asted enough time already on this emperor
nonsense. Now you'd better go straight home and take to your
digging again."

Jan did not appear to be specially anxious to obey; whereupon Lars
again raised the stick, and nothing more was needed to make Emperor
Johannes of Portugallia turn and flee.

No one made a move to follow him or offered him a word of sympathy.
No one called to him to come back. Indeed folks only laughed when
they saw how pitilessly and unceremoniously he had been stripped of
all his grandeur.

But this did not suit Lars, either. He wanted to have it as solemn
at his auctions as at a church service.

"I think it's better to talk sense to Jan than to laugh at him," he
said, reprovingly. "There are many who encourage him in his
foolishness and who even call him Emperor. But that is hardly the
right way to treat him. It would be far better to make him
understand who and what he is, even though he doesn't like it. I
have been his employer for some little time, therefore it is my
bounden duty to see that he goes back to his work; otherwise he'll
soon be a charge on the parish."

After that Lars held a good auction, with close and high bids. The
satisfaction which he now felt was not lessened when on his
homecoming the next day, he learned that Jan of Ruffluck had again
put on his working clothes, and gone back to his digging.

"We must never remind him of his madness," Lars Gunnarson warned
his people, "then perhaps his reason will be spared to him. Anyhow,
he has never had more than he needs."

THE CATECHETICAL MEETING

Lars Gunnarson was decidedly pleased with himself for having taken
the cap and stick away from Jan; it looked as if he had at the same
time relieved the peasant of his mania.

A fortnight after the auction at Bergvik a catechetical meeting was
held at Falla. People had gathered there from the whole district
round about Dove Lake, the Ruffluck folk being among them. There
was nothing in Jan's manner or bearing now that would lead one to
think he was not in his right mind.

All the benches and chairs in the house had been moved into the
large room on the ground floor and arranged in close rows, and
there sat every one who was to be catechized, including Jan; for
to-day he had not pushed his way up to a better seat than he was
entitled to. Lars kept his eyes on Jan. He had to admit to himself
that the man's insanity had apparently been checked. Jan behaved
now like any rational