ould come no silent pause, and so
that the time of getting back to the castle should be put off as long
as possible. Neither of them had yet mentioned a single memory
connected with the castle itself or with the cow house. They had not
visited either of these places yet, and they had avoided all mention of
their mother.

But now they knew that the time had come when these sad things could be
avoided no longer. They dragged themselves slowly down over the last
ridge, talking more rapidly and nervously, and with loud and forced
laughter. Then suddenly their laughter ceased as if it had been cut
straight across,--they had come out on the ridge just back of the cow
house. They became very, very quiet, and stood awhile with heads cast
down. Then they turned toward each other and their eyes met. It did not
seem at all as if they had just been laughing,--their eyes were so
strangely big and bright. While they stood looking at each other there
came suddenly the "klunk" of a bell over from Svehaugen. At that Jacob
shook his head, as if shaking himself free from something, and said in
a most indifferent manner, "Do you think that is the Svehaugen bell we
hear over there?"

Lisbeth answered as unconcernedly as she could, "Yes, it is; I remember
it."

"What cow do you believe they have at Svehaugen now for their home
milking?"

"We could go over there and see whether it is--Bliros."

That was the first time since her mother's death that Lisbeth had
spoken Bliros's name aloud. But to do that was easier than to name her
mother.

It was not long before Lisbeth and Jacob were on their way over to
Svehaugen. They had gone round the castle and the cow house without
going very near them,--it was not worth while to tread down the grass,
Jacob said. As they had expected, they found Bliros at Svehaugen; she
was standing close by the gate. And they really thought that she knew
Lisbeth again. They petted her, and talked to her, and gave her waffles
and pancakes. It was just as if they wanted to make amends for not
having had courage to stir up the memories connected with their old
home itself. Jacob's heart was so touched at the last that he promised
to buy Bliros back and give her to Lisbeth as soon as he was grown up.
At that Lisbeth could contain herself no longer. She put her arms
around Bliros's neck, looked at her a long time, and said, "Do you
believe, Jacob, that Bliros remembers mother?" And then she began to
cry.

That que