“Unless my eyes deceive me, that’s Karin, daughter of Ingmar!” said Mother Stina.

“It’s Karin all right,” Tims Halvor confirmed.  He said nothing more, but turned away from the window and glanced around the room, as if trying to discover some way of escape; but in a moment he quietly went back to his seat.

The summer before, when Big Ingmar was still alive, Halvor had paid court to Karin Ingmarsson.  The courtship had been a long one, with many ifs and buts on the part of her family.  The old Ingmars were not quite sure that he was good enough for Karin.  It had not been a question of money, for Halvor was well-to-do; his father, however, had been addicted to drink, and who could say but that this failing had been transmitted to the son.  However, it was finally decided that Halvor should have Karin.  The wedding day was fixed and they had asked to have the banns published.  But before the day set for the first reading Karin and Halvor made a journey to Falun, to purchase the wedding ring and the prayerbook.  They were away for three days, and when they got back Karin told her father that she could not marry Halvor.  She had no fault to find with him save that on one occasion he had taken a drop too much, and she feared he might become like his father.  Big Ingmar then said that he would not try to influence her against her better judgment, so Halvor was dismissed, and the engagement was off.

Halvor took it very much to heart.  “You are heaping upon me shame that will be hard to bear,” he said.  “What will people think if you throw me over in this way?  It isn’t fair to treat a decent man like that.”

But Karin was not to be moved, and ever since Halvor had been morose and unhappy.  He could not forget the injustice that had been done him by the Ingmarssons.  And here sat Halvor, and there came Karin!  What would happen next?  This much was certain:  a reconciliation was out of the question.  Since the previous autumn Karin had been married to one Elof Ersson.  She and her husband lived at the Ingmar Farm, which they had been running since the death of Big Ingmar, in the spring.  Big Ingmar had left five daughters and one son, but the son was too young to take over the property.

Meanwhile Karin had come in.  She was only about two and twenty, but was one of those women who never look real young.  Most people thought her exceedingly plain, for she favoured her father’s family and had their heavy eyelids, their sandy hair, and hard lines about the mouth.  But the schoolmaster and his wife were pleased to think that she bore such a striking resemblance to the old Ingmars.  When Karin saw Halvor, her face did not change.  She moved about, slowly and quietly, and greeted each of them in turn; when she offered her hand to Halvor, he put out his, and they barely touched each other with the tips of their fingers.  Karin always stooped a little and, as she stood before Halvor, with head bowed, she seemed to be more bent than usual, while Halvor looked taller and straighter than ever.