It went on snowing and snowing; still there was light from the moon, although it was not visible. His sister seemed to be standing in the air in front of him, bare-armed and bare-headed, and with eyes of fire; in the distance he heard the music. But when he found himself back in his own white bedroom, which the attentive servant had kept warm, then the dancing seemed all to be going on up in the forest district. There was Ragni borne along by the heavy wood-owner, so that she barely touched the floor with the tips of her toes; she whirled round with the small children, or hopped away with the "black-cock," or some dashing young fellow from the metropolis; he could see her delight after each dance, and could hear her: "Oh, how I am enjoying myself, Edward!" and so he fell asleep. And the day after, just after he had dined alone and had gone into the big room from force of habit, for it was there that Ragni used to play for him, the door was opened and in came Ragni. He could hardly believe his own eyes! There she was, buried in all her furs! and he undid everything and dragged her out, plump, milk-white, and bewitching. He carried her off. "Oh, well," said she, when they had calmed down after a little, "it was just always the same thing over again up there and I longed for you." "Your nose is crooked!" "And you, who have been to a ball!" "Your nose is crooked!" "It is hardly seen. But do you know that Karl is not at all nice? I must tell you." "Karl?" "Oh, not to me! To me he is always delightful; you can't imagine how nice. But totally different to his brothers and sisters; hasty, fearfully hasty, and capricious, a self-opinionated gentleman." "I can imagine that of him." "Do you know that was why I came away. We will be alone now, may we not? We have always had him hanging over us." "Well, I never! Are you now tired of him, too?" "I never said that. But to have him always about us, it is--really--tiresome." "Well, perhaps it is rather tiresome, that's true enough." "Yes, but now listen to me, I am going to ask one thing more; but you must be good, and not call me an æsthetic!" "Well, what is it?" "Don't let Kristen Larssen know that I have come back. Please not! Let us really have a little peace." "But I have just got some children who----" "No, no! No children either! oh, no!" and she began to cry. "But my dear, darling Ragni----" "Yes, yes, I know it is so selfish of me; but I cannot do it; it is not at all in my line."