"But I can give you greetings from Gertrude," said Karin, trying to a.s.sume a more cheerful tone. "h.e.l.lgum had many talks with her last winter; he says that she expects to join us this evening."
Ingmar"s lips began to quiver. It was as if he had been going about blindfolded all day, expecting to be shot, and now the shot had come; the bullet had pierced his heart.
"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 h.e.l.lgum 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. "h.e.l.lgum 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 h.e.l.lgum," 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 princ.i.p.al thing is to get all your timber sawed."
At Halvor"s evasive reply, Ingmar drew his own conclusions. "Maybe h.e.l.lgum 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 h.e.l.lgum 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 h.e.l.lgum is to run the sawmill?"
"We must find some suitable employment for h.e.l.lgum 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. h.e.l.lgum 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 h.e.l.lgum is to have the sawmill."
"He is to have it if you resist G.o.d," 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 h.e.l.lgumists." Then Ingmar turned suddenly and walked out of the house.
Once outside, the thought came to him that he might as well end this suspense, and find out at once where he stood with Gertrude.
So he went straight down to the school-house. When Ingmar opened the gate a mild spring rain was falling. In the schoolmaster"s beautiful garden all things had started sprouting and budding. The ground was turning green so rapidly that one could almost see the gra.s.s growing. Gertrude was standing on the steps watching the rain, and two large bird-cherry bushes, thick with newly sprung leaves, spread their branches over her. Ingmar paused a moment, astonished at finding everything down here so lovely and peaceful.
He was already beginning to feel less disquieted. Gertrude had not yet seen him. He closed the gate very gently, then went toward her.
When he was quite close he stopped and gazed at her in rapt wonder.
When he had last seen her she was hardly more than a child, but in one short year she had developed into a dignified and beautiful young lady. She was now tall and slender and quite grown up, her head was finely poised on a graceful neck; her skin was soft and fair, shading into a fresh pink about the cheeks; her eyes were deep and thoughtful, and her mouth, around which mischief and merriment had once played, now expressed seriousness and wistful longing.
On seeing Gertrude so changed, a sense of supreme happiness came to Ingmar. A peaceful stillness pervaded his whole being; it was as though he were in the presence of something great and holy. It was all so beautiful that he wanted to go down on his knees and thank G.o.d.
But when Gertrude saw Ingmar she suddenly stiffened, her eyebrows contracted, and between her eyes there appeared the shadow of a wrinkle. He saw at once that she did not like his being there, and it cut him to the quick. "They want to take her from me," he thought; "they have already taken her from me." The feeling of Sabbath peace vanished, and the old fear and anxiety returned.
Waving all ceremony, he asked Gertrude if it was true that she intended to join h.e.l.lgum and his followers. She answered that it was. Then Ingmar asked her if she had considered that the h.e.l.lgumists would not allow her to a.s.sociate with persons who did not think as they did. Gertrude quietly answered that she had carefully considered this matter.
"Have you the consent of your father and mother?" asked Ingmar.
"No," she replied; "they know nothing as yet."
"But, Gertrude--"
"Hush, Ingmar! I must do this to find peace. G.o.d compels me."
"No," he cried, "not G.o.d, but--"
Gertrude suddenly turned toward him.
Then Ingmar told her that he would never join the h.e.l.lgumists. "If you go over to them, that will part us for ever."
Gertrude looked at him as much as to say that she did not see how this could affect her.
"Don"t do it, Gertrude!" he implored.
"You mustn"t think that I"m acting heedlessly, for I have given this matter very serious thought."
"Then think it over once more before you act."
Gertrude turned from him impatiently.
"You should also think it over for h.e.l.lgum"s sake," said Ingmar with rising anger, seizing her by the arm.
She shook off his hand. "Are you out of your senses, Ingmar?" she gasped.
"Yes," he answered; "these doings of h.e.l.lgum are driving me mad.
They must be stopped!"
"What must be stopped?"
"You"ll find out before long."
Gertrude shrugged her shoulders.