"Yes, that is very likely. And I am tired already."

"Won't you sit down and rest yourself?"

He deliberately seated himself in the grass, and gradually gained
courage to look her straight in the face; and his dull eye remained
steadfastly fixed on her in a way which bespoke unfeigned surprise and
admiration. Slowly his mouth broadened into a smile; but his smile had
more of sadness than of joy in it. She had, from the moment she saw him,
been possessed of a strangely patronizing feeling toward him. She could
not but treat him as if he had been a girl or some person inferior to
her in station. In spite of his large body, the impression he made upon
her was that of weakness; but she liked the sincerity and kindness which
expressed themselves in his sad smile and large, honest blue eyes.
His gaze reminded her of that of an ox, but it had not only the ox's
dullness, but also its simplicity and good-nature.

They sat talking on for a while about the weather, the cattle, and the
prospects of the crops.

"What is your name?" she asked, at last.

"Halvard Hedinson Ullern."

A sudden shock ran through her at the sound of that name; in the next
moment a deep blush stole over her countenance.

"And my name," she said, slowly, "is Brita Bjarne's daughter Blakstad."

She fixed her eyes upon him, as if to see what effect her words
produced. But his features wore the same sad and placid expression; and
no line in his face seemed to betray either surprise or ill-will. Then
her sense of patronage grew into one of sympathy and pity. "He must
either be weak-minded or very unhappy," thought she, "and what right
have I then to treat him harshly." And she continued her simple,
straightforward talk with the young man, until he, too, grew almost
talkative, and the sadness of his smile began to give way to something
which almost resembled happiness. She noticed the change and rejoiced.
At last, when the sun had sunk behind the western mountain tops,
she rose and bade him good-night; in another moment the door of the
saeter-cottage closed behind her, and he heard her bolting it on the
inside. But for a long time he remained sitting on the grass, and
strange thoughts passed through his head. He had quite forgotten his bay
mare.

The next evening when the milking was done, and the cattle were gathered
within the saeter enclosure, Brita was again sitting on the large stone,
looking out over the valley. She felt a kind of companionship