One morning, just a week from the day of Glory Goldie's homecoming,
she and her mother stood at the Borg pier, ready to depart for good
and all. Old Katrina was wearing a bonnet for the first time in her
life, and a fine cloth coat. She was going to Malmö with her
daughter to become a fine city dame. Never more would she have to
toil for her bread. She was to sit on a sofa the whole day, with
her hands folded, and be free from worry and care for the remainder
of her life.
But despite all the promised ease and comfort, Katrina had never
felt so wretchedly unhappy as then, when standing there
on the pier. Glory Goldie, seeing that her mother looked troubled,
asked her if she was afraid of the water, and tried to assure her
there was no danger, although it was so windy that one could hardly
keep one's footing on the pier. Glory Goldie was accustomed to
seafaring and knew what she was talking about.
"These are no waves," she said to her mother. "I see of course that
there are a few little whitecaps on the water, but I wouldn't be
afraid to row across the lake in our old punt."
Glory Goldie, who did not seem to mind the gale, remained on the
pier. But Katrina, to keep from being blown to pieces, went into
the freight shed and crept into a dark corner behind a couple of
packing cases. There she intended to remain until the boat arrived,
as she had no desire to meet any of the parish folk before leaving.
At the same time she knew in her heart that what she was doing was
not right, since she was ashamed to be seen by people. She had one
consolation at least; she was not going away with Glory Goldie
because of any desire for ease and comfort, but only because her
hands were failing her. What else could she do when her fingers
were becoming so useless that she could not spin any more?
Then who should come into the shed but Sexton Blackie!
Katrina prayed God he would not see her and come up and ask her
where she was going. For how would she ever be able to tell him she
was leaving husband and home and everything!
She had tried to bring about some arrangement whereby Jan and she
could stay on at the croft. If the daughter had only been willing
to send them a little money--say about ten rix-dollars a month--
they could have managed fairly well. But Glory would not hear of
this; she had declared that not a penny would she give them unless
Katrina went along with her.
Katrina knew of course it was not from meanness that Glory Goldie
had said no to this. The girl had been to the trouble of fitting up
a home for her parents and had looked forward to a time when she
could prove to them how much she thought of them, and how hard she
had worked for them, and now she wanted to have with her one
parent, at least, to compensate her for all her bother. Jan had
been uppermost in her thought when she was preparing the home, for
she had been especially fond of her father in the old days. Now,
however, she felt it would be impossible to have him with her.
Herein lay the whole difficulty: Glory Goldie had taken a violent
dislike to her father. She could not abide him now. Never had he
been allowed to talk with her of Portugallia or of her riches and
power; why, she could hardly bear the sight of him decked out in
his royal trumpery. All the same Jan was as pleased with her as
ever he had been, and always wanted to be near her, though she only
ran away from him. Katrina was sure that it was to escape seeing
her crazy father that the girl had not remained at home longer than
a week.
Presently Glory Goldie, too, came into the freight shed. She was
not afraid of Sexton Blackie. Not she! She went right up to him and
began to chat. She told him in the very first breath that she was
returning to her own home and was taking her mother back with her.
Then Sexton Blackie naturally wanted to know how the father felt
about this, and Glory Goldie informed him as calmly as though she
were speaking of a stranger that she had arranged for her father to
board with Lisa, the daughter-in-law of Ol' Bengtsa. Lisa had built
her a fine new house after the old man's death, and she had a spare
room that Jan could occupy.
Sexton Blackie had a countenance that revealed no more of his
thought than he wanted to reveal. And now, as he listened to Glory
Goldie, his face was quite impassive. Just the same Katrina knew
what he, who was like a father to the whole parish, was thinking.
"Why should an old man who has a wife and daughter living be
obliged to live with strangers? Lisa is a good woman, but she can
never have the patience with Jan that his own folks had."
That was what he thought. And he was right about it, too!
Katrina suddenly looked down at her hands. After all, perhaps she
was deceiving herself in laying the blame on them. The real reason
for her desertion of Jan was this: the daughter had the stronger
will and she seemed unable to oppose her.
All this time Glory Goldie stood talking to the sexton. Now she was
telling him of their being compelled to steal away from home so
that Jan should not know of their leaving.
This had been the most dreadful part of it to Katrina. Glory Goldie
had sent Jan on an errand to the store away up in Bro parish and as
soon as he was gone they had packed up their belongings and left.
Katrina had felt like a criminal in sneaking away from the house in
that way, but Glory Goldie had insisted it was the only thing to
do. For had Jan known of where they were going he would have cast
himself in front of the wagon, to be trampled and run over. And
now, on his return, Lisa would be at the house to receive him and
of course she would try her best to console him; but still it hurt
to think of how hard he would take it when he learned that his
daughter had left him.
Sexton Blackie had listened quietly to Glory Goldie, without
putting in a word. Katrina had begun to wonder whether he was
pleased with what he had learned, when he suddenly took the girl's
hand in his and said with great gravity:
"Inasmuch as I am your old teacher, Glory Goldie, I shall speak
plainly to you. You want to run away from a duty, but that does not
say that you will succeed. I have seen others try to do the same
thing, but it has invariably resulted in their undoing."
When Katrina heard this she rose and drew a breath of relief. Those
were the very words she herself had been wanting to say to her
daughter.
Glory Goldie answered in all meekness that she did not know what
else she could have done. She certainly could not take an insane
man along to a strange city, nor could she remain in Svartsjö, and
Jan had himself to thank for that. When she went past a house the
youngsters came running out shouting "Empress, Empress" at her, and
last Sunday at church the people in their eager curiosity to see
her had crowded round her and all but knocked her down.
"I understand that such things are very trying," said the sexton.
"But between you and your father there has been an uncommonly close
bond of sympathy, and you musn't think it can be so easily
severed."
Then the sexton and Glory Goldie went outside. Katrina followed
immediately. She had altered her mind now and wanted to talk to the
sexton, but stopped a moment to glance up toward the hill. She had
the feeling that Jan would soon be there.
"Are you afraid father will come?" asked Glory Goldie, leaving the
sexton and going over to her mother.
"Afraid!" cried Katrina. "I only hope to God he gets here before
I'm gone!" Then, summoning all her courage, she went on: "I feel
that I have done something wicked for which I shall suffer as long
as I live."
"You think that only because you've had to live in gloom and misery
so many years," said Glory Goldie. "You'll feel differently once
we're away from here. Anyhow, it isn't likely that father will come
when he doesn't even know we've left the house."
"Don't be too sure of that!" returned Katrina. "Jan has a way of
knowing all that is necessary for him to know. It has been like
that with him since the day you left us, and this power of sensing
things has increased with the years. When the poor man lost his
reason Our Lord gave him a new light to be guided by."
Then Katrina gave Glory Goldie a brief account of the fate of Lars
Gunnarson and of other happenings of more recent date, to prove to
her that Jan was clairvoyant, as folks call it. Glory Goldie
listened with marked attention. Before Katrina had tried to tell
her of Jan's kindness toward many poor old people, but to that she
had not cared to listen. This, on the contrary, seemed to impress
the girl so much that Katrina began to hope the daughter's opinion
of Jan would change and that she, too, would turn back.
But Katrina was not allowed to cling to this hope long! In a moment
Glory Goldie cried out in a jubilant voice:
"Here's the boat, mother! So after all it has turned out well for
us, and now we'll soon be off."
When Katrina saw the boat at the pier her old eyes filled up. She
had intended to ask Sexton Blackie to say a good word for Jan and
herself to Glory Goldie, but now there was no time. She saw no way
of escaping the journey.
The boat was evidently late, for she seemed to be in a great hurry
to get away again. There was not even time to put out the
gangplank. A couple of hapless passengers who had to come ashore
here were almost thrown onto the pier by the sailors. Glory Goldie
seized her mother by the arm and dragged her over to the boat,
where a man lifted her on board. The old woman wept and wanted to
turn back, but no pity was shown her.
The instant Katrina was on deck Glory Goldie put her arm around
her, to steady her.
"Come, let's go over to the other side of the boat," she said.
But it was too late. Old Katrina had just caught sight of a man
running down the hill toward the pier. And she knew who it was,
too!
"It's Jan!" she cried. "Oh, what will he do now!"
Jan did not stop until he reached the very edge of the pier; but
there he stood--a frail and pathetic figure. He saw Glory Goldie on
the outgoing boat and greater anguish and despair than were
depicted on his face could hardly be imagined. But the sight of him
was all Katrina needed to give her the strength to defy her
daughter.
"You can go if you want to," she said. "But I shall get off at the
next landing and go home again."
"Do as you like, mother," sighed Glory Goldie wearily, perceiving
that here was something which she could not combat. And perhaps
she, too, may have felt that their treatment of the father was
outrageous.
No time was granted them for amends. Jan did not want to lose his
whole life's happiness a second time, so with a bound he leaped
from the pier into the lake.
Perhaps he intended to swim out to the boat. Or maybe he just felt
that he could not endure living any longer.
Loud shrieks went up from the pier. Instantly a boat was sent out,
and the little freight steamer lay by and put out her skiff.
But Jan sank at once and never rose to the surface. The imperial
stick and the green leather cap lay floating on the waves, but the
Emperor himself had disappeared so quietly, so beyond all tracing,
that if these souvenirs of him had not remained on top of the
water, one would hardly have believed him gone.