She comes home alone.  And well that she came just then, a fortunate thing.  A minute later had not been well at all.  Isak had just come into the courtyard with his forge, and Aronsen—­and there is a horse and cart just pulled up.

“Goddag,” says Geissler, greeting Inger as well.  And there they stand, all looking one at another—­couldn’t be better....

Geissler back again.  Years now since he was there, but he is back again, aged a little, greyer a little, but bright and cheerful as ever.  And finely dressed this time, with a white waistcoat and gold chain across.  A man beyond understanding!

Had he an inkling, maybe, that something was going on up at the mine, and wanted to see for himself?  Well, here he was.  Very wide awake to look at, glancing round at the place, at the land, turning his head and using his eyes every way.  There are great changes to note; the Margrave had extended his domains.  And Geissler nods.

“What’s that you’re carrying?” he asks Isak. “’Tis a load for one horse in itself,” says he.

“’Tis for a forge,” explains Isak.  “And a mighty useful thing to have on a bit of a farm,” says he—­ay, calling Sellanraa a bit of a farm, no more!

“Where did you get hold of it?”

“Up at the mine.  Engineer, he gave me the thing for a present, he said.”

“The company’s engineer?” says Geissler, as if he had not understood.

And Geissler, was he to be outdone by an engineer on a copper mine?  “I’ve heard you’d got a mowing-machine,” says he, “and I’ve brought along a patent raker thing that’s handy to have.”  And he points to the load on the cart.  There it stood, red and blue, a huge comb, a hayrake to be driven with horses.  They lifted it out of the cart and looked at it; Isak harnessed himself to the thing and tried it over the ground.  No wonder his mouth opened wide!  Marvel on marvel coming to Sellanraa!

They spoke of the mine, of the work up in the hills.  “They were asking about you, quite a lot,” said Isak.

“Who?”

“The engineer, and all the other gentlemen.  ’Have to get hold of you somehow,’ they said.”

Oh, but here Isak was saying overmuch, it seemed.  Geissler was offended, no doubt; he turned sharp and curt, and said:  “Well, I’m here, if they want me.”

Next day came the two messengers back from Sweden, and with them a couple of the mine-owners; on horseback they were, fine gentlemen and portly; mighty rich folk, by the look of them.  They hardly stopped at Sellanraa at all, simply asked a question or so about the road, without dismounting, and rode on up the hill.  Geissler they pretended not to see, though he stood quite close.  The messengers with their loaded packhorses rested for an hour, talked to the men at work on the building, learned that the old gentleman in the white waistcoat and gold chain was Geissler, and then they too went on again.  But that same evening one of them came riding down to the place with a message by word of mouth for Geissler to come up to the gentlemen at the mines.  “I’m here if they want me,” was the answer Geissler sent back.