Part 26 (2/2)

John Hardy had apprised Mrs. Hardy of the inevitable porcelain pipe, which, as she did not like tobacco smoking, her son asked the Pastor to hold his tobacco-parliament in his own study, where he went to keep him company.

Thus Mrs. Hardy was alone with Helga for some time. She found that Helga could speak a little English, and Mrs. Hardy led her to speak of the management of the little household at the parsonage, and then of her father, which with Helga was an inexhaustible theme. She told Mrs. Hardy of John's gift of the piano, which she said she had accepted because her father liked to hear her sing.

”I feel it was wrong to have accepted it,” she said, ”but I did so on the impulse of the moment; my father had been listening to my singing, and it seemed to draw his mind away from his great sorrow, and I thought any feeling of my own should be sacrificed to that.”

”Why, what a dear child you are!” said Mrs. Hardy, led away by Helga's earnest blue eyes, and she kissed her affectionately. ”You talk a good deal better English than I expected,” she added.

”Perhaps so,” replied Helga. ”Mr. Hardy left his books here for Axel, and I have been learning all the winter, in the hope of being of use to you; I knew you would want some one to speak English, as your son might not always be at hand. Karl has written with such grat.i.tude of you, that it is the only way that occurred to me that I might really be useful to you.”

”You are a dear, sensible girl, Miss Lindal,” said Mrs. Hardy, caressing her; ”and so it will be. And will you come and stay with me as long as your father can spare you, at Rosendal, and help me to get the house in order?”

”I will do anything for you, Mrs. Hardy,” replied Helga, earnestly.

John Hardy came in to wish them ”Good night,” before he left for Rosendal.

”I shall drive over in the morning to see if you wish to go to Rosendal, mother,” he said.

”Certainly I do, John,” replied his mother, ”But I have a message for you;” and she whispered, ”I like her already, John; she is perfectly good and true.”

John Hardy was right when he said that his mother's influence on his own thoughts would crystallize them.

The next few days were occupied in settling down at Rosendal.

Mrs. Hardy was charmed with the place. Its natural beauty was what such a mind as hers could recognize, and she praised Rosendal to Helga, to the latter's great satisfaction.

Helga was a.s.siduous in learning English, and daily became more useful to Mrs. Hardy, The Pastor often came to dinner, and the days pa.s.sed pleasantly.

”John,” said Mrs. Hardy, one day, when she was alone with her son, ”you have asked me to ascertain what Helga Lindal's feelings are to you, if I possibly could. I cannot. All I can say is, marry her, and you will never regret it. Ask her. She is the best and truest woman I ever met.”

”Very good, mother,” replied John. ”I will.”

That day Pastor Lindal came to dinner, and his daughter was to return with him in the evening, to remain at home.

John Hardy asked Helga to walk through the grounds, while her father was conversing with Mrs. Hardy, They went to a particular place that John recollected, and he said--

”Frken, do you remember your asking me at this spot why I bought Rosendal?”

”Yes, perfectly,” said Helga, frankly; ”and you said you would tell me when your mother came.”

”My reason is, and was, because you said there was no place you should like to live at so much as Rosendal.”

”Do you mean you will give it to us?” asked Helga.

”My meaning is that I will give it to you, Helga. I want you to be my wife.”

”I will, if you will wait. Hardy; my father cannot live without me now.”

”Wait!” cried Hardy; and he looked into her blue eyes. ”Why, you have loved me a long time, and never told me so! I have been in doubt and fear.”

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