The mother stood in a corner, shrinking away into almost nothing, as she gazed with sparkling eyes at Thore, who looked very grave, and had an almost stupid expression on his face.  Ole Nordistuen sat nearly opposite him, with wide-gaping mouth.  Oyvind was the first to rouse from his astonishment, and burst out,—­

“Does it not seem as if good luck went with me!”

With this he crossed the floor to his father, and gave him a slap on the shoulder that rang through the room.  “You, father!” cried he, and rubbing his hands together he continued his walk.

“How much money might it be?” finally asked Ole, in a low tone, of the school-master.

“It is not so little.”

“Some hundreds?”

“Rather more.”

“Rather more?  Oyvind, rather more!  Lord help us, what a gard it will be!”

He got up, laughing aloud.

“I must go with you up to Marit,” says Oyvind.  “We can use the conveyance that is standing outside, then it will not take long.”

“Yes, at once! at once!  Do you, too, want everything done with haste?”

“Yes, with haste and wrong.”

“With haste and wrong!  Just the way it was with me when I was young, precisely.”

“Here is your cap and staff; now I am going to drive you away.”

“You are going to drive me away, ha—­ha—­ha!  But you are coming with me; are you not?  You are coming with me?  All the rest of you come along, too; we must sit together this evening as long as the coals are alive.  Come along!”

They promised that they would come.  Oyvind helped Ole into the conveyance, and they drove off to Nordistuen.  The large dog was not the only one up there who was surprised when Ole Nordistuen came driving into the gard with Oyvind Pladsen.  While Oyvind was helping Ole out of the conveyance, and servants and laborers were gaping at them, Marit came out in the passage to see what the dog kept barking at; but paused, as if suddenly bewitched, turned fiery red, and ran in.  Old Ole, meanwhile, shouted so tremendously for her when he got into the house that she had to come forward again.

“Go and make yourself trim, girl; here is the one who is to have the gard!”

“Is that true?” she cries, involuntarily, and so loud that the words rang through the room.

“Yes; it is true!” replies Oyvind, clapping his hands.

At this she swings round on her toe, flings away what she has in her hand, and runs out; but Oyvind follows her.

Soon came the school-master, and Thore and his wife.  The old man had ordered candles put on the table, which he had had spread with a white cloth.  Wine and beer were offered, and Ole kept going round himself, lifting his feet even higher than usual; but the right foot always higher than the left.