"Then it came into my mind all at once that you might have gone home; and I'm sure I was only a quarter of an hour going there. I opened the outer-door and looked in every room; and then, for the first time, I remembered that the house had been locked up, and I myself had the key; and that you could not have come in, after all. Arne, last night I looked all along both sides of the road: I dared not go to the edge of the ravine.... I don't know how it was I came here again; nobody told me; it must have been the Lord himself who put it into my mind that you might be here!" She paused and lay for a while with her head upon his breast. He tried to comfort her. "Arne, you'll never drink spirits again, I'm sure?" "No; you may be sure I never will." "I believe they were very hard upon you? they were, weren't they?" "No; it was I who was _cowardly_," he answered, laying a great stress upon the word. "I can't understand how they could behave badly to you. But, tell me, what did they do? you never will tell me anything;" and once more she began weeping. "But you never tell me anything, either," he said in a low gentle voice. "Yet you're the most in fault, Arne: I've been so long used to be silent through your father; you ought to have led me on a little.--Good Lord! we've only each other; and we've suffered so much together." "Well, we must try to manage better," Arne whispered. ... "Next Sunday I'll read the sermon to you." "God bless you for it." ... "Arne!" "Well!" "There's something I must tell you." "Well, mother, tell me it." "I've greatly sinned against you; I've done something very wrong." "You, mother?" "Indeed, I have; but I couldn't help doing it. Arne, you must forgive me." "But I'm sure you've never done anything wrong to me." "Indeed, I have: and my very love to you made me do it. But you must forgive me; will you?" "Yes, I will." "And then another time I'll tell you all about it ... but you must forgive me!" "Yes, mother, yes." "And don't you see the reason why I couldn't talk much to you was, that I had this on my mind? I've sinned against you." "Pray don't talk so, mother!" "Well, I'm glad I've said what I have." "And, mother, we'll talk more together, we two." "Yes, that we will; and then you'll read the sermon to me?" "I will." "Poor Arne; God bless you!" "I think we both had better go home now." "Yes, we'll both go home." "You're looking all round, mother?" "Yes; your father once lay weeping in this barn." "Father?" asked Arne, growing deadly pale. "Poor Nils! It was the day you were christened." "You're looking all round, Arne?" VIII. THE SHADOWS ON THE WATER. "It was such a cheerful, sunny day, No rest indoors could I find; So I strolled to the wood, and down I lay, And rocked what came in my mind: But there the emmets crawled on the ground, And wasps and gnats were stinging around.