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  II

  Signa's wedding supper was over. The guests, and the tiresomelittle Norwegian preacher who had performed the marriage ceremony,were saying good-night. Old Ivar was hitching the horses to thewagon to take the wedding presents and the bride and groom up totheir new home, on Alexandra's north quarter. When Ivar drove upto the gate, Emil and Marie Shabata began to carry out the presents,and Alexandra went into her bedroom to bid Signa good-bye and togive her a few words of good counsel. She was surprised to findthat the bride had changed her slippers for heavy shoes and waspinning up her skirts. At that moment Nelse appeared at the gatewith the two milk cows that Alexandra had given Signa for a weddingpresent.

  Alexandra began to laugh. "Why, Signa, you and Nelse are to ridehome. I'll send Ivar over with the cows in the morning."

  Signa hesitated and looked perplexed. When her husband called her,she pinned her hat on resolutely. "I ta-ank I better do yust likehe say," she murmured in confusion.

  Alexandra and Marie accompanied Signa to the gate and saw theparty set off, old Ivar driving ahead in the wagon and the brideand groom following on foot, each leading a cow. Emil burst intoa laugh before they were out of hearing.

  "Those two will get on," said Alexandra as they turned back to thehouse. "They are not going to take any chances. They will feelsafer with those cows in their own stable. Marie, I am going tosend for an old woman next. As soon as I get the girls broken in,I marry them off."

  "I've no patience with Signa, marrying that grumpy fellow!" Mariedeclared. "I wanted her to marry that nice Smirka boy who workedfor us last winter. I think she liked him, too."

  "Yes, I think she did," Alexandra assented, "but I suppose she wastoo much afraid of Nelse to marry any one else. Now that I thinkof it, most of my girls have married men they were afraid of. Ibelieve there is a good deal of the cow in most Swedish girls.You high-strung Bohemian can't understand us. We're a terriblypractical people, and I guess we think a cross man makes a goodmanager."

  Marie shrugged her shoulders and turned to pin up a lock of hairthat had fallen on her neck. Somehow Alexandra had irritated herof late. Everybody irritated her. She was tired of everybody. "I'mgoing home alone, Emil, so you needn't get your hat," she said asshe wound her scarf quickly about her head. "Good-night, Alexandra,"she called back in a strained voice, running down the gravel walk.

  Emil followed with long strides until he overtook her. Then she beganto walk slowly. It was a night of warm wind and faint starlight,and the fireflies were glimmering over the wheat.

  "Marie," said Emil after they had walked for a while, "I wonder ifyou know how unhappy I am?"

  Marie did not answer him. Her head, in its white scarf, droopedforward a little.

  Emil kicked a clod from the path and went on:--

  "I wonder whether you are really shallow-hearted, like you seem?Sometimes I think one boy does just as well as another for you.It never seems to make much difference whether it is me or RaoulMarcel or Jan Smirka. Are you really like that?"

  "Perhaps I am. What do you want me to do? Sit round and cry allday? When I've cried until I can't cry any more, then--then I mustdo something else."

  "Are you sorry for me?" he persisted.

  "No, I'm not. If I were big and free like you, I wouldn't letanything make me unhappy. As old Napoleon Brunot said at the fair,I wouldn't go lovering after no woman. I'd take the first trainand go off and have all the fun there is."

  "I tried that, but it didn't do any good. Everything reminded me.The nicer the place was, the more I wanted you." They had come tothe stile and Emil pointed to it persuasively. "Sit down a moment,I want to ask you something." Marie sat down on the top step andEmil drew nearer. "Would you tell me something that's none of mybusiness if you thought it would help me out? Well, then, tellme, PLEASE tell me, why you ran away with Frank Shabata!"

  Marie drew back. "Because I was in love with him," she said firmly.

  "Really?" he asked incredulously.

  "Yes, indeed. Very much in love with him. I think I was the onewho suggested our running away. From the first it was more myfault than his."

  Emil turned away his face.

  "And now," Marie went on, "I've got to remember that. Frank isjust the same now as he was then, only then I would see him as Iwanted him to be. I would have my own way. And now I pay for it."

  "You don't do all the paying."

  "That's it. When one makes a mistake, there's no telling whereit will stop. But you can go away; you can leave all this behindyou."

  "Not everything. I can't leave you behind. Will you go away withme, Marie?"

  Marie started up and stepped across the stile. "Emil! How wickedlyyou talk! I am not that kind of a girl, and you know it. But whatam I going to do if you keep tormenting me like this!" she addedplaintively.

  "Marie, I won't bother you any more if you will tell me justone thing. Stop a minute and look at me. No, nobody can see us.Everybody's asleep. That was only a firefly. Marie, STOP and tellme!"

  Emil overtook her and catching her by the shoulders shook hergently, as if he were trying to awaken a sleepwalker.

  Marie hid her face on his arm. "Don't ask me anything more. Idon't know anything except how miserable I am. And I thought itwould be all right when you came back. Oh, Emil," she clutched hissleeve and began to cry, "what am I to do if you don't go away? Ican't go, and one of us must. Can't you see?"

  Emil stood looking down at her, holding his shoulders stiff andstiffening the arm to which she clung. Her white dress lookedgray in the darkness. She seemed like a troubled spirit, like someshadow out of the earth, clinging to him and entreating him to giveher peace. Behind her the fireflies were weaving in and out overthe wheat. He put his hand on her bent head. "On my honor, Marie,if you will say you love me, I will go away."

  She lifted her face to his. "How could I help it? Didn't youknow?"

  Emil was the one who trembled, through all his frame. After heleft Marie at her gate, he wandered about the fields all night,till morning put out the fireflies and the stars.