road, but in the cool, thick foliage it had been cleansed and freshened, while the yellow linden flowers had given it moisture and fragrance. In the

e whole figure. Nothing was luxuriant except the partly loosened hair of dull gold, from which the little dark blue cap had slipped until it hung on her back like a tiny cowl. Otherwise there was no suggestion of the convent in

ong the bushes to her right. Now and then, she would stop, shake the hair from her cheeks, and look up to the light. The softened glow gave her child-white face a faint golden sheen and made the blue - 4 - shadows under the eyes less marked. The scarlet of her

. At the end of the path, she stopped and began to rock on her heel, first to the right, then to the left, still with

ight from the burnished leaves. The amber-bush trailed its white garlands in and out among thirsty balsamines, nightshade, gillyflowers, and pinks, which stood huddling like sheep in the open. The peas and beans flanking th

d a large arbor, a relic from the days of the Belows. A wide circle of elms had been woven together at the top as far as the branches would reach, and a framework of withes closed the round opening in the centre

agments on the ground, while only one small piece was unsteadily poised on a corner of the frame. The child sat down before it, pulled her feet up under her on the bench, le

naked shoulder against the cold, smooth door, and sobs, and she hears him walking inside on the soft carpet, and through the keyhole the light from the scented taper falls and makes a little sun on her bare breast. And she steals away, and goes down the dark staircase, and it is quite still, and she hears nothing but the soft patter of her own feet on the ice-cold steps. Then she goes out into the snow-no, it's rain, pouring rain, and the heavy

pulls off her robe and her underkirtle, and his huge black hands brush the rings from her soft white arms, and another big, half-naked, brown and shaggy churl puts his hairy arm around her waist, and he kicks off her sandals with his clumsy feet, and Bertel winds her long black locks around

time. She shook her head and looked more and more vexed. At las

, tickling her, and made her jump up. She went to the door and tried to pick a rose growing high among the leaves, but could not reach it. Then she began to gather - 7 - the blossoms of the climbing rose outside, and getting mor

her frock, brushed off the loose petals and green leaves that had caught

on air, each petal rounded like a tiny vault, soft in the shadow, but gleaming in the sun with thousands of fine light-points; with all its fair blood-of-ro

one motion swept everything from the table, and went out into the garden, pulling down her sleeves as she walked. With flushed cheeks and quickened step, she followed the path to the end, then skirted the garden toward the turnpi

ning sound of the blows, ran toward the house, darted

fourteen-year-old daughter of Sq

stable milking, while the men busied themselves about the wagons and harness in the shed. The tenant farmers, after

wly, one by one, from the stable and went up to the watering-trough. A red-capped boy was hard at work putting new t

the yard, and the farmers were straggling in, as though to hasten the supper-bell. The rattling of plates and trenchers grew louder in the kitchen, and presently some one pulled the bell violently, letti

th two windows and - 9 - a high oak panelling. Glazed Dutch tiles covered the walls with a design of blue nosegays on a white ground. The fireplace was set with burned bricks, and a chest of drawers had been placed before it as a screen against the draught th

the other a mug of milk, warm from the udder. Placing the mug before him, she seated herself at the table. One large red hand

day!" she

ked Erik Grubb

ter stewing 'roun' till I've

ks have to work up heat in

ggle-tails,-sweethearts an' town-talk's all they think of. Ef they do a bit o' work, they boggle it, an' it's fer me to do over. Walbor's sick, an' Stina an' Bo'l-the sluts-th

10

rie last winter, if you'd taught her gently the right knack of things, you might have had some help from her now, but you were rough and cros

her, till the poor child might wish she'd never been born,-and I wish she hadn't, though it breaks my heart. Alack-a-day, may God have mercy upon us! Ye're not the same father to the two children, but sure it's right that the sins of the fathers should be visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation-and the sins of the mother too, and little Anne's nothin' but a whore's brat-ay, I tell

rang up and st

our bed and sleep off your booze and your spleen too! 'Twould serve you right if I boxed your ears, you shrew

obbed

re, have ye seen me in the scullery with a fuddled head? Have y' ever heard me talkin' drivel? Show me the spot where ye've seen me o'ercome with drink

, and the beat of horses' hoof

, and Erik Grubbe opened th

Fovsing," answered one of

nd him in," and with these

chair and held up one hand to s

became necessary that he should travel to Aarhus and possibly even to Copenhagen, - 12 - he made inquiry of Erik Grubbe whether he would accompany him on the road so far as served his convenience, for they might at least end the suit they were bringin

be ready for the journey, and the

one while he was away, and decided that Marie should go with him

came to the question of letting Marie take with her sundry dresses and jewels that had belonged to her dead mot

this time it was only the pastor of Tje

house!" he said

was rough as a crow's nest, grayish and tangled, but his face was of a deep yet cle

sigh over the - 13 - poor harvest of last year. Meanwhile the pastor was casting sidelong glances at the mug and finally said: "Your honor is always tempe

you must taste a keg of genuine mum that we brought home from Viborg the other day. She'

ornamented with silver rings wer

nk to ea

pastor in a voice that trembled with emotion. He leaned back b

oisseur," smirk

ne was allowed to put a finger to it he had to go to the oldest journeyman and lay his hand on the great scales and swear by fire and blood and water that he harbored no spiteful or evil thoughts, for such might harm the beer. The man also told me that on Sundays, when the church-bells sounded, they would open all the doors and - 14 - windows to let the ringing pass over the beer. But the most important

Grubbe. "I have more faith, I own, in the B

taken his hands from the earth, then all things were still so engirded with his power that they exhaled healing and all that was good for time and eternity. But now the earth is no longer new nor fine: it is defiled with the sins of many generations. Now it is only at particular times that these powers manifest themselves,

as, Past

e with none bu

tidings that war h

15

he day! Yet it had

ng, they might as well have waite

make no doubt. They still feel the smart o

war. They know it will pass them by as usual. Well, it's a good time for n

d High Constable d

e made of preaching quiet in an ant-hill. Well, the war's here,

o the journey. Meanwhile they had not neglected the tankard. The beer had gone to their heads, and Erik Grubbe, who was just telling about his vo

sticulating with one hand, growing more and more excited, until at last he happened to strike the table with his fist, and sank down again with a frightened look at Erik Grubbe

e me, as I bear witness solemnly with my mouth-two heaping full barrels of malt in my own new sacks. For they were not my sacks, never kingdom without end, 'twas your own old sacks, and my new ones you kept,-and it was rotten malt-verily! See the abomination of desolation, a

w delightfully drunk the parson was. But at last some sense of what was being said appeared to pierce his mind. His face suddenly became chalky white; he seized the tankard and threw it at the pastor, who fell backward from his chair

hting the room brightly for a moment, then - 17 - leaving it almo

s voice first deep and threateni

dn't give so much as a silver eightpenny bit in Christian Abraham's bosom. And now you are in torments-but no one shall dip the tip of his finger in water for you,"-and he st

evenge. He caught the arm of his chair firmly, stretched to his full length, and k

ring of the two old gentlemen and the monotonous drip,