rk, laughing to think how
report would tell of the sprite's care in placing all these articles out
of reach of injury from the water.

Oddo did not want for light while doing this. When he returned, he
found Erica gazing up over the towering precipices, at the Northern
lights, which had now unfurled their broad yellow blaze. She was glad
that they had not appeared sooner, to spoil the adventure of the night;
but she was thankful to have the way home thus illumined, now that the
business was done. She answered with so much alacrity to Oddo's
question whether she was not very weary, that he ventured to say two
things which had before been upon his tongue, without his having courage
to utter them.

"You will not be so afraid of Nipen any more," observed he, glancing at
her face, of which he could see every feature by the quivering light.
"You see how well everything has turned out."

"O, hush! It is too soon yet to speak so. It is never right to speak
so. There is no knowing till next Christmas, nor even then, that Nipen
forgives; and the first twenty-four hours are not over yet. Pray do not
speak any more, Oddo."

"Well, not about that. But what was it exactly that you thought Hund
would do with this boat and those people? Did you think," he continued,
after a short pause, "that they would come up to Erlingsen's to rob the
place?"

"Not for the object of robbing the place, because there is very little
that is worth their taking, far less than at the fishing-grounds; not
but they might have robbed us, if they took a fancy to anything we have.
No! I thought, and I still think, that they would have carried off
Rolf, led on by Hund--"

"O, ho! carried off Rolf! So here is the secret of your wonderful
courage to-night--you who durst not look round at your own shadow last
night! This is the secret of your not being tired--you who are out of
breath with rowing a mile sometimes!"

"That is in summer," pleaded Erica; "however, you have my secret, as you
say, a thing which is no secret at home. We all think that Hund bears
such a grudge against Rolf, for having got the houseman's place--"

"And for nothing else?"

"That," continued Erica, "he would be glad to--to--"

"To get rid of Rolf, and be a houseman, and get betrothed instead of
him. Well: Hund is balked for this time. Rolf must look to himself
after to-day."

Erica sighed deeply. She did not believe that Rolf would attend to his
own safety, and