Part 20 (1/2)

”He has such strange ways,” began the mother, presently; ”he was so often frightened when he was a child that he got into the habit of thinking everything over to himself, and such folks never know how to put themselves forward.”

Now Eli insisted on turning back, but Margit a.s.sured her that it was only a short distance now to Kampen, and see Kampen she must, as she was so near. But Eli thought it was too late that day.

”There is always some one who can go home with you,” said Margit.

”No, no,” promptly replied Eli, and was about to leave.

”To be sure, Arne is not at home,” said Margit; ”so it will not be he; but there will be sure to be some one else.”

Now Eli had less objection to going; besides, she wanted very much to see Kampen. ”If only it does not grow too late,” said she.

”Well, if we stand here much longer talking about it, I suppose it may grow too late,” and they went on.

”You have read a great deal, I dare say; you who were brought up at the priest's?”

Yes, Eli had read a good deal.

”That will be useful,” Margit suggested, ”when you are married to one who knows less than you.”

Eli thought she would never be married to such a person.

”Ah, well, it would perhaps not be best either; but in this parish there is so little learning.”

Eli asked where the smoke rising yonder in the wood came from.

”It comes from the new houseman's place belonging to Kampen. A man called Upland Knut lives there. He was alone in the world, and so Arne gave him that place to clear. He knows what it is to be lonely, my poor Arne.”

Soon they reached an ascent whence the gard could be seen. The sun shone full in their faces; they held up their hands to shade their eyes and gazed down at Kampen. It lay in the midst of a plain, the houses red painted and with white window-frames; the gra.s.s in the surrounding meadows had been mown, the hay might still be seen in heaps here and there, the grain-fields lay green and rich among the pale meadows; over by the cow-house all was stir and bustle: the cows, sheep, and goats were just coming home, their bells were tinkling the dogs were barking, the milk-maids shouting, while above all rose with awful din the roar of the force in the Kamp gorge. The longer Eli looked, the more completely this grand tune filled her ears, and at last it seemed so appalling to her that her heart throbbed wildly; it roared and thundered through her head until she grew bewildered, and at the same time felt so warm and tender that involuntarily she took such short, hesitating steps, that Margit begged her to walk a little faster.

She started. ”I never heard anything like that waterfall,” said she; ”I am almost afraid of it.”

”You will soon get used to it,” said the mother; ”at last you would even miss it if you could not hear it.”

”Dear me! do you think so?” cried Eli.

”Well, you will see,” said Margit, smiling.

”Come now, let us first look at the cattle,” she continued, turning off from the main road. ”These trees on each side Nils planted. He wanted to have everything nice, Nils did, that is what Arne likes too; look!

there you can see the garden my boy has laid out.”

”Oh, how pretty!” cried Eli, running over to the garden fence. She had often seen Kampen, but only from a distance, where the garden was not visible.

”We will look at that after a while,” said Margit.

Eli hastily glanced through the windows, as she went past the house; there was no one inside.

They stationed themselves on the barn-bridge and watched the cows as they pa.s.sed lowing into the stable. Margit named them to Eli, told how much milk each one gave, and which of them calved in the summer, which did not. The sheep were counted and let into the fold; they were of a large, foreign breed; Arne had raised them from two lambs he got from the south. ”He gives much attention to all such things, although you would not think it of him.”

They now went into the barn, and examined the hay that had been housed, and Eli had to smell it--”for such hay is not to be found everywhere.”

Margit pointed through the barn-hatch over the fields, and told what each one yielded and how much was sown of each kind of seed.