"If we set him right he can find her to-morrow."
"Yes, easily."
They sat still and watched, for they knew it would be a long time before the figure could reach them. It is so strange to watch any one coming toward you on the mountain. He walks and walks, and it can be seen from his motions that he is walking quickly, too, but he does not appear to be getting the least bit nearer. He continues to seem small and far away, and to increase very slowly in size, because the distances from point to point are so great.
The animals had risen and had begun to descend the peak in the direction of the saeter; but they concluded to lie down again and await the stranger"s approach.
At last he reached them.
They had guessed aright. He was walking about trying to find the Nordrum horses. The boys told him what they knew, and said that although he could not get them that day, he could the next day, surely.
When the question of the horses was settled the man turned to Lisbeth.
"Isn"t it you who are called Lisbeth Longfrock?"
"Yes," answered Lisbeth, "they do call me that."
"Then I bring you a greeting from Jacob, your brother. I have a letter with me from him. He wants me to bring him an answer, but there is no hurry about it until to-morrow. I shall spend the night at Hoel Saeter, whether I find the horses to-day or not. But now I must look around a little before evening comes on. I want to be sure that the horses are not on this side of the saeter." So off he went.
Lisbeth was still sitting on the king"s table. It was the first time she had ever received a letter. Indeed, even Ole and Peter had never received any. They were entirely overwhelmed with respectful surprise and took their stand at a suitable distance.
On the outside of the letter stood:
_Salve t.i.tel._[18]
To the Highly Respected Maiden, Lisbeth Jacob"s-daughter Longfrock, at Hoel Saeter, on the West Mountain.
At Convenience, by Messenger.
Post Free.
[18] An expression from the Latin, often used in old-fashioned Norwegian correspondence. It meant, in a general way, "Pardon any error in the address."
Lisbeth broke the seal solemnly and opened the letter. Then she read, half aloud:
NORDRUM SaeTER, 15th of this month.
_Salve t.i.tel._
TO THE MAIDEN LISBETH LONGFROCK.
_Good Sister:_ Since time and opportunity permit, I now take my pen in hand to write to you and tell you that I have nothing to write about except that it is a long time since I last saw you. But I have a spare day due to me from Hans. I took care of his animals for him when he went to his mother"s burial. It was really two days, but I only reckoned it as one, because it was his mother. And now I will take that day from him on the next Sunday of this month.
In case you have a day due to you from Peter or Ole, I write to ask if you cannot take it from them. But if you have not, you can take a day, all the same, because I am stronger; but I did not mean anything by it when I gave Peter a thrashing last winter. So I wanted to write to you and ask if we could not meet at Peerout Castle, for I have not been there since--
You are requested to come to the meeting in good season. Bring something to eat with you.
With much regard,
Respectfully,
Jacob Jacob"s-son Nordrum, Esq.
P.S. Please answer.
That evening Lisbeth Longfrock sat with her tongue thrust into one corner of her mouth, and wrote her response.
HOEL"S SaeTER, 17th of this month.
TO BACHELOR JACOB JACOB"S-SON NORDRUM.
_Good Brother:_ I will now write a few words to you, and thank you for your welcome letter which I have duly received. I am glad to see that you are in good health. The same can be said of me, except for toothache. But I will gladly come, and the milkmaid says I may be away over night, because it is too far. And so Ole and Peter can each have a day from me. For I have not had any day from them. They wrestle almost all the time, but Peter is nearly as strong.
I must now close my poor letter to you, with many greetings from them. But first and foremost are you greeted by me.
Your affectionate sister,
Lisbeth Jacob"s-daughter Longfrock.
P.S. Excuse the writing. Burn this letter, dear.
CHAPTER IX
THE VISIT TO PEEROUT CASTLE
Late on Sat.u.r.day evening Lisbeth Longfrock went jogging slowly up over the hilly road to Hoel Farm. The milkmaid had given her leave to go to the farm and to stay away until Monday evening.
She had risen early that day, for she would not think of such a thing as leaving the saeter before she had done her morning ch.o.r.es, and milked the goats, and let out the cows. And she had had to do this very early, not only because she was in a hurry to get away, but also because she knew that Ole would not oversleep himself after having insisted so strongly that he should take care of her flock the first day. She had barely finished when Ole came. Peter was not with him; but she had had a talk with Peter the evening before, and he was quite as well pleased to take her flock on Sunday by himself, and then on Monday he and Ole could watch all the flocks together.
Ole had been very modest and ceremonious with Lisbeth as he bade her good-by. He had shaken hands and asked her to greet Jacob from him, and to say that he, Ole Hoegseth, would not keep close account of these days Lisbeth was taking, since Jacob really needed to speak with his sister. He did not know, of course, that Peter had said the very same thing the evening before.
And then she had given her animals over to Ole"s care and had begun her long walk down the mountain. She walked and she walked, hour after hour. She had now gone over this saeter road several times, but had never before noticed that it was so long as it seemed to-day. She rested by a brook, took out her lunch, ate it and drank some water with it, and then set out again. In order to forget how slowly time was pa.s.sing, she began to count her steps, first by tens and then by hundreds, and each time she had finished counting, she looked back to see how far she had walked; but this did not avail in the least, so she made up her mind to count to a thousand. When she had counted almost up to a thousand, she could not remember whether it was eight or nine hundred she had had last, so she counted four hundred more in order to be altogether certain that she had counted enough.
But even that did not make the time pa.s.s any more quickly, and she did not reach the point where she could look down into the valley until the sun was setting. The shadow had begun to creep up on the opposite side.
Above the dark shadow line the slope was still bathed in the rosy evening sunlight, but the shadow steadily ate its way upward.
Then Lisbeth forgot to count her steps any more. What fun it would be to try to reach the sunshine again before the shadow had pa.s.sed Hoel, which lay shining so brightly up there!
She went down the long slope on a run; but, run as fast as she might, it took time, and when she had reached the bottom of the valley and started up the hilly road on the other side, the sun had gone down. She could only catch its last gleam through the tops of the spruce trees, and a last tiny reflection as it left the window of Peerout Castle.
She stopped to get her breath after running. It was so still and warm and close down there in the valley,--so different from what it had been up on the mountain. It seemed as if the earth sent out a deep breath the moment the sun went down,--a strange, heavy fragrance that made her, all at once, feel anxious and downhearted, just as if she had done something wrong which she could not remember. Then it came into her mind that she ought to have sent word to Kjersti Hoel that she was coming. People in the valley were always afraid that something was the matter when a person came from the saeter unexpectedly; and it would be too shameful for any one to give Kjersti Hoel a fright.
That was the reason she was now jogging so slowly up over the hilly road leading to Hoel Farm. She was in hopes that some one would catch sight of her, or that at least Bearhunter would give warning of her approach; for then they would see that she was not coming in haste, and that she therefore could not be bringing any bad news.
But no one caught sight of her, and no one was stirring on the farm; so she would have to go right in, after all.