Page:Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations (Volume 2).djvu/117

 the prayers for his success, in which she had always so fervently joined, had not been heard, that the business of the traveller had not succeeded so well, for then he would probably have remained faithful.

Mother Brigitta was soon aware of her daughter’s melancholy, and it did not require much acuteness to discover the cause. The report of the improvement in the condition of her late lint merchant, had reached her as well as her daughter; she knew of Mela’s inclination towards him, and as he was now a successful, active merchant, and a very model in point of order, she thought there was no longer any reason why he should delay his declaration, if he had any serious design on her daughter’s hand. To spare her, however, she never mentioned any thing concerning him; but Mela was, at length, unable to bear her grief in silence and, therefore, made her mother her confidant. The prudent matron learnt, by this confession, little more than she already knew; still it gave her an opportunity of telling her opinion on the subject. She took care not