te can't come any nonsense about it after, you
understand."

Isak understood. "'Tis worst about Inger," he said.

"Ay," said Geissler, and remained thoughtful longer than was usual
with him. "Might get the case brought up again. Set out the whole
thing properly; very likely get the sentence reduced a bit. Or we
could put in an application for a pardon, and that would probably come
to the same thing in the end."

"Why, if as that could be done...."

"But it wouldn't do to try for a pardon at once. Have to wait a bit.
What was I going to say ... you've been taking things down to my
wife--meat and cheese and things--what?"

"Why, as to that, Lensmand paid for all that before."

"Did I, though?"

"And helped us kindly in many a way."

"Not a bit of it," said Geissler shortly. "Here--take this." And he
took out some _Daler_ notes.

Geissler was not the man to take things for nothing, that was plain.
And he seemed to have plenty of money about him, from the way his
pocket bulged. Heaven only knew if he really had money or not.

"But she writes all's well and getting on," said Isak, coming back to
his one thought.

"What?--Oh, your wife!"

"Ay. And since the girl was born--she's had a girl child, born while
she was there. A fine little one."

"Excellent!"

"Ay, and now they're all as kind as can be, and help her every way,
she says."

"Look here," said Geissler, "I'm going to send these bits of stone
in to some mining experts, and find out what's in them. If there's a
decent percentage of copper, you'll be a rich man."

"H'm," said Isak. "And how long do you think before we could apply for
a pardon?"

"Well, not so very long, perhaps, I'll write the thing for you. I'll
be back here again soon. What was it you said--your wife has had a
child since she left here?"

"Yes."

"Then they took her away while she was expecting it. That's a thing
they've no right to do."

"Ho!"

"Anyhow, it's one more reason for letting her out earlier."

"Ay, if that could be ..." said Isak gratefully.

Isak knew nothing of the many lengthy writings backward and forward
between the different authorities concerning the woman who was
expecting a child. The local authorities had let her go free while the
matter was pending, for two reasons: in the first place, they had no
lock-up in the village where they could keep her, and, in the second
place, they wished to be as lenient as possible. The consequence was
something the