The tears were in Thelma's eyes too, and she hastened to put her arm round Britta's waist, and tried to soothe her by every loving word she could think of.
"Hush, Britta dear! you must not cry," she said tenderly. "What did Philip say?"
"He said," jerked out Britta convulsively, "that I was a g-good little g-girl, and that he was g-glad I wanted to g-go!" Here her two sparkling wet eyes peeped out of the apron inquiringly, and seeing nothing but the sweetest affection on Thelma's attentive face, she went on more steadily. "He p-pinched my cheek, and he laughed--and he said he would rather have me for your maid than anybody--there!"
And this last exclamation was uttered with so much defiance that she dashed away the apron altogether, and stood erect in self-congratulatory glory, with a particularly red little nose and very trembling lips. Thelma smiled, and caressed the tumbled brown curls.
"I am very glad, Britta!" she said earnestly. "Nothing could have pleased me more! I must thank Philip. But it is of father I am thinking--what will father and Sigurd do?"
"Oh, that is all settled, Fröken," said Britta, recovering herself rapidly from her outburst. "The bonde means to go for one of his long voyages in the Valkyrie--it is time she was used again, I'm sure,--and Sigurd will go with him. It will do them both good--and the tongues of Bosekop can waggle as much as they please, none of us will be here to mind them!"
"And you will escape your grandmother!" said Thelma amusedly, as she once more set her spinning-wheel in motion.
Britta laughed delightedly. "Yes! she will not find her way to England without some trouble!" she exclaimed. "Oh, how happy I shall be! And you"--she looked pleadingly at her mistress--"you do not dislike me for your servant?"
"Dislike!" and Thelma gave her a glance of mingled reproach and tenderness. "You know how fond I am of you, Britta! It will be like having a little bit of my old home always with me."
Silently Britta kissed her hand, and then resumed her work. The monotonous murmur of the two wheels recommenced,--this time pleasantly accompanied by the rippling chatter of the two girls, who, after the fashion of girls all the world over, indulged in many speculations as to the new and strange life that lay before them.
Their ideas were of the most primitive character,--Britta had never been out of Norway, and Thelma's experiences, apart from her home life, extended merely to the narrow and restricted bounds of simple and severe convent discipline, where she had been taught that the pomps and vanities of the world were foolish and transient shows, and that nothing could please God more than purity and rectitude of soul. Her character was formed, and set upon a firm basis--firmer than she herself was conscious of. The nuns who had been entrusted with her education had fulfilled their task with more than their customary zeal--they were interested in the beautiful Norwegian child for the sake of her mother, who had also been their charge. One venerable nun in particular had bestowed a deep and lasting benefit on her, for, seeing her extraordinary beauty, and forestalling the dangers and temptations into which the possession of such exceptional charms might lead her, she adopted a wise preventive course, that cased her as it were in armor, proof against all the assailments of flattery. She told the girl quite plainly that she was beautiful,--but at the same time made her aware that beauty was common,--that she shared it alike with birds, flowers, trees, and all the wonderful objects of nature--moreover, that it was nothing to boast of, being so perishable.