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Rh "That can wait for a week or so yet," she answered. "It's early in the year, the snow's not gone yet."

"Ay, I was only asking," he said.

They had a kind of sheep of the coarse-fleeced Iceland strain. They were left to run wild on one of the small islets winter and summer alike, getting their food as they might. Once a year they were brought in for the shearing, in the spring, when the weather had grown warm enough.

A fortnight later the bans were read for Simon Rust and Frederikke in the church at Kirkeoen. At last it was really settled between the pair of them, and the neighbours had been waiting long to see it. The very same evening Frederikke was over at Joachim's house, light-hearted and merry now as could be.

"Good luck and a blessing," said the boat-builder's wife.

"I heard your name in church to-day."

"Sure you weren't mistaken?" said Frederikke jestingly.

"Luck and a blessing," said Marcelius in his turn. "Have you thought about the sheep yet?"

Frederikke laughed at that, and said:

"You're in a great hurry about the sheep this year. What's come over you I wonder? You were talking about it ages ago."

"I only asked," he said. "It came into my mind."

"Anyhow, I was going to tell you, you can get someone to go out with you to-morrow, if you like?"

"Someone to go with me?" he repeated quickly. "But you'll hardly care about going yourself now, I suppose?"

Frederikke had half resolved not to go this spring, for reasons, but at Marcelius' crafty question she flushed a little, and said:

"Oh, indeed? And why not, I should like to know?"

Frederikke was loath to admit she had grown less active these last few weeks; she would go out this year as she had done before, and help to bring in the sheep.

Then Marcelius went out, and did not return till she had left.

Marcelius walked down the few steps to where the boat-building was done; a longish hollow, with slipways for all kinds of boats, from a ketch to a ten-oar. He straightened up the place all round, and cleaned the floor. It was towards the end of May now, and light till eleven or later at night. Then he went to the landing place, his boat was there, resting steadily on the chocks, as if it were looking at him. It was midnight before he went home.