It's curious how Gudmund seems to be uncomfortable around the determined and self-assured Hildur, but he's smitten with Helga, who even retracts his accusation towards his old boss (who impregnated her) because she's afraid of his soul (he's about to lie in court). Noble maybe, but also slightly implausible and makes Helga seem like an angel descended from the heavens.

The story itself is a sweet romance (not saccharine, thank god), but also a sort of morality tale. I read an old and battered copy from 1920, which may have affected in my opinion on the prose a little, because I'm fond of old Finnish. I still didn't like this that much, though. I'm mostly looking forward to reading Lagerlöf's other works (mainly The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and Gösta Berling's Saga). I just happened to stumble upon this at my parents' house, and I need to give this back to my mum. Too bad, since the paper cover seems to have been painted by hand, and it's incredibly beautiful.