There were many who said to Jan of Ruffluck that his little girl
would be a comfort to him when she was grown. Folks did not seem to
understand that she already made him happy every day and every hour
that God granted them. Only once in the whole time of her growing
period did Jan have to suffer any annoyance or humiliation on her
account.
The summer the little girl was eleven her father took her to
Lövdala Manor on the seventeenth of August, which was the birthday
of the lord of the manor, Lieutenant Liljecrona.
The seventeenth of August was always a day of rejoicing that was
looked forward to all the year by every one in Svartsjö and in Bro,
not only by the gentry, who participated in all the festivities,
but also by the young folk of the peasantry, who came in crowds to
Lövdala to look at the smartly dressed people and to listen to the
singing and the dance music.
There was something else, too, that attracted the young people to
Lövdala on the seventeenth of August, and that was all the fruit
that was to be found in the orchard at that time. To be sure, the
children had been taught strict honesty in most matters, but when
it came to a question of such things as hang on bushes and trees,
out in the open, they felt at liberty to take as much as they
wanted, just so they were careful not to be caught at it.
When Jan came into the orchard with his Glory Goldie he noticed how
the little girl opened her eyes when she saw all the fine apple
trees, laden with big round greenings. And Jan would not have
denied her the pleasure of tasting of the fruit had he not seen
Superintendent Söderlind and two other men walking about in the
orchard, on the lookout for trespassers.
He hurried Glory Goldie over to the lawn in front of the
manor-house, out of temptation's way. It was plain that her
thoughts were still on the apple trees and the gooseberry bushes,
for she never even glanced at the prettily dressed children of the
upper class or at the beautiful flowers. Jan could not get her to
listen to the fine speeches delivered by the Dean of Bro and
Engineer Boraeus of Borg, in honour of the day. Why she would not
even listen to Sexton Blackie's congratulatory poem!
Anders Öster's clarinet could be heard from the house. It was
playing such lively dance music just then that folks were hardly
able to hold themselves still, but the little girl only tried to
find a pretext for getting back to the orchard.
Jan kept a firm grip on her hand all the while and no matter what
excuse she would hit upon to break away, he never relaxed his hold.
Everything went smoothly for him until evening, when dusk fell.
Then coloured lanterns were brought out and set in the flower beds
and hung in the trees and in among the clinging ivy that covered
the house wall. It was such a pretty sight that Jan, who had never
before seen anything of that kind, quite lost his head and hardly
knew whether he was still on earth; but just the same he did not
let go of the little hand.
When the lanterns had been lighted, Anders Öster and his nephew and
the village shopkeeper and his brother-in-law struck up a song.
While they sang the air seemed to vibrate with a strange sort of
rapture that took away all sadness and depression. It came so
softly and caressingly on the balmy night air that Jan just gave up
to it, as did every one else. All were glad to be alive; glad they
had so beautiful a world to live in.
"This must be the way folks feel who live in Paradise," said a
youth, looking very solemn.
After the singing there were fireworks, and when the rockets went
up into the indigo night-sky and broke into showers of red, blue,
and yellow stars, Jan was so carried away that for the moment he
forgot about Glory Goldie. When he came back to himself she was
gone.
"It can't be helped now," thought Jan. "I only hope all will go
well with her, as usual, and that Superintendent Söderlind or any
of the other watchers won't lay hands on her."
It would have been futile for Jan to try to find her out in the
big, dark orchard: he knew that the sensible thing for him to do
was to remain where he was, and wait for her. And he did not have
to wait very long! There was one more song; the last strains had
hardly died away when he saw Superintendent Söderlind come up, with
Glory Goldie in his arms.
Lieutenant Liljecrona was standing with a little group of gentlemen
at the top of the steps, listening to the singing, when
Superintendent Söderlind stopped in front of him and set the little
girl down on the ground.
Glory Goldie did not scream or try to run away. She had picked her
apron full of apples and thought of nothing save to hold it up
securely, so that none of the apples would roll out.
"This youngster has been up in an apple tree," said Superintendent
Söderlind, "and your orders were that if I caught any apple thieves
I was to bring them to you."
Lieutenant Liljecrona glanced down at the little girl, and the fine
wrinkles round his eyes began to twitch. It was impossible to tell
whether he was going to laugh or cry in a second. He had intended
to administer a sharp reprimand to the one who had stolen his
apples. But now when he saw the little girl tighten her hands round
her apron, he felt sorry for her. Only he was puzzled to know how
he should manage this thing so that she could keep her apples; for
if he were to let her off without further ado, it might result in
his having his whole orchard stripped.
"So you've been up in the apple trees, have you?" said the
lieutenant. "You have gone to school and read about Adam and Eve,
so you ought to know how dangerous it is to steal apples."
At that moment Jan came forward and placed himself beside his
daughter; he felt quite put out with her for having spoiled his
pleasure, but of course he had to stand by her.
"Don't do anything to the little girl, Lieutenant!" he said. "For
it was I who gave her leave to climb the tree for the apples."
Glory Goldie sent her father a withering glance, and broke her
silence. "That isn't true," she declared. "I wanted the apples.
Father has been standing here the whole evening holding onto my
hand so I shouldn't go pick any."
Now the lieutenant was tickled. "Good for you, my girl!" said he.
"You did right in not letting your father shoulder the blame. I
suppose you know that when Our Lord was so angry at Adam and Eve it
wasn't because they had stolen an apple, but because they were
cowards and tried to shift the blame, the one onto the other. You
may go now, and you can keep your apples because you were not
afraid to tell the truth."
With that he turned to one of his sons, and said:
"Give Jan a glass of punch. We must drink to him because his girl
spoke up for herself better than old Mother Eve. It would have been
well for us all if Glory Goldie had been in the Garden of Eden
instead of Eve."