to go in. Exerting all the strength of his will, he
entered. Marit was lying on the sofa, but the moment she saw him she sat
up and stretched out her arms.

"Come, come! _You_ are my father now!"

He crossed the room quickly and bent over her; she put her arm round his
neck and drew him down; he was obliged to kneel.

"You must never leave me again! Never, never!"

"Never!" he answered solemnly. She pressed him closer to her; her breast
throbbed against his; her head lay against his--wet, burning.

"You must never leave me!"

"Never!" he said once more with all his heart, and folded her in his
arms.

She lay down again as if comforted, took hold of his hand, and became
quieter. Every time the sobbing began afresh he bent over her with
caressing words, and soothed her.

He dared not go home; he stayed there all night. Marit could not sleep,
and he had to sit beside her.

By the following day she had made up her mind what was to be done. She
must go to America, and he must accompany her. This prompt decision
rather disconcerted him. But neither he nor his sister dared oppose her.
The sister, however, managed to give another direction to the girl's
thoughts. She said: "You ought to be married to each other first." Marit
looked at her and replied: "Yes, you are right. Of course we must be."
And this thought began to occupy her mind so much that her grief became
less acute. Anders had not been asked; but there was no necessity that
he should be.

Then came the first letter from Hans. After telling about his uncle's
funeral--how he had made all the arrangements, and what they were--he
offered to take over his uncle's business and property.

Anders placed unlimited confidence in his brother; the offer was
accepted; hence the journey was given up as needless. As soon as the
necessary investigations and valuations had been made, Hans named his
figure, and asked his brother if he would not invest this sum in the
business. The bank deposits and other securities were sent over at
once. These alone produced a sum sufficient not only to pay Anders'
debts, but also to allow Marit to make all the improvements at
Krogskogen which she fancied. Anders wished her to keep the whole
fortune in her own hands, but she ridiculed the idea. So he went into
partnership with his brother, and was thenceforth, according to
Norwegian ideas, a very wealthy man.

Some months after their marriage a change came over Marit. She gave way
to