ews, and served to keep
him from the worst depth of despair. Tired and worn out as he was,
he packed up some food in a bag and set off for the village at once.
Maybe he had some little hope of seeing Inger once again before she
left there.

But he was disappointed. Inger was gone--for eight years. Isak felt
himself in a mist of darkness and emptiness; heard only a word here
and there of all the Lensmand said--a pity such things should happen
... hoped it might be a lesson to her ... reform and be a better woman
after, and not kill her children any more!

Lensmand Heyerdahl had married the year before. His wife had no
intention of ever being a mother--no children for her, thank you! And
she had none.

"And now," said the Lensmand, "this business about Sellanraa. At
last I am in a position to settle it definitely. The Department is
graciously pleased to approve the sale of the land, more or less
according to the terms I suggested."

"H'm," said Isak.

"It has been a lengthy business, but I have the satisfaction of
knowing that my endeavours have not been altogether fruitless. The
terms I proposed have been agreed to almost without exception."

"Without exception," said Isak, and nodded.

"Here are the title-deeds. You can have the transfer registered at the
first session."

"Ay," said Isak. "And how much is there to pay?"

"Ten _Daler_ a year. The Department has made a slight alteration
here--ten _Daler_ per annum instead of five. You have no objection to
that, I presume?"

"As long as I can manage to pay ..." said Isak.

"And for ten years." Isak looked up, half frightened.

"Those are the terms--the Department insists. Even then, it's no price
really for all that land, cleared and cultivated as it is now."

Isak had the ten _Daler_ for that year--it was the money he had got
for his loads of wood, and for the cheeses Inger had laid by. He paid
the amount, and had still a small sum left.

"It's a lucky thing for you the Department didn't get to hear about
your wife," said the Lensmand. "Or they might have sold to some one
else."

"Ay," said Isak. He asked about Inger. "Is it true that she's gone
away for eight years?"

"That is so. And can't be altered--the law must take its course. As
a matter of fact, the sentence is extraordinarily light. There's one
thing you must do now--that is, to set up clear boundaries between
your land and the State's. A straight, direct line, following the
marks I set up