As I drove by the Ostenby school, I seemed to see him standing on the playground scattering handfuls of pennies--happy and content as always, when he had a crowd of children about him. I had heard him say, time and time again, that popular education was a calamity, and would bring us to ruin. But all the same, on every examination day, he would drive down to the school to sit for hours while his good friend Melanoz quizzed the children in catechism and history, and let them show how clever they were at arithmetic and composition. I doubt whether there was any one more pleased than he when the youngsters gave correct answers and got good marks and prizes. I had often wondered at this; but now I understand that where children were concerned, all prejudice was thrown to the winds. I remembered how it had been in the old days when we drove into the church grove. We were hailed with cheery salutations as folk sprang aside to let our carriage pass, and father sat smiling and raising his hand to the brim of his hat. But when I drove in on the same ground, the place looked so empty and deserted. I was alone in the carriage, and among all who had come to the church only I remembered that this was my father’s birthday. I stepped out and went over to the churchyard to place the wreath. My sad heart wept over my loved ones who lay sleeping there. Father and Mother, Grandmother, Aunt Lovisa, and the old housekeeper--I had seen them all laid away. I longed for them, I wished they might come back and dwell in that Mårbacka which their labours had built up. But still, silent, inaccessible, they slept on. They seemed not to hear me. Yet, perhaps they did. Perhaps these recollections, which have hovered round me the last few years, were sent forth by them. I do not know, but I love to think so. THE END Transcriber’s Note This transcription is based on scans made available by the University of Michigan and Google: https://books.google.com/books?id=pEUVAAAAMAAJ To standardize a few inconsistencies in place names, the text of the 1922 Swedish edition was consulted. This text is available through the Hathi Digital Library at: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951p00687609k The following changes were made to the printed text: • Table of contents: II. The Money Chest--Added a hyphen between “Money” and “Chest” for consistency. • p. 20: “Hush up, Selma! You must’t talk when you’re facing such danger!--Changed “must’t” to “mustn’t”. • p. 56: The Sunne priest used also to officiate at Åmtervik--Changed “Åmtervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the Swedish text. • p. 90: Eligible young gentlemen from Sunne--from Ämbervik--now came a-courting.--Changed “Ämbervik” to “Ämtervik” to be consistent with the Swedish text. • p. 112: THE MONEY CHEST--Added a hyphen between “MONEY” and “CHEST” in the chapter title for consistency with the text.