Short stories, Swedish -- Translations into English; Sweden -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
'Here you have lived, Stafva, and had a good, comfortable home all your
life, and I have had to fight my way in great poverty. But I have never
asked you for anything before to-day. And now you will send me away
like a beggar, to whom one gives a meal and nothing more.'
Miss Stafva smiled a little; then she said:
'Sister Anna Stina, you are not telling me the truth. I, too, come from
Raglanda, and I should like to know at what peasant's house in that
parish grow such eyes and such a face.'
And she pointed at Ingrid, and continued:
'I can quite understand, Anna Stina, that you would like to help one who
looks like that. But I do not understand how you can think that your
sister Stafva has not more sense than to believe the stories you choose
to tell her.'
Anna Stina was so frightened that she could not say a word, but Ingrid
made up her mind to confide in Miss Stafva, and began at once to tell
her whole story in her soft, beautiful voice.
And Ingrid had hardly told of how she had been lying in the grave, and
that a Dalar man had come and saved her, before old Miss Stafva grew red
and quickly bent down to hide it. It was only a second, but there must
have been some cause for it, for from that moment she looked so kind.
She soon began to ask full particulars about it; more especially she
wanted to know about the crazy man, whether Ingrid had not been afraid
of him. Oh no, he did no harm. He was not mad, Ingrid said; he could
both buy and sell. He was only frightened of some things.
Ingrid thought the hardest of all was to tell what she had heard her
adopted mother say. But she told everything, although there were tears
in her voice.
Then Miss Stafva went up to her, drew back the handkerchief from her
head, and looked into her eyes. Then she patted her lightly on the
cheek.
'Never mind that, little miss,' she said. 'There is no need for me to
know about that. Now sister and Miss Ingrid must excuse me,' she said
soon after, 'but I must take up her ladyship's coffee. I shall soon be
down again, and you can tell me more.'
When she returned, she said she had told her ladyship about the young
girl who had lain in the grave, and now her mistress wanted to see her.
They were taken upstairs, and shown into her ladyship's boudoir.
Anna Stina remained standing at the door of the fine room. But Ingrid
was not shy; she went straight up to the old lady and put out her hand.
She had often been shy with others who looked much less aristocratic;
but here, in this house, she did not feel embarrassed. She only felt so
wonderfully happy that she had come there.
'So it is you, my child, who have been buried,' said her ladyship,
nodding friendlily to her. 'Do you mind telling me your story, my child?
I sit here quite alone, and never hear anything, you know.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account