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Miss Torsen asked no more than anyone else, and made purely conventional comments: "I advised him against it, I begged him not to go...." But however much we talked, we could not bring the lawyer back to life. Strange his watch was still going, but he himself was dead. The doctor could do nothing here, and returned to his village. There followed a depressing evening.
The Torsen type no doubt lies in her solitary bed at night, reveling in the sensation that in another house a man lies writhing for her. But her friend, the actor? He was in no sense the other's equal. There was nothing of the bull in him, nothing of action, only the braggadocio of the theater.... Here am I, growing small and petty with this life. I question Solem about the accident.
"Yes," Josephine replied, "in a few days." Though she had seized this opportunity to ask her question with a great show of indifference, I am certain it was an important one to her. She went away in silence. Yes, Miss Torsen stayed, for she was sexually bound to Solem.
Then came Miss Torsen and Mrs. Molie, who were both to stay for the summer. They were followed by Schoolmaster Staur, who would stay a week. Later came two schoolmistresses, the Misses Johnsen and Palm, and still later Associate Schoolmaster Hoey and several others tradesmen, telephone operators, a few people from Bergen, one or two Danes.
Solem had not understood that, and had flown into a passion. Had it been thus? Yes, there was no doubt that Solem had been cheated. He was more direct and lacked subtlety; he made allusions, and said things like "Oh, yes, that Miss Torsen, she's a fine one; I'll bet she's as strong as a man!" And then he laughed, but with repressed fury.
Solem went away, his teeth gleaming in a sneer. That evening, Solem repeated the performance. He went up to Miss Torsen again and said: "What about that path? Shall we go now?" As soon as she saw him coming, she turned quickly and tried to elude him. But Solem did not hesitate to follow her. "Now I've just got one thing to say," she said, stopping.
But Tradesman Batt did not amount to much either; he was short and freckled, and talked of nothing but money and trade. Besides, he had only a small shop in the town, and dealt in tobacco and fruit. No, he did not amount to much. One day, during a long spell of rain, I sat talking with Miss Torsen.
She had also been to see Miss Torsen and got the money for the actor, because of course he had never sent it. "Poor Miss Torsen! She was furious with him for not sending it, and turned quite red and ashamed, too. She didn't seem to find it very easy either, because she asked me to wait till next day, but she gave it to me then." So Josephine had nothing more to do in the town.
Tradesman Batt, who had been in both Africa and America, was the only possibility, for even the Bergensians amounted to nothing. "Where's Miss Torsen?" Batt would ask us. "Here I am; I'm coming," the lady answered. They did not care for walks up the fjeld, but preferred to go to the woods together, where they talked for hours.
Miss Torsen was shocked, and said, 'Hasn't he paid himself? 'No, I said, 'he hasn't, and this year being such a bad one, we need every penny. So then Miss Torsen said of course we should get the money; how much was it? And I told her, and she said she couldn't pay for him now, but she would see the money was sent; we could trust her for that. And I think we can, too.
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