rs Gunnarson driving home? He must have
drunk himself full at the tavern, for he doesn't seem to know which
way he's going."

When Katrina said that a horse and wagon dashed by their gate. Both
she and Jan noticed that the wagon was empty and the horse
driverless.

All at once she let out a shriek: "Lord deliver us! Did you see
him, Jan? He's being dragged alongside the wagon!" Without waiting
for a reply she rushed across the yard into the road, where the
horse had just bolted past.

Jan let her go without a word. He was glad to be alone again. He
had not yet found an answer to his query as to why the Empress was
angry at him.

The bit of gilt paper now lay directly under his eyes. It glistened
so that he had to look at it again and again. Meanwhile his
thoughts went back to Mad Ingeborg--to the time when he had come
upon her at the Borg landing. It struck him instantly that here was
the answer he had been seeking. Now he knew what it was the little
girl had been displeased about all this while. He had been unkind
to Mad Ingeborg; he should never have refused to let her go along
to Portugallia.

How could he ever have imagined anything so mean of the great
Empress as that she would not want to have Mad Ingeborg with her!
It was that kind that she liked best to help. No wonder she was
angry! He ought to have known that the poor and unfortunate were
always welcome in her kingdom.

There was very little that could be done in this matter if no
to-morrow dawned, mused Jan. But what if there should be one? Ah,
then he would go and talk with Mad Ingeborg first thing.

He closed his eyes and folded his hands. Anyway, it was a blissful
relief to him that this anxiety had been stilled. Now it would not
be nearly so hard to die. He had no idea as to how much time had
elapsed before he again heard Katrina's voice close to him.

"Jan, dear, how do you feel now? You're not going to die and leave
me, are you?"

Katrina sounded so doleful that he had to look up at her. Then he
saw in her hand the imperial stick and the green leather cap.

"I asked the folks down at Falla to let me take these to you," she
explained. "I told them that come what might it was better for you
to have them again than to have you lose all interest in life."

"The dear little girl, the great Empress, isn't she wonderful!" Jan
said to himself. No sooner had he come to a realization of his sin
and promised to atone for it, than she again granted