Part 35 (2/2)

The people wandered about in confused groups, shouting and screaming at the top of their voices. Two men came along with arms twined affectionately round one another's necks, and the next moment lay rolling on the ground in a fight. Others joined the fray and took sides without troubling to discover what it was all about, and the contest became one large struggling heap. Then the police came up, and hit about them with their sticks; and those who did not run away were handcuffed and thrown into an empty stable.

Pelle was quite upset, and kept close to Karl Johan; he jumped every time a band approached, and kept on saying in a whimpering tone: ”Where's Father La.s.se? Let's go and find him.”

”Oh, hold your tongue!” exclaimed the head man, who was standing and trying to catch sight of his fellow-servants. He was angry at this untrustworthiness. ”Don't stand there crying! You'd do much more good if you ran down to the cart and see whether any one's come.”

Pelle had to go, little though he cared to venture in under the trees.

The branches hung silently listening, but the noise from the open ground came down in bursts, and in the darkness under the bushes living things rustled about and spoke in voices of joy or sorrow. A sudden scream rang through the wood, and made his knees knock together.

Karna sat at the back of the cart asleep, and Bengta stood leaning against the front seat, weeping. ”They've locked Anders up,” she sobbed.

”He got wild, so they put handcuffs on him and locked him up.” She went back with Pelle.

La.s.se was with Karl Johan and Fair Maria; he looked defiantly at Pelle, and in his half-closed eyes there was a little mutinous gleam.

”Then now there's only Mons and Lively Sara,” said Karl Johan, as he ran his eye over them.

”But what about Anders?” sobbed Bengta. ”You surely won't drive away without Anders?”

”There's nothing can be done about Anders!” said the head man. ”He'll come of his own accord when once he's let out.”

They found out on inquiry that Mons and Lively Sara were down in one of the dancing-booths, and accordingly went down there. ”Now you stay here!” said Karl Johan sternly, and went in to take a survey of the dancers. In there blood burnt hot, and faces were like b.a.l.l.s of fire that made red circles in the blue mist of perspiring heat and dust.

Dump! Dump! Dump! The measure fell booming like heavy blows; and in the middle of the floor stood a man and wrung the moisture out of his jacket.

Out of one of the dancing-tents pushed a big fellow with two girls. He had an arm about the neck of each, and they linked arms behind his back.

His cap was on the back of his head, and his riotous mood would have found expression in leaping, if he had not felt himself too pleasantly enc.u.mbered; so he opened his mouth wide, and shouted joyfully, so that it rang again: ”Devil take me! Deuce take me! Seven hundred devils take me!” and disappeared under the trees with his girls.

”That was Per Olsen himself,” said La.s.se, looking after him. ”What a man, to be sure! He certainly doesn't look as if he bore any debt of sin to the Almighty.”

”His time may still come,” was the opinion of Karl Johan.

Quite by chance they found Mons and Lively Sara sitting asleep in one another's arms upon a bench under the trees.

”Well, now, I suppose we ought to be getting home?” said Karl Johan slowly. He had been doing right for so long that his throat was quite dry. ”I suppose none of you'll stand a farewell gla.s.s?”

”I will!” said Mons, ”if you'll go up to the pavilion with me to drink it.” Mons had missed something by going to sleep and had a desire to go once round the ground. Every time a yell reached them he gave a leap as he walked beside Lively Sara, and answered with a long halloo. He tried to get away, but she clung to his arm; so he swung the heavy end of his loaded stick and shouted defiantly. La.s.se kicked his old limbs and imitated Mons's shouts, for he too was for anything rather than going home; but Karl Johan was determined--they _were_ to go now! And in this he was supported by Pelle and the women.

Out on the open ground a roar made them stop, and the women got each behind her man. A man came running bareheaded and with a large wound in his temple, from which the blood flowed down over his face and collar.

His features were distorted with fear. Behind him came a second, also bareheaded, and with a drawn knife. A ranger tried to bar his way, but received a wound in his shoulder and fell, and the pursuer ran on. As he pa.s.sed them, Mons uttered a short yell and sprang straight up into the air, bringing down his loaded stick upon the back of the man's neck.

The man sank to the ground with a grunt, and Mons slipped in among the groups of people and disappeared; and the others found him waiting for them at the edge of the wood. He did not answer any more yells.

Karl Johan had to lead the horses until they got out onto the road, and then they all got in. Behind them the noise had become lost, and only one long cry for help rang through the air and dropped again.

Down by a little lake, some forgotten girls had gathered on the gra.s.s and were playing by themselves. The white mist lay over the gra.s.s like a s.h.i.+ning lake, and only the upper part of the girls' bodies rose above it. They were walking round in a ring, singing the mid-summer's-night song. Pure and clear rose the merry song, and yet was so strangely sad to listen to, because they who sang it had been left in the lurch by sots and brawlers.

”We will dance upon hill and meadow, We will wear out our shoes and stockings.

Heigh ho, my little sweetheart fair, We shall dance till the sun has risen high.

Heigh ho, my queen!

Now we have danced upon the green.”

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