t's go now." And she thrust him gently away
as he tried to kiss her. But the next moment she dropped into a chair,
and sat looking thoughtfully at him through half-closed eyes, nodding
her head very slightly. She seemed to be asking herself: "Who is this
man? What is this I am taking on me? A fortnight ago he was an utter
stranger--"

She passed her hand across her brow. "It's mother--you know," she said.

"Is anything special wrong to-day?"

"She's so afraid you're going to carry me off into the wide world at a
moment's notice."

"But I've told her we're going to live here for the present."

The girl drew up one side of her mouth in a smile, and her eyelids
almost closed. "And what about me, then? After living here all these
years crazy to get out into the world?"

"And I, who am crazy to stay at home!" said Peer with a laugh. "How
delicious it will be to have a house and a family at last--and peace and
quiet!"

"But what about me?"

"You'll be there, too. I'll let you live with me."

"Oh! how stupid you are to-day. If you only knew what it means, to throw
away the best years of one's youth in a hole like this! And besides--I
could have done something worth while in music--"

"Why, then, let's go abroad, by all means," said Peer, wrinkling up his
forehead as if to laugh.

"Oh, nonsense! you know it's quite impossible to go off and leave mother
now. But you certainly came at a very critical time. For anyway I was
longing and longing just then for someone to come and carry me off."

"Aha! so I was only a sort of ticket for the tour." He stepped over and
pinched her nose.

"Oh! you'd better be careful. I haven't really promised yet to have you,
you know."

"Haven't promised? When you practically asked me yourself."

She clapped her hands together. "Why, what shameless impudence! After my
saying No, No, No, for days together. I won't, I won't, I won't--I said
it ever so many times. And you said it didn't matter--for YOU WOULD.
Yes, you took me most unfairly off my guard; but now look out for
yourself."

The next moment she flung her arms round his neck. But when he tried to
kiss her, she pushed him away again. "No," she said, "you mustn't think
I did it for that!"

Soon they were walking arm-in-arm along the country road, on their way
to Aunt Marit at Bruseth. It was September, and all about the wooded
hills stood yellow, and the cornfields were golden and the rowan berries
blood-red. But there was s