"It is grand to be free at last!" she said to Tante. "Free at last. I can now take a long breath."
"Yes," said Tante, smiling mischievously, "freedom is delightful when it does not make your nose red and your eyes moist!"
Alan had gone off with Jens to a mountain-lake to catch trout for the funeral, and would not be back for a day or two; and Clifford was away at the Skyds-station, helping the two strangers to make the necessary arrangements for taking their sad burden home to England. All the other guests except the Sorenskriver had left, and he was in a thoroughly disagreeable mood, grumbling about the food, and annoyed because there was going to be a funeral at the Gaard.
"Then why not go away?" Katharine suggested on one occasion, when his martyrdom had reached an acute stage.
"Thank you, I choose to stay," he answered in his gruffest tone of voice.
Katharine laughed. She liked the Sorenskriver even at his worst.
"Read this German newspaper, with a whole column of abuse against England," Katharine said, teasing him. "That will make you feel cheerful, Sorenskriver."
"Sniksnak!" said the Sorenskriver, a little less roughly.
"Or come out for a walk with me and help me pick multebaer," she added. "Mor Inga was saying she had not half enough as yet."
"Perhaps I will come," he answered, with a grim smile on his face. He took pleasure in Katharine's company, and was secretly delighted that Clifford was busy helping those Englishmen over at the Skyds-station. In this way he got Katharine to himself, and he sat smoking his long pipe in the porch, grumbling and disagreeable, but, in justice it must be owned, gentle to Bedstemor. Tante declared that he was courting Katharine.