Lisbeth Longfrock

  CHAPTER IX

  THE VISIT TO PEEROUT CASTLE

  Late on Saturday evening Lisbeth Longfrock went jogging slowly up overthe hilly road to Hoel Farm. The milkmaid had given her leave to go tothe farm and to stay away until Monday evening.

  She had risen early that day, for she would not think of such a thingas leaving the saeter before she had done her morning chores, and milkedthe 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 sheknew that Ole would not oversleep himself after having insisted sostrongly that he should take care of her flock the first day. She hadbarely finished when Ole came. Peter was not with him; but she had hada talk with Peter the evening before, and he was quite as well pleasedto take her flock on Sunday by himself, and then on Monday he and Olecould watch all the flocks together.

  Ole had been very modest and ceremonious with Lisbeth as he bade hergood-by. He had shaken hands and asked her to greet Jacob from him, andto say that he, Ole Hoegseth, would not keep close account of thesedays Lisbeth was taking, since Jacob really needed to speak with hissister. He did not know, of course, that Peter had said the very samething the evening before.

  And then she had given her animals over to Ole's care and had begun herlong walk down the mountain. She walked and she walked, hour afterhour. She had now gone over this saeter road several times, but hadnever before noticed that it was so long as it seemed to-day. Sherested by a brook, took out her lunch, ate it and drank some water withit, and then set out again. In order to forget how slowly time waspassing, she began to count her steps, first by tens and then byhundreds, and each time she had finished counting, she looked back tosee how far she had walked; but this did not avail in the least, so shemade up her mind to count to a thousand. When she had counted almost upto a thousand, she could not remember whether it was eight or ninehundred she had had last, so she counted four hundred more in order tobe altogether certain that she had counted enough.

  But even that did not make the time pass any more quickly, and she didnot reach the point where she could look down into the valley until thesun 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 rosyevening sunlight, but the shadow steadily ate its way upward.

  Then Lisbeth forgot to count her steps any more. What fun it would beto try to reach the sunshine again before the shadow had passed 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 andstarted up the hilly road on the other side, the sun had gone down. Shecould 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 warmand close down there in the valley,--so different from what it had beenup on the mountain. It seemed as if the earth sent out a deep breaththe moment the sun went down,--a strange, heavy fragrance that madeher, all at once, feel anxious and downhearted, just as if she had donesomething wrong which she could not remember. Then it came into hermind that she ought to have sent word to Kjersti Hoel that she wascoming. People in the valley were always afraid that something was thematter when a person came from the saeter unexpectedly; and it would betoo shameful for any one to give Kjersti Hoel a fright.

  That was the reason she was now jogging so slowly up over the hillyroad leading to Hoel Farm. She was in hopes that some one would catchsight of her, or that at least Bearhunter would give warning of herapproach; for then they would see that she was not coming in haste, andthat she therefore could not be bringing any bad news.

  But no one caught sight of her, and no one was stirring on the farm; soshe would have to go right in, after all.

  Yes, Kjersti Hoel was really startled when she saw her. Lisbeth had notime to offer a greeting before Kjersti said: "What in the world! Isthis a mountain bird that has taken flight? There is nothing the matterat the saeter, is there?"

  Lisbeth made haste to answer: "Oh, no, indeed! I was to greet you fromthe milkmaid and say that you must not be frightened at seeing me, foreverything is going very well with both man and beast. I have only comedown to make a visit and meet Jacob, my brother."

  "God be praised!" said Kjersti. "And now you are heartily welcome."

  At these words all Lisbeth's downheartedness vanished, and she feltonly how festive and cozy it was to be at home again. And Kjersti wasin the best of humors. She gave Lisbeth something good to eat, andtreated her with as much ceremony as if she had been the milkmaidherself. When the time came for Lisbeth to go to bed, Kjersti went withher all the way to the little sleeping room under the hall stairs,which looked just as neat and orderly as when she had left it. AndKjersti sat on the edge of the bed and asked after every single one ofthe animals,--she remembered them all. And Lisbeth told abouteverything. There was only one provoking thing that she shrank fromconfessing (it might as well be acknowledged first as last, however,for it was sure to come out sometime), and that was her mistake innaming one of the calves. She had called it Young Moolley,[19] but thename had proved not at all suitable, for the calf's horns had begun togrow, although Lisbeth had done her best to prevent it by strewing saltupon them.

  [19] See note on page 45.

  * * * * *

  The next day was Sunday, and Lisbeth thought it certainly began wellwhen no less a person than Kjersti Hoel herself came out into thelittle hall room carrying a big tray with coffee and cakes on it, forLisbeth to indulge in as she lay in bed. Such grandeur as that Lisbethhad never before experienced. She scarcely believed that such a thinghad ever happened to the milkmaid herself. And what was more, when shehopped into her long frock Kjersti said that she must hurry up andgrow, for there would be a new dress for her as soon as this one hadcrept up to her knees. And although Lisbeth had not said a word aboutwhere she was going to meet Jacob, it seemed just as if Kjersti knewthat, too; for she made up a package with a remarkably fine lunch init, and told Lisbeth that she must treat Jacob to some of it, becausehe would probably have to go back to Nordrum Saeter that evening andwould not have time to come down to Hoel. But after the lunch was putup Kjersti did not seem to see any necessity for further haste. Infact, she thought that it would not be possible for Jacob to get toPeerout Castle very early, because he would have to come all the wayfrom Nordrum Saeter that morning. So, finally, Lisbeth had to showKjersti her letter and point out the place where it said, "You arerequested to come to the meeting in good season." Then, of course,Kjersti understood that there was no time to spare.

  Shortly afterward Lisbeth was on her way to Peerout Castle, Bearhunterfollowing her up the road to where the slope of birch trees began; thenhe turned around and jogged home with the blandest and prettiest ofSunday curls in his tail.

  The valley lay before her in its quiet Sunday-morning peace. No one wasout on the road or in the fields. Here and there in the farmhousesacross the valley could be seen a man leaning against the frame of thedoorway, bareheaded, and in shirt sleeves as white as the driven snow.From all the chimneys smoke was slowly arising in the still air.Lisbeth looked involuntarily up at Peerout Castle. There everythingappeared gray and desolate. No smoke ascended from its chimney; and thewindow eye that gazed out over the valley looked as if it was blind,for the sunlight did not shine upon it now. And that brought to mind ablind person whom Lisbeth had once seen and whose strange, empty eyesmade her shiver. She felt just the same now, and her pace slackened.She did not wish to get to the house before Jacob did.

  When she finally reached Peerout Castle the first thing she saw was thepine branches that had been nailed to the gateposts the last time shewas there. They stood in their places still, but they were dry, and thepine needles had fallen off. She glanced hastily at the door of thehouse. Yes, the pine trees stood there, too, just the same, but afresher twig
had been stuck in the doorlatch,--some one had evidentlybeen there since that last day. The path that led from the gate to thedoor and from there over to the cow house had vanished; grass coveredit. The cow-house door had fallen off, and around the doorposts hadgrown up tall stinging nettles. No trace was to be seen of the foot ofman or beast.

  Lisbeth had rejoiced at the idea of coming back to her old home. It hadnever entered her mind that Peerout Castle could be anything but thepleasantest place in the whole world to come to. Now, on the contrary,she felt all at once very, very lonely, more lonely than when on themountain or in the forest. She felt like one who, afraid of the dark,is obliged to walk in it; as if every step must be taken warily, thatno creaking be heard.

  Without realizing it she veered away from the castle and the cow house,feeling that she would rather go over to the big stone by the brook,where she and Jacob used to have their playthings. Perhaps it was notso desolate there.

  When she came to the heather ridge she saw Jacob already sitting on thestone. At the sight of him Lisbeth felt as if there was life again inall the desolation. She was so happy that she was about to run towardhim; but then she remembered that such behavior would not be suitableat a ceremonious meeting like this, and that really it was so long atime since she had seen Jacob that he was almost a stranger to her.When he saw her, he jumped down from the stone and began to brush hisgray breeches with his hands and to set his cap straight,--he wore acap with a visor now, and not a straw hat like hers. Both of them wereas embarrassed as if they were entire strangers to each other, and theycould not look each other in the eye while shaking hands. He made aheavy bob with his head, while she courtesied so low that her longfrock drooped down to the ground. After that, each dropped the other'shand and they remained standing a long time, looking around. It was noteasy to find something to say, although both had fancied that they hada great deal to talk about. At last Jacob thought of something. Helooked about for quite a while longer, and then said, as if he hadweighed the matter deliberately and thoroughly, "It is delightfulweather to-day."

  "Yes, really delightful."

  "If it holds out a fortnight longer, it will not be bad weather forhaying."

  "No, it will not be at all bad."

  "But we can scarcely expect that."

  "Oh, no! scarcely."

  Then there was silence again, for not much more could be said on thatsubject. Lisbeth stole a look at Jacob. She thought of saying somethingabout his having grown so large; but then again it did not seem to herquite proper for her to speak first, he being the elder. The package offood caught her eye,--she could certainly begin to speak about that.

  "Kjersti Hoel sent you her greetings, and bade me ask if you would nottry to put up with the lunch she has sent to-day."

  "Yes, thank you; but I have some with me, too."

  "You must be hungry after your long walk."

  "Yes, I can't say that I'm not."

  "Then we will set the table here on the stone."

  Little by little Lisbeth set out on the stone all the good things whichKjersti had put in the package; and then she said, as she had heard wasthe custom when one entertained strangers, "Be so good as to draw upyour chair, Jacob."

  And Jacob hesitated, also according to custom, and said, "Oh, thanks!but you should not put yourself to any trouble on my account."

  They sat down. Ceremonious manners were kept up during the first partof the meal, and Lisbeth did not forget to say "please" whenever it wasproper. But when Jacob had eaten one of Kjersti's pancakes (a large,very thin kind, spread with fresh butter or sweetmeats) and was justbeginning on the second, he forgot that he was at a party, so to speak,and said quite naturally and with conviction, "That was a remarkablygood pancake!"

  "Yes, of course; it is from Hoel."

  At that it was as if they suddenly knew each other again; as if it hadbeen only yesterday that they had kneeled on the bench under the windowand looked over the valley and made up their minds where they wouldlike best to live when they went out to service; as if they had neverbeen parted from each other. And an instant after they were in eagerdispute about which was the better place to live at, Nordrum or Hoel.Agree upon that question they could not; but when Jacob's appetite hadbeen more than satisfied he finally admitted that they were both fineplaces, each one in its own way, and that, at any rate, those two werethe best in the whole valley.

  And now there was no end to all they had to talk over together and totell each other. Jacob told about Nordrum and the Nordrum Saeter and thegoats there; and Lisbeth told about Ole and Peter, and gave Jacob theirgreetings. She had much to tell about them both, but Jacob thought itwas queer that she had more to say about Ole than about Peter; forwhile Ole was a straight-forward fellow, it could not be denied that hewas a bit of a boaster.

  Then they talked about their future. Jacob was going to stay at NordrumFarm until he was grown up, and perhaps longer. Nordrum had said thatwhen Jacob was a grown man and married he could take Peerout Castle,with the right of buying it as soon as he was able. But Jacob thoughtthat very likely Nordrum meant it only as a joke; and anyway it was alittle early for him to be thinking about marriage. Nordrum was gettingon in years, however; he would be sure to need a head man about theplace by that time. Lisbeth said that she was going to stay at Hoel.She was as well off there as she could expect to be, for Kjersti wasexceedingly kind to her. Lisbeth did not say anything about herambition to become a milkmaid. Indeed, that goal was so far off thatshe did not dare to set her heart upon reaching it.

  When they had talked thus freely for a while they began to look aroundand call to mind all the plays they used to play and all the placesthey used to frequent. There, right by the castle itself, they had hadtheir cow house with its pine-cone animals--why, yonder lay the bigbull even now! And there, on the other side of the heather ridge, hadbeen their saeter, where they had driven their animals many times duringthe summer. And there on the hill Jacob had had his sawmill, thatLisbeth was never to touch; and farther down she had had her dairy,where he came and bought cheese in exchange for planks made out ofcarrots that he had sliced in his sawmill. Not a stone or a mound couldbe seen the whole way up to the stony raspberry patches on Big HammerMountain that did not have some memory connected with it.

  The brother and sister now felt themselves much older than when theyhad lived at Peerout Castle. Lisbeth thought that Jacob had grown to bevery large, and he secretly thought the same about her. It wastherefore like holding a sort of festival for them to be visiting thescenes together and talking of their former life as of something longgone by, saying to each other now and then, "Do you remember?" What istalked of in that way assumes unwonted proportions and appears to bewithout flaw.

  Thus they went about the whole day,--they had even been close up to BigHammer itself,--and it was already late in the afternoon when theyagain drew near Peerout Castle. They did not seem to be in any haste toreach it. They lingered by brook and stone to say, "Do you remember?"often both at once and about the same thing. They chased each other inaimless fashion. Their chief idea seemed to be to think continually ofsomething new to do, so that there should come no silent pause, and sothat the time of getting back to the castle should be put off as longas possible. Neither of them had yet mentioned a single memoryconnected with the castle itself or with the cow house. They had notvisited either of these places yet, and they had avoided all mention oftheir mother.

  But now they knew that the time had come when these sad things could beavoided no longer. They dragged themselves slowly down over the lastridge, talking more rapidly and nervously, and with loud and forcedlaughter. Then suddenly their laughter ceased as if it had been cutstraight across,--they had come out on the ridge just back of the cowhouse. They became very, very quiet, and stood awhile with heads castdown. Then they turned toward each other and their eyes met. It did notseem at all as if they had just been laughing,--their eyes were sostrangely big and bright. While they stood looking at each other therecame suddenly th
e "klunk" of a bell over from Svehaugen. At that Jacobshook his head, as if shaking himself free from something, and said ina most indifferent manner, "Do you think that is the Svehaugen bell wehear over there?"

  Lisbeth answered as unconcernedly as she could, "Yes, it is; I rememberit."

  "What cow do you believe they have at Svehaugen now for their homemilking?"

  "We could go over there and see whether it is--Bliros."

  That was the first time since her mother's death that Lisbeth hadspoken Bliros's name aloud. But to do that was easier than to name hermother.

  It was not long before Lisbeth and Jacob were on their way over toSvehaugen. They had gone round the castle and the cow house withoutgoing very near them,--it was not worth while to tread down the grass,Jacob said. As they had expected, they found Bliros at Svehaugen; shewas standing close by the gate. And they really thought that she knewLisbeth again. They petted her, and talked to her, and gave her wafflesand pancakes. It was just as if they wanted to make amends for nothaving had courage to stir up the memories connected with their oldhome itself. Jacob's heart was so touched at the last that he promisedto buy Bliros back and give her to Lisbeth as soon as he was grown up.At that Lisbeth could contain herself no longer. She put her armsaround Bliros's neck, looked at her a long time, and said, "Do youbelieve, Jacob, that Bliros remembers mother?" And then she began tocry.

  That question came upon Jacob so unexpectedly that at first he couldsay nothing. After a moment's struggle he, too, was crying; but hemanaged to declare with decision, "Yes; if she remembers any one, itcertainly must be mother."