"But I thought they were such friends; and when poor Stephen was petitioning the King----"
"Then you haven't heard what happened about Thora."
"Thora?" said Magnus.
"Poor Thora's grave, I mean. It makes the blood run between my skin and my flesh to think about it."
"Tell us," said Anna.
And then the Rector told them how the Minister, acting under instructions received from abroad, had ordered Thora's grave to be opened and certain musical compositions which had been buried in it to be taken out; how this had been done and the papers despatched to England; how the Factor had heard of it, and, being furious, had threatened an action against the Minister; and finally how the Minister, to cut the ground under the Factor's feet, had caused the bank to make him a bankrupt.
During the progress of the Rector's story Magnus sat without saying a word, but every moment his cheeks grew whiter and his eyes glared and his lips quivered. Meantime Anna covered her face and said:
"It must have been Neils who did that. I never liked the boy--he was always too much like his father--and now that he is----"
"It wasn't Neils, Anna. It was Oscar."
"Oscar?" said Magnus, and his hands clutched the corners of the table.