uite
pale.

"Hans!" she cried, and stood still without being conscious of doing
it. Hans stopped too, looked quickly at her, and then down at his gun,
which he was resting on the ground and turning in his hand.

"Can you not go with me to my home?" His voice was very low, but all
at once he looked her straight in the face.

"Yes, I can!" she answered quickly. Her eyes looked calmly into his,
but a faint blush came over her cheeks. He changed his gun into his
left hand, and held out the right to her.

"Thank you!" he whispered, holding hers in a firm clasp; Then they
went on.

She was brooding over one thought all the time, and at last could not
keep it in: "You don't know my father and mother."

He went on a little before he answered: "No, but when you come and
live at Haugen, I'll have time then to get to know them."

"They are so good!" added Mildrid.

"So I have heard from every one." He said this decidedly, but coldly.

Before she had time to think or say anything more, he began to tell
about _his_ home, his brothers and sisters, and their industry,
affectionateness, and cheerfulness; about the poverty they had raised
themselves from; about the tourists who came and all the work they
gave; about the house, and especially about the new one he would now
build for her and himself. She was to be the mistress of the whole
place--but they would help her in everything; they would all try to
make her life happy, he not least. As he talked they walked on
faster; he spoke warmly, came closer to her, and at last they walked
hand in hand.

It could not be denied that his love for his home and his family made
a strong impression on her, and there was a great attraction in the
newness of it all; but behind this feeling lay one of wrong-doing
towards her parents, her dear, kind parents. So she began again:
"Hans! mother is getting old now, and father is older; they have had a
great deal of trouble--they need help; they've worked so hard,
and--" she either would not or could not say more.

He walked slower and looked at her, smiling. "Mildrid, you mean that
they have settled to give you the farm?"

She blushed, but did not answer.

"Well, then--we'll let that alone till the time comes. When they want
us to take their places, it's for them to ask us to do it." He said
this very gently and tenderly, but she felt what it meant. Thoughtful
of others, as she always was, and accustomed to consider their
feelings before