t on
again:

"There's but eight places now in all, but there might be more before
long. More ... well, I don't know...."

Sivert wondering more than ever--what can his father be getting at?
The pair of them walk on a long way in silence; they are nearly home
now.

"H'm," says Isak. "What you think Aronsen he'd ask for that place of
his now?"

"Ho, that's it!" says Sivert. "Want to buy it, do you?" he asks
jestingly. But suddenly he understands what it all means: 'tis Eleseus
the old man has in mind. Oh, he's not forgotten him after all, but
kept him faithfully in mind, just as his mother, only in his own way,
nearer earth, and nearer to Sellanraa.

"'Twill be going for a reasonable price, I doubt," says Sivert. And
when Sivert says so much, his father knows the lad has read his
thought. And as if in fear of having spoken out too clearly, he falls
to talking of their road-mending; a good thing they had got it done at
last.

For a couple of days after that, Sivert and his mother were putting
their heads together and holding councils and whispering--ay, they
even wrote a letter. And when Saturday came round Sivert suddenly
wanted to go down to the village.

"What you want to go down village again for now?" said his father in
displeasure. "Wearing boots to rags...." Oh, Isak was more bitter than
need be; he knew well enough that Sivert was going to the post.

"Going to church," says Sivert.

'Twas all he could find by way of excuse, and his father muttered:"
Well, what you want to go for ...?"

But if Sivert was going to church, why, he might harness up and take
little Rebecca with him. Little Rebecca, ay, surely she might have
that bit of a treat for once in her life, after being so clever
guarding turnips and being all ways the pearl and blessing of them
all, ay, that she was. And they harnessed up, and Rebecca had the maid
Jensine to look after her on the way, and Sivert said never a word
against that either.

While they are away, it so happens that Aronsen's man, his chief
clerk, from Storborg, comes up the road. What does this mean? Why,
nothing very much, 'tis only Andresen, the chief clerk from Storborg,
come up for a bit of a walk this way--his master having sent him.
Nothing more. And no great excitement among the folk at Sellanraa over
that--'twas not as in the old days, when a stranger was a rare sight
on their new land, and Inger made a great to-do. No, Inger's grown
quieter now, and keeps to he