for a husband--pointed at by everyone as the girl with a
disgraceful story to her credit and sold to a creature whom no one else
would have--in order to cover up a scandal."

Elsa was silent; her heart now was full of pity for the girl, who indeed
was being punished far more severely than she deserved. It was clear
that Klara was terribly resentful at her fate, and there was a look of
vengeful rebellion in the glance which she threw on Elsa and Andor now.

Overhead there was flapping of wings--a flight of rooks cut through the
air and there were magpies in their trail.

"Three for a wedding," said Andor with a forced laugh, trying to break
the spell which--much against his will--seemed to have been suddenly
cast over his happy spirits.

"One for sorrow, more like," retorted Klara.

"No, no, come!" he rejoined; "you must not look at it like that. There
is always some happiness to be got out of married life. You are not very
happy in your old home--you will like to have one of your own--a wedding
is only the prelude to better things."

"That depends on the wedding, my friend," she sneered; "this one will
be a finish, not a prelude--the naughty child, well whipped, sent out of
mischief's way."

"I am sorry, Klara, that you feel it so strongly," he said more kindly.

"Yes," she retorted. "I dare say, my good man, you are sorry enough for
me now, but you might have thought of all that, you know, before you
played me that dirty trick."

"What do you mean?" he broke in quickly.

"Just what I say," she replied, "and no more. A dirty, abominable trick,
I call it, and I cannot even show you up before the village--I could not
even speak of you to the police officers. Oh, yes!" she continued more
and more vehemently, as a flood of wrath and of resentment and a burning
desire for getting even with Fate seemed literally to sweep her off her
mental balance and cause her to lose complete control of her tongue,
"oh, yes! my fine gentleman! you can go and court Elsa now, and whisper
sweet love-words in her ears--you two turtle-doves are the edification
of the entire village now--and presently you will get married and live
happy ever afterwards. But what I want to ask you, my friend," she
added, and she took a step or two nearer to him, until her hot and angry
breath struck him in the face and he was forced to draw himself back,
away from that seething cauldron of resentment and of vengeance which
was raging before him now, "w