Max rose with her. He looked at his little brother and said: “Aunt, he will sleep now for a few hours, will you watch him till I return?”
“Will I not? You know he is as safe with me as yourself, Max.”
So with an acknowledging smile of content, he took Sunna’s hand and led her slowly down the stairway. There was a box running all across the sill of the long window, lighting the stairs, and it was full and running over with the delicious muck plant. Sunna laid her face upon its leaves for a moment, and the whole place was thrilled with its heavenly perfume. Then she smiled at Max and his heart trembled with joy; yet he said a little abruptly––“Let us make haste. The night grows cloudy.”
Their way took them through the village, and 158 Sunna knew that she would, in all likelihood, be the first woman ever seen in Maximus Grant’s company. The circumstance was pleasant to her, and she carried herself with an air and manner that she readily caught and copied from him. She knew that there was a face at every window, but she did not turn her head one way or the other. Max was talking to her about the Sagas and she had a personal interest in the Sagas, and any ambition she had to be socially popular was as yet quite undeveloped.
At the point where the Vedder and Ragnor roads crossed each other, two men were standing, talking. They were Ragnor and Vedder, and Ragnor was at once aware of the identity of the couple approaching; but Vedder appeared so unaware, that Ragnor remarked: “I see Sunna, Vedder, coming up the road, and with her is Colonel Max Grant.”
“But why ‘Colonel,’ Ragnor?”
“When General Grant died his son was a colonel in the Life Guards. He left the army to care for his brother. I heard that the Queen praised him for doing so.”
Then the couple were so close, that it was impossible to affect ignorance of their presence any 159 longer; and the old men turned and saluted the young couple. “I thank thee, Colonel,” said Vedder, as he “changed hats” with the Colonel, “but now I can relieve thee of the charge thou hast taken. I am going home and Sunna will go with me; but if thou could call on an old man about some business, there is a matter I would like to arrange with thee.”
“I could go home with you now, Vedder, if that would be suitable.”
“Nay, it would be too much for me tonight. It is concerning that waste land on the Stromness road, near the little bridge. I would like to build a factory there.”