United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
There were small figures moving, over by the house; it was Eleseus and Sivert, keeping watch. Now they came running up. Inger was seized with a sudden cold a dreadful cold in the head, with sniffing and coughing even her eyes were all red and watering too. It always gives one a dreadful cold on board ship makes one's eyes wet and all!
Inger looked nice; she had made herself a dainty cotton dress, with white at the neck and wrists. The child was all in white, with a new blue silk ribbon drawn through the lower edge of its dress; but then she was a wonder of a child, to be sure, that could smile and chatter already, and lay and listened when the clock struck on the wall. Her father had chosen her name.
A pity for 'twas a little friendly beast, and grown fond of them already. "Never mind," said Inger comfortingly. "Why, you've done wonders already." "Ay, but just now with the spring coming on and I've need of a horse...." Next morning he drove off quietly with the last load, and was away two days. Coming back on foot the third day, he stopped as he neared the house, and stood listening.
Isak was not going to have another summer like that; he decided without any fuss that Jensine should come back again if she could be got. Inger, too, had no longer a word against it; she had come to her senses again, and said: "Ay, do as you think best." Ay, Inger was grown reasonable now; 'tis no little thing to come to one's senses again after a spell.
There is, however, this radical difference that in Lady Inger there is nothing preternatural, and it is, indeed, in this play that Ibsen seems first to appreciate the value of a stiff attention to realism.
Axel said, "Yes"; he was glad it had come out all right in the end. The Lensmand himself put in a word, and said: "This is the second of these cases I've had while I've been here first with Inger from Sellanraa, and now this. No, it's no good trying to countenance that sort of thing justice must take its course."
Os-Anders the Lapp, coming by with his dog, brought news that folk in the village had cut their corn already, for fodder. "'Tis a poor look out," said Inger, "when it comes to that." "Ay. But they've the herring. A fine haul, 'tis said. Your Uncle Sivert, he's going to build a country house." "Why, he was none so badly off before." "That's true. And like to be the same with you, for all it seems."
Years passed on in the earth above; but down where she was there was no change, except that she heard more and more rarely sounds from above, and that she herself was more seldom mentioned. At last one day she heard a sigh, and "Inger, Inger, how miserable you have made me! I foretold that you would!" These were her mother's last words on her deathbed.
And she never stole off now to a tiny grave in the forest, where once she had patted the earth with her hands and set up a little cross. But Inger was not altogether heartless yet; she cared for her other children, kept them clean and made new clothes for them; she would sit up late at night mending their things. It was her ambition to see them get on in the world.
"Looks like Eleseus he's turning out for the good," thought Isak to himself, watching his son at work. And to Inger he said: "H'm wonder if Eleseus he'll be staying home now for good?" And she just as queerly cautious again: "'Tis more than I can say. No, I doubt if he will." "Ho! Have you said a word of it to himself?" "No well, yes, I've talked a bit with him, maybe. But that's the way I think."
Word Of The Day