At home he settled down in a wonderful way. The good conscience that every one there had was infectious; and he could not but feel glad that his parents should now be rewarded for all their troubles with this dinner. It was high time that he, too, gave up his ugly suspicion.
As he sat upon the box, he gazed at the carriages that were driving up to the flag-decorated town-hall. Would she be there this evening?
Marit Norby looked handsome as she sat leaning a little towards her husband, dressed in a silk dress and light straw bonnet. Knut, however, was by no means happy; for as he grew to feel himself more and more firmly in the right, he had become more indifferent to the respect of the district. Fancy if people were making this fuss because they were sorry for him! In that case he would like to tell them that they were mistaken. There was nothing the matter with him yet. Nevertheless as he saw carriage after carriage drive up to the town-hall a smile played about the corners of his mouth; for he was thinking of Mads Herlufsen. Would he come? Or was he sitting at home sulking? In that case Norby would like to see him.
As they drove into the yard of the town-hall, Einar saw the doctor's gig driving away. There was room for only two in it, the doctor and his wife, so _she_ was not there. He had been so anxious about this for days and nights past that the disappointment was very great, and for a moment he lost all desire to go in. Something awoke in him, that shook him and said: "What are you about, Einar?"
Between two flags on the steps stood the bailiff and Fru Thora of Lidarende to receive the guests of honour; and Einar slowly followed the others up the steps.
Laura, who to-day was wearing her first light silk dress, grew suddenly red when she noticed a beardless youth standing in the passage and looking at her. It was the bailiff's son, who had just taken his degree in forestry. "I wonder if he will take me in to dinner!" she thought, her heart beginning to beat.
The only person who lived in the town-hall building was the midwife of the district, who had two rooms in one wing. There the pastor's wife was now busy, at the head of a flock of maids, serving the dinner. She was both angry and in despair, because the Railway Hotel, which was providing the dinner, had forgotten to send gravy with the joint, and now a servant came and said that Norby had come, and that people were sitting down to table.