of it is that I shall have to sneak away. They think now
that I'm going about the country selling my handiwork; so they
won't know about it until I have joined the Jerusalem pilgrims at
Gothenburg and am well out of Sweden."

Ingmar was very much distressed to think that Gertrude would be
willing to cause her parents such heavy sorrow. "Can it be that she
realizes how badly she is behaving?" he wondered. He was about to
remonstrate with her, then checked himself. "You're hardly the
proper person to reproach Gertrude for anything that she may do,"
he remarked to himself.

"Indeed, I know it will be hard on father and mother," said
Gertrude, "but I must follow Jesus." And she smiled as she named
the name of the Saviour. "He has saved me from destruction. He has
healed my sick soul!" she said feelingly.

And as if she had only now found courage to do so, she pushed back
her kerchief, and looked Ingmar straight in the eyes. It struck
Ingmar that she was drawing comparisons between him and some one
whose image she carried in her heart, and he felt that she found
him small and insignificant.

"It will be very hard for father and mother," she reiterated.
"Father is an old man now, and must soon give up his school; so
they will have even less to live upon than before. When he has no
work to take up his mind, he will become restless and irritable.
Mother won't have an easy time with him. They'll be very unhappy,
both of them. Of course it would have been quite different could I
have stayed at home to cheer them."

Gertrude paused, as if afraid to come out with what she wanted to
say. Ingmar's throat tightened, and his eyes began to fill. He
divined that Gertrude wanted to ask him to look after her old
parents.

"And I fancied that she had come here to-day only to abuse and
threaten me! And instead she opens her heart to me."

"You won't have to ask me, Gertrude," he said. "This is a great
honour for you to confer upon one who has behaved so badly to you.
Be assured that I shall treat your old parents better than I have
treated you."

When Ingmar said this, his voice trembled, and the wary look was
gone from his face. "How kind Gertrude is to me!" he thought. "She
does not ask this of me only out of consideration for her parents,
but she wants to show me that she has forgiven me."

"I knew, Ingmar, that you wouldn't say no to this. And I have
something more to tell you." She spoke now in a brighter and more
confiden