walk.

"I thought you had to cross the fjeld anyhow?" I said.

She was too shrewd to deny it outright, for in that case she, the daughter
of the old man at the Tore Peak farm, would have been going with the
tourists solely to carry their luggage.

"Yes, but there's no hurry. I was to have visited someone, but that can
wait till the winter."

We stood arguing about this, and I was so stubborn that I threatened to
throw all the luggage down the mountainside, and then she would see!

"Then I'll just take them and carry them myself," replied Josephine, "and
then _you'll_ see!"

By this time the others had caught up with us, and before I knew what had
happened, one of the strangers had come forward and lifted the burden from
my back, taken off his cap with a great deal of ceremony, and told me his
own and his companions' names. I must excuse them, I really must forgive
them; this was too bad, he had been so unobserving....

I told him I could easily have carried him as well as the bags. It is not
strength I lack; but day and night I carry about with me the ape of all
the diseases, who is heavy as lead. Ah, well, many another groans under a
burden of stupidity, which is little better. We all have our cross to
bear....

Then Josephine and I turned homeward again.