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 The Recollections Of Her
Youthful Love Passed Through Her Sobbing Heart.
"It Was Not My Fault--It Was Not My Fault!" She Repeated Plaintively,
Like A Child Who Has Had The Misfortune To Break Something.
He Lifted His Hard Heavy Hand, And Laying It On Her Head, Passed It
Gently Over Her Hair. Now He Understood It All, But Not A Word Passed
His Lips.
"Lena, Lena!" Cried The Pastor From The Door, "You Must Come And See
What I Have Found. Here Are Twins. Lena, Lena! Where Are You? Make
Haste! What A Good Wife! Just Think, Twins The First Time!"
It Was Not Easy To Tell What Per'S Thoughts Were As He Stood Again Alone
Looking Over The Sea. Thus Had The Billows Rolled To And Fro In Storm
And Sunshine, Whilst He Had Waited And Waited. And This Was What He Had
Waited For! He Drew A Long Breath, And His Face Seemed To Grow Clearer
Again As He Slowly Nodded His Head Several Times Towards The Ocean.
Per'S Wife Made Many Apologies, As Is But Right And Proper On Such
Occasions, For The Repast, Which, However, Consisted Of Coffee, With
Cream And Sugar, Bread And Butter And Cakes, And Lastly A Dish Of Small
Lobsters. She Insisted That It Was A Shame To Offer Such Small Lobsters
To Her Guests. It Was A Pity They Had Not Some Larger Ones.
But Now It Was Just One Of The Pastor'S Favourite Theories, And Which He
Always Defended With Much Energy And Conviction, Namely, That Small
Lobsters Are Really Better And More Delicate Than Large Ones. He Was,
Therefore, In The Best Of Humours, And Made Several Innocent Jokes With
The Friendly Peasant Woman.
Per Now Came In and Begged They Would Begin Their Meal, As Everything
Was Ready. He Then Sat Down By The Side Of The Fireplace, With His
Elbows Resting On His Knees.
The Sun Shone So Brightly Through The Small Window-Panes, The Room Was
So Clean And Comfortable, The Table-Cloth So White, The Cream So Yellow,
And The Small Lobsters So Red And Appetizing, That The Pastor Felt
Constrained To Improve The Occasion.
He Chose As His Text A Fact Which He Had Heard From The Woman, Namely,
That Per Had Built The House Entirely Of The Wreckage Of A French Brig,
Which Had Been Stranded On The Coast A Little Way To The Northward. This
Was The Vessel To Which The Board Over The Window Had Belonged.
The Pastor Dwelt On The Uncertainty Of Human Affairs, How Often We Are
Disappointed, But How There Is A Leading Thread Which Seems To Run
Chapter 26 Pg 168
Through Our Existence.
"And Look," Said He, "On That Proud Ship, Fitted Out In The Sunny Land
Of France, And Bearing A Name Which Points To Hope And Expectation; For
_L'Esperance_, My Friends, Signifies Hope, Only To Be Lost On Our
Desolate Coast. So It Is With Us Mortals. How Many A Vain Hope Sails Out
With Flag And Banner, Only To Be Miserably Wrecked In The Storms Of
Life! But Observe! That Which Has Been Dashed To Pieces By The Tempest,
Has Been Refashioned By Humble Hands Into A New Dwelling-Place. Thus
Does Life Spring From Death, Comfort From Desolation, And Happiness From
Shattered Hopes, And Thus Our Whole Career May Be But A Patchwork Of
Mere Wreckage!"
It Was With The Last Remains Of Her Old Impetuosity That Madeleine
Repeated The Words, "Thus Live We All!"
At This Moment Per Got Up And Went Out. His Wife Could Not Understand
Why His Behaviour Was So Unseemly.
Pastor Martens Saw It All; But Explanations, If Any Were Necessary,
Might Follow Later On. It Was Not Worth While To Spoil The Delightful
Meal. He Handed His Wife The Cream, As, With A Friendly Smile, He Placed
His Hand Upon Her Shoulder.
He Then Set To Work On His Small Lobsters, Which He Found Excellent.
Publication Date: June 30th 2014
https://www.bookrix.com/-azbdcf75988b535
