All this time Jan had stood at the window.  “It can’t be that he has come this way without my seeing him?” he said.

“Who cares whether a brute like him comes or doesn’t come!” returned Katrina sharply, for she was tired of hearing about that old tramp.

Jan heaved a deep sigh.  Katrina was more right than she herself knew.  He did not care a bit whether or not old “Grippie” had passed.  His saying that he was expected was merely an excuse for standing at the window.

No word or token had he received from the great Empress, the little girl of Ruffluck, since the day Lars wrested from him his majesty and glory.  He felt that such a thing could never have happened without her sanction, and inferred from this that he had done something to incur her displeasure; but what he could not imagine!  He had brooded over this all through the long winter evenings; through the long dark mornings, when threshing in the barn at Falla; through the short days, when carting wood from the big forest.

Everything had passed off so happily and well for him for three whole months, so of course he could not think she had been dissatisfied with his emperorship.  He had then known a time such as he had never dreamed could come to a poor man like himself.  But surely Glory Goldie was not offended at him for that!

No.  He had done or said something which was displeasing to her, that was why he was being punished.  But could it be that she was so slow to forget as never to forgive him?  If she would only tell him what she was angry about!  He would do anything he could to pacify her.  She must see for herself how he had put on his working clothes and gone out as a day labourer as soon as she let him know that such was her wish.

He could not speak of this matter to either Katrina or the seine-maker.  He would be patient and wait for some positive sign from Glory Goldie.  Many times he had felt it to be so near that he had only to put out his hand and take it.  That very day, shut in as he was, he had the feeling that there was a message from her on the way.  This was why he stood peering out through the little clear corner of the window.  He knew, also, that unless it came very soon he could not go on living.

It was so dark now that he could hardly see as far as the gate, and his hopes for that day were at an end.  He had no objection to retiring at once, he said presently.  Katrina dished out the porridge, the evening meal was hurridly eaten, and by a quarter after six they were abed.

They dropped off to sleep, too; but their slumbers were of short duration.  The hands of the big Dalecarlian clock had barely got round to six-thirty when Jan sprang out of bed; he quickly freshened the fire, which was almost burned out, then proceeded to dress himself.

Jan tried to be as quiet as possible, but for all that Katrina was awakened; raising herself in bed she asked if it was already morning.