The Lensmand himself put in a word, and said:  “This is the second of these cases I’ve had while I’ve been here—­first with Inger from Sellanraa, and now this.  No, it’s no good trying to countenance that sort of thing—­justice must take its course.”

But Fru Heyerdahl guessed, no doubt, that Axel was not over pleased with her speech of the day before, and tried to smooth it over, to make up for it somehow now.  “You understood, of course, why I had to say all that about you yesterday?”

“H’m—­ye—­es,” said Axel.

“You understood, of course, I know.  You didn’t think I wanted to make things harder for you in any way.  I’ve always thought well of you, and I don’t mind saying so.”

“Ay,” said Axel, no more.  But he was pleased and touched at her words.

“Yes, I mean it,” said Fru Heyerdahl.  “But I was obliged to try and shift the blame a little your way, otherwise Barbro would have been convicted, and you too.  It was all for the best, indeed it was.”

“I thank you kindly,” said Axel.

“And it was I and no other that went about from one to another through the place, trying to do what I could for you both.  And you saw, of course, that we all had to do the same thing—­make out that you were partly to blame, so as to get you both off in the end.”

“Ay,” said Axel.

“Surely you didn’t imagine for a moment that I meant any harm to you?  When I’ve always thought so well of you!”

Ay, this was good to hear after all the disgrace of it.  Axel, at any rate, was so touched that he felt he must do something, give Fru Heyerdahl something or other, whatever he could find—­a piece of meat perhaps, now autumn was come.  He had a young bull....

Fru Lensmand Heyerdahl kept her word; she took Barbro to live with her.  On board the steamer, too, she looked after the girl, and saw that she was not cold, nor hungry; took care, also, that she did not get up to any nonsense with the mate from Bergen.  The first time it occurred, she said nothing, but simply called Barbro to her.  But a little while after there was Barbro with him again, her head on one side, talking Bergen dialect and smiling.  Then her mistress called her up and said:  “Really, Barbro, you ought not to be going on like that among the men now.  Remember what you’ve just been through, and what you’ve come from.”

“I was only talking to him a minute,” said Barbro.  “I could hear he was from Bergen.”

Axel did not speak to her.  He noticed that she was pale and clear-skinned now, and her teeth were better.  She did not wear either of his rings....

And now here is Axel tramping up to his own place once more.  Wind and rain, but he is glad at heart; a mowing-machine and a harrow down at the quay; he had seen them.  Oh, that Geissler!  Never a word had he said in town about what he had sent.  Ay, an unfathomable man was Geissler.

Chapter VIII