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 When she thought of her journey home, she was almost afraid that she would awake as from a dream, but she told herself such thoughts were nonsense, since she loved him and he loved her. She did not like the disturbing elements of engagements, visiting relations, and so on, though they were trifles after all.

Heaven be praised for this blessed spring in Rome that had brought them together—they two alone on the green Campagna among the daisies.

"Don't you think Jenny will be sorry some day that she ever got engaged to that Gram?" asked Francesca one evening when she was sitting in Heggen's room.

He shook the ashes from his cigarette without answering. He discovered all of a sudden that it had never struck him as indiscreet to speak about Francesca's affairs to Jenny. But to speak about Jenny's to Francesca was quite another matter.

"Can you understand what she wants with him?" she asked again.

"Well, it's hard to say. We don't always understand what you women want with this or that man. We imagine that we choose for ourselves, but we are more like our brothers, the dumb animals, than we care to think. Some say we are disposed to love—because of our natural state—place and opportunity do the rest."

"Ugh!" said Francesca, shrugging her shoulders. "If that is so, you, I should say, are always disposed."

Gunnar laughed reluctantly: "Or I have never been disposed enough; I have never thought of any woman as the only one—and so on, and that is an essential condition in love—because of our natural state."

Francesca stared thoughtfully in front of her.

"I daresay you are right. But it happens sometimes that one falls in love with somebody for some special reason—not only because time and circumstances are favourable. I for one love him—you know who I mean—because I don't under-