-oh, a wonderful
machine, an idol to worship, and it had just come. A thing like that
must carry a blessing with it. And the powers above, that guide the
footsteps of men, might be watching him now at this moment, to see if
he deserved a blessing or not. Isak gave much thought to the
powers above; ay, he had seen God with his own eyes, one night in
harvest-time, in the woods; it was rather a curious sight.

Isak went out into the yard and stood over the bundle. He was still in
doubt; he thrust his hat back and scratched his head, which gave him
a devil-may-care appearance for the moment; something lordly and
careless, as it might have been a Spaniard. But then he must have
thought something like this: "Nay, here am I, and far from being in
any way splendid or excellent; a very dog." And then he tied up the
bundle neatly once more, picked up the cap, and carried all back into
the barn again. And that was done.

As he went out from the barn and over to the mill, away from the yard,
away from everything, there was no Inger to be seen in the window of
the house. Nay, then, let her be where she pleased--no doubt she was
in bed--where else should she be? But in the old days, in those first
innocent years, Inger could never rest, but sat up at nights waiting
for him when he had been down to the village. It was different now,
different in every way. As, for instance, when he had given her that
ring. Could anything have been more utterly a failure? Isak had been
gloriously modest, and far from venturing to call it a gold ring.
"'Tis nothing grand, but you might put it on your finger just to try."

"Is it gold?" she asked.

"Ay, but 'tis none so thick," said he.

And here she was to have answered: "Ay, but indeed it is." But instead
she had said: "No, 'tis not very thick, but still...."

"Nay, 'tis worth no more than a bit of grass, belike," said he at
last, and gave up hope.

But Inger had indeed been glad of the ring, and wore it on her right
hand, looking fine there when she was sewing; now and again she would
let the village girls try it on, and sit with it on their finger for
a bit when they came up to ask of this or that. Foolish Isak--not to
understand that she was proud of it beyond measure!...

It was a profitless business sitting there alone in the mill,
listening to the fall the whole night through. Isak had done no wrong;
he had no cause to hide himself away. He left the mill, went up over
the fields, and ho