Evening came. And what would happen now? A great deal, as it turned out.
It started early; we men were at supper while they were having dinner up
at the house, and we could hear them carrying on as gaily as could be.
Ragnhild was taking in trays of food and bottles, and waiting at table;
once when she came out, she laughed to herself and said to the other
girls: “I believe Fruen's drunk herself tonight.”
I had not slept the night before, nor had my midday rest; I was troubled
and nervous after all that had happened the last two days. So, as soon
as I had finished my supper, I went out and up to the woods to be alone.
I stayed there a long while.
I looked down towards the house. The Captain away, the servants gone to
rest, the beasts in stable and shed fast asleep. Stout Captain Bror
and his lady, too, had doubtless found a quiet corner all to themselves
after dinner; he was simply wild about the woman, for all he was old and
fat and she herself no longer young. That left only Fru Falkenberg and
the young engineer. And where would they be now?
'Twas their affair.
I sauntered home again, yawning and shivering a little in the cool
night, and went up to my room. After a while Ragnhild came up, and
begged me to keep awake and be ready to help in case of need. It was
horrible, she said; they were carrying on like mad things up at the
house, walking about from one room to another, half undressed and drunk
as well. Was Fruen drunk, too? Yes, she was. And was she walking about
half undressed? No, but Captain Bror was, and Fruen clapped her hands
and cried “Bravo!” And the engineer as well. It was one as bad as the
other. And Ragnhild had just taken in two more bottles of wine, though
they were drunk already.
“Come over with me and you can hear them yourself,” said Ragnhild.
“They're up in Fruen's room now.”
“No,” I said. “I'm going to bed. And you'd better go, too.”
“But they'll ring in a minute and be wanting something if I do.”
“Let them ring!”
And then it was Ragnhild confessed that the Captain himself had asked
her to stay up that night in case Fruen should want her.
This altered the whole aspect of affairs in a moment. Evidently the
Captain had feared something might happen, and set Ragnhild on guard in
case. I put on my blouse again and went across with her to the house.
We went upstairs and stood in the passage; we could hear them laughing
and making a noise in Fruen's room. But Fruen herself spoke as clearly
as ever, and was not drunk at all. “Yes, she is,” said Ragnhild,
“anyhow, she's not like herself tonight.”