The dance was still going on inside, but none of the girls left us to go
in and join.

"I'll bet you now," said Falkenberg, with a swagger, "that Emma'd be only
too glad to be out here with us."

Helene and Ronnaug and Sara were there; every time they drank, they gave
their hands prettily by way of thanks, as the custom is, but some of the
others that had learned a trifle of town manners said only, "_Tak for
Skjanken_," and no more. Helene was to be Falkenberg's girl, it seemed;
he put his arm round her waist and said she was his for tonight. And when
they moved off farther and farther away from the rest of us, none called
to them to come back; we paired off, all of us, after a while, and went
our separate ways into the woods. I went with Sara.

When we came out from the wood again, there stood Ronnaug still taking the
air. Strange girl, had she been standing there alone all the time? I took
her hand and talked to her a little, but she only smiled to all I said and
made no answer. We went off towards the wood, and Sara called after us in
the darkness: "Ronnaug, come now and let's go home." But Ronnaug made no
answer; it was little she said at all. Soft, white as milk, and tall, and
still.




XX