Part 18 (1/2)

”What's the name of that place?” cried Peer, gazing at it.

”Loreng.”

”And who owns it?”

”Don't know,” answered the girl, cracking her whip.

Next moment the horse turned in to the avenue, and Peer caught involuntarily at the reins. ”Hei! Brownie--where are you going?” he cried.

”Why not go up and have a look?” said Merle.

”But we were going out to look at your father's place.”

”Well, that is father's place.”

Peer stared at her face and let go the reins. ”What? What? You don't mean to say your father owns that place there?”

A few minutes later they were strolling through the great, low-ceiled rooms. The whole house was empty now, the farm-bailiff living in the servants' quarters. Peer grew more and more enthusiastic. Here, in these great rooms, there had been festive gatherings enough in the days of the old Governors, where cavaliers in uniform or with elegant s.h.i.+rt-frills and golden spurs had kissed the hands of ladies in sweeping silk robes.

Old mahogany, pot-pourri, convivial song, wit, grace--Peer saw it all in his mind's eye, and again and again he had to give vent to his feelings by seizing Merle and embracing her.

”Oh, but look here, Merle--you know, this is a fairy-tale.”

They pa.s.sed out into the old neglected garden with its gra.s.s-grown paths and well-filled carp-ponds and tumble-down pavilions. Peer rushed about it in all directions. Here, too, there had been fetes, with coloured lamps festooned around, and couples whispering in the shade of every bush. ”Merle, did you say your father was going to sell all this to the State?”

”Yes, that's what it will come to, I expect,” she answered. ”The place doesn't pay, he says, when he can't live here himself to look after it.”

”But what use can the State make of it?”

”Oh, a Home for Imbeciles, I believe.”

”Good Lord! I might have guessed it! An idiot asylum--to be sure.” He tramped about, fairly jumping with excitement. ”Merle, look here--will you come and live here?”

She threw back her head and looked at him. ”I ask you, Merle. Will you come and live here?”

”Do you want me to answer this moment, on the spot?”

”Yes. For I want to buy it this moment, on the spot.”

”Well, aren't you--”

”Look, Merle, just look at it all. That long balcony there, with the doric columns--nothing shoddy about that--it's the real thing. Empire. I know something about it.”

”But it'll cost a great deal, Peer.” There was some reluctance in her voice. Was she thinking of her violin? Was she loth to take root too firmly?

”A great deal?” he said. ”What did your father give for it?”

”The place was sold by auction, and he got it cheap. Fifty thousand crowns, I think it was.”

Peer strode off towards the house again. ”We'll buy it. It's the very place to make into a home. . . . Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, cottars--ah! it'll be grand.”