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 For The Young, To Be Constantly On Their Guard Against
The Danger. Johnsen Could See For Himself To What Lengths He Had Allowed
Himself To Be Carried Yesterday.
"There Is, However, One Thing," Continued The Dean, "In Which You Show
Very Great Merit, My Dear Young Friend, And For This Very Reason I Have
Had, And I May Say Still Have, Great Hopes Of You. What I Speak Of Is
Your Integrity, And The Natural Leaning Towards Truth And Sincerity,
Which Seems To Pervade Your Whole Nature. But, My Dear Friend, How Can A
Man Claim To Be Sincere When He Comes Forward And Cries, 'I Love Truth
Beyond Everything, And My Heart Is Full Of Love For What Is Elevated And
Pure,' And Then It Appears All The Time That The Love With Which His
Heart Was Full Is Nothing More Than An Earthly Love For The Woman Who
Has Put These Thoughts Into His Mind? Now, Can You Deny That This Was
Your Case Yesterday?"
Johnsen Could Not Exactly Deny The Accusation, And The Dean Seized Upon
The Half-Confession He Had Made, And Continued His Homily, Without
Betraying A Sign Of Weariness. And When He At Last Took His Leave, Which
Was Not Till Nearly Twelve O'Clock, He Said, "I Will Look In again This
Afternoon. Your Thoughts Are Doubtless So Much Occupied That You Will
Not Go Out To-Day, And Perhaps It Would Look Quite As Well If You Stayed
At Home."
The Next Day Also Johnsen Remained In His Room, And The Dean Paid Him A
Visit, Both Morning And Afternoon. At Length, All At Once, His
Conversion Was Accomplished. In a Moment It Seemed Clear To Him By How
Little He Had Escaped Getting On The Wrong Path, And Now All The
Apprehensions Which He Had Felt On His First Visit To Sandsgaard Again
Reappeared. He Felt How Near He Had Been To Forgetting And Abandoning
His Mission--That Mission Among The Poor, Which Was Really His Duty; But
Now His Eyes Were Opened, And That Very Affection, The Strength Of Which
He Had Now Only Begun To Recognize, He Would Bring As A Peace-Offering
For His Shortcoming, And For Having So Nearly Been Untrue To Himself And
To His Calling.
He Sprang Up And Grasped The Dean'S Hand. "Thank You! Thank You! You
Have Saved Me!" His Eyes Flashed, And His Broad, Powerful Bosom Seemed
To Swell. At That Moment The Dean Might Have Sent Him To Certain Death,
And He Would Have Obeyed.
As They Drove Back From Sandsgaard, The Dean Narrowly Observed His Young
Friend. The Visit At The Garmans' Had Not Passed Off Quite So
Successfully As Some Of The Others Which They Had Paid, Where The
Inspector'S Calm And Genuine Manner Had Made A Favourable Impression.
The Dean Thought, However, That It Was Better Not To Carry Things Too
Far, Now That They Seemed To Have Taken A Good Direction. They Did Not,
Therefore, Pay Any More Visits, But Drove Home To The Dean'S To Get A
Cup Of Chocolate, Which Miss Barbara Had Prepared For Them.
Miss Cordsen Had Now Two Patients To Attend To, For Rachel Had Also Kept
Her Room For Some Days. The Old Lady Went To And Fro Between The Two. It
Was Not Easy To Discover How Much She Comprehended Of It All. Her Mouth,
Surrounded By Its Innumerable Wrinkles, Was So Tightly Closed That
Gossip Was, For Her, Out Of The Question. Calmly And Methodically Did
Chapter 13 Pg 96
Miss Cordsen Carry On Her Duties. Both Upstairs And Down Were To Be Seen
Her Well-Starched Cap-Strings, And The Faint, Old-Fashioned Smell Of
Lavender Seemed To Hang In Her Very Clothes.
Rachel Sat For Hours Looking Before Her, Without Caring To Do Anything.
To Think That This Should Be The End Of All Her Hopes! Was It, Then,
Impossible To Find A Man With Courage In His Heart, And Blood In His
Veins? She Felt That She Was Precluded From Any Line Of Action That
Would Really Satisfy Her, Condemned As She Was To A Life Of Daily
Drudgery; But Her Thoughts Became More And More Embittered,
