ld flood the
place with money; he would be a fool to sell out now. Aronsen was
forced to go back each time with a flat refusal, more and more
disgusted at his own lack of foresight in ever having given up the
place.

Oh, but Aronsen might have saved himself a deal of self-reproach, and
likewise Eleseus with his plans and intentions, that he might have
kept in moderation. And more than all, the village would have done
well to be less confident, instead of going about smiling and rubbing
its hands like angels sure of being blessed--no call for them to do so
if they had but known. For now came disappointment, and no little one
at that. Who would ever have thought it; work at the mine commenced
again, true enough--but at the other end of the fjeld, eight miles
away, on the southern boundary of Geissler's holding, far off in
another district altogether, a district with which they were in no
way concerned. And from there the work was to make its way gradually
northward to the original mine, Isak's mine, to be a blessing to folk
in the wilds and in the village. At best, it would take years, any
number of years, a generation.

The news came like a dynamite charge of the heaviest sort, with shock
and stopping of ears. The village folk were overcome with grief. Some
blamed Geissler; 'twas Geissler, that devil of a man, who had tricked
them once more. Others huddled together at a meeting and sent out a
new deputation of trusty men, this time to the mining company, to the
engineer. But nothing came of it; the engineer explained that he was
obliged to start work from the south because that was nearest the sea,
and saved the need of an aerial railway, reduced the transport almost
to nil. No, the work must begin that way; no more to be said.

Then it was that Aronsen at once rose up and set out for the new
workings, the new promised land. He even tried to get Andresen to go
with him: "What's the sense of you staying on here in the wilds?"
said he. "Much better come with me." But Andresen would not leave;
incomprehensible, but so it was, there was something which held him
to the spot; he seemed to thrive there, had taken root. It must be
Andresen who had changed, for the place was the same as ever. Folk
and things were unaltered; the mining work had turned away to other
tracts, but folk in the wilds had not lost their heads over that; they
had their land to till, their crops, their cattle. No great wealth in
money, true, but in all