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Page 30
"It has stopped," said Storm, putting the watch to his ear.
"Yes, I kn-n-ow," stammered the boy. "I was just wondering if you
didn't think it could be mended."
Storm opened it and found that all the wheels were loose. "You must
have been hammering nails with this watch," he said. "I can't do
anything with it."
"Don't you think that Eric, the clockmaker, could fix it?"
"No, no more than I. You'd better send it to Falun and have new
works put in."
"I thought so," said Ingmar, and took the watch.
"For heaven's sake, what have you been doing with it?" the
schoolmaster exclaimed.
The boy swallowed hard. "It was father's watch," he explained, "and
it got damaged like that when father was struck by the whirling
log."
Now they all grew interested.
With an effort to control his feelings, Ingmar continued: "As you
know, it happened during Holy Week, when I was at home. I was the
first person to reach father when he lay on the bank. I found him
with the watch in his hand. 'Now it's all over with me, Ingmar,' he
said. 'I'm sorry the watch is broken, for I want you to give it,
with my greetings, to some one that I have wronged.' Then he told
me who was to have the watch, and bade me take it along to Falun
and have it repaired before presenting it. But I never went back to
Falun, and now I don't know what to do about it."
The schoolmaster was wondering whether he knew of any one who was
soon going to the city, when Mother Stina turned to the boy:
"Who was to have the watch, Ingmar?" she asked.
"I don't know as I ought to tell," the boy demurred.
"Wasn't it Tims Halvor, who is sitting here?"
"Yes," he whispered.
"Then give Halvor the watch just as it is," said Mother Stina.
"That will please him best."
Ingmar obediently rose, took out the watch and rubbed it in the
sleeve of his coat, to shine it up a bit. Then he went over to
Halvor.
"Father asked me to give you this with his compliments," he said,
holding out the watch.
All this while Halvor had sat there, silent and glum. And when the
boy went over to him, he put his hand up to his eyes, as if he did
not want to look at him. Ingmar stood a long time holding out the
watch; finally, he glanced appealingly at Mother Stina.
"Blessed are the peacemakers," she said.
Then Storm put in a word. "I don't thick you could ask for a better
amend, Halvor," he said. "I've always maintained that if Ingmar
Ingmarsson had lived he would have given you full justice long
before this."
The next they saw was Halvor reaching out for the watch, almost as
if against his will. But the moment he had got it into his hand, he
put it in the inside pocket of his vest.
"There's no fear of any one taking that watch from him," said the
schoolmaster with a laugh, as he saw Halvor carefully buttoning his
coat.
And Halvor laughed, too. Presently he got up, straightened himself,
and drew a deep breath. The colour came into his cheeks, and his
eyes shone with a new-found happiness.
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