Eh, but that voice of hers, and her eyes, and the womanly, tender look of the hand that held the glass towards me.... I might have said something in turn--have told them this or that of strange things from out in the wide world, for their amusement; I could have set those ladies right when they chattered on, all ignorant of the way of riding camels or of harvest in the vineyards.... I made haste to finish my meal, and moved away. I took the buckets and went down for more water for the horses, though there was no need. I sat down by the stream and stayed there. After a little while Fruen called: “You must come and stand by the horses; we are going off to see if we can find some wild hops or something nice.” But when I came up they decided that the wild hops were over, and there were no rowan berries left now, nor any richly coloured leaves. “There's nothing in the woods now,” said Frøkenen. And she spoke to me directly once again: “Well, there's no churchyard here for you to roam about in.” “No.” “You must miss it, I should think.” And then she went on to explain to Fruen that I was a curious person who wandered about in graveyards by night and held meetings with the dead. And it was there I invented my machines and things. By way of saying something, I asked about young Erik. He had been thrown by a runaway horse and badly hurt.... “He's better now,” said Frøkenen shortly.--“Are you ready to go on again, Lovise?” “Yes, indeed. Can we start?” “Whenever you please,” I answered. And we drove on again. The hours pass, the sun draws lower down the sky, and it is cooler--a chill in the air; then later wind and wet, half rain, half snow. We passed the annexe church, a couple of wayside stores, and farm after farm. Then came a knocking on the window of the carriage. “Wasn't it here you went riding one night on borrowed horses?” said Frøkenen laughingly. “Oh, we know all about it, never fear!” And both the ladies were highly amused. I answered on a sudden thought: “And yet your father would have me to take service with him--or wasn't it so?” “Yes.” “While I think of it, Frøken, how did your father know I was working for Captain Falkenberg? You were surprised yourself to find me there.” She thought quickly, and glanced at Fruen and said: “I wrote home and told them.” Fruen cast down her eyes. Now it seemed to me that the young lady was inventing. But she put in excellent answers, and tied my tongue. It sounded all so natural; she writes an ordinary letter to her people at home, and puts in something like this: “And who do you think is here? The man who did those water-pipes for us; he's felling timber now for Captain Falkenberg....” But when we reached the vicarage, the new hand was engaged already, and there at work--had been there three weeks past. He came out to take the horses.