to herself! And of late, Isak had been something less firm in his
refusal, though he grumbled still. Ho, the first time! He had made a
whole long speech about it; not as a matter of right and reason, nor
yet from pride, but, alas! from weakness, from anger at the idea. But
now, he seemed to be giving way, as if ashamed.

"If ever I'm to have help in the house, now's the time," said Inger.
"A few years more, and Leopoldine'll be big enough to do this and
that."

"Help?" said Isak. "What do you want help with, anyway?"

"Want with it, indeed? Haven't you help yourself? Haven't you Sivert
all the time?"

What could Isak say to a meaningless argument like that? He answered:
"Ay, well; when you get a girl up here, I doubt you'll be able to
plough and sow and reap and manage all by yourselves. And then Sivert
and I can go our ways."

"That's as may be," said Inger. "But I'll just say this: that I could
get Barbro to come now; she's written home about it."

"What Barbro?" said Isak. "Is it that Brede's girl you mean?"

"Yes. She's in Bergen now."

"I'll not have that Brede's girl Barbro up here," said he. "Whoever
you get, I'll have none of her."

That was better than nothing; Isak refused to have Barbro; he no
longer said they would have no servant at all.

Barbro from Breidablik was not the sort of girl Isak approved of;
she was shallow and unsettled like her father--maybe like her mother
too--a careless creature, no steady character at all. She had not
stayed long at the Lensmand's; only a year. After her confirmation,
she went to help at the storekeeper's, and was there another year.
Here she turned pious and got religion, and when the Salvation Army
came to the village she joined it, and went about with a red band on
her sleeve and carried a guitar. She went to Bergen in that costume,
on the storekeeper's boat--that was last year. And she had just sent
home a photograph of herself to her people at Breidablik. Isak had
seen it; a strange young lady with her hair curled up and a long
watch-chain hanging down over her breast. Her parents were proud of
little Barbro, and showed the photograph about to all who came; 'twas
grand to see how she had learned town ways and got on in the world. As
for the red band and the guitar, she had given them up, it seemed.

"I took the picture along and showed it to the Lensmand's lady," said
Brede. "She didn't know her again."

"Is she going to stay in Bergen?" said Isak suspi