He could not leave it there in the light of day, and in his heart, perhaps, he feared some ill to himself or to the place.  He ran home for a spade and dug the grave deeper; but, being so near the stream, the water came in, and he had to shift it farther up the bank.  As he worked, his fear lest Barbro should come and find him disappeared; he grew defiant and thoroughly bitter.  Let her come, and he would make her wrap up the body neatly and decently after her, stillborn or no!  He saw well enough all he had lost by the death of the child; how he was faced now with the prospect of being left without help again on the place—­and that, moreover, with three times the stock to care for he had had at first.  Let her come—­he did not care!  But Barbro—­it might be she had some inkling of what he was at; anyway, she did not come, and Axel had to wrap up the body himself as best he could and move it to the new grave.  He laid down the turf again on top, just as before, hiding it all.  When he had done, there was nothing to be seen but a little green mound among the bushes.

He found Barbro outside the house as he came home.

“Where you been?” she asked.

The bitterness must have left him, for he only said:  “Nowhere.  Where’ve you been?”

Oh, but the look on his face must have warned her; she said no more, but went into the house.

He followed her.

“Look here,” he said, and asked her straight out, “What d’you mean by taking off those rings?”

Barbro, maybe, found it best to give way a little; she laughed, and answered:  “Well, you are serious today—­I can’t help laughing!  But if you want me to put on the rings and wear them out weekdays, why, I will!” And she got out the rings and put them on.

But seeing him look all foolish and content at that, she grew bolder.  “Is there anything else I’ve done, I’d like to know?”

“I’m not complaining,” answered he.  “And you’ve only to be as you were before, all the time before, when you first came.  That’s all I mean.”

’Tis not so easy to be always together and always agree.

Axel went on:  “When I bought that place after your father, ’twas thinking maybe you’d like better to be there, and so we could shift.  What d’you think?”

Ho, there he gave himself away; he was afraid of losing her and being left without help, with none to look to the place and the animals again—­she knew!  “Ay, you’ve said that before,” she answered coldly.

“Ay, so I have; but I’ve got no answer.”

“Answer?” said she.  “Oh, I’m sick of hearing it.”

Axel might fairly consider he had been lenient; he had let Brede and his family stay on at Breidablik, and for all that he had bought the good crop with the place, he had carted home no more than a few loads of hay, and left the potatoes to them.  It was all unreasonable of Barbro to be contrary now; but she paid no heed to that, and asked indignantly:  “So you’d have us move down to Breidablik now, and turn out a whole family to be homeless?”