"Have you been waiting here long?"

"No, not very long," she answered.

And without a word more from either of us, I took her by the hand and
let her into the hut.



XVII


I came from my fishing as usual, and appeared at the "ball" with the gun
and bag--only I had put on my best leather suit. It was late when I got
to Sirilund; I heard them dancing inside. Someone called out: "Here's
the hunter, the Lieutenant." A few of the young people crowded round me
and wanted to see my catch; I had shot a brace of seabirds and caught a
few haddock. Edwarda bade me welcome with a smile; she had been dancing,
and was flushed.

"The first dance with me," she said.

And we danced. Nothing awkward happened; I turned giddy, but did not
fall. My heavy boots made a certain amount of noise; I could hear it
myself, the noise, and resolved not to dance any more; I had even
scratched their painted floor. But how glad I was that I had done
nothing worse!

Herr Mack's two assistants from the store were there, laboriously and