At that the hardened seducer admitted that he had fondled his beautiful girl servant, but it had not been with any sinful or lewd intention. On the contrary: God himself had sent him the thought that it was his fatherly duty as her master to test the girl’s chastity. She was so attractive and thus constantly exposed to temptations and to the desire of men wishing to seduce her. As a true Christian it was his duty to guard the innocence of his girl servant. He had seen men approach her with decidedly dishonorable intentions, and he would hate to see her led astray by immoral men, into deaths destruction, so often the lot of beautiful servant girls. But the girl had not understood that with his fondling he only wanted, in a fatherly way, to test her chastity. And for this he was very sorry, since he had only touched her with pious intent.
But Ulrika had replied bluntly to his false excuse: Elin had a mother who guarded her maidenhead. And he — married as he was — what kind of guardian of girls’ chastity was he? Searching so forcibly in their underwear that hooks and eyes were torn off! Instead of leafing through petticoats he ought to leaf through the Bible and find the verse where it says: adulterers and those who break the vows of holy matrimony God will judge.
She demanded the balance of Elin’s wages on the spot. The girl would not come back to a service where she would fear to be raped by the master the moment his wife left the house. A wildcat might be a hairier beast than Mr. Hanley but hardly more dangerous. Ulrika had long been aware that that elegant gentleman suffered from secret desires for women; his pants protruded as soon as he heard the rustle of a skirt; such things an experienced woman knew by instinct.
She had told everything to Henry to make him get after the adulterer. And finally Mr. Hanley had confessed privately to the pastor, saying he was crushed with remorse. And Henry, who loved a human being more the greater a sinner he was, had given him absolution. They would keep the incident quiet and Mr. Hanley would remain as one of the trustees of the church — he had, over the years, contributed great sums to the congregation. And Ulrika, who once in her old body had been a great sinner, felt that he should be forgiven this time. But this she had said to Henry: if Mr. Hanley made any more attempts at rape, then she herself would openly tell the whole congregation about his try at Elin, and to prove it she would show the hooks from the girl’s clothes which she was keeping for that purpose. That would quickly push him out of the church.
And Mr. Hanley, although he was on secret probation, had already engaged a new girl who was almost as good-looking as Elin. So it didn’t seem as if the man was trying to avoid new temptations to sin. And now Ulrika wondered: would the hooks hold in the new girl’s petticoat when the master undertook his chastity test?
Elin had immediately got a fine position with the chief of police in St. Paul and was paid three dollars more a month than Mr. Hanley had given her. Ulrika had visited her daughter in St. Paul and was glad she liked it so well with the new people. After all, perhaps Mr. Hanley’s chastity test had been a good thing as it might contribute to her luck in life; as a servant to the chief of police himself, her maidenhead should be safe from two-legged beasts in pants.
Kristina had listened to Ulrika without interrupting her. Now she said, “There, you see — American men too are not to be trusted!”
“Yes, a beautiful woman is in trouble anywhere in the world,” sighed the experienced Mrs. Jackson.
Kristina tried to persuade her guest to stay overnight; they had plenty of sleeping places in their new house. But Ulrika was in a hurry today.
“No, I’m sorry, but we have speak-meeting in the church tonight. And Sunday we have love feast and bread-breaking, and that kind of meeting has to be prepared for days in advance.”
Ulrika would return home on the lumber company ox wagon, passing along the road near Sjölin’s claim, opposite Nordberg’s Island, where the men were just building the Lutheran church. She had been to that spot before, and even though she was a Baptist she must say the Lutherans had found a nice and pleasant place for a Lord’s temple there on the crest of the hill, with all the foliage around it. But however nicely a church was situated, false teachings could be preached in it.
Kristina said that Ulrika must also take a look at their cemetery, which had been consecrated last fall, a short distance farther on along the shore. As yet no grave had been dug in the cemetery.
Little Ulrika was having her noon nap, the other children were taking care of themselves, so Kristina walked with her guest almost to the edge of Olausson’s claim, where the ox team would meet her.
Ulrika’s visit had stimulated and cheered Kristina, taking her mind off the things that had been disturbing her. As she walked back it struck her that she never was on intimate terms with the neighbor women even though she often saw Manda Svensson and Johanna Kron and others. They talked only of daily chores, children’s troubles, their pregnancies and births — those they had experienced or were anticipating. These women came to her with all the troubles she had enough of, was in the midst of, which almost overwhelmed her, and therefore a visit with them did not especially enliven her. Nor was she able entirely to open herself to them and confide in them. Perhaps she had changed during her long isolation; she herself had been separated from people for so long that she could not admit anyone to her innermost thoughts.
Even Karl Oskar had once asked if she had grown shy of people. Whatever the reason, Ulrika was and remained her only intimate friend among women in America.
— 3—
Robert had returned from his walk in the forest and was lying on his back in the shade of the huge sugar maples outside the house. Kristina was short of breath after her walk in the heat and sat down on the stoop for a moment. She said jokingly that she never knew where Robert kept himself during the day. Even though he was a grown man she thought they should still hang a cowbell on him so they would know where he was.
Robert smiled back. It was true — he had run away many times but he always came back.
He had a book in his hand which he showed her. It was the History of Nature he had brought with him from Sweden. He had left it here and he had just found it among the junk in the old log house. The book was torn, the pages held together at the back by a few thin, twisted threads; it wasn’t much to save.
“But I just ran across an amusing chapter. Listen to this, Kristina!”
And Robert read aloud:
“About Gold and Gold Coins.
“Gold is always found as a metal, sometimes mixed with silver. It is found in mountains, embedded in pyrites or quartz; but most gold is found in the earth, usually in fine grains. Then it is mixed with sand. Sometimes bigger lumps are found. Because the gold grains are so much heavier than the sand grains one can wash away the sand with water leaving only the gold; this is called washing gold.
“Gold cannot be changed either by air or fire if it is pure; that is why gold is called a noble metal.
“Pure gold is more than nineteen times heavier than water. .”