Halvor Halvorsson, who had
lately opened a shop in the village. He came from Tims Farm, and
was familiarly known as Tims Halvor. He was a tall, good-looking
chap who appeared to be somewhat dejected. Mother Stina asked him
also to have some coffee; so he sat down at the table, helped
himself, and began to talk to the schoolmaster.

Mother Stina sat by the window knitting; from where she was seated
she could look down the road. All at once she grew red in the face
and leaned forward to get a better view. Trying to appear
unconcerned, she said with feigned indifference: "The grand folk
seem to be out walking to-day."

Tims Halvor thought he detected a certain something in her tone
that sounded a bit peculiar, and he got up and looked out. He saw a
tall, stoop-shouldered woman and a half-grown boy coming toward the
schoolhouse.

"Unless my eyes deceive me, that's Karin, daughter of Ingmar!" said
Mother Stina.

"It's Karin all right," Tims Halvor confirmed. He said nothing
more, but turned away from the window and glanced around the room,
as if trying to discover some way of escape; but in a moment he
quietly went back to his seat.

The summer before, when Big Ingmar was still alive, Halvor had paid
court to Karin Ingmarsson. The courtship had been a long one, with
many ifs and buts on the part of her family. The old Ingmars were
not quite sure that he was good enough for Karin. It had not been
a question of money, for Halvor was well-to-do; his father,
however, had been addicted to drink, and who could say but that
this failing had been transmitted to the son. However, it was
finally decided that Halvor should have Karin. The wedding day was
fixed and they had asked to have the banns published. But before
the day set for the first reading Karin and Halvor made a journey
to Falun, to purchase the wedding ring and the prayerbook. They
were away for three days, and when they got back Karin told her
father that she could not marry Halvor. She had no fault to find
with him save that on one occasion he had taken a drop too much,
and she feared he might become like his father. Big Ingmar then
said that he would not try to influence her against her better
judgment, so Halvor was dismissed, and the engagement was off.

Halvor took it very much to heart. "You are heaping upon me shame
that will be hard to bear," he said. "What will people think if you
throw me over in this way? It isn't fair to treat a decent man like
that