The Breaking of the Storm

have any reserve, because she always smiled so merrily when we teased each other; and then she could not see, and in such cases, you know, the eyes play a great part. It began, indeed, with the eyes, for till then everything had gone on quite properly; but when he came to them he said, ‘I shall now have an opportunity of finding out exactly what colour your eyes are; I have been puzzling my brains about it all this time.’ I maintained they were yellow, Aunt Rikchen said green, he himself brown; and Cilli, to whom the decision was left, said she was certain they were blue, because I was so cheerful, and cheerful people always had blue eyes. So we went on joking about it; and every day he began again about my eyes, and as you cannot very well talk about eyes without looking into them, I looked into his eyes while he looked in mine, and⁠—I don’t know whether you have made the same discovery, Elsa, but when one has done so for a few days, one begins to see more and more clearly⁠—quite down to the bottom of them⁠—quite curious things, I can tell you, which makes one turn hot and cold, and one often does not know whether to laugh and to give the man who looks at you like that a box on the ear, or to burst into tears and fall on his neck.

“I had felt like this already once or twice, and today again, only rather worse than before. The assistants had gone to dinner, and Aunt Rikchen to see after her household affairs; there were only he and I, and Cilli, and Justus wished to go on working if we did not mind, that he might finish once for all. But he did not work so industriously as usual, and because I saw that, I also did not sit so still as usual; and we⁠—that is, he and I⁠—played all sorts of tricks with Lesto, who must lie down and pretend to be dead, and who barked furiously at me when I pretended to beat his master, and other nonsense, until we suddenly heard the sound of the door shutting which leads to the garden, and⁠—good gracious, Elsa! how can I tell you?⁠—Cilli had gone away without our having noticed it. We thought we must have gone rather too far then, and so became quite quiet⁠—as still as mice⁠—so that you might have heard a pin fall; and I was so embarrassed, Elsa⁠—so embarrassed, you know⁠—and getting every moment more so, when he suddenly knelt down right before me⁠—my knees were trembling so, that I had sat down⁠—and again looked so into my eyes, and I⁠—I was forced to, Elsa⁠—I asked quite softly what he meant. ‘I mean,’ said he⁠—but also quite softly⁠—‘that you must do what I ask you.’ ‘I shall box your ears if you do not get up directly,’ said I, still more softly. ‘I shall not get up,’ said he, but so close to me that I could no longer box his ears, but instead fell upon his neck, upon which Lesto, who evidently thought that his master’s life was in danger, began to bark furiously; and I, just to quiet Lesto and to make Justus get up off his knees, said ‘Yes’ to everything he asked⁠—that I loved him, and would be his wife, and everything else that one says in such a terrible moment.

“And now only think, Elsa, Elsa! when, in the course of five minutes, we had quieted Lesto and were going out⁠—as I said I had sworn to be discreet and to do you credit, and that I would not remain a second longer with so dangerous a man in so lonely a place, with all those dreadful marble figures⁠—and as we went out arm-in-arm, Cilli suddenly stepped towards us from between two of the statues, herself as white as marble, but with the most heavenly smile on her sweet face, and said we must not be angry with her, as the door had shut itself and she could not get out, and she had heard all⁠—her hearing was so acute, and there was such an echo in the studio. Oh, Elsa, I almost sank into the floor, for I think there had not been words only. But that divine creature, as if she had seen how red I grew, took me by the hand and said I need not be ashamed; there was no need to be ashamed of a true, honourable love; and I did not yet know how happy I was, how proud I ought to be; but I should learn it gradually, and then I should be grateful for my proud happiness, and love Justus very, very much, as an artist needed far, far more love than other men. And then she took Justus’s hand, and said, ‘And you, Justus, you will love her like the sunshine, without which you cannot live.’ And as she said so, a ray of sunshine fell through the studio window right upon the dear thing, and she looked transfigured⁠—so marvellously beautiful, with the poor blind eyes turned upwards, that at last I could not help crying, and she had great difficulty in quieting me. And then she said: ‘You must not remain here in this state of agitation; you must at once return home and tell your mother, and no one before her, for my knowing it is a mere chance for which you are not to blame.’ And I promised her all she wished, and I feel now how right the dear angel was, as I am quite mad with delight, and should certainly have done some folly for very joy; and that I must not do, since I have sworn to be sensible and to do you credit. I shall start tomorrow morning, and shall be home tomorrow evening at eight o’clock, by half-past shall have told mamma