was trouble now and again. She had been with him now for a couple of
years, and they had had words before; mostly when Barbro talked of
finding another place. He wanted her to stay there for ever, to settle
down there and share the house and life with him; he knew how hard
it would be for him if he were left without help again. And she had
promised several times--ay, in her more affectionate moments she would
not think of going away at all. But the moment they quarrelled about
anything, she invariably threatened to go. If for nothing else, she
must go to have her teeth seen to in town. Go, go away ... Axel felt
he must find a means to keep her.

Keep her? A lot Barbro cared for his trying to keep her if she didn't
want to stay.

"Ho, so you want to go away again?" said he.

"Well, and if I do?"

"_Can_ you, d'you think?"

"Well, and why not? If you think I'm afraid because the winter's
coming on ... But I can get a place in Bergen any day I like."

Then said Axel steadily enough: "It'll be some time before you can do
that, anyway. As long as you're with child."

"With child? What are you talking about?"

Axel stared. Was the girl mad? True, he himself should have been more
patient. Now that he had the means of keeping her, he had grown too