h and brought goods home again. It was a long way to walk, and
part of the road went through a pine wood where it was dark in the
evening and tramps hung about.

"Oh, trash," said Soeren, "the girl may just as well try a little of
everything, it will make a woman of her."

But Maren wished to shelter her child, as long as she could. And so
she arranged it in this way, that her daughter could drive home in
the cart from Sands farm which was then carrying grain for the
brewery.

The arrangement was good, inasmuch as Soerine need no longer go in
fear of tramps, and all that a timid young girl might encounter;
but, on the other hand, it did not answer Maren's expectations. Far
from having taken any harm from the long walks, it was now proved
what good they had done her. She became even more delicate than
before, and dainty about her food.

This agreed well with the girl's otherwise gentle manners. In spite
of the trouble it gave her, this new phase was a comfort to Maren.
It took the last remaining doubt from her heart: it was now
irrevocably settled. Soerine was a gentlefolks' child, not by birth,
of course--for Maren knew well enough who was father and who mother
to the girl, whatever Soeren might have thought--but by gift of
grace. It did happen that such were found in a poor man's cradle,
and they were always supposed to bring joy to their parents.
Herrings and potatoes, flounders and potatoes and a little bacon in
between--this was no fare for what one might call a young lady.
Maren made little delicacies for her, and when Soeren saw it, he
spat as if he had something nasty in his mouth and went his way.

But, after all one can be too fastidious, and when at last the girl
could not keep down even an omelet, it was too much of a good thing
for Maren. She took her daughter up to a wise woman who lived on the
common. Three times did she try her skill on Soerine, with no avail.
So Soeren had to borrow a horse and cart and drove them in to the
homeopathist. He did it very unwillingly. Not because he did not
care for the girl, and it might be possible, as Maren said, that as
she slept, an animal or evil spirit might have found its way into
her mouth and now prevented the food from going down. Such things
had been heard of before. But actually to make fools of themselves
on this account--rushing off with horse and cart to the doctor just
as the gentry did, and make themselves, too, the laughing stock of
the whole hamle