Eleseus goes on and on.  The two in the cart ahead pass by Storborg.  Eleseus goes a long way round, and he too passes by; what was he to do there, at home, at his trading station and store?  The two in the cart get to Sellanraa at nightfall; Eleseus is close at their heels.  Sees Sivert come out in the yard, all surprised to see Jensine, and the two shake hands and laugh a little; then Sivert takes the horse out and leads it to stable.

Eleseus ventures forward; the pride of the family, he ventures up a little.  Not walking up, but stealing up; he comes on Sivert in the stable. “’Tis only me,” he says.

“What—­you too?” says Sivert, all astonished again.

The two brothers begin talking quietly; about Sivert getting his mother to find some money; a last resource, the money for a journey.  Things can’t go on this way; Eleseus is weary of it; has been thinking of it a long time now, and he must go tonight; a long journey, to America, and start tonight.

“America?” says Sivert out loud.

“Sh!  I’ve been thinking of it a long time, and you must get her to do as I say; it can’t go on like this, and I’ve been thinking of going for ever so long.”

“But America!” says Sivert.  “No, don’t you do it.”

“I’m going.  I’ve settled that.  Going back now to catch the boat.”

“But you must have something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“But rest a bit, then?”

“No.”

Sivert is trying to act for the best, and hold his brother back, but Eleseus is determined, ay, for once he is determined.  Sivert himself is all taken aback; first of all it was a surprise to see Jensine again, and now here’s Eleseus going to leave the place altogether, not to say the world.  “What about Storborg?” says he.  “What’ll you do with it?”

“Andresen can have it,” says Sivert.

“Andresen have it?  How d’you mean?”

“Isn’t he going to have Leopoldine?”

“Don’t know about that.  Ay; perhaps he is.”

They talk quietly, keep on talking.  Sivert thinks it would be best if his father came out and Eleseus could talk to him himself; but “No, no!” whispers Eleseus again; he was never much of a man to face a thing like that, but always must have a go-between.

Says Sivert:  “Well, mother, you know how ’tis with her.  There’ll be no getting any way with her for crying and talking on.  She mustn’t know.”

“No,” Eleseus agrees, “she mustn’t know.”

Sivert goes off, stays away for ages, and comes back with money, a heap of money.  “Here, that’s all he has; think it’ll be enough?  Count—­he didn’t count how much there was.”

“What did he say—­father?”

“Nay, he didn’t say much.  Now you must wait a little, and I’ll get some more clothes on and go down with you.”

“’Tis not worth while; you go and lie down.”

“Ho, are you frightened of the dark that I mustn’t go away?” says Sivert, trying a moment to be cheerful.