"Miss Frick has recommended me to come to you, as I wanted a good
washerwoman,--Miss Frick, who lives in Drammen Road."
The woman sat herself down in a chair right opposite me, and looked
rather astonished.
"Do you go to the Fricks'?--You?" was the unflattering answer, as she
critically surveyed me.
I regretted the plain attire, which I had thought would be suitable for
my supposed errand; but there was no help for that now; I had to get
along as best I could.
"I am studying for the church," I said with dignity, "and I am secretary
to the women's mission, and we generally have the committee meetings at
Miss Frick's."
"Oh, indeed! Really!" Suddenly there was a gleam in the woman's eyes.
She had evidently got an idea into her head, because from that moment
her manner was affable and insinuating.
"Oh, indeed! Now really! So you are going to be a parson? That was
what our eldest son was also to be. Reierson wanted him to become a
doctor, but I swore that he should become a parson. Well, I expect you
meet a lot of grand ladies there, then! Have you seen my daughter at
Miss Frick's?"
"What, your daughter?"
"Oh, well; that's no matter;" she evidently did not find it very
opportune to say anything about her daughter, since I myself didn't
appear to know her position in Frick's house. "But as you go to old
Frick's, you have, of course, heard summat of his big diamond which he
has lost."
I knew, of course, that the town had already begun to talk of the
diamond affair, but it came quite unexpectedly upon me to hear this
woman talking of it. Did she want to know what suspicions they had at
Frick's house? Did she know anything about it? Had she her own
suspicions, or was it only curiosity?
"Yes, fortunately, they have got hold of the thief."
"No! now you don't say so!"
Just at this interesting point of the conversation we heard the kitchen
door open.
Madame Reierson left me, and quickly disappeared.
Then began a lively conversation in almost a whisper, but the door was
rickety and my hearing sharp; it was Madame Reierson's voice and another
woman's voice. I recognized it; it was her daughter's.
"--Not home?--not come home yet, do you say?--been out the whole
night--"