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

Chapter 12 Pg 91

 

Noiselessly As It Had Entered,  The Apparition Glided Out Again,  And The

Door Closed.

 

 

Chapter 13 Pg 92

The Next Day It Rained In Torrents. Morten Drove Into The Town

Immediately After Breakfast. Madeleine Lay In bed With A Fever. Rachel

Went In To See Her,  But She Found Her In Such A Curious State That She

Wished To Send For The Doctor. Miss Cordsen,  However,  Was Of Opinion

That It Would Be Better To Let Her Have Perfect Rest,  And That With Time

She Would Soon Come Round. Rachel Would All The Same Have Sent For The

Doctor,  If She Had Not Forgotten It Almost Before She Got Downstairs;

She Was So Taken Up With Her Own Thoughts. Would Another Day Pass

Without His Coming?

 

A Carriage Drove Up To The Door. Mrs. Garman,  Who Had Just Finished A

Little Private Breakfast In Her Own Room,  Put Down Her Paper And Said,

"Is It Possible? Can It Be Visitors In This Weather?"

 

Rachel Felt That She Was Blushing. She Had Recognized His Voice In The

Hall,  And To Conceal Her Emotion,  She Sat Down At The Piano And

Aimlessly Struck A Few Chords.

 

The Door Opened And In came Dean Sparre,  Followed By Mr. Johnsen. Rachel

Turned Round On The Music-Stool,  Bringing Her Hand Down With A Crash On

Some Of The Bass Notes Of The Piano. Her Eye Never Wandered From

Johnsen,  As If She Expected Every Moment That He Would Begin To Speak,

And Give Some Explanation As To Why He Came In Such Company.

 

Dean Sparre Gave A Cordial Greeting To The Ladies,  At The Same Time

Mildly Reproaching Rachel For Not Having Paid Them A Visit At The

Deanery. He Had A Great Many Messages For Her From His "Little Girls."

 

Mrs. Garman Became Reconciled As Soon As She Saw Who Were The Visitors.

There Was Nothing She Enjoyed More Than A Gossip With Clergymen.

 

The Conversation First Turned Upon The Disagreeable Weather,  But

Rachel'S Eyes Never Once Moved From The Inspector. He Did Not Look In

Her Direction; His Face Was Pale,  And His Lips Closely Pressed Together.

 

"We Particularly Wished,  My Young Friend And I," At Last Began The Dean,

"To Pay This Visit At Your House Together. There Are Many Things That

Can Be Explained,  And Many Misunderstandings Which Can Be Avoided,  If

One Only Has An Opportunity Of Talking A Matter Thoroughly Over."

 

The Dean Paused And Looked At Mr. Johnsen,  Who Made A Momentary Effort

To Speak,  In Which He Signally Failed.

 

"It Would Be Most Unfortunate," Continued The Dean,  "If A Few

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Ill-Considered Remarks Should Leave An Impression On Our Congregation

That There Was Any Want Of Agreement,  Or Rather,  I Should Say,

Difference Of Opinion,  Among Those Who Have To Work Together In The

Service Of The Church."

 

Rachel Had Left Her Seat,  And Was Now Standing Before Mr. Johnsen. "Is

That Your Opinion?"

 

"My Dear Rachel!" Interrupted Mrs. Garman. Rachel'S Eccentricities

Really Exceeded All Bounds.

 

"Is That Your Opinion?" Repeated Rachel,  With The Severity Of A Judge

Condemning A Criminal.

 

Johnsen Raised His Head Nervously And Looked At Her. "Allow Me To

Explain,  Miss Garman," He Began. But He Could Not Withstand The

Penetrating Glance Of Those Clear Blue Eyes,  And Hung Down His Head,  And

Stopped In The Middle Of His Sentence. Rachel Turned Round,  And Without

Saying Another Word Left The Room.

 

"I Must Really,  Gentlemen," Said Mrs. Garman,  "Beg You To Excuse My

Daughter. Rachel'S Conduct Is Sometimes So Very Extraordinary; In Fact,

I Don'T Understand It At All."

 

"The Behaviour Of Youth,  My Dear Mrs. Garman," Said The Dean,  Blandly,

"Is Undoubtedly Somewhat Strange In These Days; But We Ought To Consider

How Times Have Changed." And The Pressure Of His Soft Persuasive Hand

Was So Soothing,  That When They Were Gone,  Mrs. Garman Felt Almost As

Much Edified As If She Had Been Listening To A Sermon.

 

That The Dean,  In The Course Of Three Or Four Days,  Had Been Able To

Bring About This Entire Change In The Inspector,  Was For Martens A New

Source Of Wonder And Admiration; And Every One Could Not But Feel

Greatly Relieved When They Saw The Two Going About And Paying Their

Visits Together.

 

The Whole Of That Memorable Sunday Johnsen Had Spent In Pacing Up And

Down His Room,  Repeating To Himself Different Parts Of His Sermon. Some

Of His Thoughts He Had Managed To Express Clearly Enough,  While Others

Might Have Been A Little More Incisive; But On The Whole He Was

Satisfied. He Was Not Satisfied In The Sense That He Thought He Had

Accomplished A Great Work,  But He Was So Far Satisfied That He Now Felt

That He Had Room To Breathe. Wind In One'S Sails,  Even If It Is A Storm,

Is Preferable To A Dead Calm. What Emotions He Must Have Stirred In Many

A Careless Soul! How Many Of His Hearers Might Not Now Be Struggling

With The Mighty Thoughts Which He Had Thrown Amongst Them? In The Mean

Time He Looked Out Upon The Street,  And He Felt Almost Inclined To

Wonder That The Town Showed Its Usual Sunday Calm. In The Afternoon He

Expected The Dean; He Felt Certain He Would Come,  And He Had A Speech

Ready With Which To Receive Him. Give Way He Would Not,  Rather Resign

His Position; And Besides,  He Knew Of One Who Had Promised Him Her

Friendship,  If All Others Should Turn Their Backs On Him. And Now As The

Day Went On,  And The Shadows Of Evening Began To Fall,  And No Dean

Appeared,  She Came More And More Into The Foreground Of His Thoughts. He

Imagined Her By His Side,  Battling With Him Against The Whole World,  And

Full Of Hope And Courage He Laid Down To Rest.

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When He Awoke The Next Morning,  He Heard The Wind Whistling,  And The

Rain Pattering On The Window-Panes. Empty Drays Were Driving At A Trot

Down The Street Under His Windows,  And The Busy Monday Was Again Alive,

On That Dingy Autumn Morning. He Had To Be In The School Before Eight

O'Clock,  And Begin The Work Of The Day With A Prayer And A Hymn.

Yesterday His Ordinary Duties Had Scarcely Entered His Thoughts; But

When The Faint Odour Of The Children'S Clothes As They Came Wet To

School,  Their Inharmonious Singing,  And That Flagging Indifference With

Which The School Week Opens After Saturday And Sunday'S Holiday,  Rose In

His Imagination,  His Everyday Work Appeared More Than He Could Bear.

 

What Was It To Him? While He Was Sitting At His Breakfast,  And Was Just

Thinking Of Sending The Maid Down To The School To Say He Was Unwell,  A

Knock Was Heard At The Door,  And Dean Sparre Entered The Room. Johnsen

At Once Endeavoured To Recollect What He Had Yesterday Arranged To Say

To The Dean; But At That Early Hour,  And In The Presence Of That

Perplexing Smile,  He Might Just As Well Have Tried To Sing "Lohengrin"

Without Notes As To Bring To His Recollection His Ideas Of The Day

Before.

 

The Dean Went Straight To The Point Without Any Parley,  But Quite From A

Different Point Of View To Which Johnsen Had Expected. He Was Of

Opinion,  In Fact,  Without Making Any Further Assumption,  That Johnsen

Was In Love With,  And Even Perhaps Engaged To,  Rachel Garman,  And That

In His Sermon Of Yesterday He Had Been Expressing Her Ideas,  Which,

Although They Were Certainly Original,  Were Still Somewhat Distorted. At

The Same Time,  He Was Quite Ready To Allow That Miss Garman Was No Doubt

A Lady Of First-Rate Ability.

 

All The Efforts That Johnsen Made To Get The Dean Out Of This Line Of

Thought Were Entirely Thrown Away; Neither Could He Make It Clear To Him

That His Assumption Of The Possibility Of His Being Engaged To Rachel

Was Incorrect.

 

The Dean Listened With Much Patience And With Perfect Good Nature To

What He Had To Say,  And Took Up The Argument Where He Had Left It. At

Last He Said,  Calmly And Plainly,  "Are You Not In Love With This Woman?"

 

Johnsen'S First Idea Was To Answer No; But He Failed In The Effort,

Hesitated,  And Said,  "I Don'T Know."

 

From That Moment The Dean Had Completed His Task. Johnsen Tried To Break

Off The Conversation By Looking At The Clock,  Which Was Now Nearly

Eight.

 

"You Are Thinking Of Your School,  Like A Conscientious Man,  Are You

Not?" Said The Dean. "But You Need Not Be Anxious About It. I Have Been

In And Told Them That You Would Be Unable To Attend. Mr. Pallesen Will

Take Your Place This Morning."

 

Johnsen Sat Down Again,  Entirely Crestfallen. He Felt That He Had Been

Hopelessly Outwitted And Beaten. The Dean'S Sonorous Voice Still Rolled

On. He Did Not Directly Attack Any Particular Point In The Sermon--Not

At All; But He Showed How Earthly Love,  Although It Was But The Type Of

A Heavenly One,  Was Often Apt To Lead Us Mortals Into Error. This He

Knew Of His Own Experience. He Did Not Wish To Make Himself Out Better

Chapter 13 Pg 95

Than He Was,  But He Felt That It Was Of The Highest Importance For All,

And Especially