ot to have the saw roofed in before the autumn
rains," said their father.

If only Inger had been as in the old days! But Inger was not so strong
as she had been, it seemed, and that was natural enough after her long
spell within walls. That her mind, too, seemed changed was another
matter. Strange, how little thought, how little care, she seemed to
take now; shallow and heedless--was this Inger?

One day she spoke of the child she had killed.

"And a fool I was to do it," she said. "We might have had her mouth
sewed up too, and then I needn't have throttled her." And she never
stole off now to a tiny grave in the forest, where once she had patted
the earth with her hands and set up a little cross.

But Inger was not altogether heartless yet; she cared for her other
children, kept them clean and made new clothes for them; she would sit
up late at night mending their things. It was her ambition to see them
get on in the world.

The corn was stacked, and the potatoes were taken up. Then came the
winter. No, the sawmill did not get roofed in that autumn, but that
could not be helped--after all, 'twas not a matter of life or death.
Next summer would be time and means enough.

Chapter XIII

The winter round of work was as before; carting wood, mending tools
and implements. Inger kept house, and did sewing in her spare time.
The boys were down in the village again for the long term at school.
For several winters past they had had a pair of _ski_ between them;
they managed well enough that way as long as they were at home, one
waiting while the other took his turn, or one standing on behind the
other. Ay, they managed finely with but one pair, it was the finest
thing they knew, and they were innocent and glad. But down in the
village things were different. The school was full of _ski_; even the
children at Breidablik, it seemed, had each a pair. And the end of it
was that Isak had to make a new pair for Eleseus, Sivert keeping the
old pair for his own.

Isak did more; he had the boys well clad, and gave them everlasting
boots. But when that was done, Isak went to the storekeeper and asked
for a ring.

"A ring?" said the man.

"A finger ring. Ay, I've grown that high and mighty now I must give my
wife a ring."

"Do you want a silver one, or gold, or just a brass ring dipped to
look like gold?"

"Let's say a silver ring."

The storekeeper thought for a while.

"Look you, Isak," he said. "If you want t