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Page 10
While selecting her cakes she began to chat with the old woman,
who, like most persons that go from place to place and know many
people, was a ready talker. "Kaisa, you're a sensible person," said
Mother Martha, "and one can rely on you."
"Yes, indeed," said the other. "If I didn't know enough to keep mum
about most of the things I hear, there'd be some fine hair-pulling
matches, I'm thinking!"
"But sometimes you are altogether too close-mouthed, Kaisa."
The old woman looked up; the inference was quite plain to her.
"May the Lord forgive me!" she said tearfully, "but I talked to the
senator's wife at Bergskog when I should have come straight to
you."
"So you have been talking to the senator's wife!" And the emphasis
given to the last two words spoke volumes.
Ingmar had been startled from his sleep by the opening of the
outside door. No one had come in, apparently; still the door stood
ajar. He did not know whether it had sprung open or whether some
one had opened it. Too sleepy to get up, he settled back in bed.
And then he heard talking in the outer room.
"Now tell me, Kaisa, what makes you think that Brita doesn't care
for Ingmar."
"From the very start folks have been saying that her parents made
her take him," returned the old woman, evasively.
"Speak right out, Kaisa, for when I question you, you don't have to
beat about the bush. I guess I'm able to bear anything you may have
to tell me."
"I must say that every time I was at Bergskog Brit always looked as
if she'd been crying. Once, when she and I were alone in the
kitchen, I said to her: 'It's a fine husband you'll be getting,
Brita.' She looked at me as if she thought I was making fun of her.
Then she came at me with this: 'You may well say it, Kaisa. Fine,
indeed!' She said it in such a way that I seemed to see Ingmar
Ingmarsson standing there before my face and eyes, and he's no
beauty! As I've always had a great respect for all the Ingmarssons,
that thought had never before entered my mind. I couldn't help
smiling a little. Then Brita gave me a look and said once more:
'Fine, indeed'' With that she turned on her heel and ran into her
room, crying as if her heart would break. As I was leaving I said
to myself: 'It will all come out right; everything always comes out
right for the Ingmarssons.' I didn't wonder at her parents doing
what they did. If Ingmar Ingmarsson had proposed to a daughter of
mine, I shouldn't have given myself a moment's peace till she said
yes."
Ingmar from his bedroom could hear every word that was spoken.
"Mother is doing this on purpose," he thought. "She's been
wondering about that trip to town to-morrow. Mother fancies I'm
going after Brita, to fetch her home. She doesn't suspect that I'm
too big a coward to do it."
"The next time I saw Brita," the old woman went on, "was after she
had come here to you. I couldn't ask her just then how she liked it
here, seeing the house was full of visitors; but when I had gone a
ways into the grove she came running after me.
"'Kaisa!' she called, 'have you been up at Bergskog lately?'
"'I was there day before yesterday,' I replied.
"'Gracious me! were you there day before yesterday? And I feel as
if I hadn't been at home in years!' It wasn't easy to know just
what to say to her, for she looked as if she couldn't bear the
least little thing and would be ready to cry at whatever I might
say. 'You can surely go home for a visit?' I said. 'No; I don't
think I shall ever go home again.' 'Oh, do go,' I urged. 'It's
beautiful up there now; the woods are full of berries; the bushes
are thick with red whortleberries.' 'Dear me!' she said, her eyes
growing big with surprise, 'are there whortleberries already?'
'Yes, indeed. Surely you can get off a day, just to go home and eat
your fill of berries?' 'No, I hardly think I want to,' she said.
'My going home would make it all the harder to come back to this
place.' 'I've always heard that the Ingmars are the best kind of
folks to be with,' I told her. 'They are honest people.' 'Oh, yes,'
she said, 'they are good in their way.' 'They are the best people
in the parish,' I said, 'and so fair-minded.' 'It is not considered
unfair then to take a wife by force.' 'They are also very wise.'
'But they keep all they know to themselves.' 'Do they never say
anything?' 'No one ever says a word more than what is absolutely
necessary.'
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