. It was tedious to her.

Directly after she came there, Roennaug had appeared at the Point, and
had hired out at the nearest "skyds" (post-station), in order to earn
money speedily for the purchase of a ticket to America. She was
determined to live no longer the life of an outcast here, she said.

Magnhild took charge of Roennaug's money for her, and was alarmed to note
how rapidly it increased, for she had her own thoughts about the matter.
Now the ticket was bought, Magnhild would be entirely alone.

Many were the thoughts called forth by the fact that the journey across
the sea to new and perhaps great experiences should be so easy for one
person and not for another.

One morning after a sleepless night, Magnhild took her accustomed walk
to the wharf to watch the steamer come in. She saw the usual number of
commercial travelers step ashore; the usual number of trunks carried
after them; but this day she also observed a pale man, with long, soft
hair and large eyes, walking around a box which he finally succeeded in
having lifted on a wagon. "Be careful! Be careful!" he repeated again
and again. "There must be a piano in the box," thought Magnhild.

After Magnhild had been to school, she saw the same pale man, with the
box behind him, standing before the door of her house. He was
accompanied by the landlord of one of the hotels. Skarlie had fitted up
the rooms above the sitting-room and bed-chamber for the accommodation
of travelers when the hotels were full. The pale stranger was an invalid
who wished to live quietly.

Magnhild had not thought of letting the rooms to permanent guests and
thus assuming a certain responsibility. She stood irresolute. The
stranger now drew nearer to her. Such eyes she had never beheld, nor so
refined and spiritual a face. With strange power of fascination those
wondrous eyes were fixed on her. There was, as it were, two expressions
combined in the gaze that held her captive, one behind the other.
Magnhild was unable to fathom this accurately; but in the effort to do
so she put her forefinger in her mouth, and became so absorbed in
thought that she forgot to reply.

Now the stranger's countenance changed; it grew observant. Magnhild felt
this, roused herself, blushed, gave some answer and walked away. What
did she say? Was it "Yes" or "No"? The landlord followed her. She had
said "Yes!" She was obliged to go up-stairs and see whether everything
was in readiness for a guest; she d