Elsie could not bear to hear that.She would will-ingly give her savings to buy him off,but no one mustknow that she had done it.
And old Stine promised that he would come back;she knew an art,a dangerous art for the person con-cerned,but it was the last resource.She would set thepot on to boil for him,and then he must come away fromthe place where he happened to be;he must come home,where!the pot boiled and his dearest one waited:monthsmight pass before he came,but come he must,if therewas life in him.
Without resting,night and day he must travel,overlake and mountain,be the weather mild or hard,howevertired he was.He should come home,he must come home.
The moon was in the first quarter;it must be so forthe exercise of that art,said old Stine.It was stormyweather,the old willow tree cracked:Stine cut off atwig,and tied it into a knot,it would help to draw Ras- mus home to his mother's house.Moss and house-leekwere taken from the roof of the house,put into the pot,which was set on the fire.Elsie must now tear a leaf outof a psalm-book;she accidentally tore out the last one,the one with the list of misprints."It will do quite aswell!"said Stine,and threw it in the pot.
Many kinds of things must go into the gruel,whichmust boil and constantly boil until Rasmus came home.The black cock in Stine's room must lose its red comb,itwas put in the pot.Elsie's thick gold ring must also goin,and she would never get it again,Stine told her be-forehand.Stine was so wise.Many things which we donot know the names of went into the pot;it stood con-stantly on the fire,or on glowing embers,or hot ashes.Only she and Elsie knew about it.
The moon waxed and waned;and always Elsie cameand asked,"Do you not see him coming?"
"Much I know,"said Stine,"and much I see,butthe length of the way for him I cannot see.Now he is overthe first mountain!now he is on the sea in bad weather!The way is long through the great woods,he has blisterson his feet,he has fever in his body,but he must goon!"
"NO!no!"said Elsie,"I am sorry for him!"
"He cannot be stopped now!for if we do that hewill drop dead on the highway!"
A year and a day had gone.The moon shone roundand big,the wind moaned in the old tree,a rainbow inthe moonshine was seen in the sky.
"That is the sign of confirmation!"said Stine."NowRasmus is coming."
But he came not.
"The waiting-time is long!"said Stine.
"Now I am tired of it!"said Elsie.She came less of-ten to Stine and brought her no new gifts.Her heart be-came lighter,and one fine morning everybody in the neigh-bourhood knew that Elsie had said"Yes"to richestfarmer.
She went to look at the farm and the fields,the cattleand the furniture.Everything was in good order,there wasnothing to delay the wedding for.
It was held with great festivity for three days.Therewas dancing to flute and violin.Every one in the neigh-bourhood was invited.Mother Olse was there also;andwhen the gaiety was at an end,and the guests had said"Thanks",and the musicians had gone,she went homewith the remnants of the feast.
She had only fastened the door with a pin;that wastaken off,the door stood open,and there stood Rasmus.He had come home,come at this hour.Lord,how he
looked!skin and bone only,pale and yellow was he!
"Rasmus!"said the mother,"is it you, I see?Howpoorly you look!but I am glad in my heart that I haveyou!"
And she gave him of the good food she had broughthome from the feast—a piece of steak,and a wedding tart.