what
was going on.

He was glad when he saw the workman, for he was a friend of the
Laplanders--a kindly and sociable man, who could speak their native
tongue. The Lapp called to him to crawl under the tent.

"You're just in time, Soederberg!" he said. "The coffee pot is on the
fire. No one can do any work in this rain, so come in and tell us the
news."

The workman went in, and, with much ado and amid a great deal of
laughter and joking, places were made for Soederberg and Osa, though the
tent was already crowded to the limit with natives. Osa understood none
of the conversation. She sat dumb and looked in wonderment at the kettle
and coffee pot; at the fire and smoke; at the Lapp men and Lapp women;
at the children and dogs; the walls and floor; the coffee cups and
tobacco pipes; the multi-coloured costumes and crude implements. All
this was new to her.

Suddenly she lowered her glance, conscious that every one in the tent
was looking at her. Soederberg must have said something about her, for
now both Lapp men and Lapp women took the short pipes from their mouths
and stared at her in open-eyed wonder and awe. The Laplander at her side
patted her shoulder and nodded, saying in Swedish, "bra, bra!" (good,
good!) A Lapp woman filled a cup to the brim with coffee and passed it
under difficulties, while a Lapp boy, who was about her own age,
wriggled and crawled between the squatters over to her.

Osa felt that Soederberg was telling the Laplanders that she had just
buried her little brother, Mats. She wished he would find out about her
father instead.

The elf had said that he lived with the Lapps, who camped west of Lake
Luossajaure, and she had begged leave to ride up on a sand truck to seek
him, as no regular passenger trains came so far. Both labourers and
foremen had assisted her as best they could. An engineer had sent
Soederberg across the lake with her, as he spoke Lappish. She had hoped
to meet her father as soon as she arrived. Her glance wandered anxiously
from face to face, but she saw only natives. Her father was not there.

She noticed that the Lapps and the Swede, Soederberg, grew more and more
earnest as they talked among themselves. The Lapps shook their heads and
tapped their foreheads, as if they were speaking of some one that was
not quite right in his mind.

She became so uneasy that she could no longer endure the suspense and
asked Soederberg what the Laplanders knew of her father.

"They