Take some one now and join the dancers." He made no reply, but he could not keep back the tears that welled up to his eyes as he looked at her.

Marit had already risen to go when she saw this, and paused; suddenly she grew as red as fire, turned and went back to her place, but having arrived there she turned again and took another seat.

Jon followed her forthwith.
Oyvind got up from the bench, passed through the crowd, out in the grounds, sat down on a porch, and then, not knowing what he wanted there rose, but sat down again, thinking he might just as well sit there as anywhere else.

He did not care about going home, nor did he desire to go in again, it was all one to him.

He was not capable of considering what had happened; he did not want to think of it; neither did he wish to think of the future, for there was nothing to which he looked forward.
"But what, then, is it I am thinking of ?" he queried, half aloud, and when he had heard his own voice, he thought: "You can still speak, can you laugh ?" And then he tried it; yes, he could laugh, and so he laughed loud, still louder, and then it occurred to him that it was very amusing to be sitting laughing here all by himself, and he laughed again.