past her in the same way, and always with the same greeting; at length she came to look for him when he did not come. Ere long he fell to asking some trifling question as he passed, soon this became two, and finally the questions grew into conversations. One day, after one of these, he slipped a silver dollar into her lap and hastened away, overjoyed at what he had done. Now it was contrary to her mother’s orders to speak with him, and contrary to Ödegaard’s to accept gifts from any one. The first injunction she had gradually disobeyed, and was now reminded of it because through this transgression she had been led to disregard the second also. In order to get rid of the money she found a person who helped her spend it; but in spite of every effort it was not possible for them to eat more than four marks[1] worth. When too late she was filled with remorse for having wasted the dollar instead of giving it back. The mark which still remained in her pocket scorched like fire and seemed as if it must burn a hole through her clothes; she took it and flung it into the sea. Even then she did not get rid of the dollar. Her thoughts were branded with it. Confession might set her free, she thought; but her mother’s appalling wrath at the time of her
- ↑ Five marks make a dollar.
