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

Down Towards The Village Of Bratvold.

 

It Had Been Much Against Madeleine'S Wish,  But As Her Husband Happened

To Hear From The Coachman,  That The _Detour_ Only Made A Difference Of

About An Hour,  The Order Was Given To Drive Down To Bratvold,  Where They

Would Be Able To Rest For A Little Time On The Road.

 

The Pastor And His Wife Were On Their Way Westward,  On A Visit To The

New Living,  Although They Would Not Come Into Actual Residence Till

August. They Wished To Take A House,  And Visit Their Relations And Old

Acquaintances In The Town. Pleased As Madeleine Was At The Prospect Of

Again Seeing Her Father,  She Was Still Far From Glad When She Heard That

Her Husband Was Endeavouring To Obtain The Living. He Did So,  However,

In Accordance With The Express Wish Of Bishop Sparre,  And It Was

Moreover Looked Upon As A Great Piece Of Advancement. Madeleine Had,  As

Usual,  Made But Little Opposition To The Project. Pastor Martens Had At

Length Succeeded In educating Her Into A Wife After His Own Heart.

 

As She Sat There,  Somewhat Crowded In One Corner Of The Carriage,  For

Her Husband Had Grown Rather Stout With The Lapse Of Time,  She Resembled

But Little That Madeleine Whose Home Had Once Been Among The

Surroundings They Were Now Approaching. She Was Not Ill,  But Her Look

Suggested Weariness--Great Weariness. In a Large Country Rectory There

Is Much Work To Be Done,  And Three Children Are Pretty Well To Begin

With.

 

For The First Few Years She Was Almost In a State Of Despair,  And

Several Times Her Old Violent Temper Broke Out. But Her Husband Had His

Own Particular Method Of Dealing With Her. He Never Lost His Temper,  And

The More Madeleine Flared Up,  The More Gentle His Answers Became,  As

With A Quiet Smile He Gently Placed His Hand Upon Her Shoulder.

 

But When Madeleine Began To Calm Down,  He Would Speak To Her In an

Admonishing Tone,  And By Degrees He Succeeded Wonderfully In Getting Her

Into The Groove He Desired,  Until At Last She Got Accustomed To The

Method.

 

Pastor Martens'S Genial And Open Countenance Did Not Look Its Best That

Day. He Had,  To Tell The Truth,  Been Dreadfully Sea-Sick,  And So For

That Reason They Had Left The Steamer,  Preferring To Travel The Last

Part Of The Journey By Land. His Sleek Face Wore A Decidedly Green Hue,

And He Made A Grimace Ever And Anon,  As He Looked Out Of The Carriage

Window Towards The Element They Had Quitted.

 

He Was,  However,  A Fortunate Man,  And He Was Thankful For It. Madeleine

Had Improved Beyond All Expectation Under His Hands. Her Violent Temper

Now Seldom Appeared,  And If It Did,  He Was Perfectly Certain Of His

Chapter 26 Pg 165

Method Of Dealing With It. Many A Time He Remembered With Thankfulness

His Dear Bishop Sparre,  From Whom He Had Learnt So Much,  And Whose

Fatherly Kindness Seemed To Follow Him Wherever He Went.

 

The Nearer They Approached The Sea-Shore,  The Broader Grew The Dark-Blue

Line Out To The Westward,  Where The Sea Lay Glittering In The Sunshine.

Madeleine Gazed And Gazed,  And Thoughts Of The Past Came Surging Up In

Her Heart.

 

The Plovers Had Their Young,  And Followed After The Carriage,  Swooping

Down In Front Of The Horses With Their Well-Known Cry. Larks In Hundreds

Filled The Air With Their Joyous Warble,  Which Went Straight To Her

Heart,  And The Breeze Began To Waft To Her The Fresh Salt Flavour Of The

Sea. There Was Something In It Of Seaweed,  Something Of Fish,  But All

Was So Wonderfully Rich In Recollection. Madeleine Leant Towards The

Breeze And Drew In a Deep Breath; It Seemed Like A Greeting From The Sea

She Knew So Well,  And Which Recognized Her In Return; It Was A

Reminiscence Of Her Short Day Of Love And Happiness. She Longed To Fill

Her Lungs With The Pure Fresh Sea Air,  So That It Might Purify All The

Dark And Dusty Corners In Her Fettered Soul. All The Time She Had Been

Away From Bratvold A Taint Of Impurity Seemed To Have Rested On Her; And

Now That She Found Herself Once Again Face To Face With The Ocean,  She

Seemed Almost Ashamed Thus To Return. Oh That She Were Lying Out There

In Its Cool Depths,  With The Fresh Salt Billows Dashing Over Her!

 

The Carriage Now Approached The Top Of The Last Hill,  And The Village Of

Bratvold,  With Its Lighthouse,  Burst Upon Her View. She Hid Her Face In

Her Hands And Groaned Aloud.

 

It Was Probable That Her Husband Had Not Noticed This Sudden Outburst.

He Had Kept His Eyes Turned To The Landward Side,  For He Did Not Yet

Feel Sufficiently Strong To Bear The Sight Of The Waves As They Came

Rolling In.

 

"Where Shall We Put Up?" Asked The Driver. "Per Bratvold'S Is The Best

House,  But There Are Several Others That Will Do Well Enough."

 

"Let Us Go To Per'S," Said The Clergyman.

 

For A Long Time Madeleine Had Not Been Certain Whether Martens Knew Of

Her Adventure With Per; But After A Short Time Of Married Life,  She

Found That A Story Does Not Travel Very Far,  Without Reaching The

Clergyman,  And Without Looking Up She Felt That His Eye Was Resting Upon

Her,  With The Smile With Which He Used To Bend Her To His Will.

 

Per Was In The Peat-Shed When They Drove Up,  And Saw Her As He Peeped

Through A Chink In The Boards. The Moment He Did So,  He Involuntarily

Took The Quid Of Tobacco Out Of His Mouth And Threw It From Him. After

Waiting A Long Time,  He Had Begun Again To Chew Tobacco,  And After A

Still Longer Time He Had Married. It Was Thus Per'S Wife Who,  With

Numberless Excuses,  Conducted The Clergyman And His Lady Into The Best

Room. She Repeated That It Was Not What Such People Were Accustomed To.

While She Went Out To Find Per,  And Introduce Him To The Strangers,  The

Pastor Went Round The Room Examining The Curiosities It Contained.

Madeleine Sat Gazing Out Of The Window. The Sight Of Per'S Wife,  Looking

So Fresh And Happy,  Had Pained Her--She Knew Not Why.

 

"Look Here,  Lena!" He Cried,  Every Time He Found Something Of Interest.

Chapter 26 Pg 166

 

Lena Was A Name Of His Own Invention,  And Which He Had Given Her In

Spite Of All Her Entreaties. Lena Sounded So Homely,  And Was Well Suited

To A Clergyman'S Wife; While Madeleine Had A Foreign,  French Ring,  Which

Was Quite Out Of Place In a Rectory.

 

In The Room Were Several Things Worthy Of His Attention. In The First

Place There Were Two Pictures,  Representing Vesuvius By Day,  And

Vesuvius By Night; Then Came A Drawing Of A Coasting Vessel Called _The

Three Sisters Of Farsund_; Then Frederick Vii. With His Red Uniform And

Hook Nose; And Over The Bed,  Which Was Heaped Up With Eider-Downs As

High As One'S Head,  Hung A Huge Horn Of Plenty,  Made Of White Cardboard,

And On Which Was The Motto,  In Gilt Paper Letters,  "Be Fruitful And

Multiply," Which Had Been Given Them As A Wedding-Present. On One End Of

The Chest Of Drawers Stood A Yellow Canary On A Red Pear,  And On The

Other End A Red Bullfinch On A Yellow Pear. The Floor Was Dazzlingly

Clean And Neatly Sanded. The Window-Panes Were Small,  And The Glass Of

Different Tints; While Over One Of The Windows Was Nailed A Board,  On

Which Was Painted In Gold Letters The Words "_L'Esperance_," Which Was

The Name Of The Vessel To Which It Had Belonged. At Length Per Came In.

He Held Out His Hand First To The Pastor And Then To Madeleine,  And

Said,  "How Do You Do?" To Both. As Madeleine Touched The Hard And

Powerful Hand,  She Involuntarily Drew Back Her Own,  And Turned Away

Without Pronouncing The Usual Greeting. The Words Seemed To Stick In Her

Throat.

 

At That Moment Per'S Wife Entered And Asked Him In a Whisper To Cut Her

A Few Chips To Make The Peat Fire Burn More Quickly,  As She Wished To

Prepare Some Coffee. Per Went Out Of The Room,  And The Pastor Followed

The Prosperous Little Peasant Woman To Inspect The House.

 

Madeleine Took A Few Steps To And Fro In The Room,  And Then Went To The

Door. As She Stood On The Stone Steps Under The Porch,  She Could See

Down Into The Little Harbour,  And Her Eye Could Follow The Path Which

Led Across The Flat Meadow,  And Up Across The Steep Slope As Far As The

Lighthouse. There Lay Her Old Home,  With Its Solid Stone Walls,  And The

Lantern With Its Red-Painted Cover. She Turned Away: The Sight Was More

Than She Could Bear. Her Ear Now Caught The Sound Of Per Chopping The

Wood In The Peat-Shed,  And Almost Without Knowing What She Did,  She

Found Herself In The Shed,  Standing By His Side. He Ceased For A Moment

From His Work,  Raised Himself Up,  And Looked Beyond Her Over The Sea.

Per Wore A Stiff Sailor'S Beard,  And His Face Had Grown Older And

Coarser With The Lapse Of Time,  But Still Every Feature Was Familiar To

Her. Madeleine Made A Step Towards Him And Endeavoured To Take His Hand.

In This She Was Unsuccessful,  For He Drew It Away From Her. She Could No

Longer Command Her Feelings,  And,  Throwing Her Arms Round His Neck,  She

Laid Her Head On His Breast.

 

Delphin'S Remark Was Perfectly True About The Mixture Of Fish,  Tobacco,

And Damp Woollen Clothing; But She Felt That This Was Her Place,  And

Here She Ought To Rest. At That Moment,  Too,  She Perceived Why The Pang

Had Passed Through Her Heart When She Met Per'S Wife. She Envied Her

Everything. Husband,  Home,  Even Her Very Existence,--All Belonged To

Her. Here Was Her Place,  And Here The Man She Loved And Understood. Oh,

How All Her So-Called Friends Had Mocked And Deceived Her! What A Life

Chapter 26 Pg 167

Was Hers!--A Life Which Consisted Only In being The Wife Of A Man She

Did Not Love,  In Keeping His House,  And Bearing His Children,  Surrounded

On Every Side By An Unwholesome Atmosphere Of Form,  Ceremony,  And

Selfishness.

 

Closer And Closer She Clung To The Broad Breast Whereon She Lay,  And

That Heart,  So Well Drilled And Confined,  Ran Over In One Supreme Moment

Of Mingled Happiness And Anguish,  While