CHAPTER III
LEAVING PEEROUT CASTLE
The next time Lisbeth Longfrock came to Hoel Farm, she did not comealone; and she came--to stay!
All that had happened between that first visit and her second cominghad been far, far different from anything Lisbeth had ever imagined. Itseemed as if there had been no time for her to think about the strangeevents while they were taking place. She did not realize what theirresult would be until after she had lived through them and gone out ofthe gate of Peerout Castle when everything was over. So much had beengoing on in those last sad, solemn days,--so much that was new to seeand to hear,--that although she had felt a lump in her throat the wholetime, she had not had a real cry until at the very end. But when shehad passed through the gate that last day, and had stopped and lookedback, the picture that she then saw had brought the whole clearlybefore her, with all its sorrow. Something was gone that would nevercome again. She would never again go to Peerout Castle except as astranger. She had no home--no home anywhere. And at that she had begunto weep so bitterly that those who had been thinking how wisely andquietly she was taking her trouble could but stand and look at her inwonder.
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The last two months of the winter had passed so quickly up at PeeroutCastle that Lisbeth really could not tell what had become of them; andthis was owing not a little to the fact that, besides all her otherwork, she had so much to do in the cow house.
Crookhorn had become, as it were, Lisbeth's cow, and consequently hadto be taken care of by her. Bliros showed very plainly that she wouldnot like at all to have Randi's attentions bestowed upon a rascallygoat. That would make it seem as if the goat were fully as important aperson in the cow house as Bliros herself; whereas the whole cow house,in reality, belonged to her, and that other creature was only allowedthere as a favor.
So Lisbeth took care of Crookhorn exactly as she saw her mother takecare of Bliros. In fact, before long she had more to do in the cowhouse than her mother had; for she soon learned to milk Crookhorn,while Bliros, her mother's cow, could not then be milked.
And Crookhorn gave so much milk! Three times a day Lisbeth had to milkher. There was no longer any scarcity of cream for coffee or milk forporridge. Indeed, there was even cream enough to make waffles with nowand then.
Springtime came. It always came early up at Peerout Castle. The slopesof heather, directly facing the sun, were the first in the whole valleyto peep up out of the snow. As soon as the heathery spots began to showthemselves, Lisbeth was out on them, stepping here and there with acautious foot. It seemed so wonderful to step on bare earth againinstead of snow! Day by day she kept track of the different greenpatches, watching them grow larger and larger, and seeing how the snowglided slowly farther and farther downward,--exactly as her own frockdid when she loosened the band and let it slip down and lie in a ringaround her feet. When the snow had slipped as far down as the big stonewhere she and Jacob used to have their cow house (using pine cones forcows and sheep), the outermost buds on the trees would swell and beready to burst,--she knew that from the year before; and when the budshad really opened (she kept close watch of them every day now), then,_then_ would come the great day when Crookhorn could be let out.Lisbeth's mother had said so.
That great day was what she was waiting for, not only because it wouldbe so pleasant for Crookhorn to be out, but because no food was equalto the first buds of spring for making goats yield rich milk.
Lisbeth's mother had been far from well ever since the day that Lisbethwent over to Hoel Farm for the first time. But Lisbeth thought that assoon as Crookhorn had fresh buds to eat and gave richer milk, hermother would of course get entirely well.
It is very possible that a little streak of snow was still lying by theupper side of the big stone (in spite of Lisbeth's having scatteredsand there to make the snow melt faster) on the bright spring day whenLisbeth went into the cow house, unfastened Crookhorn, and led her outof the stall.
As for Crookhorn, she followed her little mistress very sedately untilthey reached the cow-house door. There she stopped short, lookingaround and blinking at the sun. Lisbeth pulled at the rope, trying todrag her over to the part of the ridge where the birch tree with thefullest leaf buds stood. But Crookhorn would not budge. She merelystood stock-still as if nothing were being done to her; for she was sostrong that, however hard Lisbeth pulled, it did not even make herstretch her neck. Lisbeth then went nearer, thinking that she couldpull better without such a length of rope between her and the goat; butat that, quick as a wink, Crookhorn lowered her head and buttedLisbeth, causing the little girl to fall back against the hillside witha whack. Upon which, Crookhorn stalked in an indifferent manner acrossthe road.
Lisbeth picked herself up and started to go after her charge; but, ifyou please, as soon as she came near enough and tried to seizeCrookhorn, away would that naughty goat dart, not galloping as a goatusually does, but trotting like a cow or an elk. She trotted by thehouse and turned off on the road leading to Svehaugen Farm. Lisbethpursued swiftly; but, run as she might, she could not gain uponCrookhorn. At last, stumbling over a stone, the little girl fell atfull length, having barely time, while falling, to look up and catch aglimpse of Crookhorn's back as the goat, trotting swiftly, disappearedover the brow of a hill.
There was no other way out of it,--Lisbeth would have to run home andget her mother to help her. This she did, and they both set out in fullchase. It was a long run, for they did not overtake Crookhorn untilthey had reached the Svehaugen gate. There stood the goat gazingunconcernedly through the palings. She evidently felt herself superiorto jumping over fences,--she who imagined herself to be a cow!
Randi had become much overheated from running, and at night, when shewent to bed, she said she felt cold and shivery. That seemed verystrange indeed to Lisbeth, for when she laid her face against hermother's neck, it was as hot as a burning coal.
In the morning Lisbeth's mother woke her and told her to get up and goover to Kari Svehaugen's and ask Kari to come to Peerout Castle. Randifelt so poorly that there was no use in her even trying to get up. Shewas not able.
Not able to get up! That also seemed very strange to Lisbeth, for neverbefore had she seen her mother with cheeks so red and eyes so shining.The child did not say anything, however, but got up, dressed herselfquickly and quietly, and ran off to Svehaugen.
After that there came several wonderful days at Peerout Castle. WhenLisbeth Longfrock thought about them afterward, they seemed like asingle long day in which a great many things had happened that shecould not separate from one another and set in order. In herremembrance it was as if shadows had glided to and fro in an uglyyellow light, while the sound of a heavy, painful breathing wasconstantly heard, penetrating all other sounds.
She seemed dimly to see Kari Svehaugen gliding about and taking care ofthings in the home and out in the cow house. She herself had climbed abirch tree several times and picked leaf buds for the animals to eat.One day Lars Svehaugen had flitted along the road in front of thehouse, swiftly, as if he had not a moment to spare. Soon after this,some one dressed in furs and with big boots on came driving to thehouse, and all the neighbors flocked around him, listening to what hesaid. And he brought such a curious smell with him! It filled the wholehouse, so that, even after he had gone away, he seemed to be stillthere.
She thought, too, that once she had seen Kjersti Hoel sitting on achair, taking many good things out of a big basket, and Jacob standingby Kjersti's side with a great slice of raisin cake in his hand. AndJacob had kept chewing and chewing on his raisin cake, as if it washard work to get it down. What she remembered chiefly, though, wasJacob's eyes,--they looked so big and strange.
Then one morning she had awakened in a clear gray light, and from thattime she remembered everything very distinctly. She was lying in thelittle trundle-bed that Jacob had slept in when he lived at home,--shemust, of course, have slept in it all these nights,--and Kari Svehaugenwas st
anding beside it, looking down upon her. The house was oh! sostill,--she did not hear the heavy, painful breathing any longer. Theonly sound was a slight crackling in the fireplace, out of which astream of warmth issued.
Kari said very quietly: "Your mother is comfortable and happy now,little Lisbeth; better off than she has ever been before. So you mustnot cry."
And Lisbeth did not cry. She merely got up and went about the housevery, very quietly all that first day. Afterwards there were so manypreparations being made for some solemn festival that she did not seemto get time to think about the great change that had taken place.
Lars Svehaugen came from the storekeeper's with ever so much finewhite, shining cloth,--she had never seen the like. Then a woman cameto help Kari cut out and sew, and they made pillows and a fine whitegarment that mother was to have on when she lay upon the pillows. AndLars Svehaugen began to make a new wooden bed for mother to lie in; andBliros had her calf, and the calf was slaughtered; and Lars Svehaugenbrought some small pine trees and nailed them at the gateposts andoutside the house door, one at each side, and he strewed pine branchesall the way from the door to the gate. And there came presents offood--oh! so many good things--from Kjersti Hoel and others. Lisbethhad never tasted such delicious food before.
Then came the day when mother was to be taken to the church and buried.Many people came to the house that day,--among them Jacob in a brightnew suit of gray woolen homespun; and there was a feast for them all,and everything was very still and solemn. Even the schoolmaster came;and oh, how beautifully he sang when Lars Svehaugen and three other mencarried mother out through the door and set her couch upon a sledge.
Then they all went slowly away from the house, down the hill,--thesledge first and the people walking slowly behind. But down at thebottom of the hill, in the road, there stood two horses and wagonswaiting; and, just think! Lisbeth and Jacob were invited to sit up inKjersti Hoel's broad wagon and drive with her.
Then they came to the white church; and as they carried mother inthrough the big gateway the church bells up in the tower rang, oh, sobeautifully!
After that Lisbeth did not see things quite so clearly, but theylowered mother down into the earth in the churchyard and strewedwreaths of green heather over her, and then the schoolmaster sangagain, and all the men took off their hats and held them a long timebefore their faces.
After that the people went out of the churchyard, and Lisbeth and Jacobclimbed into Kjersti Hoel's broad wagon again and drove away,--onlythis time they drove much faster. It looked as if the boards in thefences ran after each other in an opposite direction from the one inwhich she and Jacob were going. They both tried to count them, butcould not.
All the people came back with them to Peerout Castle,--Kjersti Hoel,too. Kari Svehaugen, who had not gone to the church, had covered thetable with a white tablecloth, and set it with plates and good thingsto eat. And all the people ate and talked,--but they did not talk veryloudly.
When the meal was over, Lisbeth got Jacob to go out into the cow houseto look at Crookhorn. Jacob conceded that the goat was an extremelyfine animal, but she was a vixen, he was sure,--he could tell that byher eyelids.
Then they went over to the hill to look at the mill wheel that Jacobused to have there; but it had fallen into complete decay because hehad been away from home so long. Such things need a boy's personalattention.
After that they were called into the house again and everybody drankcoffee. When they had finished the coffee drinking, Kari began packinginto baskets the food that was left; and when that was done, KjerstiHoel said: "Well, now we have done everything that we can here. You maybring Crookhorn with you, Lisbeth, and come to live with me. That wasthe last thing I promised your mother."
Thus had it come about that Lisbeth Longfrock, holding Crookhorn by arope, stood outside the gate at Peerout Castle with Kjersti Hoel andBearhunter; and then it was that she looked behind her and began tocry.
On one road she saw Kari Svehaugen with a big basket on her arm andBliros following her; and on the other she saw the back of Jacob, withwhom she had just shaken hands, saying, "May you fare well." He lookedsingularly small and forlorn.
Last of all she saw Lars Svehaugen put a pine twig in the door latch asa sign that Peerout Castle was now closed, locked, and forsaken.