Part 16 (1/2)

But here the girl could contain herself no longer, and laughed outright.

”What are you laughing at? That's not right a bit. No, you just blush, and go on nibbling at a crust of bread, just like a tiny mouse....

”And the men nudge each other to look. Here's a fine lady sitting down to eat as natural as can be, for all there's neither plate nor fork.

And it's all I can do to keep from laughing myself, and you have to bite your lips and bend down behind me.

”Then I take out our milk bottle, that's been warming by the fire.

”'How'll they manage now?' says one, and all the rest look on to see.

”'Why, we'll just have to share and share about, unless the lady's to go without,' say I. And then I make believe to whisper something in your ear.

”And you nod, and take the bottle and drink, and hand it to me after.

”''Tis as good as newly milked,' say I. And you laugh, and the men laugh too.

”Then I take a drink, and you again. I wipe the mouth of the bottle on my sleeve each time before giving it you. And the men, of course, they think that's a mighty fine way of doing things.

”'Never would have thought it,' says one of them. And they go on with their meal.

”'Do as the folks you fall in with, it seems,' says one bolder than the rest.

”'Just so,' say I, 'and that's as it should be'; and there's no saying anything against that, and so we get on finely.

”Then when the meal's over, we lie down by the fire a bit. One man takes out some leaf tobacco from his pack, and cuts it up on a tree stump--hadn't had time before. Then he pa.s.ses it round, and I fill my pipe too, for all that I'm in company with a fine lady.

”And then we go on our way. But when we've got a few paces off, I turn round suddenly and say, 'Here, you, Heikki, give us a bit of a sermon for the young lady. 'Tis just the place for church.'

”'H'm,' says Heikki. 'I doubt it wouldn't do.'

”''Twill please her, for sure--I'll answer for that,' say I. 'And you do it better than anything else. Antti can help with the service.'

”'Yes, yes!' cry the others. 'If she's wanting to see things out here.

Sermon, Heikki!'

”Heikki climbs up on a big rock, and Antti on a tree stump, and Heikki starts off, grumbling out just like the priest at Kakela.

”'Is--any soul--from Keituri--here in--church to-day?'

”'Ay, lord and n.o.ble master, here be I,' says Antti in a deep base that goes rumbling through the woods.

”And so they go through the service, and after, Heikki begins to preach. It's the wildest nonsense, Swedish and Finnish and gipsy-talk and all sorts of odd lingo muddled up together, and he pours out the words like a river in flood. The men are in fits of laughter all the time, and you--you're near to bursting.

”'The young lady bids me thank you very much,' say I, when it's over.

'Both of you. Says she's never heard so fine a sermon all her life.'

”''Tis well said,' say the men. 'Heikki, he's a wonder to preach, that he is.'

”And so they wave their caps to us as we go off.”