“What do you think father and mother will say to all this?” asked Beret, just to divert Mildrid’s thoughts.  She repented the moment the words were uttered.  Mildrid turned pale and stared at Beret, who stared back at her.  Beret wondered if her sister had never thought of this till now, and said so.  Yes; she had thought of it, but as of something very far off.  The fear of what Hans Haugen might think of her, the shame of her own weakness and stupidity, had so occupied her mind that they had left no room for anything else.  But now things suddenly changed round, and she could think of nothing but her parents.

Beret again tried to comfort her.  Whenever father and mother saw Hans, they would feel that Mildrid was right—­they would never make her unhappy who had given them their greatest happiness.  Grandmother would help her.  No one could say a word against Hans Haugen, and he would never give her up!  Mildrid heard all this, but did not take it in, for she was thinking of something else, and to get time to think it out rightly, she asked Beret to go and prepare the dinner.  And Beret walked slowly away, looking back several times.

Mildrid wanted to be left alone a little to make up her mind whether she should go at once and tell her parents.  It seemed a terrible matter to her in her excited, exhausted state.  She felt now that it would be a sin if she saw Hans again without their knowledge.  She had done very wrong in engaging herself to him without having their consent; but she had been in a manner surprised into that; it had come about almost without her will.  Her duty now, though, was clearly to go and tell them.

She rose to her feet, with a new light in her eyes.  She would do what was right.  Before Hans stood there again, her parents should know all.  “That’s it!” she said, aloud, as if some one were there, and then hurried down to the soeter to tell Beret.  But Beret was nowhere to be seen.  “Beret!  Beret!” shouted Mildrid, but only the echoes gave answer.  Excited Mildrid was already, but now she got frightened too.  Beret’s great eyes, as she asked:  “What do you think father and mother will say to this?” seemed to grow ever greater and more threatening.  Surely she could never have gone off to tell them?  Yet it would be just like her hasty way to think she would settle the thing at once, and bring comfort to her sister.  To be sure that was it!  And if Beret reached home before her, father and mother would get a wrong idea of everything!

Off Mildrid went, down the road that led to the valley.  She walked unconsciously faster and faster, carried away by ever-increasing excitement; till her head began to turn and her breathing to get oppressed.  She had to sit down for a rest.  Sitting did not seem to help her, so she stretched herself out, resting her head on her arm, and lay there, feeling forsaken, helpless, almost betrayed—­by affection it was true—­but still betrayed.