nd Petrea, that these fits of absence, and these sighs, must
have an object; but it was a long time, that is to say, three or four
days, before they could decide who it really was.

"It cannot be our mamma," said Petrea, "because she is married; and
besides this, she is so much older than any of us, although, prettier
than all of us together; and though Master Jacobi has such pleasure in
talking with her, and conducts himself towards her as if he were her
son, still it cannot be she. Do you know, Henrik, I fancy Sara is the
object--he looks at her so much; or perhaps Eva, for he is always so
lively with her; and I heard him say yesterday to Uncle Munter, that she
was so uncommonly charming. But it is rather improper that he should
pass 'our eldest' so!"

Henrik was greatly amused by Petrea's difficulty and conjectures, for he
had his own peculiar notions about the object, and by degrees Petrea
herself began to have a clearer foreknowledge, and to think that
perhaps, after all, the true object might be no other than "our eldest"
herself. After this insight into things, which Petrea was not slow in
circulating among her sisters, Louise was called, in their jocular
phraseology, "the object." All this while, however, "the object"
herself appeared to pay very little attention to the speculations which
had thus reference to herself. Louise was at the present time greatly
occupied by setting up a piece of weaving, and had in consequence,
greatly to Henrik's horror, brought again into use the dress surnamed
"water-gruel." She had absolutely a sort of rage to wear out her old
clothes--and as it happened, moreover, that the piece of weaving was of
a pattern which was much perplexed and difficult to arrange, she assumed
almost constantly the "cathedral demeanour," which occasioned her to
look all the less attractive. But so it happened, Jacobi looked a great
deal at Sara, joked with Eva, and remained sitting beside Louise, as if
he found by her side only true happiness and satisfaction.

In vain did Petrea draw him into all kind of controversial subjects, in
order to make him, during the contest, somewhat forgetful of "the
object." He did not become abstracted; and it was particularly
observable that the Master had much less desire for disputation than the
Candidate had had; and when Mrs. Gunilla took the field against him more
than once with a whole host of monads and nomads, he only laughed. Now,
indeed, Jacobi had a favourite