persistent.

"Possibly you don't know as yet how it will be?" she said.

Oh, yes, he knew all about it, only he was not quite sure how
people would regard his decision. Perhaps they might think it was
not the correct thing for an emperor to do. "I shall remain at
home," he told her. "It would never do for me to leave Katrina."

"So Katrina is not going to Portugallia?"

"No," he answered. "You couldn't get Katrina away from the hut, and
I shall stay right here with her. You see when one has promised to
love and cherish till death--"

"Yes, I understand that one can't break that vow." This was said by
the young girl who seemed most eager to know about everything. "Do
you hear that, all of you?" she added. "Jan won't leave his wife
though all the glories of Portugallia are tempting him."

And think of it! The girls were very glad of this. They patted him
on the back and told him he did right. That was a favourable sign,
they said, for it showed that all was not over yet with good old
Jan Anderson of Ruffluck Croft.

He could not make out just what they meant by that; but probably
they were happy to think the parish was not going to lose him.

They bade him good-bye now, saying they were going over to Doveness
to a garden party.