made in the parish during the week. As he was the object of it, the people—again by the weaver's advice—had not informed him of it; and as Hansine's parents for the same reason had kept out of the contest, he only knew that it was intended in some way or other to protest against his dismissal. He waited quietly for the Provst's formal notice, which must come soon, as he had been prohibited all clerical work. For the first few days after the rupture he had thought of breaking the last thread which bound him to the Parsonage, by leaving at once and taking some rooms which had been offered to him in Skibberup. But when he heard that the Provst had really lodged a complaint with the bishop, he decided to remain, so that it should not look as if he feared to face the responsibility for his actions in the right place.
But he passed as much time as possible in the house of Hansine's parents, avoiding any meeting with the Provst; besides which, he was filled with the joy of his young love, and of all the new world which was opened to him in Anders Jorgen's home, his fields, stables, and cattle, so that he only half took in what was going on around him.
At last he had his own plans for the future to busy himself with; and in these he often forgot the strife of the moment entirely.
He was quite determined to marry as soon as his circumstances in any way permitted. He thought of buying a small property in the neigh-
