Show More Of My Natural Character; When I Am In conversation With Other
People, I Rather Prefer To Conceal My Opinions."
"So You Conceal Your Opinions?" Said She, Laughing.
"Yes. What I Mean Is, I Don'T Care For Every Passer-By To Pry Into My
Mind. I Generally Keep The Blinds Down."
"Yes, Now I Understand," She Answered Seriously; Not That She Remarked
The Preference Shown Her, But She Could Not Help Thinking How Much Of
Her Own Life Was Also Concealed By A Curtain.
In One Of The Small Streets Near The Sea They Had To Pass Through A
Crowd Of Fishermen, Who Had Been Out All Night, And Were Carrying Home
Their Lines, Tarpaulins, And Large Baskets Full Of Fish.
"Bah!" Said Delphin, When They Had Passed, "I Can'T Bear That Smell Of
Fish. But I Forgot, Miss Garman; You Must Have Had Plenty Of It When You
Lived At Bratvold."
Chapter 9 Pg 64
"Oh Yes!" Answered Madeleine, With Some Confusion.
"Well, For My Part," He Continued, In a Merry Tone, "I Can Say With
Truth That I Am A Friend Of The People, But I Must Confess That When The
Dear Creatures Come Too Near My Nose My Affection For Them Somewhat
Cools. There Is Something About That Mixture Of Fish, Tobacco, Tar, And
Wet Woollen Clothes That I Can'T Get Over."
Madeleine Could Not But Feel What A Vivid Description This Was Of The
People Among Whom She Had Lived, And Of Him To Whom She Had So
Nearly--Ah, It Was Well She Had Not Betrayed The Secret To Any One.
As They Were Crossing The Market Delphin Pointed To Some One Going In
The Direction Of Sandsgaard.
"I Declare, There Is Mr. Johnsen Going To Sandsgaard Again To-Day. Do
You Know, Miss Garman, He Has Gone A Little Wrong In His Head?" But
Madeleine Had Heard Nothing About It.
"Yes, He Is Quite Wrong In His Head," Continued Her Companion; "But It
Is Not Yet Perfectly Clear Whether He Is In Love Or Whether It Is
Religious Mania. In Favour Of The First Theory, That He Is In Love, We
Have The Fact That He Rushes Over To Sandsgaard Nearly Every Day, And Is
Seen Talking _Tete-A-Tete_ With Miss Rachel. In Favour Of The Other
Theory, That He Has Gone Wrong On The Subject Of Religion, It Is Said
That He Intends To Give Us No End Of A Sermon One Of These Sundays.
Won'T You Go To Hear Him?"
"Well, I Don'T Know; But If The Others Go, I Dare Say I May Go Too."
"No! Now Promise Me You Will Go To Church That Sunday," Said He, Looking
At Her Imploringly.
There Was No Time For An Answer; They Were Close To The Door, And
Madeleine Had Caught A Glimpse Of Fanny Behind The Curtains Of The
Sitting-Room.
In The Mean Time Mr. Johnsen Went On His Way. It Was Quite True That He
Was Going To Sandsgaard, But Delphin'S Statement That He Was There Every
Day Was An Exaggeration. Since That Sunday, When The Conversation Had
Waxed So Warm, He Had Not Been At Sandsgaard; But His Thoughts Had Been
Occupied Ever Since By The Recollection Of His Last Conversation With
Rachel In The Garden.
Eric Johnsen Came, As He Often Said, Of A Poor Family. At The Garmans'
He Was First Brought Into Contact With That Luxury Which He Had Hitherto
Despised, And He Had Made Up His Mind Beforehand That He Would Not Allow
Himself To Be Dazzled By It, And Therefore On His First Introduction Had
Made His Best Endeavour To Put On An Air Of Severity, And To Show
Himself Superior To Its Attractions. But Now He Was Not Only Astonished
By The Well-Ordered And Unpretentious Comfort Of The House, But He Was
Also Shaken In His Preconceived Notions About The Rich, When He Came To
Make The Acquaintance Of The Garmans. Johnsen Had Expected To Find
Something More Ostentatious, Especially At Table; But The Solid Tone Of
The Household, And The Easy And Polished Manners Of The Family, Perhaps
Most Of All The Presence Of Rachel, Finally Caused Him To Change His
Chapter 9 Pg 65
Original Ideas. He Regarded With Suspicion The Satisfaction He Felt,
After Having Been At Sandsgaard A Few Times. He Was On His Guard Against
Everything That Tended To Draw Him Away From His Calling. There Was One
Point Which He Felt Of The Highest Importance, Which Was, Since He Had
His Origin From The Poor And Indigent, It Was Among Them His Work Ought
To Lie, Among Paupers And In Pauper Schools.
One Day Johnsen Actually Found Himself Hesitating Before The Door Of His
School, Shrinking From Going Into Its Tainted Atmosphere, When It Was
Not Actually Necessary For Him To Do So. The Discovery Caused Him At
First The Greatest Uneasiness. Now, However, Rachel'S Society Was
Beginning To Have More Influence Over Him. It Was No Longer The Comfort
Of Sandsgaard Which Attracted Him--Of That He Was Quite Certain; Neither
Had He Any Feeling For The Young Lady Except Interest, A Deep, Earnest
Interest, After All The Stirring Impressions He Had Received Through
Her. She Had A Wonderful Power Over Him. Her Words Seemed To Shed A Ray
Of Light Over Much Which He Had Hitherto Overlooked. He Had, Like The
Rest Of Us, The Germs Of Doubt In His Heart, And He Was Still So Young
And Fresh That His Aspirations Were But Loosely Covered, And Had Not Yet
Had Time To Wither Entirely In His Heart. When, Therefore, He Was
Suddenly Thrown Into The Society Of A Woman Of Such Intellectual Power,
His Mind Seemed As It Were To Awake, And Her Influence And His Own
Reviving Energies Kindled Within Him A Desire For Action Which Increased
With Each Day That Passed. The Tiresome And Uninteresting Work Of His
Daily Life Seemed Aimless To Him. He Must Find Some Other Means Of
Publishing His Convictions--This Was Now Clear To Him. He Went,
Therefore, To His Adviser, Ready To Engage In any Combat Into Which She
Might Think Fit To Send Him.
Rachel Generally Did At Home Pretty Much As She Liked. She Disdained All
The Hundred Restraints Which Are Generally Considered So Necessary For A
Young Girl; They Plainly Did Not Apply In Her Case--She Was So Different
To Others. As Soon, Therefore, As Johnsen Had Exchanged A Few Words With
Old Mrs. Garman, She Said, Without Further Ado, "Come, Mr. Johnsen, Let
Us
