p in the rug, and she can lie down in the cart and
sleep as long as she likes."

"'Twill shake her all to pieces," said Isak, and carries her on. They
cross the moors and get into the woods again.

"_Ptro_!" says Inger, and the horse stops. She takes the child from
Isak, gets him to shift the chest and the sewing-machine, making a
place for Leopoldine in the bottom of the cart. "Shaken? not a bit of
it!"

Isak fixes things to rights, tucks his little daughter up in the rug,
and lays his jacket folded under her head. Then off again.

Man and wife gossiping of this and that. The sun is up till late in
the evening, and the weather warm.

"Oline," says Inger--"where does she sleep?"

"In the little room."

"Ho! And the boys?"

"They've their own bed in the big room. There's two beds there, just
as when you went away."

"Looking at you now," said Inger, "I can see you're just as you were
before. And those shoulders of yours, they've carried some burdens up
along this way, but they've not grown the weaker by it, seems."

"H'm. Maybe. What I was going to say: How it was like with you all the
years there? Bearable like?" Oh, Isak was soft at heart now; he asked
her that, and wondered in his mind.

And Inger said: "Ay, 'twas nothing to complain of."

They talked more feelingly together, and Isak asked if she wasn't
tired of walking, and would get up in the cart a bit of way. "No,
thanks all the same," said she. "But I don't know what's the matter
with me today; after being ill on the boat, I feel hungry all the
time."

"Why, did you want something, then?"

"Yes, if you don't mind stopping so long."

Oh, that Inger, maybe 'twas not for herself at all, but for Isak's
sake. She would have him eat again; he had spoiled his last meal
chewing twigs of heather.

And the evening was light and warm, and they had but a few miles more
to go; they sat down to eat again.

Inger took a parcel from her box, and said:

"I've a few things I brought along for the boys. Let's go over there
in the bushes, it's warmer there."

They went across to the bushes, and she showed him the things; neat
braces with buckles for the boys to wear, copy-books with copies at
the top of the page, a pencil for each, a pocket-knife for each. And
there was an excellent book for herself, she had. "Look, with my name
in and all. A prayer-book." It was a present from the Governor, by way
of remembrance.

Isak admired each thing in silence. She