Then a great silence fell on Thora's bewailing and she said in a husky whisper:
"So it was you, Oscar?"
"Well--yes, dear, it was I--but what I did was for your own good--yours and our little Elin's. And if you will only wait, only be patient, your baby shall be brought back to you and we shall be happy."
Thora's wet eyes dried of themselves, but it was a glassy and smileless light that came into them.
"Where is my baby now?" she asked.
"Not far away. In fact, only at your father's. Aunt Margret wrapped her in a shawl and I took her across myself."
"Then you gave my child to Helga?" said Thora.
"Well--yes, I gave her to Helga. But Aunt Margret is there now. And besides, I intend to go over myself off and on all day long, so you are not to worry or be anxious about anything--not about any single thing. You understand everything now, dear, do you not?"
"Yes, I understand everything now," said Thora.
The glassy, smileless eyes continued to look up at him, but he mistook the light that shone in them.