The pastor was the last to leave. While Lars was seeing him to the
gate he spoke quite voluntarily of that which had just taken place.

"Did you mark, Pastor, it was the Sunday after Midsummer Day I was
to be on my guard?" he said. "That just shows it was the girl Jan
had in mind. It was the Sunday after Midsummer of last year that I
was over at Jan's place to have an understanding with him about the
hut."

All these explanations only distressed the pastor the more. Of a
sudden he put his hand on Lars's shoulder and tried to read his
face.

"I'm not your judge, Lars Gunnarson," he said in warm, reassuring
tones, "but if you have something on your conscience, you can come
to me. I shall look for you every day. Only don't put it off too
long!"


AN OLD TROLL

The second winter of the little girl's absence from home was an
extremely severe one. By the middle of January it had grown so
unbearably cold that snow had to be banked around all the little
huts in the Ashdales as a protection against the elements, and
every night the cows had to be covered with straw, to keep them
from freezing to death.

It was so cold that the bread froze; the cheese froze, and even the