The sun is setting, the tufts of heather darkening in shadow as they
walk home. They pass by many sheltered spots, and Gustaf sees them,
and Inger, she sees them too no doubt, but all the time she feels as
if some one were driving ahead of them. Oh, but who could walk all the
way home with a wild handsome lad, and be on her guard all the time?
Inger is too weak, she can only smile and say: "I never knew such a
one."
She comes home alone. And well that she came just then, a fortunate
thing. A minute later had not been well at all. Isak had just come
into the courtyard with his forge, and Aronsen--and there is a horse
and cart just pulled up.
"_Goddag_," says Geissler, greeting Inger as well. And there they
stand, all looking one at another--couldn't be better....
Geissler back again. Years now since he was there, but he is back
again, aged a little, greyer a little, but bright and cheerful as
ever. And finely dressed this time, with a white waistcoat and gold
chain across. A man beyond understanding!
Had he an inkling, maybe, that something was going on up at the mine,
and wanted to see for himself? Well, here he was. Very wide awake to
look at, glancing round at the place, at the land, turning his head
and using his eyes every way. There are great changes to note; the
Margrave had extended his domains. And Geissler nods.
"What's that you're carrying?" he asks Isak. "'Tis a load for one
horse in itself," says he.
"'Tis for a forge," explains Isak. "And a mighty useful thing to have
on a bit of a farm," says he--ay, calling Sellanraa a bit of a farm,
no more!
"Where did you get hold of it?"
"Up at the mine. Engineer, he gave me the thing for a present, he
said."
"The company's engineer?" says Geissler, as if he had not understood.
And Geissler, was he to be outdone by an engineer on a copper mine?
"I've heard you'd got a mowing-machine," says he, "and I've brought
along a patent raker thing that's handy to have." And he points to the
load on the cart. There it stood, red and blue, a huge comb, a hayrake
to be driven with horses. They lifted it out of the cart and looked at
it; Isak harnessed himself to the thing and tried it over the ground.
No wonder his mouth opened wide! Marvel on marvel coming to Sellanraa!
They spoke of the mine, of the work up in the hills. "They were asking
about you, quite a lot," said Isak.
"Who?"
"The engineer, and all the other gentlemen. 'Have to get hold of you
somehow,' they said."
Oh, but here Isak was saying overmuch, it seemed. Geissler was
offended, no doubt; he turned sharp and curt, and said: "Well, I'm
here, if they want me."
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account