you. You go and drift about so alone, why haven't you looked in on us?
And what in the world do you do to kill the time? For you haven't any
business in the neighborhood, have you?"

"No, I am staying here for pleasure."

"There isn't much of that here," the stranger exclaimed and laughed,
"don't you shoot? Wouldn't you like to come with me? Meanwhile I have
to go down to the inn and get some small shot, and while you are getting
ready, I can go over, and call down the blacksmith. Well! Will you
join?"

"Yes, with pleasure."

"Oh, by the way,--Thora! haven't you seen a girl?" he jumped up on the
embankment.

"Yes, there she is, she is my cousin, I can't introduce you to her,
but come along, let us follow her; we made a wager, now you can he the
judge. She was to be in the cemetery with the dogs and I was to pass
with gun and game-bag, but was not to call or to whistle, and if the
dogs nevertheless went with me she would lose; now we will see."

After a little while they overtook the lady; the hunter looked straight
ahead, but could not help smiling; Mogens bowed when they passed. The
dogs looked in surprise after the hunter and growled a bit; then
they looked up at the lady and barked, she wanted to pat them, but
indifferently they walked away from her and barked after the hunter.
Step by step they drew further and further away from her, squinted
at her, and then suddenly darted off after the hunter. And when they
reached him, they were quite out of control; they jumped up on him and
rushed off in every direction and back again.

"You lose," he called out to her; she nodded smilingly, turned round and
went on.

They hunted till late in the afternoon. Mogens and William got along
famously and Mogens had to promise that he would come to the manor-house
in the evening. This he did, and later he came almost every day, but in
spite of all the cordial invitations he continued living at the inn.

Now came a restless period for Mogens. At first Thora's proximity
brought back to life all his sad and gloomy memories. Often he had
suddenly to begin a conversation with one of the others or leave, so
that his emotion might not completely master him. She was not at all
like Camilla, and yet he heard and saw only Camilla. Thora was small,
delicate, and slender, roused easily to laughter, easily to tears, and
easily to enthusiasm. If for a longer time she spoke seriously with some
one, it was not like a drawing near, but ra