e house creaked as if
the freezing wind were knocking to be let in. All the bushes and
trees were covered with such thick coats of snow and rim frost they
looked quite shapeless. But bushes and trees, like humans, had to
clothe themselves as well as they could, in order to be protected
against the cold.

In a little while Katrina observed: "I see by the clock it's only
half after five, but all the same I'll put on the porridge pot and
prepare the evening meal. After supper, you can sit up and wait for
Praestberg or go to bed, whichever you like."

All this time Jan had stood at the window. "It can't be that he
has come this way without my seeing him?" he said.

"Who cares whether a brute like him comes or doesn't come!"
returned Katrina sharply, for she was tired of hearing about that
old tramp.

Jan heaved a deep sigh. Katrina was more right than she herself
knew. He did not care a bit whether or not old "Grippie" had
passed. His saying that he was expected was merely an excuse for
standing at the window.

No word or token had he received from the great Empress, the little
girl of Ruffluck, since the day Lars wrested from him his majesty
and glory. He felt that such a thing could never have happened
without her sanction, and inferred from this that he had done
something to incur her displeasure; but what he could not imagine!
He had brooded over this all through the long winter evenings;
through the long dark mornings, when threshing in the barn at
Falla; through the short days, when carting wood from the big
forest.

Everything had passed off so happily and well for him for three
whole months, so of course he could not think she had been
dissatisfied with his emperorship. He had then known a time such as
he had never dreamed could come to a poor man like himself. But
surely Glory Goldie was not offended at him for that!

No. He had done or said something which was displeasing to her,
that was why he was being punished. But could it be that she was so
slow to forget as never to forgive him? If she would only tell him
what she was angry about! He would do anything he could to pacify
her. She must see for herself how he had put on his working clothes
and gone out as a day labourer as soon as she let him know that
such was her wish.

He could not speak of this matter to either Katrina or the
seine-maker. He would be patient and wait for some positive sign
from Glory Goldie. Many times he had felt it to be so