Still A Little Discomposed, Child, But It Will Soon Pass Away." He Then
Led Her To Mrs. Garman'S Room.
"Could Not We Wait Till To-Morrow? My Head Is So Painful," Entreated
Madeleine.
"We Will Only Just Show Ourselves To Your Aunt," Said He, Quietly But
Decidedly, As He Opened The Door.
They Found Mrs. Garman In Her Room, Sitting Comfortably In Her Armchair.
Before Her She Had A Tray, On Which Stood A Bottle Of Water And A Small
Straw-Covered Flask Of Curacoa. On A Plate Was Some Chicken, Which Had
Been Cut Into Small Pieces And Neatly Arranged Round The Edge, And In
The Middle Was A Little Shape Of Asparagus Butter, Garnished With Some
Chopped Parsley.
When Madeleine And The Pastor Entered The Room, She Was Just In The Act
Of Holding A Piece Of Chicken On A Fork And Dipping It Into The Butter,
But When She Saw Them She Put Down Her Fork With An Air Of Indifference,
And Said, "I Hope, Madeleine, You Will Not Forget To Thank The Lord For
Thus Changing Your Obstinate Heart; And For You, Mr. Martens, I Will
Hope And Pray That You Will Never Have To Repent The Step You Have
Taken."
For A Moment Madeleine'S Eyes Seemed To Flash, But Mr. Martens Hastened
To Observe, "My Dear Madeleine Is Quite Overcome. Would You Not Rather
Chapter 22 Pg 142
Go To Your Room? We Shall Meet Again To-Morrow."
Madeline Felt Really Thankful For His Suggestion, And Gave Him A Feeble
Smile As He Followed Her To The Door.
When The Pastor Had Gone, Mrs. Garman Could Not Help Thinking How
Differently People Behave As Soon As They Are Engaged. She Suspected
That She Would Not Find The Chaplain'S Society So Agreeable For The
Future.
Pastor Martens Was So Overjoyed That He Could Scarcely Take His Usual
Midday Nap. Later In The Day It Began To Clear Up; It Was Only A Sea-Fog
Which Had Come Up During The Night, As Is Frequently The Case In The
Spring. Everything Appeared Radiant And Bright To Martens As He Came
Along The Street From The Jeweller'S, Where He Had Been To Order The
Ring, But He Took Care Not To Show His Feelings; It Would Not Do To Look
Too Pleased On The Day Before The Funeral Of His Intended'S Uncle.
In The Market-Place He Met Mr. Johnsen.
"You Are Coming To The Funeral To-Morrow?" Said Martens, Insensibly
Leading The Conversation Into The Direction Of His Own Thoughts.
"No," Answered Johnsen, Drily; "I Have To Give An Address At The Mission
Bazaar."
"What, Between Twelve And Two? Why, The Whole Town Will Be Following The
Funeral."
"It Is For The Women, My Address," Said The Inspector, As He Continued
His Way.
"Well," Thought Martens, "He Is Indeed Changed! Prayer-Meetings,
Missions, Bible-Readings--Quite A Different Kind Of Work!" Said The
Chaplain Mysteriously To Himself. His Feelings Were Almost Too Much For
Him.
A Little Farther Up The Street He Met Delphin On Horseback. There Was
Such An Unusual Expression On The Clergyman'S Face, That Delphin Pulled
Up His Horse And Called Out, "Good Morning, Mr. Martens! Is It The
Thought Of The Discourse You Have To Deliver To-Morrow That Makes You
Look So Pleased?"
"Discourse! Discourse!" Thought The Chaplain. He Had Never Prepared It.
It Was Well Indeed He Had Been Thus Reminded. However, He Answered, "If
Notwithstanding My--Or Perhaps I Ought To Say Our--Sorrow, I Do Look
Rather More Cheerful Than I Ought Under The Circumstances, I Only Do So
From Something Which Has Happened To Myself. It Is Purely On Personal
Grounds."
"And May I Venture To Ask What The Circumstances Are Which Make You Look
So Happy?" Asked Delphin, Carelessly.
"Well, It Ought Not Really To Be Told To Any One To-Day, But I Think I
May Venture To Tell You," Said The Pastor, In a Calm Voice. "I Have
Proposed To A Lady, And Have Had The Good Fortune To Be Accepted."
Chapter 22 Pg 143
"Indeed? I Congratulate You!" Cried The Other Gaily. "I Think, Too, I
Can Guess Who It Is." His Thoughts Turned On Madam Rasmussen.
"Yes, I Dare Say You Can," Answered Martens, Quietly. "It Is Miss
Garman--Madeleine, I Mean."
"It'S A Lie!" Shouted Delphin, Grasping His Riding-Whip.
The Pastor Cautiously Took Two Or Three Steps Backwards On The Footpath,
Raised His Hat, And Continued His Way.
But Delphin Rode Off Rapidly Down The Road, And Away Past Sandsgaard,
Ever Faster And Faster, Till His Steed Was Covered With Foam. He Had
Ridden Four Miles Without Noticing Where He Was Going. The Coast Became
Flat And Sandy, The Patches Of Cultivation Ceased, And The Open Sea Lay
Before Him. The Sun Shone On The Blue Expanse, While Far Out Lay The
Mist Like A Wall, As If Ready To Return Again At Night.
Delphin Put His Horse Up At A Farmhouse, And Went On Foot Over The Sand.
The Vast And Peaceful Ocean Seemed To Attract Him. He Felt A Longing To
Be Alone With His Thoughts, Longer, Indeed, Than Was His Usual Custom.
George Delphin Was Not Often Given To Serious Thought--His Nature Was
Too Frivolous And Unstable; But To-Day He Felt That There Must Be A
Reckoning, And On The Very Verge Of The Sea He Threw Himself On The
Sand, Which Was Now Warmed By The Afternoon Sun. At First His Thoughts
Surged Like The Billows Over Which He Gazed. He Was Furious With Pastor
Martens. Who Could Have Believed That He, George Delphin, Should Have
Suffered Himself To Be Supplanted By A Chaplain, And, More Than That, A
Widower? And Madeleine! How Could She Have Accepted Him? And The More
His Thoughts Turned Upon Her, The More He Felt How Truly He Loved Her.
How Different It Might Have Been! Yes, Many Things Might Have Been
Different In His Life, When He Came To Review It Fairly. His Thoughts
Then Fell Upon Jacob Worse, Who Had Lately Quite Given Him Up. It Had
Often Happened To Delphin That People Did Not Remain Friends With Him
Long. It Was Only Fanny Who Did Not Give Him Up. He Made One More Effort
To Bring Up Her Image In His Thoughts, In all Its Most Enchanting
Beauty, But He Failed In The Effort. Madeleine Seemed To Overshadow
Everything. Then His Thoughts Reverted To Martens, And His Agony
Returned. He Seemed No Longer To Have Any Aim In Life, Which Had Been So
Utterly Wasted, Useless And Desolate, And He Began To Regard Himself
With Loathing,
