en my sorrow in
the loss of a husband like mine."

And room was made, too, though the table seemed to be crowded
enough already.

Jan was placed at the centre of the horseshoe, directly opposite
the pastor. He could not have wished for anything better. At first
he seemed a little dazed. He could not comprehend why they should
make such fuss over him just because he had run a few miles into
the woods with a message for Linnart Hindrickson, Suddenly he
understood, and all became clear to him: it was the Emperor they
wished to honour; they had gone about it in this way so that no one
should feel slighted or put out. It couldn't be explained in any
other way. For he had always been kind and good-natured and helpful,
yet never before had he been honoured or feted in the least degree
for that.

THE DYING HEART

Engineer Boraeus on his daily stroll to the pier could not fail to
notice the crowds that always gathered nowadays around the little
old man from Ruffluck Croft. Jan did not have to sit all by himself
any more and while away the long, dreary hours in silent musings,
as he had done during the summer. Instead, all who waited for the
boat went up to him to hear him tell what would happen on the
homecoming of the Empress, more especially when she stepped ashore
here, at the Borg landing. Every time Engineer Boraeus went by he
heard about the crown of gold the Empress would wear on her hair
and the gold flowers that would spring into bloom on tree and bush
the instant she set foot on land.

One day, late in October, about three months after Jan of Ruffluck
had first proclaimed the tidings of Glory Goldie's rise to royal
honours, the engineer saw an uncommonly large gathering of people
around the little old man. He intended to pass by with a curt
greeting, as usual, but changed his mind and stopped to see what
was going on.

At first glance he found nothing out of the ordinary, Jan was
seated upon one of the waiting stones, as usual, looking very
solemn and important. Beside him sat a tall, thin woman, who was
talking so fast and excitedly that the words fairly spurted out of
her mouth; she shook her head and snapped her eyes, her body
bending forward all the while so that by the time she had finished
speaking her face was on a level with the ground.

Engineer Boraeus immediately recognized the woman as Mad Ingeborg.
At first he could not make out what she was saying, so he turned to
a man in the crowd and aske