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At last she had managed to wring some expression of feeling out of him. She would try it again. This was on a Sunday. Later in the day Fruen was strangely restless; she said a few kindly words to me, and mentioned that both Nils and I had managed our work very well. "Lars has been to the post office today," she said, "to fetch a letter for me. It's one I particularly want.
It was not the same working there now as when the Captain and Fruen were home; I found here confirmation of the well-known truth that it is well for a man to have some one over him at his work, that is, if he is not himself in charge as leading man. Here were the maids now, going about the place with none to look after them.
"Scowling, eh?" says the Captain, joining in, with a forced laugh. Fruen takes him up on the instant. "Ah! you managed to hear that time!" "Really, Lovise...." Fruen's eyes dimmed suddenly; she stood a moment then ran, stooping forward, round behind the frames, and sobbed. The Captain went over to her. "What is it, Lovise, tell me?" "Oh, nothing, nothing! Go away." She was sick; we could hear it.
"Here she's come back, and ought to be happy and good tempered as could be, and instead she's all tears and frowning. I heard the Captain telling her today: 'Now do be a little reasonable, Lovise, he said. 'I'm sorry, I won't do it any more, says Fruen; and then she cried because she'd been unreasonable.
I put on my blouse again and went across with her to the house. We went upstairs and stood in the passage; we could hear them laughing and making a noise in Fruen's room. But Fruen herself spoke as clearly as ever, and was not drunk at all. "Yes, she is," said Ragnhild, "anyhow, she's not like herself tonight." I wished I could have seen her for a moment. We went back to the kitchen and sat down.
But in the doorway she turned, and now her face was pale. She seemed to have formed her resolution already. Speaking over her shoulder, she said to her husband: "I shouldn't be surprised if Ragnhild's eyes were a little too bright." "Eh?" says the Captain, in surprise. "Yes," says Fruen, with a slight laugh, nodding over towards the table where we sat.
No, just come back the night before. Been to the railway station. Who had gone away, then? Fruen. Fruen? Fruen, yes. Pause. Really? And where was Fruen gone to? Gone to stay in town for a bit. Pause. "Stranger man's been here writing in the papers about that machine of yours," says Falkenberg. "Is the Captain gone away too?" "No, Captain's at home.
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?"
"Mille graces, Madame; vous etes trop aimable," I said gallantly, and took off my cap. Fruen turned round and stared at me in astonishment; the look on her face was comical to see. We were shown into the kitchen and given an excellent meal. Fruen went indoors.
But Fruen must have misunderstood; she got up and said: 'There you are! You won't listen to me. Really, I can't make out why you ever wrote to me at all. You might just as well have left me alone. Then the Captain said something about being in prison; if a man grew up in a prison yard, he said, and you take him out, he'll long to be back in his prison yard again, he said.
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