and wanted to see for himself? Well, here he was. Very wide awake to
look at, glancing round at the place, at the land, turning his head
and using his eyes every way. There are great changes to note; the
Margrave had extended his domains. And Geissler nods.

"What's that you're carrying?" he asks Isak. "'Tis a load for one
horse in itself," says he.

"'Tis for a forge," explains Isak. "And a mighty useful thing to have
on a bit of a farm," says he--ay, calling Sellanraa a bit of a farm,
no more!

"Where did you get hold of it?"

"Up at the mine. Engineer, he gave me the thing for a present, he
said."

"The company's engineer?" says Geissler, as if he had not understood.

And Geissler, was he to be outdone by an engineer on a copper mine?
"I've heard you'd got a mowing-machine," says he, "and I've brought
along a patent raker thing that's handy to have." And he points to the
load on the cart. There it stood, red and blue, a huge comb, a hayrake
to be driven with horses. They lifted it out of the cart and looked at
it; Isak harnessed himself to the thing and tried it over the ground.
No wonder his mouth opened wide! Marvel on marvel coming to Sellanraa!

They spoke of the mine, of the work up in the hills. "They were asking
about you, quite a lot," said Isak.

"Who?"

"The engineer, and all the other gentlemen. 'Have to get hold of you
somehow,' they said."

Oh, but here Isak was saying overmuch, it seemed. Geissler was
offended, no doubt; he turned sharp and curt, and said: "Well, I'm
here, if they want me."

Next day came the two messengers back from Sweden, and with them a
couple of the mine-owners; on horseback they were, fine gentlemen and
portly; mighty rich folk, by the look of them. They hardly stopped
at Sellanraa at all, simply asked a question or so about the road,
without dismounting, and rode on up the hill. Geissler they pretended
not to see, though he stood quite close. The messengers with their
loaded packhorses rested for an hour, talked to the men at work on the
building, learned that the old gentleman in the white waistcoat and
gold chain was Geissler, and then they too went on again. But that
same evening one of them came riding down to the place with a message
by word of mouth for Geissler to come up to the gentlemen at the
mines. "I'm here if they want me," was the answer Geissler sent back.

Geissler was grown an important personage, it seemed; thought himself
a man of power, of all