“So she wants to become one of you!” he murmured faintly.  “Many things can happen here while one is up in the dark forest.”  Ingmar seemed to think that all this time Hellgum had been ingratiating himself with Gertrude, and had laid snares to catch her.  “But what’s to become of me?” he asked suddenly.  And there was a strange, helpless appeal in his voice.

“You must embrace our faith,” said Halvor decisively.  “Hellgum is back now, and if he talks to you once, you’ll soon become converted.”

“But maybe I don’t care to be converted!”

Halvor and Karin stared at Ingmar in speechless amazement.

“Maybe I don’t want any faith but my father’s.”

“Don’t say anything until you have had a talk with Hellgum,” begged Karin.

“But if I don’t join you I suppose you won’t want me to remain under your roof?” said Ingmar, rising.  As they did not reply, it seemed to him that all at once he had been cut off from everything.  Then he pulled himself together and looked more determined.  “Now I want to know what you’re going to do about the sawmill!” he demanded, thinking it was best to have this matter settled once for all.

Halvor and Karin exchanged glances; both were afraid of committing themselves.

“You know, Ingmar, that there is no one in the world who is more dear to us than you,” said Halvor.

“Yes, yes; but what about the sawmill?” Ingmar insisted.

“The principal thing is to get all your timber sawed.”

At Halvor’s evasive reply, Ingmar drew his own conclusions.  “Maybe Hellgum wants to run the sawmill, too?”

Karin and Halvor were perplexed at Ingmar’s show of temper; since telling him that about Gertrude, they could not seem to get anywhere near him.

“Let Hellgum talk to you,” pleaded Karin.

“Oh, I’ll let him talk to me,” said Ingmar, “but first I’d like to know just where I stand.”

“Surely, Ingmar, you must know that we wish you well!”

“But Hellgum is to run the sawmill?”

“We must find some suitable employment for Hellgum so that he may remain in his own country.  We have been thinking that possibly you and he might become business partners, provided you accept the only true faith.  Hellgum is a good worker.”  This from Halvor.

“Since when have you been afraid to speak plainly, Halvor?” said Ingmar.  “All I want to know is whether Hellgum is to have the sawmill.”

“He is to have it if you resist God,” Halvor declared.

“I’m obliged to you for telling me what a good stroke of business it would be for me to adopt your faith.”

“You know well enough it wasn’t meant in that way,” said Karin reprovingly.

“I understand quite well what you mean,” returned Ingmar.  “I’m to lose Gertrude and the sawmill and the old home unless I go over to the Hellgumists.”  Then Ingmar turned suddenly and walked out of the house.