"The power that gave me my little song Has given me friendship for all that's yearning. For freedom's blessings my blood is burning; The foe I am of every wrong. I sought my station, Spite every storm, And found salvation In love so warm. "The power that gave me my little song Must make me able to sing the others, And now and then to make glad my brothers Whom I may meet in the worldly throng,-- For there was never A sweeter charm Than singing ever In love so warm." CHAPTER XVI. It was late in the autumn; the harvesters were at work housing the grain. The day was clear, it had rained during the night; and in the morning, therefore, the air was as mild as in summer-time. It was a Saturday, and yet many boats were making their way across Black Water toward the church; the men, in their shirt sleeves, were rowing; the women sat in the stern, with light-colored kerchiefs on their heads. A still greater number of boats were steering over to Boeen, in order to move away from there later in grand procession, for on this day Baard Boeen gave a wedding for his daughter Eli and Arne Nils' son Kampen. All the doors were open; people were going in and out; children, with pieces of cake in their hands, stood about the yard, afraid of their new clothes, and looking shyly at one another; an old woman sat upon the store-house steps alone,--it was Margit Kampen. She wore a large silver ring, with several small rings fastened to the upper silver plate; now and then she looked at it; Nils had given it to her the day of their wedding and she had never worn it since. The man who presided at the feast, and the two young groomsmen, the priest's son and Eli's brother, went about in the two or three rooms, offering refreshments to the wedding guests as they arrived to be present on this great occasion. Up-stairs in Eli's room were the bride, the priest's wife, and Mathilde,--the last-named had come from town for the sole purpose of decking the bride; this the girls had promised each other from their childhood. Arne--wearing a broadcloth suit, with close-fitting roundabout and with a collar that Eli had made--stood in one of the down-stairs rooms by the window on which Eli had written "Arne."