Ovind went straight over till he reached the high road, but Marit met her grandfather a little above the farm, and the dog was to blame for this. "Where have you been?" "Into the wood." "What have you been doing there?" "Gathering berries." "That is not true." "No, it isn't." "What did you do then?" "I was talking to some one." "Was it the peasant lad?" "Yes." "Listen now, Marit, you are going away tomorrow." "No." "Well, Marit, I will only say one single thing, you SHALL go." "You can't lift me into the carriage." "No? Can't I?" "No, because you won't do it." "Won't I? Listen, Marit, only for pleasure you see, only for pleasure, I will give that raggamuffin a real good thrashing." "No, you daren't do that." "Don't dare? Do you say I dare not? Who could do anything to me, who?" "The schoolmaster." "The schoo--school--schoolmaster? Do you think he cares for him?" "Yes, it was he who sent him to the Agricultural School." "The schoolmaster?" "The schoolmaster!" "Listen now Marit, I will not have any more of this nonsense, you must leave, you give me only sorrow and trouble, it was just the same with your mother, only sorrow and trouble. I am an old man, and I wish to see you well provided for, and I will not be talked about as a fool in this matter; it is your own good that I have at heart, you may be sure of that, Marit. I may soon be gone, and then you would stand there alone; what would have become of your mother if it had not been for me? Come now, Marit, be a good girl, and listen to what I say, I seek only your own good." "No, you don't." "How? What do I seek then?" "To have your own way without any regard to mine." "You have a will of your own, have you, you young sea-bird? You think you know your own good, do you, little fool? I shall let you taste the birch rod, so tall and big you are. Now listen Marit, let me speak a little kindly with you. You are not so bad at the bottom, but you are deluded. You must attend to what I say, I am old and experienced. I am not so well off as people think, a poor cageless bird could soon fly away with the little I have; your father dived hard into it. No, let us take care of ourselves in this world, it is not better worth. It is all very well for the schoolmaster to talk, for he has money himself, and the priest too, they can afford to preach; but with us, who must work for our living, it is quite a different thing. I am old, and have gone through much; I can tell you, love is nice enough to talk about, and may do very well for the clergy and such, but it won't do for the peasantry, they must look at it in another light. First subsistence you see, then religion, then a little schooling, then a little love if it so falls in; but I tell you it is no use to begin with love and end with victuals. What have you to say now Marit?" "I don't know." "You don't know?" "Yes, but I do." "What then?" "Must I say?" "Yes, of course you must." "I am bound up in this love."