"Ho!" said Barbro.
"No!" said he, striking his fist on the table. And then he got up.
"You can't frighten me, so don't think," whimpered Barbro, and moved over nearer the wall.
"Frighten you?" he said again, and sniffed scornfully. "I'm going to speak out now in earnest. What about that child? Did you drown it?"
"Drown it?"
"Ay. It's been in the water."
"Ho, so you've seen it? You've been—" "sniffing at it," she was going to say, but dared not; Axel was not to be played with just then, by his looks. "You've been and found it?"
"I saw it had been in the water."
"Ay," said she, "and well it might. 'Twas born in the water; I slipped in and couldn't get up again."
"Slipped, did you?"