"I tell you they are the best people one could find.

I would do anything for the woman." Marianne did not like to tell her friend what she knew and to consult with her about things she could not comprehend, for 'Lizebeth had evidently no love for the two and was full of distrust, and Marianne had taken them both into her heart so that she could not bear sharp remarks about them even from her good friend.

She therefore was silent and 'Lizebeth could get nothing more out of her concerning her lodgers.
During this long talk a good deal of time had passed.

'Lizebeth rose from the wooden bench behind the table where she and Marianne had been sitting and was about to bid good-bye.

But Marianne would not allow that, for the friend must first drink a cup of coffee; then she was going to walk with her.