Garman And Worse A Norwegian Novel, Alexander Lange Kielland [best novels to read in english .txt] 📗

Chapter 6 Pg 43

Up Again Uneasily,  Heated As He Was By Drink And Passion.

 

Still A Little Longer Smouldered The Red Glow Of The Wick,  While The

Smoke Wreathed Up Thinner And Thinner Through The Glass And Spread

Itself In The Darkness.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7 Pg 44

 

Fanny Garman Had From The First Shown Herself Particularly Well Disposed

Towards Madeleine,  And Had More Than Once Invited Her To Come And Pay

Her A Visit In The Town. Nothing Had Hitherto Come Of The Invitation,

For Even Madeleine,  Unversed As She Was In The Ways Of Society,  Could

See That Nothing More Was Meant Than A Compliment.

 

One Sunday,  However,  Madeleine Was Standing Before The Looking-Glass,

Only Partially Dressed,  And With Her Thick Dark Hair Hanging In curls

Over Her Shoulders. Fanny Happened To Pass,  And Caught Sight Of Her

Reflection By The Side Of Madeleine'S. She Stopped And Noticed The

Contrast. The Dark Hair And Slightly Gipsy Complexion Of Her Cousin Set

Off Her Own Fair Skin And Light Hair Most Admirably. It Is True That

Madeleine Was Taller,  And Her Figure Rather More Stately,  But The Face

Itself Had Only Very Slight Pretensions To Beauty. Fanny Closely

Observed The Effect As She Helped Madeleine To Arrange Her Hair,  And

When She Had Finished Her Observations She Threw Her Arm Round

Madeleine'S Waist,  And They Left The Room Together.

 

"Listen Now,  My Dearest Madeleine," Began She,  Arching Her Eyebrows. "I

Am Really Very Much Annoyed With You,  For Never Coming Down To See Us In

The Town. As A Punishment,  I Shall Take You With Me This Afternoon.

Morten Can Sit On The Box."

 

Madeleine Looked Into The Small And Delicate Face,  And Could Not Help

Thinking How Lovely It Was. The Large Blue Eyes Looked So Charmingly Out

Through Their Lashes; The Pose Of The Head Was So Elegant; While Round

The Mouth Played So Many Changing Expressions,  Which Seemed To Rivet The

Attention When She Was Speaking.

 

"What Are You Staring At?" Asked Fanny,  Mischievously.

 

"You Really Are Too Pretty," Answered Madeleine,  With Sincerity.

 

"Well,  That'S A Rustic Compliment," Laughed Her Cousin,  Turning Colour A

Little,  But Looking Still More Charming.

 

Madeleine Went Down With Them To The Town,  And Stayed A Few Days;

Afterwards She Paid Short Visits There More Frequently. Fanny Took Her

To The Few Amusements The Town Offered,  And Occasionally There Were

Small _Reunions_ Either In Their Own House,  Or In Those Of Some Of Their

Acquaintances. Wherever They Went The Two Seemed To Set Each Other Off

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By The Wonderful Contrast In Their Appearance,  Or By Some Coquettish

Similarity Or Difference In Their Toilets.

 

It Was The Rule In The Garmans' House,  That Any One Who Was Staying

There Could Do Exactly As They Liked. They Could Come Or Go,  Ride Or

Drive,  Just As The Fancy Took Them. The House Was So Large,  And There

Were So Many Guests,  And So Many Business Acquaintances Who Came Either

To Dinner Or Supper,  That The Absence Of Any Particular Person Attracted

But Little Attention. Madeleine,  Therefore,  Soon Perceived That No One

Seemed To Miss Her Very Much If She Was Away. Mrs. Garman Was As Usual

More Or Less Peevish; And Rachel Kept To Herself,  Which Fanny Maintained

Was Because She Had Taken Up With A New Father Confessor.

 

The Consul Was The Only Person Who Seemed To Care For Her,  And When She

Came Back From A Visit In The Town,  He Would Pat Her On The Head And

Say,  "Well,  My Dear,  I Am Glad To See You Back Again."

 

One Day,  Just As She Was Getting Into Fanny'S Carriage To Drive Down To

The Town,  The Consul Happened To Pass The Door.

 

"Are You Going To Run Away From Us Again?" Said He,  With A Friendly

Smile,  As He Passed.

 

Madeleine Felt She Had A Guilty Conscience,  And,  After Much Stammering

And Hesitation,  She At Last Managed To Ask Her Uncle If He Did Not Like

Her To Go.

 

"Oh No! I Didn'T Mean That," Said The Consul,  As He Patted Her On The

Cheek. "I Wish You Always To Do Exactly What You Like Best."

 

As Madeleine Sat In The Carriage She Could Not Help Thinking That She

Was One Of The Dullest Creatures On Earth. How Could She Be So Foolish

As To Imagine That Any One In The House Cared Whether She Were There Or

Not? More Probably She Was Only In The Way. She Could Not Help

Regretting Her Defective Education,  And A Few Days After,  When She

Returned To Sandsgaard,  She Noticed That Her Uncle Did Not Pat Her On

The Cheek. The Fact Was,  She Did Not Yet Quite Understand Her New Life;

Everything Had Turned Out So Different To What She Had Expected.

 

When Madeleine And Her Friend Per Had Met For The Last Time,  But Few

Words Had Passed Between Them,  But When He Went Down The Hill Towards

Bratvold,  She Stood Gazing After Him Till He Was Out Of Sight. She Had

Then Made A Vow To Keep True To Him,  No Matter What Her Relations Might

Say,  And She Knew Well Enough They Would All Be Against Her; But As She

Looked Over The Sea,  She Felt Herself So Strong And So Determined,  That

She Could Not Doubt Her Courage And Her Constancy To Her First Love.

 

But Now,  As It So Turned Out,  Her Constancy Was Never Called In

Question. She Felt Certain That A Rumour Of Her Connection With Per Must

Have Reached Sandsgaard,  For She Well Knew That There Were Stories

Enough About Her Free And Unrestrained Life At Bratvold,  And So At First

She Always Dreaded The Slightest Allusion To It. She Had At The Same

Time Quite Made Up Her Mind To Confess Openly How Matters Stood,  And To

Say Plainly That Although He Was Nothing But A Simple Peasant And

Fisherman,  She,  Madeleine Garman,  Would Be True To Him. But In The

Course Of Conversation She Could Not Discover Even The Most Distant Hint

At Her Adventure; It Did Not Even Appear That Anything Really Was Known

Chapter 7 Pg 46

About It; Her Past Life Was,  In Fact,  Never Mentioned In any Way,  And It

Seemed To Be Taken For Granted That She Could Never Have Conducted

Herself Otherwise Than Naturally Became A Miss Garman. It Was This Very

Assumption That Seemed To Shake Her In Her Resolution.

 

Everything About Fanny'S Pretty And Artistic House Was Always Kept In

The Best Of Order. Old Mahogany And Horsehair Were Here Quite

Inadmissible.

 

The Furniture,  Which Was Mostly Of Carved Walnut,  And Plush,  Had All

Come From Hamburg. _Portieres_ Hung Before The Doors,  And The Windows

And The Corners Of The Rooms Were Gay With _Jardinieres_,  And Vases

Containing Flowers And Choice Foliage Plants; While Small Tables And

Luxurious Armchairs Were Grouped About The Room. The Rooms Were Not

Large,  But When All The Doors Stood Open The General Effect Was Very

Pleasing,  Enhanced By Its China,  Paintings,  Bright Carpets,  And Gilded

Mirrors.

 

Sandsgaard,  With Its Large And Lofty Rooms,  Where The Furniture Was All

Arranged Round The Walls,  Was So Cold And Stiff That Madeleine Could Not

Help Feeling She Must Move About Noiselessly,  Or Sit Demurely In a

Corner. At Fanny'S Her Feelings Were Very Different; Everything Seemed

So Inviting; And The Difficulty Was To Choose A Seat Among The Many

Comfortable Armchairs And Sofas.

 

Morten Never Seemed To Be Perfectly At Home In His Own House,  Where His

Heavy Form Was Quite Out Of Place. Fanny Took But Little Notice Of Him,

And His Opinion Was Never Consulted. However,  He Was Easy-Going,  And

Preferred To Keep Pretty Much To Himself.

 

Morten Garman Had The Reputation Of Being A Good-Natured Fellow,  But At

The Same Time Of Not Being Very Easy To Get On With. To Do Business With

Him Required The Greatest Circumspection; A Single Word Might Spoil

Everything,  And If Once Anything Upset Him,  It Was Almost Impossible To

Get Him Right Again. Old-Fashioned People,  Therefore,  Preferred Going

Out To Sandsgaard,  And Dealing With The Young Consul Personally; It Was

A Slower Process,  But The Result Might Be Reckoned On With The Greatest

Certainty. The Young Man Had A Habit Of Suddenly Looking At His Watch,

Breaking Off The Negotiations,  Getting Into His Carriage,  And Driving

Off To Sandsgaard Or Elsewhere,  Leaving Behind Him Nothing But Loose

Statements And Half-Concluded Business.

 

Fanny Had Never Troubled Her Husband With Any Demonstrative Affection,

And Certainly Never With Jealousy. She Understood Him Well Enough To

Know That If At Any Time She Should Have Occasion For His Forbearance,

There Were Quite Faults Enough On His Side To Weigh Down The Balance In

Her Favour.

 

"There Goes Your Admirer,  Pastor Martens. Look,  Madeleine,  How He Is

Eyeing Us,  The Worthy Man! He Is Taking Off His Hat.--Good Morning,"

Said Fanny,  Bowing,  And At The Same Time Beckoning To Him To Come In.

 

The Pastor Was At The Other Side Of The Narrow Street,  And Seemed To

Consider A Moment Before He Made Up His Mind To Cross. In The Mean Time

Fanny Rang The Bell And Ordered Chocolate. She Dearly Loved These

Morning Visits,  With A Cup Of Chocolate Or A Glass Of Wine,  And

Chapter 7 Pg 47

Accordingly Always Kept Her Eye Upon The Street. Martens,  Who Was The

Resident Chaplain,  Was Among Her Most Frequent Guests,  Especially Since

She Had Taken It Into Her Head That He Admired Madeleine.