. Erica," said the
kind-hearted girl. "You are worth a hundred of her. What has she to
disturb her, in comparison with you?--and yet you do just what I ask
you, and work at our business as if nothing was the matter. If you
chose to cry all day on the two graves down there at home, nobody could
think it unreasonable."

Erica was washing the bowls and cheese-moulds in juniper-water at this
moment; and her tears streamed down upon them at Frolich's kind words.

"We had better not talk about such things, dear," said she, as soon as
she could speak.

"Nay, now, I think it is the best thing we can do, Erica. Here, pour me
this cream into the pan over the fire, and I will stir, while you strain
some more whey. My back is towards you, and I cannot see you; and you
can cry as you like, while I tell you all I think."

Erica found that this free leave to cry unseen was a great help towards
stopping her tears; and she ceased weeping entirely while listening to
all that Frolich had to say in favour of Rolf being still alive and
safe. It was no great deal that could be said; only that Hund's news
was more likely to be false than true, and that there was no other
evidence of any accident having happened.

"My dear!" exclaimed Erica; "where is he now, then?--why is he not here?
O, Frolich! I can hardly wonder that we are punished when I think of
our presumption. When we were talking beside those graves on the day of
Ulla's funeral, he laughed at me for even speaking of death and
separation. `What! at our age!' he said. `Death at our age,--and
separation!'--and that with Henrica's grave before our eyes!"

"Then, perhaps, this will prove to be a short and gentle separation, to
teach him to speak more humbly. There is no being in the universe that
would send death to punish light gay words, spoken from a joyful heart.
If there were, I and many others should have been in our graves long
since. Why, Erica! this is even a worse reason than Hund's word. Now,
just tell me, Erica, would you believe anything else that Hund said?"

"In a common way, perhaps not: but you cannot think what a changed man
he is, Frolich. He is so humbled, so melancholy, so awe-struck, that he
is not like the same man."

"He may not be the better for that. He was more frightened than anybody
at the moment the owl cried, on your betrothment night, when you fancied
that Nipen had carried off Oddo. Yet never did I see Hund more
malicious than he