the intention of chartering a boat to take him over to his father. For
the present, however, he remained sitting upon the chest, gazing out
abstractedly over the harbour.

The result of his reflections was that he gave up his idea of plying to
Holland.

He took a boat to Sandvigen, but while they were on the way, he suddenly
made the boatman change his course, and put in to the slip on the other
side of the harbour. He must talk to Elizabeth's aunt. There was
something in his mind all the time that wouldn't let him altogether
believe the worst.

When he went in to the old woman, she recognised him at once.

"How do you do, Salvé?" she said, quite calmly. "You have been a long
while away--half a century almost."

She offered him a chair, but he remained standing, and asked abruptly--

"Is it true that Elizabeth--left Beck's like that--and went to Holland?"

"How do you mean like that?" she asked, sharply, while her face flushed
slightly.

"As people say," replied Salvé, with bitter emphasis.

"When people say it, a fool like you of course must believe it," she
rejoined, derisively. "I don't understand why you want to come here to
her old aunt for information when it seems you have so many other