"We'd better go back quickly and get him some dry things," said the old schoolmaster. "Truly a miraculous escape from peril of death."
All helped to get the boats up on shore, and Marcelius made no difference between the two, but set chocks under Simon's boat as well as his own, to save warping. Then he let the others go on ahead, and walked home, miserable at heart.
That evening, Frederikke came on some errand to the house next door, but did not call in to see Marcelius. He went out on the step himself to wait for her coming out.
"Godkvaeld," he said, as she appeared. "Out walking this evening?"
"I'd an errand here," she said. "What did you think of that miracle to-day?"
"Why," said Marcelius, "I can tell you that at once. I don't call that any sort of miracle at all."
"Ho! And suppose you'd fallen out of the boat, would you have managed to get saved?"
"He didn't fall out. He jumped out when she was all but a couple of fathoms down, that's what father says."
"Jumped out? Well, that's more again than you'd have done."
Marcelius was silent.
"For you can't swim," Frederikke went on. "And you haven't learned all the things he has. You haven't learned to play the organ."
"Then I suppose you'll have each other now?" said Marcelius.
"I don't know," she answered. "But it looks that way."
Then said Marcelius bitterly: "Well, it's all one to me then; the two of you can have the boat for nothing, as I said."
Frederikke thought a moment, then she said:
"Why, yes, if it comes to anything between us, we can have the boat, as you said. But if he breaks it off with me, then it'll be you and me, and he'll have to pay us for the boat."
Marcelius showed no surprise at this decision; he only asked:
"And when shall I know what it's to be?"
"He's going home to-morrow," said Frederikke. "I suppose he'll speak about it then. But I can't very well ask him myself, can I?"
But Marcelius was to wait some months yet before he knew.
Simon Rust went home for Christmas, and nothing was settled with Frederikke before he left; then he asked several of the girls
