"And I, too," whispered the girl.
"Yes, thanks to you, I have learned that autumn can be beautiful as well; lovelier even than the spring—for the autumn is cooler, calmer, and gentler than the spring. And it was then I learned for the first time what it is that makes life beautiful—what it is that human beings seek."
The girl has slipped down to the ground, and sat now looking up at him, resting her arms on his knees.
"Tell me more—more about that. It's so pretty to hear, and I understand it all, though I could never say it that way myself."
"Yes, you know, and all know, that there is nothing beautiful in life but that one thing—and all of us live for that, and nothing else. Without that we have only our hands and work for them, our teeth and food for them; but, when that comes, all is changed. You have seen yourself, and felt, how it changes everything."
"Oh, have I not! How could I help it?"
"How sad faces learn to smile, and eyes to speak, and how we learn a new tongue altogether. Even the voice is changed, to a silvery ring. All the world is changed, to something lovelier—and we ourselves grow beautiful beyond words."
"Yes, yes—Olof, how wonderful of you! It is all like a beautiful dream."
"Do you remember the time when you first began to care for me?"
"I shall always remember that time—always."