he matter by return mail.

This urgent letter also explained Sylvius Hogg's interest in the mate
of the "Viking," the invaluable service rendered him by the young
man's betrothed, and the pleasure it would afford him to be able to
give some encouragement to Dame Hansen's children.

As soon as this letter was finished Joel took it to Moel so it would
go on the following day. It would reach Bergen on the eleventh, so a
reply to it ought to be received on the evening of the twelfth or the
morning of the thirteenth at the very latest.

Nearly three days of dreary waiting! How interminable they seemed!
Still, by dint of reassuring words and encouraging arguments, the
professor contrived to alleviate the painful suspense. Now he knew
Hulda's secret, was there not a topic of conversation ever ready? And
what a consolation it was to Joel and his sister to be able to talk of
the absent one!

"I am one of the family now," Sylvius Hogg repeated again and again.
"Yes, I am like an uncle that has just arrived from America or some
foreign land."

And as he was one of the family, they must have no more secrets from
him.

Of course he had not failed to notice the children's constrained
manner toward their mother, and he felt satisfied that the reserve the
parent displayed had its origin in something besides the uneasiness
she felt on Ole Kamp's account. He thought he might venture to
question Joel; but the latter was unable to give any satisfactory
reply. The professor than ventured to sound Dame Hansen on the
subject, but she was so uncommunicative that he was obliged to abandon
all hope of obtaining any knowledge of her secret until some future
day.

As Sylvius Hogg had predicted, the letter from Help, Junior, reached
Dal on the morning of the thirteenth. Joel started out before daylight
to meet the postman, and it was he who brought the letter into the
large hall where the professor was sitting with Dame Hansen and her
daughter.

There was a moment's silence. Hulda, who was as pale as death, was
unable to utter a word so violent was the throbbing of her heart, but
she seized the hand of her brother, who was equally agitated, and held
it tightly.

Sylvius Hogg opened the letter and read it aloud.

To his great regret the missive contained only some very
vague information; and the professor was unable to conceal his
disappointment from the young people who listened to the letter with
tears in their eyes.

The "Viking"