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

Nothing,  And The End Of It Was--There,

Again,  My Misfortune--I Got So Annoyed To See Him Leaning Back In His

Chair,  With His White Hair And Everlasting Smile,  That I Got Into One Of

My Worst Tempers And Poured Out A Regular Volley Of Thunder At Him."

 

"Well,  And The Dean--Did He Lose His Temper?" Asked Rachel.

 

Worse Laughed. "I Might Just As Well Have Tried To Get A Spark Out Of

Wood,  As To Get Him To Lose His Temper. No; The Dean Was Bland As Ever,

And When I Left He Shook My Hand,  And Hoped He Might Soon Have The

Pleasure Of Seeing Me Again. But Afterwards I Got Well Paid Out For That

Visit."

 

"How Was That?" She Asked.

 

"Well,  You See,  Since Then I Seem To Have Been Under A Ban,  Which Shows

Itself In all Sorts Of Little Ways--In Business,  In Society,  Everywhere.

My Mother,  Poor Thing,  Hears It In Her Shop From Her Customers,  And It

Always Takes The Same Annoying Form: Regret About Modern Disbelief,  And

Free-Thinking,  And So On; And I Am Certain That Most People Regard It As

A Stroke Of Wonderful Good Luck,  That I Was Prevented In Good Time From

Corrupting--Yes,  No Less Than Corrupting--Our Noble Workpeople. So I

Said To Myself,  'Since There Is Such A Wide Difference Between My

Opinions And Those Of The People Whom I Wish To Assist,  And Since My

Nature Is What It Is,  There Is Nothing Else To Be Done But For Me To

Keep Myself Thoroughly Occupied With My Work,  And Hold My Peace.'"

 

Chapter 15 Pg 107

"Peace! Yes,  There It Is Again!" Said Rachel. "But No,  No! I Am Sure You

Are Not Right."

 

"Well,  Let Me Speak To You About Yourself,  Miss Garman," Said Jacob

Worse,  Becoming More Courageous. "Neither I Nor Any One Else Of Your

Acquaintance Will Be Able To Comply Fully With The Conditions You Lay

Down. But I Know One Person Who Has The Power,  And That,  Miss Garman,  Is

Yourself. You Have All The Qualifications We Others Lack."

 

"I! A Woman! And,  Worse Than All,  A Lady!" Said Rachel,  Looking At Him

With The Greatest Astonishment. "And How,  If I May Ask?"

 

"You Must Write!"

 

Rachel Hesitated,  And Looked At Him Suspiciously. "That Is Not The First

Time I Have Heard This. More Than One Person Has Mentioned It To Me

Before. I Suppose It Is That Authorship Is Reckoned As One Of The Bad

Habits Of An Emancipated Woman."

 

Jacob Worse Again Began To Lose His Self-Command. "I Don'T Mind Your

Calling Me A Coward,  Miss Garman. But When You Think,  Or Pretend To

Think,  That I Am Not Speaking More Seriously Than Some Of These--"

 

"No,  No; Sit Down,  I Beg You," Said Rachel,  Anxiously,  Putting Her Hand

On His Arm. "I Did Not Mean Any Harm,  But I Am So Suspicious. I Beg

Pardon. There,  Now,  Don'T Think Any More About It. You Really Do Think,

Then,  That I Ought To Write?"

 

"I Am Quite Sure You Ought," Answered Worse,  Who Soon Became Quiet

Again. "You Have So Much Originality And So Much Energy,  That You Will

Be Able To Overcome Every Difficulty,  And In courage You Are Certainly

Not Wanting."

 

Amid The Whirl Of The Dance Around Them,  These Encouraging Words Sounded

Doubly Strange In Her Ears,  And Seemed To Open Out New Vistas Before

Her.

 

"But What Have I Got To Write About? What Do I Know That The World Does

Not Know Already? No,  You Really Must Be Wrong,  Mr. Worse. It Is Beyond

Me;" And She Looked Down At Her Dress,  And Could Not Help Feeling That

Worse Was Becoming Rather Dull.

 

"It Is Not Very Easy To Say Beforehand What Your Subject Ought To Be,"

Said He; "But It Is Clear That There Are Endless Things That The World

Can Only Learn From A Woman,  And Which It Seems To Be Expecting To Hear.

For You It Is But To Have The Will. You Are Now Passing Through A Crisis

In Your Life,  And You Have Such A Fund Of Energy--"

 

"You Seem To Be Treating Me More Like A Chemical Equivalent Than Like A

Human Being,  Not To Say Like A Lady," Said Rachel,  Laughing.

 

"Let Us Be Thankful That You Have So Little Of The Lady About You," Said

Jacob Worse,  Bluntly.

 

The Dance Now Began For Which Rachel Was Otherwise Engaged,  And Her

Chapter 15 Pg 108

Partner Came And Carried Her Off.

 

Jacob Worse Stood Watching Her For A Few Minutes. He Then Got His Coat

And Went Home.

 

He Perfectly Understood That By Awakening These Thoughts In Her,  He

Would Make The Fulfilment Of What Was Really The Dream Of His Life

Become More Distant Than Ever. But He Felt Convinced That Rachel'S

Splendid Abilities Would Be Entirely Thrown Away In Her Present Narrow

Sphere; And He Felt,  Too,  That He Was Perfectly Honest To Himself,  When

He Said That He Would Not Hinder Her From Taking The Path She Ought To

Follow,  Even If He Thereby Destroyed His Own Greatest Happiness. But

When He Got Home And Was Alone In His Own Quiet Room,  He Was Even More

Dispirited. He Could Not But See That When Rachel Came To Have A Proper

Estimate Of Her Own Powers,  She Would Find Her Present Home Too Narrow

For Her,  And A Marriage Such As He Could Offer Would Be Quite Unworthy

Of Her.

 

He Saw A Light In The Rooms At The Back Of The House. It Was Not Much

Past Eleven; So He Went Over To His Mother,  Whom He Found In Her

Dressing-Gown,  Busied In arranging Her Small Remnant Of Hair For The

Night.

 

It Was Not Astonishing That The Worthy Mrs. Worse'S Eyes Kindled With

Pride When She Saw Her Tall,  Handsome Son Come In,  Dressed As He Had

Been For The Ball: But When He Threw Himself On The Sofa,  And Hid His

Face In His Hands,  And Said,  "Oh,  Mother! Mother!" Just As He Had Done

In His Boyhood When He Had Done Something Foolish,  Mrs. Worse Shook Her

Clenched Fist Against Some Imaginary Foe In The Corner Of The Room,  And

Muttered,  "Is It Decent To Send Me Home A Son In Such A Plight?"

 

She Did Not,  However,  Say The Words Aloud,  But Went Over And Took His

Head Upon Her Lap,  And,  As She Passed Her Fingers Through His Hair,  She

Said With Her Unwavering Constancy,  "There,  My Dear Boy,  Only Keep

Yourself Calm,  And It Will All Come Right,  Somehow Or Another."

 

Rachel Would Also Have Been Glad Enough To Have Been Taken Home At Once;

But Mrs. Garman Had Heard That The New Cook Had Something New In

_Filets_,  And They Therefore Had To Wait Until After Supper.

 

 

Chapter 16 Pg 109

At Length Winter Went Stealing Off To The Northward,  Like A Weary

Monster,  Leaving Its Long Train Of Dirty White Snow Patches Along The

Hedges,  And Its Neutral-Tinted Ice Pitted All Over With Small Holes,

Upon The Pools. The Spring Followed Closely On Its Heels,  And Had Work

Enough To Make The Earth Look Green Again,  And Deck It Out In all Its

Finery For A Little Time,  Until The Monster Came Creeping Southward

Chapter 16 Pg 110

Again With Its Wreaths Of New-Fallen Snow,  And Its Dark-Blue Ice Shining

Like Polished Steel.

 

It Was The 14Th Of May,  And Uncle Richard Was Riding On Don Juan Along

The Road From Bratvold. To-Morrow Was The Great Day At Sandsgaard. The

Ship Was To Be Launched In The Morning,  And In The Evening Was To Be

Given The Yearly Ball.

 

The Old Gentleman Was Deep In Thought,  And Don Juan Went Pacing Slowly

Along,  Turning His Well-Shaped Head On Every Side,  While The South Wind

That Came Swelling Up Along The Coast Persisted In Lifting The Locks Of

His Long Mane And Throwing Them On The Wrong Side,  And Played With The

Forelock On His Brow.

 

The Road Led Over Swelling Ground Covered With Heather,  Past

Well-Stocked Farms,  Over Moors,  And Desolate Wastes Thickly Strewn With

Boulders. Not A Tree Was To Be Seen As Far As The Eye Could Reach,  And

It Reached Far,  Both Out To Sea And Over The Country,  Which Sloped

Gradually Up To The Mountains Many A Mile Inland.

 

What A Wealth Of Life Seemed Bursting From The Thawing Earth! How Many

Balmy Odours Seemed To Rise; How Many Changing Colours; How Many Wreaths

Of Mist Were Gliding Over The Pools,  And Hanging In The Rushes,  Or

Spreading Themselves Over The Moorland; While The Clear Sunny Air Was

Ringing With The Song Of Larks Singing In emulation! There Were The

Plovers Racing After Each Other,  The Sandpipers,  The Snipes,  Starlings,

And Ducks. A Whole Life Of Joyous Bustle; While Out To The Westward

Could Be Seen The Line Of Bright Yellow Sand Standing Out Against The

Dark-Blue Sea.

 

Uncle Richard Saw But Little Of All This As He Went Along. Things Had

Not Gone Well With Him During The Winter. While At Home,  Madeleine Was

Constantly In His Thoughts; And When He Went To Sandsgaard And Saw Her,

It Did Not Tend To Make Him More Cheerful.

 

She Had Told Him About Pastor Martens'S Proposal To Her; But There Was

Nothing To Worry Over In That,  Thought The _Attache_,  Especially As She

Had Refused The Offer. There Must Be Some Other Cause For Her

Depression,  And To-Day He Had Made Up His Mind To Talk To Christian

Frederick,  Who Always Gave Such Good Advice. He Had Also Determined That

He Would At Length Take Courage,  And Ask His Brother How Money Matters

Stood Between Them. It Was Really Too Bad Not To Have A Clear Knowledge

Of One'S Own Affairs.

 

At Sandsgaard He Found