instead, the effect of a roar and a disturbance, of something
inharmonious that caused her to quiver with discomfort. Involuntarily
she drew nearer to Kjersti on the wagon seat. She felt a longing for
one thing only,--silence. Thus they drove for a while along the sunlit
valley road.

Then suddenly a broad wave of sound came rolling toward them. The
church bells were adding their tones--broad, peaceful, sure--to the
general chorus. They did not drown the sounds of the spring, but took
them up, as it were, and ordered them, harmonized them, used them as a
gentle accompaniment; so that the whole seemed like a great psalm
singing and organ playing.

At the sound of the bells there came to Lisbeth a feeling of peace,
solemnity, and holiness, such as she had never known before. She felt
lifted up. A change came over the world about her: everything became
lighter, loftier, as if prepared for a sacred festival. She felt a
mighty gladness within her.

From that time on she had but a confused consciousness of what took
place. On arriving at the church she thought that the gathering of
people around it had never been so large or so reverent in demeanor,
and that the church had never looked so tall and shining.

As she went inside and walked up the church aisle she felt very erect
and free. The same wonderful light was within the church, too. And when
she looked down the lines of those who were to be confirmed with her,
as they stood with bowed heads on each side of the middle aisle, she
thought that their faces were strangely radiant.

When the priest came into the chancel it seemed to her that he was much
larger than ever before, and that his face was, oh, so mild! He began
to speak; and though she did not really hear or understand what he
said, she felt that it was something great and good, and it thrilled
her like music.

As soon as the psalm singing began she joined in with a stronger voice
than usual, her breast swelling involuntarily. When it came her turn to
be questioned she hardly knew whether she had heard what the priest
asked or not, but she was sure, nevertheless, that her answer, which
came forth clear and firm, was the right one. And when she knelt down
and gave the priest her hand, as the ceremony required, it seemed to
her that the awkward figures in the old altar pictures smiled
benignantly upon her.

She did not come wholly to herself until the confirmation ceremony was
entirely over and she had gone