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for two days now that God would open a door to get me to the Lapp people, and this is it!”
    His face twisted with a wry expression. “Well, if you can put up with her ways, she can get you to the Lapps, all right. Maybe this is from God, but if you were my daughter, I wouldn’t permit it.”
    “Thank you for coming by, Pastor. I believe God has used you in this way.”
    “You’re actually thinking of going out into the wilderness with that woman?”
    “If she’ll take me, I’ll go,” Mallory said simply.
    ****
    Stepping into a cell at the tiny local jail, Mallory found herself the object of a pair of cold eyes. The woman’s name, she had been informed by the sheriff, was Orva, and like Pastor Knudsen, the sheriff had also warned Mallory about her temperament. “She’s a bad ’un, miss. I’d have nothin’ to do with her. Jail might take a little of the starch out of her.”
    As the sheriff closed the cell door behind Mallory, she greeted the woman warmly in Norwegian and introduced herself. “I understand your name is Orva.”
    The woman did not speak or make a move but sat sullenly on the bunk. Her black hair was tied back with a leather thong, and Mallory noticed that her eyes were golden brown and somewhat oriental looking. Her face was broad, and she had dark skin with wrinkles around the corners of her eyes. She was wearing well worn men’s clothing. For a moment, Mallory thought she didn’t understand the language.
    “Well, what do you want?” she finally grunted.
    “I’m sorry about your trouble, Orva. Pastor Knudsen told me about you and thought you might be able to help me.”
    The woman raised a dubious eyebrow and smiled cynically. “You want me to help you? ”
    “Yes. I know that comes as a surprise, but I’ve come to Norway to live with your people, the Lapps.”
    “What do you want with us?” She asked the question with a disdainful sneer and punctuated with some of the language Pastor Knudsen had warned her about.
    “I’m a missionary, Orva. Do you know what that is?”
    “No.”
    “It means I want to tell your people about the God I serve.”
    “We have our own gods!” The words were cold and hard, and there was something savage about the woman’s expression. She looked very strong, and as Mallory explained what she wanted to do, Orva simply shrugged. “You will die. No white woman could live like we do. Besides, we don’t need any white woman’s god!”
    “I know you feel that way, and I hope to change your mind. What I would suggest is this—I understand you’re going to have to stay in jail for three months if someone doesn’t pay your fines. Do you think anyone will?”
    “I don’t know anyone who would pay for me.”
    “I will.”
    A flicker of light touched the woman’s dark eyes. “Why?”
    “Because I want you to take me to your people, to be my guide. I can’t do it by myself, but if you would go with me and help me, I think I can.”
    “You’ll give me money?”
    “I’ll pay your fine, and I’ll pay you for guiding me.”
    Orva got up and stood squarely facing Mallory. “I don’t want to be in jail,” she admitted sullenly.
    “Then you’ll guide me?”
    “You’ll probably die.”
    “That’s not your problem. You can introduce me to your people.”
    Suddenly the woman smiled, revealing a missing front tooth. “My own family tries to avoid me when they can.”
    Mallory was taken aback, but she quickly recovered and said, “If you can find them and keep me from getting lost and starving, I’ll pay you.”
    “All right, I’ll do it. Anything to get me out of this place.” She stood up and went over to the bars, which she shook violently, cursing the jailer and everyone else who came to mind.
    ****
    Thirty minutes later the two women entered the Bjellands’ house to find the couple sitting at the table. They looked up, alarm showing clearly on their faces. “I know you’ll think this is foolish,” Mallory told them, “but I believe