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

"My Future Husband Will Surely Allow Me To Manage My Own Property," Said

Rachel.

 

"It Is To Be Hoped He Will; But,  As You Perhaps Know,  In The Event Of

Your Marrying,  You Will Lose The Entire Control."

 

"Then I Will Never Marry!"

 

"I Am Of Opinion Myself That You Might Do Something Better Than

Marriage," Said Jacob Worse.

 

Rachel Observed Him Closely,  But Failed To Fathom His Thoughts.

 

"How I Envy You Your Clear Intelligent Head!" Said She,  Somewhat

Scornfully. "You Lay Out For Yourself Some Plan Or Another In Life,  And

Then Your Object Is Forthwith Accomplished. You Quietly Follow Your

Plans,  And In The Same Way You Expect That Those To Whom You Give Your

Advice,  Will Follow It Without Wavering. You Are Just Like Father. You

Really Are Too Precise."

 

"I Regard That As The Greatest Compliment I Have Ever Received,"

Answered Worse,  Smiling.

 

"But Father Was In Many Respects An Old-Fashioned And Somewhat

Prejudiced Man. It Was Just These Very Modern Ideas That You Find So

Attractive,  Which Were To Him Strange Or Even Positively Distasteful."

She Made This Remark More For The Purpose Of Drawing Out Worse Than

Because She Wished To Disparage Her Father.

 

"Consul Garman," Said Worse,  Rising From His Chair,  "Was A Dissatisfied

Man. His Whole Life Was An Ill-Concealed Struggle Between The Old And

The New. He Placed Extraordinary Confidence In Me,  And I Found In Him

Ideas,  Which No One Would Have Expected To Meet With In Such A Precise

And Old-Fashioned Man Of Business. But To Reconcile The Two Incongruous

Currents Was Beyond His Power; The Immature And Impetuous Want Of

Exactitude Of Modern Times Was Repugnant To His Nature; And When His

Great Sense Of Justice Forced Him To Recognize Certain Fundamental

Truths,  It Was Still Always A Source Of Annoyance To Him To Be Obliged

To Do So. It Appears To Me That He Sought A Counteracting Influence To

All This,  In His Boundless Admiration For Old Consul Garman."

 

"But Was Not My Grandfather A Remarkable Man? Don'T You Think So?" Asked

Rachel,  With Interest.

 

"I Will Tell You My Opinion,  Miss Garman. He Was A Man Who Lived In a

Time To Which He Was Suited,  And In Which,  On The Whole,  Existence Was

Far More Easy."

 

"You Mean To Say,  Then,  That Existence Was Easier In Those Times Than In

The Present?"

 

"Yes,  I Am Sure Of It," Continued Worse,  Pacing Hurriedly Up And Down

The Room,  As Was His Custom When He Was Excited. "Do You Not See How

Existence Becomes More Difficult With Each Year As It Passes? New

Discoveries And Experiences Are Springing Up Every Hour,  And Doubts And

Inquiry Are Burrowing Under,  And Undermining The Whole Fabric. Revered

And Well-Grounded Truths Are Falling To The Ground,  And Those Who Are

Chapter 24 Pg 153

Too Timid To Advance With The Times,  Are Gathering Confusedly About The

Rotten Framework,  Supporting,  Preserving,  And Terrified,  Denouncing

Youth,  And Predicting The Destruction Of Society. Your Grandfather Stood

On The Very Summit Of The Cultivation Of His Day,  Living As He Did In a

State Of Society Which Was Peaceful And Conscious Of Its Security,  With

Aristocratic Intelligence Above And Aristocratic Ignorance Below. Your

Father,  On The Other Hand,  Had Grown To Manhood When The Movement

Reached Us,  And He Had Already A Fixed Understanding As To His Own Line

In Life,  When The New Ideas Came Streaming In Upon Him. Then Followed

The Long And Painful Struggle. But We Who Are A Generation Younger,  And

Who Enter Upon Life From School,  With The Old Maxims Only Half Rooted In

Our Minds,  Feel The Whole Fabric Tottering. Doubt And Uncertainty Reign

On Every Side,  And We Find Ourselves Now In a State Of Eager

Expectation,  And Now Plunged In Gloomy Apprehension. Wheresoever We

Place Our Foot,  The Ground Gives Way Beneath Us,  And If We Wish To Sit

Down And Rest Awhile,  The Chair Is Drawn From Under Us By Some Invisible

Hand. Thus Are We Whirled To And Fro In a Struggle For Which We Were

Never Prepared,  And In Which Numbers Of Us Miserably Perish. Fathers

Scold And Threaten,  While Mothers Weep Because We Have Forsaken The

Traditions Of Our Childhood. Bitter Words And Party Names Are Caught Up

In The Continuous Strife,  And Find Their Way Into Family Life; The One

No Longer Understands The Motives Of The Other; We Stand Railing At Each

Other In The Pitchy Darkness; No Distinction Is Made Between Sincere

Conviction And Restless Love Of Change. All Strive Blindly Together,

Whilst Society Becomes Interwoven With A Tissue Of Hostility,  Mistrust,

Falsehood,  And Hypocrisy."

 

Rachel Looked At Him With Open Eyes,  And At Length She Exclaimed,  "I

Cannot Imagine How You Can Be Content With Your Present Existence,  So

Silent And So Reserved,  When Such A Tumult Of Thought Is Passing Through

Your Brain."

 

Jacob Worse Stopped,  And His Face Grew Calm As He Said,  "I Have A Simple

Remedy,  Which I Have Learnt From My Mother,  And Which Your Father Also

Employed--And That Is,  Work. To Keep At It From Morning To Evening; To

Begin The Day With A Large Packet Of Foreign Letters Here On My Desk,

And To Leave Off In The Evening,  Tired But Content--Content For That

Day. That Is My Remedy--That Keeps The Life In Me; So Far It Suffices;

Higher I Cannot Attain."

 

"I Said A Short Time Ago That I Envied You Your Calm And Logical Mind. I

Now Regret The Tone In Which The Words Were Spoken. I Often,  Somehow Or

Another,  I Don'T Know Why,  But I Often Find Myself Speaking To You

Somewhat--" She Faltered,  And Her Face Became Suffused With Blushes.

 

"Somewhat Plainly,  You Mean," Said Worse,  Smiling.

 

"May I Hope It Is Because You Think Me Worthy Of Your Confidence?"

 

She Looked At Him Again,  But His Eyes Were Now Fixed On The Map Which

Hung Over Her Head.

 

"Well," Said Rachel,  "Perhaps That Is The Reason; But What I Really Envy

You Is Your Love Of Work,  Or,  I Should Say,  Not So Much The Love Of

Work--For That I Have Myself--But Your Having Discovered An Employment

Which Keeps You Calm. But You Are Able To Work,  That'S Where It Is," She

Added,  Meditatively.

Chapter 24 Pg 154

 

"My Opinion About You,  Miss Garman,  Has Always Been,  That The Aimless

Life A Lady In Your Position Is Obliged To Lead Here At Home,  Must

Sooner Or Later Become Unbearable To You."

 

"I Cannot Work," Said She In a Crestfallen Tone.

 

"Well,  But At Least You Can Try."

 

"How Am I To Begin? You Remember That Time When Father Would Not Receive

My Offer Of Assistance."

 

"Your Father Did Not Understand You; Nor Will You Find It Easy To

Discover Satisfactory Employment In Your Own Country. But Travel,  Look

Around You. You Are Rich And Independent,  And There Are Other Lands

Where Work Is To Be Had,  And In Them You Ought To Find Suitable

Occupation."

 

"Do You Really Advise Me To Travel Elsewhere,  Mr. Worse?" Said Rachel.

 

"Yes; That Is To Say--Yes,  I Think It Would Be Best For You. Here You

Have Little Opportunity Of Development,  And,  To Speak Plainly,  I Think

You Ought To Travel." As He Said The Last Words He Regained His

Self-Possession,  And Could Now Look Her In The Face Calmly,  And Without

Flinching.

 

"But Where Shall I Go--A Lonely Woman Without Friends? I Am Afraid You

Over-Estimate My Powers," Said Rachel,  With A Reluctant Air. It Was As

If She Did Not Fancy His Advising Her To Go Away.

 

"I May As Well Tell You What I Think Now," He Began,  Hurriedly. "I Have

Some Acquaintances In Paris. In Fact,  An American Firm--Barnett Brothers

They Are Called--Who Have A House In Paris; And Mr. Frederick Barnett Is

A Personal Friend Of Mine."

 

"You Seem To Have Been Arranging To Get Rid Of Me For Some Time," Said

Rachel; "Why,  You Have The Whole Plan Ready Prepared."

 

He Showed Some Signs Of Confusion,  For It Was A Scheme He Had Carefully

Considered,  But Which He Had Always Hoped He Would Not Have To Put Into

Execution.

 

"Yes," Answered He,  Endeavouring To Laugh; "As Your Guardian,  It Is My

Duty To Assist You,  To The Best Of My Ability,  To Arrange For Your

Future."

 

"But Are You Going To Send Me To Paris Alone?"

 

"No; I Have Been Thinking Of Offering You Svendsen As An Escort. You

Surely Know Old Svendsen,  My Bookkeeper? He Has Been Several Times In

Paris,  And Is A Most Trustworthy Man. I Am Sure You Will Be Contented

With Mr. Barnett'S House,  Which Is More Like An English One. And That,  I

Think,  Will Suit You Better Than A Purely French Household."

 

"Does Your Friend Take Boarders?" Asked Rachel,  Quickly.

 

"Not As A Rule,  As Far As I Know. You Will Thus Find It More Expensive

Chapter 24 Pg 155

Than At An Ordinary _Pension;_ But I Am Almost Certain That Both Mr. And

Mrs. Barnett,  Who Is A French Lady,  Are The Sort Of People You Will

Like. And It Is Exactly In The American Society Of Paris That You Will

Have The Best Opportunity Of Finding Employment If You Wish For It. At

Any Rate,  You Can Stay Some Time In Mr. Barnett'S House,  Until You Find

Something Else You Prefer."

 

His Tone Was Deliberate And Decided,  As If He Already Regarded The

Matter As Finally Settled; And When Rachel Got Up To Take Her Leave She

Found That Her Mind Was Already Made Up,  Without Being Conscious Of How

She Had Arrived At Her Conclusion. She Looked Forward To A New And More

Active Life,  With Mingled Feelings Of Expectation And Pleasure. But At

The Same Time She Was Somewhat Hurt--No,  Not Hurt,  But Sad--No,  Not

Exactly Sad,  Either; But She Could Not Help Thinking It Was

Extraordinary,  That He Should Show Himself So Eager To Get Her Away.

 

Jacob Worse Followed Her To The Door Leading Into The Street,  But When

She Had Gone He Did Not Go Back To The Office,  But Crossed Over The Yard

To His Mother'S.

 

A Month Later,  Gabriel And Rachel Set Off Under The Escort Of Old

Svendsen; Gabriel To Dresden,  And Rachel To Paris. Madeleine Also

Quitted Sandsgaard. Her Intended Had Arranged,  With The Assistance Of

The Doctor,  That She Should Go To The Baths Of Modum,  Where Martens'S

Mother,  Who Was The Widow Of A Clergyman From The East Coast,  Was To

Take Care Of Her.

 

Uncle Richard Was Utterly Confounded When He Heard Madeleine Was Going

To