Joel then proceeded to relate Ole Kamp's whole history. Sylvius Hogg,
deeply moved, listened to the recital with profound attention. He knew
all now. He even read Ole's letter announcing his speedy return. But
Ole had not returned, and there had been no tidings from the missing
one. What anxiety and anguish the whole Hansen family must have
suffered!
"And I thought myself an inmate of a happy home!" he said to himself.
Still, after a little reflection, it seemed to him that the brother
and sister were yielding to despair while there was still some room
for hope. By counting these May and June days over and over again
their imaginations had doubled the number, as it were.
The professor, therefore, concluded to give them his reasons for this
belief, not feigned, but really sensible and plausible reasons that
would also account for the delay of the "Viking."
Nevertheless his face had become very grave, for the poor girl's
evident grief touched him deeply.
"Listen to me, my children," said he. "Sit down here by me, and let us
talk the matter over calmly."
"Ah! what can you say to comfort us?" cried Hulda, whose heart was
full to overflowing.
"I shall tell you only what I really and truly think," replied the
professor. "I have been thinking over all that Joel just told me, and
it seems to me that you are more anxious and despondent than you have
any real cause to be. I would not arouse any false hopes, but we must
view matters as they really are."
"Alas! Mister Sylvius," replied Hulda, "my poor Ole has gone down with
the 'Viking,' and I shall never see him again!"
"Sister, sister!" exclaimed Joel, "be calm, I beseech you, and hear
what Mister Sylvius has to say."
"Yes, be calm, my children, and let us talk the matter over quietly.
It was between the fifteenth and twentieth of May that Ole expected to
return to Bergen, was it not?"
"Yes; and it is now the ninth of June."
"So the vessel is only twenty days overdue, if we reckon from the
latest date appointed for the return of the 'Viking.' That is enough
to excite anxiety, I admit; still, we must not expect the same
punctuality from a sailing-vessel as from a steamer."
"I have told Hulda that again and again, and I tell her so yet,"
interrupted Joel.
"And you are quite right, my boy. Besides, it is very possible
that the 'Viking' is an old vessel, and a slow sailer, like most
Newfoundland ships, especially when heavily laden. On the other hand,
we have had a great deal of bad weather during the past few weeks, and
very possibly the vessel did not sail at the date indicated in Ole's
letter. In that case a week's delay in sailing would be sufficient to
account for the non-arrival of the 'Viking' and for your failure to
receive a letter from your lover. What I say is the result of serious
reflection. Besides, how do you know but the instructions given to the
captain of the 'Viking' authorize him to take his cargo to some other
port, according to the state of the market?"
"In that case, Ole would have written," replied Hulda, who could not
even be cheered by this hope.
"What is there to prove that he did not write?" retorted the
professor. "If he did, it is not the 'Viking' that is behind time, but
the American mail. Suppose, for instance, that Ole's ship touched at
some port in the United States, that would explain why none of his
letters have yet reached Europe."
"The United States, Mister Sylvius!"
"That sometimes happens, and it is only necessary to miss one mail
to leave one's friends without news for a long time. There is, at all
events, one very easy thing for us to do; that is to make inquiries of
some of the Bergen shipowners. Are you acquainted with any of them?"
"Yes," replied Joel, "Messrs. Help Bros."
"Help Bros., the sons of old Help?"
"Yes."
"Why, I know them, too; at least, the younger brother, Help, Junior,
they call him, though he is not far from my own age, and one of my
particular friends. He has often dined with me in Christiania. Ah,
well, my children, I can soon learn through him all that can be
ascertained about the 'Viking.' I'll write him this very day, and if
need be I'll go and see him."
"How kind you are, Mister Sylvius!" cried Hulda and Joel in the same
breath.
"No thanks, if you please; I won't allow them. Did I ever thank you
for what you did for me up there? And now I find an opportunity to do
you a good turn, and here you are all in a flutter."
"But you were just talking of returning to Christiania," remarked
Joel.
"Well, I shall go to Bergen instead, if I find it necessary to go to
Bergen."
"But you were about to leave us, Mister Sylvius," said Hulda.
"Well, I have changed my mind, that is all. I am master of my own
actions, I suppose; and I sha'n't go until I see you safely out
of this trouble, that is, unless you are disposed to turn me
out-of-doors--"
"What can you be thinking of, Mister Sylvius?"
"I have decided to remain in Dal until Ole's return. I want to make
the acquaintance of my little Hulda's betrothed. He must be a brave,
honest fellow, of Joel's stamp, I am inclined to think."
"Yes, exactly like him," replied Hulda.
"I was sure of it!" exclaimed the professor, whose cheerfulness had
returned, at least apparently.
"Ole is Ole, Mister Sylvius," said Joel, "and that is equivalent to
saying that he is the best-hearted fellow in the world."
"I believe you, my dear Joel, and what you say only makes me the more
anxious to see him. I sha'n't have to wait long. Something tells me
that the 'Viking' will soon come safely into port."
"God grant it!"
"And why should He not hear your prayer? Yes, I shall certainly attend
Hulda's wedding, as you have been kind enough to invite me to it. The
Storthing will have to do without me a few weeks longer, that is all.
It would have been obliged to grant me a much longer leave of absence
if you had let me fall into the Rjukanfos as I deserved."
"How kind it is in you to say this, Mister Sylvius, and how happy you
make us!"
"Not as happy as I could wish, my friends, as I owe my life to you,
and I don't know--"
"Oh! please, please say no more about that trifle."
"Yes, I shall. Come now, who drew me out of the frightful jaws of the
Maristien? Who risked their own lives to save me? Who brought me to
the inn at Dal, and cared for me, and nursed me without any assistance
from the Faculty? Oh! I am as stubborn as an old cart-horse, I assure
you, and I have made up my mind to attend the marriage of Hulda to Ole
Kamp, and attend it I shall!"
Hopefulness is contagious, and how could any one resist such
confidence as Sylvius Hogg displayed? A faint smile crept over poor
Hulda's face. She longed to believe him; she only asked to hope.
"But we must recollect that the days are passing very rapidly,"
continued Sylvius Hogg, "and that it is high time we began our
preparations for the wedding."
"They are already begun, Mister Sylvius," replied Hulda. "In fact,
they were begun more than three weeks ago."
"So much the better; but in that case, we must take good care not to
allow anything to interrupt them."
"Interrupt them!" repeated Joel. "Why, everything is in readiness."
"What, the wedding-dress, the bodice with its silver clasps, the belt
and its pendants?"
"Even the pendants."
"And the radiant crown that will make you look like a saint, my little
Hulda?"
"Yes"
"And the invitations are written?"
"All written," replied Joel, "even the one to which we attach most
importance, yours."
"And the bride-maid has been chosen from among the sweetest maidens of
the Telemark?"
"And the fairest, Mister Sylvius," added Joel, "for it is Mademoiselle
Siegfrid of Bamble."
"From the tone in which he uttered those words, and the way in which
he blushed as he uttered them, I judge that Mademoiselle Siegfrid
Helmboe is destined to become Madame Joel Hansen of Dal," said the
professor, laughing.
"Yes, Mr. Sylvius," replied Hulda.
"Good! so there is a fair prospect of yet another wedding," exclaimed
Sylvius Hogg. "And as I feel sure that I shall be honored with an
invitation, I can do no less than accept it here and now. It certainly
looks as if I should be obliged to resign my seat in the Storthing,
for I really don't see how I am to find time to attend its sessions.
But never mind, I will be your best man, Joel, after first serving in
that capacity at your sister's wedding. You certainly are making me do
just what you like, or rather what I like. Kiss me, little Hulda! Give
me your hand, my boy, and now let me write to my friend Help, Junior,
of Bergen."
The brother and sister left the apartment of which the professor had
threatened to take permanent possession, and returned to their daily
tasks with rather more hopeful hearts.
Sylvius Hogg was left alone.
"Poor child! poor child!" he murmured. "Yes, I have made her forget
her sorrow for a few moments. But the delay has been a long one; and
the sea is very rough at this season of the year. What if the 'Viking'
has indeed gone down, and Ole should never return!"
A moment afterward the professor was busily engaged in writing to his
Bergen friend. He asked for the fullest possible particulars in regard
to everything connected with the "Viking" and her cruise, and inquired
if some event, unforeseen or otherwise, had made it necessary to send
the vessel to a different port from that for which it was originally
destined. He also expressed a strong desire to hear as soon as
possible how the shipping merchants and sailors of Bergen explained
the delay. In short, he begged his friend Help to give him all
possible information in regard to the matter by return mail.
This urgent letter also explained Sylvius Hogg's interest in the mate
of the "Viking," the invaluable service rendered him by the young
man's betrothed, and the pleasure it would afford him to be able to
give some encouragement to Dame Hansen's children.
As soon as this letter was finished Joel took it to Moel so it would
go on the following day. It would reach Bergen on the eleventh, so a
reply to it ought to be received on the evening of the twelfth or the
morning of the thirteenth at the very latest.
Nearly three days of dreary waiting! How interminable they seemed!
Still, by dint of reassuring words and encouraging arguments, the
professor contrived to alleviate the painful suspense. Now he knew
Hulda's secret, was there not a topic of conversation ever ready? And
what a consolation it was to Joel and his sister to be able to talk of
the absent one!
"I am one of the family now," Sylvius Hogg repeated again and again.
"Yes, I am like an uncle that has just arrived from America or some
foreign land."
And as he was one of the family, they must have no more secrets from
him.
Of course he had not failed to notice the children's constrained
manner toward their mother, and he felt satisfied that the reserve the
parent displayed had its origin in something besides the uneasiness
she felt on Ole Kamp's account. He thought he might venture to
question Joel; but the latter was unable to give any satisfactory
reply. The professor then ventured to sound Dame Hansen on the
subject, but she was so uncommunicative that he was obliged to abandon
all hope of obtaining any knowledge of her secret until some future
day.
As Sylvius Hogg had predicted, the letter from Help, Junior, reached
Dal on the morning of the thirteenth. Joel started out before daylight
to meet the postman, and it was he who brought the letter into the
large hall where the professor was sitting with Dame Hansen and her
daughter.
There was a moment's silence. Hulda, who was as pale as death, was
unable to utter a word so violent was the throbbing of her heart, but
she seized the hand of her brother, who was equally agitated, and held
it tightly.
Sylvius Hogg opened the letter and read it aloud.
To his great regret the missive contained only some very
vague information; and the professor was unable to conceal his
disappointment from the young people who listened to the letter with
tears in their eyes.
The "Viking" had left Saint-Pierre-Miquelon on the date mentioned in
Ole Kamp's last letter. This fact had been established by the reports
received from other vessels which had reached Bergen since the
"Viking's" departure from Newfoundland. These vessels had seen nothing
of the missing ship on their homeward voyage, but they had encountered
very bad weather in the neighborhood of Iceland. Still they had
managed to weather the gales; so it was possible that the "Viking" had
been equally fortunate, and had merely been delayed somewhere, or had
put into some port for repairs. The "Viking" was a stanch craft, very
substantially built, and commanded by Captain Frikel, of Hammersfest,
a thoroughly competent officer. Still, this delay was alarming, and if
it continued much longer there would be good reason to fear that the
"Viking" had gone down with all on board.
The writer regretted that he had no better news to give the young
Hansens, and spoke of Ole Kamp in the most complimentary terms.
He concluded his letter by assuring the professor of his sincere
friendship, and that of his family, and by promising to send him
without delay any intelligence that might be received at any Norwegian
port, in relation to the "Viking."
Poor Hulda sunk half fainting into a chair while Sylvius Hogg was
reading this letter, and she was sobbing violently when he concluded
its perusal.
Joel, with his arms folded tightly upon his breast, listened in
silence, without daring to glance at his sister.
Dame Hansen, as soon as the reading was concluded, went up to her
room. She seemed to have been expecting the blow.
The professor beckoned Hulda and her brother to his side. He wanted to
talk with them calmly and sensibly on the subject, and he expressed a
confidence that was singular, to say the least, after Help, Junior's
letter. They had no reason to despair. Were there not countless
examples of protracted delays while navigating the seas that lie
between Norway and Newfoundland? Yes, unquestionably. And was not the
"Viking" a strong craft, well officered, and manned by an excellent
crew, and consequently in a much better condition than many of the
vessels that had come safely into port? Most assuredly.
"So let us continue to hope," he added, "and wait. If the 'Viking'
had been wrecked between Iceland and Newfoundland the numerous vessels
that follow the same route to reach Europe would certainly have seen
some trace of the disaster. But no, not a single floating plank
or spar did they meet on the whole of this route, which is so much
frequented at the conclusion of the fishing season. Still, we must
take measures to secure information of a more positive nature. If we
receive no further news of the 'Viking' during the coming week, nor
any letter from Ole, I shall return to Christiania and ask the Naval
Department to make careful inquiries, and I feel sure that the result
will prove eminently satisfactory to all concerned."
In spite of the hopeful manner assumed by the professor, Joel and
Hulda both felt that he did not speak as confidently as he had spoken
before the receipt of the letter from Bergen--a letter whose contents
gave them little if any grounds for hope. In fact, Sylvius Hogg no
longer dared to venture any allusion to the approaching marriage of
Hulda and Ole Kamp, though he said to himself again and again:
"No, no, it is impossible! Ole Kamp never cross the threshold of Dame
Hansen's house again? Ole not marry Hulda? Nothing will ever make me
believe such a misfortune possible."
He was perfectly sincere in this conviction. It was due to the energy
of his character, to a spirit of hopefulness that nothing could crush.
But how could he hope to convince others, especially those whom the
fate of the "Viking" affected so directly?
A few days were allowed to elapse. Sylvius Hogg, who was now entirely
well, took a long walk every day, and persuaded Hulda and her brother
to accompany him. One day all three of them went up the valley of
Vesfjorddal half-way to the falls of the Rjukan. The next day they
went to Moel and Lake Tinn. Once they were even absent twenty-four
hours. This time they prolonged their excursion to Bamble, where the
professor made the acquaintance of Farmer Helmboe and his daughter
Siegfrid. What a cordial welcome the latter gave to her friend Hulda,
and what words of tenderness she found to console her!
Here, too, Sylvius Hogg did all in his power to encourage these worthy
people. He had written to the Navy Department, and the government was
investigating the matter. Ole would certainly return at no distant
day. He might drop in upon them, indeed, at any moment. No; the
wedding would not have to be postponed more than six weeks! The good
man seemed so thoroughly convinced of all this, that his auditors were
influenced rather by his firm conviction than by his arguments.
This visit to the Helmboe family did the young Hansens good, and they
returned home much calmer than they went away.
At last the fifteenth of June came. The "Viking" was now exactly one
month overdue; and as the distance from Newfoundland to the coast of
Norway is comparatively short, this delay was beyond all reason, even
for a sailing-vessel.
Hulda seemed to have abandoned all hope; and her brother could not
find a single word to say by way of encouragement. In the presence
of these poor, unhappy creatures, the professor realized the utter
futility of any well-meant attempt at consolation. Hulda and Joel
crossed the threshold only to stand and gaze in the direction of Moel,
or to walk up the road leading to Rjukanfos. Ole Kamp would probably
come by the way of Bergen, but he might come by way of Christiania
if the destination of the "Viking" had been changed. The sound of an
approaching kariol, a hasty cry, the form of a man suddenly rounding
a curve in the road made their hearts beat wildly; but all for naught.
The good people of Dal were also eagerly watching. Not unfrequently
they went half-way to meet the postman. Everybody was deeply
interested, for the Hansen family was exceedingly popular in the
neighborhood; and poor Ole was almost a child of the Telemark. But no
letter came from Bergen or Christiania giving news of the absent one.
Nothing new occurred on the sixteenth. Sylvius Hogg could scarcely
restrain his restlessness. He began to understand that he must proceed
to act in person, so he announced to his friends that if no news was
received on the following day he should go to Christiania and satisfy
himself that nothing had been left undone. Of course, it was hard
for him to leave Hulda and Joel, but there was no help for it; and he
would return as soon as his task was accomplished.
On the seventeenth a greater part of the most wretched day they had
ever spent together passed without bringing any new developments. It
had rained incessantly since early morning; the wind was blowing a
gale, and the rain dashed fiercely against the window on the side of
the house nearest the Maan.
Seven o'clock came. They had just finished dinner, which had been
eaten in profound silence, as if in a house of mourning. Even Sylvius
Hogg had been unable to keep up the conversation. What could he say
that he had not already said a hundred times before?
"I shall start for Christiania to-morrow morning," he remarked at
last. "Joel, I wish you would procure a kariol and drive me to Moel."
"Very well, Mr. Sylvius. But wouldn't you like me to accompany you
further?"
The professor shook his head, with a meaning glance at Hulda, for he
did not want to see her separated from her brother.
Just then a sound, which was as yet scarcely audible, was heard on the
road in the direction of Moel. They all listened breathlessly. Soon
all doubts vanished. It was the sound of an approaching kariol coming
swiftly toward Dal. Was the occupant some traveler who intended to
spend the night at the inn? This was scarcely probable, as tourists
rarely arrived at so late an hour.
Hulda sprung up trembling in every limb. Joel went to the door, opened
it and looked out.
The noise grew louder It was certain the clatter of horse's hoofs
blended with, the roll of kariol wheels; but the storm without was so
violent that Joel was obliged to close the door.
Sylvius Hogg tramped up and down the room in a perfect fever of
impatience. Joel and his sister held each other tightly by the hand.
The kariol could not be more than twenty yards from the house now.
Would it pause or go by?
The hearts of all three throbbed to suffocation.
The kariol stopped. They heard a voice calling; but it was not the
voice of Ole Kamp!
Almost immediately some one rapped at the door.
Joel opened it.
A man stood upon the threshold.
"Is Mr. Sylvius Hogg here?" he asked.
"I am he," replied the professor. "Who are you, my friend?"
"A messenger sent to you by the Secretary of the Navy at Christiania."
"Have you a letter for me?"
"Yes, sir; here it is."
And the messenger handed him a large envelope sealed with the
Government seal.
Hulda's limbs tottered under her, and her brother sprung forward and
placed her in a chair. Neither of them dared to ask Sylvius Hogg to
open the letter.
At last he broke the seal and read the following:
"MR. PROFESSOR,--In reply to your last letter, I inclose a paper
picked up at sea on the 3d instant by a Danish vessel. Unfortunately
this discovery dispels any lingering doubt as to the fate of the
'Viking'--"
Sylvius Hogg, without taking time to read the rest of the letter, drew
the paper from the envelope. He looked at it; he turned it over.
It was a lottery ticket bearing the number 9672.
On the other side of the ticket were the following lines:
"May 3d.
"DEAREST HULDA,--The 'Viking' is going down. I have only this ticket
left of all I hoped to bring back to you. I intrust it to God's hands,
hoping that it may reach you safely; and as I shall not be there, I
beseech you to be present at the drawing. Accept the ticket with
my last thought of you. Hulda, do not forget me in your prayers.
Farewell, my beloved, farewell!
"OLE KAMP."