d
to drive very carefully, since he had the unchristened child to
convey.

Jan had himself brought the child from the house and turned it
over to the godmother, and had seen them set out. No one knew
better than he into what good hands it was being intrusted. And he
also knew that Eric of Falla was just as confident at handling the
reins as at everything else. As for Eric's wife--why she had borne
and reared seven children; therefore he should not have felt the
least bit uneasy.

Once they were well on their way and Jan had again gone back to his
digging, a terrible sense of fear came over him. What if Eric's
horse should shy? What if the parson should drop the child? What if
the mistress of Falla should wrap too many shawls around the little
girl, so she'd be smothered when they arrived with her at the
parsonage?

He argued with himself that it was wrong in him to borrow trouble,
when his child had such godfolk as the master and mistress of
Falla. Yet his anxiety would not be stilled. Of a sudden he dropped
his spade and started for the parsonage just as he was taking the
short cut across the heights, and running at top speed all the way.
When Eric of Falla drove into the stable-yard of the parsonage the
first person that met his eyes was Jan of Ruffluck.

Now, it is not considered the proper thing for the father or mother
to be present at the christening, and Jan saw at once that the
Falla folk were displeased at his coming to the parsonage. Eric did
not beckon to him to come and help with the horse, but unharnessed
the beast himself, and the mistress of Falla, drawing the child
closer to her, crossed the yard and went into the parson's kitchen,
without saying a word to Jan.

Since the godparents would not so much as notice him, he dared not
approach them; but when the godmother swept past him he heard a
little piping sound from the bundle on her arm. Then he at least
knew the child had not been smothered.

He felt it was stupid in him not to have gone home at once. But now
he was so sure the parson would drop the child, that he had to
stay.

He lingered a moment in the stable-yard, then went straight over to
the house and up the steps into the hallway.

It is the worst possible form for the father to appear before the
clergyman, particularly when his child has ouch sponsors as Eric of
Falla, and his wife. When the door to the pastor's study swung open
and Jan of Ruffluck in his soiled workaday clothes c