mother had taught him better. -</p> -<p> -“This’ll never do, Master,” she said to the Lieutenant every time he -came into the barn. “You don’t know how worried I am! The cats are -leaving me.” -</p> -<p> -“I don’t see but they’re running in front of my feet the same as -usual,” the Lieutenant replied. -</p> -<p> -“If there be thirteen left, ’tis all and no more,” wailed the cow-girl. -“I’d hate to be standing in the shoes of the one that’s doing this! And -worst of all, the farm’ll suffer for it.” -</p> -<p> -Now in those days the Lieutenant was a strong young man and an -ambitious, enterprising farmer. He had big plans for Mårbacka. The -estate was not extensive, but the soil was rich and the fields, -spreading in one continuous stretch of expanse, were level and clear of -stones. It would be no fault of his if the farm did not some day become -the finest in the whole Fryken Valley. He had money at his command, for -his father-in-law, Squire Wallroth, who was a man of means, admired his -son-in-law’s initiative and enterprise, and gave him the support he -needed. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant set about reparcelling the land for rotation of crops. -He dug ditches a fathom deep for drainage, and sowed timothy and clover -in the meadows, so that they would produce something besides wild -flowers; he bought a threshing machine, which did away with their -having to stand in a barn all winter beating out the grain with flails, -and he also procured some tall,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-183">[183]</a></span> fine-bred cattle from the manors down -by the Ness. He did not let the cows wander in the woods from spring to -autumn, and half-starve, but sent them to pasture in the open meadow. -Everything that could be thought of to enhance the value of the farm -was done: he carried on protracted negotiations with the peasants on -the west side of the dale for the purchase of lands adjoining his; he -built cottages for his workmen, that they might have decent homes, with -outbuildings and a bit of ground where they could keep a cow and a pig. -</p> -<p> -Nor were his labours in vain. Within a year the farm paid back all he -had laid out on it. There was such a harvest of hay he hardly knew -where to store it all for the winter. For every bushel of peas sown he -got twenty bushels in return, and when he planted turnips the ground -gave forth such a blessed abundance it was more than his own folk could -gather in. So he sent word to the neighbours to come with horse and -cart, and take home all the turnips they could dig. -</p> -<p> -However, there was one serious obstacle to this work of improving the -farm, and that was the little river Ämtan, which meandered in all sorts -of graceful bends and curves down in the dale, where his fields lay. -Ordinarily, the stream was not much bigger than a forest brook, but as -soon as there came a good fall of rain it overflowed its banks, -converting his clover meadows and oat fields into little lakes. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant decided that something must be done about the river. -Where it flowed through his own<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-184">[184]</a></span> property he deepened its bed and -straightened its course. But little good came of that, for the peasants -who owned the land below Mårbacka let the river run on in its old -tortuous, sluggish way. Whenever there was a heavy rain it flooded -their acres as well as his. -</p> -<p> -What was the good of all his labour with the soil, if Ämtan could at -any time wash away his haystacks and rye-shooks? He would never be able -to develop his property as he wished until the river was mastered. -</p> -<p> -He talked with the neighbours, and they seemed to be in favour of -having the river properly dredged. A surveyor was consulted, who drew, -measured, and made calculations; after which the Lieutenant convened a -meeting of all interested parties at the parish public room. -</p> -<p> -More than a few obstacles had been surmounted by the time he had got -thus far along with the project. The morning he was to drive to the -meeting he felt quite happy, thinking that now the most difficult part -of the work had been accomplished. But as he was getting into his -carriole, right in the middle of the seat sat one of the red barn cats -staring blankly at him. -</p> -<p> -There was nothing strange in that, however. The barn cats all loved to -ride. Britta Lambert had trundled them in her wheel-barrow from the -time they were tiny kittens, and in that way they had become as fond of -riding as children, and would jump into all the farm vehicles. But they -were not in the habit of venturing into the family carriages. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-185">[185]</a></span> -“So you’d like to come along to the meeting, would you?” said the -Lieutenant. “Scat!” -</p> -<p> -The cat deigned to take itself off, but not before it had given the -Lieutenant a sardonic look that made him feel positively uncomfortable. -</p> -<p> -Between the stable and the road the Lieutenant had to pass through -three gates. On each of the gateposts sat a red barn cat. Nor was there -anything strange in that. Cats like to sit on gateposts to sun -themselves and watch everything that moves on the ground below. But -that morning the Lieutenant thought the cats all had a sinister look; -they blinked at him as if they knew what would come of his trip. He was -beginning to think Britta Lambert was right—that they were little -witches and goblins in the guise of cats. -</p> -<p> -Now it is not a good omen to meet a lot of cats when one sets out on a -journey, so the Lieutenant spat three times for each cat, as his mother -had taught him to do, and thought no more about them during the drive. -He went over in his mind the whole plan of the ditching and prepared -himself to lay the proposition before the meeting clearly and -convincingly. -</p> -<p> -But instantly the Lieutenant stepped inside the parish room, an -unmistakable air of wariness and opposition assailed him. The peasants -sat there immovable, with tight-shut faces. He began to surmise that -they had changed their minds, which proved to be the case. All his -arguments were overruled. -</p> -<p> -“We understand, of course, that this ditching would<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-186">[186]</a></span> be a good thing for -Mårbacka,” said their spokesman, “but it’s of no importance to us.” -</p> -<p> -When he came back from the meeting he felt rather depressed. The matter -of the dredging was settled for some time to come. The river could go -on creating havoc. If a stray herd of cattle trampled his fields he -could drive them out, but the river must be left free to choke and -destroy all in its path. -</p> -<p> -In the midst of these broodings on his frustrated hopes, he got up and -went over to the servants’ hall to see Bengt. -</p> -<p> -“It didn’t go through, Bengt, that about the river,” he said. -</p> -<p> -“That’s too bad, Lieutenant!” the old man sympathized. “The Paymaster -of the Regiment always said the farm would be worth twice as much if it -wasn’t for Ämtan.” -</p> -<p> -“I say, Bengt”—the Lieutenant lowered his voice—“there aren’t so many -cats in the barn now, eh?... Perhaps we’d better let Britta keep what’s -left of them.” -</p> -<p> -“Just as you wish, Lieutenant.” -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant lowered his voice a bit more, as if fearful lest the -walls of the old manservants’ room might hear what he said. -</p> -<p> -“Where did you drown them, Bengt?” -</p> -<p> -“I took ’em down to the river. I was afraid they’d come floating up and -be seen, if I drowned them here in the duck pond.” -</p> -<p> -“H’m, in the river—I thought so!” The Lieutenant<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-187">[187]</a></span> stood reflecting a -long while. Suddenly he burst out: “There’s a lot that’s queer in this -world!” -</p> -<p> -“Ay, there is that,” old Bengt agreed. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -As long as Lieutenant Lagerlöf lived he had to let the river do as it -would with his fine fields. Year after year he saw it overflow its -banks and spread out in innumerable lake-like ponds, from Mårbacka down -through the whole dale. And every time it occurred he would tell about -the red cats that sat on the gateposts the morning he drove down to the -meeting. Could it be possible that they knew how badly things would go -for him? And was it true that one who did violence to a cat was -punished? He wondered about that to the end of his days. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_402"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-188">[188]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_402_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_402_toc"><span class="large">II</span><br /> -<br /> -THE NEW BARN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -L<small>IEUTENANT</small> L<small>AGERLÖF</small> wanted to have Mårbacka not only a productive and -well-cared-for farm, but a beautiful place, with stately avenues of -approach and extensive gardens of flowers and shrubbery on all sides of -the dwelling house. -</p> -<p> -Not far from the house stood the wretched old cow-barn, with its -thatched roof, its small window-openings, and its weather-beaten timber -walls. To be sure, there was a row of century-old sycamores, with -yellow, lichen-clad trunks and a wealth of foliage, which concealed the -building from view, so that the place was perhaps not so very ugly -after all. Still, the Lieutenant declared he could never make Mårbacka -look like a manor until that cow-house was torn down. -</p> -<p> -The first few years he had been wholly occupied with the cultivation of -the soil; it was not till after the Strömstad visit and the death of -Grandmother Lagerlöf that he set about building the new barn, which had -to be finished before the old one could be pulled down. That the new -barn might not be easily seen from the house, he decided to build it on -the level meadow just below the sand-hill, where the other outhouses -stood.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-189">[189]</a></span> When the womenfolk heard of this, a wail went up. Think of their -having to go that long distance to tend the cows! And think how hard it -would be on the cow-girl and the dairy-maid to have to carry the milk -three times a day up the steep hill to the dairy! The Lieutenant turned -a deaf ear. He was going to remove all the outbuildings and have -everything of the sort, including the dairy, centred in the one place, -thereby making it much easier for both serving-folk and animals. -</p> -<p> -The barn, though it would lie in an out-of-the-way spot, was going to -be the finest in the whole district. It was to be built in the form of -a cross, and of brick all the way up to the eaves-course, and would -house at least fifty cows. It would only be lacking a spire to look -like a church. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant discussed his building project with his father-in-law, -Squire Wallroth, who had seen enough of the old cow-house to know that -a new one was badly needed. He gave the Lieutenant quite a large sum of -money for building purposes, and the latter immediately went ahead with -the preliminary work. For two consecutive winters he quarried stone at -Åsberget for the foundation; for two whole summers he had a clay-mill -standing down by the duck pond, where the bricks were made and left to -dry and harden in the sun; and for two autumns he had men at work in -his own woodlands, cutting timber, that he might have proper material -for cross-beams and rafters. -</p> -<p> -At last he was ready to stake out the ground and<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-190">[190]</a></span> start digging for the -foundation. It was a great moment for him when the workmen put their -spades to the ground to clear away the first layer of earth. They began -the digging and foundation-laying on the east side, which was nearest -the house. There all went well; the ground was firm and the stones -stayed where they were put. But when they came to lay the stones on the -west side, which gave on the field, they found that there had been a -terrible miscalculation. They had not gone very deep before they came -upon soft blue-clay, into which the stones sank and disappeared. The -Lieutenant had made the grave mistake of not having the ground tested. -But now that the foundation had been laid on one side, he thought it -best to go on with the building in the place he had staked out. An old -mason advised him to put the barn farther up toward the hill, as blue -clay was treacherous stuff to build on. The Lieutenant would not hear -of that. It would be all right, he said, to lay the foundation on blue -clay; there must be a bottom even to that. As for stone to fill it in, -well—there was the whole mountain range to take from. -</p> -<p> -Load after load of stone was dumped on to the clay and before long he -had a wide stone dam there—solid and steady as could be—on which it -seemed safe enough to lay a foundation. Then, one day, came a couple of -heavy showers, and all at once cracks appeared in the dam. The next -morning it began to sink, and in a few hours it was completely -swallowed up. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-191">[191]</a></span> -But all summer the Lieutenant went on dumping stone into the clay, and -when by autumn it was still uncertain whether the foundation would -hold, he decided to put off the masonry work till the following year, -in order to see how the blue clay would behave in the spring, when the -frost was out of the ground. -</p> -<p> -As soon as the snow was gone, the Lieutenant went down to have a look -at his wall. Yes, it was still there, no cracks in it. But then the -regular spring thaw had not begun. -</p> -<p> -Every day, and many times a day, he went down to see how things were -going. The wall remained intact, and the ground seemed now to be free -of frost, so he ventured to send word to the master mason to come with -his journeymen, and begin work. -</p> -<p> -They put up the walls on the north and east sides first, so as to give -the insecure foundation on the west side time to settle. The latter -part of June they began work on the doubtful side, and by the middle of -July, when they had got almost up to the coping, they noticed some -cracks in the wall. Then, all at once, the wall began to sag, and -several layers of brick had to be torn down quickly, lest the whole -wall give way. -</p> -<p> -Now things began to look serious for Lieutenant Lagerlöf. What to do -next he did not know. By that time the money he had received from his -father-in-law was used up. But Squire Wallroth, who was both -open-handed and reasonable, would no doubt have let him have an -additional sum, had he written and explained<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-192">[192]</a></span> why the building would -cost more than he had estimated. But after this fresh cave-in he felt -loath to write. He would have to confess that as yet the barn had -neither roof nor floor, that the walls were not even finished and that -he must start laying a new foundation. His father-in-law would surely -think he had shown poor judgment, and lose confidence in him. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant almost felt like giving up the whole building -scheme—yet, somehow, the mere thought of it went against him. So many -of his projects had come to naught, and, besides, the old cow-house was -beyond repair. -</p> -<p> -Of course he should have started building on another spot long ago. But -how could he do so now, when the walls were half-finished? It was a -question which would entail the lesser outlay—to start building in a -new place or continue at the old one. -</p> -<p> -At East Ämtervik lies a small foundry estate known as Gårdsjö, which is -about three English miles from Mårbacka. Living there at that time was -a brother of Fru Lagerlöf, Iron Master Karl Wallroth, a wise and -prudent man on whose judgment the Lieutenant relied implicitly. To him -he went for advice. Iron Master Wallroth counselled him by all means to -dismiss the whole matter from his mind. -</p> -<p> -“It would be foolish to ask Father for more money to put into your -building scheme,” he said. “He’s always ready to give one a lift, but -he wants to see the money used to good advantage. And to put a -mortgage<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-193">[193]</a></span> on the estate in order to finish your barn would not be -advisable. No telling how many times the work will have to be done -over. You might lose all you have by it.” -</p> -<p> -Afterward, the Lieutenant sat talking the whole evening with the -brother-in-law and his wife, who insisted on his staying for supper. He -tried to be his usual jolly self, and entertain them with amusing -stories; but his spirit was as if paralyzed. He knew the brother-in-law -was right, and therefore felt no resentment, though it was such a -crushing blow to his pride not to be able to complete a work begun. -</p> -<p> -On the way home strange, gloomy thoughts arose in him; he wondered if -he were not one whose every undertaking was doomed to failure. There -was a time when he thought himself a veritable Fortune’s Favourite. -That was when he had captured his wife and taken over Mårbacka. But -later on he had had a lot of ill-luck. For one thing, he had asked for -his discharge from the military service merely because of a slight -reprimand from his captain. He had been overhasty, but he did not worry -about that. What did rankle in him, though, was that he had not been -appointed Paymaster of the Regiment, to succeed his father. The office -had been abolished, and the duties pertaining to it had been divided -between four muster-clerks, of whom he was one. But the work was -unimportant and the remuneration small. Then there was the attempt to -have the river dredged—it, too, had failed. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-194">[194]</a></span> -Midway between Gårdsjö and Mårbacka lies As Springs, an old health -resort he had once undertaken to modernize. He had built a fine new -bath house and engaged a corps of male and female attendants, with the -hope that health-seekers would flock to the place. That was also a -failure. Now and again an invalid came, but it hardly paid to keep the -resort open. -</p> -<p> -And to cap it all, his barn-building was a lamentable failure! There -must be something lacking in him, he thought; he was perhaps less -capable than other men. The best thing he could do was to give up his -plans, settle down in his rocker, read his newspaper, and let things -run on in the old ruts. -</p> -<p> -Coming home he found his wife seated on the front steps awaiting him. -She was very like her brother at Gårdsjö; she had the same intelligent -face, the same clear head, the same serious turn of mind, the same love -of work and indifference to pleasure, and the same dislike of all that -was uncertain and venturesome. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant was very fond of his wife and moreover respected her -judgment as he did her brother’s. But that evening he would rather she -had not sat up for him. She, too, was against him in this building -project. -</p> -<p> -“What did Kalle say?” Fru Lagerlöf asked him, as they went to their -room. -</p> -<p> -“He thinks like you and the rest, that I should give up the work.” -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf made no reply. She had dropped into<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-195">[195]</a></span> her usual place, by -the sewing table, and sat looking out into the light summer night, with -no thought, apparently, of retiring. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant had already flung off his coat. “Aren’t you going to -bed?” he asked. His rasping tones betrayed his irritation and -despondency. -</p> -<p> -“I think,” said the wife in a low, even voice—still gazing into the -night—“I think you should finish it.” -</p> -<p> -“What are you saying?” the Lieutenant queried impatiently. He had heard -what she said, but thought he must have misunderstood. -</p> -<p> -“I think,” she repeated, “that you ought to go on with it.” -</p> -<p> -“Is it the barn you’re speaking of?” he asked, going up to her. Her -words had awakened a little hope in him, yet he was not certain that he -had understood her aright. -</p> -<p> -Fru Lagerlöf had been turning this matter over in her mind the whole -evening; she had said to herself that it would not be well for her -husband to go short in yet another undertaking. It might be more -expedient perhaps to give over the building scheme; but that would go -too hard with him. This was something which her father or her brother -could not understand; but she—his wife—understood. -</p> -<p> -To read the hearts of those she loved—that was as easy to Fru Lagerlöf -as reading a book; but to put her own thoughts into words in a moment -of deep feeling she could no more do than she could interpret Hebrew. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-196">[196]</a></span> -“I don’t think as Kalle does,” she said. -</p> -<p> -“What are you talking about?” The Lieutenant was almost trembling with -suspense. He dared not believe even now that she had come to his way of -thinking -</p> -<p> -Seeing how agitated he was, she did her utmost to make him understand. -</p> -<p> -“I don’t agree with Kalle,” she said. “I think you should finish -building the barn, and that it should stand where you want to have it. -And I think we ought to put a mortgage on the estate so that we can get -along without having to ask Father for more money.” -</p> -<p> -Now at last the Lieutenant understood. A great light broke in upon him. -If the wife and he were of one mind there were no difficulties ahead. -The foundation was solid and the walls rose firmly. -</p> -<p> -“God bless you, Louise!” he said. -</p> -<p> -After that they seemed to be more closely drawn to each other than -ever, held by new bonds of sympathy and tenderness. And the wife was -consulted at every step in the building work. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -When at last the doors of the new barn were thrown open, and the cows -were ceremoniously led in and tied to their cribs; when the chickens -and geese, the turkeys and ducks were driven into their cages and the -calves into the stalls; when light streamed in through the large -windows and they themselves walked in clean, smooth passageways, they -felt that a good work had been done, and were glad they had both had a -share in it. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_403"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-197">[197]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_403_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_403_toc"><span class="large">III</span><br /> -<br /> -THE GARDEN</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -M<small>AMSELLE</small> L<small>OVISA</small> certainly loved and admired her brother the Lieutenant, -but she did not see why he need introduce so many changes and -newfangled things. She thought Mårbacka might better be left as it was -in their parents’ time. What went against her most was his wanting to -lay out gardens on all sides of the dwelling house. -</p> -<p> -She had been quite worried when he talked of deepening the river-bed, -and felt relieved when his plan miscarried. It was such a pretty sight, -when Ämtan overflowed and formed a lot of little shimmering lakes down -in the meadows! And she wailed a good deal when her brother cleared -away the field flowers. It had been a veritable feast for the eyes when -one field was white with daisies, another violet with heart’s-ease, and -a third yellow with buttercups. And it was a great pity the cows were -no longer sent to pasture in the woods. Everybody knew that such thick -cream and such yellow butter as one got when they wandered in the -forest were never seen when they grazed in the meadow. -</p> -<p> -In her father’s time, and for hundreds of years before,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-198">[198]</a></span> it had been -the custom to cut down the saplings, leave them on the ground to dry, -then burn them where they lay. The following year the ashes were sown -with rye, and, later, these burn-beaten clearings were covered with -wild strawberries and raspberries. Mamselle Lovisa naturally took it to -heart when her brother no longer burned such “falls.” -</p> -<p> -“Mark my words,” she said to him, “there’ll soon be an end to the wild -berries. Where will they grow if the woods are not burn-beaten? If all -were to do as you are doing, we’d never again be able to sit of a -summer’s evening and watch the pretty fires round the wooded hills.” -</p> -<p> -And she was not pleased with the new barn, either. Of course she did -not know very much, she said, but she had been told there was never any -comfort in a stone barn. -</p> -<p> -When the new barn was finished and the old one torn down, and the -Lieutenant talked of laying out a new garden, Mamselle Lovisa was -beside herself. -</p> -<p> -“I trust you know what you’re about,” she said. “A large garden -requires constant care, so you will have to figure on keeping a -gardener. Unless a garden is properly tended and kept clear of weeds, -one might better have none at all.” -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant let her admonitions go into one ear and out of the -other. In the autumn he began tearing down the fences, which had been -there since Pastor Wennervik’s time—those enclosing the kitchen -garden<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-199">[199]</a></span> and rose garden and those surrounding the front and back yards. -</p> -<p> -“Well, this is the end of all comfort and joy in this place!” sighed -Mamselle Lovisa. “Think how secure one felt when once inside all the -white fences! And what fun it was for the children to run out and open -the gates when company came!” -</p> -<p> -“It was less fun, though, for the one who had to keep so many fences -and gates in repair,” the Lieutenant replied. -</p> -<p> -He went right on with his work. When the fences were down he ploughed -up the old kitchen garden and the little rose garden, the old trampled -sward, the ground where the old barn had stood, and the calf ward, so -as to have the grounds cleared for the laying of the garden in the -spring. -</p> -<p> -“Is it true that you’re going to remove the kitchen garden?” said -Mamselle Lovisa. “To be sure I don’t know anything, but I have heard -folks say that when the apple trees are allowed to grow in the herb -beds they bear well, but if one plants sod round them one can’t expect -much fruit.” -</p> -<p> -“But dear little Lovisa, I thought you would be glad to have a real -garden!” -</p> -<p> -“Glad! Should I be glad that you are destroying the old Mårbacka? Soon -we won’t know the place at all.” -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant thought his sister unusually contentious in this -instance, which was the more surprising<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-200">[200]</a></span> because she had always loved -flowers and cared for all the house plants. But at that time, which was -shortly after her engagement had been broken and she was still -suffering from the disappointment, he could not say a harsh word to -her. All day long she paced the floor of her room and he could hear her -restless steps when he sat in the living room reading. He understood -that she was not just then quite mistress of herself, and thought it a -favourable sign that she took an interest in something outside her own -unhappiness. It was better that she should disapprove of his garden -than be continually brooding on whether she had been too hasty in -sending back the betrothal ring, or whether her fiancé had turned -against her because she had put a few leaves of whortleberry in Kaisa -Nilsdotter’s bridal-crown. -</p> -<p> -In those days there was an old landscape gardener living in Fryksdalen -who in his prime had been head gardener on various large estates. He -had the name of being a veritable wizard at garden making, and when -anyone contemplated laying out a new garden his advice and assistance -were sought. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant had asked him to come to Mårbacka, and in the spring, as -soon as the frost was out of the ground, the old man appeared with his -drawings and prints. A large corps of workmen was placed at his -command; quantities of bushes and trees ordered from the Göteborg -nurseries had come, and the big work was now started. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-201">[201]</a></span> -When the ground had been levelled the gardener and the Lieutenant went -about all day staking out grass plots and gravel walks. The old man -informed the Lieutenant that it was no longer the custom to follow the -severely regular French style. Now the paths must all be winding and -the borders and flower beds in easy, graceful lines. What he had in -mind for Mårbacka he called the English style; but the Lieutenant -rather suspected that the style was the old man’s own and not of -foreign origin. -</p> -<p> -In front they laid out a big circular lawn, on one side of which they -set out shrubbery in the shape of an egg, and on the other shrubbery in -the form of a horn of plenty, while in the middle of the round they -planted a weeping ash. Up toward the veranda they staked out a -star-shaped flower bed, placing as a guard about it four provence-rose -bushes—each on its own little round spot. -</p> -<p> -On the old sand-plot just below the kitchen windows they staked out a -large triangle and filled it with rich soil, in which they transplanted -the rose bushes from the old rose garden. For of roses they could never -have enough. Along the front of the house they set out a low hedge of -primroses, and two white-brier-rose bushes were given the places of -honour, the one before the parlour window, the other before the front -bedroom window. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant took such keen delight in this work that he went about -with the gardener all day, and Fru<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-202">[202]</a></span> Lagerlöf would snatch long moments -from her sewing to go out and have a look at the garden; but Mamselle -Lovisa persistently kept to her room. This delightful spring work only -tended to increase her sadness. She would rather have had the old -trampled sward, with its one little tangle of snowberry bushes. All -these innovations seemed to her so unnecessary. But what she thought or -said was immaterial; just the same, folk had managed to live at -Mårbacka before. All these modern improvements only meant a lot of -bother and needless expense. -</p> -<p> -But the work went on despite her disapproval. Round the stable the -gardener planted a hedge of lilacs, also on three sides of the dwelling -house, while along the wing he set out a hedge of spiræas. That done, -the Lieutenant and the gardener went at the old Wennervik kitchen -garden. The fine apple trees they let stand where they were, but the -ground about them was laid out in the old man’s “English” style, with -winding gravel paths and grass plots arranged in various designs. With -much skill and calculation each grass plot was embellished with round, -oblong, or triangular beds and planted with perennials. Yellow cowslips -bordered blue iris, orange crown-imperials edged purple hyssop, and -encircling the red carnations was a wreath of pink bellis. -</p> -<p> -The flower beds of course were up round the dwelling house. Farther -back, on both the north and south sides, place was made for gooseberry -and currant<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-203">[203]</a></span> bushes, for strawberry patches, for plum trees, pear trees, -and ever so many cherry trees. At the far southern end, quite a -distance away and well out of sight, lay the new kitchen garden, while -at the north end was a little birch grove, bordered by mountain ash and -bird-cherry trees. This grove the gardener included in his design, in -order to create at least the suggestion of a park. He intersected the -grove with many narrow winding gravel walks. In three places he cleared -away the trees to make room for tables and seats. The first open space -was an oblong spot with settees on all sides. Here the lady of the -house was to receive her guests, and it was to be called the Tea -Corner. The second was a square, with four seats round a table. That -was for the master and his company, and the old man jokingly dubbed it -the Toddy Corner. The third space had only a long, narrow bench. That -was the children’s domain, and was to be known as the Kiddies’ Corner. -</p> -<p> -But all this planting left Mamselle Lovisa indifferent. It may almost -be said that she scorned and detested it. She had not yet set foot in -the new garden. -</p> -<p> -Soon pale-green sprouts sprang up in the sod, the newly planted bushes -sent forth tender, shy little leaves, the perennial plants pushed -through the soil of the garden beds; oaks, chestnuts, and Lombardy -poplars, which had been planted in the old barn lot, began to bud and -show that they were alive. -</p> -<p> -In the midst of this busy time an unexpected difficulty arose. The old -gardener was obliged to go home<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-204">[204]</a></span> for a few days, to see to his own -garden. That would not have mattered much but for the hot-bed he had -made in order to coax up some asters and gilly-flowers for the beds in -the front yard. -</p> -<p> -“Who is going to tend the hot-bed while I’m away?” said the old -gardener. “You know, Lieutenant, a hot-bed needs constant watching.” -</p> -<p> -“I’ll do it myself,” the Lieutenant replied; for by that time he -thought himself almost a master gardener. He let the old man show him -how to air and water the plants. -</p> -<p> -The morning the gardener left there was bright, strong sunshine. Along -in the forenoon the Lieutenant in alarm went up to the house to find -his wife. As she was nowhere about he rushed into his sister’s room. -</p> -<p> -“You’ll have to come and help me with the hot-bed, Lovisa,” he said. -Then, remembering that Mamselle Lovisa would not even look at his -garden and took no interest whatever in his work, he thought: “Oh, -well, it’s said now, and she can’t do more than refuse.” -</p> -<p> -But instead she eagerly got up and went out with him. Instantly she saw -the little plants, which were wilted and drooping, she exclaimed: -</p> -<p> -“The sun is too strong on them, they must be shaded.” Then she found -something with which to protect them, and the plants were saved. -</p> -<p> -The next day the Lieutenant had to attend a school examination. When -well on his way he suddenly remembered the hot-bed. There was the same -scorching<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-205">[205]</a></span> heat that day as on the previous one. Now the little plants -would surely be burnt up, he thought. -</p> -<p> -The moment he got home he hurried over to the hot-bed. To his surprise -and delight all was well; the plants stood up, erect and sturdy. His -sister had thought of the poor little things which he had neglected. He -promptly decided not to forget to water and close the hot-bed that -evening. Sometime after supper he sprang up in alarm. -</p> -<p> -“Why, I’m forgetting the hot-bed! It should have been closed this long -while.” -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa said nothing, but let him go see for himself. He found -the glass lids down and the covers spread over them. -</p> -<p> -The following day the Lieutenant did not look at the hot-bed or give it -a thought. All the same, the little plants fared well. Mamselle Lovisa -weeded and loosened the soil round them, watered and tended them in -every way. It seemed rather strange that only she should think of the -hot-bed; but for her everything sown there would have died. Of course -she wished the old gardener would return and relieve her of the work; -but while he was away she had to go on with it. -</p> -<p> -He was gone longer than expected. In the meantime the plants were -growing almost too large for transplanting. There was no other course -than for Mamselle Lovisa to set them out in the flower beds herself. -When that much had been done, what could she do but<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-206">[206]</a></span> go on weeding -and watering them all summer, until the gilly, petunia, aster, and -snap-dragon plants were in bloom! -</p> -<p> -And when the perfectly formed star before the front steps at Mårbacka -appeared resplendent with bright colours, then in some mysterious way -the pain was gone from Mamselle Lovisa’s wounded heart. The little -plants had requited the loving care she had bestowed upon them. They -had given her a new interest in life, a new field of activity. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf did not have to engage a head gardener for -Mårbacka; Mamselle Lovisa had inherited the old Wennervik bent, and it -was she who took care of the garden. The flowers were her faithful -friends; they loved her as she loved them. People wondered how she -could get them to bloom and glow as in no other garden. They did not -know that the flowers had caught colour and sweetness from her vanished -dream of happiness. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_404"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-207">[207]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_404_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_404_toc"><span class="large">IV</span><br /> -<br /> -THE ROOF TRUSSES</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -W<small>HEN</small> Lieutenant Lagerlöf and his little daughters walked in the garden -or out in the fields they often talked of what they would do if the -King came to Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -In those days the King used to drive through Värmland several times a -year on his way to and from Norway, and he had to stop somewhere for -refreshment and rest. Most frequently he stayed over in Karlstad, at -the Governor’s house, and it was also his wont to honour with a royal -visit the great manors which lay along his route, and where they could -conveniently entertain him. -</p> -<p> -Of course there was not the least likelihood that the King would come -to a little unknown place like Mårbacka, which, to boot, lay far from -the great highway. But that did not trouble the Lieutenant and his -little girls. It would not have been such fun perhaps to talk about -this had there been any chance of the King’s really coming. Now it was -only a pleasure to build in fancy a triumphal arch for His Majesty, and -strew flowers in his way as he drove up. The little girls wondered if -they should dress in white when the King came<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-208">[208]</a></span> and the Lieutenant -generously promised them new white frocks made by the best sempstress -in East Ämtervik for the grand occasion. -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant and the children pictured to themselves how the King, -when nearing Mårbacka, would suddenly shade his eyes with his hand so -as to see better. -</p> -<p> -“What is that great white building over there in the meadow?” he would -ask. “Have they two churches in this parish?” -</p> -<p> -“No, your Majesty,” the Lieutenant would then reply (for of course he -was to ride with the King), “that white building is not a church, it is -my cow-barn.” -</p> -<p> -Then the King would look at him in wide-eyed wonder, and say: -</p> -<p> -“By Jove! You must be a deucedly clever fellow, Eric Gustaf, to have -built yourself a barn like that!” -</p> -<p> -How they were to house the King and all his retinue in the little -one-story dwelling—that was an almost unsolvable problem. The -Lieutenant had often talked of building another story, and they were -all agreed that when that was finished it would be an easy matter to -entertain the King. Even then they probably would be a bit cramped for -space. The Lieutenant and his wife might have to spend the night in the -hay-loft, and the children—well, they could sleep in the rabbit hutch. -</p> -<p> -Now that about the rabbit hutch tickled the little girls immensely. And -they wondered what the King<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-209">[209]</a></span> would say about the garden. Of course he -would marvel to find away back here in the farming country a garden -laid out in the true English manner. At that, the Lieutenant would -immediately send word to the old gardener and hearten him with the good -news that the King had praised his flower beds and gravel paths. -</p> -<p> -And then when the King was leaving Mårbacka he would present Fru -Lagerlöf with a gold brooch and Mamselle Lovisa with a gold bracelet, -and the old housekeeper would receive a large shawl-pin of silver. -Before stepping into his carriage, His Majesty would shake hands with -the Lieutenant, and say: -</p> -<p> -“Thanks and honour to you, Eric Gustaf Lagerlöf! It is but a modest bit -of my realm that is in your keeping, but I see that you take good care -of it.” -</p> -<p> -Those words the Lieutenant would remember with joy as long as he lived. -He and his children had right merry times on these little excursions -into the land of make-believe. It was a pity, though, that the royal -visit could not really and truly come about until the Lieutenant had -built a second story. -</p> -<p> -Then, lo and behold, at the close of the eighteen-sixties, when the -Lieutenant had finished with everything else, he was ready to start -remodelling the house. The royal visit apart, they were rather closely -housed in the old one-story dwelling. The Lieutenant had already made -some alterations. Eight or ten years back he had cut out larger window -openings and had done away with the small-paned sashes. He had also -put<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-210">[210]</a></span> up new tile-stoves, papered the walls of the parlour and living -room, and built a large veranda in place of the old porch. -</p> -<p> -Now there were to be still further improvements. The whole roof was to -be torn off, the trusses raised, and the timber walls heightened. The -year before he had had a couple of good carpenters at work on the place -preparing the new roof trusses, so that the roof could be raised and -covered as quickly as possible. The workmen had but just finished the -trusses when the Lieutenant got word that his father-in-law had passed -away. This was a sad loss and a heavy blow as well. The Lieutenant had -lost his main prop and stay. Hereafter he would have no one but himself -to depend on. Now out of his estate he must pay all contracted debts. -His sons were then nearly grown and must soon be sent to the University -of Upsala; therefore he thought it best to postpone the building work -for a year or so. -</p> -<p> -But what one puts off is likely to be left undone. Fresh obstacles -continually loomed in the way of this work. One year the Lieutenant was -ill, and the next he had to help a brother-in-law who had once been -well-to-do but must now have a yearly stipend. While the Lieutenant had -been labouring to build up his property the years had passed without -his noting them. He was now a man of fifty, and the old daring spirit -of enterprise had perhaps slipped away from him. -</p> -<p> -It was with no light heart he relinquished his cherished plan of -rebuilding the house. That was to have<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-211">[211]</a></span> been his crowning work. All his -life he had dreamed of erecting a fine manor-house on his beloved -Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -The great piles of timber and the finished roof trusses lay in the -backyard for many years. Whenever the Lieutenant walked past them he -turned his head away; he could not bear to look at them. His little -daughters had been so very happy when he started on the roof trusses, -and not altogether on account of the “royal visit.” It was perhaps of -more importance to them that they should have a real salon to dance in, -and that the house should have two stories, and be as grand as -Iron-Master Wallroth’s Gårdsjö or Engineer Noreen’s country seat. They -grew uneasy over the delay, year after year, and one of the girls -finally mustered the courage to ask her father when he was going to put -up those roof trusses. -</p> -<p> -“I’m afraid never, my child!” When he said this his face twitched and -there was a strange catch in his voice. Then, quickly recovering -himself, he added, banteringly: -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“But it doesn’t matter now, my girl. They are building a railway to -Norway, and hereafter the King won’t come asking for a night’s lodging, -either at Mårbacka or any other manor in Värmland.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_500"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-213">[213]</a></span> -</p> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_500_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_500_toc">WORKDAYS AND FÊTE-DAYS</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_501"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-215">[215]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_501_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_501_toc"><span class="large">I</span><br /> -<br /> -NOONING</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -L<small>IEUTENANT</small> L<small>AGERLÖF</small> believed that children, in order to grow up healthy -and strong and become useful and capable men and women, should above -all things acquire the habit of nooning. With that object in mind, -always, after the midday meal, he would take the two youngest children -down to the farm-office, which was in another building a few steps from -the house. -</p> -<p> -The office was a large room, and probably looked about the same as in -the days of the Mårbacka clergymen, when it had been their study. At -the far end, under a window, there was a black leather lounge, and -before it an oblong table. Along one side-wall stood a bedstead, a -black leather-seated chair, a large black walnut writing table, and a -high chest of drawers, while at the other side stood another bed and -black leather chair and a tile stove. On the wall, beyond the stove, -hung three fowling pieces, a seal-skin game-bag, a large horse-pistol, -a couple of powder horns, and a fencing foil which crossed a broken -sabre. In the midst of this armoury rested a huge pair of elk antlers. -Down by the door, on one side, there was a stationary clothes<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-216">[216]</a></span> -cupboard, on the other side, a bookcase. At the bottom of the cupboard -reposed the Lieutenant’s iron-bound oak chest, the one the Paymaster of -the Regiment had used, and which was a bit charred on one corner. -</p> -<p> -In the bookcase the Lieutenant kept his big ledgers, and there, also, -were the school books of two generations. Many annuals of the <i>European -Feuilleton</i> were crowded in with Homer, Cicero, and Livy. Histories of -Peter the Great and Frederick the Wise had been relegated hither on -account of their common drab cardboard bindings, also the works of -Wilhelm von Braun—though not because of their covers but for other -reasons. On the floor lay surveyors’ instruments from the time the -Lieutenant had assisted in the shifting of boundary lines; also some -boxes of fishing tackle and odds and ends. -</p> -<p> -First thing, on coming into the office, the Lieutenant and his little -daughters had to drive out the flies. Doors and windows were thrown -wide open. The Lieutenant caught up a towel for the chase, and the -little girls took off their aprons and went to beating the air. They -climbed on to chairs and tables, hunted and swatted, while the buzzing -flies flew hither and yon, as if determined not to go. However, in the -end they were cleared out, and windows and doors were closed. -</p> -<p> -But there was one fly they called the Old Office Fly; she was used to -the daily chase, and knew enough to keep out of the way while it went -on. When all was<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-217">[217]</a></span> quiet and peaceful again, she would come forth from -her hiding place and seat herself on the ceiling. -</p> -<p> -No fresh chase was started for her. The Lieutenant and the children -knew that she was too canny for them. They could never get rid of her! -So they went on to the next thing to be done before nooning. The girls -arranged two leather pillows and a down pillow on the lounge as a -head-rest for the Lieutenant; whereupon he stretched himself out, shut -his eyes, and simulated sleep. -</p> -<p> -Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him. He -tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they -came like playful puppies. They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, -and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him. -</p> -<p> -When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he -clapped his hands once, and said: -</p> -<p> -“It’s over now.” -</p> -<p> -Little good that did! The children kept right on; again and again they -crawled up on to the sofa, were flung off, and came bounding -back—shrieking and making a fearful racket. -</p> -<p> -When that had gone on for some little time, the Lieutenant clapped -twice and said: “It’s quite over now.” -</p> -<p> -Nor did that have any effect. The same performance was repeated amid -shrieks and laughter, until the Lieutenant presently clapped his hands -three times, and said: -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-218">[218]</a></span> -“Now it is really and truly over.” -</p> -<p> -The two children instantly hushed their noise, and each crept into her -own bed to sleep. -</p> -<p> -After a little the Lieutenant began to snore. His snores were not very -loud, but they were enough to keep the two children, who were to -acquire the habit of nooning, awake. -</p> -<p> -The youngsters were not allowed to get out of bed or speak to each -other, but had to lie perfectly still. Their eyes, meanwhile, wandered -round the room. Gazing at the rag mats on the floor, they recognized -their mother’s and their aunt’s old dresses, which had been cut up for -carpets. They looked at the portrait of General Malmberg, which hung on -the wall between two battle canvasses, at the ink-well and pen, at the -antlers and game-bags, at the foil and the famous gun called the -“harekiller.” They traced the figures in the quilt, they counted the -stars on the wall-paper, the nail-heads along the floor, and the checks -in the curtains. The hour seemed dreadfully long! They heard the merry -voices of the other children, who were so big they did not have to take -a midday nap, but ran about—happy and free—devouring cherries and -gooseberries and green apples! -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -The sole hope of the two little girls was the “office fly.” She buzzed -and buzzed round the Lieutenant’s face, making as much noise as she -could. If only she kept at it long enough she’d wake him up! -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_502"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-219">[219]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_502_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_502_toc"><span class="large">II</span><br /> -<br /> -MAMSELLE BRORSTRÖM</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -T<small>HE</small> undergraduates at the <i>Gymnasium</i> of Karlstad had been unusually -quiet in the beginning of the autumn semester. They had not started any -fights with the street boys, or been up to any other deviltry. The -whole city was surprised, pleased, and thankful, though no doubt people -felt at the same time that something was lacking. -</p> -<p> -Then, as it drew on toward autumn Fair-time, when folk from all parts -of Värmland were coming to the capital of the province, the students -felt they must do something to maintain their reputation. Now it was -not merely a question of Karlstad, but of all Värmland. After due -deliberation, when various propositions had been presented and -rejected, a schoolboy named Fredrik Sandberg was summoned to appear -before the collegians. -</p> -<p> -Fredrik Sandberg obeyed orders, of course, for in those days it never -would have done for the schoolboys to defy the collegians, who were -their overlords. Nor would it have been well for the one who attempted -to evade a summons from that quarter! -</p> -<p> -When Fredrik came the students togged him out<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-220">[220]</a></span> in frilled shirt and -stock, satin waistcoat of large flowered pattern, gray trousers with -foot-straps, blue swallow-tail coat with silver buttons, and patent -leather shoes. His hair was then curled and arranged in a forelock, -gloves and walking stick were put into his hands, and a tall stove-pipe -hat with curved brim topped it all. -</p> -<p> -If only Fredrik Sandberg had not been so small that the trousers hung -in pleats, the coat tails almost trailed on the ground, and the hat -went down on his ears, he would have been as fine a dandy as ever trod -a city street. Thus arrayed, he was ordered off to Mamselle -Brorström’s. -</p> -<p> -When Fredrik Sandberg entered the attic room where Mamselle Brorström -lived, he found her standing before her tile-stove making waffles. Her -attire was a bit so-so—just a petticoat and undervest. The little -schoolboy thought to himself that never had he seen such arms and legs, -such hands and feet, and such a torso! -</p> -<p> -“My name is Fredrik Sandberg,” he said by way of introduction, “and I -would most humbly beg that I may be permitted to invite Mamselle -Brorström to the Fair Ball at the Masonic Lodge.” -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Brorström was not exactly what would be termed “in society,” -and had surely never thought of going to a fair ball. But now, being -invited by an elegant cavalier, she could hardly refuse. So, curtsying -to Fredrik Sandberg, she thanked him and said she<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-221">[221]</a></span> felt highly -honoured, and would be most happy to attend the ball. -</p> -<p> -The boy was pleased at being so well received, for it might have turned -out quite otherwise. He ran back to the students as quickly as -possible, and reported all that had taken place. -</p> -<p> -A week later Fredrik Sandberg was again ordered to appear before the -collegians, and again dressed up as before, and sent to Mamselle -Brorström. -</p> -<p> -This time he found her standing before her looking-glass trying on a -red tulle dress. Her neck and arms were bare and she turned and twisted -impatiently, apparently in a dreadful humour. -</p> -<p> -The little boy stared at the huge woman, who was twice as tall as he, -twice as broad, and twice as strong. He gazed at the thick arms -sticking out from the sleeveless red tulle bodice, and the enormous -legs showing below the short skirts; he looked at her coarse face, -copper-coloured from constant exposure to fire—for she was always -making waffles—and he looked at her black tousled hair standing out -like a bush round her head; he saw the fiery gleam in her blood-shot -eyes and heard the thundering tones of her raucous voice. The boy -wanted to cut and run, but having been sent there by the college -students and knowing what disobedience to that authority meant, he -bowed to Mamselle Brorström, and said: -</p> -<p> -“I most humbly beg that I may have the pleasure of the first waltz at -the Fair Ball.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-222">[222]</a></span> -Mamselle Brorström had been rather repentant and thoughtful that -morning, and had wondered if she really ought to go to the ball. She -would no doubt have put all thought of it out of her mind if Fredrik -Sandberg had not come and begged for the first waltz. But now that she -was certain of a dancing partner she was again in good humour. She -assured Fredrik Sandberg that she felt both favoured and honoured, and -that nothing would afford her greater pleasure than to let him dance -with her. -</p> -<p> -That was the very day of the ball. And in the evening Mamselle -Brorström, arrayed in her red tulle dress (than which nothing could be -prettier, she thought) appeared at the Masonic Lodge among Karlstaders -and Fair visitors. Stalking through the ladies’ dressing room into the -grand ballroom, she sat herself down on one of the small cushioned -seats along the wall. -</p> -<p> -People stared, but she did not mind. Having been invited, she had as -good a right as any one else to dance at the Fair Ball. She noticed -that the other ladies all had acquaintances to chat with, but this did -not trouble her; when once the music struck up for the dance, they’d -see that she had as fine a partner as any of them. -</p> -<p> -The regiment band began to play. She saw the foundry clerks step up to -the founderers’ daughters, the lieutenants to the officers’ ladies, and -the shop clerks to the shopkeepers’ girls—each took his partner. Soon -everyone was on the floor whirling round—everyone<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-223">[223]</a></span> except Mamselle -Brorström, who sat waiting for Fredrik Sandberg. -</p> -<p> -The collegians were on the platform with the musicians. They had a good -view of Mamselle Brorström in her red tulle, sitting all alone in the -middle of the long row of wall seats, where the one she was waiting for -might easily find her. -</p> -<p> -The wife of the Governor put up her lorgnette and wondered who that -large, conspicuous looking woman was. The daughters of the founderers -stuck up their noses at her, while the young ladies of the nobility -marvelled that a person of that sort should come to a Fair Ball. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Brorström meanwhile remained seated in the one place. Fredrik -Sandberg did not put in an appearance and no one else seemed to think -of asking her to dance. There was a supper, and after that more -dancing. The fine folk were now leaving and the gentlemen began to look -a bit flushed; but Mamselle Brorström still sat on. -</p> -<p> -Then at last Tanner Grunder stepped up and asked for a polka. -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis high time!” said Mamselle Brorström in a voice loud enough to be -heard all over the ballroom. And those words became a catch phrase in -Värmland. -</p> -<p> -The tanner had been in a side room playing cards the whole evening, and -had just come out for a little spin. As she was the only lady -disengaged he naturally went over to her—not knowing, of course, her -state of mind. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-224">[224]</a></span> -As Mamselle Brorström stood up to fling herself into the dizzy whirl, -Tanner Grunder, to be polite and obliging, said: -</p> -<p> -“What is Mamselle Brorström’s pleasure—to dance forward or backward?” -</p> -<p> -“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis all one to me just so it goes,” she answered. -</p> -<p> -This, too, was heard all over the hall, and those words also became a -saying in Värmland. -</p> -<p> -The day after the ball Fredrik Sandberg was again summoned by the -collegians, and once again he was togged out and sent to Mamselle -Brorström. -</p> -<p> -He found her standing by the stove, as usual, making waffles. That day -she was not attired in red tulle but only in her petticoat and -undervest. The schoolboy thought that never had he seen such a -sour-looking face, such strong arms and formidable fists. The words he -was to speak wanted to stick in his throat. But just outside the door -stood three of the most dangerous collegians, and Fredrik knew what it -would mean to get into the bad graces of the powers that be! -</p> -<p> -“I most humbly beg to know whether Mamselle Brorström had a pleasant -time last evening at the ball,” he said, and made a low bow. -</p> -<p> -How Fredrik Sandberg got out of the room, across the hall, down the -stairs, and into the street, he never knew. Nor did the three -collegians who had been lurking behind the door know how they had been -assisted down the stairs. It was well they were there, so that<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-225">[225]</a></span> Fredrik -was not alone on this treat, which proved to be more than enough for -them all. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -This episode was imprinted indelibly in the mind of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf, who at the time it occurred was a lad attending school at -Karlstad. And of an evening, as he sat in his rocker, he would tell the -tale to his children. Though he was himself the kindest and gentlest of -men, the mad pranks of schoolboys were always a source of amusement to -him. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_503"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-226">[226]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_503_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_503_toc"><span class="large">III</span><br /> -<br /> -RIDING TO “BLÅKULLA”</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>N</small> Grandmother Lagerlöf’s time, when the paupers of the community were -taken into families and cared for, there was an old wardswoman at -Mårbacka who on winter nights used to sleep in the kitchen—though -goodness knows the room was crowded enough anyhow, with the housekeeper -and five maids all sleeping there! So at the first signs of summer she -would betake herself to the barn-loft, where she had found a good -comfortable bed in an old discarded sledge, which in bygone winters had -been used for carting pig-iron from the smithies in Bergslagerna to the -Kymsberg Iron Works. -</p> -<p> -There for several weeks she had slept in peace and quiet. Then, one -night, she was awakened by the sledge moving. She sat bolt upright and -looked round. Outside, the night was almost as light as day, but in the -barn where the poor old woman lay it was pitch dark, so that she could -not see anything. Thinking that she had only been dreaming, she sank -back upon her pillow and was soon slumbering again. -</p> -<p> -But strange to say, she had no more than got to sleep when the sledge -began to move again. This time it<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-227">[227]</a></span> not only gave a little lurch but -went gliding along the floor. Though it moved kind of slowly and -cautiously, there was no mistaking that there was life in it. -</p> -<p> -The old woman sat up and gripped the side of the sledge with both -hands. Her hair rose and her jaw fell. -</p> -<p> -“Merciful God!” she gasped, “it’s crawling!” -</p> -<p> -But how in the world could such a thing happen? Could it be that an old -sledge which had carried pig-iron winter after winter between -Bergslagerna and Kymsberg grew restless at night, and must bestir -itself a bit once in a while? -</p> -<p> -The sledge moved faster; now it went bumpety-bump over the uneven -floor, and scudded across piles of hay and straw as if taking plunges -into deep gulches and flights up steep hills. -</p> -<p> -“O merciful God! Merciful God!” cried the woman. -</p> -<p> -But invoking the name of the Lord did not stop the sledge; it ran right -on the whole length of the barn-loft, till it struck the wall. -</p> -<p> -There it must surely stand still, she thought. But no indeed! As soon -as it recovered its breath, so to speak, it began to back toward the -corner where it first stood. -</p> -<p> -The wardswoman said later that if in that instant she had not guessed -what was wrong with the sledge she surely would have lost her wits. -</p> -<p> -Oh, no, it was not the old Bergslag journeys haunting the pig-iron -sledge—someone had “greased” it! Some witch-hag on the farm or in the -district (she didn’t<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-228">[228]</a></span> care to mention any names, or even think -them) had taken it into her head that she could ride to Blåkulla, the -Witches’-kitchen, with more ease and comfort in the old sledge than on -a broom-stick, an oven-rake, or a barn door. Perhaps the wicked witch -did not know the wardswoman slept in the sledge. In the stress of the -moment there was no time to figure on just how it had all come about. -But this much was certain: the sledge wanted to be out and off, and it -was she—the wardswoman—it was taking to the Witches’ hell instead of -the right one. -</p> -<p> -Lord o’ Mercy! But for the strong barn wall she would already be flying -over the village toward the church. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile the sledge kept backing. She knew well enough that that was -only in order to make a fresh start to break through. Once outside, it -would go shooting through the air over tree-tops and mountain ranges. -She would be flying above shining lakes and rivers, without the least -fear of tumbling into them; she would circle round the church steeple -like a jackdaw, and fly on beyond Stor Kil and Grav parishes; but where -she would land she hated to think on. -</p> -<p> -Lord o’ Mercy! The sledge was rushing forward again. There was no doubt -that sledge could fly if once it got out into the open; it was making -for the wall at terrific speed. The old woman, positive now that the -wall would give way, lay down again so as not to be scraped off in the -middle when the sledge cut through the boards.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-229">[229]</a></span> This time it struck -hard. Oh, what a bump! Again the wall resisted. Now, if only the sledge -had the sense to see that it couldn’t get anywhere, and stand still! -</p> -<p> -But don’t for a moment imagine it! Once more it began to back. That -sledge must have been greased with real witch-oil. If it made a third -attempt it would surely succeed. Whatever would she do when she got in -amongst witches and all the Hosts of Darkness! To be sure she had heard -tell of such, but she had never wanted to believe in them. There is so -much one would rather not believe until one has seen for oneself -whether it is true. -</p> -<p> -“Merciful Lord, lead me not into temptation,” she prayed. All her life -she had endured poverty and contempt without a murmur. But were she now -to be offered riches and power, would she be able to resist? Or, were -she to learn the magic words that cure sickness in humans and animals, -or the ones that make the ground yield good harvests, or those that -awaken love in young folk, could she withstand the temptation to use -them? Might she only be granted strength to rise above temptation and -so preserve her soul unto salvation. -</p> -<p> -Just then the sledge took a third lunge. Now it tore ahead, creating a -rush of wind that whizzed about her ears. She shut her eyes lest she -turn giddy, for in the wink of an eyelid she knew she would be soaring -high above the earth—high as the lark. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-230">[230]</a></span> -Crash! Now, surely, the wall had given way.... -</p> -<p> -But, thanks be to God! the good board wall still held; it was only the -sledge that had broken down. With that, it must have lost all zest for -travel. The sledge having come to a dead stop, the wardswoman managed -to crawl out and drop down on a heap of straw, to rest after her -perilous ride. When in the morning she told it all to the maids and it -eventually came to the ears of Grandmother Lagerlöf, the latter thought -it sounded a bit queer. Though Grandmother was herself a firm believer -in the supernatural, there had to be some semblance of reason and -probability behind it. That one could ride to <i>Blåkulla</i> on a light -summer’s night, and in a sleigh at that, was something unheard of. -Grandmother, of course, went down to the barn and examined the sledge. -Finding a couple of long ropes attached to it, she immediately summoned -the stableboy and two or three of his companions. After questioning the -boys thoroughly, she gave them a good dressing down. -</p> - -<p class="break2"> -This, too, was one of the Lieutenant’s boy-prank yarns. There were many -more up his sleeve; but when he had told this and the one about -Mamselle Brorström, Fru Lagerlöf would say: -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“Now that is enough for this evening. It’s time for the children to say -Good-night, and go to bed.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_504"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-231">[231]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_504_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_504_toc"><span class="large">IV</span><br /> -<br /> -BELLMAN BALLADS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -A<small>T</small> <small>SIX</small>-<small>THIRTY</small> every morning Nurse made a fire in the children’s room, -and at seven o’clock the children had to rise and start dressing. When -they were ready, say at about half after seven, and the beds had been -hurriedly made, a tray was sent up from the kitchen with bowls of gruel -and large pieces of buttered <i>knäckebröd.</i> This was the <i>little</i> -breakfast. Then, until eight, they sat at a large table by the window -and glanced over their lessons. The nursery had to serve as schoolroom, -there being no other place available. -</p> -<p> -On the stroke of eight books were closed. The children then put on -their wraps and went out in the half-dark winter morning—whatever the -weather. They hurried down to the pond first thing, to see whether -there was ice for skating, or, in lieu of that, went sledding on the -driveway. If there was nothing else they could do, they ran down to the -barn to see the baby rabbits and romp with the sheep-dog. -</p> -<p> -A little before nine they had <i>big</i> breakfast, which usually consisted -of eggs, or griddle-cakes, or fried herring with boiled potatoes, or -black pudding with<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-232">[232]</a></span> salt pork and cream gravy. At breakfast the family -did not sit at the big table, but each person, in turn, helped himself -and then sat down at one of the side tables. -</p> -<p> -At nine sharp one had to be through with the meal, for at that hour -lessons began. Then it was back to the nursery again to sit at the long -table reading, writing, and figuring until noon. The little girls had a -governess now—Ida Melanoz, eldest daughter of Sexton Melanoz, who had -her father’s good brain and teaching ability. -</p> -<p> -At twelve o’clock dinner was served at the round dining table. One of -the little girls said grace before the meal, the other after it. Then, -rising from table, they kissed Mother’s hand and Father’s hand, and -said: “Thanks for the food.” It was never quiet during the dinner hour. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf kept the ball of chatter rolling. He could always -find something to talk about. If nothing more thrilling had happened -than his meeting an old woman in the lane, he would make a whole story -out of the incident. -</p> -<p> -From one to two the children were again out of doors. But they often -went in a few minutes before the play hour was up, so as to run through -their lessons for the afternoon session, which was from two to four. -Afterwards, they would read the lessons for the next day. They were -never allowed to sit at their studies later than five o’clock, when -they must go out-doors again. Now they were off to some distant -coasting hill. At<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-233">[233]</a></span> one time they had a big ram to drive, and that, -of course, was great sport. When they got back to the house a pleasant -hour awaited them. A log fire crackled in the living room and on the -folded card table stood a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of -unfermented beer. To sit or lie before the fire while munching their -sandwiches—that was something the youngsters enjoyed hugely. They -chattered and planned all sorts of things. It was the only hour of the -day they had to themselves. -</p> -<p> -When the fire burned low, the lamp on the round table over by the sofa -was lit. Fru Lagerlöf now took her little daughters in hand, and taught -them to sew, crochet, and knit. She had a volume of Hans Andersen’s -fairy tales, and when she thought the work had gone well she would -reward the children by reading or narrating “The Travelling Companion,” -or “The Tinder-box,” or “The Wild Swans.” Besides, there were pretty -and amusing illustrations in that book, and to look at those was almost -as much fun as to hear the stories. -</p> -<p> -At eight o’clock supper was served, and then the Lieutenant appeared. -Up to that hour he had been at the farm-office poring over his ledgers. -</p> -<p> -And now, after the long work-filled day, one could at last relax. The -children put away their needlework, and the Lieutenant, sitting back in -his rocking-chair, began to tell schoolboy yarns like the one about -Mamselle Brorström, or else he related his memories of the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-234">[234]</a></span> glorious -Jenny Lind as <i>Norma</i> or the <i>Daughter of the Regiment</i>, or of Emily -Högquist as the <i>Maid of Orleans.</i> When at times he did not feel like -talking, he would ask Fru Lagerlöf or Mamselle Lovisa to read aloud -from Tegnér. Anything more beautiful than “Fritiof’s Saga” he thought -had never been written. He would rather have been the Lund professor -who sang of Fritiof’s and Ingeborg’s love, than Emperor of France or -Tsar of Russia. He was also an admirer of Runeberg, whose tales of -“Surgeon Stål” and epic poems he enjoyed hearing. But he did not like -it if any one said the Finnish poet was greater than Tegnér. -</p> -<p> -Sometimes (and that was the best fun of all) he would sit down at the -old piano and strike a few chords, then call out: -</p> -<p> -“Come, children, let’s sing Bellman!” -</p> -<p> -The girls needed no coaxing, they were over by the piano in a jiffy. -Then, with high glee, they let loose on Bellman! They always began with -“Old Man Noah” and “Joachim of Babylon,” then followed “Father Movitz” -and “Mother at Tuppen,” and they sang of “Dancing Master Mollberg, and -His Misadventures in Rostock Tavern.” -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant pounded out the accompaniments, and hummed the air, to -mark the time and carry the tune. But the children sang at the top of -their voices, and could be heard all over the house. Here were indeed -life and merriment for them after the day’s work! They understood very -little of what they sang,<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-235">[235]</a></span> but the melodies put them in a glow and -livened their spirits. Ah, how sweet it sounded when <i>Ulla</i> danced in -spangles, veil and fringe! or when <i>Fredman</i> sang: “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis as far to -Monday as from north to south.” And what could be funnier than when the -ever-hapless <i>Mollberg</i> jumped into the vat where <i>Grogshop-Mother</i> -soaked her stockfish, or when at the great boating-picnic the -party-cake came on garnished with sugar, cinnamon, and anchovies! -</p> -<p> -But what delighted the children above everything was that they might -sing as loud as ever they wished. The Lieutenant never corrected them -or interrupted to remind them that there were such things as voice -modulation and singing in unison. They thought they sang Bellman just -as he should be sung. -</p> -<p> -On the wall above the piano sat Karl Mikael (Bellman) himself, with his -lute. Now and then, the Lieutenant looked up at him, as if expecting a -smile of approval from that incomparable lyrist and singer. -</p> -<p> -But once when Lieutenant Lagerlöf and the children were having a -Bellman-sing, it happened that Colour-Sergeant von Wachenfeldt was -there, sitting in his usual corner, chatting with Mamselle Lovisa. -</p> -<p> -“Isn’t it strange that not one of the children has a voice?” Mamselle -Lovisa remarked to the Sergeant in a half-whisper. -</p> -<p> -“Yes,” replied the Sergeant in a low tone. “That they haven’t singing -voices they can’t help, but they might at least make use of their -ears!” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-236">[236]</a></span> -“It seems extraordinary, when both parents are musical, don’t you think -so, Wachenfeldt? I can’t understand how Gustaf endures it!” -</p> -<p> -“He does not hear it as it sounds to us,” said the Sergeant. “He loves -those children.” -</p> -<p> -“People are wont to speak of seeing with the eyes of love,” observed -Mamselle Lovisa, “and there may be such a thing as hearing with the -ears of love....” -</p> -<p> -“Be sure of that!” responded the Colour-Sergeant, who knew whereof he -spoke. -</p> -<p> -One of the little singers chanced to overhear those remarks, and -repeated them to the others, and perhaps it was due to that that the -Bellman “concerts” at Mårbacka were suddenly discontinued. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -But long afterward—aye, always—the love of the Bellman songs lived in -the hearts of the Mårbacka children. They loved them not only for their -humour and pathos and their haunting beauty; but the faintest tone from -the Bellman lute called up memories of the never-failing love and -tenderness that had made their childhood such a happy one! -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_505"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-237">[237]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_505_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_505_toc"><span class="large">V</span><br /> -<br /> -BOYS AND GIRLS</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>N</small> <small>THE</small> summer of 1866 there was an unusually large number of children -at Mårbacka. Besides Daniel and Johan Lagerlöf, sons of the house, -there were Teodor, Otto, and Hugo Hammargren, cousins on the paternal -side, who, with their parents, were spending the whole summer at -Mårbacka. Ernst and Klas Schenson, cousins on the maternal side, had -also come for the summer. But, indeed, they were not all! Herman, -Bernhard, and Edvin Milén of the neighbouring farm, must also be -counted as members of the company, and Adolf Noreen of Herrestad came -over two or three times a week to play with the boys. And of course -there were Anna, Selma, and Gerda Lagerlöf, though Gerda, who was only -three years old, hardly counted; nor were Anna and Selma of any -importance when there were so many boys around. -</p> -<p> -That summer the lads had hit upon a jollier and more satisfying pastime -than any of previous years. The first few weeks they spent in the usual -way—picking berries, lying on the grass, swinging in the rope-swing, -shooting arrows, pitching quoits, and playing leap-frog. But after a -time they wearied of these<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-238">[238]</a></span> petty diversions, and talked of taking up -some serious and productive work. They had an eye to a bit of woodland -just beyond the avenue, which was bounded on the west by the road -ditch, on the east by towering Åsberget, on the north by a stone wall, -and on the south by a deep gravel pit; so that the whole area, which -covered about one sixteenth of an acre, lay quite detached and well -secluded. -</p> -<p> -On closer inspection, the boys discovered that the land had a bountiful -supply of rocks, and its vegetation consisted mostly of juniper bushes, -spruce saplings, and bracken. At the northern end there was a little -brook, which ran dry in high summer, and along its shores grew some -fine alder bushes. In the crevices of the mountain wall grew polypody, -a kind of fern to which the boys attached great value. At the south end -there were four large spruces, while in the midst of the territory -stood a tall, thickly branched pine. -</p> -<p> -The whole region was evidently devoid of culture, its only inhabitants -being squirrels, woodpeckers, and ants. Now the boys thought this -wilderness ought to have the benefit of the blessings of civilization, -and decided to emigrate and settle there. -</p> -<p> -Their first move was to stake out their homesteads. Teodor Hammargren, -who was sixteen years of age and the nominal head of the expedition, -claimed a towering rock, which afforded him a splendid view of the -whole country. Daniel Lagerlöf, who was fifteen—and next in age and -standing—appropriated the four large<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-239">[239]</a></span> spruces and the fine rock wall -behind them. Johan Lagerlöf and Otto Hammargren, who were schoolfellows -and good pals, took joint possession of the northernmost tract with the -dried-out brook and alder grove. Ernst Schenson, who was but twelve, -contented himself with a scraggy rock. The others wondered what joy he -could have of that. His brother, Klas, who was only a little chap, also -chose a rock; but he seemed to have got the better position, for he had -a shading juniper close by. Hugo Hammargren claimed as his portion the -solitary pine, which no one begrudged him. Herman Milén, aged ten, -found a big uprooted spruce lying with its roots in the air and its -trunk full of branches. His little brothers, Bernhard and Edvin, who -were twins and only eight, came near not getting anything at all; -however, they were each finally allotted the stump of a tree. Adolf -Noreen had not been at Mårbacka the day the land was apportioned, and -there was great consternation when he finally appeared and demanded his -share of the spoils; for by that time every available spot had already -been taken. Luckily, Teodor Hammargren hit upon the thought of allowing -him a shelf of rock in the mountain wall. And with that, peace was -restored. -</p> -<p> -But if Anna and Selma had entertained any hopes of owning homes in the -settlement they were sadly mistaken. Why, they were just girls, and it -never even occurred to the boys that they might wish to be included. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-240">[240]</a></span> -The lads were having such good times all by themselves in their new -colony! Teodor Hammargren carried up moss to his tower to make him a -comfortable seat. He had built a stone stairway by which he could -easily pass up and down. Daniel Lagerlöf had cleared the ground between -the spruces and the rock wall, and fitted up a salon with moss-covered -stone seats along three sides. His was the most comfortable and -attractive place of all. Johan and Otto made for themselves a -semi-circular moss sofa in among their tangle of alders. That was also -considered a very desirable location. Ernst Schenson made him a wide -moss-covered lounge, with his big rock as back-rest; but his brother -Klas was a little do-nothing, who just sprawled on the ground under his -juniper bush and didn’t bother to drag stones and moss for a bench. -Hugo Hammargren had begged some board-ends from the Lieutenant’s -carpenter and nailed them in a crotch of his pine, so that he had a -grand seat. Adolf Noreen made a moss bed on his shelf of rock, where he -enjoyed solid comfort when once he had clambered up. Herman Milén had -dug a cave for himself under his uprooted tree, and even the small -twins had spread a bit of moss over their stumps. -</p> -<p> -But Anna and Selma had nowhere to build and nothing to furnish. They -wandered about the farm utterly deserted, not knowing what to do to -amuse themselves. -</p> -<p> -The boys, meanwhile, had more and more fun as their commune developed. -They soon found it necessary<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-241">[241]</a></span> to have a regular administration and -judiciary, and elected Teodor Hammargren High Chieftain and Judge. -Daniel Lagerlöf was appointed Master of the Mint, and had to issue -paper currency. Johan became bailiff and Otto Hammargren petty -constable. -</p> -<p> -Now that they had money to do with the boys began to buy and sell stone -and gravel, moss and earth. Some did a brisk trade and grew rich; but -Hugo Hammargren and Herman Milén were regular spendthrifts, and they -were moreover guilty of appropriating ferns from another’s estate. The -bailiff had to arrest them and put them in the jail—an old smithy -which lay conveniently at the roadside. -</p> -<p> -Anna and Selma still went about the farm by themselves. Anna averred -that the next time the boys asked her to crochet a ball for them she’d -say NO. Nor would she help them make taffy. And Selma, who was only -seven, didn’t know what to do to get even with the boys; but she could -at least refuse to let them haul gravel in her little cart. -</p> -<p> -Life up at the colony was so thrilling the boys all declared they had -never had such good sport. They sat in councils and discussed the -affairs of State; they voted to build roads and to construct a great -stone bridge across the ditch, in order to connect the colony with the -outer world. All the lads over twelve years of age were to do the -road-breaking and stone-cutting, while the younger ones were to haul -gravel. But afterward it seemed that Hugo Hammargren<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-242">[242]</a></span> and Herman -Milén would not help with the work, and from that arose many grave -complications. Hugo and Herman, since they had no respect for law and -order, were now looked upon as the black sheep of the colony. Even the -jail had no terrors for them! So it was difficult to know just what -course of procedure to follow in their case. -</p> -<p> -Anna and Selma down on the farm tried to amuse themselves by shooting -with the boys’ bows-and-arrows and pitching their quoits. They said -they had quite as much fun in winter, when the boys were away at -school. Anna vowed that never again would she let any boy look at the -big doll her aunt had given her for Christmas, which was over two feet -tall, and wore shoes and stockings, corset and crinoline, and had a bed -of its own, with sheets and pillowcases, and a trunk for its clothes, -and everything. -</p> -<p> -Up at the colony things were flourishing. One fine day at a town -meeting it was moved that a public house be opened. The motion was -carried, and Master of the Mint Daniel Lagerlöf was elected keeper of -the tavern, because he had the roomiest dwelling. -</p> -<p> -The new boniface must have found it rather tiring trying to satisfy the -demands of his customers for home-brewed ginger beer, wild raspberries, -green apples, and polypody. Of a sudden it struck him that he had a -couple of sisters; and immediately he went over to the farm, where he -found the girls down by the pond sailing the boys’ boats and promising -each other never<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-243">[243]</a></span> again to play with the boys or even so much as look -at them. -</p> -<p> -“You may come up to the colony, girls, and be waitresses at my tavern.” -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Anna and Selma let the boats sail whither they would. Not a word did -they say about being forgotten and left to shift for themselves all -this long time. They went right along with their brother to the boys’ -colony, blissfully happy. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_506"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-244">[244]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_506_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_506_toc"><span class="large">VI</span><br /> -<br /> -THE OLD SOLDIER</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>WAS</small> late afternoon of a beautiful day in autumn. Back-Kaisa, the -onetime nursemaid at Mårbacka, who now worked at the loom, was tramping -through the woods on her way to the hill-croft where she was born and -grew up—on an errand for Lieutenant Lagerlöf. She and little Selma -were still great friends, and she had taken the child along. They were -in no hurry, these two; they stopped to pick and eat whortleberries -growing by the roadside, they admired the gorgeous flybane and gathered -their aprons full of lovely mosses to take home with them so as to have -something pretty to lay between the inner and storm-windows of the -nursery. Back-Kaisa was happy to be once more in the woods, where she -knew every shrub and every stone. When they came to the wattled fence -which surrounded the clearing where the croft-hut stood and were about -to step over the stile, Back-Kaisa said: -</p> -<p> -“Mind, Selma, you mustn’t say a word about war in Father’s hearing!” -</p> -<p> -The little girl was astonished at that. She knew that Back-Kaisa’s -father was an old soldier who had<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-245">[245]</a></span> fought with Napoleon at Leipsic. -That one could not speak with him about war seemed unbelievable. -</p> -<p> -“Why can’t I talk to him about war?” she queried. -</p> -<p> -“That one must never do with them that’s been out in a real war,” -Back-Kaisa told her. -</p> -<p> -Now the little girl was more astonished than ever. She thought of -<i>Fritiof;</i> of <i>Hjalmar;</i> of <i>Hector</i>, and all the gods and heroes of -antiquity she had read about in her saga-books—and her head was in a -whirl. -</p> -<p> -In the cabin on the edge of the hearth, with his back to the fire, sat -Back-Kaisa’s father, a tall, gaunt-looking man with a coarse-featured -and furrowed face. That he was of the olden time could be seen by his -mode of dress, for he wore knee-breeches and shoes instead of boots and -had on a shockingly grimy sheepskin coat. But on the whole his -appearance was not more bizarre than that of other old peasants. -</p> -<p> -The little girl stared and stared at the soldier who would not allow -any one to speak of war in his hearing. To her there was nothing so -delightful as to hear tales of battles or read stories of wars. She -thought it a great pity that she could not ask him to tell her about -the things he had been through. -</p> -<p> -All the while she sat there she dared not speak or reply when spoken -to. She felt that if she opened her mouth she would forget, and say -something about war, and then the old man might kill her. -</p> -<p> -After a time she began to think he looked horrible. It was so -incomprehensible, this, that one could not<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-246">[246]</a></span> talk to him about war. -There must be something dreadful back of it all which she did not -understand. Perhaps the old man was dangerous? She only wanted to -escape, and was ready to make for the door. With every moment that -passed her fear increased, and by the time Back-Kaisa was ready to -leave and they could at last say good-bye, she was fairly beside -herself with fright. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -Now, if he had been like other old soldiers, and had said that war was -the greatest thing in the world; if he had boasted of killing hundreds -of men and burning down whole cities and villages, then the little girl -would not have been a bit afraid of him. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_507"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-247">[247]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_507_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_507_toc"><span class="large">VII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE LAND OF HEART’S DESIRE</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>WAS</small> Lars of London, and Sven of Paris, and Magnus of Vienna, and -Johan of Prague, and Per of Berlin, and Olle of Maggebysäter, the -stableman and the farmboy! -</p> -<p> -Now Lars of London, Sven of Paris, Magnus of Vienna, Johan of Prague, -and Per of Berlin, they were not foreigners, but farm-labourers at -Mårbacka. Lieutenant Lagerlöf, in a facetious moment, had named his -workmen’s cottages after the principal cities of Europe. -</p> -<p> -Lars of London and Magnus of Vienna had been plowing all day in the -field below the barn; Sven of Paris had fed the cows and, between -times, helped on the potato land. Johan of Prague had been digging -potatoes, while Per of Berlin, who had been at home all day nursing a -lame back, had come over to the manor for a little diversion. The -stableman had been grooming the horses, and in spare moments chopping -firewood, and the farmboy had worked in the potato field. Olle of -Maggebysäter was not employed at the farm; he had just come down to -Mårbacka to buy a bushel of rye. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-248">[248]</a></span> -It was a drizzly day in autumn, and the men had gone into the servants’ -hall for the usual afternoon rest—from half after four to five. Their -shoes were covered with mud, their clothing was damp, and they -themselves were sour and disgruntled. They had kindled a fire on the -hearth, and dropped down round it. Lars of London, who had the largest -croft and was the best workman, sat on the chopping-block directly in -front of the fire. Magnus of Vienna, who was almost as good a worker as -Lars, was sitting next to him, on one of the cobbler’s stools. Sven of -Paris, who thought himself quite as good as any of them, though he did -tend cattle, had planted himself on the edge of the hearth, not caring -whether he shut off the blaze from the others. Johan of Prague had -taken the other stool and the old man of Berlin had seated himself on a -saw-buck just back of the rest. The stableman sat on the edge of the -cubby-bed swinging his legs, the farmboy perched on the carpenter’s -bench, while Olle of Maggebysäter sat down by the door on a barrel of -red ochre, resting his feet on his sack of rye. -</p> -<p> -Lars of London, Magnus of Vienna, Johan of Prague, and Sven of Paris -now opened their food-bundles. They each took out a hunk of rye bread -with a dab of butter on top. Drawing their sheath-knives from the belts -under their leather aprons and wiping them on their trousers, they -proceeded to spread their bread and cut it up, bit by bit, eating it in -all comfort.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-249">[249]</a></span> The farmboy was sent over to the kitchen to fetch the -fare for himself and the stableman, and came back with two halves of a -rye-cake, two pats of butter, and two dishes of cottage cheese. Per of -Berlin, not having worked that day, had brought no lunch, and Olle of -Maggebysäter had none, either; they just sat and glowered at the -others. -</p> -<p> -When they had finished eating, Lars of London, Magnus of Vienna, Sven -of Paris, Johan of Prague, the stableman, and the farmboy -simultaneously drew from their trousers’ pockets a plug of tobacco. Per -of Berlin was not left out on this, for he, too, had his plug; but Olle -of Maggebysäter had not even a bit of tobacco in his pocket. -</p> -<p> -The sheath-knives were again drawn. Now each man cut off a piece of his -plug, laid it on his leather apron, chopped it fine, then filled his -cutty-pipe. -</p> -<p> -Lars of London picked up a thin stick of wood and lighted it at the -fire. After he had lit his own pipe he gave the light to Magnus of -Vienna, who passed it on to Sven of Paris; Sven of Paris handed it to -Johan of Prague, who reached back and offered it to Per of Berlin: Per -of Berlin leaned over so as to pass it to the stableman, who, after -lighting his pipe, held the burning stick in his hand till the farmboy -came across the room and took it. Olle of Maggebysäter, to be sure, had -no need of a light—having neither pipe nor tobacco. The other men now -being warm and well-fed, the world began to look better to them. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-250">[250]</a></span> -But Olle of Maggebysäter was three-score-and-ten, and so crippled with -rheumatism that his fingers were stiff and crooked like claws; his head -was drawn to one side, one leg was shorter than the other, his sight -was poor, his wits were nothing to brag about, and he was toothless and -ugly. Washed and combed he had certainly not been in half a year. The -fringe of whiskers under his chin was full of sticks and straws. He -owned a little croft up in the woods; but being nothing of a worker, he -had not been able to keep poverty out of his house. Always grumpy and -discontented, he had no friends. And now as the clouds of tobacco smoke -rose from the other men’s pipes, he muttered, as if to himself: -</p> -<p> -“I’ve had nothin’ but trouble and misery all my life; but now I’ve -heard about a land they call America, and there I want to go.” -</p> -<p> -The other men sat tranquilly musing over their pipes and made no -response. -</p> -<p> -Olle of Maggebysäter continued: -</p> -<p> -“You see, ’tis like this in America—you’ve only to hit a rock with -your stick and the rum’ll come spurtin’ out. That land I want to see -afore I die.” -</p> -<p> -The others gazed straight before them and smiled, but said nothing. -</p> -<p> -Olle of Maggebysäter talked on: -</p> -<p> -“No one can make me stick at home in this dull, miserable place, when I -know there’s a land where the hills are full o’ rum.” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-251">[251]</a></span> -The others remained persistently silent, but not a word of what Olle of -Maggebysäter said was lost on them. -</p> -<p> -“The leaves of the trees in that land, they’re nothin’ but gold,” said -the poor old man. “There you don’t have to do day’s work at a manor, -you’ve only to go to the woods and pull off an armful of leaves, and -then you can buy yourself whatever you want. Blow me, if I don’t move -over there, old as I be!” -</p> -<p> -They were now in a mellow mood, all the men in the servants’ hall. They -saw, as it were before their eyes, that land where you tap rum from the -rocks and pick gold off the trees. -</p> -<p> -The farm-bell rang. Rest-time was up. They must again go out into the -wet and cold. -</p> -<p> -Lars of London returned to his plow, Magnus of Vienna to his; Sven of -Paris, Johan of Prague, and the farmboy went back to digging potatoes, -Per of Berlin betook himself home to his cottage, the stableman had to -go and chop the evening’s firewood, and Olle of Maggebysäter, -shouldering his sack of rye, limped off to the woods. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -None of them looked as glum as they did half an hour ago. There was a -little glint of light in their eyes. They all felt it was good to know -of a land where rum flowed from the hills and the forests were of -gold—even though it lay so far away they could never reach it. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_508"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-252">[252]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_508_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_508_toc"><span class="large">VIII</span><br /> -<br /> -THE “SLOM” SEASON</a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -E<small>AST</small> of Mårbacka, beyond a wooded ridge, lies Gårdsjön, a little lake -in which there is a fish we call <i>slom.</i> The fish is about two inches -long, and so thin as to be almost transparent; but small as it is, it -is edible. -</p> -<p> -In Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s time, when everything was so much better than -it is now, folks used to take this fish out of the lake in countless -numbers. Its spawning time was in early spring, when the ice began to -break and there was open water along the shores. One could stand at the -water’s edge and scoop the fish up with dippers and buckets. Certainly -no one went to the bother of putting out nets for slom! -</p> -<p> -Slom was fished and peddled only at the spawning time; therefore, it -was a sure sign of spring when a Gårdsjö fisherman came to the kitchen -at Mårbacka with the first catch. The man, knowing he had brought a -desired commodity, boldly lifted the latch (in those days there was no -lock on the kitchen door) and walked in with an air of confident -assurance. He did not stop just inside the door as on other occasions;<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-253">[253]</a></span> -without stating his errand, or even saying good-morning, he strode -across the floor to the big table and deposited a small basket done up -in a blue-checked cotton cloth. Then, stepping back to the door, he -stood with head proudly erect, and waited for what was to follow. -</p> -<p> -If the housekeeper and the maids were the only ones in the kitchen, he -could stand a long while unnoticed; for they would not permit -themselves to show any signs of curiosity. But if Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s -little daughters chanced to be there, they were over by the basket at a -bound, eagerly untying the cover to see what was under it. -</p> -<p> -And they found a little porcelain plate, edged round with a blue -landscape, which they recognized as having seen every year at this -season as far back as they remembered. On the plate was a small mound -of slom—some forty or fifty fishes. -</p> -<p> -Now slom when properly prepared is a tasty fish, but for all that it is -considered rather common food. At the other manors in the district it -was looked upon as poor man’s fare, but not so at Mårbacka. Lieutenant -Lagerlöf was such a lover of fish he would hardly eat anything else the -year round. After the eelpout had finished spawning, in February, he -had to be satisfied with such things as stockfish, dried pike, salt -salmon, salt whitefish, to say nothing of the everlasting herring! So -every day now he wondered if the slom would be along soon. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-254">[254]</a></span> -The little girls had also learned to regard this fish as a rare treat, -and were delighted when they saw what was in the basket. They called to -the housekeeper and the maids to come and see. It was slom! Lasse had -brought slom! Wasn’t it great? Wasn’t it wonderful? And there was -general rejoicing in the kitchen. The housekeeper immediately went into -the pantry and made a sandwich for the fisherman. When handing it to -him, she condescended to ask him whether it looked as if there would be -a good “take” that year. The fisherman, cocky and self-satisfied (for -this was his big day), actually had the temerity to chaff the dignified -old housekeeper. He said there would be more slom than all the riches -of Lieutenant Lagerlöf could buy. -</p> -<p> -Mamselle Lovisa, wondering what all this talk meant, came out to the -kitchen. Instantly she caught sight of the fisherman and the plate of -slom she threw up her hands and exclaimed in despair: -</p> -<p> -“Good Lord! Is that awful stuff coming in now again!” -</p> -<p> -It was a great disappointment to the little girls that Aunt Lovisa did -not share their delight. Still, she must have had some appreciation of -the auspicious event, for she said something in a low tone to the -housekeeper, who smiled and nodded approval. Whereupon the children and -the maids were told not to let Lieutenant Lagerlöf know the slom had -come; it was to be a surprise for his supper. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-255">[255]</a></span> -When the three little girls heard that, they were gladder than ever. -Their father was their best friend and playfellow; there was nothing -too good for him! They felt very important now, and not for anything -would they leave the kitchen. They begged to be allowed to clean the -fish, and knew from past years how it should be done: With one stroke -you cut off the head, with another you drew out the “innards.” The tiny -fish had no scales or sharp bones. If you cut off the tail it was a -sign you didn’t know how slom should be treated. Even after the fishes -were cleaned the children would not leave them out of their sight. They -watched the housekeeper wash them, dip them in flour, and put them in -the frying pan. It wouldn’t do to throw slom in the pan just any way. -The little fishes had to be laid down very carefully, one by one, close -together, none overlapping, and fried hard, so that they all stuck -together. Then, with a flip of the pancake-spade, they were turned -over. When well browned on both sides, they were covered with a hard -round oat-cake, and then turned out of the pan so that the slom lay on -top of the bread. The housekeeper told the children that was the way -their grandmother had fixed it. In the old mistress’s time they used to -set before each person at table a round of slom on an oat-cake, for in -those days they were not so well off for plates as now. -</p> -<p> -All the while the slom was frying the children were on pins and needles -lest their father should come into<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-256">[256]</a></span> the kitchen. Every other minute they -ran out in the hall and opened the door to the living room a wee bit to -see whether he sat quietly reading his newspaper. When he got up to go -for his usual evening walk, their hearts were in their mouths. Oh, -dear! What if he should take a notion to go out by the kitchen way——? -</p> -<p> -Later, at supper, the three little girls could hardly contain -themselves. If they but glanced at their father they began to titter. -It was hardest for the littlest girl, who had to say grace. In the -middle of the prayer she gave a little chirrup like a sparrow when it -sees a grain of corn. The Lieutenant was about to ask what had come -over her when his eyes fell on the slom right by his plate. His face -lit up. -</p> -<p> -“Thank the Lord we’ve got something to eat in the house once more!” he -said, and actually meant it. For to him only fish was food. -</p> -<p> -The children after their long silence broke into peals of laughter. -</p> -<p> -“Oho!” charged the Lieutenant, shaking a finger at them. “So this is -why you’ve been running in and out the whole evening and wouldn’t let -me read my paper in peace!” -</p> -<p> -It was an unusually jolly supper. The Lieutenant was always good -humoured and talkative, but when he was especially pleased about -anything he became quite irresistible. Then he fairly bubbled with -amusing anecdotes and kept the whole table convulsed with laughter. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-257">[257]</a></span> -As for the slom, there was no more than the Lieutenant himself could -have eaten; but he insisted that all must have a share of this -“delicacy.” And of course everyone marvelled that such a tiny fish -could be so delicious. -</p> -<p> -“Now, doesn’t it taste good, Lovisa?” he asked his sister, who was as -fond of meat as he was of fish. -</p> -<p> -Even she had to concede that just for once like this it was not -bad—but too much of it—— -</p> -<p> -When the Lieutenant folded his serviette before rising from table, he -said very solemnly: -</p> -<p> -“Now, children, mind what I’m telling you: The King in his royal palace -couldn’t have had a better supper than we’ve had. So we must give God -proper thanks for the food and not slur the grace.” -</p> -<p> -Thus ended the first day of the slom season. -</p> -<p> -The next morning the Gårdsjö fisherman brought a whole pound of slom. -He was well met, of course, and he asked twelve <i>skillings</i> the pound -for his fish, which was considered a high price. The Lieutenant himself -came out to the kitchen with the money in order to thank the old man -for coming to Mårbacka with the slom, and request him to continue as he -had begun. -</p> -<p> -“Now for pity’s sake don’t take it to the parson’s or the founderer’s!” -he said. -</p> -<p> -This time, also, the little girls volunteered to clean the fish. And -now they were repaid for their trouble. There was slom enough for the -whole family at supper, and some left over for the Lieutenant’s -breakfast. But<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-258">[258]</a></span> the serving-folk did not have any that day, either. It -was too choice a dish for them. -</p> -<p> -The third day the fisherman delivered enough slom to fill a large -earthen bowl. Slom was now served at the family table for both -breakfast and supper, and in the kitchen it was set before the -overseer, but not before the stableman or the farmboy. -</p> -<p> -The next few days folk from every little hamlet along the lake came -bringing slom to Mårbacka. The Lieutenant bought from all. Soon every -earthen vessel in the cupboard was filled to overflowing, and the fish -had to be emptied into a huge copper kettle; when even that would not -hold it all, it was dumped into a big vat. -</p> -<p> -But to clean such a lot of small fish was no light task! The housemaids -had to leave off spinning and weaving to sit in the kitchen cleaning -slom. The three little girls were no longer to be seen in the -schoolroom. It was not for fun they cleaned slom now, but to help the -grown-ups. Fru Lagerlöf and Mamselle Lovisa put aside their other work -to give a hand. But it was a bit of a change for them all—a little -departure from the usual routine. -</p> -<p> -The housekeeper did not help clean fish, she stood at the stove the -whole day frying it. Before long she began to complain of the -quantities of butter the fish was taking. The butter-tub had been full -only a few days before, and she could already see the bottom. That was -the first break in the general satisfaction. -</p> -<p> -The family had slom for breakfast and slom for<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-259">[259]</a></span> supper; but thus far -at dinner there was the usual Värmland midday fare—corned beef or -pork, or herring-balls, or fried ham, or sausage, or whatever else -there was on hand. But such fare was not to the taste of Lieutenant -Lagerlöf. One day when he was served meat that had lain in brine since -autumn, he lost all patience. -</p> -<p> -“I don’t see why we should sit here and eat salt food when the pantry -is full of nice fresh fish,” he flung out. “But that’s always the way -of these fine housekeepers; they feed the homefolk on salt stuff and -let the fresh things stand on the shelves and spoil—waiting for -company.” -</p> -<p> -That was a sharp rap at his sister. But Mamselle Lovisa took it calmly; -she was too fond of her brother to be offended by anything he might -say. She meekly answered that she had never heard of any one’s setting -slom before guests. -</p> -<p> -“I know, Lovisa, that you are too refined to eat slom. You have been -out in the great world, and know how things ought to be. But I don’t -see why we back here at Mårbacka need bother ourselves about what they -do in Karlstad or Åmål.” -</p> -<p> -A light broke in on Mamselle Lovisa. “But surely you don’t want slom -for dinner, too!” she exclaimed, as if such a thing were unprecedented. -</p> -<p> -“Certainly I’ll eat slom whenever I can get it. Why do you suppose I -buy it every day, if I’m not to have any myself?” -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-260">[260]</a></span> -After that, they had slom morning, noon, and night; which was not a -happy thought on the part of the Lieutenant. There is no denying that -slom is a nice-tasting fish, but it has an unpleasant odour. Not in the -sense of being tainted; but it is evil-smelling from the moment it -comes out of the water. However, all that disappears in the frying. But -those who have to handle the raw fish cannot escape, for it is an odour -that clings. Do what you will, it stays by you. Everything you touch -smells of slom. -</p> -<p> -Soon all but the Lieutenant began to sicken of slom. They took smaller -portions at each meal, and sighed as they sat down at table and saw the -everlasting slom set before them again. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, however, went on buying. The fisherman who had -brought the first mess, true to his word, came faithfully every day, -and sometimes twice a day. But his manner was noticeably changed. He -now pulled the latch-string very gently, and came in with a meek and -deprecating smile. He did not set the fish on the kitchen table but -left it outside the door. Though he removed his cap and said Good-day, -he had to stand and wait a good half-hour before anyone seemed aware of -his presence. -</p> -<p> -Pleasant as it had been for both the maids and the children to escape -for a while from the old routine, they were by now so sick and tired of -cleaning fish they longed to get back to their regular tasks. None of -them would so much as look at the fisherman. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-261">[261]</a></span> -“I say, Lars, you’re not bringing slom again to-day, are you?” the -housekeeper once asked him, as if he were offering stolen goods. -</p> -<p> -The man just blinked his eyes; he was too abashed to utter a word. -</p> -<p> -“We’ve got more fish now than we can eat,” she told him. “I don’t -believe the Lieutenant wants to buy any more of that horrid stuff.” -However, she knew the Lieutenant was not to be trifled with in the -matter of slom, so of course she had to go in and tell him the -fisherman had come. -</p> -<p> -One day the Lieutenant was out when the old man appeared, so the -housekeeper peremptorily ordered him away. All in the kitchen were -glad, thinking that for once they would not have to clean any slom. But -as luck would have it, the old man met the Lieutenant in the lane; and -the latter bought his whole bagful of fish and sent him back to the -house with it. -</p> -<p> -It went on like that for a couple of weeks. Everyone was weary and -disgusted—except the Lieutenant. He chanted the praises of slom at -every meal; it was wholesome and nutritious food. One need only look at -the fishermen down in Bohuslän who lived upon fish; they were the -strongest and healthiest men in the whole country. -</p> -<p> -One evening Mamselle Lovisa tried to tempt him with larded pancakes, a -favourite dish of his. And no wonder! for such larded pancakes as the -old housekeeper made you never tasted in all your life! -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-262">[262]</a></span> -“The overseer and the men, I suppose, must have their fill of slom, so -you want me to be satisfied with pancakes.” The Lieutenant waved away -the plate of nice hot cakes. -</p> -<p> -“Oh, no, that’s not the reason,” said Mamselle Lovisa. “The overseer -and the men are so sick of slom we dare not set it before them.” -</p> -<p> -Then the Lieutenant had to laugh; but, as he would not touch the -pancakes, they had to fetch him his slom. -</p> -<p> -Toward the end of the second week the whole household was in open -rebellion. The housekeeper raged about the inroads on the butter, and -the servants declared they could not go on working at a place where -they fed you on nothing but slom. It had reached a pass where the -Lieutenant dared not show his face in the kitchen; for there the -murmurs were loudest. Nor were things as they should be in the dining -room. Joy had fled the board. The governess left her plate untouched -and the little daughters of the house, who otherwise stuck by their -father through thick and thin, even they began to pipe a few feeble -protests. -</p> -<p> -Then at last Fru Lagerlöf came to the rescue. She conferred with -Mamselle Lovisa and the housekeeper, and they all thought it time now -to resort to the old tried and sure remedy. -</p> -<p> -At dinner there was boiled slom. Now, the very look of boiled slom is -enough! There is a pallor about it peculiarly corpselike, and, besides, -it is quite tasteless. Just the sight of it takes away one’s appetite. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-263">[263]</a></span> -When the Lieutenant saw the boiled slom he looked as glum as the -others. -</p> -<p> -“We are all out of butter,” Mamselle Lovisa gave as excuse; “and since -you will have slom at every meal we had no choice but to serve it -boiled. For my part,” she added, “I think it tastes no worse that way -than any other.” -</p> -<p> -The Lieutenant made no answer; so they all knew that Mamselle Lovisa -had triumphed. He might easily have stepped into the pantry and seen -for himself whether the butter was all gone, or ordered a fresh supply; -but he did neither. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -After that dinner he bought no more slom. What was the use, he said, -when the womenfolk were too lazy to prepare the fish in the proper way? -No one contradicted him, though all knew he was as glad as they were to -see the last of the slom. -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_509"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-264">[264]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_509_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_509_toc"><span class="large">IX</span><br /> -<br /> -THE SEVENTEENTH OF AUGUST</a> -</h3> -<h4 class="section1"> -I -</h4> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>IS</small> not easy to say how the seventeenth of August, which was -Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birthday, came to be the great day that it was. -But one can imagine that with so many gifted persons all living in a -little place like East Ämtervik, it was really necessary that they -should have a chance, at least once a year, to show what they could do. -</p> -<p> -When, for example, there were three such fine orators as Engineer -Noreen of Herrestad, Senator Nils Andersson of Bävik, and Merchant -Teodor Nilsson of Visteberg, the first of whom went in for the -pathetic, the second for the profound, and the third for the poetic, it -would have been a great pity had they never been heard elsewhere than -at small parties and town meetings. -</p> -<p> -And with a verse writer, too, like Sexton Melanoz at one’s command! -Days on end he had to sit in the schoolroom and hear the youngsters -spell, stammer, and stumble through the intricate mazes of the Swedish -language. Surely he needed to let this maltreated<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-265">[265]</a></span> tongue ring out in -high-sounding eulogistic measures once a year at least! -</p> -<p> -Then, moreover, there was a male quartette in the parish composed of -such good singers as Gustaf and Jan Asker, of the old musical Askers, -and the brothers Alfred and Tage Schullström, who kept a store down by -the church. People were thankful to them whenever they sang; but for -the singers themselves it must have been both stimulating and inspiring -to sing at a grand affair where they had critical and discriminating -hearers. -</p> -<p> -And the old man Asker, who played dance music at peasant weddings where -nobody cared what came forth from the clarinet just so it had dash and -rhythm—he must indeed have been glad to come to Mårbacka on a -seventeenth of August! The young folk there appreciated his art, and -told him there was no music in the world so easy to dance to as his. -</p> -<p> -Then, too, there was a brass sextette made up of Tage Schullström, -Sergeant Johan Dalhgren, the Gårdsjö Inspector, a shop-clerk and two -infant-school teachers. They had all invested in instruments and -scores, and had rehearsed marches and waltzes, overtures and -folk-songs. It would have been too bad not to have had one gala day, -when their efforts were crowned by the award of triumph. -</p> -<p> -When, besides, among the relatives who spent their summers at Mårbacka -there were two clever entertainers like Oriel Afzelius, husband of Fru -Lagerlöf’s<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-266">[266]</a></span> sister, and her own brother, Kristofer Wallroth, it was well -that away off here in the farming country there was a fête on a grand -enough scale to tempt them to perform. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, among the guests was a born prima donna, the pretty and merry -Stockholmer, Fru Hedda Hedberg, who could act as well as sing, and was -in every way adapted for the stage. But she had married a poor Värmland -lieutenant. Therefore, one may well say it was almost imperative that -there should be a seventeenth of August celebration where all this -wealth of talent might come into its own. -</p> -<h4 class="section"> -II -</h4> -<p> -A<small>FTER</small> Lieutenant Lagerlöf became master of Mårbacka, for the first few -years the seventeenth of August was observed in the customary birthday -manner; there were flowers on the coffee table and a garland of leaves -round the Lieutenant’s cup. The neighbours dropped in to wish him many -happy returns of the day, and were served with coffee, fruit juice, -punch, and toddy. Then came supper at nine o’clock with the usual light -chatter. After the meal, tables and chairs were removed from the living -room that all might have a bit of a dance. -</p> -<p> -But somehow it must have been spread abroad that these little birthday -parties were rather pleasant affairs. Since there was never any thought -of sending out invitations, all who cared to come were welcome; so from -year to year more and more folk gathered at Mårbacka. -</p> -<p> -And there were increases in the families, of course.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-267">[267]</a></span> As soon as the -little ones began to toddle, they had to come along to Mårbacka to -celebrate Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birthday. And sometimes the neighbours, -who always attended these parties, had guests at home, and, naturally, -they brought them. -</p> -<p> -In those days, when the young gentlemen would go many a mile for the -sake of a dance, they, too, began to pay their respects to Lieutenant -Lagerlöf on the seventeenth of August. Besides, there were the -relatives from other parts of the country who visited Mårbacka every -summer, and they planned their trips so as to be present on the -Lieutenant’s birthday. -</p> -<p> -As it was always fine weather on the seventeenth of August, in the -Lieutenant’s lifetime, the guests would while away the time strolling -about the grounds, viewing his gardens and buildings. If many young -people were present, the dancing would begin before supper. Everyone, -no doubt, had a pleasant enough time, though no more so than at other -parties. -</p> -<p> -Then happily Lieutenant Adolf Hedberg and his pretty young wife came to -live at East Ämtervik. At Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s next birthday party an -old peasant woman with a basket of eggs to sell stalked into the -kitchen in the midst of the festivities. -</p> -<p> -She was immediately ordered out, of course; no one had time to stop and -buy eggs in the bustle and excitement, with so many guests to be -served. Not in the least discouraged, the old woman went round to the -veranda, where the Lieutenant sat with a circle of<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-268">[268]</a></span> gentlemen. Indeed -she was not embarrassed by the presence of the company; her tongue -wagged so rapidly and she was so facetiously persistent, he had to buy -her eggs to get rid of her. Even after she had stuffed the money into -the pocket of her kirtle, she would not go. Then she wanted to know who -the other gentlemen were, and commented rather freely on their personal -appearance. Finally, young Lieutenant Hedberg, who thought the joke had -gone far enough, said: -</p> -<p> -“You’d better stop now, Hedda.” -</p> -<p> -Whereupon the “old peasant woman” rushed up, and dealt him a sound box -on the ear. -</p> -<p> -“Why, Adolph!” she cried, “how can you be so mean as to give me away -like that!” -</p> -<p> -And indeed it was a shame, for her disguise was so perfect and her -Värmland dialect so deliciously natural that none would have taken her -for the charming lady from Stockholm. -</p> -<p> -That bit of drollery set the ball of talents rolling. Along in the -evening Kristofer Wallroth sang a number of Eric Bögh’s ditties. He had -no voice to speak of, but his rendition of the serio-comic was -side-splitting. At the end, Auditor Afzelius, with a silk kerchief -bound round his head and a mantilla thrown over his shoulder, sang -“Emilie’s Heart-throbs.” That was, of course, the star feature of the -evening; the Auditor was inimitable in the rôle of the lovelorn maiden. -</p> -<p> -It must have been rather galling to the local pride of Sexton Melanoz -that only these city folk provided entertainment<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-269">[269]</a></span> for the Lieutenant and -his guests. But the next year it was the sexton who made the “big hit.” -The Lieutenant had once presented to the Ostenby school a lot of small -wooden muskets made at Mårbacka so that the children might learn to -drill. He had even sent an old sergeant to the school to teach the -youngsters the first military movements. -</p> -<p> -The sexton had an inspiration; he and his school children would march -to Mårbacka on the Lieutenant’s birthday! Shouldering their arms, and -led by banner and drum, they came marching along the driveway. It -looked as if a whole army were approaching. There were so many the line -extended from the manservants’ cottage all the way up to the -dwelling-house veranda, where the sexton, who was in command, called -Halt! -</p> -<p> -First, he said a few words to the effect that the children had come to -thank Lieutenant Lagerlöf for considering that their bodies needed to -be developed as well as their minds; then he let them demonstrate how -well they could march—do right-about, left-about, close ranks, -shoulder arms ... -</p> -<p> -It was a grand surprise the sexton had prepared for them all. The -Lieutenant was delighted and his guests were pleased. What the old -housekeeper, Mamselle Lovisa, and Fru Lagerlöf thought, when in the -middle of a big party they had to serve coffee and cakes to some sixty -youngsters, may be left to the imagination. After that, every time the -seventeenth of August came round, they remembered with dismay<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-270">[270]</a></span> the long -procession of children, and hoped the sexton’s army would not be so -strong this year. -</p> -<p> -Engineer Noreen and his wife, like the sexton, had felt it was not fair -to let folk from outside the parish furnish all the amusement for the -seventeenth of August. So along in the evening, when there was a moon, -the Engineer donned a black velvet cape and plumed baretta, and Fru -Emelie an old-time dress with high puffed sleeves. Then, on the -gravel-walk below the veranda, they gave two or three scenes from -Börjesson’s “Eric XIV.” This acting in the mellow moonlight was touched -with enchantment. Eric Noreen had so wholly lived himself into the rôle -of the unhappy King, it seemed as if every word he spoke came straight -from his heart. And Fru Noreen looked sweet and shy and just a bit -frightened, as a “Karin Månsdotter” should look. -</p> -<p> -At the next year’s celebration there were more people than ever. -Carriages, pony-carts, and chaises came rolling up the avenue. In a -short space of time some seventy or eighty persons had arrived. It was -evident the report had travelled far and wide that they had many -delightful diversions at Mårbacka not to be found elsewhere. -</p> -<p> -This time the Lieutenant felt quite embarrassed, as there was nothing -special to offer the guests. It was just as at any other party; the -young folk began to dance in the early afternoon, the <i>paterfamilias</i> -chatted over their toddy glasses, and the <i>maters</i> sat in the drawing<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-271">[271]</a></span> -room nibbling fruit and confectionery. Apparently, no one was bored, -for Auditor Afzelius and Dean Hammargren among the men and Hedda -Hedberg and Nana Hammargren among the women knew how to enliven a -company. The Lieutenant noted no mysterious glances nor any signs of -preparation. Not even the usual birthday speech was forthcoming. -</p> -<p> -Then as dusk was falling, folk from all the countryside came flocking -to Mårbacka. The avenue leading to the house was soon black with -people. The Lieutenant thought it a pity they had taken the trouble to -come when there was nothing to be seen. -</p> -<p> -After supper there was a little flutter of excitement and expectancy -among the guests. Presently two gentlemen placed before the Lieutenant -a flower-decked armchair, and bade him be seated. Instantly strong arms -lifted him on high. Jan Asker struck up a march; the gentlemen offered -their arms to the ladies, and all marched out into the night. But not -for long did they walk in darkness. When they turned the corner of -the house, the whole garden was a-light with row upon row of magic -lanterns. The Lieutenant was borne along illuminated walks down to the -little park. It was the first time anything of the sort had been -attempted at Mårbacka. He was struck with wonder and amazement at the -beauty of the scene. Could this be the ground that he and the old -gardener had staked and measured only a few years back? -</p> -<p> -Exclamations of delight came from all sides. How<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-272">[272]</a></span> dark and mysterious -the copses; how deep and endless the paths appeared under their canopy -of leaves; how the flowers shimmered and shone in the light of the -multi-coloured lanterns; how the masses of foliage hung down from the -trees like gorgeous draperies! -</p> -<p> -The procession halted in one of the glades of the park. The -Lieutenant’s chair was set down; and, as his dazzled eyes blinked into -a grotto of leaves and flowers, Flora, on a pedestal, encircled by -little nymphs, sang in a glorious voice a song of praise to the creator -of the garden. -</p> -<p> -“Oh, Hedda!” the Lieutenant cried to the beautiful goddess of flowers, -“I might have known that you would not forget me!” -</p> -<h4 class="section"> -III -</h4> -<p> -I<small>T</small> <small>IS</small> about four in the afternoon of a seventeenth of August. The two -smaller girls, Selma and Gerda, are dressing for the party. The -housemaid pokes her head into the attic storeroom—the room the little -girls are occupying temporarily, since their own has been placed at the -convenience of visiting relatives. -</p> -<p> -“Selma and Gerda, you’ll have to go down and receive,” shouts the maid. -“No one else is ready, and the first carriages are coming up the -drive.” -</p> -<p> -Now the little girls have to hurry; but at the same time they are -thrilled with joy. Just think! It’s beginning—the seventeenth of -August is beginning! -</p> -<p> -They button up their frocks, pin on their kerchief<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-273">[273]</a></span> rosettes, and run -down. Not a grown person in sight! Not even their elder sister can help -them receive, since she is attending a dress rehearsal of the evening’s -play. -</p> -<p> -The first arrivals, Herr Nilsson, his wife and four children, are -already seated on the veranda. They always come too early to parties, -but never so much so as on the seventeenth of August. The little girls -do not wonder at that; for everyone must long to come to Mårbacka on -such a day. -</p> -<p> -The time seems a bit long, perhaps, to the guests and their little -hostesses before the next vehicle rolls up and the homefolk put in an -appearance. But to-day is the Seventeenth, and one does not catch at -trifles. -</p> -<p> -The next arrivals are Pastor Alfred Unger and family from West -Ämtervik. They come in a two-horse carriage and have driven about -thirteen English miles. The wagon is full of women and children; the -parson himself, who is a real horseman, is handling the reins. -Lieutenant Lagerlöf, ready at last, comes out on the veranda as the -pastor drives in on the grounds. -</p> -<p> -“Say, Alfred!” he shouts, “what the deuce have you done to your horses? -They’re as like as two blackberries.” -</p> -<p> -“Chut, chut! You mustn’t betray any secrets on your birthday,” Pastor -Unger shouts back. -</p> -<p> -As a matter of fact, the parson had two fine carriage horses which -would have been exactly alike but for a white spot on the forehead of -one of them. He had hit upon the idea of inserting between the -blinder-straps<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-274">[274]</a></span> of each a piece of white leather, to make it appear -that the horses were perfectly matched. No one would have detected the -artifice if the pastor had not been so proud of his device that he had -talked of it to right and left, and of course the Lieutenant had heard -all about it. -</p> -<p> -But besides this conveyance from West Ämtervik comes a hayrick packed -full of young people, relatives from Karlstad. Then wagon after wagon -draws up. Here come the Gårdsjö folk—most delightful of guests! They -have a long line of vehicles. They are a large family, and besides -themselves they have brought Oriel and Georgina Afzelius, and Kristofer -Wallroth and his young sister, Julia, who are staying with them. -</p> -<p> -In one of the Gårdsjö wagons there are some odd looking large white -bundles, to be taken upstairs to the theatre. Selma and Gerda are very -curious to know what those are for. The little Wallroth girls are sworn -to secrecy; all they dare divulge is that Uncle Oriel has thought of -something perfectly gorgeous. -</p> -<p> -Then who should come up but old Engineer Ivan Warberg from Angersby, -with a cartful of pretty girls! A jubilant whoop from the veranda! -What, a confirmed old bachelor like Ivan Warberg? Who would have -thought it! They all know, to be sure, that the girls are his nieces, -and his guests for the summer; but they can’t resist the fun of teasing -Ivan a bit. -</p> -<p> -The little Lagerlöf girls think it strange Fru Hedda does not appear. -True, she no longer lives at East Ämtervik; but they hope she will come -and do something<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-275">[275]</a></span> jolly. Somehow, it would not be a real seventeenth of -August unless she were there. -</p> -<p> -And now come the nearest neighbours. Pastor Milén and his boys have -moved to another parish. To-day, it is the tall, handsome Pastor -Lindegren and his sweet little wife who stroll over from the parsonage. -From Där Ner in Mårbacka come Mother Kersten and Father Olof; but they -are not the only peasant-folk who want to felicitate the Lieutenant. -Old man Larsson of Ås, the richest man in the parish, has come with his -daughters; the Senator from Bävik with his wife, and the church warden -of Västmyr with his. -</p> -<p> -The little girls are in a perfect twitter of excitement as they stand -beside their father and see all who come. One whom they most anxiously -await is Jan Asker. They do hope he is not hurt about something and -will stay away. They try to count heads, but as people keep pouring in -from every direction they soon lose the count. Maybe there are already -a hundred guests! They hope it will be a gay party. It sounds so grand -to the children when somebody says there were a hundred persons -gathered at Mårbacka on the seventeenth of August. -</p> -<p> -But this receiving is merely an introduction to that which is to -follow. It is the same with the coffee-drinking on the lawn. The -children wish all such things were over. -</p> -<p> -Ah, at last it is going to begin! The brass sextette line up in -position below the steps. A march is struck.<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-276">[276]</a></span> The gentlemen offer an -arm to the ladies and, led by the band, the couples march through the -garden down to the little park. -</p> -<p> -There they gather round a table on which stand glasses of punch and -claret-cup. Obviously, the moment has come for the birthday speech and -the toast to Lieutenant Lagerlöf. Engineer Noreen, Senator Nils -Andersson, and Herr Nilsson of Visteberg have all come prepared to -speak. Each wonderingly looks at the others, and hesitates, not wanting -to push forward and take the word from his rivals. -</p> -<p> -“Well, are we to have something?” the Lieutenant asks. These high-flown -set speeches are not to his taste, and he is anxious to have that part -of the programme over as quickly as possible. Just then from behind him -comes a clear voice, with musical Stockholm intonations, and out of the -thicket steps a beautiful Zingara. She asks if she may tell his -fortune. Taking his left hand between her two pretty hands, she reads -the lines of his palm. -</p> -<p> -Lieutenant Lagerlöf had been very ill during the winter, and to regain -his health had spent part of the summer at Strömstad. All his exploits -and divertissements on that sojourn the Zingara now reads in his hand, -and, moreover, she reveals them in lilting verse. -</p> -<p> -It is a bit pert and naughty, to be sure, but it provokes laughter and -the Lieutenant is charmed. -</p> -<p> -“Anyhow, you’re Number One, Hedda!” he says. -</p> -<p> -But when Fru Hedda has proposed a health to the<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-277">[277]</a></span> host, and has led the -fourfold hurrahs, and the sextette has tooted a fanfare, she gives the -three speakers from East Ämtervik a sweeping glance, and says: “Pray, -pardon my intrusion. Now it is the turn of the natives.” -</p> -<p> -“The ‘natives’ are already beaten, Fru Hedberg,” replies Engineer -Noreen. -</p> -<p> -Far back in the garden sounds old Jan Asker’s clarinet, and the glitter -of helmets and shining armour is seen among the trees. Jan Asker and -Sexton Melanoz must have come upon three of the Immortal Ases, Odin, -Thor, and Freja, who were bound for Mårbacka but had somehow lost their -way. Jan and the Sexton have guided them safely hither, so that the -shining gods may speak for themselves. -</p> -<p> -No, they do not speak. The three gods break into song; they chant to -the old familiar melody “Come lovely May,” a pæan to all that has been -wrought here at Mårbacka in the time of Lieutenant Lagerlöf—every word -of which is true. Tears glisten in many an eye, and the Lieutenant -himself is deeply moved by his old friend’s lyric. -</p> -<p> -“Melanoz is superb to-day!” he says. “After all, Hedda, I believe the -natives will carry off the palm.” -</p> -<p> -With this, the fête has been impressively and happily opened. The -guests now scatter about the grounds. Some visit the berry bushes and -cherry trees, and others want to see whether the fine Mårbacka peaches -are ripening. -</p> -<p> -In a little while comes another fanfare. The gentlemen<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-278">[278]</a></span> now escort the -ladies back to the house and up the perilous attic stairs. The loft has -been converted into a theatre, its small stage screened off with white -draperies. The theatre is the work of Fru Lagerlöf, and is the cutest -little place imaginable. -</p> -<p> -A moment’s suspense, and the curtain goes up on a musical allegory -written in the forenoon of that very day by Oriel Afzelius. It is -entitled, “The Monk and the Dancer.” The action takes place on the day -of Lieutenant Lagerlöf’s birth, August 17, 1819. Beside the cradle of -the new-born babe, instead of the usual fairies, stand two symbolical -figures, a monk and a dancer. -</p> -<p> -The <i>Dancer</i> would have the boy grow up a merry, dashing cavalier. The -<i>Monk</i>, on the contrary, would make of him a serious ascetic. After a -spirited controversy, they finally come to an agreement. Each shall -direct one half of the little Mårbacka child’s span of life. So for a -time he is destined to lead the jolly life of a young officer; in his -later years he is to settle down quietly, and practise abstinence and -good deeds, with Mårbacka as cloister. Oriel Afzelius as the Monk and -Kristofer Wallroth in draperies and veils as the Dancer, sing solos -and duets from the popular operas. They gesticulate and declaim -with emotional fervour, and wind up their quarrel with a lively -<i>pas-de-deux.</i> -</p> -<p> -As the curtain falls there is wild applause. People shout, stamp their -feet, and wave their handkerchiefs. Fru Lagerlöf sits in fear and -trembling lest the floor<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-279">[279]</a></span> give way under the storm. The Lieutenant cries -out: -</p> -<p> -“Yi, yi, Melanoz! It’s none of the outlanders winning now!” -</p> -<p> -The young folk at Mårbacka have rehearsed a little play, but the -players feel rather disheartened as they are about to appear; they have -nothing to offer comparable to Uncle Oriel’s allegory. -</p> -<p> -Anna Lagerlöf is now fourteen, and this is her first appearance in a -regular part. The piece is called “A Cigar,” and she is cast for the -rôle of the young wife. -</p> -<p> -Indeed, the performance is far from a failure, thanks to the acting of -little Anna Lagerlöf! “How does that child come by her histrionic -talent?” people wonder. She acts with such ease, naturalness, and -charm, the spectators cannot get over their surprise. “That little girl -is going to be a heart-breaker,” some are heard to say. “Why, the lass -is really pretty!” comes from another quarter. “And how well she acts, -too!” -</p> -<p> -It seemed as if the plaudits and curtain calls would never end. -</p> -<p> -“Do you see, Lieutenant,” shouts Sexton Melanoz above the tumult, “that -the natives can hold their own?” -</p> -<p> -But at last they clamber down the break-neck attic stairs. Then they -dance again, and chatter, and drink toddies, and some of them take to -story-telling, for which up to then there has been no time. -</p> -<p> -After supper, at midnight, the Chinese lanterns are lit. This is done -every year now, and must never be<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-280">[280]</a></span> omitted. For a change, they have the -illumination on the front lawn. -</p> -<p> -Ah! how lovely it looks—as Mamselle Lovisa’s flower beds stand out in -the vari-coloured light; as the weeping ash, like a huge lamp, sends -forth its rays through the lacy branches; as the dark copses gleam as -if with fire-flowers! -</p> -<p> -Now all have come out to see the illuminations. They find themselves in -a fairyland. The sweet harmonies of the quartette intensify the spell -of enchantment. -</p> -<p> -Then comes a wonderful thing! It is like the soft caress of a balmy -wind. No, one cannot say what it is. But they who have been together -these ten hours, chatting, dancing, playing, listening to music and -speeches, are now prepared for it. As they drink in the song and the -beauty of the night, they are filled with a blissful rapture. Ah, life -is so beautiful! How precious the moments! Every breath is a joy! -</p> -<p> -Now out of the throng steps Fru Hedda. In a moment she appears on the -veranda, and starts the Värmland Anthem. All join in the singing, for -in this way they are able to express what they feel: <i>Ack, Värmeland, -du sköna, du härliga land!</i> They seem to hear voices back in the -thickets and copses, and surmise that the Mårbacka elves and fairies -are dancing a contra-dance under the maple trees to the lovely melody. -</p> -<p> -Hands press hands; eyes meet eyes through a mist of tears. And no one -is surprised, for it is such an unspeakable happiness just to be! -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-281">[281]</a></span> -At the close of the song, as Fru Hedda withdraws, Herr Noreen steps -forward: he, too, would interpret the spirit of the hour. -</p> -<p> -“It is <i>this</i> that is the seventeenth of August,” he says; “not the -singing nor the play-acting, not the dancing nor the feasting, but that -which we now feel—the sweet solemn joy which has stolen into our -hearts, the love which permeates this blessed night. It was for this we -longed when we came; it is for this we shall come again next year. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -“Why is it, dear Brother Eric Gustaf, that we must come here to you in -order to feel reconciled to our fate, proud of our country, happy with -ourselves and with those about us? You are no big important man. You -have done no great outstanding thing. But you have within you the best -of good-will and an open heart. We know that, were it in your power, -you would take the whole world in your embrace. This is why you can -give us each year a few hours of bliss, a little glimpse of Paradise, -which we of East Ämtervik call the Seventeenth of August.” -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_600"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-283">[283]</a></span> -</p> -<h2 class="section" id="chapter_600_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_601_toc">POSTSCRIPT</a> -</h2> -</div> - -<div class="chapter" id="chapter_601"> -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-285">[285]</a></span> -</p> -<h3 class="chap" id="chapter_601_hdg"> -<a href="#chapter_601_toc"><span class="large">POSTSCRIPT</span></a> -</h3> -<p class="noindent"> -I<small>T</small> <small>WAS</small> the Seventeenth of August, year 1919. -</p> -<p> -I had had a wreath bound, the prettiest that could be made up at -Mårbacka, and with this before me in the victoria, I drove to the -church. I was in holiday attire, the victoria shone with a new coat of -varnish, and the horses were in their best harness. -</p> -<p> -It was a perfect day. The earth lay bathed in sunshine, the air was -mild, and across the pale blue sky floated a few white wisps of cloud. -Not the slightest breeze blew from any direction. It was a Sunday, and -I saw little children in holiday dress playing in the yards, and grown -folk in their Sunday best setting off for church. No cows or sheep or -chickens were seen in the road, as on weekdays, when the victoria -passed through the village of Ås. -</p> -<p> -The crop that year was so abundant, it seemed as if the good old times -were back with us again. The haylofts along the way were so full, -shutters and doors could not be closed; the rye fields were decked with -close rows of shooks; the apple trees in the front yards hung heavy -with reddening fruit, and the fallow fields, newly sown, showed a -tender crop just turning green. -</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-286">[286]</a></span> -I sat thinking that here was something Lieutenant Lagerlöf—whose -centenary it was that day—would have liked to see. Here was -prosperity. It was not as in 1918 and 1917 and 1915 and 1914 and -1911—those dreadful years of drouth! How he would have rejoiced at -this! He would have nodded to himself, and averred that nowhere in all -Värmland could they raise such crops as in his parish. -</p> -<p> -During the whole long drive to the church, my father was in my -thoughts. On this very road he had driven many and many a time. I -pictured with what keen interest he would have noted all the changes. -Every house which had been repainted, every new window, every roof -where tiling had replaced the old shingles, he would have pointed out -and commented upon. The cottage Där Fram at Ås, which had remained -unaltered, would have delighted him; but he would have been sorry to -find Jan Larsson’s old house—the finest in the parish in his -time—torn down. -</p> -<p> -Certainly he had never been opposed to changes and improvements, though -there were some time-honoured things he had wished to leave -undisturbed. Were he here now, he would think us a shiftless lot to -have in this day and age the old crooked, sagging fences that were here -in his time. He would be shocked to find the road ditches still choked -with weeds, the bridges weak and full of holes, and the dung-yards -still lying at the edge of the road. -</p> -<p> -When I came to the crossing where the village road<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-287">[287]</a></span> runs into the -great highway, how I wished I might have pointed out to him the fine -health resort among the hills, and told him that Ås Springs were now -visited every year by hundreds of people. It would have gladdened -him to know that his idea—that this would some day be a popular -watering-place—had not been so far afield. I could have wished he were -beside me in the carriage as I drove across the Ämtan Bridge! It would -have been a joy to show him that the river had at last been dredged, -and now ran in a straight course, no longer overflowing its banks. -</p> -<p> -As I drove by the Ostenby school, I seemed to see him standing on the -playground scattering handfuls of pennies—happy and content as always, -when he had a crowd of children about him. I had heard him say, time -and time again, that popular education was a calamity, and would bring -us to ruin. But all the same, on every examination day, he would drive -down to the school to sit for hours while his good friend Melanoz -quizzed the children in catechism and history, and let them show how -clever they were at arithmetic and composition. I doubt whether there -was any one more pleased than he when the youngsters gave correct -answers and got good marks and prizes. I had often wondered at this; -but now I understand that where children were concerned, all prejudice -was thrown to the winds. -</p> -<p> -I remembered how it had been in the old days when we drove into the -church grove. We were hailed with cheery salutations as folk sprang -aside to let our carriage<span class="pagenum"><a class="newpage" id="page-288">[288]</a></span> pass, and father sat smiling and raising his -hand to the brim of his hat. But when I drove in on the same ground, -the place looked so empty and deserted. -</p> -<p> -I was alone in the carriage, and among all who had come to the church -only I remembered that this was my father’s birthday. I stepped out and -went over to the churchyard to place the wreath. My sad heart wept over -my loved ones who lay sleeping there. Father and Mother, Grandmother, -Aunt Lovisa, and the old housekeeper—I had seen them all laid away. -</p> -<p> -I longed for them, I wished they might come back and dwell in that -Mårbacka which their labours had built up. -</p> -<p class="nobottom"> -But still, silent, inaccessible, they slept on. They seemed not to hear -me. Yet, perhaps they did. Perhaps these recollections, which have -hovered round me the last few years, were sent forth by them. I do not -know, but I love to think so. -</p> -<p class="end"> -THE END -</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter tnote" id="Transcriber_Note"> -<h2 class="tnote" id="tnote">Transcriber’s Note</h2> - -<p class="tnote"> -This transcription is based on scans made available by the University -of Michigan and Google: -</p> -<p class="link"> -<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUVAAAAMAAJ"> -books.google.com/books?id=pEUVAAAAMAAJ</a> -</p> -<p class="noindent"> -The image used as a cover image is from a scan of a personal copy of -the same edition. To standardize a few inconsistencies in place names, -the text of the 1922 Swedish edition was consulted. This text is -available through the Hathi Digital Library at: -</p> -<p class="link"> -<a href="https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951p00687609k"> -hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951p00687609k</a> -</p> -<p class="tnote"> -The following changes were made to the printed text: -</p> -<ul> -<li> -Table of contents: II. The Money Chest—Added a hyphen between “Money” -and “Chest” for consistency. -</li> -<li> -p. 20: “Hush up, Selma! You must’t talk when you’re facing such -danger!—Changed “must’t” to “mustn’t”. -</li> -<li> -p. 56: The Sunne priest used also to officiate at Åmtervik—Changed -“Åmtervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the Swedish text. -</li> -<li> -p. 90: Eligible young gentlemen from Sunne—from Ämbervik—now came -a-courting.—Changed “Ämbervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the -Swedish text. -</li> -<li> -p. 112: THE MONEY CHEST—Added a hyphen between “MONEY” and “CHEST” in -the chapter title for consistency with the text. -</li> -<li> -p. 114: You’d better go in and ask for house-room.—Added a closing -double quotation mark at the end of the sentence. -</li> -<li> -p. 130: so that Lars would not dare come with any of his monkey -tricks.”—Deleted the closing double quotation mark. The speaker’s -dialogue continues in the next paragraph. -</li> -<li> -p.145: they could hardly be used for a bridal crown.—Added a hyphen -between “bridal” and “crown” for consistency. -</li> -<li> -p. 264: so many gifted persons all living in a little place like East -Åmtervik—Changed “Åmtervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the -Swedish text. -</li> -<li> -p. 269: The Lieutenant had once presented to the Ottenby school—Changed -“Ottenby” to “Ostenby” to be consistent with how the Swedish “Östanby” -is rendered elsewhere. -</li> -<li> -p. 285: Deleted the subheading “I” under the “POSTSCRIPT” heading. -There is no other subheading in the postscript. -</li> -</ul> -<p class="tnote noindent"> -Except where noted otherwise, inconsistencies of spelling and -hyphenation have been preserved. -</p> -</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MÅRBACKA ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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