One Sunday he went down just to look; to peep and spy. With a sickly
and unnatural patience he lay in hiding among the bushes, staring over
at the hut. And when at last there came a sign of life and movement it
was enough to make an end of him altogether: Axel and Barbro came
out together and went across to the cowshed. They were loving and
affectionate now, ay, they had a blessed hour; they walked with their
arms round each other, and he was going to help her with the animals.
Ho, yes!

Eleseus watched the pair with a look as if he had lost all; as a
ruined man. And his thought, maybe, was like this: There she goes arm
in arm with Axel Ström. How she could ever do it I can't think; there
was a time when she put her arms round me! And there they disappeared
into the shed.

Well, let them! Huh! Was he to lie here in the bushes and forget
himself? A nice thing for him--to lie there flat on his belly and
forget himself. Who was she, after all? But he was the man he was.
Huh! again.

He sprang to his feet and stood up. Brushed the twigs and dust from
his clothes and drew himself up and stood upright again. His rage and
desperation came out in a curious fashion now: he threw all care to
the winds, and began singing a ballad of highly frivolous import. And
there was an earnest expression on his face as he took care to sing
the worst parts loudest of all.