[Subsection]

Mother taught him more reading and arithmetic. Then the autumn was there, and school started.

He was both glad and sorry. Mainly glad, so that he told   [p. 47]   himself he would not have missed it for anything. Åsne Bakken had been pushed into the background that summer, but as he was trudging to school with his mother the first day, the image of Åsne reappeared. He would see her again today.

It was a long way to school. Bufast lay on the very edge of the district.

There were lots of children. But Åsne Bakken was not there to begin with. He looked at them all, and many of them looked shyly at him. Some knew each other already and kept each other company noisily. This gave them a kind of advantage at once. Those standing there singly were inferiors, searching the faces of their leaders for a smile. If they were given one, they smiled happily back.

Mother left, having dumped Per into the crowd.

There was Åsne, and another little girl with her. The other was sure to be Signe Moen. Per remembered clearly that Åsne had a cousin called that. They came hand in hand and halted, without a grown-up since there were two of them. They were from the opposite direction; they would never keep Per company along the way.

Per looked away. Åsne also looked away. They never would have believed that seeing each other for the second time would feel like this. Down by the river everything had happened by itself. Signe looked sideways at Per, since Åsne was doing so.

He had no idea what to do. Then he noticed a stick lying at his feet. He was saved. He picked up the stick and threw it in front of Åsne. She bent down quickly and threw it back again, and then they could smile at each other and go up to each other.

Signe Moen stood beside them, half smiling with them. She was about the same height as Åsne. They were very much alike.

"Why didn't you ever come down again?" asked Per.

"Couldn't go by myself."

"Is this Signe Moen?"

"Yes."

Signe was suddenly standing with her back to them. She was shy.

Per said to Åsne, "You know, I've been waiting for you so, and you never came to Bufast."

"Yes, I've been waiting for you too," she said. "You can turn around now, Signe. Walk around her, Per; then you can look at her."

Per went around Signe so that he could look her in the face. She did not mind letting him look at her, so then they could smile at each other and make a threesome.

Now they were three. They looked about them at once.

There turned out to be a crowd of inquisitive people: around them stood four or five young boys, staring.

Per was angry for some reason. Wasn't it right to stand with the girls? Was it something to be ashamed of? He was suddenly angry with these gaping fellows. And he was at least as big as they were. He'd show them.

"They stand staring like new-born calves," he said, to their faces.

Åsne and Signe laughed proudly. The gapers were left flat. Per was so proud of himself that he flushed and felt quite dizzy.

"Chase them away," said Åsne.

There was a fight in the air, but then the teacher arrived and took the whole crowd indoors.

Per managed very well that day. He wanted to sit next to Åsne and Signe but was not allowed; he had to sit with the boys. But he had already made enemies of the boys, and he did not look at the one sitting beside him. During recesses he and Åsne stood together. Signe drifted away to some of the others.

He went home pleased with himself. It had been a good day. He had no company, but he was used to being alone, and for most of the way there was nobody to be with anyway.

The autumn grass was faded, and the leaves had fallen.   [p. 49]   There was a scent of moisture and of earth. The scent jolted him, and he stopped to find out whether he loved earth.

No. But he loved Åsne Bakken; he had found that out easily enough.