He hurried Glory Goldie over to the lawn in front of the
manor-house, out of temptation's way. It was plain that her
thoughts were still on the apple trees and the gooseberry bushes,
for she never even glanced at the prettily dressed children of the
upper class or at the beautiful flowers. Jan could not get her to
listen to the fine speeches delivered by the Dean of Bro and
Engineer Boraeus of Borg, in honour of the day. Why she would not
even listen to Sexton Blackie's congratulatory poem!

Anders Öster's clarinet could be heard from the house. It was
playing such lively dance music just then that folks were hardly
able to hold themselves still, but the little girl only tried to
find a pretext for getting back to the orchard.

Jan kept a firm grip on her hand all the while and no matter what
excuse she would hit upon to break away, he never relaxed his hold.
Everything went smoothly for him until evening, when dusk fell.

Then coloured lanterns were brought out and set in the flower beds
and hung in the trees and in among the clinging ivy that covered
the house wall. It was such a pretty sight that Jan, who had never
before seen anything of that kind, quite lost his head and hardly
knew whether he was still on earth; but just the same he did not
let go of the little hand.

When the lanterns had been lighted, Anders Öster and his nephew and
the village shopkeeper and his brother-in-law struck up a song.
While they sang the air seemed to vibrate with a strange sort of
rapture that took away all sadness and depression. It came so