Wanderers Part 39

"No; go in and ask Fruen to come out here to me," I said.

"Why, whatever for?"

"I've a message for her."

And Ragnhild knocked at the door and went in.

It was only at the last moment I hit on any message to give. I could simply look her straight in the face and say: "The Captain sent his kind regards." [Footnote: _Kapteinen bad mig hilse Dem_: literally, "The Captain bade me greet you." Such a message would not seem quite so uncalled for in Norway, such greetings (_Hilsen_) being given and sent more frequently, and on slighter occasions, than with us.] Would that be enough? I might say more: "The Captain was obliged to drive himself, because Nils couldn't spare any one to go."

But a moment can be long at times, and thought a lightning flash. I found time to reject both these plans and hatch out another before Fruen came. Though I doubt if my last plan was any better.

Fruen asked in surprise:

"Well, what do you want?"

Ragnhild came up, too, and looked at me wonderingly.

I turned the lamp towards Fruen's face and said:

"I beg pardon for coming up so late. I'll be going to the post first thing tomorrow; I thought if perhaps Fruen had any letters to go?"

"Letters? No," she answered, shaking her head.

There was an absent look in her eyes, but she did not look in the least as if she had been drinking.

"No, I've no letters," she said, and moved to go.

"Beg pardon, then," I said.

"Was it the Captain told you to go to the post?" she asked.

"No, I was just going for myself."

She turned and went back to her room. Before she was well through the door I heard her say to the others:

"A nice pretext, indeed."

Ragnhild and I went down again. I had seen her.

Oh, but I was humbled now indeed! And it did not ease my mind at all when Ragnhild incautiously let out a further piece of news. It seemed she had been romancing before; it was not true about the Captain's having asked her to keep a look out. I grew more and more convinced in my own mind: Ragnhild was playing the spy on her own account, for sheer love of the game.

I left her, and, went up to my room. What had my clumsy intrusion gained for me, after all? A pretext, she had said; clearly she had seen through it all. Disgusted with myself, I vowed that for the future I would leave things and people to themselves.

I threw myself down fully dressed on the bed.

After a while I heard Fru Falkenberg's voice outside in front of the house; my window was open, and she spoke loudly enough. The engineer was with her, putting in a word now and again. Fruen was in raptures over the weather, so fine it was, and such a warm night. Oh, it was lovely out now--ever so much nicer than indoors!

But her voice seemed a trifle less clear now than before.

I ran to the window, and saw the pair of them standing by the steps that led down to the shrubbery. The engineer seemed to have something on his mind that he had not been able to get said before. "Do listen to me now," he said. Then followed a brief and earnest pleading, which was answered--ay, and rewarded. He spoke as if to one hard of hearing, because she had been deaf to his words so long; they stood there by the stone steps, neither of them caring for any one else in the world. Let any listen or watch who pleased; the night was theirs, the world was theirs, and the spring-time was about them, drawing them together.

He watched her like a cat; every movement of her body set his blood tingling; he was ready to spring upon her in a moment. And when it came near to action there was a power of will in his manner towards her. Ay, the young spark!

"I've begged and prayed you long enough," he said breathlessly.

"Yesterday you all but would; today you're deaf again. You think you and Bror and Tante [Footnote: "Auntie." Evidently Captain Bror's lady is meant.] and the rest are to have a good time and no harm done, while I look on and play the nice young man? But, by Heaven, you're wrong!

Here's you yourself, a garden of all good things right in front of me, and a fence ... do you know what I'm going to do now with that silly fence?"

"What are you going to do? No, Hugo, you've had too much to drink this evening. You're so young. We've both drunk more than we ought," she said.

"And then you play me false into the bargain, with your tricks. You send a special messenger for a letter that simply can't wait, and at the same time you're cruel enough to let me think ... to promise me...."

"I'll never do it again, Hugo."

"Never do it again? What do you mean by that? When you can go up to a man--yes, to me, and kiss me like you did.... What's the good of saying you'll never do it any more; it's done, and a kiss like that's not a thing to forget. I can feel it still, and it's a mad delight, and I thank you for it You've got that letter in your dress; let me see it."

"You're so excited, Hugo. No, it's getting late now. We'd better say good-night."

"Will you show me that letter?"

"Show you the letter? Certainly not!"

At that he made a half-spring, as if to take it by force, but checked himself, and snapped out:

"What? You won't? Well, on my word you are.... Mean's not the word for it. You're something worse...."

"Hugo!"

"Yes, you are!"

"If you _will_ see the letter, here it is!" She thrust her hand into her blouse, took out the letter, opened it, and waved it at him, flouris.h.i.+ng her innocence. "Here's the letter--from my mother; there's her signature--look. From mother--and now what have you to say?"

He quailed as if at a blow, and only said:

"From your mother. Why, then, it didn't matter at all?"

"No; there you are. Oh, but of course it did matter in a way, but still...."

He leaned up against the fence, and began to work it out:

"From your mother.... I see. A letter from your mother came and interrupted us. Do you know what I think? You've been cheating. You've been fooling me all along. I can see it all now."

She tried again.

"It was an important letter. Mama is coming--she's coming here to stay very soon. And I was waiting to hear."

"You were cheating all the time, weren't you?" he said again. "Let them bring in the letter just at the right moment, when we'd put out the light. Yes, that's it. You were just leading me on, to see how far I'd go, and kept your maid close at hand to protect you."

"Oh, do be sensible! It's ever so late; we must go in."